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Playoff Preview
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by Michael Dell
Okay, here's how it works. Every year when the playoffs arrive,
I write a preview and make all sorts of wacky predictions. Then
it's your job, as the valued reader, to only remember the ones I
get right and forget the ones I get wrong. See how that works?
Remember right, forget wrong. Seem fair? Cool.
The way I see it, this year's crop of first-round matchups has
its share of possible upsets. I think you have four series that
could go the way of the underdog with a few breaks. They are
Ottawa vs New Jersey, Buffalo vs Philadelphia, San Jose vs
Dallas, and Phoenix vs Detroit. Those would be some serious
upsets, too. None of this five over four garbage. Do I think
all of the aforementioned powerhouses will check out early?
Well, you'll just have to keep on readin', bucko.
Huh, how about that? See, that's what we in the reporting world
call a tease. A tease is a catchy little hook that gets the
reader interested and keeps them around to read the entire
article. Of course, a tease usually leads to a really nice piece
of material, whereas the rest of this column is pretty much a
piece of crap. So I guess it wasn't so much a tease as a taunt.
Or maybe an empty promise? Either one, really.
Before you read the predictions that follow, remember... this is
only an exhibition. This is not a competition. So please, as
always, no wagering.
Eastern Conference
OTTAWA SENATORS (8) VS NEW JERSEY DEVILS (1)
Schedule:
1 Wed, April 22 - Ottawa at New Jersey
2 Fri, April 24 - Ottawa at New Jersey
3 Sun, April 26 - New Jersey at Ottawa
4 Tue, April 28 - New Jersey at Ottawa
5* Thu, April 30 - Ottawa at New Jersey
6* Sat, May 2 - New Jersey at Ottawa
7* Mon, May 4 - Ottawa at New Jersey
Season Series: Split series 2-2-0.
This will be, without doubt, the most boring playoff series in
years. Dr. Kevorkian is already looking into purchasing the
rights for future use. Hey, I'm just saying it's going to be
dull, that's all.
The two clubs combined for 14 goals in their four meetings this
season, with New Jersey earning both their decisions via shutout.
Neither side is loaded with weapons, but the Ottawa arsenal is
particularly barren. The Senators scored only 193 goals this
season, that's the lowest total among playoff-bound teams. In
fact, the only two teams to score fewer goals were Chicago (192)
and Tampa Bay (151).
While Ottawa has had trouble scoring, its roster boasts the two
best forwards in the series: Daniel Alfredsson and Alexei Yashin.
Alfredsson is one of the top all-around players in the entire
NHL. Unfortunately, he suffered through an injury-plagued season
that saw him appear in just 55 games and collect 17 goals and 45
points. He's just now starting to find his stride. That could
mean trouble for the Devils. Alfredsson is a big-game player
that potted five goals in seven playoff games last season against
the Sabres.
Yashin only netted one playoff goal last year, but he led the
team in scoring this season with 33 goals and 72 points. He's
one of the absolute best in the league when it comes to handling
the puck. If the Devils don't limit his space, Yashin will make
'em pay. This could be Yashin's time to finally step up and show
that he belongs among the league's elite. Either that or he'll
float for the whole series and disappear from the scoresheet
entirely... it's a tough call. Yashin's intensity will go a long
way to determining the outcome of the series.
While the Devils don't have two offensive stars to match Yashin
and Alfredsson, they do have 11 different players that notched at
least 10 goals. That's balance. Bobby Holik led the squad with
29 goals and 65 points. Randy McKay, yes, that Randy McKay, was
second on the club with 24 goals. Rookie Patrik Elias was third
with 18. These aren't exactly names that are going to carry a
team to the Cup. And the days of Doug Gilmour being able to
hoist the offensive workload by himself are solid gone. If the
Devils are going to advance deep into the postseason, they're
going to have to continue getting the scoring by committee.
But it's not just the lack of scoring talent that's going to make
this series boring. The problem is that both teams are counter-
punchers. They like to trap and wait for the opposition to make
a mistake before venturing up ice. Both teams are extremely
disciplined in their systems and yield little in the way of
scoring chances.
And on the rare occasion when a scoring chance does show itself,
both teams are solid in net. Obviously, the edge has to be given
to the Devils and Martin Brodeur. But Damian Rhodes and Ron
Tugnutt give the Sens a reliable duo. Rhodes played all four
games this season against the Devils and elevated his game down
the stretch to the point that he should be the number one man for
Ottawa.
When you combine the trapping systems, the strong goaltending,
and the lack of scorers, don't be surprised to see a few 1-0
decisions along the way.
Key Matchup: The Devils are probably going to match up
Scott Stevens against Yashin, but New Jersey coach Jacques
Lemaire really doesn't have to go out of his way to ensure the
head-to-head meeting since he also has the luxury of having Scott
Niedermayer, Lyle Odelein, and Ken Daneyko on his blue line. The
Russian center can also expect to see a steady diet of Bobby
Carpenter as his opposing center. Yashin needs to find a way to
fight through Stevens and crew if Ottawa's going to win. Good
luck.
Player to Watch: Alfredsson has the potential to be a
game-breaker for Ottawa. He scores big goals at big times. If
he gets on a roll the Sens could make things interesting.
Deciding Factor: Believe it or not, the difference could
come down to the Devils' patience. It's usually New Jersey that
tries to frustrate the opposition, but Ottawa is even more
infuriatingly annoying in their approach to offense. The
Senators don't try to win games, they just try to survive them.
New Jersey is the far superior team, but if they get frustrated
with Ottawa's lack of initiative they could open the door for an
upset.
Prediction: This series is a prime candidate for a major
upset. Both teams play such similar styles that most games will
probably be decided by one goal, with more than one overtime
contest being a strong possibility. It could really go either
way. This could be over in four or it could go seven, but every
game will be tight. Alfredsson will probably deliver at least
one victory to Ottawa's side with a timely goal, but New Jersey
should wear the Senators down with its size and toughness. So
take New Jersey in five.
MONTREAL CANADIENS (7) VS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (2)
Schedule:
1 Thu, April 23 - Montreal at Pittsburgh
2 Sat, April 25 - Montreal at Pittsburgh
3 Mon, April 27 - Pittsburgh at Montreal
4 Wed, April 19 - Pittsburgh at Montreal
5* Fri, May 1 - Montreal at Pittsburgh
6* Sun, May 3 - Pittsburgh at Montreal
7* Tue, May 5 - Montreal at Pittsburgh
Season Series: Pittsburgh won 3-2-1.
Pittsburgh and Montreal have never met in the playoffs. And for
the Penguins' sake, they're glad this meeting is happening now
and not two years ago when the Canadiens still called the
Montreal Forum home. The Penguins were just brutal in their
history at the Forum. The Birds won something like three times
in 25 years. I'd look up the exact number, but I'm a lazy punk.
Anyway, they've had far better luck at the Molson Center, going
2-0-1 this season alone at the Keg.
Not only have they lost the services of the old Forum ghosts, the
Habs are entering the series a little beat up. Saku Koivu will
likely miss Game One with a hand injury, Patrice Brisebois could
miss the first two games with an ankle sprain, and Scott Thornton
might be gone for the entire series thanks to shoulder surgery.
The Canadiens are an excellent skating team, but that doesn't
mean they like to play wide open. Montreal is at its best when
it plays a patient, defensive game. With weapons like Koivu,
Mark Recchi, Shayne Corson, Vincent Damphousse, and Brian Savage
up front, the offense is going to take care of itself. The
Canadiens need to concentrate on defense first to be successful.
The two wins they had over the Penguins this season came in
Pittsburgh by scores of 3-0 and 1-0. Those are the kinds of
scores the Habs are going to want to see. Andy Moog was in net
for both of those shutouts and will get the call to start the
series. If he falters, Jocelyn Thibault will be waiting in the
wings.
The Penguins enter the playoffs as the third-best defensive team
in the NHL, allowing a franchise low 188 goals during the regular
season. Pittsburgh hasn't seen defense like that since the days
of the Steel Curtain. But this group can still ring up the goals
on occasion. Their top line of Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, and
Stu Barnes could be the best scoring unit in the league. The
Birds also have a quality checking unit featuring Rob Brown, Ian
Moran, and Alex Hicks, not to mention six steady blueliners,
headlined by the hard-hitting Darius Kasparaitis. And when all
else fails, the Pens can rely on the superb goaltending of the
revitalized Tom Barrasso. The two-time Cup winner looks as
strong as ever between the pipes. He could take the Pens deep.
Key Matchup: The Canadiens like to match Vladimir
Malakhov against Jagr. Malakhov has great size and is mobile
enough to keep up with the Czech Wonder Kid. While he usually
does a respectable job of keeping Jagr under wraps for a game
here or there, doing so over a seven-game series could be too
much to ask. Look for Jagr to freak him at least once during the
series for a highlight-reel goal.
Player to Watch: The Canadiens are made to order for
Kasparaitis. While the Habs have speed and skill, they don't
have much size up front. Unlike last season when he had to try
and battle the likes of Eric Lindros and John LeClair, Darius
will be on a level playing field with the Montreal forwards in
terms of size. That usually means somebody's gonna get messed
up. Get the smelling salts ready.
Deciding Factor: This series will hinge on Pittsburgh's
second line of Robert Lang, Martin Straka, and Alexei Morozov.
If this trio can produce goals and take some heat off the Jagr
line, it could be curtains for the Habs. When the Pens get
production from two lines, they're tough to beat.
And don't forget about the Zarley Zalapski factor. Any team with
Zarley Zalapski is destined for a quick playoff exit. It's in
the stars.
Prediction: Pittsburgh will take it in six. Barrasso is
at the top of his game and Jagr is too much for Montreal's
defense to handle over a long series.
BUFFALO SABRES (6) VS PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (3)
Schedule:
1 Wed, April 22 - Buffalo at Philadelphia
2 Fri, April 24 - Buffalo at Philadelphia
3 Mon, April 27 - Philadelphia at Buffalo
4 Wed, April 29 - Philadelphia at Buffalo
5* Fri, May 1 - Buffalo at Philadelphia
6* Sun, May 3 - Philadelphia at Buffalo
7* Tue, May 5 - Buffalo at Philadelphia
Season Series: Flyers won 2-1-1.
The Flyers and Sabres are quickly becoming playoff rivals. This
will be their third meeting in the past four years, with the
Flyers taking the previous two in five games each.
Their most recent meeting was just last season, but Dominik Hasek
watched form the press box with a knee injury while the Flyers
barged their way past Steve Shields. Philly will have no such
luck this time. Hasek is healthy and ready to flop his way into
the second round.
While Buffalo's strength is between the pipes, goaltending
remains the main weakness for the Flyers. Sean Burke went 7-3-0
down the stretch with Philly and will be their number one guy.
Burke is better than Hextall, but he hasn't played a playoff game
since 1990. If this series comes down to a battle of netminders,
the Flyers don't stand a chance.
Injuries could play a role in the outcome. While the Flyers are
at full strength, Buffalo could be without Mike Peca because of a
knee injury. Peca is questionable for Game One and will be day-
to-day for the series. Outside of Hasek, Peca is Buffalo's next
most valuable player. They're a totally different team with the
gritty checking center patrolling the middle. And despite the
huge disparity in size, Peca usually does a nice job of
containing Eric Lindros.
Even with Peca in the lineup, the Sabre offense is anemic.
Buffalo scored just 211 goals this season, ranking 17th in league
offense. They have 10 guys that scored 10 or more goals, but
only two that cracked 20 goals (Audette, 24; Satan, 22).
Miroslav Satan was the club's leading scorer with just 46 points.
Aw, that's silly.
Philly has no such scoring problems. The Flyers were the highest
scoring team in the Eastern Conference with 242 goals. John
LeClair led the way with 51 goals and 87 points.
Key Matchup: Buffalo's blue line is going to have trouble
matching up with Eric Lindros and John LeClair. Alexei Zhitnik
and Richard Smehlik are the Sabres' number one pair and will have
the responsibility of trying to shut down the mammoth forwards.
Zhitnik is having a great season, but going up against Lindros
and LeClair for seven is going to be a struggle. And it's
doubtful he'll be able to get much help from the likes of Darryl
Shannon, Mike Wilson, Bob Boughner, or Jason Woolley. Hasek or
no Hasek, unless Zhitnik and Smehlik can at least slow down the
big Flyer guns, the Sabres don't stand a chance.
Players to Watch: Geoff Sanderson could be a guy to keep
an eye on. If the Sabres are going to win, they have to get some
clutch goal-scoring out of someone. Sanderson would seem like an
obvious choice. He hasn't exactly set the world on fire in a
Sabres uniform, but now would be a good time for him to remember
his former 40-goal ways.
And obviously Sean Burke is going to be at the center of
attention for the Flyers. If he falters, panic will sweep the
countryside.
Deciding Factors: The most important factor will be
Philly's goaltending. If Burke and Hextall don't give the Sabres
any soft ones, it's going to be hard for the Flyers to lose.
Next is the health of Peca. If he misses a significant portion
of the series, the Sabres are mud.
And finally, the Sabres were 0-for-20 on the power play this
season against the Flyers. If they don't find a way to convert
on the man-advantage, they can't win.
Prediction: Every year there's at least one major upset.
This could be it. The Flyers are primed to get knocked off. The
goaltending is still shaky, Lindros is a little rusty after
returning from the concussion, and the team pretty much stumbled
to the finish line. Philly has had problems putting together 60
minutes of hockey. They'll dominate in spurts and then
disappear. That effort doesn't cut it against the Sabres and
Hasek. Besides, do you get the feeling that this is just Hasek's
year? He's never won a playoff series. That can't last forever.
Take the Sabres in seven.
BOSTON BRUINS (5) VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS (4)
Schedule:
1 Wed, April 22 - Boston at Washington
2 Fri, April 24 - Boston at Washington
3 Sun, April 26 - Washington at Boston
4 Tue, April 28 - Washington at Boston
5* Fri, May 1 - Boston at Washington
6* Sun, May 3 - Washington at Boston
7* Tue, May 5 - Boston at Washington
Season Series: Boston won 2-1-1.
This series will be like a class reunion. And it's not just
because people will be showing up with more weight, less hair,
and professional dates. Jason Allison, Anson Carter, Dimitri
Khristich, and Byron Dafoe all used to call Washington home,
while Adam Oates, Joe Juneau, and Bill Ranford used to wear the
spoked-B. Somebody better spike the punch.
Boston surprised everyone this year, improving on last season's
pitiful record by 30 points. While coach Pat Burns brought a
winning attitude to town, it wouldn't have meant squat without
the development of Allison. The 22-year-old center that the Caps
gave up on became a legitimate number one center for the Bruins
this season, leading the team with 33 goals and 83 points.
Allison anchors Boston's top line alongside wingers Dimitri
Khristich and Sergei Samsonov. This trio likes to work the puck
low and cycle deep, while Samsonov also has the speed to stretch
the defense. They'll do some damage.
The Washington offense will be paced by the All-World talent of
Peter Bondra. He never gets any hype, but Bondra tied for the
league lead in goals this season with 52. The guy's just
amazing. If you want to have some fun, just watch Bondra skate.
It's like a martini for the eyes. I have no idea what that
means...
While each team has a marquee player, offense was hard to come by
in the regular season series. In their four games, the two teams
combined for just 12 goals. Yeah, that's excitement.
With scoring at a premium, things could come down to goaltending.
Olaf Kolzig will get the call for the Caps, fresh off a career
year that saw him win 33 games. Kolzig and Dafoe came up
together through the Washington system and are best buddies. So
this could be a serious competition for bragging rights. But if
Kolzig slumps, the Caps can always turn to Ranford. If Dafoe
goes in the tank, Rob Tallas is on deck. Advantage Caps.
Key Matchup: The Bruins have to find a way to neutralize
Bondra. They'll likely match Ray Bourque and Hal Gill against
the Slovakian speedster. Sadly, neither one has the wheels to
stay even close.
Players to Watch: Bondra is the man. If you remove your
eye from this guy for a minute you're taking the chance of
missing something special. He'll be good for five or six goals
this series.
Deciding Factor: Boston needs to get production out of
its second line of Ted Donato, Steve Heinze, and Anson Carter. I
suspect the Caps are going to be able to keep the Allison trio
fairly quiet with the likes of Mark Tinordi and Joe Reekie
around. So it will be imperative for the Bears to get offense
from other sources. Heinze is capable. He scored a career-high
26 goals this year.
Prediction: Boston had a nice season, but the Caps are
the better team. Washington is finally starting to get healthy
and play to its potential. And Boston really has no answer for
Bondra. But who does? The Caps in six.
Western Conference
SAN JOSE SHARKS (8) VS DALLAS STARS (1)
Schedule:
1 Wed, April 22 - San Jose at Dallas
2 Fri, April 24 - San Jose at Dallas
3 Sun, April 26 - Dallas at San Jose
4 Tue, April 28 - Dallas at San Jose
5* Thu, April 30 - San Jose at Dallas
6* Sat, May 2 - Dallas at San Jose
7* Mon, May 4 - San Jose at Dallas
Season Series: Split 2-2-0.
The Dallas Stars claimed the President's Trophy this season with
a record of 49-22-11. But all the wins and all the really big
cheese platters in the world won't erase the memories of the
Stars' first-round loss to the Oilers last year.
The Stars will be mission men this time out. And calling the
shots will be Mike Modano. Known to friends and fans alike as
Mikey Mo, Modano is fresh off the injured reserve list and
looking to cement his stature as one of the game's premier
superstars. If Modano wants to be considered in the same breath
with the likes of Eric Lindros, Jaromir Jagr, Peter Forsberg, and
Joe Sakic, he needs a big playoff year.
Aiding Modano in the cause will be Joey Nieuwendyk. Now here's a
guy that had a great year, lemme tell ya. With Modano out,
Nieuwendyk led the club in scoring with 39 goals and 69 points in
73 games. His 39 red lights were the most this season by a
Canadian-born player. How 'bout them apples?
Modano and Nieuwendyk are the main weapons, but Dallas boasts
swell depth up front. Pat Verbeek, Jere Lehtinen, Jamie
Langenbrunner, and Greg Adams can all chip in with goals, while
guys like Mike Keane, Brian Skrudland, Dave Reid, and Guy
Carbonneau add character. The defense is equally well-balanced,
with Derian Hatcher and Serge Zubov headlining the group.
Hatcher, along with Chris Pronger and Adam Foote, is one of the
premier defensive defensemen in the game, while Zubov was among
the league's highest scoring defensemen with 10 goals and 57
points. And there is no longer a hole in net now that Eddie
Belfour is manning the pipes. Belfour led the league with a 1.88
goals-against average. Dallas just has no weakness.
San Jose definitely has a tough road to hoe. But the Sharks
might be up to the task. Not only did they just purchase a new
shiny hoe equipped with a foam pad on the handle for comfort, the
Fish also closed the season going 6-2-4 over their final 12
games. And they've played the Stars tough this season, splitting
the series two games apiece with the road team winning every time
out. And keep in mind that the Sharks have never lost a first-
round series, owning wins over Detroit and Calgary, while Dallas
hasn't advanced past the first round since 1994. So what does
all this mean? Not a whole lot...
The Sharks are powered by wily veterans such as John MacLean,
Bernie Nicholls, Tony Granato, and Murray Craven. The offense is
primarily driven by Jeff Friesen. The swift winger led the club
with 31 goals and 63 points. That's really about it, tho'. No
other player even had as many as 20 goals or 45 points.
Key Matchup: The highlight will be seeing Mike Vernon and
Ed Belfour go at it in net. Vernon has two Stanley Cup rings.
Belfour has a real wizard mood ring. And Underdog has a ring,
too. The secret compartment of which he fills with an Underdog
super energy pill. But I digress. The point is that Belfour
hasn't had much in the way of playoff success, making it to the
finals just once, while Vernon has been to the top of the
mountain twice.
Players to Watch: The Sharks have three guys that could
make a difference. Owen Nolan had a miserable season, recording
just 14 goals and 41 points in 75 games, but he's still a star
talent. He's capable of erupting at any moment. And he's a
streak scorer. Once he gets one, they tend to come in bunches.
The second pivotal player is Al Iafrate. The Sharks are just a
completely different team with Iafrate in the lineup. The Planet
can make an impact, provided he stays healthy. That's always a
concern.
The third key player is defensemen Bryan Marchment. Earlier this
year while a member of the Edmonton Oilers, Marchment injured
Mike Modano and Greg Adams with knee-to-knee checks. The two
separate incidents created a blood feud between the Oilers and
Stars. The situation played a part in Edmonton trading him back
east to Tampa Bay. Well, now Marchment is back in the west and
will have the pleasure of facing Dallas in the postseason. This
could get ugly.
Deciding Factor: The Sharks have to get some goals from
Nolan. He should be their go-to guy. He's a 50-goal scorer just
waiting to happen. If Nolan doesn't come through, the rest of
the Sharks probably won't be able to produce enough goals to
threaten the upset.
Prediction: The Sharks are a solid veteran team with a
proven winner in net. But that still won't be enough to knock
off Dallas. The Stars are just too deep and strong at all
positions. It could be a long series, tho'. Look for the Stars
in six, maybe seven if Nolan wakes up. There's even an outside
chance of an upset if Marchment is able to get Dallas off its
game entirely with a few questionable hits.
EDMONTON OILERS (7) VS COLORADO AVALANCHE (2)
Schedule:
1 Wed, April 22 - Edmonton at Colorado
2 Fri, April 24 - Edmonton at Colorado
3 Sun, April 26 - Colorado at Edmonton
4 Tue, April 28 - Colorado at Edmonton
5* Thu, April 30 - Edmonton at Colorado
6* Sat, May 2 - Colorado at Edmonton
7* Mon, May 4 - Edmonton at Colorado
Season Series: Colorado won 5-1-0.
This will be the most entertaining series of the first round.
Both teams love to skate and trade scoring chances. The
Avalanche like to think of themselves as a defensive club, but
they're still a run-and-gun Old West team at heart. And the
Oilers seem to bring that game out of them. Expect to see plenty
of goals scored in this one.
It may be a treat to hockey fans, but the Oilers would have just
rather skipped meeting the Avalanche in the first round.
Colorado beat them five out of six times this season, by a
combined score of 24-11, and rubbed 'em out in five games during
the second round last year. Curtis Joseph was in net for all
five losses this season, earning a 4.25 goals-against average and
a .855 save percentage. Bob Essensa was in net for the lone
Oiler win, a 5-4 decision in Colorado near the end of March.
The Oil got some good news when the NHL suspended Joe Sakic one
game for kneeing Kris Draper in the Avalanche season finale.
Yeah, somebody better straighten Sakic out because that guy is a
loose cannon. Oh boy.
Anyway, Sakic will be on the shelf for Game One, but he'll be
back in plenty of time to torture Joseph with his supersonic
wrist shot for at least four goals. With Sakic out, that just
means the Peter Forsberg line will have to carry a bit more of
the load to start. Forsberg finished second in league scoring
with 91 points and really began to light it up the last few times
out with linemates Claude Lemieux and Valeri Kamensky. If these
guys get rollin', this series will be over in a hurry.
Edmonton's ace up front is good ol' Dougie Weight. The slick
center led the team in scoring with 26 goals and 70 points. The
only other Oiler to hit 20 goals was Ryan Smyth, and he had an
even 20. Dean McAmmond was second on the club in points with 50.
So while the Oilers have plenty of speed, they don't have a lot
of finishers. They're going to have trouble beating Patrick Roy
on a regular basis.
Key Matchup: The Oilers have to quiet the Forsberg line
if they hope to make this thing competitive. The only problem is
that Edmonton's top pair is Boris Mironov and Roman Hamrlik.
They're plenty skilled, but I don't think they'll have Forsberg,
Lemieux, and Kamensky staying up late diagraming plays. Unless,
like, you know, "Shaft" is on TV or somethin'... then they could
cook up some smores, break out the Nestle Quick, and make a night
of it...
Player to Watch: Well, Sakic will probably come out
flying once he returns from his suspension. So that'll be cool.
And Forsberg was extremely hot down the stretch. He'll likely
put up some three-point nights.
As for the Oil, they could use a big effort out of Billy Guerin.
They need someone to finish with consistency, and Guerin has the
potential. It's just too bad he rarely delivers on the promise.
And if Curtis Joseph gets hot he could steal a game or two.
Deciding Factor: This whole series hinges on Edmonton's
ability to handle Forsberg's line. The Oilers also have to find
a way to silence the Avalanche power play. In the six games
against the Oil this season, the Colorado man-advantage connected
nine out of 31 times (29%).
Prediction: There are a lot of people out there that are
forgetting about the Avalanche. They may look sleepy at times,
but that's just because they don't care. They know they're
better than the opposition, they just don't feel the need to
prove it on a nightly basis during the regular season. But this
is the playoffs. Edmonton's style should bring out the best in
the Avalanche. Colorado in five.
PHOENIX COYOTES (6) VS DETROIT RED WINGS (3)
Schedule:
1 Wed, April 22 - Phoenix at Detroit
2 Fri, April 24 - Phoenix at Detroit
3 Sun, April 26 - Detroit at Phoenix
4 Tue, April 28 - Detroit at Phoenix
5* Thu, April 30 - Phoenix at Detroit
6* Sat, May 2 - Detroit at Phoenix
7* Mon, May 4 - Phoenix at Detroit
Season Series: Detroit won 3-1-2.
Detroit enters the postseason bruised, battered, and in the midst
of a three-game losing streak. Steve Yzerman and Igor Larionov
ended the campaign nursing groin injuries but should be good to
go in Game One. The same can't be said for Brendan Shanahan,
Doug Brown, Brent Gilchrist, and Kris Draper. Shanny is
questionable for the start of the series with a bad back, Brown
is likely out until next season with a shoulder injury, Gilchrist
could miss the entire first round with a groin pull, and Draper
is day-to-day with a sprained knee. Not exactly how you want to
enter the playoffs.
The Wings were healthy all season until the end, which is the
complete opposite story for the Coyotes. Phoenix lost a ton of
man-games to injury this year... I'm not sure of the exact
number, but it's like more than 12 and less than 714. Somewhere
in there. Anyway, the Coyotes are actually getting somewhat
healthy, although sniper Keith Tkachuk is still playing through a
rib injury and Jeremy Roenick continues to be bothered by a
slight hernia. Craig Janney is on the mend from a knee injury
and may not be ready at the start, but then again, it's not 1990
so who really cares?
The Coyotes are on a bit of a tear. The Dessert Dogs seemed like
a dark horse to make the playoffs because of a brutal schedule
down the homestretch, but they pulled it off by winning four
straight before dropping the final game of the season. The guy
who really led the charge was Rick Tocchet. He got in trouble
again with the league recently for a stick infraction, but
Tocchet has been a dynamo for Phoenix. A slow dynamo, but a
dynamo nonetheless. His intensity carried the club to where it
is today.
The Phoenix franchise has had little success in the playoffs.
They've failed to make it out of the first round since 1986-87.
Since that time there have been seven first-round exits,
including one in each of the past two seasons. Detroit did the
honors in 1995-96, dispatching the then-Winnipeg Jets in six
games despite some spectacular goaltending from Nikolai
Khabibulin.
Key Matchup: Defensive assignments are a tough call for
Jim Schoenfeld and the Coyotes. Do you match up Teppo Numminen
against Yzerman or Sergei Fedorov? Scotty Bowman won't have such
decisions, since Tkachuk is pretty much the entire Coyote
offense. Expect to see Nicklas Lidstrom on the ice whenever
Tkachuk is out there.
Players to Watch: The goaltenders could make for
interesting viewing. Khabibulin has the ability to go nuts on
occasion and steal games without giving the opposition much
choice in the matter. Of course, he can also give up five goals
on 15 shots and look bush league in doing it. Khabby's nutty
like that. If he can string together three or four impressive
outings, a Coyote upset isn't out of the question.
At the other end of the ice, Chris Osgood will finally have the
entire weight of the team on his shoulders. He's never really
proven himself to be a playoff netminder. His career postseason
save percentage is a rather ordinary .897. If he cracks, the
Wings are beat.
Deciding Factor: Phoenix has to get some scoring from
someone other than Tkachuk. C'mon, would it kill Roenick to
score a few goals? Maybe somebody should try hypnotizing him
into believing it's 1992. While they're at it they might as well
set the Way Back Machine to 1990 for Janney, too...
Prediction: Phoenix could pull off the upset if the
Detroit injuries linger longer than expected and Khabibulin plays
out of his skull. But in all likelihood, the Wings will just
outlast the Coyotes with their depth and experience. Detroit in
six.
LOS ANGELES KINGS (5) VS ST. LOUIS BLUES (4)
Schedule:
1 Thu, April 23 - Los Angeles at St. Louis
2 Sat, April 25 - Los Angeles at St. Louis
3 Mon, April 27 - St. Louis at Los Angeles
4 Wed, April 29 - St. Louis at Los Angeles
5* Fri, May 1 - Los Angeles at St. Louis
6* Sun, May 3 - St. Louis at Los Angeles
7* Tue, May 5 - Los Angeles at St. Louis
Season Series: St. Louis won 3-0-1.
Okay, so what if Grant Fuhr looked loopy as hell the last few
games of the season? The Blues still have Brett Hull up front
and Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis, and Steve Duchesne along the blue
line. That should be more than enough to handle the upstart
Kings.
St. Louis dominated the season series with the Royalty, going 3-
0-1 in the four games. The secret to the Blues' success was the
power play, both theirs and the Kings'. St. Louis converted
seven of their 21 power-play chances (33%), while the Kings
connected once on 16 tries (6.3%).
Hey, get a load of this... Brett Hull didn't lead the Blues in
goal-scoring this season. Hull only bagged 27 goals, four fewer
than team leader Geoff Courtnall. The Golden One even went goal-
less for 11 straight games at the end of the season before
snapping the drought with an empty-netter against Anaheim in the
season's final contest. To be fair about it, Hull only appeared
in 66 games and did lead the team in points with 72. So it
wasn't a total wash.
Pierre Turgeon was second on the club in scoring with 22 goals
and 68 points in 60 games, followed by Courtnall's 31 goals and
62 points. Good ol' Pavol Demitra also showed he could produce
some decent numbers when given the chance by potting 22 goals and
52 points.
It's hard to believe, considering the off year by Hull, but the
Blues were actually the highest-scoring team in the league,
racking up 256 goals. It's even harder to believe that 256 goals
led the league, but that's a whole different story. That goal
total wasn't just the work of the forwards. The Blues' real
strength is in their three dominant defenders. Pronger doesn't
score a whole lot, although he did have nine goals and 36 points,
but he'll play the whole game if needed and led the NHL in +/-
with a remarkable +47. MacInnis just continues to put up the
numbers despite his advancing years, recording 19 goals and 49
points. And Duchesne quietly goes about his business in the
shadows of his two prominent teammates, finishing fourth on the
team in scoring with 14 goals and 56 points.
The Kings have a superstar defenseman of their own in Rob Blake.
The likely Norris Trophy winner, Blake led all defensemen in
goals with 23 and was fourth on the team with 50 points. His
play was the main reason why the Kings are back in the postseason
for the first time in five years.
The Los Angeles offense is carried by the crafty Jozef Stumpel.
The big Czech center has so many skills they're falling out of
his pockets. Stumpel led the Kings in scoring with 21 goals and
79 points in 77 games. But the club's top two goal-scorers were
Glen Murray (29) and Yanic Perreault (28). This reminds me of
that old hockey axiom passed down through the generations that
goes something like, "When your top two goal-scorers are Glen
Murray and Yanic Perreault, you won't go anywhere in the
playoffs."
The Kings will be solid in net with Stephane Fiset. He's the
real deal. But he'd be a lot cooler if he'd wear his old igloo
mask from his days with Quebec.
Key Matchup: Jozef Stumpel vs. Chris Pronger. If the
Kings want to win, Stumpel has to produce. And he's going to
have to do it against Pronger. It might happen. It could
happen. It's not gonna happen...
Player to Watch: Brett Hull is due to go buckwild. Don't
be surprised to see him blast home four or five over the course
of the series.
For the Kings, watch out for Luc Robitaille. He's fresh from the
injured reserve and could make an impact. He has a knack of
getting the folks in L.A. to rally around him. And they don't
call him Lucky Luc for nothin'...
Deciding Factor: The Kings must solve the St. Louis power
play and they have to get scoring out of unproven guys like
Stumpel, Murray, and Perreault. It's not going to be easy. But
neither is Boggle, and look how much fun that is...
Prediction: St. Louis in five.
So, let's review. If all goes as planned, here's how things will
turn out...
New Jersey in five.
Pittsburgh in six.
Buffalo in seven.
Washington in six.
Dallas in six.
Colorado in five.
Detroit in six.
St. Louis in five.
And if the above doesn't happen, then forget you ever read this.
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CREDITS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Dell........................Editor-in-Chief
Zippy the Wonder Chimp....................Webmaster
Michael Secosky............................Producer
Jim Iovino.............................Ace Reporter
Matthew Secosky......................Undercover Spy
Marc Boucher..............................Publisher
Dan Hurwitz.............Force for Cultural Hegemony
John Kreiser.....................Featured Columnist
David A. Feete......................Featured Writer
Steve Wilson..........International Sales Executive
Nicole Agostino...........................Stat Girl
Alex Carswell.................Anaheim Correspondent
Matt Brown.....................Boston Correspondent
Joe Brunner...................Buffalo Correspondent
Tony Wong.....................Calgary Correspondent
Brad Kane....................Carolina Correspondent
Thomas Crawford...............Chicago Correspondent
Greg D'Avis..................Colorado Correspondent
Jim Panenka....................Dallas Correspondent
Dino Cacciola.................Detroit Correspondent
Simon D. Lewis...............Edmonton Correspondent
Eric A. Seiden................Florida Correspondent
Matt Moore................Los Angeles Correspondent
Jacques Robert...............Montreal Correspondent
Phil Aromando..............New Jersey Correspondent
David Strauss...............Islanders Correspondent
Alex Frias....................Rangers Correspondent
The Nosebleeders..............Ottawa Correspondents
Eric Meyer...............Philadelphia Correspondent
Matthew Secosky..............Phoenix Correspondent
Tom Cooper..................St. Louis Correspondent
Al Swanson...................San Jose Correspondent
Seth Lerman.................Tampa Bay Correspondent
Jonah Sigel...................Toronto Correspondent
Carol Schram................Vancouver Correspondent
Jason Sheehan..............Washington Correspondent
Tricia McMillan...................AHL Correspondent
James Clippinger.......College Hockey Correspondent
Night Train...........................One Mean Wine
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LCS Hockey - Issue 92; April 21, 1998
E-mail address: info@lcshockey.com
Good ol' postal address: 406 Sheffield Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601.
Web Site: www.lcshockey.com
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THE BEARS ARE BACK
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by Matt Brown
Well, another hockey regular season in Boston has come to a close. It wasn’t
bad enough that the team finished dead last in the NHL last season. This
season, after getting the number one draft choice, Joe Thornton, the guy only
scored three goals and seven points! He played 55 games, and only seven points?
Way to pick ‘em, Harry.
One of their other top picks from the year before, Cameron Mann, plays
three games in Boston, and rings up one whole point. The other hotshot they
signed out of college last year, Randy Robitaille, had four games and a
big zero.
And the goalie of the future, part 2? Jim Carey, traded for when Harry gave
up on goalie of the future number one, Bill Ranford, struggled. This guy
Carey, he ends up getting sent to the AHL to a last place team and then
he goes out with a bum shoulder. Great move that.
So they bring in a tough guy, Ken Baumgartner. The Bomber is here as a
protector, see his job is to keep the thugs away from Joe Thornton and the
goons away from Ray Bourque. So the guy rings up one lousy point in 82 games,
and he end up -14 in the plus/minus. Sheesh.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Don Sweeney gets sandwiched and his shoulder blade
gets snapped like a potato chip. He misses 23 games, like the Bruins can
afford that. And Kyle McLaren was hurting a bunch too - he missed 17 games.
Steve Heinze came back from his injuries of the prior year only to get hurt
again, and he missed 22 games.
And Ted Donato goes from being the team’s second best scorer with 26 goals
and 51 points to just 16 goals and 39 points. What’s the world coming to?
So what does Harry Sinden do? He trades away Jozef Stumpel, probably the
best guy on the team, to LA just because of a few bucks on a contract, and
the guy becomes their leading scorer. And the guy they throw in like old
hamburger, Mr. Broken Bone himself, Sandy Moger, ends up playing 62 games
for the Kings and becomes a major part of their playoff-bound team.
Now, if you left Boston last year around May first, spent the year in
Antarctica snowboarding on the polar ice shelf, and then came back to
Boston to read the preceding litany of Bruins woes, you would undoubtedly
say "Oh well, another year out of the playoffs."
To the delight of the faithful Bruins fans, oh, how wrong you would be.
Despite the aforementioned mere hiccups, the Boston Bruins were the most
improved team in the NHL in the 1997-98 season. Boston improved a full 30
points in the standings, going from dead least to fifth in the Eastern
Conference, and coming within a whisker, or perhaps a Penguin, of home ice
advantage.
The Bruins' return to the playoffs, after enduring a year that even Ray
Bourque now admits was down and divisive, was engineered by the oft-maligned
and always crusty Harry Sinden. Harry is the closest thing that the
Generation X NHL has to old-time hockey, and though he often seems out of
step with the mainstream (mainly with regard to salaries and free agents),
Harry has proved once again that he can build a winning hockey team. Now,
can he, or will he, build them into a Cup-winner? That is the bigger
question.
Harry’s biggest decision was to hire Pat Burns. At first, this move seemed
almost heretical - Burns coached the hated Habs, for Orr’s sake. Didn’t
Harry remember how pompous this guy was behind the Canadiens bench all
those years? And then Burns goes off and hires Jacques Leperriere,
another ex-Hab. Sacre Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge! There goes the neighborhood!
However, it didn’t take long before Bruins’ fans were thinking a little
differently about Mr. Burns. He came to town, talked straight, and coached
the same way. He commanded respect and attention from his players, and he
rewarded hard work. He brought order to the on-ice chaos, taught the team
to believe in itself, and put up with no nonsense.
The result was a remarkable improvement in the standings, and in the players
as individuals and as a team.
But even Pat Burns needed help. If Burns had been brought in a year
earlier, the Bruins still probably would have fallen out of the playoffs.
Evidence of this can be seen in a glance at the team stats. Players who were
mainstays in the prior year, like Dean Chynoweth and Barry Richter, barely
saw a game with the Bruins. Others, like Trent McCleary and Jeff Odgers,
were merely set adrift.
A comparison of last year’s player stats to this year’s shows another
difference - the 96-97 stats list 40 players, and that doesn’t even count
the ones traded away to the Capitals (Adam Oates, Rick Tocchet, and Bill
Ranford). This year’s stat register shows 32. Callups from the AHL
Providence Bruins were few and far between, mostly because of injuries.
None of this Boston-to-Providence shuttle that had dominated the roster
over the past few years. Burns carried an extra player or two in Boston,
and when somebody didn’t show Pat the level of hustle he expected, the
extra players dressed in their stead.
Burns was never caught shorthanded like Steve Kasper was, resulting in
discipline becoming humiliation, as with his benching of Cam Neely and Kevin
Stevens. If he had carried two extra players, he could have sat Neely and
Stevens in the press box, and there wouldn’t have been tearful news conferences
and dissension among the players.
With Burns in the fold to straighten out the on ice situation, Sinden
proceeded to shore up the roster. The monster trade with Washington was
looked at with Carey as the main player, with Anson Carter and Jason
Allison as typical Bruins bit players. Allison would never live up to his
potential, harped the critics.
Well, it turns out that what Jason Allison needed was a good dose of Pat
Burns. Burns told Allison straight up that he could be as good as he wanted
to be, but only if he wanted it and worked for it. Allison responded, and
he became the Bruins 97-98 scoring leader, with 33 goals and 49 assists for
82 points and a plus 32 +/- rating. Some of the scoring moves Jason made
during the year will remain on Bruins highlight films for a good while. He
combined a beautiful passing touch with the kind of swooping power moves
that the Bruins last saw with Can Neely. At least six or seven times
during the season, Allison went in back of the net, with a defenseman
draped over him, dug the puck out, and skated it to the front of the crease,
holding the puck on his stick with one arm and holding the defender off with
the other, and flipped the puck into the net after faking down the goalie.
He did this against Dominik Hasek, he did it against Martin Brodeur,
and several other unfortunates. The contrast was so great between the kid
who came over from Washington to the player who led the Bruins back to the
playoffs that some Bruins fans called Allison "Bag O Pucks" referring to
his original status as a spare part in the Jim Carey trade. It was a
thrill to watch Allison progress from an all-right kid to a legitimate
first line NHL player.
Anson Carter also had a career year, although nowhere near as stellar as
Allison’s. But he went from an 18-point season to a 43-point season, his
best as a pro. Carter spent a lot of time on a line with Ted Donato and
Steve Heinze, and his hard work and muscle were a good part of the reason
Heinze was so successful.
Harry Sinden made five other personnel moves that struck gold this year. He
added Sergei Samsonov, Dimitri Khristich, Byron Dafoe, Tim Taylor, and Dave
Ellett, and dramatically changed the face of the team.
Harry and Mike O’Connell picked the diminutive Sergei Samsonov, a 19-year-old
IHL player, with the eighth pick in the draft. All Samsonov has done is
become the leading candidate for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Now granted, a big part of that status results from playing on the Allison
line and getting the ice time. But there is no question that Sergei earned
his way. Samsonov first impressed with his speed and stickhandling, but
there was something else. Even in pre-season, the guy just had a knack for
being in the right place, and after some game time on the first line, those
right places started turning into right times as well. Sergei was adept at
digging the puck out, avoiding the big crunches, and finding his teammates
in the open. Once Pat Burns cured the boy of a little self-modesty about
shooting rather than passing, Samsonov began to catch up with the other
rookie leaders, eventually surpassing them.
But that only makes two-thirds of a top line, so Harry and Mike decided to
make the best of Jozef Stumpel’s salary demands by trading him to LA for
Dimitri Khristich. This turned out to be pure genius, because Dimitri
was just the linemate Sergei really needed. Khristich came out of LA with
a bit of a bad rap as an attitude problem. This quickly became a non-issue
under Pat Burns and Khristich showed that he could do more than snipe for
goals. On a non-hitting line, Khristich was often the first into the
corners, and he wasn’t shy about giving or taking a bump to play the puck
to a linemate. Quite frankly, these were unexpected qualities. He ended up
tying his second best career season totals with 66 points, and 23 of those
points came on the power play, the best output of his career.
Oh, by the way, the Khristich trade also included a backup goaltender.
The experts figured Byron Dafoe to back up Jim Carey, but it didn’t take
too long into pre-season to see that there was a real battle going on for
the number one spot. And Dafoe won out, primarily because he was more
confident and consistent. Byron went on to register his first winning
season as an NHL goalie and hit the 30-win plateau just before the season
ended. He also registered six shutouts, and was a big part of the reason
that the Bruins' goals-against went down by 106 goals, a fair amount better
than the goal-per-game reduction Pat Burns targeted for the year (amid the
critics snickers and guffaws). While the defensive game plan Burns instilled
was the primary reason the Bruins improved so much, it was Dafoe who often
kept them in a critical game with his borderline miraculous saves.
The Bruins picked up Tim Taylor from Detroit, and looking back, this is still
perhaps one of the more amazing steals of the year. Now, Taylor was small
potatoes in Detroit, playing a very minor part in the Stanley Cup win.
However, with the Bruins, Taylor has centered the checking line the Bruins
put out against every other teams number one line. Yes, every player on the
line has a negative +/-. But Taylor scored 20 goals, and his linemates
scored eight and 10 for a total of 38, which is 17 percent of the Bruins
total goals. Not bad for a checking line that plays against the Jaromir
Jagrs, John LeClairs, and Mike Modanos of the world, night after night.
Finally, Dave Ellett was an incredible find. Dave split time between Toronto
and New Jersey the prior season, and New Jersey let him go. Boston, in dire
need of another experienced defensive veteran, was quick to sign him.
Ellett is a little long in the tooth, but he still plays a solid game, but
with more offensive threat than a run-of-the-mill defensive defenseman.
Dave has brought stability to the defense pairs, and balanced the Bruins'
youth on defense with veteran experience.
If that wasn’t already more than one could expect from new faces on the team,
two other players served in roles well beyond preseason expectations. These
were two rookie players who couldn’t be more different, but nonetheless had a
similar positive impact on the team. The first was Per Johan Axelsson. PJ
was nicknamed "Gumby" early on in the season for his loosey-goosey skating
and hitting style - he looked like he had double-joints where other people
had bones. He could skate fast, stickcheck like a demon, hit and take a
hit, and generally make a thorough pest of himself without stepping over
that imaginary line and drawing a penalty. He had tremendous range and a
long reach, which made him ideal for penalty killing. All in all, PJ was
perfect for his checking line role with Tim Taylor and Rob DiMaio.
Rounding out the rookie crop was Hal Gill, as huge as PJ was gangly. Gill
was not even really expected to make the team, but he ended up playing 68
games, most of them as Ray Bourque’s defense partner. While his point
totals were modest, Gill made up for it by playing steadily in his role as
Ray’s protégé. Gill, who had Ray Bourque posters all over his wall at home,
managed to avoid being transfixed by Bourque’s stardom, and he actually was
able to take some heat off Ray, often by using his incredible reach to tie
up a puck carrier until Ray could scoop up the puck.
There are obviously other players on the Bruins who have contributed to the
team’s outstanding success this season, but the players mentioned above are
the ones who made the biggest difference between the sad sack last place
team of 96-97 and the proud, together team that earned a spot in the
playoffs in 97-98. Now they must rise to the new challenge of playoff
hockey. Hopefully, the Bruins have built the right mix of playoff veterans
and young legs that will propel the team past their first round opponent,
Washington, into the later rounds of the playoffs.
