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Calling it Quits the Right Decision
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By Jim Iovino
One thought kept popping up in Wayne Gretzky's mind during the past
few weeks:
It's time.
While no one wanted to see hockey's greatest player retire from the
game he loved, many knew - including Gretzky himself - that time
had come for The Great One to step aside.
Gretzky couldn't have been more right. The greatest player in the
world scored just nine goals and 52 assists this season. That's a
far cry from the NHL-record 215 points he recorded in his heyday
during the 1980s. Sure, this isn't the same NHL as it was back
then. There were only three 100-point scorers in the league this
year. But the signs of Gretzky slowing down have been apparent for
the past couple of seasons.
The scoring numbers haven't been there. Neither has the energy.
Even during the first game this season, Gretzky looked tired and
worn out. One particular shot on ESPN of Gretzky during the
Rangers' first game against the Philadelphia Flyers told the
story. After play stopped early in the game, the cameras caught a
glimpse of Wayne leaning on the Rangers net, huffing and puffing
and looking as if it was the last game of the season. It was
obvious the years of scoring had taken their toll on The Great One.
It was sad to see Gretzky looking so old and so ragged in the first
game of the year. Upon viewing that shot of him, one had to feel
that this would be the last go-round for No. 99.
Gretzky was no longer Gretzky. He wasn't scoring the points. He
wasn't winning. But most important was the fact that he wasn't
dominating the game like he once did.
By the end of the season, it was clear Gretzky had had enough.
"I'm at peace of mind," Gretzky said. "It's the right decision.
This is the right time. As I said this was not something that was
decided in a week. I've thought about this for a long time.
"I just started to feel the fatigue mentally and physically that
I've never felt before. I started questioning myself about it."
This season had to be particularly frustrating for Gretzky. Not
only did his team not make the playoffs, but he had the worst year
statistically of his career. His total of nine goals was the worst
of his NHL career, and the fewest goals he scored since he was 12
years old.
Gretzky desperately wanted to lead the Rangers into the playoffs.
It was the reason he went to New York in the first place. It was
supposed to be his stage. He wanted to tell his teammmates to
climb on his back and enjoy the ride to postseason magic.
Unfortunately, Gretzky found he was no longer able to carry a team,
no matter how much desire he showed. The skills and stamina were
no longer there.
As the season went along, Gretzky slowed down more and more. The
images of the greatest hockey player in the world sitting on the
bench in pain with a heating pad wrapped around his neck were hard
to swallow.
No one wants to remember Gretzky's career like that. They'd rather
remember him for the four Stanley Cups he won in Edmonton or the
brilliant playoff run he had in Los Angeles. That's also what
Gretzky wants people to remember him for.
"You know, as I said to (Rangers coach) John (Muckler) on Tuesday, I
want to be remembered - especially in his mind and to the hockey
fans, that when he looked at me that I was contributing the way he
always envisioned. That's why it's time to leave now -- because he
still taps me on the shoulder."
Comments like those remind many of another NHL superstar who left
the game a few years ago. Mario Lemieux left the game in his early
30s. He exited the same year he won an Art Ross Trophy for the
league's top scorer. Lemieux could have played several more
seasons, but he didn't want to be an average player, or
above-average for that matter. Lemieux wanted people to remember
him when he was on the top of his game.
Lemieux, who surprised Gretzky by showing up at his last game
despite calling and telling him he couldn't make it the night
before, said he almost cried several times during Gretzky's final
skate around Madison Square Garden. But Lemieux said he was happy
Gretzky decided to retire when he did.
"It's always a year too soon when you see a great player retire," he
said after the game. "You always think they can play until they're 40
or 45 years old. But there comes a time when you step back and
realize that maybe you're not the player you were years ago. That's
always frustrating for a great athlete."
Even though Gretzky knew it was time to leave the game he loved, he
still struggled with the realization that he had played his last
National Hockey League game. Nearly an hour after the overtime
loss to the Penguins, Gretzky was still in full uniform, shoulder
pads, jersey, pants and all, when he addressed a room full of media
members. It seemed like the man who spent most of the last 35
years in a hockey jersey didn't want to take it off for the final
time.
"Probably subconsciously I don't want to take it off," Gretzky
said. "I'm not gonna put it on ever again. It's hard. It's hard to
take it off right now. I have to be honest with you. I don't want
to take it off.
"You know, I said a million times, I was a boy that happened to
love a game and got lucky that the good Lord gave me a passion for
it. And I happen to follow some boyhood idols who were great NHL
players. And I said many times, everything I have in my life I
owe to the National Hockey League. I wouldn't have anything without
it."
Wear the jersey as long as you want, Wayne. You might not have had
anything without the National Hockey League, but the NHL would have
been nothing without you.
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CREDITS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Dell..................................Editor-in-Chief
Zippy............................................Computer Boy
Jim Iovino.......................................Ace Reporter
Matthew Secosky..............New Voice of the Lost Generation
Nicole Agostino....Don't Know Nothin' Bout Birthin' No Babies
Alex Carswell...........................Anaheim Correspondent
Matt Brown...............................Boston Correspondent
Matt Barr...............................Buffalo Correspondent
John Alsedek............................Calgary Correspondent
Chris Schilling........................Carolina Correspondent
Thomas Crawford.........................Chicago Correspondent
Greg D'Avis............................Colorado Correspondent
Jim Panenka..............................Dallas Correspondent
Dino Cacciola...........................Detroit Correspondent
Aubrey Chau............................Edmonton Correspondent
Vacant..................................Florida Correspondent
Matt Moore..........................Los Angeles Correspondent
Jacques Robert.........................Montreal Correspondent
Jeff Middleton........................Nashville Correspondent
Carmen Crincoli......................New Jersey Correspondent
David Strauss.........................Islanders Correspondent
Gregg Jensen............................Rangers Correspondent
The Nosebleeders........................Ottawa Correspondents
Chuck Michio.......................Philadelphia Correspondent
Bob Chebat..............................Phoenix Correspondent
Jerry Fairish........................Pittsburgh Correspondent
Tom Cooper............................St. Louis Correspondent
AJ DaSilva.............................San Jose Correspondent
Seth Lerman...........................Tampa Bay Correspondent
Jonah Sigel.............................Toronto Correspondent
Jeff Dubois...........................Vancouver Correspondent
Jason Sheehan........................Washington Correspondent
Tricia McMillan.............................AHL Correspondent
Peter Farkasovsky...............................Correspondent
Howard Fienberg.................................Correspondent
Wallace Hannum..................................Correspondent
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LCS Hockey - Issue 118 - April 21, 1999. All rights reserved
because we, like, called ahead and stuff. Email address:
info@lcshockey.com Street Address: 406 Sheffield Drive,
Greensburg, PA 15601. Web Address: www.lcshockey.com
Direct Address: Something from the meat case, Linda?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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The Greatest Canadian (and American) Hero
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by Tom Cooper
Every boy wants to grow up to be just like his hero.
A boy may want to be just like his father, or just like the
firefighter he saw save a child from a burning house.
Wayne Gretzky was no exception to that rule of innocence and youth.
He wanted to be just like his hero -- Gordie Howe. So, he worked
toward the goal.
He practiced. He skated eight hours a day. It was on the frozen
water of a backyard rink behind his boyhood home in Brantford,
Ontario that he practiced, skating in circles, passing the puck to
Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, who, although invisible to his
on-looking father, were in the flesh to him.
At the tender age of 8, his hockey prowess was gaining national
attention. He was dominating youth league after youth league.
At age 10, he scored 378 times in Brantford's local atom league -- a
record that still stands today and may never be seriously
threatened.
Age 14 saw national fame for Gretzky. Participating in the
International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament in Quebec, the young centre
was constantly hounded by autograph seekers, all of whom sought a
souvenir to remember the time they saw the future of hockey play.
He played Tier II junior hockey at 14. He played major junior hockey
when he was 15. He dominated both levels.
It was only appropriate that he took the next step -- turning pro.
That was accomplished at age 17 when he signed a deal with
Indianapolis of the now-defunct World Hockey Association. Three
goals and three assist was all he was able to muster in eight games
with the Racers until the financially strapped club was forced to
sell the future of the game to the Edmonton Oilers.
The rest is hockey history.
Including the playoffs, he scored 53 goals and helped on 71 others
in 85 games with the Oilers in their final season in the World
Association.
The next year, the WHA folded and four teams, including Edmonton,
merged into the NHL. And thus the assault on some of hockey's most
sacred records began.
In the next 15 of 16 complete seasons (those not interrupted by
lock-outs), Gretzky scored more than 100 points. Four times his
point total topped the 200-plateau. In 20 seasons, he rewrote the
NHL record book.
894 National Hockey League goals. 1,963 NHL assists. 2,857 points.
61 NHL records. He has more assists than any other player has
points.
"The Great One" is an understatement.
But, as he saw his point total diminishing and felt his back
bringing him more and more pain, the boy prodigy decided it was the
right time to hang up his skates.
Now, it will be debated forever whether or not he retired too early.
Some will say he had another two or three years in him. Some will
blame Neil Smith and the Rangers for his leaving the game, since they
failed to qualify for the post-season during Gretzky's final two
years.
Whatever the argument, when all was said and done, and Jaromir Jagr
scored 1:22 into overtime, the greatest career in the history of
hockey was just that -- history.
And Wayne Gretzky skated around the ice at Madison Square Gardens
for the final time.
He skated with the right side of an NHL sweater tucked in for the
last time.
He skated as a professional for the last time.
The boy from Brantford, Ontario who had spent 35 years in hockey had
given up the game he loved.
But, for a moment, Gretzky's final moment, hockey was the most
important game in the world.
Everybody who cared about sports tuned into CBC or FOX to see his
final game. The game whose popularity Gretzky built was suddenly
the most popular game anywhere.
The whole world was watching. They watched him pick up an assist on a
defenseman's goal in his last game just like in his first game
(Kevin Lowe's goal in '79, Brian Leetch's goal in '99).
They applauded his victory lap after the game.
They watched his career end.
After 20 years in the NHL, Gretzky didn't just live up to the career
of his boyhood idol, who he followed game in and game out -- he
surpassed it. He surpassed a career that many thought was
unsurpassable.
But that's Wayne Gretzky. That's the man who was destined for hockey
immortality when he was an 8-year-old boy.
That is why he will forever be known simply as "The Great One."
He is now and will forever the idol of many a boy and girl who
skates in a local rink or on winter's frozen canals, lake, and
rivers.
They will imitate his every move. Imagine themselves racing down the
wing with "The Great Gretzky" matching stride for stride, eager for
their pass that will win Lord Stanley's Cup.
They will aim for a career as great as number 99's.
But they will not make it.
For nobody who is growing up now, no matter how hard they try, will
ever surpass the greatest career of all time.
The career of "The Great One."
Wayne Gretzky.
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From Edmonton, With Love
--------------------------------------------------------------------
by Aubrey Chau
Wayne Gretzky was not only the best hockey player to ever lace `em
up. He was also hockey's greatest ambassador.
His skills were what made him great, but his humility was what made
him special. He will be remembered for more than just the magic he
weaved on the ice, but also what he did off it.
Gretzky was known as being one of the most gracious, polite stars of
any sport. In a day of Dennis Rodman and Mike Tyson, Wayne was
still down to earth and behaved like a gentleman, always saying the
right thing.
He always had time for an autograph and time to visit with his
admirers. And that's what made him stick with the fans. Wayne was
always one to think about others first and himself second.
That even translated onto the ice, where he became the best passer
the game will ever see. He passed the puck unselfishly to
teammates as well as the credit. Gretz always remembered who
helped make him who he was.
Even at the end, Wayne was diplomatic. He acknowledged that his
success was magnified by the team around him, the Edmonton Oilers
of the 1980's. Players like Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier
and even Dave Semenko helped shape his career. He admitted he owed
parts of his success to these players and his coaches, Glen Sather
and John Muckler.
Gretz was the centrepiece to hockey's greatest team -- the Oilers
were the most dominant team of the eighties. They could win at
will. You'll never see a team like that again.
As he rewrote the NHL's record books, Gretzky still never felt that
the game of hockey owed him. He did his part for the NHL and gave
his team and the league 100 percent.
That's what separates Gretzky from Lemieux. Gretzky never thought
of himself as bigger than the league. That's why people love him.
Of course, Gretz did have luck on his side. Unlike Lemieux, Gretzky
never had to battle significant injuries. Lemieux did. For the most
part, Wayne had a healthy career. And who knows, could that be
attributed to luck?
He was always considered too small to play the game and succeed.
Many hockey pundits didn't think the Great One had what it took to
make in the NHL due to his lack of size. But smarts and of course
bodyguards (like Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley) helped keep Wayne
from being bullied and injured.
Sememko, of course was kindly thanked about 12 years ago at an
All-Star game when Wayne won the game MVP and a new car. He had so
many cars, he gave it to Semenko.
Even now, Gretzky downplays the significance of his career and said
that were today's stars (Paul Kariya, Jaromir Jagr, Eric Lindros
and Peter Forsberg) playing in the high-scoring mid- eighties that
they would surely challenge his point totals.
That forever typifies Wayne Gretzky's attitude to life and to
hockey. The NHL, the hockey world and the fans (especially in
Edmonton) forever owe him for what he's done for the game and his
impact on our lives.
For that, thank you Wayne. Thanks for the Cups, the beautiful goals
and the beautiful moments.
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My Brush with Greatness
-----------------------------------------------------------------
by Dino Cacciola
You grow up as a young kid playing sports whenever you get the
chance.
I would play baseball all day long in the summer, throw the football
around in the fall and fire the puck around all winter long. And I
did it because I loved the games. I did it because I had fun. I did
it for the passion.
All along, no matter what game I was playing, I would grab the bat
and pretend I was George Brett in the World Series. I would throw
the football as if I were Joe Montana in the Super Bowl. And I
would stickhandle with the puck like Wayne Gretzky. Well, at least
I tried to do that.
It was fun thinking that in some way I could be like him. Little
did I know at the time that I would wish to be like him for many
years to come.
I recall watching my favorite team at the time, the Islanders,
dominate the NHL for four years. I remember them sweeping the
high-powered Oilers to win their fourth Cup. I recall the talk
around school between my classmates and I was that teams needed to
hit Gretzky. That no one hit him and he was left to roam the ice
free.
Looking back, it was nothing less then myself and the others really
not knowing or understanding what hockey was all about, let alone
what Gretzky was all about. His game wasn't about hitting or getting
hit. It was the opposite. It was to score goals and set them up. And
he could do it like no other. I really opened my eyes to the Oilers
with that first Cup win over the Islanders. They were an offensive
machine that was very hard to beat. Their European-style of play with
all that passing was something awesome in my mind.
Here I was, a young kid in Hockeytown being exposed to some pretty
bad hockey, yet I was watching this high-powered Oilers team
simply dominate. What a contrast in play between the Red Wings of
the early 1980s and the Oilers. Oh how I wished the Red Wings would
play like the Oilers. So in any event, I watched The Great One as
much as I could. I watched in awe of his greatness. I would marvel
at the records he broke. It seemed as though it would never end.
The scoring and the assists would go on and on.
In my mind he was more than Great. He was like a god sent down from
hockey heaven to save the game. He was my hero. I know it sounds
corny and all, and I know having heroes these days isn't looked
upon with any respect. In my mind there was something special about
No. 99.
It was 1985 and the Oilers were coming to the Joe Louis Arena for a
game against the Red Wings. I was lucky enough to go to the game
with some friends. There was an electricity in the air that I
never felt at the arena until the recent Detroit Stanley Cup runs.
The Oilers were in town and everyone wanted to see the phenom Wayne
Gretzky. So before the game I went to the Oilers side to watch the
pregame warm-up.
I had a program in hand, with Wayne on the cover. Much to my
surprise, Wayne went along the boards and signed every program,
poster, and whatever each fan had for him to sign. He came by and
signed my program. Wow! I was floored. I could not believe I got
his autograph. I thought it was the coolest thing this superstar
hockey player would do for the fans. And I'm sure he did it in all
the arenas as well, but to me it was special. What a great gesture
and show of class by this great athlete. This in a day when
athletes are criticized for not being fan friendly or being only
about money. This was like coming in contact with Babe Ruth,
Muhammad Ali, or Michael Jordan.
A few years later Wayne was in town at a local bookstore promoting
his new book. So without much hesitation I decided to go and
perhaps get his autograph. I was wearing my new black Kings jersey
and was very anxious to see him. I snuck a hockey card into the
book that I presented him in line, hoping maybe he would sign the
card, too. Well he opens the book and grabs the card. He signs the
book, and he says to me, "I can't sign this card, but would you like
me to sign your jersey?" Well immediately I said yes! I don't know
how I could even speak, but I know that I did. I felt like Cliff
Claven after meeting a beautiful woman, stuttering and not making
any sense.
Ok, so I'm exaggerating a bit, but I was very excited and blown
away. There were thousands of people in line and he took the extra
effort in signing my jersey. Wow, what a thrill to have the Great
One sign my jersey. I was so emotionally high on that ride home
from the experience I could not stop smiling. It is a day I will
never forget.
The next time the Kings came to town, I went to the game with a
drawing that I had made in hopes that he would sign it as well. I
knew the odds were against it but I wanted my idol to see what I
had made in his honor. Well, unfortunately there was a huge
snowstorm that night and I missed the entire first period. I was a
little disappointed, but I was ok with it all. I had the
opportunity to watch him play the rest of the game and that was a
treat in itself.
I would go on to wear No. 99 on my various hockey teams and even
softball teams. Not that I still wished I was like him on the talent
side, but it was more of an acknowledgement and perhaps homage to my
idol. He was the best, and yeah, of course I wanted to emulate him in
some way. Wearing his number is perhaps the closest in that regard
that I could ever get.
To this day I argue with many fans about the Greatness of Gretzky.
They give me the same arguments over and over. They say well if he
were in the Original Six he would have not had as many points. Well
the point is he wasn't in the Original Six and he didn't have to
worry about that.
In the time he played, no matter how diluted the talent may have
been, he superceded all others by a wide margin. Gordie Howe said
that Wayne would still be one of the league leaders in scoring even
in the old days. Mostly because of the way he sees the game and
what not. People will always have their favorites of course.
Living here in Hockeytown, Gordie Howe is God. Seems if you are
over 40 Bobby Orr is the best ever. If you are 50 and older Gordie
was the man. If you are under 30, Steve Yzerman or Mario Lemieux
are the best.
Whatever the case, to deny Gretzky his due is being short sighted.
No, he did not hit. He didn't have to. Yes, when he could get
caught he would get hit and he was hit often. No, he didn't fight.
He couldn't with his size. No he wasn't the best forechecker
around, because his offense was his best defense. I think the
stats speak for themselves, and it will never take anything away
from Orr, Lemieux, or Howe. He was and is the Great One. I could
see the Webster Dictionary editing the definition of the word
great: to state Great: See Wayne Gretzky.
At one of his final press conferences Wayne said that he was
thankful that God gave him the talent to perform at the level he
did. He also said that maybe his success was all due to the passion
he had for the game. That to me, says it all. The passion! He isn't
super human by any means. Here is a guy that off the ice is
terrified of flying. Yet on the ice he was super.
I'm happy to say that I was lucky enough to see him play. I was
lucky enough for a few brief moments in time, I came in contact
with the Great One.
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Memories of Gretzky
----------------------------------------------------------------
by LCS Hockey
In the wake of Wayne Gretzky's retirement, we've collected the
following memories of number 99 to share with you, our valued
readers:
"As a young boy growing up in Edmonton in the mid-eighties, it's
hard not to idolize Wayne Gretzky as a god. We all dreamed of
racing down the ice to score that winning goal to capture the
Stanley Cup. But my most memorable Gretzky moment was when he
got traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
I was about 10 years old at the time, and I was in my parent's
car listening to the radio at about three on a sunny summer
afternoon and I felt as if I had been betrayed. How could they
trade Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player ever, was the
question racing through my mind.
My little pre-adolescent mind was racing and couldn't comprehend
how or why he would be traded. I got over it, but that day was
in my mind forever."
-- Aubrey Chau, Edmonton correspondent
"I'll never forget the time Gretzky scored the winning goal with
like 13 seconds left in regulation of Game One of the 1991-92
Stanley Cup Finals against Chicago. That was awesome. Oh wait a
minute, that wasn't Gretzky, that was Mario Lemieux. Okay, well
there was that time in the playoffs against Boston when he kept
the pulling the puck through Ray Bourque's skates the whole way
up ice before finally blowing right around him and then piping a
wrist shot over Andy Moog's glove. Now that was incredible.
Come to think of it, that was Lemieux. Well I'll be damned. How
about the time he split the Minnesota defense and... no, that was
Lemieux. Who's this 'Wayne Gretzky' fellow again?"
-- Michael Dell, Editor-in-Chief
"My favorite Gretzky moment was being in the San Jose Arena when
he tied Gordie Howe's goal-scoring record in a game against the
Sharks when he was an LA King. He scored the tying goal of the
game with just a few seconds left, and at first the crowd was
quiet. But then when everybody realized what had just happened,
the whole crowd got on its feet and gave him a very long standing
ovation. That was very cool."
-- A.J. DaSilva, San Jose correspondent
"1. I am at basketball camp in Worcester, Mass., listening to the
morning sports...they talk about the Red Sox, the Patriots
training camp getting ready to go, minor league baseball, oh yeah
and by the way - Wayne Gretzky was traded yesterday to the Los
Angeles Kings, now to traffic.
2. Gretzky calls the New Jersey Devils a 'Mickey Mouse
organization' and the ice gets showered with Mickey Mouse dolls
during the game. Hey Wayne, here's your Mickey Mouse, buddy.
3. Gretzky's only visit to the Nashville Arena - five assists.
Not bad for an old guy...he demonstrated again why we should
appreciate him...people went to see an NHL game in Nashville,
Tenn."
-- Jeff Middleton, Nashville correspondent
"Wayne Gretzky was still playing?"
-- Jerry Fairish, Pittsburgh Correspondent
"Gretzky - three points of note from my vantage area ... not sure
how relevant they are.
1. The Canadians (people not team) were visibly shaken on his
retirement. Office talk had most people talking of getting teary
eyed. I recall that when Gretzky got married it was shown on TV
in Canada - something like the Diana/Prince Charles wedding.
2. 4-on-4 rule. During his Edmonton days, I recall the NHL
changing the rule when both teams were assessed minor penalties
to keep the teams at five aside - Oilers scored just about every
time before that. It wasn't until recently the rule was changed
back.
3. Hockey pool memory - during his big years for most playoff or
season pools Gretzky could either not be drafted at all, or you
could take either Gretzky points or Gretzky assists. It was
about that time that pools where you were allocated a certain
amount of currency and bid on players gained popularity. Beer
prices at games were cheaper then too."
-- Steve Guest, Ottawa Correspondent
"Wayne Gretzky is, and forever will be, a great playmaker, an
incredible scorer, and the best hockey player perhaps of all
time. But I will always remember him for the sweaty, blanched,
teary face that he gave while the Rangers' team photo was being
taken. His passes, astonishing, his goals, breathtaking, his
skating, God-like, but that face was the face of one who loves
the game so dearly, and that is what I will remember Gretzky
for."
-- Chris Schilling, Carolina Correspondent
"This is Toe Haenke from the Ice Pimps! I just want you all to
know, we are deeply saddened by "The Great One's" retirement.
Even though the Ice Pimps' doctrine doesn't directly relate
to Wayne's game, all of the past and present Ice Pimps want to
salute Wayne and thank him for everything. You are probably
thinking, why the hell am is this goon telling us this? Well, I
don't really know either. I guess it is just sharing the
memories... Growing up in northern Minnesota, a decent hockey
hotbed, we always dreamt we could be Wayne, even me. Thanks for
preserving all of hockey's moments with your great website. My
only hope is Wayne gets bored and comes back to play next season.
-- Toe "Ogie" Haenke, Ice Pimp
"Seriously, Gretzky was still playing?"
-- Jerry Fairish, Pittsburgh Correspondent
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Playoff Preview
-----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW
#1 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (47-24-11, 105 pts) VS. #8 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (38-30-14, 90 pts)
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
NEW JERSEY PITTSBURGH
Overall : 47-24-11 -- 105 38-30-14 -- 90
Games 1-20: 12- 7- 1 -- 25 9- 6- 5 -- 23
Games 21-40: 10- 6- 4 -- 24 11- 7- 2 -- 24
Games 41-60: 10- 7- 3 -- 23 12- 7- 1 -- 25
Games 61-82: 15- 4- 3 -- 33 6-10- 6 -- 18
Home Record: 19-14- 8 -- 46 21-10-10 -- 52
Road Record: 28-10- 3 -- 59 17-20- 4 -- 38
Overtime : 3- 1-11 -- 17 7- 1-14 -- 28
Goals For/Against: 248/196 (+52) 242/225 (+17)
Power Play % : 19.7% (60/304) 17.9% (65/363)
Penalty Killing %: 85.5% (47/325) 81.5% (56/302)
Season Series: New Jersey 4-1-0
DATE SCORE
OCT. 14 PITTSBURGH 3 AT NEW JERSEY 1
NOV. 13 PITTSBURGH 3 AT NEW JERSEY 4
MAR. 9 NEW JERSEY 3 AT PITTSBURGH 2
MAR. 25 PITTSBURGH 3 AT NEW JERSEY 5
APR. 3 NEW JERSEY 4 AT PITTSBURGH 2
Key Matchup: New Jersey coach Robbie Ftorek will do
everything in his power to match up Scott Stevens against Jaromir
Jagr. With the possible exception of Boston's Hal Gill, no one
plays Jagr any better than Stevens. That said, Jagr still led
all Penguin scorers during the season series with three goals and
eight points in the five games. It will be interesting to see
how Pittsburgh's Kevin Constantine tries to counter. Look for
Jagr to possibly double-shift or even switch sides in an effort
to get away from the New Jersey captain.
Players to Watch: Pittsburgh could use a big effort from
Alexei Kovalev. The enigmatic Russian has shown signs of coming
to life lately and always seems to elevate his game for the
playoffs. Kovalev's a game-breaker. The Penguins are going to
need him to pace the second line and take some of the scoring
burden off Jagr. And look for Matthew Barnaby to try and stir up
trouble whenever possible. Barnaby always shows up in the
postseason and has clocked 19 penalty minutes in four games
against the Devils in '98-99.
New Jersey will be counting on the line of Jason Arnott, Peter
Sykora, and Patrik Elias to carry the offense. The line has been
red hot down the stretch. Arnott and Sykora have also enjoyed
considerable success in the five games against Pittsburgh this
season, with Arnott collecting five goals and eight points and
Sykora bagging two goals and five points.
Deciding Factor: Pittsburgh loves to carry the puck and
make plays through neutral ice. That just won't cut it against
the Devils. If the Penguins aren't willing to dump the puck and
work down low, they have absolutely no chance of winning this
series. They must get the puck deep.
Prediction: Pittsburgh is a struggling team. It's no
coincidence that the Birds have been getting clubbed on a regular
basis since Darius Kasparaitis went down with a knee injury on
March 3, going 6-10-5 without the wacky Lithuanian and 2-8-2 in
their last 12. The Penguins are simply not a competitive team
without Kasparaitis. And they sure as hell aren't going to beat
the Devils without him. Here are Pittsburgh's top six
defensemen: Jiri Slegr (good), Kevin Hatcher (okay), Brad Werenka
(good), Bobby Dollas (okay), Ian Moran (trouble), and Greg
Andrusak (what?). Kaspar, get healthy soon.
Even though the Devils won the season series 4-1-0, all the games were close.
And the Pens were 1-1-0 in the two games Tom Barrasso played.
But close doesn't cut it. Barrasso and Jagr just won't be enough. The
Devils are too big, strong, and deep for the undersized Penguins. El Diablo
will wear them down over a seven-game series. Take New Jersey in five.
#2 OTTAWA SENATORS (44-23-15, 103 pts) VS. #7 BUFFALO SABRES (37-28-17, 91 pts)
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
OTTAWA BUFFALO
Overall : 44-23-15 -- 103 37-28-17 -- 91
Games 1-20: 10- 7- 3 -- 23 11- 5- 4 -- 26
Games 21-40: 11- 6- 3 -- 25 11- 6- 3 -- 25
Games 41-60: 13- 5- 2 -- 28 6- 9- 5 -- 17
Games 61-82: 10- 5- 7 -- 27 9- 8- 5 -- 23
Home Record: 22-11- 8 -- 52 23-12- 6 -- 52
Road Record: 22-12- 7 -- 51 14-16-11 -- 39
Overtime : 1- 2-15 -- 17 3- 3-17 -- 23
Goals For/Against: 239/179 (+60) 207/175 (+32)
Power Play % : 14.9% (59/397) 13.5% (49/363)
Penalty Killing %: 86.1% (44/317) 86.2% (55/399)
Season Series: Ottawa 1-0-4
DATE SCORE
NOV. 10 OTTAWA 2 AT BUFFALO 2
FEB. 9 BUFFALO 1 AT OTTAWA 1
JAN. 16 BUFFALO 1 AT OTTAWA 1
DEC. 30 OTTAWA 3 AT BUFFALO 2
APR. 10 BUFFALO 1 AT OTTAWA 1
Key Matchup: Goaltending will be the theme. You know
Dominik Hasek is going to be incredible, but can the tandem of
Ron Tugnutt and Damian Rhodes keep up? Um, well, maybe. Rhodes
started four games of the season series, going 1-0-3, and is
expected to get the call in Game One. But coach Jacques Martin
has promised to use both netminders.
Players to Watch: Alexei Yashin has been the man all year.
He even enjoyed success against Hasek and the Sabres, posting two
goals and six points in the five games. But if you're looking
for a game-breaker, turn your gaze in the direction of Daniel
Alfredsson. Sure, he had a brutal season as far as scoring goes,
but he always cranks it up this time of year. Alfredsson has 12
goals in 18 career playoff games.
Buffalo needs to get something, anything, out of Stu Barnes and
Geoff Sanderson. Barnes is still looking for his first goal as a
Sabre, while Sanderson is still looking for the goal-scoring
touch he apparently misplaced somewhere in Hartford. These guys
have to score for Buffalo to have a chance.
Deciding Factor: Miroslav Satan, as cool as he is, cannot
do it alone for the Sabres. Buffalo needs to get scoring from
its second and third lines. If not, this will be over in a
hurry.
Prediction: These clubs played five games this season, all
five went to overtime with four ending in ties. All told, only 15 goals were
scored in the five contests. So expect this series to a low-scoring affair.
That suits Buffalo fine, because they can't score to save their lives. Every
game will be tight. But when it comes crunch time, Yashin and Alfredsson
will provide the heroics, Dominator or no Dominator.
Ottawa in six.
#3 CAROLINA HURRICANES (34-30-18, 86 pts) VS. #6 BOSTON BRUINS (39-30-13, 91 pts)
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
CAROLINA BOSTON
Overall : 34-30-18 -- 86 39-30-13 -- 91
Games 1-20: 8- 9- 3 -- 19 8- 7- 5 -- 21
Games 21-40: 10- 6- 4 -- 24 11- 8- 1 -- 23
Games 41-60: 9- 7- 4 -- 22 7- 9- 4 -- 18
Games 61-82: 7- 8- 7 -- 21 13- 6- 3 -- 29
Home Record: 20-12- 9 -- 49 22-10- 9 -- 53
Road Record: 14-18- 9 -- 37 17-20- 4 -- 38
Overtime : 1- 5-18 -- 20 2- 2-13 -- 17
Goals For/Against: 210/202 (+8) 214/181 (+33)
Power Play % : 11.0% (42/382) 17.7% (65/368)
Penalty Killing %: 85.3% (51/346) 89.2% (33/305)
Season Series: Split 2-2-1
DATE SCORE
OCT. 31 CAROLINA 2 AT BOSTON 0
NOV. 8 BOSTON 5 AT CAROLINA 2
DEC. 10 BOSTON 3 AT CAROLINA 2
JAN. 31 CAROLINA 0 AT BOSTON 0
MAR. 3 BOSTON 1 AT CAROLINA 2
PREDICTION: Yeah, that's right, I'm skipping right to the prediction.
Why? Because I can. Everyone is writing off the Hurricanes because
they qualified with the fewest points. Don't believe the hype.
Sure, the Bruins are playing some great hockey of late, but I'm
goin' with Carolina. The Hurricanes are the hardest hitting team
in the league. They'll punish the Bruins physically. Playing
seven games against Gary Roberts and Keith Primeau will not be
fun. And don't forget about the leadership of Ronnie Francis.
Carolina in seven.
#4 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (45-30-7, 97 pts) VS. #5 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (37-26-19, 93 pts)
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
TORONTO PHILADELPHIA
Overall : 45-30- 7 -- 97 37-26-19 -- 93
Games 1-20: 10- 8- 2 -- 22 9- 7- 4 -- 22
Games 21-40: 13- 7- 0 -- 26 12- 2- 6 -- 30
Games 41-60: 11- 6- 3 -- 25 9- 8- 3 -- 21
Games 61-82: 11- 9- 2 -- 24 7- 9- 6 -- 20
Home Record: 23-13- 5 -- 51 21- 9-11 -- 53
Road Record: 22-17- 2 -- 46 16-17- 8 -- 40
Overtime : 6- 1- 7 -- 19 2- 3-19 -- 23
Goals For/Against: 268/231 (+37) 231/196 (+35)
Power Play % : 14.4% (53/367) 16.8% (65/386)
Penalty Killing %: 80.3% (64/325) 84.1% (53/333)
Season Series: Philadelphia 3-1-0
DATE SCORE
NOV. 27 TORONTO 3 AT PHILADELPHIA 4
DEC. 12 PHILADELPHIA 3 AT TORONTO 0
JAN. 16 TORONTO 4 AT PHILADELPHIA 3
MAR. 22 PHILADELPHIA 3 AT TORONTO 1
PREDICTION: The Flyers will be without Eric Lindros, but that actually
might be a good thing. The rest of the boys will probably pull
together and pick up the pace. And it's not like Philly is left
with scrap, the orange and black still boasts John LeClair, Rod
Brind'Amour, Mark Recchi, and Eric Desjardins. Plus, John
Vanbiesbrouck is going to be a mission man, wanting to prove that
GM Bobby Clarke made the right decision in signing him over
Curtis Joseph. I'm still not sold on the Leafs. Outside of
CuJo, there isn't a lot of playoff experience over there. And it
would make sense that the Flyers win when Lindros isn't around.
They'll wait for him to come back before collapsing.
Philadelphia in six.
WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW
#1 DALLAS STARS (51-19-12, 114 pts) VS. #8 EDMONTON OILERS (33-37-12, 78 pts)
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
DALLAS EDMONTON
Overall : 51-19-12 -- 114 33-37-12 -- 78
Games 1-20: 13- 4- 3 -- 29 11- 8- 1 -- 23
Games 21-40: 13- 3- 4 -- 30 5-11- 4 -- 14
Games 41-60: 13- 4- 3 -- 29 7- 9- 4 -- 18
Games 61-82: 12- 8- 2 -- 26 10- 9- 3 -- 23
Home Record: 29- 8- 4 -- 62 17-19- 5 -- 39
Road Record: 22-11- 8 -- 52 16-18- 7 -- 39
Overtime : 3- 1-12 -- 18 3- 5-12 -- 18
Goals For/Against: 236/168 (+68) 230/226 (+4)
Power Play % : 18.8% (74/393) 14.4% (63/438)
Penalty Killing %: 86.5% (43/319) 82.1% (67/374)
Season Series: Dallas 3-0-1
DATE SCORE
DEC. 6 DALLAS 6 AT EDMONTON 2
JAN. 12 DALLAS 2 AT EDMONTON 2
FEB. 15 EDMONTON 1 AT DALLAS 4
MAR. 10 EDMONTON 4 AT DALLAS 7
PREDICTION: The Oilers have made a habit of pulling off first-round upsets.
Last year it was Colorado, the year before that these same Dallas
Stars were the victim. Can the Black Gold do it again? Hell no.
The Stars will be without captain Derian Hatcher, who will miss
the first five games as a result of laying the smack down on
Jeremy Roenick with the People's Elbow, but the Oilers will be
missing Billy Guerin, who's nursing a knee injury. Although the
player the Bubbling Crude will really miss is Curtis Joseph. No
CuJo, no upset.
Dallas in four.
#2 COLORADO AVALANCHE (44-28-10, 98 pts) VS. #7 SAN JOSE SHARKS (31-33-18, 80 pts)
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
COLORADO SAN JOSE
Overall : 44-28-10 -- 98 31-33-18 -- 80
Games 1-20: 8-10- 2 -- 18 5-10- 5 -- 15
Games 21-40: 9- 9- 2 -- 20 8- 7- 5 -- 21
Games 41-60: 13- 3- 4 -- 30 7- 9- 4 -- 18
Games 61-82: 14- 6- 2 -- 30 11- 7- 4 -- 26
Home Record: 21-14- 6 -- 48 17-15- 9 -- 43
Road Record: 23-14- 4 -- 50 14-18- 9 -- 37
Overtime : 2- 0-10 -- 14 1- 2-18 -- 20
Goals For/Against: 239/205 (+34) 196/191 (+5)
Power Play % : 18.9% (71/375) 13.3% (53/399)
Penalty Killing %: 83.7% (63/386) 85.0% (61/407)
Season Series: Colorado 3-1-0
DATE SCORE
OCT. 29 SAN JOSE 2 AT COLORADO 4
DEC. 19 COLORADO 1 AT SAN JOSE 2
JAN. 30 SAN JOSE 0 AT COLORADO 5
MAR. 31 COLORADO 3 AT SAN JOSE 2
PREDICTION: San Jose will likely try and mix it up physically with
Colorado. That's probably a bad idea. It'll just wake the Avalanche up.
The Avs' worst enemy is personal indifference. When they have
their heads in the game, they're the best team in hockey. And no
one tortures the Sharks like Theo Fleury. He'll get the fans at
the Shark Tank in a frenzy and then leave 'em broken hearted. It
should be a tough, grueling series, but Colorado will prevail.
Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Fleury, Sandis Ozolinsh, Adam Foote,
Patrick Roy... it doesn't get any better than that. Unless, you
know, you add in Adam Deadmarsh, who should be back from his eye
injury, Claude Lemieux, and rookie phenoms Chris Drury and Milan
Hejduk. Colorado is stacked.
The Avalanche in six.
#3 DETROIT RED WINGS (43-32-7, 93 pts) VS. #6 MIGHTY DUCKS OF ANAHEIM (35-34-13, 83 pts)
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
DETROIT ANAHEIM
Overall : 43-32- 7 -- 93 35-34-13 -- 83
Games 1-20: 12- 8- 0 -- 24 8- 8- 4 -- 20
Games 21-40: 8-10- 2 -- 18 8- 8- 4 -- 20
Games 41-60: 11- 6- 3 -- 25 10- 9- 1 -- 21
Games 61-82: 12- 8- 2 -- 26 9- 9- 4 -- 22
Home Record: 27-12- 2 -- 56 21-14- 6 -- 48
Road Record: 16-20- 5 -- 37 14-20- 7 -- 35
Overtime : 2- 1- 7 -- 11 1- 3-13 -- 15
Goals For/Against: 245/202 (+43) 215/206 (+9)
Power Play % : 16.1% (67/415) 22.0% (83/378)
Penalty Killing %: 87.3% (45/355) 84.5% (60/387)
Season Series: Detroit 3-1-0
DATE SCORE
NOV. 8 DETROIT 3 AT ANAHEIM 2
NOV. 25 ANAHEIM 2 AT DETROIT 5
MAR. 7 DETROIT 1 AT ANAHEIM 3
APR. 5 ANAHEIM 2 AT DETROIT 3
PREDICTION: It'll take more than two players to beat Detroit.
Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, and the potent Duck power play might be enough
to steal one game, but Detroit is simply too much for the Water Fowl
to handle.
Detroit in four.
#4 PHOENIX COYOTES (39-31-12, 90 pts) VS. #5 ST. LOUIS BLUES (37-32-13, 87 pts)
1998-99 REGULAR SEASON BREAKDOWN
PHOENIX ST LOUIS
Overall : 39-31-12 -- 90 37-32-13 -- 87
Games 1-20: 15- 3- 2 -- 32 9- 6- 5 -- 23
Games 21-40: 8- 8- 4 -- 20 7- 9- 4 -- 18
Games 41-60: 7- 9- 4 -- 18 10- 9- 1 -- 21
Games 61-82: 9-11- 2 -- 20 11- 8- 3 -- 25
Home Record: 23-13- 5 -- 51 18-17- 6 -- 42
Road Record: 16-18- 7 -- 39 19-15- 7 -- 45
Overtime : 2- 1-12 -- 16 1- 1-13 -- 15
Goals For/Against: 205/197 (+8) 237/209 (+28)
Power Play % : 12.0% (41/342) 20.3% (61/301)
Penalty Killing %: 87.1% (45/348) 87.9% (47/387)
Season Series: St. Louis 2-1-1
DATE SCORE
DEC. 17 PHOENIX 2 AT ST LOUIS 3
JAN. 19 ST LOUIS 2 AT PHOENIX 4
MAR. 18 PHOENIX 2 AT ST LOUIS 2
APR. 15 ST LOUIS 6 AT PHOENIX 4
PREDICTION: Outside of a remarkable start that saw them go 15-3-2
in their first 20 games, the Phoenix Coyotes haven't done a whole lot.
The Dogs limped to the finish line and now they don't even have
the services of Jeremy Roenick. Meanwhile, the Blues are
starting to play their best hockey of the season. Grant Fuhr and
Geoff Courtnall are healthy, Pierre Turgeon and Pavol Demitra are
scoring like chimps, and Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger remain the
best one-two punch in hockey along the blue line. This one
should be a lock.
