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GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY
================================================================
Five Star - ELECTRONIC EDITION - * * * * *
================================================================
Issue 64 March 4, 1997 It's like free, man
----------------------------------------------------------------
Visit us on the web at http://www.lcshockey.com/ for all your
hockey needs. To subscribe/unsubscribe from the LCS mailing list
send e-mail to zippy@psu.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------
Cullen Speaks!
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Meredith Martini, Correspondent
Valentine's Day, 1997. The mission? Find LCS hero John Cullen.
First assignment: find out where the Tampa Bay Lightning are
staying in the Washington area. The location is a secret known
only to the Lightning and Capitals... and every autograph hound
in Maryland. OK, so it wasn't that difficult to find the team.
Second assignment: brave the terrible weather February hath
wrought, as several inches of snow and slush overnight have
ice-coated the Maryland interstates during rush hour and slowed
traffic to a crawl... except that later in the morning the
temperature went over freezing and much of the mess melted. OK,
the drive wasn't that bad either.
Third assignment: having arrived safely at the hotel, it's time
to find our hero. Your reporter waits in the hotel lobby,
searching high and low for Cullen and finding only a somewhat
dazed Rob Zamuner. Right team, wrong guy. Unlike the rest of the
Lightning, apparently our hero does not eat breakfast: there is
no sign of Cullen.
The team bus arrives at the hotel and your reporter decides to
wait by the bus with the precious few autograph seekers in
attendance who wait for the wonderful moment when our hero will
sign their cards. Most of the team leaves the building and boards
the bus (and most of them do sign autographs; after all, these
are hockey players). Still no sign of Cullen.
Bill Houlder discovers there is still snow remaining in front of
the hotel and begins bombarding teammates and fans alike with
slushy snowballs. Cullen finally emerges from the hotel just in
time for Houlder to land a ball of slush on Cullen's shoes.
Cullen glares at Houlder but it doesn't do any good as Houlder
continues throwing snowballs.
Your reporter waits for Cullen to appease those wanting his
autograph, then approaches our hero, inquiring if he is familiar
with LCS. He isn't. The reporter explains that he is the hero
of millions from eight to eighty who wish to hear his words.
More snowballs fly by as Houlder sights more people deserving of
a snow shower. Cullen agrees to share some thoughts after the
morning skate.
Next assignment: cool heels in the USAir Arena parking lot -
literally, it hasn't been plowed. The only entertainment is
heckling Calle Johansson - he's 30 today, although Phil Housley
maintains Calle is merely 29 for a second time. Finally the
Lightning complete their morning skate and return to their bus,
giving the reporter just enough time to speak with Cullen.
LCS: You're having a very good year this season. What do
you think is different this year that's really improved your
play?
Cullen: Just working hard, personally I don't think I'm
having that great a year, but I'm just working hard and trying to
do the best I can and help the team win.
LCS: What do you think of the new building in Tampa?
Cullen: It's beautiful, it's a beautiful rink, the fans
really like it, it's great to play in. Our record's not too good
there right now but we're working hard at it.
LCS: What's your best memory from your time with the
Penguins?
Cullen: Best memory was probably my first game, first NHL
game, I'm the type of guy they said would never make it and I had
four great years and had a lot of fun, met a lot of great guys.
LCS: I know the first you heard about LCS was when I told
you this morning. How does it feel to be the hero of a worldwide
publication?
Cullen: [Laughing] Geez, it kinda makes me feel pretty
good what you said to me this morning, and LCS, I thank them for
treating me so well.
LCS: Our other hero at LCS is Badaboum, the former mascot
of the Quebec Nordiques. Do you have any idea where he might be?
Cullen: Oh really? Badaboum, I'm not quite sure where he
is, I really don't keep track of former mascots around the
league.
LCS: You wouldn't happen to have any idea where our
Toronto correspondent went would you?
Cullen: [Thinks] Uh, no.
LCS: Do you have anything you'd like to say to the LCS
audience?
Cullen: Just thanks, you say they treat me well and I just
want to thank them.
LCS: Do you have any ideas on how we could continue our
quest for world domination?
Cullen: Have reporters like you.
Aw, shucks. Unfortunately Cullen had to leave with the team, but
mission accomplished!
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Bruins Choose Profits Over Playoffs
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Matt Brown, Boston Correspondent
Boston fans who complained that the Bruins could only put 2/3 of
a top line on the ice this season can quit squawking. Now even
that is gone.
Only hours after a heroic team effort in which the Bruins came
from behind to tie one of the best teams in hockey, Bruins
management ripped the heart out of the team by trading Adam
Oates, Rick Tocchet, and Bill Ranford to the Washington Capitals
for goalie Jim Carey, centers Anson Carter and Jason Allison, a
1997 third-round draft pick, and a conditional 1998 second-round
draft pick, if Tocchet signs on with Washington after the season.
22-year-old Anson Carter was a standout with Michigan State
before the Colorado Avalanche traded his rights to Washington on
April 3, 1996. He has seen limited action with the Caps, but
previously scored 19 goals and 19 assists this year for the Caps
top farm club, the AHL Portland Pirates.
Jaason Allison, a 21-year-old center, was named Canadian Major
Junior Player of the Year in 1994. He had 55 goals and 142 points
in his final full junior season, but he has only seven goals in
86 games with the Caps over the course of four seasons, and just
five goals and 16 assists in 52 games this year.
But there is little doubt that the 22-year-old Carey is the real
center of attention here. He is a native of Dorchester,
Massachusetts, and he led the NHL with nine shutouts last season.
But his record this season is mediocre, at 17-17-3 with a 2.74
GAA. Since his flop in the playoffs against Pittsburgh, he has
seen reduced playing time.
"I see them as potentially good, solid NHL players," Sinden said.
"We made the trade for youth. For the future, we think it was
time to take a run at a younger team with potential. We think we
have a lot of very good players in that age group. And if we can
solidify with some younger ones, it was time to do that."
While Oates and Tocchet were expected goners, the trade of Bill
Ranford caught most Bruins watchers totally by surprise, and
reactions ranged from disbelief to utter disgust. However, there
is no truth to the rumor that Jeremy Jacobs, the Bruins owner who
gave Harry Sinden a $100,000 Mercedes as a bonus last year, plans
to have the car refitted with bulletproof glass.
It remains to be seen whether, as a result of this trade, the
Bruins are a heart transplant candidate, or simply a brain-dead
organ donor. If the Bruins manage to sneak into the playoffs, it
will most likely be in spite of this trade rather than because of
it. But that is hardly the whole story.
Face it, a team gearing up for the playoffs does not deal three
of its four best players to a team directly competing with them
for the last playoff slot.
Like everything else Bruins General Manager Harry Sinden does,
this trade was not the simple six-player swap it appeared to be
on the surface. As one Bruins fan put it, "There are lies,
damned lies, and Harry Sinden."
Both Sinden and Capitals GM Dave Poile categorized this as a
"buyer beware" trade, given that Oates and Tocchet were known to
have contract problems brewing.
True to form, Tocchet has already said that he will not sign, and
Oates asked that he not be required to play for the Caps their
first game after the trade, with a hint that he will not suit up
at all until the contract matters are resolved. Bill Ranford, in
some respects the innocent victim in all this, dutifully dressed
as backup for Washington the next day against the Islanders.
However, this is a "buyer beware" trade on both sides. You have
to wonder why a team that is struggling on offense would deal a
22-year-old Vezina Trophy winning goalie with a 2.26 GAA for
Ranford, an increasingly brittle 30-year old goalie who missed 20
games hurt this year, has a recent history of nagging injuries,
hasn't had a GAA under 3.25 in seven years, and who has never had
a GAA under 3.00 in a year he played more than six games. The
answer is that Washington, or at least coach Jim Schoenfeld, were
disappointed in Carey's playoff performances, and covet the "big
save" ability and experience that Ranford brings to the job.
The Bruins front office is betting that a return to his hometown
will be just the ticket Jim Carey needs to regain his form,
mature in his position, and solidify his playoff performance. All
well and good, as long as you remember that a 22-year-old player
only becomes available when his current team gives up on him.
Would Dave Poile take the risks with Oates' contract, Ranford's
injuries, and Tocchet's contract and injuries, if he thought he
was giving Harry a "sure thing" goaltender and two young rarin'
to go centers? Don't forget, Dave Poile is the guy who sold Harry
on Al Iafrate for Joe Juneau. We all know how that turned out for
Boston.
In trading forwards, the Bruins gave up 100 points to gain 25 and
a whole lot of calendar time. Oates was leading the Bruins again
in scoring with 70 points, and Tocchet had chipped in 16 goals
and 14 assists between maladies. Anson Carter and Jason Allison
could muster all of eight goals between them, and two of those
came against the Bruins last week. Allison was a highly touted
prospect coming out of junior, but suddenly his reputation is in
the gutter, supposedly because his skating skills don't measure
up. Neither has Carter set the US Air Center aflame.
Fortunately for Boston, it just isn't that simple. Remember the
phrase about success in business -- "location, location,
location." Well, success in NHL hockey is "ice time, ice time,
ice time." Think back at the number of pluggers who blossomed
into All-Stars just by moving from the third line to the first
line at the right time, or when traded to the right team. The
classic example for the Bruins was Al Secord. A bruiser and
grinder with the Bruins, he became a scorer and an All-Star
with the Blackhawks because he got the ice time. There is an
excellent chance, or so the Bruins think, that given the ice
time, of which they got little in Washington, that either Carter
or Allison or both could begin to live up to their previously
advertised potential. Hey, it could happen!
Another important aspect of this trade is draft positioning.
The Bruins hold their own first-round pick, and that of the
Hartford Whalers, who are still suffering from the "Glen Wesley"
hangover. The Whalers are also fighting Washington for that last
playoff spot, and any trade that helps Washington hurts Hartford,
potentially giving the Bruins a higher draft pick to squander
along with their own, which is looking more lottery-likely with
each passing game.
And then there is youth. At the press conference announcing the
trade, Harry talked a great deal about youth and age. "We've been
thinking about having to make a move to have some youth in the
organization for quite a few months. I think that probably called
us to action," general manager Harry Sinden said.
It was here that Harry made the most sense, although there is a
sneaking suspicion that Harry was egged on to a degree by certain
Boston media members who have harped endlessly about the age
factor on the Bruins, and by Harry's recollection of the collapse
of the great Celtic Dynasty when the big three (Larry Bird,
Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale) all got old together fast.
"The youth Harry's talking about, I think this team badly needs,"
Steve "Master of Understatement" Kasper said. "Whether we'll be a
better team on the ice right now remains to be seen."
Obviously, Sinden's point that making the playoffs (or not)
wasn't the deciding factor in Steve Kasper's fate had to make
Stevie's part in this a little easier to bear.
"I can tell you this," said Kasper, "Morale in that locker room
will be better. Obviously, the last week's been very tough on our
team. I think it's time for me to go through the locker room now
and give all the players a pat on the back for making it through.
That distraction has been removed."
I'll bet they are just lining up at the door for that one.
In Boston's defense, Sinden's premise is to rebuild the team from
the goalie on out, following the example of New Jersey with
Martin Brodeur and Florida with the Beezer.
But there is a significant difference: each of these teams had a
stronger and more experienced core defense, and both used systems
which rely on strong backchecking, while the Bruins style has
always relied on strong forechecking. This Bruins team and coach
have yet to prove that they can consistently employ a
backchecking style game in and game out.
A further handicap is an almost universal lack of the team speed
needed to play both a forechecking and backchecking two-way
style. The sad truth is that even Patrick Roy would look more
like the Patrick of last Fall in Montreal rather than the Conn
Smythe winner of this Spring in Colorado, if he were playing for
the Bruins. The more accurate appraisal is that a world-class
goalie puts a strong team over the top, but may manage to keep a
pathetic team out of the cellar. See also: Bill Ranford,
Edmonton Oiler.
The saddest part of this trade is the total disregard of the
loyal Bruins fans. The people who buy the tickets spoke loud and
clear last Thurday with the ovations they gave to Oates. They
wanted Adam to stay. In reality, that only hastened his
departure.
Just like letting Joe Mullen go this year, before he could score
goal number 500 -- Sinden deprives fans of what little pleasure
they could get from this team. They had to dump Adam before he
scored his 1,000 career point (he was 16 points away when traded)
to avoid total embarrassment. Now they can potentially be
embarrassed when he does it for the Capitals.
When it all comes down to it, though, money is the root of all
Delaware North Companies, Inc., the corporate owners of the
Bruins. And the fact is that the Bruins dumped off $7 million in
salaries for an outlay of around $3.5 million. Do the math, and
add to that the reported $14 million that the hockey team alone
made last year, on the backs of fans paying the highest ticket
prices in the leagues -- don't even count the parking and
concessions. Case closed.
How did this all come to pass? Why would a team struggling to
make the playoffs deal a future Hall of Fame center, a goalie
with two Stanley Cup wins, and one of Wayne Gretsky's best pals
to Washington?
It all was triggered by a single goal.
The Bruins played one of their best games of the year against the
Avalanche, but lost on a dribbler of a goal in overtime with just
3.8 seconds remaining.
After the game, during a fairly routine post-game interview, Adam
Oates let loose with the blast heard 'round the hockey world,
letting out the secret that the Bruins weren't exactly the
strongest club in the league, and it wasn't the coaching, it
wasn't the players, it was the management team that had not
gotten the job done.
Well, that went over big. Bruins Assistant General Manager Mike
O'Connell fired back with pointed comments about Oates not
supporting his teammates, claiming that Oates was in effect
saying that his teammates weren't good enough to play along side
him.
The recriminations continued from there, with Mike trying to
embarrass Oates in the locker room in Chicago, pointing to other
players and asking Oates if this guy or that guy were good
enough.
While some traditionalists might feel that Oates violated the
sanctity of the locker room with his public airing of discontent,
and point to Raymond Bourque's quiet leadership as a better
example of perseverence, this is unfortunately the nineties.
Oates' comments were far tamer than those of players like Wayne
Gretzky, Brett Hull, and others. That doesn't make any of them
right, but it does point out that hockey players do have freedom
of speech in this brave new world.
The difference is that Boston management still deals with
discontent in classic Stalin-style -- exile to Siberia, or
someplace similar. Any difference of opinion on a player's part
is treated as disloyalty, even if that player has led the team
for five years without a discouraging word.
Of course, Harry and Mike can say whatever they want about a
player - call him a floater, lazy, washed up, and that is
"management's prerogative." They vilify Oates for
non-specifically saying that some of the Bruins players aren't as
strong as players on other teams, and then Mike and Harry
blithely ship the same players down to Providence with no
pangs of guilt whatever. In fact, this is exactly what Oates was
complaining about, rather than the player's skills themselves.
Listen: "A guy that was on my left wing three days ago just sat
out a game in the minors. Is that any way to treat people?" Oates
is talking about P.C. Drouin, a rookie who went from first line
in the NHL to benched in the AHL three days later. Even though
this is the kind of stuff you see in Dilbert's Book of Bad
Management, they say Oates is the one disrespecting Bruins
players? Please.
Hockey has changed, but not for the better, in this regard.
Players are no longer indentured servants (well, not as much),
owners are no longer sportsmen, and GMs like Sinden and O'Connell
are busy trying to stay one step ahead of lawyers and sleazeball
agents in the blame game.
Mike O'Connell spoke as if he were concerned that Boston's
players were upset by Oates' remarks. That hasn't seemed to be
the case. Ray Bourque hoped that Oates would stay put. "I hope
I don't have to worry about that," Bourque said. "I know what the
guy's meant to this organization. I know what he brings to the
rink each night. I know how hard he competes. I want to keep
playing with him. You don't want to lose anybody with that amount
of talent and that ability."
Well, what's one more disappointment for Ray anyway? Certainly
nothing worth getting embarrassed over, at least in Harry and
Mike's opinion.
Washington certainly knows what they want out of the trade. After
the tie game between the Caps and Bruins, Washington coach Jim
Schoenfeld was clearly sold on Ranford: "There was a guy on the
other end that made sure we only got one point. ... Ranford
played great," he added. "If you had to pick the difference in
this game, it's pretty obvious it was Bill Ranford."
Following the trade, Schoenfeld was even more optimistic: "If I'm
a Washington Capital and I hear that Rick Tocchet, Adam Oates and
Bill Ranford are coming to my team, I'm a Washington Capital that
has a lot more confidence today than I had yesterday. I think
it's going to be a big boost for our team."
So far, it is anything but a big boost for the Bruins, in spite
of Steve Kasper's "High Hopes" attitude. The team came out and
showed Jim Carey what it is like to be a Bruins goalie – pure
hockey playing misery, as they helpd stake him to a 4-1 deficit
in the first period, before he was unceremoniously yanked in his
first game. Welcome home, Jim.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Capitals Win Blockbuster Trade for Now
-----------------------------------------------------------------
By Jason Sheehan, Washington Correspondent
The Washington Capitals (24-32-7) and Boston Bruins (21-34-9) are two
teams with a reputation of making the playoffs every year. This season,
both clubs are on the outside looking in, and decided that something
needed to be done.
Last Saturday, the Boston Bruins shipped disgruntled center Adam Oates,
right wing Rick Tocchet and goaltender Bill Ranford to the Washington
Capitals for goaltender Jim Carey, center Anson Carter, center Jason
Allison, a 1997 third-round draft pick, and a conditional second-round
pick in 1998 if the Capitals re-sign Tocchet.
Tocchet, 29, becomes an unrestricted free agent when his contract ends
in May.
It was the biggest deal made since 1992, when Philadelphia acquired
center Eric Lindros from Quebec for six players, two draft picks and $15
million.
The Bruins, in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 30
years, are obviously thinking about the future. Oates, 34, and Ranford,
30, have been involved in many NHL wars. Now, Boston has decided to
rebuild with a group of youngsters, all of which are under the age of
25.
Carey, a 22-year-old Boston native, has struggled this season (17-17-3,
2.74 Goals-against- average, .893 save percentage). But lately, he's
been showcasing the style of play that won him the Vezina Trophy a year
ago. The Bruins are banking on the fact that Carey has many good years
ahead of him.
Yet, after viewing his first game in a Bruins uniform, Coach Steve
Kasper cannot be happy. Due to defensive breakdowns and a lack of
concentration in goal, Carey was pummeled by the Toronto Maple Leafs for
four goals on nine shots in the first period. He was pulled soon after
in favor of Rob Tallas.
"Jim Carey, as we all know, won the Vezina Trophy last year, and is a
fine young goaltender," Capitals General Manager David Poile said at a
press conference. "In some regard, he has struggled a little bit this
year, but there's no doubt that he's a fine goaltender, and has a great
future in front of him.
"He goes to a city where he was born and raised. Obviously, that seems
to be a good fit for the Bruins, and I'm sure for Jim Carey."
The big catch for Poile and the Capitals was acquiring Oates. Oates,
34, lost favor in Boston a couple weeks ago when he blamed management
for the way things were being run. According to Oates, the Bruins
weren't committed to building a winner. So he asked the Bruins to clean
up their act or trade him. Saturday, one of his wishes came true.
But Oates wasn't done playing games. This time he asked that his
contract be renegotiated (more money) or else. Well, the Capitals were
in no shape to bargain at this late stage of the season. Apparently,
Oates realized this fact, but didn't want to take advantage of his new
club. So, he decided to play hockey now and talk about his contract
this Summer.
In Oates, the Capitals get one of the greatest playmaking centers of
all-time. In the 90s, only one player has collected more assists: the
Great One Wayne Gretzky.
Age may be catching up to Oates. But based on his stats, he still has
plenty left in the gas tank. Oates led the Bruins with 68 points (18
goals, 50 assists). He also has more points than any Capital player,
Peter Bondra was the club's leading scorer with 59 (36 goals, 23 assists).
Look for Oates to center a line alongside Joe Juneau. Oates and Juneau
played in Boston a few years ago, where Oates had over 100 points and
Juneau enjoyed his finest NHL season.
Due to a quantity of injured players, the Capitals have lacked toughness
over the last few weeks. That problem may now be solved with the
acquisition of Tocchet, who has been a tough customer throughout his NHL
career.
Tocchet should fit in well. He, too, has battled injuries all season,
his latest being a bruised ankle. But in the 40-games he's dressed,
Tocchet has collected 16 goals and 14 points. Most importantly, he is
the type of player that will stick his nose where it doesn't belong,
which is proven by his 67 penalty minutes.
However, don't expect Tocchet to be around for long. Before the trade,
he stated that he wanted his next team to be his last. Philadelphia
Flyers' GM Bobby Clarke called Poile soon after the trade and inquired
about Tocchet's status on the open market. Tocchet has stated that he'd
like to end his career in Philadelphia. But if Poile gives him what he
wants, Tocchet would be happy to end his career as a Capital.
Washington, who ranks last in the league in goal-scoring, needed an
extra surge of offensive power. With Oates and Tocchet, Poile's wish
has finally come true.
Meanwhile Boston, who is six points out of a playoff spot, may be
throwing the towel in and looking ahead to the future. Carter, 23, and
Allison, 21, are promising forwards that have yet to mature. Due to a
bucket-load of injuries, the Capitals relied on the two youngsters, but
didn't receive the amount of goal-scoring pop they needed so badly.
Allison hasn't scored in his last 47 games. Carter, however, has shown
signs of potential lately, scoring three goals in 20 games.
Right now, the Capitals are the winners of this deal. But in a few
years, the tables could very well be turned when Washington is stuck
with the over-the-hill gang, and Boston has the most promising young
players in the league.
And Carey will probably win a few more Vezina Trophies before his career
comes to a close, if he finds a way to break out of his current slump.
Only time will decide who is the winner of this blockbuster trade.
"I think with young players you have to be patient and you have to give
them time to play," Poile said. "In Jason Allison and Anson Carter's
case, I think they were two young guys that were getting a big
opportunity with the amount of injuries the Capitals had."
========================================================
World Domination Update, Vol.2 No.13
========================================================
by LCS: guide to hockey
World Domination ain't easy, it takes time. You know, it took
Larry King, the iron horse of broadcasting, years to reach stardom.
So how can we complain. Here is a recap of the latest from
the offices of LCS Guide to Hockey...
LCS on America Online
On February 21, LCS Guide to Hockey celebrated the opening of
our new area on America Online. Unfortunately, very few of our
valued readers were there to share in our excitement because of
a faulty keyword. As of this update, our AOL keyword "LCS Hockey"
still does not work. Until the situation is corrected, please look
for the link to the LCS Guide to Hockey area in the Canadian
Sports area (keyword "CDN Sports").
On AOL, you will be able to find many exclusive features not available
on our web site. We provide daily recaps of NHL contests and news in
the new Daily Extra section. If you like exclusive weekly columns,
we offer those, too. Our AOL coverage is the perfect compliment to
our web-based content. In fact, our web site can also be accessed
from the new AOL area. If you're on AOL, do us a favor and use it
as your access point to the LCS web site.
In addition to the new content, we also offer message boards and a
chat room on AOL. On our message boards, you can post your
thoughts on various topics including current NHL events, the
Hartford Whalers, John Cullen and waffles.
Also be sure to take part in our chat room. Each week night, members
of the LCS Guide to Hockey staff will host chats on various topics.
Here is the current chat schedule:
AOL Chat Schedule
Monday - Atlantic Division 11:00 PM to Midnight EST
Tuesday - Northeast Division 11:00 PM to Midnight EST
Wednesday - Central Division Midnight to 1:00 AM EST
Thursday - Pacific Division 1:00 AM to 2:00 AM EST
Friday - Trivia or Whatever! Midnight to 1:00 AM EST
We hope to see you online.
LCS: The Announcement List
Do you want to be reminded of future issues of LCS? If so, sign
up for the LCS Announcement List by sending an e-mail message to
zippy@psu.edu. The list will alert you to new issue releases,
features and news from LCS.
LCS: the hockey pool
January 14th marked the half-way point of the LCS pool. The top three
epoch finishers will be awarded prizes at the end of the season. Please
take time to find out how well your team is doing. The pool rules and
results are available from LCS: the hockey pool.
LCS: The Domain Name
Announcement In order to make accessing LCS easier for you, our valued
readers, LCS can now be found at http://www.lcshockey.com. Eventually
this will become our permanent address on the 'Net. But don't worry,
our old address at http://www.canadas.net/sports/Sportif/ will remain valid.
NHL Directory
An addition has been made to the LCS web site. To serve you, our valued customer
better, we have created the NHL Directory. A wealth of team and NHL
information is included in the directory, including: arena information;
team addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers; general manager, coach and
captain histories; and links to team records, retired jersey numbers, current
rosters and schedules.
LCS: Questions o' the Month
The Questions o' the Month have been a formidable challenge to all who
have dared solve their riddles. So difficult are these questions that
not a single soul was able to correctly all 10 Dragnet trivia
questions for the month of January. Two readers got nine-of-ten
correct, but it still ain't a perfect score. Once again we're disappointed
with you, our intelligent, valued readers. This month we're going with
another classic television program you all should know, Taxi.
If you answer all 10 questions right, you can win a free LCS T-shirt.
LCS: the t-shirt
Offical LCS t-shirts can now be purchased by the general public. The
shirts are 100% cotton and come in three colors (size XL only). All
shirts sport a spiffy LCS logo on the front. To find out how to order,
visit the LCS t-shirt page. Our supply of shirts is running low and
once they're gone this shirt design will never be available again.
Coming Soon!
A classic television spokesman, the opening of the LCS Hall of
Fame, and much, much more...
_____________________________________________________
CREDITS
Michael Dell........................Editor-in-Chief
Zippy the Wonder Chimp.................Computer Boy
Jim Iovino.............................Ace Reporter
Matthew Secosky............................Whatever
Dan Hurwitz.............Force for Cultural Hegemony
John Kreiser.....................Featured Columnist
David A. Feete......................Featured Writer
WANTED........................Anaheim Correspondent
Matt Brown.....................Boston Correspondent
Valerie Hammerl...............Buffalo Correspondent
Tony Wong.....................Calgary Correspondent
Dan Glovier...................Chicago Correspondent
Matt Gitchell................Colorado Correspondent
Jim Panenka....................Dallas Correspondent
Dino Cacciola.................Detroit Correspondent
Simon D. Lewis...............Edmonton Correspondent
Eric A. Seiden................Florida Correspondent
Steve Gallichio..............Hartford Correspondent
Matt Moore................Los Angeles Correspondent
Jacques Robert...............Montreal Correspondent
David Ibrahim..............New Jersey Correspondent
David Strauss...............Islanders Correspondent
Alex Frias....................Rangers Correspondent
The Nosebleeders..............Ottawa Correspondents
Eric Meyer...............Philadelphia Correspondent
Jeff Brown....................Phoenix Correspondent
Joe Ashkar..................St. Louis Correspondent
Mark Spiegel.................San Jose Correspondent
Troy Ely....................Tampa Bay Correspondent
Jonah Sigel...................Toronto Correspondent
Carol Schram................Vancouver Correspondent
Jason Sheehan..............Washington Correspondent
Tricia McMillan...................AHL Correspondent
----------------------------------------------------
LCS: guide to hockey issue 64 March 4 - March 18
1997. Email address: sportif@oak.westol.com Good ol'
postal address: 632 Hempfield Street, Greensburg, PA
15601. Web Site: http://www.lcshockey.com/
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NHL Round-up
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By LCS: guide to hockey
General NHL News
Islander's Sale Approved
The sale of the New York Islanders to John Spano received
unanimous approval from the National Hockey League's Board
of Governors. Spano reached agreement in November to purchase the
Islanders and all of the cable television rights for $165
million. But the sale to the young Texas businessman was not
completed until last month, when Spano finalized negotiations
with SportsChannel, which will televise Islanders games well into
the 21st century. Spano is a 32-year-old native New Yorker and
chairman of The Bison Group, a Dallas-based aircraft and heavy
equipment firm. He and his wife have a home on Long Island and
lease an apartment in Manhattan. Spano, who bought the club from
John O. Pickett, has said he will not move the Islanders to
another city. But he also has stated the need for renovations to
the Nassau Coliseum or construction of a new arena for the Isles
to become a competitive team.
Firings...Hirings...Signings...etc...
Welcome Back Huddy
Veteran defenseman Charlie Huddy is back in the National Hockey
League after being recalled Wednesday by the Northeast
Division-leading Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres, looking to hold on
to first place in the division and catch the Philadelphia Flyers
for the top slot in the Eastern Conference, recalled the
37-year-old Huddy from Rochester of the American Hockey League.
The move was necessitated by injured defenseman Richard Smehlik,
who is day-to-day with a sore right knee. Huddy, a mainstay of
the Edmonton Oilers dynasty that won five Stanley Cups in seven
years, spent the entire season as a player-coach with Rochester,
where he had four goals and six assists with 28 penalty minutes
and a plus-8 rating. A veteran of 1,004 NHL games, Huddy, who
played 55 games with the Sabres last season, has 99 goals and 354
assists for 453 points with 779 penalty minutes.
EJ Fired
The Penguins fired coach Eddie Johnston this week. He was a great man,
but only an average coach. Here are his coaching records;
Regular season
Year, team W L T Pct.
1979-80, Chi 34 27 19 .544
1980-81, Pitt 30 37 13 .456
1981-82, Pitt 31 36 13 .469
1982-83, Pitt 18 53 9 .281
1993-94, Pitt 44 27 13 .281
1994-95, Pitt 29 16 3 .281
1995-96, Pitt 49 29 4 .281
1996-97, Pitt 31 26 5 .540
Totals 266 251 79 .513
Playoffs
Year, team W L Pct.
1979-80, Chi 3 4 .000
1980-81, Pitt 2 3 .400
1981-82, Pitt 2 3 .400
1993-94, Pitt 2 4 .400
1994-95, Pitt 5 7 .400
1995-96, Pitt 11 7 .400
Totals 25 28 .472
Police Blotter:
Petit and Brashear Suspended
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Michel Petit and Vancouver Canucks
left wing Donald Brashear were each suspended by the National
Hockey League Sunday pending a hearing as a result of incidents
in Saturday games. Petit was suspended for kneeing Florida
Panthers left wing Johan Garpenlov in a Saturday afternoon game
at Florida. Garpenlov suffered a sprained right knee and will be
sidelined up to six weeks. Petit received a major penalty and a
game misconduct on the play and missed Sunday night's 2-1 win
against the New York Rangers. Brashear was suspended for
delivering a blind-side punch to Los Angeles Kings center Ian
Laperriere in Saturday night's game at Los Angeles. He received a
major penalty for fighting and a game misconduct on the play and
missed Sunday night's 5-2 loss at Anaheim.
J.J. Daigneault, ANA -- Abusing Ref
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim will be without defenseman J.J.
Daigneault until late March after the league suspended him for 10
games, without pay, and fined him $1,000 for slashing
referee Don Koharski on Feb. 23. The suspension for abuse of an
official is automatically 10 games. The fine is the maximum
allowed under the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Daigneault struck Koharski with his stick after an accidental
collision between the two. Daigneault subsequently swung and
missed at Koharski.
Bernie Nicholls, SJS -- Cross-check
San Jose Sharks center Bernie Nicholls has been suspended for two games
and fined $1,000 as a result of a match penalty for intending to injure
Florida Panthers defenseman Ed Jovanovski.
The incident occurred in overtime of the Sharks-Panthers game Feb. 25.
1996-97 NHL Suspension
Date Player/Team/Length Opponent Reason
Feb 28 Bernie Nicholls Florida Flagrant cross-check
San Jose on Ed Jovanovski
2 games
Feb 26 J.J. Daigneault Referee Struck Don
Anaheim Koharski with his
10 games stick
Feb 25 Michel Petit Florida Kneeing
Philadelphia Johan Garpenlov
2 games
Feb 25 Donald Brashear Los Angeles blind side punch
Vancouver to Ian Laperriere
4 games
Feb 18 Brent Severyn Phoenix Initiating
Colorado altercation with
2 games Kris King
Feb 5 Matt Johnson San Jose Flagrant elbow
Los Angeles against Andrei
4 games Nazarov
Feb 5 Rob Blake San Jose High-sticking
Los Angeles incident against
4 games Shean Donovan
Feb 5 Tony Granato Los Angeles Cross-checking
San Jose Dmitri Khristich
4 games in back of head
Feb 2 Peter Bondra Florida Kneeing incident
Washington against Ray Sheppard
At least 1 game
pending hearing
Feb 2 Todd Harvey Buffalo Flagrant elbow
Dallas against Matthew
At least 1 game Barnaby
pending hearing
Jan 30 Sean O'Donnell Colorado Involved in
Los Angeles altercation on
1 game bench with
Valeri Kamensky
Jan 23 Jim Cummins Toronto Drawing third
Chicago game misconduct
1 game of the season
Jan 19 Craig Berube Ottawa Slashing
Washington Dennis Vial
2 games
Jan 11 Rich Pilon Pittsburgh Stick swinging
NY Islanders Mario Lemieux
2 games
Jan 7 Mike Craig Vancouver High-sticking
Toronto Mike Sillinger
2 games
Jan 7 Troy Mallette Dallas Flagrant elbow
Boston Grant Marshall
2 games
Jan 1 Keith Primeau Washington Slash
Hartford Joe Juneau
2 games
Dec 31 Greg Hawgood Edmonton Slash
San Jose Boris Mironov
2 games
Dec 6 Pavel Bure Buffalo Forearm blow
Vancouver Garry Galley
1 game
Nov 30 Guy Lapointe Edmonton Attacking a fan
Calgary assistant coach
2 games
Nov 30 Kevin Constantine Edmonton Attacking a fan
Calgary assistant coach
1 game
Nov 26 Grant Ledyard Florida Kneeing
Dallas Rob Niedermayer
2 games
Nov 26 Sasha Lakovic Edmonton Attacking a fan
Calgary
2 games
Nov 15 Mathieu Schneider Anaheim Flagrant elbow
Toronto Paul Kariya
3 games
Nov 1 Alexei Zhitnik Dallas High-sticking
Buffalo Jamie Langenbrunner
2 games
Oct 16 Daniel Lacroix Los Angeles Elbowing
Philadelphia Kevin Stevens
2 games
Oct 11 Brendan Shanahan Edmonton Cross-checking
Detroit Greg de Vries
1 game
Oct 8 Mark Messier Florida Checking from behind
NY Rangers Mike Hough
2 games
Oct 8 Louie DeBrusk Vancouver Slashing
Edmonton Dana Murzyn
4 games
Oct 7 Scott Stevens Detroit High-sticking
New Jersey Igor Larionov
1 game
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Beware of Doug
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Dave Feete, Playoff Prophet
The trade the Devils made for Doug Gilmour is not just the trade
of the year, it might also turn out to be the biggest trade in
the mostly ho-hum history of the franchise. Okay, maybe
Shanahan-for-Stevens comes close, but that wasn't nearly the
one-sided grand theft they pulled off with this trade. They gave
up a lot and got a lot in the Stevens deal. This deal puts them
dead smack on top of the Cup race overnight.
"No, Dave, you're overstating the case," I can hear you all say.
NO, I AM NOT. See, I happen to be a lot older than most of the
rest of you (yeah, it has its drawbacks, but those senior citizen
discounts at the movies are great!), so I have recollections of
events that happened long, long ago, when most of you punks
reading this were in diapers. Now, trades like this just didn't
happen in the old days, when teams would hang onto their stars
tighter than Roseanne to a pork chop. But the timing of this
trade is just as critical as Big Doug himself. Let me tell ya
slow and careful-like:
You see, way back in 1980, just about this time of year, the
Islanders were lolly-gagging through the regular season. Now,
this team had won the President's Trophy the year before, then
got spanked by the Rangers in the semi-finals. Tore the hearts
right out of 'em... 'Till Butch Goring came to town.
Little Butchy was a gritty veteran center, a little ball o' fire
who came from LA, where he had about as much of a shot at winning
the Cup as he did at sproutin' an extra head. Well, when he
joined the Islanders, somethin' just happened. Those
lolly-gaggin' underachievers just lit the opposition up for the
remainder of the season, and tore up everybody in the playoffs
until Bobby Nystrom put the puck past a paralyzed Pete Peeters
in Game Six of the finals. Lo and behold, the team that couldn't
get it straight till the end of the season had won it all.
Now, I ain't so senile as to say the Butch Goring was half the
player "Killer" Gilmour is. I also ain't sayin' the Devils got
four straight Cups in 'em either. But Goring was just what those
Isles needed, just like Gilmour is just what the Devs need. How
many years now have folks been saying that New Jersey has it all,
and all they need is a center? A long time. And who better than
Gilmour? Certainly plays good enough defense to fit into their
system. He brings a little more to the table than the so-called
first-line centers the Devils have had in the past few years.
More of a force than Kevin Todd, Alexander Semak, and Neal Broten
put together.
One pessimistic and bitter Devils fan friend o' mine was whinin'
that they should have gotten Oates instead, and that giving up
Sullivan is gonna hurt 'em in the long run, but that's just plain
silly in my opinion. Gilmour's the grittiest player around -- no
disrespect to Oates -- and that is desperately needed in this
division. Sullivan? Well, as skilled as he might be, he's never
gonna be a Doug Gilmour. Not to mention, this is an old team, and
by the time Sullivan's in his prime, the core players on this
team are gonna be in the broadcast booth.
Gilmour also brightens up a team that has become much like "The
Borg" from Star Trek - Colin Campbell called them "an
interchangeable flock." (Even Stevens has been assimilated in the
last couple o' years). You can see this by the way they can
change around their lines constantly during games. They're like a
collective being most of the time. Now, I ain't knocking it, any
team that can score 2.64 goals per game and be that high in the
standings is doing something right. But maybe they need one
individual, who can supply that offensive punch without damaging
the collective defense one bit.
Doug brings something to this team that they never really had
before - an offensive player who scares the opposing team every
time he wanders into their zone with the puck. I witnessed his
first game as a Devil against the Islanders recently. I recall
sitting there watching him rack up a goal and three assists,
dishing out passes to teammates who were amazed to see that such
offensive opportunities actually existed. By the end of the
third, all I remember is a desperate Islander fan yelling to his
team's broken and failing defense, with words that coaches will
be screaming at their teams in the locker room until the Devils
hoist the Cup again this June: "Beware of Doug! Don't you get it?
Beware of Doug!"
----------------------------------------------------------------
Killer On The Loose
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Jonah A. Sigel
Jan. 2, 1992 is known as the day general manager Cliff Fletcher
made his biggest impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
That was the day he dealt Gary Leeman, Alexander Godynuk, Jeff
Reese, Michel Petit and Craig Berube to the Calgary Flames for
Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Kent Manderville, Rick Wamsley and Doug
Gilmour. Today, only Macoun still plays for the Leafs, Wamsley is a
goaltending consultant. As for Gilmour, he was dealt after months
of speculation on Feb. 25, 1997, along with another veteran, Dave
Ellett, to the New Jersey Devils for 23-year-old defenceman Jason
Smith, 22-year-old forward Steve Sullivan and 19-year-old center
Alyn McCauley.