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Stan Wendt Is Really Smart
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by Michael Dell
A few days after the 1997-98 LCS Hockey Season Preview issue came
out, a gentleman by the name of Stan Wendt wrote to me and took
offense to our preview of the Boston Bruins. It seems we picked
the Bears to finish dead last in the Northeast Division. Stan
was not amused. In fact, Mr. Wendt proclaimed that the Bruins
would make the playoffs. That was a bold statement.
A wager was soon made. If Boston missed the playoffs, Mr. Wendt
would have to admit we were right. And if the Bruins made the
playoffs, I'd have to write an article praising his
prognosticating abilities.
Well, the season has ended and the Bruins have indeed made the
postseason, securing the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Damn.
So, without further delay, here goes...
Stan Wendt is a really smart guy. He's got all the vision and
the rest of the world is wearin' bifocals. Compared to him I am
little more than a potted plant... a really stupid potted plant.
If I live to be 100 years old I can only hope to one day gain the
foresight and wisdom of Mr. Wendt. I would now like to honor him
as only I can. Yes, that's right... through Haiku.
Stan is really smart
I'm a moron next to Stan
Have you seen my pants?
Anyway, congratulations, Stan, you did Bruin fans everywhere
proud.
Before I go, the bet with Stan got me to thinking about some
other LCS predictions that failed to come true. Such as...
1. An advanced race of space goats would come to Earth and
enslave all its inhabitants. Except, of course, for the Earth
goats, who would be given positions of power.
2. My book of Haikus, entitled "Haikus? I Got Your Haikus
Right Here?", would be profiled as an Oprah Book Club selection.
I'm still keeping my fingers crossed on this one...
3. Al Morganti would lead a bloody revolt against the suits at
ESPN and enslave all the employees. Except, of course, for the
Earth goats, who would be given positions of power.
I guess sometimes silence can be golden.
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Sens Make It Two Straight
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by The Nosebleeders
A loose, happy, ready-to-go bunch... this is how the 97-98
Senators feel as they enter the playoffs for the second straight
season. The Senators organization has a lot to be proud of and
thankful for as they finished the season at 34-33-15 and over
.500 for the first time in 68 years. The team folded after the
1933-1934 season and returned to the NHL for the 1992-1993
season. They last had a winning record in 1930-1931 when they
were 21-15-8 for 50 points and finished third out of the five
teams in the league.
In addition to making the playoffs, the Senators organization may
also have saved themselves from an eventual extinction. Talk in
Ottawa was that the team was going to have to move leading scorer
Alexei Yashin in the off-season to free up some payroll dollars.
Who knows what impact moving their number one player would have
on their ability to make the playoffs over the next few seasons.
With playoff games said to be worth some one million plus per
home game, and fans lining up for wristbands to wait in another
line for tickets, the Senators making the playoffs should do a
lot for team prosperity.
Last season's run for the playoffs had its buddahs and lucky
charms and a team led by captain and veteran Randy Cunneyworth
playing some of the best hockey of his career. Steve Duchesne
led the power play and defense and had a patent on coming in from
the blue line to score key goals. Ron Tugnutt was forced into
action when number one goaltender Damian Rhodes went down with an
injury and the Tugger almost backstopped the Senators into the
second round of the playoffs. This season ended with Tugger
riding the bench, Duchesne gone, and Cunneyworth in danger of
losing his captaincy. The only lucky charm seems to be the
team's new third jersey.
This year's club is led by the maturing Alexei Yashin (71
points). Yashin was unquestionably the season's best player and
ended the year amongst the league's top-20 scorers. Yashin
displayed a big improvement over last season in terms of his
consistency and ability to overcome the shadow; last season he
was held pointless in 45 games and this season he reduced that to
37 games. Yashin is promoted from assistant captain to captain
when Cunneyworth is out of the lineup and when this occurs his
play goes still a notch further. Fear of having not to dress
Cunneyworth to allow Yashin to wear the captain's "C", has
prompted the Senators organization to consider giving the "C" to
Yashin on a permanent basis.
The Senators were hovering just outside of the playoffs for most
of last season and charged the final two months of the year to
overtake the Hartford Whalers. This season, expectations were
much higher. The team did hover just above the playoff water mark
for most of the season and a late rush by the
Whalers-turned-Hurricanes could not catch them.
This season was different in other ways for the team. The
goaltending tandem of Tugnutt and Rhodes played a fair share
of games and both had their share of being pulled from games.
After a stint on offense, rookie defensemen Chris Phillips
stepped in as a sometime brilliant, sometimes dog regular and
second-year defenseman Wade Redden took his game up a level.
Overall the team significantly improved on defense and even got
in a few shutouts along the way - an item in seasons past usually
found in the other team's corner at the end of the game.
Offensively and on the power play, this season the team
struggled. The play of Daniel Alfredsson was strong as was Shawn
McEachern, Andreas Dackell, and in his own way tough guy Denny
Lambert. Finding linemates for Alexei Yashin continues to be a
struggle for coach Jacques Martin, as does finding the right
combination of players on the power play. Despite an overall
offense that struggled, signs were improving in the last month
when the team pegged a number of come-from-behind victories.
Overall, as compared to last season, the improved Senators are
more solid on defense, more mature on offense, despite having
lost something both on the power play and getting production from
the defense. For the Senators to win, a solid second line like
the current Alfredsson-McEachern-Zholtok combination must
continue to take some focus off Yashin, while Bruce Gardiner,
Shaun Van Allen, and Magnus Arvedson shut down the opposition.
Last season the Sabres won their first round matchup against the
Sens by a hair, scoring in overtime of Game Seven in an exciting
and memorable series. This season the Senators first round
challenge will be much bigger. The New Jersey Devils have not
only size but a better offense, better defense, and better
goaltending. They finished number one overall in the Eastern
conference some 24 points ahead of the eighth place Senators.
The Devils play a patient game and have demonstrated an ability
to capitalize on opposition errors - both of which pose
significant challenges to the Senators who are not yet considered
consistent despite their improvement. New Jersey can kill the
Senators on special teams, and they play a disciplined game which
may mean a higher ratio of New Jersey power-play opportunities.
Combine those factors with Bobby Carpenter limiting Alexei Yashin
and Martin Brodeur outplaying the Senators duo of Rhodes and
Tugnutt, and New Jersey fans may just want to get the brooms
ready.
Neither team enters the series with any injuries to speak of.
The Senators have Jason York and Stan Neckar healing but both are
expected to see action in Game One. The Devils' Doug Gilmour
seems to be back in form after returning from injury.
Despite their disadvantage on paper, the Senators do have some
things on their side. The Devils coasted into the playoffs with
a 3-5-2 record in their final 10 games and lost out to the Dallas
Stars in the race to finish first overall in the league and
obtain home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
When asked about the possibility of an early exit Senators
players break into wide smiles. The Stanly Cup is known for
helping create miracles and the first round of the playoffs are
known for upsets. The Senators claim readiness and have nothing
to lose and everything to gain.
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Chicago's House of Blues
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Tom Crawford
Darryl Sutter never let this happen. Neither did Mike Keenan, Orval
Tessier, or Eddie Johnston. It never happened with Ed Belfour in
goal, or Murray Bannerman, or Tony Esposito. It never happened while
Dirk Graham was captain, or Terry Ruskowski, or Keith Magnuson.
No, it took the special blend of talent and heart in the 1997-98
Blackhawks to break the longest postseason streak in professional
sports.
Do you remember 1969? I don't. People tell me that the Cubs were
pretty good and that you could have sex with whomever you wanted.
Well, that bygone era was the last time the Hawks missed the NHL
playoffs.
Granted, their playoff performance in those 28 intervening years was
nothing legendary: two finals appearances and a bunch of first-round
exits. But those Hawks teams were spared the ignominy of actually
failing to qualify for the NHL playoffs.
How could this have happened, you ask? How could this once proud
(or at least respectable) franchise have sunk so low? Perhaps a
short trip back in time could help sort things out. Sherman, set
the WABAC machine for July, 1997...
As it becomes clear that Chris Gratton will never play for Phil
Esposito again, several clubs consider making a run at the big,
young, talented center. The Blackhawks have long needed a big guy
in the middle who can score, and they set their sights on Gratton.
However, instead of signing the restricted free agent to an offer
sheet, GM Bob Murray spends days on the phone with Esposito trying
to work a trade. Rumor has it that backroom meddling by Bill Wirtz
and GM Emeritus Bob Pulford, both still uneasy with this newfangled
free agency, are restricting Murray's options. By the time an
agreement is supposedly reached, Philadelphia has tendered Gratton
an offer, and the Hawks are out of the loop. After a slow start to
the season, Gratton racks up 61 points and 159 penalty minutes for
the Flyers.
If we can just slide the WABAC indicator up to October 1, we can see
another bad front-office decision jump up and bite the Blackhawks as
their season opens with a Jeremy Roenick-ful loss to Phoenix.
Roenick assists on two goals and puts the exclamation point on the
victory in the third period by simply undressing Chris Chelios before
beating Jeff Hackett to make the score 5-2. Roenick's trade
counterpart, Alexei Zhamnov, is held scoreless.
If we dawdled here for a while we could relive the next six losses
in the Hawks' 0-7-0 start, including a 7-0 shutout at the hands of
Belfour, now a member of the soon-to-be-President's-Trophy-winning
Dallas Stars. But it's time to move on.
Perhaps a glance at November 11-16 would be instructive. The Hawks
lose both ends of a home-and-home to the Toronto Maple Leafs,
another Original Six team gone bad. The Hawks now account for one
third of the Leafs win total for the season. On the following
Sunday, the boys blow a 3-1 lead to Detroit, playing their most
inspired game of the year so far, but settling for a tie.
Ah, November 25, I remember it well. What was originally thought to
be a strained muscle in Bob Probert's shoulder turns out to be a
torn rotator cuff, and Probie is out for the season. The enforcing
duties are left to the undersized Jim Cummins -- who wins only one
fight all season, the victory coming when he sucker-punches
Anaheim's Mark Janssens -- and the "team toughness" promised by
Craig Hartsburg to replace Probert never materializes. Probie
attempts an inspiring early comeback during the stretch run, but
the team is already too far gone.
Bad personnel decisions. Losses to inferior teams. Inability to
win the close ones. No toughness.
All the signs of a team headed for a playoff absence were there
early in the season, and little was done to correct them. And now
the Blackhawk players, coaches, and executives find themselves
wondering where they'll be at the start of next season.
Predictably, the end of this season brought promises of change from
Messrs. Wirtz and Pulford. Whether anything concrete emerges from
the rhetoric is open to question, but Hartsburg's job is almost
certainly in danger.
While he appears to have support from the Chicago media and some
players, he has unwisely antagonized captain Chris Chelios. Neither
Hartsburg nor Chelios will publicly criticize the other, but sources
say that the coach's attempts to reduce his star defenseman's ice
time have caused tension, and that Hartsburg questions Chelios's
off-ice leadership. And if the situation reaches "he goes or I go"
levels, Hartsburg is gone.
Hartsburg himself has stressed the need for fundamental changes in
the Hawks' makeup, consistently criticizing unnamed players who
"don't give 100%" and publicly lamenting his own failure to take
his star players to task during the disastrous season start.
If Hartsburg were GM, it appears that only Tony Amonte would be
untouchable. "Tony shows up and works his butt off every night,"
the coach said. "I wish everyone had his effort and played with
his passion." As it stands, the only people guaranteed a job with
the Blackhawks next season are Chelios, Amonte, and Pulford.
Hawks fans, meanwhile, may consider the playoff vacation a blessing
in disguise. As long as the Hawks continued to squeak into the
postseason and lose respectably in the early rounds to Colorado or
Detroit, there would be an excuse not to clean house. Now if Wirtz
expects to fill the United Center with any regularity, he might
have to make some bold moves.
The most anticipated of those moves would of course be the signing
of Brett Hull. Throughout the season, Chicago scribes used Hull
rumors to spice up slow news days, and even this publication
reported that Hull was inquiring about downtown apartments in
November. But the Golden Brett wants a mighty big contract, and
throwing big money at star free agents is anathema to an old-timer
like Dollar Bill. Still, the goal-starved Hawks desperately need a
proven scorer (only Tampa Bay and Ottawa scored fewer goals this
season).
Unfortunately, these Hawks need more skill AND more heart. In the
past, when the Hawks were undertalented, they would regularly
outwork and out-hit their opponents. As Wirtz put it: "Other teams
used to walk out of Chicago saying 'Thank God we don't have to come
back here for another three weeks.'" Now the Hawks don't scare
anybody -- not with their skill, and not with their intensity.
Righting this ship seems like a tall order for one summer, and it
may be a while before the Blackhawks start their next streak of
consecutive playoff appearances.
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HARDWARE HOPEFULS... AGAIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell
Thankfully, the 1997-98 regular season has come to a close. At
times it was slow, at times it was boring, but it was always the
NHL. And even though only one player reached 100 points and most
stars failed to average even a point per game, the league
continued to run as normal and charge fans full price for
tickets. Thank you, NHL!
While it may not have been the best season in history, it was
still officially a season. So that means the league has to hand
out the usual post-season awards. This year the ceremony will be
held on June 25, chock-full with the usual lame jokes and awkward
silences. The following is a list of the favorites for the
various awards. Of course, LCS Hockey will give out its awards
in our big Season Review issue, slated for June 30. We're hoping
to have Alan Thicke on hand to do the honors.
HART TROPHY
Likely Winner - Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres (33-23-13, 2.09, .932,
13 shutouts): Everyone loves Hasek. I haven't seen such overwhelming
public approval since a young lad by the name of Gary Coleman took
television by storm. Hasek led the league in save percentage
(.932) for the fifth consecutive season. He was also tops in
games played (72), minutes played (4220), and shutouts (13),
while finishing fourth in goals-against (2.09) and tied for third
in wins (33). There was a great deal of turmoil this season in
Buffalo, but Hasek carried the team back to the playoffs despite
all the distractions. Take him out of the Buffalo cage, and the
Sabres are just another low-scoring, mediocre team. Hasek makes
the club fun to watch. Anyone who can do that these days in the
NHL deserves the Hart Trophy. And if he does claim the hardware,
Hasek will be the first goaltender in NHL history to win back-to-
back Harts.
Other Candidates:
Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Mighty Ducks (73-52-34-86):
Selanne was the best forward in the league this season. Even
without Paul Kariya around, Selanne still dominated games with
his speed and determination. He finished tied for the league
lead in goals (52), despite missing nine games due to injury.
His numbers are even more amazing when one considers he was
surrounded by little more than AHL talent in Anaheim. Teemu had
33 more points and 35 more goals than his next closest teammate.
That deserves a wow...
Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins (77-35-67-102): Jagr was the only
player in the league to notch 100 points, finishing with 102.
His MVP chances may have been hurt by his childish outburst near
the end of the season in which he questioned the wisdom of coach
Kevin Constantine, but then again it may have also strengthened
his case. Jagr voiced his complaints during a 10-game stretch
that saw his line struggle and the Penguins waddle to a 1-5-4
record. It was pretty obvious that when Jagr didn't score, the
Penguins didn't win. The Czech Wonder Kid then shut his mouth
and picked up his game, sparking the Pens to three straight wins
to close out the season.
Jason Allison, Boston Bruins (81-33-50-83): No one ever talks about
the guy, but where would the Bruins have been without Allison?
The former Cap farmhand enjoyed a breakthrough season, finishing
among the league leaders with career highs in goals (33), assists
(50), and points (83). If Allison didn't get the job done, the
Bruins had problems putting goals on the board. He's the reason
they're back in the postseason.
NORRIS TROPHY
Likely Winner - Rob Blake, Los Angeles Kings (81-23-29-
50): It's no coincidence that the Kings returned to the
playoffs the year Blake stayed healthy. Plagued by a nagging
groin injury for the past few seasons, Blake was back to full
strength this year and appeared in 81 games for the Royalty,
leading all NHL defensemen in goal-scoring with 23. He did
finish the year at -3, but he doesn't exactly play with a group
of all-stars in L.A. Blake is just the complete package. He can
score, he hits like Sonny Liston, and he wins the one-on-one
battles. He's the man.
Other Candidates:
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings (80-17-42-59):
Lidstrom was on a mission the first couple months of the season,
pretty much carrying the Red Wings on his back. He seemed to
have the Norris all wrapped up until a second-half slide opened
the door for Blake. Lidstrom scored 10 goals and 21 points in
his first 24 games, but then bagged only seven goals and 38
points in his final 56 contests. Lidstrom was still playing
great hockey, it's just that he wasn't the dominating force he
was early in the season.
Chris Pronger, St. Louis Blues (81-9-27-36): Pronger just
continues to impress. He spends more time on the ice than the
face-off dots. And even though he plays all those minutes and is
constantly matched up against the opposition's best, Pronger
still led the league with a +47 rating, 12 better than his
nearest competitor. He's not flashy, he's just great. But he
has two things going against him. First, Norris Trophies usually
go to the guy with the best scoring numbers, and it's tough to
ignore Blake's 23 goals. Second, Pronger isn't exactly an island
in St. Louis. With Big Daddy Mac and Steve Duchesne also wearing
the Bluenote, Pronger could lose some votes due to his impressive
support network.
Alexei Zhitnik, Buffalo Sabres (78-15-30-45): There's been a lot of
hype about Zhitnik lately. And deservingly so. He's the number
one man in Buffalo, logging 30+ minutes a night in every possible
situation. He's a great skater with a big shot, and he's even
capable of dishing out some serious belts. But Zhitnik's going
to have to string together a few good seasons before getting any
real serious Norris consideration. There are still too many past
giveaways and miscues fresh in voters' minds.
VEZINA TROPHY
Likely Winner - Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres: Hasek's
going to win the MVP. There's no doubt about it. So it's kind
of hard to say he's the most valuable player and then deny him
the top goaltender trophy. And it's pretty much a foregone
conclusion that Hasek is the best goaltender, if not the best
player, in the world.
Other Candidates:
Ed Belfour, Dallas Stars (37-12-10, 1.88, .916, 9 shutouts):
With Hasek and Martin Brodeur grabbing all the headlines, the Eagle
quietly went about leading the league in goals-against average (1.88)
and backstopping the Stars to the President's Trophy. He'll get some
votes, but he gives up a few too many soft ones to compete with
Hasek or Brodeur.
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils (43-17-8, 1.89, .917, 10 shutouts):
If someone steals the Vezina from Hasek, it'll be the El Diablo netminder.
If not for Hasek, Brodeur would be the undisputed goaltending king.
Brodeur led the league in wins (47) and was just one-hundredth of
a point off the goals-against lead (1.89). Throw in a .917 save
percentage and 10 shutouts, and Brodeur's numbers are crazy nuts.
Tom Barrasso, Pittsburgh Penguins (31-14-13, 2.07, .922, 7 shutouts):
Barrasso deserves some recognition. The whole world, including LCS Hockey,
thought he was beat. But Tommy returned to his old Stanley Cup-winning
form in 1997-98, helping transform the Penguins into a legitimate
defensive power. Barrasso won 31 games, set a Penguin record
with seven shutouts, and finished third in the NHL with a 2.07
goals-against average. He looks primed for another serious
playoff run.
CALDER TROPHY
Likely Winner - Sergei Samsonov, Boston Bruins (81-22-25-47): The
little Russian winger got off to a slow start, but turned it on
over the second half of the season. The 19-year-old dazzled with
his skating and stickhandling en route to leading all rookies in
scoring with 22 goals and 47 points. He was easily the most
exciting first-year man in the league.
Other Candidates:
Mike Johnson, Toronto Maple Leafs (82-15-32-47): While Samsonov is
small and speedy, Johnson, 23, is big and powerful. The 6'3",
185-pound Johnson was one of the few bright spots in Toronto this
season. He tied Samsonov for the rookie lead with 47 points.
He'll have the Canadian vote behind him, but it still won't be
enough to overshadow Samsonov.
Matthias Ohlund, Vancouver Canucks (77-7-23-30): As bad as things
were in Toronto, they were even worse in Vancouver. Yet through
it all Ohlund was a constant along the blue line. The 21-year-
old Swedish defender made an effortless transition to the NHL,
finishing with seven goals and 30 points and a +3 rating.
SELKE TROPHY
C'mon, honestly, does anybody really care? It's the same list of
guys every year. Sergei Fedorov's holdout took him out of the
running. Injuries slowed down Mike Peca. Ron Francis shifted
gears a bit this season since he was anchoring Pittsburgh's top
scoring line. Pitiful seasons by the Rangers and Bolts pretty
much ruined the chances of Niklas Sundstrom and Rob Zamuner. So
that leaves Peter Forsberg and Jere Lehtinen as the only return
nominees. And St. Louis' Craig Conroy could get a serious push.
Just pick whoever you want.
LADY BYNG TROPHY
I think there's even less interest in this one than the Selke.
This is usually given to the best player that didn't win the Art
Ross or missed out on being a finalist for the Hart. It also
helps if you stay out of the box. Wayne Gretzky (28 pim) will
probably win, just because they always have to give Gretzky
something. The other two finalists will probably be Teemu
Selanne (30 pim) and Ron Francis (20 pim).
JACK ADAMS AWARD
Likely Winner - Pat Burns, Boston Bruins (39-30-13, 91 pts,
5th in East): Burns did the most with the least of anyone in
the NHL. He took a Bruin team that finished dead last the year
before and turned them into the fifth best team in the East,
marking a 30-point improvement in the standings. If he wins
it'll be his third career Adams.
Other Candidates:
Kevin Constantine, Pittsburgh Penguins (40-24-18, 98 pts, 2nd
in East): No Mario Lemieux. No Petr Nedved. No problem.
Constantine came into Pittsburgh and implemented a strict team-
first, defensive system that made the former superstar-powered
squad a more cohesive, hard-working club that did the Steel City
proud. Pittsburgh allowed just 188 goals this season, the third
lowest total in the league this season and by far the lowest
total in franchise history. And outside of three big names, he
didn't have a whole lot of talent to work with. He somehow
managed to get career years out of such forgotten souls as
"Downtown" Robby Brown, Martin Straka, Robert Lang, Jiri Slegr,
and Brad Werenka. A late-season flare up with Jagr had the
potential to do some damage, but Constantine settled the
disturbance in a hurry and got the train back on track. Even
though Constantine had perhaps the most daunting task of any
coach, what with kicking off the post-Lemieux era and all, most
voters will probably give Burns the edge since he didn't have the
benefit of having Jagr, Francis, and Barrasso on his roster.
Joel Quenneville, St. Louis Blues (45-29-8, 98 pts, 4th in
West): Mike Keenan is always a tough act to follow. I once
saw a chimp act reduced to tears over the proposition. But
Quenneville didn't sweat it. He set the blueprint for success
late last season and then delivered this year, leading the Blues
to the fourth-best record in the league.
Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres (36-29-17, 89 pts, 6th in the
East): Ruff deserves some votes just for surviving in
Buffalo. The atmosphere in town at the start of the season was,
shall we say, volatile? When fan favorite Ted Nolan was fired,
Ruff became public enemy number one through no fault of his own.
The club got off to a dreadful start, but Ruff didn't rabbit. He
stood his ground and, with a little help from Hasek, had the
Sabres playing some of the best hockey in the league since
January 1.
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POINT/COUNTERPOINT - THE VEZINA BATTLE: HASEK OR BRODEUR?
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Hasek Deserves Your Vote
By Jim Iovino
Martin Brodeur is the man. There's no question about it. He's got
all the attributions of a Hall of Fame goaltender - great reflexes,
great positioning, great instincts, acrobatic saves, tremendous
stickhandling - and shows it on a nightly basis.
But Martin Brodeur also has a stifling defense in front of him that
allows few shots and even fewer scoring opportunities to reach the
New Jersey Devils' goal crease. Call it a "neutral zone trap."
Call it "Lemaire's Lock." Whatever you call it, it works.
The Buffalo Sabres, on the other hand, do not rely on a tremendous
defensive system to win games. Scratch that. The Sabres do have
an incredible defensive scheme. It's called "Let Hasek Stop It."
Every night, Dominik Hasek is peppered with shot after shot, scoring
chance after scoring chance, and if his Buffalo Sabres want to win,
Hasek has to stop them all. It is a tremendous amount of pressure to
put on a goaltender, but that's the kind of situation Hasek thrives
under. Rest your hopes on his shoulders and he'll lead you to the
Promised Land. Just ask the members of the gold-medal winning 1998
Czechoslovakian Olympic Team, who witnessed Hasek shut out Eric
Lindros and the rest of Team Canada during a shootout in the medal
round.
Hasek might not have the technique of a Martin Brodeur, but he makes
up for it with creativity and quick reflexes. Hasek doesn't really
believe in playing angles. He's more interested in stopping pucks
than making splashy glove saves. And stickhandling, well, he leaves
that to the forwards and defensemen.
What makes Hasek truly great is his ability to makes saves from any
angle from anywhere around the crease, yet still be in some sort of
position to stop a second shot. Or third shot. Or fourth shot.
You get the picture.
Some would call Hasek a butterfly goaltender. But in actuality,
that term is a little too conservative for the crazy Czech
netminder. Hasek would qualify more as a "pink elephant"
goaltender. His style is so unorthodox, so crazy and appears
oh-so-painful that Hasek looks more like a student of Timothy
Leary's LSD experiments of the 1960s than any goalie coach I've ever
seen.
The 33-year-old goalie uses all parts of his body to make saves,
including his head (remember the shots he took in back-to-back
games earlier in the year that broke his helmet?). Hasek is famous
for dropping his goalie stick, dropping to all fours and diving
after loose pucks with his rather unprotected blocker hand.
Hasek has proven in the past that he was the best goaltender in the
league. He has captured the Vezina Trophy three times - back to
back in 1994 and 1995, and then again last season by edging out the
same Martin Brodeur that he's up against again this season. His
worth to his team was also acknowledged last season when he picked
up the Hart Trophy for being the league's most valuable player.
But throwing out all those past achievements and even the Olympic
glory of a few months ago, the question remains: Who was the best
goaltender in the NHL during the 1997-98 season, Dominik Hasek or
Martin Brodeur? The answer, just like last season, should be
Dominik Hasek by a landslide.
No NHL game this season showed the greatness of Dominik Hasek better
than his 2-1 win against Philadelphia on Monday, April 13th. Hasek
made 30 saves in the game that showcased the return of Eric Lindros
from his concussion, including 14 in each of the first two periods.
But it wasn't the quantity of shots that Hasek faced that was
impressive, but the number of miraculous saves he made.
Hasek stoned Lindros on a breakaway after the big man picked up a
loose puck a the Sabres blue line, then made another save on the
rebound shot by John LeClair.
Then Hasek made an incredible blocker save against Trent Klatt after
LeClair gave him a great pass all alone in the slot. With Hasek out
of position, it looked like Klatt had an open net to shoot at.
Lindros even raised his arms in celebration. But at the last second
Hasek dropped his stick and dove back across the crease and got
just enough of the shot with his blocker to send it fluttering wide
of the net.
Hasek also made an unbelievable sequence of saves against the
Flyers. The first saw Hasek stopping one shot at the left side of
the crease, then diving across to stop a second shot on the other
side. But Hasek wasn't done. While on his back and arms pinned
underneath him, Hasek stuck his right pad up in the air to deflect
a third shot that looked like it was headed for an open net.
"I don't want to call them great," Hasek said of his saves that
night. "But . . .they were great."
Damn straight they were great, Dominik. Hasek made great saves all
year, and his numbers show it. Let's do a little comparison
between Hasek and Brodeur and see what's up.
Goalie GP Min. GAA Record SO Shots Save%
Dominik Hasek 72 4220 2.09 33-23-13 13 2149 .932
Martin Brodeur 70 4128 1.89 43-17-8 10 1569 .917
As you can see, Brodeur has played in two less games, but has 10
more wins and a better GAA than Hasek. However, I think the stat
that is more telling of a good goalie is save percentage. While
Brodeur's .917 is nothing to sneeze at, Hasek's .932 is just
incredible. And look at the number of shots faced by the two netminders
during the season. Brodeur: 1,569. Hasek: 2,149.
The difference is just incredible. That works out in the following
way. Hasek had to face an average of 30.55 shots per game while
Brodeur cruised through the season facing just 22.81 shots per
contest. There's a big difference between having to face 30 shots a
game compared to 22.
Hasek made 2,002 saves. That's a lot. How do I know? Compare that
number, not just to Brodeur, but to ALL the Devil goaltenders. The
Devils' goalies made 1,777 saves. That's still 225 fewer saves than Hasek!
Obviously, Hasek made the most saves in the league this season.
Second most? Edmonton's Curtis Joseph, who stopped 1,720 pucks.
And I haven't even mentioned Hasek's 13 shutouts, which left him
just two short of the modern-day record set by Tony Esposito way
back in 1969-70. That's mighty impressive, eh?
So there you have it. Statistical figures, an in-depth analysis of
Hasek's season, an example of what he can do in a single game and
even a reference to the counter-culture drug revolution of the
1960s. If that's not enough to make you choose Hasek over Brodeur,
I don't know what could. (Perhaps a little of Professor Leary's
special sauce?)
My fellow hockey fans (and sportswriters who will be voting this
year), please believe the hype. Dominik Hasek is the only true
candidate for the Vezina Trophy. Please use your vote wisely.
Thank you and goodnight.
Brodeur Rhymes with Vezina
by Michael Dell
Jim, you ignorant slut. Exactly how much room is left on that
Dominik Hasek bandwagon? It's time people open their eyes and
see that the one true Vezina winner calls New Jersey home. His
name is Martin Brodeur. He stops pucks.
Brodeur is the picture of goaltending excellence. Watching him
in net is watching how the position is meant to be played. He's
a living, breathing instructional video. There's never a wasted
movement with Brodeur. He doesn't flop around and flail his
limbs like a monkey on ether. And you want to know why? Because
he doesn't have to, that's why.
Brodeur is always on his angle and in perfect position to
challenge shooters. He doesn't need to rely on unpredictability
or an unorthodox style in order to catch opposing teams off
guard. Shooters know where Brodeur is going to be and what he's
going to do, and they still can't beat him.
Control is the name of the game for Brodeur. He never gets
rattled. He calmly waits for the shooter to make the first move
and then reacts. He rarely gets caught dropping early, which is
the usual flaw in butterfly goaltenders. Instead, he stands his
ground and waits, giving little if any net to shoot at. When the
trigger finally gets pulled, Brodeur is usually in such superb
position that most shots just hit him in the chest. And if any
do seem ticketed for a corner, he's quick to flash the leather.
Brodeur has one of the fastest gloves in show business and is
rock solid with the blocker.
Even on the rare occasions when the opposition might get the drop
on Brodeur, his skating and reflexes are more than quick enough
to make up the difference. For a big netminder (6'1", 205),
Brodeur moves with the grace of a cat. Or, if you prefer, the
grace of a ring-tailed lemur. There are really no weaknesses in
his game.
Comparing Hasek to Brodeur is like comparing a lucky bastard to a
great goaltender. Goaltending is an art. Goaltending is a
discipline. It's not supposed to be a flashback to "Breakin' 2:
Electric Boogaloo". Give Hasek a Run DMC tape and a piece of
cardboard and he could make an honest living as a street
performer. While that's swell and all, I don't think it's
exactly great goaltending. And the Vezina is given to the best
goaltender, not the player most closely resembling a circus
performer.
Just watch Hasek, he's constantly getting away with things that
other goaltenders would be sent to the minors for trying. He
spends a large portion of the game on his knees or otherwise
rolling on the ground. While Brodeur is all about patience,
Hasek seldom waits for the shooter to make the first move.
Instead he just goes into the same old routine whenever someone
gets a chance. It starts with him placing his blocker hand on
the ice. He then flops on his right side, stacking his pads to
the left while waving his left arm over his head. This causes
him to roll over on to his back. The maneuver is completed when
Hasek is resting spread-eagle on his back making snow angels.
Aw, that's cute. But it isn't good goaltending.
The worst part is that during this whole little dog-and-pony
trick, Hasek has no idea where the puck is. It's just criminal
the stuff he gets away with. He may stop the shot, but is it
really something you want to hold up as the goaltending ideal?
Shouldn't we expect more from the league's best goaltender than
repeated demonstrations on what to do in case you are
accidentally set on fire? It's admirable that Hasek is taking
his public safety message to such extremes, but the whole Stop,
Drop, and Roll act is wearing a bit thin.
And even the most staunch Hasek supporters have to admit
Brodeur's superiority in one area of the game: puck handling.
It's an adventure every time Hasek leaves the crease. Moses
wandered less than Hasek. The Czech netminder seems to lose all
concept of time and space when he exits the blue paint. Watching
him try and play the puck is like watching Rocky Balboa chase
that chicken in the alley. Sadly, I don't even think Mick,
Rocky's gruff but loveable trainer, could help Hasek. The
"Dominator" is just an absolute joke with the stick. Meanwhile,
Brodeur is like a third defensemen. With the possible exception
of Tom Barrasso, Brodeur is the best goaltender in the league
when it comes to moving the puck. He didn't score a goal against
Montreal in last year's playoffs by accident.
If the differences in techniques isn't enough to convince you
that Brodeur should be recognized as the league's best
goaltender, take a look at the stats. Hasek did lead the league
in save percentage (.932) and shutouts (13), but Brodeur led in
wins (43) and was a mere hundredth of a point off the goals-
against lead (1.89). So take your pick as to which categories
are more important.
If you go back over the past five seasons, Hasek has the better
save percentage (.928 to .916), but Brodeur has the lower goals-
against average (2.15 to 2.25) and more victories (160 to 141).
Both men have recorded 32 shutouts.
While Brodeur's numbers more than stack up to Hasek's, the El
Diablo netminder has yet to win a Vezina. Hasek has claimed
three ('93-94, '94-95, '96-97) and seems to be in line for a
fourth. That's just not right.
It's time the voters share the wealth. The little circus boy has
won enough. Give Brodeur the recognition he deserves.
So when you go into that voting booth this election season, be
certain to pull lever 1B for Brodeur. Because remember, "You Can
Be Sure with Martin Brodeur."
Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A VIEW OF THE CALDER RACE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
by Mike Olenik
Just last week, I was watching the Wings-Avs game on the deuce,
when I inadvertently knocked the remote off the coffee table,
accidentally changing the channel to a baseball game. Well,
within seconds, I felt a strange feeling come over my body, and
before I knew it, I was looking down on my apartment from above.
I had actually died of boredom, and was beginning my ascent to
the pearly gates. Upon my arrival, I looked up a few relatives
and old friends, and then set out to find myself a hockey game.
After all, they couldn't call the place heaven if there weren't
at least one hockey game going on at all times, right?
Upon calling information (in heaven, 555-1212 will not only get
you phone numbers, but any information you might need), I was
thrilled to find out that old hockey arenas go to heaven also,
and even better, the Boston Garden was only three blocks away!
I was out the door quicker than Oprah when she hears the Good
Humor truck, but halfway down the stairs, I was confronted by two
large men in white suits. They flashed some credentials and
asked that I accompany them to their office where I was to meet
with one of God's representatives (he's still answering prayers
from last century, so he has hired help to handle all of his day
to day affairs) about "some very important matters".
Once I arrived at the office, I was thrilled to find out that I
was meeting with none other than former Flyer Pelle Lindbergh.
After exchanging pleasantries, he told me that he had good news
and bad news, and always a procrastinator, I figured I'd get to
the bad news when the mood struck me.
"The good news is that your stay here is temporary. You aren't
scheduled to meet your demise for quite some time. You are only
here to pass on my opinion of the Calder race. Listen closely
to everything that I tell you, because it will be your duty to
pass the things that I tell you on to all of your personal
friends, and all of the readers of LCS Hockey."
He cleared his throat, took a sip of water, and began.
"There are six legitimate candidates: three forwards and three
defensemen. In no particular order, they are Anders Eriksson,
Derek Morris, Patrik Elias, Mike Johnson, Matthias Ohlund, and
Sergei Samsonov."
"Anders Eriksson skates extremely well for someone who goes about
6'3", 220. He handles the puck well and makes breakout passes a
10-year veteran would be proud of. His shot is improving, as is
his consistency. However, he has turned the puck over in his own
end more than a few times, and needs to develop consistency in
his own zone. Besides, playing on a team as deep as Detroit
hasn't allowed him to log the ice time that he needed to compete
with the other Swedish defenseman that took the NHL by storm this
year."
"Matthias Ohlund shocked the hockey world by logging 25-27
minutes a game for Mike Keenan. Rookies have about as much chance
of getting prime ice time playing for Mike Keenan as Iron Mike
does of getting a follow up stint as coach of the Rangers.
Ohlund played in all situations, and was one of the few plus
players on a Vancouver team that gave up far more goals than they
scored. He was originally projected as a defensive defenseman
when the Canucks drafted him, but at this point, his skills match
his size (6'3" 215 lbs.) and skating to provide the complete
package. He has the poise with the puck to produce offensively
and the toughness and positional play to dominate his own zone.
He is going to be a dominant player in this league for years to
come, and should win a Norris before it is all said and done."
"Derek Morris is the surprise among rookie blueliners. Before
this season, he wasn't even considered the top defensive prospect
in Calgary's organization (Denis Gauthier), but had he not played
in Calgary, a lot more people would know who this kid is. Even I
haven't seen him play more than a few times because, while we do
have Direct TV up here, we only have one receiver. And even
though Theo is already an honorary saint, Calgary games usually
don't make the cut. Morris is a skilled defenseman who was
expected to generate offense, but he has surprised everyone by
showing a mature, complete game well beyond his 20 years. He
lacks the size to dominate his own end but relies on positioning
and good wheels to hold his own. He's one to watch as Calgary
grows up over the next few seasons."
"Patrik Elias started the season on a goal scoring binge before
reality settled in and he realized he was playing in New Jersey,
known in these parts as USA's armpit. Seriously, playing for the
Devils will make him a better player in the long run, as he was
forced to learn his way around his own end just to crack the
lineup. He has the natural skill and ability to score a lot of
points, and learning to play defense under Lemaire will make him
a more complete player at a much younger age than had he played
for someone else. However, he spent a few games in the minors
around mid-season as a result of Jersey's depth, which
unfortunately translates into the kiss of death in the Calder
race."
"Mike Johnson signed with Toronto as a free agent, and only Mats
Sundin scored more points for the Maple Leafs this year. He has
great playmaking instincts, and should increase his goal output
as he learns the differences between college goalies and those in
the NHL. His defensive play is good for someone who spent last
season playing for Bowling Green. Playing for a team as depleted
up front as Toronto has helped his transition from college to the
NHL, as he got all the ice time he could handle. Toronto is a
young team and they see him as one of the keys to their future."
"The Calder will go to a Bruin, but not the one picked first
overall in last years draft. As expected, the player they took
seven picks later is the one who had the finest season of this
year's crop of NHL rookies. Many questioned Sergei Samsonov's
decision to play in the IHL last season, instead of racking up
150 points in major junior hockey. He played 73 games for the
Detroit Vipers, tallying 29 goals and 35 assists. He also ranked
third in the IHL in +/- with a +33. What he lost in exposure, he
made up for in experience, as he learned the pro game and
dominated against players 10 years his senior and finished the
season as the IHL Rookie of the Year."
"The kid has speed to burn and is shifty enough to leave
defensemen scratching their heads. His size (5'8", 184) is the
reason that he fell as far as he did in the draft, and forces him
to stay on the move. He doesn't avoid traffic, but is smart
enough to pick his spots scrapping along the boards and in front
of the net. He struggled a little in the first half of the
season, but has spent the majority of the second half playing on
the team's top line with Jason Allison and Dimitri Khristich. In
that time, he has averaged almost a point a game, and has shown
the teams that passed on him that his size will not hold him
back. He has good playmaking skills but can also put the puck in
the net. Like many Russians, he shoots well in stride, and has a
backhand to die for. He passes and shoots as well on the
backhand as he does on the forehand, and once he develops a big
league one-timer he'll be a holy terror on left wing for years to
come. I say 'when' he develops a big league one-timer because
it's only a matter of time with this talented 19-year-old."
At this point, I knew I would hate myself, but had to ask,
"Pelle, what about that bad news you mentioned before?"
"The baseball season is being extended to 250 games!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
AHL NEWS
-------------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan
The season is over, the regular part of it anyway, which means
the awards from both the teams and the league are coming fast and
furious. You might even forget there was a week's worth of
games in all of this. So we'll take a quick look at the last few
regular season games before we get to things like new franchise
records and all those awards.
Final Figures: As expected, the AHL beat the four-million
marker for the first time and also posted the best average
attendance in its history. Overall attendance is up almost 60%
from five years ago. The Philadelphia Phantoms averaged 11,809,
to top the old Boston Braves numbers and had 23 games with
attendance in five digits. Kentucky and Hartford also averaged
over 7,000 per game.
Century Mark: The Philadelphia Phantoms' Peter White is
now the fourth AHL player to have 100 points or better in three
different seasons, the last two back-to-back. White is also the
fourth player to win the scoring title in back-to-back years and
only the second player to win three scoring titles in the AHL,
Bill Sweeney being the other. White had 105 points for the Cape
Breton Oilers in 95-96 and 105 points for the Phantoms last
season; this time he had 105 points. Go figure?
Forget It: That's what the U.S. Bankruptcy Court said
about Joseph O'Hara's plans to purchase 40 shares of new stock
and 74 shares of old stock in the Albany River Rats. The Court
adjudged the 74 shares held by Albert Lawrence were still his and
not for sale until such time as the Court orders it, therefore
O'Hara can't buy them at this time. O'Hara had stated he wasn't
interested in the 40 new shares if he couldn't get control of the
team. So the shares will be sold to Walter Robb after all,
raising the money to pay off the New Jersey Devils. Another 60
new shares will be placed up for sale shortly to dispense with
some of the team's other debts. The longterm fate of the team is
still largely up to the Court.
Waltzing Matilda: The affiliation dance isn't quite as
exciting as it has been in some years, but there are some
stirrings in addition to the Panthers' aborted attempt to place a
team in Louisville. Because the Louisville just didn't work out
in time, the Panthers are expected to seek a partial affiliation
somewhere in the AHL or IHL; while the Panthers and Hurricanes
get along fine in New Haven, there simply isn't enough room for
everyone. The same problem is happening in Adirondack, where
Detroit is debating whether to bother having a farm team and
Tampa is bemoaning the lack of playing time their players are
receiving. If no compromise can be reached the Lightning may bolt
for the IHL, not good for their youngsters. Kentucky may be
seeking an additional affiliation for next season; they've
re-upped for the next three years with San Jose, but the
departure of the Islanders will leave several slots open. Lastly,
the Hershey Bears are toying with the idea of taking on a second
affiliation. Colorado took but never gave this season and the
Bears spent much of the season and much of their money buying
players from other leagues, a circumstance they'd prefer not to
repeat. Ottawa is mentioned frequently, but the Senators are
pleased with their situation in Worcester. Chicago and Dallas are
also speaking with Hershey. All in all, don't expect anything
earth-shaking to occur.
F-F-F-F-Fashion: Huh? Why would fashion be mentioned here?
Because former Albany River Rat Sheldon Souray somehow finagled
himself a gig with the E! television program VIDEOFASHION! to
cover the 'Men's Fall Collection' show in New York as a
commentator. Really. Souray, who started the season in Albany
before finishing it in New Jersey, can be seen on the show for
two weeks running from April 11-25.
The Rest: Seven Adirondack players have scored 45 goals in
a season and three are with the team now - Paul Brousseau, head
coach Glenn Merkosky and assistant coach Murray Eaves...
The Albany River Rats were the only AHL team with two 20-game
winners, as both Rich Shulmistra and Peter Sidorkiewicz topped
the mark...
Four rookies led their respective teams in scoring this year -
Albany's Brendan Morrison, Springfield's Daniel Briere,
Hartford's Marc Savard and Worcester's Michal Handzus...
Syracuse goaltender Corey Hirsch won 30 games for the Crunch this
season, the third time he's had a 30-win season...
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks goaltender Chris Mason has the net to
himself now, starting 17 straight games and playing quite well
too, considering the team in front of him...
The Hershey Bears set a league high for power-play goals in a
season, and also broke the franchise record...
Philadelphia Phantoms goaltender Neil Little posted back-to-back
30-win seasons...
Why did the Hartford Wolf Pack want Rich Brennan? He had six
points in his first four games including a game-winning goal...
Kentucky's Steve Guolla led the league in short-handed goals,
with six...
Joel Prpic was recalled by Boston in April, ending his bid to
play in every Providence game this season. Why he would want
to...
Worcester's Jason Zent set a franchise record with his sixth
game-winning goal for the IceCats...
Fredericton Canadiens goaltender Jose Theodore set franchise
records for games played (50) and minutes played (2870) and tied
the record for shutouts, with seven...
The young Habs scored the fewest short-handed goals of any team
in the AHL, potting only three...
Saint John Flames goaltender Tyler Moss had a 13-game unbeaten
streak (9-0-4) ended in Fredericton April 4. He hadn't lost since
February...
Only 10 players appeared in every game their team played this
season. Try to name them, answer later. Your only hint:
Philadelphia led the pack with three guys doing the trick...
The final tally on hat tricks this season - 58...
Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 42 of 43 shots from the St. John's
Maple Leafs as Saint John ended their six-game losing streak
April 7...
Saint John was the AHL's most improved team, finishing 25 points
higher than they did last season. Hamilton was nearly as
improved, with a 23-point increase...
New Haven tough guy Chad Cabana had the first two-goal game of
his career April 8 against Providence...
