Volume 3 Issue 5 -- March 1, 2003
(Awarded to the the top scorer and top goalie over the past 10 games)
Player: Mats Sundin of the Quebec City Corinthians for 17 points and 9 goals
(Honourable mention to Joe Sakic of the Toronto Stallions for his 70 shots!)
Goalie: Curtis Joseph of the Toronto Stallions for an excellent record and great numbers
(Honourable mention to Sean Burke of the Calgary Dropkicks for great numbers if only for five games.)
Nominees
Players GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM His Team
Mats Sundin 10 9 8 17 0 4 0 0 0 51 17 Corinthians
Steve Duchesne 11 4 13 17 -1 0 1 0 0 23 9 Sparrows
Miroslav Satan 10 10 6 16 3 1 0 2 0 52 8 Krushers
Joe Sakic 10 8 8 16 11 5 2 0 0 70 19 Stallions
Rod Brind'Amour 10 8 8 16 12 4 0 0 0 30 22 Bulls
Ramzi Abid 10 7 9 16 5 4 0 3 0 30 33 Cougars
Kristian Huselius 11 1 15 16 1 1 0 0 0 35 2 Citadelles
Todd Bertuzzi 10 7 8 15 1 2 0 3 0 46 41 Voodoo
Mike Modano 10 9 4 13 -12 5 0 2 0 40 17 Dropkicks
Barrett Heisten 9 5 2 7 2 1 0 0 0 40 32 Hawks
Goaltenders GP MIN AVG W L T EN SO GA SA PCT His Team
Curtis Joseph 10 605 2.18 8 1 1 0 1 22 306 .928 Stallions
Sean Burke 5 300 2.40 4 1 0 0 1 12 154 .922 Dropkicks
Byron Dafoe 10 600 3.10 8 2 0 0 0 31 288 .892 Bulls
David Aebischer 8 480 3.13 5 3 0 0 2 25 230 .891 Sparrows
Mike Dunham 10 605 3.27 6 3 1 0 0 33 284 .884 Cougars
Maxime Ouellet 11 665 3.34 5 5 1 0 0 37 319 .884 Citadelles
Jose Theodore 10 610 3.44 6 2 2 0 0 35 306 .886 Corinthians
Marty Turco 10 605 3.57 7 2 1 0 1 36 306 .882 Krushers
Martin Brodeur 9 540 3.89 7 2 0 0 0 35 261 .866 Voodoo
Mike Vernon 6 365 3.95 1 4 1 0 0 24 256 .906 Hawks
(News articles from every corner of the W.H.L.)
Bulls Continue Big $Spending$ Ways
Oakville, ON - Just one week ago reports indicated that the Bulls were close to bringing in another forward and goalie, and then all of a sudden those reports get lost in the shuffle as the Bulls go a different route and complete a massive deal with the Winnipeg Icedogs.
It was no secret that half a dozen teams were interested in acquiring Rick Nash from Oakville, but in the end the Steelcats and Icedogs remained tall. But as more time elapsed the Icedogs were able to bring in that other winger that the Bulls were looking for and that ultimately got the deal completed between the two clubs.
The deal saw the Bulls ship-out highly coveted winger Rick Nash, along with Brett Hull, Andreas Dackell, Nathan Dempsey, and two 1st rounders. Coming back to Oakville were two 2nd round picks, Steve "Sully" Sullivan, and "Ziggy" Palffy.
So have the Bulls finally compiled all of the missing pieces they think they need now? I'm sure we'll know within the next two weeks.
Daily Bullz-Eye
- Previously, Rod Brind'Amour's highest point total in the regular season had been a total of 68 points which he accomplished in season's four and five with the Vikings. Brind'Amour reached a new career high in points in a single season last week as he boosted his total to 81pts after playing just 60 games this year.
- Rumours are running wild that Dave Easton and Darren Kinnaird are planning something that will effect both the Icedogs and Jon Lemoine after the harsh comments made towards one another by both sides.
- After 7 days Jes Golbez has yet to be seen with his body guard Duc Tran. At this time all we can hope for is the best as Golbez has had a bounty on his head since landing in Toronto.
I'm Michael Landsberg;
'And that's the bottom line!...here in Oakville, Ontario!'.
Vikings News and Notes
Edmonton, AB - The biggest question in the streets of Edmonton these days is; "When will Alexei Yashin be back?" Yashin has missed six games with a broken thumb and the Vikings have looked lost without him, going 1-5-0 in that stretch. The club is hoping he will return to the line-up late next week, and that they will still be in a position to challenge for home-ice advantage in the first round. Of course, with the team's woeful record at the Ice Palace this year, the Vikings may be better off opening the playoffs on the road.
The tradeline is looming but the rumour mill in Edmonton has remained quiet, as the organization still quietly believes in the majority of its players. "The thing is, we've been killed by injuries since the second month of the year," McEwen commented on Monday, "If we can get healthy for the playoffs I think we have a shot at causing some damage. The last thing I want do is give up on the kids for a short-term fix. We've invested alot in the development of guys like Richards and Hartnell so we're not going to move them anytime soon."
There is little doubt though, that the club needs to get better goaltending if they hope to go anywhere in the next few months. Neither Garth Snow or Dan Cloutier has embraced the chance to be the bona fide #1 guy and there are whispers that Chris Osgood will be recalled from the farm sometime before the trade deadline.
Jim Matheson for the WHL Weekly
Is There A Future For Hockey In Boston?
Boston, MA(AP) - The Hawks have since long given up all hope of repeating last seasons 12th place in the standings. They're currently sitting in 23rd place and with no or little chance of gaining even one position during the last 25 games. So what are the chances of the Hawks getting back to being a playoff team, here is what GM Nilsson had to say about it.