Trades are announced all the time in the NHL, holding press
conferences to announce and explain them is reserved for deals
termed blockbusters. "Doug Gilmour's contribution to the Toronto
Maple Leafs was immeasurable," Fletcher said in a press release
following the deal. "He brought a standard of play and work ethic
that was instrumental in any successes that this team enjoyed."
The events that led to the deal were bizzare to put it mildly. On
Monday the 24th, Fletcher and board member Brian Bellmore held a
media conference following a three-hour board meeting apparently to
discuss the on-going sex scandal at the Gardens. More
realistically, the sex scandal was indeed discussed, but it says
here that Fletcher also tabled the issue of the Gilmour deal and
obviously got the green light on pulling the trigger. Following
the Monday press conference Fletcher told the sports media that a
deal could be in the works to stay in touch. A few hours later it
was learned that a deal would not be made that night.
Late Monday night Fletcher told New Jersey managment that in order
for any deal to be made, Sullivan had to be included. Fletcher
said that he felt confident enough late Monday night to call
Gilmour and prepare his long-time friend and captain. When Gilmour
arrived at the Gardens the following morning, things had not
progressed. Fletcher informed Gimour that there was in fact a deal
on the table and that it could happen any moment. Unfortunatley,
Gilmour had to take to the ice with the Leafs, without saying a
word to his teammates while Fletcher was able to consumate the
deal. Ellett had to be called out of the whirlpool to be told.
An emotonal press conference was held late that afternoon, to
announce the trade. Fletcher fought back tears on several
occasions as he tried to sell the public on the merit of his deal.
Gilmour did not attend the conference for several reasons. First,
Gilmour is not said to be very comfortable speaking under the best
circumstances, so trying to speak here would have been out of the
question. Secondly, Gilmour was very concerned how his young
daughter would be effected and wanted to spend the time with both
her and his family. Dave Ellett talked with the media and several
times nearly broke down. At one point, as Ellett paused to regain
his composure, Fletcher was caught wiping a tear from his own eye.
Later that night, the Devils' private jet touched down in Toronto
with Smith and Sullivan on board, and turned around with Gilmour
and Ellett in tow. Upon arriving in New Jersey, both players were
taken to the team practice facility where they underwent
physicals. Gilmour told officials that he was exhausted and that
he had not slept since Fletcher's call the previous night. Both
Ellett and Gilmour were, in their own ways, relieved to be out of
what has become a very difficult city to play hockey in. Few
realize the pressure of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. There
are three major papers with quality sports sections, five or six
televison stations, one full-time dedicated sports station, and of
course the all-sports radio station. Couple that with a building
that has been sold out for almost every Leaf game since before the
1970's. Calling Toronto the NHL's pressure cooker is a massive
understatement. Gilmour alluded to the fact that he coveted the
opportunity to eat at restaurants and not be recognized.
The debate is on as far as the deal goes. The consensus is that
Fletcher made a great trade IF these players pan out. Conventional
wisdom shows that Ellett is a free agent without compensation at
season's end, so there is not much loss there. As for Gilmour,
they have given up a great player who is about to enter the last
year of his contract and is currently seeking a new deal. Realizing
the need for rebuilding, trading Gilmour made sense in many ways.
First, and most importantly, was that he is one of the only players
who could produce any real return via trade. Smith and McCauley
are both highly regarded and the New Jersey media were quite
shocked that they were willing to part with either. Gilmour was
also seeking the trade. Every veteran desires to play for a winner
and any team that would take a serious run at acquiring Gilmour at
this stage would be doing so to try to win the Cup today. Although
Fletcher was adament that money was not a factor in this deal, the
Leafs are well below their usual budget and SHOULD have room for
free agents this off-season.
Those in the know in New Jersey were disappointed that the Devils
would deal Sullivan. Due to his age, the Devils wanted to make the
transition from the AHL to the NHL easier on him, so they shifted
him to wing where he really produced (eight goals, 16 assists in
only 35 games). Many of his goals have been seen nightly on
SportsCenter as the talented forward is a magician with the puck.
His upbeat attitude and fearless approach made him a pivotal piece
of the trade.
It is McCauley that has hockey fans drooling. He is currently third
in the OHL with more than 101 points in only 45 games (50 goals, 51
assists as of Thursday). He is a very impressive +41. He was also
a key player of the 1997 Canadian Junior Team that captured
Canada's fifth straight World Junior chamionship. After being
drafted early in the first round by Ottawa of the OHL, he was
expected to be a high draft pick in 1995. Unfortunatley he
suffered an injury that hampered his performance that season and
the result was a disappointing fifth-round pick in the draft.
After the draft, McCauley really blossomed and put up number
comparable to, if not better than, those drafted in the first
round. So McCauley did not sign with the Devils, and if he didn't
sign a three-year deal with the Leafs on Mar. 3, he would
have been eligible to re-enter the draft this summer (experts
claimed that he would have been a top five pick this year).
So, with 19 games to go, rumors are around that very few jobs are
secure in Toronto. Management would love to unload as many of their
veterans as they could. While Fletcher will not be simply giving
away players, it appears that he will be seeking a combination of
draft picks and young talent. One hot rumor is that the Leafs have
offered Dimitri Yushkevich to the Oilers for ex-Leaf Luke
Richardson, who also becomes a free agent at seasons end. The
holdup appears to be signing Richardson to a new deal. Other Leafs
who could be on the move include: Kirk Muller (Rangers), Jamie
Macoun (Flyers), Mike Craig, Tie Domi (Rangers) Wendel Clark
(Dallas) and anyone else over 30.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Rumors du jour
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Tony Wong, Calgary Correspondent
With the trading deadline only two weeks away, everyone is
embroiled in trade rumors. However, with Gilmour and Oates now
gone, it's become a lot harder to predict. So here at LCS, with
the help of our crystal ball and the eyes and ears of our
correspondents around the league, here are a few of the best rumors
we've heard.
The Top Five
1. The Vancouver Canucks trade: Alexander Mogilny, Russ
Courtnall, Esa Tikkanen and the rights to Mattius Ohlund for Andrei
Nikolishin, Steve Konowalchuk, Brendan Witt, Nolan Baumgartner and
Washington's fourth-round pick.
The only blockbuster trade of the bunch, but what a trade it is!
While the principles around this trade: Mogilny, Witt and
Baumgartner, have been discussed previously, the acquisition of
Adam Oates makes giving up the two blue chip prospects much
easier. For the Capitals, it would give them a serious shot at
winning the Stanley Cup immediately. A line of Mogilny, Oates and
Bondra would create a nightmare for opposing defenses. Backed by
their solid blue line, Washington would finally have an offense to
go with their defense. Tikkanen and Courtnall would bring playoff
experience and savvy to the second and third lines. The addition
of highly regarded prospect Ohlund would also help to ease the loss
of Witt and Baumgartner. In the end, the Capitals essentially
trade two young blue chip defensemen for Mogilny, Ohlund and a
chance at the Cup.
For Vancouver, the gains are much more subtle. In dealing the four
players, the Canucks not only dump a lot of salary, but also a lot
of negativity. Of the four players, the much maligned Mogilny was
the only player actually producing anything for the team. In
return, Vancouver gets two big, young talented defensemen who can
step in immediately. Improperly used in Washington, Nikolishin is
a talented young playmaker who can finally give Bure a center who
can skate with him. Though unspectacular, Konowalchuk is also a
tough, gritty winger that has some scoring touch. In essence,
Vancouver gets four players for Mogilny and a prospect (Ohlund), as
both Courtnall and Tikkanen are free agents without compensation
after this season. For a team that was treading water, the trade
makes the Canucks, younger, tougher, cheaper and better
defensively. In the weak Western division, this version of the
Canucks has a good chance of advancing to meet either Colorado or
Detroit in the division final. From there, who knows.
2. The Edmonton Oilers trade: Luke Richardson for Shjon Podein
and Philadelphia's fourth-round pick.
If Sather is unable to sign Richardson, look for this trade to
happen. While Sather would prefer Zubrus, Clarke isn't willing to
deal the 6'3, 215 pound Russian tank. Eventually though, Sather
will settle for Podein, who has Zubrus's size, and a draft pick.
While relatively unspectacular, we've ranked this as our number two
trade as it could be the final piece of the puzzle for the
Flyers.
3. The Flames trade: Ronnie Stern and Steve Chiasson for Kevin
Haller and Hnat Domenichelli.
Batted back and forth between the Flames and the Whalers, the
Whalers are unsure if they want to deal young Hnat. However with
the Capitals and Adam Oates bearing down on the last playoff spot,
Hartford may be forced to deal.
For the Whalers, Stern provides the physical winger that they've
been looking for all season. In Chiasson, they get a solid
blueliner who can move the puck to help out Sean Burke. In picking
up both these players, the Whalers plug two obvious holes in their
lineup.
For Calgary, Stern and Chiasson are older, players who are
replaceable on a young Flames team. While not as solid as Chiasson,
the Flames get a mobile young defenseman in Haller. The key for
the Flames however is Hnat. Jarome Iginla's linemate in junior,
the Flames would love to reunite these two talented rookies.
Quite simply, the Whalers trade some of their young talent to make
the playoffs. The Flames receive two excellent young players for
two veterans who the Flames have deemed replaceable.
4. The Montreal Canadiens trade: Stephane Richer for Eric
Weinrich.
Originally based on a Shayne Corson for Gary Suter trade, Chicago's
sorry offense gets a boost in the form of Richer for one of their
surplus defenseman. In return, the Habs receive a solid defensive
defenseman and rid themselves of Richer, who had voiced his
displeasure in being in Montreal. Simply, it is a trade that fits
for both parties.
5. The Los Angeles Kings trade Kevin Stevens for Luc Robitaille
and cash.
Both of these former snipers have performed poorly in their new
homes. In Stevens, the Rangers hope that a visit from Gretzky
re-awakens the tough 50-goal scorer within. For the Kings, getting
rid of Stevens simply lowers their payroll. As a bonus, they get
to welcome back one of the best Kings players ever. With the
Rangers desperate, the Kings should be able to get New York to pay
most of Lucky Luc's salary. If all turns out well, both Stevens
and Robitaille return to their sniper form. Unfortunately, the
guess here is that both will be disappointments in their new
surroundings. Sigh. The more things change, the more they stay
the same...
Other Deals
With so many teams active, there's bound to be other trades. Here
a look at some of the less exciting ones:
Dino Ciccarelli, Tampa Bay, to Pittsburgh for their second-round
pick. As Tampa Bay fades from the playoff picture, they should be
willing to deal their 36-year-old sniper. A good fit for the
Penguins, Ciccarelli will provide the scoring boost that Pittsburgh
is looking for.
Derek King, New York Islanders, to Pittsburgh for their
fourth-round pick. It's Mario's last year and Derek loves to
shoot. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, a
fourth-round pick is a good value for his "rental".
Kirk Muller, Toronto Maple Leafs, to the New York Rangers for their
second-round pick. Smith needs to win now, so he'll roll the dice
on this veteran.
Jamie Macoun, Toronto Maple Leafs, to the Philadelphia Flyers for
their third- or fourth-round pick. A big nasty defenseman, Macoun
will pay dividends for the Flyers if spotted correctly by coach
Murray.
Ray Ferraro, Los Angeles Kings, to the Florida Panthers for their
third-round pick. Ferraro is a cheap solution for their offensive
problems and allows the Panthers to improve without giving up a key
draft pick or prospect.
Bob Probert, Chicago Blackhawks, to the New York Rangers for their
third-round pick. A good pickup for a smallish Ranger team looking
for a physical presence.
Steve Chiasson, Calgary Flames, for Nelson Emerson, Hartford
Whalers. The Flames get a good offensive forward, while Hartford
gets a strong, mobile defenseman. A good trade to fill the needs
of both teams.
Markus Naslund, Vancouver Canucks, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for
their third-round pick. In one of those transactions that has made
Pat Quinn famous, watch for Naslund to return to the offensive
starved Penguins.
For those of you still hungry for gossip, below is a quick overview
of each teams and their potential trading deadline moves.
Anaheim: While Kariya, Selanne and Hebert could use some help in
Anaheim, the Ducks have little to deal, other than their three big
stars. Unless there's a sudden change of heart, the Ducks will
most likely stand pat.
Boston: With Oates, Tocchet and Ranford gone, the Bruins haven't
got much left. With two likely top 10 picks (their own and
Hartford's), Sinden will begin to focus his energy on the draft. It
looks the streak of 29 straight postseason appearances will end
this year. Poor Ray Bourque.
Buffalo: The Sabres would like to deal Garry Galley, however with
his recent injury, that is now unlikely. With the Sabres playing
like the class of the Northeast, it would be foolish for Muckler to
mess with his team's chemistry. The best late season addition
would be Pat Lafontaine, however that seems unlikely at this
point.
Calgary: With Dave Gagner an unrestricted free agent after this
year and a surplus of defensemen, Calgary is looking for a deal to
cash in on these commodities. Tommy Albelin, Steve Chiasson and
Ronnie Stern are the players most often mentioned in trade talks.
Any of these players could be had either for some scoring help,
young prospects or draft picks. Though Fleury's name has been
bandied about, it doesn't look like Coates is willing to deal
him.
Chicago: The Blackhawks would like to add some scoring help up
front and are offering a variety of defensemen and Bob Probert
around. On the block are several attractive veterans: Eric
Weinrich, Keith Carney and perhaps Gary Suter. They'd love to add
a scorer like Mogilny, but based on what they can offer in return,
Russ Courtnall is a more likely fit.
Colorado: The Avalanche are simply waiting for the playoffs. With
Forsberg signed to a long term deal, Sakic lined up to re-sign and
a bevy of premier prospects playing in the minors and junior
hockey, the deepest team in the league is waiting for the Cup to
arrive. A trade at this point would be a major shock.
Dallas: Consistently good throughout the year, it's unlikely that
the Stars will make a deal before the deadline. And those rumors
about an interest in Mogilny? Just that -- idle talk for this
playoff bound team.
Detroit: In getting power forward Brendan Shanahan, the Red Wings
are now looking for what they lost -- a mobile defenseman to run
the power play. While Duchesne and Galley have failed to impress
Bowman, perhaps Larry Murphy, Steve Chiasson, Rob Blake or Roman
Hamrlik would. Look for the Red Wings to deal a youngster for a
mobile defenseman before the deadline.
Edmonton: The biggest dilemma facing Glen Sather is the signing of
Luke Richardson. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the
year, the 27-year-old meanie is the kind of defenseman that every
team wants. However, without a signed contract, Sather risks
losing him for nothing. As losing Richardson would severely hamper
the Oiler's playoff hopes, look for Sather to sign Richardson
first. If Sather doesn't have a signed contract by the 18th, look
for him to deal Richardson -- Sather never gives up something for
nothing. The most likely scenario has Richardson going to
Philadelphia for Shjon Podein and another player.
Florida: While the Panthers would like to add offense, they simply
will not give up Jovanovski, Niedermeyer or a high draft pick. So
with Mogilny out of the picture, the most likely Panther candidates
become Dave Gagner and Ray Ferraro. Both could bring offense at
the reasonable price.
Hartford: After a mid-season collapse, the Whalers are now tied for
eighth in the division with newly rejuvenated Washington hot on
their heels. The Whalers are looking to add a rugged winger and
another defenseman without dealing one of their younger players.
Emerson, Haller and rookie Hnat Domenichelli are the players most
frequently mentioned. Look for the Whale to make a minor move
before the deadline.
Los Angeles: With the youth movement in place, the Kings seem to be
content in letting their youngsters "gain experience". While not
actively shopping them, the Kings would entertain offers for
Stevens, Ferraro, Olczyk and Khristich. The most viable rumor has
Stevens heading to the Rangers for Luc Robitaille and a pile of
cash (to pay Robitaille's contract).
Montreal: Houle has announced repeatedly that he is going to
"stand pat" with his existing lineup. However, for the right price,
Houle will gladly deal malcontent Richer to the Western Conference.
The Blackhawks have shown some interest in obtaining Shayne Corson,
but with Corson clicking with Koivu and Recchi, don't hold your
breath. The most likely move has Murray Baron returning to St.
Louis for Stephane Matteau.
New Jersey: In winning the Doug Gilmour sweepstakes, the Devils
are set. Another deal would be very surprising.
New York Islanders: With the Islanders fading and Derek King a
free agent next year, look for Milbury to unload King to the
highest bidder. Travis Green and Marty McInnis are also said to be
available, but their destination is unknown. Other than dealing
those three, Milbury should be content looking forward to the
draft.
New York Rangers: Though dazzling earlier in the year, the Rangers
are currently a mess. At present, they need some rugged forwards
to help fight off the bigger teams such as Philadelphia and a
scorer to convert Gretzky's passes. Unfortunately, the Rangers
don't have much to deal, so don't wait around for Mogilny to show
up. Apparently Smith has offered Nemchinov for Russ Courtnall, but
the Canucks aren't interested. Look for Smith to do his best with
a flurry of smaller trades a la Pat Quinn before the deadline.
Nemchinov and youngsters Karpovtsev, Dube and Goneau are the most
oft mentioned heading the other way. If anyone will have him,
Robitaille is gone.
Ottawa: The Senators could definitely use a defenseman or another
forward with some offensive skills. Unfortunately, the Senators
don't have much to offer in return and will most likely stand pat
and hope to make the playoffs with their existing players.
Philadelphia: Now that the lure of Gilmour is gone, Clarke clearly
needs to find a big, tough defenseman to clear the net. If Clarke
can't pry Richardson out of Edmonton, look for him to settle for
Macoun, Weinrich or Chiasson. While Clarke has shown some interest
in Wendel Clark, the Leafs are probably looking for too much for
him.
Pittsburgh: With Jagr out and Lemieux retiring, look for Patrick
to make a move. In addition to slapping the team in the face,
Patrick's move behind the bench will help him evaluate his current
squad. The Penguins could use another scorer, a tough winger and
another defenseman. Derek King would make a fine addition to the
Penguins.
Phoenix: The Coyotes would love to land another defenseman, but
may not have enough to offer to land one. At present, all is quiet
in the desert.
St. Louis: With Hull and Turgeon scoring like crazy, it's unlikely
that the Blues management will mess with the current team
chemistry. If any deals are made, look for minor ones, such as
Stephane Matteau for former Blue Murray Baron.
Tampa Bay: Like everyone else in Florida, the Lightning is looking
for some more offense. But like the Panthers, they are reluctant
to deal anything of value. Look for the Lightning to be quiet on
the trade front unless they suddenly go cold. If they do, look for
Dino Ciccerelli to be dealt, perhaps to Pittsburgh.
Toronto: While Gilmour is gone, Fletcher still has a bunch of old
bodies he'd like to move before the end of the year. First and
foremost, Kirk Muller. Muller has been shopped everywhere, with
the Rangers being the most likely destination in return for a draft
pick or perhaps Christian Dube. Wendel Clark has drawn some
interest from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. If they are willing to
offer anything in return and take on his contract, look for
Fletcher to deal him. Larry Murphy is being shopped around, with
cross-town rival Detroit being the best fit. Can these natural
enemies bury their differences and make a deal? Don't bet against
it. Bowman knows what Murphy can do and Fletcher isn't shy.
Finally, Macoun has drawn some interest from Philadelphia. If the
Flyers are unable to get Richardson, look for Macoun to go to the
City of Brotherly Love for a third- or fourth-round draft pick.
Vancouver: If it weren't for the Rangers, the Canucks would be the
biggest mess in the NHL right now. Mogilny, Russ Courtnall,
Tikkanen, and Naslund are amongst those that can be had in a trade
right now. Unfortunately, no one has what the Canucks want, which
is a playmaking center for their two superb Russian wingers. With
the new ownership getting impatient, look for Quinn to hit the
trade deadline with a flurry of deals as usual.
Washington: With Oates now playing for the Capitals, Washington
should be done dealing, right? But remember, the Capitals are
presently two points out of a playoff spot. With Poile slickly
ripping off the Bruins, he still has several promising youngsters
left. Could he still have a deal in the works? Don't bet against
it. Even with the addition of Oates, the Caps could still use some
more scoring. Stay tuned.
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Johnston Out as Penguin Coach
----------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Dell, editor-in-chief
It's an old truism in sports. When things are going bad a club
can't change all the guys involved, so it always changes just
one... the coach. Thus is the fate of Eddie Johnston.
The Pittsburgh Penguins relieved Johnston of his head coaching
duties on Monday, March 3, with the club having lost four
straight games and eight of its last nine. The Penguins, who
were once living the good life at the top of the Northeast
Division, have now fallen nine points behind Buffalo for the
division lead and are showing no signs of stopping their fall
from grace. GM Craig Patrick will take over behind the bench for
the remainder of the season. It will be Patrick's second tour of
duty as Pittsburgh's coach. When he first came to the Penguins
in 1989-90, Patrick handled the roles of both coach and GM for
the remainder of the season while he became familiar with the
personnel. There has been no talk of bringing in someone from
the outside to fill the job. That is a decision that will be
made during the off-season.
Johnston, 61, originally coached the Penguins from 1980-1983,
before then becoming the club's GM through 1988. After spending
one more year as an assistant GM in Pittsburgh, Johnston moved on
to become the Vice President and GM of the Hartford Whalers from
1989-1992. Once cut loose from the Whale, EJ returned to coach
the Penguins at the start of the 1993-94 season. He had an
overall record of 153-98-25 during his second stint with the club
and improved in the playoffs after each season, losing in seven
games to the Florida Panthers during last year's playoffs.
The announcement came as a total shock. There were no rumors of
an impending move and Johnston has always been a popular coach
with the players, especially Mario Lemieux. Johnston and Patrick
are also very close friends, so the decision to make a change was
one of the hardest in the GM's career. Which leads many to
speculate that the order to fire Johnston came from on high. In
other words, owner Howard Baldwin had EJ whacked
"Goodfellas" style.
There's no truth to the rumor that EJ had a run-in with Baldwin
and Patrick at a local night spot the night before. It was
reported that EJ told Baldwin to "go home and get your f*****'
shine box." At which time Baldwin erupted with anger and stormed
out of the bar, leaving Patrick behind to cool things off. When
EJ asked Patrick if he had insulted Baldwin, Patrick responded
"little bit... you insulted him a little bit." Patrick then
tried to calm the situation by telling EJ that "drinks were on
the house." Aw, it's all just a joke. Relax.
"Our ship is definitely off course," explained an obviously
saddened Patrick at the news conference. "We've got to roll up
our sleeves and get to work."
Johnston will stay on with the organization as an assistant GM.
Johnston's strength has always been talent-evaluation and
scouting, so he should be a tremendous asset to the team in the
front office.
"I want to thank Craig and the organization for allowing me to
spend four great years here. I've really enjoyed it," offered
Johnston. "Unfortunately, we haven't been going too well since
the All-Star Game. For whatever reason, after those five days
off, the chemistry never came back to us."
One of the nicest guys in the game of hockey, Johnston was often
criticized for being just that. He was perceived by many to be
too much of a player's coach, not willing or able to drop the
hammer on the boys when things went sour. However, blaming EJ
for the Penguins' current struggles is absolutely ridiculous.
This move isn't really a result of anything EJ did or didn't do.
It's more of a last ditch effort to try and spark a talented team
that too often fails to show any determination or emotion.
Perhaps having the GM standing behind them on the bench will
inspire better efforts from some of the less-reliable performers.
Fear is a great motivator.
Pittsburgh has seemingly had three distinctive seasons this year.
The Birds opened up the campaign going 2-9-0, looking
uninterested and sleepy along the way. Fans were calling for
EJ's head, yet Patrick stood behind his buddy and soon made
numerous trades to change the chemistry of the club. The Pens
responded to the arrival of such players as Darius Kasparaitis,
Stu Barnes, Jason Woolley, Fredrik Olausson, and Alex Hicks by
rolling up an amazing 20-2-4 record from November 22 to January
21. Along the way they found a goaltending phenom in the form of
22-year-old rookie Patrick Lalime and forged one of the greatest
lines in recent memory with Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Ron
Francis all skating together. Everything looked all good in the
Burgh.
Then things went nutty. Since January 23, the Pens have gone 5-
11-0, reverting back to the lifeless team that stumbled through
the first few weeks of the season. Exhausted from starting 18 of
19 games and routinely facing 35+ shots a night, Lalime has
cooled off and barely resembles the goaltender that was named the
rookie of the month for December and January. Lemieux, Francis,
and Jagr have all been slowed by injuries the past month and it
looks like Jagr could miss the remaining of the regular season
with a severe groin strain.
And really, injuries are what cost EJ his job. If Lemieux,
Francis, and Jagr were all healthy, they'd still be dominating
with ease and the team would still be winning hockey games. It's
no coincidence that the club started winning after EJ put the
trio together in Hartford on November 22 and started struggling
once Jagr first injured his groin shortly before the All-Star
break.
Obviously the team needs more balanced scoring and just can't
rely on the top line to get the job done every night, but
apparently the correlation between the Penguins' problems and the
health of the big line has gone unnoticed by many in the Burgh.
The Johnston firing has set off a wide-spread panic around the
city, with many questioning whether or not this team can compete
in the playoffs.
Since when did the Penguins become a great team? Why are people
so surprised that the club is having problems now that its three
superstars are banged up? It's always the same story with the
Pens, they'll only go as far as Lemieux, Francis, and Jagr will
take them. They should just weather the storm, rest up the Big
Three, and then take their shot in the postseason. All this
panic is rather silly.
How bad have things gotten? Well, Lemieux was asked by a local
reporter point blank if he thought the team had enough talent to
win a Stanley Cup. Lemieux, the man this team depends on for
leadership and inspiration, responded with a wry smile and a "No
comment." That's trouble when the man questions his
teammates. But really it's the truth. This club doesn't have
the scoring depth to be considered a favorite to win the Cup.
After the Big Three, Petr Nedved is the only legitimate scoring
threat up front.
However, that doesn't mean this club, as currently comprised,
can't win the Cup. After all, last season the Pens made it to
within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals boasting a blue line
with the likes of Sergei Zubov, Dmitri Mironov, and J.J.
Daigneault, not to mention a group of forwards including such
winners as Kevin Miller, Brad Lauer, and Bryan Smolinski. This
year's club is improved at every position and could make another
run as long as the Big Three are healthy. If they aren't, the
Birds are cooked and it doesn't matter who's behind the bench or
on the second and third lines.
Patrick was forced to make so many trades early in the season
that he basically painted himself into a corner. Making another
player transaction now would be a difficult task since there
aren't many guys left to trade and any possible shock value from
such a move would be lessened because of the prior changes. And
with New Jersey and Washington both engineering major deals in
the past week that should put them ahead of Pittsburgh in the
pack of Cup contenders, something had to be done. So switching
coaches was really the only option management had to try and
spark the team and to send the message that the club is serious
about having a successful postseason. It's just too bad Eddie
Johnston had to take the fall. Now it's Patrick's job to try and
see that the switch pays off. LCS wishes him good luck. Because
unless Jagr returns soon, he's gonna need it.
A Tribute to EJ
Before we leave the subject, LCS would like to pay tribute to
Eddie Johnston. Yeah, sure, a lot of people rip on him,
including some in our own LCS family. But EJ is just a swell
guy. It's really hard to believe anyone could hate this man.
Granted, citizens of Hartford were angered when as GM of the
Whale he traded away Ron Francis. But he did get Johnny Cullen,
LCS hero and the idol of millions from eight to eighty, back in
return. Puts things in a different light, doesn't it? That's
what I thought. Anyway, here are three things that LCS will
always remember about EJ and his time as Penguin head coach.
1. EJ vs. the Capitals: Eddie had several memorable
moments last Spring against the Washington Capitals. First, EJ
got so upset with Caps coach Jim Schoenfeld after he felt
Washington sent out its goons late in a game to rough up some
Penguins, he got involved in a shouting match with Schoenfeld and
the two men went nose to nose at the glass divider between
benches. EJ was scrappy like that.
Then a few games later, with the Penguins trying to hold onto a
lead late in regulation, then-Penguin defenseman Sergei Zubov
fired a clearing attempt that sailed into the Pittsburgh bench.
The puck struck EJ right in the melon, opening up a nasty cut
that bled like a chimp. Refusing medical attention, EJ simply
held a towel to his head for the remaining minutes of the game
until the time expired and his team left the ice with the win.
There was EJ all loopy from the blow to the head and clutching a
now crimson towel staggering off the ice to the applause of the
fans. Oh, how quickly they forget.
2. The Wacky Tie: EJ was famous for wearin' this zany
tie every time the Penguins hit a lull. It's tough to explain
exactly how kooky the tie was, but I'll give it a shot. Okay,
the top part was light blue. Nothin' real wacky yet, but it gets
better. The bottom half of the tie was all gold and featured a
design that looked like a harp with the space between the strings
colored in and then a set of airline pilot wings on the top.
Words really can't do it justice. It was some wild, wild stuff.
3. Drag Racing with Herman: LCS will never forget the
time EJ came to the rescue after his son-in-law Herman got a
little in over his head in a drag race. EJ's grandson, Eddie,
told all the kids at school that his pop was the best driver in
the world and entered Herman in a drag race competition. Herman
got all dressed up like Marlon Brando in "The Wild Ones"
and did his best but ended up losing the family car in a bet with
a fellow racer. That's when EJ saved the day, winning back
Herman's car while driving the Dragula, a motorized
coffin on wheels that EJ built in his spare time. Except the
only problem was that EJ's car was so fast that he couldn't stop
it. Herman had to grab on to the backend of it and drag his feet
while the car skidded all over the race track in hopes of slowing
it down. Aw, that was great, that was fun.
Yes, Eddie Johnston's time as the head coach of the Pittsburgh
Penguins is over, but he left behind a memorable legacy. Oh, EJ,
we hardly knew ye...
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Editorial: Patrick Proves Who's Boss
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Chris Foreman
Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager, Craig Patrick, has
succeeded in clearing a previously-cloudy answer to the question,
"Who's the boss?"
Much like Wayne Gretzky's imitation of a GM in Los Angeles,
Penguins captain Mario Lemieux seemed to be the puppeteer in
Pittsburgh, organizing the signing this past off-season of
golfing buddy, Dan Quinn.
Lemieux also complained about the state of the defense
following their ousting at the claws of the Florida Panthers in
the Eastern Conference finals, a catalyst for the Sergei
Zubov-for-Kevin Hatcher swap.
It was, however, his campaigning for Coach Eddie Johnston
which best-demonstrated Lemieux's prominence in Pittsburgh's
acquisitions. Lemieux lobbied hard for Johnston's return
to the club for the 1993-94 season after Scotty Bowman departed
to the "Motor City" to guide the Red Wings.
The Penguins complied, hiring the man who drafted Lemieux
first overall in the National Hockey League's 1984 Entry Draft.
Despite Lemieux's influence, Patrick elucidated any
misunderstanding involving his star center's supposed
orchestration by firing Johnston March 3 (for your information,
the Penguins released Quinn earlier in the season). The move
came on the heels of a 1-8-0 Penguins' mark since Feb. 8, the day
ex-bench jockey Bowman defeated the team in overtime for his
1,000th career coaching victory.
Pittsburgh, in the interim, anyway, is in the hands of
Patrick, who returns to ice level for his second stint coaching
the team. An assistant for the "Miracle on Ice" United States
gold medal-winning Olympic hockey triumph in 1980, Patrick was
behind the bench in 1989-90 as he took over for Gene Ubriaco, who
he fired.
To many, Eddie Johnston resembled Grandpa Munster in
appearance. Converse to the best interest of the team, his
techniques also resembled those of a grandfather's. He appeased
his players, allowing them to do whatever they wished, rather
than impersonating a more disciplinarian portrayal of a father
figure.
Prevailing thought widely accepted that Johnston's "player's
coach" method absolutely could not exist in any other city. He
compiled a 153-98-25 in his second go-around (31-26-5 this
year), but his practices were lenient to the point of
accommodating the players' desires. Severe injuries and
Lemieux's status are exceptions, however, Johnston failed to
challenge his players and prepare them for each game.
It has long been my opinion that the most vital
responsibility of a coach is to motivate the players. Hockey is
not an "x's and "o's" sport. Nor is there an opportunity to
match up a righty versus lefty situation as in baseball, which
statistics and tendencies determine.
The coach's chores involve installing a system, which
Pittsburgh basically lacked, and to inspire and instill
confidence in your team. In the past month, the Penguins looked
just as intimidated as they were uninterested.
Pittsburgh played a wide-open brand, which best-adapted to
the team's offensive strength, but never seemed to follow-through
with Johnston's teachings. Defense is the equivalent of the
plague to Pittsburgh, as they wanted nothing to do with it. When
they had a lead, they played to extend it, rather than to secure
it.
Does that sound like the preachings of a coach? Unlikely.
They refused to listen to Johnston, who faltered to punish his
pupils for their rebelliousness.
The players do deserve fault, but how much of their
shortcomings are related to the reality that Johnston declined to
penalize them when they didn't perform their job? I feel they
should aim substantial blame at the former Hartford GM.
Consider also the team's reluctance to shoot on the power
play despite their coach's constant yelping, much like the fans',
to the tune of "Shoot the puck." Yes, I say tune because
the saying is immortalized in a song.
How does it reflect upon your ability if you're whining
about your team not shooting the puck --- again, and again?
Where is the coach's control over the team? If they aren't
achieving your standards, should that require a change?
Johnston did audition Hatcher in front of the net, thereby
removing his biggest threat from the blue line, but had to scrap
that idea when his six-foot-four defenseman injured his neck. He
briefly tried Dave Roche and Joe Dziedzic, as well as the
recently-obtained Garry Valk, however, never maintained a state
of consistency.
In fact, consistency survived for about as long as a
ding-dong stays on Rush Limbaugh's plate. Johnston tinkered with
lines like coherence was going out of style. Lemieux's wings
were a revolving door until he combined him with his two other
top players, Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr.
The move stimulated Lemieux's resurgence, but left the rest
of the roster is disarray. Second-line center Petr Nedved, who
may be a more efficient left wing, struggled at times, flanked by
wingers ranging from Andreas Johansson to Greg Johnson to Joe
Mullen to Tomas Sandstrom to Alek Stojanov. Name a Penguin and
it's almost a certainty that he spent a few games on a unit with
Nedved.
Such constant movement may have damaged Sandstrom, as well.
Sandstrom clicked with Lemieux over the past few years, but
wasn't given a chance to rekindle their stable on-ice
relationship. Pittsburgh dealt him to Detroit for Greg Johnson
in January.
Johnston also managed to ruin a good thing in rookie
goaltender Patrick Lalime. After Ken Wregget sustained a pulled
left hamstring, Lalime stepped in and lit the league on fire,
started 18 of the subsequent 19 games. Keep in mind that Lalime
is a 22-year-old, first-year netminder, playing behind a porous
defense and an offensive-minded team. Lalime's mechanics have
broken down since his 14-0-2 start, and he's lost faith in
himself, appearing both physically and mentally drained.
It all adds up to Johnston's stature as the most-overpaid
babysitter ever. He fell asleep at the controls and couldn't
steer the bandwagon back on track.
Patrick, who of late was expected to drop the bomb on a
trade, put his foot down and could be the stabilizing presence
they need. For nearly two weeks, Patrick's dual role figures to
strike fear into players' hearts.
They now recognize the urgency of the situation, and realize
that underachieving could lead to a trade. I generally dislike
the double duty of a coach/GM, however, it should work to the
Penguins' favor.
Patrick has everyone's attention now, a sentiment which
should scare the hockey world.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Brent Peterson Knows John Cullen
--------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan
Something the average hockey fan notices pretty quickly is
the age of the players, especially those just turning pro. Most
players are drafted in the 17-to-19 age group and start their pro
careers shortly thereafter. But what happens to the players who
develop later in their careers?
When Lightning prospect Brent Peterson was of draft age, he
had only just begun to play hockey on a serious basis and he
wasn't of professional quality. "I was kind of a late bloomer,
and I wasn't really sure where my hockey career would take me so
I wanted to get an education," says Peterson, now 24. "That was
more important to me at the time than playing hockey. I didn't
want to be 24 and have no education to fall back on so that was
my main reason for going to college."
Peterson, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, chose Michigan
Tech largely for academic reasons, although the hockey aspects
were also appealing. "I liked the coach there, the people there,
and just the small town atmosphere," he says. "And I was going
to get a lot of playing time there."
As it turned out, going to college gained Peterson the
education he wanted (a business administration major, he's
interested in a future career in the financial field), and also
gave him the opportunity to demonstrate he was a very good hockey
player. He earned the captaincy of the Michigan Tech Huskies and
led the team in goals his junior and senior years, tallying 20
goals or more for three straight seasons, totalling 80 goals for
his college career. He also caught a lot of attention from
scouts who never noticed him earlier and he was drafted by the
Lightning in the 1993 supplemental draft.
Peterson has split the season between Tampa and
Adirondack, otherwise he'd likely be Adirondack's top scorer. As
it is, Peterson has scored 31 points, including 15 goals, with
Adirondack so far this season and at 6'3" he adds a lot of size
to the team as well. Adirondack added a second affiliation with
Tampa this year and Peterson has been one of the beneficiaries,
as he played his first professional season in the IHL with
the Atlanta Knights but much prefers the AHL.
"[The IHL] wasn't so much of a developmental league, players
were a lot older and maybe finishing up their career there," says
Peterson. "Here the players are coming into the league and being
groomed for the NHL. It's such a great league to get experience
and get some ice time in and learn, I think it's a great league
for developing players."
That the arrangement in Adirondack is new to everyone didn't
help the team at the beginning of the season, but Peterson
believes the team has worked out any kinks they may have had to
start the year. "I think it's going pretty well, everyone seems
to be getting a lot of ice time and there doesn't really seem to
be any problems between the two teams," he says. "I think
everyone's fairly happy with the way it's going...we're playing a
lot better than we did at the first half of the year. It was an
adjustment for sure, meet half the team and expect to play
well."
Peterson was first recalled to the Lightning early in
November and remained there some six weeks, scoring his first two
goals including his first NHL goal in Detroit, ironically enough.
"It was a big thrill for me and hopefully I'll get a chance to
score some more," he says of that game. His opportunity for more
goals came sooner than expected, as two days after our interview
he was recalled again and he remains with the Lightning as of
this writing.
