Volume 2 Issue 6 -- March 6, 2002
(Awarded to the the top scorer and top goalie over the past 10 games)
Player
Winner: Keith Tkachuk of the Québec City Corinthians for 2.00 points per game, AND
Winner: Joe Sakic of the Toronto Stallions for 17 points, 9 of them in one game(A WHL Record?)
Goalie
Winner: Mathieu Garon of the Chicoutimi Sparrows for 17 of a possible 22 points earned
Runner-Up: Damian Rhodes of the Oakville Bulls for 14 of a possible 18 points earned
Nominees
Players GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM His Team
Keith Tkachuk 11 10 12 22 8 1 2 1 0 47 62 Corinthians
Joe Sakic 10 6 11 17 10 1 0 0 0 55 13 Stallions
Markus Naslund 10 9 4 13 3 1 0 2 0 33 23 Voodoo
Jaromir Jagr 11 8 5 13 2 2 1 0 0 65 20 Corinthians
Eric Desjardins 11 2 11 13 4 0 0 0 0 26 32 Sparrows
Vincent Damphousse 11 8 4 12 5 3 0 2 0 64 9 Sparrows
Patrik Elias 10 6 6 12 5 1 0 0 0 44 12 Bulls
Oleg Tverdovsky 10 6 5 11 -1 1 0 1 0 31 9 Enforcers
Joe Nieuwendyk 10 2 9 11 -3 0 0 0 0 16 15 Hawks
Mike Ricci 10 3 6 9 4 2 0 0 0 23 12 Islanders
Kristopher Beech 10 3 6 9 2 1 0 0 0 34 20 Bears
Pavel Bure 9 3 5 8 -1 3 0 1 0 32 16 Dropkicks
Goaltenders GP MIN AVG W L T EN SO GA SA PCT His Team
Mathieu Garon 11 665 2.53 8 2 1 0 1 28 311 .910 Sparrows
Damian Rhodes 9 550 2.29 6 1 2 0 0 21 256 .918 Bulls
Jose Theodore 11 660 3.45 7 4 0 0 0 38 325 .883 Corinthians
Martin Brodeur 9 540 3.56 6 3 0 0 0 32 262 .878 Voodoo
Dwayne Roloson 5 300 4.20 5 0 0 0 0 21 153 .863 Stallions
Jean-F. Damphousse 10 605 4.17 4 5 1 0 1 42 354 .881 Hawks
Olaf Kolzig 7 425 3.11 3 3 1 0 0 22 205 .893 Dropkicks
Ed Belfour 10 600 4.70 2 8 0 0 0 47 349 .865 Enforcers
John Grahame 7 420 4.43 1 6 0 0 0 31 265 .883 Bears
(News articles from every corner of the W.H.L.)
Toronto Sights Set On Presidents Trophy
Toronto, ON - The Stallions, having their players back from the Olympics, are now setting their sights on the Presidents Cup. Having been the runner-up to this trophy a few times they are currently nine points ahead of the Voodoo for the award. The next ten games will tell whether or not they stand a chance. Fully five of the next ten are against strong teams including the Voodoo, Krushers, Corinthians and Express. After that run the remaining 14 games sees only about four strong clubs.
The Stallions are suffering the injury bug lately. Zigmund Palffy just recently returned to the lineup while Shayne Corson is still out. Miikka Elomo received his first suspension of the season in a game against the Miami Oceanics. He will return in time to face the Krushers but will miss the Voodoo game. Corson will miss most of the next two weeks.
Rookie Mark Smith is playing great recently. He is on a six game goal & point streak, scoring seven goals and nine points during the past six games. He now sits in ninth place in the rookie scoring race, 14 points behind leader Ruslan Fedotenko. He is sixth in rookie goal scoring and seventh in shots taken.
There are two highlights so far this season. Captain Joe Sakic is having a career season. At 21 games less than last year, he sits just three points back from his current best season. He is one point shy of 500 with the Stallions and 13 points shy of 600 in his career. He would be the sixth or seventh player to reach that mark. Jaromir Jagr is currently two points shy of the mark himself. The next closest to 600 is Paul Kariya, who remains 28 points under.
The other highlight has been backup Dwayne Roloson. Brought in to backup Curtis Joseph when Brian Finley failed to perform, Dwayne has surpassed all hopes. He has played in 18 games for Toronto and has a 16-1-1 record with one shut-out and a 2.71 G.A.A. Dwayne's play has noticably pushed Curtis to perform better as Cujo is having a career year with a G.A.A. below 3 and a save percentage over .900.
Al Stricken reporting
Voodoo Back To Business
Vancouver, B.C. Well the WHL is back in action and some members of Sweden's Olympic Team have returned to Vancouver, having won the Gold Medal in Salt Lake. Coach of team Sweden and GM of the Voodoo Darren Kinnaird says he's happy for the experience and looking forward to continuing on with the WHL season, "Yeah it was a great time it Salt Lake. The Olymic experience was superb, the guys were great and the team came together. I am really happy for so many of the guys, especially those that play here in Vancouver."
Many of Kinnaird's Swedish players expressed the same sentiment's as Kinnaird. "It was great winning a gold medal. In Sweden that is the top honour for the Three Crowns. I am really glad we could bring the gold to Sweden" said Markus Naslund. Naslund was the top scorer for Sweden in the tournament and formed a terrific trio with team mate and regular center, Peter Forsberg and Mikael Renberg. "We really enjoyed playing together down there. Renberg gelled with us and that was key. It was as if we had been together for a while" said Forsberg.