"Oh, It'll take a few years before we can even begin to think in the lines of being a playoff team. I think that 4 or 5 years is a reasonable amount of time before we can be competitive again. There are only 8 player our organization that are in their 30's. We have some interesting players in the oranization now and if they develop like I know they can things doesn't look all that bad. Scoring will be a problem for seasons to come and that's my biggest concern right now. I can only hope that one of our many picks in the upcoming drafts turn out to be a new Brett Hull or something like that."
When asked about which position on the Hawks team he feels it the strongest GM Nilsson replied:
"I'd have to say our goalies, even though Mike (vernon) is likely to retire at the end of the season I feel that we have to good guys to back him up. Both Brent Johnson (25) and Fred Brathwaite (30) are still young and they should have many good seasons in them."
So who are these prospects that GM Nilsson speak of. These are according to me the top five players aged 25 and under players on the Hawks team.
1. Jonathan Girard (23)- A promising defenseman in whom GM Nilsson have great confidence. He hasn't seen any WHL action this season, but is likely to be one of the corner stones in the Hawks defense next season. Good on his skates and has good hands, his problem is his size. He'll never be a great penaltykiller but he may develop into a PP quarterback style of player.
2. Jan Bulis (25) - A player on the rise, he has played very well for the Hawks this season. 21 points in 27 games is impressing considering on how the team has performed in the last couple of months. As most Europeans he is good on his skates. He might very well be called upon to lead the team offensivly next season.
3. Tyler Arnason (24) He shouldn't have to much trouble breaking the Hawks line up next season considering the lack of depth the team has down the middle. Good skater with some good defensive qualities.
4. Niko Kapanen (25) This young Finn, yes you heard me right, a Finn, has some good stuff in him. This is probable the only time you'll ever hear me say something positive about one of them. He is beginning to adapt to the north american style of play and he has proved he can set up goals this season but he needs to develop a shot to make it into the WHL. Even though he is a lightweighter he has some good defensive abilities.
5. Marcus Nilson (25) Gritty winger that has been given playing time in the WHL following the firesale. One of the few Swedes that would even consider throwing the gloves. Hasn't been impressive so far, but given the right enviroment he will come through. Might become a top 6 forward in the future but for now he's checking line material.
It will be interesting to see if some of these players will do anything for the Hawks in the future or if they'll just wither away. Most of you would agree with me when I say that none of these are likely to become a franchise player, ever. Hopefully GM Nilsson can find the gold in the upcoming drafts, if not, well I think you all can guess what happens if he doesn't.
Earlier this week the Hawks announced that Hal Gill will be the captain of the team for the reminder of the season. Gillis at this point the only player on the team that has played in all games for the Hawks this season. Jan Bulis and Uwe Krupp will be assistants.
This has been Bruce Dickinson for the Hawks.
Teammates Wild About Superstar Gaborik
By TERRY BELL - The Vancouver Province
Chi-town, IL - One of Krushers GM Jes Gölbez's wildest memories of scouting talent in Europe was witnessing Márian Gáborík score 5 goals in a Slovak League game against Skalica.
He also remembers when he first saw signs of the young Slovak's imminent WHL greatness, earlier this season.
"Earlier this season, right after the all-star break, we had a practice in Hamilton and Márian was flying," Gölbez says. "Right from then on you could see it coming."
"He just keeps getting better and better. Anytime he's on the ice, when he gets that puck, he's going to create something. When he gets it at the top of the circle and no one's on him, it's going in. It's just incredible."
Gáborík had 25 points in 41 points in his rookie season with the Chiefs. After being acquired in the big Rob Blake trade, Gáborík was demoted to the WFHL's Shock to refine his game. Gáborík went on to put up 83 points in 68 games with the Shock, good for 2nd overall in WFHL scoring. More importantly, playing with fellow Slovak Róbert Petrovický helped Gáborík adjust to the North American culture, and when Gáborík came into training camp this season, there was no doubt that he was ready to earn a permanent spot in the WHL.
Now, the hockey world is beginning to plug in to the electricity he generates. Sports Illustrated has written about him. There have been features by national television networks. With 51 points in 60 games, and a +22 rating, Gáborík's great play during the 2nd half of the season has helped carry the Krushers back into the lead to win the American Division.
But if you want to hear someone gush about Gáborík, don't ask the man himself. Gáborík is not a self promoter.
"It feels good to hear that," he says when asked how it feels when he hears people call him a superstar, "It's weird. I'm shy a little bit. I'm not the type of guy who goes out and enjoys that. I like it but I feel a little bit shy about it."
Gáborík, frightening though the possibility may be for opponents, still thinks he has much to learn.
"It's my third year in North American and it doesn't mean I can talk about myself as a superstar," he says. "You can be up high one day, another day on the bottom.
"I have to keep improving and help the team to win. I worked hard in the summer and improved my shot. I'm getting a lot of chances. Hopefully this will continue.
"When I got here, I didn't know a lot about defence, but they have worked with me a lot."
"They" would be Shock Head Coach Andy Murray, and Krushers coach Joel Quenneville, two no-nonsense head coaches who promote a defence-first attention to detail.
Quenneville has coached many superstars, but he's not willing to put Gaborik in that group just yet.
"Not me. If you guys want to, that's fine," he says of using the superstar word.
"For us, he's a good player. He's young, he still has a lot to improve. He still has to work hard to be successful. If he doesn't, he's just an average player, but he does work hard."
Average? Not in veteran Adam Oates' words.
"I'm telling you this is one of the great talents in the WHL," Oates told the Toronto Sun earlier this month.
"I find myself going back to the bench after he scores a goal and saying, 'Did he really do that?' For me, it has made playing hockey fun again.'
On The Reefs
Montreal, QC - This is a new column which will appear regularly in The Web Hockey League News, detailing news of The Montreal Citadelles and their Farm Team, The Kaohsiung Kuthroats.
