Volume 2 Issue 8 -- April 25, 2002
(Awarded to the the top scorer and top goalie over the past 10 games)
Player
Winner: Joe Sakic of the Toronto Stallions for capping a stellar season with 2.3 PPG
Runner-Up: Alexei Zhamnov the Oakville Bulls for 2.3 PPG
Goalie
Winner: Damian Rhodes of the Oakville Bulls for 20 of a possible 22 points earned
Runner-Up: Mathieu Garon of the Chicoutimi Sparrows for 18 of a possible 20 points earned
Nominees
Players GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM His Team
Joe Sakic 14 12 20 32 14 7 2 0 0 93 32 Stallions
Alexei Zhamnov 13 20 10 30 27 8 1 1 0 73 17 Bulls
Martin Straka 14 7 18 25 10 2 1 3 0 74 20 Sparrows
Jeremy Roenick 14 8 12 20 7 5 0 3 0 65 24 Krushers
Radek Bonk 14 4 14 18 4 4 0 1 0 21 26 Dominators
Paul Kariya 13 10 7 17 1 4 0 1 0 64 8 Voodoo
Steve Sullivan 14 9 8 17 -5 6 0 0 0 41 40 Hawks
Steve Yzerman 14 14 2 16 3 5 3 2 1 65 23 Dropkicks
Petr Sykora 5 4 7 11 8 0 0 1 0 28 4 J'naughts
Goaltenders GP MIN AVG W L T EN SO GA SA PCT His Team
Damian Rhodes 11 660 3.09 10 1 0 0 0 34 345 .901 Bulls
Mathieu Garon 10 600 3.20 9 1 0 0 0 32 302 .894 Sparrows
Olaf Kolzig 14 845 2.84 7 6 1 0 1 40 388 .897 Dropkicks
Trevor Kidd 10 605 2.88 6 3 1 0 0 29 288 .899 Krushers
Kevin Weekes 7 425 2.68 5 1 1 0 0 19 206 .908 Voodoo
Curtis Joseph 6 360 3.50 5 1 0 0 0 21 190 .889 Stallions
Jean-F. Damphousse 14 845 3.98 4 9 1 0 0 56 438 .872 Hawks
Mike Dunham 6 360 4.17 4 2 0 0 0 25 179 .860 Dominators
Maxime Ouellet 5 305 2.36 3 1 1 0 1 12 138 .913 J'naughts
(News articles from every corner of the W.H.L.)
Toronto Sets Records & Takes The Presidents Trophy
Toronto, ON - The team, the players and the coaching staff all set records this year. It culminated in a league record for wins(62) and points(130) in a season and a Presidents Trophy, the first for this franchise after two years being the runners-up. General manager Brian Howe was ecstatic about the win;
Howe: "Finally, after all the work to build this club. We get one form of recognition and now we have to win the Cup. That will cap a spectacular season. This is all due to Joe Sakic, what a year for the guy."
Joe Sakic. So many titles are given this exceptional player. Captain. Longest serving Stallion. Consumate leader. Art Ross Trophy winner. How about adding Hart Trophy winner? The only likely candidate to beat him is Seattle`s Mike Modano, a worthy challenger, but I think he falls just a little short. Lets see, following is a chart of statistics and who led which;
Statistic Joe Sakic Mike Modano * League Record
Goals 57 43
Assists 85 73
Points 142* 116
Plus/Minus 59 11
PP Goals 24 19
SH Goals 5 2
GW Goals 8 4
Shots 444 348
1st Stars 20 19
Platinum Pts 122 128
Now the argument can be made that Joe played on a better team. True, but I think the disparity in statistics outweighs the disparity in teams. The first star awardings shows that Joe was simply more important to his team. Modano doesn`t have the competition in Seattle for that statistic that Sakic has in Toronto.
Joe wasn`t alone in setting personal records this season. Not surprisingly considering the season the team had. Also setting personal bests for either points or goals this year are;
P # Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
F 20 Joe Sakic 84 57 85 142 59 24 5 8 0 444 168 12.8
F 26 Miroslav Satan 84 46 45 91 48 8 2 9 0 320 70 14.4
F 16 Brett Hull 84 43 31 74 33 10 0 4 0 278 110 15.5
D 5 Steve Duchesne 80 14 60 74 53 0 0 2 0 114 88 12.3
F 9 Shayne Corson 74 31 33 64 31 6 2 4 0 237 198 13.1
D 7 Deron Quint 76 9 38 47 42 0 0 3 0 53 68 17.0
D 23 J.J. Daigneault 53 8 17 25 30 0 0 0 0 55 59 14.5
F 15 Miikka Elomo 77 24 28 52 33 0 0 3 1 198 300 12.1
Now the Stallions have to take the next step and make yet another serious run at the Cup. First round opponents, Waterloo, are looking for a direction. A stronger team when they had Mario, they are not pushovers by any means. They will look to play the spoilers if possible.
After a season of working with the special teams, Toronto finally seems to have things in order. While Miami held the #1 powerplay all season long, Toronto usurped them in the final week. Finishing the year with the leagues best powerplay was not the only special teams accomplishment. Toronto's penalty kill was bad, actually pathetic is a better definition. After spending many a practice centering on the penalty killing, coach Sittler seems to have turned it around. The team finished the season ranked 10th, while that doesn`t sound great it actually is a major improvement from the 20th place they were in only 30 games ago.
Let the playoffs begin, and Go Stallions Go.
Al Stricken reporting
Stricken`s Playoff Picks
Toronto vs Waterloo - Toronto wins season series 4-2-0 with 1 shutout. Toronto outscored them 30-18 and outshot them 264-183. Powerplay: Toronto 6/35 Waterloo 4/26.
Prediction: Toronto in 5.
