The National Strat-O-Matic Hockey League Newsletter League established May 1, 1997 Volume #4, Issue #12 - February 15, 2000 ************************************************************************** Current League Officers: Commissioner: Doug Norris (303-492-3692) Vice-Commissioner: Andy Bartalone Email List Administator: Andy Bartalone Email the whole league: mailto:nshl@buser.net NSHL Chat List: mailto:nshlchat@buser.net League Web Site: http://amath.colorado.edu/math/student/norrisdt/nshl/nshl.html ************************************************************************** A LOOK BACK: The Rush-Henrietta Comets recorded a perfect 5-0 week, and look like they have every intention of making the race in the Northeast a close one. Goaltender Fred Brathwaite was marvelous in the Comet net, recording three shutouts. The Seattle Rainiers also had a perfect week (3-0-3), running their four-week undefeated streak to 7-0-5. Credit timely goal scoring and the improved offense of wing Adam Deadmarsh, acquired last fall for Alexei Kovalev. On the other side of the ledger, the second-year Detroit LugNuts continue to struggle, going 0-5-1 and giving themselves an eleven-point cushion in the "race" for the first overall selection. Insider sources say Detroit is considering either Scott Gomez, Roberto Luongo or Maxim Afinogenov for the #1 pick. Also treading water this week are the St. Michael's Privateers, who went 1-7, falling eight points into the Atlantic Division basement. ************************************************************************** A LOOK AHEAD: Divisional play continues this week. A most interesting three-way race between Fort Garry, Seattle and Vancouver is heating up in the Western Division, as all three teams have been hot since the all-star break, and no team looks like they'll slow down. The Seattle-Vancouver home-and-home should be especially intriguing; neither team has lost on their home ice in the three years of the matchup. Quebec and Cabbagetown meet this week; the two teams are on the cusp of postseason action, and neither team wants to sit home, especially the surprising Sphinx, who de facto declared themselves out of the race when they traded all-world goaltender Dominik Hasek last fall but continue to fight for a berth. Detroit visits Toronto in a battle of the league's bottom two teams; Toronto pundits are already sarcastically referring to it as the [Scott] "Gomez Cup". ************************************************************************** NEW INJURY LIST: I've made one change to the reporting of injuries in the biweekly newsletter - new additions to the list are marked with a "*". With this additional information, an owner can update their MIS even if they're not paying attention very closely. Enjoy! ************************************************************************** FOUR WEEKS UNTIL TRADE DEADLINE: The trading deadline this season is at the end of Week 23/24; that is, March 13 at 10 p.m. MST exactly. There will be no exceptions to this rule; I must have confirmation by both owners, either on my office voicemail (303-492-3493), or by e-mail, or the deal will be null and void. Any questions regarding this rule, please ask. Rumours of talented players on non-playoff teams being moved to Cup contenders continue to swirl. Top names mentioned are Brooklyn's Adam Oates (possibly going to Lyndonville?), Detroit's Stu Barnes, and Fresno's Joe Murphy (both rumoured to be headed to Capital City). Of course, rumours being what they are, take caution., ************************************************************************** IMPORTANT LEAGUE DATES: February 16: Week Twenty-One begins (MIS are due). February 28: Week Twenty-One GRS due to league office. March 1: Week Twenty-Three begins. March 13: Week Twenty-Three GRS due to league office. March 13: NSHL TRADE DEADLINE (10 p.m. MST) - NO EXCEPTIONS! ************************************************************************** WEEK TWENTY-ONE/TWENTY-TWO SCHEDULE: (Week 21/22 is a 2-3-1 week for fatigue purposes). Florida at Baltimore Buffalo at Lyndonville Manayunk at Baltimore Long Island at Lyndonville St. Michael's at Baltimore Rush-Henrietta at Lyndonville Buffalo at Brooklyn