Montreal Citadelles acquired new Ownership, and a new GM this month. Slithering Communications Inc. bought the Team, and assigned as GM David Easton; and if you didn't know it before, he's already making a name for himself here in The WHL! Easton has already added one rival WHL Team to his "No-Trade List", The Winnyphoo Iced-logs (apparently named after that feeling when you just GOTTA take a dump out there on that frozen prairie lake ice-fishing!) GM Brian of The Stallions joins The Iced-logs GM Jon on the "GM's Looking To Walk The Plank" List, in addition to recent events seeing Oceanics GM Philipp make the List!
Contoversey follows the successful GM, but then, that's probably what makes him successful!
Easton has been busy in his 1st few weeks at the helm, and has dealt for a number of players from other clubs. Changes include:
LEAVING:
- D Janne Niinimaa
- LW Donald Brashear
- C Marcel Hossa
- RW Petr Sykora
- D Fredrik Olausson
- D Andrei Markov
- LW Sami Kapanen
- 1st round draft pick (WHL9)
- 5th round draft pick (WHL9)
ARRIVING:
- C Tim Connolly
- LW Chris Drury
- RW Sandy McCarthy
- C/LW Patrik Stefan
- RW Teemu Selanne
- D Bryan Berard
- G Jean-Sebastian Giguere
- 3rd round draft pick (WHL9)
Recently, Easton dived into the Free Agent Market for the 1st time, signing Craig Mills to a minor league contract. Mills reported to The Kuthroats in time for the team's weekly showering out of sea-salt from their hair, but didn't have to participate.
The following players have signed a Farm Team contract:
# player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
40 Craig Mills 0 R RW 5 5 5 5 5 2 5 4 5 4 3 48
signed by the Montreal Citadelles
Mills was originally Drafted by The Saskatoon Enforcers in the WHL4 Entry Draft, 6th Rnd. Saskatoon finally gave up hope on the RW, and released him outright earlier this Season. Mills will try to revive his career starting here in Kaohsiung Harbour.
The Cit's recent play has seen them SKYROCKET up The Platinum Power Ratings! Who would have thought that possible when Easton 1st took control of the floundering Franchise?!?
***Platinum Power Ratings***
Tied for 5th Place !!!
Montreal Citadelles 62.0% (Last Month: 10th)
Farm Fertilizer: Coming up to Montreal since Easton took over the team have been several players, with some already making a huge impact on the team! Making the move to The Show have been RW Steve Thomas, LW Craig Fisher, and D # Fooooouuuuurrrrr, Bobbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Dollllllllllllllllasssssssss… okay, it doesn't have the same ring to it!
Fisher has made the biggest splash since being saved from the drink, with super-impressive #'s in 10 Games so far.
Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
Craig Fisher 10 4 9 13 -3 1 0 1 0 35 15 11.4
Dollas on the other hand seems to have 9 lives! Once again he arrives in The WHL, after being Drafted in the Original WHL1 Draft in the 15th Rnd!!!, 388th OVERALL! But since then, Dollas has been Waived through The League once, Released outright by Teams twice, and Retired another time! But somehow, he's back playing WHL hockey, and will make his WHL8 Season debut for The Cit's this week. Dollas is seriously being considered for The Bill Masterton Award for perseverance and dedication to THE GAME!
Fisher has just been one answer to why The Cit's have jumped up the chart in Team Offense as well. A recent 10-1 wipe-out of The Bears certainly helped as well, as they moved up 4 places from last week, and now sit in the top half of The League.
Team Offence Rating (Goals For)
Place Team G GF GFA HG GF GFA AG GF GFA
10 Montreal Cit's 61 225 3.69 31 119 3.84 30 106 3.53 (14)
And believe it or not, Goalie Maxime Oulette has been SO GOOD in net of late, that he's actually within reach of winning the 3 Stars selections! His continued excellence is further proof that he deserved his spot in this Season's All Star Game (1 GAA, 1 W, in one appearance). Is he capable of challenging for a Vezina Trophy as well? One has to seriously consider it, when factoring in the kind of defense that he has to help him, compared to the power-house teams in The League!!!
***Top 3-Star Awardings***
PLATINUM 3-Star Cup Leaders
Player Team 1st 2nd 3rd Total
------------------------------------------------------
Patrick Roy LUNATICS 10 6 9 77
Alexei Yashin VIKINGS 9 8 6 75
Todd Bertuzzi VOODOO 8 9 6 73
Maxime Ouellet CITADELLE 10 6 4 72
Keith Tkachuk CORINTHS 11 3 7 71
Mario Lemieux SAINTS 10 5 4 69
by Demi Moore
Stallions Release New Logo In Attempt To Change Success
Toronto, ON - The Toronto Stallions, while playing great this year, have released a new team logo prior to the playoffs in an attempt to change the teams fortunes. Pictured below is the new logo that will appear on the team jerseys:
The new jersey sticks with the club colours of blue and white, but adds black into the mix. When asked about the new jerseys, Toronto GM Brian Howe says; "We needed a change, we've moved some popular players and the fans are not happy about that. So we've decided to inject some excitement into our game. The new jersey will add to that, as will some of the new guys. Jeff O'Neill has already impressed the fans, with four assists in three games and Kaberle is impressing with a goal and two assists in those games. While Cujo continues to play spectaularly.". And, hey, is it just me or does it look like that stallion in the logo has a mullet?
Teppo Numminen surpassed 400 points this month. In the final game of the month against the Miami Oceanics Teppo had three assists, his 399th, 400th and 401st points of his career. Teppo currently sits third in the league in defencemen points, five points behind Eric Brewer of Edmonton and three behind Nicklas Lidstrom of Vancouver. Of interest is the fact he has played seven fewer games than either of them. He is making a serious run for the Norris trophy this season considering he is one of only three defencemen with a PPG ratio over one.