Of course, since Peterson has played a stint with the
Lightning and is there now, this means he's been (and is) a
teammate of LCS hero to millions, John Cullen. What does he have
to say about our favorite player? That is, after he laughs at the
question?
"He's funny, he's a lot of fun on the ice and he keeps
everything loose," says Peterson. "He's a great player, very
feisty. He's a skilled player and a guy you always want to have
on your team."
Peterson believes fun is the most important aspect of
hockey. "It is just a game, if you don't enjoy the game there's
no point in playing it," he says, "But if you have fun and you
work hard then everything else just seems to fall into place."
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The Islanders' Best Lachance So Far
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Dave Feete, Old Grouch
Kiddies, I'm a-gonna share with you a tale of mine that I
remember from my youth. See, around about '90 or '91 there was
this young whipper-snapper defenseman comin' out of Boston U, who
eeeeverybody was so dang excited about. Why, at the time, people
were talkin' the kid up like he was gonna be the new Coffey, or
Leetch, like they do to every dang young hotshot who hasn't seen
a durn second of NHL ice time. As I recall, the kid went by the
name of Lachance.
Well, golly, my memory ain't what it used to be, but I seem to
recall that he was drafted fourth overall by the Islanders way
back in '91. Yep. And then went off to serve his country in the
W-W-2, a-fightin' the Germans tooth n' nail in Nicaragua. Saved
his entire battalion from the VC. Came back and won the Medal of
Honor, even got so loopy as to show LBJ his butt. Well, either he
did that or joined the US Olympic Hockey Team, I cain't recall.
Yup. Every gol-durn Islander fan was watchin' them games with a
plentiful amount of drool a-comin' out of the corners of their
mouths, a-hopin' and a-prayin' that they were looking at the next
Denis Potvin. Well, with no goals and one paltry assist in eight
games, not too many Isles fans were a-hootin' and a-hollerin'
about them numbers, I can tell you.
"There's always added pressure once you get picked in the draft,"
I can hear him say, as if it were yesterday.
Anyway, after a-servin' his country in some fashion or another,
the kid returned for the end of the long-since-lost Islander
season, playin' in their last 16 games. Played durn admirable
too... Went +13 for a purdy bad team in that short time. Not too
bad for a young greenhorn just a-barely cuttin' his baby teeth.
Which made the Islander organization just gleam full a' pride.
Had such faith in the kid that they let rock-steady Joe Reekie
slip away to Tampa Bay fer nuthin' in the expansion draft just to
hang on to him. Which was about as much faith as the Islanders
showed in anything or anybody back in those days.
But, as sometimes happens, life warn't so jim-dandy after that.
The next year, and the next few in fact, Scotty just couldn't
keep up. Seemed like the flashes of brilliance he showed every
blue moon were buried in a big pile-a games where ya couldn't
tell if he was thar a-tall. Seemed like he was lost in the years
he shoulda been risin' up and makin' a name for himself. Lotsa
fickly, nutty Islander fans were callin' him "a bust." Optimists
like me were gettin' head pains hearing comparisons to Wayne
McBean, a d-man who was taken reeeal high in the '88 draft, and
was (at the time) a-strugglin' to keep his spot in the Isles'
roster.
It's funny, I ask him about it now, and he just ain't bitter
a-tall, don't blame the fans, media, nobody in the organization
for puttin' pressure on him.
"They gave me my fair shot," Lachance reckons. "They took the
pressure off."
Gives a ton a-praise to his Hall-of-Fame former coach to boot:
"Al [Arbour] was great for my confidence early on, you know. He
didn't expect too much from me until I did grow into a better
player," he remembers fondly.
Well, after figgerin' that he wasn't gonna be Brian Leetch,
Lachance picked himself up by his bootstraps and settled on a
style of play that has suited him mighty well.
"You have to make adjustments as you get older," he confided.
"And as the competition gets better. It's something you have to
adapt to, and it has to do with adapting to who you play with as
well."
Who you're playin' with? I figgered for sure he was talkin' about
the latest young hotshot Islander, Bryan Berard. Come to think of
it, them two are paired up a lot.
"Yeah, well, [Berard has] changed my style 'cause it's made me
probably play more defensively, play more of like, in a role of
maybe Kevin Lowe, which is a great... sure, steady defensively.
That's why I think I've molded him, I have to try to play a
little bit more for him."
"I guess, I'm steady, you know?" he said, when I asked him to
ponder his new-found consistency. "I take care of my zone before
I would go up in the offense, right? I'd say, I haven't gotten
the points this year, but I'm steady. I like to call myself a
two-way player, but obviously I'm a little better defensively
than I have been offensively."
He's made such strides that this season he dressed with the
Eastern Conference All-Star Team. A lotta you young fellers might
not appreciate how long and hard Scotty's road has been, so I
hadda come an' fill y'all in. Oh, sure, I heard it all, about him
being an injury replacement for Zig-Zag Ziggy Palffy. But he
played the game well, and weren't in over his head a-tall.
"It was definitely an experience," he told me. "I was obviously
surprised, but it was an amazing feeling, walking in the room the
first day on Friday. For practice and pictures, when you look
around the room and you see the jerseys hanging up, players
you've grown up watching."
"I played with Paul Coffey, for a lot of shifts, and I grew up
watching him in Edmonton," he said, laughin'. "I'm sure maybe he
doesn't want to hear that!"
A tear comes to my eye seein' how much more comfortable he is in
the locker room, so much more mature.
"So that was an honor, and of course, I played with Scott
Stevens, it was ... It really didn't matter to me who I played
with, just as long as I was out there playing."
Nice to see an all-star without the high-falutin' attitude that
ordinarilly goes with it like bread does with butter.
"I always liked the Flyers," he remembered, gettin' talkative all
a-th' sudden. "So I try to emulate a guy like Mark Howe, who was
great defensively and did a good job offensively as well. So of
course a guy like that. And of course Ray Bourque who, well there
weren't many defensemen who didn't try to emulate him."
Nice to see a man finally at peace with himself, just a-startin'
to make his name known, not a-carin' about fame, nor personal
glory, nor the lights, action and loose women of the big city
accross the way.
"I'm just having fun at just about everything I do," he says,
with a look of true serenity. "I mean, first it started with the
draft, being drafted that high was a tremendous feeling, and it
was great to have my parents there with me. Then getting to the
[1993] Stanley Cup Semi-Finals was a great experience. Then the
All-Star game, it's one of those things where I'm just having
fun."
---------------------------------------------------------------
Greats of the Game: Marcel Dionne
---------------------------------------------------------------
by Chris Foreman
Rarely does a superstar slip through the cracks of prestige
and recognition as inconspicuously as Marcel Dionne.
Despite a resume which reflects his standing as third
all-time in goals (731), assists (1040), and points (1771), the
spotlight seemed to shun the steady centerman over his 18
National Hockey League seasons. Depreciated throughout his
proficient career, Dionne was a member of only four season-ending
All-Star squads (two first-team and two second-team selections).
However, as fans dispute who the greatest players were,
Dionne's name infrequently comes up in discussions, in spite of
the brilliance he displayed from 1971-72 to 1988-89.
Part of the blame for the oversight, whether intentional or
unintentional, may be tied in with the lack of jewelry on his
fingers. Mired on more than a few inept teams, Dionne attended
the Lord Stanley's playoff bash only nine times, playing in just
49 games. Regardless, the smooth playmaker maintained a
respectable status, recording 45 post-season points (21 goals and
24 assists).
Born Aug. 3, 1951 in Drummondville, Quebec, his hockey
prowess was evident as early as in Junior hockey with St.
Catharines in the Ottawa Hockey Association. In three seasons,
Dionne dominated play, racking up 507 points (including the
playoffs).
That superiority encouraged the Detroit Red Wings to tab the
five-foot-eight, 190-pounder as the second-overall choice in the
1971 NHL Amateur Draft, behind the Montreal Canadiens' Guy
Lafleur. The right-handed shooter compiled four stellar seasons
in Motown, topping the 40-goal mark twice (1972-73; 1974-75) and
the 100-point plateau once (1974-75). In his first campaign he
broke Gilbert Perrault's rookie point record (77 points), but the
Calder Trophy eluded him for Montreal's goaltending sensation Ken
Dryden. Dionne did, however, bring home honors as the Lady Byng
Trophy winner, as the league's most gentlemanly player.
In the summer of 1975, Dionne moved on to Hollywood where he
would light the lamp 40 times in his initial season and appear in
his first playoff series. He spent nearly 12-full years in Los
Angeles, reaching 50 goals six times and 100 points on seven
occasions.
Dionne finally encountered some fame with the Kings
centering the "Triple Crown Line," flanked by left wing Charlie
Simmer and right wing Dave Taylor. He collected his lone Art
Ross Trophy in 1979-80, a distinction he received for his
league-leading 137-point performance.
A mid-season trade in 1986-87 shifted Dionne's magnificent
career to Broadway, where he would eventually conclude his career
with the "Blue Shirts." Dionne was solid in New York,
managing to crack the 30-goal class one final time in 1987-88 as
well as a second Lady Byng Trophy. His farewell tour a year
later featured a 37-year-old Dionne struggling to compete in a
game he once mastered. He played in just 37 contests, scoring 23
points, and actually spent a nine-game stint skating through the
motions for Denver of the International Hockey League (no
goals and 13 assists).
Laurels largely failed to decorate Marcel Dionne's mantle,
despite an illustrious career. His legend, however, is cemented
into NHL history in the record books, and in the Hockey Hall
of Fame in Toronto through his induction in 1992.
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FLORIDA PANTHERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Doug MacLean
Roster: C - Brian Skrudland, Rob Niedermayer, Martin Straka,
Chris Wells. LW - Johan Garpenlov, Dave Lowry, Bill Lindsay,
Mike Hough, Radek Dvorak, David Nemirovsky. RW - Scott Mellanby,
Ray Sheppard, Jody Hull, Tom Fitzgerald. D - Robert Svehla, Gord
Murphy, Ed Jovanovski, Paul Laus, Terry Carkner, Rhett Warrener,
Per Gustafsson, Geoff Smith. G - John Vanbiesbrouck, Mark
Fitzpatrick.
Injuries: Tom Fitzgerald, rw (achy all over, day-to-day); Geoff
Smith, d (shoulder, two weeks); Johan Garpenlov, lw (MCL, eight
weeks).
Transactions: Returned Craig Ferguson, c/lw, to Carolina (AHL).
Recalled Craig Fisher, c, from Carolina (AHL). Returned Jason
Podollan, rw , to Carolina (AHL).
Game Results:
2/18 at Pittsburgh L 4-2
2/20 at New Jersey T 2-2
2/22 Philadelphia L 4-3 OT
2/25 San Jose T 2-2
2/27 Saint Louis W 3-2 OT
3/01 at Tampa Bay L 2-0
TEAM NEWS by Eric Seiden
"It's a hockey night in South Florida, and here come your
Panthers," screamed the announcer. But it wasn't with enthusiasm
because there was little to be enthusiastic about as the injury-
ridden Panthers failed to impress anyone living or dead.
The Penguins game marked two former teammates return against the
Panthers. Mario Lemieux scored his 28th career goal against John
Vanbiesbrouck, his highest total against any goalie. As a power
play ran down, Lemieux one-timed former Panther defenceman Jason
Woolley's pass from the bottom of the left circle and beat
Vanbiesbrouck who was cradling the net post.
When New Jersey came to town, it was the quietest warm up in team
history with perhaps not even 1,000 fans. The parking lots were
deserted, and the stands were a ghost town thanks to a flaming
paint truck which overturned and closed I-95 for hours snarling
traffic in a massive rush-hour parking lot that stretched almost
30 miles. By opening faceoff, not 4,000 fans had made it in. But
it was full to the rafters by the second period when people
finally made it there close to 8pm. Several players were not
dressed because they were unable to make it to the arena in time
for the game.
The game was a depressing, boring match up characterized by
marginal, spotty play. The ref called nothing for most of the
game, at least being consistent. Frankly, it's one of the few
hockey games I've been bored stiff at.
The Panthers recalled center Craig Fisher from the Carolina
Monarchs of the American Hockey League in an attempt to bolster
their forward position which has been lackluster for weeks.
Fisher was acquired by the Panthers from the Islanders for one
dollar because they no longer wanted to pay his contract.
The knee disease continues to plague the Panthers as Johan
Garpenlov leaves for another two-month stint of recovery putting
his return well into the playoffs. An MRI revealed a Grade 3
sprain of the right medial collateral ligament.
"It's another blatant knee injury. It's the same blatant
knee-on-knee and it's getting harder to stomach," said Panthers
coach Doug MacLean following the incident, for which Philadelphia
Flyers defenceman Michel Petit was suspended two games.
The Flyers game was a pretty damned good game all in all despite
the fact the Panthers lost in overtime. Almost playoff hockey one
thinks to oneself. Yes, it certainly was except for some ugly
moments.
The return of Ed Jovanovski was a mixed blessing. He scored a
couple of goals, but his incessant puck turnovers led to a few
for the Flyers. In the same game, the return of team captain
Brian Skrudland was inconsequential. He had the flu and obviously
his heart wasn't in to it.
Tommy Fitzgerald missed most of the rest of the game because he
couldn't skate too well. While he started, he was gone soon in to
the game and did not return. And, like all Flyer versus Panther
games, there were many, many ugly fights.
St. Louis provided a brief winning moment in a string of
disappointing games consisting of hard losses and ties -- many of
them deserved. The game winner was scored by Rob Niedermayer. The
game was characterized by the return after six weeks of greatly
missed Ray Sheppard. The same day he appeared on the cover of
"The Hockey News" under a caption about players respecting each
other.
Craig Fisher got to start in his first NHL game (in fact it was
only the fifth one he had played). He looks good and he busts his
ass for his team, but he has to learn to make plays happen.
Captain Nemo (as David Nemorivosky is being called) looks nice
too.
During the San Jose game, Bernie Nicholls of the Sharks drew a
very rare Match Penalty for a blatant attempt to injure during
the overtime period. He received a two-game suspension for
deliberately injuring Florida Panthers defenceman Ed Jovanovski
in a game Tuesday. Nicholls, who will not be paid for those two
games, also was fined the maximum $1,000. Once again this
proves the fines are a joke.
"Nicholls' crosscheck against Mr. Jovanovski was reckless and
dangerous," NHL senior vice president Brian Burke said of the
blow to the head. "It was clear his actions were not defensive in
nature."
"It wasn't my intention to cross-check in the head. I was trying
to get him off Tony Granato. I hit him as he was getting up."
Nicholls said shortly after the game.
The next morning the headline in the Miami Herald read "Panthers
Sink to Sharks' Level" and boy did they ever; sometimes a
performance just stinks. The next day on television Scott
Mellanby indicated he thinks that the Panthers are trying TOO
hard. Fans are not in agreement -- from a fan perspective, it's a
sad day in Pantherland.
For this game, Mark Fitzpatrick was in goal and looked horrid the
first period. He seemed a little out of step. Nobody would have
been surprised if the score was 3-0 the first period in San
Jose's favor. Finally, Fitzy seemed to snap out of it. The
listless Panthers, save for the end of the third period, put very
little heart into this game. I am ashamed to say they sucked it
up and have nobody to blame but themselves.
Ed Jovanovski continues his reign of stupidity and made some
horrendous errors out on the ice (namely in the form of stupid,
moronic turnovers). Scott Mellanby was uncharacteristicly
sluggish. Although he isn't a fan favorite, I'd rather have Chris
Wells on the ice ANY day because at least he isn't stupid. Eddie
is being stupid, and it angers me because he's not stupid. He's
got hockey sense but refuses to use it: turnovers in the zone,
loose play when he should be tight, and draws D-U-M B penalties.
Which brings up Tampa. (I actually took the five-hour drive and
went to this game.) First and foremost Mark Fitzpatrick in goal
was fantastic. We lost because the Panthers failed to try very
hard. A half-hearted effort seldom produces a win.
Overconfidence? Not likely. The way the Panthers are playing
that's a laughable idea.
In the third period the Panthers finally tried to play NHL
calibre hockey, but it was too late. Rob Niedermayer played with
his stick, but didn't shoot OR pass. He just danced. It was a
nice show of stickhandling but no attempt to score.
Jovanovski kept turning the puck over in the neutral and
offensive zones, but in the defensive zone he made some very nice
plays. Billy Lindsay made a STUNNINGLY beautiful check and got
called (questionably) for charging. Robert Svehla drew not one
but TWO stupid penalties. Kerry Fraser sunk to new lows in
officiating by totally ignoring one team's offences.
I've been to quite a few stadiums. Tampa doesn't allow fans down
to watch pre-skate down by the glass which is the most asinine
thing I've ever heard in my life. They were rather rude about it
too. They threatened to have Panther fans *ARRESTED* if they
didn't leave and return to their seats.
For a new arena, the Ice Palace sucked. Sterile, spartan and
utilitarian, but not 'nice'. The United Center, Madison Square
Garden, and the current Miami Arena are all nicer. And more
distressing, the Ice Palace has no urinals in the mens room. I
don't understand this. I really don't. You have to wait for
a stall. The ignobility of it all.
RANDOM ITEM NOTES:
Tom Fitzgerald had a son on the 25th of February; his name is
Casey James Fitzgerald and was born at 8:30 pm. Congratulations
to the parents.
When a Pittsburgh reporter said every time he sees a goal from
Martin Straka it looks like something from a highlight film,
MacLean quipped, "It's tough to fill a reel." Straka has six
goals this year. (Relayed by reporter David J. Neal)
PLAYOFF TICKET INFORMATION:
1. No extra tickets are allowed. One per seat only.
2. There may be NO tickets available to games unless you're a
season ticket holder. Unless there are a lot of people who don't
order playoff tickets, there may not be individual game tickets
available.
3. Face value is at a noticeable premium over regular prices.
FAMILY LEARN TO SKATE CLINIC:
Learn to skate 3/23 at 3pm with Vanbiesbrouck, Skrudland, and
MacLean. You have to spend $25 at Winn Dixie Supermarket and take
the coupon to TicketMaster which entitles you to buy four seats
at the clinic. Your own skates are required. Call 954-768-1900
for details.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jacques Lemaire
Roster: C - Doug Gilmour, Bob Carpenter, Bobby Holik, Denis
Pederson, Peter Zezel. LW - Dave Andreychuk, Steve Thomas, Valeri
Zelepukin, Brian Rolston, Jay Pandolfo, Patrik Elias. RW - Bill
Guerin, John MacLean, Randy McKay, Reid Simpson. D - Scott
Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Lyle Odelein, Shawn
Chambers, Dave Ellett, Kevin Dean. G - Martin Brodeur, Mike
Dunham.
Injuries: None.
Transactions: Traded Steve Sullivan, c, Jason Smith, d, Alyn
McCauley (OHL), c, and a conditional draft pick to Toronto for
Doug Gilmour, c, and Dave Ellett, d.
Game Results:
2/17 at Rangers T 2-2
2/19 Rangers T 1-1
2/20 at Florida T 2-2
2/22 at Tamapa Bay L 3-1
2/26 at Islanders W 5-3
2/27 Buffalo W 4-1
3/01 Pittsburgh W 6-3
TEAM NEWS by David Ibrahim
While predictions of the arrival of the Messiah in the year 2000
abound, Devils fans worldwide claim he has come a little early.
And he's not some tall guy with a beard and a crown of thorns,
but a 170-pound Canadian with five o'clock shadow and a crown
courtesy of CCM.
Yes, the trade rumours proved true, and Doug Gilmour (along with
Dave Ellett) has come to New Jersey. While the Devils give up
some youth and untapped talent in this trade, New Jersey gets
something it has never had before: a top playmaking center who's
still at or near the top of his game.
The detractors cry: What about Neal Broten, Peter Stastny, Bernie
Nicholls and Kirk Muller, when he was still a team player and not
the crybaby he's been since his days with the Islanders? Broten
and Stastny were both terrific centers, but played for the Devils
well past their prime years. Muller had some great years with NJ,
with 87-88 being his best when he scored 37 goals and 94 points.
Unfortunately for the Devils he peaked with the Canadiens.
Nicholls is the same story: not quite as talented and he also was
never too thrilled to play for the Devils.
What prompted the Devils to make a trade was actually a 13-game
unbeaten streak. While most would say a GM would be foolish to
break team chemistry in the midst of a hot streak, the streak
contained a glaring, disturbing fact: six of those games were
ties, games where the Devils had chances to win but couldn't
capitalize. In the first game of a home-and-home vs. the
struggling Rangers, the Devils lost a 2-1 lead in the third
period and couldn't get much going after that. Two nights later
in a 1-1 tie, the Devils had opportunities galore late in the
third and in OT, including a 4-on-1 with 10 seconds left in the
game. Like the rest of the season and the season before, lack of
scoring was really starting to hurt them in the standings. After
an exhausted Devils team came back for a 2-2 tie in Florida the
next night, the Devils were out of gas and almost out of goals in
a 3-1 loss to the Lightning. A 13-game unbeaten streak suddenly
was a four-game winless streak. Something had to be done.
Gilmour's arrival paid immediate dividends: he dominated play in
his first game with the Devils, scoring a power-play goal and
notching three assists in an offensively charged game against the
Islanders. Ellett was no slouch either, picking up two assists on
a couple of nice plays. The next night against the Sabres, the
game was tighter until the Devils broke it open with two early
goals in the third by Ellett and Guerin. Gilmour finished it off
with an empty-netter. Saturday's game was one unprecedented in
Devils regular season history: a game where the Devils
consistantly pressured the other team's defense with solid and
creative offensive play. Although they slipped and allowed three
quick goals by the Penguins, NJ buckled down and suffocated the
Pittsburgh offense.
Not only has Gilmour improved play with those on his wings, but
the whole team has picked it up offensively. Scott Niedermayer,
whose offense has barely been noticable this season, has been
making some fantastic passes since Gilmour's arrival. Thomas and
Guerin both seem to be waking up, each with two goals since
Gilmour has come to town. Most noticeably, the Devils have scored
15 goals in three games in a season where the offense has been
near the bottom of the league. While the Devils won't average
that high the rest of the season, the offense has taken a
remarkable step forward in those three games. Lemaire
recognizes Gilmour's talent, and is letting him do things his way
and play somewhat outside the Devils' system. While he might be
worried that the Devils have had their lapses in two of the games
(they blew a three-goal lead against the Isles), Lemaire and the
players know that they just might not be used to being ahead by
so many and might relax just a bit too much.
Lemaire doesn't seem to be worried, though. When asked if he
would give up an average of one more goal a game to score two
more, Lemaire responded: "I'll give you one for the next game,
and I'll take two. I'll even give you two, if we get three."
Off the Boards:
John Maclean and his wife had their first child last week, and
MacLean has responded with three goals in two games, one of them
on a penalty shot against Dominik Hasek.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Rick Bowness
Roster: C - Travis Green, Bryan Smolinski, Derek Armstrong,
Claude Lapointe. LW - Derek King, Marty McInnis, Niclas
Andersson, Brent Hughes, Paul Kruse. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Dan
Plante, Randy Wood, Steve Webb, Todd Bertuzzi. D - Scott
Lachance, Dennis Vaske, Richard Pilon, Bryan McCabe, Kenny
Jonsson, Bryan Berard, Doug Houda, Jason Holland. G - Eric
Fichaud, Tommy Salo.
Injuries: Dennis Vaske, d (recovering from concussion, has
resumed skating and may return this month).
Transactions: None.
Game Results
2/21 at Buffalo L 2-5
2/23 Pittsburgh W 4-1
2/26 New Jersey L 3-5
2/28 at Ottawa L 1-4
3/02 at Washington W 2-0
TEAM NEWS by David Strauss
Just last week, Islanders general manager Mike Milbury looked at
his handy-dandy Zippy the Chimp pocket schedule and saw the
Islanders had a stretch of five games in nine nights. He did
some calculating in his brain, checked it on his official Zippy
the Chimp pocket calculator, and determined that that stretch
would "determine whether we stay in the playoff hunt."
So, now that the five games are over, one wonders what Milbury
has decided. The Islanders went 2-3-0 in those games, and stand
exactly where they were, five points behind the final playoff
spot in the Eastern Conference. There were certainly some missed
opportunities, though.
For instance, last Friday, the Whalers and Canadiens, who are
tied for seventh, both lost, but the Islanders again failed to
capitalize on their good fortune. Their loss that night to the
Senators left the Islanders last in the Conference. "We can't
even look at those teams any more," veteran defenseman Scott
Lachance said, talking about the four teams standing between the
Islanders and a playoff berth. "If we don't win, it's a moot
point."
The loss to Ottawa in the midst of what was supposed to be a
playoff run, a test of the team's character, was almost
inexcusable, especially considering how bad a loss it was. Todd
Bertuzzi took a moronic penalty, then yelled at referee Rob
Shick, earning a double-minor - and handing Ottawa a four-minute
power play which they scored on. Bryan Smolinski continued to
struggle. Tommy Salo allowed two goals to Alexei Yashin from
behind the goal line. The Islanders managed one goal against
Ron Tugnutt, who had allowed seven in his previous 15 minutes
against the Avalanche and Flyers - and who was 2-9-0 with a 4.67
career goals-against average against the Islanders.
If the team had managed to do better in that five-game span, it's
possible that Milbury would have traded for veteran leadership.
Instead, it looks as though he might be trading away some of his
vets for more youngsters, and unofficially start the drive for
Joe Thornton. Smolinski might be on the block again, and also
Derek King, who will be an UFA at the end of the season.
There's also been discussion that Milbury would seriously
consider a good offer for struggling Todd Bertuzzi.
Milbury will spend this week scouting several Canadian Hockey
League games in search of prospects for the June draft. The
Islanders have two first-round picks - their own and the
selection of the Maple Leafs - and the two teams are now 24th and
26th in the 26-team league.
Though Milbury declined comment on his plans for the Islanders,
he did say he had seen a tape of the performance against the
Senators. He told reporters he had asked himself, "Where was the
passion?"' When asked how he explained that lack of passion in
the playoff race, he answered "I don't know," and walked away,
shaking his head.
Notes:
Continued reports from the media in both countries seem to make
it appear that the hiring of Denis Potvin by the Isles is almost
a done deal. Don't believe it. Potvin was reportedly offered
the job as Team President, a business-only position, but Potvin
wanted the GM's role as well, and refuses to work with Milbury.
New owner John Spano is standing behind his GM, and so it appears
almost certain Potvin will stay in Florida behind the mike.
Tommy Salo's 2-0 shutout over the Caps Sunday was his third over
Washington this season, making him the first Isles goalie ever to
whitewash the same team three times in one season. The Caps have
only scored one goal against the Isles all season.
The other Swedish Tommy, Soderstrom, was reassigned to Rochester
of the AHL after refusing to let the Isles buy out the last year
of his contract. He'll likely never again play in the NHL,
although there's a YMCA team in Montana who might sign him.
Here is a listing of the Islanders free agents after this season:
RESTRICTED: Shawn Anderson (II); Niklas Andersson (II);
Dave Archibald (II); Derek Armstrong (II); Denis Cheruyakov
(II,VI); James Dowd (II); Corey Foster (II,VI); Travis Green
(II); Doug Houda (II,V); Brent Hughes (II,V); Kenny Jonsson (II);
Yan Kaminsky (II,VI); Derek King (II,V); Scott Lachance (II);
Claude Lapointe (II); Mike MacWiliam (II,VI); Marty McInnis (II);
Dave McLlwain (II); Tommy Salo (II); Bryan Smolinski (II); Chris
Taylor (II,VI); Nick Vachon (II).
UNRESTRICTED: Michael Donnelly (III); David Sacco (VI);
Andrey Vasiliyev (VI); Randy Wood (III).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK RANGERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Colin Campbell
Rosters: C - Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Sergei Nemchinov,
Chris Ferraro, Mike Eastwood. LW - Adam Graves, Luc Robitaille,
Darren Langdon, Bill Berg, Sylvain Blouin. RW - Niklas
Sundstrom, Brian Noonan, Pat Flatley, Shane Churla, David Oliver,
Alexei Kovalev. D - Brian Leetch, Ulf Samuelsson, Jeff
Beukeboom, Bruce Driver, Doug Lidster, Alexander Karpovstev, Eric
Cairns. G - Mike Richter, Glenn Healy.
Injuries: Alexei Kovalev, rw (torn anterior crucuiate ligament,
out for the season).
Transactions: Picked up David Oliver, rw, off waivers from
Edmonton. Returned Vladimir Vorobiev, rw, and Jeff Nielsen, lw,
to Binghamton(AHL). Recalled Chris Ferraro, c, from
Binghamton(AHL).
Game Results
2/19 at New Jersey T 1-1
2/21 at Hartford L 7-2
2/23 at Philadelphia L 2-1
3/01 at Detroit L 3-0
3/03 San Jose W 5-4 OT
TEAM NEWS by Alex Frias
Reliance on the superstars has been a problem all season, and
when they falter no one has taken charge. Leetch and Richter
have been sensational and have won several games by themselves,
but now Leetch is pushing to create offense and that hurts the
team defensively. Gretzky continues to set up his linemates, but
with that infamous goalless streak, can't really be counted on
lighting the lamp. Messier leads the team in goals, but at 36,
he is suffering from his annual back pain.
Luc Robitaille is shuttling from the top lines to the third line,
and it's become quite obvious there are no other natural goal-
scorers on this team.
And while Eastern Conference rivals New Jersey and Washington
continue to make themselves better, GM Neil Smith has gone out
and acquired the ever-dangerous David Oliver. Now that I think
about it, the Rangers are fortunate only to be one point out of
fifth place and four points out of fourth place in the Eastern
Conference.
Should He Stay or Should He Go Now?!?: Frank Brown is his
name, and on Friday, February 28, he put the hockey world on its
head. Brown, a columnist for the New York Daily News suggested
that Neil Smith trade Mark Messier. Yeah, you heard me. Trade
Messier and "get something for him before his walkaway free
agency arrives."
Two facts are clear:
One, he was brought to New York to help the Rangers win the
Stanley Cup, which he did. He was brought to the Big Apple to
teach the organization how to win, how to carry themselves as
champions, and he's done that in spectacular fashion. Now Mike
Richter, Adam Graves and Brian Leetch will teach those same
lessons to the next generation of Rangers.
Two, Messier is the heart-and-soul of a team two victories above
.500 that doesn't look like a Stanley Cup contender with or
without him.
And that is exactly why Brown believes the Rangers should trade
"the Messiah". Brown goes on to state how if the Rangers do keep
him through the end of the season, there is his pending
unrestricted free agency to deal with. Brown believes that $6 or
$7 million is far better spent on two to four younger players,
who can better support Leetch and Richter. Brown goes on to
state possible destinations for Messier, among which included
Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix.
I have to agree with Brown on a few of his points. If Messier
does go on to sign with another team over the summer, Smith is
going to be made out the fool for not trading Messier while he
had the chance. However, I really believe the Rangers will fall
apart without Messier. And though he is the 36-year-old
heart-and-soul of the team two games above .500, Messier is the
Ultimate Ranger and should end his career as a Ranger. Too often
in sports do we forget that these players aren't robots, but
they're human beings. Messier has done so much for this franchise
that the least they can do is show him the same loyalty that he
has shown them.
So please Neil, even if you have the chance, don't trade Mark
Messier.
Transaction Wire: The Rangers claimed winger David Oliver
off waivers from Edmonton. The 5-11, 185-pounder is a
right-handed shot who has a history of power-play success and
playing a scrappy style. The 25-year-old Oliver, who had career
highs in goals (20) and points (39) last year including 14
power-play goals, had just a goal and three points in very
limited playing time this season. With his arrival, Vladmir
Vorobiev's bus trip from Binghamton become a round trip as he
along with Jeff Nielsen were sent back to the minors.
With Rick Tocchet no longer on the trade block, the Rangers have
allegedly shown interest in wingers Kirk Muller and Brad May of
Toronto and Buffalo, respectively.
Game Recaps
Feb. 19, tied New Jersey 1-1: Following up Monday
afternoon's hard-battling effort with another, the Rangers earned
a second straight tie with the Devils, 1-1, in a crackling affair
at the Meadowlands. Mike Richter was all that and a big bag of
chips, with the dip. He was beaten only by a Steve Thomas slap
shot 12:44 into the game as he shut the door the rest of the
game, including a breakaway by John MacLean and a mind-boggling
four-on-one for the Devils in the final 1:45 of OT.
Feb. 21, lost to Hartford 7-2: The final score tells you
the story. The Rangers were just outplayed and the only bright
spot was the fact that Gretzky finally broke his 21-game scoring
drought. 'Nuff said.
Feb. 23, lost to Philadelphia 2-1: Garth Snow needed to
make just 14 saves as the Rangers, who played without Messier,
lost 2-1. The Flyers just dominated the smaller, under-manned
Rangers. Their forwards dominated down low and the defensemen
pushed it right up and made quick transitions.
Mar. 1, lost to Detroit 3-0: Once again the under-manned
Blueshirts were outhustled, outplayed and out-anything-else you
can think of. With Messier and Nemchinov both sitting this one
out, the Rangers looked more and more like a team that just
doesn't belong in the same paragraph as the Stanley Cup as
they're total lack of offensive depth became very apparent.
Mar. 3, beat San Jose 5-4 in OT: Niklas Sundstrom scored
84 seconds into overtime as the Rangers blew a two-goal lead
before coming back in OT to win it. Ulfie Samuelsson had two
goals. It was the first two-goal game for Samuelsson since his
days with the high-flyin' Penguins back in October '92. Messier
scored a goal in his first game back since missing the last
couple with back spasms.
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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
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Head Coach: Terry Murray
ROSTER: C - Eric Lindros, Rod Brind'Amour, Dale Hawerchuk,
Joel Otto, Daniel Lacroix. LW - John LeClair, Dan Kordic, Shjon
Podein. RW - Mikael Renberg, Pat Falloon, John Druce, Trent
Klatt, Dainius Zubrus, Scott Daniels. D - Eric Desjardins,
Paul Coffey, Petr Svoboda, Chris Therien, Karl Dykhuis, Kjell
Samuelsson, Janne Niinimaa, Michel Petit, Darren Rumble. G - Ron
Hextall, Garth Snow.
Injuries: Karl Dykhuis, d (sustained a dislocated shoulder Jan.
28 vs. Phoenix, out indefinitely); Scott Daniels, rw (suffered a
bruised wrist Feb 15, day-to-day); Kjell Samuelsson, d (sustained
a ruptured disk in his back, required surgery, sidelined
indefinitely); Dale Hawerchuk, c (sustained a pulled groin Feb
13, day-to-day).
Transactions: February 18 - reassigned Jason Bowen, d, to
Philadelphia (AHL); February 23 - Michel Petit, d, suspended for
one game by the NHL for a kneeing incident Feb. 22 against
Florida; February 25 - recalled Darren Rumble, d, from
Philadelphia (AHL).
Game Results
02/19 Hartford T 2-2
02/20 at Tampa Bay L 5-2
02/22 at Florida W 4-3 OT
02/23 NY Rangers W 2-1
02/26 at Ottawa W 8-5
03/01 at Boston T 5-5
03/02 at Hartford W 5-2
TEAM NEWS by Eric Meyer
Before I commence with the latest edition of team news,
I'd like to take this moment to apologize for my inauspicious
absence from the last issue of LCS. Unfortunately, or rather,
fortunately, I had the chance to go down to the Big Easy for
Mardi Gras and then on to Aspen, Colorado the following weekend
for some skiing. Tough life, huh? But to compromise the integrity
of this great publication by putting forth a half-assed Flyers
report would have been committing sacrilege to the highest
degree, so with that in mind, I took a brief journalistic hiatus.
So to all of my thousands of fans, err, hundreds, err, tens, err,
can you get any lower than tens----oh yeah, to my fan, I
apologize. And now, on with the team news.
MVP - Eric Lindros (or maybe Dominik Hasek)
He missed the first 23 games of the season and the Flyers went a
mediocre 12-10-1 in his absence. So when Eric Lindros returned to
the lineup, things were bound to get better for the orange and
black. Well, better is one thing, but seven losses over the span
of the team's following 41 games is simply amazing.
And though he hasn't been the sole reason for the team's about
face, Lindros has certainly been the catalyst and team leader
over the past 41 games. Despite having played in 25 fewer games
than such players as linemates John LeClair and Mikael Renberg,
defenseman Eric Desjardins, and winger/center Rod Brind'Amour,
Lindros ranks second on the team in points behind only LeClair.
And though it sounds like a broken record of every Flyers article
I've ever written for LCS, the fact is Eric's presence on the ice
amounts to much more than goals and assists, but also brute force
and leadership. So while Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr continue
to torch the league for big-time points, and Brendan Shanahan and
Dominik Hasek continue to shine for their respective teams, it
might just be the player who missed the first quarter of the
season that steamrolls his way to the Hart Trophy.
Ron Hextall, THIS!
How many backup goalies can you name that are undefeated in their
last 16 games? Garth Snow had always been the backup in this town
ever since he arrived here from Quebec a few seasons back, but 16
games without a loss and head coach Terry Murray has really given
Snow, or "Snowie" as us media types like to call him, his vote of
confidence.
In Eric Lindros' return from back spasms against Hartford at the
CoreStates Center, the first game in a stretch of four games in
five days, Snow allowed just two goals as the Flyers skated to a
2-2 tie with the Whale. After Ron Hextall let in four in a 5-2
loss against Tampa the following night down in Florida, Snow got
the call once again on Saturday in front of a national audience
on FOX against the Florida Panthers. Once again, Snowie didn't
disappoint, stopping 28 of 31 Panther shots as his team went on
to win, 4-3. The following night back at the CoreStates Center,
Snow, with a superb Flyers defensive display put on in front of
him, played perhaps his best game during a stretch of four Flyers
games in five days, as he stopped 14 of 15 Ranger shots in a 2-1
win over New York. With that win, the Flyers improved to 14-5 in
one-goal games, having won their last 10.
Andrew Cassels Again?
Doesn't it seem like this season has been full of trade rumors
involving the orange and black? And except for Paul Coffey, what
other trades exactly came to fruition? Yeah, think about it,
these rumors have for the most part, really just been rumors. So
from the rumor mill, here's what this reporter has been hearing.
FOX reported in the game against Florida that the Flyers were
interested in dealing Rod Brind'Amour and Garth Snow to the
Hartford Whalers for Sean Burke and Andrew Cassels. Three
words...not gonna happen. Bobby Clarke LOVES Rod
Brind'Amour. He is a two way player that can play either
left wing or center. He is force on the power play, and is
excellent on the kill, so if any team is going to snag Brindy,
it's gonna cost a lot more that Andrew Cassels.