(Toronto just too strong)
Chicoutimi vs Mississauga - Chicoutimi wins season series 3-0-0 with 1 shutout. Chicoutimi outscored them 16-7 and outshot them 128-92. Powerplay: Chicoutimi 3/13 Mississauga 3/18.
Prediction: Chicoutimi in 6.
(Demitra gives Mississauga a couple of games but not a series)
Oakville vs Miami - Oakville wins season series 3-0-0. Oakville outscored them 17-9 and outshot them 110-87. Powerplay: Oakville 4/17 Miami 3/15.
Prediction: Oakville in 7.
(Oakville`s injuries could give Miami an upset)
Quebec City vs Saskatoon - Quebec City wins season series 4-2-0. Quebec City outscored them 29-22 and outshot them 236-181. Powerplay: Quebec City 8/30 Saskatoon 5/32.
Prediction: Quebec City in 7.
(Saskatoon`s strong finish COULD spell an upset here)
Vancouver vs Edmonton - Vancouver wins season series 5-0-1. Vancouver outscored them 30-13 and outshot them 196-171. Powerplay: Vancouver 7/29 Edmonton 4/29.
Prediction: Vancouver in 4.
(Vancouver just too strong, Edmonton can`t find any rythym)
Chicago vs Seattle - Chicago wins season series 2-1-0. Chicago outscored them 11-9 and outshot them 89-85. Powerplay: Chicago 2/13 Seattle 2/12.
Prediction: Chicago in 6.
(Series will be the toughest battle, teams are so evenly matched)
Rocky Mountain vs Boston - Boston wins season series 2-1. Boston outscored them 13-9, Rocky Mountain outshot them 97-82. Powerplay: Rocky Mountain 0/14 Boston 1/16.
Prediction: Rocky Mountain in 6.
(Not as clear-cut as everyone thinks)
New England vs Des Moines - Tied season series 3-3-0 with New England registering 2 shutouts. New England outscored them 22-15, Des Moines outshot them 179-175. Powerplay: New England 5/28 Des Moines 7/28.
Prediction: New England in 7.
(So closely matched, Thornton out hurts, Yzerman will decide this series)
Krushers Clinch American Division - Face Saints In Playoffs
Chicago, IL - Thursday night, the immortal quest for the WHL Cyber Cup championship begins, and the Chi-Town Krushers chances have never looked better.
With a 48-24-12 record, an all-time franchise best, great depth at every position, awesome goaltending from Trevor Kidd, and a great aggressive forechecking system than works into the Krushers' great speed, this looks like the year the Krushers can finally shake the CHOKER label and make a Cyber Cup run.
"We have never felt more confident," claimed Krushers captain Jeremy Roenick (Who led the Krushers in scoring for the 6th season out of 7), "We have such a complete team, a great bunch of guys, and we are stoked!"
The opponent, the very explosive Seattle Saints (34-40-10), who can score piles of goals themselves, but also give up even bigger piles of goals. Not only that, but they play in perhaps the worst hockey market in the WHL. Their cappuccino sipping fans have to be the quietest (BORING) fans in the NHL.
"No doubt, playing in Seattle is pretty {Expletive} boring," continued Roenick, "and no doubt, they are more interested in Ichiro and the Space Needle than WHL hockey. The crowds there are rather disappointing, and the whole atmosphere sucks more than Mike Modano's wife did before the Olympics...oh man is she good!"
Krushers' coach, Joel Quenneville, was more diplomatic about the situation.
"Well, like Seattletonians in general, the team lacks discipline," he mused, "They have never embraced or perfected any kind of systematic approach to their game. In general, they are quite the opposite of our team. We strive for a great team-based effort, while they thrive on individual efforts."
The 3 games between the 2 clubs mirrored this analysis. In the Krushers 2 victories, they played great defense and won 4-2 and 6-1, basically picking apart the Saints offense like a cheap Pikachu doll. In the lone Saints victory, a 6-1 effort, the Saints managed to get great individual efforts and relied on the efforts of a few pumped up players.
"We know that we can beat the Saints if we stick to our system," replied Krushers prime borg Jes Ursulak, "We've shown all year that we can beat any team by sticking to our fundamentals and waiting for other teams to get frustrated. We play with spirit, and we know our great teamwork will help us reach our goal of drinking from the Cyber Cup."
Who to watch on the Krushers:
G Trevor Kidd - He has been given the #1 reins after his great performance this season. One of the WHL Top 5 goaltenders, Kidd's Cyber Cup experience from WHL1 should help. He has the confidence of team-mates, and he looks to be the answer in goal we've been waiting for.
C Jeremy Roenick - Roenick always plays like he's on SPEED, but in the playoffs, he needs to pop some LSD and relax! His playoff performances have always been disappointing because he simply tries too hard and gets undisciplined. The Krushers captain will need to stay as relaxed and confident as he's been all year. He's had a hot 2nd half, and should be key in shutting down Mike Modano.
LW/C Chris Drury - After a slow start, the ex-Dropkick has ironed out the bad habits he learned from Adam Wet Rag Rettschlag. He's been producing in every game lately, and he was acquired to score key goals in the big games.
Who to watch on the Saints:
C Mike Modano - The ex-Dropkicks pretty boy (GM Kordyback allegedly has a poster of Modano topless on the wall of his bedroom) would love to stick it to the Krushers, and his explosive offense could spell trouble if he breaks the defensive shell. The offense revolves around him, and Zamuner/Roenick will have to make sure Modano can't get a groove on.
G's Jamie McLennan and Martin Biron - Needless to say, nobody is sure who will be #1..and needless to say, they both have bigger holes than bigger holes than OJ's alibi. The Saints need one of these two to become superhuman in order to have a chance.
All is not perfect for the Krushers, despite the fact they are extremely heavy favourites. Robust defenseman Scott Stevens, who was acquired specifically for the playoffs, will likely miss the entire first round with an undisclosed foot injury. In addition, warrior winger Gary Roberts may not be healthy enough for game one of the series. Both players are playoff-type players, and the Krushers will need them back soon.