St. Louis in five.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Playoff Schedule
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Due to the tragic events in Colorado, the beginning of the Avalanche-Sharks series has been postponed. The entire series will be rescheduled, with the first two games in San Jose, the next three in Colorado, then back to San Jose and a return to Colorado if needed. Here is the complete 1998-99 NHL Playoff schedule:
#2 Colorado Avalanche vs. #7 San Jose Sharks
Date Matchup Times (ET)
1 Saturday, April 24 Colorado at San Jose 10:30 pm
2 Monday, April 26 Colorado at San Jose 10:30 pm
3 Wednesday, April 28 San Jose at Colorado 10:00 pm
4 Friday, April 30 San Jose at Colorado 7:30 pm
5*Saturday, May 1 San Jose at Colorado 7:30 pm
6*Monday, May 3 Colorado at San Jose TBA
7*TBA San Jose at Colorado TBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
#1 New Jersey Devils vs. #8 Pittsburgh Penguins
Date Matchup Times (ET) TV
1 Thursday, April 22Pittsburgh at New Jersey 7:30 pm ESPN
2 Saturday, April 24Pittsburgh at New Jersey 2:00 pm
3 Sunday, April 25 New Jersey at Pittsburgh 2:00 pm FOX
4 Tuesday, April 27 New Jersey at Pittsburgh 7:30 pmESPN2
5*Friday, April 30 Pittsburgh at New Jersey 7:30 pm
6*Sunday, May 2 New Jersey at Pittsburgh 2:00 pm FOX
7*Tuesday, May 4 Pittsburgh at New Jersey 7:30 pm
#2 Ottawa Senators vs. #7 Buffalo Sabres
Date Matchup Times (ET) TV
1 Wednesday, April 21Buffalo at Ottawa 7:00 pm CBC, SRC
2 Friday, April 23 Buffalo at Ottawa 7:00 pm CBC, SRC
3 Sunday, April 25 Ottawa at Buffalo 6:30 pm CBC, SRC
4 Tuesday, April 27 Ottawa at Buffalo 7:00 pm CBC, SRC
5*Thursday, April 29 Buffalo at Ottawa 7:00 pm CBC, SRC
6*Saturday, May 1 Ottawa at Buffalo 7:30 pm CBC, SRC
7*Monday, May 3 Buffalo at Ottawa 7:30 pm CBC, SRC
#3 Carolina Hurricanes vs. #6 Boston Bruins
Date Matchup Times (ET) TV
1 Thursday, April 22 Boston at Carolina 7:30 pm ESPN2
2 Saturday, April 24 Boston at Carolina 7:30 pm ESPN
3 Monday, April 26 Carolina at Boston 7:30 pm ESPN2
4 Wednesday, April 28Carolina at Boston 7:00 pm
5*Friday, April 30 Boston at Carolina 7:30 pm
6*Sunday, May 2 Carolina at Boston 7:30 pm
7*Tuesday, May 4 Boston at Carolina 7:30 pm
#4 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers
Date Matchup Times (ET) TV
1 Thursday, April 22 Philadelphia at Toronto 7:00 pm CBC, RDS
2 Saturday, April 24 Philadelphia at Toronto 7:30 pm CBC, RDS, ESPN2
3 Monday, April 26 Toronto at Philadelphia 7:30 pm ESPN, CBC, RDS
4 Wednesday, April 28Toronto at Philadelphia 7:00 pm ESPN2,CBC, RDS
5*Friday, April 30 Philadelphia at Toronto 7:00 pm CBC, RDS
6*Sunday, May 2 Toronto at Philadelphia 7:30 pm CBC, RDS
7*Tuesday, May 4 Philadelphia at Toronto 7:00 pm CBC, RDS
* if necessary
WESTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Dallas Stars vs. #8 Edmonton Oilers
Date Matchup Times (ET) TV
1 Wednesday, April 21Edmonton at Dallas 8:30 pm CBC
2 Friday, April 23 Edmonton at Dallas 8:30 pm ESPN2, CBC
3 Sunday, April 25 Dallas at Edmonton 9:30 pm CBC, ESPN2
4 Tuesday, April 27 Dallas at Edmonton 9:30 pm CBC
5*Thursday, April 29 Edmonton at Dallas 8:30 pm CBC
6*Saturday, May 1 Dallas at Edmonton 10:30 pm CBC
7*Monday, May 3 Edmonton at Dallas 8:00 pm CBC
#3 Detroit Red Wings vs. #6 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Date Matchup Times (ET) TV
1 Wednesday, April 21 Anaheim at Detroit 7:30 pm ESPN2, CSN
2 Friday, April 23 Anaheim at Detroit 7:30 pm ESPN, CSN
3 Sunday, April 25 Detroit at Anaheim 3:00 pm FOX, CSN
4 Tuesday, April 27 Detroit at Anaheim 10:30 pm ESPN2, CSN
5*Thursday, April 29 Anaheim at Detroit 7:30 pm CSN
6*Sunday, May 2 Detroit at Anaheim 3:00 pm FOX, CSN
7*Tuesday, May 4 Anaheim at Detroit 7:30 pm CSN
#4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #5 St. Louis Blues
Date Matchup Times (ET) TV
1 Thursday, April 22 St. Louis at Phoenix 10:30 pm ESPN2
2 Saturday, April 24 St. Louis at Phoenix 3:00 pm ESPN2
3 Sunday, April 25 Phoenix at St. Louis 2:00 pm FOX
4 Tuesday, April 27 Phoenix at St. Louis 7:30 pm ESPN
5*Friday, April 30 St. Louis at Phoenix 10:30 pm
6*Sunday, May 2 Phoenix at St. Louis 2:00 pm FOX
7*Tuesday, May 4 St. Louis at Phoenix 10:30 pm
* if necessary
--------------------------------------------------------------------
MacNorris Trophy
--------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell
Labels. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. And once
applied, they can be tough to shake.
Take for example my Uncle Earl. You know, my uncle helped build
the Greensburg City Court House. But do you think people ever
remember that? Do you think when he walks down the street people
say, "Look, there goes Earl, he helped build the Court House"?
Nope. Earl once bowled a perfect 300 game. But you think people
ever say, "Hey, that's Earl, he once bowled a 300"? Nope, they
never do. Earl knows how to fix most any problem imaginable with
a car. But do you think people ever say, "That Earl guy is a
great mechanic"? Never. But sleep with one goat...
A similar fate has befallen St. Louis Blues defenseman Al
MacInnis. I mean, he's never slept with a goat or anything, but
Al's had his own burdensome label to carry throughout his 18-year
NHL career. When he walks down the street people always say,
"There goes Al, he's got a really good slap shot."
While there are worse things in life than being known for
possessing a 100 mph slapper, just ask my Uncle Earl, MacInnis
has had trouble getting people to look past the shot and see the
complete defenseman behind it. Such recognition is made all the
more difficult by the fact that his slap shot is the only flashy
aspect of his game. MacInnis is an average skater, won't carry
the puck end to end, and isn't a punishing physical presence.
His game is a an intelligent one laced with subtlety and guile.
If not observed closely, it can be taken for granted. Even
ignored. At least until he winds up to shoot. Then everyone
takes notice.
"It was a shot that gave me the opportunity," admits MacInnis.
"I think most players unless you come into the league as a
Gretzky or a Lindros or Lemieux or Jagr, there are a lot of us
that come in the league where you shine in one area. A lot of
guys, it might be their scoring touch. Might be their skating
ability. Or it might be their shot. That has been with me my
whole career."
And what a career it's been. MacInnis spent 13 years as a member
of the Calgary Flames, leading El Scorcho to a Stanley Cup
championship in 1989 and capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy for his
efforts. In fact, many believe that MacInnis' devastating slap
shot rattled Montreal's Patrick Roy to the point of distraction
in the Finals, turning the series in Calgary's favor. Whether
true or not, it certainly adds to the legend.
By the time MacInnis was traded to St. Louis in July of 1994, he
was Calgary's all-time leader in games played (803), assists
(609), and points (822). After five more productive seasons with
the Blue Note, MacInnis now stands in fifth place on the NHL's
all-time scoring list for defensemen with 290 goals, 775 assists,
and 1065 points. He's a 10-time NHL All-Star, is one of only
four defensemen in history to ever record 100 points in a season
(103 in 1990-91), has notched seven 20-goal seasons, has won a
Canada Cup (1991), and has represented Canada in both the
Olympics and World Championships. But one thing has eluded
MacInnis throughout his career: a Norris Trophy.
As hard as it is to believe, MacInnis has never won the big
silver bowl given to the league's best defenseman. Ironically
enough, part of the reason why is his slap shot. The one thing
that makes him better than everyone else is also what has held
him back. His shot is simply so powerful that the rest of his
game gets overlooked. But MacInnis isn't about to feel sorry for
himself.
"If the shot keeps me from winning a Norris, then there is
nothing I can do about that," says MacInnis. "I won't change a
thing. I have been very fortunate.
"I think any defenseman coming into the NHL would love to win at
least one Norris. I have come close a couple of times and I
finished runner-up, I think, to Bourque twice, if I am not
mistaken. And that is the way it goes sometimes. Each season
you can build a case for three, four or five defensemen that have
a legitimate shot at winning a Norris. Maybe this year it will
be my turn."
If this is the year MacInnis finally gets his Norris, it will be
well deserved. The Mac Daddy led all defensemen in scoring with
62 points, including 20 goals. He's also among the overall
league leaders in plus/minus (+33) and minutes played (29.22).
And he's done it all at the rather advanced age of 35. That's
kind of late in the game for a career year, but it seems MacInnis
has been rejuvenated the past few seasons. It's no accident.
"I think one of the biggest things for me is two years ago I
hired a personal trainer out of Colorado Springs called Charles
Polaquin," explains MacInnis. "He set me up on a completely new
program and he has dealt with a lot of Olympic athletes and a lot
of speed skaters both from Canada and the U.S.. He trains these
athletes, and there are times where when you overtrain or
undertrain during the off-season, I think it is a big importance
for the grueling season. The last couple of seasons I felt much
better."
And the Blues have needed MacInnis to be at his best. In the
first year of the post-Brett Hull era, the club relied on
MacInnis to carry the team while the likes of Chris Pronger,
Grant Fuhr, Pierre Turgeon, and Geoff Courtnall all missed time
due to injury. The Big Daddy Mac's veteran leadership, combined
with a breakthrough year from Pavol Demitra and surprising
contributions from the likes of Scott Pellerin and Scott Young,
kept the team in the playoff hunt. Now everyone is healthy and
the Blues are playing some excellent hockey. They closed the
regular season by going 5-1-1 in their last seven, securing the
fifth seed in the Western Conference and setting the stage for a
first-round meeting with the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Blues could very well be the dark horse in the West. With so
much attention on Colorado, Dallas, and Detroit, St. Louis could
be a prime candidate to pull off an upset or two. The main
reason why is special teams. Thanks in large part to MacInnis,
St. Louis owns both the second ranked penalty-killing unit and
power play.
Scoring with the man-advantage is critical to the Blue Note's
success. With Turgeon, Demitra, and Courtnall down low, and
Pronger and MacInnis at the points, the Blues can light it up in
a hurry. Unity is key. It's like a Three Musketeers thing. All
for one, one for all. Except, you know, there's five of 'em and
there's usually no nougat involved. Usually.
"If you get all five guys on the ice basically on the same page
and thinking about the same thing, I think that is where you get
a step on the penalty killing," says MacInnis. "If everybody
knows what the play is and you are on the same page and you don't
have maybe three guys thinking one thing and two other guys
thinking another, I think the penalty killing is so aggressive
you don't have time to -- a lot of time to think out there
because they are so aggressive. So I think the biggest key is
the five guys going on the ice are on the same page. I think you
are going to have success no matter how much talent you have."
Of course, preparation never hurts.
"I think our coaching staff does a real good job preparing us
each night about how, first of all, how a team forechecks on
their penalty killing and what our options are coming up the
ice," says MacInnis. "Your first thing is you want to try and
carry the puck in and keep control of the puck. I think most
teams try to get the power play, to dump it in along the boards,
the glass; fight it out from there. But you have three or four
options to hopefully carry it in. A lot of teams won't allow
you, but you try the best you can to carry it in and go from
there."
Simplicity rules once the St. Louis power play gains the zone.
With MacInnis out there, even the most routine point shot is a
premier scoring chance. If nothing is working low, the Blues are
content to allow the offense to come from the points.
"As far as the offensive zone goes, you take what they give you,"
says MacInnis. "Obviously, Chris Pronger has had a good year on
the power play. He is a threat to score. Teams like to play
high on myself and Chris, and therefore, you try and take what
they give you and work low plays. If that is unsuccessful and if
the players are going deep, then we don't try and be very fancy
at the blue line. If we get an opportunity to shoot the puck on
net, it is going on net. That is what our forwards realized.
They are not anticipating an extra play. They know once Chris
and I get it back there, it is maybe one or two passes and it is
going on net and try to create as much traffic as we can.
"You look at the percentage of power plays that are scored, from
point shots whether deflections or screens, I mean that is -- a
high percentage of power play goals are scored that way. That is
what we try to do. We don't try to be too fancy out there and
just get it to the net."
Just getting it to the net is what Al MacInnis does best. The
Blues may not be legitimate Cup contenders, but they've got a
shot to make some noise in the postseason. And whenever MacInnis
is involved, a shot is usually more than enough. At least that's
what it says on his label.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hopes High in Boston
----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell
If you're looking for a surprise team in the East, search no
further than the Boston Bruins. Pat Burns had his club playing
some of its best hockey down the stretch, going 7-2-0 in their
final nine games. The Bears also drew the Carolina Hurricanes,
seen by many as the weak link of the East, in the first round.
Not since the days of Cam Neely have Bruin fans had such high
expectations going into the postseason.
"We honestly feel our team has a legitimate shot at coming out of
the East," says Boston goaltender Byron Dafoe. "I'm sure the
other seven teams in this conference feel the same way. I don't
think it's the same scenario as what's going on in the West,
there being three powerhouse teams. We all match up pretty well.
There's been so much parity here in the East. I think our
standings speak for themselves."
The Bruins are a pretty solid squad form top to bottom. Not
spectacular, but solid. Up front, the Bruins have a legitimate
star center in the form of Jason Allison, a potential game-
breaker in Sergei Samsonov, a proven goal producer in Dimitri
Khristich, and two dangerous scorers in Steve Heinze and Anson
Carter that are liable to get hot at any moment. Carter is in
the midst of a scoring binge, bagging eight goals and 11 points
in his last nine games. Toss in a checking line of Tim Taylor,
P.J. Axelsson, and Rob Dimaio, and an always improving Joe
Thornton, and the Bruin forward ranks are set.
The emergence of Thornton has been of particular significance to
the Boston cause. Feared to be a bust after an uninspiring
rookie campaign, Thornton has done the whole sophomore jinx thing
in reverse and has shown signs of becoming an impact player in
collecting 16 goals and 41 points. Thornton is playing physical,
going to the net hard, and using his nifty hands to create
chances for his linemates. His development has not gone
unnoticed.
"Well, it's definitely been a great year for him," says Dafoe of
the young center. "I think last year was a definite learning
experience. He was a healthy scratch on a number of occasions.
I don't think he knew what to expect, being an 18-year old, being
highly touted as the No.1 pick overall. This year he came to
camp determined, in much better shape, just mentally prepared for
this season. Right out of camp, he emerged as a No.2 center on
our team behind Jason Allison. He's definitely played like it.
Down the stretch, he's taken key faceoffs late in the game with a
goal lead, and he's scored some huge goals for us this season. I
think it's just a sign of better things to come from him in the
future. He should live up to that billing of a No.1 pick
overall."
Boston's blue line isn't quite as deep as the offense, but depth
is secondary when you've got Ray Bourque on your team. The
captain is still logging 30 minutes a night. And the workload
doesn't seem to be slowing him down. Bourque has gotten stronger
as the year's progressed, finishing tied for second among NHL
defensemen in scoring with 57 points and closing the season with
16 points in his final 19 games. But Bourque isn't completely
alone. Kyle McLaren is a big hitter, Hal Gill is always an
imposing physical presences, and then you've got the veteran
experience of Don Sweeney, Dave Ellett, and Grant Ledyard.
The true strength of this Bruin squad, though, is in net, where
Dafoe has provided the stellar goaltending required of postseason
hopefuls. Dafoe had the best season of his career, or of most
anyone's career for that matter. He ended the season with 32
wins, a 1.99 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage, and a
league high 10 shutouts, becoming the first Bruin goaltender to
hit double-digits in shutouts since Frank Brimsek notched 10 of
his own in 1938-39. If not for the existence of Dominik Hasek,
Dafoe would surely be about to get his name on the Vezina. I
mean, officially. Because, hell, he could go put it on now with
some masking tape and a magic marker but it won't fool anybody.
Unless he's got like really good penmanship.
Dafoe's year was marred somewhat when he was neglected at All-
Star time. Despite having worthy credentials, he was bypassed in
favor of Martin Brodeur, Ed Belfour, and Ron Tugnutt. Oddly
enough, I was bypassed in favor of those same three guys. I
would have probably been more upset if I played in the league,
but it still hurt. It still hurt.
"It was disappointing not to make it," admits Dafoe. "I was
pleased in the fact that I was mentioned as being a legitimate
candidate, even to go as far as having some media saying I was
snubbed not to make it. To be honest with you, that's part of
this game. Three great goaltenders were named ahead of me.
There's no denying that. I personally just felt that I had a
great first half of the year, and wanted to continue it on down
the stretch. Just because I didn't get named to an All-Star team
was not going to discourage me. In doing so, I just tried to
continue my consistency down the stretch of the season."
While a lot of people, myself included, would have been angered
at being left out of the mid-season classic, Dafoe says he didn't
hold any grudges.
"I wouldn't say I was out to show them," claims Dafoe. "I mean,
I'm sure it may have spurred me on a little bit. But as I said,
I was happy with my performance the first half. If it was not
worthy of an All-Star selection, that's fine. But, you know, I
just want to continue it and make it a complete year rather than
just a great first half and nothing else. That's kind of my own
personal accomplishment that I had in mind."
Dafoe certainly reached that goal, composing an excellent season
from start to finish. Now his attention is focused squarely on
the playoffs. He feels last year's disappointing first-round
exit at the hands of the Washington Capitals, a series in which
the Bruins were severely jobbed by the punk-ass goal crease rule,
can be a learning experience for one and all.
"I think the biggest thing is, we're pretty much the same team,"
says Dafoe. "We were very young last year. We've matured as a
team. We lost in the first round last year, but I think we all
learned a lot. I especially learned a lot, being my first
playoff series playing every game. I took a lot out of watching
the Washington Capitals as Olaf Kolzig led them to the Stanley
Cup Finals. I think it's made me a better goaltender. And I
think everyone else on the team, especially the younger guys,
Samsonov and Thornton, they know what to expect from that very
first playoff game."
When the playoffs do get underway this week, the Bruins will be
ready. They've had lots of practice. The past month has been
one long dress rehearsal. And the team has become stronger for
it.
"We as a team, 15-20 games ago, found ourselves out of the
playoffs," recalls Dafoe. "We were not playing very good as a
team. Since then, we've had to literally step our play up to
playoff hockey in order to get ourselves back into it. It's been
a pressure situation for us for the last month. Everyone has
responded.
"So I feel that we're not really going to change our style of
play other than maybe our intensity getting a little bit higher
for the first round of the playoffs."
I'm planning to get a little higher my damn self for the first
round of the playoffs. But that's probably neither here nor
there. Anyway, go Bruins. Growl. Go Bruins. I don't know.
Whatever.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Retribution
--------------------------------------------------------------
by Jim Iovino
Payback is a...well, sunshine.
Dallas Stars defenseman Derian Hatcher found that out when he was
slapped with a seven-game suspension by the NHL for his devastating
hit on Phoenix Coyotes center Jeremy Roenick.
Hatcher and the rest of the Stars weren't happy with the ruling.
They believed it was too severe a penalty to pay, especially with
the playoffs right around the corner. Hatcher sat out the last two
games of the regular season, but will still miss the first five
games of the playoffs. The Stars open the postseason against the
Edmonton Oilers.
Hatcher might not think the suspension is fair, but perhaps he
should ask Roenick about paybacks, retribution and fairness.
Roenick initiated the animosity between the two clubs on March 23
when he knocked Mike Modano out of the game with a blindsided
check. Modano was wheeling and dealing behind the Phoenix net. As
he cut behind the goal, he dished out a pass. After he let the
puck go he came around the other side of the net. Roenick, ever
the hard-nosed hockey player, leveled an unsuspecting Modano with a
clean check. Modano left the game to get stitches over his right
eye but returned in the Stars' next contest.
Roenick was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game
misconduct. The Stars thought he should have been suspended.
Roenick didn't. The league gave no suspension.
"Look, this isn't the first time I've been through something like
this," Roenick told reporters after the incident. "But I really
don't know what the big deal is with them. Modano played the next
game, didn't he? Plus, I saw that game against Tampa Bay and the
hit one of their guys put on (LCS Hockey hero) Darcy Tucker was 10
times worse than my hit so I don't want to hear any of them
yapping."
The incident might have calmed down some, but Roenick's teammate,
and resident NHL frat boy, Keith Tkachuk spoke up. He told the
Stars that if they thought the hit was wrong they should do
something about it.
Hatcher took Tkachuk's advice.
The next time the teams met, payback happened. Roenick carried a
puck near the boards behind the Dallas net. As he skated toward the
near boards, Dallas defenseman Craig Ludwig broke his thumb with a
slash. Seconds later, Hatcher skated toward J.R., left his skates
and forearm-shivered Roenick's head against the seamless glass.
The hit from the 6-foot-5-inch defenseman caused Roenick to topple
to the ice. His jaw was dislocated and broken in three places.
Eight teeth were cracked or broken. Roenick underwent five and a
half hours of surgery to correct the injury and will miss the
entire playoffs.
After the hit, things got ugly and a war of words began. The
Coyotes thought Hatcher should be suspended as long as Roenick was
out of action.
"It's a sunshine joke," Tkachuk said. "We lose a guy who has
been our leading scorer and best centerman all year to a piece of
dung like Hatcher. It was a premeditated incident. He said it in
the newspapers he was going to get him and he did.
"The guy is a sunshine rat. They said it's the worst
shattering they've ever seen. Let's see what Colin Campbell and
Gary Bettman do. Hatcher should not play in the playoffs for as
long as Jeremy Roenick doesn't play."
While Tkachuk swore up a storm out of a mouth that only a mother
could love, his teammate, Rick Tocchet, brought up a good point.
"I've played 15 years in this league and if somebody does something
wrong to you or a teammate and you want to get even, you drop the
gloves and fight like a man," Tocchet said. "Especially when you
say all week you're going to get a guy. You drop and say, 'Let's
go.' Then fine, if you break my jaw, that's hockey.
"But when a 6-5 guy jumps four feet in the air and throws an elbow,
that's a different story. Colin Campbell has to make a statement
here. It just as well could've been someone's eye or something like
that."
Tocchet, you see, is old-school NHL. He's a tough guy from the
pre-Bettman 1980s when fighting was still cool. If he had a
problem with someone, he'd skate up to them and beat the
sunshine out of them. He wouldn't try any cheap shots.
He'd say "Hey, sunshine, come over here so I can kick your
sunshine sunshine."
But in today's NHL, fighting is seen as barbaric and really, really
bad. So instead of messing up Czar Bettman's chances of getting a
good TV deal or free dinner at Disneyworld, players will use their
sticks or take a run at an unsuspecting opponent.
That's the retribution of today's NHL. That's also part of what's
wrong with today's NHL.
After that hit on Roenick, the two sides needed one more game to
settle the score. The next meeting saw Eddie Belfour slewfoot
Tkachuk near center ice. It saw Tkachuk come back at Belfour and
throw some blows. It saw Darryl Sydor have to protect his
goaltender and get pummeled by Tkachuk in a fight.
But believe it or not, that fight got a lot of the tension into the
open and cleared the air. Some parts of the argument were settled
on that night. But the entire score won't be settled until the
Coyotes play Hatcher again. There is more retribution to be handed
out.
Had Hatcher just gone up to Roenick and fought him instead of
turning him into Frogger against the boards, things probably would
have been different. Hatcher would have stuck up for his teammate
and sent a message not to mess with Modano. Roenick would have
stood up for himself and said, "Hey, I might not have meant harm to
Modano, but I can handle whatever you got."
Things could have been a lot different. Both players could have
been available to their respective teams in the first round of the
playoffs. But now, as Roenick and Hatcher watch the postseason
from the outside, they'll probably be thinking about one thing:
Payback is a bitc...err, sunshine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hardware Hopefuls... Again
--------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell
Here's a look at the likely winners of the NHL's fabulous post-
season awards. But who really cares? Because, as we all know,
LCS Hockey hands out its own prestigious awards in our Season
Review issue, which usually hits the web in late June. Those are
the awards the players truly cherish. So all this NHL jazz is
sort of Dullsville. But we might as well talk about it. There's
nothing else to do. Why the hell did A&E have to take off
"Columbo"?
ART ROSS TROPHY
The first three trophies listed have all been decided. No voting
needed. Sort of like the time Arnold Jackson ran for class
president. Aw, you knew he was gonna win. That kid was a real
go-getter. And I think Dudley was his campaign manager. So
right there, that's golden.
Anyway, Jaromir Jagr won his third Art Ross, and second in a row,
with 127 points. The Czech Wonder Kid almost lapped the field,
owning a 20-point bulge over his nearest competitor. This was
also the second straight year that Jagr created a needless
distraction right before the playoffs by publicly criticizing
coach Kevin Constantine. Way to go, Jags!
NHL Point Leaders
Player Team GP G A PTS
Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh 81 44 83 127
Teemu Selanne Anaheim 75 47 69 107
Paul Kariya Anaheim 82 39 62 101
Peter Forsberg Colorado 78 30 67 97
Joe Sakic Colorado 73 41 55 96
MAURICE RICHARD TROPHY
Teemu Selanne captured the first ever Richard Trophy by scoring
47 goals in 75 games. This marks the first full season since
1969-70 that there hasn't been at least one 50-goal scorer in the
NHL.
NHL Goal Leaders
Player Team GP G
Teemu Selanne Anaheim 75 47
Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh 81 44
Tony Amonte Chicago 82 44
Alexei Yashin Ottawa 82 44
John LeClair Philadelphia 76 43
Joe Sakic Colorado 73 41
Eric Lindros Philadelphia 71 40
Theo Fleury Colorado 75 40
Miroslav Satan Buffalo 81 40
JENNINGS TROPHY
The Dallas Stars allowed a league low 168 goals this season to
claim their first ever Jennings Trophy. Ed Belfour and Roman
Turek will get their names engraved and stuff.
HART TROPHY
This could be a close call between Jaromir Jagr and Alexei
Yashin. There's no denying that Jagr is the most dominating
offensive force in hockey, but he wasn't exactly the epitome of a
team player this season. He floated a bit early and was back to
his usual complaining self by the end of the year. Basically,
when Jagr wasn't scoring, he wasn't doing anything. Thankfully,
he scored a whole lot. Any advantage Yashin may have had by
playing in Canada likely got squashed by Jagr's dazzling overtime
winner in Wayne Gretzky's farewell. The whole world, including
the Canadian press, got to witness his brilliance. That goal
alone will probably be enough to swing the vote. Curtis Joseph
might get some attention for leading the Maple Leaf resurgence,
but it won't be enough.
Likely Winner: Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
Runner-up: Alexei Yashin, Ottawa Senators
NORRIS TROPHY
This one should be all Al MacInnis. The Big Daddy Mac led all
defensemen in scoring with 62 points, recorded his seventh career
20-goal season, logged nearly 30 minutes a game, was among the
league leaders with a +33, and appeared in 82 games. MacInnis
has never won a Norris. This will be his year.
No other defenseman really distinguished himself from the pack
the way MacInnis did. Ray Bourque had a nice year in Boston, but
he finished at a -7. Nicklas Lidstrom was his usual steady self,
but he always gets overlooked so this year won't be any
different. Brian Leetch was a -7, which actually isn't too bad
considering he played for New York. Two unlikely guys that could
receive some votes are Phil Housley and Fredrik Olausson.
Housley (79-11-43-54, +14) was extremely valuable to a young
Calgary squad that needed some leadership along the blue line.
And Olausson (74-16-40-56, +17) is a big reason why Anaheim
finished with the league's top power play. Ever Steady Freddy
really gave the Duck offense a shot in the arm.
Likely Winner: Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues
Runner-up: Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
VEZINA TROPHY
Dominik Hasek quietly went about having his best season ever.
It's true. He didn't really get as much press as usual, but
Hasek was amazing, posting career bests in goals-against average
(1.90) and save percentage (.937). This is the sixth consecutive
season that Hasek has led the league in save percentage. That's
kind of special. He also closed in style, earning his ninth
shutout in Buffalo's season finale.
If not for the Dominator, Byron Dafoe would be skating away with
his first career Vezina. Dafoe was marvelous for the Bruins,
finishing first in shutouts (10), second in save percentage
(.926), and third in goals-against (1.99). But it still won't be
enough to clip Hasek.
Ron Tugnutt deserves some credit for finishing with a remarkable
1.79 goals-against average and a real swank .926 save percentage,
but he only played 43 games. You're not gonna win a Vezina
playing 43 games.
Likely Winner: Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
Runner-up: Byron Dafoe, Boston Bruins
CALDER TROPHY
There was a great crop of rookies this season, perhaps the best
since 1992-93. Colorado boasted two great ones in Milan Hejduk
and Chris Drury. Hejduk led all rookies in scoring with 48
points, one ahead of New Jersey's Brendan Morrison. Of course,
Hejduk had the benefit of playing on a line with the likes of Joe
Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Theo Fleury all year long. That'll
probably hurt him. Drury didn't see nearly as much premier ice
time but still notched 20 goals and 44 points. He also plays a
more physical game and can skate either center or wing on any of
the top three lines. You gotta admire his versatility.
Billy Muckalt was the favorite at the halfway point but got
pulled under by a horrible Vancouver team. Mark Parrish led all
rookies with 24 goals, but I think half of 'em came in like four
games. Parrish was also a healthy scratch on more than one
occasion. That's never good. Pittsburgh's Jan Hrdina may be the
best two-way player of them all, but his 42 points won't carry
much weight since he fed off Jagr.
But a year or so down the road the two best players from the
class of 1998-99 will be Ottawa's Marian Hossa and Tampa Bay's
Vincent Lecavalier. If Hossa had played more than 60 games, he
probably would have snagged the Calder. He's just that good.
Both Hossa and Lecavalier are going to be really big stars. I
can't say enough nice things about them. So why try?
Likely Winner: Chris Drury, Colorado
Runner-up: Milan Hejduk, Colorado
ADAMS TROPHY
This is going to be all Jacques Martin. He turned the Ottawa
Senators into a powerhouse. I didn't even think David Blaine
could have done that. And Blaine's the devil. He's gotta be.
How else could he get that card with that chick's name on it in
the beer bottle? Or turn that bum's cup of coffee into a big cup
of change? Oh yes, he's the devil.
Likely Winner: Jacques Martin, Ottawa
Runner-up: Ken Hitchcock, Dallas
LADY BYNG
Does anybody really care? Yeah, I didn't think so. Don't be
surprised if they give this one to Gretzky as a going away
present. But it looks like it will probably be Selanne. The
Finnish Flash had only 30 penalty minutes to go along with his 47
goals and 107 points. Other candidates include Joe Sakic (29
pim), Pavol Demitra (16 pim), Nicklas Lidstrom (14 pim), and Ray
Bourque (34 pim). Although Sakic probably lost his chance when
he laid the smack down on Doug Gilmour with the People's Left
hand.
Likely Winner: Teemu Selanne, Anaheim
Runner-up: Pavol Demitra, St. Louis Blues
SELKE TROPHY
Does anybody really care? Yeah, I didn't think so. The usual
suspects will be in contention, including Michael Peca, Peter
Forsberg, Jere Lehtinen, and Mike Modano. Joe Sakic was getting
a bit of a push there for a while, since many believe he was
Colorado's best defensive player this season, but people still
think Forsberg first when considering defense.
Despite all the big name favorites, I think a swell fellow by the
name of Magnus Arvedson will take the title. The Swedish winger
was tremendous for the Senators, scoring 21 goals and 47 points
and leading Ottawa with a +33. Arvedson has exceptional
straight-ahead speed and is one of the strongest skaters in the
league. It would be nice to see him get some recognition.
Likely Winner: Magnus Arvedson, Ottawa
Runner-up: Michael Peca, Buffalo
---------------------------------------------------------------
More Stuff...
---------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell
GRETZKY GO? GRETZKY GONE
I've got a few thoughts about Gretzky's final game. Let's start
with the pre-game ceremony. How awesome was it to see Mario
Lemieux there, huh? Aw, Mario is cool like that. And it was a
nice gesture on part of the league to put big 66s behind the net
in honor of his attendance. That was a nice touch.
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?
One reason why LCS Hockey isn't getting all caught up in the
Gretzky scene is that we're children of the Lemieux era. We all
grew up just outside of Pittsburgh and had the distinct privilege
of watching Mario Lemieux play on a regular basis. He's the
reason we started following hockey. Without Lemieux, there would
be no LCS Hockey. So I guess that's just another reason for
Mario's critics to hate him.
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?
Gretzky's retirement overshadowed the homecomings of Theo Fleury
and Chris Chelios. But maybe that's for the best.
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
Beginning with the 1999-2000 season, CCM and Pro Player will be
the exclusive manufacturers of NHL merchandise, including
practice jerseys, game jerseys, jackets, hats, t-shirts,
lunchboxes, disco pants, heroin needles, etc. CCM used to share
the gig with Starter, but apparently Starter is doing that
bankruptcy thing and still owes the NHL some scratch.
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
Pavol Demitra has done the unthinkable and has momentarily
overtaken Darcy Tucker as the coolest player in the NHL. The
reason for Demitra's meteoric rise up the coolness chart occurred
during St, Louis' 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on April
18.
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
1. Pavol Demitra, St. Louis Blues
2. Darcy Tucker, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Tony Amonte, Chicago Blackhawks
4. Theo Fleury, Colorado Avalanche
5. Gary Roberts, Carolina Hurricanes
6. Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers
7. Ziggy Palffy, New York Islanders
8. John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers
9. Adam Graves, New York Rangers
10. Derian Hatcher, Dallas Stars
TOP TEN LEAST COOLEST PLAYERS
1. Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
2. Kirk Maltby, Detroit Red Wings
3. Garth Snow, Vancouver Canucks
4. Jamie Macoun, Detroit Red Wings
5. Slava Kozlov, Detroit Red Wings
6. Rich Pilon, New York Islanders
7. Keith Tkachuk, Phoenix Coyotes
8. Martin Lapointe, Detroit Red Wings
9. Kevin Hatcher, Pittsburgh Penguins
10. Paul Kariya, Anaheim Mighty Ducks
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Finally, everyone at LCS Hockey would like to wish our good buddy
Chris Nichols a very Happy Birthday. Not only are we celebrating
the anniversary of his birth, or as those that know him call it
"Black Wednesday", but Chris will also be graduating from high
school within the next few weeks. His family is very proud.
Because just between you and me, we had our doubts. But I guess
anything is possible as long as you give enough money to the
right people. Way to go, Chris! We knew you could do it!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Some Disappointments from 1998-99
------------------------------------------------------------------
by Wallace Hannum
It's hard to think about my disappointments for this past season
and not immediately focus on Wayne Gretzky's retirement. How I
delayed buying my tickets for the Stars-Rangers for months and
ended up missing the sold out game because I'm stupid and lazy.
Wayne's not playing anymore. It is so monumentally bad that he is
retiring that I took time off from work in order to wear black,
watch his old games on video, and weep like a woman all day.
But since the news is full of stories on The Great One, I won't
load you up on more tales of how Ultra-Lame it is that he's gone.
I'll vent my misery and frustration through complaining that no
one was good enough to get 50 goals in the first year of the
Rocket Richard award. How boring, annoying teams that weren't
real Cup contenders bought a bunch of new guys at the deadline
and now they have a chance to go down as a "Dynasty". And My
God, am I sick of that damn Federal Express ad with that stupid
guy with the Cup in Bolivia. But I digress.
Jacques Plante won the Hart Trophy for MVP back in 1962. No
goalies won it for 35 years. That was until Hasek won it the
last two in a row. Know what that means? That a.) the goalies
are winning again (aka More 1-1 hockey games) and b.) "that cat
Hasek is one bad mutha...Watch yer mouth. But I'm talkin' about
Hasek." So, with goalies obviously getting better and better at
stopping the pucks, the forwards need to be getting better at
shooting the pucks. If not, then scoring goes down and you get
more ties. Now, I like 6-4 hockey games more than I like 1-1
hockey games. So, I like Mario putting up 69 goals and 160 points
in 60 games only six years ago. I like Teemu and Mogilny
BOTH getting 76 goals. I don't like teams with 20 ties. I don't
like no one getting 50. I don't like having 30 goalies with a
2.50 GAA or lower. Seriously, 30 goalies. That's pretty weak.
I was also disappointed that Mr. Derian Hatcher decided to crush
Jeremy Roenick's head last week. He basically ruined any chances
Phoenix had at the Cup this year with his goon display. I know
the Coyotes weren't the top seed or anything, but they are
clearly one of the elite teams in the league and definitely had
something to prove in the playoffs. I am all about hard-hitting,
aggressive hockey, but that was the kind of stuff that makes the
whole sport look bad. Non-Hockey fans are gonna see that on ESPN
and think hockey's all about fights and guys breaking jaws. I
just hope J.R. gets a chance to make an appearance in the
playoffs since, as Trent says, "It's Roenick. He's good."
And what's up with Owen "Called the shot on Hasek" Nolan?
Someone go wake him up. He was a consistent 30-goal scorer who
looked like maybe he'd get back up to 40. Then he slipped last
year and this season he got 19 on 200+ shots. He had a chance to
make San Jose a strong playoff team. Now, he's looking like the
oldest 27-year-old in the NHL. His best work seems behind him
and with Patrick Marleau and Jeff Friesen really playing well and
becoming their star players, he can kiss his ice time goodbye.
This team IS going to become one of the best teams in the league
and it's on the strength of its young players. Nolan really
should have stepped it up and made this happen sooner. The
growing period is starting to end. The Vincent Damphousse trade
showed that GM Ferreira was serious about the playoffs THIS year.
Last year San Jose gave Dallas a tough time in the playoffs. And
with the whole team being quite a bit better and BOTH their
goalies gettin' freak nasty this season; they could've been a
contender. They could've been somebody. They could've at least
knocked off Detroit or Dallas in a first round upset. That
would've been sweet. Nolan is disappointing fans that envisioned
the Sharks going anywhere in the postseason.
Speaking of All-Stars that aren't "puttin' out" this year, let us
try to remember Peter Bondra. He's averaged exactly 50 goals the
last three seasons. This year he put up 31. Not a bad total at
all, but the Caps really could've used his scoring help. He's
got an easy excuse though; they pawned off his whole team. It's
kind of like in those old cartoons where Yosemite Sam saws around
Bugs Bunny on the bridge and the whole bridge collapses, but Bugs
is still standing there on this wooden circle. It's not JUST like
that or anything, but I always thought that was odd. You know...
Bugs just sort of standing there lookin' all smart and stuff.
So, I guess Bondra is Bugs. Just floating around in the air
while the whole bridge falls around him. But instead of being
all cool, he falls in the river a little bit later. Great
players rise to the occasion. Great players thrive on challenges
and trust me, Washington gave him one this year. He could've
separated himself from the good players in the league and been
one of the elite. He's been right on the edge for three years.
Now it looks like he's going to collapse along with the entire
Washington organization. How many chances do you get to prove
yourself? And how many times can you compare a Slovakian winger
to Bugs Bunny? It's a gift.
Has anyone seen Geoff Sanderson? He's about six feet tall; real
fast kid with kind of big ears? Last time I saw him, he was in
Hartford racking up high-30 and 40-goal seasons. He sort of got
lost in Carolina and now I can't seem to find him. Someone said
he might be in Buffalo, but the only Sanderson they've got had 12
goals this year. So, that can't be him. Well, if you see him
let me know because his career came looking for him. Said
something about missing his prime.
I could really, really bitch about how Vancouver broke my heart
again this season, but I won't. I won't talk about how Mogilny
has gone from 76 goals to 14. Or how Pavel is totally going to
score 60 goals next year in Florida. Oh, he'll do it. Believe
me. He'll do it out of spite. I won't mention that it took the
Stanley Cup winning coaching genius of both Mike Keenan AND Marc
Crawford for them to find a way to lose MORE games this year than
last year. I won't even mention the fact that I scored just as
many goals for Vancouver this year as Jason Strudwick and Steve
Staios in their combined 122 games and I didn't get a single
check from GM Brian Burke. I didn't even waste the ice time.
I will mention that Markus Naslund and Adrian Aucoin had
tremendous seasons. They were just terrific. The problem is
that this weekend while they're out playing golf and watching the
playoffs on TV, they'll get that "I hate this damn team. I'm
wasting my career playing here" thing that you get after even a
decent season up in Vancouver and they'll ask to be traded out of
Canadian Hell to any team that has any kind of future. Which
leaves me behind to cheer for Dana Murzyn, Trent Klatt, and
Murray Baron as they shatter any ideas I have of an even mediocre
season. I sure hope Steve Kariya can play like brother Paul when
he hits the NHL.
By the way, their record is 50 losses in a season. They got 47
this year. Let's cross our fingers and hope they can finally set
the record for suck. But why hope for anything from this team?
They can't even lose correctly. It plain sucks to be a Canucks
fan. I'm just glad that
no one else has to deal with it.
Basically, no one got 50 goals for the first time in my lifetime.
My favorite team is the worst they've been in my lifetime.
Chelios left Chicago. Hull left St. Louis. Fleury left Calgary.
They closed Maple Leaf Gardens. Gretzky quit. That's the worst
of it. Wayne Gretzky retired and Chris Osgood didn't. Where's
the justice in that? That's not gonna be good for anybody.
---------------------------------------------------------------
State-subsidized Slush
---------------------------------------------------------------
by Howard Fienberg
There are many competing interests involved when it comes to
public funding of new sporting stadiums. It often comes down to
an individual deciding if he could forego lunch for a few days so
his local team can have some fancy new digs. In the fall of 1996,
when the jumbotron in Buffalo's arena came crashing to the ice,
chicken little went running maniacally through town demanding a
new stadium before the sky fell (chicken little not to be
mistaken with his cousin, Chicken a la King, whom I ate for
dinner last night). While most polls seem to indicate that
Americans oppose public subsidization of pro sports, Joseph L.