Curtis Joseph reached 250 wins in a game against the Hudson River Hencsh. He is just the second goalie in the WHL to achieve that number. We asked team captain Joe Sakic what Cujo means to the team; "I shudder to think where we would have been without Curtis these last five years. He has been the most valuable player to this team over those years. We know that he is being offered a contract that will see him finish his career here, and that is promising. He is truly one of the best in the game and will be a hall-of-famer when he retires."
Whatever the future brings, the trio of Sakic(7 years), Numminen(6 years) and Joseph(5 years) have been fantastic for Toronto. All hold a variety of club records and all three jerseys are top sellers with the fans. Now if only they could find a way to bring that Cup here, they would be considered gods.
Dave Hodge...with the Stallions
(Taking a biographical and statistical look at superstars of today and tomorrow)
This month we look at Alexei Kovalev from the Saskatoon Enforcers
NHL History:(Via NHLPA)
Alexei Kovalev was drafted 15th overall in the 1991 Entry Draft by the New York Rangers, becoming the first Russian player even selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. He made his debut one season later on October 12, 1992 with his first NHL goal against the Whalers. Along with a number of games at the AHL level, Alexei played 65 NHL games in 1992-93 and finished the season with 20 goals. In 1993-94, Alexei improved his totals to 23 regular season goals and 56 points as he helped the Rangers win the Presidents' Trophy. In the playoffs, Alexei finished sixth in scoring with 21 points in 23 games as the Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. Alexei and teammates Alexander Karpovtsev and Sergei Zubov were the first Russians ever to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. In the shortened 1994-95 season, Alexei scored 28 points in 48 games. In the playoffs, he scored 11 points in ten games. In 1995-96, Alexei scored 24 times and paced his team with seven game-winning goals. After missing a number of games in 1996-97, Alexei returned healthy in 1997-98 and co-led the team with 23 goals.
In 1998-99, Alexei was traded with Harry York to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Petr Nedved, Chris Tamer and Sean Pronger on November 25, 1998. Alexei played 63 games with the Penguins that season and finished the season with20-plus NHL goals for the fifth time in his career. In the 1999 playoffs, Alexei scored 12 points in ten games. In 1999-2000, Alexei scored a career best 26 goals and 66 points. He followed that up with six points in 11 playoff games.
In 2000-01, Alexei broke out for a career best 44 goals and 95 points and played in his first All-Star Game. He averaged 23:15 minutes of ice time per game, knocked 101 hits and led the team with two short-handed goals. On November 13, he won his first Player of the Week honour after an eight-point effort (including his third career hat trick) in just three games. On February 12, he won his second Player of the Week honour after recording his second and third hat tricks of the season. By month's end, he was named NHL Player of the Month.
WHL History:
Alexei Kovalev was drafted 200th overall in the 9th round in the WHL initial Entry Draft by the Whitehorse Rapids(Rocky Mountain Express). On November 11, 1997 he was traded to the Saskatoon Enforcers where he has remained ever since.
(Alexei Kovalev Age: 30 Born: February 24, 1973)
Jersey Handed Position Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
29 Left R.Wing 5 8 7 9 8 5 8 8 8 4 9 79
Pre-Season Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
96-97(2) RAPIDS 5 1 2 3 3 0 0 1 0 8 11 12.5
97-98(3) STRANGERS 10 2 6 8 1 0 0 0 0 30 15 6.7
98-99(4) ENFORCERS 10 2 2 4 -9 2 0 0 0 33 18 6.1
99-00(5) ENFORCERS 10 3 1 4 -6 1 0 0 0 37 24 8.1
00-01(6) ENFORCERS 6 1 1 2 -1 0 0 0 0 11 8 9.1
01-02(7) ENFORCERS 10 9 4 13 10 1 0 1 0 45 25 20.0
02-03(8) ENFORCERS 10 8 4 12 6 0 0 0 0 37 21 21.6
Pre-Season 61 26 20 46 4 4 0 2 0 201 122 12.9
Regular Season Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
95-96(1) RAPIDS 74 18 24 42 -4 3 0 1 0 149 150 12.0
96-97(2) RAPIDS 74 22 31 53 4 4 0 2 0 156 90 14.1
97-98(3) ENFORCERS 61 21 14 35 7 7 0 2 0 193 126 10.9
98-99(4) ENFORCERS 74 25 26 51 -27 9 0 3 0 225 130 11.1
99-00(5) ENFORCERS 84 27 27 54 2 5 0 3 0 236 177 11.4
00-01(6) ENFORCERS 76 23 32 55 -11 13 0 2 0 197 202 11.7
01-02(7) ENFORCERS 84 50 36 86 21 20 4 8 0 306 174 16.3
02-03(8) ENFORCERS 60 32 26 58 -4 13 0 5 0 223 157 14.3
Regular Season 587 218 216 434 -12 74 4 26 0 1685 1206 12.9
Play-Off Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
95-96(1) RAPIDS 4 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.0
96-97(2) RAPIDS 6 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 12 6 8.3
98-99(4) ENFORCERS 4 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 12 2 16.7
99-00(5) ENFORCERS 6 1 0 1 -2 0 0 0 0 15 9 6.7
01-02(7) ENFORCERS 5 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 10 4 10.0
Play-Off 25 5 4 9 -5 0 0 1 0 50 32 10.0
Olympic Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
97-98(3) RUSSIA 8 2 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 26 22 7.7
01-02(7) CCCP 6 3 3 6 -2 2 0 0 0 13 24 23.1
Olympic 14 5 4 9 0 2 0 0 0 39 46 12.8
All-Star Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
01-02(7) WALES 3 1 4 5 1 0 0 0 0 6 4 16.7
02-03(8) WALES 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 11 0.0
All-Star 6 1 4 5 1 0 0 0 0 9 15 11.1
(Donald S. Cherry Interviews The League...)