Paul Varelens reporting.
Varelen's Playoff Picks
West (is best)
Voodoo vs Vikings - The Vikes have given the Krushers great fits in their 7-game battles over the past couple of years. However, the Vikes have just looked awful all season, and don't seem to present any threat to the Poodoo. We could always hope for an upset, but I see the Voodoo with an easy sweep. Vancouver in 4.
Krushers vs Saints - Krushers have more depth, more chemistry, more scoring, more defense, and way more fan support. Krushers in 5.
Express vs Hawks - The Hawks are one of the WHL's great stories this season. After 7 seasons of being the WHL's doormat (now taken over by the Icedogs), the Hawks made the playoffs and proved to be a tough cookie to play against. They are capable of scoring goals in bunches, and if they get hot, watch out. Express are powerful, but I smell an upset. Hawks in 7.
Dominators vs Dropkicks - The Dominators are scary. They trade Stevie Y, and they still remain hot. They rival the Krushers in terms of chemistry and speed, but lack on terms of depth and playoff experience. I believe the Dropkicks will turn it around and will start to listen to Rettschlag, simply to win! Dropkicks in 7.
East (is least):
Stallions vs Lunatics - The Stallions are the power of the league, and everything is going well for them. Stallions in 5.
Sparrows vs Vipers - How could the Vipers not address their goaltending situation? For 2 seasons, Brian Boucher has done nothing but suck Lewinsky style. They have some talent, but the many bad goals Boucher gives up deflate the team and have them playing catch-up more often than not. Nice to see whiny Daigle doing so well in Sparrowland (Why did he ever demand a trade?). Sparrows have a strong team, but don't expect a long playoff run. Sparrows in 6.
Bulls vs Oceanics - Rob Blake demands to be the highest paid defenseman in the WHL, and yet he's not even the best defenseman on the Oceanics. Bulls are scary-hot offensively, and their trade deadline deals had to be given an A+. Oceanics don't have discipline, especially in their own end. This should be a very high-scoring series. Bulls in 6.
Corinths vs Enforcers - Corinths have way more talent and experience. Enforcers were a bit surprising this season, but should be an easy sweep for the Corinths. Corinths in 4.
There you have it. Let the REAL games begin.
Hawks In Playoffs For First Time In Franchise History
Boston, MA - During the upcoming week or two the fans here in Boston will have the opportunity to experience something that they haven't experienced before, Playoff hockey. During the off-season the Hawks moved back to Boston after having spent a couple of years in Halifax.
GM Nilsson promoted farm coach Mike Bossy and gave him the job as head coach. This proved to be a good move for both the Hawks and for Bossy.
It was determined this past Sunday evening that the Hawks will play the Rocky Mountain Express in the first round of the 2001-2(Season#7) playoffs. This is one of the top teams in the league and it will require great play from the Hawks if they're going to upset the Express in this series. However the Hawks have beaten the #3 seed on two occasions this season. GM Nilsson's first game as Hawks GM was against the Express.
4. EXPRESS @ HAWKS W 1-5
84. HAWKS @ EXPRESS L 2-6
173. HAWKS @ EXPRESS W 6-2
Now if we compare how the two teams performed during the regular season it isn't hard to understand why the Express must be held favorites to win this series.
Team GP W L T GF GA Pts Win%
EXPRESS 84 51 21 12 384 286 114 .679
HAWKS 84 37 42 5 306 310 79 .470
The Hawks lost twice as many games as the team from the Rocky Mountains. Express had 35 more points than the Hawks, now that almost scary considering that the Express is only seeded 3rd and the Hawks are 6th. It seems to me that the differences between the "good" and the "bad" teams in the league is perhaps to big. Will the league office enforce a salary cap on the teams in order to make things interesting again?
As we all know is special teams very important during the playoffs.
Power play
Rank Team GP ADV GF PCT GP ADV GF PCT GP ADV GF PCT
6th EXPRESS 84 407 84 20.6 42 202 45 22.3 42 205 39 19.0
14th HAWKS 84 426 81 19.0 42 207 46 22.2 42 219 35 16.0
Penalty kill
Rank Team GP ADV GF PCT GP ADV GF PCT GP ADV GF PCT
7th HAWKS 84 417 73 82.5 42 208 35 83.2 42 209 38 81.8
19th EXPRESS 84 422 89 78.9 42 214 38 82.2 42 208 51 75.5
When looking at the numbers from the regular season it raises the question if the leagues 6th best power play can out-play the leagues 7th best penalty killers. The Express looks to have the upper hand. The Hawks aren't very good at playing with the man-advantage but on the other hand isn't the Express that great on the penalty kill. This makes me wonder if the Hawks should play very aggressive and almost dirty in order to bring up the number of special teams situations?
Both teams take plenty of penalties. The Express is the 4th dirtiest team in the league with an average of 30 PIMs/game. The Hawks aren't much better with 29.2 PIMs/game. I'm sure we can expect a great number of PIMs in these games.
OK, so what about the players then. This is how it looks if we compare the teams top 5 point scorers.
Hawks
P # Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
F 94 Sergei Berezin 84 47 24 71 -7 21 0 4 0 294 62 16.0
F 28 Steve Sullivan 84 19 46 65 -9 12 0 1 0 218 169 8.7
F 46 Glen Murray 84 32 28 60 3 10 1 2 1 227 87 14.1
D 37 Robert Svehla 84 11 49 60 -11 1 1 3 0 95 86 11.6
D 6 Sergei Zubov 80 11 47 58 -10 2 0 2 0 167 120 6.6
Express
P # Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
F 12 Ron Francis 84 57 61 118 37 35 7 5 0 364 193 15.7
F 9 Bill Guerin 84 38 52 90 27 2 3 5 0 293 219 13.0
F 14 Peter Bondra 84 49 35 84 43 11 1 5 0 364 129 13.5
D 44 Chris Pronger 84 20 64 84 42 0 2 2 0 160 140 12.5
F 19 Brendan Shanahan 84 28 51 79 37 9 0 4 0 261 182 10.7
After having read this it isn't hard to understand that the Express scored almost 100 more goals than the Hawks and why they were 35 points ahead of the Hawks in the standings. Notable is that among the Hawks top five players are two defencemen.