Bast of the Heartland Institute claims that such subsidies
nationwide cost taxpayers $500 million a year, with $7 billion in
the pipeline for new stadiums by 2006.
An article from the Washington Times (Apr. 17) by Joseph Perkins
indicates that sports fans who vote to subsidize sports arenas
with their taxpayer dollars quite possibly could be denied entry
at the gate. The new San Diego Padres stadium, due in 2002, will
seat 19,000 less fans than their current stadium. All this and
more at the low, low, low price to the taxpayer of only $411
million. A bargain AND a simple way to reduce crowds at the
games. Why the lower capacity? Our favorite invention, the
luxury box. It is obviously only fair that if corporate
executives can watch the game from their living rooms (i.e.,
luxury boxes), Joe Schmo should have to watch from his living
room (i.e., home) as well. Because the market value of the
remaining non-luxury box seats are now hence more expensive.
There is much economic study of the impact of these publicly
funded arenas, and virtually none of it is positive. Stadium
promoters don't seem to be spinning their economics very well.
What some of the studies say: (1) North Carolina State University
economist Michael Walden claims that cities with major league
sports teams actually grew at a slower rate from 1990 to 1994;
(2) Dennis Coates and Brad Humphries, economists at the
University of Maryland, found that cities with new ballparks
showed a $100 decrease in per capita income; (3) In 1994, Lake
Forest College economist Robert Baade conducted a study of 48
cities over a 30-year period, concluding that sports facilities
derail economic development towards labor-intensive, mostly
unskilled and low-wage part-time jobs. (Just the thing for us LCS
staffers!); (4) The Brookings Institution (a Washington, DC think
tank) in 1997 concluded that a new sports facility "has an
extremely small (perhaps even negative) effect on overall
economic activity and employment"; (5) And a Heritage Foundation
(another think tank) study comparing Maryland counties that built
pro sports facilities with Virginia counties which didn't,
concluded the same as studies 1 and 2.
What these studies mean: not much, unfortunately. While it is
easy to conclude that new stadiums do not help the economy
anywhere nearly as much as promoters insist, it is not clear from
these studies that they harm it. The Heritage Foundation study
compares apples and oranges - you'd get the same effect trying to
compare the skating styles of Turner Stevenson with Sergei
Fedorov. Words simply don't do justice to Fedorov's smoothness or
Stevenson's elephant-esque loping. The intricacies of local
economies cannot be simply generalized out, particularly across
two states which, while very near to one another, differ
dramatically. And the first two studies make an overly
simplistic link between stadiums and local economies.
But the main reason we have to look askance at these studies is
that they rarely, if ever, address two important factors: hockey
and alcohol. The coolest game on earth gets the coldest shoulder
in economic research. And why don't they study the alcohol
consumption levels in towns with publicly funded stadiums? God
knows I put back more than my fare share when a hockey game is
on. Or off. Come to think of it, given my drinking in the
off-season, there doesn't seem to be any correlation. But I'm
sure it exists for other people. You drink from joy when your
team wins and from shame and self-pity when they tank it like my
Capitals do.
Well listen up, chicken little. While the jury is still out on
the economic costs and benefits of new municipally supported
stadia, the benefit to the fans is, shall we say, minimal? How
about almost non-existent. The only real benefit of a new stadium
is that your locality gets to keep its team for at least a few
more years. Then the team will whine and complain until the city
forks over more dough, or it gets to leave for a more generous
town. It is a merciless, endless cycle. Kind of like my alcoholic
binges.
I'm no economist, and if I was, I'd be damned if I would trust
myself to come up with a dollar figure to put on the happiness
benefit of keeping your team. When the Whale blew out of Hartford
in 1997 it left a lot of broken hearts, but all those years of
flopping on the beach couldn't have done wonders for the mental
and emotional health of the Hartford Whaler fans either.
Perhaps the solution is the publicly-owned team, like the Green
Bay Packers. A nonprofit corporation may be just what the doctor
ordered. And with the Penguin franchise set to fold, Pittsburgh
had better think about this idea immediately. Or Jagr will be
playing for the Rangers next year, and Pittsburghers will be
given the horrific opportunity to rediscover the wonders of
indoor soccer.
Taps for the Caps
The Capitals' season has finally ended, the misery is over ...
until next year. With paper bags swiftly coming into fashion, I
watched them skate into oblivion and give up more two-on-ones
than Debbie Does Dallas. At least next year we will get to watch
young kids strive and lose rather than old geezers stumble and
lose.
Jericho, LCS' Official Wrestler, Visits Canada
Chris Jericho ("The Lionheart", "Monday Night Jericho"), Canadian
wrestler and hockey fanatic, made the fastest "heel turn" (going
from fan favorite to bad guy) ever known at a wrestling event
televised live from Toronto a few weeks ago. Jericho got hold of
the mike to address the crowd, which had cheered him, flags
waving, all of the way to the ring. He started:
"I'm a Canadian" (tremendous cheers - a "pop")
"And I live in the USA" (booing - "heat")
"And as I walked down the clean streets of Toronto today" (pop)
"I looked up at the green Canadian trees" (pop)
"I smelt the fresh Toronto air" (pop)
"And I thought to myself ... God, I'm glad I moved, 'cause Canada
sucks" (stunned silence followed by tremendous heat).
That's our Jericho.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
AHL News
----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan
Player of the Week (Apr. 4): Five point games are pretty noticeable, even if
your team loses anyway. Such was the case for Worcester's Jochen Hecht, who
had a hat trick and a pair of assists for the IceCats Mar. 31 against Philadelphia but still found himself on the wrong end of an 8-7 score. Hecht also had a pair of points against Springfield for seven points in three games. Hecht is leading the IceCats in goals, assists and points.
Player of the Week (Apr. 11): The Rochester Americans are built on defense,
but they're pretty darn good with that offensive stuff too. Especially Mike
Harder, who scored seven goals in one week and added a couple assists to be
deemed the week's best player. Harder picked up his nine points in five games, four of
which the Amerks won and they tied the fifth. He also became the Amerks' third 30-goal
man and is now eighth on the overall AHL scoring list.
Goaltender of the Month (Mar.): Brian Boucher missed the first
half of March recovering from knee surgery, but he got into nine games for the
Phantoms in the latter half and went 7-2-0-0 with a 2.32 GAA and a .919 save
percentage. That was good enough for the award, as Boucher recorded a shutout and hadn't lost in his last six games. For that matter, Boucher has only lost three games, two in overtime, since the All-Star break.
Rookie of the Month (Mar.): The Fredericton Canadiens are not long for
New Brunswick, but at least one player made sure Fredericton got a good show at the
end. Aaron Asham picked up 13 points in the baby Habs' ten games and was
named the best young 'un for the month by the AHL. Asham had three three-point
games during the month, and finished with a +5 rating. He had a four game goal scoring
streak alive at the time of the award.
Turning Turnstiles: The AHL set a new attendance mark, topping the one set
just last season, as 4,149,750 people showed up for AHL games. The second, third and
fourth highest attendance records all fell this year, and Philadelphia, Rochester, Hartford and Cincinnati posted franchise highs. The Phantoms set new records for both overall and average AHL attendance for a season with 480,106 total and 12,002 average.
Overall, AHL attendance is up 61% from the 92-93 season.
The Phantoms tied the AHL record for shorthanded goals in a season, scoring 26 of
them...
The Providence Bruins posted the all-time best turnaround when they surpassed last
season's point total by 63 points. No team in AHL history had made such an
improvement from one season to the next...
OK, I'm not saying that Adirondack and Syracuse stink, but - there are three teams in
the AHL (Providence, Rochester, and Philadelphia) who have more points than the Red
Wings and the Crunch combined...
The attendance wasn't the only AHL mark over four million. The AHL's web site
recorded over four million hits...
Hartford's Brad Smyth has appeared in 30 games for the WolfPack and scored the first
goal of the game in nine of them...
The best of the baby blueline goalscorers is Cincinnati's Joel Kwiatkowski, with 12
goals...
Despite missing numerous games for family tragedies and a rough beginning in Lowell,
Hershey's Mike Gaul stands second in defense scoring...
The Albany River Rats are 31-1-1 if they allow two goals or fewer...
The Hamilton Bulldogs are finishing at the top in penalty killing with an 87.43% kill
rate...
Hamilton's Steve Passmore ranks second in goals against average (2.18), minutes
played (2969), saves (1470) and save percentage (.932)...
Syracuse has used a franchise record six different goaltenders this season. Saint John is not sympathetic, having used 11 last season...
Rochester put Kentucky in its place Apr. 6 as Mike Harder scored two and assisted on a
third goal for the Amerks in their 3-1 win...
Two AHL teams wound up without a radio announcer the same week. Rochester did
without Don Stevens, who was absent for his father-in-law's funeral, and Worcester is
without Greg Madden, indefinitely on personal leave...
The Iron Men are: Cincinnati's Joel Kwiatkowski, Adirondack's Marc Rodgers, Lowell's
Dane Jackson, New Haven's Scott Levins, Rochester's Matt Davidson, and St. John's
Kevyn Adams and Aaron Brand...
Six other players made it to April as iron men but didn't quite finish. Hershey's Brian Willsie suffered an eye injury, Syracuse's Larry Courville broke his thumb, Albany's Eric Bertrand was suspended for one game, Kentucky's Matt Bradley was given a night off and Kentucky's Herbert Vasiljevs and Cincinnati's Scott Ferguson made their NHL debuts...
Alexander Semak had three points and John Madden pulled his points streak up to 11
games as Albany smacked rivals Adirondack 7-3 on Apr. 7...
If you're going to stop the Phantoms, stop them cold. Marc Denis picked up a 41 save
shutout against Philadelphia Apr. 7, as the Bears won 3-0...
Remember that Rochester/Syracuse game that was suspended due to bad ice? They
finally finished the game Apr. 7. The Crunch started with a lead and were up 3-1 in the
third before allowing the Amerks back in. Dean Sylvester scored in OT to give the
Amerks a 5-4 win...
That was Sylvester's tenth game-winner of the season, leading the AHL and setting a
new franchise record for the Americans...
Syracuse is a sorry mess, but now they're a sorry mess with a couple of champions.
Marcus Gustafsson, fresh from scoring the game-winning goal for Maine in the NCAA
championship, joined the Crunch Apr. 9 and had four goals in his first two games. Black Bear teammate Bobby Stewart also joined the team...
Fredericton came back from a 4-2 third period deficit to defeat Saint John 5-4 on Apr. 8. Scott King set up two goals for Francis Bouillon, then scored the game-winner for his fourth point of the night...
St. John's put it to Saint John Apr. 9, sandblasting the Flames 9-1 on four points from Brad Chartrand and three points each from Lonny Bohonos and Mark Deyell...
Philadelphia clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 5-2 win over Hamilton, getting a pair of goals from Jason Zent and another gamewinner from Chris Joseph...
If there's a way to blow a game, Hartford can usually find it. This time the 'pack held a 4-2 lead over Providence after 50 minutes but then gave up two goals in less than a minute and gave up the winner to Eric Nickulas with all of 33 seconds left in regulation...
Albany handled Syracuse 6-2 Apr. 10, with a pair of goals from Jeff Williams and
Alexander Semaak as well as the continuation of John Madden's point streak...
Syracuse has given up 18 shorthanded goals, by far the worst mark in the league but still way off the record of 24...
Springfield's Sylvain Daigle waited this long but stopped 28 shots for his first shutout of the season, blanking Worcester 3-0 Apr. 10...
He needed all season and 11 games, but Craig Reichert finally scored against Hershey
and it stood as the winner in the Ducks' 3-2 win Apr. 10, which kept the Ducks
mathematically alive for overtaking the Bears...
The Rochester Americans picked up two goals each from Mike Harder and Dean
Sylvester and handily took care of New Haven 6-3...
Craig Charron had three points and a lot of guys you never heard of got their first pro points as Lowell and Portland forged a 5-5 tie...
Lonny Bohonos was involved in all of St. John's goals as the Leafs defeated the Flames
Apr. 10 by a 3-2 score...
Nothing like the last minute. Hershey's Serge Aubin scored the tying goal with three
seconds left and the Bears went on to beat Hamilton 4-3 Apr. 10 on Paul Brousseau's
goal in the final minute of OT...
For just the second time this season, Cincinnati was a winner over Kentucky. The Ducks
pulled out a 6-4 win Apr. 10 on three point performances from Igor Nikulin and
Rastislav Pavlikovsky...
New Haven's Ryan Johnson provided all the offense and Mike Fountain provided all the
defense as the Beast picked up a 2-1 victory over Springfield...
Rochester's Greg Walters hadn't scored since October and had been in the coach's
doghouse, but he dedicated the Amerks' Apr. 10 game to his recently deceased dog Suzy
and scored the tying goal in the 4-4 deadlock with Adirondack...
Tryout Marcus Gustafsson picked up a hat trick in just his second game as Syracuse
picked up a rare win, 5-3 over Albany on Apr. 10...
Bryan Helmer had a night, with two goals and two assists from the blueline as Worcester managed a much-needed 6-3 win over Hartford...
Providence beat Portland 4-3 in overtime, but at least the Pirates got a point out of it for a change. Paxton Schaefer made a rare start for the Bruins...
Fredericton delivered a body blow to Lowell Apr. 11 with an 8-3 win. Martin Gendron
had a hat trick plus two helpers, while Francis Bouillon had a four point night and Eric Houde three...
The baby Habs' win produced a three-way tie for first place in the Atlantic Division with Lowell and St. John's with a week remaining in the season...
Kentucky ensured Cincinnati would have last place in the Mid-Atlantic with a 4-2 win
over the Ducks Apr. 11. Shawn Burr scored two, one shorthanded...
Chris Ferraro and Craig Millar had three points each as Hamilton knocked off
Adirondack 6-3 Apr. 11...
Jeff Halpern scored his first pro goal for Portland but Providence's Andre Savage scored two and Providence went on to win Apr. 11 by a 4-3 score over the Pirates...
Domenic Pittis picked up two assists against Syracuse Apr. 11 to take over the AHL
scoring lead. The Amerks, meanwhile, won 5-3...
Christian Dube and Kevin Brown had a pair each for Hartford in a 4-3 defeat of New
Haven...
Alex Tanguay scored the first of many pro goals and Serge Aubin scored the other two
as Hershey sat down the Phantoms by a 3-2 mark Apr. 11, evening the season series
between the two teams...
Philadelphia won four of their first five games with Hershey. Hershey won four of the
last five...
Derek Bekar set up two goals in 25 seconds in the waning minutes of Worcester's Apr.
11 tilt with Springfield to give the IceCats a 2-1 victory...
The new Montreal-affiliated team in Quebec City will be called the Quebec Citadelle -
Citadel for non-francophones...
Albany and the New Jersey Devils extended their affiliation agreement through the 2001-2002 season...
Providence leads the league in 20+ goal scorers with seven. Hartford follows, with six...
Rookie blueliner Chris Allen put together an eight game point streak for the Beast, all assists...
Providence set a team record for home wins with their 31st and Terry Virtue set a
franchise record for assists from the blue line...
Kentucky goaltender John Nabokov and Sean Gauthier finished fifth and sixth in the
GAA, respectively...
Richard Park has scored eight shorthanded goals to lead the AHL in that category...
Rochester has set franchise marks for points in a season (old record 101) and wins in a season (old record 48)...
When you're hot, you're hot. The currently scorching Serge Aubin needed merely 3:17 to
record a natural hat trick against Adirondack, including the tying goal with 43 seconds left in regulation and the game-winner 47 seconds into OT to give the Bears a 4-3 win Apr. 14...
Rochester tied an AHL record with their 25th road win, a 5-2 victory over Albany Apr.
14. The Amerks also clinched first place and Domenic Pittis had two points to reach the century mark...
Kentucky's Matt Bradley and Mark Smith will appear in a feature program on ESPN2,
currently scheduled to air Saturday, April 24, at 11:30 am...
In what may have been the last Battle of New Brunswick, Saint John defeated
Fredericton 6-3 Apr. 15...
Syracuse picked up a rare victory with a 2-1 win over Hamilton Apr. 15. Matt Cooke
scored both goals for the Crunch while Joaquin Gage got the win...
The Crunch have won three of their last 16 games. Cooke scored the gamewinner in all
three wins...
Worcester took a 4-1 lead but Providence took it back and won 5-4 Apr. 16, largely on a four-point night from Randy Robitaille...
Kentucky and Cincinnati had the same score that night, with Kentucky getting the win on three points from Shawn Burr and a late goal from Mike Craig...
Jimmy Waite missed a shutout by just two seconds, but Tavis Hansen did get a natural
hat trick as Springfield took out the Beast 4-1 Apr. 16...
Francis Belanger scored what was the go-ahead goal and then got himself ejected from
the game, but the Phantoms hung in for a 4-3 win over Hershey Apr. 16...
Domenic Pittis had two more points for the Amerks as they beat Albany for the second
time in three nights, this time by a 3-1 score. John Madden scored to take his points
streak to 15 games...
But Madden also broke his hand during the game on a controversial slash from Darren
Van Oene. The Rats don't know when Madden will be available again...
Lowell liked callup Bret Meyers enough to bring him back when his ECHL season
ended. Meyers liked Lowell enough to score a pair of goals in the Monsters' first win in nine games, a 3-2 win over Fredericton Apr. 16...
Blueliner Jason Doig had three points for the WolfPack as they took out the hapless
Pirates 5-1 Apr. 16. JF Labbe nearly had a shutout...
Portland, for its part, had to yank starting goaltender Fredric Deschenes in favor of
ECHL callup (and Meyers' ECHL teammate in Columbus) Harlin Hayes. The
significance? Hayes became the 63rd player used by Portland this season, a new AHL
record. That's three and a half teams worth of players gang...
Hamilton brought in a new goaltender, Eric Heffler, who stopped 48 of 50 St. John's
shots as the Bulldogs beat the Leafs 5-2 Apr. 17. Chris Ferraro had three assists...
The Phantoms were down 3-1 but came back to defeat Albany 4-3 Apr. 17. Steve Brule
had three points for the Rats...
Adirondack's Jason Elliott did the near impossible Apr. 17 - he shut out Providence.
Elliott stopped 26 shots as the Wings took down the Bruins 2-0...
Hobey Baker runnerup Mike York scored two goals for Hartford Apr. 17 as they
finished Portland's season, 4-2. Jeff Heil stopped 37 shots for his first win in the AHL...
Kentucky ended their season with a 6-4 win over Cincinnati, getting the game-winner
from Mark Smith with 1:17 left in regulation...
The T-Blades' Dave Duerden had three points in that game, giving him a total of nine
points against Cincinnati this season. He has eight points against the rest of the AHL...
Worcester eliminated New Haven with a 6-1 win Apr. 17. Tyson Nash and Derek Bekar
had three points each, and Nash scored goals both on the power play and shorthanded...
Albany's Jeff Williams clinched his status as the AHL's top goalscorer this season with his 46th as the Rats knocked out archrival Adirondack 4-1 Apr. 18...
Saint John finished their season with a win when David Cooper scored the tying and
game-winning goals in the third period of their 5-3 win over Lowell Apr. 18. Eric
Landry and Ronald Petrovicky had three assists each...
Hartford won their fourth straight game on Derek Armstrong's OT goal with just
seconds remaining in the game. The 4-3 loss was Providence's second in a row. Brad
Smyth had three points for the 'Pack...
Tough guy Chad Cabana scored two goals for New Haven as they won 4-1 over
Springfield Apr. 18, too little too late for the Beast...
Greg Walters, who scored one goal in his first 50 games, scored his fifth in six games as Rochester finished with a 4-2 win over Syracuse Apr. 18...
Domenic Pittis had two assists to bring his points total to 104, the best mark in the
league. For this accomplishment, he gets zip. The AHL failed to recognize him for the
All-Star game or any post-season awards...
Rochester as a whole walloped the AHL record for fewest goals allowed in a season,
letting in just 176 goals in 80 games. The old record was 201. And lest I sound like a
repeating record, a performance like that and only Biron gets post-season honors?...
The season from hell continues for Hershey's Mike Gaul. Gaul's mother suffered a
second stroke last weekend while still recovering from the previous one. This one was
more severe than the first and the Bears are not expecting Gaul to return until May at
least, maybe not at all...
While Portland is unsure of much of next season, they have given the Blackhawks notice. The Pirates will be strictly Washington next year...
Chicago is expected to announce a partial affiliation with another AHL team by the end
of May. Their Hampton Roads team won't be good to go until 2000, necessitating a
contingency plan...
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AHL Playoff Preview
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan
Time for me to make an idiot of myself again. Here goes.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Empire Division
#1 Rochester Americans v. #4 Adirondack Red Wings
Game One: Wednesday, April 21 at Rochester
Game Two: Friday, April 23 at Rochester
Game Three: Saturday, April 24 at Adirondack
*Game Four: Tuesday, April 27 at Adirondack
*Game Five: Saturday, May 1 at Rochester
Rochester in three.
They're bothering to play this series? Just give the Amerks the sweep and save the Red
Wings a bucket of heartache.
#2 Albany River Rats v. #3 Hamilton Bulldogs
Game One: Thursday, April 22 at Albany
Game Two: Saturday, April 24 at Albany
Game Three: Wednesday, April 28 at Hamilton
*Game Four: Friday, April 30 at Hamilton
*Game Five: Saturday, May 1 at Albany
Albany in five.
A good, even series to begin with gets even closer with John Madden's hand injury.
Albany has generally been the better team this season, as Hamilton has gone as Steve
Passmore has gone more often than not. But Madden's absence gives the Bulldogs a shot
at it. I like the Rats but this is the most likely upset here.
Mid-Atlantic Division
#1 Philadelphia Phantoms v. #4 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
Game One: Thursday, April 22 at Philadelphia (First Union Center)
Game Two: Saturday, April 24 at Philadelphia (First Union Center)
Game Three: Sunday, April 25 at Cincinnati
*Game Four: Wednesday, April 28 at Cincinnati
*Game Five: Friday, April 30 at Philadelphia (First Union Spectrum)
Philadelphia in four.
The Phantoms aren't the juggernaut that they were last year, merely a very good team.
And a streaky team at that, which will keep them from repeating their championship.
But the Mighty Ducks, despite the fireworks that happen when these teams meet, just
don't have enough to take this to the next round. An added attraction: where possible,
Phantoms playoff games will be played at the First Union Center.
#2 Kentucky Thoroughblades v. #3 Hershey Bears
Game One: Friday, April 23 at Kentucky
Game Two: Saturday, April 24 at Kentucky
Game Three: Wednesday, April 28 at Hershey
*Game Four: Friday, April 30 at Hershey
*Game Five: Sunday, May 2 at Kentucky
Hershey in five.
A repeat of the last two year's matchups, but don't look for any ten-goal margins this
time. These two teams have played each other tight, close and nasty in all twelve games and nothing will change in the playoffs, except maybe everyone's bedtime. Look for at least two of these to go in overtime. The edge goes to Hershey, for being the stronger (and, interestingly, the more disciplined) of the teams in the second half of the season. However, the Bears will be without Mike Gaul for the foreseeable future.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
New England Division
#1 Providence Bruins v. #4 Worcester IceCats
Game One: Friday, April 23 at Providence
Game Two: Saturday, April 24 at Providence
Game Three: Friday, April 30 at Worcester
*Game Four: Saturday, May 1 at Worcester
*Game Five: Wednesday, May 5 at Providence
Providence in four.
Under most circumstances I'd just give the Bruins the sweep, except the baby Bs
stumbled a bit in the last week. And more so because Worcester occasionally comes up
tremendously big, such as ending Providence's win streaks earlier this season. But the
IceCats are woefully inconsistent and the playoff push cooked what they had left.
#2 Hartford WolfPack v. #3 Springfield Falcons
Game One: Friday, April 23 at Hartford
Game Two: Saturday, April 24 at Hartford
Game Three: Friday, April 30 at Springfield
*Game Four: Saturday, May 1 at Springfield
*Game Five: Monday, May 3 at Hartford
Hartford in five.
The I-91 series returns with two teams that can't get through 60 minutes unscathed. Both teams have been inconsistent, even within a single game. Hartford has by far the better personnel, but also a penchant for giving up games late which plays into Springfield's talent, third period comebacks. The 'Pack are older and wiser, however, and will come away with the series eventually.
Atlantic Division
#1 Lowell Lock Monsters v. #4 Saint John Flames
Game One: Friday, April 23 at Lowell
Game Two: Saturday, April 24 at Lowell
Game Three: Wednesday, April 28 at Saint John
*Game Four: Friday, April 30 at Saint John
*Game Five: Tuesday, May 4 at Lowell
Lowell in five.
Another series between teams that aren't sure what they want to do on any given day.
Lowell has been riding the first third of the season for the entire season, and only the end of the Islanders' season really gives them the edge. Saint John will have their full complement of players available for a change, enabling them to take this to Game Five. But Lowell has it.
#2 St. John's Maple Leafs v. #3 Fredericton Canadiens
Game One: Friday, April 23 at St. John's
Game Two: Sunday, April 25 at St. John's
Game Three: Tuesday, April 27 at Fredericton
*Game Four: Thursday, April 29 at Fredericton
*Game Five: Saturday, May 1 at St. John's
A matchup between two teams that were vastly improved the second half of the season
and finished in dead heat for second. St. John's barely gets the home ice advantage.
While this should be a spirited series, St. John's has been steadier overall and has a
veteran influence, especially with Jeff Reese in net. Fredericton's final season will end early.
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AHL Award Winners
---------------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan
The Providence Bruins ruled the first batch of season-end awards, taking home four
spots on the All-Star teams as well as MVP and Coach of the Year. Randy Robitaille
took home the Lester Cunningham MVP award after leading the AHL in scoring for
most of the season. He has also led the AHL in assists and appeared in the All-Star
Game while picking up a few Player of the Week awards.
The Louis A. Pieri award for Coach of the Year went, no surprise here, to Peter
Laviolette, the rookie AHL coach in only his second year at the helm of any team. Also
the AHL's youngest head coach, Laviolette took the Bruins from worst to first and the
best record in the franchise's history. No argument for either of these awards.
The All-Star teams looked like this:
Position First Team Second Team
Goalie Martin Biron, Rochester Steve Passmore, Hamilton
Defense Ken Sutton, Albany Dan Boyle, Kentucky
Defense Brandon Smith, Providence Terry Virtue, Providence
Forward Randy Robitaille, Providence Jeff Williams, Albany
Forward Landon Wilson, Providence Steve Guolla, Kentucky
Forward Shane Willis, New Haven Richard Park, Philadelphia
Plenty to argue here though. Rochester's Domenic Pittis became just the fifth AHL
scoring leader to not be named to a year end All-Star team, and he was left out of the
All-Star Game to boot. Considering Pittis played on a team which placed defense ahead
of offense at all times, that had to be good for something, didn't it? Likewise, John
Madden's performance should have landed him on the second team at a minimum, and
surely someone from Rochester's defense qualified? I'll admit to some bias based on
having seen Providence exactly once this season - and they stunk. One of the worst
performances I've seen by an AHL team in years.
The Rookie Team:
Goalie Robert Esche, Springfield
Defense Dan Boyle, Kentucky
Defense Cory Sarich, Rochester
Forward Shane Willis, New Haven
Forward J.P. Dumont, Portland
Forward Andre Savage, Providence
What we have here is one impressive group of skaters. In goal...Esche has been a
workhorse, but a wildly inconsistent one. David Aebischer was a better choice for the
All-Star Game and either Aebischer or Mathieu Garon would be better here.
No doubt who was the best goaltender in the AHL this year. The Aldredge 'Baz' Bastien
Award went to the Rochester Americans' Martin Biron, the lone Amerk to be noticed by
voters. Biron finished the season with the best GAA in the league at 2.07 and the highest win total of 35 despite spending a good part of the season in Buffalo. He also made the mid-season and post-season All-Star teams and was Goaltender of the Month for
January.
The Eddie Shore Award goes to the best defenseman in the league and unlike the Norris
Trophy, the blueliner has to able defensively as well as offensively. That describes
Albany's Ken Sutton, who ranks third in assists and fourth in points among blueliners but is also second in plus/minus at +34. Although Sutton has been a pro for ten years, this was by far his best season.
In his first season in the AHL - 18 years ago - Mitch Lamoureux was named Rookie of
the Year and a second team All Star. Now, all these years and a brief retirement and
return later, the venerable Bear goes to a permanent retirement with the Fred T. Hunt
Memorial Award in hand. Lamoureux didn't fade away either, with a +30 ranking and
over 50 points for Hershey this season. He finishes his career seventh on the all-time
AHL scoring list.
The Dudley 'Red' Garrett Award for the best Rookie was an easy one. Like someone
other than New Haven's Shane Willis was even considered. Willis, who landed on the
First All-Star Team, the Rookie All-Star Team, and the Canadian All-Star Team, led the
newcomers in assists and points and for much of the season toyed with the scoring title before a recall the Carolina sidetracked him. Willis was also the Rookie of the Month for October and recorded the AHL's hardest shot at the All-Star Skills Competition.
The Rochester Americans give thanks for awards based strictly on numerical statistics.
Otherwise, Domenic Pittis would be empty-handed. But he does get the John B.
Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL's top scorer after piling up 104 points, including 38
goals, in 76 games. Pittis was particularly fruitful against his previous team, Syracuse, and also managed to play two games on the same day for different teams - and it was the two points he got for that day that gave him the edge. Pittis also finished second in game-winning goals, with nine, to teammate Dean Sylvester's ten.
The Amerks weren't through yet, adding the Harry 'Hap' Holmes Trophy for the lowest
team goals-against-average. Both Martin Biron and Tom Draper appeared in at least 25
games, so they share the award. Biron finished with a 2.07 and Draper finished at 2.30, for a combined GAA of 2.18, an alltime record for the AHL. Not surprising considering the Amerks shattered the AHL record for fewest goals allowed in a full season by 25 goals.
The last award to be given out is the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award for community
service. That award will not be given until April 23, so check the playoff coverage for that winner.
================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
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Head Coach: Rob Ftorek
Roster: C - Bobby Holik, Bob Carpenter, Denis Pederson, Petr
Sykora, Jason Arnott, Sergei Brylin, Brendan Morrison, Sergei
Nemchinov. LW - Dave Andreychuk, Brian Rolston, Scott Daniels,
Jay Pandolfo, Sasha Lakovic. RW - Patrik Elias, Randy McKay,
Vadim Sharifijanov, Krzysztof Oliwa. D - Scott Stevens, Scott
Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Lyle Odelein, Kevin Dean, Sheldon
Souray, Brad Bombardir. G - Martin Brodeur, Chris Terreri.
Injuries: Sergei Nemchinov, c (bruised hip, day to day).
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
04/08 Washington W 1-0
04/10 at Montreal W 6-2
04/12 Islanders L 4-2
04/14 at Buffalo W 2-1
04/16 Philadelphia W 3-2
04/17 at Nashville W 4-1
TEAM NEWS by Carmen Crincoli
Fresh Start for Playoffs!
Well, after months of waiting, and looking for Michael Dell's
pants, I had enough and decided to take on correspondence for the
team. With the playoffs looming, and the Devils on a roll, I'm
hoping I get to post more than two articles before my writing
season is over...but enough about me, onto the team.
Since the regular season has been wrapped up, there's no real
reason to go into the 4-2 loss to the Islanders a week ago, or a
6-2 beating of Montreal. The second season is here, and that's
all that matters. The biggest events to note are listed below:
1) New Jersey won its 3rd straight Atlantic Division and Eastern
Conference titles, the first team to do that since the 1985-87
Philadelphia Flyers.
2) The final win against Nashville gave this Devils team a place
alone in the history books, setting an NHL record for road wins
in a single season (28-10-3).
3) Felix Potvin had an outstanding game on the 12th, stopping 55
of a New Jersey record 57 shots on his way to besting Martin
Brodeur, 4-2.
4) Unlike the previous two seasons, this team is not backing into
the playoffs. The Devils are 8-2-0 in their last 10, and 13-4-3
in the last 20.
5) Again, unlike the previous two seasons, the players aren't
backing into the playoffs. Bobby Holik came back to life after
his second two-game suspension of the season, and Brian Rolston
has been nothing short of on fire for the better part of two
weeks.
Regular season wrap-up
The Eastern Conference standings were wild and wooly right until
the buzzer. Heading into Sunday's games, the only thing that was
set in stone was Wayne Gretzky retiring. Despite Jaromir Jagr's
heartbreaking overtime winner against the Rangers, the Penguins
drew 8th seed thanks to Washington failing to score for the 11th
game this season, giving Buffalo a 3-0 victory, and a date with
Ottawa. Here's a rundown of how New Jersey and Pittsburgh match
up:
Forwards
The two teams draw an interesting contrast when it comes to the
forward lines, and their style of play. Pittsburgh has (for my
money) the most exciting forward in the game, Jaromir Jagr.
Martin Straka had a breakout year, adding some desperately needed
scoring depth to the Penguins lineup. Past those two guys, the
roster turns into a team full of grinders and enigmas. Kovalev
and Lang have tons of potential, and no killer instinct. Jan
Hrdina had a great rookie campaign, but still shows his green
side at least once a game. The Penguins success will pivot
around how the rest of the lineup chips in, and if Jagr can break
free.
New Jersey has one of the most exciting lines in the NHL right
now, with Jason Arnott centering Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias.
The line has been white hot the past few months, and if
Pittsburgh can't stop them, there could be a lot of red lights
spinning. If the rumblings of the Andreychuk-Holik-McKay line
keep up, the Devils will have two legitimate scoring lines, with
players like Brian Rolston (24 goals), Jay Pandolfo (14), Denis
Pederson (11), and Brendan Morrison (46 points) skating on the
"checking" lines. Pittsburgh's defense has its work cut out for
it.
Defense
Pittsburgh's defense has been a rotating who's who of
who-what-not's all season long. With Kasparaitis gone, the
Penguins lack a top notch blueliner who can play in his own end.
A few of the guys can hit, a few can skate and pass, but none can
do both. This will be Pittsburgh's Achilles heel unless someone
unexpected steps up.
The Devil defense, which was shaky for the first part of the
season, finally rounded into a solid unit for the final playoff
push. For a recent stretch of nine games, the Devils only
allowed 20 or more shots in one game. Twice in that span, they
faced the Penguins, who totaled just over 30 shots for both
games...combined! With the great play of Scott Niedermayer,
there may not be much the Pens can do to keep the defense from
hurting them at both ends.
Goaltending
Heading into the playoffs, Tom Barrasso is tagged as the Penguins
number 1 goalie. While Barrasso has two Stanley's to his credit,
that was a long time ago, and his better days are long gone. He
recently returned from an injury, and should be fresh for the
playoffs. In net for the Devils is Martin Brodeur, who had an
"off year", if you examine the statistics alone. After a slow
start, Martin got on a few good rolls, which brought him to his
final record of 39-21-10. Not a bad mark for a guy having an
"off" year.
Prediction
I don't make predictions, but I know everyone wants them, so I'll
make you all a deal...if you can find those pants, the prediction
is in one of the pockets.
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NEW YORK ISLANDERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Bill Stewart
Roster: C - Trevor Linden, Bryan Smolinski, Claude Lapointe,
Craig Janney, Brad Isbister, Mats Lindgren, Mike Kennedy. LW -
Mike Watt, Mike Hough, Gino Odjick. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Joe
Sacco, Mariusz Czerkawski, Kevin Miller, Mark Lawrence, Steve
Webb, Warren Luhning. D - Kenny Jonsson, Richard Pilon, Eric
Brewer, David Harlock, Barry Richter, Zdeno Chara, Ted Crowley,
Vladimir Chebaturkin. G - Felix Potvin, Wade Flaherty, Stephen
Valiquette.
Injuries: Who cares?
Transactions: Who cares?
Game Results
4/06 Buffalo L 3-4
4/08 Montreal W 3-1
4/10 Carolina L 1-6
4/12 at New Jersey W 4-2
4/14 at Toronto L 2-3 (OT)
4/17 at Pittsburgh W 7-2
TEAM NEWS by David Strauss
Only the Isles could end the season like this, losing even though
they outscored their opponent 7-2 in the last game.
In the season finale against the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday
afternoon at the Igloo, a win was a loss and a loss was a win.
Well, at least as regards the NHL Entry Draft.
Entering their final game, the Islanders had the second-worst
record in the league. A loss against Pittsburgh would have
clinched the second-worst overall record, tying them in the draft
order with the 1999-2000 expansion entry Atlanta Thrashers.
Then, the Islanders would have drafted no worse than fourth when
the draft was held June 26th in Boston.
But, with a win the Islanders would finish with a better record
than the Vancouver Canucks, dropping them down a slot to as low
as fifth.
The second-worst overall record also would have given the
Islanders a better chance to earn the first overall pick in the
draft lottery.
So what happened? With a defense that had five players who
*totaled* less than 50 games of NHL experience last season (Zdeno
Chara, Barry Richter, David Harlock, Vladimir Chebaturkin and Ray
Schultz), the Isles crushed the Pens 7-2.
Zigmund Palffy had five points, including a spectacular hat trick
that concluded with two short-handed breakaway goals within a
minute. Palffy finished as the team's leading scorer with 50
points in 50 games, despite missing a big chunk of the season due
to a holdout.
With most people saying the '99 Draft will have three top players
and then a second tier group, the Isles simply hope it isn't a
replay of 1990, when a win on the last day of the season dropped
them to the sixth spot where they took the immortal Scott
Scissons. Pittsburgh, picking fifth, picked a kid named
Jaromir Jagr.
***
Talk about training for the Islanders.
Roberto Luongo, the top goalie prospect in the league, is
currently starring for Bathurst in the Quebec League playoffs.
Through 15 games, Luongo was 11-3-0 with a 2.83 GAA and a .922
save percentage. Oh, and he's also facing over 36 shots a game,
with several 50+ save performances already. At least he's one of
the few bright spots Islander fans can see in the future.
Knowing our luck, he'll decide to quit hockey and travel to the
Himalayas to go in search of the elusive yeti.
***
So it's another off-season, and how much the Isles will change is
anyone's guess. After their fifth straight season missing the
playoffs - the longest such streak in the NHL - the Isles could
have new owners, a new coach, or new players.
Co-owner Howard Milstein and his brother, Ed, will probably be
encouraged to sell by the NHL after the Redskins fiasco. Ex-MSG
president Bob Gutkowski is purportedly interested in buying.
Though Gutkowski was affiliated with the Rangers, he would be
accepted by Islander fans since he is not only a Long Islander,
but has shown the willingness to spend what it takes to be a
success, and has already said he would expect to have to improve
the team before the fans would come back. The current owners, of
course, have indicated they feel the reverse is true: that the
fans should come back or they won't spend money. After 15 years
of the worst ownership in sports, Isles fans won't tolerate that
kind of smugness.
Coach Bill Stewart is another question mark. His future will be
decided soon. He was probably a 90:10 shot to return a few weeks
ago, until he opened his mouth to the press and complained about
the state of the organization. Now? Who knows. If the Isles get
tired of Stewart's mouth and can get a former Isle such as Butch
Goring or Dave Lewis as head coach, Stewart might be given his
walking papers.
Of course, GM Mike Milbury's job is far from safe. His series of
bonehead deals may have been called by ownership or not, but it's
a good bet that if the Isles are sold, Milbury won't be here next
fall.
The top priority among players is probably getting a No. 1 center
to play with Ziggy Palffy. The traded Robert Reichel will likely
go back to Europe, since it's unlikely any team will give him the
$4+ million contract he wants. It remains to be seen if whomever
the GM is will make legitimate runs at free agents, or if owners
will let him.
Also on tap is the captain. On July 1, Trevor Linden becomes a
restricted free agent for the second straight year. "I expect to
be here and sign here," he said. "Until I hear otherwise, that's
how I'll approach things." If only more members of the Islanders
showed such class.
Gonna be a busy summer. One of these days that comment will
encourage Islander fans, but for now, it's just a harbinger of
dread.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK RANGERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: John Muckler
Rosters: C - Wayne Gretzky, Manny Malhotra, Petr Nedved, Marc
Savard, Christian Dube. LW - Brent Fedyk, Adam Graves,
Darren Langdon, Kevin Stevens, Eric Lacroix.
RW - Todd Harvey, Mike Knuble, John MacLean, Niklas Sundstrom,
Mike Maneluk. D - Jeff Beukeboom, Brian Leetch, Stan Neckar,
Peter Popovic,Ulf Samuelsson, Mathieu Schneider, Ruman Ndur,
Chris Tamer, Rich Brennan. G - Mike Richter, Dan Cloutier.
INJURIES: Who cares?
TRANSACTIONS: None.
GAME RESULTS
4/05 at Philadelphia W 5-1
4/08 at Chicago L 6-2
4/09 at Dallas L 3-1
4/12 Tampa Bay W 2-1
4/15 at Ottawa T 2-2
4/18 Pittsburgh L 2-1 OT
TEAM NEWS by Gregg Jensen, New York Rangers Correspondent
WHAT A WASTE
Neil Smith and the Rangers just didn't know what they had when
they signed the greatest player of all time. To them he was just
a show piece, someone to parade around to the league as if to say
"Look! We have Wayne Gretzky on our team! YEE-HAW!" Instead of
building around him, they took away talent.
After a bitter feud, Mark Messier left. They traded Ulf
Samuelsson this year. What's worse is that they did absolutely
nothing to improve during the season. Pavel Bure, Theo Fleury,
and Mark Recchi, all went to elsewhere. When that happened, it
was over for #99. Why go through another year of the grind only
to come up short again? On the ice he was left unprotected. He
got checked like never before. The wingers he was asked to play
with were second line wingers at best on a contender.
The problem with Wayne is that he's too classy of an individual
to say "The reason I'm retiring is because the Rangers made no
effort to better themselves this year and I see no light at the
end of the tunnel." But you know that's what he's thinking. Why
else would he leave six goals short of 900, 37 assists shy of
2000? Because he'd rather leave the game he loves than train all
summer, play the season, get knocked around, lose, and fail to
make the playoffs for a third straight year.