Florida at Manayunk Long Island at Brooklyn New Jersey at Manayunk Lyndonville at Brooklyn St. Michael's at Manayunk Brooklyn at Buffalo Detroit at Montreal Long Island at Buffalo Quebec at Montreal Rush-Henrietta at Buffalo Toronto at Montreal Detroit at Cabbagetown Baltimore at New Jersey Montreal at Cabbagetown Manayunk at New Jersey Toronto at Cabbagetown St. Michael's at New Jersey Fort Garry at Capital City Cabbagetown at Quebec Fresno at Capital City Montreal at Quebec Seattle at Capital City Toronto at Quebec Cabbagetown at Detroit Brooklyn at Rush-Henrietta Montreal at Detroit Buffalo at Rush-Henrietta Quebec at Detroit Lyndonville at Rush-Henrietta Baltimore at Florida Baltimore at St. Michael's Manayunk at Florida Florida at St. Michael's New Jersey at Florida New Jersey at St. Michael's Capital City at Fort Garry Fort Garry at Seattle Seattle at Fort Garry Fresno at Seattle Vancouver at Fort Garry Vancouver at Seattle Capital City at Fresno Cabbagetown at Toronto Fort Garry at Fresno Detroit at Toronto Vancouver at Fresno Quebec at Toronto Brooklyn at Long Island Capital City at Vancouver Lyndonville at Long Island Fresno at Vancouver Rush-Henrietta at Long Island Seattle at Vancouver ************************************************************************** WEEK NINETEEN/TWENTY RESULTS: Brooklyn 2, at Baltimore 1 Detroit 2, at Baltimore 2 (OT) Fort Garry 7, at Baltimore 3 Montreal 0, at Brooklyn 0 (OT) MON Patrick Roy - twenty-six saves BRK Olaf Kolzig - twenty-seven saves Manayunk 1, at Brooklyn 2 BRK Rob Blake - game-winning goal, assist MAN Viktor Kozlov - goal BRK Dainius Zubrus - goal Seattle 5, at Brooklyn 3 BRK Jan Hrdina - two goals, assist SEA Adam Deadmarsh - two goals SEA Radek Dvorak - two goals Detroit 2, at Buffalo 4 DET Joe Juneau - two goals BUF Viktor Kozlov - goal, assist, +2 BUF Blair Atcheynum - game-winning goal Fort Garry 7, at Buffalo 5 FGF Saku Koivu - three goals, +3 BUF Rob Niedermayer - two goals, assist BUF Joe Sakic - goal, two assists, nine shots on goal Florida 3, at Buffalo 1 FLO Ed Belfour - thirty-seven saves, 6/6 GR FLO Joe Nieuwendyk - game-winning goal, assist BUF Jason Arnott - goal Fort Garry 2, at Cabbagetown 1 [played by J.J. Schrems] CRR Ron Tugnutt - thirty-two saves FGF Mattias Ohlund - game-winning goal FGF Richard Smehlik - goal Florida 4, at Cabbagetown 1 FLO Ed Belfour - thirty-one saves FLO Joe Nieuwendyk - goal, two assists FLO Petr Sykora - power-play goal, assist Brooklyn 3, at Cabbagetown 7 CRR Theoren Fleury - two goals, assist CRR Mats Sundin - two goals, assist CRR Scott Stevens - goal, assist Detroit 2, at Capital City 5 Florida 2, at Capital City 2 (OT) Brooklyn 1, at Capital City 2 Seattle 3, at Detroit 1 SEA Stephane Fiset - twenty-seven saves, 4/5 GR SEA Eric Desjardins - two assists DET Marco Sturm - shadowed Jagr well, goalie rating Long Island 3, at Detroit 2 LIB Jeremy Roenick - goal, eight shots DET Marco Sturm - held Selanne to one ES shot LIB Sergei Fedorov - goal, intimidation Manayunk 4, at Detroit 2 MAN Dixon Ward - two goals, including GWG and SHG MAN Shawn Chambers - goal, assist DET Radek Bonk - SH goal, defensive leader Montreal 3, at Florida 5 FLO Martin Straka - goal, assist FLO Joe Nieuwendyk - goal, assist FLO Claude Lemieux - goal, assist Long Island 3, at Florida 1 LIB Nikolai Khabibulin - twenty-five saves, 5/6 GR LIB Steve Rucchin - two goals LIB Teemu Selanne - two assists Seattle 2, at Florida 2 (OT) SEA Norm Maracle - 8/9 GR FLO Jeff Hackett - thirty-two saves, 7/9 GR FLO Michael Peca - goal Long Island 2, at Fort Garry 2 (OT) FGF Adam Graves - two goals LIB Nikolai Khabibulin - thirty-two saves, 11/12 GR FGF Dominik Hasek - thirty saves, 4/5 GR Montreal 5, at Fort Garry 3 MON Mark Recchi - two goals MON Vincent Damphousse - goal, assist FGF Jere Lehtinen - two assists Manayunk 1, at Fort Garry 5 FGF Alexei Yashin - two goals, assist FGF Eric Lindros - two goals FGF Ray Bourque - goal, assist Cabbagetown 1, at Fresno 2 VOF Andrew Cassels - two goals VOF Ken Wregget - thirty saves CRR Robert Reichel - goal Buffalo 3, at Fresno 2 BUF Joe Sakic - two goals BUF Alexei Zhamnov - goal, assist VOF Sergei Samsonov - goal Baltimore 2, at Fresno 2 (OT) VOF Shawn