The more I look at these numbers I get more convinced that the Express will literally slaughter the Hawks, everything else would be VERY surprising and if the Hawks managed to win more that one game in this series it should raise question marks as to how good the Express really are. However with the three regular season meetings in mind I still think that the Hawks will be able to steal one game in this series.
In Boston, this is Lasse Kinch for the soon to be eliminated Hawks.
Kinch's Playoff Picks
1. LUNATICS at STALLIONS - The Stallions won the Presidents trophy and I think that the Bulls are the only team that can match the Stallions in the Wales.
Prediction: Stallions in 4.
2. VIPERS at SPARROWS - Sparrows won the Eastern division with ease while the Vipers finished in third place in the Central division behind the Stallions and the Bulls. Can Demitra withstand the French Canadians on his own? I don't think so.
Prediction: Sparrows in 6.
3. OCEANICS at BULLS - Makes me think of an song by Iron Maiden: Bring your daughter to the slaughter.. That's what this will be.
Prediction: Bulls in 4.
4. ENFORCERS at CORINTHS - What can an evil cult leader do against Jagr and Sundin? Well the Enforcers had an incredible run at the end and might be able to cause some problems for the Corinths in this one.
Prediction: Corinths in 7.
5. VIKINGS at VOODOO - Now this is almost as uneven as the Oceanics/Bulls series. The Vancouver Voodoo will win, but over-confidence in themselves will cost them a game.
Prediction: Voodoo in 5.
6. SAINTS at KRUSHERS - Modano, Modano, Modano.. Hey where are the rest of the Saints.. Oh that's right, there can be only one Saint. Modano had 47 more points than the second best point scorer on the Saints this year. Krushers clinched the top spot in the American division with only two games to go. Ended the regular season by beating the Hawks 4-0.. as if that was a sign of strength.. Bah!
Prediction: Krushers in 6.
7. HAWKS at EXPRESS - Should be nothing other than embarrasing defeats for the Hawks who are in the playoffs for the first time ever.
Prediction: Express in 5.
8. DROPKICKS at DOMINATRS - The Dominators have played really good the whole season, I don't know how they did it but if they can continue doing so they should have no problems eliminating the injury prone Kicks. And I really DISLIKE the KICKS, so GO DOMINATORS!!!
Prediction: Dominators in 7.
Oakville Bulls have a Season to Remember!
Oakville ON - We all knew it would end eventually, and unfortunately it took injuries to both Alexei Zhamnov(This years Maurice Richard trophy winner) and Mario Lemieux(Oakville's Captain) to end the WHL's longest winning streak of 20 consecutive games by the Bulls.
Over the course of the 20 game streak many players stepped up their production, and as a result many players recorded excellent numbers this season such as:
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Alexei Zhamnov 80 65 51 116 57 29 6 8 0 353 116 18.4
Alexei Zhamnov 84 68 54 122 <--(Pro-rated Stats would look like)
('Rocket' Richard winner, 65 goals is the most Zhamnov has ever scored in one season)
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Patrik Elias 73 45 67 112 94 10 0 6 0 374 111 12.0
Patrik Elias 84 51 77 128 <--(Pro-rated Stats would look like)
(Had the best +/- in the entire league this season, and posted career high's in goals, assists, points, Game Winners and shots; obviously if he played the whole season he would be the Bulls leading scorer)
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Sergei Gonchar 84 28 66 94 62 3 0 6 0 173 194 16.2
(Undoubtedly the best defenseman this season, seeing how he led all defensemen in scoring, and posted career highs in goals, assists, game winners, as well as overall points by more then 30 points)
- He should be a lock-in for the Norris as the next defenceman closest is 10 points behind him)
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Mario Lemieux 76 49 40 89 12 29 4 4 1 346 118 14.2
Mario Lemieux 84 54 44 98 <--(Pro-rated Stats would look like)
(Most points in a season since Season 2 with the Mallrats)
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Sandis Ozolinsh 84 25 54 79 73 5 0 5 0 130 160 19.2
(Second highest point total in his entire career, good for 4th overall in Defencemen scoring)
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Pavel Bure 69 34 41 75 33 12 3 2 1 304 110 11.2
Pavel Bure 84 41 50 91 <--(Pro-rated Stats would look like)
(Tied his career high in points in just 69 games)
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Shane Doan 84 35 38 73 47 2 0 7 0 264 159 13.3
(Last year's Calder trophy winner posted career high's in goals and points this season)
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Peter Ratchuk 34 5 23 28 45 0 1 1 0 40 34 12.5
Peter Ratchuk 84 12 57 69 <--(Pro-rated Stats would look like)
(Career highs in every category as Ratchuk's been floating around the WFHL much of his career thus far)
GOALTENDER GP MIN AVG W L T EN SO GA SA PCT PIM AS
Damian Rhodes 36 2175 2.73 28 5 3 0 1 99 1074 .908 0 0
(Posted career bests in Wins, GAA, and Save Percentage)
In the three season that the Bulls have been in Oakville this is the best season they have ever had, and is actually one of the best statistically in WHL history. Something that fans in Oakville are very proud of for sure.
This season saw many trades occur involving the Bulls, as usual, with notable names like Yzerman, Bonk, Shanahan, Amonte, Iginla, Bure, and Lemieux all dawning new uniforms.