So it's back the regular grind for the Voodoo, hoping to make a run here for the end of the season, and claim home ice for the playoffs. The Stallions are a number of points ahead but with some luck anything is possible.
Vikings Back In Playoff Hunt
Edmonton, AB - The Vikings have pulled back to the .500 mark but are still in danger of missing the playoffs for the second time in team history. They are currently seventh, four points ahead of the ninth-place Hawks.
There are whispers that GM Lee McEwen talked to former Penticton Venom coach and GM Jeff Tetz over the Olympic break about taking over for head coach Rob Ziccarelli but McEwen has steadfastly denied those claims.
The team is still shopping veterans Scott Stevens and Rod Brind'Amour but have received very little interest in them.
Brian Rolston is at odds with Rob Ziccarelli over the way he has been used this year and has asked for a trade. Rolston has only 5 points this year but McEwen has denied his request for a trade. With the departure of Chris Gratton and Todd Marchant, McEwen believes Rolston will take on a larger role for next year's Vikings. His refusal to deal him and the whispers that he has been promised more ice-time are two more signs that Rob Ziccarelli may not be back next season.
The Vikings are believed to have put several goaltenders near the top of their draft list for this summer's Entry Draft. The club is still searching for a capable back-up to Jamie Storr.
With the trade deadline on the horizon the Vikings are looking for some scoring talent on both wings and another goaltender.
Jim Matheson for the WHL Weekly
Burke Comes Home To Harrisburg
Harrisburg, PA - The last 15 games have provided a roller coaster ride for the Bears. First the trade of Sean Burke left the team reeling and a 1-9 streak ensued. Then the management realized their mistakes and went back out and reaquired Burke to try and make a run at the last playoff spot. The Bears are currently looking for a couple of players to round out their top lines. K.Beech has been a recent surprise getting 9 points in the last 10 games and moving to the top pp line.
The Hawks Quest For Playoffs Continues...
Boston, MA - The Boston Hawks have just returned home to Boston after a tough road trip. The Hawks only managed to get one point in the last six or seven games and have slipped down to ninth place in the conference. The management is, however, confident that the team will be able to come back and be one of the eight teams that gets to play in the playoffs.
Not many of the Hawks players have performed at their usual level during the road trip. There is one exception however. Veteran centerman Joe Nieuwendyk has played brilliantly and has recorded 11 points in the last 10 games. During the first 50 games the 36 year old centerman only scored 2 goals. During the last ten he has scored three. This kind of play is just what the Hawks need from more of their key players to keep the playoff dreams alive.
The Hawks have been troubled by suspensions and injuries since the re-start after the Olympic break. First was Maxim Kuznetsov suspended two games for an illegal hit and in last nights game against the Sparrows defensman Sergei Zubov was injured. Zubov is expected to miss one week of action due to his injury.
This is Lasse Kinch reporting for the Boston Hawks
New England...Now Is The Time
Hartford, MA - With coaches, players and management all citing injuries as the reason for the decidedly off year, the Dropkicks must now forge ahead.
With athletic therapist Stu Brown's sick bay nearly empty after a whopping 66 man games missed, that excuse will not work with Dropkicks fans anymore.
This stretch drive will not be easy. Today the Kicks will face off against Chris "Mr. Perfect" Kubinec's Oakville Bulls, a team that has impressed everybody with improvement after improvement. A win would be huge. Just ask Adam Rettschlag.
"The rest of this (expletive) season is going to be (expletive) tough. As far as I'm concerned the guys on this (expletive) team have what it takes (expletive) talent wise, it's just a matter of (expletive) (expletive) (expletive) applying themselves each night for (expletive)'s sake"
The Kicks will send a new top line after the Bulls and depending on the result may keep them for the remainder of the season.
Lemieux will center Drury and Bure, sending assist leader Joe Thornton to the second line.
"We want to give (expletive) Drury a chance. He's been one of the only players to play (expletive) well all (expletive) season. Joe will do fine with the guys he plays with."
Dropkicks fans sure hope so.
More as it happens
Random Kicks:
Count on Stallions GM/first class a-hole Brian Howe to pick Dropkicks fan favorite Brannt Myhres up on waivers.
Myhres was sent down when GM Chris Kordyback assigned newly aquired defenseman Bryce Salvador to the big club.
"We'll get him back...for the fans," said GM Chris Kordyback. He had better. Myhres fans will demand it.
Islanders Playoff Hopes Take A Hit
Victoria, B.C. - Islanders playoff hopes just took another nosedive when Petr Nedved picked up a charley-horse and may be played sporatically for the next month. The Isles had improved marginally over the past 10 games but just don't have the depth to cover injuries to key players. Unheralded team leader Steve Konowalchuk will also be out for another few weeks, thank goodness young Taylor Pyatt has risen to occassion. The unsung hero this last month has been Mike Ricci who has exploded with 9 points in the past 10 games. Not great compared to the elite players, but he certainly is a hit throughout Victoria. If there is one player who has given his best all season it has been Ricci and this past month has been one of his more productive on the scoreboard.