McEachern - game-tying goal BAL Mike Richter - thirty-two saves VOF Sergei Zubov - goal, assist Fresno 4, at Long Island 3 (OT) [Week 17/18, played by Scott Shigemi] VOF Valeri Bure - two goals, including GW goal, two assists VOF Eric Desjardins - goal, three assists VOF Curtis Joseph - thirty-five saves, 7/10 GR St. Michael's 2, at Long Island 7 [Week 17/18] LIB Jeremy Roenick - three goals, assist LIB Teemu Selanne - goal, assist LIB Steve Rucchin - goal, assist Vancouver 3, at Long Island 1 VAN Brett Hull - game-winning goal VAN Byron Dafoe - twenty-nine saves LIB Kyle McLaren - goal New Jersey 2, at Long Island 5 Quebec 3, at Long Island 4 Baltimore 2, at Lyndonville 5 [Week 17/18] LYN Bill Guerin - game-winning goal, assist BAL Mike Johnson - short-handed goal, assist LYN Martin Lapointe - goal, assist Cabbagetown 2, at Lyndonville 3 [Week 17/18] NJR Ray Whitney - game-winning goal CRR Pierre Turgeon - goal NJR Darryl Sydor - goal Toronto 0, at Lyndonville 2 LYN Alexei Kovalev - game-winning goal LYN Steve Shields - eighteen saves, shutout, 3/3 GR LYN Alexander Korolyuk - two assists Fresno 2, at Lyndonville 3 LYN Miroslav Satan - goal, two assists, twelve SoG VOF Shawn McEachern - two goals LYN Alexander Korolyuk - goal, two assists St. Michael's 2, at Lyndonville 3 (OT) LYN Miroslav Satan - game-winning goal, assist STM Mike Keane - two goals LYN Alexander Korolyuk - two assists Vancouver 3, at Manayunk 1 VAN Roman Hamrlik - two assists VAN Scott Niedermayer - game-winning goal MAN Guy Hebert - twenty-five saves, 5/6 GR Quebec 1, at Manayunk 2 MAN Jay Pandolfo - goal MAN Mike Grier - goal QPS Kent Manderville - goal Lyndonville 1, at Manayunk 2 MAN Manny Legace - twenty-one saves, 5/5 GR LYN Mike Dunham - thirty-six saves, 8/10 GR MAN Viacheslav Kozlov - goal New Jersey 0, at Montreal 0 (OT) NJR Dan Cloutier - twenty-four saves, shutout, 3/3 GR MON Patrick Roy - fifteen saves, shutout, 1/1 GR NJR Chris Therien - four shots on goal, 1 GR Vancouver 1, at Montreal 2 VAN Byron Dafoe - twenty-nine saves, 7/9 GR MON Keith Primeau - game-winning goal, seven shots, 3 GR MON Patrick Roy - nineteen saves, 3/4 GRL Lyndonville 2, at Montreal 1 LYN Alyn McCauley - eight shots, 2 GR MON Patrick Roy - twenty-eight saves, 7/9 GR LYN Marcel Cousineau - sixteen saves, 1/2 GR Capital City 2, at New Jersey 3 [Week 17/18] CCC Greg Adams - two goals NJR Jason Allison - power-play goal, assist NJR Sergei Berezin - game-winning goal Toronto 3, at New Jersey 2 [played by Scott Shigemi] TOR Bobby Holik - two goals, assist TOR Paul Kariya - goal, assist TOR Martin Brodeur - thirty-three saves, 3/5 GR St. Michael's 2, at Quebec 5 [played by J.J. Schrems] QPS Robert Lang - two goals, assist QPS Rod Brind'Amour - two goals STM Dallas Drake - two goals Rush-Henrietta 4, at Quebec 0 RHC Fred Brathwaite - thirty saves, shutout RHC Brendan Shanahan - goal, assist RHC Stephane Quintal - goal, assist Fresno 1, at Quebec 2 QPS John LeClair - goal, assist QPS Trevor Kidd - twenty-six saves VOF Jamie Heward - goal Baltimore 4, at Rush-Henrietta 6 RHC Brendan Shanahan - two goals, two assists RHC Sergei Krivokrasov - game-winning goal, assist BAL Kip Miller - goal, assist Cabbagetown 0, at Rush-Henrietta 3 RHC Fred Brathwaite - twenty-three saves, shutout, 6/6 GR RHC Scott Young - two goals RHC Sergei Krivokrasov - game-winning goal Capital City 0, at Rush-Henrietta 1 RHC Fred Brathwaite - twenty-two saves, shutout, 6/6 GR RHC Gary Roberts - game-winning goal CCC Tommy Salo - thirty-two saves, 5/5 GR Brooklyn 0, at St. Michael's 4 [Week 17/18, played by Steve Kramer] STM Rem Murray - short-handed goal STM Joel Bouchard - goal Buffalo 4, at St. Michael's 2 [played by Steve Kramer] Cabbagetown 2, at St. Michael's 0 [played by Steve Kramer] Capital City 6, at St. Michael's 5 [played by Steve Kramer] Lyndonville 3, at Seattle 4 SEA Jaromir Jagr - goal, two assists SEA Doug Gilmour - game-winning goal, assist LYN Keith Carney - two assists New Jersey 2, at Seattle 2 (OT) NJR Sergei Berezin - two goals SEA Stephane Fiset - thirty-six saves, 5/6 GR NJR Jason Allison - two assists Quebec 2, at Seattle 2 (OT) QPS Dominic Roussel - twenty-six saves, 5/6 GR QPS Benoit Hogue - game-tying goal SEA