Bulls coach Jacques Martin dramatically improved his record as the head coach of the team this season, adding some very nice stats to his overall record here in Oakville. Here's a brief history of Jacques Martin thus far with Oakville:
===========================================================
SEASON Name W L T TTL-PTS TTL-GAMES
-----------------------------------------------------------
WHL6 Jacques Martin 34 21 2 70 57<----Took over team at DAY 28
WHL7 Jacques Martin 58 19 7 123 83
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TOTALS: 92 40 9 193 141<---- As of Game Day 84(WHL7)
===============================================================
WINNING PCT = .684% <---- Nice winning percentage their Jacques! :)
===============================================================
In the end all of the movement was worth it as the Bulls finished the regular season with 123 points, which was good enough for the second most points in the league. Now the Bulls set their sights on parading the Cyber Cup around the 'SmackDown Centre' in Oakville.
- On a side note, you have to love how Mike Woods and Al Stricken have somewhat come to terms with their differences, maybe they'll have a barbecue, you know that thing that's 'flaming', together soon. *laughing* I'm just glad this reporter has stayed out of the whole 'flaming-feud' that has gone on between these two. All kidding aside though, this year has been great!
I'm Michael Landsberg reporting.
'And that's the bottom line!...here in Oakville, Ontario!'.
Daily Bullz-Eye
- Toronto Police reported loud noise and disturbances all Monday night as apparently Al Stricken through a huge party for Brian Howe and the Stallions in celebration of their President's trophy win.
- Oakville Bulls GM Chris Kubinec in cooperation with the city of Oakville and its doctors have reached an agreement that will see a new section added to Oakville's main hospital. Reports indicate that Kubinec got involved after seeing his team suffer through a record number of injuries this season, and Kubinec felt that the expansion would benefit both the community and his team if there were even more facilities and jobs available.
- Dropkicks fans have been seen sneaking around the 'Coca-Cola Dominator Arena' the last few days; police are keeping an eye on things as they suspect that some loyal fans are trying to slip some laxative into the Dominators refreshments... more as it happens...
Landsberg's Playoff Picks
WALES Conference
1: Waterloo Lunatics vs Toronto Stallions - Stallions simply over-power the Tic's in every area here.
PICK: Stallions win in 4
2: Mississauga Vipers vs Chicoutimi Sparrows - Sparrows seem to have more depth, and the Vipers are still missing that proven goalie.
PICK: Sparrows win in 6
3: Miami Oceanics vs Oakville Bulls - Bulls have owned the Oceanics this year, but Seeing how Zhamnov and Lemieux are injured Miami should be able to do some damage.
PICK: Bulls win in 6
4: Saskatoon Enforcers vs Quebec City Corinthians - The Enforcers have better depth than the Corinths this year, but I expect the Corinths first line to really do some damage and lead them into round 2.
PICK: Corinths win in 7
CAMPBELL Conference
1: Edmonton Vikings vs Vancouver Voodoo - Voodoo shouldn't encounter any problems they can't handle here.
PICK: Voodoo win in 4
2: Seattle Saints vs Chi-Town Krushers - The Saints have underachieved all year and I don't see anyway that they will be able to get by the Krushers.
PICK: Krushers win in 5
3: Boston Hawks vs Rocky Mountain Express - I expect the Express along with the couple of huge surprises they've received from their farm system to be too much for the Hawks.
PICK: Express win in 4
4: New England Dropkicks vs Des Moines Dominators - With the 'Kicks having lost Joe Thornton until mid-second round, I see the Doms getting by the Dropkicks in what should be a good series to watch.
PICK: Dominators win in 7
Edmonton Prepares For Defending Champs
Vancouver, BC - The Vikings have arrived in Vancouver to begin preparations for their first round series with the defending Cyber Cup Champions. Despite all the rumors Rob Ziccarelli will be behind the bench when the series opens and is now expected to be back next year. Ziccarelli knows the Vikings are decided underdogs, as evidenced by the Voodoo's 6-1 win in Edmonton on the last night of the regular season. "Well Vancouver is a great team with three lines that can really hurt you. We are going to have to play way above our heads to have any shot."
After being relegated to back-up status the last month, Jamie Storr will get the start in Game 1. Dan Cloutier was given ample opportunity to grab the starting role after being acquired from Oakville but faltered with an 1-8-3 record and a dismal 4.90 GAA with an .823 save percentage.
The Vikings only injury is rookie RW'er Jani Rita who will be out the rest of the year with a separated shoulder. Rita tailed off in the second half and finished with 21 points in 79 games.
Jason Allison led the team in scoring in his first year as a Viking, finishing with 82 points in 84 games.
Eric Brewer stepped into his own and was the club's best player on many nights, finishing with 60 points and a +41 rating.
Three of the club's four centers (Alexei Yashin, Greg Johnson and Mats Lindgren) are entering the playoffs in prolonged slumps which does not bode well.
Playoff Prediction
After bowing out in the seventh game of the first round in the past three years, it is extremely unlikely they will make it that far this year. Vancouver is too strong for this under-achieving bunch with better scoring, better defense, better goaltending and a better coach.
The Voodoo dominated the season series with five wins and a tie in six games, outscoring the Vikes 30-13. There is not much reason to think this series will be any different, Vancouver in 4.
Jim Matheson for the WHL Weekly.
Dropkicks Prepare for Battle
New England, MA - Last year, a very talented group of over-paid bums called the New England Dropkicks faced of against the Des Moines Dominators in the opening round of the WHL playoffs.
The Bums, as we'll call them (Selanne, Zhamnov, Weight, Whitney etc) lost in seven games. The seventh game was the most heartless display of hockey this sportswriter has ever seen and I've been to a lot of Dropkicks games.