Believe it or not the Isles have a handful of untouchables. Players under 24 are staying unless a comparable player is received in return - Nedved, Mironov and his younger defensive partners won't be traded. But there are good depth players available for the right offer to those teams wanting to hit the playoffs with solid contributors. Ricci, Konowalchuk, McInnis, Klatt, Sillinger, Linden, Klee and Marchant can be available for a reasonable return.
Enforcers Are Reorganizing
Saskatoon, SK - Saskatoon Enforcers hires Johan Muhlegg for medical expertise! Mr. Muhleggs first action was to experiment with injections of gas from a Zamboni. New assistant coach is Hans Scheike. Mr. Scheike is expected to introduce new and ground breaking training methods.
A new Zamboni has been purchased due to sever leakage from the old. (The reason for the 2-8-0 skid ?)
Jan Stroms Maskinservice has sold 49% of the Enforcers to Rammstein Ltd. A relief to many Skasktoon fans as rumors said Silvio Berlusconi was interested in the team after having stepped down as president of AC Milan.
Recent Happenings With The Bulls
Oakville, ON (AP) - Through sixty regular season games the Oakville Bulls see themselves ridding an eight-game-unbeaten streak. The Bulls sit 2nd overall in the Central division with 80 points, and 3rd overall in the Wales Conference behind only division leaders the Stallions and Sparrows.
Much of the attention in Oakville this week was focused on all of the players from the Bulls that played in the Olympics, especially those that won medals.
Bronze medalists from the Oakville Bulls are center Steve Yzerman and right winger Jarome Iginla of team Canada. Clearly team Canada were the favourites to win gold this year heading in, but were forced to settle with a bronze. Team Canada is still asking "What went wrong?", but the Bulls organization congratulates team Canada as well as Yzerman and Iginla on an excellent performance.
Coming back to Oakville with silver medals from team USA are right winger Tony Amonte, defenseman Phil Housley, and the Bulls and team USA's number one goalie Damian Rhodes. Team USA could have easily won the gold medal, but were simply unable to match Sweden's intensity on the final night. Excellent job to all involved with team USA and congratulations to Bull players Amonte, Housley, and Rhodes.
The Oakville Bulls lone gold medalist is Ulf Dahlen of team Sweden. Unfortunately, Magnus Arvedson's injury kept him out of the 2002 Olympic games, as he was just not able to come back at the time. Arvedson was originally named to team Sweden and was replaced as a result of his injury, and after all of that is still very deserving of a gold medal for all of the sideline work he did for Sweden during the games. The Bulls congratulate Sweden and Ulf Dahlen on capturing Olympic gold in 2002!
Overall the Bulls had a total of 6 players (7 if Arvedson played) win medals in this year's Olympics out of a total of 13 players from the Oavkille Bulls organization that represented their countries. Close to 50%, not bad at all.
Now the question is, "Who will win in 2006?"... Well we have plenty of time before we find out the answer to that one.
I'm Michael Landsberg reporting.
'And that's the bottom line!...here in Oakville, Ontario!'.
Daily Bullz-Eye
- Dropkicks GM Chris Kordyback can still be heard whinning over the fact that he couldn't land Steve Yzerman, and now with Russia's failure to capture a medal (as promised by Kordyback) he has even more to complain about - like he really needs anymore to bitch about eh? :)
- Apparently team Sweden personnel had a huge party the night Sweden won gold, and coach Darren Kinnaird was so drunk that he actually invited the Sedin brothers to the big party he is having this summer... man, Darren must have been hammered!
(Taking a biographical and statistical look at superstars of today and tomorrow)
This month we look at Joe Sakic from the Toronto Stallions
NHL History:
Joe Sakic was drafted 15th overall in the 1987 Entry Draft by the Québec Nordiques. He made his NHL debut one season on October 6, 1988 against the Whalers with one assist. Two nights later, he scored his first NHL goal against the Devils' Sean Burke. By season's end, Joe co-led all NHL rookies with 10 power-play goals and finished with 62 points for the last-place Nordiques. In 1989-90, Joe blossomed into the Nordiques top scorer with 63 assists and 102 points and participated in his first NHL All-Star Game. In 1990-91, Joe posted his second 100-point season (a team-best 109) and participated in his second mid-season All-Star despite the Nordiques' third straight last place finish. In 1991-92, Joe missed 11 games but still managed to lead his team with 65 assists and 94 points and play in his third All-Star Game.
In 1992-93, Joe led the Nordiques with 48 goals and 264 shots and participated in his fourth All-Star Game. That year, the Nordiques improved 52 points in the standings and made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. In six playoff games, Joe co-led the team with six points. In 1993-94, Joe made his fifth straight All-Star Game appearance and led the team with 64 assists and 92 points. After missing the playoffs that year, Joe led the Nordiques to a Northeast division title and second-place overall finish in the shortened 1994-95 season. In 47 games, Joe led the Nordiques with 43 assists and 62 points.
In 1995-96, Joe moved with the franchise to Colorado (now the Avalanche of the Pacific division) and led the team with a personal best 51 goals, 120 points (third best in the league) and 339 shots. After participating in his sixth straight All-Star Game (there was no match in 1995) and leading the club to their second straight season division title, Joe paced his team to a Stanley Cup championship in the post-season. In 22 playoff games, Joe led the tournament with 18 goals, 34 points and six game-winning goals (an NHL record) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy for MVP honours. In 1996-97, Joe played only 65 games but still scored 74 points as the Avalanche won their third straight division title and first ever Presidents' Trophy. In 17 playoff games, Joe led his team with 17 assists (league-best) and 25 points as the Avalanche advanced to the third round of the playoffs. In 1997-98, Joe played just 64 games, but scored 63 points, played in his seventh All-Star Game and helped the Avalanche win their fourth straight division title.