Tomas Sandstrom - power play goal, 1 GR and 2 SPL Buffalo 5, at Toronto 2 BUF Yanic Perreault - goal, two assists TOR Bobby Holik - two goals BUF Jason Arnott - goal, assist Capital City 3, at Toronto 0 CCC Tommy Salo - thirty-five saves, shutout CCC Patric Kjellberg - game-winning goal CCC Alexander Mogilny - goal Baltimore 3, at Toronto 2 (OT) BAL Niklas Lidstrom - two goals, including OT game-winner TOR Martin Brodeur - thirty-seven saves BAL Valeri Kamensky - goal Rush-Henrietta 2, at Vancouver 1 (OT) RHC Gary Roberts - goal, numerous intimidations VAN Byron Dafoe - twenty-seven saves, 4/4 GR RHC Brendan Shanahan - game-winning overtime goal St. Michael's 1, at Vancouver 3 VAN Donald Audette - two goals VAN Byron Dafoe - twenty-two saves, 4/4 GR STM Terry Yake - goal Toronto 2, at Vancouver 2 (OT) TOR Martin Brodeur - thirty-four saves, 8/9 GR VAN Byron Dafoe - thirty-two saves, 6/7 GR TOR Hnat Domenichelli - goal ************************************************************************** NSHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK / GOALIE OF THE WEEK: THE NOMINEES: SEA Adam Deadmarsh - after his slow start with the Rainiers, the left wing powered his way to five goals and four assists, as the Rainiers remained undefeated for a second consecutive bi-week. FGF Saku Koivu - although often injured, you cannot doubt the Finn's prowess when able to play. Koivu capped off a great week with a three-goal performance in Buffalo, earning his Crabs a 7-5 win. LYN Miroslav Satan - there were a number of quality candidates from the Blades' 5-2 week (Brown, Korolyuk), but the driving force behind Lyndonville's Farley Cup charge has been Miro. Four goals and four assists have helped propel the Blades into the #11 seed in the playoffs (for now). RHC Brendan Shanahan - The oft-travelled portsider had a four-point night to power his Comets past the Baltimore Clippers; overall, Shanahan was one of the catalysts in the Comets' perfect (5-0) week. AND THE PLAYER OF THE WEEK IS: Deadmarsh. If the Rainiers are going to scare anyone in the playoffs, they need to have a second scoring winger that can take some of the pressure off Jaromir Jagr. Can Deadmarsh be that man? NSHL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Week 1/2: Teemu Selanne, RW, Long Island (4G, 6A, +7) Week 3/4: Craig Conroy, C, St. Michael's (3G, 11A, +4) Week 5/6: Steve Yzerman, C, Florida (6G, 3A, 3GWG, +6) Week 7/8: Jaromir Jagr, RW, Seattle (5G, 5A) Week 9/10: Jeff Friesen, LW, Vancouver (5G, 2A, +4) Week 11/12: Joe Sakic, C, Buffalo (6G, 4A) Week 13/14: Peter Bondra, RW, Brooklyn (9G, 4A) Week 15/16: Ray Bourque, D, Fort Garry (2G, 6A, +5) Week 17/18: Scott Young, RW, Rush-Henrietta (6G, 3A, +4) Week 19/20: Adam Deadmarsh, LW, Seattle (5G, 4A) THE NOMINEES: RHC Fred Brathwaite - critics panned the Comets when they used a high draft choice on Brathwaite last summer, but Brathwaite, with his 5-0 record this bi-week, has answered every one of them. 112 saves on 117 shots (.957), with three shutouts. VAN Byron Dafoe - with a tough race in the West, the Scouts have had to count on solid goaltending, and "Lord Byron" is holding up his end of the bargain. In five games, Dafoe allowed seven goals on 133 shots (.947), going 3-1-1 as the Scouts charge towards the playoffs. MAN Manny Legace - the diminutive backup once again got the job done in limited action for the Bullies. Playing twice, he allowed three goals on forty-seven shots (.937 sv%), and for the season, he is now at 7-3-1. LYN Steve Shields - the first GotW awarded this season, Shields had another strong week at the helm of the Blades. Recording three wins in three games, Shields allowed four goals on 65 shots, including one shutout. AND THE GOALIE OF THE WEEK IS: Brathwaite. It's tough to argue with perfection, and Brathwaite was perfect three times in the past two weeks. It's up to him to unseat the Berskerers as the powers in the Northeast. NSHL GOALIES OF THE WEEK: Week 11/12: Steve Shields, Lyndonville (2-0-1, 0.33 GAA, 98.6% sv, 2 ShO) Week 13/14: Nikolai Khabibulin, Long Island (5-0-1, 3 ShO) Week 15/16: Arturs Irbe, Buffalo (4-1-1, 96.5% sv, 0.99 GAA, 3 ShO) Week 17/18: Tommy Salo, Capital City (3-1-1, 94.8% sv, 1.38 GAA, 1 ShO) Week 19/20: Fred Brathwaite, Rush-Henrietta (5-0-0, 1.40 GAA, 95.