This year the 'Kicks will storm into Des Moines with a weapon familiar to Doms players, coaches and fans. Newly appointed captain Steve Yzerman will attempt to do th the Doms what he did to the Bums last year.
An injury to Dropkicks center Joe Thornton has made the Dropkicks underdogs, though the 3-3 record the two clubs share against each other suggests that it could be another seven game affair.
Coach Adam Rettschlag is quietly confident that the Dropkicks can progress past the Doms even without their third leading scorer:
"(Expletive). This will be a really, really...how can I say this... (expletive)good series. Steve will carry a lot of (expletive) weight and guys like Jarome and M.C. will need to back him up. We need to play a physical game with (expletive) guys like (expletive) Georges, Dimaio and (expletive) Berube (expletive) (expletive) up out there."
Indeed they will...
Dropkicks Year End Awards
MVP: Lets go with Tom Poti. 84 games played with 18 goals 28 assists for 46 points and a +17.
Top Defenseman:
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM
Derian Hatcher 84 3 21 24 12 0 0 0 0 37 150
Top First Year Dropkick:
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM
Roman Hamrlik 84 14 45 59 -1 4 1 3 0 122 152
Unsung Hero:
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM
Georges Laraque* 71 14 9 23 21 0 0 5 0 91 194
Community Service Award:
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM
Brantt Myhres 31 2 2 4 -3 0 0 0 0 32 103*
* Myhres was the only member of the Dropkicks to be ordered by a judge to perform community service so his 55 hours for "disturbing the peace" makes him a winner by default.
Mike Woods reporting.
Woods' Fearless Playoff Picks
Voodoo vs Vikes: Kinnairds troops will handle McEwen's guys but The Vikes won't go down as easily as many think. The Voodoo are certainly favorites with the likes of Kariya, Peca and Nolan but you can never count C-Bear or The Brew out at playoff time. (Voodoo in 6)
Krushers vs Saints: Golbez vs the Denman. The Saints keep it pretty real, whereas the Krushers are a bunch of perpetrators. Denny and I share a beer from time to time and Golbez is just plain rude to me. (Saints in 7)
Express vs Hawks: The joke is over with the Hawks. I'm sorry.(Express in 5)
Doms vs Kicks: My heart picks the Dropkicks, my head picks the Doms just because of the way this year has gone. (Doms in 6)
Stallions vs Lunatics: Tough to pick anyone but the Stallions in this one. The Lunatics have Roy who can stal games, but not 4 of them. (Stallions in 4)
Sparrows vs Vipers: The Sparrows seem to do pretty well in the playoffs.Yeah I realize they're almost all French but they'll still win. (Sparrows in 5)
Bulls vs Oceanics: If The Oceanics can trick Selanne and Whitney into showing up they could do well, but that's unlikely and the Bulls look hungry. (Bulls in 5)
Corinths vs Enforcers: The Enforcers finished the year off 8-1-1 and they'e my darkhorse to come out of the East. the horse is really dark I know, but here goes...(Enforcers in 7)
Des Moines Set New Club Record
Des Moines, IA - The Des Moines Dominators finished the season very convincing with a 7-2-1 record, which at the end gave them 2nd place in the American Division behind the Chi-Town Krushers. The Krushers were only 3 points ahead of the DMD, that ended up with 4th position in the conference standings and 7th overall position in the league. These results are very positive for a franchise that most experts thought should have a hard time getting into to the playoffs.
The DMD have had an extremely good season during Andreas Larsson first year as manager for the club and the fact is that this club made the best regular season in the franchise history with a .625 winning percentage.
GP W L T GF GA Pts Win%
WHL 1: Smythe Division 5) DRIZZLE 74 27 41 6 246 284 60 .405
WHL 2: Smythe Division 2) DOMINATRS 74 40 27 7 312 284 87 .588
WHL 3: Norris Division 2) DOMINATRS 74 36 31 7 320 297 79 .534
WHL 4: Norris Division 5) DOMINATRS 74 28 37 9 247 269 65 .439
WHL 5: American Division 3) DOMINATRS 84 36 42 6 299 301 78 .464
WHL 6: American Division 3) DOMINATRS 84 35 43 6 289 307 76 .452
WHL 7: American Division 2) DOMINATRS 84 47 26 11 337 294 105 .625
This despite stars like Steve Yzerman and Phil Housley were traded. The fact is that the DMD were better and increased the winning percentage after the deal. A big reason for the success is the coaching staff lead by Kent Nilsson, assisted by Bob Gainey and Neal Broten. They have done a fantastic job so far and has, with active coaching, won many games for the club.
The regular season is over. The Des Moines have set a new club record and go into the playoffs with a lot of confidence. The first round should be no problem you might think, but the first round of the playoffs will be a real though series against the New England Dropkicks. The teams have won 3 games each this season and it will be very interesting to see how this series will end. General Manager, Andreas Larsson, wasn't pleased at all to face the 'kicks in the first round. "New England have a real good squad and have been a huge disappointment so far this season. But they have a lot good players and they will be very hard to face in the playoffs" commented Larsson.
RK TEAM GP W L T GF GA PTS PCT
xy 1 VOODOO 84 56 21 7 386 252 119 .708
x 2 KRUSHERS 84 48 24 12 341 267 108 .643
p 3 EXPRESS 84 51 21 12 384 286 114 .679
p 4 DOMINATRS 84 47 26 11 337 294 105 .625
p 5 DROPKICKS 84 38 37 9 284 276 85 .506
p 6 HAWKS 84 37 42 5 306 310 79 .470
p 7 SAINTS 84 34 40 10 293 298 78 .464
p 8 VIKINGS 84 33 42 9 295 314 75 .446
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eliminated ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
e 9 ENDLESS 84 33 45 6 275 337 72 .429
e 10 ISLANDERS 84 30 45 9 289 338 69 .411
e 11 RAIDERS 84 20 56 8 283 413 48 .286
e 12 SEAWOLVES 84 17 58 9 268 408 43 .256
Rick Lester reporting.