St. John's Greg Smyth set a franchise record for penalty minutes,
topping Frank Bialowas' 353 PiMs from a couple years ago...
Syracuse's Tyson Nash scored the tying goal in the Crunch's 3-3
deadlock with Philadelphia April 8. He dumped the puck from the
red line and Neil Little misplayed it...
Travis Brigley had two goals including the game-winner as Saint
John put their own exclamation mark on the Battle of New
Brunswick, 3-2, on April 9...
Stacey Roest scored both the tying goal and the overtime game-
winner as Adirondack took down Hamilton, 5-4, on April 9. Allan
Egeland had three assists...
The Providence Bruins outshot their opponents in 26 games this
season, and won exactly three of those games...
Philadelphia's Andy Delmore and Mike Maneluk each had two goals
and an assist as the Phantoms crushed Portland 5-1 April 10.
Philadelphia didn't score an even strength goal among their
five...
Providence's John Grahame had another shutout to close the
season, this time stopping 39 shots to blank Albany April 10...
Martin Biron also blanked the Red Wings the same night, stopping
30 shots for his AHL-leading fifth goose egg...
Portland's Mark Major set a new franchise mark for penalty
minutes when he fought former Pirate/current Phantom Frank
Bialowas, breaking the old record set by former Pirate/Phantom
Brian Curran...
New Haven's Herbert Vasiljevs had the franchise's first four goal
game against Hartford April 10, and he didn't even have the best
night on the team. Captain Craig Ferguson had a five-point night
(2 G, 3 A)...
Albany's Jiri Bicek had the first multi-goal game of his pro
career April 11 against New Haven, scoring twice as the Rats won
5-4...
Josh Green set up a goal 47 seconds into the April 11 tilt
between Fredericton and St. John's, then scored the tying goal
with less than three minutes left...
Syracuse fell behind Kentucky 3-0 April 11 - and won 4-3...
Steve Lingren finished on a high note for Hershey, with a goal
and three assists in the final game for the Bears...
The Springfield Falcons defeated Hartford 3-2 on April 11 for not
only the game but also the division title. All three Falcons
goals involved rookie Chris Brooks, playing in his second
professional game and getting his second goal plus a couple
assists...
The River Rats scored two power-play goals in five tries against
New Haven. That gave Albany a power-play success rate of 22.4%,
best in the league...
The Rat's Rich Shulmistra finished with the best GAA in the
league among those who played enough to qualify. His was 2.31...
The Saint John Flames allowed the fewest goals in league history,
while their two primary goaltenders, J-S Giguere and Tyler Moss,
both set new records for save percentage for a season
in the modern era. The old record was .917; Giguere ended at .926
and Moss finished at .923...
Hershey blueliner Mike Gaul set a new mark for assists by a
rookie defenseman, with 47...
Adirondack's Paul Brousseau nearly tied the league record for
power-play goals, finishing with 26. The record is 27...
St. John's and Hamilton appeared in the most overtime games, both
tying Portland's record 24 set last season...
St. John's set a new record for the most ties, with 18. They also
tied a record for ties at home, with 12...
The Phantoms tied the league record for overtime victories with
seven, the eleventh team to do so. And we know all about
Philadelphia and the attendance records...
The AHL finished the season with 21 penalty shot attempts, eight
successful. Syracuse's Tyson Nash succeeded against Cincinnati's
Blaine Russell and Portland's Mike O'Neill stopped Hershey's
Rob Shearer in the last weekend of the season...
The AHL featured 50 shutouts during the season, second only to
last season's 61. Martin Biron registered 10% of the league's
shutouts...
The Phantoms were the only team in the AHL not to be shutout at
least once. However, they were also the only team that failed to
shutout anyone else...
The Phantoms were also the tenth AHL team to post the league's
best record in consecutive years and the second to do it in their
first two years of existence, following the Maine Mariners...
The Adirondack Red Wings set franchise records for both power
play chances (443) and successes (87). Paul Brousseau set a club
record with 26 power-play goals...
Red Wing Stacy Roest tied franchise records for games played (80)
and game-winning goals (7)...
The River Rats' deadly special teams allowed the least short-
handed goals (6) and tied for most scored with 18...
Both of the Rats' regular goaltenders finished in the top ten in
GAA and posted at least 20 wins...
The Hamilton Bulldogs leading scorer? Not Scott Fraser. Jeff Daw
passed him in the last weekend to finish with 63 points...
The Rochester Americans and Saint John Flames were the only teams
not to lose a game in overtime...
Adirondack's Norm Maracle finished at the top in games (66),
minutes (3,709) and saves (1,962). Second place went to
Syracuse's Corey Hirsch, who refused to play the first month-plus
of the season...
Cincinnati's Bob Wren made it an even 100 points for the season,
41 points higher than his previous career best...
The Hershey Bears posted the league's best record in the final
ten games, going 7-3 down the stretch...
The Kentucky Thoroughblades became the third AHL team to draw
better than 300,000 in their first two seasons, after Providence
and Philadelphia...
Philadelphia Phantoms goalie Neil Little led the league in wins
with 31...
The Hartford Wolf Pack definitely want Marc Savard back for the
playoffs. They are 21 games over .500 with him and three games
under without him...
Kevin Brown of the Beast of New Haven finished the year on a 12
game point streak and eight-game assist streak...
The Providence Bruins were lousy but rookie goaltender John
Grahame still set a franchise record with three shutouts...
P-Bruin Aaron Downey was the only player to top 400 penalty
minutes, possibly because he was the only tough guy who put up
the minutes without getting himself suspended in the process. He
also led the league in major penalties, with 37...
Worcester IceCats goaltender Frederic Cassivi set a new franchise
record with 20 wins...
Most Improved Teams: Saint John (+27), Hamilton (+25) and
Fredericton (+19) all improved their respective lots considerably
from last season...
Not only were the Portland Pirates' 49 players used a franchise
record, it was also tops in the league. For reasons, look at the
Capitals' injury list, followed by Portland's injury list...
Saint John Flames' new guy Martin St. Louis finished with 26
points in 25 games. Yikes...
The Wolfpack's Pierre Sevigny topped the AHL with a 22% shooting
percentage. Next best was Kentucky's Sean Haggerty, with 19.6%...
New Portland majority owner John Hathaway bought out minority
owner David Fisher, pending league approval...
The St. John's Maple Leafs just couldn't stay out of the penalty
box, leading the league in total penalty minutes (2,763), minors
(679), misconducts (47) and match penalties (3), not to mention
suspensions and instigator penalties...
Iron Men St. John's Shawn Carter, Philadelphia's Peter
White, Shawn McCosh and Dave MacIsaac, Fredericton's Stephane
Robidas, Albany's Steve Brule and Bryan Helmer, Springfield's
Rob Murray, Hartford's Ken Gernander and Adirondack's Stacey
Roest have all appeared in every game played by their team this
season. Kentucky's Alexei Yegorov appeared in the first 79 but
missed the season finale with the flu.
Player of the Week (Apr. 5): It's been over three years
and 89 weeks since a member of the Worcester IceCats won the
POTW, and that's the only other time it's happened. (Think you
know who? Answer coming up.) But the IceCats finally managed
another winner in the person of, who else, super-rookie center
Michal Handzus. The 21-year-old Slovak had three goals and three
assists in three games, including a four-point night against
Providence, as Worcester won all three games. He leads the team
in scoring and has also set a franchise record for rookie goals,
with 27. Handzus was also the Rookie of the Game at the AHL
All-Star Game. And Worcester goalie Wayne Cowley is the only
other IceCat to win it, in February 1995.
Player of the Week (Apr. 12): Herbert Vasiljevs was the
second Beast named the POTW and the second one to be forgotten
amidst league-wide hoopla. Ryan Johnson was overshadowed
by the All-Star Game and Vasiljevs had to take a backseat to the
playoffs. Still, the German-born Canadian had an eight point
week, with five goals and three assists in New Haven's four games
to include a four-goal night against playoff rival Hartford.
Vasiljevs led the Beast in goal-scoring for the season and was
third in overall points for the team.
Insurance Player for April: One of the AHL's iron men
received extra recognition, but for another accomplishment.
Philadelphia Phantom blueliner Dave MacIsaac posted a +8 rating
in the Phantoms' six games in April to win the final monthly
Insurance Player Award. MacIsaac had four assists during April
and finished the season with a +22 rating, good but not good
enough for the overall award. Adirondack's Stacy Roest and
Albany's Bryan Helmer tied for second with +7 ratings.
Rookie of the Month (March): After a sterling performance
in last season's playoffs, the AHL looked to be a breeze for
Hershey's Marc Denis. It was more like a hurricane the first half
of the season, but Denis weathered it to be the AHL's best rookie
in March. Denis went 7-1-1, with a 1.59 GAA and a save percentage
of .942 during March to include his first professional shutout
when the Bears pasted Kentucky 6-0 on March 22. His only loss of
the month came in overtime. And after an atrocious first half,
Denis now ranks in the top ten goaltenders.
Rookie of the Month (April): Player of the Week wasn't
enough so he went for Rookie of the Month. Worcester's Michal
Handzus was named the top rookie for his seven points in four
games, including his four-pointer against Providence April 5.
Handzus led the IceCats in scoring and finished fourth overall in
rookie scoring with 63 points. He also set a franchise record for
rookie goal scoring, with 27.
Goaltender of the Month (March): Portland's Martin Brochu
has been just smoking the last couple of months and especially in
March, earning him the nod. Brochu played in seven games
in March, going 5-1-0 with 1.32 GAA and a save percentage of
.955. He stopped 29 shots to shutout Providence and missed
another over Fredericton by seconds, stopping 46 of 47 shots
March 7. Brochu was originally a member of the Canadiens, who
dumped him on Washington only to see him turn into the baby Habs'
worst nightmare.
Goaltender of the Month (April): This time an award goes
to a guy who spent nearly the whole season in the IHL. Todd
MacDonald was sent to the I by the Florida Panthers as they saw
him receiving no playing time behind Mike Fountain; Fountain went
up, MacDonald went to New Haven and now the rest will be history.
MacDonald played in six games in April, going 4-1-1 with
a 1.48 GAA and a .950 save percentage. He also shut out the
Providence Bruins (who hasn't) on 32 shots and finished the
season with a 2.28 GAA and .929 save percentage, both of which
would have led the AHL had MacDonald appeared in enough games to
qualify.
Teams: Most of the teams gave out their own awards,
whether they be chosen by players, media, booster clubs, local
busineses or fan voting. Those teams that made their results
available one way or another are listed below.
Adirondack: From the Booster Club, the High Scorer Award
and 110% Awards went to, big surprise, Stacey Roest. The
Defensive Player of the Year was rookie Maxim Kuznetsov, while
Norm Maracle left with the Three Star Award. The Seventh
Man/Unsung Hero Award for both playing and community work went to
BJ Young.
Albany: The River Rats Booster Club gave out the awards,
primarily for various achievements during the season like making
the All-Star team, setting a franchise record or scoring a hat
trick. Bryan Helmer was named Most 'Offensive' Defenseman and the
Favorite Player, while John Madden was the Most Improved Player
and the Unsung Hero. Albany also gave out the 'Rat's Ass' Award,
to referee Blaine Angus. Use your imagination.
Fredericton: Jose Theodore picked up the biggies, both MVP
and Performer of the Year. Terry Ryan was the Rookie of the
Year, Brad Brown the Most Improved Player, Miroslav Guren
the top Defenseman, Jonathan Delisle the Unsung Hero, Eric Houde
was both the Top Scorer and Most Sportsmanlike, and Earl Cronan
was recognized for community work. Note: no Kings
prospect received diddly squat.
Hartford: The captain took home the hardware, as Ken
Gernander received the MVP award. Marc Savard was top rookie,
Todd Hall was the best defensive forward (not surprising
considering he's a converted defenseman), Chris Winnes was the
'Seventh Player' and Brent Thompson was both the best defenseman
and the community service winner.
Hershey: Christian Matte was named the MVP and Rob Shearer
was the Most Improved Player. Other than that, Mike Gaul never
left the awards table, picking up the Hershey Hockey
Nuts Defenseman of the Year award (from Section 25), Rookie of
the Year (from the off-ice officials), Plus/Minus Winner (from
the press) and Unsung Hero from the Booster Club, although
he did have to play the game to determine whether he or Ville
Niemenen was the best plus/minus player.
New Haven: Ryan Johnson was named the All-Star of the Year
based upon number of times named in the Three Stars announcement.
He shared the local business-sponsored Andy Paris
Sportsmanship Award with Jeff Daniels, and John Jakopin was named
Rookie of the Year by fan voting.
Philadelphia: The Phantoms had a few interesting ones,
including an incorrectly noted award. The Barry Ashbee award was
listed for dedication but was instead for best defenseman
and went to Jamie Heward. Shawn McCosh was named Most Coachable
Player, while Brian Wesenberg was Rookie of the Year. Paul Healey
was the Most Consistent Player, Jeff Staples took the Community
Service Award and somewhat surprisingly the Fans Choice Award was
given to Neil Little.
Portland: The fans did the honors for the Pirates, voting
Ryan Mulhern the Most Valuable Player, Kevin Kaminski Most
Popular Player and Steve Poapst the Unsung Hero. The players
themselves voted on the Player's Player Award and handed it to
Benoit Gratton. The Ebright Award, formerly the President's
Award, went to Trevor Halvorson. Kaminski also received the
Booster Club's Mary Dulac Award and Gratton was also honored with
the Jack Button Award as the Capitals' top prospect.
Providence: The P-Bruins do their own awards, and most of
them went to Jean-Yves Roy, who was named the MVP, Leading Scorer
and Three Stars Champion. Barry Richter was the best defenseman,
John Grahame was Rookie of the Year and the Booster Club gave the
Community Service award to Aaron Downey.
Rochester: The players themselves did most of the voting
in Rochester and they selected Martin Biron as Rookie of the Year
and Matt Davidson as the Most Improved Player. They also
chose Craig Charron as their MVP, and local businesses also gave
Charron nods as the seventh player and for sportsmanship. The AHL
also recognized Charron for sportsmanship.
Saint John: Goaltender Tyler Moss was named the MVP by his
teammates, then promptly hauled J-S Giguere to the podium to
share it with him. Giguere received the Booster Club award
of excellence and was also named Rookie of the Year. Blueliner
Ryan Bast was named the plus-minus winner and the Defenseman of
the Year. Clarke Wilm was voted Unsung Hero by his teammates and
Jeff Cowan won of the City of Saint John Community Service Award.
The statistical awards went to top scorer Ladislav Kohn and
frequent 'star' Hnat Domenichelli.
St. John's: Goaltender Marcel Cousineau was named the MVP
and also received the Molson Cup for most appearances in the
three-star balloting. Mark Deyell took home the Leading
Scorer and Plus-Minus Awards, and Daniil Markov won both
Defenseman and Rookie of the Year in absentia. The Players'
Choice was for Nathan Dempsey, the Sportsmanship and
Dedication award to Aaron Brand. Brand also shared the Community
Service Award with Todd Gillingham, who in turn shared the
Booster Club Player of the Year Award with Greg Smyth.
All-Star Teams
First Team Second Team
Scott Langkow, Springfield Rich Shulmistra, Albany/
Norm Maracle, Adirondack
Jamie Heward, Philadelphia Ryan Bast, Saint John
Bryan Helmer, Albany David Cooper, St. John's
Ryan Mulhern, Portland Paul Brousseau, Adirondack
Daniel Briere, Springfield Steve Guolla, Kentucky
Craig Darby, Philadelphia Sean Haggerty, Kentucky
Yes, you saw right. Philadelphia's Peter White won the scoring
title and didn't even make the second All-Star Team. Pass the
smelling salts.
Rookie All-Star Team
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Saint John Flames
Zdeno Chara, Kentucky Thoroughblades
Mike Gaul, Hershey Bears
Daniel Briere, Springfield Falcons
Brendan Morrison, Albany River Rats
Marc Savard, Hartford Wolf Pack
Insurance Player of the Year: Albany River Rats rookie
John Madden was in the hunt all season and in the end just
managed to edge Saint John's Ryan Bast, finishing at +35 for 74
games. Madden also won the monthly edition of the award in
January, with a +13. It didn't hurt Madden to be playing with the
same guy he'd been teamed with the past four years, as Madden
joined Brendan Morrison as Wolverines turned Rats. Madden was
fourth in River Rat scoring with 56 points, which was also good
enough for seventh among AHL rookies.
The Harry 'Hap' Holmes Trophy: The AHL's answer to the
Jennings Trophy is the Holmes, given to the team whose
goaltenders post the lowest goals-against average provided at
least one of them appeared 25 times. If you don't know by
now...the award went, of course, to the Saint John Flames, with a
team GAA of 2.48, and specifically to Tyler Moss and
Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Giguere and Moss finished 3-4 in AHL
goaltending with a 2.46 and 2.49, respectively. Giguere was
16-10-3 in 31 games, with two shutouts and the AHL's best save
percentage, .926; Moss was 19-10-7 in 39 games, won the October
Goaltender of the Month and finished second to Giguere with a
.923 save percentage. Both save percentages were new AHL records.
Rookie of the Year - Dudley 'Red' Garrett Award: Like
there was any question about it? Springfield's Daniel Briere
picks up the award, which was voted upon by the players and local
media. Briere not only led in all rookie scoring categories but
was making a serious bid for the overall scoring title when
Phoenix finally relented and called him up. He was Rookie of the
Month for October and Player of the Week for March 1, as well as
a starter for the Canadian All-Star Team and a member of both the
AHL All-Star Rookie Team and a First Team All-Star. Hope
there's room on his shelf for all this stuff.
Defenseman of the Year - Eddie Shore Award: Philadelphia's
Jamie Heward was the easy winner, scoring 17 goals and 48 assists
and posting one of the league's top plus/minus ratings at
+21 to win the honors. He is the second consecutive Phantom to
win the award, following Darren Rumble. Heward was named a First
Team All-Star and was a member of the Canadian AHL
All-Star Team; he won the Hardest Shot contest with a 97.3 mph
blast and had a pair of goals in the game itself. The award was
chosen by players and media.
Goaltender of the Year - Baz Bastien Award: At the AHL
All-Star Game, last year's Bastien winner, JF Labbe, gave the
game's goaltender prize to his teammate on the Canadian
team, Springfield's Scott Langkow. No word on whether Labbe is
going to give the Bastien award to Langkow but the Falcon won it
despite spending a hefty chunk of the season in Phoenix.
Langkow had career highs in wins (28) and games (49) and a 2.66
goals-against average. He finished third in wins and sixth in
goaltending and was the Player of the Week for December 22.
Langkow was also a First Team All-Star and the winning goaltender
in the AHL All-Star Game. The award was chosen by the media.
Sportsmanship/Dedication - Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award:
Rochester's Craig Charron is 30 years old and still plugging away
cheerfully. The league's local media recognized him for that
and he picks up the award. Charron leads the Amerks in scoring,
with 77 points, and was named to the PlanetUSA All-Star Team,
where he hung out with famous uncle Jim Craig and chased a
toddler. He won the Amerks' Sportsmanship and Community Service
Awards the last two seasons and has to told the team he may move
to Rochester permanently.
Coach of the Year: The Saint John Flames had one lousy row
to hoe this year and Bill Stewart got them to hoe it all the way
to the division title and a new league record for fewest
goals allowed. Stewart helmed the Flames to their best record in
franchise history, with a 27-point improvement over last season
and new records for wins, points, and GAA. Stewart played eight
years in the NHL, leading the NHL in plus/minus in 80-81. After a
one year coaching stint in Oshawa, this was Stewart's first
appearance behind the bench for professional team.
MVP - Les Cunningham Award: I still argue that having two
players carry a team negates either being an MVP, but nonetheless
Kentucky's Steve Guolla walks away with the award after finishing
second in the AHL in scoring with 100 points even (37-63). Guolla
was also +15 and led the league in short-handed goals, with six.
Although he couldn't stick in San Jose, Guolla was voted a
starter for the Canadian AHL All-Star Team and was named to the
second AHL All-Star Team.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
READER MAIL
--------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell
It's time once again to share some mail from you, our valued
readers. As always, some letters may have been edited to make
the writer seem smarter... or in some cases, to make them look
stupid. Hey, it's a crap shoot...
IS PAUL KARIYA A DORK?
I liked your article about Kariya, though I've never encountered
him personally... the closest comparison I've encountered was
Janney.
In your "hero" category, please consider adding Bernie Nicholls.
He is THE most fan-friendly player I've ever seen among the major
names. At *every* pre-game warmup, he spends about half the time
tossing practice pucks to kids, specifically selecting the
youngest and least aggressive ones. He's quite an accurate
"shot", too -- I've seen him toss a puck to a fan in the UPPER
DECK without the fan having to move more than a stride to catch
it.
Tony Granato, Chris Tancill (Dallas), and Jeff Odgers (Colorado)
are similarly positive guys. Hrudey and Irbe are the friendliest
goaltenders I've seen.
Alan Denney
LCS: When listing LCS Hockey heroes, "Broadway" Bernie is
near the top. He's a bad man. Sure, he only had like five goals
this season, but that's no big thing. Going out and dominating
night after night gets a little boring. Bernie was just trying
to make it fun.
Cool article.
First, there's already an anti-Kariya mob out there, his
post-game ritual is to see how fast he can speed by fans in his
new Lexus, it's a good thing kids are faster than your average
bear, they can dive for cover. Adults like me? I'm taking my life
into my hands.
He has never, not once, ever, never, none, been reported as
stopping after a game to sign squat and those who have
experienced the lad's anger hate him with every fiber of their
being.
I live in the LA area and go to practices, games, and what have
you, the rumor mill this season has him pissed at Disney's
"cheap" behavior, has him getting married to a teenager, and had
him so pissed, he was going to retire from the NHL rather than
play for Disney... did these, uh, side issues cause his rotten
behavior? I dunno.
I've met him twice, both times he was polite, talkative and
signed my jerseys ultra clear (one Duck, one U of Maine authentic
I bought at the U of Main team store via air mail), he even
commented on the Maine jersey thinking it was cool... but by far,
the evil Paul stories outnumber the saintly Paul ones 5 to 1.
(Name withheld to protect the innocent)
I think Kariya is a fantastic player and have been a fan since he
played for Maine in his college days. I got his game-used jersey
from the WJC in the year before he became a Duck and even got my
California license plate KARIYA. I was eager to have him sign
the jersey and went to Disneyland on his rookie year for an
autograph session. We ran from the gate to Kariya's table and
were there before anyone.
While gasping for air I explained that it was his game used
jersey from the Junior Championships but got no reaction. I had
my license plate with his name on it but didn't get a reaction or
even a smile. He didn't say a word as he signed both items and
barely acknowledged our existence even though I was obviously a
huge fan and had some unique items for him to sign.
I have met a few hockey players, including the King of Class
Wayne Gretzky and I have to admit, Kariya is the rudest and most
arrogant I have ever met. How much would take to at least be
civil instead of like a zombie? I think I should be happy he
didn't cuss like he did to the people in your article. Living in
California, I have compared stories with other fans and every one
has another story of him refusing to sign or just being outright
rude.
So much for role models giving back to the fans who pay their
huge salaries...
Mike Zampelli
LCS: It seems the debate on whether Paul Kariya is a dork
will continue. If you have your own stories about the Mighty
Duckling, whether positive or negative, feel free to send 'em to
us.
MAD TRIVIA
Just a few things...
1. What two countries are joined by the Harwich-Ostende ferry?
2. Who crowned Napoleon Emperor of France?
3. What's the international radio code word for the letter T?
4. What city does Sam Spade work in?
5. What's the most common non-contagious disease in the world?
6. What was Canada's first national park?
7. What song propelled Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass to fame?
8. What does a cooper make?
9. Who portrayed private detective Philip Marlowe in the 1946
film "The Big Sleep"?
10. What was the last country to join the European Economic
Community?
Thanks,
Jerry Helper
LCS: 1. England and Belgium. 2. Napoleon himself. 3.
Tango. 4. San Francisco. 5. Tooth decay. 6. Banff National
Park. 7. The Lonely Bull. 8. Barrels. 9. Humphrey Bogart. 10.
Greece.
NORWAY - SWITZERLAND RIVALRY
Hi Michael,
I recently read your "more stuff..." in LCS 91 and decided to
show you that there are Swiss reading LCS. And the best thing is
that we love it. Actually I don't know other swiss people who do.
But I do. And I'm an original Swiss from Zurich (ever heard of
it?). And I'm laying all my hopes on Michel Riesen that he can
make it in the NHL. He will prove you that we are much better in
hockey than Norway. You'll see. We'll become Number 8 in the
world and even leave the struggling Germans behind us.
Last but not least I have to tell you the truth about
Switzerland. We were not and we are not and we will never be a
part of Scandinavia though I read it in a past issue. There is no
relationship between us and Norway. Just believe it!
But you're doing a great job. Carry on.
Bye
Thomas Rieser
LCS: Thomas, sorry about the mixup in referring to
Switzerland as a Scandinavian country. As we all know, the
Scandinavian countries are Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Ecuador.
Sorry for the error.
Speaking of errors, I believe that in the college hockey column
of the text version for issue 91 it may have been reported that
Hobey Baker winner Chris Drury was property of the Canucks.
Well, he's actually property of the Avalanche.
And one final correction, I think I may have referred to NHL VP
Brian Burke as a "stooge" in the last issue. What I meant to say
was that he was a "really big stooge." Sorry for any
inconvenience this may have caused.
But getting back to the Switzerland thing, observant readers
would know that myself and the other founding fathers of LCS
Hockey have been waging some serious wars on the ol' Sega Saturn
hockey. Myself, Matthew Secosky, and Jim Iovino anchor a squad
from Norway, while Zippy and other LCS Hockey personalities call
Switzerland home.
It pains me greatly to say that Switzerland finally won its first
seven-game series this past week, ending a string of Norwegian
dominance that had claimed the rivalry's first six series.
The Swiss victory came in just five games. Norway took Game One
4-1 and held a 3-0 lead entering the third period of Game Two
before the wheels came off. Switzerland scored three times in
the third period, including two short-handed tallies, and then
won the game in overtime. The Army knife makers claimed Game
Three 2-1, scoring with just over a minute left in regulation
after Norway goaltender Steve Wilson gave the puck away in front
of his own net. Switzerland then closed out the series with a
pair of 2-1 double-overtime victories that would have to be
classified as, well, lucky.
"We were just trying to make it fun," said Norway speedster Matt
Secosky following the loss. "It really isn't a rivalry when one
team wins all the time. Plus, with it being tax time and all, I
figured we could write off the loss as a charitable
contribution."
Zippy was unavailable for comment, so I made up the following
quote.
"We still suck," admitted a subdued Wonder Chimp. "I'm not gonna
kid myself for a minute. I realize that Norway is the better
team. They just felt sorry for us. Hell, I feel sorry for us.
We suck. Norway is great. Did I mention we suck?"
The Norway-Switzerland rivalry is scheduled to resume later this
week. There's been talk that ESPN2 will carry the games. Stay
tuned for details.
And we're still waiting to hear from some real Norwegians. So if
you're from Norway, please write and let us know. It's all about
world domination.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LCS Playoff Schedule Reminder
-----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell
This is just a reminder that LCS Hockey starts to roll once a
week for the playoffs. Why once a week? Because there's nothing
we won't do for you, our valued readers.
So this means that issue 93 will hit the web next Tuesday, April
28. Issues will follow every Tuesday until the Cup is won. Then
comes the Playoff Review issue, followed closely by the big
Season Review Issue. Then we all drive to Tijuana, get liquored
up, commit various public disturbances, and spend the rest of the
summer in a Mexican jail. God bless tradition.
And if all goes according to schedule, LCS Hockey issue 100
should arrive on June 16, just one day after our fourth
anniversary. Plans for the landmark spectacular are already
underway. I don't want to give too much away, but here are just
a few of the key components: puppets, illegal fireworks, and pole
vaulting.
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Calgary, Carolina, and New Jersey team reports
are written in a special top secret font. You must soak the pages in
lemon juice and hold it up to a light in order to read them.
------------------------------------------------------------------
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
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FLORIDA PANTHERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Bryan Murray
Roster: C - Kirk Muller, Rob Niedermayer, Radek Dvorak, Dave
Gagner, Chris Wells, Steve Washburn. LW - Ray Whitney, Johan
Garpenlov, Viktor Kozlov, Bill Lindsay, Peter Worrell. RW - Scott
Mellanby, Dino Ciccarelli, David Nemirovsky. D - Robert Svehla,
Gord Murphy, Ed Jovanovski, Paul Laus, Terry Carkner, Rhett
Warrener, Jeff Norton, Dallas Eakins. G - John Vanbiesbrouck,
Kirk McLean, Kevin Weekes.
Injuries: Does it really matter?
Transactions: The Panthers signed Mark Parrish who was recently
acquired from Colorado in exchange for Tommy Fitzgerald.
Game Results:
04/07 Toronto L 3-1
04/09 Philadelphia W 3-2
04/11 at Pittsburgh T 3-3
04/12 at New Jersey T 5-5
04/14 Ottawa L 3-2
04/16 Philadelphia L 7-3
04/18 at Tampa Bay T 2-2
TEAM NEWS by Eric Seiden
"It's a hockey night in South Florida, and here come your
Panthers," screamed the announcer with far more enthusiasm than
the sparse crowds felt. The Panthers home sell-out streak ended
after over two season's worth of consecutive sell-outs. The loyal
fans still came, but the magic had long since left the soon to be
abandoned Miami Arena. The new and sterile Broward County Arena
will replace it come next season. Local hockey fans' talk turned
to the expansion draft and who would be protected and who
wouldn't.
Fans, still stinging from the trade and the possibility it was
for naught, were relieved when the Panthers announced that they
had finally signed Mark Parrish to a three-year deal. Parrish,
21, was acquired from Colorado March 24, along with a 1998
third-round pick in exchange for fan favorite Tom Fitzgerald.
Rumors continue to swirl that Fitzgerald, an unrestricted free
agent at the end of the season, will re-sign with the team and
that a deal was worked out before he left. Most fans, though, are
skeptical having a now deep-seeded distrust from Bryan Murray.
The buttons sporting a picture of General Manager and Head Coach
Bryan Murray with a circle around his face and a line through
it, along with the caption "NO BM" have become a common sight at
the games.
Anyone could spend the whole day talking about the last home game
against Philadelphia and why the Panthers lost it, but it would
read like every other article written so far. So rather than
review the game, what follow are a few brief comments and a
discussion of the Last Game at Miami Arena.
Kirk McLean started the game though many fans felt slighted the
Beezer didn't start at home, likely his last start in a Panther
uniform. He began with the franchise and it was felt he should
leave in glory. However, after four goals, Beezer, to thunderous
applause, started the third. It was only fitting he end the
Panthers run at the Arena as he started it. The sheer sadness of
seeing Beezer playing his last home game was lost on many people
who hold on to the false belief he'll be a Panther next year. But
the fans proved they still love him. Beezer will go on to play,
likely as an Islander, but he'll always be a Panther to everyone
here.
Eric Lindros is not a cheap shot artist, though I will likely
take flack from every Panther fan for saying so. He is, however,
a reckless fool who skates while wildly slinging his stick.
During the game I said to some nearby fans Lindros should be
thrown out of the league. One fan said back to me, "But if he was
on your team, you'd love him." No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't be
proud of a team he played on. I don't want any part of it.
Running up the score is unprofessional in any sport at any level.
With a few seconds on the clock Philadelphia had the puck and
could have dumped it or skated around with it, but instead went
for the kill (and they did in fact score) adding it to their
empty-net goal. I have no respect for a team like that --
scumwads to the last.
As the clock ran down fans exited in droves, skipping the closing
ceremony. Miami fans should be banned from attending sports
events. I am ashamed to be associated with the cretins.
A special condemnation to the fans who threw rats DURING the game
after the goals; THANK YOU VERY MUCH for giving one goal to
Philadelphia. The resulting power play from the delay of game led
to a goal by the Flyers. Yes, the players, coaches, management,
local media, and fans all over agreed it would be a fine way to
send the team off to its new home. But not during the game!
Just think, *YOU* may have been the reason we lost the game. Have
you no common sense whatsoever?
On the way in fans were all given a free copy of the final
Breakway (Panthers game program) and a commemorative ticket.
Merchandise at all stands was slashed even more -- as much as 80%
off some items. This leads many to believe we'll have a new logo
next year because all items were slashed including jerseys for as
low as $24!
The game began with a video. This was the same one they showed
before the very first opening ceremony in the Panthers inaugural
season. A touching memory of good times since past. The Panther
head was rolled out and the fireworks were let loose as our
Panthers took the ice to raucous cheering. It was almost
reminiscent of the good times.
The game took place to a nearly full house. Nearly full and it
was our final game here. The long sell-out streak ended March
17th, though it took Panthers management a few weeks to finally
admit it. The first Panther goal went in within seconds of
Philadelphia's first goal and the rats littered the ice and
fans were warned. The next time we were penalized. This caused
the aforementioned tide-turning goal.
Finally, the game ended. The ice was buried under a deluge of
rats. The only thing to make it more perfect would have been a
dusting off of "It's Raining Rats" -- the theme song of our
Stanley Cup run.
The injured Panthers came out wearing their jerseys and joined
their teammates who remained on the bench. A new video showing
the Panthers' first five years was played. The loudest applause
came for the clip of The Goal -- Lindsay's burning of Ray Bourque
versus the Bruins in the 1995-96 playoffs. The second loudest
cheer came at the clip of the ceremony for the Panthers' Stanley
Cup performance when permanent fan favorite, and beloved
ex-coach, Doug MacLean got doused with water.
The original six Panthers were introduced first by
accomplishment, then by name, and finally number. Sadly very few
fans seemed to know who would be next until the name came: recent
sports history apparently is not something people keep up on. I
was shouting my head off. I wanted to cry: silly sentimental me.
There was a short speech and then the giveaways commenced. And
thus ended year five and the tenure at Miami Arena.
To those who invariably send me harsh e-mail for judging my
fellow fans, allow me to say that in five years I have missed two
and only two Panther homes games. One was due to surgery. I have
seen the first minute of every single one of those games, and the
last minute of all but perhaps a dozen: this includes
pre-seasons, regular season, and post-season. And, I have never
booed my team off the ice, though I will admit to the desire at
times. It just isn't cool.
To ruin the last game of the season (at Tampa Bay) for two teams
took the work of Fox, inventors of the insipid glowing puck. The
final game of the season for Tampa and Florida was to be a Fox
game and shown at 3pm. However, since both teams were fighting
for a last place finish in the NHL, and ratings were expected to
be around six people, Fox elected not show the game. Sunshine
(who shows Tampa games) and SportsChannel Florida (who shows
Panther games), both wanted to televise it regionally. Fox
declined to allow either network the rights to show the game,
though it certainly could have. After some weeks the game was
moved to 7:30pm so it could be shown in Tampa. SCFL had
previously agreed to show a basketball game at this time and it
was unable to carry the game. The NHL, in its limited wisdom,
decided to refuse the Center Ice package to carry the game,
thereby denying anyone in South Florida from seeing the
contest. This made only the fourth game in three years not
televised locally.
The game itself was memorable for being boring as hell. In the
third period, Kirk Muller tied it up making it 2-2, but on that
play Tampa Bay goalie, and former Panther, Mark Fitzpatrick was
knocked unconscious for close to ten minutes. While the nature of
his injury was not known as of this writing, he was clearly hurt.
He lay still and when he finally awoke he was twitching. Before
removing him from the ice on a stretcher, his equipment was
removed, his head and neck were immobilized. Subsequent video
playbacks show he was creamed by his own player -- there is no
need to say who it was for it was clearly a hellish freak
accident. The will to win left the fans and both teams. The final
tie score was a proper way to end it. Get well, Mark.
In brighter news, Eddie Jovanovski, recently called "JovoFlop" by
The Hockey News, was chosen to play for Team Canada in May's
World Championship. Other Panther members are expected to play
for their teams as well, but final selections were not available
at deadline.
Seating for the new arena is being assigned within two weeks. If
you don't get notified by May first, contact your ticket sales
person.
Lastly, when the Panthers first started one of the inaugural year
contests was the Million Dollar puck shoot contest. Someone
almost got it. After a subsequent lawsuit, it appears the
scumwad's getting the money anyway.
It took a jury less than an hour to settle the score so Randy
Giunto could claim a $1 million annuity he was sure he won during
intermission of a Panthers game at Miami Arena on March 18, 1994.
Giunto's lawsuit against the sponsors (Florida Panthers,
Coca-Cola and Blockbuster Entertainment) stemmed from a contest
in which he was required to shoot a puck from the far blue line
(120 feet) into a makeshift goal just a fraction of an inch
larger than the puck.
Giunto's shot from the second blue line appeared good in the eyes
of the crowd which erupted in celebration after his shot. It also
appeared good to Giunto who was congratulated by officials and
others on the ice. However the rules stated the puck must cross
the line fully (which is the NHL rule). A puck that goes
partially across but not fully across is not a goal.
But the contest judge, a Panthers employee standing off the ice
nearly 40 feet from the goal, ruled the shot didn't meet the
contest rules. He claimed that the puck failed to completely
penetrate the goal.
"I made the shot and the crowd went crazy," Giunto said, holding
the infamous puck after the verdict. "Later they told me that I
didn't make it. That's when I decided to get an attorney." He
fails to see that the crowd doesn't make the decision - the
judge does. Sometimes justice isn't served by lawyers.
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NEW YORK ISLANDERS
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Head Coach: Mike Milbury
Roster: C - Robert Reichel, Trevor Linden, Bryan Smolinski,
Claude Lapointe, Sergei Nemchinov. LW - Mike Hough, Ken Belanger,
Tom Chorske, Gino Odjick. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Jason Dawe, Joe
Sacco, Mariusz Czerkawski, Dan Plante, Steve Webb, Vladimir
Orszagh. D - Scott Lachance, Bryan Berard, Richard Pilon, Kenny
Jonsson, J.J. Daigneault, Zdeno Chara, Dennis Vaske. G - Tommy
Salo, Wade Flaherty.
Injuries: It just doesn't matter anymore...
Transactions: None.
Game Results
4/08 New Jersey W 3-2
4/09 at Boston L 4-1
4/11 at Montreal T 3-3
4/13 Washington L 2-0
4/15 at NY Rangers L 4-2
4/16 Tampa Bay W 4-0
4/18 at New Jersey W 2-1
TEAM NEWS by David Strauss
Ziggy Palffy ended the season by scoring two goals against the
Devils and giving them reason to shake their head. It remains to
be seen whether he'll be giving the Islanders management some
reasons to shake their head this summer.
In a post-game press conference, Palffy said his chances of
returning to the Islanders next season are only "50-50" since
he'll become a restricted free agent on July 1. He also
expressed anger toward Islander management for letting his
contract situation get this far without any movement.
"I'm not happy," said Palffy. "I never complain about this stuff,
but I'm not happy right now. Other guys sign, like (Anaheim's
Teemu) Selanne and (Dallas') Mike Modano. Their teams sign them
right now because they care about them and they want to. These
guys are waiting for the summertime, so I'm going to wait
until July and be a free agent. I'm not going to wait for
nothing."
The new owners, Steven Gluckstern and Howard Milstein, have
expressed their intent to re-sign the popular Palffy, who
finished the season with 45 goals. He became only the fourth
Islander to score 40 in three straight seasons, and is only 25
years old. On a team struggling to reclaim its place in the New
York sports market, he's the only marketable star that's lived up
to expectations.
GM/coach Mike Milbury told the media he was going to start
negotiating right away. No reason to wait until July 1st.
Problem being that nobody seems to yet know whether Milbury will
be coach and GM come next month, just coach, just GM, or
something in the middle. (No truth to the rumor he's about to
open up a charm school with John Muckler.) "All I mentioned to
him was that my situation was uncertain," Milbury said. "But
nonetheless, the organization owed it to him to offer him a
contract. It will not be easy. In all likelihood it will not
happen overnight. But we might as well get started."
But Ziggy complained that the Isles should have started contract
negotiations a while ago. He asked for an extension prior to
this season, but talks broke down because Palffy wanted to
renegotiate this year's $1.725 million deal as part of a $5
million a season deal. He's since raised his asking price to
the $6 million range, but has had no contact at all regarding his
contract since the new owners took over.
"I'm worried about it," said Palffy. "I want to be here. But I'm
going to wait. I'm not going to sign what they give me right
away. They had to wait until I scored another 40 goals? I want to
wait until the first of July. I wait a long time. They had the
whole year."
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NEW YORK RANGERS
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Head Coach: Colin Campbell
Rosters: C - Wayne Gretzky, Pat LaFontaine, Harry York, P.J.
Stock. LW - Adam Graves, Kevin Stevens, Bill Berg, Darren
Langdon, Bob Errey, Tim Sweeney, Daniel Goneau. RW - Niklas
Sundstrom, Alexei Kovalev, Todd Harvey, Johan Lindbom, Shane
Churla. D - Brian Leetch, Ulf Samuelsson, Jeff Beukeboom, Bruce
Driver, Doug Lidster, Alexander Karpovstev, Eric Cairns, Jeff
Finley, Geoff Smith. G - Mike Richter, Dan Cloutier.
Injuries: Shane Churla, rw, (knee surgery, out 'till Armageddon).
Ryan VandenBususche, rw, (arthroscopic knee surgery, out for the
season). Alexander Karpovtsev, d, (torn wrist ligament, out for
the season). Pat LaFontaine, c, (concussion symptoms, out for
the season). Tim Sweeney, lw, (chipped collarbone, out for the
season). Todd Harvey, rw, (arthroscopic knee surgery, out for
the season). Harry York, c, (sprained shoulder, out for the
season).
Transactions: Sent Jeff Brown, d, Maxim Galanov, d, Marc Savard,
c, back to Hartford.
Game Results:
4/07 Montreal L 3-2
4/11 at Detroit L 5-2
4/14 at Washington L 3-1
4/15 NY Islanders W 4-2
4/18 at Philadelphia W 2-1
TEAM NEWS: Alex Frias, NY Rangers Team Correspondent
Gone 'Till November: The Rangers headed into this weekend
getting ready for the playoffs - next year's. With the Rangers'
horrible season finally over, Brian Leetch has started thinking
about next season. At the top of Leetch's list for what the
Rangers need to do during the off-season is re-sign Mike Richter.
"Certainly goaltending, to get Mike done," Leetch told the New
York Daily News, when asked what the Rangers need to do this
summer.
"But I don't know what's going on there because I thought that
should and would have been done now. I don't know what their
plans are - if they have some plans if Mike doesn't get done.
Certainly, I would hope they are thinking about something if they
don't plan to sign him and not just wait and see."
The Rangers captain is sensing too much deja vu for comfort.
Nine months ago his best friend, Mark Messier, left the Rangers
for Vancouver via free agency. Leetch believes the Rangers
forced Messier out, and now he is disturbed team president and
general manger Neil Smith has not signed Richter to a new
contract.
The relationship between Leetch and Smith is significant because
the two-time Norris Trophy winner is entering the last year of
his contract at $3.372 million. Leetch insisted he wants to
remain a Ranger for his career, regardless of the Messier and
Richter situations, but he has no desire to play the bulk of next
season with a question mark next to his name.
Great Season for Great One: With his assist on Alexei
Kovalev's first-period goal in the 2-1 victory over the Flyers,
Wayne Gretzky captured his 16th assist title (three shared) with
67, equaling the mark of Pittsburgh's dynamo Jaromir Jagr.
"It's nice to do something like that, but to be honest I enjoyed
last year, when I tied for the assist lead with Mario (Lemieux).
Nothing against Jag, but I thought that was pretty special," said
The Great One of his feat. "Last year it wasn't really talked
about. I don't know where I'd rank (this season, individually).
I probably surprised a lot of people with what I was able to do
offensively. But (linemate) Alex (Kovalev) came into his own and
he learned to use everyone on the ice."
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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Roger Neilson
ROSTER: C - Chris Gratton, Dan LaCroix, Eric Lindros, Joel Otto,
Peter White. LW - John LeClair, Rod Brind'Amour, Colin Forbes,
Dan Kordic, Shjon Podein. RW - Alexandre Daigle, John Druce,
Trent Klatt, Mike Sillinger, Dainius Zubrus. D - Paul Coffey,
Eric Desjardins, Chris Joseph, Dan McGillis, Luke Richardson,
Kjell Samuelsson, Petr Svoboda, Chris Therien, Dave Babych. G -
Ron Hextall, Sean Burke.
Injuries: Daniel Lacroix, c (eye, day-to-day); David Babych, d
(foot, out indefinitely).
Transactions: None.
Game Results
4/08 at Tampa Bay W 6-1
4/09 at Florida L 3-2
4/11 Washington W 4-3
4/13 at Buffalo L 2-1
4/16 at Florida W 7-3
4/18 NY Rangers L 2-1
4/19 at Boston L 2-1
TEAM NEWS by Eric Meyer
THE SECOND SEASON BEGINS
Just a few days ago, the Flyers were sitting pretty, holding on
to the third seed in the Eastern Conference. It looked as if
they might play Washington, Montreal, maybe Boston, or possibly
Buffalo. Well, Washington got hot and played themselves into the
fourth slot. Montreal lost some big games down the stretch,
including their final game of the season against Buffalo. They
landed into the seventh slot. That left the final day of the
regular season to decide whom the Flyers would meet up with,
Boston or Buffalo.
The Flyers took the flight up to Boston, knowing that to end up
rematching with the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs,
not only did the orange and black have to break out of a
season-long 0-2-1 slump against the B's, but also that they would
need a Sabres win that night over Ottawa. Otherwise, a Boston
win or a Buffalo loss would clinch a Flyers-Sabres matchup in the
first round.