&% sv, 3 ShO) ************************************************************************** 1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS: NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS PCT GF GA HOME ROAD IP Long Island Berserkers 59 38 14 7 83 0.703 202 137 21- 6- 3 17- 8- 4 -3 Rush-Henrietta Comets 59 32 20 7 71 0.602 148 134 20- 7- 3 12-13- 4 0 Buffalo Bulldogs 60 29 24 7 65 0.542 168 138 15-13- 2 14-11- 5 -4 Lyndonville Blades 60 25 28 7 57 0.475 145 152 14-14- 2 11-14- 5 0 Brooklyn Gulag 60 18 30 12 48 0.400 141 170 12-10- 8 6-20- 4 2 ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS PCT GF GA HOME ROAD IP Florida Hellcats 60 36 15 9 81 0.675 190 135 15- 9- 6 21- 6- 3 4 Manayunk Bullies 60 25 26 9 59 0.492 116 126 17-10- 3 8-16- 6 -4 Baltimore Clippers 58 21 27 10 52 0.448 146 166 12-11- 5 9-16- 5 7 New Jersey River Rats 58 23 29 6 52 0.448 149 168 16- 9- 3 7-20- 3 2 St. Michael's Privateers 59 19 34 6 44 0.373 130 161 16-10- 3 3-24- 3 1 WESTERN DIVISION GP W L T PTS PCT GF GA HOME ROAD IP Fort Garry Fiddler Crabs 60 36 17 7 79 0.658 211 152 20- 7- 3 16-10- 4 -.5 Seattle Rainiers 60 31 15 14 76 0.633 169 134 15- 7- 8 16- 8- 6 N/A Vancouver Scouts 60 33 20 7 73 0.608 168 128 20- 6- 4 13-14- 3 -2 Capital City Cougars 60 27 23 10 64 0.533 147 142 21- 4- 5 6-19- 5 -1 Vultures of Fresno 59 16 32 11 43 0.364 128 160 11-13- 6 5-19- 5 -5 CENTRAL DIVISION GP W L T PTS PCT GF GA HOME ROAD IP Montreal Wanderers 59 25 23 11 61 0.517 130 134 16- 7- 7 9-16- 4 3 Quebec Polar Sphinx 60 24 29 7 55 0.458 122 130 15-12- 3 9-17- 4 5 Cabbagetown Red Rockets 60 22 29 9 53 0.442 137 155 14-10- 6 8-19- 3 0 Toronto Arenas 60 17 35 8 42 0.350 133 188 7-20- 3 10-15- 5 0 Detroit LugNuts 59 14 41 4 32 0.271 132 202 10-19- 1 4-22- 3 -4 ************************************************************************** TEAM HISTORIES - MANAYUNK BULLIES: by Lee Yelshin NSHL Team History: Manayunk Bullies GENERAL MANAGER: Lee Yelshin HEAD COACH: Lee Yelshin ASSISTANT COACHES: Pele and Scutter, my cats (chief duties: scattering the cards and swatting dice across the room) CAPTAIN(S): Derek Plante (1997-98), Steve Heinze (1998-99), Slava Kozlov (1999-2000) HOME: Manayunk, PA (a suburb to the west of central Philadelphia) HOME ICE: FU (First Union) Center in Philadelphia, formerly the Ralston Purina RJR Reynolds Kate Smith Memorial Center First Season I was talked into joining the inaugural season of the NSHL by Andy "would you like screen doors for that submarine" Bartalone. This earned him the everlasting ire of my wife (this is not true). I received my game and cards shortly before the season started, but after the draft. I read the rules, played three face-to-face preseason games, and then it was time to put the rubber on ice... Immediately the Bullies engaged in a neck-and-neck race with Andy's St. Michaels' team for last place. By the time the season ended, that honor was firmly in my grasp. High points: I did well against eventual-champion Brooklyn, and managed to beat almost all of the other teams at least once. I even managed to pick up my first shorthanded goal as the season drew to a close. Second Season Now that I know what the ratings mean ("He has a four offense, but why does he have such bad shooting columns?"), I did a bit better job drafting than I did last year. I didn't do to well trading, though, as both Dimitri Khristich and Brendan Shanahan exploded point-wise soon after I let them go. On the other hand, I got rid of Alexandre Daigle while he was still worth something. Flirting with .500, Manayunk finished the season a comfortable 12th. Not too shabby. The Bullies even had two shorthanded goals. Steve Heinze's 30 goals were double the next highest goal scorer on the team (Rolston, with 15), and his 43 points well exceeded the next closest players (Craven and Nicholls with 28 each, and Chambers and Brisebois with 29 each). The sore spot for me was 113 lost games to injuries, with LD's Chambers and Sweeney leading the way with 17 and 16. I was scrapping the barrel for left defensemen all season. Third Season Just before the season started, I traded hot property Brian Rolston