Rumor's had been flying that the Flyers were still interested in
not only Boston winger Rick Tocchet, but also center Adam Oates.
Ever since his outburst directed against Bruins management,
Oates' popularity amongst the Bruins brass has fallen fast to say
the least. Now of course, with the Flyers still in search of one
more sniper on the wing, Rick Tocchet is nothing new, but Adam
Oates is something that has really begun to gain a little steam
here in Philadelphia. With the playoffs right around the corner,
New Jersey acquiring Doug Gilmour from the Maple Leafs, and
Florida, one of the teams that is also hot for Mr. Oates, a lot
of attention is being placed on the Flyers' need for an offensive
playmaker. Huh? You say, they were both traded to the Capitals in
a six-player deal with goaltender Bill Ranford. Oh, ok, forget
about it then!
And then there's the desire to pick up a big bruising defenseman
that can knock opposing players from out in front of the net.
With the loss of Kjell Samuelsson, and other miscellaneous
injuries plaguing the Flyers' defense, the talk around town is
that GM Bobby Clarke should get serious about picking up a big
body for the defense. And while nothing looks serious at this
time, the operative word here is time. There is plenty of time
for the Flyers to make a move to bolster the back line.
That being said, the inside word here in Philly is that GM Bobby
Clarke seems content to hold on to what he's got and let the
cards fall where they may. If there are any trades to be made, my
money is on a new defenseman coming to town.
If You Can't Skate With the Big Dogs...
...then get the puck out of the way, because this Flyers
team is once again smokin'! Once again, four games in five days:
2-1-1 including key wins over Florida and New York. The
previously mentioned Eric Lindros as well as the rest of the
Legion of Doom line are simply on top of their games; a combined
15 points against Ottawa with John LeClair picking up the hat
trick, and Lindros adding a goal and five assists. And let's not
forget to mention Trent Klatt. Yes, not only has Mr. Klatt, the
man that was left unprotected before this season for any team to
snatch away, set a personal season best in goals with 20 and
counting, but let's not forget to mention his first career hat
trick which occurred Saturday at the Fleet in a 5-5 tie with the
B's. And finally, the Flyers wounded out the week with a sound
5-2 win over the Whale up in Hartford.
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TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Terry Crisp
Roster: C - Brian Bradley, Chris Gratton, John Cullen, Daymond
Langkow, Allen Egeland. LW - Paul Ysebaert, Shawn Burr, Rob
Zamuner, Jason Weimer, Rudy Poeschek, Patrick Poulin, Brent
Peterson, Jeff Toms. RW - Brian Bellows, Alexander Selivanov,
Mikael Andersson, Paul Brousseau. D - Roman Hamrlik, Bill
Houlder, Cory Cross, Dave Shaw, Igor Ulanov, Drew Bannister, Jay
Wells. G - Daren Puppa, Corey Schwab, Rick
Tabaracci.
Injuries: Brian Bradley, c (wrist, indefinite); Daren Puppa, g
(back, indefinite).
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
2/17 Detroit T 3-3
2/20 Philadelphia W 5-2
2/22 New Jersey W 3-1
2/23 San Jose W 4-3
2/25 St. Louis W 3-2
2/27 at Boston L 6-2
3/01 Florida W 2-0
TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell
Them kooky Bolts have been playing some swell hockey lately,
going 5-1-1 in their last seven. The surge has moved them into
the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference for
the time being (March 3). The men with lightning bolts on their
pants have a record of 25-30-7, good for 57 points. That ties
them with the Whale, but the Bolts have one more win so they get
the tie-breaker.
In other Bolt news, Johnny Cullen is still great.
Since the KGB is always trying to spy on us, the remainder of
this Tampa Bay team report will be written in top secret
invisible type.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS
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ROSTER: C-Adam Oates, Michal Pivonka, Joe Juneau, Dale Hunter, Kevin
Kaminski. LW- Steve Konowalchuk, Andrew Brunette, Andrei Nikolishin.
RW-Peter Bondra, Rick Tocchet, Kelly Miller, Todd Krygier, Mike Eagles, Craig Berube.
D-Calle Johansson, Sylvain Cote, Phil Housley, Brendan Witt, Ken Klee,
Eric Charron. G-Bill Ranford, Olaf Kolzig.
INJURIES: Pat Peake, shattered right heel, indefinite. Rick Tocchet,
bruised ankle, day-to-day. Chris Simon, back spasms, week-to-week. Joe
Reekie, broken heel, 3-4 weeks. Sergei Gonchar, Grade II sprain in left
knee, 5-7 weeks.
TRANSACTIONS: Traded G Jim Carey, C Anson Carter, C Jason Allison and a
third round pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft to Boston for C Adam Oates,
G Bill Ranford and RW Rick Tocchet. Sent Eric Charron, D, to Portland
(AHL). Recalled Eric Charron, D, from Portland. Sent LW Richard Zednik
to Portland.
Game Results:
2/18 Ottawa L 6-1
2/22 at Hartford L 2-0
2/24 at Boston T 3-3
2/26 at Toronto W 3-1
2/28 Anaheim L 4-1
3/02 NY Islanders L 2-0
TEAM NEWS by Jason Sheehan
Caps get Oates, trade Carey
Stop the presses!
After 23 years of having a bunch of doughnuts for centermen, the
Washington Capitals have finally acquired one of the greatest centers to
ever lace up a pair of skates.
In one of the biggest trades of the 90s, the Capitals sent goaltender
Jim Carey, center Jason Allison, center Anson Carter and a 1997
third-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft to the Boston Bruins for Adam Oates,
goaltender Bill Ranford and right winger Rick Tocchet.
Oates, 34, fell out of favor in Boston a couple weeks ago when he
criticized team management for a lack of commitment to bringing a
Stanley Cup to Beantown. At the time, Oates told his former club to
build a winner or trade him to a franchise in contention for a
championship. After the tirade, Bruins GM Harry Sinden and Coach Steve
Kasper immediately stripped Oates of his assistant captaincy and decided
to grant one of his wishes.
The Capitals, two points out of a playoff spot, weren't exactly a
championship-caliber team before Oates' arrival, but with a new
superstar in the mix things could change overnight.
Oates, however, said his contract would have to be redone if a trade
occurred. And he held true to his promise, if only for a couple days.
Soon after learning of the deal, Oates staged a mini-holdout. Oates has
been upset with the contract he signed this season, which pays him
roughly $2 million a year. He asked for more, but a clause states that
no one in Boston can make more money than defenseman Ray Bourque.
With only 19 games left, the Capitals were in no position to bargain
with Oates' agent. The ball was clearly in Oates' court. So what did
Poile do? He did what any red-blooded GM in need of a playoff spot
would do. He begged Oates to play and promised to renegotiate his
contract at the end of the season. A classy Oates played against the
Calgary Flames later that night. The result of the game was not known
at press time.
Poile, who is in the last year of his contract, needed to do something
quickly to save his job and the Capitals' season. He has been known as
one of the most conservative GM's in the league, but after this deal,
Poile proved he can take risks.
And the biggest risk he made was trading last season's Vezina Trophy
winner. Carey, 22, is having the worst season of his three-year career,
and has a save percentage below .900, a stat Capitals' Coach Jim
Schoenfeld uses to rank goaltenders.
The Bruins hope a return to the Boston area will help Carey's game
improve. He was born and raised in nearby Dorchester, Mass.
Carey's flaws were exposed in his Bruins debut at Toronto on March 3.
He was pulled in favor of backup goalie Rob Tallas after allowing four
goals on only nine shots in the first period. Boston made its share of
fatal errors which led to Toronto's goals, but in hindsight Carey did
allow a few softies to get past him.
Replacing Carey as the Capitals' number one goalie is 30-year-old
Bill Ranford, who has won two Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy with
Edmonton. The Capitals are hoping they finally have a goaltender that
will lead them to the promised land, when the NHL's second season
begins. Carey struggled mightily each of his past two seasons against
Pittsburgh, with a blown-up goals-against-average well over four. With
Ranford, Washington is hoping those days are over.
A big bonus in this deal was the acquisition of Tocchet, a 32-year-old
power forward. Tocchet, however, has said he'd like to play in
Philadelphia, where he began his NHL career. He hopes to finish his
career without being traded again.
The Bruins get a second-round draft pick in 1998 should the Capitals
re-sign Tocchet, which is highly unlikely. Tocchet becomes an
unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. For now, he should fit
in nicely for the injured Chris Simon, who is listed as week-to-week
with back spasms.
Injury Update
The Capitals have had so many injuries this season that they should be
featured in a Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.
Defenseman Sergei Gonchar sprained a ligament in his left knee at
Toronto Feb. 26 and is expected to miss the next 5-7 weeks. The injury
reduced the Capitals to only three regular NHL defenseman. That was
until Mark Tinordi returned to the lineup two weeks ahead of schedule.
Due to not having enough players in the building, Tinordi, who was
nursing a broken ankle, returned to the swing of things just in time for
a 2-0 shutout loss at the hands of the New York Islanders on March 1st.
After the game, he said his ankle still isn't 100 percent. But he did
receive quite a bit of playing time manning the Capitals' blue line.
Often-injured center Joe Juneau made his return from a shoulder injury
on March 4th. He will probably be paired with Oates, who collected over
100 points when they skated on a line together in Boston with Cam Neely
a few season's ago. Tocchet, on the other hand, will likely skate with
Michal Pivonka and the speedy Peter Bondra before Simon gets well.
Left Winger Andrei Nikolishin, who was on the mend with back problems,
also made his return. Nikolishin, Juneau and Kelly Miller are
Washington's best penalty-killers.
Other injured players for the Capitals are forwards Pat Peake (shattered
heel, hasn't played this season), Simon and defensemen Joe Reekie (broken
heel, out 3-4 weeks) and Gonchar. Peake skated for the first time with
little pain March 3, and still has an outside chance of returning to the
lineup before the season ends.
Stat of the Week
The Capitals have never been shut out three times in one season by the
same goaltender. Until now. Islanders' stopper Tommy Salo made 39
saves and collected his third consecutive shutout against the Capitals
with a 2-0 blanking at USAir Arena on March 2. The last Capitals
player to score against the boys from Long Island was Steve Konowalchuk
way back on Nov. 2 of last year. In fact, that's the only goal the
Capitals have put by an Islanders goalie this season.
Race for Number Eight
Listed below are the bundle of teams Washington must chase in order to
grab its 15th straight playoff spot.
Eastern Conference Standings (as of March 3, 1997)
Seed GR W L T PTS
7 Montreal 17 24 30 11 59
8 Tampa Bay 20 25 30 7 57
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Hartford 19 24 30 9 57
10 Washington (bold) 19 24 32 7 55
11 Ottawa 19 21 29 13 55
12 NY Islanders 19 21 32 10 52
13 Boston 18 21 34 9 51
================================================================
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHEASTERN DIVISION
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BOSTON BRUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Steve Kasper
Roster: C - Anson Carter, Jason Allison, Jozef Stumpel, Ted
Donato, Trent McCleary. LW - Troy Mallette, Brett Harkins, Rob
Dimaio. RW - Steve Heinze, Sandy Moger, Sheldon Kennedy, Jeff
Odgers, Landon Wilson, Tim Sweeney, Jean-Yves Roy. D - Ray
Bourque, Don Sweeney, Kyle McLaren, Jon Rolhoff, Dean Chynoweth,
Steve Staios, Barry Richter, Dean Malkoc. G - Jim Carey,
Rob Tallas.
Injuries: Steve Heinze, rw (torn MCL, hip and groin strain, 6-8
weeks); Kyle McLaren, d (separated shoulder, indefinite), Trent
McCleary, c (knee sprain, day-to-day), Jon Rolhoff, d (groin,
day-to-day).
Transactions: Traded Bill Ranford, g, Adam Oates, c, and Rick
Tocchet, rw, to Washington for Jim Carey, g, Anson Carter, c,
Jason Allison, c, and a third-round pick in the 1997 draft. Sent
Mattias Timmander, d, Paxton Schaeffer, g, and Barry Richter, d,
to Providence of the AHL. Called up Anders Myrvold, d, Bob Beers,
d, and Davis Payne, rw, from Providence of the AHL.
Game Results:
2/18 at Colorado L 3-2 OT
2/20 at Chicago L 5-3
2/23 at Buffalo L 1-5
2/24 at Washington T 3-3
2/27 Tampa Bay W 6-2
3/01 Philadelphia T 3-3
3/03 at Toronto L 4-2
TEAM NEWS by Matt Brown
Just as the most horrific slump and most disastrous road trip in
recent team history was ending, and the Bruins seemed to be
pulling out of their tailspin toward the draft lottery, Bruins
management applied the coup de grace (or gross, in this case),
ensuring that the team will miss the playoffs for the first time
in 30 years.
The Bruins pulled the trigger on the biggest trade of the season
in the NHL (so far), sending Adam Oates, Rick Tocchet, and (gulp)
Bill Ranford to the Washington Capitals in exchange for local boy
Jim Carey, Anson Carter, and Jason Allison. Huh? Did we miss
something, like maybe the end of all hope? Well, leave it for
the feature writer to cover the bloody details on this one.
But it all started two weeks ago midway through a road trip that
was like a National Lampoon Vacation movie without the laughs.
The Bruins were playing the Colorado Avalanche and giving the
defending Stanley Cup champs all they could handle, despite being
obviously overmatched.
After taking a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the game on a
goal by Tim Sweeney from Oates, the Bruins surrendered two goals
and went into the third period trailing 2-1. Then Ted Donato made
the most of an Avalanche miscue, tying the game at 2-2. Ranford
held Colorado at bay from then on, and into overtime. But with
1:12 left in OT, Claude (the fraud) Lemeuix turned a dive into a
holding penalty on Rob DiMaio, then with time running down, poked
a shot at a prone Ranford. Bill made a heroic save, sweeping the
puck off the goal line with his stick, only to see it hit his
blocker and slide slowly over the goal line with 3.8 seconds
left, sending the Bruins to their most heartbreaking defeat of
the road trip, if not the season.
After the game, Adam Oates said a few choice words about the way
the team was managed, and when the news broke, he was a goner.
The losses and the turmoil continued to mount in Chicago. Against
the struggling Hawks, the Bruins couldn't buy a break. They went
down 3-0 versus Chicago despite outplaying and outhustling the
Hawks. Then they began to battle back, first with a goal from Ted
Donato on a feed from Oates. Adam's assist kept alive his streak
of scoring at least a point in 20 straight games, just two shy of
the Bruins all-time record. Then Sheldon Kennedy scored a
short-handed goal on a breakaway.
But the Bruins couldn't make further progress, and Tony Amonte
put Chicago ahead to stay. And he did it the hard way, with Ray
Bourque draped all over his back, one-handing the puck past
Ranford. The teams then traded goals, and the Bruins came up
short again.
At this point the Bruins had sunk to last place in the Eastern
Conference. Oh the humanity!
The ugliness continued against the Sabres in Buffalo. This game
was symbolic of the seasons of these two teams Buffalo's pluggers
and grinders scored, Boston's did not. Buffalo'’s goalkeeper
stopped the puck, Boston's did not. End of story, if not end of
season. Ranford had stopped only 10 of 15 shots by the time the
score was 5-1 and he was mercifully pulled in favor of Rob
Tallas, but to be fair, every one of those goals was from close
in, where Buffalo players should be sitting on their keysters
rather than raising their arms in triumph. When Bruins captain
Ray Bourque says "We were awful in our own end. It was like a
Chinese fire drill at times,".you know it wasn't all Ranford's
fault.
The statistical lowlight: Adam Oates' NHL-high 20-game point
streak came to an end, leaving him two games short of Bronco
Horvath's all-time Bruin record.
The Bruins finished their February road trip just about the way
they started it - without a win. However, they managed not to
make the trip a total shutout by tying the Washington Capitals in
the last game. As it is, they had to come back from a two-goal
deficit to do it. After taking a 1-0 lead, Boston gave
Washington three goals from close in, as they did in Buffalo (a
sure sign of substandard defensive zone coverage), and were
outshot 27-17 in the first two periods. Only Bill Ranford's
acrobatics kept them in the game.
Amazingly, the Bruins mounted a comeback in the third, with Ted
Donato chopping in a rebound of a Ray Bourque power-play point
shot early in the third. Then, after Ranford had stopped some
tough chances again, including a clean breakaway by Andrew
Brunette, the Bruins equalized in an unlikely fashion. Defenseman
Steve Staios did his best Cam Neely impersonation, getting the
puck at center ice, splitting the awe-struck Caps defense,
cutting left then back into the middle, drawing out Jim Carey,
who dove, pokechecked, and missed, as Staios put it in the net.
Althougth the choreography was surprising, the result shouldn't
be; all three of Staios' goals this year have been against the
Capitals.
By now, the controversy surrounding Adam Oates was reaching fever
pitch, with radio talk-show callers declaring the first home game
after the trip, against Tampa Bay, as unofficial "Adam Oates
Appreciation Day." Fans brought signs supporting Adam, roared
when he first set foot on the ice in the game, and gave Oates
several rousing ovations during the game. True to form, knowing
what was coming, the Bruins didn't let Adam's line start the
game, and Rob DiMaio was booed as being "Not-Adam" although it
was clear that the booing was directed at the guys in the
Sindenbunker, not at Rob himself. Fleetcenter officials enforced
the rarely enforced "no signage" provision, confiscating all the
fan-created signs, whether they blasted management or supported
Adam.
Oh yes! The game! Oates had three assists, and the Bruins seemed
inspired by the crowd's enthusiasm, turning in a 6-2 victory over
the Lightning.
The Bruins played lively and inspired hockey, staking out a 3-0
lead in the first period. On the second shift of the game,
Oates, teamed with Sandy Moger and Troy Mallette, went on the ice
to thunderous cheers, and responded with a quick barrage on Bolts
goalie Rick Tabaracci. Moger nailed one from the right circle,
and Steve Staios collared the rebound and uncorked another blast.
Moger buried the rebound at the one-minute mark.
Ray Bourque scored the second goal, one-timing a patented soft
pass from Oates. Then Jeff Odgers got his pants in the way of an
Anders Myrvold slap shot, notching a power-play goal and
unintentionally depriving the Norwegian rookie of his first NHL
goal. The Lightning replaced Tabaracci with Corey Schwab at the
start of the second period, and the Bolts closed the gap to 4-2
before Rob Dimaio iced it with a short-handed goal in the third.
The result was the Bruins first win since the beginning of
February. It was made more impressive by the fact that Tampa Bay
was riding a hot streak of their own, at 5-0-1 in their last six.
Of course, the Lightning are in the midst of their own struggle
to make the playoffs, and they are hardly a league power, so the
win has to be taken with a grain of salt.
The Philadelphia Flyers are a different story. This was a first
vs. worst matchup, but again, much like the Avalanche game, the
Bruins either played up to their competition, or their opponents
played down to the Bruins' level. More important is that the
Bruins, after going down 3-0 after 15 mintutes, didn't fold up
like a Fleetcenter foodtray, but battled back twice to tie, and
did not blow the point in the final seconds of overtime. Landon
Wilson, maligned lately as not having much promise, scored one of
the Bruins goals, and Sheldon Kennedy potted another short-handed
goal on a breakaway set up again by Ted Donato. It was enough to
remind a wistful Bruins fan of Derek Sanderson and Eddie
Westfall. My, we are getting desperate here.
The goals that brought Boston back were set up by … you guessed
it … Adam Oates. With a litle over a minute left, Oates passed to
at the left point and Beers one-timed a slap shot that snuck
through traffic to beat goaltender Ron Hextall between the pads.
Then, with Ranford pulled for an extra attacker, Oates feathered
a pass, his last, to Ray Bourque at the top of the slot, and Ray
spun and fired a billiard ball that deflected off two defenders
and Hextall's left shoulder.
It was a fitting way to end a great career with the Bruins for
Adam Oates. It would have been nice for Ranford to go out with a
win, but a tie under the circumstances wasn't so bad. It is a
shame that Rick Tocchet's way of ending his Bruins career, on the
injury list, was fairly typical for his stay here, but he is a
play-hard type of guy, and that's what happens to play-hard guys
when they get up there in years.
One final note. Oates was stripped of his assistant captainship
by Mike O'Connell before the Chicago game. Since that time, no
Bruin player as accepted the A. Several turned it down flat. For
the game against Toronto, the Bruins first without Oates,
Tocchet, and Ranford, no one wore the second A.
The Toronto game also marked Jim Carey's debut in the Bruins net,
and the only good news is that things can't possibly get worse.
Carey was torched for four goals on nine shots in the first
period, as his teammates said "Welcome to the Bruins, Jimmy!" in
their own irrepressible way. Three of the goals against him were
on atrocious giveaways right in front of the net, as the Bruins
were dominated by what is arguably the NHL's other worst team.
Kasper sent in Rob Tallas to start the second, and he held
Toronto off the board primarily because the Leafs couldn't
hit the net on their numerous odd-man rushes, Bruins giveaways,
and out and out stumbling. The Leafs gagged on a two-on-none
breakaway, with Wendel Clark totally missing the net! In a
head-to-head hockey horrorshow, the Leafs prevailed 4-2, with the
last of the red hot Bruins, Ray Bourque, scoring both goals.
Now, unless Steve Kasper's glass really is half full and youth is
the answer, all that remains is to welcome the new guys, and play
out the season to see where the lottery takes this once-proud
team. True Bruins fans will rally behind the players who play on.
Perhaps the heart and soul we have seen glimpses of will rise to
the top, and this team will make the playoffs through grit and
hard work. Kasper seemed to contend that the older stars held
back the development of some of the younger players. Maybe so.
But if Kasper was wrong, and having star players was more of a
help than a burden to this team, the Fleetcenter is likely to be
a dark and lonely place by the end of the season.
In addition to the influx of 22-year olds from the
Oates-Tocchet-Ranford trade, the Bruins could get even younger
once the college season ends. Players they have drafted but not
yet signed, such as center Shawn Bates, a senior at Boston
University, 6-6 Providence College defenseman Hal Gill, and 6-6
center Joel Prpic, a senior at St. Lawrence, are definite
possibilities. Assistant GM Mike O'Connell has also talked to
the agent for right wing Matt Alvey, who left Lake Superior
State, but Alvey wants a hefty signing bonus (or at least hefty
for miserly Mike), so don't look for him anytime soon. There will
be also be college free agents out there, and the club may be
interested in some of them.
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BUFFALO SABRES
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Head Coach: Ted Nolan
Roster: C - Michael Peca, Derek Plante, Brian Holzinger, Wayne
Primeau. LW - Brad May, Michal Grosek, Rob Ray, Ed Ronan.
RW - Dixon Ward, Donald Audette, Jason Dawe, Matthew Barnaby.
D - Alexei Zhitnik, Garry Galley, Darryl Shannon, Jay McKee,
Mike Wilson, Bob Boughner, Richard Smehlik, Charlie Huddy.
G - Dominik Hasek, Steve Shields.
Injuries: Andrei Trefilov, g (shoulder, indefinite); Pat
LaFontaine, c (post-concussion syndrome, indefinite); Anatoli
Semenov, rw (shoulder, 5 weeks); Vaclav Varada, lw (hand, 2
weeks); Garry Galley, d (jaw, 8-10 days); Richard Smehlik, d
(knee, day-to-day; Brad May, lw (broken thumb, 7-10 days).
Transactions: Recalled Jay McKee, d, and Charlie Huddy, d, from
Rochester (AHL).
Game Results
2/18 Calgary T 5-5
2/21 NY Islanders W 5-2
2/23 Boston W 5-1
2/27 at New Jersey L 4-1
3/01 at Ottawa W 3-1
TEAM NEWS by Valerie Hammerl
Invincibility is a state of mind. The Buffalo Sabres were in
that frame of mind against Calgary. With a 5-3 win and two
minutes left in the game, the Sabres went into coast mode. It
cost them a late pair of Calgary goals and a point, as they ended
up tying the Flames 5-5. The Sabres' undefeated streak still
stood, however, at 10.
They extended it to 11 with a 5-2 win against the Islanders.
Next up, the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are having their worst
season in over 30 years, and it showed as they played Buffalo.
Buffalo trounced their archrivals 5-1, stopping Adam Oates' 20-
game point-scoring streak and extending the Bruins' winless
streak to nine -- the longest in 30 years.
It was a costly win for Buffalo, however, as the team lost
defenseman Garry Galley to a hairline jaw fracture. Added
to that was Richard Smehlik's re-injuring his knee. The Sabres
recalled not only rookie Jay McKee, but also Rochester
player/coach Charlie Huddy.
The Sabres' undefeated streak came to an end in New Jersey. The
12-game unbeaten streak was two shy of a team record, but an
energized Devils team with recently acquired Doug Gilmour gave a
solid performance in a 4-1 victory over Buffalo. The Sabres
moved to get back on track in Ottawa, and earned a 3-1 win
despite being badly outshot.
* This is the 18th consecutive year Charlie Huddy will play at
least one game in the NHL.
* Pat LaFontaine will start working with the power-play unit --
in a coaching capacity.
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HARTFORD WHALERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Paul Maurice
Roster: C - Andrew Cassels, Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Kent
Manderville, Mark Janssens. LW - Geoff Sanderson, Steven Rice,
Paul Ranheim, Stu Grimson. RW - Kevin Dineen, Nelson Emerson,
Sami Kapanen, Kevin Brown, Kelly Chase, Robert Kron. D - Glen
Wesley, Adam Burt, Kevin Haller, Gerald Diduck, Curtis
Leschyshyn, Glen Featherstone, Alexander Godynyuk. G - Sean
Burke, Jason Muzzatti, Manny Legace.
Injuries: Jeff Brown, D (back surgery [23 October], out for
regular season); Sami Kapanen, RW, knee [26 February], day - to
day); Keith Primeau, C, (strained knee [2 March], seven - to -
ten days); Kevin Brown, LW, (shoulder sprain [16 February],
two - to - three weeks).
Transactions: 28Feb97: Manny Legace, G, recalled from Springfield
(AHL). Marek Malik, D, assigned to Springfield.
Game Results:
02/19 at Philadelphia T 2-2
02/21 NY Rangers W 7-2
02/22 Washington W 2-0
02/26 Chicago T 2-2
02/28 San Jose L 3-2
03/02 Philadelphia L 5-2
TEAM NEWS by Steve Gallichio
One step forward, two steps back.
That's the continuing story of 1997 for the Whalers. Just
when the team starts to piece a few decent outings together,
taking steps towards securing a playoff berth, a few clunkers
fall out of the closet and knock them just as far back.
Just a week ago, it seemed the Whalers had finally
discarded their mid-season blues, fighting back to tie the
Philadelphia Flyers on the road, 2-2, before beginning a seven-
game homestand with a pair of convincing Eastern Conference
victories, 7-2 over the struggling New York Rangers, and 2-0 over
the Washington Capitals.
In the third game of the homestand, Hartford jumped out to
a 2-0 first-period lead on the Chicago Blackhawks. They were
stepping forward.
And, then, they stepped back.
Chicago, getting their road legs underneath them, busted
back to tie the Whalers with second- and third-period goals, but
Sean Burke and the Whalers hung on for a 2-2 tie. But in the
game, Burke suffered a hip flexor, and ultimate sparkplug Sami
Kapanen tweaked his perpetually injured knee.
Two days later, without Burke or Kapanen in the lineup, the
Whalers lost a passionless 3-2 game to San Jose...a game in which
Hartford led 2-1 entering the third period, and in which the
Whalers allowed few good scoring opportunities...but allowed
goals on most of those.
Game five of the homestand saw the Flyers outclass the
Whalers, 5-2, on Sunday afternoon, leaving the Whalers barely
hanging on to a playoff spot, still tied in points for eighth
place in the conference...but losing on the tiebreaker to
Tampa Bay based on wins.
Burke returned for the Flyer game, but Kapanen remained out,
and center Keith Primeau went down with a knee injury, courtesy
of old friend Paul Coffey, that could keep him out of the lineup
for a week or more.
The Whalers conclude the homestand with games against
Calgary and Montreal, must wins in a season growing increasingly
short on time.
Also growing short on time is the waiting for the puffs of
white smoke from John Rowland's ears announcing the Governor's
plan to build a new arena in Hartford. It is expected that a
decision will be made within the next two weeks.
The state has reportedly completed a feasibility study which
recommends building a new arena, but now the state and team are
locked in negotiations to determine how much revenue the arena
can produce for the team in order to make it worth staying. The
team is seeking $23.5 million per year in arena revenues. Also
at issue is the length of comittment that the team will give the
state to stay in the new arena; Governor Rowland would like in
the range of a 20-year guarantee, but the NHL is likely to demand
out clauses in any new leases based on minimum attendance
plateaus.
There can be little doubt that the constant uncertainty
over the future of the team has affected the on-ice play over
the past few months. There were rumours that TV crews from St.
Paul, Minnesota, were interviewing players in the locker room
before the San Jose game telling them that they would be playing
in the Twin Cities next season. General Manager Jim Rutherford
has admitted that the arena situation has affected not only the
team on the ice, but his ability to make moves off it.
For all parties, it's best to get this over with now. It
can't go on much longer this way.
In other news, the Whalers' road to the playoffs got a bit
bumpier on Saturday when the Boston Bruins sent Adam Oates, Rick
Tocchet, Bill Ranford, and old-timers Phil Esposito, Pete
Peeters, Ken Hodge, Brad Park, and Rick Middleton to Washington
in exchange for a handful of magic beans. Boston GM Harry Sinden
no doubt was aware that, holding the Whalers' first-round draft
pick in the 1997 draft, boosting the Capitals over the Whalers
and into the playoffs would only serve to increase his own
portfolio.
But the news wasn't all bad this week. Former village
idiot Eddie Johnston was fired as coach in Pittsburgh this week.
In times like this, it's important to maintain a sense of dignity
and not kick a man when he's down...
Aw, heck. *boot* *boot* *boot*
-----------------------------------------------------------------
MONTREAL CANADIENS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mario Tremblay
ROSTER: C - Saku Koivu, Marc Bureau, Darcy Tucker, Vincent
Damphousse. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet,
Scott Thornton, Brian Savage. RW - Mark Recchi, Stephane Richer,
Turner Stevenson, Valeri Bure, Chris Murray, David Ling. D -
Vladimir Malakhov, Jassen Cullimore, Murray Baron, Stephane
Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Peter Popovic, David Wilkie, Craig
Rivet, Brad Brown. G - Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore.
Injuries: Benoit Brunet, rw (broken hand, 3 weeks); Patrice
Brisebois, d (separated shoulder, 4 weeks); Stephane Richer, rw
(right foot hairline fracture, day-to-day).
Transactions: None.
Game Results
02/17 at Islanders W 4-1
02/22 Toronto L 5-1
02/25 at Vancouver W 4-1
02/28 at Calgary L 3-2
03/01 at Edmonton W 4-2
TEAM NEWS by Jacques Robert
Time Is Ticking as Washington Turns on the Heat
Until the last game of this season, every single one to be played
by the Montreal Canadiens is likely to be decisive for the Habs
quest of a playoffs spot. As a matter of fact, the standings show
that Les Canadiens are still having a hard time especially since
Tampa is playing great hockey for the time being and mostly
because Washington has new blood named Tocchet, Ranford and
Oates. Those two franchises also have a couple of games in hand
to Montreal. Thus, it's no piece of cake for Koivu's teammates to
manage the current situation. After each loss, a situation of
crisis is likely to arise in the Molson Center. Down the road,
that may cause Mario Tremblay to grow more grey hair. And the way
Tremblay handles the current situation is likely to determine his
future as a coach.
Well, it would be interesting to take a good look at each game
played by the Habs over the last fortnight, as to figure out if
Mario's boys may be able to eventually make it into the
postseason. In addition, Team Clinic -- at last -- runs out of
steam! Only three players are AWOL! Good... Actually, if
Montreal fans had a chance to learn a little bit about injuries
and related treatments thus far, for the time being, a good
knowledge of arithmetics is becoming a must for fans trying to
figure out if the Habs are in or out.
AT ISLANDERS
Jose Theodore proved himself the goalie Montreal has been needing
badly all season. In this occasion, Jose kicked out 36 saves as
the Habs were outshot 37-25 leading to a 4-1 victory. From now
on, it's like Jose's performances trigger an unhealthy
competition with" Tbo". Media's headlines can be held responsible
for this situation when claiming: "When Theodore plays, the
Canadiens win". Question: did Mario Tremblay realize that he
added pressure on his goalies as he waited until the morning of
the game to announce his choice of starter? Both Theodore and
Thibault seemed to downplay that uncomfortable situation. Still,
Thibault said he is in the process of revising his style which
would be a mix of the butterfly style and a more traditional one
that would make him a stand-up goalie. Upfront, the competition
between goalies is downplayed by the the Canadiens entourage but,
deep down, the rivalry is felt.
TORONTO (home)
This game showed that Theodore was... simply human! After he had
won his last three starts, Jose couldn't keep Toronto from
earning its first success in four years against the Canadiens. An
opportunity for Toronto to celebrate. For Montreal? A reason to
mourn the "Good old days" when Montreal and Toronto were not the
worst defensive clubs in the NHL. However, the rivalry between
the Leafs and the Habs seems to be on again. With all that said,
Koivu, and mostly Recchi, tried to shake up their teammates. Mark
said something like this: Too many players drag their feet
and it's time to stand up. Koivu echoed Recchi's commentary when
saying that: "We can't let another 10 games go by without doin'
something..." You betcha.
AT VANCOUVER
The juggling of lines seemed to have paid off as the Canadiens
defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on the road. Mark Recchi had
two goals and an assist. Mario Tremblay decided to juggle his
lines in light of recent under-performances of his team.
Therefore, Corson teamed up with Recchi and Koivu and it turned
out to be a positive move indeed. In the time being, certain
players give the impression that the season is a write-off.
Thibault came up with this revealing commentary in the Montreal
Gazette: "[...]I'm not as good as Patrick Roy. I know that. I
hope people will give me time to improve!" So, is a Stanley Cup
in sight for 2005? Yeah, right...
But, are fans patient enough! With a 22-29-11 record, Canadiens
slipped into the eighth and last playoff spot in the Eastern
Conference before paying a visit to the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
AT CALGARY
Good news prior to the three-game western trip! Quintal was back
on ice one week ahead of schedule, as well as Bureau recovering
from a sprained knee. That was the only positive thing that
happened to Montreal along with Koivu's first goal since
returning from injury. Going into the game, Damphousse had
declared, "We've been in trouble before, just before going on
a road trip, and we were successful. We want to do that again. We
want to win, at least, two out of three." After this game,
Montreal's 9th rank put them (temporarily) out of the playoffs
after Tampa won against Panthers (2-0). So, no choice but to win
against Edmonton!
AT EDMONTON
Before the game, the Oilers were 0-2-2. The Canadiens have
alternated losses and wins in their last five games and have
allowed a league-high 225 goals this season. However, that night,
Mario's boys earned two additional precious points in the race
for the 8th spot thanks to Scott Thornton, who scored two goals
(Montreal is two points ahead of Hartford and Tampa).
From now on, the question is: how will Reggie Houle respond to
the Washington-Boston trade which may cost The Canadiens a place
in the postseason? The way the Montreal management handles this
tricky situation may determine Rejean Houle & co future at the
helm of"Les Glorieux" (!). Or does it in a club that is
definitely reluctant to move forward and which seems to protect
people in high places to the detriment of the overall performance
and ticket paying fans' satisfaction.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Mark Recchi- After Habs were humbled by Leafs (02/23):
"Obviously, we don't have enough guys that care about winning."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
OTTAWA SENATORS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jacques Martin
Roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Radek Bonk, Shaun Van Allen, Bruce
Gardiner, Sergei Zholtok. LW - Shawn McEachern, Tom Chorske,
Randy Cunneyworth, Dennis Vial, Denny Lambert, Jason Zent.
RW - Daniel Alfredsson, Alexandre Daigle, Andreas Dackell, Phil
Crowe. D - Steve Duchesne, Sean Hill, Stanislav Neckar, Frank
Musil, Lance Pitlick, Jason York, Wade Redden, Janne Laukkanen.
G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt, Mike Bales.
Injuries: Damian Rhodes, g (bruised calf, Feb 23 - day-to-day);
Jason Zent, lw (deep thigh bruise, Feb. 16 - 2 weeks); Randy
Cunneyworth, lw (fractured cheekbone, Feb. 28 - out
indefinitely); Sean Hill, d (torn ACL, out for season); Stanislav
Neckar, d (torn ACL, out for season); Lance Pitlick, d (knee
injury, surgery required, two to four weeks); Dennis Vial, lw
(finger surgery Jan 20, out six weeks).
Transactions: Feb. 17 - Dave Hannan, c, placed on waivers;
announces retirement Feb. 25 - Recalled Mike Bales, g, from
Baltimore (AHL).
Game Results
02/18 at Washington W 6-1
02/20 at St. Louis T 1-1
02/23 at Colorado L 4-3
02/26 Philadelphia L 8-5
02/28 Long Island W 4-1
03/01 Buffalo L 3-1
TEAM NEWS by The Nosebleeders
Roddy, Roddy, Roddy...tsk, tsk, tsk...
You know, even gurus have to go back to school once in a while.
Rod Bryden - owner of the Ottawa Senators, the man who helped
build SHL Systemhouse into an internationally-renowned
organization, the man who is mentioned in the same breath as the
Michael Cowplands and Terry Matthews of this world, the man with
a reputation for being wise and shrewd, a strategic genius among
geniuses, a man who commands respect among his peers - is now
gasping for breath as he struggles to remove his foot from his
mouth.
Two weeks ago, Hot Rod accepted an invitation to be interviewed
by the local board of trade to discuss the difficulties of
running a Canadian franchise in the face of American competition.
But that discussion soon degenerated into a "threat-fest", in
which Bryden laid down the law for everyone to see: if Ottawans
do not start buying tickets, then the Senators are finito.
"If I can't fill the building," he told Roy MacGregor of The
Ottawa Citizen, "the team can't stay."
Bryden indicated that he needs to see a base of 13,000 season
ticket holders next season, 12,000 minimum. When asked if he had
a deadline for these numbers he indicated "no, no deadline."
However, he talked openly of selling the team soon, using the
money to pay down the lease on the Corel Centre, and then
bringing in an AHL or IHL team to play in Bytown.
Obviously, Bryden attempted to downplay the threats, but you be
the judge. Read the above quote over and over... yup, sounds
threatening to us, how about you?
In all fairness, Bryden isn't losing his marbles. As owner of
the team and having invested millions of his own bucks into the
franchise, he can damn well say whatever he wants.
But it's that little thing called 'public relations' that Bryden
apparently forgot to think about prior to the interviews.