Turns out the Buffalo-Ottawa was proved meaningless.
Mired in a 3-3-0 slump over their last six games, the Flyers were
simply outmanned and outmuscled by the Boston Bruins, falling 2-1
to the team that has simply had the Flyers' number all season.
Steve Heinze got the B's on the board in the first period.
Cutting down the middle, Heinze took a pass from Jason Allison in
the slot and wasted no time in firing a shot past goaltender Sean
Burke to give the Bruins an early 1-0 lead.
That lead would hold into the third period and get padded at the
1:47 mark when Sergei Samsonov, following a Dimitri Khristich
shot, hopped on a loose puck and fired the rebound by Burke,
giving the B's a 2-0 cushion.
The Flyers would get some life near the midway point of the third
period. Working on the power play, Chris Gratton skated down the
left side of the ice and saw a wide-open five-hole between the
legs of Bruins' netminder Byron Dafoe. Gratton let loose with a
slapper, just barely trickling the puck through the goaltender's
legs and cutting the Boston lead in half, 2-1.
Boston, in their Devil-like trap, managed to shut down the Flyers
in the final 11-plus minutes of the game, holding on to a 2-1
victory and reserving a first round date for the Flyers with the
Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
IF IT'S BUFFALO YOU WANT...IT'S BUFFALO YOU GET!
So now come the Sabres. Let's call it the matchup of goalie
extraordinaire against, uh, Sean Burke (well at least for game
one). Yes, the Flyers did win the season series 2-1-1. And yes,
on paper this might be a better matchup for the Flyers than if
they had to play Boston in the first round. But, can any of us
say that Buffalo was the team we wanted all along?
Keys to the Series:
1. Sean Burke - It's obvious, the man with a reputation
for stealing a game for his team every now and then, has to a
little bit better than "every now and then". The man who has
compiled an impressive mark down the stretch for the Flyers has
to step up.
2. Limit Buffalo Shots - In front of Sean Burke, during
his last three starts, the Flyers have yielded an average of 35
shots per game. Now, by no means are the Sabres an offensive
juggernaut, but if the Flyers' defense gives up an average of 35
shots a game, well...as Jerry Seinfeld might say, "Could be
trouble."
3. Take Advantage of the Man-Advantage (especially on home
ice) - In their four games against the Sabres this season,
the Flyers were a combined 3 for 25 on the power play. That's
12% and that isn't very good. The Sabres, on the other hand,
were 18th in the NHL in penalty killing, stopping opponents just
84.3% of the time. Away from the Marine Midland Arena, the
Sabres were even worse, ranking 26th on the penalty-kill,
stopping only 80.5% of opposing power plays.
Yikes!
Well, the good news is that Eric Lindros is back. The bad news
is that since Lindros returned to the lineup for the last four
games of the season, the team is 1-3-0. Yet let's not forget the
recent playoff history between these two teams. Last season, the
Flyers, with Lindros in the lineup, did away with the Sabres in
five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 1995, the
Flyers needed those same five games to defeat the Sabres, that
time in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Some more good news lies with the apparent resurgence of right
wing Dainius Zubrus, who has earned a spot on the top line along
side Lindros and John LeClair. In his last seven games, Zubrus
has but one goal and one assist, but his increased tenacity and
solid play has nonetheless gained the favor of coach Roger
Neilson, and hence, has given Zubrus a spot on the top line.
HOW ABOUT SOME MORE BAD NEWS...
I had to address it: the goaltending. Facing an escalating
controversy over who would be Roger Neilsen's starting goaltender
for the first round of the playoffs, the Flyers' coach quickly
ended the speculation on Monday, going with the consensus pick,
Sean Burke, as his Game One starter.
Burke, who finished with a 7-3-0 mark since March 22, has had
some goal scoring help behind him. During that span, the Flyers
scored 35 goals. On the flip side, we have Ron Hextall who has
lost six straight games since March 21. During those losses, the
Flyers scored just 11 goals.
Kinda makes the decision a little bit easier.
Want a bit more bad news? How about the glaring fact that the
Flyers are going to face the NHL's hottest second half team
(Buffalo) with the NHL's best regular season goaltender (Dominik
Hasek).
IN OTHER NEWS...
It appears that the Flyers career, and quite possibly the NHL
career, of Brantt Myhres may be over.
Myhres, who was sent down to the Phantoms on March 5, is no
longer in the organization. According to general manager Bobby
Clarke, Myhres had been sent home recently because of alcohol
dependency.
Myhres, an NHL thug by most standards, had been in the NHL's
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program since the beginning
of the season. He leaves the Flyers with 169 penalty minutes in
his 23 games with the team.
IN YET OTHER NEWS...
Congrats go out to John LeClair, who for the third season in the
row notched at least 50 goals as a Philadelphia Flyer. With his
goal in the Flyers' 2-1 loss to the Sabres, LeClair became the
first American-born player to accomplish the 50-or-more goals in
three consecutive seasons feat.
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TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jacques Demers
Roster: C - Jason Bonsignore, Paul Ysebaert, Brian
Bradley, Darcy Tucker. RW - Mikael Renberg, Stephane Richer, Jody
Hull, Alexander Selivanov, Mikael Andersson, Sandy McCarthy,
Andrei Nazarov. LW - Rob Zamuner, Troy Mallette, Vladimir Vujtek,
Louie Debrusk, Corey Spring. D - Cory Cross, Karl Dykhuis, Yves
Racine, David Wilkie, Mike McBain, Jassen Cullimore, Enrico
Ciccone, Pavel Kubina. G - Daren Puppa, Corey Schwab, Mark
Fitzpatrick, Zac Bierk.
Injuries: It just doesn't matter anymore...
Transactions: None.
Game Results
04/06 Islanders L 3-0
04/08 Philadelphia L 6-1
04/11 Dallas L 5-1
04/13 Ottawa L 3-2
04/15 at Pittsburgh L 5-1
04/16 at Islanders L 4-0
04/18 Florida T 2-2
TEAM NEWS by Seth Lerman
The Tampa Bay Lightning's season has come to a merciful
conclusion with a 2-2 tie with their interstate rivals, the
Florida Panthers.
The Lightning endured its worst season at 17-55-10, dropping 30
points from last season, the worst downfall in the league. By
comparison, the Boston Bruins, last season's cellar dwellers,
finished that year with 61 points, 17 points ahead of the
Lightning's record this campaign.
As a team, the Lightning failed to have a 20-goal scorer, the
first team in 40 years to accomplish this feat. Their 151 goals
this season were the fourth-lowest total in modern NHL history,
and on the power play, they went 33-for-353, the lowest
conversion percentage since the NHL started keeping records.
Much of the blame for this season will be placed on injury. Key
performers, including John Cullen, Brian Bradley, Daren Puppa,
and Corey Schwab, missed the majority of the campaign due to
various injuries, with Cullen's battle with cancer taking center
stage.
The team also started the year with Terry Crisp at the helm and
finished with Jacques Demers. In between, Rick Paterson took his
turn, but like the other, more experienced coaches, was unable to
change his club's fortunes.
It would be an easy bet to say the Lightning will ice a better
product next season. After all, they cannot get much worse. But
much of this club's future hinges on its ownership. In a recent
press conference held at NHL headquarters, Commissioner Gary
Bettman reiterated that the number one goal for this summer is to
find new, local ownership for the Bolts.
"There are difficulties in having distant ownership, particularly
if that ownership is not familiar with the sports business,"
commented Bettman on owner, Takashi Okubo who has never witnessed
a Lightning game. "At this point, I'll define local interest as
North American. I'll take somebody within a six-hour flight.
How's that?"
During the one-hour press conference, Bettman addressed
allegations of the owner's impropriety, and confirmed that two
ownership groups have expressed interest in purchasing the club.
Bettman said that this will resolve 99.9 percent of the team's
problems.
"The best thing I can do is help them complete a sale," said
Bettman. "I like the market, I like the building and I like the
fan support they once had. I believe that once this franchise is
sold, 99.9 percent of the problems go away. As the operation of
the club may be complicated by distant ownership, so is the
sale."
Much of the Lightning's recent problems have been derived from
two articles which recently appeared in Sports Illustrated and
the New York Times saying that the Japanese company which owns
the club is failing financially. In a recent poll, it was
affirmed that Kokusai Green was not listed as on of the top
10,000 businesses in Japan, an unlikely resume for a North
American sports franchise owner.
Bettman said that the league has never had a problem with the
ownership and that they have met all their obligations to the
league. He also mentioned that he did not do a thorough
background check on the ownership group when he became
commissioner in 1993.
Last month, Steve Oto, Lightning CEO admitted that the franchise
was more than $100 million in debt, and that a significant
portion of that amount is owed to Kokusai Green. Bettman
indicated that the extent of the Lightning's debt to third
parties is similar to some other franchises in the NHL.
Will the Lightning survive? Quite simply - yes. The Tampa Bay
Buccaneers of the National Football League are currently the hot
ticket in town. The initial financial success of major league
baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays proves that Tampa is a major
league town. Two years ago, the Lightning nearly upset the
Philadelphia Flyers in a playoff round.
A little stability is all this organization needs. Not too
mention commitment.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS
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Head Coach: Ron Wilson
Roster: C - Adam Oates, Dale Hunter, Andrei Nikolishin, Michal
Pivonka, Mike Eagles. LW - Steve Konowalchuk, Esa Tikkanen, Jeff
Toms, Joe Juneau, Todd Krygier. RW - Peter Bondra, Brian Bellows,
Craig Berube, Kelly Miller. D - Calle Johansson, Mark Tinordi,
Phil Housley, Jeff Brown, Sergei Gonchar, Joe Reekie, Ken Klee. G
- Olaf Kolzig, Bill Ranford.
Injuries: Pat Peake, rw (torn ankle tendon, out for season);
Chris Simon, lw (shoulder surgery, out for regular season and
first round of playoffs); Brendan Witt, d (sprained wrist,
day-to-day); Richard Zednik, rw (abdomen strain, 1 week).
Transactions: Assigned Stewart Malgunas, d, David Harlock, d, and
Nolan Baumgartner to Portland (AHL).
Game Results:
4/08 at Dallas L 2-1 OT
4/11 at Philadelphia L 4-3
4/13 at NY Islanders W 2-0
4/14 NY Rangers W 3-1
4/18 at Carolina W 4-3
4/19 Carolina W 2-1
TEAM NEWS by Jason Sheehan
Caps Gain Home Ice; Prepare for Boston Tea Party
When Ron Wilson took over as head coach of the Washington
Capitals last summer, he promised his new team would gain the
playoffs and earn home-ice advantage. Pessimistic fans thought he
was out of his gorge. How could one man singlehandedly make
contenders out of a team that failed to make the playoffs for the
first time in 15 seasons?
Well, he proved to be a miracle worker. Using virtually the same
cast of talent given to former coach Jim Schoenfeld, who now
coaches Phoenix, Wilson battled through more injuries than his
predecessor - Washington lost 476 man-games to injury breaking
last year's franchise record of 361 - and has gained home-ice
advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs. That's
nothing short of remarkable.
The Capitals gained fourth place in the Eastern Conference by
finishing the season strong, winning their last four games -
going unbeaten in 11 games at MCI Center - and went 8-2-1 in the
stretch run.
"I'm most proud of the fact that through all the adversity we
faced this season -- at certain times we have crumbled and used
injuries as an excuse -- we've rallied around that and found ways
to win," Wilson told SportsTicker. "Sometimes it was goaltending,
sometimes it was penalty-killing, sometimes it was a great
individual effort. We've had a cast of guys that have been very
consistent about going out there and getting the job done."
Wilson and general manager George McPhee, who took over for the
fired David Poile last summer, saw this year's version of the
Capitals earn 17 more points (91 points overall) than the 1996-97
club.
However, that wasn't the biggest turnaround in the NHL this
season. That honor belonged to Washington's first-round opponent,
Boston, whose coach, Pat Burns, helped his team gain 30 more
points than it achieved the year before by preaching a tight
checking defensive system, otherwise known as "the trap."
Boston, which finished the season with 90 points, beat the
Capitals head-to-head in regular season play, 2-1-1. But to the
Capitals' credit, they weren't playing their best hockey before
matching up against the Bruins.
When Washington played Boston at the FleetCenter Nov. 6, it had
won just one of its last seven games. As a result, the Bruins
spanked the Capitals that night, 2-0.
When the clubs next met in Boston Nov. 29, the Capitals again
were mired in a slump, winning once in its last five contests.
Yet, the Capitals were able to gain a 1-1 tie that night on enemy
ice.
At the MCI Center Jan. 25, the Bruins met a hot Capitals team for
the first time this season. Washington, who had the best record
of all NHL teams in January, came into the contest having won
three straight and six of its last seven. That night, the
Capitals owned their foes from the Northeast, bouncing the Bruins
around like ragdolls in a 4-1 win.
However, the last time these clubs locked horns was reminiscent
of the games in Beantown. Playing again at MCI Center March 3,
the Capitals came into the contest ice-cold, winless in their
last six. The Bruins had no problem shutting out the Capitals for
the second time this season, 3-0.
But as both teams head into the playoffs, the Capitals are
resembling the team that Boston faced in January. They are red
hot. Plus, McPhee has found old, sturdy veteran blood with the
additions of defenseman Jeff Brown, and forwards Esa Tikkanen and
Brian Bellows. This threesome has one important trait in common;
experience in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Trade
Neither team was going anywhere when a blockbuster trade was made
March 1, 1996. Washington, fighting to make the playoffs, traded
youngsters Jim Carey, Jason Allison and Anson Carter for Adam
Oates, Bill Ranford and Rick Tocchet. The trade had no immediate
impact as both teams failed to qualify for the playoffs in 1997.
The Bruins were in a rebuilding process, trading away established
veterans for young, upcoming talent. Yet, this rebuilding process
took less than a year to complete, making Burns a probable
nominee for coach of the year.
This big trade now takes center stage as the Capitals and Bruins
fight for playoff survival. Finally, the winner of this deal will
be decided in a best-of-seven playoff series.
For Boston, Allison has paid immediate dividends. He led all
scorers with 83 points (33 goals, 50 assists). In doing so, he's
proven that he can center an NHL-caliber first line.
Carter, meanwhile, improved as the season progressed. He ranked
sixth in team scoring tallying 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists).
During a recent game broadcast, future Hall-of-Fame defenseman
Ray Bourque spoke highly of Carter, saying he's been one of the
best players on the ice during the Bruins' stretch run.
For the Capitals, Oates has centered the first line since opening
night in Toronto and finished second in team scoring with 76
points (18 goals, 58 assists). That's seven points less than
Allison scored for Boston. He and captain Dale Hunter were the
only Capitals to play all 82 games.
Ranford, meanwhile, lost his job to Olaf Kolzig and has served as
the club's backup goaltender this season.
Washington must beware of former Capital Dimitri Khristich;
especially when Boston gets a power play. Khristich scored 13 of
his 29 goals with the man-advantage. The Capitals, however,
finished first in penalty killing, erasing 89-percent of their
opposition's power-play opportunities - the highest percentage in
team history.
Another face Washington must pay close attention is rookie Sergei
Samsonov. This talented Russian surged to first in rookie scoring
with 47 points (22 goals, 25 assists).
And of course, there's Bourque, the talented veteran who will log
over 30-minutes a game and leaves every ounce of energy he has on
the ice.
"I really like what we've been doing at the end of the season,"
Bourque told SportsTicker. "I can remember a few years back to
the Stanley Cup Finals teams we had here and I really think in
some areas we're stronger than those teams, fundamentally. I'm
excited about Wednesday and I think we can go a good long ways if
we don't make mistakes."
In conclusion, the winner of last season's trade won't be judged
on regular season stats. Instead, the winner of this series will
win out.
Battle for The Bachelor Pad
Kolzig and Bruins goaltender Byron Dafoe were both drafted by the
Capitals in 1989. They went on to have successful minor league
careers in Baltimore and Portland - Capitals' affiliates.
Baltimore later became Portland.
Now, although they are on opposing sides of the ice, both players
remain friends. In fact, the bond between the two is so tight
that they spend their summers living in the same house in
Phoenix.
Before the season began, both Kolzig and Dafoe placed a small
wager. Whoever lost the first game they played against one
another this season would have to pay rent for one month.
However, to the dismay of both net-minders, they only met once, a
1-1 tie at Boston Nov. 29.
Luckily, the bachelor pad is still up for grabs. Both teams hope
to ride the coattails of Kolzig and Dafoe past the first round.
Maybe they should up their ante. Instead of only one month, the
loser of this series should be forced to squander a year's worth
of rent. Can you imagine the circumstances? The loser would be
out a few grand, while the winner brags about his win in the
playoffs and lives in the lap of luxury.
One can only hope their bond is tighter than the lasting effects
of an all-important playoff series, and their friendship won't be
ruined by their competitive edges.
Bondra Shares Goal-Scoring Title with Selanne
For the second time in his career, sniper Peter Bondra has
finished atop the league in goals. He finished the season with
52-goals, which tied him with Anaheim's Teemu Selanne and matched
a career-high.
It didn't look possible for Bondra to catch the Finnish Flash. He
needed three goals in his last two games while hoping that
Selanne would be held scoreless. Bondra's wishes came true. The
Slovakian superstar scored his 50th goal of the season at
Carolina on April 18 and scored both his team's goals in a 2-1
win versus Carolina on April 19.
Yet, statistics don't mean everything to Bondra. He stresses team
play first, and hopes he doesn't disappoint anyone in the
playoffs.
"I knew the goals will come, I just try to score," said Bondra,
who plays on a line with Andrei Nikolishin and Steve Konowalchuk.
"The whole team tried to help me get 50 - the whole bench tried
to pass me the puck. But we've got two, three, four lines - Chief
[Craig Berube] can put in a goal at any time."
"We have the home-ice advantage and we're looking forward to it,"
Bondra told SportsTicker. "We've won a few games in a row at home
and that means a lot. Confidence is a key. You have to believe
you have a good team and you have a good goalie and you're going
all the way through."
Kolzig Wins Player of the Week, Again
For the third time in five weeks, a Washington Capital has walked
away with player of the week honors. And for the second time in
five weeks, the award has gone to the same player... Olaf Kolzig.
Kolzig won four games in the week of April 13-19, becoming the
last player to win player of the week honors this season.
Kolzig compiled a 33-18-10 record in 64 games this season,
finishing third in wins among goalies. He recorded career highs
in every goaltending category and ranked third in save-percentage
(.920) and eighth in goals-against average (2.20).
Injured Players Return Just in Time
Look out Boston. The Capitals, riddled by injuries for most of
the season, are healthy. During the stretch run, Capitals'
defenseman were so banged up that there were three youngsters -
Stewart Malgunas, Nolan Baumgartner, and David Harlock - lifted
from the minors.
But beginning with the game at Carolina, the defensive corps has
been deemed healthy. Joe Reekie, Kevin Brown and Mark Tinordi all
returned.
Tinordi proved the two months he spent on the shelf had no effect
on his play when he drilled Carolina's Robert Kron into the
boards at MCI Center. He looks to be in mid-season form.
The injured list, which was up to 10-players, has now dwindled to
four. Defenseman Brendan Witt, day-to-day with a sprained wrist
and right wing Richard Zednik, abdomen, should return midway
through the Boston series. Left wing Chris Simon, out since
undergoing shoulder surgery in December, could return if the
Capitals advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Pat Peake, meanwhile, is out for the season, and is possibly out
of a career, after having surgery on his heel for a third time.
Team Bonding
Wilson has decided that the best way to get through the playoffs
is for his team to spend quality time together away from the
rink. In the three days before visiting Carolina, Wilson's troupe
spent two days at the golf course, one day in Virginia and the
other in North Carolina. Wilson, a scratch golfer, had no
difficulties winning the private tournament.
The day after the season ended, Wilson, at Tikkanen's request,
invited the team to his house for a barbecue. These types of
events never occurred in previous seasons, and as a result, the
Capitals were usually bounced from the playoffs in the first
round. Now, with team commodore taking center stage, Wilson hopes
each player will stick up for one another and lead the
beleaguered franchise into the promised land of champaign wishes
and caviar dreams.
Playoff Schedule
Wed, April 22 -- at Washington 7:00 (HTS)
Fri, April 24 -- at Washington 7:00 (HTS)
Sun, April 26 -- at Boston 2:00 (FOX)
Tue, April 28 -- at Boston 7:30 (ESPN)
Fri, May 1 -- at Washington 7:30 (x)
Sun, May 3 -- at Boston 2:00 (x)
Tue, May 5 -- at Washington 7:30 (x)
x-if necessary
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TEAM REPORTS
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHEASTERN DIVISION
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BOSTON BRUINS
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Head Coach: Pat Burns
Roster: C - Anson Carter, Dimitri Khristich, Joe Thornton, Ted
Donato, Tim Taylor. LW - Ken Baumgartner, Rob Dimaio, Sergei
Samsonov, Jason Allison, Mike Sullivan. RW - Steve Heinze, Landon
Wilson, Per Johan Axelsson, Jean Yves Roy. D - Ray Bourque, Don
Sweeney, Dave Ellett, Kyle McLaren, Dean Chynoweth, Mattias
Timander, Dean Malkoc, Hal Gill, Darren Van Impe, Grant Ledyard.
G - Byron Dafoe, Rob Tallas.
Injuries: Don Sweeney, d (broken shoulder blade, out for
season).
Transactions: None.
Game Results
4/07 at Ottawa W 4-2
4/09 Islanders W 4-1
4/11 New Jersey L 3-2
4/13 at Carolina W 3-2
4/15 at Montreal W 6-2
4/18 at Pittsburgh L 5-2
4/19 Philadelphia W 2-1
TEAM NEWS by Matt Brown
The Boston Bruins finished the season on a positive note,
clinching a playoff spot as the fifth best team in the East, and
probably also earning some post-season awards.
Literally rejuvenated by an influx of young talent, and refocused
by coach-of-the-year candidate Pat Burns, the Bruins stormed back
into the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. They are slated to
face the fourth-place Washington Capitals, who also missed the
playoffs last year, starting on Wednesday.
One of the most interesting aspects of this matchup are the
connections between the two teams. Adam Oates and Bill Ranford
are former Bruins, while Jason Allison and Anson Carter are
former Caps, exchanged for each other. But starting goalie Byron
Dafoe is a Capital once removed, having been dealt by the Caps to
Los Angeles two years ago, in the same trade that sent Dimitri
Khristich west. When both were traded to the Bruins together,
spawning lots of "Are you following me?" wisecracks, it seemed
almost inevitable that they would end up meeting their former
team somewhere down the road. And lest we forgot, the Caps Joe
Juneau once was a Bruin too, a linemate of Oates' at the time.
Ironically, Juneau was traded in part because of a fuss he made
about a hit from Mark Tinordi that broke his jaw. Juneau was
angry and outspoken that the Bruins wouldn't send film to the
league office to try to get Tinordi suspended. Tinordi is now
Juneau's teammate at Washington, but so far he has refrained from
breaking Joey's jaw again.
The last Bruin home game, versus the Flyers, was dubbed Fan
Appreciation day. To thank the fans for their support, each of
the Bruins players peeled off their game sweaters (in this case,
Yogi's - the so-called special events third sweater that actually
serves as the Saturday Fox Network sweater) and gave them to
Bruins fans following the game. No, it wasn't first-come,
first-serve, it was a drawing, with the names of the winners
announced. Coach Pat Burns joked, "They asked for my suit jacket
but it's brand new."
The year didn't start that well for Steve Heinze, but it finished
just fine. Heinze was out for 52 games last season, after
suffering serious knee and abdominal injuries after a hit from
Nefarious Darius Kasparaitis. This year, Heinze scored 26 goals
after working his way beck from a fractured ankle. During the
latter part of the season, Heinze, with the help of Anson Carter
and Ted Donato, showed opponents that they could not just focus
on the Allison line in hopes of beating the Bruins. Steve showed
speed and savvy, good corner work, and a sneaky touch around the
net. This was Steve's best NHL season by far, as his 46 points
and 26 goals were 15 points and nine goals better than his
previous highs.
In the Bruins last regular season game against the Flyers, Heinze
scored his fourth goal in four games to lead the Bruins to a 2-1
win. Heinze scored a power-play goal in the opening period on a
feed from Jason Allison, slipping the puck past the left post
under goalie Sean Burke.
Sergei Samsonov's goal, his 22nd of the year, made it 2-0 just
1:47 into the final period. The goal enabled Samsonov to tie Mike
Johnson of Toronto for the overall rookie points lead at 47.
Samsonov ends up ranked first because he scored more goals, and
he also played one fewer game than Johnson. While this does not
make Sergei a lock for the Calder trophy, it certainly makes him
a leading candidate, helped by the fact that his team made the
playoffs, and Mike Johnson's club did not.
The Bruins needed to win this game to avoid slipping to sixth
place (and facing these same Flyers). The Flyers, for their
part, were between a rock and a hard place, because a Flyer win
would set up a series against the Bruins, who dominated them
head-to-head, while a loss would send them against the Sabres and
Dominik Hasek. The Flyers were 2-1-1 this season against
Buffalo, and beat them in last year's playoffs, while the Bruins
did a good job of stifling the Lindros line all season, so you
have to wonder how much of a factor that was in their effort
against the Bruins. Of course, nobody would ever tank a game.
They just play smart hockey.
And this whole scenario was set up because the Bruins lost 5-2 to
the Penguins the previous day. A win in Pittsburgh might have
locked up fourth place and home ice for the Bruins, but it didn't
happen. The Penguins played with meaning, and Boston,
unfortunately, did not.
One of the most enjoyable games of the season for Bruins fans was
the 6-2 drubbing the Bs handed the undermanned Montreal Canadiens
at their Molson Center home. Montreal had several key players
out with injuries, notably Saku Koivu, who always gives the
Bruins fits.
You knew that it was going to be a long day for the Habs when Tim
Taylor, while killing a Ted Donato penalty, broke in on Jocelyn
Thibault and was hooked by Shayne Corson. Referee Mick McGeough
called for a penalty shot, which Taylor tucked under Thibault's
left pad. Thus the Bruins took the 1-0 lead on a short-handed
penalty-shot goal. McGeough did not smile on the Canadiens very
much, and the Canadiens did little to dampen the Bruins'
spirits, giving up four power-play goals on ten power plays.
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BUFFALO SABRES
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Head Coach: Lindy Ruff
Roster: C - Mike Peca, Derek Plante, Brian Holzinger, Wayne
Primeau, Eric Rasmussen. LW - Geoff Sanderson, Miroslav Satan,
Michal Grosek, Paul Kruse, Denis Hamel. RW - Donald Audette,
Matthew Barnaby, Dixon Ward, Rob Ray, Vaclav Varada. D - Alexei
Zhitnik, Darryl Shannon, Jay McKee, Mike Wilson, Bob Boughner,
Richard Smehlik, Jason Woolley, Jason Holland, Rumun Ndur, Jean
Luc Grand-Pierre. G - Dominik Hasek, Steve Shields, Martin
Biron.
INJURIES: Michael Peca, c, (knee, 7 days); Paul Kruse, lw (knee,
14 days).
TRANSACTIONS: Recalled from Rochester (AHL): Martin Biron, g;
Jason Holland, d; Jean Luc Grand-Pierre, d; Rumun Ndur, d; Eric
Rasmussen, c; Denis Hamel, lw.
GAME RESULTS:
04/08 Carolina W 3-1
04/10 Montreal W 2-1
04/11 at Ottawa T 4-4
04/13 Philadephia W 2-1
04/15 at New Jersey L 5-4
04/18 at Montreal T 3-3
04/19 Ottawa L 2-1
TEAM NEWS by Joe Brunner
The Sabres finished the season on a disappointing note, managing
just one point in the final three games when fourth place in the
Eastern Conference was there for the taking. Instead of playing
Washington or Boston and having home ice advantage, the Sabres
must take their act on the road and face the hated Flyers.
Dominik Hasek came down with the flu, missed the Devils game and
clearly wasn't well when he returned to face Montreal. To add
more misery to their woes, Mike Peca and Paul Kruse went down
with knee injuries in the Devils game. Peca should be back by the
first or second game of the Flyers series, but Kruse appears to
be gone until the second round if the Sabres are fortunate to get
that far. The physical presence provided by Kruse will be
sorely missed against a much bigger Flyer team. If things weren't
bad enough, it's also been revealed that rookie Curtis Brown is
suffering from the flu. Brown has been one of the few Sabres
scoring goals lately on a regular basis.
Although the playoff picture appears bleak, the Sabres do have a
good shot at defeating Philly. Let's face it, the Flyers haven't
exactly been on a roll the last couple months. And their
goaltending... well, we know all about that. If the Sabres can
stick to a tight, disciplined, defensive style game they have a
real chance at pulling a major upset. Of course, I'm assuming
that Dominik Hasek has put his playoff troubles behind him and
will show the same form he displayed when he led the Czechs to
Olympic gold.
The Flyers have shown they're vulnerable to speed in the
transition game. A winning strategy for Buffalo might be to allow
them to have their shots from the outside, and try to burn them
on the rush. Sure, Buffalo will be outshot 35-20 every game, but
with Philly's goaltending that might be good enough. My advice to
the Sabres is to shoot from the red line if Hextall is in the
nets. And if Burke is in goal a good strategy is to start up the
"wife beater" chant when the series returns to Buffalo.
This should be a highly entertaining series for fans of both
teams. Matt Barnaby, whose act is always popular in Philly, has
indicated he's considering bringing back the silver teeth caps
with the Sabres logo for the playoffs.
The Sabres finally closed the door on the public relations
disaster that plagued them in the off-season by firing president
and CEO, Larry Quinn. Quinn, who drew most of the fan's wrath for
his handling of John Muckler, Ted Nolan, and Pat LaFontaine, was
replaced by Mike Rigas, who also happens to be the son
of new owner John Rigas. Ron Bertovich, who was with Adelphia
cable's Empire Sports Network, will handle Quinn's administrative
duties. Usually when someone gets the ax people express some
sympathy for the guy, regardless of how poorly he performed on
the job. In Quinn's case, I have to report that the only feeling
in Buffalo was warm and fuzzy.
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MONTREAL CANADIENS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Alain Vigneault
ROSTER: C - Saku Koivu, Marc Bureau, Vincent Damphousse, Scott
Thornton. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet,
Terry Ryan, Brian Savage, Patrick Poulin. RW - Mark Recchi, Mick
Vukota, Turner Stevenson, Jonas Hoglund. D - Vladimir Malakhov,
Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Peter Popovic, Craig Rivet,
Igor Ulanov, Zarley Zalapski. G - Jocelyn Thibault, Andy Moog.
INJURIES: Saku Koivu, c (broken left hand, indefinite);
Shayne Corson, lw (abdominal strain, day-to-day); Scott Thornton,
c (shoulder surgery, indefinite); Patrice Brisebois, d (sprained
knee, day-to-day); Stephane Quintal, d (sprained ankle,
day-to-day).
TRANSACTIONS: None
GAME RESULTS:
04/06 at Washington T 2-2
04/07 at Rangers W 3-2
04/10 at Buffalo L 2-1
04/11 Islanders T 3-3
04/15 Boston L 6-2
04/16 at Ottawa W 2-0
04/18 Buffalo T 3-3
TEAM NEWS by Jacques Robert
Good news: Habs to meet Pittsburgh in first round.
Bad news: Koivu remains sidelined for a week.
As opposed to last year's final regular season game, Montreal
fans were not on the edge of their seat; expecting a big win to
open doors to a playoffs spot. In fact, the big questions were:
will they finish sixth or seventh in the Eastern Conference?
Will they play Philadelphia or Pittsburgh in the first round?
After tying the game with Buffalo, Montreal will meet Pittsburgh.
It's not bad news since the Habs have played them pretty well
this season, despite a 2-3-1 record. But bad news: Koivu will
remain sidelined for part of the first round. Hopefully, both
Moog and Tbo will stay hot...
In fact, what the last 15 days shed some light on is the fact
that Montreal is a fragile, inconsistent team once again. For
sure, they got their final OK for the post-season one game
earlier than last year at the same stage. But Damphousse's
teammates are lacking depth except in the net. Thibault and Moog
are likely to share the duties as of this week. And as
far as the psychological aspect of the team is considered: the
players have been unable to post back-to-back wins since they
entertained the N.Y Rangers (W 4-1 - 03/12) and New Jersey (W 4-2
- 03/14) in the middle of March. They also failed to win their
most important game of the season against the Capitals on April
6, when home ice was still up for grabs.
Bordeleau Woke Up... at Last
Vigneault's boys managed to tie the Caps (2-2), but it was merely
not enough to secure a fourth spot since this tie kept Montreal
three points back of fourth place Washington. This game was
pretty weird since Koivu was injured and Bordeleau, who has been
idle all season long, scored his 5th and 6th goals of the season.
At the same time, Jocelyn Thibault was hot: he's posted a 3-1-2
record in his last six starts and his goals-against average is
2.34.
The disappointing game played in Washington left Habs fans kind
of speechless prior to meeting the Rangers. Whereas Canadiens
veterans had not shown up the last day and despite the absences
of Koivu, Rucinsky and Savage, the key players stepped in -
Vinnie Damphousse and Thornton, Brisebois and Recchi. A big
disappointment though: Patrick Poulin is still in a slump. He has
gone 11 games without a point and has a goal and two assists in
his last 20 games.
Fourth Place Gone in Buffalo
As a matter of fact, the next visit in Buffalo was nothing but a
must-win game. Alas, with a couple of defensive mistakes the
Habs' chance to finish fourth went up in smoke! What a mess...
imagine that they outplayed the Sabres for 55 minutes and then,
Malakhov and Rivet made two enormous mistakes in front of the net
that erased a 1-0 advantage provided by Stevenson. Frustrating,
eh!
Prior to entertaining the Islanders the equation was easy: if a
fourth spot was still being expected, Montreal had no choice but
to win three out of the four remaining games. But they ended up
with a tie that made the possibility to finish fourth pretty
elusive. The positive point? The line made of Stevenson-Bureau
-Brunet. Of course, this line is a defensive one, but considering
that Montreal is deeply hurt by injuries, good grinders are
desperately needed by Vigneault...
Savage: Two Goals Against Buffalo
Another example showing Montreal is inconsistent these days was
given in Boston. The worst game of the year! The Bruins scored
four times with a man-advantage... Ouch! Fortunately, the Habs
reacted properly in Ottawa (2-0), clinching seventh place in the
Eastern Conference for good. And avoided a first round playoffs
match up against the Devils. Ulanov's return in the line-up was
also very successful.
Finally, Montreal never gave up as they played Buffalo at home in
the last game of the season. At least they battled until the end
to get away with the victory. Which is kind of encouraging,
coming back twice from a one-goal deficit.
Quote of the Week
Dave King: "I cannot figure out what made us play that way
(against Boston). It was our longest game of the season."
ON MY NOTE PAD
Brunet in Montreal until... 2002
Benoit Brunet, 29, signed a four-year contract with the
Canadiens. This year he played 65 games, scored 11 goals and had
19 assists.
Habs not below .500 mark at home since... 1940
At the Keg, Montreal was 2-2-2 before playing Buffalo in the
final season game. The Habs are also playing below the .500 mark
(5-14-5) at home for the first time since the... 1939-1940
season.
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OTTAWA SENATORS
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Head Coach: Jacques Martin
Roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Vaclav Prospal, Radek Bonk, Sergei
Zholtok, Shaun Van Allen. LW - Randy Cunneyworth, Shawn
McEachern, Magnus Arvedson, Denny Lambert. RW - Daniel
Alfredsson, Pat Falloon, Andreas Dackell, Bruce Gardiner, Chris
Murray. D - Lance Pitlick, Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Stan
Neckar, Jason York, Janne Laukkanen, Igor Kravchuk. G - Damian
Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt.
Injuries: Jason York, d (cut and bruised eye, day-to-day); Stan
Neckar, d (torn miniscus (knee), day-to-day).
Transactions: April 16 - Vaclav Prospal returned after missing
four games with facial laceration. April 13 - Janne Laukkanen
returned after missing eight games with pulled groin.
Game Results
04/07 Boston L 4-2
04/09 Pittsburgh W 4-1
04/11 Buffalo T 4-4
04/13 at Tampa Bay W 3-2
04/14 at Florida W 3-2
04/16 Montreal L 2-0
04/19 at Buffalo W 2-1
TEAM NEWS by The Nosebleeders
No Hard Feelings, Eh?
For the second year in a row, the Ottawa Senators have made it to
the Dance, the Show, the Other Season, the Real Season, the Big
Times....the Playoffs. And, for the second straight year, the
Sens did it at the expense of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina
Hurricanes franchise.
For almost two months, these two teams duked it out in one of the
most interesting playoff races of the season. Carolina's sudden
hot streak in the stretch run - powered by Trevor Kidd's stellar
netminding - offered many a diehard Senators fan a rough night's
sleep.
But in the end, the Senators managed to cling to their slim lead
and outlasted Carolina for the right to play top-seeded New
Jersey in round uno of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
It didn't require a heart-stopping, playoff-clinching goal from
Steve Duchesne in the final game of the season against the
league's top goalie in Dominik Hasek, but it was nevertheless an
ulcer-inducing affair, thank you very much.
"But, Sir...I Want More."
You would think that after so many years of pathetic hockey, that
Sens fans across Bytown would be whooping it up just seeing their
boys in the playoffs again. Not so. Go to any local watering
hole, and you'll quickly discover that Sens fans demand nothing
less than an upset win over the Devils, or risk proclaiming this
season a failure. After all, the Sens did the 'first round thing'
last year, right? That's old news, passe, fee-fi-fo-fum. Now we
want a second round appearance. Then the semis, the Eastern
championship, and then the Holy Ashtray. Do you see the logic
here, peoples?
Granted, Ottawa fans have every right to be so demanding. After
all, the Ottawa Valley is the birthplace of hockey as we know it
today, and many of the NHL's greatest stars have come from this
region (It's in the books. Go check it out.) After so many years
of suffering from the humiliation of not having a franchise that
was rightfully theirs, and then suffering through the lean years
of the early-to-mid 90s, you can see why Sens fans have high
hopes for their beloved.
If you're still confused, just ask any New York Yankee fan if he
or she would be happy 'just to see them play good, quality
baseball.' Nyet-ski. Pennants, baby. Gimme them pennants. Same
goes for Ottawa in hockey.
Class dismissed.
Not Your Average, Run-of-the-Mill Drought
Not only did the Senators clinch their second consecutive playoff
appearance, but they also managed to finish the season with a
record above .500, notching a respectable 34-33-15 mark for a
club record 83 points.
The last time a Senators franchise finished above .500 in a
season? 1930....a full 68 years ago. That year, the Senators, led
by Hec Kilrea, Joe Lamb, Frank Finnigan and King Clancy, finished
third in the five-team league with a 21-15-8 record in 44 games.
After that, the bottom fell out for the franchise and by 1932,
the team sold its star players to clubs around the league and
suspended operations. The club attempted a comeback in 1933-34,
but folded the following season, never to be seen or heard from
again until 1992.
Sweet Mary....do we know how to kill a celebration or what?
Swampland Frolics
Sometimes, the fruits of one's labor can be bittersweet. Okay,
that's about enough Shakespeare from us for one issue. But,
truthfully, you have to wonder how the Sens felt when, after
wrestling the final playoff berth from Carolina, they were
rewarded for their efforts with a trip to New Jersey to take on
the Devils in a best-of-seven.
Although Ottawa managed to secure a .500 record against the
Devils this year, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure
that the Devils will be heavily favored in this series. In fact,
even some local prognosticators are splashing scalding hot coffee
on the dreams of Senator faithful, claiming a Jersey sweep in
four games.
But when you look at this matchup closely (and you ignore the 24
point record differential), you slowly begin to see a lot of
similarities between the two clubs. Both play a solid
forechecking style of hockey. And both rely on hard-earned goals
from chippy forwards and stay-at-home defensemen.
The big difference? Make a mistake against the Devils, and
they'll kill you. A turnover in the neutral zone, a foolish
penalty, a missed assignment...whatever. Give New Jersey an inch,
and they'll take a mile, as the saying goes. As for Ottawa, we've
lost count how many times they've walked away from a 5-on-3 power
play empty-handed.
So if Ottawa wishes to stick it to the Devils, their only hope is
to play smart, conservative hockey. Minimize turnovers and
capitalize on the rare Devil miscues. Otherwise, this could very
well be a four-game sweep.
Coulda Been, Shoulda Been..But It Ain't
After clinching a playoff berth in their third to last game of
the year versus Florida, the Sens actually had a great chance to
overtake Montreal for seventh place. Facing the Habs just two
days later and trailing by only three points, Ottawa couldn't
find the energy to outlast the Canadiens, and were blanked 2-0 at
the hands of Andy Moog and the boys. A victory would have made a
date with Pittsburgh very probable. Instead, the loss booked a
date with the Devils.
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, Phil
It took five years, but we can finally gloat to Phil Esposito and
the boys in Tampa. Think back to 1992 when Ottawa and Tampa were
awarded franchises in the NHL. Tampa chose to lunge for the
veterans in the spirit of becoming contenders almost immediately.
The Sens - realizing the nightmarish effects such a plan could
exact on a team's future - decided to practice patience, building
a team through the draft despite the collective grumblings of
Sens fans demanding a better on-ice product.
And here we are today - the Sens in the playoffs for the second
straight year, boasting one of the youngest teams in the league,
with young stars like Yashin, Alfredsson, Redden and Phillips
getting better with age. Meanwhile, in Tampa, this is a franchise
headed nowhere fast.
So on behalf of all Sens fans, Phil, we'd like to say one thing -
pphhhhhhtttt.
A Dilemma of Sorts
This is Dave writing, one half of the famed Nosebleeder duo. I
have a problem, and I need your help. You see, I was born and
raised in Ottawa, have lived here all of my life, and I've rooted
for the home team since Day 1. But I have this pesky little virus
that I cannot seem to shake. Deep within my heart, I still hold a
small but sweet spot for the team I cheered for back in the days
when there were no Ottawa Senators: New Jersey. Quite the
conundrum, if I do say so myself. For the first five years, I
never had to worry about a possible Devils-Sens playoff series.
After all, New Jersey was light years ahead of Ottawa in terms of
talent and playoff potential. But now, here I sit, debating which
team to root for. Sure, I'll cheer when Ottawa scores, but
instinct may get the best of me when Gilmour pops a few through
the twine.
My only solution, as of today, is rather drastic: I run away to a
Tibetan monastery and vow never to return until the series is
over. But then I realized that Tibet doesn't serve nachos in any
of its fine eateries, so I ixnayed on the plans.
So, you see my problem here. If you have any suggestions, please
email them to me quickly. After all, Game 1 is only a few short
days away.
Trivia Time
As mentioned earlier, the last time Ottawa notched a .500 plus
record was way back in 1930, when they finished in third place in
the five-team NHL. Can you name the other four teams that busted
heads with Ottawa that year? Answer at the end of this column.
This, That and the Other Thing
Random notes from the Sens camp during the final two weeks of the
season:
Boston 4 Ottawa 2
* Sens goalie Damian Rhodes had one of his off-nights, giving up
a hat trick to Steve Heinze on just ten shots. Rhodes was pulled
by the start of the second period.
* To make matters worse, injury-prone Vaclav Prospal took a
Daniel Alfredsson slap shot in the face and needed 25 stitches to
close the wound.
* With the loss, Ottawa continued its miserable streak against
Boston, notching a 0-4-2 record on the season.
The Chase: Ottawa 74 pts Carolina 72
Ottawa 4 Pittsburgh 1
* The key to Ottawa's win was penalty-killing. Ottawa shut the
door on the Pens in eight power play opportunities.
* After their lackluster performance against Boston, the Sens
came out flying against Pittsburgh, as Bruce Gardiner opened the
scoring just 21 seconds into the game.
* Rhodes picked up the win for Ottawa, his first home win in over
a month and first time in four tries that he was able to finish a
start at home.
* The victory set a Senators record for most home points in a
season with 42 and tied a club record for wins with 31.
* Igor Kravchuk's holding call on Brad Werenka was only his
fourth minor penalty of the season. Do we hear Lady Byng calling?
* That truck you saw barreling over Andreas Johansson and Alexei
Morozov in a span of a few seconds was none other than Radek
Bonk. Yes, Bonk. No, your eyesight is not going on you.
The Chase: Ottawa 76 pts Carolina 74
Buffalo 4 Ottawa 4
* Ottawa blew a brilliant opportunity to create real estate
between them and Carolina. The Sens jumped out to a quick 4-1
lead by the end of the first, only to then sit back and watch the
Sabres chip their way back into the game. The Sens, in fact, were
lucky to escape with a point.
* Game-tying goal came courtesy of Damian Rhodes. Unable to
handle the puck behind the net, Rhodes tried to whack at it as it
bounced out in front of the empty Sens net. Rather than clear the
puck, Rhodes slapped it right onto Sabres forward Curtis Brown's
stick, which then ricocheted into the net.
* The Sabres' third goal of the game came on a penalty shot after
Dixon Ward was hauled down on a breakaway. The call was
questionable, much like many of the other calls referee Don
Koharski made throughout the evening (see Geoff Sanderson: The
Art of Diving on HBO, Saturday at 8pm).
The Chase: Ottawa 77 pts Carolina 74
Ottawa 3 Tampa 2
* After blowing a huge lead against Buffalo, Ottawa received a
gift from the schedule maker with an easy 3-2 win over their
weaker expansion sisters from Tampa Bay.
* Ron Tugnutt, making his first start in six games, was the key
to the Sens victory, stopping 27 of 29 shots - including 17 of 19
in the second period alone, en route to the victory.
* The win, coupled with Carolina's 3-2 loss in Boston, reduced
the Sens magic number to one.