Edition #1: Pfizer, Cyber Cups, Salary Caps and M.V.P.'s...Let's Go!
Hello everyone, I'm Don Cherry and this is YSI. It's been a long time coming but we finally have gotten things together here and we hope you're ready for the first hard hitting edition of the show. We've gone around the league and asked questions to players, owners, general managers, and coaches. So here goes. The first question we posed to people around the league.
How do you feel about these new Pfizer stupid pills, and the GM's that use them?
"I think that the Western GM's are using far too many of them. Current sales graphs show that west of Manitoba they are huge sellers. While East of the Canadian Armpit sales are sluggish" Commented the president and CEO of Pfizer Canada. Well I don't wanna sound anti Western but facts are facts.
"I can't understand why any one would want to use them." one fan said at a recent Voodoo game. Apparently not everyone out west has been using them.
"Well the only guy using them at this point has to be Lemoine." These were comments made by Voodoo President and GM Darren Kinnaird. Well as a former employee of Mr.Lemoine's I must agree after all he did fire me.
"I'm not aware of any such product, I think most of the GM's down east are stupid all on their own." Lee McEwen, Edmonton Vikings GM. I think Lee has been using them so much that he has forgotten that he must be using them himself.
"Pfizer's 'stupid pills' have definitely made a lot of headlines lately; especially in regards to last weeks GM's meeting. Quite honestly, as a member of the media I love this stuff; it always gives us (the media) something to elaborate on, as well as poke fun at certain people in the WHL world." Michael Landsberg. As a member of the media I must agree with Mike on this one, they certainly have caused quite a stir as of late.
"I've heard rumblings that Pfizer is also coming out with another pill soon called 'reality-checks'; apparently Pfizer's 'reality-checks' will help your memory recall improve allowing for alternative interpretations to be seen as valid in whatever subject may be discussed... so I hear anyhow." Michael Landsberg. Well this is a product a lot of GM's in this league should use unlike the stupid pill.
Sparrows Forward Chad Kilger: "Some of these guys have not shown any signs of brains for years, so these pills or whatever aren't gonna change much..." Well Chad your play hasn't been good for years and I'm sure that things aren't gonna change either, using them might actually make you smarter.
"Kinnaird uses them to increase his intelligence...GM's can use all the performance enhancing drugs that they want...I use some in the gym (not steroids..ugh), so it's all good" Well the person that made these comments didn't want his identity to be given out see we'll just say that he is a prominent Gm in the league. As somebody who is not a fan of Darren I must say I can't agree with this GM more.
Who do you think will win the Cyber Cup this year, and why? That was the second question we asked of people from around the league. The answers to this one weren't as good but I'm sure you'll like some of them.
"There are a lot of quality teams in this league, and who knows how things will shake out at the deadline. It's too early to pinpoint a favorite but I like our chances if we can get healthy and make the playoffs." Lee McEwen, Edmonton Vikings GM. Honestly Lee what are you thinking? Have you not looked at the Voodoo and Bulls rosters lately? All I can say is good luck.
"I think it will be the Voodoo. They have the strongest offensive team and the best goaltending of the elite teams" These were comments from a homer fan of the Vancouver team but I'd have to say they do have the best chance of any team in the West.
"I'd have to say the Bulls. They have very strong position, and every position is rock solid. He's proven that he wants to win and I wish him luck. I'd like to special mention to Easton of the Cits. Since taking over his team, he's made great strides to improve his team. I don't think he ll win the cup, but his team should be improved." said and unnamed owner who didn't want anybody to know he wasn't picking his own team. By the way I didn't ask how Easton and the Citadelles were doing just who you thought would win the Cup. However I agree despite some problems with other GM's the Citadelles GM David Easton has done a good job so far running his hockey club, now back to the topic at hand who will win the Cyber Cup?
"I've been covering the Bulls for almost three seasons now, ever since the were bought and relocated back to Oakville, Ontario. Knowing the personnel and players like I do, I know that this team is more focused than ever before on trying to become the first back-to-back champs in history... Having said that the Voodoo are also a team in great shape for a legitimate Cup-run. I expect this year's final to be 'Bulls/Voodoo Part II' and I'm going to give the edge to the Bulls as they've already beaten up the Voodoo a couple times during the regular season this year, and as we know that means nothing come playoff time, but I believe that this team will be even better come the playoffs." Michael Landsberg. So Mike your gonna be a homer and say the Bulls will win this year. Well I'm gonna have to go against you and say that the Voodoo will not be playing the Bulls in the Finals but it will be the Stallions they face and the Stallions will win.
Sparrows Head Coach Guy Carbonneau: "Everyone hates them, but I think the Voodoo will win it" Guy why no faith in your own club? I have to say I hope Mike Hebert doesn't fire you for these comments.
"The Krushers, cuz I run them" Way to go out on a limb Golbez. Your team is so full of soft players with no heart you'll be lucky to get out of the first round.
So now onto a question that got some decent responses. What do you think needs to be changed the most with the league? I gotta tell you pretty much everyone gives the same answer but there is the odd different one so I think it's pretty clear what the league needs to work on.
"Some sort of equalization needs to take place. 6 teams control all the players. Something has to be done, and done now. It s ridiculous." Well these were comments made by a small market GM.
"A helping of the teams that need it. GM's that inherited bad teams should be given some help. GM's that have done nothing to make their teams better or have turned their teams into a pile of dung, should live with what they have and deal with it." Darren Kinnaird. Well I sort of agree with this statement however it is the wrong attitude to take Mr.Kinnaird this league is in a world of hurt right now, with the exception of a few teams.