The Senators are currently playing their best hockey since
re-entering the league in 1992. To date, they are #1 in the NHL
for the best season-to-season turnaround, as they are an amazing
27 points better at this point this year than they were last
year. Their power play continues to be in the top tier of the
league. They are in a playoff hunt for the first time since the
glory days of the 1920s. Fans are coming out in droves to games
(when was the last time ANY NHL city drew 18,000+ in February for
the San Jose Sharks?). And the enthusiasm level in sports bars
across the Valley is at an all-time high (and that's not just
because we've been going out a little more than normal).
With the entertainment pendulum on the upswing, fans intuitively
understand that the ball is in their court. If the Sens continue
to surprise as they have, and still the Corel Centre rests empty,
then they have nobody to blame but themselves. If the Senators
improved play and possible playoff run does not translate into
booming season ticket sales next year, then fans will know to
point the finger at the mirror if the team suddenly pulls up its
stakes and leaves the city a la Baltimore Colts.
With decades of business experience under his belt, Bryden should
have realized this long ago. He should have zipped his lip, and
let the Senators do the talking on the ice. By holding a gun to
the fans' heads at this point of the season, Bryden effectively
pressed the panic button. He has stolen the thunder from the
team's current success streak, breaking GM Pierre Gauthier's
pre-season vow of "no off-ice distractions" along the way.
In the end, his threats speak volumes to all Senator fans as to
Bryden's true motivation - he's only in it for the money. With
that kind of perception, especially in a city that put up with
years of emotional blackmail from the Ottawa Rough Riders, Bryden
has essentially turned the gun on his foot, and fired.
Bryden has never been perceived as a real sport fan. But for
someone who cares about the area and who enjoys working at a
world class level, this may have tarnished his reputation a
little.
Maybe Rod should go back to school and brush up on his PR skills.
Or better yet, get Jerry MacGuire to have a little chat with him.
Capital Cup Crusade Continues...
With the Bryden fiasco now off our chests, let's concentrate on
something a little more appropriate - and interesting for that
matter - the Senators' chase for a playoff spot.
With just a little over 20 games left in the regular season, the
Ottawa Senators realize that they have to come out of every game
with at least a point if they're going to make the playoffs.
You've heard the catch phrases a hillion-jillion times - "every
game counts", "every game is a playoff game now", "this is more
than an important game", "we've got to win tonight to stay in
it", "a pivotal game", and our favourite "this is a four-point
game".
Poetry aside, the Senators look to be in good shape heading into
the stretch run, despite the seemingly impossible
"point-per-game" minimum target that they've set. Collectively,
the Sens own an impressive 12-5-4 record this season against the
six teams they're fighting with for the final two playoff spots.
Game #1 of the Sens' recent two-week stretch was against one of
those teams - the Washington Capitals in Landover, Maryland.
With seven regulars out of the lineup and stars Joe Juneau and
Calle Johansson limping back from recent injuries, the Caps
looked ripe for the picking. To add further insurance, Sens boss
man Jacques Martin slapped Ron Tugnutt - who has owned the Caps
this year - between the pipes.
Led by a stellar penalty-killing performance, the Sens delivered
one of their most lop-sided wins in team history, crushing the
Capitals 6-1.
As mentioned, it was the penalty-killing unit that proved to be
the difference. Leading 1-0 midway through the game on a goal by
Tom Chorske, the Sens suddenly found themselves in deep trouble
as Alexei Yashin received a double-minor and Christer Olsson
received a minor on the same play. On the ensuing 5-on-3
power play, the Caps were able to tie the game on a goal by Peter
Bondra. But then Ottawa shut the door in the remaining 2:41 of
the man-advantage.
Then, only seconds after his penalty expired, Yashin stepped
out of the box and delivered a sweet pass to Daniel Alfredsson,
who promptly fired what proved to be the game-winner past Caps
tender Jim Carey. Just 84 seconds later, Ottawa took advantage
of a shocked Capitals unit, as captain Randy Cunneyworth slid the
puck past Carrey for a 3-1 lead. And the rest - as they say - was
history.
* Other Sens goal-scorers were Alexandre Daigle, Steve Duchesne
and Shawn McEachern. Yashin finished the night with three assists
- just another day at the office.
* With the win, Ron Tugnutt improved his record against
Washington this year to three wins and no losses. "This is the
easiest time of the year (for a goaltender)," Tugger said. "If
you look around the room at our defencemen, you'll see maybe
seven shots that they blocked. The guys are so tough in front of
the net."
* The Senators may be enjoying larger crowds at the Corel Centre,
but they are still a lousy draw on the road. Only 9,874 fans
showed up in Landover to catch the game. Hmmmm, maybe Bryden was
referring to Caps fans when he blew his lid?
Trivia Time
Can you name the Senators player who scored the winning goal in
the sixth longest game in NHL history? Hint: he wasn't a Senator
at that time. Answer at the end of this column.
Tangled Up in Blue
Coming off their impressive road win in Washington, the Sens
headed further south along the Mississippi (Note: we managed to
spell that correctly on our first attempt!) to bust heads with
another improving team: the St. Louis Blues.
Ever since the Anti-Christ was tossed out of Louis-burg and
replaced by former Colorado Rockies defenceman Joel Quenneville,
the Blues have been playing like the second coming of Christ.
The line of Brett (Bobby who?) Hull, Pierre Turgeon and Geoff
Courtnall have combined for 94 points in their previous 25 games.
In fact, the last time these two teams went head-to-head in
Ottawa on January 30, the Hull-Turgeon-Courtnall line combined
for nine points in a 5-2 win.
That, coupled with Ottawa's offensive explosion two nights
earlier in Washington, led us naive mediahounds to expect a
"shoot-to-Kiel" night at the Kiel Center. And, of course, when we
hockey minds venture into the art of prognostication, we
generally come out of it looking about as brilliant as
burned out light bulbs in a dark basement closet during a solar
eclipse.
The Blues game was no exception. With both teams focused on
shutting down the other team's top line, the offensive torch was
thus relegated to the second and third lines. When that happens,
you know you've stumbled across a sure-fire cure for insomnia.
Final score: Ottawa 1 St. Louis 1.
* Scoring for Ottawa was Radek Bonk, while ex-Hull Olympique Jim
Campbell replied for St. Louis.
* With the tie, Ottawa moved into sole possession of the eighth
and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Sens were
lucky, however, to escape St. Louis with a point. With just five
minutes remaining, Geoff Courtnall apparently scored the
game-winning goal, as Sens goalie Damian Rhodes slid into the net
with the puck lodged somewhere in his equipment. Referee Lance
Roberts consulted with the Almighty Video Replay God (what's
with our sudden religious zeal?), who took only 10 seconds to
waive the goal off.
* In all fairness, both Rhodes and Grant Fuhr may have
contributed to the low scoring affair with their outstanding
goaltending. Although the shots on net were minimal (a total of
26 shots after just two periods of play), both goalies had to be
alert on some plays. Fuhr made a stellar glove save off Shawn
McEachern just three minutes into the second, while Rhodes
was particularly impressive in the dying seconds of the first,
kicking out a Chris Pronger blast a la Zenon Andrushyshyn.
Tales From the Alumni File
Ex-Senator Mike Peluso has only one goal in 44 games with the
Blues. Maybe his luck would change if he hooked up with Alanis
again.
P.S. We still haven't found that infamous movie theatre. We'll
keep you posted on our sleuth-capades.
Go West
Leaving the "Blues" behind (ahem...), the Sens travelled in a
westerly direction and ultimately ended up in Denver for a
scheduled game against the defending Stanley Cup Champs - and
arguably the league's best team.
A pivotal game in the chase for the playoffs, Ottawa stepped up
the challenge and as the result of solid play by goaltender
Damian Rhodes, entered the third period tied 1-1.
Coach Martin has earlier commented that just being competitive
with the league's elite team wasn't good enough anymore, and the
Senators came close to responding, opening up a third-period 3-1
lead on goals by Chorske and Sergei Zholtok.
Unfortunately their near-Cinderella performance evaporated in a
span of two minutes and 21 seconds in the third period. That's
all the time it took for the Avalanche to put in three goals and
then let Patrick Roy take over to close out the game. 4-2 final,
say goodnight, Gracie.
* Comebacks are nothing new for the Avalanche, who seem to be
able to turn it on at will and who entered the game on a
five-game winning streak.
* Understatement of the year? Coach Jacques Martin, describing
the Avalanche: "(They're) just a little bit better than us."
Medical Update
Some good news, some bad news, and just some other news, while
we're at it.
The good? Senators assistant coach Craig Ramsay was hospitalized
after the St. Louis game due to exhaustion, however, he managed
to recover in time to meet up with the team for the Colorado
game. Hope you're feeling better, Craig.
And the bad... the Sens lost star goaltender Damian Rhodes, who
took a shot off the back of his leg and did not return for the
third period. Ron Tugnutt replaced Rhodes, and - looking shakier
than the vanilla variety at Dairy Queen - proceeded to give up
three Avs goals in the final six minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, Rehabilitation for ailing defensemen Stan Neckar and
Sean Hill, both out since early in the season with wrecked knees,
continues. Hill is now skating and may return to the team if
they make the playoffs. Neckar is not expected to be far behind.
Eat Your Heart Out Rod
With the win, the Avalanche upped their home record to 19-5-4,
tops in the league. In fact, the Avs have sold out 61 straight
home games. Do you think maybe it's because the team owner
doesn't threaten his fans? Okay, no more shots at Bryden, we
promise...
Off to the Sing-Sing
Prior to the Avalanche game, the Senators held a team dinner at a
restaurant called "Sing-Sing" in Denver. The restaurant features
two piano players who invite customers to join them in a song.
Sens rookie defenceman Wade Redden, although quite timid on the
ice, proved otherwise off the ice, belting out a Bob Seger
classic that earned him a standing ovation.
It was about the only good memories Wade would have that night.
With dinner over, the Sens surprised the rookies by having them
pick up the bill. In the end, the Senators bill - estimated at
over $10,000 - was split between Redden, Bruce Gardiner, Andreas
Dackell and Sergei Zholtok.
What's in a Name?
Speaking of Gardiner, most of his teammates call him "Gards", but
Shaun Van Allen has been heard calling him "Kramer", of Seinfeld
fame. "He's always over at my house looking for something to
eat," explained Van Allen.
Orange Crush
Take one look at the collective size of the Philadelphia Flyers,
and you'll quickly come to realize why they are pegged by many to
win Lord Stanley's mug this year. Powered by the Legion of Doom
line (we still say that's an awful name), the Flyers have been
known on occasion to score more points in a game than the NFL's
New York Jets in an entire season.
So how do you stop them? Enter Jacques Lemaire and his New
Jersey Devils. The Devils have enjoyed the most success against
the Flyers than any other team in the NHL over the past few
seasons. And their formula is quite simple - defense, defense,
defense. Wear the Flyers down with tight checking, aggressive
play along the boards, and conservative defensive hockey. Then,
capitalize on whatever scoring opportunities come your way.
Easier said than done, but for a team like the Ottawa Senators -
who are clearly outclassed by the Flyers - it's their only hope.
Unfortunately, Martin and his boys completely abandoned that
strategy in their most recent tilt with the Bullies and instead
committed a major no-no - they played the Flyers at their own
game. And got burned... badly.
Displaying a brand of firewagon hockey never before seen in a
cornfield in Kanata, the Senators came out flying against
Philadelphia (excuse the pun), but the Legion of Doom proved to
be too much, as Philadelphia went on the scorch the Senators 8-5.
The Flyers opened up a 4-2 lead, and coach Martin called a
timeout to calm things down. By the end of the first period it
was 4-4. Early in the second a Lindros elbow to Shaun Van Allen
allowed the Sens power play to take a 5-4 lead. Then the
Legionnaires took over.
Leading the onslaught was Eric Lindros, who played goalies Ron
Tugnutt and Mike Bales like Raggedy Anns, peppering them with a
goal and five assists. Not to be outdone by their linemate, John
LeClair popped home a hat trick (including his 40th of the year)
and one assist, while Mikael Renberg finished the Sens off with
two goals and three assists. Total points: 15.
"That's ridiculous," said Sens defenceman Jason York. "We've got
to do a better job against those guys."
Even more frightening is the fact that the combined 15 points
wasn't a team record. The Legion of Doom once popped home 16
points in a single game last season. Feeling any better, Ottawa?
Had this been against any other team, the Senators offense would
have come out of the game looking like heroes. The Sens blasted
five goals past Flyer netminder Garth Snow by the midway point of
the game. Shawn McEachern played his best game in a Sens
uniform, scoring a goal and two assists, while Steve Duchesne,
Andreas Dackell, Alexandre Daigle and Randy Cunneyworth rounded
out the rest of the Senator scoring.
But it was the Senators' goaltending that proved to be their
Achilles heel. After giving up three goals in the final six
minutes of the Colorado game, starter Ron Tugnutt proceeded to
let in four more in the first 11:41 of the Flyer game. That
prompted Martin to pull Tugnutt in favour of recent callup
Mike Bales, filling in for the injured Damian Rhodes. Bales
didn't fare any better, letting in the final four, including the
game-winner near the end of the second period.
"I don't like those guys. I really don't like those guys," said
Tugnutt after the game.
* How entertaining was the first period? The oddsmakers had the
over/under pegged at 6.5. That level was eclipsed by the 8:34
mark of the first.
* The strangest goal of the night came off the stick of Flyers
defenceman Paul Coffey. Just 2:39 into a 1-1 game, Coffey fires a
high shot in from the blue line off a faceoff. Tugnutt, who
thought it was going to hit the glass behind the net, ducked,
only to witness it catch the top of the net over his head. "It
ticked off Alfie's (Daniel Alfredsson) stick at the blue line
and my instinct on those is to get out of the way because they
can hit you and drop down into the net," explained Tugnutt. "That
one was well over my head. I really thought it was going to hit
halfway up the glass."
"It dropped about eight feet, a real knuckleball," offered Bales,
who witnessed the shot from the bench. "A real Tim Wakefield."
* Flyers defenceman and former Senator Darren Rumble, after
coughing up the puck to Alexandre Daigle, who scored to make it
4-4. "Tell Daigle Merry Christmas for me."
How's That Foot Taste Like?
For the record, the Flyer game was the third consecutive 18,000+
crowd at the Corel Centre. And you were saying, Rod? (Alright,
alright, now we mean it... no more Bryden pot shots... geez, just
trying to have a little fun here!)
Down on the Farm
For all of those Sens fans who have been asking "What ever
happened to Kirk Daubenspeck?", we say "Exactly how often do you
get out of the house?"
Seriously, Daubenspeck, who was obtained in 1994 by ex-GM Randy
Sexton from the Flyers organization along with Claude Boivin in
exchange for Mark Lamb, has been burning up the record book at
the University of Wisconsin, where he has been the Badgers'
goalie since 1993. This month, Daubenspeck became the Badgers'
all-time saves leader, surpassing Duane Derksen's previous high
of 3,223. In January, Daubenspeck also notched his name in the
record book when he made 62 saves in one game. And you wonder why
he managed to break the record?
Congrats, Kirk - the Nosebleeders salute you.
And Now For Something Completely Different!
While on the topic of minor hockey, the Nosebleeders wish to
congratulate the Kempville 73's (guess when the team was founded?
Go on, guess!). The Junior B team has just completed an
undefeated season - 38-0-4 - after going 8-0-2 in preseason.
Hockey in the Valley rules, people - don't forget that!
Isles the By That Sails the Boat, Cuz Isles the By that Built
It...
Coming off the Flyer debacle, the Senators had to regroup and
remind themselves of their mission: the playoffs. Although the
New York Islanders have been playing decent hockey since
ex-Senator Rick Bowness took over the reigns (the team is 6-8-1
under 'Bones'), they nevertheless presented a glorious
opportunity for Ottawa to get back on the winning track.
Calling the match a "do-or-die" situation, the Senators took
complete control of the game right from the start, earning an
impressive 4-1 victory. Combined with losses by Montreal,
Hartford and Washington, Ottawa managed to rise back up the
playoff ladder, trailing Montreal for the final playoff spot by
only two points with 20 games left.
Despite the emotionally draining losses to Colorado and
Philadelphia, the Senators played with poise and confidence.
Alexei Yashin led the charge with two goals - tying his
previously-held team record of 30 goals in a season - with Shaun
Van Allen and Tom Chorske supplying the remaining Senator goals.
Equally impressive was the play of goalie Ron Tugnutt. Coming off
poor performances against the Avalanche and Flyers (who wouldn't,
really?), Tugger proved it would take more than that to shatter
his confidence, as he turned aside 22 of 23 shots for the win.
Medical Update, Part Deux
Sens captain Randy Cunneyworth fractured his cheekbone in a fight
with Isles tough guy Rich Pilon. Cunneyworth will undergo
surgery, and it is unclear how long he will be out of the lineup.
The only good news is that minutes after the fight, Yashin banked
in a goal off Isles goalie Tommy Salo from behind the net. That
goal pretty well set the tempo for the rest of the game.
Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
The Kissing Bandit
The Islanders only goal came from Claude Lapointe. But more
interesting was the fact that Islanders star Zigmund Palffy and
Travis Green assisted on the goal.
Why so interesting?
In case you hadn't heard, Palffy and Green created quite a stir
in their previous game against New Jersey. After scoring a goal,
Palffy circled the Devils net and embraced Green, who set him up
with a nice feed. Nothing special, right? Except, Palffy -
obviously elated with the goal - grabbed Green's face and
proceeded to plant a nice big smackeroo, right in the kisser.
That's right - lip to lip, pucker to pucker. The kind that
you'd expect Prince and RuPaul to swap.
Needless to say, scores of snide remarks emanated from around the
league.
Don Cherry: "I know those guys who wear visors are sweeties, but
that's a little too much."
Islanders head coach Rick Bowness: "We believe in camaraderie,
but that's taking it a little too far."
And, of course, poor Travis Green, who had to endure the expected
derision of his teammates: "Next time he scores, I'm heading
straight for the bench."
Fast forward to the Ottawa game. Lapointe scores, Palffy and
Green join him in an embrace. Much to the crowds chagrin, no lip
lock. How come New Jersey merits a kiss, and not us? Was it
something we said?
Boot To The Head
"Geek-of-the-week" award goes out to the woman who called in to a
local sports phone-in show, and - mortified by the Palffy kissing
incident - proceeded to display her ignorance by stating it is
just one more step forward to the widespread proliferation of
homosexual acceptance in society.
Lady, the Nosebleeders doff their caps to you.. .smacking it
upside your head! Any lame brain would realize that Palffy - a
Czech native - comes from a society where men exchanging pecks,
particularly in sports, is an acceptable act. Don't believe us?
Watch European soccer sometime.
Unfortunately, in this anal-retentive North American society,
such innocent displays of happiness is cause enough to wake up
the ass-backward losers just dying to have their insightful
babble heard.
And, lady, you are the queen of the crop. Back of the line for
you...
Are We Childish? Yes We Are!
Van Allen's goal was especially pleasing to Senator fans. A poor
decision by former Senators first pick overall Bryan Berard
allowed Van Allen to skate in on a 2-on-1 break and score.
Regardless of how great Berard's rookie season is progressing,
nothing gives Senators fans - and the Nosebleeders - greater joy
than seeing Berard goof up.
Here's a young punk who had the audacity to refuse to play for
Ottawa despite being showered with praise and affection after he
was drafted. To add insult to injury, he decides he would rather
play for the Islanders - about as attractive a prospect as seeing
Michael Jackson buck naked - than play for Ottawa.
So call us childish. Call us immature. Heck, call us jealous.
Who cares, our only hope is that this moron one day travels the
same road Brian Lawton, Joe Murphy, Greg Joly and Doug
Wickenheiser took.
Show Me Da Money!
On the complete opposite of the Berard scale is Bruce Gardiner.
Happy in Ottawa and not interested in shopping his wares in the
free agent market this summer, the Senators centre agreed to a
new two-year, $900,000 contract with the club on February 27.
"Last year, I made $35,000... The new contract is not a lot of
money for some people, but it is a lot for me. I'm really happy
and really excited," said Gardiner.
Take a seat, Berard.
Meanwhile, with Gardiner signed, GM Pierre Gauthier still must
contend with the task of re-signing Daniel Alfredsson, Stan
Neckar, Denny Lambert, Christer Olsson, captain Randy Cunneyworth
and surprising defenceman Janne Laukkanen.
Hasek for MVP...Case Closed
Have you ever suffered from a serious case of deja-vu?
Last issue, we sadly reported how the Sens playoffs hopes were
given a slap thanks in large part to the efforts of Dominik Hasek
as the Sabres edged Ottawa 2-1.
Well - darn it all - here we go again! The Dominator, Mr. Hasek,
lived up to his nickname as the Sabres, despite being outshot
30-16 for the game, outscored the Senators 3-1.
The Sens dominated the Sabres in the first period but, Hasek,
like the brick wall that he is, shut them down. This left the
young Senators patience quite thin, and they opened up the play.
Big mistake.
Quick goals by Mike Peca and Donald Audette was all Buffalo
needed, as they then turned to Hasek to hand deliver yet another
two points.
* The game's second star, Denny Lambert, fed Wade Redden with a
beauty for the Sens only goal. Incidentally, Lambert is without
a goal since December 21st.
* Attendance at the Corel Centre, for this second of two games in
two nights, was 17,231. Randy Cunneyworth attended the game
despite being operated on earlier in the day to repair check bone
damage as a result of the Rich Pilon fight. Without him,
attendance would have been 17,230 - and that, my friends, is
just NOT acceptable.
To Recap...
All in all, the Senators end the two-week period in 11th place,
two points from a playoff spot. A big difference between this
year's edition and last year's seems to be confidence and
durability. Last year's edition would not have been able to
bounce back from key losses and serious injuries and STILL be in
the hunt for the playoffs.
It should make the month of March
verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry interesting. Keep
your fingers crossed, people. You too, Rod.
A Trivia Answer and a Salute - All in One
Dave Hannan scored the winning goal in the sixth longest game in
NHL history, back when he was a Buffalo Sabre playing against the
New Jersey Devils in the first round of the 1994 playoffs.
Incidentally, the Senators waived Hannan recently, who had been a
healthy scratch for weeks. Hannan, 35, cleared waivers and,
rather than try his luck in the minors, decided instead to
retire.
Never an elite goal-scorer, Hannan was primarily known as a solid
forechecker and penalty killer. His addition to the Senators
provided much needed experience and veteran leadership both on
and off the ice. But, alas, Sens coach Jacques Martin didn't
feel he could contribute anymore, and thus Hannan's retirement.
Double kudos go out to Hannan not only for his years of
commendable service in the NHL, but also for the level of class
he displayed in bowing out gracefully.
Best of luck in the future, Dave. The Nosebleeders.
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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Craig Patrick
Roster: C - Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Petr Nedved, Stu Barnes.
LW - Alex Hicks, Joe Dziedzic, Jeff Christian, Alek Stojanov,
Garry Valk. RW - Jaromir Jagr, Greg Johnson, Glen Murray, Joey
Mullen. D - Darius Kasparaitis, Kevin Hatcher, Chris Tamer,
Fredrik Olausson, Jason Woolley, Francois Leroux, Craig Muni,
Neil Wilkinson, Ian Moran. G - Tom Barrasso, Ken Wregget,
Patrick Lalime.
Injuries: Jaromir Jagr, rw (groin, indefinite); Jason Woolley, d
(groin, day-to-day); Fredrik Olausson, d (groin, day-to-day).
Transactions: Traded J.J. Daigneault, d, to Anaheim in exchange
for Garry Valk, lw. Assigned Tyler Wright, c; Dave Roche, lw;
and Andreas Johansson, lw; to Cleveland (IHL). Recalled Jeff
Christian, lw, from Cleveland (IHL).
Game Results
2/18 Florida W 4-2
2/22 Chicago L 5-2
2/23 at Islanders L 4-1
2/27 at Detroit L 6-5 OT
3/01 at New Jersey L 6-3
TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell
Oh, the humanity. Over the past two weeks the Penguins have
continued to struggle, compiling a sad 1-4-0 record over that
time. The club has lost four in a row and eight of its last
nine. The Birds' overall record stands at 31-26-5, good for 67
points. They are now a full nine points behind Buffalo for the
Northeast Division title. Unless Dominik Hasek gets kidnapped
and is switched with his younger, less-talented brother Kenny,
there's no chance in hell that the Pens are going to catch the
Sabres.
Luckily, thanks to the hot stretch during December and January,
Pittsburgh still has plenty of breathing room in the quest to
simply secure a playoff spot. The Pens are currently in fifth
place in the East, 10 points up on the eight spot.
The recent tough times, however, have claimed a casualty. Eddie
Johnston was relieved of his coaching duties by GM Craig Patrick
on Monday, March 3. Patrick will be behind the bench for the
rest of the season. EJ is expected to stay on with the
organization in a front office position. For more on the
coaching move, and a heartfelt tribute to EJ, please see the
feature article elsewhere in this issue.
February Sucks: The Penguins have long had trouble in the
month of February. They went 4-7-0 this year and have an overall
record of 37-40-9 over the past seven seasons. That may not
sound all that bad, but remember they've had some pretty good
teams the past seven years. In 1992-93, when they rang up a
franchise record 119 points, the Pens were still just 5-5-1 in
February. Maybe they should give the month a new name in the
future? "Reggie" has a nice ring to it...
Wow, Them Groins Can Hurt: The Penguins have been plagued
by groin injuries over the past several weeks. Jaromir Jagr, Ron
Francis, Alex Hicks, Jason Woolley, and Fredrick Olausson have
all been hampered by them.
Jagr's is the most serious. The Czech wonder boy had to leave
early in the Pens' 6-2 loss to Philadelphia on February 16 and
then missed the next three games against Florida, Chicago, and
the Islanders. He tried to make a comeback in Detroit against
the Wings and aggravated the injury early in the contest and was
once again forced to the locker room.
Some places have said that the injury occurred when Jagr collided
with Vladimir Konstantinov, making it sound like big bad Vlad ran
him or somethin', but that's not the case. Konstantinov wasn't
even involved. Jagr was trying to reach around Slava Kozlov to
steal the puck in the offensive zone when his leg stretched too
far and he simply crumpled to the ice.
As Jagr laid motionless on the ice in pain, it was quite clear
the injury was serious. After the game Jagr said that he
experienced a similar pain while in Czech back in the day and
that it took three full weeks to recover. While three weeks of
rest might do the trick, most fear he could miss as much as six
weeks. That would mean the remainder of the regular season. Oh
boy.
Jagr's groin problem stems from his flat right foot. Not being
able to find skates that fit properly, Jaromir's right ankle
caves inward when he strides, causing undue stress to his groin
muscle. He has met with several skate companies to try and find
a solution to the problem, but so far nothing has worked. Both
Bauer and Nike are reportedly trying to rig up special skates for
him. Jagr thought he found a temporary solution before the
Detroit game when he borrowed a pair of skates from Mario Lemieux
that actually felt comfortable. Well, that idea worked for about
a period.
With Jagr out of action the rest of the way, the Pens are going
to be hard pressed to secure a playoff spot. Any dreams of
claiming the division title have to be let go, now the objective
is just finishing in the top eight. And really, not having home
ice in the playoffs hasn't exactly been a hinderance to the
Penguins in the past. Both Stanley Cup years the Birds won key
series on the road. Since the second Cup, the Pens have had
home-ice advantage in every series they've played and there still
aren't any more banners hangin' from the roof. Home ice, schmome
ice.
No Oates: The big rumor around the Burgh had Adam Oates
and Rick Tocchet coming to Pittsburgh in exchange for Petr
Nedved, Dave Roche, and a first-round pick. That talk was ended
rather suddenly when Oates, Tocchet, and Bill Ranford got shipped
to Washington instead.
While Oates is an amazing player and Tocchet is one of the all-
time great former Penguins, it's a good thing that Craig Patrick
didn't pull the trigger on this deal. Losing Nedved would be
brutal. Nedved and Jagr are this club's future. They could be a
dynamic scoring duo long after Oates, who will turn 35 this
summer, hangs up the skates. Keeping the two wild and crazy
Czech brothers together and planning for the future is the wise
decision. Of course, Petey's contract runs out at the end of the
season again, so the Pens will have to sign him this off-season,
but that really shouldn't be a problem.
Daigneault a Duck: While Patrick didn't deal Nedved, a
week earlier he sent defenseman J.J. Daigneault to Anaheim in
exchange for winger Garry Valk. With Tamer, Wilkinson, and
Olausson all having returned to the lineup, Daigneault was seeing
little ice time. And when he did play he often filled his
minutes with costly turnovers and other rather forgettable
actions. So LCS really doesn't have a problem in dealing him.
The problem is that Garry Valk came in return.
Does this club really need another checking winger that can't
score? Valk is a good guy and all and can be a decent role
player, but it's clear the club needs some scoring depth. He
does have good speed, good size (6'1, 205) and is somewhat
reliable defensively, so that'll help. His presence on the team
likely means that some younger players (Roche) could get dealt in
a package to acquire another scorer up front.
Valk, 29, had his best year in 1993-94 with the Ducks when he
bagged 18 goals and 45 points in 78 games. Initially he skated
the left wing for Mario Lemieux with Glen Murray on the right
side, but most recently he's been playing with Petr Nedved and
Greg Johnson on a second unit. Together they could be one of the
fastest lines in hockey. They've got mad speed.
Valk notched his first goal as a Penguin in the 6-3 loss to New
Jersey on Saturday, March 1.
Cleveland Bound: The acquisition of Valk meant that the
Pens had to send Tyler Wright to Cleveland in order to stay
within the 24-man roster limit. In order to do so, Wright had to
be exposed to the ol' waiver wire. Luckily, no other teams
claimed him and Wright made it safely to Cleveland. Tyler is a
gritty competitor that can be one of the top agitators in the
game, it's just that he's too small to center the fourth line.
He'd be best served playing the wing.
Dave Roche was also shipped down to Cleveland, joining Andreas
Johansson who made the trip a few days earlier. Johansson had
been completely invisible, except for when he was taking stupid
penalties, since returning from a shoulder injury that seemed to
derail a nice start as a Penguin. His absence hasn't even been
noticed. Roche was playing the power play the game before he was
demoted, so his being sent down came as somewhat of a surprise.
He has good hands for a guy that's 6'4, 224 pounds, it's just his
skating could use a lot of help. And he wasn't getting much ice
time with the Penguins. It's tough to improve your game when
you're sitting on the bench. At least now Roche will have the
chance to play regularly with the Lumberjacks and will probably
become a go-to guy for them.
Roche better become an important part of the Cleveland team,
because the Pens called up Jeff Christian to replace him.
Christian was an All-Star this year for the Jacks and was leading
the club with 35 goals at the time of his callup. Christian made
his debut with the Pens against Detroit on February 27 and showed
a willingness to drive to the net.
Goaltending Woes: The Pens just haven't been receiving
top-notch goaltending recently, with Ken Wregget still trying to
play his way back from his hamstring injury and Patrick Lalime
not even remotely resembling the goaltender that went 14-0-2
earlier this season.
Wregget is 1-3-0 since his return, giving up 16 goals in the four
games. Meanwhile, Lalime is 0-5-0 and has given up 25 goals in
his last five starts. In the Pens' most recent game, a 6-3 loss
to the Devils on Saturday, March 1, Lalime was yanked after
allowing four goals on 16 shots. He still just looks exhausted
after facing so many shots night after night during his unbeaten
streak.
Offense? What? Where?: While it's easy to blame the
goaltending and the defense, the Penguins live and die with their
offense. And right not they're dyin'. The Pens have scored just
15 goals in their past eight games. That's not good.
Mario Watch: Lemieux has been one of the few sources of
offense for the Pens, scoring five goals in the last five games.
He still leads the league in scoring with 44 goals and 99 points
in 59 games. Wow, when was the last time Lemieux was still under
a hundred points in March?
Lemieux has a shot at the triple crown. Jagr still leads the
league in goals with 45, but Lemieux should race past him in the
upcoming weeks with Jaromir on the shelf. The point race is all
but decided, with Teemu Selanne in third place behind Jagr (87)
with just 84 points. Lemieux might have trouble catching Wayne
Gretzky for the assist title, as Wayne has 61 and really can't do
anything else except get assists at this point. Wayne has also
played five more games than Lemieux.
Mullen Watch: Joey Mullen turned 40 years old on February
26 and continues to inch closer to the 500-goal milestone. Joey
notched number 499 in the 4-2 win over Florida on February 18,
redirecting a Petr Nedved pass underneath John Vanbiesbrouck.
Number 500 could happen any day now so keep the malt liquor and
cheap wine chilled.
Short Game Recaps
Feb. 18, beat Florida 4-2: Mario Lemieux went buckwild in
the third period, dominating play and carrying the Pens to a 4-2
win after the Cats had a 2-1 lead entering the final frame.
Lemieux recorded two goals and an assist in the third, including
the eventual game-winner with an astounding one-timer fired from
just off the goal line in the left wing corner that somehow found
its way between Vanbiesbrouck's pads.
Feb. 22, lost to Chicago 5-2: Lemieux once again did his
best to carry the Pens, scoring both goals to knot the game after
initially falling behind 2-0, but the club simply fell apart as
the game progressed. A late goal by Ethan Moreau in the final
minute of the second period gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead and took
the life out of the black and gold.
Feb. 23, lost at the Islanders 4-1: The Fish Stick Boys
handed the Birds another humiliating loss. Greg Johnson had the
lone Penguin goal. Tommy Salo was solid in net for the Isles,
although the Pens didn't really display much emotion at all.
Feb. 27, lost at Detroit 4-1: Jagr tried to come back and
re-injured his groin. That sucked. The Pens actually outplayed
the Wings in the second period but couldn't score against Mike
Vernon. Johnson once again had the only goal.
Mar. 1, lost at New Jersey 6-3: Doug Gilmour and crew
buried the Pens beneath four-early goals to chase Lalime from the
net and take total command of the contest. The Pens battled back
in the second period on three quick goals from Murray, Valk, and
Lemieux, but the Devils managed to hang on for the win.
Upcoming Games: Craig Patrick will make his 1996-97
coaching debut on Tuesday, March 4, when the Devils visit the
Igloo. Then it's off to Buffalo the next night before coming
right home again for a two-game stint against the Flyers and
Habs. After that, it's back on the road to Phoenix, Colorado,
and Dallas.
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TEAM REPORTS
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
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Head Coach: Craig Hartsburg
Roster: C - Alexei Zhamnov, Kevin Miller, Denis Savard, Jeff
Shantz, Brent Sutter, Steve Dubinsky, Kip Miller. LW - Murray
Craven, Bob Probert, Jim Cummins, Ethan Moreau, Dave Chyzowski,
Eric Lecompte. RW - Tony Amonte, Eric Daze, Darin Kimble, Sergei
Krivokrasov, Ulf Dahlen. D - Chris Chelios, Gary Suter, Steve
Smith, Eric Weinrich, Cam Russell, Keith Carney, Enrico Ciccone,
Michal Sykora. G - Jeff Hackett, Chris Terreri.
Injuries: Steve Smith, d (sore back, indefinite); Jeff Shantz, c
(sprained knee, out until at least mid-March); Chris Chelios, d
(knee injury, indefinite).
Transactions: Recalled Eric Lecompte, lw, from Worcester (AHL).
Game Results:
2/17 at St. Louis L 4-2
2/20 Boston W 5-3
2/22 at Pittsburgh W 5-2
2/25 Dallas L 1-0
2/26 at Hartford T 2-2
3/01 at Colorado L 2-1
3/02 at Phoenix W 4-0
TEAM NEWS by Dan Glovier
* The Hawks have been on a bit of a roll lately, going 9-4-1 in
their last 14 games to help themselves get back into the hunt for a
playoff spot. Despite their latest roll, they still are having some
trouble scoring goals, netting only seven goals in their last four
games.
* Bad news: Chris Chelios suffered a knee injury in their game
against Colorado, and it forced him to miss the Phoenix game. There
is yet no word on his condition, as doctors have yet to perform an
MRI on the appendage. If this turns into a "major" type of injury,
with the Hawks fighting for their playoff lives, the postseason
aspirations could become nothing more than a pipe dream. If this
turns out to be a minor injury, I think (assuming full recovery)
this could be a good little break for Chelios. In all his years in
Chicago, he's had more "off" games this year than any other year.
Maybe a break from it all will let him get settled back down,
especially if the team plays well in his absence (ala the Penguins
and He Who Is Mario).
Interesting note: In the one game without Chelios, the Hawks
pitched a shutout. Not a bad recovery, eh?
* It looks like Pully is going to outwait everyone again. Every
year, Bob Pulford waits until the last minute to pull the trigger,
and every year the candidates end up signing somewhere else. It
looks like the Hawks, who really, really need another scorer (in
the 30-35 goal a year area), are just watching as everyone else
goes out and gets their guys.
The Red Wings traded for Sandstrom. The Devils got Doug Gilmour.
The Capitals got everyone on the Bruins except Ray Bourque. (I
really think Rick Middleton is going to help out a bunch!)
The Hawks are running out of candidates. Let's look at who's
left.
Shayne Corson earlier in the year said that, by season's end, he
would be a Hawk. Well, he's finally healthy and playing, and there
has been some talk, but no action. He would become a fixture on the
second line, adding some talent, size, experience, and leadership
to the team. When he's happy and wants to play, Shayne is an
effective player. The latest rumor has been defenseman Eric
Weinrich for Shayne Corson. Murray Craven for Shayne Corson has
also been bandied about, but you gotta think the Habs will want
more than that.
Dave Gagner/Robert Reichel from the Flames have been on the
block/shopped around at different points in the past few weeks.
Dave Gagner is the veteran, hard-working player that the Hawks
always covet. Robert Reichel is young, has (had?) skills that would
almost seem out of place on the Hawks. You have to believe that out
of the two, the Hawks would want Gagner. He fits the profile, plus
he's an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. That means
the Hawks could get him cheaper. The latest word is Sergei
Krivokrasov and Murray Craven for Gagner. I have also heard that
Calgary wanted Keith Carney for Gagner, but the way Keith has
developed, his age, and the fact that he is a defenseman, I would
doubt highly that the Hawks would go for this one.
Kirk Muller will be moved (one would assume), and he fits the
profile that the Hawks like. Veteran player who plays both ways.
But have his best days gone by? However, if Pully and Cliff
Fletcher can get over that inter-divisional trade taboo, this may
very well end up being the player the Hawks get. Why? I have a
feeling the Hawks could get him cheaper than the other two players.
Sadly, this is a driving issue in this organization.