* Defenseman Jason York took 14 stitches over the eye after being
high-sticked by Tampa putz Andrei Nazarov in the third period.
The Chase: Ottawa 79 Carolina 74
Ottawa 3 Florida 2
* A repeat of the Tampa Bay game both in score and in
entertainment (read: zippo). But more importantly, with the win,
Ottawa clinches the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern
Conference.
* The win also bumped Ottawa's record versus Florida to 5-0-2
over the last seven games.
The Chase: Over...Ottawa 81 Carolina 74
Montreal 2 Ottawa 0
* As mentioned earlier, this game presented Ottawa with a
glorious opportunity to vault past Montreal into seventh place.
Instead, Ottawa came out flat, registering only 22 butterflies
towards Andy Moog, who promptly shut the door to help power his
Habs to victory and lock up seventh place.
* On paper, Ottawa was the home team in this contest. But in
reality, you would have been hard-pressed to believe that. The
cheering that accompanied Brian Savage's game-winning goal was
nothing short of embarrassing to Senators brass ... on national
television to boot! Which only proves, old Hab-its are hard to
break (it's late, we're tired, bear with us, will ya?)
* Prior to the game, Alexei Yashin was presented with the Molson
Cup for most three-star selections in the year. Yashin finished
with 107 points, a full 47 points ahead of runner-up Damian
Rhodes.
* Message board at the Corel Centre gave Sergei Gonchar an assist
on the Habs' first goal, which is fine and dandy, except for the
fact that Gonchar plays for Washington.
* Vaclav Prospal, who was hit in the face by a puck in the Boston
game, returned for the Habs matchup. In total, various injuries
have forced Prospal to miss over 30 games this year. "This has
been the worst season of my career," he summed up rather nicely.
For What It's Worth: Ottawa 81 Carolina 74
Ottawa 2 Buffalo 1
* Funny how a game that, for weeks many thought would be crucial
to the Sens playoffs hopes, can so quickly dissolve into a
meaningless rendez-vous. How much concern did both teams invest
in this game, especially after Boston's 2-1 win over Philly early
in the afternoon shut Buffalo out of fifth place? Said Lance
Pitlick: "We should call Buffalo and cancel the game. We could
each get a point."
* Both Sens goals were scored by Shawn McEachern, who finished
the year with an impressive total of 24 twine-bulgers.
* Sens backstop Damian Rhodes is putting his post-season face on
early. Prior to the Sabres game, Rhodes shunned any media that
approached him, abiding by his newly-conceived 'closed-mouth
policy' on game days.
For What It's Worth: Ottawa 83 Carolina 74. End of season.
Drumroll Please
The 1930-31 season saw Ottawa line up against the Montreal
Maroons, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York
Americans.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Kevin Constantine
Roster: C - Ron Francis, Martin Straka, C. Ferraro, Tyler
Wright, Robert Lang, Sean Pronger. LW - Stu Barnes, Andreas
Johansson, Alex Hicks, Garry Valk. RW - Jaromir Jagr, Alexei
Morozov, Ed Olczyk, Robby Brown, Robert Dome. D - Darius
Kasparaitis, Kevin Hatcher, Chris Tamer, Fredrik Olausson, Neil
Wilkinson, Ian Moran, Brad Werenka, Jiri Slegr, Tuomas Gronman. G
- Tom Barrasso, Ken Wregget, Peter Skudra.
Injuries: Sean Pronger, c (broken foot, day-to-day).
Transactions:
Game Results:
4/07 Phoenix L 2-1
4/09 at Ottawa L 4-1
4/11 Florida T 3-3
4/15 Tampa Bay W 4-1
4/16 at Carolian W 4-1
4/18 Boston W 5-2
TEAM NEWS by Brett Taylor
Pens Clinch Division Title: After Mikael Renberg gave
Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead in the April 15 game, Jaromir Jagr,
Ron Francis and Stu Barnes pounced on the Lightning and never
looked back as the Penguins rolled to clinch the Northeast
Division title.
All three players on the Pens top unit scored, and Jagr nailed
the 300th of his career. Jagr had a goal and two assists total,
giving him 100 points on the season. Barnes reached the 30-goal
plateau for the first time in his career and Tom Barrasso won his
30th game of the season.
It wasn't their best performance of the year, but it was a much
needed victory in a time when wins were not coming easy for the
Pens. The club had gone 1-5-4 in its previous 10 games,
prompting Jagr to crack wise with coach Constantine following a
3-3 tie with Florida on April 11. Jagr was upset that the coach
had separated him from his usual linemates, Ron Francis and Stu
Barnes. Jagr instead skated with fellow countrymen Martin Straka
and Robert Lang. While that duo is still plenty talented, Jagr
didn't like his new surroundings. Since they didn't hit the ice
until the third shift of the game, Jagr felt he was on a checking
line and didn't feel he was getting enough ice time. Combine the
move with the frustration of the previous games, and Jagr ended
up saying some things he would later regret. Here's a sampling:
"Of course, only we are (sunshine). He's perfect."
"I've got no pressure on me. I'm out on the third line now. I'm
on the checking line."
The local media was quick to pounce on the story and it seemed a
revolt was in the making. But Constantine was quick to take
control. He conducted a private meeting with Jagr the next day
and then addressed the team. Problem solved. Jagr saw the light
and came away the wiser.
"I've got to realize everybody else is looking at me," said Jagr.
"Before it was Mario and a million other guys, and I just was
somewhere behind and did my own thing. It's different now."
"If I sit on the bench, I say 'Why do they pay me the money?' I
feel guilty," explained Jagr. "If I didn't care, I'd just sit
there, take the money and sit there."
If it were up to Jagr, he'd play the entire game. He thrives on
ice time and is one of the best conditioned athletes in the
sport. But Constantine would rather see his star play around 21
minutes a night and stay fresh into the playoffs.
The dispute over playing time aside, Jagr and Constantine appear
to have buried the hatchet. Jagr realized he was wrong for
saying what he did and apologized to Constantine, but the coach
said that no apology was necessary.
This whole incident might have been good for the club. It seemed
to light a fire under the squad and get them back on track. Not
only did they steamroll the Bolts, but they went on to win their
final two games of the season over Carolina and Boston. That's a
good way to enter the playoffs.
Supporting Cast Impressive in Carolina: With a top unit of
Rob Brown, Robert Lang and Alexei Morozov, the Pens easily put
the Carolina Hurricanes away. Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Stu
Barnes, Kevin Hatcher, and Tom Barrasso didn't even make the trip
to Carolina. They all stayed home to mend for the upcoming
playoffs. With the stars at home, Pittsburgh's supporting cast
rose to the forefront with three power-play goals and a strong
defensive game to secure a 4-1 win. Lang led the way with a goal
and two assists, Brown had two goals and Morozov added a goal.
All the big guns returned to the lineup Saturday against Boston
and picked up where they left off. Jagr and Hatcher each scored
and Martin Straka recorded a hat trick in a 5-2 win.
Pens Meet Montreal in First Round: After finishing the
regular season with 98 points the Pens will meet the Montreal
Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs.
The first two games will be in Pittsburgh on Thursday and
Saturday. Then they will go to Montreal for games three and four
and then back to Pittsburgh for game five if needed.
================================================================
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Craig Hartsburg
roster: C - Steve Dubinsky, Greg Johnson, Chad Kilger, Jeff Shantz,
Brent Sutter, Alexei Zhamnov. LW - James Black, Eric Daze,
Jean-Yves Leroux, Kevin Miller, Ethan Moreau, Bob Probert, Reid
Simpson. RW - Tony Amonte, Sergei Krivokrasov, Ryan
VandenBussche. D - Chris Chelios, Christian LaFlamme, Jayson More,
Cam Russell, Gary Suter, Michal Sykora, Eric Weinrich, Trent
Yawney. G - Jeff Hackett, Chris Terreri, Andrei Trefilov.
injuries: Cam Russell, d (concussion, indefinite); Jeff Shantz, c
(torn ACL in left knee, out for season); Michal Sykora, d
(collapsed lung, indefinite); Alexei Zhamnov, c (broken finger,
indefinite).
transactions: Assigned Todd White, c, to Indianapolis (IHL) April 8;
signed Steve Dubinsky, c, to a two-year contract extension April 7;
assigned Dmitri Nabokov, c, to Indianapolis (IHL) March 30; dropped
Jarrod Skalde, c, into black hole sometime in March.
game results:
4/09 at St. Louis L 3-2
4/12 Phoenix L 2-1
4/15 at Toronto L 3-2
4/16 New Jersey T 1-1
4/18 at Dallas L 3-1
TEAM NEWS by Tom Crawford
Proud Run of Mediocrity Ends
For the first time in 29 years, the Blackhawks will not be
participating in postseason NHL play. A loss to the Toronto Maple
Leafs on April 15, together with a 3-3 tie between San Jose and
Calgary, officially eliminated the Hawks from playoff contention
and brought a nightmare season to an appropriate end.
Not so long ago it looked like the Hawks would continue in their
established modus operandi and hang on to a low playoff seed so
they could lose early on to a team with actual talent. On March
25, with only 12 games left to play, Chicago had a comfortable
seven-point lead on the ninth-place Sharks. In the ensuing weeks,
however, the Hawks managed only two wins, losing to the elite of
the league, losing to the bottom-feeders, and losing to everyone in
between.
For more on the Blackhawks' collapse, and a look at the impact it
could have on players, coaches, executives, and fans, see the
incisive, hard-hitting feature " Chicago's House of Blues "
elsewhere in these pages.
Russell Injured in Fight
Spectators at Maple Leaf Gardens and TV viewers experienced a tense
moment early in the Leafs-Hawks game when Cam Russell lay
motionless on the ice for close to 10 minutes after hitting his
head on the ice. Russell had been involved in a scuffle with the
Leafs' "Albanian Assassin," Tie Domi.
Domi, by far the more able combatant, pulled Russell's jersey over
his head, and when Russell lost his balance he was unable to break
the fall. Russell was taken to a local hospital but was diagnosed
only with a concussion and was allowed to join the team on the
flight home.
It sure looked bad at the time, though. My mom thought he was dead.
Sutter Gone, Cheli Staying Put
Brent Sutter made it official April 19, announcing the end of his
17-year NHL career. He did not rule out a return to the league in
another capacity, but for now he plans only to work on the family
farm in Viking, Alberta.
Here's hoping he has better luck than his brother Darryl, who also
returned to the farm after leaving the Hawks. Only weeks after
arriving, Darryl fell down the front steps of the farmhouse,
sustaining fairly serious head injuries. It is not known if the
fall contributed to his misbegotten notion that he could lead the
San Jose Sharks to the playoffs.
Chelios, meanwhile, was asked if this season, possibly his worst as
a Blackhawk, had driven him to consider retirement. "If I'm
starting to lose it, I'll be the first to admit it," he responded,
"but I know I can still play at a high level."
"I hope to God I'm a Blackhawk next year," he added later. But
Chelios is under contract until he retires, and the chances of his
being traded this summer are nonexistent.
News and Notes
Eric Daze, the Hawks' co-leader in goal scoring this year,
has been selected to play for Team Canada in the World
Championships in Zurich. Chelios and Tony Amonte
were invited to play for Team USA, but both understandably
declined, citing fatigue, desire to spend time with the family, and
a lingering bad taste in the mouth from February's Olympic
fiasco... Daze is eligible for unrestricted free agency July 1 and
is reported to be asking for a $2 million per season
raise...Milestones: Chelios played his 1,000th NHL game
April 16, becoming the 128th player to do so. Meanwhile, Gary
Suter received his 100th death threat from bitter Team Canada
fans since he began eliminating Canadian superstars from world
competition ...Ed Belfour summed up the feelings of most
Hawks fans when he said of the organization: "It's always been a
struggle for money there. When you put money ahead of winning,
that's a sad thing. That's not what this game is about."...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
DALLAS STARS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head coach: Ken Hitchcock
roster: C-Mike Modano, Guy Carbonneau, Joe Nieuwendyk, Bob Bassen,
Brian Skrudland. LW- Dave Reid, Greg Adams, Benoit Hogue, Juha
Lind, Patrick Cote. RW- Mike Keane, Mike Kennedy, Pat Verbeek,
Jamie Langenbrunner, Jere Lehtinen, Grant Marshall. D-Derian
Hatcher, Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor, Shawn Chambers, Richard
Matvichuk, Sergei Zubov, Craig Muni. G-Ed Belfour, Roman Turek.
injuries: Patrick Cote, d (shoulder separation, indefinite).
transactions: Mike Modano, c, taken off injured reserve April 14.
game results:
4/08 Washington W 2-1
4/11 at Tampa Bay W 5-1
4/12 St. Louis W 4-3
4/15 Detroit W 3-1
4/16 at Phoenix L 3-2
4/18 Chicago W 3-1
Team News by Jim Panenka
"Aye, And a Fine Fresh Scent, Too"
Dallas stunk up the joint during the end of March and into the first
week of April. Their 2-5-0 record during those seven games qualified
as a serious losing funk. A stank one, at that.
Darryl Sydor perhaps said it best when asked for an explanation of
the big skid.
"We're not digging down enough, we're just not playing hard. It's
just something we've got to nip in the bud here quick or it'll be
an early summer," said Sydor.
Joe Nieuwendyk agreed with Sydor by stating, "I think we've become a
much better hockey club this year, (but) we're certainly not showing
it in the last two weeks. I don't know. I think we've got a lot of
areas to address in a short period of time. I think we're capable of
getting this back on track."
Dallas pulled out a big old bar of Irish Spring and cleaned that
funk right out of the locker room. Whatever the players discussed
amongst themselves during those two weeks was enough to convince
them to hunker down and begin playing Stars hockey once again.
The Stars finished the regular season in fine fashion, recording a
much better 5-1-0 record during their last six games. What made the
difference?
Nieuwy Leads the Way
Joe Nieuwendyk finished as the Stars' leading scorer with a
fantastic points tally of 39 goals, 30 assists for 69 points. Joe
was named the NHL Player of the Week ending April 12 for scoring
five goals and three assists for eight points to close out that
week. He also has scored a season total of 11 game-winning goals,
as well as 13 goals on the power play. The other members of Joe's
line stepped up with him.
Once healthy enough to return to the fold, linemate Greg Adams
returned to his former scoring ways and racked up a five-game point
streak. He had scored four goals, four assists for eight points
during those games. All four of the goals during the streak were
power-play tallies. His season total for power-play goals was
seven. Gus finished up the season with 14 goals, 18 assists for 32
points.
Pat Verbeek was the spark plug that helped the other two step up
their game. Beeker finished off his season with a much-better total
of 31 goals, 26 assists for 57 points. That's nearly double last
season's goal total of 17. Up until the final game against Chicago,
Verbeek had goals in each of his four previous games, including a
two-goal night against Detroit. One of those two goals was the
game-winner. It was Beeker's third consecutive multi-point game.
Overall, Nieuwendyk's line accounted for much of the team's offense
during the final push towards the playoffs. The team will count on
this line to continue their success into the postseason.
Eagle Is Ready For The Show
Ed Belfour went through a rigorous rehab on his sore back, and
returned in true championship form. Prior to the final game of the
season, Eddie had a six-goal winning streak, during which he had a
1.49 GAA and a .950 save percentage. He extended that streak to
seven games, winning the finale as well, allowing only a single
goal.
During the 3-1 win over Detroit on April 15, Belfour stopped an
incredible 44 of 45 shots to secure the win for his team during an
intense playoff-atmosphere game. Many consider that game to be one
of the best they had seen in recent memory, and the vision of the
Eagle's stunning performance won't soon leave this reporter's mind.
Eddie proved he's ready to give the Stars a fighting chance to
secure the Cup.
Modano Signs On For The Long Haul
In what was perhaps one of the finest displays of sportsmanship
during this crazy year of free-agent mania, Mike Modano opted to
dance with who brought him by signing a long-term deal with Dallas.
Modano's six-year, 40+ million-dollar contract virtually assured
him the status of franchise player, locking him with Dallas and
avoiding the free-agent roulette wheel.
Mighty Mo could have definitely held out, and gotten, a fair amount
more that the $7.5 million-or-so yearly average during the summer.
But, he has consistently expressed his intent to stay with the Stars,
the franchise that drafted him high and invested all it had at
developing him into the superstar he has become.
"How can you say that this isn't enough money?" Modano was quoted as
saying when asked why he didn't bail on his team for more money.
It's just a shame Mark Messier couldn't have lived up to that code
of ethics. Look what happened to the miserable Rangers, for
example.
When will players see that it's the game that's most important, not
the quick buck? To hell with you, Sergei Fedorov.
Modano made good on his promise, once again making the choice that
was the most beneficial, and least disruptive to the team. During
the preseason, Modano held out until the final exhibition game,
settling for a reasonable $3.5 mil per just to get the season
underway on the right foot. His dedication to the team, and his
pure desire to win a Stanley Cup led to his unselfish act, which
guaranteed the team could finish the season hitting all cylinders,
without any distractions.
The plan worked, Modano returned victorious to the lineup for the
final game of the season. Mo tallied two assists, helping both
Jamie Langenbrunner and Jere Lehtinen put one home behind Terreri.
He was a bit off on timing, and blew a breakaway chance against
Chicago goaltender Terreri, but it was Modano's mere presence that
gave the Stars a much-needed boost in confidence heading into the
playoffs.
Here Comes the Pres!
With the final victory on 4/15 against the Blackhawks, Dallas
finished the year with a 49-22-11 record for 109 points, a new
franchise record. The team also secured the President's Trophy for
the best record in the league, the Western Conference championship,
the Central Division crown, and home-ice advantage throughout the
playoffs.
Dallas also finished with the best power-play unit in the league.
The Stars scored on 77 of 385 chances, and they were the only team
to have success on 20 percent or better of their power plays.
All three goals in the final game of the year came off the power
play. The fact that Sergei Zubov assisted on all three goals should
also tell you something about his importance as captain of the
power-play squad.
The home-ice fans have become amongst the finest in the league,
giving their team a raucous standing ovation during the final
45-or-so seconds of the 3-1 win over Chicago, which secured the
President's Trophy. They cheered wildly as captain Derian Hatcher
accepted the trophy on behalf of his club.
Even former franchise owner Norm Green is getting on the bandwagon.
Green faxed a congratulatory message to current owner Tom Hicks
stating, among other things:
"Today we won the Presidents' Trophy and we enter the playoffs
with a powerful momentum. The Dallas Stars are a confident and
capable team of great young men that have already shown they know
how to win.
"When you bought the Stars from me in 1996, you made a promise to
build on what was started in 1993, and bring Dallas a world
championship in professional hockey. Every owner in every sport
makes this promise, and they all mean it. But your promise was
different. You began the process in the right way, in your style,
as a winner.
"Money alone never accomplished this goal. ... It takes leadership
and a tenacious owner like Tom Hicks.
"I have always been a fan of hockey first and an owner second, and
now as a Dallasite, I am thrilled to see your success. Hockey is
not only alive and well in Dallas, but it is about to win a world
championship."
All of these reasons and more add up to the unmistakable fact that
the Stars have never been in a better position to make a run for
the Cup.
We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!
Dallas drew a good opponent in the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks may
have sunk all the Stars' buoys during the regular season a year
ago, sweeping the team with a goaltending clinic put on by Kelly
Hrudey. This season, the teams split their four games. But, what is
troubling in that the Sharks are undefeated (4-0) in Reunion Arena
since their last loss here in Dallas on Dec. 17, 1995.
"(Aye..) They've been a thorn in this franchise's side for two
years, ever since I've been here," coach Ken Hitchcock said,
sounding much like the wily Great White Shark-hunting Quint of the
movie Jaws. (Although he did skip the fingernails-on-the-chalkboard
trick)
Who's gonna start for San Jose - Hrudey or Vernon? It doesn't
matter, each one is perfectly capable of stoning the Stars.
What will matter the most, what will determine if the Stars are
really for real or still a pretender, is what group of players will
show up for the contest. Will it be the hard working, selfless,
determined, hungry, smart Stars?
Or will it be the team that disappears into the crowd, comes into
the contest overconfident and under-appreciative of the desperation
of their opponent, unwilling to work hard enough or to pay the
price to win?
Dallas has a single chance to erase the demons of last year that
came at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers (good luck, Colorado!). If
the Stars fail to live into the second round this time, they will
always be put into the "pretender" category and will be marked as
one of the worst-choking teams around.
The regular season means nothing, even as good as it was for Dallas
this time around. The playoffs are the only thing that matters. That
is the only reason Bob Gainey stayed with Dallas as GM, and quietly
and confidently assembled perhaps one of the finest groups of hockey
players in modern history.
Will that group of players fulfill their destiny, and secure Lord
Stanley's Cup for their veteran GM, one of the best players ever to
strap on a pair of Tacks? Only each individual player can answer
that question for themselves. Their chance for an answer begins on
Wednesday, April 22, 1998 in Reunion Arena.
Wow, that's like poetic, or sumpin'.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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, Kirk Maltby, Brent Gilchrist. RW - Darren McCarty,
Joey Kocur, Martin Lapointe. D - Nicklas Lidstrom, Bob Rouse, Slava
Fetisov, Larry Murphy, Dmitri Mironov, Jamie Macoun, Aaron Ward,
Anders Eriksson, Mathieu Dandenault. G - Chris Osgood, Kevin
Hodson.
INJURIES: Brent Gilchrist, lw (abdominal strain, late April); Steve
Yzerman, c (groin, day-to-day).
TRANSACTIONS: None.
GAME RESULTS:
4/07 St. Louis W 5-3
4/09 Phoenix W 5-1
4/14 at Phoenix L 2-1
4/15 at Dallas L 3-1
4/18 at Colorado L 4-3
TEAM NEWS by Dino Cacciola
ST. LOUIS
Goaltender Chris Osgood made 21 saves as the Red Wings took just
their second win in six meetings with St. Louis this season with a
5-3 victory at home. Kris Draper scored the tie-breaking goal with
about two minutes left in the game. It was a career-best 13th goal
for Draper, who usually performs better during the playoffs than
the regular season with his relentless play.
Kirk Maltby, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Martin Lapointe and Steve Yzerman
also had goals. Yzerman's empty-net goal with 1:13 remaining
ensured Detroit's fourth straight win. Dmitri Mironov and Dougie
Brown both had two assists for Detroit.
Detroit and Dallas both have 99 points. The Red Wings have five
games remaining in the regular season while the Stars have six.
The Stars currently hold the conference's No. 1 playoff seed
because they have two more wins than the Red Wings.
PHOENIX
Doug Brown scored two goals as the Red Wings regained a share of the
Western Conference lead with a 5-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Steve Yzerman had a goal and an assist in the Red Wings' fifth
straight win.
The Wings have scored a league-leading 240 goals, yet only Yzerman
ranks among the top 20 NHL scorers. But the Red Wings have 11
players with at least 10 goals and seven with more than 40 points.
A well-balanced offensive attack. Brown has 17 goals, one shy of
his career high set in 1993-94 with Pittsburgh.
The Red Wings tied Dallas atop the Western Conference with 101
points. The Stars, who currently hold the conference's No. 1 seed
because of two more victories than Detroit, have five games
remaining to the Red Wings' four. Kirk Maltby and Dmitri Mironov
also scored for Detroit.
PHOENIX
Goaltender Jimmy Waite played in Nikolai Khabibulin's absence and
stopped 25 of 26 shots, including one in the final seconds to give
the Coyotes a 2-1 win over the Red Wings to snap their six-game
winning streak.
The Coyotes may open the postseason against the Red Wings. Detroit
stayed two points behind idle Dallas in the race for the Central
Division title and best record in the West with two games left to
go. The Wings rested Steve Yzerman and Igor Larionov in the loss.
Slava Kozlov, who dominated the series this season, scored Detroit's
goal. Four of Kozlov's 25 goals have come against Phoenix. Osgood
had 21 saves, 12 in the first period alone.
DALLAS
Outshot 45-16, the Dallas Stars needed goalie Ed Belfour at his best
against the Red Wings. He finished with 44 saves in a crucial 3-1
victory Wednesday night. With Belfour winning his sixth straight,
Dallas clinched the NHL's best record and top playoff seed in the
Western Conference.
The Red Wings had two victories and two ties against Dallas over the
first four games of the season series before the Stars salvaged the
finale.
Mike Knuble scored his seventh goal for Detroit. Red Wings coach
Scotty Bowman wasn't as concerned with the Western Conference
title, scratching Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov and Slava Fetisov
with minor injuries.
The Red Wings had a chance to take control early with three power
plays and two man advantage situations in the game's first five
minutes. The Wings had the first 14 shots on goal and outshot
Dallas in the first period, 19-6.
COLORADO
What was expected to be a fight-filled game turned into an offensive
match as Peter Forsberg's goal with 40.7 seconds remaining lifted
the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 win over the arch-rival Red Wings.
"It continued the rivalry. They're always good, intense games," said
Detroit's Darren McCarty, whose two goals in a 46- second span tied
the game 3-3 with 55.7 seconds remaining. "It's frustrating any time
you lose a game on a goal in the final minute, but now the real
season begins."
The Wings rested four of its top six scorers, takes a three-game
losing streak into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed. Phoenix will be
the playoff matchup. Doug Brown scored the other Detroit goal.
Kevin Hodson finished with 17 saves in place of Chris Osgood and
lost for the first time in eight starts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX COYOTES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld
Roster: C - Jeremy Roenick, Craig Janney, Cliff Ronning, Bob Corkum,
Mike Stapleton, Juha Ylonen, Daniel Briere. LW - Keith Tkachuk,
Darrin Shannon, Jim McKenzie. RW - Rick Tocchet, Dallas Drake,
Mike Gartner, Brad Isbister, Jocelyn Lemieux, Shane Doan, Jim
Cummins. D - Teppo Numminen, Oleg Tverdovsky, John Slaney, Norm
Maciver, Murray Baron, Deron Quint, Gerald Diduck, Keith Carney.
G - Nikolai Khabibulin, Jimmy Waite, Scott Langkow.
Injuries: Juha Ylonen, C, suffered a fractured tibia March 19,
sidelined two weeks; Craig Janney, C, suffered a mild MCL sprain
March 14, sidelined day-to-day; Jim Johnson, D, suffering
from post-concussion syndrome Nov. 11, sidelined indefinitely;
Darcy Wakaluk, G, underwent knee surgery Sept. 17, sidelined
indefinitely.
Transactions: April 13 - Returned Daniel Briere, C, to
Springfield of the AHL. April 14 - Rick Tocchet, RW, suspended by
NHL for two games without pay, including one game already served,
and fined him $1000 after a match penalty for deliberate intent
to injure with a high-stick against Scott Pellerin of the St.
Louis Blues on April 11th. April 18 - Jeremy Roenick, C, fined
$1.50 by Blockbuster for not returning 'Porky's Revenge' on time.
Game Results
4/07 at Pittsburgh W 2-1
4/09 at Detroit L 5-1
4/11 at St. Louis W 4-3
4/12 at Chicago W 2-1
4/14 Detroit W 2-1
4/16 Dallas W 3-2
4/18 St. Louis L 5-4
TEAM NEWS by Matthew Secosky
WhiteOut in the Dessert
I hate when I get WhiteOut in my dessert. It taste kinda
pasty like glue, not quite Elmers but close.
Well, Phoenix is in the playoffs and will face Detroit in
first-round competition. So what will the Coyotes do? Chances
are lose. After all, check out their past playoff
experiences:
1997 - Lost to Anaheim in first round (4-3).
1996* - Lost to Detroit in first round (4-2).
1993* - Lost to Vancouver in first round (4-2).
1992* - Lost to Vancouver in first round (4-2).
1990* - Lost to Edmonton in first round (4-3).
*as Winnipeg Jets
So as you see, operative words seem to be 'Lost in first round'.
Now don't get me wrong, sure they lose, but they'll stretch the
series to a good 6 or 7 games. I mean they're not quitters,
they're just not that good.
Phoenix Coyotes vs Detroit Red Wings Schedule of Events
Game 1: April 22, at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: April 24, at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ET
Game 3: April 26, at Phoenix, 3:00 p.m. ET
Game 4: April 28, at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. ET
*Game 5: April 30, at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ET
*Game 6: May 2, at Phoenix, 9:00 p.m. ET
*Game 7: May 4, at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ET
* -if necessary
For those of you going to a game in Phoenix, remember
to wear something borrowed, something blue, something used
and something new. Gotta stick with tradition. Oh yeah, I
guess white would be nice, too.
Ronning Buys Junior Team
Cliff Ronning is one of the newest owners of a Tier 2
junior league team that will begin play next season in
Cliffy's hometown of Burnaby, British Columbia. The team
will play in the BCHL, a league that developed such NHL
stars as Glenn Anderson, Brett Hull, Paul Kariya and
Ronning himself.
"Our intention was just to give something back to the
community and get that community feeling going in
Burnaby," Ronning said. "We've got a brand new arena ready,
and the people are pretty excited up there. It only
seats 2,500, but it's perfect for this style and caliber
of hockey."
So what is the name of this new franchise? Well, Cliff
just won't cut that information loose.
"I can't say right now because they're going to announce it
in the next couple of days. But the logo is real nice."
Wakaluk Kulakaw
There was no big news conference or press release, but
Phoenix goalie Darcy Wakaluk has announced his retirement
from hockey.
After five surgeries on his knee and endless rehab over the past
15 months, the 32-year-old Wakaluk decided it was time to call
it quits.
"This experience has gotten me to put things in perspective.
I love the game. It was never a job. I was always the first
to the rink and the last to leave because I loved being with
the guys, the trainers and working out. But I also have two
young boys, and I want to do a million things with them. And
if you can't walk, what good is the money?"
Darcy plans to retire to a small cattle ranch in his native
southwestern Alberta where he, his wife Dawn and two sons
will live off the land in harmony with nature.
"I'm not looking to get rich off it," Wakaluk said. "As
long as it pays for itself, fine. I want to raise my kids
in a situation where they can learn good values, know about
a good eight hours work and the value of a dollar."
English Grammar This
RW, Rick Tocchet said his recent two-game suspension was
unfair...much like he said about his last one. But this time
he may have a point.
"I'm not thinking very positive things right now about the
NHL office," Tocchet said. "To miss a game of this magnitude
for that? I mean, the guy only got a fat lip. I just slapped
him a bit with my stick. Of course, it's going to look a lot
worse in slow motion."
And let me tell you, a lot of things look worse in slow
motion if you catch my drift.
The eight games Mr. Tocchet has missed represent nearly a
tenth of the season and have cost him $209,756 in salary which,
by the way, is $209,723 more than I've made in 23 years.
C, Craig Janney became the ninth Phoenix player this season
to become a father. His wife, Kim, gave birth to a 7-pound,
2-ounce girl, whom they named Barrette. I once named my socks
Skippy and Pete.
C, Jeremy Roenick is all kinds of angered at the corporate
weasels that produce the Hockey News for a recent article
that list him as one of the top five declining players in
the NHL today. Basically they say he doesn't pay the price
around the net, is more into cashing paychecks than scoring
goals, and has a big ole ego.
In reply the Great JR said: "I do have an ego, but the rest
of what they wrote was nonsense. They obviously don't know
me, because that's absolutely crazy. Saying I don't want to
score goals? I've lived my whole life scoring goals. That's
what got me to enjoy this game in the first place."
Extremely Brief Game Recaps and the Women
Who Love Them
04/07/98 at Pittsburgh, Won 2-1 - Bob Corkum gave the
Coyotes a 1-0 lead 2:05 into the game and Rick Tocchet won it
with under five minutes remaining when he scored his 25th of the
season. Mr. Khabibulin made 29 saves for Phoenix.
04/09/98 at Detroit, Lost 5-1 - Doug Brown scored twice
and Steve Yzerman had a goal and assist as Detroit won their 5th
straight game. Phoenix well...ummm...uhhh. Bob Corkum scored
again don't ya know. The Coyotes only managed 20 shots on Chris
Osgood.
04/11/98 at St. Louis, Won 4-3 - Phoenix decides to
make a final push for a playoff spot with Cliff Ronning,
who had two goals and an assist, leading the way. Rick Tocchet
and Mike Stapleton also scored for the Coyotes. Pierre Turgeon
had three assists for the Blues. Also, St. Louis goalie
Grant Fuhr left the game after the first period with a
bruised knee and was replaced by Jamie McLennan.
04/12/98 at Chicago, Won 2-1 - Jeremy Roenick
blew a 30-foot shot past Blackhawks goaltender Jeff Hackett
with 7:20 left in the third period to lead the Coyotes to
a 2-1 victory. The goal also secured a spot for the Coyotes
in the playoffs and led to the destruction of 24 acres of
rain forest in Brazil. Many not as-of-yet discovered plants and
animals inhabit these rain forest, some of which scientists
believe may hold the cure for many illnesses such as cancer and
extreme dizziness.
04/14/98 vs Detroit, Won 2-1 - Keith Tkachuk, Dallas
Drake and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin took the night off
for Phoenix and youngsters Brad Isbister and Shane Doan
made the most of it by scoring goals. Jimmy Waite got
the call for the Coyotes and made 25 saves. Isbister also
had an assist.
04/16/98 vs Dallas, Won 3-2 - Win win win. We love
to win says Phoenix. The Coyotes locked up sixth place in
the standings and earned the right to face Detroit in
the playoffs. Of course, that isn't exactly good news, but
it beats playing Dallas or Colorado...well maybe not Colorado
but it's a tough call either way. Gerald Diduck, who only has
56 goals in 847 career games, scored twice for the Coyotes.
Dallas goaltender Roman Turek only stopped 8 of 11 shots before
being replaced by Eddie Belfour early in the third period.
04/18/98 vs St. Louis, Lost 5-4 - Hey, they won their
last four. Give the guys a break. Phoenix didn't play many of
their stars since the game didn't mean anything to anybody
anyhow.
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ST. LOUIS BLUES
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Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
Roster: C - Pierre Turgeon, Darren Turcotte, Craig Conroy, Pascal
Rheaume, Mike Eastwood; LW - Geoff Courtnall, Tony Twist, Pavol
Demitra, Scott Pellerin, Michel Picard; RW - Brett Hull, Jim
Campbell, Kelly Chase, Terry Yake, Blair Atcheynum; D - Al
MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Steve Duchesne, Marc Bergevin, Chris
McAlpine, Jamie Rivers, Ricard Persson, Todd Gill, Rudy Poeschek;
G - Grant Fuhr, Jamie McLennan, Brent Johnson.
Injuries: None.
Transactions: April 8 - Sent Chris Kenady, rw, to Worcester (AHL);
recalled Brent Johnson, g, from Worcester; April 16 - reassigned
Jan Horacek, d, to Worcester from juniors.
Game Results:
4/07 at Detroit L 5-3
4/09 Chicago W 3-2
4/11 Phoenix L 4-3
4/12 at Dallas L 4-3
4/16 at Los Angeles W 7-3
4/18 at Phoenix W 5-4
4/19 at Anaheim W 5-3
TEAM NEWS by Tom Cooper
Preparing for the real season
Having a playoff spot clinched and the fourth seed in the
ex-Campbell Conference locked up for the past eternity, the St.
Louis Blues could have sat back on their laurels and waited for the
playoffs to come to them. Instead, they went for the playoffs,
trying to build moment going into the postseason to win the
franchise's first Stanley Cup in its history.
The Blues finished up the 1997-1998 regular season with a stretch of
seven games in 12 days to get themselves ready for a first-round
meeting with the Los Angeles Kings, a meeting that has been long
arranged, even longer than some Middle East arranged marriages.
Those damn Red Wings
The Blues started their drive to the end of the season with a
meeting against the Detroit Communists... I mean Red Wings, on
National Hockey Night. The Blues and the Bolsheviks... I mean
Detroit, have met in the last two playoff seasons, making this a
possible and likely precursor for a conference semi-final series.
Showing off next year's uniforms for the first time to a national
audience, the Blues quickly lit the scoreboard first when Craig
Conroy, after being knocked to the ice only a few seconds earlier,
scored unassisted only 1:58 in to give St. Louis an early 1-0 lead.
Kirk Maltby brought the score back level when he tallied on the
power play 4:20 after Conroy's goal to make the score 1-1. The
Blues and Wings played an even second, but a Slava Kozlov shot with
under a second left in the frame got past Grant Fuhr to give
Detroit a 2-1 advantage going into the dressing room.
"It was a big goal because there wasn't much happening in the second
period," Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said. "We couldn't penetrate the
zone, and neither could they."
The Blues returned the favor when, on a two-man advantage, Al
MacInnis blasted a shot from the circle to tie the score at 2-2.
About five minutes after Red Wing Martin LaPointe scored to give
the lead back to Detroit, Pierre Turgeon's goal tied the score at
3-3. Assisting on the Turgeon goal was Al MacInnis, who, with that
helper, picked up his 1000th career point.
"I'm fortunate to have played with some great teams and players in
my career," MacInnis said. "It's a milestone I never thought I'd
reach, but it's over now. It's time to go on to the playoffs."
Both St. Louis and Detroit were battling back and forth to take a
late- contest lead, but, with 2:06 left, it was Detroit that picked
up the needed goal when Kris Draper scored on a three-man break for
a 4-3 advantage. Steve Yzerman added an empty-netter to give
Detroit a 5-3 victory.
The loss practically eliminated St. Louis from moving up in the
playoff seedings, but finishing fourth won't disappoint the team.
"We're pretty well locked into that fourth slot," Blues coach Joel
Quenneville said. "We want to use the last few games to generate
some enthusiasm and confidence going into the playoffs."
Destroying Hawks' Dreams
Serving as consolation for the loss to Detroit was the fact that
Pavol Demitra was going to play for the Blues for the first time in
a month...and he contributed right away.
"He's right back at it," teammate Craig Conroy said. "He doesn't
miss a beat, that guy. He's going to be a big factor in the
playoffs for us."
After doctors removed the wires on his jaw, Demitra assisted on two
St. Louis goals as they downed Chicago 3-2, giving the Blues
momentum and helping the Blackhawks move one step closer to missing
the playoffs for the first time since Richard Nixon had a chance to
screw with America.
The scoring commenced when Chris McAlpine was aided by Brett Hull
and Pierre Turgeon to give the Blues a 1-0 lead 14 minutes into the
first. Craig Conroy added to the advantage when Demitra and
McAlpine assisted him to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead 5:52 into the
second. But Chicago started to fight for their post-season lives as
Eric Daze tallied his 31st goal of the season to narrow the deficit
to 2-1. But then, the trading deadline move that hadn't offensively
paid off so far, finally did.
Mike Eastwood, acquired from the Rangers on March 24, scored his
first goal wearing the Bluenote as he put St. Louis up for good at
3-1. Mr. High-crosscheck himself, Gary Suter, scored 57 seconds
into the third, but St. Louis netminder Jamie McLennan slammed the
door shut on a 3-2 St. Louis victory.
...And They Were Hungry Like The Coyote?
It has been a banner year for the Blues, especially at the Kiel
Center.
The Blues have earned 57 of their 98 points at home, fourth best in
the NHL. This exceptional play has prompted fans to go out and enjoy
Blues hockey in person, giving St. Louis 22 sellouts going into the
final home game of the regular season against Phoenix. 20,063 fans
rewarded the Blues with their 23rd full house of the season, but the
team couldn't reward the fans as they ran into a Phoenix team that
was playing for their playoff lives.
The home crowd was silenced early when Cliff Ronning scored only 40
seconds in to give Phoenix a quick 1-0 lead. Coyote tough guy Rick
Tocchet, finally being allowed to play in a game, kneed somebody
(Just kidding!). Tocchet scored over 12 minutes later to give
Phoenix a 2-0 lead and command of the hockey game.
But, the Blues fought back, in particular, Todd Gill.
The former San Jose Shark scored twice in the final six minutes of
the first to tie the score at 2-2 going into the dressing room.
Jamie McLennan started the second because Grant Fuhr bruised his
right knee during the first, and his team decided to give him a
little bit of help as Pascal Rheaume scored 6:43 into the second to
give St. Louis 3-2 lead. But that would be the end of the Blues'
chances on that night.
Only 3:15 later, Cliff Ronning netted his second goal of the contest
on the power play to tie the score at 3-3, but Mike Stapleton ended
the deadlock with 3:27 left in the second to give Phoenix the lead
for good. The Blues tried to score, but every single one of the 13
shots they fired at Phoenix goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin was turned
aside as Phoenix earned a 4-3 victory.
For the Blues, head coach Joel Quenneville felt as if his team
played with little effort or purpose.
"They came at us good and we didn't anticipate that team would work
as hard as it did," Quenneville said.
Taking on the Best
With the home schedule completed for the 1997-98 regular season, the
embarked on a four-game road swing to end their season. Game one of
the swing saw the Blues travel to Dallas to take on the Stars, who
were looking to wrap up the President's Trophy for the regular
season's best record.
After a scoreless first period, Dallas helped its cause by jumping
on the board only :41 into the second. Greg Adams and Pat Verbeek
set up Joe Nieuwendyk's power-play goal to give Dallas a 1-0 lead.
The Stars tallied again about 10 minutes later as Sergei Zubov
scored once again on the man advantage for a 2-0 lead. The Blues
finally got on the board with only 13 seconds remaining in the
middle stanza to narrow the gap to 2-1 after 40 minutes.
The Blues began the third with a goal just 42 seconds in when Steve
Duchense scored on the power play to tie the score at 2-2. But Dallas
acted like the best team in the NHL and put the game out of reach.
Pat Verbeek and recently-acquired Mike Keane scored to give Dallas a
4-2 victory. The Blues tried to fight back and picked up a
shorthanded goal by Pavol Demitra with 6:38 left, but the St. Louis
offense, which outshot Dallas 28-14, was kept off of the board by
Dallas goalie Ed Belfour, giving the Stars a 4-3 victory and moving
them one step closer to the President's Trophy.
Even though the Blues have dropped three of the last four games,
they feel they are still working to better themselves before the
playoffs.
"We checked well, came from behind and kept ourselves in the game,"
Quenneville said. "Our guys battled hard right to the end, which is
something we've done all year."
Sending a message
With the team not winning and needing a boost to get back on track,
what would be a better remedy to the situation then playing the team
you will meet in the first round of the playoffs?
Well, I can't think of any.
In an effort to get St. Louis a win, the NHL schedulemakers decided
to give them a matchup against Los Angeles so that the Blues would
have a reason to play - to send a message to their playoff foe.
And boy did they send a message.
Chris Pronger was the first Blue to play messenger. He scored 5:47
into the ordeal to give St. Louis a 1-0 and kick off a three-goal,
first period party. Pierre Turgeon and Craig Conroy joined the
kegger to put St. Louis up by a field goal after 20 minutes. Geoff
Courtnall pushed the lead to 4-0 before Rob Blake put the Kings on
the board.
Blues Darren Turcotte added two and Conroy got one more score to
give St. Louis a 7-3 win, making this game one hell of a message.
"It's going to be a war," Conroy said. "Everybody wanted to prove
something tonight. It was a statement game. We're trying to tell
them we're not going to take them lightly and they're telling us
they're not going to back down."
And the statement was passed on in the form of 12 fighting majors,
two by Geoff Courtnall and Kings' defenseman Rob Blake, and four
game misconducts.
And do you know what the amazing thing was?
Tony Twist didn't get any of those penalties!!! He served a penalty
for Jim Campbell, who got tossed!!!
What are we paying you for, Tony?
Payback's a Female Dog
After being beaten in front of their own fans exactly one week
earlier, the Blues traveled to the giant sand bunker that is
Phoenix to return the favor. But, at the beginning, it didn't look
as if that revenge would be exacted.
Phoenix jumped out to a 2-0 in the first, thanks to goals by Oleg
Tverdovsky and Jim McKenzie that came 10 seconds apart. The Blues
got on the board just over 12 minutes in when snipper Tony Twist
scored.
"Tony Twist???" you may ask. Yes, Tony Twist.
Twist picked up his first goal since January 7, 1997 to narrow the
debt to 2-1. The 90-game drought was the longest by an NHL forward.
Todd Gill got things back to normal as he scored to tie the game at
2-2, but Mike Stapleton, not to be confused with Jean Stapleton who
played Edith Bunker on "All in the Family," scored with just over a
minute left to send the Coyotes to the locker room with a 3-2 lead.
After 12:18 of scoreless hockey in the second, Pierre Turgeon
scored, and, only 27 seconds later, Kelly Chase, another tough guy
turned scorer, lit the red lamp to give the Blues a 4-3 lead. But
Mark Janssens scored to tie the score at 4-4 and left the outcome
of the game in doubt as the two clubs went to their locker rooms.
The doubt started to disappear as Pavol Demitra scored 4:55 into the
third and Grant Fuhr stopped all seven of Phoenix's shots in the
third to give the Blues a 5-4 win.
The 82nd, and Final Chapter
Looking to improve upon a two-game winning streak, the Blues
traveled to Anaheim to take on the Mighty Ducks of that city in the
final game of the regular season. It was a game that meant nothing
in the standings, but could have meant a lot in terms of morale,
momentum, and contract bonuses.
Duck defenseman Mike Crowley was the first to show that he wanted to
win the meaningless contest by putting the biscut in the 6' by 4"
basket with 2:40 left in the first. Michel "Jean-Luc" Picard wanted
to tie the game, and he made it so 7:23 into the second term. The
mighty Travis Green of Anaheim gave the lead back to Anaheim, but
Chris Pronger and Pierre Turgeon stopped the Anaheim fun to make it
3-2 after 40 minutes of play.
St. Louis never looked back as Pavol Demitra scored his third goal
in four games to put St. Louis up by two. Anaheim wing Jeff Nielsen
made it close by scoring with only 2:50 left, but Brett Hull scored
into an empty net to end Hull's goal-less streak at 10 games and
give the Blues' a 5-3 win, closing the season on a high mark.