The Rangers not only lost a great player, but they lost their
identity. Who are the fans paying $100.00 a seat going to pay to
see now? Brian Leetch? Hardly, they haven't even signed him.
He becomes unrestricted on July 1st. Say bye bye to Brian. With
the way this team looks now, it may be another 54 years before
the sip from the Cup again. I am embarrassed to be a Rangers
fan, it's like 1983 all over again.
,P>
What a waste...
C'MON, MIKE!
PLEASE SEND TONS OF EMAIL TO MICHAEL DELL TELLING HIM TO KEEP LCS
GOING NEXT YEAR!
Michael Dell: dell@lcshockey.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Roger Neilson
Roster: C - Rod Brind'Amour, Marc Bureau, Daymond Langkow, Eric
Lindros. LW - Mikael Andersson, Craig Berube, John LeClair, Roman
Vopat, Valeri Zelepukin. RW - Jody Hull, Keith Jones, Sandy
McCarthy, Mark Recchi, Mikael Renberg. D - Eric Desjardins, Steve
Duchesne, Karl Dykhuis, Dan McGillis, Luke Richardson, Chris
Therien, Dmitri Tertyshny. G - Ron Hextall, John Vanbiesbrouck.
Injuries: Eric Lindros, c (collapsed lung, out indefinitely).
Transactions: none.
Game results:
04/08 Pittsburgh W 3-1
04/10 at Washington W 2-1
04/13 Buffalo T 2-2
04/16 at New Jersey L 3-2 OT
04/18 Boston W 3-1
TEAM NEWS by Chuck Michio, Philadelphia Correspondent
LET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
Well, all the loose ends have been tied up. The Flyers will face
the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs in a
series rife with subplots. There's the coaching subplot, with
Roger Neilson and Pat Quinn significant figures in the histories
of both of these franchises. Then there's the goalie subplot,
with the Flyers and John Vanbiesbrouck, their free agent goalie
of choice, going head-to-head against the man they spurned,
Curtis Joseph. And, of course, there's the question of how the
Flyers will do without Hart Trophy candidate Eric Lindros.
It all makes for an intriguing and unusual matchup, unusual
because the Flyers will be considered the underdog in a playoff
series for the first time since they faced New Jersey in 1995.
Toronto is a formidable opponent, an offensive power with four
lines that can score. Sergei Berezin (37 goals), Mats Sundin
(31), and Steve Thomas (28) lead the way, but 9 Leafs reached
double digits in goals. And they have a proven playoff performer
in the nets.
So, who will win? What are the keys to success? For the Flyers,
it's as easy as 1-2-3.
1. DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE, DISCIPLINE
Here's a crucial fact. Oddly enough, the Leafs are a better team
when they get outshot. Toronto's record in those games was
27-16-10. When they get more shots than their opponents. they're
just 17-14-15.
Those numbers make one fact very clear - it's suicide to play
Russian Roulette against Toronto. They're a tremendous transition
team that's deadly on the rush. And like a good counterpuncher,
they clobber overaggressive opponents by using their skill and
speed to create turnovers that turn into odd-man rushes and
goals.
For that reason, the most crucial factor in this series will be
whether or not the Flyers can stick to the neutral zone trap.
Toronto struggled mightily against teams that used the trap this
year, going a combined 6-11-1 against Buffalo, Boston,
Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. If that's not incentive enough for
the Flyers to maintain their discipline and stick to the system
in this series, nothing is.
The Flyers did a good job of staying within the system against
the Leafs in the regular season. They went 3-1 against Toronto
with Vanbiesbrouck in the net and held Mats Sundin to just one
goal in the four-game season series. Hopefully, that trend will
continue.
The signs are encouraging. The Flyers allowed just eight goals in
their final five games. And they played perhaps their best
defensive game of the season on Sunday against Boston, allowing
the Bruins just 11 shots and one scoring chance. Despite the fact
that the Bruins intensity level was worse than shameful, it was
an impressive performance - and one that will need to be repeated
if the Flyers are going to get past the Leafs.
2. CRASH THE CREASE
Curtis Joseph struggled mightily against the Flyers this season,
going 1-3 with a 3.29 goals-against average and a homely .877
save percentage. The reason is simple - the Flyers drive him
friggin' nuts.
Philly's crease-crashing style managed to throw Joseph into a
frenzy more than once this year. Now his coach, Pat Quinn, is
following suit. Quinn spent the early part of this week cementing
himself as a candidate for the playoff sour grapes award, awarded
annually each season, usually to Scott Stevens.
"It (the Flyers tendency to invade the crease) is not overblown,"
Quinn said. "The league mandated it to stop a few years ago, but
Philly is one of the teams that still does it.
"It's not just when the puck goes in the net. You watch, they
back in there all the time. They do all those little things,
encroaching, poaching ... it's not a mean thing on their part,
but they seem to get away with it, especially the physical
contact (with the goalie)."
Clearly, the Flyers need to exploit their mental edge in this
department as much as possible, particularly since John
Vanbiesbrouck would be no match for Cujo at the top of his game.
Does anyone out there agree with me that Geezer didn't turn out
to be the upgrade in goal that the Flyers were looking for? His
final numbers, 27-18-15, 2.18 goals-against, and .902 save
percentage, are not even as impressive as Ron Hextall's numbers
from the previous season (21-17-7, 2.17, .911). And since the
Flyers goals-against numbers for those two seasons (196 this
year, 193 last) are remarkably similar, I think it's a fair
comparison - and it's safe to say that Vanbiesbrouck has not yet
proven himself a worthy acquisition.
That may change now that the postseason is underway.
Vanbiesbrouck does have a history of stepping it up once the big
dance begins.
Of course, he may not need to stand on his head if the Flyers can
force Cujo to the rubber room. And with Keith Jones primed to
jab, poke, and smirk his way to Joseph's heart over the next two
weeks, it's a distinct possibility.
It's also possible that the crease-crashing sins, both real and
imagined, have Joseph determined to send the Flyers home early.
And the fact that Bob Clarke jilted Cujo last summer, despite the
fact that the Flyers were his admitted first choice, should feed
his festering hatred even more.
3. THE BIG LINE MUST DOMINATE
For all of the talk the past few springs about the Flyers
shortcomings in goal, the key to their playoff losses has been
the subpar play of their offensive stars, not their goaltenders.
All that has to change if the Flyers are going to advance past
the Leafs.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this series will be how
well the Flyers can adjust to life without Lindros. I'm sure that
many Flyers fans will regard this as heresy, but I personally
feel that they have a better chance to win without him.
Lindros is an unemotional player whose play seems to mirror that
of the team around him. That's fine and good when the team is
soaring through an unbeaten streak, but not so good when their
backs are against the wall in the postseason. I think it's
dangerous to make a player like that the other ones should look
to for inspiration. And Lindros has still never proven himself a
go-to guy in the clutch.
That said, if the Flyers fail this year, they can't pin it on
#88. This year, the burden will fall upon Rod Brind'Amour and
John LeClair, two outstanding players who weren't very
outstanding in the playoffs last year.
This spring, they'll have the help of Mark Recchi, a very strong
playoff performer for Montreal last year. There was some doubt
about Recchi's availability for this series, but he was cleared
to play yesterday and will be in the lineup Thursday night.
It's very simple, folks. If Brindy, LeClair, and Recchi outplay
the Leafs first line, the Flyers will win. If they don't, they
can't expect Daymond Langkow, Mikael Renberg, Valeri Zelepukin,
and Keith Jones to save them.
You read it here first. This is the year that Brind'Amour and
LeClair will step up and cement their reputations as two of the
best players in the game.
PREDICTION
The Leafs are a very dangerous but fatally flawed team. Their
leaky defense will give the Flyers too many scoring chances for
Curtis Joseph to make the difference. And with Lindros out, the
Flyers will stay within the system and stymie the Leafs potent
transition game.
Philly in 6.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Kevin Constantine
Roster: C - Martin Straka, Robert Lang, Jan Hrdina, Tyler
Wright. LW - German Titov, Kip Miller, Matthew Barnaby, Dan
Kesa, Brian Bonin. RW - Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Aleksey
Morozov, Robby Brown, Martin Sonnenberg. D - Darius Kasparaitis,
Kevin Hatcher, Brad Werenka, Jiri Slegr, Ian Moran, Sven
Butenschon, Bobby Dollas, Neil Wilkinson, Jeff Serowik, Victor
Ignatjev, Maxim Galanov, Pavel Skrbek. G - Tom Barrasso, Peter
Skudra, Jean-Sebastien Aubin.
Injuries: Darius Kasparaitis, d (knee, out for the year); Maxim
Galanov, d (blows, day to day); Victor Ignatjev, d (shoulder, day
to day); Jeff Serowik, d (concussion, indefinite).
Transactions: None.
Game Results
4/08 at Philadelphia L 3-1
4/11 at Detroit W 3-0
4/15 at Boston L 4-2
4/17 NY Islanders L 7-2
4/18 at NY Rangers W 2-1 OT
TEAM NEWS by Jerry Fairish
I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the
retirement of Wayne Gretzky. Now I appreciate Gretzky as much as
the next guy, but being from Pittsburgh and having the chance to
see Mario Lemieux play on a nightly basis has allowed me to make
the decision that Mario is the greatest player of all time.
I know Gretzky has 61 NHL records to his name. I also know that
he is the all-time leading goal getter and points scorer, but
let's face it, if I played in the NHL for fifty years I'd have a
truckload of goals too. I'm also an awesome hockey player, but
that's me, deal with it.
"The Great One" scored 894 goals in 1487 games, which is a
remarkable feat. "Le Magnifique" had 613 goals to his credit in
only 745 games an even "Greater" feat. For those of you who need
work on your math skills, that's about 80 percent of the time.
Is it Lemieux's fault that he had chronic back problems? No. Is
it Lemieux's fault that he got Hodgkin's Disease? No. Is it
Lemieux's fault that he's better than Gretzky? Oh, Hell No!
I'm not here to bash Gretzky, I just felt a little upset that
with all the talk this past week about the retirement of Gretzky
the only person they could compare him with was Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan? I mean he's okay and all, but how do you put
those two on the same plateau? It's two different sports. It's
like comparing Pete Sampras to Pele. You just can't do it.
I just can't believe that with all the coverage on the different
networks every single broadcaster projected Gretzky as the best
ever, which is fine with me. The only problem I had was that
they wouldn't even mention Lemieux's name in the category of top
players. You heard names like Howe, Orr, Fairish, but rarely
Mario. I just feel that it was my responsibility to bring this
point to light. Not to mention Mario Lemieux would kick Wayne
Gretzky's ass.
Let's talk about the Pens...
They're gonna lose. They're gonna lose in five games.
When the Pens take the ice Thursday night to face the New Jersey
Devils I hope they have their priorities in order...
Did I make reservations for the hotel?
Did I get my tickets for the Oz Fest in June?
Did I call LCS Hockey's Jerry Fairish and thank him?
Did I punch that damn chimp?
The Penguins haven't been playing like a team competing for the
Stanley Cup for the last several weeks. They have been plagued
with injuries, they have no team chemistry right now, and New
Jersey is awesome. With all these things combined it's going to
make it hard for the Penguins to pull this series off. However,
I think they can do it. If "do it" means losing 4 out of 5
games, then yes they can do it.
Also of note...
I got two, count 'em, two fan letters from this past issue. I
would like to take this chance to thank Martin Hamacher from
Germany and C-LOB from Mt. Pleasant, Pa for taking their time to
drop me e-mail. I would have printed your name in this issue,
but you didn't send me one. Oh yeah, thanks, mom, for the
pick-me-up cherry pie.
Well, that's it for me.
P.S. Neil Wilkinson was scratched more this season than a fat
kid with Poison Ivy.
=================================================================
================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHEASTERN DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON BRUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Pat Burns
Roster: C - Jason Allison, Anson Carter, Joe Thornton, Tim
Taylor, Shawn Bates. LW - Sergei Samsonov, Ken Baumgartner, Rob
Dimaio, Peter Ferraro, Ken Belanger, Landon Wilson. RW - Dimitri
Khristich, Steve Heinze, Per Johan Axelsson, Cameron Mann, Randy
Robitaille. D - Ray Bourque, Don Sweeney, Dave Ellett, Kyle
McLaren, Hal Gill, Darren Van Impe, Grant Ledyard, Mattias
Timander, Brandon Smith. G - Byron Dafoe, Rob Tallas.
Injuries: None.
Transactions: None.
Game Results
4/08 at Tampa Bay L 3-0
4/10 Tampa Bay W 3-2
4/15 Pittsburgh W 4-2
4/17 Buffalo W 2-1
4/18 at Philadelphia L 3-1
TEAM NEWS by Matt Brown
Pat Burns may not receive much consideration for the NHL Jack
Adams Trophy in 1999 for coach of the year, but he certainly
should earn a few points for consistency. Burns won the award
last season by guiding the Boston Bruins to fifth place in the
Eastern Conference, with 91 points on 39 wins, 30 losses, and 13
ties. This season, all Burns did was lead the Bruins to exactly
the same record, again registering 91 points on 39 wins, 30
losses, and 13 ties. Now, their finish this year is less of a
surprise than last year's, given that the Bruins finished
dead last in the NHL in 96-97. It is still pretty amazing that
they could have the same won-loss record two years in a row.
Then again, the personnel isn't that different, just one year
older. Departed are Ted Donato and Mike Sullivan, and new to the
team are Ken Belanger and Peter Ferraro, neither of whom
accounted for anywhere near the points of the guys they replaced.
However, the performance of certain players on the Bruins
exceeded by far their performance of last year. Additionally, the
Bruins excelled on special teams, and fans were treated to the
best season of Boston goaltending since the Original Six
days.
Unquestionably, the biggest difference from last year is the
emergence of Joe Thornton. Joe played in more games (80) than any
other Bruins player, and his scoring totals of 16 goals, 25
assists, and 41 points hardly begin to reflect the improvement in
his game. Joe went from a player whom Pat Burns did not trust in
the clutch to a solid second-line center, a physical presence on
the ice, and a power-play regular.
There is little question that the turning point for Joe came when
Burns asked him to take Tim Taylor's place on the Bruin checking
line when Taylor was injured. Joe stepped up in a big way, and
began hitting and playing more confidently, as well as more
aggressively. After Taylor returned, Joe went back to his old
second line spot, but he played like a totally new player. He
kept up his new level of play for the rest of the season, and he
lifted the play of whatever linemates Burns assigned to him.
Right on his heels in the most improved category is Anson Carter.
Carter missed many games with his holdout and several injuries.
But toward the end of the season, he was one of the Bruins
strongest and most opportunistic players. Carter almost made it
his trademark to intercept clearing passes and swoop in on a
defenseless goaltender. More often than not he buried the shot,
and several times, his goal buried the opposition. He had a
number of multiple-goal games down the stretch, and while 40
points in 53 games is not Paul Kariya territory, it is pretty
respectable for a second line player on a defensively oriented
team like the Bruins.
By comparison, some people didn't seem to think that Sergei
Samsonov was measuring up to the promise shown during his rookie
year. But expectations for a Rookie of the Year winner are always
inflated the next season. The fact of the matter is that Sergei
was no defensive specialist his first year, and his second year
was no different. He still had a tendency to try to make one move
too many, or to pass when he should shoot. Every once in a while
his great moves befuddled his teammates as much as they did the
opponents. There were times when this caused expensive
turnovers, and some serious scowls from a coach who is a shoo-in
for the "Looks Could Kill" Hall o' Fame. Samsonov, rather than
Thornton, became the guy watching from the bench in tight spots
near the end of the game. In spite of this, no one should
overlook the fact that the kid registered more goals and assists
than in his rookie year, on a team that scored seven fewer goals
overall. Every player should wish to have such a sophomore slump.
But there is little doubt who the team's most valuable player is,
even while taking care not to overlook the tremendous
accomplishments of Jason Allison, the ageless play of Ray
Bourque, or the all-around contribution of the team's most
skilled forward, Dimitri Khristich. Byron Dafoe was the man.
Overlooked at All-Star time, Byron made sure that no one would
overlook him for the rest of the season. Dafoe finished the
season in style, named the NHL Player of the Month for April,
possibly because he posted a 6-0 record with the playoffs on
the line, with a 1.15 goals-against average with two shutouts.
Byron finished the season leading the NHL in shutouts with 10,
overtaking the likes of Dominik Hasek and Martin Brodeur.
Statistics aside, the Bruins would have been sunk without Byron.
A tight defensive system like the one Burns uses does not yield
many shots on goal. But when it does, or when the system breaks
down because of a slip or bad decision on a player's part, the
shots tend to be doozies. But game after game, Dafoe did an
incredible job of keeping the puck out of the net and keeping his
team in the game, and a fan or player or coach just cannot ask
more than that of a goalkeeper. The guy was just plain fantastic.
Now in the playoffs, Byron has the chance to face one of the guys
who did receive an All-Star birth. Arturs Irbe, who should get
some consideration for comeback player of the year, has had a
great year for the Hurricanes. He is one of the reasons the
'Canes are looking at a home ice advantage -- that and the fact
that the division they play in is the wimpiest collection of
teams since the WHA folded. Now the Bruins and Byron have their
chance to face an old nemesis (the former Whalers) in a new
uniform, and in a place where the Hurricane fans will be
outnumbered by empty seats rather than by Bruin supporters, as
often was the case in Hartford. This could be a case of who
blinks first, because Carolina doesn't register high on the
playoff experience meter, while the Bruins haven't really shown
that they can trash Carolina with any consistency. This should be
a good series, with the Bruins prevailing in six games on the
basis of depth and defense, unless Irbe positively stands on his
head. The Bruins must watch out for the several Bruin-killers on
this team -- guys like Robert Kron who seem to have a
disproportionate amount of success vs. Boston.
All in all, Bruin fans have much to be thankful for, even if the
Bs lost on the final day of the season, blowing the chance to
finish fifth. Dropping to sixth to play Carolina certainly isn't
the worst fate one could suffer -- that was reserved for the
Penguins, who ended up eighth as a result of a disastrous finish,
and are in such financial turmoil that the NHL might yank the
franchise out from under them.
The big win for the Bruins was in the game before, when they
ended the season domination by the Buffalo Sabres by beating them
and Hasek in overtime on Hal Gill's rising wrister. Buffalo had
befuddled the Bruins all season -- the Bs couldn't even beat the
Dominator's backup, Rollie the Goalie (Dwayne Roloson from
UMASS-Lowell) in earlier games. The removal of Matthew Barnaby
from the Sabres roster has to be considered a plus for the Bruins
if they meet the Sabres in a series, although the presence of ex-
Bruin Joe Juneau, who hurt the Bruins mucho in the playoffs last
year in a Capitals uniform, partially makes up for
Barnaby's absence.
But there is little point in looking past Carolina. The Bruins
have to take care of business, and hope that the Canes' southern
hospitality extends to visitors from New England. Bruin fans can
only hope that Glen Wesley is as good at missing the net in the
playoffs playing against the Bruins as he was when he was playing
for the Bruins, as when he missed a "sure thing" goal against the
Oilers in the finals.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BUFFALO SABRES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Lindy Ruff
Roster: C - Michael Peca, Stu Barnes, Brian Holzinger, Curtis
Brown, Wayne Primeau. LW - Dixon Ward, Joe Juneau, Michal Grosek,
Paul Kruse, Erik Rasmussen. RW - Miroslav Satan, Vaclav Varada,
Geoff Sanderson, Rob Ray, Dean Sylvester. D - Darryl Shannon,
Jason Woolley, Alexei Zhitnik, Jay McKee, Richard Smehlik, Rhett
Warrener, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, James Patrick. G - Dominik
Hasek, Dwayne Roloson.
INJURIES: Joe Juneau, lw (concussion, day-to-day); Michael
Grosek, lw (back spasms, day-to-day).
TRANSACTIONS: Recalled Erik Rasmussen, lw, and Dean Sylvester,
rw, from Rochester (AHL); assigned Randy Cunneyworth, lw, to
Rochester. NHL suspended Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, d, one game for
tripping Florida's Mark Parrish on April 9.
GAME RESULTS
04/09 at Florida W 3-1
04/10 at Ottawa T 1-1
04/13 at Philadelphia T 2-2
04/14 New Jersey L 2-1
04/17 at Boston L 2-1 OT
04/18 Washington W 3-0
TEAM NEWS
No Looking Back
Just 'cause it's too unseemly. Like going 0-2-2 down the stretch
against conference playoff teams. Like leading 2-1 late in the
third against Philadelphia and squandering a point. Like being
tied going into the third against Jersey and losing. Like
letting Hal Gill score with 14 seconds left in overtime to lose
out on a chance to play Carolina. Mostly, like mustering only
twelve shots, no more than four in any period, against playoff
opponent Ottawa.
Hoo boy.
Ottawa Starts with 'OT'
The April 10 tie at Kanata meant that all five regular season
meetings between the Sens and Sabres went into overtime, with
only one decision, a 3-2 Ottawa win on December 30 at the
facility currently called Marine Midland Arena. Damian Rhodes
was in goal for the lone win and three of the ties, Ron Tugnutt
had the other tie for the Senators. Rhodes is expected to start
Wednesday's series opener.
As with any playoff series, this one will define itself after a
game or two, but it had a few interesting underpinnings going in:
Tugnutt finished with the league's best goals-against average
at 1.79, and may be a Vezina Trophy finalist along with Dominik
Hasek. But again, former Leaf Damian Rhodes was expected to get
the nod over Tugger in the opener. Both goalies finished the
season with 22 wins, Rhodes' own GAA a respectable 2.44. Both
goalies were saying the right things to the press, and no "goalie
controversy" was expected, any more than one seemed to exist
during the regular season. But hey, there's nothing wrong with a
little yellow journalism here to try and maybe stir one up.
Joey Juneau, who hoped to be back from his second recent mild
concussion in time to play Wednesday, had requested a trade to
Ottawa at the deadline, only to be shipped to Buffalo instead.
Juneau was unable to play in the season finale against his old
team due to the injury.
Randy Cunneyworth, former Senators captain, was expected to
play for the Amerks in their opening playoff series against
Adirondack, but you never know when he might see some action
against his old team. Yee-haw! The intrigue.
Two years ago, the now-departed Derek Plante scored the most
important goal in Senators history as the second-seeded Sabres
eliminated the seventh-seeded Senators (selling seashells by the
seashore) in overtime of game seven of the first round. Could
the equally-effective Vinny Prospal return the favor this
year?
Mopping Up the Regular Season
I guess we have to look back some, so here goes. With a holding
minor in the second period of the finale, Rob Ray finished the
season with 261 penalty minutes, tops in the league by two over
Jeff Odgers. Miro Satan was the Sabres' first 40-goal scorer
since Pat LaFontaine in 95-96. Dominik Hasek finished the
regular campaign with a GAA under 2.00 again, and with nine
shutouts. Hasek was also named NHL player of the week for the
sixth time in his career and third time this season for the week
of April 5-11. Hasek went 3-0-1 with a 0.97 GAA and .959 save
percentage for the week. The team also honored Hasek after the
Washington game for his surpassing Don Edwards as the Sabres'
all-time winningest goaltender.
The Sabres also crowned their annual post-season award winners
after the finale, naming Jason Woolley the team's unsung hero and
Michael Peca the winner of the Tim Horton Award for dedication
and leadership. Center Curtis Brown is the team's nominee for
the NHL's Bill Masterson Trophy. Center Wayne Primeau also won
the award given annually to the player most closely related to
Hurricanes skating filing cabinet Keith Primeau. Congratulations
to all!
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MONTREAL CANADIENS
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Head Coach: Alain Vigneault
Roster: C - Saku Koivu, Scott Thornton, Trent McLeary, Serguei
Zholtok. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet,
Terry Ryan, Brian Savage, Dave Morissette, Patrick Poulin. RW -
Dainius Zubrus, Turner Stevenson, Jonas Hoglund, Jason Dawe. D -
Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Brett
Clark, Miloslav Guren, Craig Rivet, Igor Ulanov, Eric Weinrich,
Alain Nasreddine, Scott Lachance. G - Frederic Chabot, Jeff
Hackett.
Injuries: Doesn't matter.
Transactions: Doesn't matter.
Game Results:
4/07 Carolina W 2-0
4/08 at NY Islanders L 3-1
4/10 New Jersey L 6-2
4/13 at Tampa Bay T 2-2
4/14 at Florida L 3-2
4/17 Toronto W 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Jacques Robert
The Nightmare is Over!
A 3-2 victory against Toronto in the last game of the season is
no consolation prize for the worst campaign in 50 years. With a
record of 32 wins, 39 losses, and 11 ties for 75 points this
season, the Habs have to find solutions to their many problems on
and off the ice. Contractual problems, striking players during
training camp, lack of leadership, of credibility, and of big
goal-scorers; those are some of the difficulties Montreal faced
this season.
"We don't want to do the same thing next year," Shayne Corson
said. "We're not going to make any excuses. We didn't play to our
capabilities and completely underachieved. We have to take a
good long look in the mirror and then we can build."
This situation didn't come overnight, and it is the result of a
long process.
First, scouting just has not been paying off for some years.
Second, the coaching staff has managed to lose credibility in the
eyes of some players by not having come down hard enough on guys
like Vladimir Malakhov who had left his teammates down last
spring against the Buffalo Sabres. In showing such weakness the
coaches created a situation where players were not reluctant to
defy their authority, just think of Igor Ulanov - face to face
with Dave King at Phoenix last December - or of Mark Recchi.
And third, no captain in the last few seasons has been able to
encourage team spirit in the dressing room.
Benoit Brunet Stood Out
Among all that, certain players stand out: Benoit Brunet, who
never gave up, and goaltender Jeff Hackett, who succeeded in not
making an awful season even worse. Hackett played in 52 games
with the Canadiens, posted a record of 23-20-9, with five
shutouts.
"You have to learn from this," said Hackett. "If we do, then the
season was a worthwhile year, as an experience that might wake up
the whole team, the whole organization, the whole everything.
If we don't learn from it, then it was a crappy year."
Everyone has to learn from this season because the team is taking
a dangerous course. So just settle any contractual problem before
training camp and let's get some offense.
"We need to make up for the loss of Recchi and Damphousse and
possibly of Stephane Quintal (who becomes a free agent in July),"
said Saku Koivu. "The acquisition of a good center would help."
Just think. The Habs scored only 184 goals compared to 235 last
season. They share the worst offensive record of the NHL along
with Tampa Bay. In addition, it's the first time since the
1940-41 season that no player has scored 20 goals.
Players and not management are to blame according to Stephane
Quintal: "We could talk about injuries, but that's not it. The
problem is that our big offensive players did not produce goals."
He added, "It's not very often that you see so many key players
run out of steam."
So, is the shuffle of personnel the only solution? Will Quintal,
assistant coach Dave King, and others still be there in
September, only GM Rejean Houle knows, or does he really?
One thing is sure, if you want to see the Habs become a winning
force over the next two years, buy a Nintendo 64 and make up your
own dream team.
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OTTAWA SENATORS
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Head Coach: Jacques Martin
Roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Vaclav Prospal, Radek Bonk, Shaun Van
Allen, Bruce Gardiner, Steve Martins. LW - Shawn McEachern,
Magnus Arvedson, Bill Berg, Ted Donato, Andreas Johansson.
RW - Marian Hossa, Daniel Alfredsson, Andreas Dackell, Nelson
Emerson. D - Lance Pitlick, Patrick Traverse, Chris Phillips,
Sami Salo, Wade Redden, Janne Laukkanen, Igor Kravchuk, Jason
York. G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt.
Injuries: Feb 20 - Chris Phillips, sprained right ankle, returned
Apr. 12; Feb 28 - Nelson Emerson, separated shoulder (with
Chicago), returned Apr. 12; Mar 19 - Sami Salo, groin injury,
Day-to-day; Apr 03 - Igor Kravchuk, back strain, Day-to-day;
Apr 03 - Shawn McEachern, wrist (right), returned Apr. 7 @ TOR;
Apr 05 - Bill Berg, groin, Day-to-day; Apr 05 - Andreas
Johansson, injured knee (left), returned Apr. 10; Apr 07 - Janne
Laukkanen, mild concussion, Day-to-day; Apr 07 - Shawn McEachern,
groin, Day-to-day; Apr 10 - Igor Kravchuk, contusion (right leg),
returned Apr. 15; Apr 15 - Andreas Johansson, back spasms,
Day-to-day.
Transactions: Mar 12 - Sami Salo, re-signed to a multi-year deal
with Ottawa.
Game Results
04/07 at Toronto L 4-2
04/08 Toronto W 3-1
04/10 Buffalo T 1-1
04/12 Florida L 2-0
04/15 NY Rangers T 2-2
04/17 at Carolina 1 1-1
TEAM NEWS by The Nosebleeders
Finally
For most of this season, the Ottawa Senators have been quietly
preparing for the playoffs. They got on track early and a mid-
season winning streak helped them to an early playoff birth. For
the first time in team history they did not have to fight their
way into the playoffs. The last month has been spent trying to
clinch the Northeast Division, working to stay on top of the
Eastern conference, and trying to get their specialty team
goings.
The season ends with the team at 103 points and their best record
ever. The Senators end the season third overall. Defensively,
they ranked third in the league, and fifth in goals scored.
If it wasn't for their play over the last few weeks, one would
think that the team is ready to roll over it's first round
opponents. Let's not be so quick. The Senators ended the season
with just one win in their last seven games and are mumbling
"finally" as they go about preparations to start a series with
the defensive Buffalo Sabres, a team they tied in 4 of 5
matchups this season.
Defensively, a number of defensive zone lapses this period seemed
to result in the team not forechecking or pressing in the
offensive zone as much as they did for much of the season.
Despite their recent difficulties, if they are not intimidated
during the playoffs, the Senators should be able to bounce back
from their recent slump and make a solid run for the Cup.
This-a-that-a
* The team tied 15 times this season. If all the ties had have
turned to losses, the Senators would now be golfing - an 88-point
season.
* Final 1998-99 Molson Cup standings for the season had Alexei
Yashin nudging Ron Tugnutt with 100 points to Tugger's 95. The
Molson Cup rewards the players for most selections as on of the
three stars of a game. Both players were selected as the first
star of the game 10 times.
* Ron Tugnutt lead the league with a 1.79 GAA.
Perreault Perreault Perreault and Perreault
Leaf goals by Yanic Perreault - his first career four-goal game -
resulted in Toronto's 4-2 victory over the division rival Ottawa
Senators. Toronto outshot Ottawa 31-29 as Ottawa capitalized on
just one of seven power-play attempts.
* The Senators had a seven-game road unbeaten streak (5-0-2)
stopped as well as a six-game unbeaten stretch (3-0-3).
Northeast Division Champions
In the home portion of the home-and-home series against the
Leafs, third-period goals from Daniel Alfredsson and Sami Salo
and the strong goaltending of Ron Tugnutt resulted in a 3-1 Sens
victory. The win clinched the Northeast Division championship.
Alfredsson's goal came off a nice cross-ice pass from rookie
Marian Hossa, snapping the 1-1 tie.
More Ties Than a Businessman
A defensive battle with the Buffalo Sabres featured only 30
combined shots on goal and resulted in a 1-1 tie. Damian Rhodes
stopped just 11 shots while Dominik Hasek didn't do much more
work in making 17 saves.
* The two clubs became the first teams to push every game of a
season series to overtime since the league began using the
five-minute extra period in 1983-84.
* Igor Kravchuk scored a power-play goal for the Senators late in
the first period.
More Shots But Less Goals
The Senators outshot Florida 39-11 but still lost 2-0 to the
Panthers. The Panthers increased their record this season
against the Senators to 3-1.
* The shutout was Kirk McLean's 22nd of his career. He stopped
19 shots in the first period. McLean stopped Ted Donato on a
penalty shot.
* Florida's 11 shots matched a team record for lowest number of
shots in a game.
* Florida snapped a season-high seven-game losing streak and an
eight-game winless skid.
* Ottawa went 0-7 on the power play.
A Night to Remember
Wayne Gretzky's final NHL appearance in Canada was probably the
most memorable event in Corel Centre history. The game meant
nothing to the Rangers and was a difficult game for the Senators
to get up for, what with the Blueshirts having been eliminated
from postseason play and the Sens already having clinched a
playoff birth and the Northeast title.
In the days leading up to the game, Wayne Gretzky had made it
well known that he was likely to retire at the end of the season.
Tickets for the sellout game became hot properties as seeing the
greatest player ever play in his last NHL game on Canadian ground
was something special.
During the pregame warmup, Gretzky was awarded an ovation and the
game continued with the Great One love-in. Even the Senator
players got involved, congratulating Gretzky as the game ended.
* During a 17-minute ovation at the end of the game, fans refused
to leave the building, even after Gretzky made several curtain
calls.
* After the game, Senators newsgroup page and internet auction
listings had ticket stubs and game programs selling for $25 each.
* Late in the third period fans began chanting, "One More Year,
One More Year".
* In a break from tradition, the three stars were not awarded at
the game's end. Gretzky was named the "STAR of the game".
* Fans got their money's worth with an extra five minutes as the
game ended in a 2-2 tie. Nelson Emerson and Marian Hossa scored
for the Senators.
* Everyone wanted a souvenir. Camera's flashed and even the
players got into the action. Senators' winger Daniel Alfredsson:
"With two minutes left, I'm going to try to check him in the
corner and get his stick". Alfie had to get in line, Igor
Kravchuk got it first. Kravchuk, a big Gretzky fan, had asked
him for a stick on numerous previous occasions only to be
informed that they had already been promised elsewhere.
* The game was special for many players on the ice including 21-
year-old Wade Redden who grew up in Llyodminster, Sask. cheering
for the Oilers and Gretzky. Lance Pitlick on shaking hands with
Gretzky: "You don't have the chance to be close to someone of
that stature too often and I wasn't going to let that moment go
by". Pitlick is also quoted as saying that Gretzky had given him
plenty of sore necks, zipping pucks past the Ottawa defensemen.
* Gretzky's wife Janet, daughter Paulina and sons Ty and Trevor
were at the game along with his parents and close friends. NHL
commissioner Gary Bettman also flew in for the game.
* Gretzky held a postgame news conference that was broadcast live
on many local and national stations. In typical Gretzky fashion,
his class showed through as he apologized for bringing the hoopla
of his impending retirement to Ottawa while the Senators battle
to win the Eastern Conference.
* Speaking of Kravchuk. Both Rangers goals could be attributed
to errors made by the Russian blueliner. Kravchuk, who has been
playing injured of late, has not been great and this partially
explains the overall play of the team. Catcalls after the
Rangers' second goal included "Hey Gretzky, take Kravchuk with
you".
* Alfredsson came back to see more action after being viciously
beaten into the ice by Ranger defenseman Mathieu Schneider late
in the third period. The Senators did not retaliate.
Quiz Time
Who holds the league record for most career penalty minutes?
Hint: it is not Wayne Gretzky.
Another Tie
Goalies Ron Tugnutt and Arturs Irbe battled to a 1-1 tie as the
Senators made their way to Carolina to face the Southeast
Division champion Hurricanes. Irbe kept it tied in the third
period with a pair of point-blank saves on Alexei Yashin and
Marian Hossa.
* Senators went 1-4 on the power play in the game.
Playoff Preview
The Sabres seem to like low scoring games and have matched up very well against
the Senators over the last few seasons. Two years ago, Buffalo
beat the Senators in overtime of the seventh game of their first
round playoff series.
How well do the Senators and Sabres match up this season? The two
teams played to 1-1 ties in their last three regular-season
meetings. The other two meetings also went to overtime with
Ottawa able to win one of the games (3-2 on December 30) and the
other ending in a 2-2 tie. Results: five games, four ties.
Look for this playoff series to be long. Long defensive games
and most likely lots of them. Long games could also mean rough
games. The turning point of the series could be how well the
Senators do after mixing it up with the Sabres. The Senators
have generally backed down and let the other teams take the
penalties. The two referee system may play well for the
Senators in the series.
* The Senators moved offsite to the Chateau Montebello for a two
day pre-playoff retreat. Coach Martin is quoted as saying that
this will help the team get their focus together.
Luck of the Buzz?
Shawn McEachern started it, and now at least six Senators
including Chris Phillips, Wade Redden and Radek Bonk are sporting
new buzzcut haircuts.
Quiz Answer
With 3966 minutes, Dave "Tiger" Williams holds the record. He
played in 962 games for Toronto, Vancouver, Detroit, L.A., and
Hartford., over 14 seasons. Rounding out the top five are
Dale Hunter (3446 in 1345 games), Marty McSorley (3218 in 888
games), Tim Hunter (3146 in 815 games) and Chris Nilan (3043 in
688 games). The Nosebleeders can't imagine what it would have
been like to play shinny in the Hunter household.
The Nosebleeders would like to thank Wayne Gretzky for offering
us some great memories. He has been a professional athlete that
always puts the team and the game ahead of himself. Wayne, you
will definitely be missed...we definitely understand and wish you
all the best in your next career but still "one more year" would
have been nice.
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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
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Head Coach: Pat Quinn
Roster: C - Mats Sundin, Steve Sullivan, Alyn McCauley. LW -
Fredrik Modin, Steve Thomas, Todd Warriner, Derek King, Kris
King, Igor Korolev, Garry Valk, Ladislav Kohn, Lonny Bohonos. RW
- Sergei Berezin, Tie Domi, Mike Johnson, David Nemirovsky. D -
Bryan Berard, Sylvain Cote, Dimitri Yushkevich, Alexander
Karpovtsev, Jason Smith, Daniil Markov, Glen Featherstone, Tomas
Kaberle, Yanick Tremblay, Chris McAllister. G - Curtis Joseph,
Glenn Healy.
Injuries: Some bumps and bruises - Koroloev expected back -
McCauley doubtful.
Transactions: 4/14/99 - Mike Johnson Suspension over;
4/8/99 - Mike Johnson Suspended (two games).
Game Results
04/08 at Ottawa L 3-1
04/10 Florida W 9-1
04/14 NY Islanders W 3-2 OT
04/17 at Montreal L 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Jonah Sigel
THANKS! IT'S BEEN A GREAT RIDE
As a Leaf fan and one who has covered the team for various
internet publications like this one for some time, it is articles
like this that I have only dreamed of writing. No matter what
happens in the playoffs, this season has been a complete success.
Over the course of the season, reports have been written too
numerous times to count, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Waiting for the extended losing streak, waiting for all
the good that happened up to a certain point to be forgotten by
some negativity. It really never happened.
In years past, postseason wrap-up discussed what went wrong, who
disappointed, who did not perform up to expectation, would the
coach survive the off-season, who should be dealt, what is needed
in the long off-season? Not this time. This has been a terrific
season for the Leafs, one that no one predicted. Here are some
of the gems from the various publications - with all do apologies
to those who wrote them:
1. Leafs Leave Lot To Be Desired- headline from the Toronto Team
report from the Hockey News' Ultimate Fantasy Guide. P. 44
2. There's little to suggest they'll score more - oops they went
from 194 goals last season, 4th to last in the league to 268,
number one in the league - same source.
3. The opposition and arena may be the features that most
separate this year's Leafs from last year's team. The Hockey
News Yearbook p. 122
4. Predicted standings for the Northeast division (first to
last): Buffalo, Boston, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto: oops
5. Projected Point Leaders: 1.Sundin - 72, Berezin - 31, Thomas
30. Actual finish: Sundin - 31g 52a and 83 points; Berezin - (in
76 games) 37g 22a and 59p; - Thomas 28g 45a 73 points.
Not one of the Toronto dailies would be willing to publish any of
their own predictions this week. This past Sunday, not one
article offered congratulations, never did they give anyone a pat
on the back. Instead the articles were all about how they were
going to struggle in the playoffs or how which team would
be less likely to sweep the Leafs in the first round.
The entire team should be given a huge thank you.
Every time those small little fires were expected to grow into
big "four alarmers" they were handled well and efficiently.
The Schneider episode was expected to be a major problem, the
deal a total disaster. Instead the trade worked out very well,
thank you. One thing that was predicted correctly was that the
Potvin affair would linger on, and so it did. However as critics
lambasted management for diddling, blowing deal after deal, in
the end, holding out was well worth the wait. As rumors ran
rampant about who fans could hope to get in return for the
goaltender, pundits claimed that people should not expect
anything more than 2nd or 3rd line players and maybe a draft pick
or two. Instead, club Maple Leaf landed a player with such a big
upside that even Al Strachan, the ultimate Maple Leaf nay sayer
had to give his approval. Something big Al has not done in
years, if ever at all.
45 wins, 97 points, 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, second only to
Boston's 7-3-0 in their division is quite impressive. The Leafs
head into the playoffs with nothing to lose. There were no
expectations going into the season, and they are getting the same
treatment entering the playoffs. For the most part the team is
healthy. Berezin was banged up pretty good in the last game
against Montreal, Korolev is expected back as well. It is
doubtful that McCauley will be able to return for the first
round, and as is customary in the playoffs, injuries are not
updated by teams still in contention.
It seems quite odd to say it, but their could be small piece of
fate on their side too. If ever there was a time to play the
Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, this is it. Lindros
is not playing. Recchi has been cleared to play but it is
unknown just how effective he will be. While the Flyers will not
be a pushover, to play the monstrous Flyers without their number
one giant has to be worth something.
People must also remember what the pundits said about Curtis
Joseph when he was signed. Those who questioned the move
suggested that the Leafs would have no need for CUJO, in that he
plays his best hockey in the playoffs and all he would be doing
in the spring in Toronto is playing golf. Well, CUJO who has had
been terrific all season will get a shot to display his playoff
heroics that Leaf fans remember from that classic series earlier
in the decade when he was part of the St. Louis Blues.
Regardless of what happens in the playoffs, it says here 98-99
was a great one in Toronto for the first time in a long time.
The future will hopefully only get better. Go get 'em, boys.