for Mark Tinordi, Slava Kozlov, Steve Dubinsky and BUF#3. All three of these players earn regular spots in my MISs. I then traded power play monster Victor Kozlov for my #1 center Mark Messier and desperately needed left and right defender Janne Niinimaa. Good trades? Bad trades? They brought me players I needed. And for once, I've kept my first and second round draft picks (and picked up some extras). My forecast: this is my first "rebuilding" (or "building") year. If some of my young defenders pan out, I can pick up some offensive talent in the next draft. If not, then I can still draft defenders and a few forwards. Keeping with what has become a Bullies tradition, last year's team captain, Steve Heinze, will not see any ice time this season. In fact, he was traded for picks that I'll desperately need to replace my aging defenders. Derek Plante and Tony Granato, both major players during the Bully's first season, sat out season 2 to return to my "top 18" skaters during 1999-2000 (actually, Plante is actually #19, as he's my #4 center but will have to sub often for part-timers Craven and Granato). We've just hit the halfway point of the season. I've been above .500 for a couple of bi-weeks, and have even made the "If the Playoffs Started Today" list. Much better than I expected. I'm guessing its due to two things: Intimidation and Hebert. There's nothing like good intimidation numbers (and a little luck) to keep the opponent off the scoreboard (by preventing the shot) - especially when you have to play an aggressive 3/2 offense (I don't have the penetration or passing to depend on outside shots). If the shot is rolled, Hebert has really been there for the team. Last season, he played 42 games for a .920 save percentage (much better that his card). With 40 games played this season, he's at .932. With a fatigue of 10 and able to play the whole season, he eats, sleeps, a goes to the pot in the net. But even when Hebert was injured for six games, Manny LeGace filled in respectfully. It's a shame he's off the roster with four games played in 99-00. Season Four As each season approaches, the most difficult questions are: will my marginal players be carded, and what will all my players' defense ratings be? These questions have proven to be almost impossible to guess. I took a hit on the defense ratings during season three, and I wonder if my aging defenders are keeping up in 99-00. Ten of my players are off their team's rosters, including Manny LeGace and five defensemen. Still, there's plenty of season left. Brisebois should have a great card if he comes back from his injury, and both of my backup goalies have played four games. They're all just a couple of games from the minimum needed to be carded (no guarantee, though). ************************************************************************** TEAM REPORTS - LYNDONVILLE BLADES: Youth Movement Nets a Positive Gain in Standings by Mark McNeil After Week 7/8 the Blades were sitting in a last place overall tie with the LugNuts at 15 points and had made just one move obtaining Alexei Kovalev in return for Adam Deadmarsh which did not appear to be making a difference. After Week 9/10, the team had fallen even further with just 18 points in 30 games and in last place out of 20 teams. At that point, management was thoroughly disgusted with the team and changes had to be made. In came Alexander Korolyuk, Brian McCabe and Martin Lapointe, out went Todd Marchant, Marcus Ragnarsson and Rem Murray and with them went the teams defense first attitude. Week 11/12 saw the Blades put up 11 of a possible 12 points and also add Michal Handzus in a look to the future, jumping the Blades all the way up to 16th overall and just 5 points from a playoff spot. By the midpoint of the season the Blades had put up another 8 points in 6 games with no further moves and the team was now within 3 points of a playoff spot at midseason after being in last place overall just 18 games earlier. Week 15/16 saw the addition of Jamie Langenbrunner and the subtraction of Vaclav Varada, yet more offense for defense and the team stumbled a bit, putting up just 3 points including a loss to the last place LugNuts and management became a bit nervous