Now, everything counts
What a season!
The 1997-1998 regular season was supposed to be a year in which the
St. Louis Blues play a small role and were supposed to barely make
the playoffs.
Good thing the critics aren't always right.
The Blues finished the season with a record of 44-29-8 for 98
points, third best in the Western Conference and fifth in the NHL.
The secret to Blues success is what it always has been - scoring.
St. Louis led the league with 251 goals, the most since the
1993-1994 campaign, and yielded only 201 goals, the fewest allowed
in a full season since letting in 179 goals in 76 games back in
1969-1970, the last year the Blues went to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The 98 points is the first time the Blues have topped the 90-point
plataeu since 1993-1994, and is the club's highest point total since
earning 105 points in 1990-1991. All of these facts, indicates that
this could be the year the Blues make a serious run for the Cup.
But, here's one more thing. Look at these records:
Dallas Stars 4-2-0
Colorado Avalanche 1-2-1
Detroit Red Wings 3-2-1
Los Angeles Kings 3-0-1
St. Louis has a winning record against every one of these potential
playoff foes, except for Colorado, but if Edmonton doesn't upset
them, Detroit will most likely knock the Avalanche out of the
picture.
By just looking at these records, every Blues fan has to be excited
about this season being the year Lord Stanley's Cup travels to the
Gateway to the West.
And don't forget, this is a contract year for Geoff Courtnall, Steve
Duchense, Brett Hull and Al MacInnis. In order to impress possible
suitors, this is the time of the year when play needs to improve so
that big bucks can start flowing the way of free agents. There is no
doubt the Blues will play a large role in this year's Stanley Cup
Playoffs, but how big of a role that is will be decided in time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mike Murphy
Roster: C - Darby Hendrickson, Steve Sullivan, Alyn McCauley. LW -
Fredrik Modin, Wendel Clark, Todd Warriner, Derek King, Kris King,
Igor Korolev. RW - Mats Sundin, Sergei Berezin, Tie Domi, Mike
Johnson, Martin Prochazka, Lonny Bohonos. D - Sylvain Cote, Dimitri
Yushkevich, Mathieu Schneider, Jason Smith, Rob Zettler, Daniil
Markov, David Cooper. G - Felix Potvin, Glenn Healy.
Injuries: Maple Leaf playoff hopes (dead, will try again next year).
Transactions: Daniil Markov, d, was not sent to St. John's (AHL) as
reported last issue; signed Rob Zettler, d, to contract extention,
David Cooper, d, recalled from St. John's.
Game Results:
4/06 at Dallas L 4-2
4/07 at Florida W 3-1
4/09 at Carolina L 5-2
4/11 Carolina W 5-1
4/15 Chicago W 3-2
4/18 at Edmonton L 4-3
4/19 at Vancouver W 2-1
TEAM NEWS by Jonah A. Sigel
Questions Abound.What a Novelty
The season ended on April19...finally.
Leaf fans have once again been put out of their misery long before
someone gets to drink from Lord Stanley's Cup. As was predicted
and reported on throughout the season, the talent level was
inadequate and, as a result, the on-ice performance suffered.
Players did not perform up to the minimal levels they were capable
of.
This team was so bad, that when the time was right to lose, it could
not. In this most appropriate time to blow some games, they were
squeaking out some wins. At what cost? Give or take four draft
positions. Murphy's boys were able to muster up enough wins in the
last couple of weeks to just rise above the other bad teams and
thus earn at worst the eighth pick in the June Draft.
Several players, of note Mats Sundin, called out for ownership and
management to make a strong effort to upgrade the talent level and
depth on the squad. There simply are not enough quality bodies on
the roster to compete nigh in and night out. What was most
disappointing was that once eliminated from the playoffs, and jobs
were on the line, both coaches and players finally appeared to
gel. However, it may not be enough to keep the bulk of either
around too long.
As the rest of the league marches on in the playoffs, at least those
who make the playoffs, expect some rumblings of change from Maple
Leaf Gardens. With the team moving to a new building and the
possibility of seat licenses being mentioned, there will have to be
a pretty heavy public relations boost if the team hopes to keep its
fans happy. While most don't expect the team to win tomorrow, it
would be nice if they could compete night in and night out.
Much could change from now until the season-in-review edition, so
until then, root for your second favorite team.
================================================================
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TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Pierre Page
ROSTER: C - Matt Cullen, Travis Green, J.F. Jomphe, Josef Marha,
Steve Rucchin; LW - Shawn Antoski, Ted Drury, Paul Kariya, Tomas
Sandstrom, Brent Severyn, Jeremy Stevenson; RW - Frank Banham, Jeff
Nielsen, Teemu Selanne, Scott Young; D - Drew Bannister, Mike
Crowley, Doug Houda, David Karpa, Jason Marshall, Jamie Pushor,
Ruslan Salei, Pavel Trnka; G - Guy Hebert, Mikhail Shtalenkov, Tom
Askey.
INJURIES: Tomas Sandstrom, lw (suffered a separated right shoulder
on 4/18); Jamie Pushor, d (suffered a fractured right pinkie on
4/15); Teemu Selanne, rw (missed the final four games of the season
with a right groin strain); Guy Hebert, g (underwent "successful"
arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on 4/09 and is expected
to be ready for the start of training camp); Paul Kariya, lw
(remained out with post-concussion syndrome stemming from a
cross-check on 2/01); Shawn Antoski, lw (remained out after
suffering a depressed skull fracture in a 11/24/97 car accident).
The Ducks lost 250 man-games to injury this season.
TRANSACTIONS: 4/17 - signed Tony Mohagen, lw, (seventh-round
selection in 1997 entry draft) to three- year entry level contract;
4/11 - recalled Mike Crowley, d, from Cincinnati (AHL).
GAME RESULTS:
4/08 Edmonton W 4-2
4/09 at San Jose L 5-2
4/13 Colorado T 2-2
4/15 at Edmonton L 5-3
4/18 at Los Angeles W 4-1
4/19 St. Louis L 5-3
TEAM NEWS by Alex Carswell
NEXT ON THE TEE
Members of the Mighty Ducks can now trade in their hockey sticks for
Big Berthas as the golf season officially gets underway. The team's
final record of 26-43-13 was good for a lowly 65 points, trailing
only Vancouver (64 points) for the dubious honor of worst in the
West.
We're saving the rest of Anaheim's dubious achievements -- and there
are more than any Ducks fan could care to quack at -- for the big
Season in Review issue, but suffice it to say that this was a
far-from- memorable campaign at The Pond.
A CHANCE TO SHINE
The relative unimportance of the team's stretch run gave many of the
Ducklings in Anaheim's system a chance to showcase their talents.
Until Travis Green scored in the final tilt (a 5-3 loss to the
Blues), the Ducks had picked up nine straight goals, and 10 of their
last 11 overall, from rookies.
The latest call-up from Cincinnati, offensive blueliner Mike
Crowley, scored a goal in each of the last two games, and finished
the season 2-2-4 in four games played. Crowley, whose talent
remains subordinate to questions about his size (5'11,"
190-pounds), saw a lot of ice during his brief stint. However,
given that the team seems poised to jump into the free agent market
for defensemen, the likelihood is that Crowley will spend another
season in the A.
The same goes for RW Jeff Nielsen and LW Mike Leclerc, who were
steady but not dynamic performers during the late-season audition
period.
A couple of the other youngsters, however, will get a legitimate
opportunity to crack the lineup next year if, as Paul Kariya noted,
they can produce "when the games matter." Among the serious
candidates for 1998- 99 roster spots are Josef Marha (7-4-11 in 12
games with the Ducks), Frank Banham (nine goals in 17 games) and
Matt Cullen (6-13-19 in 34 games).
LW Jeremy Stevenson, who joined Cullen and RW Banham on a speedy and
effective line over most of the final dozen games, also might get a
long look despite a lack of productivity. He has the benefit of size
(6'2", 220), and was a good, tenacious complement to his more skilled
rookie linemates. It's worth noting that in between a strong start
and a solid finish, Banham slumped when placed at left wing on
several different lines. But after a handful of games, coach Pierre
Page reunited the natural finisher at right wing with Cullen and
Stevenson.
THE BRIGHT SPOT
As was the case during this entire, otherwise-forgettable campaign,
it was Teemu Selanne who provided the season-ending bright spot.
Despite missing the team's final five games, the Finnish Flash
finished tied with Peter Bondra for the NHL goal-scoring lead, with
52, and was eighth overall in scoring with 86 points.
This was the second time Selanne was tied for the title on the
season's final day. Bondra scored twice to hit 52 this year, and
Alexander Mogilny tallied to tie Selanne at 76 during his rookie
campaign (with Winnipeg) in 1992-93. Teemu's 76 markers, of course,
remain the all-time record for rookie goal scorers.
It's worth noting that Selanne (25.3%) also became just the fourth
player in modern NHL history to score at least one-quarter of his
team's goals in one season. The others: Brett Hull (27.7% in 90-91,
25.1% in 91-92), Maurice Richard (25% in 49-50) and Bondra (25% in
the lockout shortened 1995 season).
THE CRYSTAL BALL
There are guesses galore as to what will happen now in the Ducks
organization. Budget-oriented prognosticators claim that Page (with
two years left on his contract) will be promoted to GM, and current
assistant Don Hay will get the head coaching spot. Others feel GM
Jack Ferreira (with one year remaining on his deal) will survive a
purge while Page will be sent packing. And still others believe
that Ferreira and Page will both be ousted, and assistant GM David
McNab will get the GM spot.
McNab's name, meanwhile, has also been whispered as a possibility
for the GM position with the not-so- soon to be Minnesota Wild.
At the top of the totem pole, team president Tony Tavares has
repeatedly insisted that "even" his role will be reevaluated during
this postseason. But it's hard to believe that Tavares would be
singled out, and if he is fired, it would likely only be as part of
a complete, top-to-bottom house cleaning.
What will the summer bring? Time will tell.
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COLORADO AVALANCHE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Marc Crawford
Roster: C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle, Jari Kurri,
Tom Fitzgerald. LW - Valeri Kamensky, Rene Corbet, Eric Lacroix. RW
- Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Keith Jones, Jeff Odgers, Shean
Donovan, Brad Larsen, Warren Rychel. D - Sandis Ozolinsh, Sylvain
Lefebvre, Uwe Krupp, Adam Foote, Alexei Gusarov, Jon Klemm, Aaron
Miller, Eric Messier, Francois Leroux, Wade Belak. G - Patrick Roy,
Craig Billington.
Injuries: Wade Belak, d (achy all over, indefinite).
Transactions: None.
GAME RESULTS:
4/06 Los Angeles L 3-1
4/11 at Los Angeles L 4-3
4/13 at Anaheim T 2-2
4/16 San Jose W 4-1
4/18 Detroit W 4-3
TEAM NEWS by Greg D'Avis
Time will tell if the Avalanche's season-ending flurry is a fluke or
a strong team rebounding just in time for the playoffs.
After a seven-game winless streak - their worst performance since
the really bad days in Quebec - that had them on the ropes, as well
as rumors of team-wide dissension, the Avalanche posted two strong
performances to hold off the surging Kings (which may have meant the
difference between the second seed and fifth seed in the West, and
therefore playing the Oilers or the far stronger Blues in the first
round) and go into the playoffs on a strong note.
But to reach new heights, one must first falter. And boy, the
Avalanche were just faltering all over the place for a while. Once
indestructible atop the Pacific, they'd seen the boys in black and
silver (and occasionally purple), the Kings, suddenly appear REALLY
close in the rearview mirror. With only a few games left, Los
Angeles had a chance to overtake Colorado and send the Avalanche
tumbling a few notches in the Western Conference.
A (week long) home-and-home with the Kings gave the Avs the
opportunity to put the pesky Californians under for good. The first
game was tailor-made for a big win - the Avs were steaming mad
after their first four-game losing streak since who knows when,
they had something to prove, and with the return of Peter Forsberg,
they were at full strength. But not full motivation. Old pal
Stephane Fiset, who seems to thrive on making things lousy for his
old team, shut the offense down completely as the Kings won.
Afterwards, the Avs had a five-day vacation to contemplate life,
look at the starry nights, and maybe, just maybe, remember how the
hell to play hockey. And trust me, it was a strong, confident team
that strode into the Great Western Forum and promptly got behind
4-1, including surrendering two shorthanded goals in less than a
minute. The Avs got two back, but spent most of the final period
starting fights of frustration and subsequently lost their sixth in
a row. Despite outshooting the Kings 43-19, Fiset again outplayed
Patrick Roy and things looked even tighter.
So the division championship would wait till another day - perhaps
the game against the Ducks, who were missing their two top scorers
and their top goalie. And, to the Avalanche's credit - they didn't
lose. They just tied. Noted goal scorers Brent Severyn and someone
named "F. Banham" - does anyone know who he is besides his parents?
- beat Roy.
After the
game, Crawford lit into his now-winless-in-seven team - specifically
Joe Sakic, Forsberg, Valeri Kamensky and Sandis Ozolinsh, basically
the core of his team. The tirade, combined with Claude Lemieux's
benching a couple weeks back, heightened rumors of dissension on the
team - schisms between Crawford and general manager Pierre Lacroix,
as well as the French-speaking portion of the team and the
non-Francophones. So all was not well.
Finally, against San Jose - with those pesky Kings still breathing
down their necks - the Avalanche looked ready to play. And they
came out swinging. The Forsberg-Kamensky-Lemieux line destroyed the
Sharks, accounting for every point. The win finally clinched the
division and the second seed in the west, and more importantly, for
the first time in weeks, the Avalanche looked like a hockey team.
So all that was left was a meaningless game against Detroit - both
teams knew their seeds, so who cared, right? It's Colorado-Detroit,
man. Even without Patrick Roy and Chris Osgood - both of whom sat -
these two teams could just pick players off the street and it would
still be a blood match. And even lacking some of the marquee
players (including Detroit's Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan),
it was still a hell of a game, and while it was chippy and
emotional, it lacked the circus atmosphere of previous games (no
fighting majors - who'd a thunk?).
Last time these two teams met, Claude Lemieux earned a spot in the
doghouse by his non-presence. This time, he started things off right
with a first-period goal, then scored again to regain the lead after
Detroit tied it up. When Joe Sakic scored at the start of the third,
and with backup goalie Craig Billington playing strong, it looked to
be all over.
But then Darren McCarty - who seems to thrive on making Colorado
fans miserable - scored twice in the final two minutes, once with
goalie Kevin Hodson pulled, and all of a sudden Detroit was in
control. Avalanche fans were shut down. Tombs get louder. But a
mere 15 seconds later, Peter Forsberg - showing that his groin
injury was all gone, thanks - took a perfect pass from Kamensky,
lifted it past Hodson, and bedlam ensued. The place went crazy, and
proved once again that no game between these two teams can be
meaningless.
So what does it mean? Sure they beat Detroit - in a game that was
for bragging rights and nothing else. But after all the problems,
the Avalanche are showing their strengths. Sakic, Forsberg, Lemieux
and Kamensky are all going into the playoffs at top form. Except
for role player Wade Belak, all players are healthy. And more
importantly, in the final two games, the Avalanche showed character
in overcoming adversity to win, first the division and then a close
one against the Wings. Weaker teams would've rolled over and died
after the Wings rallied to tie. Colorado fought back and won.
Miller Time
A forgotten man most of the season, defenseman Aaron Miller has been
a frequent player in recent weeks and looked strong doing it. As
rookie Eric Messier's ice time has dwindled, Miller's been playing
near every game and playing smart and physical. Heavy checks, smart
defense and unexpected offense at odd times - Miller, who was the
team's best defenseman in the playoffs against the Red Wings last
year, has to be making the team glad he wasn't dealt to the Rangers
at the deadline.
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EDMONTON OILERS
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Head Coach: Ron Low
Roster: C - Doug Weight, Todd Marchant, Tony Hrkac. LW - Dean
McAmmond, Rem Murray, Valeri Zelepukin, Ryan Smyth, Mats Lindgren,
Bill Huard, Mike Watt. RW - Bill Guerin, Mike Grier, Andrei
Kovalenko, Kelly Buchberger, Georges Laraque, Dennis Bonvie. D -
Bobby Dollas, Sean Brown, Greg deVries, Kevin Lowe, Roman Hamrlik,
Boris Mironov, Drake Berehowsky, Frank Musil, Janne Niinimaa. G -
Curtis Joseph, Bob Essensa.
Injuries: Rem Murray, lw (returned April 15, missed three games
with flu); Andrei Kovalenko, rw (suffered back spasms April 1,
day-to-day); Kevin Lowe, d (returned from inner ear infection,
placed on IR Oct 23, played April 18).
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
4/06 Vancouver W 3-2
4/08 at Anaheim L 4-2
4/09 at Los Angeles W 4-0
4/11 at Calgary W 5-4
4/15 Anaheim W 5-3
4/18 Toronto W 4-3
TEAM NEWS by Simon D. Lewis
Not with a Whimper, but a Bang
Last season the blue and bronze Oilers backed their way into the
playoffs and a date with the Dallas Stars. They played 1-3-2 hockey
in the final two weeks of the schedule and just didn't look good
qualifying.
This year they are in basically the same place only they did it by
winning. The Oilers went 5-1-0 in the last two weeks and qualified
for the playoffs as Chicago went into a late-season tailspin.
Actually, Edmonton earned one less point than last year, but the
team feels better and looks better. Since the Olympic break they
have been one of the five best teams in the league. There will be
12, count `em 12, Oilers dressing for game one against Colorado who
have never represented Edmonton in a playoff game. They are: Roman
Hamrlik, Bill Guerin, Janne Niinimaa, Scott Fraser, Bobby Dollas,
Frank Musil, Drake Berehowsky, Tony Hrkac, Valeri Zelepukin, Bill
Huard, Georges Laraque and, believe it or not, Dean McAmmond.
The Guys to Watch
Aside from your obvious targets like Weight, Joseph, Mironov and
Hamrlik there are three Oilers who deserve special attention. They
are the second line of Dean McAmmond, Todd Marchant and Scott
Fraser. This trio has been denting the twine with some regularity.
McAmmond has become the guy who coach Ron Low calls his most steady
and reliable player. He's second in team scoring. Marchant has
always had wheels and a big heart.
But it is Fraser who is really opening eyes. In what amounts to
about a third of a season he's popped in 10 goals, mostly in the
stretch run for the playoffs. He's a 26-year-old rookie who
couldn't stick anywhere. Last fall he was in the first batch of
cuts the Oilers sent down to Hamilton.
"He just developed late. I can see why people would miss the guy and
think he's not that great," said Low. "He's got great hands but
other than that you look at him and say, 'Geez, he doesn't do a lot
of other things.' But you know he's been terrific here -- good
defensively, good on the wall."
In the AHL he was recognised for his scoring prowess, but when it
came to defence, everyone saw Fraser as a liability. In Edmonton
he has shown that he knows how to play at both ends of the ice.
"He has no panic point around the net," said Low. "Believe me, Scott
has been a pleasant surprise."
The only fly in the ointment here is the fact that Fraser will be an
unrestricted free agent this summer who wants about $600,000 per
season. So far this has proven too rich for Glenn Sather's blood.
Lowe and Behold
Number 4 was patrolling the blue line for the Oilers on April 18
against the Leafs and looking mighty fine doing it. Kevin Lowe
looks now like he has his game back after almost a full season
fighting an ear infection. The condition left him with dizzy
spells and effectively useless as a hockey player. There was some
thought that he might have suffered a long-term disability.
As it turns out, Lowe has fought it off and played a tough enough
game against Toronto to let the coaching staff know that he'll be
there for them if needed during the playoffs. Oiler hockey fans
are ecstatic to see their first NHL draft choice and the scorer of
the team's first NHL goal back in the lineup. He truly is a link
with a glorious past.
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LOS ANGELES KINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Larry Robinson
Roster: C - Jason Morgan, Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Yanic
Perreault, Jozef Stumpel, Nathan Lafayette, Roman Vopat. LW -
Craig Johnson, Matt Johnson, Luc Robitaille, Vladimir Tsyplakov,
Steve McKenna, Dan Bylsma. RW - Sandy Moger, Glenn Murray, Russ
Courtnall. D - Aki Berg, Rob Blake, Phillipe Boucher, Garry
Galley, Mattias Norstrom, Sean O'Donnell, Doug Zmolek, Jan Vopat.
G - Jamie Storr, Stephane Fiset.
Injuries: Ray Ferraro, c (knee, who knows, if ever?)
Transactions: None to really care about...
Game Results:
4/09 Edmonton L 4-0
4/11 Colorado W 4-3
4/13 Calgary W 4-2
4/15 at Vancouver W 2-0
4/16 St. Louis L 7-3
4/18 Anaheim L 4-1
TEAM NEWS by Matt Moore
Finally, the playoffs. After four years of extra golf, the Kings
have finally reached the Promised Land. And it didn't happen soon
enough. The Kings have been playing like absolute crap recently,
and if the season was a month longer, they probably would have
figured a way to blow their playoff position.
So let's start with the real bad, like the Kings' loss to Edmonton.
Losing was bad enough, but how they lost was pitiful. The Kings
showed almost no effort at all and they were lucky they only lost
4-0. I'm actually coming up blank on how to describe how bad they
were, but think of the Tampa Bay Lightning and take away all of the
effort.
The good? The game against the Avs. Sure, the Avalanche was in a
complete free fall at the time, and they would have had problems
against an IHL team, but the Kings came out and actually played the
style of game that they need to win. Plus, it was Peter Forsberg's
first game in a long time and he played like he hadn't seen a
hockey puck in decades.
And the disappointing? The Kings game against the Blues. The Kings
tried to play a skating game even though the Blues are a
significantly better skating team than the Kings are. Losing 7-3,
they showed only a little of the physical play that got them to
this point, and it seemed that only the goons were willing to stand
up and hit someone, which does not bode well for the playoffs.
In the playoffs the Kings will be playing the aforementioned Blues.
Going 0-3-1 in the season series, the Blues were the team that
dominated the Kings the most. The Kings played what had to be their
worst game of the season against the Blues, losing 5-2 on February
28th, and the rest of the games weren't much better. The Kings need
to play a physical style against the Blues, not try and match their
speed. They also don't have the overall scoring depth that the Blues
have, so defense must be the first priority.
A big question mark going into the playoffs is the play of Stephane
Fiset. Rock solid most of the year (and easily the team MVP) he
struggled at the end, giving up 33 goals in the last 9 games. Most
of the goals can be attributed to the crappy play of the players
skating in front of him, but he seemed to lose the knack of making
that one big save that kept the game in reach and allowed the Kings
the chance to win. If he continues to struggle, don't be surprised
to see Jamie Storr get a few starts.
The monster that is Fox and Rupert Murdoch continues to march on
Los Angeles like Godzilla did Tokyo. After completing the purchase
of the Dodgers, Fox has turned its eyes toward the Kings, Lakers
and the new arena that is being built in downtown LA.
Fox agreed to join in on the costs of building the new Staples
Center, which will cost about $300 million to build and is
scheduled to open in the fall of 1999. Also, Fox has secured an
option to buy a 40% stake in the Kings and also a 10% stake in the
Lakers. The only bump in the road to dominating sports in the LA
area is the NHL rule that forbids its owners from being invested in
more than one team. Fox is currently a 20% owner in the Madison
Square Garden, which owns the Rangers and Knicks.
In addition, the Clippers have also signed on to play at the new
arena, which will make it the first sight to have three teams based
in it.
Final bet update: The bet between myself, Michael Dell, and
Zippy has finally ended. The Kings finished with less points than
the Penguins. I lost. Sigh. Now I have to send Delly money, and I
know he's just going to waste it on rice. But I can at least take
heart in the fact that the Kings finished with a pretty darn good
record and I think surprised both Dell and Zippy, who probably
picked the Kings to finish with the worst record in the league.
But here are the final standings:
Penguins 40 24 18 98
Kings 38 33 11 87
So, the Kings only finished with two less wins than the mighty Pens.
I can live with that.
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SAN JOSE SHARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Darryl Sutter
roster: C - Bernie Nicholls, Ron Sutter, Patrick Marleau, Marco
Sturm, Mike Ricci, Jeff Friesen, Alex Korolyuk. LW - Shawn Burr,
Murray Craven, Stephane Matteau, Dave Lowry. RW - Tony Granato,
Owen Nolan, Todd Ewen, John MacLean, Joe Murphy D - Ken Sutton,
Bryan Marchmant, Bill Houlder, Al Iafrate, Marty McSorley, Marcus
Ragnarsson, Mike Rathje, Andrei Zyuzin. G - Mike Vernon, Kelly
Hrudey.
injuries: Todd Ewen rw (knee, out for season).
transactions: None.
game results:
4/07 Calgary W 6-0
4/09 Anaheim W 5-2
4/11 Vancouver T 1-1
4/15 at Calgary T 3-3
4/16 at Colorado L 4-1
4/18 Calgary W 4-1
team news: Al Swanson, San Jose Correspondent
OK, by now everyone knows the truth: The Sharks are in the playoffs
for the first time in three years. In past columns we've gone over
the bad, the good and the games. If you've been to this report this
season, you already know that I think: 1) Sutter's system works; 2)
Jeff Friesen is a hockey god; 3) A healthy Al Iafrate is worth two
of anything else; 4) Owen Nolan is in a coma; 5) Mike Vernon is
huge between the pipes; and, 6) Ed Belfour sucks.
We'll go into each of those, but right now, let's have a little fun
with a game of "what if". There's no what if with the first
matchup: Sharks vs. Stars. I don't know about you, but I think
Sutter told the men in teal to make it look good, but don't make it
in to 7th place. The Finned Ones match up much better against
Dallas than they do against Colorado. And as far as Dallas goes, I
pick (who else?) Sharks in 6. Oh, Dallas is good, but they have a
bum for a goalie and he's gonna hear nothing but the big raspberry
when he strolls into SJ Arena next week. The one thing, above all
else, that SJ fans want to see is Ed Belfour limping back out like
the loser that he is.
Enough about the Turkey Vulture. Dallas will be dispatched. Keep in
mind the Teal Terrors have never lost in the first round. (I know,
keep in mind they've only been there twice. Shut up and take your
seats.) Next, the second round. That's where we have lost each trip
before. And it'll be Colorado or Detroit. If it's the Avs, the
Sharks will be watching the third round from the comfort of their
Lazy Boys. But I give the nod to the Sharks if they play Detroit.
They crushed the Wings this year and they have had three years to
build up after the humiliating 6-2, 6-0, 6-2, 6-0 spanking Detroit
handed them in their last meeting in the runoffs. After that...? My
good crystal ball's in the shop and this plastic marble's a bit
faint, but if that's St Louis in there with them, then it's Brett
Hull and Co. doing the celebrating.
Do you know that SJ only lost one game in April? Yeah, this year has
stat fans falling all over themselves to come up with the best way to
put the best picture on the whole thing. And most of it is the truth.
Let's face it, it's been a long haul to get this far. But, also,
let's look at this: The West sucked this year. The Sharks squeaked
in.
But they have never been in better shape. There are no injuries to
speak of. Unless you count Iafrate's knees, Nolan's hand or
Friesen's shoulder. They have beefed up every section of the team.
And most importantly, they are winning. The Sharks left on a
six-game road trip, longest of the season, five points out of
eighth place. They came back tied for sixth place and in possession
of the best road trip the team has ever had -- 4-1-1. Part of the
incredible April the team has put together.
Alrighty, let's look at those six items. 1) Sutter's System Works.
Any doubt can be erased by watching either the progress of the
whole team over the season or by watching any Detroit-San Jose
game. Both are studies in how to learn to shut down an offense.
Sutter and Lombardi built a strong defensive corps this year and it
shows. Goals against were 278 last year, Sutter's system reduced
that to 216 this year. OK, so they scored one less this year (210
vs. 211). He'll have to work on offense next year.
2) Jeff Friesen is a Hockey God. Too strong? OK, how about a San
Jose Sharks Hockey God? He tied Owen Nolan's record of 31 goals
this season (Earning himself a tidy little half million dollar
bonus on the way. Good deal, Jeff!) He also is the hottest player
on the team, sparking something every time he's on the ice. On the
penalty kill, he not only backchecks with force, but once he's
freed the puck, he makes the opposing team rush back to their zone
to prevent him from putting it their net himself. Six times this
year they weren't able to do that.
3) If Jeff is a Hockey God, then Al Iafrate is the Devil. At least
to the opposition. With Al in the mix, the Sharks have only lost
three games. Too true, he did cause one loss himself, but I think
he's been redeemed. He can skate, hit, pass and shoot. Plus, on
occasion, he can even take it to the net. Watch the respect he
engenders every time he's on the ice -- both from his team and the
'other guys'. The Sharks paid him a (well- deserved) $1.85 mill
this year. And they have an option on him next year as well. Hey,
Mr Gund, are you listening? (Just have his knees MRI'ed first.)
4) Owen Nolan. Hmmm... I know I haven't been real kind to Owen this
year. And I know everyone else has been saying he plays all other
aspects of the game - outside of scoring - like a true champ. But
let's be real. Owen wasn't brought in to play the other aspects -
he was brought in to score. No one says that some player has the
potential to be a 50-hit-per-season checker. A 50 'save the rookie
from a beating' player. They say that he's a 50-goal-per-year guy.
Or a 60-point-a-year guy. At least that's what's said when the
guy's getting $2.5 mill a year. I know about the hand and the
shoulder and... Sorry! Maybe the NHL can give a half point per pipe
shot. That'd increase scoring and make Nolan the highest point man
on any team.
Now don't think that I want Owen on any team but Team Teal, cause I
don't. I have the utmost respect and admiration for the man. Just
get well this summer, Owen.
5) Mike Vernon is huge between the pipes. Can it be more true? Mike
has let in less than three goals in 37 of 42 starts. Yikes. He has
five shutouts. He brought the team - at least on the defensive side
- back from the brink in December when they were only winning one
in three. He won MVP for the team and it is richly deserved.
6) Ed Belfour sucks. I just like how that sounds. Mind if I say it
again? Ed Belfour sucks. Now imagine 17,400 other folks chanting
it. Ain't life grand?
The team that goes into these playoffs is significantly different
from the team that showed up last time. Only four players have not
seen the playoffs on this team. There are only two players - Mike
Rathje and Jeff Friesen - who saw action on the last team. This
team has Mike Ricci, Joe Murphy, John MacLean and Mike Vernon. This
team has Bernie Nicholls, Big Al Iafrate, Bill Houlder and Murray
Craven. This team has a man the other teams - especially Dallas -
will be watching and watching out for: Bryan Marchment. This team
has the best rookie trio in the league: Marco Sturm, Andrei Zyuzin
and Patrick Marleau.
This team has a chance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mike Keenan
Roster: C - Mark Messier, Peter Zezel, Dave Scatchard, Brandon
Convery; LW - Markus Naslund, Brad May, Donald Brashear, Larry
Courville; RW - Alex Mogilny, Pavel Bure, Brian Noonan, Scott
Walker, Todd Bertuzzi D - Jyrki Lumme, Dana Murzyn, Matthias
Ohlund, Bret Hedican, Bryan McCabe, Adrian Aucoin, Steve Staios,
Jamie Huscroft, Chris McAllister, Bert Robertsson, Jason
Strudwick; G - Garth Snow, Arturs Irbe.
Injuries: Matthias Ohlund, d (returned from concussion April 9,
missed 4 games); Peter Zezel, c (returned from abdominal strain
April 15, missed 2 games); Larry Courville, lw (wrist January
14, out for season); Dana Murzyn, d (knee December 27, out for
season).
Transactions: None.
GAME RESULTS
4/06 at Edmonton L 3-2
4/09 at Calgary W 6-3
4/11 at San Jose T 1-1
4/15 Los Angeles L 2-0
4/17 Calgary L 4-2
4/19 Toronto L 2-1
TEAM NEWS by Carol Schram
Ugh, 64 points in 82 games. That's what the Vancouver Canucks'
1997-98 season has become. To put that total in perspective, the
1989-90 Canucks finished with 64 points - when Dan Quinn and Paul
Reinhart were the team's top two scorers.
Yep, it's been a really bad year.
For the past couple of weeks, Orca Bay has been running ads
featuring various members of its workforce. The folks 'behind the
scenes' talk about what they do, and why they love working with the
sports teams, at the arena, doin' it for the fans. On the last day
of the regular season, the full-page ad featured these words from
icicle Mike Keenan:
Coaches, players, even owners come and go. But the one constant
in any team is its fans. And you are some of the best.
This was a difficult year for our hockey team. And, as tough
seasons always do, it brought changes, some easy and some not so
pleasant. But through it all, you were behind us.
This season, you were better than we were. Our job this summer is
to fix that. When we return next fall to play for you again, we
want to give you what you deserve. A hard working team with a
hunger to win that's worthy of your tremendous support. And we
will.
>From every Canucks Player and Coach, and all those who make up the
Canucks organization, thanks for being such great fans.
What does it mean when all they can do is say they're sorry?
Despite Mike Keenan's perception of 'the tolerant fan', a lot has
changed in Vancouver in the last decade.
The 1989-90 season was the year the Canucks acquired Jyrki Lumme
from Montreal at the trade deadline. Back then, fans wanted the
team to make the playoffs, wanted the young players to develop, and
wanted the occasional home win or 'good effort' against marquee
teams like Edmonton and Montreal. After all, this was the era when
the Stanley Cup lived in Alberta, and the Canucks were an easy mark
for the Oilers and Flames as they looked to pad their statistics.
Back in 1989-90, the Pacific Coliseum was almost never full, and it
was possible to pick up tickets from scalpers for $5 or $10 on game
day. 1989-90 was the year the home jerseys changed from that putrid
yellow color to crisp, pure white.
Now, after two years out of the postseason, a playoff berth is
lookin' pretty enticing once again. As a team, the Canucks sucked
this year - there's just no getting around it. They had the worst
goaltending in the league, team defense was terrible, and they
racked up some massive penalty totals for undisciplined play - with
poor penalty killing to boot.
BUT...
The Canucks have a legitimate Calder Trophy candidate on the blue
line in Matthias Ohlund. The 21-year- old Swede was steady and
wise beyond his years, and even his nasty concussion wasn't enough
to keep him out of the lineup for more than four games. Maybe
Ohlund's great asset is the fact that he has nothing to compare
this to - as far as he's concerned, this is what wacky life in
North America is all about. Best of all, thanks to last summer's
offer sheet from Toronto, Ohlund is locked up for four more years
at a very reasonable $2 million a season.
Also, Pavel Bure's comeback year is now complete. The Russian
Rocket got his 50th goal of the season on April 17th against
Calgary - the first time in his three 50-goal seasons that he has
tallied that magical marker at home. This means his salary for
next season will be an average of the top three NHL players - a
number still to be determined, and largely dependent on whether or
not the league allows those front-loaded free- agent contracts to
be included in the calculation. Only thing is - at this point it's
far from clear about whether or not the Orcans will have the
privilege of paying that astronomical salary. The "Pavel wants
out" rumors just won't go away.
More positive signs: the Canucks' two most controversial trades of
the year, in terms of talent, are still lookin' pretty good. Lindy
Ruff was recently on TV talking about Buffalo's playoff hopes and
admitting that Geoff Sanderson has yet to become the scoring
sensation they traded for.
A few weeks back, Mike Milbury stated that he was just starting to
see the leadership that he had expected when he acquired Trevor
Linden; at season's end, there's been no massive resurgence on the
Island, either. Meanwhile, Brad May and Bryan McCabe have been
mostly swell to watch since coming over in February, and Todd
Bertuzzi still hasn't shown any signs of being the 'soft player'
described by Milbury at the time of the trade.
A couple of other young players have also shown promise this year.
Dave Scatchard quietly racked up 13 goals - no small feat for a
rookie center playing on the checking line. Bert Robertsson has
been a solid presence on the left side since making the move from
defense, and appears to still be improving. And Jason Strudwick
may have been a diamond-in-the-rough when rescued from the
Islanders' defensively deep roster. Add in a couple more rookies
next season, like maybe center Josh Holden or smallish left winger
Peter Schaefer, and the Canucks have a nice young, inexpensive core
to build around.
But a thousand Josh Holden's are not going to fill the void if Pavel
Bure sets his sights on greener pastures. The rumor has been
swirling since last summer, when Pavel fired his manager and his
dad, ostensibly looking for the money that was owed him from the
first half of the 1994-95 lockout year. When Mark Messier arrived,
part of his mission was supposed to be to make Pavel happy.
Right now, the Russian Rocket's pleased enough that he got his 50
goals, but something is definitely up. Rather than just saying "It
isn't up to me," Bure's most recent comments have been "I'll talk
about it when the season's over." He won't give specifics, yet,
but expect an announcement soon.
Pavel's potentially imminent departure has put an even darker cloud
over these last few, supposedly- meaningless games. Are these the
final times local fans will see those patented end-to-end rushes by
Number 10 in a Canuck jersey? At a time when scoring has slowed to
a trickle, electrifying players like Bure are rarer than ever.
Before Bure, the Canucks' top scorer had been Patrik Sundstrom.
Since, Alex Mogilny popped 55 goals in 1995-96. But while Mogilny
is locked up for three more seasons, even our 'other' superstar
Russian right winger won't be able to fill the void in fans' hearts
if Pavel leaves Vancouver.
It might be more practical to start thinking about what the Canucks
could get for Pavel Bure: an All-Star defenseman? A scorer of
equal talent? A crop of youngsters? For now, though, public
opinion in Vancouver is focused on making Pavel feel loved and
wanted...a tough task when we don't know exactly what's wrong.
The city's collective psyche is already smarting over the fact that
David Duchovny's hissy fit is causing The X-Files to leave for LA
after five years of shooting here. First we're not good enough for
him, now we're not good enough for Pavel? Ya know, both Duchovny
and Bure did date the same woman over the past few years. Maybe
she has something to do with all this bad energy. And wouldn't
that be a tough thing to try to phrase to the press?
Now that the actual playing of games has ceased, it's still looking
like the Canucks are going to continue to make headlines this
summer. Last year, the Mark Messier story consumed the whole
off-season. This year, it'll start with Bure, and who knows where
it'll end?
Management is still adamant that they have not abandoned their
search for a new general manager. They are alluding that Mike
Keenan will stay on as coach for the duration of his three-year
deal, and even Keenan says he doesn't want both jobs, because it's
simply too much work for one man.
But then comes the mystery - how will you find a qualified hockey
man to work with Keenan, especially when his player personnel power
is going to be limited at best, or at least questioned at every
turn? Vancouver fans gaze wistfully over the mountains at Glen
Sather, knowing full well that the new Edmonton ownership group
must do everything in its power to keep Slats happy.
The latest rumor surrounds current NHL Vice President Brian Burke,
who did the Assistant GM's job here under Pat Quinn for a few years
before heading off to Hartford, then to the league offices. While
Burke is widely rumored to be leaving his job this summer and
looking for a GM position with an NHL team, Vancouver still seems
unlikely.
Firstly, his kids live on the American East Coast and he is
reluctant to move too far away from them. Second, he remains close
friends with Quinn and is likely well aware of the chaos that
surrounds the current Orca Bay administration. Third, Burke would
never tolerate the sort of power-sharing that Keenan would likely
require. And fourth, Burke originally hails from Minnesota, and
was on hand when the expansion team unveiled its "Minnesota Wild"
name and logo earlier this year. He could be a perfect fit for the
new expansion club.
Given the fact that he is already on the payroll and that his on-ice
contributions have been somewhat limited this year, maybe it would be
best to just hand over the keys to the corner office to Mark Messier,
and be done with it.
It's still tough to gauge Messier's contribution to the team this
season. Certainly, in the summer, when there was talk of Stanley
Cups, I don't think anyone expected Mess to mention which millenium
he was referring to. It was understood that the team was to start
winning, well, right away. That didn't happen, and while Mess
played hurt for much of the season, he wasn't much of an asset
offensively and was often a distinct defensive liability.
He may have helped to engineer the player personnel changes that may
make this team better in future, but the jury's still out on whether
those moves have been successful, and $6 million is still an awful
lot of money to pay a guy for that type of role. Meanwhile, if the
team does go into a serious rebuild mode with youth, what exactly do
you do with a 38-year-old former superstar who made more money than
Pavel Bure this year?
Apparently whatever you do, you show it to everyone on TV. The
ongoing demise of the Griffiths' family's sports and broadcasting
empire means Canucks' TV broadcasts will be taking on a new look
next season.
Back in the old days, the Griffiths' owned the Canucks, plus radio
broadcaster CKNW and its province-wide WIC network, and
province-wide television station BCTV. Now, a lengthy
power-struggle has seen control of WIC pass over to the Allard
family of Edmonton, while the McCaws of Seattle control the Canucks
and Orca Bay.
As BCTV has struggled with cost-cutting under its new controlling
ownership, it has done little to pump up its TV broadcasts, using
aging Hall-of-Famer Jim Robson and overly keen Ryan Walter as their
broadcast team, surrounded by inexperienced young talent to round
out the shows. Accustomed to getting the TV rights essentially by
default, BCTV anted up $1.7 million for the next three years.
Enter new competitor Vancouver Television (VTV), and national parent
company Baton Broadcasting, who control CTV and the new CTV
SportsNet, scheduled to debut this fall. Since VTV currently has
about six viewers for its supper-hour newscast, they are desperate
for audience. SportsNet, of course, is desperate for programming.
Zowie: three years, $3 million. A little extra dough for the
Orcans, and a whole pile of Canucks games on the tube next season.
Combined with CBC's Hockey Night in Canada coverage, the plan is to
show 80 of 82 games on one of these three channels. It appears the
Pay Per View experiment has been abandoned, and it also appears that
Orca Bay is unconcerned that extensive television exposure could
hamper ticket sales.
It may be true that there are two different products for sale now:
the "experience" of being at the game, and the opportunity of
witnessing that experience through the media. Nevertheless, with
three years under its belt at GM Place, luxury box and club seat
licenses are starting to expire, and the failed Messier experiment
is going to make it harder than ever to drum up true enthusiasm for
season ticket sales during the summer. Account Managers at Orca Bay
will definitely have their work cut out for them.
So as 16 other LCS team correspondents prepare for the hype and
excitement of playoffs, your humble servant is looking forward to
the chance to get away from the endlessly depressing scene that has
surrounded our 1997-98 Vancouver Canucks. See y'all at the Season
in Review issue at the end of June. Go Oilers! Go Sens!