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TEAM REPORTS
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION
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CAROLINA HURRICANES
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Head Coach: Paul Maurice
Roster: C - Ron Francis, Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Kent
Manderville, Craig Macdonald, Byron Ritchie. RW - Ray Sheppard,
Sami Kapanen, Kevin Dineen, Robert Kron, Andrei Kovalenko, Shane
Willis. LW - Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Paul Ranheim, Bates
Battaglia. D - Paul Coffey, Steve Chiasson, Glen Wesley, Curtis
Leschyshyn, Sean Hill, Dave Karpa, Nolan Pratt, Marek Malik,
Steve Halko, Mike Rucinski. G - Trevor Kidd, Arturs Irbe, Mike
Fountain.
Injuries: Glen Wesley, d (until playoffs, ankle); Sean Hill, d
(4-6 weeks, face); Keith Primeau, c (until playoffs, back).
Transactions: Called up forwards Craig Macdonald, Byron Ritchie,
Shane Willis, goalie Mike Fountain, and defensemen Steve Halko
and Mike Rucinkski from New Haven of the AHL.
Game Results:
4/07 at Montreal L 2-0
4/10 at NY Islanders W 6-1
4/14 Washington W 3-0
4/16 at Tampa Bay T 2-2
4/17 Ottawa T 1-1
TEAM NEWS by Chris Schilling
Well, it's that time of the year again. When a young man turns
his fancy to thoughts of love and collapsed lungs, to singing
birds and concussions. No, it's not cult hippie horror movie
time. It's time for playoff hockey! And it's been a long time
since the Hurricanes have been in it. Well, the Hurricanes have
only missed it for two years but for the franchise, well, it's
been too long. I lost count after three, but counting was never
my strong suit. I can color outside the lines real well.
Let me begin by saying that the Hurricanes are matched up with
the Boston Bruins, and they didn't really do anything too
important at the end of the regular season. Sure, they clinched a
playoff birth - because Florida lost. But even a bunch of
one-armed rabid midgets could beat the Eurotrash Panthers. Well,
maybe the rabid midgets would just end up biting the Kitties
until they bled, and then biting themselves. But you could do
worse - after all, Tampa Bay played Florida at the season finale.
It was like watching the AHL only without the gritty hard-nosed
developing players, and more like watching a bunch of people at
the "Test your Shot!" machine whiff two times.
REGULAR DAYS: Boy was the end of the season...regular.
Lots of ties and junk. I'd recap em but you probably don't want
to read that sort of thing, and I don't want to write it. I'd
rather be reading fellow hacks' predictions for the playoffs. But
here's a few tidbits about the end of the season.
- Arturs Irbe scored his 6th shutout, a career high, and looked
to improve his falling form.
- Keith Primeau was hurt, sent to a Toronto chiropractor, and
came back as good as new. Yay.
- Sean Hill took a puck to the face on a Ken Klee slap shot which
could take several weeks to repair. Simulate getting hit by a
slap shot by ramming your head into an iron puck at least five
times. Six is too many, that would probably kill you, and four
doesn't hurt quite enough. Five is the magic number. Trust me.
- Paul Maurice said stuff. It didn't look important.
- Sports Illustrated finally began to give the best checking line
in hockey some respect when it called it, well, the best checking
line in hockey. Dineen, Manderville, and Ranheim are the backbone
of the team, and now people catch on.
- The Hurricanes have gotten back Steve Chiasson who has recorded
frequent minutes. He feels confident about playing in the
playoffs (who doesn't?).
- The Canes also called up a bunch of New Haven kids from
emergency recall to play in case of injuries.
PLAYOFF ANALYSIS: Since by the time I get back you'll have
already wanted to read a bunch of stats about a playoff series
which will be completely independent of any past events, here you
go!
Boston vs. Carolina, best of 7 series
Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Quarterfinal
Analysis/Stats:
GOALIES
Regular Season Series: 2-2-1
BOSTON:
Dafoe against Carolina: (2-1-1, 1.47 GAA, one shutout)
CAROLINA:
Irbe/Kidd against Boston (2-2-1, 1.78 GAA, two shutouts)
The wins for the Hurricanes came against both Byron Dafoe and the
backup Rob Tallas. I don't think Burns will take the chance of
putting in Tallas against the Hurricanes, but I'm certain Maurice
has more confidence in his backup, because he can only screw up
so many times. Kidd, who has had some success in his past starts,
may end up getting a game or two in a drawn-out series. The key
will be if Dafoe cools off or if Irbe keeps heating up. Right
now, the two goaltenders look to meet at the middle. EDGE: NONE
FORWARDS
Goals for Carolina in the series: 8
Goals for Boston in the series: 9
BOSTON:
Dimitri Khristich (3G, 4A) against Carolina
CAROLINA:
Martin Gelinas (2G, 1A) against Boston
Boston is a young, inexperienced team when it comes to top-line
players. They have an amazing group of youth but very little
playoff experience compared to the veteran (read: old)
Hurricanes. The one thing that must be constant for the
Hurricanes is for All-star Keith Primeau to have a great series.
He must play like he scored 30 goals this year, and he must get
past the tight checking of Boston. While Boston has two quality
lines, the Hurricanes have three, and so expect to see Boston's
checking line and first defensive pairing on the ice a lot. EDGE:
CAROLINA
DEFENSEMEN
Boston +/- against Carolina: -2
Carolina +/- against Boston: +2
BOSTON:
Ray Bourque (39 PPP)
CAROLINA:
Have we even gotten 39 points on the power play?
Well, the edge here is definitely given to Boston. Don't get me
wrong, the Hurricane defense, when healthy, is definitely
average, even above average. But against a 20-year all-star, 1st
rounder Kyle McLaren, 6'7" Hal Gill, and several other
hard-hitters, the Hurricanes oft-battered defense doesn't stand
up. Look for the Hurricanes to play all their defensemen in a
stay-at-home style to keep Boston's speedy forwards from
capitalizing on breakaways. EDGE: BOSTON
INTANGIBLES
Boston years w/o the playoffs: 2
Carolina years w/o the playoffs: There's playoffs?
There's really no way to rate these. You see 'em one way or
another. But the Hurricanes have the edge in my mind. They're a
veteran team full of guys who want to be back in the excitement
of the playoffs on a sub-par franchise. Boston's a young team
that will have many playoffs in their future and are looking
mainly to give their guys a taste of what is to come. EDGE:
CAROLINA:
COACHING
Um, who needs an explanation. The Hurricanes coach has 0 games
playoff experience, but he watches a lot of TV. The Boston coach
is Pat Burns. EDGE: BOSTON
Final Prediction: Carolina in 7.
Simply put, Boston has a quality goaltender, great special teams,
a superior defense, and a varied offense. Carolina has an
All-star goaltender, a solid backup, a phenomenal five-on-five
offense, an All-star center, and more experience. I'll go with
experience in this one, and the only thing that will keep the
evil ones (oh, that slipped) in will be Byron Dafoe and their
first defensive pairing of Bourque and Gill. What will be the
kickers for the Hurricanes is having 4 lines that can score,
Irbe's upset potential, having a reliable backup, and making the
power play work (well, once or twice).
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FLORIDA PANTHERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Terry Murray
Roster: C - Viktor Kozlov, Rob Niedermayer, Chris Wells. LW -
Ray Whitney, Johan Garpenlov, Oleg Kvasha, Kirk Muller,
Bill Lindsay, Peter Worrell, Dwayne Hay, Alex Hicks. RW - Pavel
Bure, Scott Mellanby, Dino Ciccarelli, Radek Dvorak, Mark
Parrish. D - Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, Paul Laus, Bret Hedican,
Terry Carkner, Rhett Warrener, Jaroslav Spacek. G - Kirk McLean,
Sean Burke.
Injuries: Who cares?
Transactions: Whatever.
Game Results
4/09 at Buffalo L 3-1
4/10 at Toronto L 9-1
4/12 at Ottawa W 2-0
4/14 Montreal W 3-2
4/17 Tampa Bay W 6-2
TEAM NEWS by Matthew Secosky
At the beginning of the season every team is a cup contender, every player an All-Star, every hot dog a wiener. Each day is an adventure, every hour a journey. The minutes seem to take hours, the hours take days, and the staff of LCS Hockey takes anything not firmly bolted down. All in all, Life is Good!
Then the season starts. Happiness lingers in the mind like alcohol from the night before, intoxicating the soul, exciting the touch. For some the effects take hold for good, for others a fleeting, although welcomed, sense of relief from this world of competition.
But then, without warning, the tears of joy collect into the muddy puddles of despair. Not just small muddy puddles mind you but medium and large sized ones too. Within minutes, the US Fish and Wildlife commission stocks the waters with assorted fishes: trouts, basses, bluegills, pikes and catfishs to name a few. Ants captain their leaf boats in the gentle breeze while turtles wearing timex watches bask in the warm rays of the sun. They can't read so they can't tell what time it is but they don't much care. They is simple turtles from simpler times.
Your new aquatic friends look so good in their party hats and crushed velvet pants that you almost feel ashamed to fry them up and serve them with fries. You feel guilty, that is, until their lifeless bodies hit the hot grease, causing the fryer to scream out a crackly sizzling chorus from its deepest depths. It is a song you have heard before. You take comfort in the noise for it is all you believe in. An anthem for your existence. A definition of self.
All because Florida didn't make the playoffs.
It all must start again.
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TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jacques Demers
Roster: C - Darcy Tucker, Chris Gratton, Mike Sillinger, Vincent
Lecavalier. RW - Alexandre Daigle, Michael Nylander, Jason
Bonsignore. LW - Stephane Richer, Rob Zamuner, Robert
Petrovicky, Colin Forbes. D - Sergei Gusev, Cory Cross, Petr
Svoboda, David Wilkie, Jassen Cullimore, Pavel Kubina, Kjell
Samuelsson, Drew Bannister. G - Daren Puppa, Kevin Hodson, Corey
Schwab.
Injuries: Who cares?
Transactions: Who cares?
Game Results
04/08 Boston W 3-0
04/10 Boston L 3-2
04/12 Rangers L 2-1
04/13 Montreal T 2-2
04/16 Carolina T 2-2
04/17 Florida L 6-2
TEAM NEWS by Seth Lerman
The Tampa Bay Lightning finished the season with a record of
19-54-9. It was a season of turmoil and growing pains. Although
they did not qualify for postseason play for the third
consecutive year, they did celebrate a number of accomplishments
throughout the season.
On January 19, 1999, head coach and general manager Jacques
Demers recorded his 400th NHL victory as a head coach in the
National Hockey League when the Lightning defeated the Buffalo
Sabres, 2-1, at the Ice Palace. Demers also reached the
1,000-game plateau when the Lightning hosted the Washington
Capitals on April 3, 1999. The Lightning celebrated the event
with a 4-3 victory over the Capitals.
First overall draft pick, Vincent Lecavalier played in his first
NHL game with the Lightning at Florida on October 9, 1999. He
scored his first NHL goal vs. Vancouver on October 25, 1998. The
native of Montreal recorded his first two-goal game vs. New
Jersey on February 22, 1999. Overall, Lecavalier finished fourth
in scoring on the team with 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Ice Palace hosted its first-ever NHL
All-Star Weekend from January 22-24. Wendel Clark represented the
Lightning as he appeared in his third NHL All-Star Game.
However, Clark's tenure with the Lightning would not last too
long. He was traded at the deadline to the Detroit Red Wings for
Kevin Hodson and a draft pick.
In another trade, the Lightning re-acquired center Chris Gratton
from the Philadelphia Flyers on December 12. Gratton finished
the season second in scoring on the team, recording 34 points.
Gratton was originally selected as the Lightning's first pick,
third overall, in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by
the Flyers prior to the 1997-98 season.
Jacques Demers often indicated to build a winner you need to
start with the goaltending. The Lightning used six goaltenders
during the season. Bill Ranford, Zac Bierk, Kevin Hodson, Derek
Wilkinson, Daren Puppa and Corey Schwab all played at least one
game for the Bolts this season. The Lightning used five
goaltenders in 1997-98.
Tampa Bay Lightning center John Cullen overcame his non-hodgkins
lymphoma and made the opening night roster for the Lightning.
However, his stay was brief as the Bolts re-assigned Cullen to
the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL after four games and no
points. Cullen retired and became a Lightning assistant coach on
November 27, 1998.
With the season now over, do not expect the Lightning to make any
major changes in the off-season. Demers has indicated he is
happy with the direction the team is going and will place more
emphasis on the young players to play a bigger role next year.
with a young nucleus, including Pavel Kubina, Vincent Lecavalier,
Kevin Hodson, Paul Mara, and Gratton, the Lightning have some
talent to build around.
The previous management, namely the Esposito brothers, tried a
quick fix by adding Bill Ranford, Craig Janney, Wendel Clark, and
Benoit Hogue during the summer of 1998. Not one of those players
was with the Lightning at the close of this season.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Ron Wilson
Roster: C - Adam Oates, Andrei Nikolishin, Michal Pivonka, Mike
Eagles. LW - Brian Bellows, Richard Zednik, Matt Herr, Trevor
Halverson. RW - James Black, Kelly Miller, Benoit Gratton, Jeff
Toms. D - Joe Reekie, Ken Klee, Brendan Witt, Enrico Ciccone,
Alexei Tezikov, Steve Poapst, Patrick Boileau. G - Olaf Kolzig,
Rick Tabaracci, Martin Brochu.
Injuries: Doesn't matter.
Transactions: Who cares?
Game Results:
4/07 vs St. Louis L 4-2
4/08 at New Jersey L 1-0
4/10 Philadelphia L 2-1
4/12 Chicago L 4-2
4/14 at Carolina L 3-0
4/18 at Buffalo L 3-0
TEAM NEWS by Jason Sheehan, Washington Correspondent
Capitals' Season Mercifully Ends
The moment Wayne Gretzky paraded around the ice to the admiration
of the sporting universe, referee Don Koharski dropped the puck
for a meaningless game in Buffalo.
The Washington Capitals (31-45-6, 68 points) capped their worst
season in 21 years by losing to the Sabres, 3-0.
Gretzky retired in a blaze of glory; the Capitals' season ended
in a haze of confusion. There was no reason for the Capitals to
celebrate in Buffalo as they did last June when they advanced to
the Stanley Cup finals. Instead, Washington put the final touches
on its place in history as the fourth team to sandwich an
appearance in the finals with two missed playoff bids. The New
York Rangers last accomplished the feat in 1950, the era before
expansion.
Capitals players only have one commonality with Gretzky; they'll
both be watching the playoffs from home. But unlike Gretzky,
these Capitals could never make the hoisting of the Stanley Cup
in June melodramatic. Gretzky's retirement already has become
the most significant event in sports this year. The Capitals,
meanwhile, are yesterday's news.
Washington lost its last six games of the season and was shut out
in its last two. Benoit Gratton accounted for the team's last
three goals of the season, spanning a period of four games.
Washington likely will rebuild, spending minimal money for role
players who will try to fill a void if unrestricted free agents
Mark Tinordi, Brian Bellows, Kelly Miller and Mike Eagles sign
elsewhere. General manager George McPhee likely will not re-sign
more than one of his unrestricted free agents.
McPhee will need to acquire fresh faces, because center Michal
Pivonka, 33, and goaltender Rick Tabaracci, 30, have both been
told they will not return to the team next season. Pivonka had
been a Capital for life, spending 13 years with the organization,
while Tabaracci's second stint in Washington lasted only one
season.
"I wanted to give them notice early enough to provide them time
to work something out with another club," McPhee told The
Washington Post. "Pivo is a good hockey player. But there are
times when an athlete has been with a team for too long, and
sometimes they get stale."
If McPhee's wish is granted, the Capitals will ice a younger team
next season. That will force returning players to make new
friendships.
"It'll be strange, because it'll be a much different group here
instead next year," defenseman Brendan Witt, 24, told The
Washington Post. "But everyone knew this was coming. It's going
to be weird to come to training camp and not see Dale Hunter on
the bike yelling at me to get in shape, but the work ethic is
still going to be there."
Hunter, Washington's former 38-year-old captain, was traded to
Colorado last month for a second round selection in this year's
Entry Draft.
"We're going to be a younger group and we're going to be
hungrier," Witt continued. "I think we'll be a little more
energetic in games and we'll have a little more speed."
Injuries were the curse behind the Capitals' misery this season.
The club lost 511 man-games to injury, setting a new, unofficial
NHL record. The previous record was established by these same
Capitals last season with 476.
In spite of the injury woes last season, Washington competed for
the Stanley Cup. This season, there has been no glory competing
for bandages, splints and Band-Aids.
"You are not really seeing the Washington Capitals, nobody has
seen them all season," coach Ron Wilson said. "We had 511
man-games to injury. We've got to find a way, whether it's
finding people who are comfortable being hurt and moving them
somewhere else or fixing up our summer training program. We'll be
younger next year. Up until a few weeks ago, we were one of the
oldest."
================================================================
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Lorne Molleken
roster: C - Doug Gilmour, Mark Janssens, Josef Marha, Alexei
Zhamnov. LW - Eric Daze, Jean-Yves Leroux, Dean McAmmond, Bob
Probert, Reid Simpson. RW - Tony Amonte, Jean-Pierre Dumont, Chris
Murray, Ed Olczyk, Ryan Vandenbussche. D - Jamie Allison, Radim
Bicanek, Brad Brown, Anders Eriksson, Dave Manson, Boris Mironov,
Bryan Muir, Doug Zmolek. G - Mark Fitzpatrick, Jocelyn Thibault.
injuries: Doug Gilmour, c (back, out for season); Chris Murray, rw
(shoulder, day-to-day).
transactions: Signed free agent Jeff Maund, g, April 14.
game results:
4/05 Vancouver W 2-1
4/08 NY Rangers W 6-2
4/12 at Washington W 4-2
4/15 Nashville W 4-2
4/17 Detroit W 3-2
team news by Tom Crawford
Too Little, Too Late
Hey, do you see that list of game results up there? It's got a
column filled with these funny-looking letters that look like
upside-down M's.
Yes, it's been quite a while since the Blackhawks have put together
this kind of a winning streak. (I'm too lazy to look up exactly
how long it's been, but some other guy said three years in his
column, so I'll take his word for it.)
The Hawks closed out their season winning six games in a row and
eight of their last nine. They won their last nine games at home,
dominating the United Center like no Hawks team had done since the
building opened.
So it was an easy decision for owner Bill Wirtz to make whether to
retain the services of GM Bob Murray and Coach Lorne Molleken for
another year. But it remains to be seen if the Hawks are really on
the upswing or if this late-season turnaround was an entertaining
but meaningless diversion.
Of course this won't be evident until the first tough stretch of the
1999-2000 season. The Hawks are a team that clearly plays best when
the pressure is off. When Lorne Molleken took over for Dirk Graham
as coach, the team was all but mathematically out of the playoffs
already, and his mellower coaching style and more offensive-minded
game plan further reduced the pressure on Hawk players.
Neither this incarnation of the Hawks nor its coach has had to face
any real adversity yet, and how they react when such a situation
arises will determine if the team has truly improved.
We Should Trade Chelios Every Week
For once, the reality lived up to the hype. The much-anticipated
return of Chris Chelios to the United Center produced one of the
more entertaining nights of hockey in recent memory.
Though Cheli played only a few minutes, his presence in a Red Wing
uniform recharged a great NHL rivalry that had lost some intensity
as the disparity in talent between the two teams continued to grow.
Blackhawks personnel shamelessly pandered to their fans'
anti-Detroit sensibilities by showing video montages of Detroit's
urban decay constrasted with spotless Chicago landscapes and by
piping in canned chants of "Detroit sucks!" in case anyone forgot
the words.
However, the crowd was very nearly 50-50, and Wings fans were not
about to travel 200 miles, pay 75 dollars a seat, and keep their
mouths shut.
As a result, the atmosphere resembled a college football game
between intraconference rivals, except the two factions weren't on
different sides of the stadium. So fans could get right in each
other's face while trying to drown out the chants of the
opposition.
I personally didn't see any fistfights, but there was plenty of
not-so-good-natured taunting and harsh exchanges. In other words,
playoff hockey. Maybe we'll get some of the real stuff next year.
News and Notes
The prospects for next year hinge greatly on the success of contract
talks with three of the Hawks top players. Anders Eriksson, Boris
Mironov, and Jocelyn Thibault are all restricted free agents, and
losing any of the three would make GM Bob Murray's wheeling and
dealing this past year largely fruitless . . . . Tony Amonte ended up
with 44 goals for the season. This was a career high and good enough
for a tie for second place in the race for the NHL's Maurice Richard
Trophy . . . . Murray told the Chicago Sun-Times he would not be
looking to sign another free agent in the Doug Gilmour salary range
this off season. Murray said he was looking for "a couple of
mid-level guys", particularly a stay-at-home defenseman who could
help the Hawks' swiss-cheese penalty kill.
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NASHVILLE PREDATORS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Barry Trotz
roster: C - Darren Turcotte, Greg Johnson, Jeff Nelson, Patric
Kjellberg, Sebastien Bordeleau, Cliff Ronning. LW - Andrew
Brunette, Scott Walker, Denny Lambert, Ville Peltonen, Jeff Daniels,
Vitali Yachmenev. RW - Sergei Krivokrasov, Brad Smyth, Tom
Fitzgerald, Patrick Cote, Rob Valicevic. D - Joel Bouchard, Bob
Boughner, John Slaney, Jamie Heward, Jayson More, J.J. Daigneault,
Drake Berehowsky, Jan Vopat, Kimmo Timonen. G - Mike Dunham, Eric
Fichaud, Tomas Vokoun, Chris Mason.
Injuries: Too long to list . . . .most guys are hurt, most for the
rest of the year, Sebastien Bordeleau fractured two vertebrae and
might not be back for training camp.
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
4/07 at Colorado L 4-1
4/09 at Phoenix W 4-3
4/12 Los Angeles L 4-3
4/14 at Detroit L 4-2
4/15 at Chicago L 4-2
4/17 New Jersey L 4-1
Team News by Jeff Middleton
Well, it's been awhile since we've spoken - much has transpired, but
not terribly much in terms of the Predators. They continue on their
"smarter than the average bear" first year, exceeding the
expectations of most hockey fans and critics.
The only NHL franchise ever to go undefeated at Maple Leaf Gardens
(0-0-1) has given the city of Nashville much to cheer about the
past nine months. From the excitement of Opening Night's shutout
loss to the excitement of Saturday night's season-ending loss,
there was one constant -- the excitement. Well, there was also the
constant of sporadic play and the constant of injured players (most
notably the constant of Mike Dunham's weak groin). But the
excitement was the thing that everybody talked about. Nashville
took to hockey like a fish takes to water.
While everybody wondered how it would go, Nashville answered loud
and clear: We love our Predators. They can do no wrong. They score
a goal - we cheer. They make a big hit - we cheer. They get
called for too many men on the ice - we cheer. They ice the puck -
we . . . wait a minute . . . . what is icing again? Aw, who the
hell cares - yee-haw!!!
Point being, the Southern fan is, quite frankly, devout. Being from
New Jersey, I am quite familiar with Frankie from the Bronx
(long-time listener, first-time caller) on WFAN, bitching and
moaning about how the two-line pass Wayne Gretzky made in the
second period while the Rangers were on the power play last night
cost them their shot at the Cup. No matter that it was the 15th
game of the year against the first place Red Wings, who the Rangers
happened to beat 6-2 on the strength of Gretzky's five-assist
night. (By the way, Rangers fans, you wish!) I am not as familiar
with Carol from Smyrna calling to say how proud she was of "her
boys" after they got smoked 8-1 by the Boston Bruins, who were
sucking pretty bad right about then. It is truly a phenomenon.
SEC football is something I still do not get, but when I see people
cheering a team simply because they are "their team," I am
impressed and I understand the word fanatic a little more. What
other team gets a standing ovation with 1.7 seconds left in the
last game of the year...losing 4-1, no playoffs ahead, and barely
60 points. Well, the Predators did. And the best part is that
they recognized the fans for their devotion. Hanging in the rafters
of the Nashville Arena is a banner for the Seventh Man - the fans
of the Nashville Predators. There are now somewhere in the
neighborhood of 40 folks strutting around Middle Tennessee in the
jerseys worn by the Predators in the last game of the year - taken
off the players' backs and presented to those lucky folks on the
ice right after the final horn sounded. Maybe they smell a little
(the sweaters, that is), but it says something about the franchise
that they would go out of their way to honor the fans that much.
All in all, a great year for the Preds. One more thing ..... Let's
go Devils.
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DETROIT RED WINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Scotty Bowman
Roster: C - Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Kris Draper, Sergei
Fedorov. LW - Brendan Shanahan, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Doug Brown,
Tomas Holmstrom, Wendel Clark, Kirk Maltby, Brent Gilchrist. RW -
Darren McCarty, Martin Lapointe, Mathieu Dandenault, Stacey Roest
D - Nicklas Lidstrom, Larry Murphy, Jamie Macoun, Aaron Ward, Ulf
Samuelson, Uwe Krupp, Chris Chelios, Todd Gill, Yan Golubovsky. G
- Chris Osgood, Norm Maracle, Bill Ranford.
TRANSACTIONS: None.
INJURIES: Uwe Krupp, d (back problems, indefinite); Joe Kocur, rw
(back problems, day-to-day).
Game Results
4/05 Anaheim W 3-2
4/07 Vancouver W 6-1
4/09 at St. Louis T 1-1
4/11 Pittsburgh L 3-0
4/14 Nashville W 4-2
4/17 at Chicago L 3-2
Team News by Dino Cacciola
Quack quack...
In a preview of the first round of the playoffs, the Red Wings faced
the high- flying Mighty Ducks. The Wings extended their winning
streak to a season best seven games. Bill Ranford making a start also
remained unbeaten in net in the 3-2 win.
"Going from Washington to Tampa Bay was a real downer," Ranford
said, "I'm sure I didn't handle it very well. But, I'm a
professional. I know coming here was a kick in the butt. I'm just
so happy to be here."
Nicklas Lidstrom, Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman scored in the
win. Former Red Wing Tomas Sandstrom scored for the Mighty Ducks.
"If they get so many good players like they got, it's a huge
difference," Anaheim forward Teemu Selanne said. "Especially the
defense. When Ulf Samuelsson is going to be healthy, he's going to
make a big difference, too. With those moves, they're the No. 1
team again."
The Red Wings outshot the Ducks 33-18 in the game. More importantly
Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne were left off the scoreboard. The
Ducks boast the league's best power play as well and were shut
down.
The two teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs. It
should be an exciting opening round.
VANCOUVER
With a 6-1 win over the lowly Vancouver Canucks, the Red Wings
clinched the Central Division crown for the first time in three
years. Led by an impressive output by the captain Steve Yzerman the
Wings remained unbeaten in eight games.
"I didn't even know about the divisional title," said Igor Larionov,
who had two assists, "Nobody was talking about that. Mainly, we're
just trying to get ready to go into the playoffs."
Tomas Holmstrom, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Sergei Fedorov and Brendan
Shanahan also scored in the win. Since the trading deadline the
Wings have scored 30 goals and allowed only 11. "I think the team
has been re-energized since the trades," Nicklas Lidstrom said.
"They give us a lot of depth."
ST. LOUIS
Well is was fun while it lasted, but its a lot better than a loss.
The Red Wings tried to go for a nine-game winning streak but fell
short in a 1-1 tie with the rival St. Louis Blues. "The streak's
still going," said goalie Bill Ranford, who had 25 saves. "We're
undefeated. That's all the guys in the room care about. We came
out and we got a point. I don't know for sure, but I think we're
the two hottest teams in the league right now. It's a tough
building to win in."
Sergei Fedorov extended his scoring streak to 11 games with his 25th
goal. Fedorov has seven goals and 17 points in those 11 games. The
Red Wings are 19- 2-3 when Fedorov scores and 21-25-4 when he
doesn't score.
Chelios didn't play because he had a strained groin. The Wings have
used a different lineup every night, and they are deep enough to do
it. "That's the thing that's been really unique about the run that
the team's had," Ranford said. "There have been different guys in
the lineup every night."
PITTSBURGH
Well it finally happened, they were bound to lose sometime. This
time is was at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penquins. A 3-0 loss to
the Pens seemed much more important to them than to the Wings.
"They have so many great players," Pittsburgh forward Jaromir Jagr
said after the Penguins' 3-0 win. "For us, this is huge."
The nine-game unbeaten streak was Detroit's longest since 1996 when
the Red Wings went 12-0-1 from March 3-31. Chris Osgood, who made
20 saves against the Penguins, had won six games during the
unbeaten streak.
"Pittsburgh always gives us a tough time," Igor Larionov said. "We
have to find a way to get more chances against that kind of
system. Barrasso played well, but we didn't give him a lot of
competition. You have to test a goaltender more than we did
today."
NASHVILLE
Time for a new streak? Well perhaps not with only two games
remaining in the season, but a good primer to get ready for the
show with about a week left. The Red Wings beat the Nashville
Predators 4-2 in a game that really didn't matter.
"Nashville is the type of team that tries to outwork you," said
goalie Bill Ranford. "They came at us the whole game without ever
letting up. That's what they thrive on."
Going into the game the Wings were still unsure of who they would be
playing in the first round. It was either St. Louis, San Jose, or
Anaheim. "There's pluses and minuses with all of them, and it shows
you just how close they all are that with a game or two left, we
don't know who we will be playing," he said. "But they all have
great goaltending -- Shields and Vernon in San Jose, Hebert in
Anaheim and Fuhr in St. Louis."
"Everyone knows that Chris Osgood is going to start in the
playoffs," Ranford said. "These games just give everyone a comfort
zone in case there's a time where I have to go in. This way, there
won't be total chaos, and the coach will have confidence in me."
CHICAGO
Tough town. Not my kind of town. Chicago is not my kind of town,
when it comes to devotion that is.
Making his homecoming return wearing a different uniform on familiar
ice, Chris Chelios got a not very nice greeting in his emotional
return to the United Center. He was booed loudly when he took the
puck on power-play duty.
"It was half and half. That's what I thought," Chelios said,
following Chicago's 3-2 victory in the regular season game over the
Red Wings. "It's not the homecoming I expected. But it's over and
now I can concentrate on the playoffs," he added. "I'm a Detroit
Red Wing now. I'm sure there are bad feelings right now, I guess."
Chelios had just four shifts totaling a little more than three
minutes before he went to the locker room for the final period. "He
was nervous. He wasn't sure how he'd be received on the ice. I
think Chelios was upset," Chicago forward Tony Amonte said. "He put
in a lot of work and time here. I hope this can bring closure to
the whole thing."
The Red Wings did not bring along for the trip Nicklas Lidstrom,
Igor Larionov, Steve Yzerman, and Larry Murphy. Scotty Bowman gave
them a rest in the meaningless game rather than risk any injury.
Brown and Drapes scored the only goals for the Wings in the loss. It
was the only loss against the Hawks all season long.
Playoffs
Well the Mighty Ducks will prove to be no pushover, that's for sure.
They seem to play the Wings very well. The Red Wings and Ducks
always play very close games with many going into overtime. The
clutch and grab style of the Ducks really wears down the speed and
finesse of the Red Wing forwards.
The Ducks basically have one power line with Kariya and Selanne
which is deadly in itself. Their awesome power-play unit anchored
by the reliable Freddy Olausson is the top of the NHL. So the
Wings, in order to beat Guy Hebert and the Ducks, will need to be
penalty-free. That in essence will limit the chances of Paul and
Teemu from the get go. The Wings boast the deepest lines in hockey
and will need to constantly execute line changes at the helm of
Scotty Bowman.
Can the Wings win? Absolutely if Yzerman is allowed to play his
game. If the Grind Line can provide a much-needed punch. If
Shanahan and Fedorov score timely goals. And if the goaltending
remains solid. It is time to make a run for a third straight
championship.
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ST. LOUIS BLUES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
Roster: C - Craig Conroy, Mike Eastwood, Pascal Rheaume, Pierre
Turgeon, Michal Handzus. LW - Tyrone Nash, Tony Twist, Pavol
Demitra. RW - Kelly Chase, Scott Pellerin, Scott Young, Jamal
Mayers. D - Marc Bergevin, Jeff Finley, Rory Fitzpatrick, Al
MacInnis, Chris McAlpine, Chris Pronger, Jamie Rivers, Ricard
Persson. G - Grant Fuhr, Jamie McLennan.
Injuries: Rudy Poeschek, d (sprained ankle 1/28, day to day);
Jim Campbell, rw (groin 3/20, out rest of season); Michal Handzus, c
(shoulder 3/26, day-to-day); Kelly Chase, rw (shoulder 4/1, out
indefinitely); Marc Bergevin, d (pulled abdomin muscles 4/3, out rest
of season).
Transactions: 4/03 - Extended contracts of senior vice president
and general manager Larry Pleau and assistant general manager John
Ferguson, Jr. through the 2001-2002 season. 4/06 - Assigned lw Tyson
Nash to Worcester of the American Hockey League.
Game Results:
4/07 at Washington W 4-2
4/09 Detroit T 1-1
4/11 Colorado L 4-2
4/14 at Anaheim W 3-1
4/15 at Phoenix W 6-4
4/18 at Los Angeles W 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Tom Cooper
Eastern Conference Champions, My Kiester!
After trading goals for the first two periods, Michel Picard's goal
with 7:47 left was the difference as the Blues went on to knock off
the lowly, injury-ridden Washington Capitals 4-2.
Scott Young contributed with a goal and an assist, and both Jamal
Mayers and Al MacInnis added a goal, with MacInnis' coming on an
empty-netter with 29 seconds remaining. Grant Fuhr stopped 27 of 29
shots for his 14th win of the season.
You Know They'll Meet 'Em In The Playoffs
If you look at the past three playoffs, this one was most likely a
preview of the playoffs.
After a scoreless first period, Detroit struck blood first with
three minutes left in the second. While Pierre Turgeon sat in the
box for a stick-holding penalty, Nicklas Lidstrom flipped a puck on
net that went passed Blues' goalie Grant Fuhr. Sergei Fedorov
slammed the floppy in the PCU to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead.
2:44 later, Turgeon atoned for his mistake. With Kirk Maltby in the
box for being too rough, Turgeon redirected an Al MacInnis shot
past Bill Ranford to tie the game at 1-1. And that's the way it
stayed. The tie ended Detroit's eight-game winning streak, a streak
that started when the Wings acquired the Veteran's Committee at the
trading deadline. The Blues outshot the Wings 26-22, including a
9-2 margin in the third.
Hey, We Scored A Goal
The Blues have had some trouble with Avalanche goaltender Patrick
Roy in the past. This season, their troubles got worse.
In the two teams' three previous meeting, Colorado has scored seven
goals. The Blues haven't scored A DAMN GOAL!!! That's a span of 185
minutes that Roy hasn't let a Bluenote tally a goal against him.
That has finally ended.
Scott Young scored his 20th of the season at 2:09 of the second
period gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead and ended Roy's St. Louis shutout
streak at 207:09. But that didn't last long.
Theo Fleury tied the game just over seven minutes later and Dale
Hunter gave the 'Lanche a 2-1 lead under three minutes later.
Although, Michel Picard re-tied the game a 2-2 with 2:08 left in
the second, Peter Forsberg gave Colorado the lead for good with
8:30 left in the game to carry the Northwest Division Champions to
a 4-2 victory. The Blues could have won, but they failed to
capitalize on every one of their five power-play opportunities and
failed to take advantage of the fact they outshot Colorado 36-20.
The reason for that - Patrick Roy.
"He's played great against us all year," Blues' head coach Joel
Quenneville said. "We play our best against that team and come up
with nothing and he's a big factor. They get timely goals against
us that seem to kill us and tonight was no different."
Who Wants Phoenix???
The top four seeds in the Western Conference have been set for the
majority of the season. It has been the lower half of the
conference's playoff participants and how they're situated that has
been in question.
One of those questions was answered when the Blues took on Anaheim,
with the winner earning sole possession of fifth-place in the
conference. The Blues tried to move up to that fifth spot early in
the game, thanks to a player who missed most of the playoff race.
Geoff Courtnall, who had missed the previous 57 games due to
post-concussion syndrome, tallied the game-winning goal with 3:23
left in the first to lead the Blues to a 3-1 victory and the five
hole in the Western Conference standings, one point up on the
Mighty Ducks.
Courtnall's goal came 25 seconds after Michel Picard opened the
game's scoring with his third goal in four games. Blues' goalie
Grant Fuhr had a shut out going until 5:04 into the third period,
when Paul Kariya scored Anaheim's lone goal. Fuhr stopped 31 of 32
shots for his 15th win of the season.
A Preview of Things To Come
Phoenix was up 2-1 after 40 minutes in a meeting that would
eventually become a preview for the first round of the playoffs.
Then, the Blues woke up.
St. Louis posted a five-goal third period, including a 3:04-span
where the Blues scored three unanswered power-play goals en route
to a 6-4 victory and drawing first blood before the playoffs even
started. Scott Young picked up two goals, giving him 23 on the
year. Al MacInnis had three assists while Chris Pronger, Pavol
Demitra and Terry Yake each contributed a goal and an assist.
St. Louis, who went 4-for-7 on the power play during the game,
outshot the Coyotes 35-26. Grant Fuhr stopped 22 shots for his 16th
win of the season.
Some Finale
Last year, the last game of the season for both the St. Louis Blues
and the Los Angeles Kings was against each other. It was a game
full of passion, as the two teams showed the city of Los Angeles
the most fighting it had seen since the Rodney King riots. This
year, the ultimate game of the season didn't matter.
Blair Atcheynum scored twice as the Blues opened up a 3-0 lead on
the Kings and held on for a 3-2 victory in the final game of the
regular season. The game was the final regular season game that
will be held in the Great Western Forum. The Kings will move to the
new Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles starting next season.
The win was Joel Quenneville's 100th victory behind the Blues'
bench, making him the fifth coach in club history to reach that
mark.
The playoffs
The Blues now prepare for the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round of
the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Blues took the season series
2-1-1. The always challenging job of defending the Coyotes was made
a little easier, thanks to Stars defenseman Derian Hatcher, who
broke Jeremy Roenick's jaw last week. Hatcher will sit seven games
and must watch his team get upset by the Oilers again.
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TEAM REPORTS
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHWEST DIVISION
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CALGARY FLAMES
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Head Coach: Brian Sutter
Roster: C- Andrew Cassels, Clarke Wilm, Cory Stillman, Jeff Shantz,
Steve Dubinsky, Eric Landry; LW- Rene Corbet, Bob Bassen, Ed Ward,
Jason Wiemer, Dave Roche; RW- Valeri Bure, Jarome Iginla, Martin St.
Louis, Rocky Thompson; D- Tommy Albelin, Cale Hulse, Derek Morris,
Todd Simpson, Steve Smith, Phil Housley, Denis Gauthier, Chris
O'Sullivan, Eric Charron; G- Ken Wregget, Fred Brathwaite.
Injuries: Bob Bassen, lw (back spasms, day-to-day); Eric Charron, d
(concussion, indefinite); Steve Dubinsky, c (knee cartilage,
day-to-day); Denis Gauthier, d (hip flexor, day-to-day); Phil
Housley, d (pulled hip muscle, day-to-day); Jeff Shantz, c
(shoulder injury, day-to-day); Todd Simpson, d (concussion,
indefinite); Steve Smith, d (hairline ankle fracture, day-to-day);
Rocky Thompson, rw (concussion, indefinite).
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
4/07 at Edmonton L 4-2
4/09 Edmonton L 4-1
4/12 Vancouver L 2-0
4/14 at Vancouver W 5-4 OT
4/15 Colorado W 5-1
4/17 at Edmonton L 3-2
TEAM NEWS by John Alsedek, Calgary Correspondent
Reality Bites
Me and my big mouth. Last issue, I predicted that the then-hot
Flames (tired pun only half-heartedly intended) would hold off the
slumping Oilers for the eighth and final playoff spot.
So, of course, the Kid Flames promptly went out and dropped their
next three games...including two to the afformentioned Oilers. When
Edmonton won a highly-entertaining (that is, unless you were a
Calgary fan) OT game in San Jose, the Flames' fate was sealed. Of
course, what did the Flames do then? After averaging just one goal
per game over the previous three contests, they scored five each in
essentially meaningless wins over Vancouver and Colorado. And
finally, just to finish the season on a really frustrating note,
they drop a hard-fought game to the Oilers (again).
The gist of all this is that, once again, the Flames have missed the
playoffs. At the beginning of the season, they wouldn't have been
such a bitter pill to swallow - in fact, it was pretty much a
given. But then the kids go out and come within a few points of
making it, only to blow their chances over the final two weeks of
the season. And that sucks.
Still, there is an upside to the 1998-99 season. GM Al Coates made a
couple of smart trades that gave the Flames a couple more pretty
good young players to throw into the lineup. Coach Brian Sutter
showed that, with a modicum of talent and a good work ethic, a
small-market team can still have a pretty respectable regular
season. And as for the players...well, guys like Jarome Iginla and
Valeri Bure had breakout seasons, and, in general, the kids played
their hearts out.
With very few exceptions, I personally may have been disappointed
with the results of a Flames game, but not with the effort. Prospects
Daniel Tkaczuk and Rico Fata should make a good run at joining the
big club in training camp, '98 draftee Robyn Regehr joins what is
arguably one of the best young defensive corps in the league, and the
deep 1999 Entry Draft gives Calgary a good shot at adding still more
offense, like a Kris Beech or Jani Rita.
Yep, there are several reasons to feel good about this season. But
the Flames not making the playoffs ain't one of them. And that
sucks.
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COLORADO AVALANCHE
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Head Coach: Bob Hartley
C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle, Chris Drury, Dale
Hunter. LW - Valeri Kamensky, Milan Hejduk, Shean Donovan, Warren
Rychel. RW - Theoren Fleury, Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Shjon
Podein, Jeff Odgers. D - Sandis Ozolinsh, Sylvain Lefebvre, Adam
Foote, Alexei Gusarov, Jon Klemm, Aaron Miller, Greg deVries, Cam
Russell, Eric Messier. G - Patrick Roy, Craig Billington.
Injuries: Valeri Kamensky, lw (broken hand, out for season); Cam
Russell, d (shoulder, out for season); Adam Deadmarsh, rw (eye,
day-to-day).
Transactions: Signed Alex Tanguay, c, to a multi-year contract.
Signed Peter Forsberg, c, to a three-year contract.
