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More Stuff... by Michael Dell, Editor-in-Chief
GRETZKY GO? GRETZKY GONE It was also nice to see Gary Bettman get booed. That little weasel has it comin'. Here's just an idea, but how about we make Gretzky the commissioner of the NHL? Maybe then the game can return to its true greatness. And then Bettman can leave and go wherever little corporate whores go when not chasing slips of green paper at the expense of a sport's integrity. But Bettman wasn't even the biggest crank at the ceremony. That honor goes to Mark Messier. How gay were those blue sunglasses? He looked like some twisted cross between Uncle Fester and Andy Warhol. Or, in other words, Paul Shaffer. Was it conjunctivitis? Mark, did you have the pink eye? Or were you just trying to be fashionable? Because I'd be willing to forgive if you had the pink eye. Otherwise, you're a big dork. Show some respect. It's Gretzky's last game, not a barbecue. And you were born in Edmonton, damn it, not Soho! People from Edmonton don't wear blue sunglasses! I think Messier is forgetting who he is. First he bails on his Ranger teammates for money and now this. The guy needs a beating. And not just with the ugly stick this time. The game itself was pretty entertaining. Gretzky had a decent effort. He made a couple good plays. But Jaromir Jagr's overtime winner, where he freaked Brian Leetch and Mike Richter with an explosive barrage of quick moves, stole the show. That was sick. Jagr apologized to Gretzky after the game, telling the Great One that he "didn't mean to." That's funny stuff. Afterwards, I was a little concerned about Gretzky trying on all the wacky hats that were thrown on the ice during his victory laps. Doesn't he know that's how lice spreads? I'm just glad no one threw down a pair of pants. Because I don't think we need to see that.
GRETZKY OR LEMIEUX? Seeing Lemieux at Gretzky's final game was pretty cool. But it once again brought to mind the eternal question of who's better. Answer: Lemieux. Take both players at their prime and it's not even close. And I'm not just saying that because I'm strictly pro-Mario. I like myself some Gretzky. Hell, I'm the guy that invented the catch phrase "Yee-haw! I'm Wayne Gretzky! Yee-haw!" So I'm looking at this issue from both sides. And the answer is Lemieux. Gretzky was an unbelievable player. I'm not trying to take anything away from him. But Lemieux was better. There's no disgrace in that. Lemieux was better than everybody. Even Johnny Cullen. I never had the opportunity to watch Gretzky night in and night out during the mid-80s when he was at his best, but I have seen my share of old tapes. And he was a bad man. No doubt. The only problem is that all his 200-point seasons and earlier scoring accomplishments should come with a an asterisk. See, back then, goaltenders sucked. No disrespect, but they were awful. This was before bulky equipment, before the modern masks, and before any of them knew what they were doing. The term "butterfly goaltender" hadn't even been invented yet. It was kind of pathetic actually. A wrist shot from the blue line was a dangerous scoring chance. And oh yeah, when Gretzky came into the league, some teams were still wearing long pants. Oh boy. To me, anything before like 1990-91 is questionable. That's when the Europeans really started to make their mark on the sport, driving the league's overall talent level up dramatically. The early 90s also witnessed a revolution in the world of goaltending. By that time netminders started to catch on to the butterfly technique popularized by Patrick Roy. They also began playing the puck much more often outside the crease, following the example set forth by Ron Hextall in the late 80s. Then the likes of Ed Belfour and Felix Potvin came around and furthered the position's development, making goal a high-profile gig. Consider the improvements in equipment, and even an average goaltender by today's standards is better than the best goaltender of the mid-80s. If Lemieux, at his best, would have played during that period, he would have scored 300 points a season. Notice that I said Lemieux at his best. Because I realize that wasn't always the case. He was forced to play a large portion of his career with crippling back pain. So I can understand when some people doubt Lemieux's superiority to Gretzky. If you didn't live in the Pittsburgh area and only got a chance to see Mario play once or twice a year, and it just so happened that it was on a night when his back was out, I could see how you'd question his brilliance. When his back was bothering him Lemieux would sometimes appear lazy since he lacked the strength in his legs to skate. He'd be forced to play a peripheral game, passing the puck from the boards and rarely making decisive plays all by himself. So I guess he sort of looked like Gretzky has the past six or seven years. But when Mario was healthy, he had no peers. Anyone who witnessed Lemieux during the golden year of 1992-93 knows who the best player in the history of the planet was. If not for cancer, Mario would have shattered all of Gretzky's scoring records that year. As it is, Lemieux is still the only player in the history of the NHL to average over two points a game (2.01), collecting 1494 points in 745 career games. He also owns the highest goals-per- game average (.82), scoring 613 goals in his 745 career contests. Those numbers would be even more gaudy had he not missed so many games due to injury throughout his prime scoring years. Gretzky may have quantity, but Lemieux has quality. Mario also knew when to call it quits. He retired at the age of 32 before things got silly. Lemieux's last season saw him score 50 goals. Gretzky ended the 1998-99 campaign with nine. Pro-Gretzky people can argue their hero all they want, but in the end it comes down to one question: Name one thing that Gretzky could do that Lemieux couldn't? I'll save you some time, there's nothing Gretzky could do that Lemieux