================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL 1997-98 STANDINGS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Conference
Northeast Division GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD OT
y-Pittsburgh 82 40 24 18 98 228 188 21-10-10 19-14-8 3-2-18
x-Boston 82 39 30 13 91 221 194 19-16-6 20-14-7 3-1-13
x-Buffalo 82 36 29 17 89 211 187 20-13-8 16-16-9 3-1-17
x-Montreal 82 37 32 13 87 235 208 15-17-9 21-16-4 3-4-13
x-Ottawa 82 34 33 15 83 193 200 18-16-7 16-17-8 2-0-15
Carolina 82 33 41 8 74 200 219 16-18-7 17-23-1 2-2-8
Atlantic Division GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD OT
z-New Jersey 82 48 23 11 107 225 166 29-10-2 19-13-9 2-3-11
x-Philadelphia 82 42 29 11 95 242 193 24-11-6 18-18-5 3-1-11
x-Washington 82 40 30 12 92 219 202 23-12-6 17-18-6 4-1-12
NY Islanders 82 30 41 11 71 212 225 17-20-4 13-21-7 0-2-11
NY Rangers 82 25 39 18 68 197 231 14-18-9 11-21-9 2-4-18
Florida 82 24 43 15 63 203 256 11-24-6 13-19-9 3-2-15
Tampa Bay 82 17 55 10 44 151 269 11-23-7 6-32-3 0-3-10
Western Conference
Central Division GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD OT
p-Dallas 82 49 22 11 109 242 167 26-8-7 23-14-4 5-1-11
x-Detroit 82 44 23 15 103 250 196 25-8-8 19-15-7 0-0-15
x-St Louis 82 45 29 8 98 256 204 26-10-5 19-19-3 2-2-8
x-Phoenix 82 35 35 12 82 224 227 19-16-6 16-19-6 0-2-12
Chicago 82 30 39 13 73 192 199 14-19-8 16-20-5 1-4-13
Toronto 82 30 43 9 69 194 237 16-20-5 14-23-4 1-0-9
Pacific Division GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD OT
y-Colorado 82 39 26 17 95 231 205 21-10-10 18-16-7 2-3-17
x-Los Angeles 82 38 33 11 87 227 225 22-16-3 16-17-8 3-2-11
x-Edmonton 82 35 37 10 80 215 224 20-16-5 15-21-5 3-2-10
x-San Jose 82 34 38 10 78 210 216 17-19-5 17-19-5 0-2-10
Calgary 82 26 41 15 67 217 252 18-17-6 8-24-9 4-3-15
Anaheim 82 26 43 13 65 205 261 12-23-6 14-20-7 3-4-13
Vancouver 82 25 43 14 64 224 273 15-22-4 10-21-10 0-3-14
x - Clinched playoff spot
y - Clinched division
z - Clinched conference
p - Clinched President's Trophy
----------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL 1997-98 PLAYER STATS
----------------------------------------------------------------
TEAM P NO PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S PCTG
---- - -- ------------------- -- --- --- --- --- ---- -- -- -- -- --- -----
ANA R 8 TEEMU SELANNE 73 52 34 86 12 30 10 1 10 3 268 19.4
ANA C 20 STEVE RUCCHIN 72 17 36 53 8 13 8 1 3 0 131 13.0
ANA C 39 TRAVIS GREEN 76 19 23 42 -29 82 9 0 2 2 141 13.5
ANA R 48 SCOTT YOUNG 73 13 20 33 -13 22 4 2 1 0 187 7.0
ANA L 9 PAUL KARIYA 22 17 14 31 12 23 3 0 2 1 103 16.5
ANA C 45 *MATT CULLEN 61 6 21 27 -4 23 2 0 0 0 75 8.0
ANA C 10 *JOSEF MARHA 23 9 9 18 4 4 3 0 0 0 31 29.0
ANA R 17 TOMAS SANDSTROM 77 9 8 17 -25 64 2 1 0 1 136 6.6
ANA C 13 TED DRURY 73 6 10 16 -10 82 0 1 0 0 110 5.5
ANA D 24 RUSLAN SALEI 66 5 10 15 7 70 1 0 0 1 104 4.8
ANA D 33 DAVE KARPA 78 1 11 12 -3 217 0 0 0 0 64 1.6
ANA R 29 *FRANK BANHAM 21 9 2 11 -6 12 1 0 0 2 43 20.9
ANA C 12 KEVIN TODD 27 4 7 11 -5 12 3 0 1 0 30 13.3
ANA R 19 *JEFF NIELSEN 32 4 5 9 -1 16 0 0 0 0 36 11.1
ANA D 23 JASON MARSHALL 72 3 6 9 -8 189 1 0 0 0 68 4.4
ANA D 4 JAMIE PUSHOR 64 2 7 9 3 81 0 0 0 0 51 3.9
ANA L 40 *JEREMY STEVENSON 45 3 5 8 -4 101 0 0 1 0 43 7.0
ANA D 5 DREW BANNISTER 61 0 8 8 -9 89 0 0 0 0 50 .0
ANA D 7 *PAVEL TRNKA 48 3 4 7 -4 40 1 0 0 1 46 6.5
ANA D 6 DOUG HOUDA 55 2 4 6 -11 99 0 1 0 0 24 8.3
ANA D 38 *MIKE CROWLEY 8 2 2 4 0 8 0 0 1 0 17 11.8
ANA R 46 JEAN-FRANCOIS JOMPHE 9 1 3 4 1 8 0 0 0 0 8 12.5
ANA R 22 BRENT SEVERYN 37 1 3 4 -3 133 0 0 0 0 27 3.7
ANA C 21 *ESPEN KNUTSEN 19 3 0 3 -10 6 1 0 0 1 21 14.3
ANA R 52 *PETER LEBOUTILLIER 12 1 1 2 -1 55 0 0 0 0 6 16.7
ANA C 32 RICHARD PARK 15 0 2 2 -3 8 0 0 0 0 14 .0
ANA L 11 SHAWN ANTOSKI 9 1 0 1 1 18 0 0 0 0 6 16.7
ANA D 34 DANIEL TREBIL 21 0 1 1 -8 2 0 0 0 0 11 .0
ANA G 35 M. SHTALENKOV 40 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
ANA G 31 GUY HEBERT 46 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 .0
ANA L 42 BARRY NIECKAR 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
ANA R 36 *TONY TUZZOLINO 1 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
ANA D 37 *MARC MORO 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
ANA L 50 *BOB WREN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .0
ANA C 44 *ANTTI AALTO 3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
ANA G 67 *TOM ASKEY 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
ANA L 27 *MIKE LECLERC 7 0 0 0 -6 6 0 0 0 0 11 .0
BOS C 41 JASON ALLISON 81 33 50 83 33 60 5 0 8 2 158 20.9
BOS R 12 DMITRI KHRISTICH 82 29 37 66 25 42 13 2 1 0 144 20.1
BOS D 77 RAY BOURQUE 82 13 35 48 2 80 9 0 3 1 264 4.9
BOS L 14 *SERGEI SAMSONOV 81 22 25 47 9 8 7 0 3 0 159 13.8
BOS R 23 STEVE HEINZE 61 26 20 46 8 54 9 0 6 0 160 16.3
BOS C 33 ANSON CARTER 78 16 27 43 7 31 6 0 4 0 179 8.9
BOS L 21 TED DONATO 79 16 23 39 6 54 3 0 5 1 129 12.4
BOS C 26 TIM TAYLOR 79 20 11 31 -16 57 1 3 0 1 127 15.7
BOS L 19 ROB DIMAIO 79 10 17 27 -13 82 0 0 4 1 112 8.9
BOS R 11 *PER AXELSSON 82 8 19 27 -14 38 2 0 1 0 144 5.6
BOS D 18 KYLE MCLAREN 66 5 20 25 13 56 2 0 0 0 101 5.0
BOS D 36 GRANT LEDYARD 71 4 20 24 -4 20 2 0 0 0 90 4.4
BOS D 44 DAVE ELLETT 82 3 20 23 3 67 2 0 1 0 129 2.3
BOS L 42 MIKE SULLIVAN 77 5 13 18 -1 34 0 0 2 0 83 6.0
BOS D 32 DON SWEENEY 59 1 15 16 12 24 0 0 0 0 55 1.8
BOS D 20 DARREN VAN IMPE 69 3 11 14 -6 40 2 0 0 0 71 4.2
BOS C 6 *JOE THORNTON 55 3 4 7 -6 19 0 0 1 0 33 9.1
BOS D 25 *HAL GILL 68 2 4 6 4 47 0 0 0 0 56 3.6
BOS R 27 LANDON WILSON 28 1 5 6 3 7 0 0 0 0 26 3.8
BOS G 34 BYRON DAFOE 65 0 3 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
BOS C 17 *SHAWN BATES 13 2 0 2 -3 2 0 0 0 0 12 16.7
BOS D 37 MATTIAS TIMANDER 23 1 1 2 -9 6 0 0 0 0 17 5.9
BOS D 29 DEAN MALKOC 40 1 0 1 -12 86 0 0 0 0 15 6.7
BOS R 10 *CAMERON MANN 9 0 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 6 .0
BOS L 22 KEN BAUMGARTNER 82 0 1 1 -14 199 0 0 0 0 28 .0
BOS C 39 *JOEL PRPIC 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
BOS D 28 DEAN CHYNOWETH 2 0 0 0 -4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
BOS R 43 JEAN-YVES ROY 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
BOS C 16 *RANDY ROBITAILLE 4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 5 .0
BOS R 60 *KIRK NIELSEN 6 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
BOS G 30 JIM CAREY 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
BOS G 35 ROBBIE TALLAS 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
BUF L 81 MIROSLAV SATAN 79 22 24 46 2 34 9 0 4 0 139 15.8
BUF D 44 ALEXEI ZHITNIK 78 15 30 45 19 102 2 3 3 2 191 7.9
BUF R 28 DONALD AUDETTE 75 24 20 44 10 59 10 0 5 1 198 12.1
BUF C 27 MICHAEL PECA 61 18 22 40 12 57 6 5 1 1 132 13.6
BUF C 19 BRIAN HOLZINGER 69 14 21 35 -2 36 4 2 1 1 116 12.1
BUF D 5 JASON WOOLLEY 71 9 26 35 8 35 3 0 2 1 129 7.0
BUF C 26 DEREK PLANTE 72 13 21 34 8 26 5 0 1 0 150 8.7
BUF L 18 MICHAL GROSEK 67 10 20 30 9 60 2 0 1 0 114 8.8
BUF L 80 GEOFF SANDERSON 75 11 18 29 1 38 2 0 2 1 197 5.6
BUF R 36 MATTHEW BARNABY 72 5 20 25 8 289 0 0 2 0 96 5.2
BUF L 37 CURTIS BROWN 63 12 12 24 11 34 1 1 2 1 91 13.2
BUF R 15 DIXON WARD 71 10 13 23 9 42 0 2 3 1 99 10.1
BUF D 8 DARRYL SHANNON 76 3 19 22 26 56 1 0 1 0 85 3.5
BUF D 42 RICHARD SMEHLIK 72 3 17 20 11 62 0 1 0 0 90 3.3
BUF D 74 JAY MCKEE 56 1 13 14 -1 42 0 0 0 0 55 1.8
BUF C 22 WAYNE PRIMEAU 69 6 6 12 9 87 2 0 1 0 51 11.8
BUF R 25 *VACLAV VARADA 27 5 6 11 0 15 0 0 1 1 27 18.5
BUF L 12 RANDY BURRIDGE 30 4 6 10 0 0 1 0 1 0 40 10.0
BUF L 24 PAUL KRUSE 74 7 2 9 -11 187 0 0 2 1 52 13.5
BUF D 4 MIKE WILSON 66 4 4 8 13 48 0 0 1 0 52 7.7
BUF R 32 ROB RAY 63 2 4 6 2 234 1 0 1 0 19 10.5
BUF C 9 *ERIK RASMUSSEN 21 2 3 5 2 14 0 0 0 0 28 7.1
BUF D 6 BOB BOUGHNER 69 1 3 4 5 165 0 0 0 0 26 3.8
BUF G 39 DOMINIK HASEK 72 0 2 2 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 .0
BUF D 40 *RUMUN NDUR 1 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
BUF D 21 MIKE HURLBUT 3 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 3 .0
BUF C 45 *SCOTT NICHOL 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 .0
BUF G 31 *STEVE SHIELDS 16 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CGY R 14 THEOREN FLEURY 82 27 51 78 0 197 3 2 4 1 282 9.6
CGY C 16 CORY STILLMAN 72 27 22 49 -9 40 9 4 1 1 178 15.2
CGY L 18 MARTY MCINNIS 75 19 25 44 1 34 5 4 0 0 128 14.8
CGY C 21 ANDREW CASSELS 81 17 27 44 -7 32 6 1 2 1 138 12.3
CGY L 13 GERMAN TITOV 68 18 22 40 -1 38 6 1 2 0 133 13.5
CGY R 8 VALERI BURE 66 12 26 38 -5 35 2 0 2 0 179 6.7
CGY C 92 MICHAEL NYLANDER 65 13 23 36 10 24 0 0 2 0 117 11.1
CGY R 12 JAROME IGINLA 70 13 19 32 -10 29 0 2 1 0 154 8.4
CGY D 53 *DEREK MORRIS 82 9 20 29 1 88 5 1 1 1 120 7.5
CGY D 32 CALE HULSE 79 5 22 27 1 169 1 1 0 0 117 4.3
CGY L 24 JASON WIEMER 79 12 10 22 -10 160 3 0 2 0 122 9.8
CGY D 5 TOMMY ALBELIN 69 2 17 19 9 32 1 0 2 0 88 2.3
CGY D 3 JAMES PATRICK 60 6 11 17 -2 26 1 0 1 0 57 10.5
CGY C 17 *HNAT DOMENICHELLI 31 9 7 16 4 6 1 0 1 2 70 12.9
CGY C 34 JIM DOWD 48 6 8 14 10 12 0 1 0 0 58 10.3
CGY D 6 JOEL BOUCHARD 44 5 7 12 0 57 0 1 1 0 51 9.8
CGY D 2 *JAMIE ALLISON 43 3 8 11 3 104 0 0 1 0 27 11.1
CGY L 42 ED WARD 64 4 5 9 -1 122 0 0 0 1 52 7.7
CGY L 7 *CHRIS DINGMAN 70 3 3 6 -11 149 1 0 0 0 47 6.4
CGY D 27 TODD SIMPSON 53 1 5 6 -10 109 0 0 1 0 51 2.0
CGY C 23 AARON GAVEY 26 2 3 5 -5 24 0 0 1 0 27 7.4
CGY G 30 DWAYNE ROLOSON 39 0 4 4 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CGY R 29 ERIK ANDERSSON 12 2 1 3 -4 8 0 0 0 0 11 18.2
CGY D 19 *CHRIS O'SULLIVAN 12 0 2 2 4 10 0 0 0 0 12 .0
CGY C 11 *ERIC LANDRY 12 1 0 1 -2 4 0 0 0 0 7 14.3
CGY R 26 *LADISLAV KOHN 4 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .0
CGY L 20 TODD HLUSHKO 13 0 1 1 0 27 0 0 0 0 7 .0
CGY D 4 KEVIN DAHL 19 0 1 1 -3 6 0 0 0 0 17 .0
CGY G 31 RICK TABARACCI 42 0 1 1 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CGY L 58 *SERGEI VARLAMOV 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CGY D 38 ERIC CHARRON 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 .0
CGY C 28 *MARTY MURRAY 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 .0
CGY L 43 *TRAVIS BRIGLEY 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 .0
CGY C 57 *STEVE BEGIN 5 0 0 0 0 23 0 0 0 0 2 .0
CGY G 1 *TYLER MOSS 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CGY D 24 *DENIS GAUTHIER 10 0 0 0 -5 16 0 0 0 0 3 .0
CGY D 55 *ROCKY THOMPSON 12 0 0 0 0 61 0 0 0 0 3 .0
CGY L 8 MIKE PELUSO 23 0 0 0 -6 113 0 0 0 0 8 .0
CAR C 55 KEITH PRIMEAU 81 26 37 63 19 110 7 3 2 0 180 14.4
CAR R 24 SAMI KAPANEN 81 26 37 63 9 16 4 0 5 0 190 13.7
CAR L 10 GARY ROBERTS 61 20 29 49 3 103 4 0 2 1 106 18.9
CAR R 19 NELSON EMERSON 81 21 24 45 -17 50 6 0 4 1 203 10.3
CAR C 92 JEFF O'NEILL 74 19 20 39 -8 67 7 1 4 1 114 16.7
CAR R 26 RAY SHEPPARD 71 18 19 37 -11 23 7 0 2 0 169 10.7
CAR R 18 ROBERT KRON 81 16 20 36 -8 12 4 0 2 1 175 9.1
CAR L 23 MARTIN GELINAS 64 16 18 34 -5 40 3 2 5 0 147 10.9
CAR D 3 STEVE CHIASSON 66 7 27 34 -2 65 6 0 0 0 173 4.0
CAR D 2 GLEN WESLEY 82 6 19 25 7 36 1 0 1 0 121 5.0
CAR R 11 KEVIN DINEEN 54 7 16 23 -7 105 0 0 1 0 96 7.3
CAR L 28 PAUL RANHEIM 73 5 9 14 -11 28 0 1 2 0 77 6.5
CAR D 7 CURTIS LESCHYSHYN 73 2 10 12 -2 45 1 0 1 0 53 3.8
CAR D 6 ADAM BURT 76 1 11 12 -6 106 0 1 0 0 51 2.0
CAR R 27 STEPHEN LEACH 45 4 5 9 -19 42 1 1 2 0 60 6.7
CAR C 44 KENT MANDERVILLE 77 4 4 8 -6 31 0 0 0 0 80 5.0
CAR D 5 KEVIN HALLER 65 3 5 8 -5 94 0 0 0 0 67 4.5
CAR L 32 STU GRIMSON 82 3 4 7 0 204 0 0 1 0 17 17.6
CAR D 22 SEAN HILL 55 1 6 7 -5 54 0 0 0 0 53 1.9
CAR L 33 *JON BATTAGLIA 33 2 4 6 -1 10 0 0 1 0 21 9.5
CAR R 12 STEVEN RICE 47 2 4 6 -16 38 0 0 0 0 39 5.1
CAR D 14 *STEVEN HALKO 18 0 2 2 -1 10 0 0 0 0 7 .0
CAR D 4 *NOLAN PRATT 23 0 2 2 -2 44 0 0 0 0 11 .0
CAR D 46 *MIKE RUCINSKI 9 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 .0
CAR L 3 JEFF DANIELS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
CAR G 30 *MICHAEL FOUNTAIN 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CAR C 34 STEVE MARTINS 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CAR R 29 KEVIN BROWN 4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CAR G 39 PAT JABLONSKI 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CAR G 37 TREVOR KIDD 47 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CHI R 10 TONY AMONTE 82 31 42 73 21 66 7 3 5 0 296 10.5
CHI C 36 ALEXEI ZHAMNOV 70 21 28 49 16 61 6 2 3 1 193 10.9
CHI L 55 ERIC DAZE 80 31 11 42 4 22 10 0 7 1 216 14.4
CHI D 20 GARY SUTER 73 14 28 42 1 74 5 2 0 0 199 7.0
CHI D 7 CHRIS CHELIOS 81 3 39 42 -7 151 1 0 0 0 205 1.5
CHI C 22 GREG JOHNSON 74 12 22 34 -2 40 4 0 3 0 89 13.5
CHI C 11 JEFF SHANTZ 61 11 20 31 0 36 1 2 2 0 69 15.9
CHI R 25 SERGEI KRIVOKRASOV 58 10 13 23 -1 33 1 0 2 0 127 7.9
CHI D 2 ERIC WEINRICH 82 2 21 23 10 106 0 0 0 0 85 2.4
CHI L 19 ETHAN MOREAU 54 9 9 18 0 73 2 0 0 0 87 10.3
CHI C 14 STEVE DUBINSKY 82 5 13 18 -6 57 0 1 0 0 112 4.5
CHI L 38 JAMES BLACK 52 10 5 15 -8 8 2 1 3 1 90 11.1
CHI L 23 *JEAN-YVES LEROUX 66 6 7 13 -2 55 0 0 0 0 57 10.5
CHI D 4 JAY MORE 58 5 7 12 7 61 0 1 0 0 57 8.8
CHI C 15 CHAD KILGER 32 3 9 12 0 10 2 0 1 0 32 9.4
CHI C 46 *DMITRI NABOKOV 25 7 4 11 -1 10 3 0 2 0 34 20.6
CHI C 16 JARROD SKALDE 30 4 7 11 -2 18 0 0 0 0 34 11.8
CHI R 17 KEVIN MILLER 37 4 7 11 -4 8 0 0 1 0 37 10.8
CHI D 3 *CHRISTIAN LAFLAMME 72 0 11 11 14 59 0 0 0 0 75 .0
CHI C 12 BRENT SUTTER 52 2 6 8 -6 28 0 1 0 0 43 4.7
CHI L 33 REID SIMPSON 44 3 2 5 -3 118 1 0 0 0 24 12.5
CHI L 14 *BRIAN FELSNER 12 1 3 4 0 12 0 0 0 0 14 7.1
CHI D 6 MICHAL SYKORA 28 1 3 4 -10 12 0 0 0 0 35 2.9
CHI L 24 BOB PROBERT 14 2 1 3 -7 48 2 0 0 0 18 11.1
CHI R 39 *CRAIG MILLS 20 0 3 3 1 34 0 0 0 0 5 .0
CHI R 34 *RYAN VANDENBUSSCHE 20 1 1 2 -2 43 0 0 0 0 2 50.0
CHI D 8 CAM RUSSELL 41 1 1 2 3 79 0 0 1 0 18 5.6
CHI C 26 *TODD WHITE 7 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 33.3
CHI D 5 TRENT YAWNEY 45 1 0 1 -5 76 0 0 0 0 19 5.3
CHI G 40 CHRIS TERRERI 21 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CHI L 31 *RYAN HUSKA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CHI L 29 *PERI VARIS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CHI R 14 MARTIN GENDRON 2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .0
CHI G 29 ANDREI TREFILOV 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
CHI L 7 *DANIEL CLEARY 6 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 4 .0
CHI G 31 JEFF HACKETT 58 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 .0
COL C 21 PETER FORSBERG 72 25 66 91 6 94 7 3 7 1 202 12.4
COL L 13 VALERI KAMENSKY 75 26 40 66 -2 60 8 0 4 0 173 15.0
COL C 19 JOE SAKIC 64 27 36 63 0 50 12 1 2 1 254 10.6
COL R 22 CLAUDE LEMIEUX 78 26 27 53 -7 115 11 1 1 1 261 10.0
COL D 8 SANDIS OZOLINSH 66 13 38 51 -12 65 9 0 2 1 135 9.6
COL R 18 ADAM DEADMARSH 73 22 21 43 0 125 10 0 6 3 187 11.8
COL L 28 ERIC LACROIX 82 16 15 31 0 84 5 0 6 0 126 12.7
COL D 4 UWE KRUPP 78 9 22 31 21 38 5 0 2 0 149 6.0
COL L 20 RENE CORBET 68 16 12 28 8 133 4 0 4 2 117 13.7
COL C 26 STEPHANE YELLE 81 7 15 22 -10 48 0 1 0 0 93 7.5
COL C 17 JARI KURRI 70 5 17 22 6 12 2 0 0 0 61 8.2
COL R 14 TOM FITZGERALD 80 12 6 18 -4 79 0 2 1 0 119 10.1
COL R 12 SHEAN DONOVAN 67 8 10 18 6 70 0 0 0 0 81 9.9
COL D 52 ADAM FOOTE 77 3 14 17 -3 124 0 0 1 0 64 4.7
COL D 29 *ERIC MESSIER 62 4 12 16 4 20 0 0 0 0 66 6.1
COL D 24 JON KLEMM 67 6 8 14 -3 30 0 0 0 1 60 10.0
COL D 5 ALEXEI GUSAROV 72 4 10 14 9 42 0 1 1 0 47 8.5
COL R 16 JEFF ODGERS 68 5 8 13 5 213 0 0 0 0 47 10.6
COL L 10 WARREN RYCHEL 71 5 6 11 -11 221 1 0 0 0 66 7.6
COL R 11 KEITH JONES 23 3 7 10 -4 22 1 0 2 0 31 9.7
COL D 2 SYLVAIN LEFEBVRE 81 0 10 10 2 48 0 0 0 0 66 .0
COL D 3 AARON MILLER 55 2 2 4 0 51 0 0 0 0 29 6.9
COL D 27 FRANCOIS LEROUX 50 1 2 3 -3 140 0 0 0 0 14 7.1
COL G 33 PATRICK ROY 65 0 3 3 0 39 0 0 0 0 1 .0
COL D 6 *WADE BELAK 8 1 1 2 -3 27 0 0 1 0 2 50.0
COL L 15 YVES SARAULT 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 100.0
COL D 7 *PASCAL TREPANIER 15 0 1 1 -2 18 0 0 0 0 9 .0
COL L 40 *BRAD LARSEN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
COL R 14 *CHRISTIAN MATTE 5 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 5 .0
COL G 1 CRAIG BILLINGTON 23 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
DAL C 25 JOE NIEUWENDYK 73 39 30 69 16 30 14 0 11 0 203 19.2
DAL C 9 MIKE MODANO 52 21 38 59 25 32 7 5 2 1 191 11.0
DAL R 16 PAT VERBEEK 82 31 26 57 15 170 9 0 8 1 190 16.3
DAL D 56 SERGEI ZUBOV 73 10 47 57 16 16 5 1 2 1 148 6.8
DAL L 15 JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER 81 23 29 52 9 61 8 0 6 1 159 14.5
DAL D 5 DARRYL SYDOR 79 11 35 46 17 51 4 1 1 0 166 6.6
DAL R 26 JERE LEHTINEN 72 23 19 42 19 20 7 2 6 1 201 11.4
DAL L 23 GREG ADAMS 49 14 18 32 11 20 7 0 1 0 75 18.7
DAL D 2 DERIAN HATCHER 70 6 25 31 9 132 3 0 2 0 74 8.1
DAL C 21 GUY CARBONNEAU 77 7 17 24 3 40 0 1 1 0 81 8.6
DAL D 27 SHAWN CHAMBERS 57 2 22 24 11 26 1 1 0 0 73 2.7
DAL R 12 MIKE KEANE 83 10 13 23 -12 52 2 0 1 0 128 7.8
DAL L 33 BENOIT HOGUE 53 6 16 22 7 35 3 0 1 0 55 10.9
DAL R 10 TODD HARVEY 59 9 10 19 5 104 0 0 1 0 88 10.2
DAL R 29 GRANT MARSHALL 72 9 10 19 -2 96 3 0 1 0 91 9.9
DAL L 14 DAVE REID 65 6 12 18 -15 14 3 0 1 0 90 6.7
DAL D 24 RICHARD MATVICHUK 74 3 15 18 7 63 0 0 0 0 71 4.2
DAL C 10 BRIAN SKRUDLAND 72 7 6 13 -6 49 0 0 1 0 55 12.7
DAL C 28 BOB BASSEN 58 3 4 7 -4 57 0 0 1 0 40 7.5
DAL D 3 CRAIG LUDWIG 80 0 7 7 21 131 0 0 0 0 46 .0
DAL L 46 *JAMIE WRIGHT 21 4 2 6 8 2 0 0 2 0 15 26.7
DAL L 11 *JUHA LIND 39 2 3 5 4 6 0 0 0 0 27 7.4
DAL D 6 DAN KECZMER 17 1 2 3 5 26 0 0 0 0 9 11.1
DAL D 22 CRAIG MUNI 40 1 1 2 0 25 0 0 1 0 12 8.3
DAL R 18 CHRIS TANCILL 2 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
DAL D 37 *BRAD LUKOWICH 4 0 1 1 -2 2 0 0 0 0 2 .0
DAL C 39 MIKE KENNEDY 15 0 1 1 -1 16 0 0 0 0 12 .0
DAL R 39 PETER DOURIS 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .0
DAL G 30 *EMMANUEL FERNANDEZ 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
DAL D 34 *PETR BUZEK 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
DAL L 17 *PATRICK COTE 3 0 0 0 -1 15 0 0 0 0 3 .0
DAL L 38 *JASON BOTTERILL 4 0 0 0 -1 19 0 0 0 0 2 .0
DAL R 36 *JEFFREY MITCHELL 7 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 3 .0
DAL D 4 *SERGEY GUSEV 9 0 0 0 -5 2 0 0 0 0 5 .0
DAL G 1 ROMAN TUREK 23 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
DAL G 20 ED BELFOUR 61 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 .0
DET C 19 STEVE YZERMAN 75 24 45 69 3 46 6 2 0 2 188 12.8
DET D 5 NICKLAS LIDSTROM 80 17 42 59 22 18 7 1 1 1 205 8.3
DET L 14 BRENDAN SHANAHAN 75 28 29 57 6 154 15 1 9 1 266 10.5
DET L 13 VYACHESLAV KOZLOV 80 25 27 52 14 46 6 0 1 0 221 11.3
DET D 55 LARRY MURPHY 82 11 41 52 35 37 2 1 2 0 129 8.5
DET C 8 IGOR LARIONOV 69 8 39 47 14 40 3 0 2 1 93 8.6
DET D 15 DMITRI MIRONOV 77 8 35 43 -7 119 3 0 1 0 170 4.7
DET R 17 DOUG BROWN 80 19 23 42 17 12 6 1 5 0 145 13.1
DET R 25 DARREN MCCARTY 71 15 22 37 0 157 5 1 2 0 166 9.0
DET R 20 MARTIN LAPOINTE 79 15 19 34 0 106 4 0 3 2 154 9.7
DET C 41 BRENT GILCHRIST 61 13 14 27 4 40 5 0 3 1 124 10.5
DET L 18 KIRK MALTBY 65 14 9 23 11 89 2 1 3 0 106 13.2
DET C 33 KRIS DRAPER 64 13 10 23 5 45 1 0 4 0 96 13.5
DET L 96 TOMAS HOLMSTROM 57 5 17 22 6 44 1 0 1 0 48 10.4
DET D 44 *ANDERS ERIKSSON 66 7 14 21 21 32 1 0 2 0 91 7.7
DET C 91 SERGEI FEDOROV 21 6 11 17 10 25 2 0 2 0 68 8.8
DET R 11 MATHIEU DANDENAULT 68 5 12 17 5 43 0 0 0 0 75 6.7
DET D 2 VIACHESLAV FETISOV 58 2 12 14 4 72 0 0 1 0 55 3.6
DET R 22 *MICHAEL KNUBLE 53 7 6 13 2 16 0 0 0 0 54 13.0
DET D 3 BOB ROUSE 71 1 11 12 -9 57 0 0 0 0 54 1.9
DET R 26 JOEY KOCUR 63 6 5 11 7 92 0 0 2 0 53 11.3
DET D 27 AARON WARD 52 5 5 10 -1 47 0 0 1 0 47 10.6
DET D 34 JAMIE MACOUN 74 0 7 7 -17 65 0 0 0 0 78 .0
DET D 28 *YAN GOLUBOVSKY 12 0 2 2 1 6 0 0 0 0 9 .0
DET C 21 *DARRYL LAPLANTE 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .0
DET G 34 *NORM MARACLE 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
DET G 31 *KEVIN HODSON 21 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
DET G 30 CHRIS OSGOOD 64 0 0 0 0 31 0 0 0 0 0 .0
EDM C 39 DOUG WEIGHT 79 26 44 70 1 69 9 0 4 0 205 12.7
EDM L 37 DEAN MCAMMOND 77 19 31 50 9 46 8 0 3 0 128 14.8
EDM D 2 BORIS MIRONOV 81 16 30 46 -8 100 10 1 1 1 203 7.9
EDM D 24 JANNE NIINIMAA 77 4 39 43 13 62 3 0 1 0 134 3.0
EDM D 22 ROMAN HAMRLIK 78 9 32 41 -15 70 5 1 3 0 198 4.5
EDM R 9 BILL GUERIN 59 18 21 39 1 93 9 0 4 0 178 10.1
EDM L 26 TODD MARCHANT 76 14 21 35 9 71 2 1 3 0 194 7.2
EDM L 94 RYAN SMYTH 65 20 13 33 -24 44 10 0 2 2 205 9.8
EDM C 20 TONY HRKAC 49 13 14 27 3 10 7 0 1 0 57 22.8
EDM C 14 MATS LINDGREN 82 13 13 26 0 42 1 3 3 0 131 9.9
EDM C 18 *SCOTT FRASER 29 12 11 23 6 6 6 0 2 0 61 19.7
EDM L 51 ANDREI KOVALENKO 59 6 17 23 -14 28 1 0 2 1 89 6.7
EDM R 16 KELLY BUCHBERGER 82 6 17 23 -10 122 1 1 1 0 86 7.0
EDM L 21 VALERI ZELEPUKIN 68 4 18 22 -2 89 0 0 0 0 101 4.0
EDM L 17 REM MURRAY 61 9 9 18 -9 39 2 2 0 0 59 15.3
EDM R 25 MIKE GRIER 66 9 6 15 -3 73 1 0 1 0 90 10.0
EDM D 5 GREG DE VRIES 65 7 4 11 -17 80 1 0 0 0 53 13.2
EDM D 6 BOBBY DOLLAS 52 2 6 8 -6 49 0 0 0 0 38 5.3
EDM D 15 DRAKE BEREHOWSKY 67 1 6 7 1 169 1 0 1 0 58 1.7
EDM C 19 *BOYD DEVEREAUX 38 1 4 5 -5 6 0 0 0 0 27 3.7
EDM D 32 *CRAIG MILLAR 11 4 0 4 -3 8 1 0 0 0 10 40.0
EDM L 12 *JOE HULBIG 17 2 2 4 -1 2 0 0 1 0 8 25.0
EDM C 9 *MIKE WATT 14 1 2 3 -4 4 0 0 1 0 14 7.1
EDM D 8 FRANK MUSIL 17 1 2 3 1 8 0 1 1 0 8 12.5
EDM G 31 CURTIS JOSEPH 71 0 2 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 .0
EDM D 23 *SEAN BROWN 18 0 1 1 -1 43 0 0 0 0 9 .0
EDM L 28 BILL HUARD 30 0 1 1 -5 72 0 0 0 0 12 .0
EDM D 40 *SCOTT FERGUSON 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
EDM D 21 *LADISLAV BENYSEK 2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
EDM D 29 JASON BOWEN 4 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 3 .0
EDM R 36 *DENNIS BONVIE 4 0 0 0 0 27 0 0 0 0 0 .0
EDM D 4 KEVIN LOWE 7 0 0 0 -3 22 0 0 0 0 5 .0
EDM D 6 *BRYAN MUIR 7 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 0 6 .0
EDM D 38 *TERRAN SANDWITH 8 0 0 0 -4 6 0 0 0 0 4 .0
EDM R 27 *GEORGES LARAQUE 11 0 0 0 -4 59 0 0 0 0 4 .0
EDM G 30 BOB ESSENSA 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
EDM L 8 DOUG FRIEDMAN 16 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 0 8 .0
FLA L 14 RAY WHITNEY 77 33 32 65 9 28 12 0 2 0 175 18.9
FLA C 15 DAVE GAGNER 78 20 28 48 -21 55 5 1 1 0 165 12.1
FLA D 24 ROBERT SVEHLA 79 9 34 43 -3 113 3 0 0 0 144 6.3
FLA R 27 SCOTT MELLANBY 79 15 24 39 -14 127 6 0 1 0 188 8.0
FLA R 19 RADEK DVORAK 64 12 24 36 -1 33 2 3 0 1 112 10.7
FLA R 22 DINO CICCARELLI 62 16 17 33 -16 70 5 0 4 2 161 9.9
FLA C 25 VIKTOR KOZLOV 64 17 13 30 -3 16 5 2 0 0 165 10.3
FLA C 9 KIRK MULLER 70 8 21 29 -14 54 1 0 3 1 115 7.0
FLA L 11 BILL LINDSAY 82 12 16 28 -2 80 0 2 5 0 150 8.0
FLA D 55 ED JOVANOVSKI 81 9 14 23 -12 158 2 1 3 1 142 6.3
FLA R 51 DAVID NEMIROVSKY 41 9 12 21 -3 8 2 0 1 0 62 14.5
FLA C 17 *STEVE WASHBURN 58 11 8 19 -6 32 4 0 2 0 61 18.0
FLA D 5 GORD MURPHY 79 6 11 17 -3 46 3 0 0 0 123 4.9
FLA D 6 JEFF NORTON 56 4 13 17 -32 44 4 0 0 1 61 6.6
FLA C 44 ROB NIEDERMAYER 33 8 7 15 -9 41 5 0 2 0 64 12.5
FLA C 23 CHRIS WELLS 61 5 10 15 4 47 0 1 0 0 57 8.8
FLA D 3 PAUL LAUS 77 0 11 11 -5 293 0 0 0 0 64 .0
FLA D 2 TERRY CARKNER 74 1 7 8 6 63 0 0 1 0 34 2.9
FLA L 29 JOHAN GARPENLOV 39 2 3 5 -6 8 0 0 0 0 43 4.7
FLA D 7 RHETT WARRENER 79 0 4 4 -16 99 0 0 0 0 66 .0
FLA G 34 J. VANBIESBROUCK 60 0 3 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 .0
FLA C 16 *RYAN JOHNSON 10 0 2 2 -4 0 0 0 0 0 6 .0
FLA D 8 DALLAS EAKINS 23 0 1 1 1 44 0 0 0 0 16 .0
FLA G 1 KIRK MCLEAN 44 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
FLA D 12 *CHRIS ALLEN 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 .0
FLA D 4 *JOHN JAKOPIN 2 0 0 0 -3 4 0 0 0 0 1 .0
FLA G 1 *KEVIN WEEKES 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
FLA L 28 *PETER WORRELL 19 0 0 0 -4 153 0 0 0 0 15 .0
LAK C 15 JOZEF STUMPEL 77 21 58 79 17 53 4 0 2 1 162 13.0
LAK R 27 GLEN MURRAY 81 29 31 60 6 54 7 3 7 0 193 15.0
LAK L 9 VLADIMIR TSYPLAKOV 73 18 34 52 15 18 2 0 1 0 113 15.9
LAK D 4 ROB BLAKE 81 23 27 50 -3 94 11 0 4 0 261 8.8
LAK C 44 YANIC PERREAULT 79 28 20 48 6 32 3 2 3 0 206 13.6
LAK L 20 LUC ROBITAILLE 57 16 24 40 5 66 5 0 7 0 130 12.3
LAK L 23 CRAIG JOHNSON 74 17 21 38 9 42 6 0 2 0 125 13.6
LAK D 3 GARRY GALLEY 74 9 28 37 -5 63 7 0 0 0 128 7.0
LAK R 45 SANDY MOGER 62 11 13 24 4 70 1 0 2 0 89 12.4
LAK C 22 IAN LAPERRIERE 77 6 15 21 0 131 0 1 1 0 74 8.1
LAK R 19 RUSS COURTNALL 58 12 6 18 -2 27 1 4 4 0 97 12.4
LAK D 6 SEAN O'DONNELL 80 2 15 17 7 179 0 0 1 0 71 2.8
LAK D 28 PHILIPPE BOUCHER 45 6 10 16 6 49 1 0 0 0 80 7.5
LAK C 26 RAY FERRARO 40 6 9 15 -10 42 0 0 2 0 45 13.3
LAK D 14 MATTIAS NORSTROM 73 1 12 13 14 90 0 0 0 0 61 1.6
LAK L 42 DAN BYLSMA 65 3 9 12 9 33 0 0 0 1 57 5.3
LAK C 24 NATHAN LAFAYETTE 34 5 3 8 2 32 1 0 1 0 60 8.3
LAK L 7 *STEVE MCKENNA 62 4 4 8 -9 150 1 0 0 1 42 9.5
LAK D 2 DOUG ZMOLEK 46 0 8 8 0 111 0 0 0 0 23 .0
LAK D 5 AKI BERG 72 0 8 8 3 61 0 0 0 0 58 .0
LAK C 10 *DONALD MACLEAN 22 5 2 7 -1 4 2 0 0 0 25 20.0
LAK L 17 MATT JOHNSON 66 2 4 6 -8 249 0 0 0 0 18 11.1
LAK D 33 JAN VOPAT 21 1 5 6 8 10 0 0 1 0 13 7.7
LAK C 12 ROMAN VOPAT 25 0 3 3 -7 55 0 0 0 0 36 .0
LAK C 52 *JASON MORGAN 11 1 0 1 -7 4 0 0 0 0 5 20.0
LAK R 43 VITALI YACHMENEV 4 0 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 4 .0
LAK G 35 STEPHANE FISET 60 0 1 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 .0
LAK C 21 *OLLI JOKINEN 8 0 0 0 -5 6 0 0 0 0 12 .0
LAK G 31 FREDERIC CHABOT 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
LAK G 1 *JAMIE STORR 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
MTL R 8 MARK RECCHI 82 32 42 74 11 51 9 1 6 0 216 14.8
MTL C 25 VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE 76 18 41 59 14 58 2 1 5 0 164 11.0
MTL C 11 SAKU KOIVU 69 14 43 57 8 48 2 2 3 0 145 9.7
MTL L 27 SHAYNE CORSON 62 21 34 55 2 108 14 1 1 0 142 14.8
MTL L 26 MARTIN RUCINSKY 78 21 32 53 13 84 5 3 3 0 192 10.9
MTL D 38 VLADIMIR MALAKHOV 74 13 31 44 16 70 8 0 2 0 166 7.8
MTL L 49 BRIAN SAVAGE 64 26 17 43 11 36 8 0 7 2 152 17.1
MTL D 43 PATRICE BRISEBOIS 79 10 27 37 16 67 5 0 1 0 125 8.0
MTL D 22 DAVE MANSON 81 4 30 34 22 122 2 0 0 0 148 2.7
MTL L 17 BENOIT BRUNET 68 12 20 32 11 61 1 2 2 1 87 13.8
MTL L 44 JONAS HOGLUND 78 12 13 25 -7 22 4 0 0 0 186 6.5
MTL C 28 MARC BUREAU 74 13 6 19 0 12 0 0 2 0 82 15.9
MTL L 37 PATRICK POULIN 78 6 13 19 -4 27 0 1 1 0 88 6.8
MTL D 5 STEPHANE QUINTAL 71 6 10 16 13 97 0 0 0 0 88 6.8
MTL C 24 SCOTT THORNTON 67 6 9 15 0 158 1 0 1 2 51 11.8
MTL D 3 ZARLEY ZALAPSKI 63 3 12 15 -13 63 2 1 1 0 73 4.1
MTL C 71 SEBASTIEN BORDELEAU 53 6 8 14 5 36 2 1 0 1 55 10.9
MTL R 23 TURNER STEVENSON 63 4 6 10 -8 110 1 0 0 0 43 9.3
MTL D 55 IGOR ULANOV 49 2 8 10 -7 97 1 0 0 0 36 5.6
MTL D 34 PETER POPOVIC 69 2 6 8 -6 38 0 0 0 0 40 5.0
MTL G 41 JOCELYN THIBAULT 47 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
MTL D 52 CRAIG RIVET 61 0 2 2 -3 93 0 0 0 0 26 .0
MTL C 15 *ERIC HOUDE 9 1 0 1 -3 0 0 0 1 0 4 25.0
MTL D 29 *BRETT CLARK 41 1 0 1 -3 20 0 0 0 0 26 3.8
MTL R 21 MICK VUKOTA 64 1 0 1 -4 192 0 0 0 0 23 4.3
MTL D 48 *FRANCOIS GROLEAU 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .0
MTL R 51 *DAVID LING 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
MTL C 46 *MATT HIGGINS 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
MTL L 14 *TERRY RYAN 4 0 0 0 0 31 0 0 0 0 0 .0
MTL G 35 ANDY MOOG 42 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NJD C 16 BOBBY HOLIK 82 29 36 65 23 100 8 0 8 1 238 12.2
NJD D 27 SCOTT NIEDERMAYER 81 14 43 57 5 27 11 0 1 0 175 8.0
NJD C 93 DOUG GILMOUR 63 13 40 53 10 68 3 0 5 0 94 13.8
NJD R 21 RANDY MCKAY 74 24 24 48 30 86 8 0 5 0 141 17.0
NJD L 23 DAVE ANDREYCHUK 75 14 34 48 19 26 4 0 2 0 180 7.8
NJD R 26 *PATRIK ELIAS 74 18 19 37 18 28 5 0 6 1 147 12.2
NJD C 17 PETR SYKORA 58 16 20 36 0 22 3 1 4 0 130 12.3
NJD C 25 JASON ARNOTT 70 10 23 33 -24 99 4 0 2 0 199 5.0
NJD L 14 BRIAN ROLSTON 76 16 14 30 7 16 0 2 1 0 185 8.6
NJD C 10 DENIS PEDERSON 80 15 13 28 -6 97 7 0 1 1 135 11.1
NJD D 4 SCOTT STEVENS 80 4 22 26 19 80 1 0 1 0 94 4.3
NJD R 32 STEVE THOMAS 55 14 10 24 4 32 3 0 4 1 111 12.6
NJD D 24 LYLE ODELEIN 79 4 19 23 11 171 1 0 0 0 76 5.3
NJD D 5 DOUG BODGER 77 9 11 20 -1 57 3 0 1 0 96 9.4
NJD C 19 BOB CARPENTER 66 9 9 18 -4 22 0 1 1 0 81 11.1
NJD D 2 *SHELDON SOURAY 60 3 7 10 18 85 0 0 1 0 74 4.1
NJD C 9 *BRENDAN MORRISON 11 5 4 9 3 0 0 0 1 1 19 26.3
NJD D 28 KEVIN DEAN 50 1 8 9 12 12 1 0 0 0 28 3.6
NJD D 6 *BRAD BOMBARDIR 43 1 5 6 11 8 0 0 0 0 16 6.3
NJD C 18 SERGEI BRYLIN 18 2 3 5 4 0 0 0 0 1 20 10.0
NJD L 29 *KRZYSZTOF OLIWA 73 2 3 5 3 295 0 0 2 0 53 3.8
NJD L 20 JAY PANDOLFO 23 1 3 4 -4 4 0 0 0 0 23 4.3