In 1998-99, Joe scored a team-best 41 goals in 73 games as the Avalanche won their fifth straight division title (now the Northwest). In 19 playoff games, Joe scored 19 points. In 1999-2000, Joe scored his 1000th point on December 27. Despite playing only 60 games that season, Joe paced the Avalanche with 53 assists and 81 points and played in his eighth All-Star Game. That year, the Avalanche won their sixth straight division title. In a March 23 contest against the Coyotes, Joe scored a hat trick to eclipse the 400-goal mark and surpass honoured Hall of Fame member Peter Štastny as the franchise's all-time scoring king (1049 points).
In 2000-01, Joe captained the Avalanche to their seventh straight division title. The team's 52 wins and 118 points set club records and helped the team win their second Presidents' Trophy in five years. Joe paced the team with 54 goals, 64 assists, 118 points, 19 power-play goals, three short-handed goals and 332 shots. His +45 plus/minus rating (tie) and 12 game-winning goals were both league bests. On November 11, he broke the franchise's all-time assist mark with his 669th helper (previous record held by Štastny). By the end of the November, Joe had scored 22 points in just 12 games and was awarded NHL Player of the Month honours. In February, Joe was the starting centre at the 2001 All-Star Game. In the playoffs, he helped his team win both the Clarence Campbell Bowl and the Stanley Cup. He paced the league with 26 points. After the season was over, Joe won the Lester B. Pearson Award, the Hart Trophy and the Lady Byng Trophy. He was also named a First Team All-Star.
STATISTICS REGULAR SEASON
Season Team GP G A TP PIM +/- PP SHG GW S Pct
1986-87 SWIF, WHL 72 60 73 133 31 0 0 0 0 0 0
1987-88 SWIF, WHL 64 78 82 160 64 0 0 0 0 0 0
1988-89 QUEB, NHL 70 23 39 62 24 -36 10 0 2 148 15.54
1989-90 QUEB, NHL 80 39 63 102 27 -40 8 1 2 234 16.67
1990-91 QUEB, NHL 80 48 61 109 24 -26 12 3 7 245 19.59
1991-92 QUEB, NHL 69 29 65 94 20 5 6 3 1 217 13.36
1992-93 QUEB, NHL 78 48 57 105 40 -3 20 2 4 264 18.18
1993-94 QUEB, NHL 84 28 64 92 18 -8 10 1 9 279 10.04
1994-95 QUEB, NHL 47 19 43 62 30 7 3 2 5 157 12.10
1995-96 COLO, NHL 82 51 69 120 44 14 17 6 7 339 15.04
1996-97 COLO, NHL 65 22 52 74 34 -10 10 2 5 261 8.43
1997-98 COLO, NHL 64 27 36 63 50 0 12 1 2 254 10.63
1997-98 CDNO, OLYMP 4 1 2 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
1998-99 COLO, NHL 73 41 55 96 29 23 12 5 6 255 16.08
1999-00 COLO, NHL 60 28 53 81 28 30 5 1 5 242 11.57
2000-01 COLO, NHL 82 54 64 118 30 45 19 3 12 332 16.27
2001-02 COLO, NHL 64 21 41 62 14 4 9 1 4 211 9.95
NHL TOTALS 998 478 762 1240 412 5 153 31 71 3438
WHL History:
Joe Sakic was drafted in the 1st round (5th overall) by the Vancouver Voodoo in the WHL Entry Draft. Joe played one season for Vancouver before being traded to the Bridge City Huskies (Now the Mississauga Vipers) on Oct. 11th, 1996. He was moved 17 days later on Oct. 28th, 1996, to the Milton Mustangs (Now the Toronto Stallions).
Joe played 15 games before arriving in Milton. He played 49 more for the Mustangs and proved himself to be indispensable scoring 60 points including 23 goals. Joe is the longest serving member of the Stallions organization. Joe has spent the last 5¾ years in Milton/Toronto and has scored 499 points including 235 goals in 425 games. Joe is the consummate leader and has been the captain of the organization since his arrival.
Joe has 71 playoff points in 72 playoff games for Milton/Toronto. He has participated in four of the seven All-Star weekends in the WHL and has 12 points in 9 All-Star games. Joe has been fortunate enough to have played in both of Canada's Olympic tournaments over the past 5 years, appearing in 16 games. Joe has 17 points in those games.
Below are his WHL scoring statistics.