again. But Week 17/18 the team turned it up again, putting up 9 points and tying thing up for the last playoff spot meeting management's first goal of getting back in the playoff race and just 6 games under .500. In the current week the Blades have gone 4-2 and 8 points should put them solidly in a playoff spot for now. The teams next goal is to move their way up and try and get home ice advantage in the first round, meaning they must currently catch the Buffalo Bulldogs, sitting in 8th place overall, the last home ice spot in round 1. The resurgence of Miro Satan and the steady offense from Curtis Brown and Bill Guerin are a main reason the team has been able to turn things around. Timely goals from the other 8 forwards that play regularly and the occasional marker from the point men will keep the teams playoff dreams alive and once we get there it's a brand new season! ************************************************************************** TEAM REPORTS - SEATTLE RAINIERS: Deadmarsh Turns On Heat by Doug Norris When the Seattle Rainiers sent long-time forward Alexei Kovalev packing this past November, in exchange for mercurial wing Adam Deadmarsh, they weren't quite sure who was going to arrive at Sea-Tac International Airport: the gritty, determined power forward that takes the punishment in front of the net, the easy-to-rile player that takes dumb penalties out of frustration, or the underperforming winger who hangs out on the edge of the action. Things did not bode well the first few months of the deal, as both Deadmarsh and the team struggled. However, in the past month, Deadmarsh has broken out in a big way: with two goals in a 5-3 win at Brooklyn, Deadmarsh now has twenty-two, including five this week. "Adam is finally playing like the player we saw in junior hockey," said general manager Doug Norris. "He goes to the net, and waits for things to happen. If things don't happen of their own accord, he makes them happen." It doesn't hurt that he's playing with two forwards (centre Jozef Stumpel, and first-year sensation Chris Drury) that suit his style. "Joe likes to pass, and I like to get passes," Deadmarsh joked. "Chris always seems to know where to be - he's going to be a great player for a long time." And how does Deadmarsh feel about leaving northern New York? "I enjoyed my time in Lyndonville, and I got to play with some great players, but I'm a west-coast kind of guy. I need the wide open spaces, and it's an easy drive to visit my family in B.C.. Could you print that I miss the guys there, but that I'm happy where I am?" Count on it. ************************************************************************** INCENTIVE POINTS: Incentive points are not discretionary, and must be applied per the Constitution. However, all IP are subject to appeal by the Review Board. Appeal must be in writing, by the defending party, before the newsletter immediately following the IP award. IP penalties for Week 19/20 will occur in the next newsletter. BAL: 2 IP, late Week 17/18 results. BAL: -1 IP, playing Week 17/18 BRK@STM. BAL: -3 IP, playing Week 19/20 @STM. LIB: 2 IP, late Week 17/18 results. LYN: 1 IP, late Week 17/18 result. NJR: 2 IP, late Week 17/18 results. STM: 2 IP, late Week 17/18 results. DET: -1 IP, playing Week 19/20 TOR@NJR. MAN: -2 IP, team history LYN: -1 IP, team report ALSO: J.J. Schrems: credit for 3 league games played. ************************************************************************** MISSING GAMES: The following games, according to the league office, have not been played. Please let me know their status as soon as possible, in order that I may assign them to others if necessary. WEEK GAME 17/18 Long Island at Baltimore 17/18 Montreal at Baltimore 17/18 Detroit at St. Michael's 19/20 Fresno at New Jersey 19/20 Rush-Henrietta at New Jersey ************************************************************************** IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY: (Fifty-five points are necessary for a postseason berth) FIRST ROUND BYES: #1 Long Island Berserkers #2 Florida Hellcats #3 Fort Garry Fiddler Crabs #4 Montreal Wanderers FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS: #12 Quebec Polar Sphinx at #5 