Game results:
4/05 Los Angeles W 4-1
4/07 Nashville W 4-1
4/11 at St. Louis W 4-2
4/15 at Calgary L 5-1
4/16 at Edmonton L 5-1
4/18 Dallas W 2-1
TEAM NEWS by Greg D'Avis
So the Avalanche head into the playoffs with their best lineup since
the Cup year -- and the toughest opponent of any of the low seeds in
the San Jose Sharks. Inasmuch as the last few games of the season
were pretty dull, since the Avs checked out almost completely after
clinching the second spot, here's a sampling of highlights from those
last few weeks:
Peter in the bag
What could have been an immense tragedy was averted as the Avs
signed Peter Forsberg to a three-year, $30-million contract
extension. To put it into perspective, that's almost TWICE what an
LCS Hockey correspondent gets paid.
Since Neil Smith was already counting the money in the New York
Rangers' vaults in preparation for a run at the
to-be-restricted-free-agent, the move was a smart one on GM Pierre
Lacroix's part -- and frees up the Avs to concentrate on resigning
Theo Fleury this offseason.
Bloody Alberta
Remember back to the mid-80s, when the road swing through Alberta
was the most feared in hockey? The Avs sure do. After putting
together a nine-game unbeaten streak and wrapping up the second
seed in the playoffs, the Avs wandered aimlessly through Alberta
and were beaten savagely by the Flames and Oilers, by a combined
score of 10-2.
Fortunately Colorado goes into the playoffs on a good note, after
beaten Dallas 2-1 to close out the season.
40-40
Joe Sakic and Fleury both hit the 40-goal mark in the final games of
the season, winding up with 41 and 40, respectively. It's the first
time an Avalanche player has even broken the 30-goal mark since
1995-96, the Cup year, and the first time since 1992-93 that two Avs
have hit 40, when Sakic and Mats Sundin turned the trick.
Ok, yes, Fleury scored most of those goals with Calgary, but shut
up. A record's a record.
Them ever-lovin' rookies
The Avalanche's best rookie class since Peter Forsberg and Adam
Deadmarsh hit the scene continued to shine. Milan Hejduk led all
rookie scorers in points and assists, proved a good fit on the top
line, and answered questions about his durability and toughness by
playing a lot in the corners and in front of the net, not bad for a
small, speedy player. He was also the only Avalanche player to play
all 82 games.
Chris Drury, the leading candidate for rookie of the year, ended up
third in rookie scoring and second in goals, and was impressive in
all situations. Both players are pretty darn mature for rookies,
rarely caught out of position or taking dumb penalties.
And the rookie well's hardly dry. Christian Matte and Scott Parker
will likely stick next year, and Alex Tanguay, the next big thing
in Colorado, finally signed a couple weeks back.
Injuries
The injury situation is pretty set right now -- Valeri Kamensky and
Cam Russell are gone for the playoffs, and virtually everyone else
is fine. The one scary question mark is Adam Deadmarsh -- his eye
was injured in a fight with Edmonton's Jason Smith, and it seems to
be one of those injuries where they keep saying "he'll be back next
game." Two days ago they were saying he'd definitely be back for
the first game; now he's questionable.
San Jose
The scrappy Sharks irritated everyone to distraction in their
playoff drive, and are the first-round opponent no one wanted -
Edmonton's injury-riddled, the Avs dominated St. Louis and the
Ducks have what, three players? And there's plenty of subtexts in
the Avs-Sharks series, for those of you who love subtexts.
Patrick Roy's old sparring partner, Mike Vernon, now plays goal for
the Sharks. Several ex-teammates -- Owen Nolan (who was supposed to
be the next Cam Neely when he was traded), Mike Ricci and Ron
Sutter suit up for the Sharks; ex-Sharks on the Avs roster include
Sandis Ozolinsh and Shean Donovan. And of course, the Sharks have
Bryan Marchment, who must feel due since he hasn't blown anyone's
knee out in, what, weeks now?
Prediction: Avs in five.
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EDMONTON OILERS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Ron Low
Roster: C - Doug Weight Todd Marchant, Rem Murray, Josef Beranek,
Boyd Devereux LW - Ethan Moreau Alex Selivanov, Chad Kilger,
Ryan Smyth. RW - Bill Guerin, Mike Grier, Pat Falloon, Georges
Laraque. D - Sean Brown, Roman Hamrlik, Christian LaFlamme, Frank
Musil, Janne Niinimaa, Tom Poti, Marty McSorley, Jason Smith. G -
Tommy Salo, Bob Essensa.
Injuries: Joe Beranek and Bill Guerin are out for another week
with knee injuries.
Transactions: April 15 - Vladimir Vorobiev, lw, and Joe Hulbig,
rw, were called up from the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Game Results:
4/07 Calgary W 4-2
4/09 at Calgary W 4-1
4/10 at Vancouver T 1-1
4/12 at San Jose W 5-4
4/16 Colorado W 5-1
4/17 Calgary W 3-2
Team News by Aubrey Chau
Well, they did it. The Oilers claimed a playoff spot. When it came
right down to it, the Oilers were able to beat sad-sack teams like
the Calgary Flames to squeak themselves into the playoffs.
Truth of the matter is, with the kind of start the Oilers had, they
should have been a lock for the playoffs and fighting for fifth
place. But no, they had to tail off dangerously and make it hard
on themselves and barely make eighth place.
It's too bad that had to happen, because now the Oil must face
first-placed Dallas Stars. That's not all bad news though, since
the Oil are facing their regular April opponents, the Stars.
Two years ago, in the first round the Oilers were able to come from
behind and beat the Stars in the last game of the seven-game
series. But last year, the Stars were able to crush the Oil in
five.
This Oiler team is considerable less talented than the team two
years and ago and last year. A major difference? Curtis Joseph.
People who follow the Toronto Maple Leafs know that Cujo has been
invaluable to the team and probably gave them about 20 extra
points. With his clutch goaltending, the Oilers sure could use him
now.
Now the Oilers seem so the underdogs, without two of their top
scorers during the regular season, Billy Guerin and Joe Beranek.
They'll probably be missing the two for at least the first couple
games, but hopefully they will be back in time for an upset against
the heavily favoured Stars.
Out on a High Note
The Oilers left the regular season on a high note with a six-game
unbeaten streak. The highest of the season. But it's not like the
Oilers were battling Goliaths. Their opponents were playoff
have-nots like the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames.
Sure, they played the Colorado Avalanche. But what did the Avs
care? They just wanted to get the game over with, then go out and
drink. The Avs cared so much about the game they started Craig
Billington instead of Pat Roy.
The Oilers definitely wanted to win that game and did. If anything
let's hope this builds some positive momentum into the playoffs and
not overconfidence. Because the Oilers haven't beaten the Stars at
all this year. The best they could muster was a 2-2 tie early this
season.
The Oilers need a miracle to beat the talent-laden, well-coached
Stars. As for a prediction? Stars in 5 games.
Big Bad Vlad and Mad Mike vs. the Stars?
Trade deadline acquisition Vladimir Vorobiev has two goals in two
games for the Oilers and management is praying he can continue that
streak into the playoffs. The big 6'5 winger could definitely do
some damage with his size and hands.
Mike Grier also finished the last month of the season on a hot
stretch. The last game of the season, he managed two goals to give
him 20 on the year. The most of his career.
The other big name of the last couple weeks is Tom Poti, who
supplied the Oilers with not one, but two game-winning goals down
the stretch drive. The rookie offensive defenseman is without a
doubt, a keeper.
The first Calgary game in Edmonton, Poti netted the game-winner,
which had put the Oilers ahead of Calgary in the Western Conference
standings. Then, in San Jose, the Oilers rallied back from a 2-0
deficit against the Sharks and won the game 5-4 in overtime.
Courtesy of a Tom Poti goal, which single-handedly launched the
Oilers into the 1999 playoffs. It was a furious back and forth
game as the Oilers and Sharks scored five goals in the last frame
forcing overtime. Where, of course the Oil prevailed.
If the Oilers can keep up the pace like this against the Stars, they
will hit the second round.
One Sad Day
Bye Wayne, and thanks. That's the simplest way to say goodbye to
Wayne Gretzky, former Edmonton Oiler and the greatest player of all
time.
The Great One, of course retired on Sunday after a week of
speculation. It was an emotional week for everyone, his fans, his
teammates and his family. Notably, Wayne's last game in Canada,
the New York Rangers against the Ottawa Senators.
The fans at the Corel Center in Ottawa gave Gretz a standing
ovation. It was really nice stuff.
He will be missed as the holder of 61 records, he was the best to
ever play the game.
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VANCOUVER CANUCKS
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Head Coach: Marc Crawford
ROSTER: C - Mark Messier, Dave Gagner, Harry York, Dave Scatchard,
Darby Hendrickson, Josh Holden. LW - Todd Bertuzzi, Brad May,
Donald Brashear, Peter Schaefer, Bert Robertsson. RW - Markus
Naslund, Alexander Mogilny, Bill Muckalt, Trent Klatt, Steve
Staios. D - Adrian Aucoin, Murray Baron, Ed Jovanovski, Bryan
McCabe, Mattias Ohlund, Jason Strudwick, Brent Sopel. G - Garth
Snow, Kevin Weekes, Corey Hirsch.
INJURIES: The following players are expected to recover in time for
their first tee time: Bert Robertsson, Peter Schaefer, Brad May,
Todd Bertuzzi, Bill Muckalt, Mattias Ohlund.
TRANSACTIONS: Assigned Robb Gordon, lw, to Syracuse (AHL).
GAME RESULTS:
04/07 at Detroit L 6-1
04/10 Edmonton T 1-1
04/12 at Calgary W 2-0
04/14 Calgary L 5-4
Team News by Jeff Dubois
Two Perspectives on the Canucks 1998-99 Season:
1. Vancouver Canucks Media Spokesman, Player, Coach or GM -
This was a really positive season. We've always believed that
Vancouver Canucks fans are the greatest on the planet, and they
proved it again this year. We may have had a season of change
within the organization and on the ice, but the fans really stuck
with us. When you really think about it, we didn't have a poor
season, in fact, quite the opposite is true! We now have a new head
coach who has a Stanley Cup win under his belt, a GM who knows
what he wants from his team, and a great amount of youth to
complement a core of experienced veterans. Next season is really
looking up, and with high draft pick, we'll have another star ready
to forge a bond with the Canucks family. Just wait till next year,
with Marc Crawford behind the bench for a whole year, Brian Burke
having put his stamp on the team, and a great, young defensive core
that is the envy of the league, this is a team that has nowhere to
go but up!
2. Fan -
Big surprise! Three years in a row we've missed the playoffs now!
Oh, but we have a high draft pick! Maybe another Alex Stojanov is
in our future, or Libor Polasek, he was a first-round gem! All this
team really needs is two things -- scoring and defence -- and then
we'll be a contender. Just you wait! I thought it couldn't get
worse than last season, but boy did they ever prove me wrong!
Nuff said. It was a pretty bad year, and everybody needs to take a
little time to reflect on it before any rational conclusions can be
made. With the large amount of bad that comes with 23 wins, there
were some positives, and next year's edition should be a whole lot
younger, if not a bit better. I'll do all that reflectionary stuff
in the season-in-review issue, immediately following the Red Wings'
third straight Stanley Cup win, but for now I'll stick to the
facts! A few recent developments:
Steve Kariya - The Canucks signed the talented younger
brother of some Mighty Duck player to a three-year deal. Having
finished behind Jason Krog for the Hobey Baker award (top US
college player), Kariya was free to seek offers, and settled on
the Canucks, and a return home. Steve Kariya may take awhile to
develop (his size - 5'7" is an issue) but is expected to join the
club at some point in the near future. Ant offensive spark he can
provide is desperately needed.
Second Worst - After losing their final game to Calgary, the
Canucks captured a top three draft pick by claiming the 26th spot
in a 27-team league. The top prospects this year are high scoring
Europeans, and it's been a long time (one season) since the team
had one of those. Go mediocrity !!!
Speaking For Itself - Canucks' record: 23-47-12 for 58
points...Ugly!
Wayne Axford Award for not sucking as bad as everybody else
-- The final selection, and therefore the season crown, goes to
Adrian Aucoin, who beat, and significantly improved upon, the
previous club record for goals by defencemen in a season. He also
led the NHL in power-play goals by a d-man and was near the top of
the league in hits. Congrats to Adrian from me, the entire LCS
Hockey family, and, of course, Mr. Wayne Axford, a prince among
men!
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TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC DIVISION
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ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
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Head Coach: Craig Hartsburg
ROSTER: C - Matt Cullen, Travis Green, Steve Rucchin, Marty McInnis,
Johan Davidsson. LW - Ted Drury, Stu Grimson, Paul Kariya, Jim
McKenzie, Mike Leclerc. RW - Antti Aalto, Jeff Nielsen, Tomas
Sandstrom, Teemu Selanne. D - Kevin Haller, Jason Marshall,
Frederik Olausson, Jamie Pushor, Ruslan Salei, Pascal Trepanier,
Pavel Trnka, Dan Trebil, Scott Ferguson. G - Guy Hebert, Dominic
Roussel.
INJURIES: Jason Marshall, d, and Pavel Trnka, d, are both day-to-day
with head injuries. Pascal Trepanier, d, is out for the season (knee
surgery).
TRANSACTIONS: 4/16, recalled Mike Leclerc, lw, from Cincinnati
(AHL); 4/15, recalled Scott Ferguson, d, from Cincinnati.
GAME RESULTS:
4/07 at Dallas L 5-1
4/11 Phoenix W 3-0
4/14 St. Louis L 3-1
4/15 at Los Angeles L 4-3 OT
4/17 at San Jose T 3-3
TEAM NEWS by Alex Carswell
KRESKIN RULES!
You heard it here first, Jocko: Anaheim would finish in the coveted
No. five slot and Teemu Selanne would become the only NHL player to
hit the 50-goal mark, nabbing the inaugural Rocket.
Alright, so I'm no Amazing Kreskin. And if that were the only shame
in this situation, Ducks fans could handle it. But the real shame
in Anaheim dropping to sixth is that now, instead of rolling over
Phoenix -- which they would have done, despite Craig Hartsburg's
claim that the Coyotes are "just as good" as Colorado or Detroit --
Anaheim will likely be crushed by the defending Stanley Cup
champions in the opening round of the playoffs.
In the words of David Byrne and Talking Heads, circa 1985: How did I
get here?
MOTOWN REVIEW
With destiny in their own hands -- playoff-positioning destiny,
anyway -- Anaheim dropped the ball. The Ducks had four games to
solidify a one-point lead over St. Louis for the all-but-automatic
berth into second- round play (read: a first-round berth against
Phoenix). They started well, rocking the Coyotes, 3-0. But they
earned just one point over their final three games, and it didn't
come where it mattered most, against the Blues.
In fact, the loss to the Blues was a perverse microcosm of Anaheim's
regular season, where many elements of their game were working, but
one area (on any given night) let them down. Astonishingly, in this
case, that one area was goaltending. And had Grant Fuhr not stood on
his head at the other end, the Ducks still might have prevailed.
Nonetheless, in the playoffs you have to beat good goaltending, and
to earn the fifth seed, Anaheim couldn't.
So now it's off to Motown, where Anaheim has played well, but hardly
prospered (0-3-1) over the past two years. They've got just one win
(1-6-1) against Detroit in that time, and when last these teams met
in postseason action (Ron Wilson's swan song as Anaheim coach), the
Ducks were swept into summer -- albeit in extremely entertaining
fashion.
By the looks of things, a repeat of that performance may be on the
horizon. Working against the Ducks is an untimely injury bug. After
remaining relatively healthy all year -- Tomas Sandstrom's broken
wrist was the only serious injury to befall the team -- players are
going down. Defenseman Pascal Trepanier, just coming into his own,
blew out his knee playing pick-up basketball. Pavel Trnka took a
blow to the head that caused him to miss the team's final two
games. Ditto for Jason Marshall, Anaheim's most physical
defenseman. But most distressing is the groin injury that has
plagued Steve Rucchin over the past month of the season.
Rucchin, without whom the Ducks cannot win, missed 10 of the team's
last 13 games, returning only for the final two. And though he's
playing again, it's unclear whether Rucchin is 100%. Let's not
forget that groins are tricky; that Rucchin was plagued by a
similar injury for much of last year; and that he's going to play
through whatever pain he has to in order to take the ice against
Detroit. As for his effectiveness, which is critical for the Ducks
on big draws (always), to power the second line (when put there),
and to center the big boys (when the game is on the line), that
remains to be seen. Likewise, his presence is key on Anaheim's
league-leading power play, which has been disturbingly inconsistent
of late.
Combine all that with a reinvigorated Detroit team -- featuring
Anaheim nemesis Chris Chelios (so hated he's almost an honorary
Coyote) -- and things don't look rosy for the men in teal.
WHY SHOW UP?
If things look so bleak, why even show up?
Because this is the playoffs, and anything can happen. Besides, when
the Ducks DO show up -- all of them - - they can play with most
teams. Guy Hebert is certainly capable of outdueling Chris Osgood
(and that's no slam on Ozzie), and if the power play clicks,
well...you never know.
But Hartsburg is really up against it: With Scotty Bowman having the
final say in on-ice matchups, it could be tough to get Kariya and
Selanne some room to move. And if those guys can't either work it at
even strength or draw some penalties, the series could be short.
SELANNE THE GREAT
Tee-mu; Tay-mu; Teddy Flash; The Finnish Flash. Call him what you
will - it's Tay-mu, by the way -- Teemu Selanne is the best pure
goal scorer in hockey. For the second year in a row he has led the
NHL in goals, notching 47 to capture the first-ever Rocket Richard
trophy. Nobody's cumulative numbers (313 goals) are better since he
entered the league in 1992. So now I'm getting back on my soap box.
When people search for someone to carry the league's PR torch in the
wake of Wayne Gretzky's retirement, the names Forsberg, Jagr, Kariya
and Lindros are often heard. The name Selanne never is, and that's so
wrong.
With all the skill this guy has -- even if it is buried in the
Pacific Time Zone (where The Great One once toiled, let's not
forget) -- it hardly seems fair that he should also have charm,
boyish good looks, a winning smile, the world's most positive
attitude, an accent that makes the girls swoon...and exactly no
play from the league office.
Think I'm overdoing it? Not a chance. Everybody loves this guy. And
if the NHL gets it right, Teemu will be smack dab at the center of
every NHL promotion from now until the day he hangs up his skates.
For now, though, Anaheim fans will just have to be happy knowing
they've got the best scorer, and the best-kept secret, in the
game.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
DALLAS STARS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Missed text deadline. You'll have to check the web site.
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LOS ANGELES KINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Not Larry Robinson
Roster: C - Jozef Stumpel, Olli Jokinen, Ian Laperriere, Ray
Ferraro, Jason Podollan, Jason Blake. LW - Vladimir Tsyplakov, Luc
Robitaille, Craig Johnson. RW - Pavel Rosa, Russ Courtnall, Glen
Murray, Daniel Audette. D - Garry Galley, Rob Blake, Sean
O'Donnell, Doug Bodger, Mattias Norstrom, Jan Nemecek, Dave Babych,
Philippe Boucher. G - Stephane Fiset, Jamie Storr, Ryan Bach.
Injuries: Doesn't really matter now...
Transactions: Signed Jason Blake, lw, to a three-year contract;
brought up Manny Legace, g, from Long Beach (IHL). Sent down Manny
Legace, g, to Long Beach. Brought Ryan Bach, g, up from Long
Beach. Brought up Jan Nemecek, d, and Jason Podollan, c, from Long
Beach.
Game Results
4/08 San Jose W 3-2
4/11 at Dallas L 6-2
4/12 at Nashville W 4-3
4/15 Anaheim W 4-3
4/16 at San Jose W 2-0
4/18 St. Louis L 3-2
Team News by Matthew Moore
A new coach of the Kings will be gracing the opening of the Staples
Center next season as Larry Robinson was fired Monday, ending his
four-year reign. Robinson was 122-161-45 with one playoff
appearance (last year) during those four years. Robinson was
cursed with an underachieving team that did not respond to his
coaching. Most of the comments of Kings players reflected that
Robinson might have been "too nice" of a guy and that he was taken
advantage of by the slackers. Hopefully Robinson will not be the
only guy to take the fall for this problem, with the players
responsible hitting the trail as well.
Four names are already being thrown about as replacements: Ted
Nolan (formerly of the Sabres), Dave Lewis (associate coach with
Detroit), John Van Boxmeer (coach of Long Beach), and Butch Goring
(coach of Salt Lake City). Lewis and Goring might have a leg up on
the other candidates due to them being former Kings, and we all
know how GM Dave Taylor loves former Kings.
The Kings decided to give the youngsters a chance, calling up Jason
Podollan and signing Jason Blake from North Dakota, as well as
giving Pavel Rosa, Jan Nemecek, and Philippe Boucher more ice
time. And they proved they actually want to play, unlike some of
the older players. Ray Ferraro and Luc Robitaille also continued
their good play. Now the big question has to be: why didn't they
do this before it didn't matter?
But alas, the Kings sucked this season. But the future looks a bit
brighter, with Blake, Rosa, and Podollan leading the youth
movement. Blake has excellent speed and puck-handling skills,
which are sorely needed, Rosa is a future sniper, and Podollan is a
banger with excellent goal scoring skills. Throw in Robitaille and
maybe a good free agent (hopefully a Theo Fleury) and the future
looks a bit better.
Sean O'Donnell was suspended for two games for crosschecking
Nashville center Cliff Ronning. Of course the Kings season was
already decided by that point so I guess it doesn't really matter.
But O'Donnell has to try and remember to only crosscheck players
who are about his size, other than whacking guys who look like they
are his kid brother. The same thing goes for Rob Blake, who was
suspended for the second time this season, this time for
crosschecking the Shark's Alexander Korolyuk. As with O'Donnell,
this was a size mismatch and makes Blake look like a big dufus,
since who can't beat up a guy who is 6 inches and 40 pounds
lighter? I just hope no dwarves go near O'Donnell or Blake when
they are golfing this summer...
Mattias Norstrom suffered a rib injury and missed most of the last
two weeks of the season. This would be something of a concern
normally, but he better be healed by training camp or else there is
something really wrong with him.
And Sandy Moger had successful shoulder surgery this past week,
getting his rotator cuff sliced and diced. Moger is expected to
make a full recovery, which will mean he will be back next season
skating as slowly as ever and will likely be able to use his
shoulder to take stupid penalties as well as he ever has.
Yeehaw.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX COYOTES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld
Roster: C - Jeremy Roenick, Bob Corkum, Mike Stapleton, Juha Ylonen,
Robert Reichel, Mike Sullivan. LW - Keith Tkachuk, Greg Adams, Jim
Cummins, Mike Sullivan, Louie DeBrusk, Joe Dziedzic. RW - Rick
Tocchet, Dallas Drake, Shane Doan, Jim Cummins, Steve Leach, Brian
Noonan. D - Keith Carney, Gerald Diduck, Jyrki Lumme, Teppo
Numminen, Oleg Tverdovsky, Deron Quint, JJ Daigneault, Jamie
Huscroft, Stanislav Neckar, Brad Tiley. G - Nikolai Khabibulin,
Mikhail Shtalenkov.
Injuries: Jeremy Roenick, c (broken jaw/thumb, out for season);
Jyrki Lumme, d (shoulder, day-to-day); Deron Quint, d (concussion,
day-to-day); Gerald Diduck, d (fractured foot, day-to-day).
Transactions: Signed college free agent David Cullen, d, from Maine
(Hockey East).
GAME RESULTS
4/09 Nashville L 4-3
4/11 at Anaheim L 3-0
4/14 at Dallas L 4-2
4/15 St. Louis L 6-4
4/17 Dallas W 2-0
TEAM NEWS by Jim Iovino
Roenick out
If you haven't heard yet, Jeremy Roenick is out for the playoffs
with a broken jaw. That news landed a hearty blow to the Coyotes'
playoff chances. For more information on how the injury occurred,
please see the feature article I wrote in this issue.
With the loss of Roenick, the acquisition of centerman Robert
Reichel from the New York Islanders looks more important - and
prophetic. Reichel will be looked to to provide more scoring than
he was when he arrived in Phoenix. And for those of you not in the
know, that was already a lot.
Reichel could take shifts with Keith Tkachuk, but more than likely
Tkachuk will center his own line and Reichel will play with Rick
Tocchet and Greg Adams.
Team struggling
The Coyotes were struggling even before Roenick was knocked out of
the lineup. The team lost five of its last six games. Thankfully,
the Dogs turned it around in the last game of the season in the
rematch with Dallas. Nikolai Khabibulin shut down the Stars, who
were without their top line of Modano, Lehtinen and Hull, for a 2-0
win.
The playoffs
The Coyotes will play the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the
playoffs. Unlike Phoenix, the Blues are going into the playoffs on
a hot streak. Pavol Demitra is hot. Scott Young is hot. Grant
Fuhr is healthy. St. Louis won a preview in the second-to-last
game of the regular season, 6-4.
This ain't gonna be a pretty series. If the Dogs start getting
frustrated, look out. Tkachuk's gonna have to start throwing blows
if the team needs a lift.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOSE SHARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Darryl Sutter
C - Patrick Marleau, Marco Sturm, Mike Ricci, Steve Guolla,
Ron Sutter, Vincent Damphousse. LW - Murray Craven, Stephane
Matteau, Dave Lowry, Jeff Friesen. RW - Ron Stern, Owen Nolan,
Joe Murphy, Brantt Myhres, Alexander Korolyuk. D - Bryan
Marchment, Bill Houlder, Marcus Ragnarsson, Mike Rathje,
Andrei Zyuzin, Bob Rouse, Jeff Norton, Andy Sutton. G - Mike
Vernon, Steve Shields.
INJURIES: Gary Suter, d (triceps, rest of season); Murray Craven, lw
(day-to -day, but looks more like the rest of the season); Bob
Rouse, d, (day-to-day).
TRANSACTIONS: Recalled Shawn Heins, d, from Kentucky (AHL); returned
Shawn Heins, d, to Kentucky immediately after the game (another quick
one game trip); re-instated Andrei Zyuzin, d, after strange saga with
agents.
GAME RESULTS
4/06 at Phoenix W 1-0
4/08 at Los Angeles L 3-2
4/09 at Anaheim W 4-1
4/11 Edmonton L 5-4
4/16 Los Angeles L 2-0
4/17 Anaheim T 3-3
TEAM NEWS by A.J. DaSilva
Since last issue, the cool stuff includes:
* It's sunny in California - that's a "warm" type of cool.
* Got to see Morgan, Caleb and Johnny play baseball -
that's a proud to be "Uncle A" type of cool.
* Tax season is over - that's a "relief" type of cool
* Godsons Brendan A. and Johnny S. had their birthdays -
that's a "glad to be Godfather" type of cool.
* The Sharks made the Playoffs - that's a "So what's next"
type of cool.
And Down The Stretch They Come...
The Sharks are in the Playoffs! The Sharks are in the Playoffs!
Can you believe it?!!! Of course we believe it. It's just that
you'd expect this from a team with the 6th HIGHEST PAYROLL. Of
course, the Sharks always tend to make things a wee bit more
complicated, so for Sharks fans, nothing is a certainty!
Anyway, the accolades for this achievement are coming from all
sorts of people! Here's a sample:
* "Yeah Baby Yeah" - Austin Powers
* "Excellent" - Bill and Ted
* "Well ain't that Special" - The Church Lady
The first round opponent for the playoffs is none other than
the Colorado Avalanche, and the one team the Sharks did NOT
match up well against. The Avalanche have too much speed and
scoring power, and so it's going to be difficult.
Rumblin' Bumblin' Stumbin'
The men in teal officially made the playoffs with a 1-0
shutout against the Coyotes. Steve Shields was DA MAN! He
held the team together with 14 first period saves, and after
Billy Houlder scored on a power play (this dude leads the team
with the most game-winning goals), Stevie stopped everything
thrown at him (pucks, sticks, floppy disks.. wait, that was
last game). There was much joy in the TealTown.
And in their last game at the Great Western Forum, the Sharks
looked flat (at least something was flat because the ice
definitely wasn't, it looked like a pothole-filled LA freeway).
Down three goals after the second period, the Sharks fought back with
two goals, but it wasn't enough. Bad blood between Rob Blake
and Alex Korolyuk, and Joe Murphy and Matt Johnson (probably
the stupidest goon in hockey) promised heavy-duty fireworks
in the return engagement in San Jose a week later. Mike Vernon
played as well as he could, but the defense looked suspect again!
The Sharks visited the Pond the next night, and struggled early
against the Ducks. Paul Kariya had a couple of breakaways, but
was stoned by the "Man in the Zone", Steve Shields. Stevie was
again spectacular, and before it was over, three third period
goals by Jeff Friesen, Owen Nolan, and Joe "Yes, he's picked
it up" Murphy, in addition to K-yuk's earlier goal gave Team
Teal a 4-1 victory.
A wild last five minutes against the Oilers, and the Sharks lost
their first game in which they scored four goals. The Sharks had
the lead with one minute left in regular time after an
excellent solo effort by Mike Ricci. However, the Oilers beat
Steve Shields with 20 seconds left, and won it in OT. Stevie's
11-game unbeaten streak also came to an end.
There was still a chance to catch Anaheim for sixth place if
the Sharks beat the Kings and Ducks on back to back nights.
The Kings scored twice in the first five minutes, and the Sharks
looked lethargic the rest of the night as Stephane Fiset
recorded a shutout. This pretty much sealed the seventh spot for
the Sharks, and made the last game against Anaheim meaningless.
The Sharks gave the Ducks a three-goal lead, then battled back
for a 3-3 tie. Teemu Selanne had a chance at 50 goals, but
the Sharks held him scoreless. Goals by Owen Nolan, K-yuk,
and yes, Joe Murphy sealed the 18th tie for the Sharks.
Alex Trebek time...
The Sharks have made the playoffs four times in their eight-year
existence. They have won two playoff series, both in seven games,
one against the Red Wings, and one against the Flames. Who
scored the winning goals for the Sharks in each of those
series? Answers at the end...
Offense Talk
Welcome back Tony Granato! Tony healed faster than expected,
and his return against Phoenix provided an emotional boost
for the squad. Tony played on the fourth line with Ron Sutter
and Alex Korolyuk. And speaking of K-yuk...
Alex's play had slumped, which was why he was on the fourth line.
However, given the Sharks' inconsistency over the last couple
of games, Coach Sutter rejuggled all his lines, and K-yuk
found himself teamed up with Joe Murphy and Patrick Marleau.
Vinny Damphousse ended up with Jeff Friesen and Owen Nolan,
while Mike Ricci, Stephane Matteau and Marco Sturm played as the
third line. The fourth line centered by Ron Sutter included
Ronnie Stern and your pick of Dave Lowry and/or Tony Granato.
Meanwhile, Brantt Myhres and Steve Guolla made surprising
cameo appearances, while Murray Craven looked like his season
might be over. And since we mentioned Steve Guolla...
Who is the first Shark to ever have his number retired? Well,
it's none other than Steve Guolla. How is that possible? The
Sharks' farm team, the Kentucky Thoroughblades retired his
number during their last regular season game. Since Steve
was not on the Kentucky post-season roster list, and that
sending him down would probably have seen him picked up on
waivers by another team, he was always going to remain with
the parent club. Hence, it's a cool gesture by Kentucky.
Chances are is that Steve is expansion bait for next year,
and so he'll probably get more playing time somewhere else.
Defense Chat
The big news in San Jose after the clinching of a playoff spot
was the return of Andrei Zyuzin. Andrei went AWOL prior to the
Boston game, fired his agent, and hired some guy who may have
had ties to Russian organized crime, who also was not certified
by the NHLPA. After stating on Canadian TV that he would not
come back to the Sharks because of Coach Sutter, it looked like
it was all over for Andrei...
But the whole saga was taking its toll, and when Andrei went to
Russia to see his parents, his mother was the one who convinced
him to start playing again. Andrei and his mother returned to
the US, fired his new agent, rehired his old agent, and returned
to San Jose to meet the team. After a short meeting with Coach
and the Sharks brass, Andrei stepped on the ice and eventually
re-united with his teammates.
I guess the moral of the story is that when you're in trouble,
you can always get help from your mom, because your mom will
always be there for you, and mom is always right.
What controversy?
Steve Shields was unbeaten in 11 straight games until the
Oiler loss. Mike Vernon had only won once since his return from
injury. Coach Sutter indicated he was going with one goalie
throughout the playoffs. The local media jumped on the story
saying there was a controversy. Should the Sharks play the guy
on a hot streak, or should they start the man with the Stanley
Cup rings and the experience? Coach already had an answer: go
with the experience. Therefore, Mike Vernon will start in game
one against the Avalanche.
What controversy? Part Deux..
A rumor from some dude in Toronto is that Glen Sather,
GM of the Edmonton Oilers, is heading to San Jose to replace
Dean Lombardi and that Dean is heading off to "somewhere else"
in the organization. To which we say, "PLEASE LET IT HAPPEN".
Sharks President and CEO Greg Jamison denied this was going
to happen, but I've heard too much spin from anybody who's a
president of something this year (see Clinton), so there may
be something to it. Granted, Sather hasn't exactly done well
with his trades recently, but at least the man has shown in
the past that he won't wait to do something, unlike a certain
other GM we know.
What controversy? There's more??
The back-to-back road games in Los Angeles and Anaheim was
the first time in Sharks history that the Sharks have played
the Kings and Ducks right after each other in Southern
California. Think about that for a moment... All Eastern
conference teams usually play the Kings and Ducks on the same
road trip, usually one after another. And yet, since the
Ducks came into the league, this is the first time the Sharks
got to play both teams while down in Southern California.
Hello?? Does the NHL office think this kind of scheduling
is weird? Does the NHL think that San Jose is in southern
California? Does the NHL have a bias against San Jose?
Conspiracy Theorists want to know!!
Where oh where has the ex-Shark gone...
Our Ex-Shark features zooms in on cult hero Andrei Nazarov.
A first-round pick of the Sharks, Andrei was a skilled player,
but ended up using his size more than his skill. Andrei was
involved in the infamous "head-butting" incident of a Jets
player, when he thought that since fighting was allowed,
head-butting was part of the fight. Instead, he was suspended.
One year, he was on the receiving end of a vicious cheap shot
by LA King goon Matt Johnson, which resulted in a fractured
cheek and jaw. To his credit, Andrei got up off the ice, and
went after Johnson. All the players on the ice at the time
got misconducts, all but two were thrown out of the game, and
justice was served when the Sharks came from behind to win.
Andrei was deemed lazy by the Sutter regime and was sent to
Tampa for Bryan Marchment. Andrei made his name in Tampa being
a goon, and was involved in another infamous incident, the
"near rumble" in the parking lot with Eric Lindros and some of
the Flyers. He was shipped out of Tampa this year to Calgary
where he now plays for another Sutter, Coach Brian Sutter.
The Morgan Stuart Award
Named after my very cool, most excellent Goddaughter, the award
goes to the best Sharks player since the last issue. Candidates
include Steve Shields, Mike Rathje and Marcus Ragnarsson (for
their solid defense), and yes, even Joe Murphy. But our winner
is a repeat winner, Alex "K-yuk" Korolyuk. K-yuk, after going
through a tough stretch in late March and early April, turned
it on despite the Sharks losing three out of their last six games.
And, his fight with Paul Kariya in the last game of the season
was the clincher. Way to go K-yuk!!!
Another 7 degrees of stuff...
My goddaughter Morgan of course is very cool.
She's the daughter of John and Rowena, who are cool parents.
Rowena (my cuz) has some cool sisters, Jane, Helene and Zeny.
Helene and Zeny live in Anaheim, which is the home of the Ducks.
The Ducks played the San Jose Sharks twice this week.
Your humble correspondent writes articles about the Sharks.
AND, the best-player award in his article is named after his very
cool goddaughter, Morgan Stuart.
(Hey guys, didn't think I could do that, huh?)
Thanks Wayne Gretzky
San Jose Sharks fans will always be grateful for Wayne Gretzky.
Without him, there probably would have been no San Jose Sharks,
no Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and probably no expansion into Florida.
Nor would the NHL enjoy the popularity that it currently enjoys.
Some of us who were there to witness Wayne Gretzky tie Gordie
Howe's record for goals when he played for the Kings against
the Sharks in San Jose feel lucky and privileged to have been at
that event. And in a special 7 degrees of stuff...
Without Wayne Gretzky, there would be no hockey interest
in San Jose.
With no hockey interest in San Jose, there would be no Sharks.
With no Sharks, I would not have attended a Sharks game.
Without attending a Sharks game, I wouldn't have been interested
in hockey.
Without being interested in hockey, I would not have been a
hockey fan.
Without being a hockey fan, I would not have been interested in
writing about hockey.
And without being interested in writing about hockey, I would
not have been an LCS Hockey correspondent.
Thanks number 99.
They call them game-winners..
In the clinching game against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1993-94
Playoffs, Jamie Baker scored on the game-winner. The following year,
it was Ray Whitney scoring in OT against Calgary to give the Sharks
another first round upset.
P.S. Happy Birthday Vickie T, Jim H, Brendan A and Johnny S.