(Joe Sakic Age: 33 Born: July 7, 1969)
Jersey Handed Position Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
20 Left Centre 6 9 5 8 7 7 9 9 9 5 8 82
Regular Season Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
95-96(1) VOODOO 74 39 40 79 -3 25 1 5 0 306 120 12.7
96-97(2) STALLIONS 64 27 42 69 17 8 3 6 1 257 90 10.5
97-98(3) STALLIONS 74 44 40 84 12 28 1 8 0 297 113 14.8
98-99(4) STALLIONS 74 44 32 76 11 27 2 3 0 354 123 12.4
99-00(5) STALLIONS 84 48 40 88 23 27 4 8 2 353 182 13.6
00-01(6) STALLIONS 83 43 54 97 22 15 4 7 0 362 124 11.9
01-02(7) STALLIONS 61 33 61 94 37 14 2 5 0 302 122 10.9
Regular Season 514 278 309 587 119 144 17 42 3 2231 874 12.5
Play-Off Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
95-96(1) VOODOO 5 2 0 2 -3 0 0 0 0 15 14 13.3
96-97(2) STALLIONS 20 8 12 20 -4 6 1 2 0 75 14 10.7
97-98(3) STALLIONS 7 4 2 6 -4 2 1 1 0 28 14 14.3
98-99(4) STALLIONS 9 4 2 6 1 1 0 1 0 47 18 8.5
99-00(5) STALLIONS 20 9 11 20 -2 5 1 3 0 89 43 10.1
00-01(6) STALLIONS 16 7 12 19 3 4 0 1 0 51 26 13.7
Play-Off 77 34 39 73 -9 18 3 8 0 305 129 11.1
Pre-Season Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
96-97(2) VOODOO 5 2 4 6 2 1 1 1 0 19 4 10.5
97-98(3) STALLIONS 10 5 10 15 8 5 0 1 0 56 28 8.9
98-99(4) STALLIONS 10 6 7 13 5 3 0 0 0 39 22 15.4
99-00(5) STALLIONS 10 5 7 12 2 3 1 1 0 61 15 8.2
00-01(6) STALLIONS 4 1 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 19 9 5.3
01-02(7) STALLIONS 1 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 50.0
Pre-Season 40 21 31 52 19 12 2 4 0 198 78 10.6
All-Star Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
97-98(3) WALES 2 0 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0
98-99(4) WALES 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 50.0
99-00(5) WALES 3 1 3 4 -1 1 0 0 0 6 0 16.7
01-02(7) WALES 3 1 3 4 -1 1 0 0 0 12 0 8.3
All-Star 9 3 9 12 0 3 0 0 0 20 4 15.0
Olympic Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
97-98(3) CANADA 10 4 7 11 6 1 0 0 0 47 23 8.5
01-02(7) CANADA 6 3 3 6 3 0 0 0 0 23 7 13.0
Olympic 16 7 10 17 9 1 0 0 0 70 30 10.0
(Transcripts of interviews with General Managers from around the W.H.L.)
We talked with Peter Nilsson from the Boston Hawks
The Boston Hawks are two games under .500 at the Olympic break. Not a bad record considering the team, the turmoil they have faced over the past few years and the fact they have a new general manager. Peter Nilsson, in his first year as the general manager of the Hawks, returned the team to it's heritage in Boston, Massachusetts. He tried to create a city rivalry with the New England Dropkicks, which he has and the two sit three points apart in the standings.
Boston has few stars. Oh there are some talented players, but no one who draws the fans out every night. Sergei Berezin is closest thing to a superstar and he is getting the job done this year. Goaltending is the biggest concern for this club. And we ask Peter what his long term plans are.
So, let's get to the interview and see where Boston is headed.
YSI: "Peter, welcome, I am glad you could make it. Let's get right down to it, shall we? The Hawks are two games under .500 and battling for a playoff spot with Pittsburgh, Edmonton and New England. You've struggled the past four games and are in the midst of a rather hard stretch in your schedule. How do you see your teams chances of making the playoffs?"
Peter: "Thanks for having me here. I think the Hawks chances of making the playoffs are pretty good. It's true that we've been struggling the past four or five games but I think that it was expected considering the schedule. I had set a goal to come out of this road trip with at least two points and so far we've got one. We are the only franchise in the WHL that has never been in post season play. Both I and the players are looking to change that."
YSI: "You've gone out of your way to create a rivalry between yourselves and the New England Dropkicks. They have encouraged this and routinely verbal shots are fired at each other. Here are some stats about your four head-to-head games. You've both scored 12 goals, you've taken 114 shots, they 111. You each have two wins, although one of theirs was in overtime. You guys are 5 for 19 on the power-play, they are 2 for 18. Pretty evenly matched. How intense is the rivalry?"
Peter: "Oh it's intense alright. Not as intense as some of the other rivalries in the league. I think rivalries are healthy to any league. A bad season might very well be considered a good enough season as long as you've beaten your rivals. When the season started I never thought that our team would have a chance at a playoff spot but the early rivalry games against the Dropkicks helped us to get on the right track. The fans in Boston deserves a good rivalry."
YSI: "You have moved a few of your more talented, albeit older, players. What direction is your team taking? Are you going to completely rebuild this club, or are you going to build around some of the talent that currently exists on your roster now?"
Peter: "I take it you're thinking of Shayne Corson and Kirk Muller. They are both very talented players but as you said they're getting old. At the time we were playing very bad, I think we had lost 8 or 9 straight games when the Christmas break came and I felt I had to make some drastic changes. Corson and Muller were traded and we got some younger talents back. I'm pleased with how the team performs for the moment. I think we have to wait until the off-season before deciding whether to rebuild completely or if we're going to stick with what we've got. Either way, Michael Nylander and Steve Sullivan will be important players for the Hawks."
YSI: "Goaltending. Clearly your biggest concern, especially if you make the playoffs and want to make a significant impact. Are you presently actively seeking a goalie or are you prepared to stay with the tandem of Corey and Jean-Francois?"
