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

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

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

Ed Belfour by Meredith Martini

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

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

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

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

Derian Hatcher by Meredith Martini

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

3. Mike Modano, Dallas Stars (23-5-18-23): Mikey Mo proved something to the entire hockey world when he played the last four games of the finals with a broken wrist. And it wasn't like the injury was kept a secret, either. Everyone knew it was broken. That meant he was getting slashed and run on every possible occasion. But he took all the abuse and kept right on producing, recording assists on Dallas' final five goals of the series. If Modano would have sat out, there's no way in hell Dallas would have won the Cup.

2. Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche (19-8-16-24): From Game Three of the Detroit series through Game Five against Dallas, Forsberg was just on another planet. It was almost silly how much better he was than everyone else. He was still extremely solid in Games Six and Seven against Dallas, but he just couldn't beat the Stars by himself. Although, it would have helped if he had two healthy shoulders. Forsberg, who led the postseason in scoring with 24 points, will undergo surgery on his left shoulder and will be out of action for four to six months. The injury occurred when Richard Matvichuk ran him from behind into the boards during Game Four. But Petey wasn't scared to get right back up and keep playing. Then he abused Matvichuk one-on- one in Game Five to set up a goal. That's why he is, without doubt, the best player in the world.

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

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