================================================================
NEXT ISSUE: Issue 118, Wednesday, April 28
----------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL 1998-99 PLAYER STATS
----------------------------------------------------------------
1998-99 NHL FINAL REGULAR SEASON STATS
TEAM P NO PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S PCTG
ANA R 8 Selanne, Teemu 75 47 60 107 18 30 25 0 7 1 281 16.7
ANA L 9 Kariya, Paul 82 39 62 101 17 40 11 2 4 0 429 9.1
ANA C 20 Rucchin, Steve 69 23 39 62 11 22 5 1 5 1 145 15.9
ANA D 2 Olausson, Fredrik 74 16 40 56 17 30 10 0 2 0 121 13.2
ANA C 16 McInnis, Marty 81 19 35 54 -15 42 11 1 5 0 146 13.0
ANA R 17 Sandstrom, Tomas 58 15 17 32 -5 42 7 0 2 0 107 14.0
ANA C 39 Green, Travis 79 13 17 30 -7 81 3 1 2 0 165 7.9
ANA C 11 Cullen, Matt 75 11 14 25 -12 47 5 1 1 1 112 9.8
ANA D 24 Salei, Ruslan 74 2 14 16 1 65 1 0 0 0 123 1.6
ANA C 18 Drury, Ted 75 5 6 11 2 83 0 0 0 0 79 6.3
ANA L 33 McKenzie, Jim 73 5 4 9 -18 99 1 0 1 0 59 8.5
ANA R 19 Nielsen, Jeff 80 5 4 9 -12 34 0 0 2 0 94 5.3
ANA C 22 *Davidsson, Johan 64 3 5 8 -9 14 1 0 1 0 48 6.3
ANA C 14 *Aalto, Antti 73 3 5 8 -12 24 2 0 0 0 61 4.9
ANA D 23 Marshall, Jason 72 1 7 8 -5 142 0 0 0 0 63 1.6
ANA D 5 Haller, Kevin 82 1 6 7 -1 122 0 0 0 0 64 1.6
ANA D 27 *Trepanier, Pascal 45 2 4 6 0 48 0 0 1 0 49 4.1
ANA D 25 *Crowley, Mike M 20 2 3 5 -10 16 1 0 1 0 41 4.9
ANA D 7 Trnka, Pavel 63 0 4 4 -6 60 0 0 0 0 50 0.0
ANA L 32 Grimson, Stu 73 3 0 3 0 158 0 0 1 0 10 30.0
ANA D 4 Pushor, Jamie 70 1 2 3 -20 112 0 0 0 0 75 1.3
ANA D 21 *Ferguson, Scott 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
ANA D 34 Trebil, Dan 6 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
ANA L 12 *LeClerc, Mike 7 0 0 0 -2 4 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
BOS C 41 Allison, Jason 82 23 53 76 5 68 5 1 3 0 158 14.6
BOS L 12 Khristich, Dmitri 79 29 42 71 11 48 13 1 6 1 144 20.1
BOS D 77 Bourque, Ray 81 10 47 57 -7 34 8 0 3 0 262 3.8
BOS L 14 Samsonov, Sergei 79 25 26 51 -6 18 6 0 8 1 160 15.6
BOS C 6 Thornton, Joe 81 16 25 41 3 69 7 0 1 0 128 12.5
BOS C 33 Carter, Anson 55 24 16 40 7 22 6 0 6 0 123 19.5
BOS R 23 Heinze, Steve 73 22 18 40 7 30 9 0 3 0 146 15.1
BOS D 18 McLaren, Kyle 52 6 18 24 1 48 3 0 0 0 97 6.2
BOS C 19 DiMaio, Rob 71 7 14 21 -14 95 1 0 0 0 121 5.8
BOS D 20 Van Impe, Darren 60 5 15 20 -5 66 4 0 0 0 92 5.4
BOS L 11 Axelsson, P.J. 77 7 10 17 -14 18 0 0 2 0 146 4.8
BOS C 42 Ferraro, Peter 46 6 8 14 10 44 1 0 1 0 61 9.8
BOS D 36 Ledyard, Grant 47 4 8 12 -8 33 1 0 2 0 47 8.5
BOS D 32 Sweeney, Don 81 2 10 12 14 64 0 0 0 0 79 2.5
BOS C 26 Taylor, Tim 49 4 7 11 -10 55 0 0 1 0 76 5.3
BOS D 25 Gill, Hal 80 3 7 10 -10 63 0 0 2 0 102 2.9
BOS C 17 *Bates, Shawn 33 5 4 9 3 2 0 0 0 0 30 16.7
BOS C 38 Taylor, Chris M 37 3 5 8 -3 12 0 1 0 0 60 5.0
BOS R 10 *Mann, Cameron 33 5 2 7 0 17 1 0 1 1 42 11.9
BOS L 16 Belanger, Ken 54 2 5 7 -1 182 0 0 0 0 19 10.5
BOS R 27 Wilson, Landon 22 3 3 6 0 17 0 0 0 0 32 9.4
BOS D 37 Timander, Mattias 22 0 6 6 4 10 0 0 0 0 22 0.0
BOS D 44 Ellett, Dave 54 0 6 6 11 25 0 0 0 0 45 0.0
BOS L 22 Baumgartner, Ken 69 1 3 4 -6 119 0 0 0 1 15 6.7
BOS L 57 *Laaksonen, Antti M 11 1 2 3 -1 2 0 0 0 0 8 12.5
BOS C 21 *Robitaille, Randy M 4 0 2 2 -1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
BOS C 28 *Savage, Andre M 6 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 12.5
BOS C 56 *Nordstrom, Peter M 2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
BOS C 72 *Nickulas, Eric M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
BOS D 55 *Girard, Jonathan R 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
BOS D 29 Vaske, Dennis M 3 0 0 0 -3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
BOS L 51 *Henderson, Jay M 4 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
BOS D 71 Virtue, Terry M 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
BOS D 53 *Smith, Brandon M 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
BOS C 61 *Mathieu, Marquis M 9 0 0 0 -1 8 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
BUF L 81 Satan, Miroslav 81 40 26 66 24 44 13 3 6 1 208 19.2
BUF C 27 Peca, Michael 82 27 29 56 7 81 10 0 8 1 199 13.6
BUF L 18 Grosek, Michal 76 20 30 50 21 102 4 0 3 1 140 14.3
BUF C 37 Brown, Curtis 78 16 31 47 23 56 5 1 3 3 128 12.5
BUF R 15 Ward, Dixon 78 20 24 44 10 44 2 1 4 1 101 19.8
BUF C 90 Juneau, Joe 72 15 28 43 -4 22 2 1 3 0 150 10.0
BUF D 5 Woolley, Jason 80 10 33 43 16 62 4 0 2 1 154 6.5
BUF C 41 Barnes, Stu 81 20 16 36 -11 30 13 0 3 0 180 11.1
BUF C 19 Holzinger, Brian 81 17 17 34 2 45 5 0 2 0 143 11.9
BUF D 44 Zhitnik, Alexei 81 7 26 33 -6 96 3 1 2 0 185 3.8
BUF R 25 Varada, Vaclav 72 7 24 31 11 61 1 0 1 0 123 5.7
BUF L 80 Sanderson, Geoff 75 12 18 30 8 22 1 0 1 0 155 7.7
BUF D 8 Shannon, Darryl 71 3 12 15 28 52 1 0 0 1 80 3.8
BUF D 42 Smehlik, Richard 72 3 11 14 -9 44 0 0 0 0 61 4.9
BUF C 22 Primeau, Wayne 67 5 8 13 -6 38 0 0 0 1 55 9.1
BUF C 9 *Rasmussen, Erik 42 3 7 10 6 37 0 0 0 0 40 7.5
BUF D 3 Patrick, James 45 1 7 8 12 16 0 0 0 0 31 3.2
BUF D 4 Warrener, Rhett 61 1 7 8 2 84 0 0 0 0 44 2.3
BUF D 74 McKee, Jay 72 0 6 6 20 75 0 0 0 0 57 0.0
BUF L 17 Cunneyworth, Randy 14 2 2 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 12 16.7
BUF R 32 Ray, Rob 76 0 4 4 -2 261 0 0 0 0 23 0.0
BUF L 24 Kruse, Paul 43 3 0 3 0 114 0 0 0 0 33 9.1
BUF D 34 *Grand-Pierre, Jean-Luc 16 0 1 1 0 17 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
BUF D 21 Hurlbut, Mike M 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
BUF R 46 *Sylvester, Dean 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
BUF D 29 *Holland, Jason M 3 0 0 0 -1 8 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
BUF C 83 *Pittis, Domenic M 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
BUF D 6 *Sarich, Cory M 4 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
CGY C 16 Stillman, Cory 76 27 30 57 7 38 9 3 5 1 175 15.4
CGY D 6 Housley, Phil 79 11 43 54 14 52 4 0 1 0 193 5.7
CGY R 8 Bure, Valeri 80 26 27 53 0 22 7 0 4 0 260 10.0
CGY R 12 Iginla, Jarome 82 28 23 51 1 58 7 0 4 1 211 13.3
CGY C 21 Cassels, Andrew 70 12 25 37 -12 18 4 1 3 0 97 12.4
CGY D 53 Morris, Derek 71 7 27 34 4 73 3 0 2 2 150 4.7
CGY L 20 Corbet, Rene 73 13 18 31 1 68 3 0 1 0 127 10.2
CGY C 11 Shantz, Jeff 76 13 17 30 14 44 1 1 3 0 82 15.9
CGY C 24 Wiemer, Jason 78 8 13 21 -12 177 1 0 1 0 128 6.3
CGY C 23 *Wilm, Clarke 78 10 8 18 11 53 2 2 0 0 94 10.6
CGY L 62 Nazarov, Andrei 62 7 9 16 -4 73 0 0 2 1 71 9.9
CGY D 55 Smith, Steve 69 1 14 15 3 80 0 0 0 0 42 2.4
CGY C 18 Dubinsky, Steve 62 4 10 14 -7 14 0 2 0 0 70 5.7
CGY D 32 Hulse, Cale 73 3 9 12 -8 117 0 0 0 0 83 3.6
CGY C 17 Domenichelli, Hnat 23 5 5 10 -4 11 3 0 0 0 45 11.1
CGY D 27 Simpson, Todd 73 2 8 10 18 151 0 0 0 0 52 3.8
CGY R 42 Ward, Ed 68 3 5 8 -4 67 0 0 0 0 56 5.4
CGY D 3 *Gauthier, Denis 55 3 4 7 3 68 0 0 0 0 40 7.5
CGY C 25 Roche, Dave 36 3 3 6 -1 44 1 0 2 0 30 10.0
CGY D 5 Albelin, Tommy 60 1 5 6 -11 8 0 0 0 0 54 1.9
CGY C 28 Bassen, Bob 41 1 2 3 -13 35 0 0 0 0 47 2.1
CGY R 33 Pankewicz, Greg M 18 0 3 3 0 20 0 0 0 0 10 0.0
CGY L 26 Chorske, Tom 26 0 3 3 -8 8 0 0 0 0 44 0.0
CGY C 15 *St. Louis, Martin M 13 1 1 2 -2 10 0 0 0 0 14 7.1
CGY C 26 *Landry, Eric M 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
CGY D 38 Charron, Eric M 12 0 1 1 -6 14 0 0 0 0 9 0.0
CGY C 44 *Fata, Rico R 20 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 13 0.0
CGY D 29 *Belak, Wade 31 0 1 1 1 94 0 0 0 0 7 0.0
CGY D 33 *Sorochan, Lee 2 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
CGY R 22 *Thompson, Rocky R 3 0 0 0 0 25 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
CAR C 55 Primeau, Keith 78 30 32 62 8 75 9 1 5 1 178 16.9
CAR L 24 Kapanen, Sami 81 24 35 59 -1 10 5 0 7 0 254 9.4
CAR R 26 Sheppard, Ray 74 25 33 58 4 16 5 0 4 1 188 13.3
CAR C 21 Francis, Ron 82 21 31 52 -2 34 8 0 2 1 133 15.8
CAR L 10 Roberts, Gary 77 14 28 42 2 178 1 1 4 0 138 10.1
CAR R 51 Kovalenko, Andrei 74 19 21 40 -6 32 3 0 4 1 104 18.3
CAR C 92 O'Neill, Jeff 75 16 15 31 3 66 4 0 2 0 121 13.2
CAR L 23 Gelinas, Martin 76 13 15 28 3 67 0 0 2 2 111 11.7
CAR L 18 Kron, Robert 75 9 16 25 -13 10 3 1 2 0 134 6.7
CAR D 2 Wesley, Glen 74 7 17 24 14 44 0 0 2 1 112 6.3
CAR L 28 Ranheim, Paul 78 9 10 19 4 39 0 2 1 0 67 13.4
CAR R 11 Dineen, Kevin 67 8 10 18 5 97 0 0 1 0 86 9.3
CAR L 13 Battaglia, Bates 60 7 11 18 7 22 0 0 0 2 52 13.5
CAR L 44 Manderville, Kent 81 5 11 16 9 38 0 0 0 0 71 7.0
CAR D 4 Pratt, Nolan 61 1 14 15 15 95 0 0 1 0 46 2.2
CAR D 77 Coffey, Paul 54 2 12 14 -7 28 1 0 0 0 87 2.3
CAR D 5 Malik, Marek 52 2 9 11 -6 36 1 0 0 0 36 5.6
CAR D 22 Hill, Sean 54 0 10 10 9 48 0 0 0 0 44 0.0
CAR D 7 Leschyshyn, Curtis 65 2 7 9 -1 50 0 0 0 0 35 5.7
CAR D 3 Chiasson, Steve 28 1 8 9 7 16 1 0 0 0 74 1.4
CAR D 14 *Halko, Steve M 20 0 3 3 5 24 0 0 0 0 6 0.0
CAR D 33 Karpa, David 33 0 2 2 1 55 0 0 0 0 21 0.0
CAR D 46 *Rucinski, Mike M 15 0 1 1 1 8 0 0 0 0 8 0.0
CAR C 15 *Ritchie, Byron M 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
CAR R 45 *Willis, Shane M 7 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
CAR C 31 *MacDonald, Craig M 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
CHI R 10 Amonte, Tony 82 44 31 75 0 60 14 3 8 0 256 17.2
CHI C 36 Zhamnov, Alex 76 20 41 61 -10 50 8 1 2 1 200 10.0
CHI C 93 Gilmour, Doug R 72 16 40 56 -16 56 7 1 4 0 110 14.5
CHI D 3 Mironov, Boris 75 11 38 49 13 131 5 0 4 1 173 6.4
CHI L 55 Daze, Eric 72 22 20 42 -13 22 8 0 2 3 189 11.6
CHI C 34 McAmmond, Dean 77 10 20 30 8 38 1 0 1 0 138 7.2
CHI C 16 Olczyk, Ed 61 10 15 25 -3 29 2 1 2 0 88 11.4
CHI D 22 Manson, Dave 75 6 17 23 1 155 2 0 0 0 145 4.1
CHI L 24 Probert, Bob 78 7 14 21 -11 206 0 0 3 0 87 8.0
CHI D 8 Eriksson, Anders 72 2 18 20 11 34 0 0 1 0 79 2.5
CHI R 17 *Dumont, J.P. 25 9 6 15 7 10 0 0 2 0 42 21.4
CHI D 4 Zmolek, Doug 62 0 14 14 1 102 0 0 0 0 33 0.0
CHI C 26 *White, Todd M 35 5 8 13 -1 20 2 0 0 0 43 11.6
CHI L 33 Simpson, Reid 53 5 4 9 2 145 1 0 0 0 23 21.7
CHI L 23 Leroux, Jean-Yves 40 3 5 8 -7 21 0 0 0 0 47 6.4
CHI C 44 Marha, Josef 32 2 6 8 1 4 1 0 1 0 45 4.4
CHI D 2 *Brown, Brad 66 1 7 8 -4 205 0 0 0 1 26 3.8
CHI R 15 Murray, Chris 42 1 6 7 -2 79 0 0 0 0 37 2.7
CHI D 37 *Muir, Bryan 54 1 4 5 1 50 0 0 0 0 82 1.2
CHI D 38 Allison, Jamie 39 2 2 4 0 62 0 0 0 0 24 8.3
CHI C 20 Janssens, Mark 60 1 0 1 -11 65 0 0 0 0 27 3.7
CHI R 19 VandenBussche, Ryan 6 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
CHI R 39 *Mills, Craig M 7 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
CHI C 14 *Cloutier, Sylvain M 7 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
CHI R 27 *Jones, Ty M 8 0 0 0 -1 12 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
CHI D 32 Bicanek, Radim 14 0 0 0 -4 10 0 0 0 0 13 0.0
CHI D 6 *Royer, Remi M 18 0 0 0 -10 67 0 0 0 0 24 0.0
CHI D 5 Yawney, Trent R 20 0 0 0 -6 32 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
COL C 21 Forsberg, Peter 78 30 67 97 27 108 9 2 7 0 217 13.8
COL C 19 Sakic, Joe 73 41 55 96 23 29 12 5 6 1 255 16.1
COL R 14 Fleury, Theo 75 40 53 93 26 86 8 3 5 2 301 13.3
COL R 22 Lemieux, Claude 82 27 24 51 0 102 11 0 8 1 292 9.2
COL R 18 Deadmarsh, Adam 66 22 27 49 -2 99 10 0 3 1 152 14.5
COL R 23 *Hejduk, Milan 82 14 34 48 8 26 4 0 5 0 178 7.9
COL C 37 *Drury, Chris 79 20 24 44 9 62 6 0 3 1 138 14.5
COL L 13 Kamensky, Valeri R 65 14 30 44 1 28 2 0 2 0 123 11.4
COL D 8 Ozolinsh, Sandis 39 7 25 32 10 22 4 0 3 0 81 8.6
COL D 52 Foote, Adam 64 5 16 21 20 92 3 0 0 0 83 6.0
COL D 2 Lefebvre, Sylvain 76 2 18 20 18 48 0 0 0 0 64 3.1
COL R 12 Donovan, Shean 68 7 12 19 4 37 1 0 1 0 81 8.6
COL D 3 Miller, Aaron 76 5 13 18 3 42 1 0 2 0 87 5.7
COL C 26 Yelle, Stephane 72 8 7 15 -8 40 1 0 0 0 99 8.1
COL D 5 Gusarov, Alexei 54 3 10 13 12 24 1 0 0 0 28 10.7
COL C 32 Hunter, Dale 62 2 9 11 -7 119 0 0 0 0 24 8.3
COL L 25 Podein, Shjon 55 3 6 9 -5 24 0 0 0 0 75 4.0
COL D 29 Messier, Eric 31 4 2 6 0 14 1 0 1 0 30 13.3
COL R 36 Odgers, Jeff 75 2 3 5 -3 259 1 0 0 0 39 5.1
COL D 7 de Vries, Greg 73 1 3 4 -7 64 0 0 0 0 57 1.8
COL D 24 Klemm, Jon 39 1 2 3 4 31 0 0 0 0 28 3.6
COL D 4 Russell, Cam 42 1 2 3 -4 94 0 0 0 0 15 6.7
COL R 17 *Matte, Christian M 7 1 1 2 -2 0 0 0 0 0 9 11.1
COL L 16 Rychel, Warren 28 0 2 2 3 63 0 0 0 0 15 0.0
COL D 15 *Gaul, Mike M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
COL C 44 *Aubin, Serge M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
COL D 59 *White, Brian M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
COL L 6 Dingman, Chris 3 0 0 0 -2 24 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
COL D 32 Buchanan, Jeff M 6 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
COL D 43 *Smith, Dan M 12 0 0 0 5 9 0 0 0 0 6 0.0
COL R 27 *Parker, Scott M 27 0 0 0 -3 71 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
DAL C 9 Modano, Mike 77 34 47 81 29 44 6 4 7 1 224 15.2
DAL R 22 Hull, Brett 60 32 26 58 19 30 15 0 11 0 192 16.7
DAL C 25 Nieuwendyk, Joe 67 28 27 55 11 34 8 0 8 1 157 17.8
DAL R 26 Lehtinen, Jere 74 20 32 52 29 18 7 1 2 0 173 11.6
DAL D 56 Zubov, Sergei 81 10 41 51 9 20 5 0 3 0 155 6.5
DAL D 5 Sydor, Darryl 74 14 34 48 -1 50 9 0 2 1 163 8.6
DAL C 15 Langenbrunner, Jamie 75 12 33 45 10 62 4 0 1 0 145 8.3
DAL R 16 Verbeek, Pat 78 17 17 34 11 133 8 0 2 1 134 12.7
DAL R 29 Marshall, Grant 82 13 18 31 1 85 2 0 4 0 112 11.6
DAL D 2 Hatcher, Derian 80 9 21 30 21 102 3 0 2 0 125 7.2
DAL C 33 Hogue, Benoit 74 12 17 29 -10 54 2 0 3 0 121 9.9
DAL R 12 Keane, Mike 81 6 23 29 -2 62 1 1 1 0 106 5.7
DAL C 41 Hrkac, Tony 69 13 14 27 2 26 2 0 2 2 67 19.4
DAL C 18 Plante, Derek 51 6 14 20 4 16 1 0 0 0 90 6.7
DAL L 14 Reid, Dave 73 6 11 17 0 16 1 0 1 0 81 7.4
DAL C 21 Carbonneau, Guy 74 4 12 16 -3 31 0 0 2 0 60 6.7
DAL D 24 Matvichuk, Richard R 64 3 9 12 23 51 1 0 0 0 54 5.6
DAL D 27 Chambers, Shawn 61 2 9 11 6 18 1 0 1 0 82 2.4
DAL D 3 Ludwig, Craig 80 2 6 8 5 87 0 0 0 0 39 5.1
DAL C 10 Skrudland, Brian 40 4 1 5 2 33 0 0 1 0 33 12.1
DAL D 37 *Lukowich, Brad 14 1 2 3 3 19 0 0 0 0 8 12.5
DAL L 17 Severyn, Brent 30 1 2 3 -2 50 0 0 0 0 22 4.5
DAL C 49 *Sim, Jon 7 1 0 1 1 12 0 0 0 0 8 12.5
DAL C 39 *Fairchild, Kelly M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
DAL D 34 *Buzek, Petr 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
DAL C 23 Gavey, Aaron M 7 0 0 0 -1 10 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
DAL L 46 *Wright, Jamie M 11 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 10 0.0
DAL R 11 *Sloan, Blake 14 0 0 0 -1 10 0 0 0 0 7 0.0
DAL D 6 Lidster, Doug 17 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 7 0.0
DAL L 28 *Botterill, Jason M 17 0 0 0 -2 23 0 0 0 0 8 0.0
DET C 19 Yzerman, Steve 80 29 45 74 8 42 13 2 4 0 231 12.6
DET C 91 Fedorov, Sergei 77 26 37 63 9 66 6 2 3 0 224 11.6
DET C 8 Larionov, Igor 75 14 49 63 13 48 4 2 2 1 83 16.9
DET L 14 Shanahan, Brendan 81 31 27 58 2 123 5 0 5 0 288 10.8
DET C 13 Kozlov, Vyacheslav 79 29 29 58 10 45 6 1 4 2 209 13.9
DET D 5 Lidstrom, Nicklas 81 14 43 57 14 14 6 2 3 0 205 6.8
DET D 55 Murphy, Larry 80 10 42 52 21 42 5 1 2 0 168 6.0
DET L 71 Clark, Wendel 77 32 16 48 -24 37 11 0 3 1 215 14.9
DET R 25 McCarty, Darren 69 14 26 40 10 108 6 0 1 1 140 10.0
DET D 24 Chelios, Chris 75 9 27 36 1 93 3 1 1 1 187 4.8
DET L 96 Holmstrom, Tomas 82 13 21 34 -11 69 5 0 4 0 100 13.0
DET R 20 Lapointe, Martin 77 16 13 29 7 141 7 1 4 0 153 10.5
DET R 17 Brown, Doug 80 9 19 28 5 42 3 1 1 0 180 5.0
DET C 33 Draper, Kris 80 4 14 18 2 79 0 1 1 0 78 5.1
DET R 18 Maltby, Kirk 53 8 6 14 -6 34 0 1 2 0 76 10.5
DET D 11 Dandenault, Mathieu 75 4 10 14 17 59 0 0 0 0 94 4.3
DET C 23 *Roest, Stacy 59 4 8 12 -7 14 0 0 1 0 50 8.0
DET D 2 Samuelsson, Ulf 71 4 8 12 5 99 0 0 0 0 39 10.3
DET D 27 Ward, Aaron 60 3 8 11 -5 52 0 0 0 0 46 6.5
DET D 34 Macoun, Jamie 69 1 10 11 -1 36 0 0 0 0 62 1.6
DET D 15 Gill, Todd 51 4 5 9 -10 27 1 0 1 1 61 6.6
DET R 26 Kocur, Joe 39 2 5 7 0 87 0 0 0 0 20 10.0
DET D 4 Krupp, Uwe R 22 3 2 5 0 6 0 0 0 0 32 9.4
DET L 41 Gilchrist, Brent 5 1 0 1 -1 0 0 0 1 0 4 25.0
DET L 85 Klima, Petr M 13 1 0 1 -3 4 0 0 1 0 12 8.3
DET D 3 Houda, Doug 3 0 1 1 -2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
DET D 28 *Golubovsky, Yan M 17 0 1 1 4 16 0 0 0 0 10 0.0
DET C 21 *Laplante, Darryl M 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
DET L 22 *Audet, Philippe M 4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
EDM R 9 Guerin, Bill 80 30 34 64 7 133 13 0 2 1 261 11.5
EDM L 20 Beranek, Josef 66 19 30 49 6 23 7 0 2 0 160 11.9
EDM R 25 Grier, Mike 82 20 24 44 5 54 3 2 1 0 143 14.0
EDM R 10 Falloon, Pat 82 17 23 40 -4 20 8 0 2 0 152 11.2
EDM L 17 Murray, Rem 78 21 18 39 4 20 4 1 4 1 116 18.1
EDM C 39 Weight, Doug 43 6 31 37 -8 12 1 0 0 1 79 7.6
EDM C 26 Marchant, Todd 82 14 22 36 3 65 3 1 2 0 183 7.7
EDM R 28 Selivanov, Alexander AL72 14 19 33 -8 42 2 0 1 0 177 7.9
EDM D 22 Hamrlik, Roman 75 8 24 32 9 70 3 0 0 0 172 4.7
EDM L 94 Smyth, Ryan 71 13 18 31 0 62 6 0 2 2 161 8.1
EDM D 44 Niinimaa, Janne 81 4 24 28 7 88 2 0 1 0 142 2.8
EDM C 15 Kilger, Chad 77 15 12 27 -4 34 2 1 1 1 81 18.5
EDM L 18 Moreau, Ethan 80 10 11 21 -3 92 0 0 2 0 96 10.4
EDM D 5 *Poti, Tom 73 5 16 21 10 42 2 0 3 0 94 5.3
EDM D 21 Smith, Jason 72 3 12 15 -9 51 0 0 0 0 68 4.4
EDM C 19 Devereaux, Boyd 61 6 8 14 2 23 0 1 4 1 39 15.4
EDM D 24 Laflamme, Christian 73 2 12 14 -3 70 0 0 0 0 68 2.9
EDM L *Cleary, Dan 35 4 5 9 -1 24 0 0 0 0 49 8.2
EDM R 16 Buchberger, Kelly 52 4 4 8 -6 68 0 2 1 0 29 13.8
EDM D 23 *Brown, Sean 51 0 7 7 1 188 0 0 0 0 27 0.0
EDM R 27 *Laraque, Georges 39 3 2 5 -1 57 0 0 0 0 17 17.6
EDM D 46 Reirden, Todd M 17 2 3 5 -1 20 0 0 0 0 26 7.7
EDM D 33 McSorley, Marty 46 2 3 5 -5 101 0 0 0 0 29 6.9
EDM D 8 Musil, Frank 39 0 3 3 0 34 0 0 0 0 9 0.0
EDM R 34 Vorobiev, Vladimir 2 2 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 5 40.0
EDM D 32 *Millar, Craig M 24 0 2 2 -6 19 0 0 0 0 18 0.0
EDM R 38 Ferraro, Chris M 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
100.0
EDM C 34 Dowd, Jim 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
EDM L 12 Hulbig, Joe 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
EDM L 28 Huard, Bill R 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
EDM L 15 *LaCouture, Dan M 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
EDM L 21 Lacroix, Daniel 4 0 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
EDM C 7 *Lindquist, Fredrik M 8 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 6 0.0
FLA C 14 Whitney, Ray 81 26 38 64 -3 18 7 0 6 1 193 13.5
FLA C 44 Niedermayer, Rob 82 18 33 51 -13 50 6 1 3 2 142 12.7
FLA C 25 Kozlov, Viktor 65 16 35 51 13 24 5 1 1 0 209 7.7
FLA R 27 Mellanby, Scott 67 18 27 45 5 85 4 0 3 3 136 13.2
FLA R 19 Dvorak, Radek 82 19 24 43 7 29 0 4 0 0 182 10.4
FLA L 21 *Parrish, Mark 73 24 13 37 -6 25 5 0 5 1 129 18.6
FLA D 24 Svehla, Robert 80 8 29 37 -13 83 4 0 0 1 157 5.1
FLA L 11 Lindsay, Bill 75 12 15 27 -1 92 0 1 2 0 135 8.9
FLA L 16 *Kvasha, Oleg 68 12 13 25 5 45 4 0 2 1 138 8.7
FLA D 4 Hedican, Bret 67 5 18 23 5 51 0 2 1 1 90 5.6
FLA L 29 Garpenlov, Johan 64 8 9 17 -9 42 0 1 0 1 71 11.3
FLA R 10 Bure, Pavel R 11 13 3 16 3 4 5 1 0 1 44 29.5
FLA L 9 Muller, Kirk 82 4 11 15 -11 49 0 0 1 0 107 3.7
FLA D 8 *Spacek, Jaroslav 63 3 12 15 15 28 2 1 0 0 92 3.3
FLA D 2 Carkner, Terry 62 2 9 11 0 54 0 0 0 0 25 8.0
FLA D 3 Laus, Paul 75 1 9 10 -1 218 0 0 0 0 54 1.9
FLA L 28 *Worrell, Peter 62 4 5 9 0 258 0 0 2 0 50 8.0
FLA D 26 *Boyle, Dan 22 3 5 8 0 6 1 0 1 0 31 9.7
FLA R 22 Ciccarelli, Dino R 14 6 1 7 -1 27 5 0 1 0 23 26.1
FLA D 5 Murphy, Gord R 51 0 7 7 4 16 0 0 0 0 56 0.0
FLA L 18 Hicks, Alex 55 0 7 7 -5 62 0 0 0 0 51 0.0
FLA D 7 Wilson, Mike 34 1 2 3 12 47 0 0 1 0 48 2.1
FLA R 12 *Nilson, Marcus M 8 1 1 2 2 5 0 0 1 0 7 14.3
FLA D 6 *Ratchuk, Peter M 24 1 1 2 -1 10 0 0 0 0 34 2.9
FLA C 23 Wells, Chris 20 0 2 2 -4 31 0 0 0 0 28 0.0
FLA C 17 *Johnson, Ryan M 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
100.0
FLA R 26 Nemirovsky, David R 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
FLA D 33 *Kuba, Filip 5 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
FLA D 15 *Ware, Jeff 6 0 1 1 -6 6 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
FLA D 12 *Allen, Chris 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
FLA D 15 *Jakopin, John M 3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
FLA C 37 *Vasiljev, Herbert 5 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 6 0.0
FLA L 12 *Hay, Dwayne M 9 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
LAK L 20 Robitaille, Luc 82 39 35 74 -1 54 11 0 7 0 292 13.4
LAK R 10 Audette, Donald 49 18 18 36 7 51 6 0 2 0 152 11.8
LAK D 4 Blake, Rob 62 12 23 35 -7 128 5 1 2 0 216 5.6
LAK C 15 Stumpel, Jozef 64 13 21 34 -18 10 1 0 1 0 131 9.9
LAK R 27 Murray, Glen 61 16 15 31 -14 36 3 3 3 0 173 9.2
LAK C 26 Ferraro, Ray 65 13 18 31 0 59 4 0 4 0 84 15.5
LAK L 9 Tsyplakov, Vladimir 69 11 12 23 -7 32 0 2 2 0 111 9.9
LAK C 12 *Jokinen, Olli 66 9 12 21 -10 44 3 1 1 0 87 10.3
LAK L 23 Johnson, Craig 69 7 12 19 -12 32 2 0 2 0 94 7.4
LAK R 19 Courtnall, Russ 57 6 13 19 -9 19 0 1 1 0 77 7.8
LAK R 55 *Rosa, Pavel M 29 4 12 16 0 6 0 0 0 0 61 6.6
LAK D 3 Galley, Garry 60 4 12 16 -9 30 3 0 0 0 77 5.2
LAK D 8 Bodger, Doug 65 3 11 14 1 34 0 0 0 0 67 4.5
LAK D 6 O'Donnell, Sean 80 1 13 14 1 186 0 0 0 0 64 1.6
LAK C 22 Laperriere, Ian 72 3 10 13 -5 138 0 0 1 0 62 4.8
LAK C 11 Convery, Brandon 15 2 7 9 4 12 0 0 1 0 14 14.3
LAK D 44 Babych, Dave 41 2 6 8 -2 22 2 0 0 0 49 4.1
LAK D 43 Boucher, Philippe 45 2 6 8 -12 32 1 0 0 0 87 2.3
LAK D 14 Norstrom, Mattias 78 2 5 7 -10 36 0 1 0 0 61 3.3
LAK C 45 Moger, Sandy 42 3 2 5 -9 26 0 0 2 0 28 10.7
LAK R 24 LaFayette, Nathan M 33 2 2 4 0 35 0 1 1 0 42 4.8
LAK L 21 *Green, Josh M 27 1 3 4 -5 8 1 0 0 0 35 2.9
LAK D 48 *Visheau, Mark R 28 1 3 4 -7 107 0 0 0 0 10 10.0
LAK C 29 Pronger, Sean 29 0 4 4 -1 8 0 0 0 0 14 0.0
LAK L 17 Johnson, Matt 49 2 1 3 -5 131 0 0 0 0 14 14.3
LAK C 11 *Blake, Jason 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 20.0
LAK D 54 *Nemecek, Jan M 6 1 0 1 -1 4 0 0 1 0 8 12.5
LAK L 7 McKenna, Steve 20 1 0 1 -3 36 0 0 0 0 12 8.3
LAK D 33 Modry, Jaroslav M 5 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
LAK R 42 Bylsma, Dan M 8 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
LAK R 28 Podollan, Jason 10 0 0 0 -3 5 0 0 0 0 9 0.0
MTL C 11 Koivu, Saku 65 14 30 44 -7 38 4 2 0 0 145 9.7
MTL L 26 Rucinsky, Martin 73 17 17 34 -25 50 5 0 1 0 180 9.4
MTL D 38 Malakhov, Vladimir 62 13 21 34 -7 77 8 0 3 0 143 9.1
MTL L 27 Corson, Shayne 63 12 20 32 -10 147 7 0 4 0 142 8.5
MTL L 17 Brunet, Benoit 60 14 17 31 -1 31 4 2 0 0 115 12.2
MTL R 23 Stevenson, Turner 69 10 17 27 6 88 0 0 2 1 102 9.8
MTL D 5 Quintal, Stephane 82 8 19 27 -23 84 1 1 4 0 159 5.0
MTL L 49 Savage, Brian 54 16 10 26 -14 20 5 0 4 1 124 12.9
MTL L 37 Poulin, Patrick 81 8 17 25 6 21 0 1 1 0 87 9.2
MTL C 34 Zholtok, Sergei 70 7 15 22 -12 6 2 0 3 0 102 6.9
MTL D 22 Weinrich, Eric 80 7 15 22 -25 89 4 0 1 1 119 5.9
MTL R 44 Hoglund, Jonas 74 8 10 18 -5 16 1 0 0 1 122 6.6
MTL R 28 Zubrus, Dainius 80 6 10 16 -8 29 0 1 1 0 80 7.5
MTL R 21 Dawe, Jason 59 6 8 14 0 22 1 0 1 0 81 7.4
MTL D 43 Brisebois, Patrice 54 3 9 12 -8 28 1 0 1 0 90 3.3
MTL D 55 Ulanov, Igor 76 3 9 12 -3 109 0 0 0 0 55 5.5
MTL C 24 Thornton, Scott 47 7 4 11 -2 87 1 0 1 1 56 12.5
MTL D 20 Lachance, Scott 76 2 9 11 -21 41 1 0 0 0 59 3.4
MTL D 52 Rivet, Craig 66 2 8 10 -3 66 0 0 0 0 39 5.1
MTL D 29 Clark, Brett 61 2 2 4 -3 16 0 0 0 0 36 5.6
MTL C 15 Houde, Eric M 8 1 1 2 -2 2 0 0 1 0 4 25.0
MTL C 46 *Higgins, Matt M 25 1 0 1 -2 0 0 0 0 0 12 8.3
MTL D 48 *Guren, Miroslav M 12 0 1 1 -1 4 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
MTL R 42 *Delisle, Jonathan M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
MTL L 14 *Ryan, Terry M 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
MTL L 53 *Blouin, Sylvain M 5 0 0 0 0 19 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
MTL C 30 Jomphe, J.F. 7 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
MTL R 45 *Asham, Aaron M 7 0 0 0 -4 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
MTL L 36 Morissette, Dave M 10 0 0 0 1 52 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
MTL L 35 Bashkirov, Andrei 10 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
MTL D 56 *Nasreddine, Alain 15 0 0 0 -1 52 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
MTL R 6 McCleary, Trent 46 0 0 0 -1 29 0 0 0 0 18 0.0
NSH C 7 Ronning, Cliff 79 20 40 60 -3 42 10 0 4 0 257 7.8
NSH C 22 Johnson, Greg 68 16 34 50 -8 24 2 3 0 0 120 13.3
NSH R 25 Krivokrasov, Sergei 70 25 23 48 -5 42 10 0 6 1 208 12.0
NSH C 71 Bordeleau, SebastieR 72 16 24 40 -14 26 1 2 3 0 168 9.5
NSH C 24 Walker, Scott 71 15 25 40 0 103 0 1 2 0 96 15.6
NSH R 21 Fitzgerald, Tom 80 13 19 32 -18 48 0 0 1 0 180 7.2
NSH L 10 Kjellberg, Patric 71 11 20 31 -13 24 2 0 2 0 103 10.7
NSH L 19 Brunette, Andrew 77 11 20 31 -10 26 7 0 1 0 65 16.9
NSH D 20 Heward, Jamie 63 6 12 18 -24 44 4 0 1 0 124 4.8
NSH R 43 Yachmenev, Vitali 55 7 10 17 -10 10 0 1 2 0 83 8.4
NSH D 15 Berehowsky, Drake 74 2 15 17 -9 140 0 0 0 0 79 2.5
NSH L 28 Lambert, Denny 76 5 11 16 -3 218 1 0 0 0 66 7.6
NSH D 42 Bouchard, Joel 64 4 11 15 -10 60 0 0 0 0 78 5.1
NSH D 27 Slaney, John 46 2 12 14 -12 14 0 0 1 0 84 2.4
NSH D 6 Boughner, Bob 79 3 10 13 -6 137 0 0 1 0 59 5.1
NSH D 44 *Timonen, Kimmo 50 4 8 12 -4 30 1 0 0 0 75 5.3
NSH D 5 Vopat, Jan 55 5 6 11 0 28 0 0 0 0 46 10.9
NSH L 16 Peltonen, Ville R 14 5 5 10 1 2 1 0 0 0 31 16.1
NSH C 9 Turcotte, Darren R 40 4 5 9 -11 16 0 0 1 0 73 5.5
NSH C 12 Valicevic, Rob 19 4 2 6 4 2 0 0 2 0 23 17.4
NSH R 18 *Mowers, Mark 30 0 6 6 -4 4 0 0 0 0 24 0.0
NSH L 32 Daniels, Jeff M 9 1 3 4 -1 2 0 0 0 0 8 12.5
NSH C 7 Nelson, Jeff M 9 2 1 3 -1 2 0 0 0 0 8 25.0
NSH L 17 *Cote, Patrick 70 1 2 3 -7 242 0 0 0 0 21 4.8
NSH D 4 More, Jay R 18 0 2 2 2 18 0 0 0 0 24 0.0
NSH L 8 Friedman, Doug M 2 0 1 1 0 14 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
NSH D 40 *Skrastins, Karlis M 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
NSH D 2 Keczmer, Dan 38 0 1 1 -5 34 0 0 0 0 24 0.0
NSH C 11 *Legwand, David 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
NSH C 50 *Sykora, Petr 2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
NSH R 47 *Henderson, Matt 2 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
NSH D 2 Zettler, Rob M 2 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
NSH R 12 Smyth, Brad M 3 0 0 0 -1 6 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
NJD C 17 Sykora, Petr 80 29 43 72 16 22 15 0 7 0 222 13.1
NJD L 16 Holik, Bobby 78 27 37 64 16 119 5 0 8 0 253 10.7
NJD C 14 Rolston, Brian 82 24 33 57 11 14 5 5 3 0 210 11.4
NJD C 25 Arnott, Jason 74 27 27 54 10 79 8 0 3 1 200 13.5
NJD L 26 Elias, Patrik 74 17 33 50 19 34 3 0 2 0 157 10.8
NJD C 9 *Morrison, Brendan 76 13 33 46 -4 18 5 0 2 0 111 11.7
NJD D 27 Niedermayer, Scott 72 11 35 46 16 26 1 1 3 0 161 6.8
NJD R 21 McKay, Randy 70 17 20 37 10 143 3 0 5 0 136 12.5
NJD D 24 Odelein, Lyle 70 5 26 31 6 114 1 0 0 1 101 5.0
NJD L 23 Andreychuk, Dave 52 15 13 28 1 20 4 0 3 1 110 13.6
NJD L 20 Pandolfo, Jay 70 14 13 27 3 10 1 1 4 0 100 14.0
NJD R 8 *Sharifijanov, Vadim 53 11 16 27 11 28 1 0 2 0 71 15.5
NJD D 4 Stevens, Scott 75 5 22 27 29 64 0 0 1 0 111 4.5
NJD C 10 Pederson, Denis 76 11 12 23 -10 66 3 0 1 0 145 7.6
NJD C 12 Nemchinov, Sergei 77 12 8 20 -13 28 2 0 1 0 74 16.2
NJD C 18 Brylin, Sergei 47 5 10 15 8 28 3 0 1 0 51 9.8
NJD L 29 Oliwa, Krzysztof 64 5 7 12 4 240 0 0 1 0 59 8.5
NJD D 3 Daneyko, Ken 82 2 9 11 27 63 0 0 0 0 63 3.2
NJD D 28 Dean, Kevin 62 1 10 11 4 22 1 0 0 0 51 2.0
NJD C 19 Carpenter, Bob 56 2 8 10 -3 36 0 0 0 0 69 2.9
NJD D 6 Bombardir, Brad 56 1 7 8 -4 16 0 0 0 0 47 2.1
NJD D 2 Souray, Sheldon 70 1 7 8 5 110 0 0 0 0 101 1.0
NJD L 32 Lakovic, Sasha M 16 0 3 3 0 59 0 0 0 0 10 0.0
NJD D 7 Sutton, Ken M 5 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 20.0
NJD L 11 *Madden, John M 4 0 1 1 -2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
NJD L 22 Daniels, Scott M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
NYI R 16 Palffy, Zigmund 50 22 28 50 -6 34 5 2 1 0 168 13.1
NYI C 32 Linden, Trevor 82 18 29 47 -14 32 8 1 1 0 167 10.8