"What needs to be changed well, how about the obstruction? They need to crack down on this. Also what is this two referee business people complained about one blind ref what is the need for two? The red line needs to be taken out to open up the game. Last but certainly not least the players nowadays are selfish overpaid underachieving whiny little bitches" commented a fan. Well Mr.Fan I believe the WHL has far bigger problems then obstruction, the red line, and the refs.
"Covering the WHL for as long as I have I've come to the conclusion that the WHL should alter some of the rules during games; instituting the hurry-up faceoff is one, another is taking out the center-ice line to allow the game to become even faster, and another is implementing the no-touch icing as we've seen a ton of guys go down with some pretty bad injuries over the year's here in the WHL." Michael Landsberg. These are all good points but again the league has bigger issues.
"As for issues revolving around league operations, obviously the need for parity in the WHL is more prevalent then ever before. Many of the WHL's GMs have publicly stated ways of helping out, but only a handful have been really seen as possibly viable options such as the incorporation of a Waiver Draft, a Salary Cap, and so forth." Michael Landsberg.
Sparrows GM Mike Hebert: "We need to find some way to balance the talent level."
Well it is obvious that parity in this league is a huge issue and the teams are struggling to rebuild and I must admit it is boring seeing 13-1 games every night. Well with a lot of people saying balance is a problem we asked; What do you suggest to help the league be more balanced?
GM Chris Kubinec: "This issue in the WHL today is not the ratings contrary to what some have publicly claimed; all teams could be rerated and we'd still have the same problem, even if we instituted a cap at the same time as the league-wide rerates, since team's are still going to be much worse then others..."
"Firstly, balance in a league can only truly be maintained through the work of GM's... period. If a GM doesn't feel the need to be very active or do much for his hometown fans, than so be it as they will feel the repercussions on and off of the ice."
"... in regards to the Waiver Draft idea that has picked up a ton of steam lately, I must say that it is a valuable option if done correctly... we could still use a cap after this if need be, but at this point in time I'm still refusing to make my final pitch as to where I stand on this issue..." Well Chris a waiver draft and or Salary cap both of these seem like interesting options for the league. However what good is a waiver draft without a cap? Wouldn't the league slowly just go back to the current state?
Sparrows GM Mike Hebert: "I have to say the salary cap is the only way I can see at this point." Well Mike I don't want to be critical of you or anything after all you do have a tough job as the commish of this league and having to deal with GM's with such strong views but I must say if it is the only way what is taking so long?
With Mike Hebert commenting that he thinks a salary cap is the only way he can see at this point of balancing out the talent we had to ask; Do you think people support a salary cap?
"Yes. It will spread out some of the talent in the league and maintain it at the same time." Brian Howe. Well Brian I have a great deal of respect for you saying this as your team would be one of the teams most affected by a cap.
"I absolutely support the cap. I'd even go further than that. IF there is no cap in place next season. They will be looking for a new Seawolves owner. It's completely crazy how much some teams have and how little others have. What fun is it for those "all-star" teams to win their games 16-1? How much fun do you think it is for those "minor league" teams to LOSE 16-1? The teams that sucks, have no chance to improve their teams as it is right now. What are we going to trade to get a good player? Those 6 teams have all the players that are worth having. Since we are playing with the Nhl season, meaning 1 WHL season equals 1 NHL season. What's it going to take me? 10 seasons to have my young guys develop? 10 years.. TEN ACTUALLY YEARS.. to actually have a chance of turning my team around? Come on guys. This should be an absolutely NO brainer. There HAS to be some sort of system in place so that a team can't have an all-star player in every position. Think of the league, and not your teams." Rob Sypes. Very strong words for Mr.Sypes. He obviously feels that he can no longer compete in this league if a Cap is not put in place. I don't blame Sypes for his comments and I wouldn't blame him for leaving the league either as nobody wants to spend years and years trying to rebuild and the fans certainly won't put up with it.
"Yes, I support a salary cap. I think that we're at that point where we need to do something to increase parity in the league and I think a cap is the easiest way to accomplish that" Commented another GM.
"I don't support a salary system, so of course I don't support a cap." Darren Kinnaird.
GM Chris Kubinec: "I've advocated the need for some sort of change to take place for a little while now so I obviously support the need for action to occur. Do I support a salary cap?, well it would depend at this stage; for one I have not been presented with any evidence to support just where exactly the cap should be drawn and why; secondly, I believe that big spending team like the Bulls, Corinths, Voodoo, etc. should be permitted to go over the cap if they want to... however, if a team goes over the cap they should be penalized in some small form such as the taking away of one or two of their rerates in the offseason depending on if they're like 6million over the cap or even higher..."
"Overall, the cap still needs some major tweaking done to fine tune the way it operates in the health of the overall league... I mean look at the MLB, teams like the Red Sox and Yankees are going to be over they're caps still, and will be forced to add money into revenue sharing funds... anyhow, for now I'll say that there's still a fair bit of discussion that needs to be done on this, and everyone needs to be heard."
Sparrows GM Mike Hebert: "Yes. As long as it is very simple and effective."
"Yes, if done right. Forces some parity and GM action" Jes Golbez.
Well it appears that the majority of responses support a cap. Obviously the league needs to determine how exactly it will work and what the numbers will be but by the looks of things we will see a salary cap in the near future. With all the talk about the negative let's look at some of the positives like; Who do you feel is the Most Valuable Player in the WHL?
"Joe Sakic. Never has anyone meant more to his team than this guy. He's led the team in scoring for five of the six seasons. And hold almost every team record and a few league records." Brian Howe. Well Brian of course you'd say that Sakic is your star player and while he does hold many records I must say that I think there are more deserving candidates this year.