NJD L 22 SCOTT DANIELS 26 0 3 3 1 102 0 0 0 0 17 .0
NJD G 30 MARTIN BRODEUR 70 0 3 3 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NJD D 5 VLASTIMIL KROUPA 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
NJD G 1 MIKE DUNHAM 15 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NJD D 3 KEN DANEYKO 37 0 1 1 3 57 0 0 0 0 18 .0
NJD G 31 PETER SIDORKIEWICZ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NJD G 35 RICH SHULMISTRA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NJD L 8 SASHA LAKOVIC 2 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 2 .0
NYI R 16 ZIGMUND PALFFY 82 45 42 87 -2 34 17 2 5 1 277 16.2
NYI C 21 ROBERT REICHEL 82 25 40 65 -11 32 8 0 2 2 201 12.4
NYI D 34 BRYAN BERARD 75 14 32 46 -32 59 8 1 2 1 192 7.3
NYI C 20 BRYAN SMOLINSKI 81 13 30 43 -16 34 3 0 4 0 203 6.4
NYI D 29 KENNY JONSSON 81 14 26 40 -2 58 6 0 2 0 108 13.0
NYI R 44 JASON DAWE 81 20 19 39 8 42 4 1 3 1 134 14.9
NYI C 32 TREVOR LINDEN 67 17 21 38 -14 82 5 2 2 0 133 12.8
NYI L 14 TOM CHORSKE 82 12 23 35 7 39 1 4 2 0 132 9.1
NYI C 17 SERGEI NEMCHINOV 74 10 19 29 3 24 2 1 1 0 94 10.6
NYI R 25 MARIUSZ CZERKAWSKI 68 12 13 25 11 23 2 0 1 0 136 8.8
NYI R 10 JOE SACCO 80 11 14 25 0 34 0 2 2 0 122 9.0
NYI D 36 J.J. DAIGNEAULT 71 2 21 23 -9 49 1 0 1 0 92 2.2
NYI C 13 CLAUDE LAPOINTE 78 10 10 20 -9 47 0 1 3 0 82 12.2
NYI D 7 SCOTT LACHANCE 63 2 11 13 -11 45 1 0 0 0 62 3.2
NYI L 18 MIKE HOUGH 74 5 7 12 -4 27 0 0 0 0 44 11.4
NYI D 2 RICHARD PILON 76 0 7 7 1 291 0 0 0 0 37 .0
NYI L 24 GINO ODJICK 48 3 2 5 -2 212 0 0 1 0 52 5.8
NYI L 33 KEN BELANGER 37 3 1 4 1 101 0 0 1 0 10 30.0
NYI C 54 KIP MILLER 9 1 3 4 -2 2 0 0 0 0 11 9.1
NYI D 28 DENNIS VASKE 19 0 3 3 2 12 0 0 0 0 16 .0
NYI R 36 DANE JACKSON 8 1 1 2 1 4 0 0 1 0 5 20.0
NYI D 55 *VLAD CHEBATURKIN 2 0 2 2 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NYI D 58 YEVGENY NAMESTNIKOV 6 0 1 1 -1 4 0 0 0 0 2 .0
NYI R 42 DAN PLANTE 7 0 1 1 -1 6 0 0 0 0 7 .0
NYI R 49 *VLADIMIR ORSAGH 11 0 1 1 -3 2 0 0 0 0 9 .0
NYI D 60 *RAY SCHULTZ 13 0 1 1 3 45 0 0 0 0 4 .0
NYI G 30 WADE FLAHERTY 16 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NYI D 3 *ZDENO CHARA 25 0 1 1 1 50 0 0 0 0 10 .0
NYI G 35 TOMMY SALO 62 0 1 1 0 31 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NYI D 37 *JEFF LIBBY 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NYI R 52 *MARK LAWRENCE 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 .0
NYI L 11 *SEAN HAGGERTY 5 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .0
NYI R 48 *WARREN LUHNING 8 0 0 0 -4 0 0 0 0 0 6 .0
NYI D 46 *JASON HOLLAND 8 0 0 0 -4 4 0 0 0 0 6 .0
NYI G 1 ERIC FICHAUD 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NYI R 8 STEVE WEBB 20 0 0 0 -2 35 0 0 0 0 6 .0
NYR C 99 WAYNE GRETZKY 82 23 67 90 -11 28 6 0 4 2 201 11.4
NYR C 16 PAT LAFONTAINE 67 23 39 62 -16 36 11 0 2 3 160 14.4
NYR R 27 ALEXEI KOVALEV 73 23 30 53 -22 44 8 0 3 1 173 13.3
NYR D 2 BRIAN LEETCH 76 17 33 50 -36 32 11 0 2 2 230 7.4
NYR R 24 NIKLAS SUNDSTROM 70 19 28 47 0 24 4 0 1 0 115 16.5
NYR L 17 KEVIN STEVENS 80 14 27 41 -7 130 5 0 3 1 144 9.7
NYR L 9 ADAM GRAVES 72 23 12 35 -30 41 10 0 2 1 226 10.2
NYR R 37 TIM SWEENEY 56 11 18 29 7 26 2 0 1 1 75 14.7
NYR D 33 BRUCE DRIVER 75 5 15 20 -3 46 1 0 0 0 116 4.3
NYR D 5 ULF SAMUELSSON 73 3 9 12 1 122 0 0 2 0 59 5.1
NYR L 12 BOB ERREY 71 2 9 11 2 53 0 0 0 0 45 4.4
NYR C 32 HARRY YORK 60 4 6 10 -1 31 0 0 0 0 44 9.1
NYR D 25 ALEXANDER KARPOVTSEV47 3 7 10 -1 38 1 0 1 0 46 6.5
NYR L 18 BILL BERG 67 1 9 10 -15 55 0 0 0 0 74 1.4
NYR R 14 *PETER FERRARO 30 3 4 7 -4 14 0 0 0 0 37 8.1
NYR D 26 JEFF FINLEY 63 1 6 7 -3 55 0 0 0 0 32 3.1
NYR L 15 DARREN LANGDON 70 3 3 6 0 197 0 0 0 0 15 20.0
NYR C 10 *MARC SAVARD 28 1 5 6 -4 4 0 0 0 0 32 3.1
NYR C 28 *P.J. STOCK 38 2 3 5 4 114 0 0 1 0 9 22.2
NYR D 23 JEFF BEUKEBOOM 63 0 5 5 -25 195 0 0 0 0 23 .0
NYR R 39 *VLADIMIR VOROBIEV 15 2 2 4 -10 6 0 0 1 0 27 7.4
NYR R 8 BRAD SMYTH 10 1 3 4 -1 4 0 0 0 0 13 7.7
NYR L 21 JOHAN LINDBOM 38 1 3 4 4 28 0 0 0 0 38 2.6
NYR D 6 DOUG LIDSTER 36 0 4 4 2 24 0 0 0 0 25 .0
NYR D 29 ERIC CAIRNS 39 0 3 3 -3 92 0 0 0 0 17 .0
NYR L 36 DANIEL GONEAU 11 2 0 2 -4 4 0 0 1 0 13 15.4
NYR D 14 GEOFF SMITH 15 1 1 2 -4 6 1 0 0 0 11 9.1
NYR D 4 *MAXIM GALANOV 6 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 5 .0
NYR G 35 MIKE RICHTER 72 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NYR D 30 *SYLVAIN BLOUIN 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NYR D 38 RONNIE SUNDIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
NYR L 36 PIERRE SEVIGNY 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 .0
NYR G 34 *DAN CLOUTIER 12 0 0 0 0 19 0 0 0 0 0 .0
OTW C 19 ALEXEI YASHIN 82 33 39 72 6 24 5 0 6 0 291 11.3
OTW L 15 SHAWN MCEACHERN 81 24 24 48 1 42 8 2 4 2 229 10.5
OTW R 11 DANIEL ALFREDSSON 55 17 28 45 7 18 7 0 7 0 149 11.4
OTW D 29 IGOR KRAVCHUK 81 8 27 35 -19 8 3 1 1 1 191 4.2
OTW R 10 ANDREAS DACKELL 82 15 18 33 -11 24 3 2 2 1 130 11.5
OTW L 20 *MAGNUS ARVEDSON 61 11 15 26 2 36 0 1 0 1 90 12.2
OTW C 13 *VACLAV PROSPAL 56 6 19 25 -11 21 4 0 0 0 88 6.8
OTW C 16 SERGEI ZHOLTOK 78 10 13 23 -7 16 7 0 1 1 127 7.9
OTW D 6 WADE REDDEN 80 8 14 22 17 27 3 0 2 0 103 7.8
OTW D 27 JANNE LAUKKANEN 60 4 17 21 -15 64 2 0 2 0 69 5.8
OTW L 28 DENNY LAMBERT 72 9 10 19 4 250 0 0 1 1 76 11.8
OTW C 22 SHAUN VAN ALLEN 80 4 15 19 4 48 0 0 0 0 104 3.8
OTW R 12 PAT FALLOON 58 8 10 18 -8 16 3 0 0 0 136 5.9
OTW C 25 BRUCE GARDINER 55 7 11 18 2 50 0 0 0 0 64 10.9
OTW C 14 RADEK BONK 65 7 9 16 -13 16 1 0 0 0 93 7.5
OTW D 4 *CHRIS PHILLIPS 72 5 11 16 2 38 2 0 2 0 107 4.7
OTW D 33 JASON YORK 73 3 13 16 8 62 0 0 0 0 109 2.8
OTW L 7 RANDY CUNNEYWORTH 71 2 11 13 -14 63 1 0 0 0 81 2.5
OTW R 17 CHRIS MURRAY 53 5 4 9 3 118 0 0 2 0 51 9.8
OTW D 2 LANCE PITLICK 69 2 7 9 8 50 0 0 0 0 66 3.0
OTW D 3 PER GUSTAFSSON 31 1 5 6 -2 16 0 0 0 0 36 2.8
OTW D 24 STANISLAV NECKAR 60 2 2 4 -14 31 0 0 0 0 43 4.7
OTW R 26 PHILIP CROWE 9 3 0 3 3 24 0 0 1 0 6 50.0
OTW C 42 DEREK ARMSTRONG 9 2 0 2 1 9 0 0 1 0 8 25.0
OTW L 18 *MARIAN HOSSA 7 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 10 .0
OTW G 1 DAMIAN RHODES 50 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
OTW D 23 RADIM BICANEK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
OTW R 48 *IVAN CIERNIK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
OTW L 38 JASON ZENT 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 .0
OTW L 21 DENNIS VIAL 19 0 0 0 0 45 0 0 0 0 9 .0
OTW G 31 RON TUGNUTT 42 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHI L 10 JOHN LECLAIR 82 51 36 87 30 32 16 0 9 1 303 16.8
PHI L 17 ROD BRIND'AMOUR 82 36 38 74 -2 54 10 2 8 0 205 17.6
PHI C 88 ERIC LINDROS 63 30 41 71 14 134 10 1 4 0 202 14.9
PHI C 55 CHRIS GRATTON 82 22 40 62 11 159 5 0 2 0 182 12.1
PHI R 19 ALEXANDRE DAIGLE 75 16 26 42 -8 14 8 0 5 1 146 11.0
PHI R 20 TRENT KLATT 82 14 28 42 2 16 5 0 3 0 143 9.8
PHI C 11 MIKE SILLINGER 75 21 20 41 -11 50 2 4 1 0 96 21.9
PHI R 9 DAINIUS ZUBRUS 69 8 25 33 29 42 1 0 5 0 101 7.9
PHI D 37 ERIC DESJARDINS 77 6 27 33 11 36 2 1 0 0 150 4.0
PHI D 3 DANIEL MCGILLIS 80 11 20 31 -21 109 6 0 3 1 137 8.0
PHI D 77 PAUL COFFEY 57 2 27 29 3 30 1 0 1 0 107 1.9
PHI L 25 SHJON PODEIN 82 11 13 24 8 53 1 1 2 0 126 8.7
PHI L 12 *COLIN FORBES 63 12 7 19 2 59 2 0 2 0 93 12.9
PHI D 6 CHRIS THERIEN 78 3 16 19 5 80 1 0 1 0 102 2.9
PHI D 23 PETR SVOBODA 56 3 15 18 19 83 2 0 0 0 44 6.8
PHI D 44 DAVE BABYCH 53 0 9 9 -9 49 0 0 0 0 46 .0
PHI C 29 JOEL OTTO 68 3 4 7 -2 78 0 0 0 1 53 5.7
PHI D 22 LUKE RICHARDSON 81 2 3 5 7 139 2 0 0 0 57 3.5
PHI C 32 DANIEL LACROIX 56 1 4 5 0 135 0 0 0 0 28 3.6
PHI R 26 JOHN DRUCE 23 1 2 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 18 5.6
PHI D 28 KJELL SAMUELSSON 49 0 3 3 9 28 0 0 0 0 23 .0
PHI L 21 DAN KORDIC 61 1 1 2 -4 210 0 0 0 0 12 8.3
PHI G 33 SEAN BURKE 52 0 2 2 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHI C 14 CRAIG DARBY 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 33.3
PHI D 24 CHRIS JOSEPH 15 1 0 1 1 19 0 0 1 0 20 5.0
PHI R 38 *PAUL HEALEY 4 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHI R 18 BRANTT MYHRES 23 0 0 0 -1 169 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHI G 27 RON HEXTALL 46 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHO L 7 KEITH TKACHUK 69 40 26 66 9 147 11 0 8 1 232 17.2
PHO C 97 JEREMY ROENICK 79 24 32 56 5 103 6 1 3 1 182 13.2
PHO C 77 CLIFF RONNING 80 11 44 55 5 36 3 0 0 1 197 5.6
PHO C 15 CRAIG JANNEY 68 10 43 53 5 12 4 0 0 0 72 13.9
PHO D 27 TEPPO NUMMINEN 82 11 40 51 25 30 6 0 2 0 126 8.7
PHO R 92 RICK TOCCHET 68 26 19 45 1 157 8 0 6 0 161 16.1
PHO R 11 DALLAS DRAKE 60 11 29 40 17 71 3 0 2 0 112 9.8
PHO R 22 MIKE GARTNER 60 12 15 27 -4 24 4 0 2 1 145 8.3
PHO D 3 KEITH CARNEY 80 3 19 22 -2 91 1 1 0 0 71 4.2
PHO C 21 BOB CORKUM 76 12 9 21 -7 28 0 5 0 0 105 11.4
PHO D 10 OLEG TVERDOVSKY 46 7 12 19 1 12 4 0 1 1 83 8.4
PHO D 4 GERALD DIDUCK 78 8 10 18 14 118 1 0 4 0 104 7.7
PHO R 16 *BRAD ISBISTER 66 9 8 17 4 102 1 0 1 0 115 7.8
PHO D 26 JOHN SLANEY 55 3 14 17 -3 24 1 0 1 0 74 4.1
PHO L 34 DARRIN SHANNON 58 2 12 14 4 26 0 0 0 0 57 3.5
PHO C 18 MARK JANSSENS 74 5 7 12 -21 154 0 0 1 0 53 9.4
PHO C 36 *JUHA YLONEN 55 1 11 12 -3 10 0 1 0 0 60 1.7
PHO R 19 SHANE DOAN 33 5 6 11 -3 35 0 0 3 0 42 11.9
PHO D 5 DERON QUINT 32 4 7 11 -6 16 1 0 1 0 61 6.6
PHO C 14 MIKE STAPLETON 64 5 5 10 -4 36 1 1 1 0 69 7.2
PHO D 44 NORM MACIVER 41 2 6 8 -11 38 0 1 0 0 37 5.4
PHO L 33 JIM MCKENZIE 64 3 4 7 -7 146 0 0 0 0 35 8.6
PHO D 24 MICHEL PETIT 32 4 2 6 -4 77 1 0 0 0 34 11.8
PHO R 32 JOCELYN LEMIEUX 30 3 3 6 0 27 1 0 0 0 32 9.4
PHO D 2 MURRAY BARON 45 1 5 6 -10 106 0 0 0 0 23 4.3
PHO D 8 JIM JOHNSON 16 2 1 3 0 18 0 0 0 0 17 11.8
PHO G 35 N. KHABIBULIN 70 0 2 2 0 22 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHO R 20 JIM CUMMINS 75 0 2 2 -16 225 0 0 0 0 43 .0
PHO C 54 *DANIEL BRIERE 5 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 25.0
PHO D 55 *JASON DOIG 4 0 1 1 -4 12 0 0 0 0 1 .0
PHO D 48 *SEAN GAGNON 5 0 1 1 1 14 0 0 0 0 3 .0
PHO L 72 JEFF CHRISTIAN 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHO D 39 BRAD TILEY 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHO R 29 SCOTT LEVINS 2 0 0 0 -1 5 0 0 0 0 2 .0
PHO G 31 *SCOTT LANGKOW 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PHO G 28 JIM WAITE 17 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PIT R 68 JAROMIR JAGR 77 35 67 102 17 64 7 0 8 2 262 13.4
PIT C 10 RON FRANCIS 81 25 62 87 12 20 7 0 5 2 189 13.2
PIT C 14 STU BARNES 78 30 35 65 15 30 15 1 5 0 196 15.3
PIT D 4 KEVIN HATCHER 74 19 29 48 -3 66 13 1 3 1 169 11.2
PIT C 82 MARTIN STRAKA 75 19 23 42 -1 28 4 3 4 1 117 16.2
PIT R 44 ROB BROWN 82 15 25 40 -1 59 4 0 4 0 172 8.7
PIT D 23 FREDRIK OLAUSSON 76 6 27 33 13 42 2 0 1 0 89 6.7
PIT R 95 *ALEXEI MOROZOV 76 13 13 26 -4 8 2 0 3 0 80 16.3
PIT R 16 ED OLCZYK 56 11 11 22 -9 35 5 1 1 0 123 8.9
PIT C 20 ROBERT LANG 54 9 13 22 7 16 1 1 2 0 66 13.6
PIT C 12 SEAN PRONGER 67 6 15 21 -10 32 1 0 3 0 73 8.2
PIT L 33 ALEX HICKS 58 7 13 20 4 54 0 0 1 1 78 9.0
PIT D 5 BRAD WERENKA 71 3 15 18 15 46 2 0 0 0 50 6.0
PIT D 71 JIRI SLEGR 73 5 12 17 10 109 1 1 0 0 131 3.8
PIT C 38 ANDREAS JOHANSSON 50 5 10 15 4 20 0 1 0 0 49 10.2
PIT D 11 DARIUS KASPARAITIS 81 4 8 12 3 127 0 2 0 0 71 5.6
PIT C 15 *ROBERT DOME 30 5 2 7 -1 12 1 0 0 0 29 17.2
PIT R 57 *CHRIS FERRARO 46 3 4 7 -2 43 0 0 0 0 42 7.1
PIT C 29 TYLER WRIGHT 82 3 4 7 -3 112 1 0 0 0 46 6.5
PIT R 24 IAN MORAN 37 1 6 7 0 19 0 0 1 0 33 3.0
PIT D 2 CHRIS TAMER 79 0 7 7 4 181 0 0 0 0 55 .0
PIT D 6 NEIL WILKINSON 34 2 4 6 0 24 1 0 0 0 19 10.5
PIT L 18 GARRY VALK 39 2 1 3 -3 33 0 0 0 1 32 6.3
PIT D 42 *TUOMAS GRONMAN 22 1 2 3 3 25 1 0 1 0 33 3.0
PIT G 35 TOM BARRASSO 63 0 2 2 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PIT G 1 *PETER SKUDRA 17 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
PIT D 22 *SVEN BUTENSCHON 8 0 0 0 -1 6 0 0 0 0 4 .0
PIT G 31 KEN WREGGET 15 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 .0
SJS L 39 JEFF FRIESEN 79 31 32 63 8 40 7 6 7 0 186 16.7
SJS R 15 JOHN MACLEAN 77 16 27 43 -6 42 6 0 3 1 213 7.5
SJS R 11 OWEN NOLAN 75 14 27 41 -2 144 3 1 1 0 192 7.3
SJS C 14 *PATRICK MARLEAU 74 13 19 32 5 14 1 0 2 0 90 14.4
SJS D 2 BILL HOULDER 82 7 25 32 13 48 4 0 2 0 102 6.9
SJS C 19 *MARCO STURM 74 10 20 30 -2 40 2 0 3 0 118 8.5
SJS L 37 STEPHANE MATTEAU 73 15 14 29 4 60 1 0 2 2 79 19.0
SJS L 22 MURRAY CRAVEN 67 12 17 29 4 25 2 3 3 0 107 11.2
SJS C 9 BERNIE NICHOLLS 60 6 22 28 -4 26 3 0 0 0 81 7.4
SJS C 18 MIKE RICCI 65 9 18 27 -4 32 5 0 2 0 91 9.9
SJS L 21 TONY GRANATO 59 16 9 25 3 70 3 0 2 0 119 13.4
SJS D 10 MARCUS RAGNARSSON 79 5 20 25 -11 65 3 0 2 0 91 5.5
SJS R 17 JOE MURPHY 37 9 13 22 9 36 4 0 0 0 81 11.1
SJS D 40 MIKE RATHJE 81 3 12 15 -4 59 1 0 0 0 61 4.9
SJS D 20 *ANDREI ZYUZIN 56 6 7 13 8 66 2 0 2 0 72 8.3
SJS D 27 BRYAN MARCHMENT 61 2 11 13 -3 144 0 0 0 0 56 3.6
SJS L 28 SHAWN BURR 42 6 6 12 2 50 0 0 0 0 63 9.5
SJS D 33 MARTY MCSORLEY 56 2 10 12 10 140 0 0 0 0 46 4.3
SJS D 43 AL IAFRATE 21 2 7 9 -1 28 2 0 0 0 37 5.4
SJS C 12 RON SUTTER 57 2 7 9 -2 22 0 0 1 0 57 3.5
SJS L 26 DAVE LOWRY 57 4 4 8 -1 53 0 0 1 0 51 7.8
SJS C 27 *ALEXANDER KOROLYUK 19 2 3 5 -5 6 1 0 0 0 23 8.7
SJS D 7 *RICHARD BRENNAN 11 1 2 3 -4 2 1 0 0 0 24 4.2
SJS L 17 STEPHEN GUOLLA 7 1 1 2 -2 0 0 0 0 0 9 11.1
SJS G 29 MIKE VERNON 62 0 2 2 0 24 0 0 0 0 0 .0
SJS L 24 BARRY POTOMSKI 9 0 1 1 1 30 0 0 0 0 4 .0
SJS L 34 NIKLAS ANDERSSON 5 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 6 .0
SJS G 30 JASON MUZZATTI 7 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 .0
SJS C 16 DODY WOOD 8 0 0 0 -3 40 0 0 0 0 4 .0
SJS D 5 KEN SUTTON 21 0 0 0 -3 21 0 0 0 0 12 .0
SJS G 32 KELLY HRUDEY 28 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
STL R 16 BRETT HULL 66 27 45 72 -1 26 10 0 6 0 211 12.8
STL C 77 PIERRE TURGEON 60 22 46 68 13 24 6 0 4 0 140 15.7
STL L 14 GEOFF COURTNALL 79 31 31 62 12 94 6 0 5 0 189 16.4
STL D 28 STEVE DUCHESNE 80 14 42 56 9 32 5 1 1 0 153 9.2
STL L 38 PAVOL DEMITRA 61 22 30 52 11 22 4 4 6 1 147 15.0
STL D 2 AL MACINNIS 71 19 30 49 6 80 9 1 2 0 227 8.4
STL C 22 CRAIG CONROY 81 14 29 43 20 46 0 3 1 0 118 11.9
STL R 10 JIM CAMPBELL 76 22 19 41 0 55 7 0 6 1 147 15.0
STL D 44 CHRIS PRONGER 81 9 27 36 47 180 1 0 2 0 145 6.2
STL D 5 TODD GILL 75 13 17 30 -11 41 7 0 2 0 122 10.7
STL L 33 SCOTT PELLERIN 80 8 21 29 14 62 1 1 0 0 96 8.3
STL R 23 BLAIR ATCHEYNUM 61 11 15 26 5 10 0 1 3 0 103 10.7
STL R 27 TERRY YAKE 65 10 15 25 1 38 3 1 4 0 60 16.7
STL C 9 DARREN TURCOTTE 62 12 6 18 6 26 3 0 1 0 75 16.0
STL L 25 *PASCAL RHEAUME 48 6 9 15 4 35 1 0 0 0 45 13.3
STL C 32 MIKE EASTWOOD 58 6 5 11 -2 22 0 0 1 0 38 15.8
STL D 19 CHRIS MCALPINE 54 3 7 10 14 36 0 0 0 0 35 8.6
STL D 4 MARC BERGEVIN 81 3 7 10 -2 90 0 0 0 0 40 7.5
STL L 34 MICHEL PICARD 16 1 8 9 3 29 0 0 0 0 19 5.3
STL D 20 RUDY POESCHEK 50 1 7 8 -5 64 0 0 0 0 29 3.4
STL R 39 KELLY CHASE 67 4 3 7 10 231 0 0 1 0 29 13.8
STL D 6 *JAMIE RIVERS 59 2 4 6 5 36 1 0 1 0 53 3.8
STL L 18 TONY TWIST 60 1 1 2 -4 105 0 0 0 0 17 5.9
STL R 12 *CHRISTOPHER KENADY 5 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .0
STL G 31 GRANT FUHR 58 0 2 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 .0
STL D 43 LIBOR ZABRANSKY 6 0 1 1 -3 6 0 0 0 0 2 .0
STL D 7 RICARD PERSSON 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
STL G 30 *RICH PARENT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
STL G 29 JAMIE MCLENNAN 30 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TBL L 15 PAUL YSEBAERT 82 13 27 40 -43 32 2 1 0 0 144 9.0
TBL R 20 MIKAEL RENBERG 68 16 22 38 -37 34 6 3 0 1 175 9.1
TBL R 29 ALEXANDER SELIVANOV 70 16 19 35 -38 85 4 0 3 1 206 7.8
TBL L 44 STEPHANE RICHER 40 14 15 29 -6 41 5 0 2 0 95 14.7
TBL L 7 ROB ZAMUNER 77 14 12 26 -31 41 0 3 4 1 126 11.1
TBL C 18 DAYMOND LANGKOW 68 8 14 22 -9 62 2 0 1 0 156 5.1
TBL C 16 DARCY TUCKER 74 7 13 20 -14 146 1 1 0 0 63 11.1
TBL R 10 SANDY MCCARTHY 66 8 10 18 -19 241 1 0 1 0 94 8.5
TBL R 34 MIKAEL ANDERSSON 72 6 11 17 -4 29 0 1 1 0 105 5.7
TBL D 14 KARL DYKHUIS 78 5 9 14 -8 110 0 1 0 0 91 5.5
TBL C 64 *JASON BONSIGNORE 35 2 8 10 -11 22 0 0 0 0 29 6.9
TBL D 4 CORY CROSS 74 3 6 9 -24 77 0 1 0 0 72 4.2
TBL R 21 JODY HULL 49 4 4 8 3 8 0 1 2 0 51 7.8
TBL D 33 YVES RACINE 60 0 8 8 -23 41 0 0 0 0 76 .0
TBL C 19 BRIAN BRADLEY 14 2 5 7 -9 6 2 0 0 0 24 8.3
TBL D 6 DAVID WILKIE 34 2 5 7 -22 21 0 0 1 0 48 4.2
TBL C 79 VLADIMIR VUJTEK 30 2 4 6 -2 16 0 0 1 0 44 4.5
TBL L 17 *BRENT PETERSON 19 5 0 5 -2 2 0 0 0 0 15 33.3
TBL C 11 *STEVE KELLY 43 2 3 5 -13 23 1 0 0 0 22 9.1
TBL R 62 ANDREI NAZAROV 54 2 2 4 -13 170 0 0 0 0 50 4.0
TBL D 39 ENRICO CICCONE 39 0 4 4 -2 175 0 0 0 0 22 .0
TBL D 3 *PAVEL KUBINA 10 1 2 3 -1 22 0 0 0 0 8 12.5
TBL D 5 JASSEN CULLIMORE 28 1 2 3 -4 26 1 0 0 0 18 5.6
TBL L 36 LOUIE DEBRUSK 54 1 2 3 -2 166 0 0 0 0 14 7.1
TBL R 10 PAUL BROUSSEAU 11 0 2 2 0 27 0 0 0 0 6 .0
TBL D 27 DAVID SHAW 14 0 2 2 -2 12 0 0 0 0 12 .0
TBL C 28 COREY SPRING 8 1 0 1 -1 10 0 0 0 0 12 8.3
TBL D 2 *MIKE MCBAIN 27 0 1 1 -10 8 0 0 0 0 17 .0
TBL G 30 MARK FITZPATRICK 46 0 1 1 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TBL L 16 TROY MALLETTE 3 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TBL G 35 *DEREK WILKINSON 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TBL C 25 ALAN EGELAND 8 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 4 .0
TBL G 1 *ZAC BIERK 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TBL G 32 COREY SCHWAB 16 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TBL G 93 DAREN PUPPA 26 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TOR C 13 MATS SUNDIN 82 33 41 74 -3 49 9 1 5 1 219 15.1
TOR R 20 *MIKE JOHNSON 82 15 32 47 -4 24 5 0 0 1 143 10.5
TOR L 7 DEREK KING 77 21 25 46 -7 43 4 0 3 0 166 12.7
TOR C 22 IGOR KOROLEV 78 17 22 39 -18 22 6 3 5 0 97 17.5
TOR D 72 MATHIEU SCHNEIDER 76 11 26 37 -12 44 4 1 1 0 181 6.1
TOR L 19 FREDRIK MODIN 74 16 16 32 -5 32 1 0 4 0 137 11.7
TOR R 94 SERGEI BEREZIN 68 16 15 31 -3 10 3 0 3 1 167 9.6
TOR C 11 STEVE SULLIVAN 63 10 18 28 -8 40 1 0 1 0 112 8.9
TOR D 3 SYLVAIN COTE 71 4 21 25 -3 42 1 0 1 0 103 3.9
TOR L 17 WENDEL CLARK 47 12 7 19 -21 80 4 0 3 0 140 8.6
TOR C 18 *ALYN MCCAULEY 60 6 10 16 -7 6 0 0 1 0 77 7.8
TOR D 25 JASON SMITH 81 3 13 16 -5 100 0 0 0 0 97 3.1
TOR R 28 TIE DOMI 80 4 10 14 -5 365 0 0 0 1 72 5.6
TOR L 8 TODD WARRINER 45 5 8 13 5 20 0 0 1 0 73 6.8
TOR C 14 DARBY HENDRICKSON 80 8 4 12 -20 67 0 0 0 0 115 7.0
TOR D 36 DIMITRI YUSHKEVICH 72 0 12 12 -13 78 0 0 0 0 92 .0
TOR R 16 LONNY BOHONOS 37 5 4 9 -8 8 0 0 0 0 50 10.0
TOR D 55 *DANIIL MARKOV 25 2 5 7 0 28 1 0 0 0 15 13.3
TOR D 2 ROB ZETTLER 59 0 7 7 -8 108 0 0 0 0 28 .0
TOR L 12 KRIS KING 82 3 3 6 -13 199 0 0 2 0 53 5.7
TOR L 21 *MARTIN PROCHAZKA 29 2 4 6 -1 8 0 0 0 0 40 5.0
TOR D 38 *YANNICK TREMBLAY 38 2 4 6 -6 6 1 0 0 0 45 4.4
TOR C 16 JAMIE BAKER 13 0 5 5 1 10 0 0 0 0 16 .0
TOR D 33 *DAVID COOPER 9 0 4 4 2 8 0 0 0 0 13 .0
TOR G 31 *MARCEL COUSINEAU 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TOR D 23 *JEFF WARE 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TOR C 42 *KEVYN ADAMS 5 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 3 .0
TOR D 26 CRAIG WOLANIN 10 0 0 0 -9 6 0 0 0 0 5 .0
TOR G 30 GLENN HEALY 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
TOR G 29 FELIX POTVIN 67 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 .0
VAN R 10 PAVEL BURE 82 51 39 90 5 48 13 6 4 1 329 15.5
VAN C 11 MARK MESSIER 82 22 38 60 -10 58 8 2 2 0 139 15.8
VAN R 89 ALEXANDER MOGILNY 51 18 27 45 -6 36 5 4 1 1 118 15.3
VAN L 19 MARKUS NASLUND 76 14 20 34 5 56 2 1 0 0 106 13.2
VAN L 27 TODD BERTUZZI 74 13 20 33 -17 121 2 1 2 0 102 12.7
VAN D 21 JYRKI LUMME 74 9 21 30 -25 34 4 0 1 1 117 7.7
VAN D 2 *MATTIAS OHLUND 77 7 23 30 3 76 1 0 0 0 172 4.1
VAN D 3 BRET HEDICAN 71 3 24 27 3 79 1 0 0 1 84 3.6
VAN R 28 BRIAN NOONAN 82 10 15 25 -19 62 1 0 2 2 87 11.5
VAN C 20 *DAVE SCATCHARD 76 13 11 24 -4 165 0 0 1 1 85 15.3
VAN D 23 BRYAN MCCABE 82 4 20 24 19 209 1 1 0 0 123 3.3
VAN L 9 BRAD MAY 63 13 10 23 2 154 4 0 2 0 97 13.4
VAN C 22 PETER ZEZEL 30 5 15 20 15 2 2 0 1 0 40 12.5
VAN L 8 DONALD BRASHEAR 77 9 9 18 -9 372 0 0 1 1 64 14.1
VAN R 24 SCOTT WALKER 59 3 10 13 -8 164 0 1 1 0 40 7.5
VAN D 5 DANA MURZYN 31 5 2 7 -3 42 0 0 2 0 29 17.2
VAN R 25 STEVE STAIOS 77 3 4 7 -3 134 0 0 1 0 45 6.7
VAN D 6 ADRIAN AUCOIN 35 3 3 6 -4 21 1 0 1 0 44 6.8
VAN D 48 *BERT ROBERTSSON 30 2 4 6 2 24 0 0 0 0 19 10.5
VAN D 7 JAMIE HUSCROFT 51 0 4 4 -2 177 0 0 0 0 26 .0
VAN D 36 *CHRIS MCALLISTER 36 1 2 3 -12 106 0 0 0 0 15 6.7
VAN C 9 *LUBOMIR VAIC 5 1 1 2 -2 2 0 0 0 0 8 12.5
VAN L 7 DAVID ROBERTS 13 1 1 2 -1 4 0 0 0 0 14 7.1
VAN C 26 BRANDON CONVERY 7 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .0
VAN D 34 *JASON STRUDWICK 28 0 2 2 -2 65 0 0 0 0 8 .0
VAN G 31 COREY HIRSCH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
VAN D 27 MARK WOTTON 5 0 0 0 -2 6 0 0 0 0 3 .0
VAN L 22 *LARRY COURVILLE 11 0 0 0 -7 5 0 0 0 0 3 .0
VAN G 32 ARTURS IRBE 41 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
VAN G 30 GARTH SNOW 41 0 0 0 0 22 0 0 0 0 0 .0
WSH R 12 PETER BONDRA 76 52 26 78 14 44 11 5 13 2 284 18.3
WSH C 77 ADAM OATES 82 18 58 76 6 36 3 2 3 0 121 14.9
WSH D 6 CALLE JOHANSSON 73 15 20 35 -11 30 10 1 1 2 163 9.2
WSH L 22 STEVE KONOWALCHUK 80 10 24 34 9 80 2 0 2 0 131 7.6
WSH C 90 JOE JUNEAU 56 9 22 31 -8 26 4 1 1 0 87 10.3
WSH D 96 PHIL HOUSLEY 64 6 25 31 -10 24 4 1 0 0 116 5.2
WSH D 28 JEFF BROWN 60 4 24 28 5 32 4 0 0 0 102 3.9
WSH L 44 *RICHARD ZEDNIK 65 17 9 26 -2 28 2 0 2 0 148 11.5
WSH C 32 DALE HUNTER 82 8 18 26 1 103 0 0 1 0 82 9.8
WSH L 18 ANDREW BRUNETTE 28 11 12 23 2 12 4 0 2 2 42 26.2
WSH D 55 SERGEI GONCHAR 72 5 16 21 2 66 2 0 0 0 134 3.7
WSH L 11 ESA TIKKANEN 48 3 18 21 -11 18 1 0 2 0 67 4.5
WSH D 24 MARK TINORDI 47 8 9 17 9 39 0 1 0 0 57 14.0
WSH L 17 CHRIS SIMON 28 7 10 17 -1 38 4 0 1 0 71 9.9
WSH C 13 ANDREI NIKOLISHIN 38 6 10 16 1 14 1 0 1 0 40 15.0
WSH C 8 *JAN BULIS 48 5 11 16 -5 18 0 0 0 1 37 13.5
WSH L 27 CRAIG BERUBE 74 6 9 15 -3 189 0 0 0 0 68 8.8
WSH L 10 KELLY MILLER 76 7 7 14 -2 41 0 3 3 1 68 10.3
WSH L 9 TODD KRYGIER 45 2 12 14 -3 30 0 0 1 0 71 2.8
WSH L 21 JEFF TOMS 46 4 6 10 -17 15 0 0 1 0 69 5.8
WSH D 29 JOE REEKIE 68 2 8 10 15 70 0 0 1 0 59 3.4
WSH L 23 BRIAN BELLOWS 11 6 3 9 -3 6 5 0 2 0 26 23.1
WSH C 20 MICHAL PIVONKA 33 3 6 9 5 20 0 0 1 0 38 7.9
WSH D 19 BRENDAN WITT 64 1 7 8 -11 112 0 0 0 0 68 1.5
WSH D 2 KEN KLEE 51 4 2 6 -3 46 0 0 1 0 44 9.1
WSH L 34 *JAROSLAV SVEJKOVSKY 17 4 1 5 -5 10 2 0 1 0 29 13.8
WSH L 36 MIKE EAGLES 36 1 3 4 -2 16 0 0 0 0 25 4.0
WSH C 28 *JAN BENDA 9 0 3 3 1 6 0 0 0 0 8 .0
WSH D 38 *NOLAN BAUMGARTNER 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .0
WSH C 48 *BENOIT GRATTON 6 0 1 1 1 6 0 0 0 0 5 .0
WSH G 30 BILL RANFORD 22 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
WSH G 37 OLAF KOLZIG 64 0 1 1 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 .0
WSH C 14 PAT PEAKE 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 .0
WSH L 25 *BRAD CHURCH 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .0
WSH L 42 *DWAYNE HAY 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 .0
WSH C 26 *RYAN MULHERN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
WSH D 43 DAVID HARLOCK 6 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 2 .0
WSH D 4 STEWART MALGUNAS 8 0 0 0 1 12 0 0 0 0 5 .0
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FINAL 1997-98 GOALIE STATS
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TM NO GOALTENDER GPI MINS AVG W L T EN SO GA SA SPCT G A PIM
--- -- ---------------- --- ---- ----- -- -- -- -- -- --- ---- ----- - -- ---
ANA 67 *TOM ASKEY 7 273 2.64 0 1 2 2 0 12 113 .894 0 0 0
ANA 31 GUY HEBERT 46 2660 2.93 13 24 6 4 3 130 1339 .903 0 1 4
ANA 35 M. SHTALENKOV 40 2049 3.22 13 18 5 3 1 110 1031 .893 0 1 0
BOS 35 ROBBIE TALLAS 14 788 1.83 6 3 3 0 1 24 326 .926 0 0 0
BOS 34 BYRON DAFOE 65 3693 2.24 30 25 9 8 6 138 1602 .914 0 3 2
BOS 30 JIM CAREY 10 496 2.90 3 2 1 0 2 24 225 .893 0 0 0
BUF 39 DOMINIK HASEK 72 4220 2.09 33 23 13 3 13 147 2149 .932 0 2 12
BUF 31 *STEVE SHIELDS 16 785 2.83 3 6 4 0 0 37 408 .909 0 0 17
CGY 31 RICK TABARACCI 42 2419 2.88 13 22 6 2 0 116 1087 .893 0 1 14
CGY 30 DWAYNE ROLOSON 39 2205 2.99 11 16 8 4 0 110 997 .890 0 4 10
CGY 1 *TYLER MOSS 6 367 3.27 2 3 1 0 0 20 186 .892 0 0 0
CAR 37 TREVOR KIDD 47 2685 2.17 21 21 3 6 3 97 1238 .922 0 0 2
CAR 33 SEAN BURKE 25 1415 2.80 7 11 5 2 1 66 655 .899 0 1 6
CAR 39 PAT JABLONSKI 5 279 3.01 1 4 0 1 0 14 115 .878 0 0 0
CAR 1 KIRK MCLEAN 8 401 3.29 4 2 0 1 0 22 180 .878 0 1 0
CAR 30 *MICHAEL FOUNTAIN 3 163 3.68 0 3 0 0 0 10 68 .853 0 0 2
CHI 31 JEFF HACKETT 58 3441 2.20 21 25 11 3 8 126 1520 .917 0 0 8
CHI 40 CHRIS TERRERI 21 1222 2.41 8 10 2 4 2 49 519 .906 0 1 2
CHI 29 ANDREI TREFILOV 6 299 3.41 1 4 0 0 0 17 145 .883 0 0 0
COL 1 CRAIG BILLINGTON 23 1162 2.32 8 7 4 2 1 45 588 .923 0 0 2
COL 33 PATRICK ROY 65 3835 2.39 31 19 13 5 4 153 1825 .916 0 3 39
DAL 30 *EMMANUEL FERNANDE 2 69 1.74 1 0 0 0 0 2 35 .943 0 0 0
DAL 20 ED BELFOUR 61 3581 1.88 37 12 10 1 9 112 1335 .916 0 0 18
DAL 1 ROMAN TUREK 23 1324 2.22 11 10 1 3 1 49 496 .901 0 0 2
DET 34 *NORM MARACLE 4 178 2.02 2 0 1 0 0 6 63 .905 0 0 0
DET 30 CHRIS OSGOOD 64 3807 2.21 33 20 11 5 6 140 1605 .913 0 0 31
DET 31 *KEVIN HODSON 21 988 2.67 9 3 3 1 2 44 444 .901 0 0 2
EDM 30 BOB ESSENSA 16 825 2.55 6 6 1 2 0 35 404 .913 0 0 0
EDM 31 CURTIS JOSEPH 71 4132 2.63 29 31 9 6 8 181 1901 .905 0 2 4
FLA 34 J. VANBIESBROUCK 60 3451 2.87 18 29 11 4 4 165 1638 .899 0 3 6
FLA 30 MARK FITZPATRICK 12 640 3.00 2 7 2 0 1 32 265 .879 0 0 2
FLA 1 KIRK MCLEAN 7 406 3.25 4 2 1 0 0 22 207 .894 0 0 0
FLA 1 *KEVIN WEEKES 11 485 3.96 0 5 1 1 0 32 247 .870 0 0 0
LAK 1 *JAMIE STORR 17 920 2.22 9 5 1 0 2 34 482 .929 0 0 0
LAK 35 STEPHANE FISET 60 3497 2.71 26 25 8 4 2 158 1728 .909 0 1 8
LAK 31 FREDERIC CHABOT 12 554 3.14 3 3 2 0 0 29 267 .891 0 0 0
MTL 41 JOCELYN THIBAULT 47 2652 2.47 19 15 8 1 2 109 1109 .902 0 2 0
MTL 35 ANDY MOOG 42 2337 2.49 18 17 5 1 3 97 1024 .905 0 0 4
NJD 30 MARTIN BRODEUR 70 4128 1.89 43 17 8 4 10 130 1569 .917 0 3 10
NJD 35 RICH SHULMISTRA 1 62 1.94 0 1 0 0 0 2 30 .933 0 0 0
NJD 1 MIKE DUNHAM 15 773 2.25 5 5 3 0 1 29 332 .913 0 1 0
NJD 31 PETER SIDORKIEWIC 1 20 3.00 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 .875 0 0 0
NYI 30 WADE FLAHERTY 16 694 1.99 4 4 3 0 3 23 309 .926 0 1 0
NYI 35 TOMMY SALO 62 3461 2.64 23 29 5 9 4 152 1617 .906 0 1 31
NYI 1 ERIC FICHAUD 17 807 2.97 3 8 3 1 0 40 422 .905 0 0 0
NYR 34 *DAN CLOUTIER 12 551 2.50 4 5 1 0 0 23 248 .907 0 0 19
NYR 35 MIKE RICHTER 72 4143 2.66 21 31 15 6 0 184 1888 .903 0 1 2
NYR 30 JASON MUZZATTI 6 313 3.26 0 3 2 1 0 17 156 .891 0 0 10
OTW 31 RON TUGNUTT 42 2236 2.25 15 14 8 6 3 84 882 .905 0 0 0
OTW 1 DAMIAN RHODES 50 2743 2.34 19 19 7 3 5 107 1148 .907 0 1 0
PHI 27 RON HEXTALL 46 2688 2.17 21 17 7 2 4 97 1089 .911 0 0 10
PHI 30 GARTH SNOW 29 1651 2.43 14 9 4 0 1 67 682 .902 0 0 18
PHI 33 SEAN BURKE 11 632 2.56 7 3 0 0 1 27 311 .913 0 0 0
PHO 28 JIM WAITE 17 793 2.12 5 6 1 1 1 28 322 .913 0 0 2
PHO 35 N. KHABIBULIN 70 4026 2.74 30 28 10 4 4 184 1835 .900 0 2 22
PHO 31 *SCOTT LANGKOW 3 137 4.38 0 1 1 0 0 10 60 .833 0 0 0
PIT 1 *PETER SKUDRA 17 851 1.83 6 4 3 2 0 26 341 .924 0 1 2
PIT 35 TOM BARRASSO 63 3542 2.07 31 14 13 8 7 122 1556 .922 0 2 14
PIT 31 KEN WREGGET 15 611 2.75 3 6 2 2 0 28 293 .904 0 0 6
SJS 29 MIKE VERNON 62 3564 2.46 30 22 8 2 5 146 1401 .896 0 2 24
SJS 32 KELLY HRUDEY 28 1360 2.74 4 16 2 4 1 62 600 .897 0 0 2
SJS 30 JASON MUZZATTI 1 27 4.44 0 0 0 0 0 2 13 .846 0 0 0
STL 30 *RICH PARENT 1 12 .00 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1.000 0 0 0
STL 29 JAMIE MCLENNAN 30 1658 2.17 16 8 2 1 2 60 618 .903 0 0 4
STL 31 GRANT FUHR 58 3274 2.53 29 21 6 5 3 138 1354 .898 0 2 6
TBL 93 DAREN PUPPA 26 1456 2.72 5 14 6 6 0 66 660 .900 0 0 6
TBL 32 COREY SCHWAB 16 821 2.92 2 9 1 2 1 40 370 .892 0 0 2
TBL 30 MARK FITZPATRICK 34 1938 3.16 7 24 1 5 1 102 975 .895 0 1 14
TBL 35 *DEREK WILKINSON 8 311 3.28 2 4 1 1 0 17 148 .885 0 0 0
TBL 1 *ZAC BIERK 13 433 4.16 1 4 1 0 0 30 210 .857 0 0 0
TOR 31 *MARCEL COUSINEAU 2 17 .00 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1.000 0 0 0
TOR 29 FELIX POTVIN 67 3864 2.73 26 33 7 4 5 176 1882 .906 0 0 8
TOR 30 GLENN HEALY 21 1068 2.98 4 10 2 4 0 53 453 .883 0 0 0
VAN 32 ARTURS IRBE 41 1999 2.73 14 11 6 3 2 91 982 .907 0 0 2
VAN 30 GARTH SNOW 12 504 3.10 3 6 0 0 0 26 262 .901 0 0 4
VAN 33 SEAN BURKE 16 838 3.51 2 9 4 1 0 49 396 .876 0 1 14
VAN 1 KIRK MCLEAN 29 1583 3.68 6 17 4 1 1 97 800 .879 0 0 0
VAN 31 COREY HIRSCH 1 50 6.00 0 0 0 0 0 5 34 .853 0 0 0
WSH 37 OLAF KOLZIG 64 3788 2.20 33 18 10 5 5 139 1729 .920 0 1 12
WSH 30 BILL RANFORD 22 1183 2.79 7 12 2 3 0 55 555 .901 0 1 0
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