Peter: "Well, I tried to sign Ed Belfour during the off-season but the Enforcers beat me to it. Both Corey and Jean-Francois played solid during the pre-season and I decided to go with Corey Schwab as starter. But a few games into the season Corey showed signs of being very unstable. J-F Damphousse then got the opportunity to play some games and he has been brilliant so far and to answer your question: I'm planning on sticking with Corey and Jean-Francois."
YSI: "Your power-play is average, ranked 14th, but your penalty killing is stellar, ranked 1st in the league. Considering goaltending is a bit of a problem for your club, how do you explain it?"
Peter: "This is just another proof that motivation often beats talent. Our guys are very motivated, they want to get to the playoffs and in order to do that they know that our special teams units must perform. The penalty killing unit has worked very well for us and I thought that it would suffer when I traded Corson and Muller who were key players on the penalty killing unit but it didn't. I've been hearing people in the league complaining about Joe Nieuwendyk's performance so far this year. I think Joey has played great defensively for us. He hasn't been given a lot of room offensively so we've used him more as a utility guy."
YSI: "Your franchise has never seen the post season. It is the only club in the league to not have had a playoff game. This is motivation you speak of. What are your realistic chances of doing it?"
Peter: "Well, I'd like to think we have a 50% chance of making it. If we work hard and stay healthy I believe we'll make it. I feel that some of the teams that are ahead of us right now are over-achieving."
YSI: "Do you see your team making any improvements or changes prior to the trade deadline? If so, what are you looking for?"
Peter: "That depends on the outcome of the next 10-15 games. If we don't have a chance at making the playoffs there will be changes. I'm always on the hunt for wingers though. There are a couple of guys that have expressed that they want out before the deadline if we don't have any chances of seeing post season action."
YSI: "Who are your biggest competitors besides the New England Dropkicks?"
Peter: "Oh, thats a tough one. Games always get more emotional when you're playing against division rivals. We've had exciting games against both the Dominators and the Endless this year. As a Swede it's important for me that we play good against the other teams managed by Swedish gm's."
YSI: "How do you see your conference finishing up? Who will finish where?"
Peter: "Hmm, I guess that either the Express or the Voodoo will finish on top followed by the Krushers and the Dominators. After those four teams its an open affair. I believe that the Seawolves, the Islanders, the Raiders and the Endless will miss the playoffs."
YSI: "And what about the Wales conference? How do you see them finishing?"
Peter: "The Stallions will win without a doubt. The Bulls, Corinthians and the Sparrows might challenge but I don't see any of those teams beating the Stallions in a first to four game series. The Oceanics made an impression on me early on but during the last 10 games they've been slipping. Perhaps they can surprise a team or two on a good day. The Icedogs, the Bears and the Steelcats will miss the playoffs. I don't know who will finish 8th. The Juggs started out poorly but have improved their game lately and still have good chances at making it to post season play."
YSI: "Who do you figure being the two Cyber Cup contenders this year?"
Peter: "The Toronto Stallions are having an exceptional season so they must be held as favorites from Wales. I have no idea which team will come out from our conference but If I must name a team I'll go with the Express."
YSI: "Yes, as usual an Express/Voodoo battle will rage there. An amazing statistic has your team beating both those contenders two out of three games this season. How do you explain that? And does it bode well for you in the opening round?"
Peter: "We played against the Express in our opening game this season and I think that they underestimated us in that game. We have nothing to lose in the games against teams like the Rocky Mountain Express and the Vancouver Voodoo and that gives us an opportunity to play without pressure and that suits us fine. If we make it to the playoffs and face one of these teams all the pressure will be on them. They have everything to lose in a series against us."
YSI: "Congratulations on Olympic gold. How proud were you that Sweden won the Olympics? And what did you think of the whole Olympic tournament?"
Peter: "Really proud. The Olympics is the most prestigous tournament in the world of hockey today. I didn't really see us as a contender for the gold before the tournament. I think it was first after the third game in the round robin round that I understood that we had a chance to go all the way. I think that the groups were a bit unbalanced. The B pool where we played was very tough but I think we benefited from that later on in the tournament. Team Canada must have thought that they were unbeatable after their rediculous record after three games. I think we are as happy over the Olympic gold as they are disappointed over that bronze."
YSI: "Any surprises during the Olympics?"
Peter: "There were a couple of surprises, I didn't think that team USA would beat Canada in the semi-final for one. It feels kind of strange to win Olympic gold without having played against Canada. The Czechs didn't play as good as I thought they would. I think that they had calculated with a place in the semi-finals."
YSI: "Ok, as usual we give our guest the floor to finish up our interview, so Peter, thanks again for your time and now take it away."
Peter: "Thanks again for having me. To all the teams out there trying to steal the playoff spot from the Hawks I want to say: You will fail!"
Note: The caller questions raised during the interview were actual questions from league participants. I would like some questions sent to me as soon as possible for my next interview. YSI will be interviewing Chris Kordyback of the New England Dropkicks, so send your questions to YSI.