NYI C 20 Smolinski, Bryan 82 16 24 40 -7 49 7 0 3 0 223 7.2
NYI R 25 Czerkawski, Mariusz 78 21 17 38 -10 14 4 0 1 2 205 10.2
NYI C 13 Lapointe, Claude 82 14 23 37 -19 62 2 2 1 0 134 10.4
NYI R 44 Lawrence, Mark 60 14 16 30 -8 38 4 0 2 1 88 15.9
NYI C 11 Janney, Craig 56 5 22 27 -15 14 2 0 0 1 45 11.1
NYI D 29 Jonsson, Kenny 63 8 18 26 -18 34 6 0 0 0 91 8.8
NYI C 10 Lindgren, Mats 60 10 15 25 6 24 3 1 1 0 83 12.0
NYI L 12 *Watt, Mike 75 8 17 25 -2 12 0 0 4 0 75 10.7
NYI D 38 Richter, Barry 72 6 18 24 -4 34 0 0 2 0 111 5.4
NYI D 4 *Brewer, Eric 63 5 6 11 -14 32 2 0 0 0 63 7.9
NYI R 15 Isbister, Brad 32 4 4 8 1 46 0 0 2 0 48 8.3
NYI D 3 *Chara, Zdeno 59 2 6 8 -8 83 0 1 0 0 56 3.6
NYI D 6 Harlock, David 70 2 6 8 -16 68 0 0 0 0 35 5.7
NYI L 24 Odjick, Gino R 23 4 3 7 -2 133 1 0 2 0 28 14.3
NYI C 11 Miller, Kevin M 33 1 5 6 -5 13 0 0 0 0 37 2.7
NYI D 2 Pilon, Rich R 52 0 4 4 -8 88 0 0 0 0 27 0.0
NYI R 14 Sacco, Joe 73 3 0 3 -24 45 0 1 2 0 84 3.6
NYI D 36 Crowley, Ted 13 1 2 3 -1 2 1 0 0 0 20 5.0
NYI D 33 Cairns, Eric 9 0 3 3 1 23 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
NYI C 37 *Nabokov, Dmitri 4 0 2 2 4 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
NYI R 49 *Orszagh, Vladimir 12 1 0 1 2 6 0 0 0 0 5 20.0
NYI D 39 Malkoc, Dean M 2 0 1 1 3 7 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
NYI C 67 Kennedy, Mike M 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
NYI D 36 *Schultz, Ray 4 0 0 0 -2 7 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
NYI D 55 *Chebaturkin, Vladimir 8 0 0 0 6 12 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
NYI R 48 *Luhning, Warren 11 0 0 0 -4 8 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
NYI L 18 Hough, Mike M 11 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
NYI R 8 Webb, Steve 45 0 0 0 -10 32 0 0 0 0 18 0.0
NYR C 99 Gretzky, Wayne 70 9 53 62 -23 14 3 0 3 1 132 6.8
NYR R 15 MacLean, John 82 28 27 55 5 46 11 1 2 0 231 12.1
NYR D 2 Leetch, Brian 82 13 42 55 -7 42 4 0 1 0 184 7.1
NYR L 9 Graves, Adam 82 38 15 53 -12 47 14 2 7 0 239 15.9
NYR C 93 Nedved, Petr 56 20 27 47 -6 50 9 1 3 0 153 13.1
NYR C 33 Savard, Marc 70 9 36 45 -7 38 4 0 1 0 116 7.8
NYR L 17 Stevens, Kevin 81 23 20 43 -10 64 8 0 3 0 136 16.9
NYR L 24 Sundstrom, Niklas 81 13 30 43 -2 20 1 2 3 0 89 14.6
NYR R 22 Knuble, Mike 82 15 20 35 -7 26 3 0 1 0 113 13.3
NYR D 25 Schneider, Mathieu 75 10 24 34 -19 71 5 0 2 0 159 6.3
NYR R 20 Harvey, Todd R 37 11 17 28 -1 72 6 0 2 1 58 19.0
NYR C 6 *Malhotra, Manny 73 8 8 16 -2 13 1 0 2 0 61 13.1
NYR R 26 *Maneluk, Mike 45 6 9 15 5 20 1 0 1 0 55 10.9
NYR L 37 Fedyk, Brent 67 4 6 10 -11 30 0 1 0 0 47 8.5
NYR D 23 Beukeboom, Jeff R 45 0 9 9 -2 60 0 0 0 0 8 0.0
NYR R Brown, Kevin 12 4 2 6 -2 0 2 0 0 0 13 30.8
NYR R 21 Fraser, Scott M 28 2 4 6 -12 14 1 0 0 0 35 5.7
NYR D 4 Tamer, Chris 63 1 5 6 -14 124 0 0 1 0 48 2.1
NYR D 34 Popovic, Peter 68 1 4 5 -12 40 0 0 0 0 64 1.6
NYR L 28 Lacroix, Eric 64 2 2 4 -12 18 0 0 1 0 38 5.3
NYR D 12 *Brennan, Rich 24 1 3 4 -4 23 0 0 0 0 36 2.8
NYR D 36 *Ndur, Rumun 39 1 3 4 -1 62 0 0 0 0 22 4.5
NYR L 10 Tikkanen, Esa M 32 0 3 3 -5 38 0 0 0 0 25 0.0
NYR D 8 Mertzig, Jan M 23 0 2 2 -5 8 0 0 0 0 10 0.0
NYR D *Doig, Jason 9 0 1 1 2 10 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
NYR D O'Sullivan, Chris 10 0 1 1 -1 2 0 0 0 0 10 0.0
NYR C 18 Armstrong, Derek M 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
NYR L 14 Witehall, Johan 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
NYR L 28 Stock, P.J. M 5 0 0 0 -1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
NYR C 14 Dube, Christian M 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
NYR L 19 Langdon, Darren 44 0 0 0 -3 80 0 0 0 0 8 0.0
OTW C 19 Yashin, Alexei 82 44 50 94 16 54 19 0 5 1 337 13.1
OTW L 15 McEachern, Shawn 77 31 25 56 8 46 7 0 4 1 223 13.9
OTW R 10 Dackell, Andreas 77 15 35 50 9 30 6 0 3 0 107 14.0
OTW L 20 Arvedson, Magnus 80 21 26 47 33 50 0 4 6 0 136 15.4
OTW C 21 Johansson, Andreas 69 21 16 37 1 34 7 0 6 0 144 14.6
OTW R 7 Emerson, Nelson 65 13 24 37 8 51 3 0 1 2 188 6.9
OTW C 13 Prospal, Vaclav 79 10 26 36 8 58 2 0 3 0 114 8.8
OTW D 33 York, Jason 79 4 31 35 17 48 2 0 0 1 177 2.3
OTW R 11 Alfredsson, Daniel 58 11 22 33 8 14 3 0 5 0 163 6.7
OTW C 14 Bonk, Radek 81 16 16 32 15 48 0 1 6 0 110 14.5
OTW L 18 *Hossa, Marian 60 15 15 30 18 37 1 0 2 2 124 12.1
OTW D 6 Redden, Wade 72 8 21 29 7 54 3 0 1 1 127 6.3
OTW L 28 Donato, Ted 82 11 16 27 -8 41 3 0 0 0 106 10.4
OTW D 29 Kravchuk, Igor 79 4 21 25 14 32 3 0 0 0 171 2.3
OTW D 5 *Salo, Sami 61 7 12 19 20 24 2 0 1 0 106 6.6
OTW C 22 Van Allen, Shaun 79 6 11 17 3 30 0 1 0 0 47 12.8
OTW C 25 Gardiner, Bruce 59 4 8 12 6 43 0 0 1 0 70 5.7
OTW D 27 Laukkanen, Janne 50 1 11 12 18 40 0 0 0 0 46 2.2
OTW D 3 *Traverse, Patrick 46 1 9 10 12 22 0 0 0 0 35 2.9
OTW D 2 Pitlick, Lance 50 3 6 9 7 33 0 0 0 0 34 8.8
OTW C 16 Martins, Steve 36 4 3 7 4 10 1 0 1 0 27 14.8
OTW R 12 Oliver, David M 17 2 5 7 1 4 0 0 0 0 18 11.1
OTW D 4 Phillips, Chris 34 3 3 6 -5 32 2 0 0 0 51 5.9
OTW L 9 Berg, Bill 44 2 2 4 4 28 0 0 0 1 40 5.0
OTW C 7 Butsayev, Viacheslav 3 0 1 1 -1 4 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
OTW L 26 Crowe, Phil M 8 0 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
OTW L 37 Sarault, Yves M 11 0 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 7 0.0
OTW D 24 Gruden, John M 13 0 1 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 10 0.0
PHI C 88 Lindros, Eric R 71 40 53 93 35 120 10 1 2 3 242 16.5
PHI L 10 LeClair, John 76 43 47 90 36 30 16 0 7 3 246 17.5
PHI C 17 Brind'Amour, Rod 82 24 50 74 3 47 10 0 3 2 190 12.6
PHI R 20 Jones, Keith 78 20 33 53 23 98 3 0 3 0 135 14.8
PHI R 11 Recchi, Mark 71 16 37 53 -7 34 3 0 2 0 171 9.4
PHI D 37 Desjardins, Eric 68 15 36 51 18 38 6 0 2 0 190 7.9
PHI D 3 McGillis, Dan 78 8 37 45 16 61 6 0 4 0 164 4.9
PHI R 19 Renberg, Mikael 66 15 23 38 5 18 6 0 2 0 154 9.7
PHI C 18 Langkow, Daymond 78 14 19 33 -8 39 4 1 2 0 150 9.3
PHI D 25 Duchesne, Steve 71 6 24 30 -6 24 2 0 2 0 118 5.1
PHI L 26 Zelepukin, Valeri 74 16 9 25 0 48 0 0 5 0 129 12.4
PHI D 6 Therien, Chris 74 3 15 18 16 48 1 0 0 0 115 2.6
PHI R 8 Hull, Jody 72 3 11 14 -2 12 0 0 1 1 73 4.1
PHI R 21 McCarthy, Sandy 80 5 8 13 -24 160 1 0 0 0 107 4.7
PHI C 28 Bureau, Marc 71 4 6 10 -2 10 0 0 0 0 52 7.7
PHI D 5 *Tertyshny, Dimitri 62 2 8 10 -1 30 1 0 0 0 68 2.9
PHI L 32 Berube, Craig 77 5 4 9 -10 194 0 0 0 0 52 9.6
PHI D 24 Dykhuis, Karl 78 4 5 9 -23 50 1 0 0 0 88 4.5
PHI R 14 Andersson, Mikael 47 2 4 6 -7 4 0 0 0 0 51 3.9
PHI D 22 Richardson, Luke 78 0 6 6 -3 106 0 0 0 0 49 0.0
PHI R 9 Greig, Mark 7 1 3 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 9 11.1
PHI D 2 Burt, Adam 68 0 4 4 4 60 0 0 0 0 61 0.0
PHI C 29 Vopat, Roman 54 0 3 3 -7 90 0 0 0 0 27 0.0
PHI D 43 *Delmore, Andy M 2 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
PHI D 32 *Bast, Ryan M 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PHI R 54 *Wesenberg, Brian 1 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
PHI L 21 Kordic, Dan M 2 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
PHI D 25 Joseph, Chris M 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PHI L 40 Zent, Jason M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PHI C 14 White, Peter M 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
PHI C 15 Park, Richard M 7 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.0
PHI R *Bonvie, Dennis 11 0 0 0 -4 44 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PHO C 97 Roenick, Jeremy R 78 24 48 72 7 130 4 0 3 0 203 11.8
PHO C 16 Reichel, Robert 83 26 43 69 -13 54 8 1 4 1 236 11.0
PHO L 7 Tkachuk, Keith 68 36 32 68 22 151 11 2 7 1 258 14.0
PHO R 22 Tocchet, Rick 81 26 30 56 5 147 6 1 5 0 178 14.6
PHO L 17 Adams, Greg 75 19 24 43 -1 26 5 0 3 0 176 10.8
PHO D 27 Numminen, Teppo 82 10 30 40 3 30 1 0 0 2 156 6.4
PHO R 11 Drake, Dallas 53 9 22 31 17 65 0 0 3 0 105 8.6
PHO D 20 Lumme, Jyrki 60 7 21 28 5 34 1 0 4 0 121 5.8
PHO D 10 Tverdovsky, Oleg 82 7 18 25 11 32 2 0 2 0 117 6.0
PHO C 36 Ylonen, Juha 59 6 17 23 18 20 2 0 1 0 66 9.1
PHO C 8 *Briere, Daniel M 64 8 14 22 -3 30 2 0 2 0 90 8.9
PHO R 19 Doan, Shane 79 6 16 22 -5 54 0 0 0 0 156 3.8
PHO C 21 Corkum, Bob 77 9 10 19 -9 17 0 0 0 0 146 6.2
PHO C 14 Stapleton, Mike 76 9 9 18 -6 34 0 2 2 0 106 8.5
PHO D 3 Carney, Keith 82 2 14 16 15 62 0 2 0 0 62 3.2
PHO D 5 Quint, Deron 60 5 8 13 -10 20 2 0 0 0 94 5.3
PHO D 33 Daigneault, J.J. 70 2 9 11 -12 70 1 0 1 0 65 3.1
PHO R 15 Cummins, Jim 55 1 7 8 3 190 0 0 0 0 26 3.8
PHO C 26 Sullivan, Mike 63 2 4 6 -11 24 0 1 1 0 66 3.0
PHO C 50 *Letowski, Trevor M 14 2 2 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 8 25.0
PHO R 23 Leach, Steve 31 1 3 4 -7 43 0 0 0 0 27 3.7
PHO C 47 *Hansen, Tavis M 20 2 1 3 -4 12 0 0 0 0 14 14.3
PHO C 12 Murray, Rob M 13 1 2 3 2 4 0 0 0 0 11 9.1
PHO D 24 Neckar, Stan 32 0 3 3 1 18 0 0 0 0 16 0.0
PHO D 6 Huscroft, Jamie 37 0 2 2 -4 90 0 0 0 0 27 0.0
PHO D 4 Diduck, Gerald R 44 0 2 2 9 72 0 0 0 0 39 0.0
PHO L 44 Vasilyev, Andrey M 1 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
PHO L 49 Dziedzic, Joe M 2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PHO D 48 *Gagnon, Sean M 2 0 0 0 -2 7 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PHO R 18 Noonan, Brian 7 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PHO D 39 Tiley, Brad M 8 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PHO L 29 DeBrusk, Louie 15 0 0 0 -2 34 0 0 0 0 6 0.0
PIT R 68 Jagr, Jaromir 81 44 83 127 17 66 10 1 7 2 343 12.8
PIT C 82 Straka, Martin 80 35 48 83 12 26 5 4 4 1 177 19.8
PIT C 9 Titov, German 72 11 45 56 18 34 3 1 3 1 113 9.7
PIT R 27 Kovalev, Alexei 77 23 30 53 2 49 6 1 5 0 191 12.0
PIT C 20 Lang, Robert 72 21 23 44 -10 24 7 0 3 3 137 15.3
PIT C 37 Miller, Kip 77 19 23 42 1 22 1 0 4 0 125 15.2
PIT C 38 *Hrdina, Jan 82 13 29 42 -2 40 3 0 2 0 94 13.8
PIT D 4 Hatcher, Kevin 66 11 27 38 11 24 4 2 3 0 131 8.4
PIT R 44 Brown, Rob 58 13 11 24 -15 16 9 0 1 0 78 16.7
PIT D 5 Werenka, Brad 81 6 18 24 17 93 1 0 4 0 77 7.8
PIT D 71 Slegr, Jiri 63 3 20 23 13 86 1 0 0 0 91 3.3
PIT R 36 Barnaby, Matthew 62 6 16 22 -12 177 1 0 3 0 79 7.6
PIT R 95 Morozov, Aleksey 67 9 10 19 5 14 0 0 0 0 75 12.0
PIT R 25 Kesa, Dan 67 2 8 10 -9 27 0 0 0 1 33 6.1
PIT D 8 Dollas, Bobby 70 2 8 10 -3 60 0 0 0 0 34 5.9
PIT R 24 Moran, Ian 62 4 5 9 1 37 0 1 0 0 65 6.2
PIT D 47 *Galanov, Maxim 51 4 3 7 -8 14 2 0 0 1 44 9.1
PIT D 16 Serowik, Jeff R 26 0 6 6 -4 16 0 0 0 0 26 0.0
PIT D 11 Kasparaitis, DariusR 48 1 4 5 12 70 0 0 0 0 32 3.1
PIT L 12 *Sonnenberg, Martin 44 1 1 2 -2 19 0 0 0 0 12 8.3
PIT L 18 Lebeau, Patrick M 8 1 0 1 -2 2 0 0 0 0 4 25.0
PIT D 49 *Andrusak, Greg 7 0 1 1 4 4 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
PIT D 23 Ignatjev, Victor R 11 0 1 1 -3 6 0 0 0 0 15 0.0
PIT D 3 *Kelleher, Chris M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
PIT C 18 Savoia, Ryan M 3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
PIT D 46 *Skrbek, Pavel 4 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
PIT C 17 *Bonin, Brian 5 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
PIT D 22 *Butenschon, Sven 17 0 0 0 -7 6 0 0 0 0 8 0.0
PIT D 6 Wilkinson, Neil 24 0 0 0 -2 22 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
PIT C 29 Wright, Tyler 61 0 0 0 -2 90 0 0 0 0 16 0.0
SJS L 39 Friesen, Jeff 78 22 35 57 3 42 10 1 3 1 215 10.2
SJS C 25 Damphousse, Vincent 77 19 30 49 -4 50 6 2 3 0 190 10.0
SJS R 17 Murphy, Joe 76 25 23 48 10 73 7 0 2 1 176 14.2
SJS C 14 Marleau, Patrick 81 21 24 45 10 24 4 0 4 1 134 15.7
SJS R 11 Nolan, Owen 78 19 26 45 16 129 6 2 3 1 207 9.2
SJS C 18 Ricci, Mike 82 13 26 39 1 68 2 1 2 1 98 13.3
SJS C 19 Sturm, Marco 78 16 22 38 7 52 3 2 3 2 140 11.4
SJS D 2 Houlder, Bill 76 9 23 32 8 40 7 0 5 0 115 7.8
SJS R 15 *Korolyuk, Alex 55 12 18 30 3 26 2 0 0 1 96 12.5
SJS L 37 Matteau, Stephane 68 8 15 23 2 73 0 0 0 0 72 11.1
SJS D 5 Norton, Jeff 72 4 18 22 2 44 2 0 1 0 70 5.7
SJS R 22 Stern, Ronnie 78 7 9 16 -3 158 1 0 2 0 94 7.4
SJS L 26 Lowry, Dave 61 6 9 15 -5 24 2 0 0 1 58 10.3
SJS D 40 Rathje, Mike 82 5 9 14 15 36 2 0 1 0 67 7.5
SJS L 32 Craven, Murray 43 4 10 14 -3 18 0 1 1 0 55 7.3
SJS D 10 Ragnarsson, Marcus 74 0 13 13 7 66 0 0 0 0 87 0.0
SJS R 21 Granato, Tony 35 6 6 12 4 54 0 1 1 1 65 9.2
SJS D 3 Rouse, Bob 70 0 11 11 0 44 0 0 0 0 75 0.0
SJS C 12 Sutter, Ron 59 3 6 9 -8 40 0 0 1 0 67 4.5
SJS D 27 Marchment, Bryan 59 2 6 8 -7 101 0 0 0 0 49 4.1
SJS D 4 Zyuzin, Andrei 25 3 1 4 5 38 2 0 0 0 44 6.8
SJS C 36 Guolla, Stephen 14 2 2 4 3 6 0 0 1 0 22 9.1
SJS D 42 *Sutton, Andy 31 0 3 3 -4 65 0 0 0 0 24 0.0
SJS C 8 Skalde, Jarrod M 17 1 1 2 -6 4 0 0 0 1 17 5.9
SJS D 6 *Hannan, Scott M 5 0 2 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
SJS C 9 Nicholls, Bernie R 10 0 2 2 -4 4 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
SJS R 33 Myhres, Brantt 30 1 0 1 -2 116 0 0 0 0 7 14.3
SJS C 13 Baker, Jamie M 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
SJS L 7 Burr, Shawn M 18 0 1 1 -3 29 0 0 0 0 22 0.0
SJS D 20 Suter, Gary R 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
SJS R 25 Craig, Mike M 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
SJS D 23 *Heins, Shawn M 5 0 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
STL L 38 Demitra, Pavol 82 37 52 89 13 16 14 0 10 1 259 14.3
STL C 77 Turgeon, Pierre 67 31 34 65 4 36 10 0 5 2 193 16.1
STL D 2 MacInnis, Al 82 20 42 62 33 70 11 1 2 2 314 6.4
STL R 48 Young, Scott 75 24 28 52 8 27 8 0 4 0 205 11.7
STL D 44 Pronger, Chris 67 13 33 46 3 113 8 0 0 0 172 7.6
STL L 33 Pellerin, Scott 80 20 21 41 1 42 0 5 4 0 138 14.5
STL C 22 Conroy, Craig 69 14 25 39 14 38 0 1 1 0 134 10.4
STL C 32 Eastwood, Mike 82 9 21 30 6 36 0 0 0 0 76 11.8
STL R 27 Yake, Terry 60 9 18 27 -9 34 3 0 4 0 59 15.3
STL C 25 Rheaume, Pascal 60 9 18 27 10 24 2 0 0 0 85 10.6
STL R 10 Campbell, Jim R 55 4 21 25 -8 41 1 0 0 0 99 4.0
STL L 34 Picard, Michel 45 11 11 22 5 16 0 0 2 0 69 15.9
STL R 23 Atcheynum, Blair 65 10 8 18 -8 18 2 0 2 0 93 10.8
STL L 56 *Bartecko, Lubos 32 5 11 16 4 6 0 0 1 0 37 13.5
STL C 26 *Handzus, Michal 66 4 12 16 -9 30 0 0 0 0 78 5.1
STL D 7 Persson, Ricard 54 1 12 13 4 94 0 0 0 0 52 1.9
STL L 14 Courtnall, Geoff 24 5 7 12 2 28 1 0 2 0 60 8.3
STL C 15 *Reasoner, Marty M 22 3 7 10 2 8 1 0 0 0 33 9.1
STL R 39 Chase, Kelly 45 3 7 10 2 143 0 0 1 0 25 12.0
STL C 21 *Mayers, Jamal 34 4 5 9 -3 40 0 0 0 0 48 8.3
STL L 18 Twist, Tony 63 2 6 8 0 149 0 0 0 0 23 8.7
STL D 6 Rivers, Jamie 76 2 5 7 -3 47 1 0 0 0 78 2.6
STL D 36 Helmer, Bryan 40 0 4 4 5 42 0 0 0 0 49 0.0
STL D 37 Finley, Jeff 32 1 2 3 11 20 0 0 0 0 16 6.3
STL D 19 McAlpine, Chris 51 1 1 2 -10 50 0 0 0 0 56 1.8
STL D 4 Bergevin, Marc 52 1 1 2 -14 99 0 0 0 0 40 2.5
STL D 42 Fitzpatrick, Rory M 1 0 0 0 -3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
STL L 9 *Nash, Tyson M 2 0 0 0 -1 5 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
STL C 55 *Hecht, Jochen M 3 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
STL D 00 Smith, Geoff 4 0 0 0 -5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
STL D 28 Shaw, Brad 16 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 15 0.0
STL D 20 Poeschek, Rudy 16 0 0 0 0 33 0 0 0 0 8 0.0
TBL C 16 Tucker, Darcy 82 21 22 43 -34 176 8 2 3 0 178 11.8
TBL C 77 Gratton, Chris 78 8 26 34 -28 143 1 0 1 1 181 4.4
TBL R 44 Richer, Stephane 64 12 21 33 -10 22 3 2 1 0 139 8.6
TBL C 8 *Lecavalier, Vincent 82 13 15 28 -19 23 2 0 2 1 125 10.4
TBL D 23 Svoboda, Petr 59 5 18 23 1 81 1 1 1 0 83 6.0
TBL D 13 *Kubina, Pavel 68 9 12 21 -33 80 3 1 1 1 119 7.6
TBL L 27 Forbes, Colin 80 12 8 20 -5 61 0 1 4 0 117 10.3
TBL L 7 Zamuner, Rob 58 8 11 19 -15 24 1 1 2 0 89 9.0
TBL D 4 Cross, Cory 67 2 16 18 -25 92 0 0 0 0 96 2.1
TBL C 21 Daigle, Alexandre 63 9 8 17 -13 4 4 0 1 2 82 11.0
TBL D 5 Cullimore, Jassen 78 5 12 17 -22 81 1 1 1 0 73 6.8
TBL C 9 Nylander, Michael 33 4 10 14 -9 8 1 0 0 0 33 12.1
TBL C 26 Sillinger, Mike 79 8 5 13 -29 36 0 2 0 0 92 8.7
TBL D 3 *Gusev, Sergey 36 1 7 8 -3 16 0 0 1 0 46 2.2
TBL D 49 Wilkie, David 46 1 7 8 -19 69 0 0 0 0 35 2.9
TBL C 14 Petrovicky, Robert 28 3 4 7 -8 6 0 0 0 0 32 9.4
TBL D 2 McBain, Mike M 37 0 6 6 -11 14 0 0 0 0 22 0.0
TBL D 28 Samuelsson, Kjell 46 1 4 5 -6 38 0 0 0 0 22 4.5
TBL C 11 Kelly, Steve 34 1 3 4 -15 27 0 0 1 0 15 6.7
TBL L 27 Peterson, Brent R 20 2 1 3 -2 0 0 0 0 0 16 12.5
TBL D 23 Sykora, Michal M 10 1 2 3 -7 0 0 0 1 0 24 4.2
TBL D 55 Bannister, Drew 21 1 2 3 -4 24 0 0 0 0 29 3.4
TBL C 64 Bonsignore, Jason 23 0 3 3 -4 8 0 0 0 0 12 0.0
TBL D 22 *Mara, Paul 1 1 1 2 -3 0 1 0 0 0 1
100.0
TBL D 46 Skopintsev, Andrei M 19 1 1 2 1 10 0 0 0 0 17 5.9
TBL D 6 *Betik, Karel M 3 0 2 2 -3 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
TBL D 3 *Helenius, Sami 8 1 0 1 -5 23 0 1 0 0 4 25.0
TBL R 20 *Spring, Corey 8 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 6 0.0
TBL C 15 Ysebaert, Paul M 10 0 1 1 -5 2 0 0 0 0 10 0.0
TBL C 43 *Delisle, Xavier M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
TBL C 12 Cullen, John R 4 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
TBL D 71 *Larocque, Mario M 5 0 0 0 -4 16 0 0 0 0 3 0.0
TOR C 13 Sundin, Mats 82 31 52 83 22 58 4 0 6 0 209 14.8
TOR L 32 Thomas, Steve 78 28 45 73 26 33 11 0 7 0 209 13.4
TOR R 94 Berezin, Sergei 76 37 22 59 16 12 9 1 4 0 263 14.1
TOR L 7 King, Derek 81 24 28 52 15 20 8 0 4 0 150 16.0
TOR R 22 Korolev, Igor R 66 13 34 47 11 46 1 0 2 0 99 13.1
TOR R 20 Johnson, Mike 79 20 24 44 13 35 5 3 2 0 149 13.4
TOR C 44 Perreault, Yanic 76 17 25 42 7 42 4 3 3 0 141 12.1
TOR C 11 Sullivan, Steve 63 20 20 40 12 28 4 0 5 0 110 18.2
TOR D 34 Berard, Bryan 69 9 25 34 1 48 4 0 5 1 135 6.7
TOR L 19 Modin, Fredrik 67 16 15 31 14 35 1 0 3 1 108 14.8
TOR L 10 Valk, Garry 77 8 21 29 8 53 1 0 0 1 93 8.6
TOR D 3 Cote, Sylvain 79 5 24 29 22 28 0 0 1 0 119 4.2
TOR D 36 Yushkevich, Dimitri 78 6 22 28 25 88 2 1 0 0 95 6.3
TOR D 52 Karpovtsev, Alexander 58 3 25 28 39 52 1 0 1 0 65 4.6
TOR C 18 McCauley, Alyn R 39 9 15 24 7 2 1 0 1 1 76 11.8
TOR R 28 Domi, Tie 72 8 14 22 5 198 0 0 1 0 65 12.3
TOR D 15 *Kaberle, Tomas 57 4 18 22 3 12 0 0 2 0 71 5.6
TOR L 8 Warriner, Todd 53 9 10 19 -6 28 1 0 1 0 96 9.4
TOR D 55 *Markov, Daniil 57 4 8 12 5 47 0 0 0 1 34 11.8
TOR D 38 Tremblay, Yannick 35 2 7 9 0 16 0 0 0 0 37 5.4
TOR G 31 Joseph, Curtis 67 0 5 5 32 6 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
TOR L 12 King, Kris 67 2 2 4 -16 105 0 1 1 0 34 5.9
TOR R 39 *Kohn, Ladislav 16 1 3 4 1 4 0 0 0 0 23 4.3
TOR D 33 McAllister, Chris 48 1 3 4 -3 102 0 0 0 1 18 5.6
TOR R 16 Bohonos, Lonny M 7 3 0 3 3 4 0 0 0 0 13 23.1
TOR D 2 Eakins, Dallas M 18 0 2 2 3 24 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
TOR C 42 *Adams, Kevyn M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
TOR D 4 Dahl, Kevin M 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
VAN R 19 Naslund, Markus 80 36 30 66 -13 74 15 2 3 1 205 17.6
VAN C 11 Messier, Mark 59 13 35 48 -12 33 4 2 2 0 97 13.4
VAN R 89 Mogilny, Alexander 59 14 31 45 0 58 3 2 1 1 110 12.7
VAN R 17 *Muckalt, Bill 73 16 20 36 -9 98 4 2 1 0 119 13.4
VAN D 2 Ohlund, Mattias R 74 9 26 35 -19 83 2 1 1 0 129 7.0
VAN D 6 Aucoin, Adrian 82 23 11 34 -14 77 18 2 3 1 174 13.2
VAN C 15 Gagner, Dave 69 6 22 28 -16 63 2 0 1 1 100 6.0
VAN D 55 Jovanovski, Ed 72 5 22 27 -9 126 1 0 1 0 109 4.6
VAN C 20 Scatchard, Dave 82 13 13 26 -12 140 0 2 2 0 130 10.0
VAN D 4 McCabe, Bryan 69 7 14 21 -11 120 1 2 0 0 98 7.1
VAN L 8 Brashear, Donald 82 8 10 18 -25 209 2 0 1 0 112 7.1
VAN L 9 May, Brad R 66 6 11 17 -14 102 1 0 1 0 91 6.6
VAN C 44 Bertuzzi, Todd R 32 8 8 16 -6 44 1 0 3 0 72 11.1
VAN C 27 York, Harry 56 7 9 16 -3 24 1 0 0 1 60 11.7
VAN C 22 Zezel, Peter R 41 6 8 14 5 16 1 0 2 0 45 13.3
VAN R 26 Klatt, Trent 75 4 10 14 -3 12 0 0 0 0 60 6.7
VAN C 14 Hendrickson, Darby 62 4 5 9 -19 52 1 0 0 0 70 5.7
VAN L 29 *Schaefer, Peter 25 4 4 8 -1 8 1 0 1 0 24 16.7
VAN D 23 Baron, Murray 81 2 6 8 -23 115 0 0 0 0 53 3.8
VAN C 21 *Holden, Josh M 30 2 4 6 -10 10 1 0 0 0 44 4.5
VAN D 18 Robertsson, Bert 39 2 2 4 -7 13 0 0 0 0 13 15.4
VAN D 34 Strudwick, Jason 65 0 3 3 -19 114 0 0 0 0 25 0.0
VAN D 5 Murzyn, Dana R 12 0 2 2 1 21 0 0 0 0 7 0.0
VAN L 24 *Cooke, Matt M 30 0 2 2 -12 27 0 0 0 0 22 0.0
VAN R 25 Staios, Steve 57 0 2 2 -12 54 0 0 0 0 33 0.0
VAN D 3 *Sopel, Brent M 5 1 0 1 -1 4 1 0 0 0 5 20.0
VAN C 7 *Gordon, Robb M 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
VAN C 28 Washburn, Steve 12 0 0 0 -1 6 0 0 0 0 6 0.0
WSH R 12 Bondra, Peter 66 31 24 55 -1 56 6 3 5 1 284 10.9
WSH C 77 Oates, Adam 59 12 41 53 -1 22 3 0 0 0 79 15.2
WSH L 23 Bellows, Brian 76 17 19 36 -12 26 8 0 3 0 166 10.2
WSH L 13 Nikolishin, Andrei 73 8 27 35 0 28 0 1 1 0 121 6.6
WSH D 55 Gonchar, Sergei 53 21 10 31 1 57 13 1 3 0 180 11.7
WSH C 28 Black, James 75 16 14 30 5 14 1 1 3 0 135 11.9
WSH D 6 Johansson, Calle R 67 8 21 29 10 22 2 0 2 1 145 5.5
WSH C 22 Konowalchuk, Steve R 45 12 12 24 0 26 4 1 2 0 98 12.2
WSH C 8 Bulis, Jay M 38 7 16 23 3 6 3 0 3 0 57 12.3
WSH R 2 Klee, Ken 78 7 13 20 -9 80 0 0 1 0 132 5.3
WSH L 44 Zednik, Richard 49 9 8 17 -6 50 1 0 2 0 115 7.8
WSH D 15 Mironov, Dmitri R 46 2 14 16 -5 80 2 0 0 0 86 2.3
WSH R 34 Svejkovsky, Jarolsav 25 6 8 14 -2 12 4 0 2 0 50 12.0
WSH C 20 Pivonka, Michal 36 5 6 11 -6 12 2 0 0 0 30 16.7
WSH L 17 Simon, Chris R 23 3 7 10 -4 48 0 0 0 0 29 10.3
WSH D 29 Reekie, Joe 73 0 10 10 12 68 0 0 0 0 81 0.0
WSH L 48 *Gratton, Benoit 16 4 3 7 -1 16 0 0 0 0 24 16.7
WSH D 19 Witt, Brendan 54 2 5 7 -6 87 0 0 0 0 51 3.9
WSH L 10 Miller, Kelly 62 2 5 7 -5 29 0 0 1 0 49 4.1
WSH C 36 Eagles, Mike 52 4 2 6 -5 50 0 0 0 0 41 9.8
WSH L 21 Toms, Jeff 21 1 5 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 30 3.3
WSH D 24 Tinordi, Mark R 48 0 6 6 -6 108 0 0 0 0 32 0.0
WSH D 39 Ciccone, Enrico 59 3 1 4 -8 127 0 0 0 1 52 5.8
WSH C 26 *Herr, Matt 30 2 2 4 -7 8 1 0 0 0 40 5.0
WSH L 18 Halverson, Trevor 17 0 4 4 -5 28 0 0 0 0 16 0.0
WSH D 41 *Boileau, Patrick 4 0 1 1 -4 2 0 0 0 0 7 0.0
WSH R 14 Augusta, Patrik M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
WSH R 14 Lefebvre, Patrice M 3 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
WSH D 4 *Tezikov, Alexei 5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
WSH D 38 *Baumgartner, Nolan M 5 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0
WSH D 3 Malgunas, Stewart M 10 0 0 0 -5 6 0 0 0 0 2 0.0
WSH D 33 Poapst, Steve 22 0 0 0 -8 8 0 0 0 0 11 0.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL 1998-99 GOALTENDER STATS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TM NO GOALTENDER GPI MINS AVG W L T EN SO GA SA SPCT G A PIM
ANA 31 Hebert, Guy 69 4083 2.42 31 29 9 3 6 165 2114 .922 0 1 0
ANA 30 Roussel, Dominic 18 884 2.51 4 5 4 1 1 37 478 .923 0 0 0
BOS 34 Dafoe, Byron 68 4001 1.99 32 23 11 3 10 133 1800 .926 0 2 25
BOS 35 Tallas, Rob 17 987 2.61 7 7 2 2 1 43 421 .898 0 0 0
BUF 39 Hasek, Dominik 64 3817 1.87 30 18 14 2 9 119 1877 .937 0 0 14
BUF 43*Biron, Martin M 6 281 2.14 1 2 1 1 0 10 120 .917 0 0 0
BUF 30 Roloson, Dwayne 18 911 2.77 6 8 2 1 1 42 460 .909 0 0 4
CGY 40 Brathwaite, Fred 28 1663 2.45 11 9 7 3 1 68 796 .915 0 2 2
CGY 30*Moss, Tyler M 11 550 2.51 3 7 0 0 0 23 295 .922 0 1 0
CGY 31 Wregget, Ken 27 1590 2.53 10 12 4 2 1 67 712 .906 0 1 8
CGY 47*Giguere, Jean-Seba M 15 860 3.21 6 7 1 2 0 46 447 .897 0 1 4
CGY 35 Trefilov, Andrei 5 186 4.84 0 4 0 0 0 15 104 .856 0 0 0
CGY 1*Garner, Tyrone N 3 139 5.18 0 2 0 0 0 12 74 .838 0 0 0
CAR 1 Irbe, Arturs 62 3643 2.22 27 20 12 3 6 135 1753 .923 0 0 10
CAR 37 Kidd, Trevor 25 1358 2.70 7 10 6 3 2 61 640 .905 0 0 0
CHI 41 Thibault, Jocelyn 62 3544 2.69 24 30 7 6 5 159 1685 .906 0 1 2
CHI 30 Fitzpatrick, Mark 27 1403 2.74 6 8 6 2 0 64 682 .906 0 1 8
COL 33 Roy, Patrick 61 3648 2.29 32 19 8 4 5 139 1673 .917 0 2 28
COL 30*Denis, Marc M 4 217 2.49 1 1 1 0 0 9 110 .918 0 0 0
COL 1 Billington, Craig 21 1086 2.87 11 8 1 1 0 52 492 .894 0 0 2
DAL 20 Belfour, Ed 61 3536 1.99 35 15 9 0 5 117 1373 .915 0 0 26
DAL 30*Fernandez, Manny 1 60 2.00 0 1 0 0 0 2 29 .931 0 0 0
DAL 1 Turek, Roman 26 1382 2.08 16 3 3 1 1 48 562 .915 0 0 0
DET 38*Maracle, Norm 16 821 2.27 6 5 2 1 0 31 379 .918 0 0 0
DET 30 Osgood, Chris 63 3691 2.42 34 25 4 4 3 149 1654 .910 0 3 8
DET 40 Ranford, Bill 36 1812 3.64 6 18 4 2 1 110 956 .885 0 0 2
EDM 35 Salo, Tommy 64 3717 2.57 25 28 9 5 5 159 1647 .903 0 0 12
EDM 30 Essensa, Bob 39 2091 2.75 12 14 6 2 0 96 974 .901 0 1 0
EDM 29*Passmore, Steve M 6 362 2.82 1 4 1 1 0 17 183 .907 0 1 2
FLA 31 Burke, Sean 59 3402 2.66 21 24 14 3 3 151 1624 .907 0 4 27
FLA 1 McLean, Kirk 30 1597 2.74 9 10 4 1 2 73 727 .900 0 0 2
LAK 1*Storr, Jamie 28 1525 2.40 12 12 2 3 4 61 724 .916 0 1 6
LAK 35 Fiset, Stephane 42 2403 2.60 18 21 1 2 3 104 1217 .915 0 0 2
LAK 32*Legace, Manny M 17 899 2.60 2 9 2 5 0 39 439 .911 0 1 0
LAK 31*Bach, Ryan 3 108 4.44 0 3 0 0 0 8 66 .879 0 0 0
MTL 39 Chabot, Frederic 11 430 2.23 1 3 0 0 0 16 188 .915 0 0 2
MTL 31 Hackett, Jeff 63 3616 2.49 26 26 10 5 5 150 1616 .907 0 1 12
MTL 60*Theodore, Jose M 18 913 3.29 4 12 0 1 1 50 406 .877 0 0 0
NSH 29*Vokoun, Tomas 37 1954 2.95 12 18 4 4 1 96 1041 .908 0 1 6
NSH 1 Dunham, Mike 44 2472 3.08 16 23 3 3 1 127 1387 .908 0 0 4
NSH 35 Fichaud, Eric 9 447 3.22 0 6 0 1 0 24 229 .895 0 0 0
NSH 30*Mason, Chris M 3 69 5.22 0 0 0 0 0 6 44 .864 0 0 0
NJD 30 Brodeur, Martin 70 4239 2.29 39 21 10 4 4 162 1728 .906 0 4 4
NJD 31 Terreri, Chris 12 726 2.48 8 3 1 0 1 30 294 .898 0 1 0
NYI 1*Cousineau, Marcel M 6 293 2.87 0 4 0 0 0 14 119 .882 0 0 0
NYI 30 Flaherty, Wade 20 1048 3.03 5 11 2 3 0 53 491 .892 0 0 4
NYI 28 Potvin, Felix 16 905 3.71 5 9 1 1 0 56 487 .885 0 0 0
NYR 35 Richter, Mike 68 3878 2.63 27 30 8 6 4 170 1898 .910 0 0 0
NYR 39*Cloutier, Dan 22 1097 2.68 6 8 3 2 0 49 570 .914 0 0 2
OTW 31 Tugnutt, Ron 43 2508 1.79 22 10 8 2 3 75 1005 .925 0 0 0
OTW 1 Rhodes, Damian 45 2480 2.44 22 13 7 1 3 101 1060 .905 1 1 4
PHI 34 Vanbiesbrouck, John 62 3712 2.18 27 18 15 4 6 135 1380 .902 0 1 12
PHI 27 Hextall, Ron 23 1235 2.53 10 7 4 0 0 52 464 .888 0 2 2
PHI 49*Pelletier, Jean-Ma M 1 60 5.00 0 1 0 0 0 5 29 .828 0 0 0
PHO 35 Khabibulin, Nikolai 63 3657 2.13 32 23 7 6 8 130 1681 .923 0 0 8
PHO 30 Shtalenkov, Mikhail 38 2063 2.62 13 19 4 3 3 90 886 .898 0 0 2
PHO 28 Waite, Jimmy M 16 898 2.74 6 5 4 0 1 41 390 .895 0 0 2
PHO 42*Esche, Robert M 3 130 3.23 0 1 0 0 0 7 50 .860 0 0 0
PHO 31*Langkow, Scott M 1 35 5.14 0 0 0 0 0 3 17 .824 0 0 0
PIT 30*Aubin, Jean-Sebastien17 756 2.22 4 3 6 0 2 28 304 .908 0 0 0
PIT 35 Barrasso, Tom 43 2306 2.55 19 16 3 4 4 98 993 .901 0 3 20
PIT 1*Skudra, Peter 37 1914 2.79 15 11 5 6 3 89 822 .892 0 0 2
SJS 30 Gauthier, Sean M 1 3 0.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1.000 0 0 0
SJS 31 Shields, Steve 37 2162 2.22 15 11 8 1 4 80 1011 .921 0 1 6
SJS 29 Vernon, Mike 49 2831 2.27 16 22 10 3 4 107 1200 .911 0 0 8
STL 1*Johnson, Brent M 6 286 2.10 3 2 0 0 0 10 127 .921 0 0 0
STL 29 McLennan, Jamie 33 1763 2.38 13 14 4 3 3 70 640 .891 0 0 0
STL 31 Fuhr, Grant 39 2193 2.44 16 11 8 1 2 89 827 .892 0 0 12
STL 30*Parent, Rich M 10 519 2.54 4 3 1 1 1 22 193 .886 0 0 2
STL 35 Carey, Jim 4 202 3.86 1 2 0 0 0 13 76 .829 0 0 0
TBL 1*Bierk, Zac M 1 59 2.03 0 1 0 0 0 2 21 .905 0 0 0
TBL 93 Puppa, Darren R 13 691 2.87 5 6 1 1 2 33 350 .906 0 1 0
TBL 31 Hodson, Kevin 9 413 2.91 2 3 1 0 0 20 197 .898 0 0 0
TBL 35*Wilkinson, Derek 5 253 3.08 1 3 1 0 0 13 128 .898 0 0 0
TBL 32 Schwab, Corey 40 2146 3.52 8 25 3 2 0 126 1153 .891 0 4 4
TOR 31 Curtis Joseph 67 4001 2.56 35 24 7 4 3 171 1903 .910 0 5 6
TOR 30 Healy, Glenn 9 546 2.97 6 3 0 1 0 27 257 .895 0 0 0
TOR 35 Reese, Jeff M 2 106 4.53 1 1 0 0 0 8 51 .843 0 0 0
VAN 30 Snow, Garth 65 3501 2.93 20 31 8 5 6 171 1715 .900 0 1 34
VAN 31 Hirsch, Corey M 20 919 3.13 3 8 3 0 1 48 435 .890 0 0 0
VAN 35*Weekes, Kevin 11 532 3.83 0 8 1 0 0 34 257 .868 0 0 0
WSH 40 Rosati, Mike M 1 28 0.00 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 1.000 0 0 0
WSH 31 Tabaracci, Rick 23 1193 2.51 4 12 3 3 2 50 530 .906 0 0 2
WSH 37 Kolzig, Olaf 64 3586 2.58 26 31 3 5 4 154 1538 .900 0 2 19
WSH 1*Brochu, Martin 2 120 3.00 0 2 0 0 0 6 55 .891 0 0 2
Stats provided by Brad Murray. To subscribe to the free NHL boxscore or
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