Lester's Playoff Picks
Waterloo Lunatics vs Toronto Stallions: 0-4 - The Stallions shouldn't have any bigger problems to eliminate the Lunatics from the playoffs. They should do it with 4 straight games. If Lunatics should have any chance at all Patrick Roy must play better than he has done during the regular season. PLAYER TO WATCH: Miroslav Satan, Toronto. Hasn't got the credit he deserves from the league. A great player.
Mississauga Vipers vs Chicoutimi Sparrows: 2-4 - The Sparrows will knock out the Vipers. The question is how fast it will go. We think Sparrows need 6 games to send away the Vipers to the golf course. PLAYER TO WATCH: Eric Desjardins, Chicoutimi. Very important for the Sparrows.
Miami Oceanics vs Oakville Bulls: 1-4 - Oakville Bulls have an interesting team that we believe will be a big contender for the Cyber cup. The Bulls will go far in the playoffs and will beat Oceanics 4-1 in the series. Oceanics will win the opening game. PLAYER TO WATCH: Sergei Gonchar, Oakville. Maybe the best offensive defender in the world. Gonchar has the ability to lead Oakville to the cup.
Saskatoon Enforcers vs Quebec City Corinthians: 2-4 - Quebec City could surprise many people these playoffs. How far they will go is hard to say but with offensive power like Sundin, Koivu, Tkachuk, Jagr and Recchi they will advance to the next round. Ed Belfour is Enforcers only hope. PLAYER TO WATCH: Mats Sundin, Quebec City. A excellent center that could score those important goals.
Edmonton Vikings vs Vancouver Voodoo: 2-4 - The defending champions from Vancouver will knock out Edmonton, but the Vikings will not give up without a real fight. In the end the Voodoo will be too strong, but could the Voodoo really defend their title. No, not with their lousy power play. Improve that and they might have a chance. PLAYER TO WATCH: Martin Brodeur, Vancouver. Makes few mistakes, always solid and will be the key player for the Voodoo in these playoffs.
Seattle Saints vs Chi-Town Krushers: 4-3 - Mike Modano will continue to dominate the ice as the Saints knock out American division champions in 7 games. Krushers will be the biggest disappointment in the first round. PLAYER TO WATCH: Mike Modano, Seattle. A potential season MVP. Modano's signature on a contract is something every GM in this league wants.
Boston Hawks vs Rocky Mountain Express: 2-4 - Ron Francis, once a hero with the Minneapolis Monarchs, will lead the Express to an interesting playoff run. The veteran center seems to get better every season and if he continues like before, the Express could end up in a Cyber Cup final. The first round should not be any problem for the Express. Boston has had a good season, but Nilsson's Hawks don't have enough to survive the first round this season. PLAYER TO WATCH: Petr Bondra, Rocky Mountain. We mention Ron Francis, but don't forget Bondra. This guy knows where the net is.
New England Dropkicks vs Des Moines Dominators: 3-4 - Steve Yzerman returns to Des Moines with the Dropkicks in the first round, in what seems to be a very close series. DMD have surprised all season and the question is if this will continue in the playoffs. We think DMD will win the series, but it will be very close. However, the Dropkicks are a darkhorse in the Campbell conference. PLAYER TO WATCH: Steve Yzerman, New England. Huge fan favorite when he was captain for the DMD. Now he returns as a Dropkick. How will he handle that? However, Steve is one of the most intelligent players in the game.
(Transcripts of interviews with General Managers from around the W.H.L.)
We talked with Darren Kinnaird from the Vancouver Voodoo
Welcome to "You Said It". This is Dave Hodge and joining us this week is Vancouver general manager Darren Kinnaird. Let's take a look at the Voodoo's season; they finish with 56 wins and 119 points. Good for third overall in the league and first in their conference for the third time. For the second straight season they have the best goals against record. Brodeur has been a great addition to a strong team.
Controversy has followed Mr. Kinnaird for most of his tenure in Vancouver. Accusations and innuendo are constantly being thrown Darren's way. Vancouver won their first ever Cyber Cup last year after what were questionable deals. Darren won the Executive Trophy back in 1997-98(Season#3), as well as two Presidents Trophies 1997-98(Season#3) & 2000-1(Season#6).
They head into the playoffs facing the Edmonton Vikings. This is the first meeting between these two clubs since 1995-96(Season#1), a series which the Vikings won 4-1. I expect the results will be opposite this time around.
So let's talk with Darren;
YSI: "Darren, welcome. What did you do to your arm? That isn't from the All-Star weekend fighting contest, is it?"
Darren: "Thanks, Dave. I have suffered a 3rd degree A.C. joint shoulder separation. I didn't quite land properly off one of the rail slide's up in the Blackcomb terrain park, while skiing Saturday.,"
YSI: "Ah, skiing can be dangerous. Allow me to congratulate you on the Cup win last year, a great finish to a six year run. But enough of the sweet-talk. You win your conference, but not the league. Does this bother you? I mean not only Toronto but Oakville also finished ahead of you."
Darren: "Not really. We have had more injuries to key guys this year, and our farm team has been unable to supply us like in year's past. Other teams in the league this year have received better production out of their farm teams. We should however be healthy and ready to go for the playoffs."
YSI: "I would question your having more injuries. Oakville set a new league record for injuries and still finished higher. Does the lack of a decent farm team mean you will be looking to strengthen it within the next year?"
Darren: "No no, I meant relative to last year, we have had more key injuries, both taking guys out of the line-up, and nagging type injuries where guys played less than 100%. As for the farm team, we will look to add players through the draft."
YSI: "You face your friend Lee McEwen's team in the first round. The last time you two faced each other you were barely making the playoffs. This time they are the ones barely making the playoffs. Are you looking forward to the series?"