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DALLAS STARS
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Head coach: Ken Hitchcock
Season results: 38W, 23L, 4T, 80 PTS
Roster: C-Mike Modano, Todd Harvey, Guy Carbonneau, Joe Nieuwendyk,
Neal Broten, Bob Bassen. LW-Dave Reid, Greg Adams, Benoit Hogue,
Brent Gilchrist, Bill Huard. RW-Pat Verbeek, Jamie Langenbrunner,
Jere Lehtinen, Grant Marshall, Mike Kennedy. D-Derian Hatcher,
Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor, Grant Ledyard, Mike Lalor, Richard
Matvichuk, Sergei Zubov. G-Arturs Irbe, Andy Moog.
Injuries: Jere Lehtinen, rw (torn MCL in right knee, skating with
club, day-to-day); Benoit Hogue, lw (elbow injury, day-to-day);
Craig Ludwig, d (hip flexor, day-to-day); Richard Matvichuk, d
(groin strain, day-to-day)
Transactions: Recalled Dan Keczmer, d, from Michigan (IHL).
Recalled Petr Buzek, d, from Michigan.
Game Results:
02/18 at San Jose L 3-1
02/21 Calgary W 4-2
02/23 Edmonton W 6-1
02/25 at Chicago W 1-0
02/27 at Colorado W 6-2
03/01 at Calgary L 4-1
Team News by Jim Panenka
Them kids can play!
So what do you think about the Stars now? After thoroughly
defeating the Avalanche 6-2 at Colorado, the Stars have passed yet
another new milestone. The victory set a new franchise record for
road wins in a season with 20. Dallas was also the first team to
reach this mark this season.
What may be even more important is that the victory finally sealed
out all doubts about the Stars' contention for Lord Stanley's Cup.
Dallas is by no means the favorite to represent the Western
Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals, but be assured the Stars are
definitely major contenders.
For weeks prior to the Feb. 27 meeting in Colorado, the players,
coaches, and media unanimously agreed that this game was the
watermark for the season concerning Dallas.
If the Stars lost, there would still be nagging doubts in the back
of everyone's head about their legitimacy. If they won, those
doubts would be permanently removed. More importantly, with a
victory the Stars could extend their lead over third-place Detroit,
and could close the gap between themselves and the league-leading
Avalanche.
As it turned out, the Stars handily beat the Stanley Cup champions.
Was this an omen of things to come? Will the Stars become this
year's version of the Florida Panthers? Let's just say it is now
much more of a safe bet that Dallas will make it further than the
first round of the playoffs this year.
Granted, the Stars were on the receiving end of some good breaks in
Colorado. Patrick Roy had a weak start, and things didn't get much
better from there. The Avalanche did not put their 'A' game out for
this contest. Dallas capitalized on Colorado's mistakes and made
the most of the situation by scoring on two of three power-play
chances.
Neal Broten is living right, and capped off a special month by
scoring the night's first goal. Verbeek was standing behind the
goal to Roy's left, and tried to stuff the puck wrap-around style
behind Roy. St. Patrick managed to stop the stuff, but left a fat,
juicy rebound just inches away from his goal stick.
Before Roy could make like a lobster and claw at the rebound to
scoop it up, Broten snuck in from behind the goal and kicked the
puck into his skates, and away from Roy's stick. While digging for
the puck between his skates, Broten crossed the crease and slipped
it under Roy's pads after St. Patrick committed to a poke check and
missed.
For Broten, who had failed to score a single goal with both LA and
New Jersey, it was his fifth goal of the year with the Stars.
(Note: LCS hopes to sit Neal down for an interview pretty soon)
It was obvious that Patrick was not having a good night when both
Zubov and Sydor were able to beat Roy top-shelf with bombs from the
point. Both were even-strength goals scored in the second
period.
Toward the end of the second period, Mike Modano put the game out
of reach on the power play by sending another high shot through the
crowd and over Roy's shoulder. I just love them butterfly
goalies!
Joe Nieuwendyk added the second power-play goal for the night, and
Guy Carbonneau put the last nail in the coffin by beating his
former teammate with a screen shot. Carbo was cruising in the slot
when he received the puck and closed in on net. The Avalanche
defender screened his goaltender, which allowed Carbo to slip a
deceptive little snap-shot between Roy's right leg pad and the left
goal post.
The Avalanche were handed their first consecutive losses in the
last three months.
Of their performance, Peter Forsberg summed up the night by
stating:
"They played a great game, and we didn't play any good at all."
Forsberg added "We know they're a good team. They just outworked
us."
On the other end, it was business as usual for Dallas.
"We didn't have a superhuman effort tonight," coach Hitchcock said.
"This isn't much different than the way we've played on the road
for the last month. When we get a lead, we can wear people
down."
Enigmatics
What is most impressive about the win over Colorado was that Dallas
pulled it off while they were injured, and the Avalanche were
healthy.
Dallas was missing Greg Adams, Jere Lehtinen, Richard Matvichuk,
and Craig Ludwig. Two of the best on 'O', and two of the best on
'D'. But, Dallas is a much deeper club in this iteration.
It is exactly this depth, and a total commitment to each other,
that have led the Stars through the thick of things.
So why then, exactly, can a team that is breaking almost every
franchise record for wins, a team that is one of the two
most-improved clubs from last year, and a team that handily beat
the Stanley Cup champions, lose so easily, and convincingly to a
bottom-feeder club that is fighting for its very life?
That is the enigma that is the Dallas Stars. After the big win
against the Avs, the Stars lost to the hosting Calgary Flames, 4-1.
Dallas came out flatter than Brooke Shields' chest. (Sorry, Andre!)
What gives? Well, it was mainly a question of fatigue and roster
changes.
Shortly before the all-star break, the Stars suffered a similar
fate. After a big 6-3 win Jan. 8 against Detroit, Dallas dropped
two and tied one before the break. They had just finished a brutal
road trip, and it was obvious fatigue was becoming a factor.
This time, the aforementioned four players were on the shelf, and
the club had just completed another five-game-in-eight-days
stretch. So, it wasn't completely surprising when the Stars petered
out.
Due props are given to Calgary. Them boys can work their asses off!
Calgary beat the Stars at their own game, with high-energy, and a
relentless forechecking game.
Jarome Iginla nearly bagged the hat trick, and Dave Gagner was
working as hard as ever for the Flames. Calgary played a superb
game, and they have every right to feel great about this victory.
Hey, Gags! Is there any chance we can entice you back to Dallas?
Gagner is one-in-a-million. I'd still rather watch Gagner work hard
than watch Benoit Hogue decide whether or not he is going to show
up for the evening! (Gagner was traded to Toronto for Hogue).
The Stars passed over Iginla in favor of Nieuwendyk, and Jarome is
making a big splash in the Saddledome, but when it comes to playoff
time, watch for Nieuwendyk to do something very special.
Joe has scored at least three ultra-sweet goal-scorer's goals, two
of the three coming from the patented Nieuwendyk net-crash. One
even came while Joe was wearing the visor as a precaution, after
catching a pass from Sergei Zubov in the nose. The man is pretty
well a point-a-game player so far.
But, the MO for the goals is the same. Just after gaining entry
into the offensive zone, Nieuwendyk will casually lurk about near
the boards, waiting for his wingers to get attention near the slot.
Then, just as attention is turning his way (keeping in mind this is
all one fluid motion in the span of about four seconds), Joe will
make a quick turn into the slot area with full afterburners, close
dead in on the net, and then let one rip to either corner,
top-shelf.
Joe N. has a Joe Sakic-like release. It is like really quick, man.
He sails 'em over the shoulder before the netminders can flinch!
Ah, yes, a thing of beauty.
Mark these words, faithful LCS readers: Joe Nieuwendyk will make
one of those "superstar" plays during the playoffs this year, and
he will knock the socks off of you when he does! Have those VCRs
qued and ready. It is time. The planets are aligning at this very
minute.
Just remember -- you heard it here first!
Other News:
* The team has stayed on course very well despite the recent injury
bugs. Dan Keczmer was recalled from the Zoo, and did a great job in
stepping up to help fill in the gap left by the absence of Richard
Matvichuk. Keczmer had been recalled nearly a dozen times this
year, but had never played up until Mar. 1 against Calgary.
Things were helped further along when Petr Buzek was called in to
replace the injured Craig Ludwig.
This has been the second test for the unit of six this year. Of
course, in December when captain Derian Hatcher missed a few weeks
with a knee injury, Matvichuk and Sydor stepped up in a major way
and kept things humming on the blue line.
This time, even with the other injuries on the team, the defense has
kept to form.
* Greg Adams returned for the first time in 30 games Saturday, Mar.
1, against Calgary. Adams missed the last two months because of a
combination of back spasms and a herniated disk in the neck.
Hitch wasted no time in placing Gus right back onto Modano's first
line along with Todd Harvey. It will take some time for Adams to
get the touch back, but the good news is he, at least for now,
appears to be back for the duration.
* The injured Jere Lehtinen is due back just about any game, now.
Ditto for Craig Ludwig.
Matvichuk may still miss a week or two. Those groin injuries are
particularly pesky -- just ask Eric Lindros or Jaromir Jagr.
* Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor have been two of the players that
have stepped up to contribute during Adams' and Lehtinen's
absences.
The fact that both are defensemen is a perfect characterization of
this club. Everyone is pulling on the chain equally. (Well, almost
everyone).
On Feb. 27 in Colorado, Zubov tied his 1993-1994 career-high mark
of 12 goals. That was the same year Sergei won the Cup with the NY
Rangers. Coincidence? You be the judge.
Darryl Sydor scored his sixth goal of the season Saturday against
Calgary. This raised Sydor's point total to 35, which ties his
personal-best, which was set (again) in 1993-1994 with the LA
Kings.
Sydor has excelled at simplicity. He is very intelligent on the
power play, and is great at manning the point and sending the puck
in on net. More often than not, just as the defenders are closing
in, and it appears they are going to stifle Syd, he just lets one
rip in on net, and either he or his 'mates are there to sop up the
gravy.
Zubov has finally begun playing with the same confidence that he
showed during that 1993-1994 season with NY. He can literally
bedazzle all those on the ice with his puck-carrying skills. It's
not that he is all that fast, or all that flashy. He is just
mesmerizing in the way he moves. It is not uncommon to see everyone
on the ice staring blankly at Sergei as he nonchalantly zigs and
zags all the way into the offensive zone for a blistering wrist
shot up high.
Lately, a lot of those shots have been finding their way in.
Sure, the man may lack some people skills, but all of us brilliant
people are looked upon as being crazy, at first. But eventually,
they see the light.
I know! All you have to do is ask my psychiatric counselor. When
she asks who I am, instead of answering "I am Batman," I now answer
"I am Super Mario." Then I ask -- "would you like to play 'poke in
the puck' with Mario?"
She didn't buy it, either. Oh, well. Brilliance sometimes has its
rewards. Now, if they would just leave off that damn
straight-jacket.
* Andy Moog is the man on a mission. He and Irbe have both been
playing well as of late, but the Mooger is definitely acting as if
he REALLY wants another championship ring. Moog has been simply
brilliant in net, and has shown no ill-effects from that knee
sprain he suffered earlier in the season.
It is hard to name any one specific night as Moog's best, because
he plays so solidly and consistently every night. But, Andy was
particularly brilliant during the 6-2 victory over the Avalanche.
Moog stopped several key chances early, which once again set the
tone for the rest of the game.
The victory was Andy's 352nd career win, which now places him only
three wins away from tying Rogie Vachon for fifth place on the
all-time list.
If the Stars are indeed this year's version of the Panthers, Moog
will be the backbone of the team just as the Beezer was/is for
Florida.
I can't stop saying enough nice things about this guy. The
36-year-old veteran has shown in many ways that he is in the prime
of his life, despite conventional wisdom.
And, he is not afraid to speak up very loudly when his opinion
needs to be heard. Moog can often be seen barking orders to his
defenders, and also giving rule book lessons to the linesmen and
referees whenever they make the wrong call.
He has time to do all of this in between making larcenous saves
against any of the league's best talent.
*After being invisible in the first half, both Bill Huard and Todd
Harvey have stepped back into the limelight.
Harvey has done very well playing on Modano's line while the
regulars are on the shelf.
Billy Huard has been the one and only spark in those flat, dead
games where no one appears to be moving their feet. He refuses to
take this type of play sitting down, and will single-handedly step
in and score, flatten a goon, or do whatever else it may take to
wake his 'mates up.
* Honorable mention goes to Bob Bassen and Brent Gilchrist for
working hard during the last few weeks.
Bass scored his second goal of the season recently, which is a
major victory for a guy that was riddled with injuries and missed
nearly two full seasons. He's still got it!
And Gilchrist has again begun playing up to his usual great form.
Gilchrist was even casually mentioned recently as the character of
the Stars' club. This was very apparent last year, when Gilly was
the only hard-working Star all year long. He was awarded this
reporter's Player of the Year (MVP) for his hard work that season.
* In the wake of having to choose between all of this depth, Hitch
has finally admitted it makes for a rough decision come game day
between who plays and who parks his ass on the bench.
"Lehtinen and Adams will get opportunities to get back into game
shape," said Hitchcock, "but we can't look down the line. We've got
guys like Bill Huard and Mike Kennedy who deserve to play. That
means other people are going to have to sit. The chance to prove
yourself is over."
That at least answers why poor Mike Kennedy can't buy his way into
a game.
This is also the reason I have neglected my line-formation
reporting duties, because they change literally game-to-game. Hitch
has even abandoned the two-man pairing rule, for the most part. It
just seems as if every game has a nearly completely different
combination of players.
It is obvious now that Hitch and the players have solely focused on
the playoffs. If the Stars have any hope at finishing first in the
West during the regular season, they will need to win just about
every game left. It's now just a matter of how many points the team
can rack up prior to April 13.
How about them Stars?
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DETROIT RED WINGS
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Head Coach: Scotty Bowman
Roster C - Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Kris
Draper. LW - Brendan Shanahan, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Martin Lapointe,
Bob Errey, Tim Taylor, Tomas Holmstrom. RW - Doug Brown, Mathieu
Dandenault, Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby, Joey Kocur, Tomas
Sandstrom. D - Nicklas Lidstrom, Bob Rouse, Vladimir Konstantinov,
Slava Fetisov, Jamie Pushor, Brian Glynn, Aaron Ward, Anders
Eriksson. G - Mike Vernon, Chris Osgood, Kevin Hodson.
Injuries: None.
Transactions: Signed Igor Larionov, c, to a three-year contract
extension; signed Adirondack Red Wings (AHL) goaltender Norm
Maracle to a new three-year contract; signed inactive defensemen
Mike Ramsey to finish out the season effective immediately.
Game Results:
2/17 at Tampa Bay T 3-3
2/19 Calgary W 4-0
2/22 at St. Louis T 2-2
2/24 at Phoenix W 5-3
2/27 Pittsburgh W 4-1
3/01 NY Rangers W 3-0
3/02 Anaheim T 1-1
TEAM NEWS by Dino Cacciola
Spiced Hot Wings!
The month of February has proven to be an excellent time for the
Red Wings. Even though they are about 24 points behind last year's
pace, they have picked things up considerably after a horrid (well,
it was for Hockeytown fans anyway) month of hockey in January.
The reasons seem to rely heavily on the fact that Brendan Shanahan
(NHL player of the Month and third in goals scored with 41) and
Darren McCarty are clicking on all cylinders. Both players are
scoring mostly because of their pivot ace Igor Larionov threading
the needle all day long. The power play has finally jelled and is
a formidable threat. For most of the season it has been
non-existent. They still miss Paul Coffey back on the point, but
Nick Lidstrom is having a fine season. The penalty-killing unit is
now near the top of the league for efficiency. Coach Scotty Bowman
has continued the trend of alternating the goaltending duties
between Chris Osgood and Mike Vernon every game. One hopes he can
make up his mind before the playoffs.
The real kicker is that the Wings can't seem to catch any ground on
the Dallas Stars for the Central Division lead with all these
points they have been accumulating. I don't think there is panic
from this. Bowman doesn't want to face the eighth place team in
the first round of the playoffs. He feels those teams have clawed
their way in and are already in a playoff mode which makes it
difficult to play against them. Last season's first-round match
with the Jets was very difficult for the Wings.
One of the questions asked all season was who was going to replace
the retired Mike Ramsey this season? The answer - Mike Ramsey. He
was asked to return from retirement to play the rest of the
season. He was running a sporting goods store in Minnesota. One
unnamed Wing was heard saying that having Mike come from a sporting
goods store could really be an asset to the team trainers in
perhaps sharpening their skates.
Rumor-mill-ville has the Wings interested in semi-sniper Derek King
of the New York Islanders. Also in the talks are getting a tough
stay-at-home defenseman such as Luke Richardson, Bryan Marchment,
or Steve Chiasson. When the Wings traded Chaisson away a few years
ago I attended the celebration party. This year was the Keith
Primeau party. I am hoping for a Marty Lapointe party, myself.
And finally the rumor of Sergei Fedorov going to Vancouver for
Trevor Linden and Gino Odjick are still being chanted.
Game Recaps
Not the five-hole, Mike:
Against the Lightning with 25 seconds left to play, goalie Mike
Vernon went to the left corner of the rink to stop a dumped puck by
Knuckles Selivanov. Vernon tried to move the puck around the
boards, but Tampa Bay's Shawn Burr chopped it to the side of the
net where Daymond Langkow easily put it into the vacated cage. The
game ended in a tie. Vernon said, "I'll take full responsibility
for that goal, it was definitely my fault, I screwed up." Yes Mike,
we know.
Put out the fire:
Detroit captain Steve Yzerman had three assists in his 1,000th
regular-season game when the Red Wings faced off against the
Flames. "I think to the players it means a lot for a guy to get
1,000, but it's really no big deal," Yzerman said. "You kind of
reflect on all the guys you've played with. Doing it with one team
is something I'm proud of."
Ozzie picked up his fifth shutout as the Wings put out the Flames.
Sandstrom picked up two goals in the win.
Feeling Kinda Blue:
Pierre Turgeon's power-play goal with 2:09 left in regulation
capped a third-period comeback and gave the St. Louis Blues a 2-2
tie. An errant pass by Sergei (the former MVP and really good
player who has really not looked that good of late) gave the Blues
the tie. Tomas Holmstrom and Igor Larionov scored for the Red
Wings, who, despite squandering a two-goal lead in the final 10
minutes of regulation, extended their unbeaten streak to four
games. Vernon made 28 saves and Blues goalie Grant Fuhr stopped 26
shots. Both made two saves in overtime. The crowd of 20,371 at the
Kiel Center was the Blues' largest of the season as the Wings
continue to draw well on the road.
Nothing rose from the ashes this time:
Chris Osgood made 39 saves and Detroit killed off all seven
Coyotes' power plays as the Red Wings extended their unbeaten
streak to five games with a 5-3 victory over Phoenix. A pretty
boring game except for the highlight fight of Jeremy Roenick and
Vladimir Konstantinov. An even fight, but Jeremy just hates the
guy from his days with the Hawks. The Wings were outshot 42 to 35
in the victory.
Doobey Doobey Doo:
Igor Larionov had a
goal and two assists and Mike Vernon turned aside 29 of 30 shots as
the Detroit Red Wings continued their domination of Eastern
Conference opponents with a 4-1 defeat of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Vlady "the Impaler" Konstantinov added a goal and an assist and
Brendan "You the man" Shanahan set up a pair of tallies as Detroit
improved to 14-4-3 against the tough Eastern Conference. Vernie
set the tone early in the contest by stoning Super Mario on a
breakaway 15 seconds into the contest. "I think Mario tried to get
it to the top part of the net. I don't think it was a clean shot
and I got a piece of it," said Vernon. I guess Mario wasn't up on
the five-hole scouting report on Mike? Former Wing Greg Johnson
scored the lone rock against his former club. The Wings out shot
the Pens 38 to 30 in the win.
It could have been a mess:
But Mess didn't play and The Great One was invisible as the Wings
shutout the Rangers, 3-0. The Wizard of OZ recorded his sixth
shutout of the season, and 13th of his career, stopping all 21
shots he faced. He is tied for the league lead in shutouts. The
struggling Rangers seemed listless in their effort as the game was
played very conservatively by the Wings. The Red Wings stretched
their unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2), equaling a season
high. Darren McCarty scored the only goal Osgood needed 1:49 into
the game, putting home a rebound of Shanahan's shot for his 17th of
the season, extending his career high. Ex-Ranger Tomas Sandstrom
scored into an empty net with 30 seconds to go, sealing Osgood's
fifth straight victory. It was Sandstrom's 800th NHL point of his
injury-filled career.
Mighty boring:
Like kissing your sister is what a tie is. A tie on home ice is a
tough pill to swallow. But that's what happened. The Wings,
playing their third game in four nights, seemed a step behind in
the loss. I can't get myself to get up to even watch a team with
such a silly name, so I can see why the Wings wouldn't either.
"Captain" Kirk Maltby scored the lone goal early in the third
stanza, with Ted Drury answering for the Ducks on a screen shot
that Vernon never saw. Vernon made 24 saves for Detroit, which
improved to 5-0-3 in its last eight games. Each team had only one
shot on goal in overtime. Anaheim is just 1-9-4 all-time against
the Wings. A mighty snoozer of a game.
On Deck:
A six game road trip starting in Toronto. Then off to Vancouver.
Then to Hollywood and Anaheim. Then a date with the Sharks, and
finally with the Lanche. I wonder if Vegas has odds on whether
Claude Lemieux will play in that game. If I were a betting man I
would say that he will have a hung toe nail and not play. Sorry
Drapes.
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PHOENIX COYOTES
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Head Coach: Don Hay
Roster: C - Jeremy Roenick, Cliff Ronning, Craig Janney, Mike
Stapleton, Bob Corkum, Travis Hansen. LW - Keith Tkachuk, Darrin
Shannon, Kris King, Jim McKenzie, Igor Korolev. RW - Mike Gartner,
Shane Doan, Dallas Drake. D - Teppo Numminen, Oleg Tverdosky, Dave
Manson, Norm Maciver, Brad McCrimmon, Jeff Finley, Jim Johnson, Jay
More, Deron Quint, Kevin Dahl. G - Nikolai Khabibulin, Darcy
Wakaluk, Parris Duffus.
Injuries: Jim Johnson, d (sore back, day-to-day); Shane Doan, rw
(bruised hand, day-to-day); Brad McCrimmon, d (sprained wrist, out
indefinitely); Darcy Wakaluk, g (arthroscopic surgery on right knee
for second time in a month, sidelined until at least mid-to-late
March).
Transactions:Recalled Deron Quint, d, from Springfield (AHL);
recalled Kevin Dahl, d, from Las Vegas (IHL); returned Juha Ylonen,
c, and Scott Langkow, g, to Springfield; recalled Parris Duffus, g,
from Las Vegas.
Game Results:
2/18 Los Angeles W 6-1
2/22 at Anaheim L 4-2
2/24 Detroit L 5-3
2/26 at Calgary W 5-2
2/27 at Vancouver L 6-2
3/02 Chicago L 4-0
TEAM NEWS by Nicole Agostino, Penn State Lady Icer
Well, you know that staff of LCS: Guide to Hockey must either be
injured or have three exams in the next three days when they get
desperate enough to let me, Stat Girl, write a team report. Now, I
know that those of you who read my last team report where I rated
the appearance of each Colorado Avalanche player are saying to
yourselves, "How could she possibly top that???" My answer to you
is that this time I actually did a little research for the team
report and even watched a Phoenix game. Here is my attempt at
literacy...
The Phoenix Coyotes are currently tied with the Anaheim Mighty
Ducks for the 8th and final spot in playoffs for the Western
Conference with 60 points. They are behind Chicago and Calgary who
each have 61 points. Despite these facts, Phoenix has lacked the
intensity that a team in this position should have. They have gone
5-5-0 in their last 10 games and have allowed at least four goals
in four of their last five games. Now class, let us observe how
you should not play hockey when you are trying to make the playoffs
in the National Hockey League...
Feb. 22, Phoenix 2, Anaheim 4
Phoenix has been getting plenty of shots on goal in the past two
weeks, never getting less than 26 in a game. In this game they had
27 shots to Anaheim's 31. The problem was putting the puck in the
net. Roenick was a -2 and Tkachuk was a -1 for the evening.
Perhaps if Roenick and Tkachuk stepped up their play a little more,
the Coyotes could have walked away with two points that night
instead of zero, and Anaheim would not be such a threat to their
playoff spot. But alas, the intensity was not there. At least
they managed to score on the power play in one of their two
chances. Power-play goals will become increasingly hard to come by
as the days pass.
Feb. 24, Detroit 5, Phoenix 3
Did you catch the foreshadowing in the last sentence of that last
paragraph? In this game, Phoenix was 0 for 7 on the power play.
That's right, 0 for 7. Seven chances to score a power-play goal
and they didn't convert. They had 42 shots to Detroit's 35, but
couldn't manage to find the net. At least Roenick decided to wake
and play a little bit after the tough loss to Anaheim and scored
two goals. Penalty killing was also a problem for the Coyotes.
Detroit was 2 for 6 on the power play. Those two goals made the
difference between a potential win and a loss. Phoenix played a
disappointing game both offensively and defensively.
Feb. 26, Phoenix 5, Calgary 2
I'll give Phoenix credit, they played a great game against
Calgary. Craig Janney and Mike Gartner really stepped things up
with two goals each and Roenick also added one. Phoenix was 2 for
4 on the power play and held Calgary scoreless with the man
advantage. They seemed to have learned from their mistakes of two
nights before. Khabibulin also helped out the cause by stopping 30
of 32 shots. I ask you, how could you not love Nikolai Khabibulin?
Feb. 27, Phoenix 2, Vancouver 6
I guess the Coyote defense was sleepy after the big win against
Calgary. Martin Gelinas scored four of Vancouver's six goals in
this game. I think that if I were a Coyote defenseperson and
Gelinas had just scored his second or third goal, I would say to
myself, "Gee, he's like good or something. Maybe I should, like,
try to stop him from scoring." But that's just me. I do not claim
to have the skills of an NHL defenseman. There were more
disappointments in the offensive zone as well. Phoenix was 0 for 5
on the power play. Also, Roenick was a -4 and Tkachuk was a -5. I
guess Tkachuk was too busy thinking about his upcoming wedding to
worry about silly things like scoring goals.
Mar. 1 Chicago 4, Phoenix 0
Ok, this is getting old but I'll say it again. The defense
sucked. The offense sucked. Phoenix was 0 for 5 on the power
play, but at least they kept Chicago from scoring on their four
chances with the man advantage. Roenick was invisible in this game
but I guess I'll let it slide. He had the flu and a fever of 103
degrees. Not like that would ever stop me from playing my best
hockey, but hey, I'm superhuman. The Coyotes efforts were
furthermore hindered by Tony Amonte's hair. Man, that shit is easy
to trip over when you're fighting for the puck. Phoenix had 38
shots in this game and scored on none, even though they needed this
win so badly. Khabby was incredible between the pipes as usual,
but he got little help from his friends. The outcome could have
been a lot worse if not for the LCS hero-in-waiting.
After this game, the Coyotes are one point behind Chicago in the
Central Division. What this game boils down to is that Chicago
played like a team desperate to make the playoffs and Phoenix
didn't.
So there you have it ladies, gentlemen and chimps. Phoenix better
stop sucking and score some goals or they're not going to make the
playoffs. Thank you and have a nice day.
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ST. LOUIS BLUES
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Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
Roster: C - Pierre Turgeon, Craig MacTavish, Harry York, Jim
Campbell, Jamal Mayers. LW - Geoff Courtnall, Tony Twist, Stephane
Matteau, Scott Pellerin, Mike Peluso. RW - Brett Hull, Joe Murphy,
Brian Noonan, Steve Leach. D - Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Igor
Kravchuk, Marc Bergevin, Trent Yawney, Ricard Persson, Libor
Zabransky, Chris McAlpine. G - Grant Fuhr, Jon Casey.
Injuries: Jim Campbell, rw (bruised right hand, day-to-day); Steve
Leach, rw (left ankle surgery, out indefinitely).
Transactions:Assigned Jamie Rivers, d, to Worcester (AHL).
Game Results:
2/20 Ottawa T 1-1
2/22 Detroit T 2-2
2/23 Calgary L 5-3
2/25 at Tampa Bay L 3-2
2/27 at Florida L 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Joe Ashkar
After being one of the hottest teams in the league in the month of
January, the Blues cooled off significantly in February. In Joel
Quenneville's first 10 games as head coach of the Blues, the team
was clicking on all cylinders with a record of 7-3. But injuries to
key players and the inability to win on home ice has slowed the
Blues down in the standings. They are still in good shape to making
the playoffs as the fifth seed in the Western Conference but
Chicago, Phoenix and Calgary are are not too far behind.
The Blues are in the midst of their worst slump under coach
Quenneville who had not posted back-to-back losses in 22 games as
head coach of the Bluenote. The Blues are now riding a tough
three-game losing streak extending their winless streak to five
games and dropping a game below .500 with a 28-29-8 record.
The downfall started in the midst of a seven-game home stand on
which they went 2-3-2. After a loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, a win
against the New York Rangers and a loss to the Stanley Cup Champion
Colorado Avalanche, the Blues beat arch-rival Chicago for the first
time at Kiel Center. The Blues did it in an impressive fashion
since they were playing without their top two defensemen Al
MacInnis and Chris Pronger. Pierre Turgeon scored the go-ahead goal
on a power play en route to a 4-2 victory. Scott Pellerin, Craig
Conroy and Harry York scored the other goals for the Blues. Grant
Fuhr's stellar goaltending stopped 33 of 35 Blackhawk shots.
The Blues got Pronger back in the lineup for their next game against
the Ottawa Senators. The Senators came out playing a variation of the
neutral zone trap with a whole lot of clutching and grabbing. The
slushy Kiel Center ice slowed both teams down as they skated to a
boring 1-1 tie. The Blues were clinging to a 1-0 lead on Jim
Campbell's 21st goal of the season but Radek Bonk tied it midway
through the third period for Ottawa.
On their fourth Saturday afternoon Fox game of the season, the Blues
hosted the Detroit Red Wings and Brendan Shanahan's return to Kiel
Center. The Red Wings came out flying, outshooting the Blues 13-0
midway through the first period and taking a 1-0 lead on a
controversial goal. Tomas Holstrom was pushed on top of Fuhr in the
crease while the Blues goaltender was making a save. After an
inconclusive video replay, referee Rob Shick alowed the goal,
claiming Fuhr's glove was behing the goal line and disregarding
that Holstrom was on top of him.
The Blues fell behind 2-0 in the early minutes of the third period
on a power-play goal by Igor Larionov but Jim Campbell's 22nd goal
of the season midway through the final period brought the Blues
within 2-1 and the Kiel Center crowd on their feet. Pumped by the
loud crowd support, the Blues tied the game 2-2 with two minutes
and nine seconds left in the period. Turgeon scored a power-play
goal on a rebound setup by Brett Hull and Igor Kravchuk.
On their last game of the homestand, the Blues appeared to have the
game against the Calgary Flames in control. They jumped to an early
2-0 lead on their first two shots of the game. Jim Campbell netted
his rookie-leading 23rd goal of the season and Hull his 34th of the
year.
The Flames were revived when they scored a goal with 0.6 seconds
left in the first period and escaping with only a one-goal deficit.
Hull restored the Blues' two goal lead at 7:45 of the second period
but three minutes later, Joel Bouchard made it a one-goal game for
Calgary.
The Blues, who were playing their third game in four nights and
second in a span of 24 hours, came out flat and tired in the third
period as Calgary scored three unanswered on goaltender Jon Casey
who appeared to be a little rusty. The goals gave Calgary a 5-3
victory over the Blues, their first in the final meeting of the
season between the two teams.
On their mini-trip to Southern Florida, the Blues put their
team-record seven game road unbeaten streak (5-0-2) on the line and
they were struck by the hot Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay jumped
to an early 2-0 lead and the Blues never recovered. Hull, who had a
strong game scored twice to keep the Blues in the game but some
amazing goaltending by Tampa's Rick Tabaracci preserved a 3-2
victory for the Lightning. The game marked the return of defenseman
Al MacInnis who has recovered from a separated shoulder but lost
another key Blue in the process. Calder Trophy candidate Jim
Campbell injured his thumb while colliding with a Tampa Bay player
and will be out 2-3 weeks after undergoing minor surgery.
Two nights later, it was a similar game against the Florida
Panthers. The Blues fell behind 2-0 in the second period but two
third period goals by Chris Pronger and Hull's 38th of the season
sent the game into overtime. Both teams appeared to be skating to a
2-2 tie but the Blues got caught on a line change with 70 seconds
left in the extra session as Rob Niedermayer took a pass in the
right faceoff circle and fired a slapper past Fuhr for the 3-2
Florida victory.
Next, the Blues will have time to recuperate from a busy February
schedule as they only play three times in the next 12 days.
Jim Campbell scored his rookie-leading 23rd goal of the season and
Hull added his 34th of the season on a wrister from between the
faceoff circles.
The Blues pretty dominated the first period except for the last
couple of minutes when they got sloppy in their own end. The Flames
took advantage and made it 2-1 with only 0.1 second left on the
clock. Dave Gagner desperatly shot the puck from behind the net and
bounced it off Jon Casey's left skate and into the net to bring the
Flames within 2-1.
After killing two consecutive power plays early in the third period
and being outshot 8-0, Hull extended the Blues lead to 3-1 with his
second goal of the game and the team's first shot on goal in the
second period. Turgeon nicely redirected Kravchuk's pass to Hull
who broke in alone on Flames goaltender Dwayne Roloson and beat him
with another wrist shot.
The Flames made it a one-goal game when Joel Bouchard snuck in from
the blue line and backhanded Fleury's centering pass past a
sprawled Casey. The Flames dominated and outshot the Blues 16-4 in
the second period due mostly to 5 power plays but the Blues penalty
killing units were up to the task by keeping the Flames from
scoring with the man advantage.
The Sabres finally scored a power-play goal at 5:33 of the third
period to tie the game 3-3. Robert Reichel dumped an innocent
looking shot from inside the blue line and hopped it on the ice.
Casey badly misplayed the puck resulting in a Flames goal.
The Flames took a 4-3 lead a minutes and 50 seconds later on
another misshap by Casey. This time Steve Chiasson shot the puck
from the left circle and beat Casey. Casey had a clean look and the
shot but his timing of going down was off.
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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mike Murphy
Roster: C - Kirk Muller, Jamie Baker, Darby Hendrickson, Brian
Wiseman, Steve Sullivan. LW - Fredrik Modin, Wendel Clark, Todd
Warriner, Mark Kolesar, Scott Pearson. RW - Mats Sundin, Sergei
Berezin, Tie Domi, Mike Craig, Zdenek Nedved. D -Matt Martin, Jamie
Macoun, DimitriYushkevich, Larry Murphy, Mathieu Schneider, Craig
Wolanin, Nathan Dempsey, Tom Pederson, David Cooper. G - Felix
Potvin, Marcel Cousineau.
Injuries: Mathieu Schneider, d (abdominal surgery, likely out for
season); Scott Pearson, lw (groin/abdominal strain, indefinite).
Transactions: Recalled David Cooper, d, from St. Johns (AHL);
Mathieu Schneider, d, placed on IR; Traded Doug Gilmour, c, Dave
Ellett, d, and a draft pick to the New Jersey Devils for Steve
Sullivan, f, Jason Smith, d, and Alyn McCauley, c; Nick Kypreos, lw,
returns from conditioning assignment; Signed McCauley to
three-year deal.
Game results:
2/18 at Vancouver W 6-5
2/19 at Edmonton L 6-5
2/22 at Montreal W 5-1
2/26 Washington L 3-1
3/01 San Jose W 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Jonah Sigel
No Where To Go But ...
As bad as things have been for the Leafs, it is hard to believe the
can get any worse. At print time they sit last in : their
division, conference and league. With scouts drooling over the
prospects due in the NHL entry draft, one would think that Leaf
fans would be unhappy with the plight of their club yet content in
the thought that perhaps Joe Thorton (CSB's No. 1 rated player)
could wear blue and white next season. All that would be true if
these were normal circumstance, which of course they are not. Last
season, with the team stuck in reverse, GM Cliff Fletcher made a
blockbuster trade, dealing prospect Sean Haggerty, Darby
Hendrickson, Kenny Jonsson and the 1997 first-round pick to the New
York Islanders for Mathieu Schneider, Wendel Clark and a prospect.
Since the trade, the bottom has fallen out on the Leafs. Schneider
has spent the majority of the season injured (and has now been shut
down for the season due to groin surgery), Wendel Clark has been
completely ineffective (47 games, 23 goals and 14 assists) of late
proving that both old age and wear and tear have caught up to the
winger. Needless to say, the Leafs are in dire straights.
Since last edition, the Leafs have actually played somewhat
better. A statement like that should be taken with a couple of
pounds of rock salt. Producing a record of three wins and two
losses is a vast improvement for a last-place club. However, a
look at who the Leafs played and of course the game summaries shows
that there has not been much improvement at all. Following the
huge Gilmour deal, the Leafs played beyond awful against the
banged-up Washington Capitals. Newcomer Steve Sullivan was
impressive in this outing as the Buds lost, 3-1. Once again
goaltender Felix Potvin played a stellar game, yet allowed suspect
goals at critical times. After swarming the Caps net and closing
the deficit to only one goal, the Leafs desperately needed to come
out strong at the start of the third period. Instead, as has been
the case most of the season, they came out flat. Less than 90
seconds into the period , the Leaf forwards did nothing to clear
traffic resulting in a pathetic shot on net that Potvin clearly
should have stopped. The wind was quickly gone form the Leafs
sails and another loss resulted.
Saturday night, the stellar San Jose Sharks were in town with
ex-Leaf Todd Gill at the helm. Once again sloppy play and
questionable penalties almost killed the buds on this night.
However the hard work of Potvin, Kirk Muller and Tie Domi saved the
team as the defeated the Sharks, 3-2. The next game has all the
fixings to be a real dandy as the recently demolished Boston Bruins
visit the Gilmour-less Leafs at the Gardens Mar. 3. However, for
the first time all season it appears that both the Leaf brass and
the players are starting to focus on the future and concede this
year. "The bottom line is to get something out of these last 19
games besides wins," GM Cliff Fletcher told the media on Sunday. A
little bit of reading between the lines lends one to think this is
what the GM has in mind:
* Appraising Mats Sundins value as a leader. This is Sundin's
opportunity to show that he can lead the team off the ice as he has
on it. Fletcher would love to hand the captaincy to Sundin, yet he
has shown no leadership qualities to date. The morning following
the first post-Gilmour game, local media had already cemented
Sundin under the magnifying glass and ripped his lackluster
performance to date. If Cliff has his way and deals most of his
"over-30's", the "C" is Sundin's to lose.