"Tough call but I have to say that Yashin has impressed me this season. Imagine how good he would be if he were surrounded with better players. Others like Bertuzzi, Jagr, Zhamnov are also the kinds of players I wouldn't mind having on my team." WHL Scout.
"Yash (Alexei Yashin) is by far the MVP of the league. I don't think it's a coincidence that we haven't won since he went down with his injury. If anyone suggests otherwise, it is an insult to the league, its players and the fans." Lee McEwen, Edmonton Vikings GM
Sparrows GM Mike Hebert: "I hate the guy, but I have to admit that Alexei Yashin's numbers are the most impressive considering the team he plays for."
Alexei Yashin has had quite the season and I'd have to agree with those who picked him. While Yashin will likely lead the Vikings to the playoffs he isn't exactly a guy that likes pressure situations and tends to crumble in the playoffs is this the year Yashin can change that and maybe lead the Vikings to a long playoff drive? Other candidates I'd consider are Dwayne Roloson where would the Icedogs be without him maybe he'll earn the Vezina. Also Mario Lemieux has been great for the Saints. The last question we asked of the people was; If you had to rebuild your franchise who would be your first pick to build around?
"Geoff Sanderson. Truly one of the most under-rated players to lace them up. He is a defensive specialist, a sniper and a power forward all rolled into one. Has there ever been a player of this caliber in the game?" President of the Geoff Sanderson Fan Club based in Toronto. Well Sanderson is a good player but I'm not sure how long this guy would be around if he built his club around Geoff.
"Todd Bertuzzi" Vancouver fan Todd is certainly a great young player and not a bad choice I can't think of many players that would possible be better to build around.
"Rory Fitzpatrick. A defenseman that can control the game at both ends of the ice is very hard to come by. If not Rory, maybe Rod Brind'Amour who was only a 2nd liner when he was here in Edmonton but is now a dominant LW'er since Kubinec got ahold of him." Lee McEwen, Edmonton Vikings GM. Rory "James Norris" Fitzpatrick well while Rory is a solid Dman I'm not sure how I feel about Rory as the cornerstone of my franchise. Rod has certainly improved his game but not exactly the guy I wanna build around.
Sparrows GM Mike Hebert: "We don't care, as long as the guy can eat his fair share of poutine he'll fit right in on our team..." Well I didn't know that poutine was such a big part of hockey, maybe that explains why the Sparrows are slowly becoming an average team.
Michael Landsberg: "The key to rebuilding is not necessarily kids that are 19 and 20 years old as we've seen here in Oakville after they rebuilt their team quickly over just a year and a half's time... A team needs someone who is just come into their own and had demonstrated their abilities in all facets of the game. Having said that I would have to say that if I were rebuilding any team players of specific interest to me would have to be Jarome Iginla or Joe Thornton."
"Joe Thornton" Jes Golbez.
"I'd rebuild around Joe Thorton." WHL fan.
"Joe Thornton big, powerful and on the rise" WHL Scout.
Well all those people picking Joe Thornton, I 'd have to agree with them, Joe certainly is one of the best young up and coming players. Now having heard this I bet GM Chris Kordyback is talking trade with someone right now looking to move Joe "Franchise" out of Calgary. Well that's been the first issue of YSI for this year, look for the next issue soon as some of the possible topics will be Brian Howe's Mullet and the save the Mullet foundation. Rivalries between GM's and teams. Also Was Kordy the mystery man in Mississauga and where was commissioner Hebert for a week? So until next time this issue of YSI has been brought to you by Pfizer making the WHL GM's Dumb and Dumber.
(Special Articles From W.H.L. Members)
Who Was That Rastifarian?
by Al Stricken
First off a history lesson for you. Haile Selassie, whose previous name was Ras Tafari, was the Emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafarians say scriptures prophesised him as the one with "the hair of whose head was like wool (the matted hair of a black man), whose feet were like unto burning brass (black skin)". Selassie was not a Rastafarian himself. He was a devout Christian. In fact, no one is really sure what he thought of the whole Rastafarian movement. When a group of Rastas went to Ethiopia to honour him, an official of the palace told them to go away! (Sort of like what happened when Kordyback asked to come to the meeting in Mississauga.)
Having said all that. Who was that rastifarian at the Mississauga Icedogs game last week? You've all heard the rumours that it was in fact Chris Kordyback. Well, he has emphatically denied that he was dressed as a rastifarian while attending that game. And I think he is partially correct. I have spent the better part of a week trying to determine the whereabouts of Mr. Kordyback during that timeframe. Here's what I've found:
- I know that the Calgary franchise purchased a ticket from the Calgary International Airport to Pearson International Airport in Toronto on the Monday before the meeting.
- I know that Chris Kordyback was nowhere to be found in or around Calgary betweem Monday and Thursday of that week.
- I also know that a car was rented, one hour after the flight landed, from Rent-A-Wreck near Pearson Airport with a Calgary drivers licence. The young lad behind the counter would not let me look at the name on the licence however.
- We have six eye-witnesses to the rastifarian character at the Mississauga Icedogs game, we also have these two photos:
(Now the shading makes it a little difficult to make out who it is, but I've taken them to a photographer friend of mine who was able to extract some tell-tale signs. More on that later.)
Now putting two and two together gives us a pretty clear picture of what happened. Or does it? Sometimes things are not what they seem. And sometimes we see things differently than what they are, take that scam deal of Selanne to Montreal for example. Things are not always what they seem.
So, let's go back to those pictures again and take a closer look using the information that my photographer friend was able to extrapolate from the images I sent him. Here are some facts that he gave me regarding the character in the photo's:
- Based on known facts; the size of the head of the rastifarian definitely excludes it being Mr. Kordyback.
- The cameraman's physique and head size are EXACT matches for Mr. Kordyback.