(Special Articles From W.H.L. Members)
Leader Of The Pack
by Brian Howe
PGA: Per Game Average
*:Record holder
**:Highest Average
Goals Scored In A Season
Season Goal Scorer Team GP G PGA
1995-96(1) Mats Sundin GANGSTAZ 86 56 0.65
1996-97(2) Peter Bondra NORSEMEN 75 62 0.82
1997-98(3) Zigmund Palffy VOODOO 74 65 0.88
1998-99(4) Theoren Fleury STRANGERS 74 66 0.89**
1999-00(5) Peter Bondra EXPRESS 84 68 0.81
2000-01(6) Eric Lindros STALLIONS 84 69* 0.82
Assists In A Season
Season Assist Maker Team GP A PGA
1995-96(1) Adam Oates HUSKIES 74 61 0.82
1996-97(2) Eric Lindros MALLRATS 74 81 1.10
1997-98(3) Scott Niedermayer VENOM 74 77 1.04
1998-99(4) Mark Messier STRANGERS 74 82 1.11**
1999-00(5) Pavol Demitra VIPERS 84 72 0.86
2000-01(6) Ron Francis EXPRESS 83 89* 1.07
PP Goals Scored In A Season
Season PP Goal Scorer Team GP PPG PGA
1995-96(1) Eric Lindros MALLRATS 74 31 0.42
1996-97(2) Alexei Zhamnov VIKINGS 74 35 0.47
1997-98(3) Pierre Turgeon SPARROWS 74 39 0.53**
1998-99(4) Eric Lindros VIKINGS 74 36 0.49
1999-00(5) Peter Forsberg VOODOO 84 33 0.39
2000-01(6) Eric Lindros STALLIONS 84 41* 0.49
GW Goals Scored In A Season
Season GW Goal Scorer Team GP GWG PGA
1995-96(1) Eric Lindros MALLRATS 74 12* 0.16**
1996-97(2) Alexei Zhamnov VIKINGS 74 10 0.14
1997-98(3) Owen Nolan ROSES 64 10 0.16
1998-99(4) Theoren Fleury STRANGERS 74 11 0.15
1999-00(5) Teemu Selanne DROPKICKS 84 12* 0.14
2000-01(6) Zigmund Palffy STALLIONS 69 11 0.16
Shots In A Season
Season Sniper Team GP S PGA
1995-96(1) Mats Sundin GANGSTAZ 86 370 4.30
1996-97(2) Peter Bondra NORSEMEN 75 387 5.23
1997-98(3) Mike Modano VOODOO 74 422 5.70**
1998-99(4) Jeremy Roenick KRUSHERS 74 397 5.37
1999-00(5) Peter Forsberg VOODOO 84 476* 5.67
2000-01(6) Mats Sundin CORINTHS 84 447 5.32
Penalty Minutes In A Season
Season Goon Team GP PIM PGA
1995-96(1) Bryan Marchment FURY 74 287 3.88
1996-97(2) Jeff Buchanan MONARCHS 74 267 3.61
1997-98(3) Daymond Langkow FREEZE 67 294 4.39**
1998-99(4) Matthew Barnaby CHIEFS 74 312* 4.22
1999-00(5) Chris Dahlquist HAWKS 74 292 3.95
2000-01(6) Chris Gratton VIKINGS 83 293 3.53
(Final Coverage of the Olympic games in Salt Lake City 2002)
Gold Medalists: Team Sweden
GM: Peter Nilsson
Coach: Darren Kinnaird --- Assistants: Hakan Loob & Thomas Gradin
Captain: Peter Forsberg --- Alternates: Nicklas Lidstrom & Mats Sundin
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| Centers |
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| Mats Sundin | Peter Forsberg | Henrik Sedin | Mikael Nylander | |
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| Right Wingers |
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| Mikael Renberg | Markus Naslund | Daniel Alfredsson | Niklas Sundstrom | Ulf Dahlen |
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| Left Wingers |
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| Tomas Holmstrom | Jonas Hoglund | Magnus Arvedson | Daniel Sedin | |
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| Defencemen |
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| Nicklas Lidstrom | Mattias Ohlund | Marcus Ragnarsson | Anders Eriksson | Kenny Jonsson |
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| Fredrik Olausson | Calle Johansson | Mattias Norstrom | Christer Olsson | |
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| Goaltenders |
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| Tommy Salo | Johan Hedberg | Johan Holmqvist | |
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Silver Medalists: Team USA
GM: Dave MacDougall
Coach: Joe Mullen --- Assistant: Pat Lafontaine & Herb Brooks
Captain: Chris Chelios --- Alternates: Mike Modano & Doug Weight
USA's Roster
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| Centers |
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| Mike Modano | Jeremy Roenick | Doug Weight | |
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| Right Wingers |
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| Tony Amonte | Bill Guerin | Adam Deadmarsh | Brett Hull | Scott Gomez |
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| Left Wingers |
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| John LeClair | Keith Tkachuk | Chris Drury | Steve Konowalchuk | Todd Marchant |
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| Defencemen |
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| Brian Leetch | Brian Rafalski | Chris Chelios | Phil Housley | Shawn Chambers |
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| Eric Weinrich | Derian Hatcher | | | |
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| Goaltenders |
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| Damian Rhodes | Chris Rogles | Guy Hebert | Mike Dunham | |
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Bronze Medalists: Team Canada
GM: Lee McEwen & Brian Howe
Coaches: Mike Hebert & Larry Berteotti
Captain: Mario Lemieux --- Alternates: Paul Kariya & Chris Pronger
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| Centers |
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| Eric Lindros | Ron Francis | Joe Sakic | Mario Lemieux | Steve Yzerman |
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| Right Wingers |
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| Owen Nolan | Mark Recchi | Theoren Fleury | Jarome Iginla | Anson Carter |
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| Left Wingers |
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| Geoff Sanderson | Paul Kariya | Brendan Shanahan | Ryan Smyth | |
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| Defencemen |
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| Chris Pronger | Rob Blake | Ed Jovanovski | Al MacInnis | Wade Redden |
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| Scott Niedermayer | Steve Duchesne | Eric Desjardins | | |
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| Goaltenders |
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| Martin Brodeur | Patrick Roy | Curtis Joseph | |
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Prague, Czech Republic (AP) - This year's Czech Republic team started the Olympics playing shorthanded, when arguably the best goalie in the game, Dominik Hasek, went down with an injury.