* Evaluating the youngsters on the team. With the exception of
Potvin, Sundin, Schneider (who is out for the year), Sullivan,
Smith, Alyn McCauley and perhaps Domi and surprise Craig Wolanin,
all other jobs are open on the team. Fredrick Modin, Sergei
Berezin Zdenek Nedved, Mike Craig, Rob Zettler, Dmitri Yuskevich,
Todd Warriner, David Cooper and Nathan Dempsey basically have 19
games to prove their worth to the team. Should they not impress it
is likely that they will not be with the club come next fall.
* Feeling out the trade market for all veterans. Muller, Domi,
Clark, Larry Murphy, Jamie Baker, Kypreos, Jamie Macoun, etc. You
can bet Fletcher will be one of Bell Canada's best customers
between now and the Mar. 18 trade deadline. Management will try to
decide how many "leaders" will be necessary to carry the team
forward through this transition period. While not likely due to
the lack of quality players in this group, it is possible that none
of these player will be on the team following the Mar. 18
deadline.
* Evaluating all aspects and employees of the organization. It has
become apparent that should Cliff Fletcher remain with the team in
any capacity, big changes must be made. The war between the media
and players versus Bill Watters has become embarrassing and he will
most likely not be back next season. The latest call for firings
has been in the scouting department. Looking through the media
guide shows a list of scouts that is laughable. Fletcher will take
this time to sit back and see what type of work his staff can
produce. Anything less than a stellar effort and that person will
be let go.
* Try to muster up any type of positive news. With management
buried in a sex scandal, and the team playing as bad as they are,
management must produce something for fans to hang their hats on.
The signing of Alyn McCauley on Mar. 3 was a good start. It appears
that some type of announcement regarding a new arena would also help
relieve some of the pressure on the team itself.
On The Horizon
After the Mar. 3 tangle with the B's, the Leafs have a busy March
ahead of them. Home games include : Boston (Mar. 3), Detroit (5),
Hartford (8), Dallas (10), Chicago (12) and Philadelphia (19).
Road games include: Florida (15), Tampa Bay (16), Pittsburgh (20),
San Jose (26), Phoenix (27) and Colorado (29).
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=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC DIVISION
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ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
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Head Coach: Ron Wilson
Roster:C - Jari Kurri, Kevin Todd, Steve Rucchin, Ted Drury, Sean
Pronger. LW - Paul Kariya, Shawn Antoski, Brian Bellows, Ken
Baumgartner, Warren Rychel. RW - Teemu Selanne, Joe Sacco, Roman
Oksiuta, J.F. Jomphe, Peter LeBoutillier. D - Milos Holan, Dave
Karpa, Bobby Dollas, Ruslan Salei, Dan Trebil, Dmitri Mironov, Darren
Van Impe, Jason Marshall, Nikolai Tsulygin, J.J. Daigneault. G - Guy
Hebert, Mikhail Shtalenkov.
Injuries: Ken Baumgartner, lw (fractured right hand, sidelined
until at least early-to-mid March); David Karpa, d (broken bone in
right hand, sidelined until at least early March); Shawn Antoski,
lw (hernia surgery, sidelined until at least early-to-mid April).
Transactions: Acquired J.J. Daigneault, d, from Pittsburgh Penguins
for Garry Valk, lw; Daigneault suspended 10 games (from 2/26) for
abusing an official.
Game Results:
2/20 at Los Angeles L 3-1
2/22 Phoenix W 4-2
2/23 Vancouver W 5-2
2/26 Edmonton T 3-3
2/28 at Washington W 4-1
3/02 at Detroit T 1-1
TEAM NEWS by Matthew Secosky, LCS Bomb Squad
The Mighty Ducks may be starting to turn things around right on
time as the final 20 games of the season loom ahead. In their last
six they are 3-1-2 and in their last 10, 5-3-2, keeping them a few
valuable points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver
Canucks for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Another good sign that the Ducks are ready to make a run for the
playoffs is that they are undefeated in their last five games,
3-0-2.
The last loss incurred by the Mighty Ducks took place on February
20th in Los Angeles where Anaheim lost 3-1 in a half-hearted
effort. The game is best summed up by the words of Anaheim goalie
Guy Hebert. "We were looking at a 1-1 game going into the third
period, but we gave up a goal which never should have happened.
Going into the third period 1-1 I think we would have been a lot
better off. We just didn't play well, from start to finish. I don't
think that there was one facet of the game that we did well."
After that pathetic performance though, Anaheim responded well with
home wins over Phoenix (4-2) and Vancouver (5-2). Teemu Selanne led
the way with three goals and three assists in the victories,
extending his point scoring streak to nine games. Over that period
he has 15 points (8 goals, 2 assists).
The Mighty Ducks then tied the Oilers 3-3 at the Pond before
departing on a road trip where they blasted Washington 4-1 and tied
Detroit 1-1. Overall the Ducks played solid, and the tie in Detroit
was a definite high mark of the week.
The team may be winning some games but one problem still remains.
They lack scoring. Once you get past Selanne (37-47-84) and Kariya
(31-42-73) there isn't another real threat on the team. Sure, five
other players have at least 10 goals, but through 60 games that
doesn't qualify for sniper status. If the Ducks will have any hopes
of advancing through the playoffs once they get there, a more
balanced attack will be necessary. Selanne and Kariya will find it
tough to score when they are being checked all game.
How about a Valk for a Daigneault?
In what has been a trade no doubt played out many times by avid
sports card collectors the world around, the Mighty Ducks sent left
winger Garry Valk to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman J.J.
Daigneault on February 21st. Both teams had little to say about the
trade, except that they made their bicycles sound like bad ass
Harleys when stuck in the spokes.
J.J. Daigneault quickly payed dividends for the Mighty Ducks by
receiving a 10-game suspension without pay for an incident on
February 23rd in which he attacked referee Don Koharski. Daigneault
was also fined $1,000.
Upcoming
The Ducks' future outlook is on the up and up with 6 of their next 7
games at home. The Ducks have played well on home ice this season,
compiling a 17-12-3 record at The Pond. Lowly Ottawa and the
struggling New York Rangers are the next guest in Anaheim before the
Ducks land in Colorado to play a huge game against the Avalanche. A
win in Colorado could pave the way to a playoff berth. The Ducks will
then return home to host the Red Wings, Blues, Flames, and Kings. The
Ducks will need to win at least 4 of these next seven games to keep
playoff dreams alive.
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CALGARY FLAMES
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Head Coach: Pierre Page
Roster: C - Robert Reichel, Dave Gagner, Corey Millen, Cory
Stillman, Aaron Gavey. RW - Theoren Fleury, Jarome Iginla, Ron
Stern, Ed Ward, Sandy McCarthy. LW - German Titov, Jonas Hoglund,
Todd Hlushko, Mike Sullivan. D - James Patrick, Tommy Albelin,
Joel Bouchard, Jamie Huscroft, Chris O'Sullivan, Steve Chiasson,
Todd Simpson, Cale Hulse, Zarley Zalapski, Yves Racine. G - Trevor
Kidd, Dwayne Roloson.
Injuries: James Patrick, d (underwent knee surgery Dec. 12 to
repair torn ligament in left knee, out for remainder of the
season); Zarley Zalapski, d (suffered bruised knee on Oct. 6,
underwent knee surgery to repair torn ligament in right knee, out
for remainder of the season); Sandy McCarthy, rw (underwent ankle
surgery Jan. 24, sidelined two more weeks); German Titov, lw (left
game Mar. 1 with a charleyhorse, day-to-day).
Transactions: None.
Game results:
2/18 at Buffalo T 5-5
2/19 at Detroit L 4-0
2/21 at Dallas L 4-2
2/23 at St. Louis W 5-3
2/26 Phoenix L 5-2
2/28 Montreal W 3-2
3/01 Dallas W 4-1
TEAM NEWS by Tony Wong
Two Weeks at a Glance:
When we last left our beloved Flames, they were putting the
finishing touches on a five-game winning streak and were starting
to consistently control games. During the streak, Calgary
outscored its opposition, 22-5. Since then, the Flames have been
lucky, dominated by their opponents, lackadaisical and suddenly
re-focused -- all within a two-week period. The result has been a
respectable 3-3-1 record, mostly on the road and against some tough
competition.
Luckily for the Flames, they're in the Western Conference. With the
poor showing of their competitors, their competent performance has
allowed them to climb into third place in the Pacific Division and
sixth in the Western Division. Even more surprisingly, the Flames
are only four points out of fourth place in the division and could
end up with home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs!
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Calgary must make the playoffs
first.
The week began with an encouraging third period rally against the
Buffalo Sabres. After giving up two goals to start the third
period, including a shorthanded tally just 19 seconds into the
period, the end of the Flames' winning streak seemed imminent.
However, late goals by Ronnie Stern and Aaron Gavey 27 seconds
apart helped Calgary salvage a 5-5 tie against Dominik Hasek and
the Sabres.
The streak however came to a crashing halt in Detroit. Pressured in
the defensive zone, bothered by interference and holding in the
neutral zone, and stonewalled by Chris Osgood, the Flames were
thoroughly dominated in all facets of the game by Detroit, losing
4-0. How bad was it? Only some spectacular saves by Trevor Kidd
kept Detroit from double digits. Enough said.
In Dallas, Calgary was unable to take advantage of a sluggish
Dallas team, who with the exception of Andy Moog, were present in
principle only for the first period. The Stars however promptly
woke up in the second period and scored three goals to send Calgary
on their way with a 4-2 defeat.
Against the Blues, the Flames once again found themselves down 3-1.
Making his first start in 11 games, Roloson was shaky early on,
allowing three goals on nine shots. But the Flames showed some
perseverance and once again staged a third-period rally with goals
by Reichel, Chiasson and Iginla (an empty netter) to end up winning
the game, 5-3.
Returning home to play Phoenix, Calgary seemed to forget how to
take the body and Trevor Kidd forgot how to make key saves. The
result was a 5-2 shredding by the Coyotes, including four first
period goals. The number one line for Phoenix
(Tkachuk-Janney-Roenick) dominated play with three goals and 14
shots on net. Kidd was yanked for Roloson after allowing four
goals on only 11 shots.
Two days later, Calgary returned with a vengeance. Firing on all
cylinders, the Flames won a hard-fought game against a desperate
Canadiens team, coming out on top with a 3-2 victory. Dwayne
Roloson got the start and Theoren Fleury finally broke an 11-game
scoreless streak with a power-play tally in the second period.
Fleury had last scored against Los Angeles on Feb. 3 for his 300th
career marker.
The Flames continued to play with fire in beating the Stars, 4-1.
Leading the way were rookies Jarome Iginla, with two goals and
Dwayne Roloson, with 32 saves, starting his second consecutive
game. Coming off an emotional win over Colorado, Dallas was
average at best. But hey, a win is a win.
Overall, the Flames showed that when they are mentally prepared,
they can compete with the upper echelon of the league. With third
period comebacks against Buffalo and St. Louis, Calgary showed
confidence and perseverance -- two qualities that were sorely
missing earlier in the season. However, when the effort is not
there (see the 5-2 loss versus Phoenix), the Flames are an easy
team to play and beat.
The other thing that became evident is the fact that Calgary needs
to do more than just make the playoffs. Against Detroit, the
Flames were clearly overmatched. Though Calgary turned in a strong
effort, Detroit dominated all aspects of play. If the Flames wish
to play more than four games in the first round of the playoffs,
they must move up in the standings to avoid Colorado and Detroit at
all costs. Otherwise the Flames playoff games will be a little
more than a formality. But again, we're getting ahead of
ourselves. Let's remember that the Flames need to make the
playoffs first...
If you can't beat 'em...
Another result of the shellacking by Detroit was the decision by
Page to finally utilize to the "clutch and grab"/interference
techniques that have been used so effectively by other clubs this
season. A relatively clean team in this respect, the Flames have
shied away from employing such tactics to win games. However,
after watching the Red Wing forwards consistently mug the Flames
forecheckers in the neutral zone unpenalized, Page was finally
converted.
While the interference stopped the Flames from exerting any kind of
offensive pressure, Page found that the lack of interference on
Calgary's part allowed Detroit to create pressure and turnovers in
the Calgary zone. While Calgary's "interference-free" game has
been virtuous, Page finally recognized that it also clearly put the
Flames at a competitive disadvantage. While, it's probably not the
right decision for "the good of the game", it's the right one for
the Flames. Let's hope it shows in win column. The last thing
that Flames fans need to watch is a boring team that employs the
"clutch and grab" and loses.
We Miss You Sandy...
While Fleury's scoreless streak (11 games) was a topic of
conversation everywhere that the Flames went, little was made of
the contributing role that Sandy McCarthy's absence has played.
With McCarthy out of the lineup, no one has stepped up to play the
"enforcer" role for the Flames. While players like Stern and
Simpson are a physical presence, they lack the "fear factor" that a
Probert or a McSorley brings. Even worse, when the opposition has
a heavyweight in the lineup (such as Tony Twist or Rob Ray),
without McCarthy to balance the scales, many of the opposing
players feel that they can take cheap shots at the Flames skill
players with little or no retribution.
As a result, Fleury has been battered and abused for most of the
season. It's no wonder that Theo's having trouble scoring. With
McCarthy coming back in about two weeks, watch for Fleury's
production to improve. Make it back soon big guy, Theo's waiting
with bated breath...
Gary Roberts Rumor #2007
Perhaps if we keep badgering poor Gary, he will come out of
retirement just to shut everyone up. The latest trouble was started
by Joe Nieuwendyk, who is considered one of Roberts' closest
friends. After Saturday's game (Mar. 1) in Calgary against the
Stars, Nieuwendyk openly speculated to the local media that he
doesn't think Roberts is "done with hockey" and might make a
comeback next year. Poor Gary can't walk past a gym without
someone speculating that he's making a comeback. Yeesh, with
friends like this, Roberts doesn't need any enemies...
Gagner Watch
With Gagner still unsigned and the trading deadline two weeks away
(Mar. 18), Al Coates has a dilemma on his hands. Gagner has
arguably been the best player on the Flames this year. However, as
an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, the Flames
probably can't afford him and risk losing him for nothing. While
the Flames are a competitive team, the odds against exiting a
Western Division occupied by Colorado and Detroit are slim. Do the
Flames keep Gagner and try to make the playoffs, or trade Gagner
now?
Keep him. Keeping Gagner would give the Flames a chance to make the
playoffs and win a playoff round (until they meet up with Colorado or
Detroit). With each home game worth about $1 million in gross
revenues, keeping Gagner (and thus making the playoffs) could be
worth about two of three million bucks. If the Flames are able to
win a round, that figure jumps to about five million. Not too
shabby.
Trade him. The three hottest commodities two weeks ago were
Gilmour, Oates and Tocchet. Now that all three are with new teams,
Gagner and Luke Richardson are the best players remaining. With
several teams are desperate for help (such as the Rangers,
Penguins, Panthers and Whalers) it's a seller's market. After New
Jersey's and Washington's moves, many of the Eastern Division GMs
are under fire to do likewise. In such an market, Gagner could
bring an excellent young prospect or draft pick in return. That's
pretty good for a player that the Flames won't be able to
re-sign.
Whatever the decision, it will be the first defining moment for Al
Coates as the GM. What he decides will tell a great deal about
what he thinks of his current team and what direction the Flames
are headed. Let's hope Al decides wisely.
Trade Rumors
With only two weeks left before the trade deadline do you think we'd
really ignore this section? While hesitant to make a big move,
Calgary would like to either get some cheap scoring help or move
one of their more attractive commodities for some youth. The
commodities:
Dave Gagner. Pros: can score, good defensively, good clubhouse
presence. Cons: an unrestricted free agent at the end of the
year, definitely a short-term solution. Why trade him: If the
Flames do not re-sign Gagner, they lose him for nothing as he is an
unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Ronnie Stern: Pros: big tough winger who can add a physical
presence, can skate and has some hockey skills. Cons: at 30, Stern
doesn't have a lot of years left. Why trade him: With Sandy
McCarthy's return imminent, Stern is replaceable.
Tommy Albelin: Pros: mobile veteran defenseman who is solid in his
own end. Cons: at 33, age is again a factor. Why trade him: A
young, deep defense, allows the Flames to trade Albelin with little
impact.
Steve Chiasson: Pros: mobile veteran defenseman who can be a
force (at times) defensively. Cons: large contract, turns 30 in
April. Why trade him: With a big contract and depth on defense,
the Flames can afford to move Chiasson.
But for who?
Gagner and Chiasson for Philadelphia's first-round pick and a
conditional third-round pick (if the Flyers make the finals).
Philadelphia adds offense and a solid defensemen without losing
anyone from their existing lineup. With Calgary's depth on
defense, Chiasson can ably be replaced, while Gagner would most
likely sign elsewhere next year. A prized draft pick would help to
continue the youth movement afoot in Calgary. Philadelphia will
gladly give up the picks for a shot at the Cup.
Gagner and Chiasson to Florida for Chris Wells. Gagner and Chiasson
would both fit in well with Florida's strong defensive system, with
Gagner adding some scoring punch to the toothless Panthers offense.
In Wells, Calgary gets a huge (6'6"), talented, hometown player.
Wells' potential would be balanced by Florida's improved shot at
returning to the finals.
Gagner and Stern for the New York Rangers' first-round pick. By
adding Stern and Gagner, the Rangers add toughness and scoring,
both aspects which have been sorely missing of late. While a first
pick is a king's ransom for Gagner and Stern, they're exactly what
the Rangers are looking for. For this aging team, there is no next
year.
Gagner, Stern and Chiasson to Pittsburgh for Andreas Johansson and
Pittsburgh's first-round pick. With their recent injury problems,
holes have begun to show up in the Penguins lineup. With Gagner,
Stern and Chiasson, they get a scorer, a tough winger and a front
line defenseman, players who can ably fill each of these holes.
With Mario retiring after this season, Patrick's no fool - it's now
or never. The trade gives Pittsburgh a shot and Calgary a pair of
excellent prospects.
Stern and either Chiasson or Albelin to Hartford for Hnat
Domenichelli and Kevin Haller. Long rumored, Hartford may finally
take the plunge. With Washington loaded to bear and two points
behind Hartford for the last playoff spot, this trade fills
Hartford's need for a tough winger. While the Whale gives up
youth, they get to make the playoffs. For the Flames, they get two
younger and cheaper players who have excellent potential.
Dave Gagner to Chicago for Keith Carney. With a surplus of
defensemen, Chicago is looking to add some offense. The Blackhawks
apparently like Gagner and are willing to let Carney (an excellent
rearguard) go for him. While Calgary also has a surplus of
defensemen, Carney is a big, tough, stay at home defenseman who
might be too good to pass up.
Fleury to San Jose for Jeff Friesen and San Jose's first-round
pick. With a lot of money invested in old players, San Jose is
looking for some results now. While Fleury is a star player,
getting Friesen and a potentially high first rounder would be
appealing. Though this rumor made the rounds just over a week ago,
don't look for the Flames to deal Fleury anytime soon. The last
time they dealt a diminutive 29-year-old star, he went on to score
a 127 and 111 points in his next two seasons. And yes, we still
regret trading Doug Gilmour...
Upcoming games:
3/4 at Washington
3/5 at Hartford
3/7 at Florida
3/9 at Tampa Bay
3/12 at Colorado
3/15 at Los Angeles
3/16 at Anaheim
The good news is that the nasty part of the Flames "11 of 14 on the
road" is now over. The bad news is that the remaining seven games
are ALL on the road. With a 8-18-5 record away from the
Saddledome, the Flames are the third worst road team in the
league. To continue to challenge for a playoff position, the
Flames must quickly learn how to win away from home. With only two
of their opponents (Florida and Colorado) having records over .500,
it's conceivable that the Flames could win five of seven. If they
do, the Flames will serve notice that they are indeed coming of
age. The next two weeks will determine whether the Flames
represent maturity or mediocrity. Let's hope for door number
one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
COLORADO AVALANCHE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Marc Crawford
Roster: C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Stephane Yelle.
LW - Valeri Kamensky, Yves Sarault, Rene Corbet, Eric Lacroix. RW -
Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Keith Jones, Scott Young, Mike Keane.
D - Sandis Ozolinsh, Sylvain Lefebvre, Uwe Krupp, Adam Foote, Alexei
Gusarov, Jon Klemm, Brent Severyn, Aaron Miller. G - Patrick Roy,
Craig Billington.
Injuries: Valeri Kamensky, lw (sore left shoulder, day-to-day); Uwe
Krupp, d (tendinitis in left elbow, day-to-day); Mike Ricci, c
(sore shoulder, day-to-day).
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
2/21 at Edmonton W 4-3 OT
2/23 at Ottawa W 4-3
2/25 at Los Angeles L 3-1
2/27 Dallas L 6-2
3/01 Chicago W 2-1
3/03 Vancouver W 5-1
TEAM NEWS by Matt Gitchell
The Colorado Avalanche have had a wacky couple of weeks.
They went 3-2 from Feb. 23 to Mar. 3, so it's hard to say they were
slumping, yet they were.
Trust me.
They kicked it off by beating Ottawa by a goal, scoring three goals
in a 2:21 span to beat the Senators in McNichols. Then, for some
reason, the Avs boarded the bus to Stinkyland, losing to L.A. by a
couple and embarassing themselves in front of the home crowd by
losing to Dallas, 6-2.
The Avs had been playing half-hearted hockey since Feb. 18, when
the Avs somehow pulled one out when Claude Lemieux scored an
overtime winner with 3.8 seconds left.
They followed that one with another skin-of the teeth victory, with
Joe Sakic tying the game in its last second against Edmonton, and
then Mike Ricci scored the game winner.
The Avalanche had trouble putting forth a consistent effort for
about five games there, managing to win until the L.A. and Dallas
games. It seemed like the guys getting back on the ice from
injuries weren't feeling that great, and the rest of the team was
just plain tired.
Or maybe it was the mid-season complacency that the team experiences
every now and then.
The team beat Chicago March 1, in a 2-1 game that saw the Avs' first
penalty-shot goal at home since the franchise moved to Denver when
Adam Deadmarsh beat Jeff Hackett.
But after a bunch of one-goal wins, or just plain losses, the home
crowd was ready to see a good ol'-fashioned butt-kickin'. And
that's where the Vancouver Canucks always come in handy.
The Avs whupped up on the Canucks, beating them 5-1 on what was
generally a good night for most of the team. But even in that game,
the Avs didn't seem to show up for a full 60 minutes of hockey.
Thank God Patrick Roy did, or else the game might have been
drastically different. The Avs got a 2-0 lead, then gave up one to
Trevor Linden before the first period was out.
Fair enough. But Our Boys were outshot 14-6 in the second period,
forcing Roy to make some downright incredible saves to keep the
Avs' lead. By the third, naptime was over, and Peter Forsberg,
Keith Jones, and Scott Young all scored for the Avs and put the
Canucks away.
The Avs have won all four contests against the Canucks this season,
beating them by a combined score of (get this) 24-5. Ouch.
Patrick Roy got in a bar fight last weekend, it seems, allegedly
grabbing a guy by the throat at a Colorado Springs bar and pushing
him up against the wall in a skirmish that involved a DJ booth. The
team is claiming Roy "is the victim." Roy and Kevin Morris, a
computer programmer, were both cited. Roy was down in Colorado
Springs for the "Avs' Better Halves" luncheon, which raised
$200,000 for charity.
In any case, all eyes are focused on Montreal now, as Patrick Roy
heads to the Molson Centre for his first game on Canadiens ice
since the five-player deal that sent him to the Avs from the
Habs.
And you can bet Roy will be ready. He's been dying for a chance to
stuff his Stanley Cup ring back in (Habs coach) Mario Tremblay's face
for quite a while now. Expect to see the man in Stanley Cup form
against his old team, and doing anything in his powers to keep the
puck out of the net. Not that he doesn't anyway, of course, but you
know
This game is a Big Deal. Word on Les Rues de Montreal has it that
second-hand tickets to Roy's return are going for about a cool
grand a piece.
Team Notes:
The Avs' penalty killing unit continues to excel, with the team's PK
percentage at 89.2%, still well above the 1995-96 Red Wings'
88.3%.
The Avalanche has the best goal differential in the NHL (+60).
The Avs were the first team in the league this year to hit 40 wins,
and had 88 points, enough to maintain their hold on first overall
in the league.
Player Notes:
Deadmarsh put the first penalty shot of his career by Hackett
against Chicago.
The 21-year-old forward was dragged to the ice by Chris Chelios, and
capitalized on his chance by going full-steam at the net, deking
right, and popping a backhander over Hackett. Deadmarsh now has 25
goals.
Peter Forsberg has points in seven of his last nine games.
Sandis Ozolinsh still leads the league in power-play points with
33, and has 20 goals, the most of any defenseman.
Patrick Roy has allowed 13 goals in his last four starts.
Valeri Kamensky has missed the last three games with a sore left
shoulder, Uwe Krupp is out with tendinitis in his left elbow, and
Mike Ricci missed the Canucks game also with a sore shoulder. All
are listed as day-to-day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
EDMONTON OILERS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Ron Low
Roster: C - Doug Weight, Jason Arnott, Todd Marchant. LW - Dean
McAmmond, Rem Murray, Miroslav Satan, Ryan Smyth, Mats Lindgren. RW
- Mariusz Czerkawski, Mike Grier, Petr Klima, Andrei Kovalenko,
Kelly Buchberger, Louie DeBrusk. D - Kevin Lowe, Luke Richardson,
Bryan Marchment, Jiri Slegr, Boris Mironov, Jeff Norton, Donald
Dufresne, Daniel McGillis, Greg de Vries. G - Curtis Joseph, Bob
Essensa.
Injuries: Doug Weight, c (returned Feb. 26, missed one game with
injured ankle); Andrei Kovalenko, rw (returned Feb. 21, missed two
games with back spasms); Donald Dufresne, d (suffered fractured
foot Feb. 17, sidelined indefinitely); Bryan Marchment, d
(suffered rib injury Feb. 12, sidelined 7-10 days); Boris Mironov,
d (suffered abdominal/groin strain Jan. 21, sidelined day-to-day).
Transactions: Petr Klima, rw/lw, signed as a free agent Feb. 26;
Lost David Oliver, rw, on waivers to NY Rangers Feb. 22.
Game Results:
2/17 at Anaheim L 5-1
2/19 Toronto W 6-5
2/21 Colorado L 4-3
2/23 at Dallas L 6-1
2/26 at Anaheim T 3-3
2/27 at Los Angeles L 6-3
3/01 Montreal L 5-4
TEAM NEWS by Simon D. Lewis
Mid-Winter Blahs
Nothing quite defines life in Northern Alberta as winter. By
February a lot of us are suffering from serious cabin fever and
something known as the February Blahs. Submitted for you
consideration: a hockey team mired in the sucking inertia of those
same blahs. A veritable black hole of hockey entropy, a slippery
slope, leading inexorably back to the pack and a record of .500.
Look above. Those scorelines are the evidence that the Oiler
juggernaut of a month ago was balanced on a razor's edge. It
looked pretty rosy in the old Coliseum until a couple of one-point
road trips and a rash of injuries on defence exposed the lack of
depth on the team. Combine that with Doug Weight's sprained ankle,
Andrei Kovalenko's back spasms and Jason Arnott's seeming inability
to rise to the challenge of leadership and you've got a team that
has settled back to .500.
There's no evidence of panic on the good ship Oiler just yet, but
let's look at the future. The Kings are in Edmonton on March 4,
but after that, it's the road trip from hell: Dallas, St. Louis,
Jersey, Philly and Hartford. It's conceivable that the Oilers
might come up completely dry on this trek.
All season I have asked the question, "Are they contenders or
pretenders?" Unless Coach Ron Low can pull some rabbits out of his
hat, there's a good chance the boys in blue will confirm themselves
as pretenders. They're still a power forward and an offensive
defenceman away from being really solid. Let's also remember that
this is a very young team. The experience they are getting right
now is just what they need to teach them how to face adversity in
the NHL.
Chances are they'll make the playoffs. They are still a team that
most would want to avoid in the first round, but don't look for
them to make too many waves.
The Turning Point
It could have been the whole season in less than a minute. Late in
the third the Oilers were nursing a one-goal lead against Colorado.
It had been a great game, demonstrative of all the good things about
this year's edition of the boys in blue. The Avs pull Roy for the
extra man. Ryan Smyth makes a rookie mistake and fires the puck at
the yawning goal from his own side of centre ice. Icing. A
scuffle breaks out. Everyone on the ice is dancing with someone.
When the dust settles "Donut" Don Koharski gives Colorado the man
advantage, calling a penalty on Smyth. The TV commentators can't
believe it. The crowd can't believe it. The Oilers can't believe
it. The Avalanche can smell blood. With the power play and the
net empty they swarm the Oilers and Joe Sakic (who else) pots the
tying goal with one second on the clock. Mike Ricci then wins it
for Colorado in OT.
Sitting in my living room I could hear the sound of all that air
going out of the Oiler balloon. If they had won that one it might
have been the inspiration for a strong finish to the season. Since
then they are 0-3-1.
Hey! Aren't You. . . ?
Hell has frozen over. Glenn Sather has signed another reclamation
project and this time it's a guy you never figured to show up in the
Oiler silks again. Petr Klima inked a contract on Feb. 26. That's
right, the same guy who once stated that he needed a pretty long
stick to score from the press box; the same guy who figured that
he was being hard done by when assigned to play with such "low
skill" players as Kelly Buchberger (now captain of the Oilers.)
Klima is on his ninth life in the NHL. No one wanted him. Sather,
who is notorious for taking gambles on older guys and misfits, saw
the opportunity and got out the contract. Number 85 could be just
what he needs for the stretch, a motivated player (this really is
his last stop before he'll have to play in Europe) with a scoring
touch and good wheels.
Klima made Sather look pretty good in a 5-4 loss to the Habs. He
had a goal and two assists in the first period for his first points
of this go round as an Oiler.
Where Does it Hurt?
Well, Doctor, it's my blue line. I've lost Marchment (he of the
thundering body checks), Donald Dufresne and Boris Mironov. That
hurts a lot. I've tried applying younger guys at those positions but
they can't quite kill the pain. It's not that they're playing badly;
it's just that they don't have the experience required for this level
of play. Kevin Lowe is playing way more games than I wanted him to.
We're gonna burn him out if we're not careful and then my blue line
is really gonna be trouble. Oy!
Trade Bait
Cliff Fletcher and Harry Sinden have started the trading sweepstakes
off by unloading their old and expensive guys. The trading deadline
is fast approaching and it looks like this could be a banner year
for deal making.
The most prominent Oiler who may be on the block is Luke
Richardson. He's an almost 28-year-old, 6'3", 210 pound,
stay-at-home defender. He'll be an unrestricted free agent on July
1, so it looks like Sather and Low might want to move him before
they have to re-sign him.
Any team that needs that third or fourth guy on defence might go
for him. He's got 10 years in the league and is a proven
performer. He won't get you any goals but he is steady and
reliable at the back.
The Oilers will likely be looking for a younger defenceman who can
play now and possibly a second-line winger with a mean streak.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LOS ANGELES KINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Larry Robinson
Roster: C - Ed Olczyk, Roman Vopat, Ray Ferraro, Ian LaPerriere,
Dimitri Khristich. LW - Vladimir Tsyplakov, Matt Johnson, Jeff
Shevalier, Kai Nurminen, Craig Johnson, Kevin Stevens, Dan Bylsma.
RW - Brad Smyth, Vitali Yachemenev. D - Doug Zmolek, Rob Blake,
Aki Berg, Sean O'Donnell, Mattias Norstrom, Philippe Boucher,
Steven Finn, Jan Vopat. G - Byron Dafoe, Stephane Fiset.
Injuries: Rob Blake, d (boo-boo of the knee, why bother?). Yanic
Perreault, c (tapped kidney, out for season). Kevin Stevens, lw
(ankle, day-to-day). Sean O'Donnell, d (back, day-to-day).
Transactions: Sent Jaroslav Modry, d, back and forth between LA
and Phoenix (IHL).
Game Results:
2/18 at Phoenix L 6-1
2/20 Anaheim W 3-1
2/22 Vancouver W 4-0
2/25 Colorado W 3-1
2/27 Edmonton W 6-3
3/01 at Vancouver W 3-0
TEAM NEWS by Matt Moore
Stephane Fiset is God. Or so it has seemed for the past five games.
Going into these games, Fiset had shown flashes of brilliance for a
game or two, as had Byron Dafoe, so there was no true number one
goaltender. But when Byron Dafoe went down with a thumb injury then
came back to be bombed by the Phoenix Coyotes, Fiset took this
opportunity to go on one of the best hot streaks that a Kings
goaltender has had in recent memory. And now there is no doubt that
he is the No. 1 man. Especially since he was awarded the Goaltender
of the Week honors by LCS.
Fiset has only given up five goals in the last five games with two
shutouts against Pacific rival Vancouver. One shutout would have
been extraordinary for a Kings goalie, but two? Whooo! Fans of
teams with players like Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeour may be used
to a goaltender putting zeroes up all the time, but after years of
such solid, if unspectacular, goalies like Kelly Hrudey, this is
one of the best treats around.
Fiset is playing a much more solid game, playing the angles and
displaying a very quick glove hand. He is not allowing the long
rebounds that are the bane of all Kings fans, and thus is not
allowing for as many of the sustained attacks by the other teams
that were both frustrating and devastating.
Add to this a miraculous change in attitude by the Kings players,
who have apparently decided to accept the defensive-minded style
that Larry Robinson has been preaching all season. Overall,
everybody is playing a much more disciplined game, using
positioning and angles to their advantage. An example of this was
to be found in the second Vancouver shutout where there was a
sustained period of time where there was not an uncontested shot or
pass, not allowing the Canucks to sit around and make those pretty
passes that they can destroy people with. The forwards are also
not trying to press the offensive side of the game, instead being
content with taking the opportunities as they come along. They are
also staying back more helping the defensmen in their coverage and
allowing the blueliners the opportunity to either jump into the
play or make the safer clearing pass. The defensemen are also
playing much more physical than they had been, which comes as a
surprise since they are missing both Rob Blake and Sean O'Donnell,
who would normally be considered the more physical players on
defense.
Mattias Norstrom especially has been looking like a man possessed,
playing probably his best defensive game against the Canucks, where
seemingly everybody but Kirk McLean was hit by him. He also
created one of the highlights of the game when he hip-checked
Martin Gelinas into the Kings bench. He then promptly defended
himself nicely against Bret Hedican, who apparently can not
appreciate a nice clean check. More likely it was frustration at
having their butts kicked by the Kings twice in a week.
Two youngsters who deserve recognition for their good play in the
past week are Roman Vopat and Jeff Shevalier. They are playing
some extremely tough team hockey and are being rewarded by both
goals and increased playing time. Roman Vopat, if he keeps on
progressing like he has been, will eventually become the type of
player that every team would love to have: big, tough, mean and
with a scoring touch. He scored two big game-winning goals during
this winning streak, and even when he didn't score a goal he was
physically intimidating people with his size and bulldog style.
Hopefully he will be able to win over the fans who did not like the
Kings giving up Wayne Gretzky in order to get him.
This week also saw the return of Craig Johnson and Dimitri
Khristich. Khristich was promptly put back on the line with Vitali
Yachmenev and Vladimir Tsyplakov (who is still one of the most
under-rated players in the league) and picked up where he left off
when he got injured. Combined over the five-game win streak, this
line scored 14 points while being matched up against the number one
line of the other teams. Craig Johnson returned from abdominal
surgery and showed why he figures pretty big in the Kings plans.
Using his speed to back off the other teams defenses, he also
showed enough grit for a skill player that he would have made John
Tonelli proud.
Overall, these past two weeks shows that the Kings management is on
the right track in their planning for being contenders within the
next few years. Hopefully they will shy away from the old style of
management that would have tried to start winning even more now.
Fears of this were renewed with rumors of Luc Robitaille being
traded back to the Kings, possibly in exchange for Kevin Stevens.
Sure Luc had some great years while with the Kings but his style
would be totally inconsistent with the teams and would probably be
a big step backwards for the developement of the youngsters. This
is not to say that the Kings shouldn't make any trades, but if
anybody has to go, it should be only the older players and only if
the players received will mesh well with the Kings overall
style.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOSE SHARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Al Sims
Roster:
C - Jeff Friesen, Bernie Nicholls, Ron Sutter, Darren Turcotte,
Dody Wood. LW - Viktor Kozlov, Tony Granato, Tim Hunter, Steve
Guolla, Bob Errey. RW - Shean Donovan, Owen Nolan, Andrei
Nazarov, Todd Ewen. D - Doug Bodger, Marcus Ragnarsson, Todd
Gill, Al Iafrate, Greg Hawgood, Mike Rathje, Marty McSorley,
Vlastimil Kroupa, Chris LiPuma. G - Eddie Belfour, Kelly Hrudey.
Injuries: Mike Rathje, d (surgery to repair groin tendon,
day-to-day). Andrei Nazarov, rw (fractured cheek bone, 2-3 weeks).
Al Iafrate, d, (inflamed sciatic nerve, indefinite - possible
surgery).
Transactions: Assigned Shean Donovan, rw, to Kentucky Thoroughblades
(AHL) for three games. Returned Wade Flaherty, g, and Chris Tancill,
lw, to Kentucky. Called-up Ian Fraser, c, from Kentucky for two
games.
Game Results:
2/18 Dallas W 3-1
2/20 Vancouver L 6-1
2/23 at Tampa Bay L 4-3
2/25 at Florida T 2-2
2/28 at Hartford W 3-2
3/01 at Toronto L 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Mark Spiegel
The Sharks started the last two weeks of games beating the Central
Division-leading Stars, 3-1, giving San Jose a sweep of the series
against Dallas, 4-0. They ended it by losing for the third time
to the Western Conference cellar-dwelling Leafs, 3-2.
Just two days after beating Dallas, the Sharks were pounded at home
by the Canucks, 6-1.
San Jose started an Eastern road trip by blowing a three-goal lead,
giving up four unanswered goals to the Eastern cellar dwellers, the
Tampa Bay Lightning, in a 4-3 loss.
The trip was salvaged somewhat with a tie against the Panthers
and a win at the mall in Hartford.
Beating and tying good teams, losing to bad teams, the Sharks
aren't exactly a prognosticator's dream.