Further evidence is shown in this photo manipulation:
And when compared to a file photo of Mr. Kordyback:
Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. The cameraman was Chris Kordyback, that was why he was able to emphatically deny that he was dressed as a rastifarian at that game. He wasn't. He was able to say with a clear conscience, and therefore rather convincingly, that he was not the rastifarian. So the question begs; Who was the rastifarian then? Has everyone forgotten that our Commissioner was also missing during that timeframe? That he mysteriously disappeared prior to the meeting and only popped up afterwards? Well, with a little more investigation we found out these facts:
- A ticket was purchased from the Bagotville Airport, the closest airport to Chicoutimi, to Pearson by the Sparrows organization.
- That a car was rented an hour later that same day from Rent-A-Wreck - what is it with these guys, can't afford a decent rental? - by a man with a Quebec licence (Again I could not get the name).
- The nose of the rastifarian is definiately the nose of a person of French heritage.(A quick lookup of the Hebert name garnered this information.)
Now you can put two and two together. Both Mr. Kordyback and Mr. Hebert attended that game and attempted to spy on the meeting. Further evidence is shown in this photo manipulation:
And when compared to a file photo of Mr. Hebert:
So there you have it. The mystery has been revealed and the facts are now known. The question remains, why? Why did these two conspire to sneak to Ontario? Why did they dress up in disguises and sneak into the Hershey center? What was their motivation? Is Mr. Hebert a practicing rastifarian? More of this story is yet to be revealed. My colleagues and myself will work tirelessly to get to the bottom of these questions next month.
(Who's available where? List of players known to be on the trading block)
Winnipeg Icedogs:
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
25 Denis Arkhipov 0 L C 5 7 6 6 9 8 7 6 7 6 6 73
17 Shawn Bates 1- R C 7 7 7 6 6 8 6 6 6 5 6 70
31 Kris Draper 1- L C 5 8 6 6 6 8 6 5 6 7 6 69
34 Peter Schaefer 0 L LW 5 6 6 6 9 8 6 6 6 5 6 69
5 Marek Malik 1+ L D 7 6 7 6 5 6 6 6 6 5 6 66
41 Dmitri Kalinin 0 L D 6 6 7 7 6 8 6 5 5 6 4 66
25 Petr Schastlivy 0 L LW 4 7 4 5 2 6 7 4 5 3 5 52
22 Tomas Kloucek 0 L D 9 5 7 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 3 57
k
Detroit Cougars:
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
94 Sergei Berezin 0 R LW 4 9 6 6 6 9 9 5 7 4 6 71
13 Sergei Nemchinov 0 L LW 5 6 7 5 6 8 6 5 6 6 5 65
12 Ty Jones 0 R RW 6 4 6 8 7 5 7 7 6 5 5 66
76 Jere Karalahti 0 R D 8 6 7 6 5 8 6 6 6 6 7 71
11 Shawn Horcoff 0 L C 4 8 7 5 8 9 9 6 6 7 6 75
47 Tom Chorske 0 R LW 6 7 7 7 7 9 8 6 7 6 7 77
6 Cameron Stewart 0 L LW 7 8 7 5 7 8 8 5 6 7 6 74
69 Robert Dome 0 L RW 8 7 6 8 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 77
31 Johan Holmqvist 0 L G 5 7 6 6 4 7 7 4 7 - - 53
Montreal Citadelles:
The GM is looking for solid DEFENSIVE D-men in particular, and could also use Goaltender depth, and a BIG checking Centre. If you need to add some depth, 2 for 1 deals will be accepted. Draft Picks will always be considered as well.
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
Ulf Dahlen 0 L LW 4 6 7 6 7 9 7 7 8 6 7 74
Alexander Kharitonov 0 R LW 3 8 3 5 6 9 8 6 7 4 5 64
Denis Pederson 0 L C 7 6 7 6 6 6 7 5 5 7 5 67
Claude Lapointe 0 L C 6 6 4 6 5 6 6 5 5 7 5 61
Dale McTavish 0 L C 6 6 7 5 5 7 5 4 5 5 5 60
John Emmons 0 L C 6 7 5 5 5 7 8 4 4 6 3 60
Robert Reichel 0 L RW 4 7 6 7 7 8 7 6 7 5 7 71
Shjon Podein 0 L RW 7 6 7 6 8 6 6 5 6 8 5 70
Chris Kenady 0 R RW 7 6 7 5 5 6 5 4 4 5 4 58
Bob Wilkie 0 R D 6 5 6 6 5 7 6 5 5 5 6 62
Pat Neaton 0 L D 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 7 4 5 62
Toronto Stallions:
Looking for a Defenceman or two.
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
19 Steve Yzerman 0 R C 5 8 6 8 8 6 8 9 9 6 8 81
24 Daniel Tkaczuk 0 L C 7 6 5 8 6 6 5 8 5 8 6 70
21 Geoff Sanderson 0 L LW 5 9 6 9 9 9 8 7 8 7 7 84
15 Miikka Elomo 0 L LW 8 7 5 5 5 3 7 6 6 6 6 64
12 Mike Grier 1- R RW 8 5 8 7 9 6 7 6 6 7 6 75
49 Vladimir Orszagh 0 L RW 7 6 5 6 8 7 6 6 6 6 6 69
8 Rory Fitzpatrick 0 R D 8 7 8 9 9 7 7 6 6 7 6 80
7 Deron Quint 0 L D 4 6 7 8 5 8 7 7 6 5 6 69
Most of the farm team
(With thanks to the following for their contributions)
Dave MacDougall (Was Omitted last week by mistake, my apologies)
Michael Hebert
Peter Nilsson
Chris Kubinec
David Easton
Andreas Larsson
Darren Kinnaird
Marc Hebert
Chris Kordyback
Jes Golbez
Lee McEwen