couldn't. Lemieux was simply a bigger, faster, stronger version of Gretzky. But even that doesn't truly do Lemieux justice. For Mario was a much better goal-scorer. Gretzky was an unbelievable playmaker that had a natural ability to finish scoring chances when they presented themselves, but he relied on the four other guys on the ice to help him get those chances. No one used his teammates better than Gretzky, but few were as dependent as well. Lemieux didn't need anyone's help to score goals. He was the best one- on-one player to ever lace up the skates. If the chance wasn't there, he'd create it by barging around defenders with power or slipping through them with finesse. Gretzky couldn't score the goals Lemieux scored. It just wasn't in his game. But Lemieux could do everything Gretzky did, and then some. Don't forget, during the Stanley Cup years Lemieux was also the best defensive player in hockey. And that assessment is shared by none other than Scotty Bowman. Ask him. Go 'head. Ask him. While there is no question in my mind that Lemieux was the better player, he never would have reached such heights had it not been for Gretzky. Lemieux himself admits that Gretzky was the person who taught him how to win during the 1987 Canada Cup. That was the turning point of Lemieux's career. He was a completely different player after that tournament. Without Wayne showing him the way, Lemieux never would have become the dominant player he became. Mario also had the benefit of watching Gretzky for several years before entering the league. He could witness Gretzky's creativity and then build upon it. It's simple evolution, really. It's doubtful we'll ever see another player with the talent of either Gretzky or Lemieux, but if such a gifted young man does come along, he will have the chance to be better than both of them simply because they already existed. Gretzky will always hold a special place in the hearts and minds of most hockey fans because he was the sport's first true genius. He was the Great One. But Lemieux was the Greatest One.
I CAME HOME FOR THIS? Fleury returned home to Calgary on April 15 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. The reception was, well, uneventful. It was as if all of Calgary got together and decided to ignore its former hero. The Avalanche held a news conference the day before the game to try and counter the expected media frenzy, but no one showed up. There was no onslaught of crazed media. There were no throngs of adoring fans. During the game there were a few applause, a few boos, but all in all it was a whole lot of nothin'. Just one big cold shoulder to the little big man that used to ignite the Flames. But Fleury got off easy compared to Chelios, who returned to the United Center as a member of the Detroit Red Wings on April 17 to a less than favorable response rom the Chicago faithful. Chelios thought about skipping the game, since he was nursing a sore groin and could have used the rest before the playoffs, but decided to play because it was fan appreciation day in Chicago. Well, the fans had a unique way of showing their appreciation. Chelios was booed every time he touched the puck. The former Blackhawk captain appeared to be shaken by the harsh treatment. He played about three minutes in the first period and all of about 16 seconds in the middle frame before calling it a night. I can sort of understand the reaction Fleury received. He made it clear that he was going to test the free agent waters, forcing the cash-strapped Flames to trade him. You can't really blame Theo, I mean the Flames are going nowhere and this will be his last chance to cash in, but it could still be seen as selling out. Even so, he should have received a warmer welcome. He was the Flames. Without him Calgary could have closed up shop years ago. Plus, he's like a midget. His life's been hard enough, what with never being able to ride the bumper cars and all. As for Chicago, there's no excuse for how the fans treated Chelios. It wasn't like he asked to be traded. He wanted to retire a Blackhawk. I'm all for booing the hell out of the Red Wings, lord knows they're a bunch of punks, but an exception should have been made in Chelios' case. People of Chicago better get wise. They better get to church.
JERSEY SWITCH Here are the teams that will be represented by each company: CCM Pro Player Atlanta Philadelphia Carolina San Jose Dallas St. Louis Detroit Tampa Bay Los Angeles Toronto Nashville Vancouver NY Islanders Washington Ottawa Florida Anaheim Minnesota Boston Montreal Buffalo New Jersey Calgary NY Rangers Chicago Phoenix Colorado Pittsburgh Columbus Edmonton
COOLNESS UPDATE Time was running out in the game and Demitra was sitting at 89 points for the season. One more point and he'd earn a $500,000 bonus from the Blue Note. So when the Kings pulled their goaltender, Demitra had a golden opportunity to cash in. He had the puck and an empty net staring at him, but before he pulled the trigger he noticed teammate Scott Young joining the play. Young was one goal shy of a bonus himself. His 25th goal of the season would have meant $300,000. Demitra, wanting to share the wealth, passed up his own shot and moved the puck to Young. Aw, that's a true blue teammate. Unfortunately, both players lost out on the coin when King defenseman Jaroslav Modry blocked Young's shot. Hard to get happy after that one. Modry makes one good play in his life and it costs Demitra and Young a combined $800,000. Yeah, that'll suck. The story gets worse for Demitra. Earlier in the game he lost an assist because of the punk-ass goal crease rule. And over the course of the season the Slovakian winger had six goals waived for similar infractions. When asked to explain his decision in passing the puck to Young, Demitra merely replied, "He needed a goal." Now that's cool.
TOP TEN COOLEST PLAYERS TOP TEN LEAST COOLEST PLAYERS
1. Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
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