With the loss at Toronto, the Western standings as of Sunday,
March 2nd, are as follows:
G W L T Pts Last 10
------------------------
1. Colorado 63 39 16 8 86 7-3-0
2. Dallas 65 38 23 4 80 7-3-0
3. Detroit 63 31 19 13 75 6-1-3
4. Edmonton 65 29 29 7 65 2-6-2
5. St. Louis 65 28 29 8 64 2-5-3
6. Calgary 65 27 31 7 61 6-3-1
7. Chicago 65 26 30 9 61 6-3-1
8. Phoenix 64 28 32 4 60 5-5-0
9. Anaheim 64 26 30 8 60 5-3-2
10. Vancouver 63 28 33 2 58 3-7-0
11. Los Angeles 65 24 33 8 56 5-3-2
12. San Jose 63 22 34 7 51 2-7-1
13. Toronto 63 24 37 2 50 5-4-1
San Jose is currently nine points out of the eighth and final
playoff spot in the west. Of course, with 19 games left in the
season, the Sharks are not arithmetically out, but it's hard to be
optimistic looking at the numbers.
If all the teams play their next 10 games as they have their last
10, the standings then become:
Projected Western Conference after next 10 games.
G W L T Pts Last 10
------------------------
1. Colorado 73 46 19 8 100 7-3-0
2. Dallas 75 45 26 4 94 7-3-0
3. Detroit 73 37 20 16 90 6-1-3
4. Calgary 75 33 34 8 74 6-3-1
5. Chicago 75 32 33 10 74 6-3-1
6. Anaheim 74 31 33 10 72 5-3-2
7. Edmonton 75 31 35 9 71 2-6-2
8. St. Louis 75 30 34 11 71 2-5-3
9. Phoenix 74 33 37 4 70 5-5-0
10. Vancouver 73 31 40 2 64 3-7-0
11. Los Angeles 75 29 36 10 68 5-3-2
12. Toronto 73 29 41 3 61 5-4-1
13. San Jose 73 24 41 8 56 2-7-1
Using the last 10 games as a barometer seems to be as good an
indicator as any. It provides a reasonable reflection of who's
hot and who's not. Who's maybe suffering from recent injuries,
Edmonton and San Jose, and who's coming off a new-coach-high,
like St. Louis.
As you can see, if the Sharks, and other teams, keep at their
current paces, San Jose not only will put itself effectively
arithmetically out, but also into the Western cellar.
About the only chance the Sharks have left is for Eddie Belfour
to come back and put in an unbelievable goaltending performance.
Not just one, but a whole string of them.
As we mentioned in the last report, the Shark's trump card *was*
Belfour, but that was before it was revealed that the Eagle
would be out another two weeks more than originally projected.
If the Sharks could put together a successful stretch during their
next 10 games, say win seven, like, oh say, the Dallas team that
they've already swept this season, San Jose would be barely back
into a position to *compete* for a playoff spot. That is, with
seven wins in the next 10 the Sharks record would be:
G W L T Pts Last 10
------------------------
San Jose 73 29 37 7 65 7-3-0
That would put them six points out of the final projected playoff spot
with nine games to go. Making up six points in nine games would
still be very tough. The Sharks would have to have help from
some other teams stumbling.
One other potential bright spot is the schedule. During the next
10 games, San Jose plays six teams that haven't played any better
than the Sharks over the last 10 games.
Sharks next 10 games.
Sharks
record Opponents
Date Opponent versus Last 10
------------------------------------------
3/03 at NYRangers 0-0-0 2-6-2
3/06 Ottawa 0-0-1 3-5-2
3/09 NYRangers 0-0-0 2-6-2
3/11 St. Louis 2-1-0 2-5-3
3/14 Phoenix 1-1-0 5-5-0
3/15 Detroit 0-3-0 6-1-3
3/19 at Calgary 3-1-0 6-3-1
3/20 at Vancouver 1-3-0 3-7-0
3/22 at Los Angeles 3-0-0 5-3-2
3/24 Edmonton 1-3-0 2-6-2
Six games against teams slumping, i.e., with only two or three wins.
Another two games against teams the Sharks have strong winning
records against, LA and Calgary. That's eight games the Sharks
have a decent chance of winning. The Detroit game is the only
game I'd concede beforehand.
I'm not optimistic, based upon the Sharks inability so far this
season to string more than two wins together in a row. But the
potential is there at least for a strong finish to the season.
Something to take into next season.
Black and Blue Sharks
The big news is that Eddie Belfour is expected to come off injured
reserve, and is projected to start Monday night against the Rangers
in New York.
Defenseman Al Iafrate may be out for the rest of the season if he
elects to have surgery done now on his back. Iafrate has been
bothered by an inflamed sciatic nerve since being hit from behind
in the game against Calgary on Jan. 4.
While Planet Al may be lost for the defense, Mike Rathje may be
able to return to the lineup as soon as the Ottawa game. Mike
made the recent road trip with the team and has been skating
regularly during practices.
Darren Turcotte finally returned from his punctured ear drum
injury, and the dizziness it caused.
Winger Andrei Nazarov continues to recover from his facial injury
and subsequent surgery. Nazarov isn't expected back until near the
end of the regular season, if then.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Tom Renney
Roster: C - Trevor Linden, Mike Ridley, Mike Sillinger, Scott
Walker; LW - Martin Gelinas, Markus Naslund, Esa Tikkanen, Gino
Odjick, Donald Brashear, David Roberts, Larry Courville; RW - Pavel
Bure, Alexander Mogilny, Russ Courtnall, Troy Crowder; D - Jyrki
Lumme, Dana Murzyn, Bret Hedican, Chris Joseph, Dave Babych, Adrian
Aucoin, Leif Rohlin; G - Kirk McLean, Corey Hirsch.
Injuries: Troy Crowder, rw (torn rib cartilage Jan. 25,
day-to-day); Donald Brashear, lw (returned from back strain Feb.
20, missed three games); David Roberts, lw (hip flexor Feb. 8,
day-to-day).
Transactions: Donald Brashear, lw, suspended four games for
sucker-punch on Ian Laperriere Feb. 22; Troy Crowder, rw, assigned
to Syracuse (AHL) for conditioning, Mar. 2.
Game Results:
02/18 Toronto L 6-5
02/20 at San Jose W 6-1
02/22 at Los Angeles L 4-0
02/23 at Anaheim L 5-2
02/25 Montreal L 4-2
02/27 Phoenix W 6-2
03/01 Los Angeles L 3-0
TEAM NEWS by Carol Schram
Just one month ago, the Vancouver Canucks enjoyed a franchise-best
month of January. February was a whole different story: The team
went 4-9-0 and was shut out three times while giving up 55 goals in
14 contests an average of nearly four goals a game. At the end
of January, Vancouver sat in sixth place in the Western Conference
and was challenging for home-ice advantage in the playoffs. At the
end of February, the team is now 10th in danger of missing
post-season play for the first time since 1990.
There is only one thing that everyone agrees upon: something has
to be done.
Players, management, and the media are running out of excuses. Pat
Quinn was actually the first to come clean and admit that he may
have overestimated the potential of his team. Since then, when
asked what's wrong with the Canucks, virtually everybody says "I
wish I knew."
First, the problem was supposed to stem from injuries, especially
with the loss of Ironman captain Trevor Linden. Then, it was the
lack of a playmaking center and a physical defenseman. While
people have a hard time blaming individuals on this team, it's
clear that the group is not gelling into any kind of cohesive
unit.
Linden's leadership was sorely missed in December and January while
he recovered from his knee injury. However, since Trevor's return,
he has scored just one goal and the team's fortunes have sagged
again. Despite flashes of strong play, he is now enduring what's
said to be the worst slump of his pro career, and the frustration
is showing, both on the ice and in his interviews. Trevor is
usually a great one for spouting the traditional hockey rhetoric
about doing the little things' and hockey being a team game'.
Now, his focus has changed to "I have to get my game together
before I can start worrying about what's wrong with the team."
Linden normally leads by example, but this self-absorbed attitude
seems to be creating an even bigger leadership void in the room
than Trevor's absence did when he was injured.
Linden is also having some doubts about the support he's getting
from his teammates. He admitted in a recent newspaper article that
he figured about half the team supports his leadership, and said he
could go around the room and say who's with him and who isn't.
There's no doubt that other members of Pat Quinn's old guard, like
Jyrki Lumme, remain firmly in Linden's camp. The outspoken ones,
like Tikkanen and Mogilny, probably fall on the other side. And
while Tom Renney keeps insisting that the team's attitude and work
ethic are good, this type of division cannot be creating a positive
atmosphere within the room.
So what to do?? It seems like a real shakeup is needed to change
the Canucks' chemistry. It was no secret that, despite Pat Quinn's
general stinginess in the trade market, he was a contender in both
the Doug Gilmour and Adam Oates sweepstakes. He didn't land either
player, but it is no longer considered a given that Vancouver is
only a center away from being a playoff contender. In the first
place, while team offense comes up flat some nights, goals are not
really a problem: the Canucks have plenty of players who can
score. The biggest problems right now lie with defense, penalty
killing, and possibly even goaltending. Overall, though, it's team
discipline and commitment to the system that seem to be letting the
Canucks down -- game after game after game.
This season, the Vancouver Canucks have developed some wickedly bad
habits. They often come out flat at the beginning of games and let
the other team set the tone. They also allow a plethora of goals
at the beginning of periods, which creates a huge psychological
letdown as they try to dig themselves back out of these holes.
They have also strayed from even trying to play Coach Renney's
weak-side lock system. Renney has been experimenting with Pat
Quinn's old ingrained 2-1-2 over the past few weeks, but that
doesn't seem to be the answer either. They had tremendous success
one game against San Jose, then got shut out just two nights later
on the strength of good goaltending and the clog the neutral zone'
defense of the Los Angeles Kings. And so the rollercoaster
continues, except we have to wait longer and longer between those
peaks that lead up to the thrilling descent.
It's anybody's guess where Vancouver goes from here. They have a
bushelful of unsigned players, including future unrestricted free
agents Russ Courtnall and Esa Tikkanen and restricted free agent
Alex Mogilny. Buffalo's current success on the back of the players
the Canucks gave up for Mogilny -- Mike Peca and Mike Wilson --
makes Quinn particularly reluctant to mortgage any more of the
team's future for a chance to take a run this year. But it feels
like the tale is far from over, and some moves are bound to be made
on or before this season's Mar. 18 trade deadline.
Now, a quick summary of the Canucks' game performance these past
couple of weeks.
We left off on a fairly high note, after a critical team meeting
and a convincing win against Anaheim. Vancouver's next game was
Feb. 18, against the strife-plagued Toronto Maple Leafs. The rumor
was that Doug Gilmour was about to be traded, and the usual rivalry
was on in the stands between Canuck fans and Leaf fans, but Sergei
Berezin combined with Gilmour to do the necessary damage. Kirk
McLean was chased early in the third with the score 6-2, and the
Leafs managed to hang on for a 6-5 win and a 3-1 season series
victory for the worst team in the league.
Then, it was off for a quick three-games-in-four-nights road trip
through California. First up, the San Jose Sharks. Corey Hirsch
had played well in relief of McLean on Tuesday, so he got the start
and was stellar in net for most of the night as Vancouver got goals
from slumping stars like Linden, Courtnall, and Bure on their way
to an inspiring 6-1 victory. Once again, it was hoped this could
be something to build on for their return visit to the Great
Western Forum, site of a humiliating loss back in January. But
this was not to be. Hirsch got another start, but this time the
Kings scored on the first shot of the game. That goal turned out
to be the winner, as Stephane Fiset set up a brick wall and the
Kings trapped their way to victory and the beginning of their
current unbeaten streak, which is leading them back into a run for
a playoff spot.
The next night -- the Ducks, who Vancouver had trounced so
convincingly at home just a week before. The game was a tight 2-2
affair until the last five minutes. With the Canucks short-handed,
Teemu Selanne pushed the puck forward instead of drawing it back on
an offensive-zone face-off. The puck eluded McLean, put the Ducks
up by one, and deflated the Canucks once and for all. A minute
later, Anaheim scored again, then Vancouver pulled its goalie and
the Ducks bagged an empty-netter to make the score look much worse
than the first 57 minutes of the game would have warranted.
After picking up just two points out of three winnable games, the
Canucks returned home to face three more sub-.500 teams. First up,
the Montreal Canadiens, fresh off a humiliating loss to Toronto at
the Molson Centre. The Habs must have been happy to be far away
from the prying eyes of their hometown media and fans, and they
were probably energized by sight of all the rouge, blanc, et bleu
at GM Place. The game was a no-hitter and Jocelyn Thibault stoned
Pavel Bure a couple of times early. To cap it off, while Donald
Brashear sat out the third installment of his four-game suspension
for sucker-punching the Kings' Ian Laperriere, the man he was
traded for, Jassen Cullimore, went to the net 39 seconds into the
third period after serving a boarding penalty. He converted a
beautiful Mark Recchi pass for what would turn out to be the
winning goal in a 4-2 contest and another heartbreaking loss for
the Canucks. Coach Renney said they didn't play a bad game, but
the bottom line was still no points, and no movement in the
standings.
Things would change a little on Thursday, when the tired Phoenix
Coyotes came to town for their first visit of the year. They had
shut out the Canucks a month ago in their home rink, but they had
also beaten Calgary the previous evening in the only good effort of
their road trip, and Keith Tkachuk was getting married the next
day. Whether it was pre-nuptial jitters or not, Tkachuk finished
-5 on the night as his line matched up against Vancouver's recent
top gunners Gelinas, Linden and Courtnall, and the Canucks cruised
to an easy 6-2 win. Martin Gelinas' four goals were the highlight
of the evening, and they moved him even with Pavel Bure, who makes
more than six times his salary, in terms of pure production: each
has 23 goals, and Gelinas is a +4, while Bure's -10. Ironically,
Gelinas became the first Canuck in a decade other than Bure to
record a four-goal game, and the last two, both by Bure, also both
came against the Coyote franchise back when it was still the
Winnipeg Jets. Other notable moments in that game included Cliff
Ronning's first goal back in Vancouver in another uniform. The
crowd gave him a rousing cheer when he got his team on the board to
make it 6-1 in the third period. Also, one of the coolest names in
hockey, Paris Duffus, made his NHL debut halfway through the game
when Coyote workhorse netminder Nikolai Khabibulin got the hook
after surrendering five goals on just nine shots. Phoenix ended up
outshooting Vancouver 33-17 in the contest, but that night, on the
strength of one line, the game was all Canucks.
After finally smacking a conference rival successfully, and winning
one in a row, the Canucks seemed to think they were in pretty good
shape for their rematch against the Kings and could maybe win one
to help celebrate Tom Renney's 42nd birthday. NOT! The game got
off to a very awkward start when a fan sitting at ice level
suffered a heart attack in the stands shortly before the drop of
the puck. The game was delayed by about 25 minutes while medical
staff attended to the situation and arena workers removed a pane of
rink glass to allow the paramedics to move the victim out of the
arena via the ice entrance. This may have been a sign of things to
come for Vancouver. Despite outshooting the Kings early in the
first period, the team with no stars and no fans had a two-goal
lead by the intermission, and Stephane Fiset went on to stop 35
shots en route to his second shutout in a week against the
Canucks.
Despite the horror show of the game, there were a couple of
interesting footnotes that can either be chalked up to team spirit
or massive frustration. While combatants Ian Laperriere and Donald
Brashear remained on the sidelines, Dimitri Khristich received a
high sticking match penalty and game misconduct midway through the
second period for slashing Scotty Walker across the throat. Not
only did Walker come back to play in the third, but after Vancouver
had their closest scoring chance of the night disallowed, the Wild
Thing jumped into a fight with the Kings' Brad Smyth in an attempt
to stir the pot. Although his throat was still bothering him, the
worst you can say is that Scotty fought to a draw with the much
bigger Smyth. Gino Odjick and Matt Johnson took coincidental
misconducts on that same play, as they had already danced in the
first period and referee Terry Gregson was trying to avoid a full
scale riot. Nevertheless, a bit later when Martin Gelinas was
checked over the boards flat onto his back in the LA bench, noted
Sugar Ray Leonard impersonator Bret Hedican had no choice but to
defend his teammate's honor against Matthias Norstrom, who had
coincidentally been irritating him all night. Heddy didn't exactly
pound the Swede into submission, but he probably took the first
instigator penalty of his career, and that can be interpreted as a
show of either great team spirit or immense frustration. Hedican
may also have still been smarting a bit over the nasty puck he took
to his privates midway through the Phoenix game on Thursday night.
Now that the Canucks have proven that they can't beat the bad teams
in their conference with any consistency, they're off to the Mile
High City to take on the frustrated Colorado Avalanche to start
this next segment. Apparently Pat Quinn and the rest of the
management group are traveling with the team on this one-game trip,
so it's still possible that a deal might be coming up in the very
near future.
OTHER NEWS
When Vancouver was apparently pursuing Doug Gilmour, it was
believed that the price for Vancouver would have included defensive
prospect Matthias Ohlund. While the Canucks have been unable to
sign him as yet, Ohlund is having a better second half with his
Lulea team: He's getting a lot of credit for the squad's recent
success, and is likely going to earn a spot on team Sweden's World
Championship squad this year. The Canucks have insisted all along
that they are determined to sign him eventually and will not toss
away his rights, and New Jersey's willingness to part with another
hot prospect, Alyn McCauley, implies that this price was probably
about right, but too high for Pat Quinn.
Harry Sinden was also looking for prospects in exchange for the
opportunity to negotiate with Adam Oates (as it now appears).
Since Sinden already has a promising young blueliner in Kyle
McLaren, he was rumored to be after offensive help, perhaps in the
form of juniors Josh Holden or Peter Schaefer. Josh has had his
problems this year: He has had injuries and a suspension, and was
asked to surrender his captaincy of the Regina Pats a couple of
months ago. Since he was relieved of his captain's duties,
however, Holden has rediscovered his scoring touch and is
continuing his feisty, Jeremy Roenick-esque style of hockey. He is
also working on his upper body conditioning and adding bulk in an
attempt to be ready for NHL play next year. Meanwhile, after an
outstanding performance at the World Junior Championship last
Christmas, Peter Schaefer shows no sign of letting up. A recent
poll by a Brandon, Manitoba newspaper rated Schaefer the top player
in a number of categories in his Western Hockey League division.
Of course, the fact that he plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings is
probably also a factor, but at this point it looks like both these
kids could turn out to be genuine NHL prospects, so it's
understandable that Quinn would be reluctant to give them up. Of
course, the prospects that Sinden did acquire from Washington --
Jason Allison and Anson Carter -- probably aren't at the level of
Holden and Schaefer, so perhaps the deal could have been done for
less. Now, with Oates on the shelf maximizing his leverage to get
his new deal done, the possibility still remains that, if
Washington is unable to come to terms with him, the unhappy
playmaker could possibly be moved again in the next couple of
weeks.
The urgency to trade Alexander Mogilny has abated somewhat over the
past couple of weeks. Pat Quinn has reinforced that he is hoping to
sign him and keep him, and Mogilny has been one of the Canucks' few
consistent players over this last bleak stretch. Other stars like
Linden and Bure are now enduring their time under the magnifying
glass, and Mogilny is rumored to be suffering from an abdominal
strain that could keep him out of the Colorado game.
Other possibilities the Canucks are rumored to be considering for
the middle are the ageless Bernie Nicholls, who probably wouldn't
want to come back to Canada and who would really only be of use for
a playoff run, if he doesn't run out of gas. Vancouver also may be
interested in Jeremy Roenick, who hasn't exactly set the desert on
fire in Phoenix. Montreal could be another team looking to make a
deal, since many of their current players aren't happy and they may
be needing a quick dose of talent to keep themselves above the
new-look Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference playoff
hunt.
Speaking of the Habs, Donald Brashear appears destined never to
play against his old team. When Vancouver acquired the tough guy
back in November, they promised not to dress him for their visit to
the Molson Centre a few days later. Then, Brashear got injured
earlier in February, but was healthy in time to earn himself a
suspension February 22nd in Los Angeles for a sucker-punch to Ian
Laperriere. The Kings' winger is a noted yapper and cheap-shot
artist himself, and Brashear said that, while he did what he did
out of frustration with his team down 4-0, he was also sticking up
for his linemate Gino Odjick, who was being goaded by Laperriere.
The move was definitely not one of the classier plays you'll ever
see in hockey, and Laperriere remains sidelined with
post-concussion syndrome from the after-effects of the hit. While
Tie Domi served an eight-game suspension last season for a similar
sucker-punch on Ulf Samuelsson, the NHL offices handed just a
four-game punishment to Brashear -- still more than a player ever
gets for kneeing or checking from behind, but not as much as you
get when you're Tie Domi. In this case, four served the purpose,
too: Brashear was unable to suit again for Vancouver vs. Montreal,
and he was also forbidden to play in the rematch against the Kings
on Saturday. He is available starting Monday March 3rd, when
Vancouver travels to Denver to try their luck again with the
sputtering Colorado Avalanche.
Now, speaking of tough guys, after five weeks on the shelf with a
rib injury, Troy Crowder is going to don the superhero's crest of
the Syracuse Crunch for awhile to work himself back into game
shape. The assignment is said to be brief, but we still haven't
heard a thing about Alexander Semak since he was sent down for two
weeks' -- six weeks ago. While the injury-plagued Crunch are in
desperate need of bodies, Crowder would have to clear waivers
eventually in order to stay on the farm for any period of time.
It is common knowledge that Pavel Bure hasn't returned to his
stellar superstar form since coming back from last season's knee
injury. So far, the Russian Rocket hasn't shown any signs of
heating it up towards the end of the season like he did in his
back-to-back 60-goal years. While much has been made of Pavel's
diminished speed and disinterest in skating into traffic, it's
interesting to note that he still has the second-highest total for
shots on goal, behind Calgary's Theoren Fleury. His shots-per-game
have dropped from just under five a game to just over four, but it
is his accuracy or his finish or his shot selection which appears
to be suffering, as his shooting percentage is just 8.7%, less than
one third that of teammate Mike Ridley, who still leads the entire
NHL at 28.8%, and about half the level of his accuracy during his
60-goal years.
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Next Issue: March 18, 1997
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NHL STANDINGS March 4, 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Conference
Northeast Division GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Buffalo 63 33 20 10 76 184 156 20-7-6 13-13-4
Pittsburgh 63 31 27 5 67 221 208 18-10-3 13-17-2
Montreal 65 24 30 11 59 202 229 14-14-4 10-16-7
Hartford 63 24 30 9 57 178 200 17-12-3 7-18-6
Ottawa 63 21 29 13 55 178 187 12-16-7 9-13-6
Boston 64 21 34 9 51 186 228 11-16-7 10-18-2
Atlantic Division GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Philadelphia 64 37 17 10 84 216 164 18-9-5 19-8-5
New Jersey 63 33 18 12 78 174 147 16-7-9 17-11-3
Florida 64 29 20 15 73 175 149 16-8-6 13-12-9
NY Rangers 65 29 27 9 67 209 183 16-11-5 13-16-4
Tampa Bay 63 26 30 7 59 178 194 12-12-7 14-18-0
Washington 64 25 32 7 57 160 179 13-14-3 12-18-4
NY Islanders 64 21 33 10 52 171 192 14-16-3 7-17-7
Western Conference
Central Division GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Dallas 65 38 23 4 80 197 159 18-11-2 20-12-2
Detroit 63 31 19 13 75 199 145 17-9-7 14-10-6
St Louis 65 28 29 8 64 192 199 13-16-3 15-13-5
Chicago 65 26 30 9 61 171 165 11-17-3 15-13-6
Phoenix 64 28 32 4 60 181 201 13-17-4 15-15-0
Toronto 64 25 37 2 52 188 223 16-16-0 9-21-2
Pacific Division GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Colorado 64 40 16 8 88 216 152 21-6-4 19-10-4
Edmonton 66 30 29 7 67 207 199 19-13-2 11-16-5
Calgary 66 27 32 7 61 177 191 19-13-2 8-19-5
Anaheim 64 26 30 8 60 184 189 17-12-3 9-18-5
Vancouver 64 28 34 2 58 202 221 16-14-1 12-20-1
Los Angeles 66 24 34 8 56 176 214 15-12-5 9-22-3
San Jose 64 22 35 7 51 166 214 11-15-3 11-20-4
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PLAYOFF STANDINGS March 4, 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EASTERN CONFERENCE GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Philadelphia 64 37 17 10 84 216 164 18-9-5 19-8-5
Buffalo 63 33 20 10 76 184 156 20-7-6 13-13-4
New Jersey 63 33 18 12 78 174 147 16-7-9 17-11-3
Florida 64 29 20 15 73 175 149 16-8-6 13-12-9
Pittsburgh 63 31 27 5 67 221 208 18-10-3 13-17-2
NY Rangers 65 29 27 9 67 209 183 16-11-5 13-16-4
Tampa Bay 63 26 30 7 59 178 194 12-12-7 14-18-0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montreal 65 24 30 11 59 202 229 14-14-4 10-16-7
Washington 64 25 32 7 57 160 179 13-14-3 12-18-4
Hartford 63 24 30 9 57 178 200 17-12-3 7-18-6
Ottawa 63 21 29 13 55 178 187 12-16-7 9-13-6
NY Islanders 64 21 33 10 52 171 192 14-16-3 7-17-7
Boston 64 21 34 9 51 186 228 11-16-7 10-18-2
WESTERN CONFERENCE GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Colorado 64 40 16 8 88 216 152 21-6-4 19-10-4
Dallas 65 38 23 4 80 197 159 18-11-2 20-12-2
Detroit 63 31 19 13 75 199 145 17-9-7 14-10-6
Edmonton 66 30 29 7 67 207 199 19-13-2 11-16-5
St Louis 65 28 29 8 64 192 199 13-16-3 15-13-5
Calgary 66 27 32 7 61 177 191 19-13-2 8-19-5
Chicago 65 26 30 9 61 171 165 11-17-3 15-13-6
Phoenix 64 28 32 4 60 181 201 13-17-4 15-15-0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anaheim 64 26 30 8 60 184 189 17-12-3 9-18-5
Vancouver 64 28 34 2 58 202 221 16-14-1 12-20-1
Los Angeles 66 24 34 8 56 176 214 15-12-5 9-22-3
Toronto 64 25 37 2 52 188 223 16-16-0 9-21-2
San Jose 64 22 35 7 51 166 214 11-15-3 11-20-4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL LEAGUE LEADERS March 2, 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S PCTG
------------------------- ---- -- --- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- -- --- ----
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 59 44 55 99 22 45 13 1 6 1 258 17.1
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 57 45 42 87 19 40 10 2 6 1 212 21.2
TEEMU SELANNE ANA 64 37 47 84 13 22 8 1 6 1 224 16.5
WAYNE GRETZKY NYR 64 17 61 78 14 24 4 0 2 1 231 7.4
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 64 41 35 76 31 46 8 0 4 2 260 15.8
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 62 41 34 75 29 110 17 3 7 2 256 16.0
MATS SUNDIN TOR 63 33 41 74 3 49 4 3 7 0 230 14.3
PAUL KARIYA ANA 51 31 42 73 21 6 11 3 7 0 261 11.9
STEVE YZERMAN DET 63 16 55 71 23 62 4 0 2 0 182 8.8
ADAM OATES WAS 63 18 52 70 6- 10 2 2 4 0 138 13.0
BRETT HULL STL 64 38 30 68 1- 8 10 2 5 2 257 14.8
RON FRANCIS PIT 61 21 47 68 8 10 5 1 2 0 142 14.8
ZIGMUND PALFFY NYI 61 33 34 67 15 37 5 4 5 0 230 14.3
DOUG GILMOUR NJD 64 18 49 67 3 48 3 1 1 0 110 16.4
MARK MESSIER NYR 56 32 34 66 13 75 6 5 7 1 189 16.9
MARK RECCHI MON 65 30 35 65 5- 46 7 2 2 0 152 19.7
KEITH TKACHUK PHO 64 37 27 64 8- 172 6 2 3 1 228 16.2
VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE MON 65 21 43 64 9- 70 7 2 2 1 194 10.8
PIERRE TURGEON STL 61 19 44 63 6 10 4 0 5 1 172 11.0
BRIAN LEETCH NYR 64 17 46 63 29 34 8 0 1 0 201 8.5
DOUG WEIGHT EDM 63 15 47 62 2 78 4 0 1 0 173 8.7
TONY AMONTE CHI 65 34 27 61 29 60 7 2 3 2 203 16.7
ALEXANDER MOGILNY VAN 61 27 34 61 6 10 6 1 3 1 133 20.3
MIKE MODANO DAL 64 27 33 60 27 40 9 4 9 0 236 11.4
PETER BONDRA WAS 59 36 23 59 1 64 7 4 2 1 241 14.9
JOE SAKIC COL 46 16 43 59 2- 20 6 1 4 0 195 8.2
--- INDIVIDUAL LEADERS ---
-- GOAL SCORING -- -- ASSISTS --
NAME TEAM GP G NAME TEAM GP A
------------------------- ---- -- --- ------------------------- ---- -- ---
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 57 45 WAYNE GRETZKY NYR 64 61
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 59 44 MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 59 55
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 62 41 STEVE YZERMAN DET 63 55
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 64 41 ADAM OATES WAS 63 52
BRETT HULL STL 64 38 DOUG GILMOUR NJD 64 49
TEEMU SELANNE ANA 64 37 RON FRANCIS PIT 61 47
KEITH TKACHUK PHO 64 37 DOUG WEIGHT EDM 63 47
PETER BONDRA WAS 59 36 TEEMU SELANNE ANA 64 47
TONY AMONTE CHI 65 34 BRIAN LEETCH NYR 64 46
ZIGMUND PALFFY NYI 61 33 PIERRE TURGEON STL 61 44
MATS SUNDIN TOR 63 33 PETER FORSBERG COL 46 43
JOE SAKIC COL 46 43
VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE MON 65 43
-- POWER PLAY GOALS -- -- SHORT HANDED GOALS --
NAME TEAM GP PP NAME TEAM GP SH
------------------------- ---- -- --- ------------------------- ---- -- ---
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 62 17 MARK MESSIER NYR 56 5
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 59 13 PETER BONDRA WAS 59 4
ANDREI KOVALENKO EDM 62 12 TRENT KLATT PHI 60 4
RYAN SMYTH EDM 65 12 MIKE PECA BUF 60 4
PAUL KARIYA ANA 51 11 ZIGMUND PALFFY NYI 61 4
PETR NEDVED PIT 57 11 ADAM GRAVES NYR 64 4
GERMAN TITOV CGY 63 11 MIKE MODANO DAL 64 4
RAY SHEPPARD FLA 50 10 TODD MARCHANT EDM 65 4
DANIEL ALFREDSSON OTT 57 10 SHELDON KENNEDY BOS 37 3
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 57 10 RANDY BURRIDGE BUF 49 3
KEITH JONES COL 60 10 PAUL KARIYA ANA 51 3
SANDIS OZOLINSH COL 63 10 MARTIN RUCINSKY MON 53 3
MIKE GARTNER PHO 64 10 ROB DIMAIO BOS 57 3
BRETT HULL STL 64 10 MIKE SILLINGER VAN 61 3
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 62 3
MATS SUNDIN TOR 63 3
-- GAME WINNING GOALS -- -- OVERTIME GOALS --
NAME TEAM GP GW NAME TEAM GP GOT
------------------------- ---- -- --- ------------------------- ---- -- ---
MIKE MODANO DAL 64 9 ROBERT KRON HAR 49 2
PAUL KARIYA ANA 51 7 STEVE KONOWALCHUK WAS 59 2
MARK MESSIER NYR 56 7
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 62 7
MATS SUNDIN TOR 63 7
MIKE GARTNER PHO 64 7
WENDEL CLARK TOR 47 6
RAY SHEPPARD FLA 50 6
JEREMY ROENICK PHO 54 6
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 57 6
DEAN MCAMMOND EDM 57 6
VYACHESLAV KOZLOV DET 59 6
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 59 6
JIM CAMPBELL STL 64 6
TEEMU SELANNE ANA 64 6
-- GAME TYING GOALS --
NAME TEAM GP GT
------------------------- ---- -- ---
ADAM GRAVES NYR 64 5
ERIC LINDROS PHI 39 2
JOHAN GARPENLOV FLA 48 2
DANIEL ALFREDSSON OTT 57 2
STU BARNES PIT 62 2
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 62 2
ALEXANDRE DAIGLE OTT 63 2
KEVIN DINEEN HAR 63 2
JEFF FRIESEN SAN 63 2
BRETT HULL STL 64 2
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 64 2
TONY AMONTE CHI 65 2
THEOREN FLEURY CGY 65 2
-- SHOTS -- -- FIRST GOALS --
NAME TEAM GP S NAME TEAM GP FG
------------------------- ---- -- --- ------------------------- ---- -- ---
THEOREN FLEURY CGY 65 279 OWEN NOLAN SAN 60 9
PAVEL BURE VAN 62 265 PETR NEDVED PIT 57 7
PAUL KARIYA ANA 51 261 ADAM DEADMARSH COL 59 7
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 64 260 ZIGMUND PALFFY NYI 61 7
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 59 258 BRIAN ROLSTON NJD 62 7
BRETT HULL STL 64 257 MATS SUNDIN TOR 63 7
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 62 256 RAY FERRARO LOS 64 7
PETER BONDRA WAS 59 241 TONY AMONTE CHI 65 7
ALEXEI YASHIN OTT 63 240 VALERI ZELEPUKIN NJD 53 6
GEOFF SANDERSON HAR 63 236 DINO CICCARELLI TAM 58 6
MIKE MODANO DAL 64 236 DIMITRI KHRISTICH LOS 58 6
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 59 6
ALEXANDER MOGILNY VAN 61 6
JASON DAWE BUF 62 6
BOBBY HOLIK NJD 62 6
JIM CAMPBELL STL 64 6
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 64 6
SCOTT MELLANBY FLA 64 6
TEEMU SELANNE ANA 64 6
-- SHOOTING PERCENTAGE (MIN 62 SHOTS) --
NAME TEAM GP G S PCTG
------------------------- ---- -- --- --- ----
MIKE RIDLEY VAN 59 19 66 28.8
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 57 45 212 21.2
ANDREI KOVALENKO EDM 62 29 139 20.9
ALEXANDER MOGILNY VAN 61 27 133 20.3
MIROSLAV SATAN EDM 59 17 85 20.0
NIKLAS SUNDSTROM NYR 64 19 96 19.8
MARK RECCHI MON 65 30 152 19.7
JOE NIEUWENDYK DAL 49 25 127 19.7
TRENT KLATT PHI 60 20 102 19.6
MARTIN GELINAS VAN 55 23 118 19.5
MIKE SILLINGER VAN 61 16 85 18.8
GREG ADAMS DAL 35 15 80 18.8
STEVE HEINZE BOS 30 17 96 17.7
JASON DAWE BUF 62 19 108 17.6
RAY FERRARO LOS 64 20 116 17.2
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 59 44 258 17.1
PETR NEDVED PIT 57 26 153 17.0
MARK MESSIER NYR 56 32 189 16.9
ADAM DEADMARSH COL 59 25 148 16.9
BILL GUERIN NJD 62 22 130 16.9
JEFF O'NEILL HAR 57 14 83 16.9
TONY AMONTE CHI 65 34 203 16.7
TEEMU SELANNE ANA 64 37 224 16.5
ANDREW CASSELS HAR 63 18 109 16.5
MARTIN RUCINSKY MON 53 21 128 16.4
DOUG GILMOUR NJD 64 18 110 16.4
-- PLUS/MINUS --
NAME TEAM GP +/-
------------------------- ---- -- ---
VLADIMIR KONSTANTINOV DET 60 39
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 64 31
SERGEI FEDOROV DET 55 31
IGOR LARIONOV DET 51 31
DAVE ANDREYCHUK NJD 62 30
TONY AMONTE CHI 65 29
BRIAN LEETCH NYR 64 29
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 62 29
MIKAEL RENBERG PHI 64 28
VIACHESLAV FETISOV DET 50 28
--- GOALTENDING LEADERS ---
-- GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE --
(MIN 21 GP)
GOALTENDER TEAM GP GA AVG
------------------------- ---- -- --- -----
MARTIN BRODEUR NJD 53 103 2.03
JEFF HACKETT CHI 28 58 2.07
MARK FITZPATRICK FLA 26 49 2.14
CHRIS OSGOOD DET 38 80 2.17
ANDY MOOG DAL 43 89 2.18
JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLA 44 96 2.25
PATRICK ROY COL 49 113 2.33
MIKE VERNON DET 24 57 2.36
DOMINIK HASEK BUF 57 135 2.36
GARTH SNOW PHI 27 59 2.40
-- WINS --
GOALTENDER TEAM GP W L T
------------------------- ---- --- -- -- --
DOMINIK HASEK BUF 57 32 17 8
PATRICK ROY COL 49 30 11 6
MARTIN BRODEUR NJD 53 28 12 11
ANDY MOOG DAL 43 26 11 3
GRANT FUHR STL 57 26 22 8
RON HEXTALL PHI 42 25 12 4
MIKE RICHTER NYR 47 25 17 5
CURTIS JOSEPH EDM 55 25 22 7
GUY HEBERT ANA 53 22 22 8
JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLA 44 21 14 8
FELIX POTVIN TOR 56 21 31 1
-- SAVE PERCENTAGE --
GOALTENDER TEAM GP GA SA SPCTG
------------------------- ---- --- --- ---- -----
STEVE SHIELDS BUF 4 7 149 .953
PHILIPPE DEROUVILLE PIT 1 2 38 .947
KEVIN HODSON DET 4 5 73 .932
CRAIG BILLINGTON COL 17 30 432 .931
JEFF HACKETT CHI 28 58 825 .930
DOMINIK HASEK BUF 57 135 1851 .927
ROMAN TUREK DAL 5 9 121 .926
MARK FITZPATRICK FLA 26 49 642 .924
PATRICK ROY COL 49 113 1442 .922
JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLA 44 96 1226 .922
-- SHUTOUTS --
GOALTENDER TEAM GP SO W L T
------------------------- ---- --- -- -- -- --
CHRIS OSGOOD DET 38 6 20 10 6
PATRICK ROY COL 49 6 30 11 6
CURTIS JOSEPH EDM 55 6 25 22 7
MARTIN BRODEUR NJD 53 5 28 12 11
DOMINIK HASEK BUF 57 5 32 17 8
TOMMY SALO NYI 41 4 13 19 6
STEPHANE FISET LOS 42 4 13 22 5
TREVOR KIDD CGY 43 4 17 19 4
RICK TABARACCI TAM 47 4 18 21 5
GUY HEBERT ANA 53 4 22 22 8
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