Team Czechia lost the first two games of the preliminary round, and beat the Russians 6-4 in a great game. The best game that the Czech Republic played in was the Quarter Final versus team Canada, where the Czech Republic ended up losing the game 6-5 in a game that saw excellent play by the Czech's, and as a result Canada needed overtime to beat the Czech Republic.
Czech Republic GM Chris Kubinec was quoted earlier as saying how the "game reminded [him] of a game between Canada and the Czech's a couple of year's ago in the World Cup, when the two clubs finished in a 2-2 tie", one can only speculate as to why Kubinec made this statement with specific reference to one game.
Arguably one of, if not the biggest disappointment of the tournament was the play of Roman Hamrlik who had zero points, a plus/minus of -4, and on top of that had 20 penalty minutes in only four games! When a player with this much potential can not tally any points playing with two snipers like Elias and Jagr, there's definitely something wrong with the player, and Hamrlik will really have to prove himself to coaches Slavomir Lener and Josef Augusta if he ever wishes to play a key role with team Czechia again.
Players that impressed many at the tournament with their surprising play were Jaroslav Spacek who had 4 assists, and was a +1 in four games, as well as Robert Lang who tallied 1 goal and 3 assists in four games.
Overall, the Czech Republic had a good tournament without the services of Dominik Hasek as they ranked first in penalty killing only allowing 2 goals by opposition powerplay unit's throughout the entire tournament.
It is still hard for Czech fans to live with the fact that their team left the tournament empty handed, as they were projected to come home with a silver or bronze this year, but with the "Dominator" dilemma and a slow start - they can atleast be happy with the way that they closed out the tournament in their final two games; especially with their effort against gold medal favourites Canada. Look out in 2006!
(Who's available where? List of players known to be on the trading block)
Toronto Stallions:
Looking for younger players or picks
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
24 Mark Smith 1+ L C 7 9 7 5 7 6 8 5 7 7 5 73
22 Andrei Nikolishin 0 L C 5 8 5 7 6 8 7 6 7 6 5 70
13 Dave Archibald 0 L C 6 8 7 7 5 9 8 6 6 7 7 76
39 Terry Yake 0 R C 5 6 5 5 8 7 6 5 4 6 5 62
19 Brian Bonin 0 L C 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 5 56
21 Geoff Sanderson 0 L LW 5 9 6 9 9 9 8 7 8 7 7 84
14 Derek King 0 L LW 5 6 7 5 7 7 7 6 7 6 6 69
9 Ville Peltonen 0 L LW 6 8 6 6 6 9 8 6 7 5 5 72
25 Chris Tancill 0 R LW 6 6 7 7 5 8 6 4 5 6 3 63
11 Juha Lind 0 L LW 6 7 5 5 5 8 7 4 4 6 4 61
12 Steve McKenna 0 L LW 9 4 9 6 6 4 4 3 4 6 4 59
12 Brian Bellows 0 R RW 6 6 6 6 7 7 6 6 6 5 6 67
37 Mark Kolesar 0 R RW 7 8 7 6 7 4 8 5 6 5 5 68
35 Danton Cole 0 R RW 4 6 5 5 6 7 6 4 5 6 5 59
53 Rusty Fitzgerald 0 L RW 5 7 6 5 5 7 6 4 5 5 4 59
23 J.J. Daigneault 0 L D 8 8 8 8 9 8 8 6 7 7 6 83
5 Steve Duchesne 0 L D 6 7 5 9 7 8 7 7 7 6 8 77
4 Michal Sykora 0 L D 6 6 7 7 3 8 7 6 7 6 7 70
6 Kevin Dahl 1- R D 8 6 7 6 6 8 6 5 5 7 4 68
8 Don Sweeney 0 L D 5 8 5 7 7 7 7 6 6 7 3 68
92 Tom Pederson 0 R D 7 7 5 6 7 8 7 5 6 7 5 70
32 James Patrick 0 R D 4 5 6 5 6 8 5 5 6 6 5 61
22 Chris O'Sullivan 0 L D 4 6 5 6 3 7 6 6 6 4 5 58
3 Grant Ledyard 0 L D 6 5 6 5 3 8 6 4 5 5 4 57
33 Steve Poapst 0 L D 6 6 6 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 3 57
17 Ken Sutton 0 L D 6 5 7 6 3 6 5 4 4 6 4 56
8 Dave Karpa 0 R D 7 4 5 5 5 2 4 4 5 4 3 48
31 Kirk McLean 0 L G 8 6 7 6 6 7 5 7 6 - - 58
30 Rich Parent 0 L G 6 7 3 6 5 8 5 4 7 - - 51
(With thanks to the following for their contributions)
Michael Hebert
Chris Kordyback
Chris Kubinec
Darren Kinnaird
Dave McDougall
Peter Nilsson
Marc Hebert
Lee McEwen
Andrew Ketner
Patrick Stroem