Darren: "Yes. This is when the real hockey starts. I know our guys are excited and ready to go. Most of the guys have been through this before, so they know what to expect. The Vikes are not going to be push-overs, Lee will have his team ready to roll."
YSI: "The Express are a constant thorn in your side. Just five points behind you during the season. They managed to take two of the six games between your two clubs this year. You two seem evenly matched. The Krushers are also playing extremely well. Who's going to battle it out for the Campbell Trophy this year?"
Darren: "Well, I think the teams you have mentioned are certainly the ones to watch. All have a good chance and we should be ready for them. Another team to watch for has to be the Dropkicks. Despite losing Thornton they are still a talented team."
YSI: "Who do you see winning the Prince of Wales Trophy?"
Darren: "It's going to be pretty tough to knock off the Stallions this year. Joe Sakic is playing possibly the best hockey of his career and they are going to be tough to beat."
YSI: "And finally, who's winning the Cup this year?"
Darren: "The Voodoo. (smiles) I am confident our guys can do it. The Stallions will be tough, but if we are healthy we match up really well. Forsberg vs Lindros, Peca vs Sakic, Marty vs Cujo...... Should it happen it would be a hell of a series."
YSI: "Ok, now for the fans benefit, I have to relate a short story about when we contacted the Voodoo regarding Darren doing this interview. We were contacted by a Mr. Ima Shyster, who happens to be Mr. Kinnairds lawyer. He told us, Darren is willing to do the interview, but that he will not answer any questions regarding his alleged involvement in a 'Prospect System Scam'. If any questions are asked related to this topic, he - Mr. Shyster - would immediately start legal proceedings against myself and the show.
Having said that, and having discussing it with our lawyers as well as the league's lawyers, I have decided to let the courts decide YSI's fate. So...
Darren, you can refuse to answer, you can state 'No Comment' or you can answer me, but on behalf of the fans I have to ask. What, if any, involvement did you have in the scam surrounding the Prospect System introduced into the WHL back in 1997?"
Darren: "You are such a {Expletive}! I don't have time for this {Expletive}. But if you want to know; All of it. I orchestrated the whole {Expletive} thing. I played the whole league for morons. You know how? I can predict the future. You know what I predict now..... you'll ask another stupid question and you'll get a stupid answer."
At this point, the show takes a Springer-like turn as Mr. Kinnaird's lawyer bursts onto the set.
Lawyer: "That's it, this interview is over. I told you Dave, if you asked these questions you would be finished. Mr. Kinnaird, you don't have to answer another question and just as a note to anyone watching this; Mr. Kinnaird's comments in no way constitute an admission of guilt. They were a sarcastic response to a stupid question."
And for the record Mr. Hodge, my name is Ira Shysser, you ignorant son-of-a-{Expletive}. I would advise you, Darren, to leave this show immediately."
YSI: "Come on, calm down. This show is about asking the tough questions, Ira.
Darren, please take your seat, let's continue this interview. Ira, piss off."
Security unceremoniously removes Ira from the set and calm is restored.
YSI: "Darren. Your team is struggling with a number of nagging minor injuries. In fact, each of your centers is nursing some ailment. Do you think this will impact your series with Edmonton?"
Darren: "These guys have done it before. Peter and Mike are two of the most character players in the game, and Daymond has shown in last year's playoffs that he can thrive under adversity."
YSI: "What has Brodeur meant to the team since his arrival last year? What dynamic does he add to the team?"
Darren: "Marty has given the guys a sense of comfort. A few years ago, we tried to build a team that simply out-skated and out-scored the opponent. Since then we have made a commitment to being able to score, but also having some of the best team defense in the league. Making sure we had big strong mobile defencemen, guys who could back check, and having a top level goalie. Marty, was kind of the culmination of that process.... one of the last pieces of the puzzle if you will. This year it has really shown. We have the number one goals against, shots against, and penalty killing."
YSI: "The subject of a salary cap has repeatedly been mentioned in the WHL. Does the idea of a cap concern the Vancouver franchise? I mean your team spends more money than any other WHL club. Will it hamper your efforts to maintain a contender?"
Darren: "It does not concern me in a sense that I don't see it happening. This team is economically viable because we have such a solid fan base. Put a good product on the ice and the people come out."
YSI: "You must have some pretty incriminating pictures of Commissioner Hebert to be so sure about this?"
Darren: ""
YSI: "No comment? Okay that says something in itself. Caring on, Brodeur's play down the stretch has been questionable at best. I mean a record of 5-4-2 in the last eleven games he played. It even prompted Ladouceur to play Kevin Weekes in seven straight games, for a record of 5-1-1. Is Weekes being considered to start the playoffs?"
Darren: "Weekes played because Marty was hurting. Marty was playing hurt and wanted to be ready for the playoffs. Kevin filled in great and it's good to know we have a capable backup. But don't worry, I am sure Marty will be in goal."
YSI: "Your club continues to play well at home. Earning another 30 wins this year. Your road record was not so impressive. How important is home-ice advantage for you?"
Darren: "It's always important. On the west coast especially. Traveling can take a toll on the guys. We love playing in front of our fans, and being in our own homes. Sleeping in your own bed can make a huge difference."
YSI: "As usual, we like to thank our guest for joining us. Too bad you had to bring your lawyer with you. And I am sorry you wouldn't honestly answer the lingering questions about 1997. But regardless, let me wish you luck in the upcoming playoff run. And now, Darren, as per our custom, the last word is yours."
Darren: "Bring on the playoffs!"
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.
(With thanks to the following for their contributions)
Michael Hebert
Darren Kinnaird
Jes Uršul'ák
Magnus Nilsson
Peter Nilsson
Chris Kubinec
Chris Kordyback
Lee McEwen
Andreas Larsson