Seattle Rainiers #11 Lyndonville Blades at #6 Vancouver Scouts #10 Manayunk Bullies at #7 Rush-Henrietta Comets #9 Capital City Cougars at #8 Buffalo Bulldogs EARLY SUMMER VACATIONS: #13 Cabbagetown Red Rockets (two points out) #14 New Jersey River Rats (three points out) #15 Baltimore Clippers (three points out) #16 Brooklyn Gulag (seven points out) #17 St. Michael's Privateers (eleven points out) #18 Vultures of Fresno (twelve points out) #19 Toronto Arenas (thirteen points out) #20 Detroit Lugnuts (twenty-three points out) ************************************************************************** NORRIS POWER INDICES: Norris Power Indices (NPI) are a measure of a team's strength (similar to Jeff Sagarin's power ratings). In summary, the NPI of a team is the number of goals they should be favoured by in a neutral-site game against an "average" opponent. ## TEAM NPI LW 1. Long Island Berserkers 1.269 1 2. Fort Garry Fiddler Crabs 0.990 3 3. Florida Hellcats 0.941 2 4. Vancouver Scouts 0.748 4 5. Seattle Rainiers 0.613 5 6. Buffalo Bulldogs 0.515 6 7. Rush-Henrietta Comets 0.445 7 8. Capital City Cougars 0.150 8 9. Quebec Polar Sphinx -0.020 9 10. Lyndonville Blades -0.035 13 11. Montreal Wanderers -0.035 10 12. New Jersey River Rats -0.251 15 13. Manayunk Bullies -0.279 11 14. Cabbagetown Red Rockets -0.381 14 15. Baltimore Clippers -0.432 12 16. St. Michael's Privateers -0.515 16 17. Vultures of Fresno -0.604 18 18. Brooklyn Gulag -0.689 17 19. Toronto Arenas -0.959 19 20. Detroit LugNuts -1.470 20 ************************************************************************** ASSOCIATE LIST: SINCE GP Jason Liddicoat (jjlidder@hotmail.com) March 1999 7 Lance Milligan (coachm@home.com) July 1997 4 J.J. Schrems (jjschrems@email.msn.com) January 2000 3 Bill Muller (WJMIIIREP@aol.com) October 1998 0 Thomas Manna (samanna@acsu.buffalo.edu) October 1998 0 Roy Lamphier (lamphier@ibl.org) October 1998 0 Andrew Smith (crimsonace@yahoo.com) March 1999 0 Tim Lewis (pilarlopez@netzero.net) April 1999 0 George Ruse (rawpower14@aol.com) August 1999 0 Carl (missongear@aol.com) August 1999 0 Mike Steudle (plutodong@aol.com) September 1999 0 Patrick Brassard (bras@videotron.ca) November 1999 0 Paul Westover (pwestover@primary.net) November 1999 0 Jean-Paul Leboeuf (jeanpaul.leboeuf@sympatico.ca) November 1999 0 Rob Ortiz (ortizr@enterprise.navy.mil) November 1999 0 If you're still an active associate, and aren't on this list, please get in contact with me. Thanks! Doug ************************************************************************** INJURIES: (note: for easier reading, "Week 9" refers to the bi-week beginning with week nine, etc.) Injuries new to this newsletter are prefaced by a "*" BAL - Dave Andreychuk out through Week 25, and Week 27 road games. -*Sergei Gonchar out Week 21, and Week 23 home games. -*Valeri Kamensky out Week 21, Week 23 road games, Week 23 vs. Fresno and Week 23 vs. Rush-Henrietta. -*Kirk Maltby out Week 21 home games, and Week 21 at Florida. BRK -*Kevin Dineen out Week 21. BUF -*Ed Jovanovski out Week 21 vs. Brooklyn, and Week 21 vs. Long Island. -*Daniil Markov out Week 21 road games, Week 21 vs. Brooklyn and Week 21 vs. Long Island. FLO -*Joe Reekie out Week 21 at Baltimore. -*Jiri Slegr out Week 21 home games. -*Scott Walker out Week 21 vs. Baltimore. LIB -*Wendel Clark out Week 21 at Lyndonville. LYN - Lubos Bartecko out Week 21 road games, and Week 21 vs. Buffalo. -*Mike Dunham out Week 21 home games, and Week 21 at Brooklyn. -*Sami Salo out Week 21 road games, Week 21 at Brooklyn and Week 21 at Long Island. MAN - Rich Brennan out through Week 25, and Week 27 at Florida. - Murray Craven out through Game Two, FCQF. -*Mark Messier out Week 21 road games, and Week 21 vs. Florida. -*Rumun Ndur out through Week 27. -*Derek Plante out Week 21, Week 23 home games and Week 23 at Lyndonville. NJR -*Bruce Gardiner out Week 21, Week 23 road games and Week 23 vs. Seattle. -*Marian Hossa out Week 21 at Florida and Week 21 at St. Michael's. -*Mike Vernon out Week 21 home games. RHC -*Mats Lindgren out Week 21 vs. Brooklyn and Week 21 vs. Buffalo. STM - Jan Bulis out through Game Three, FCQF. -*Jassen Cullimore out Week 21 vs. Baltimore and Week 21 vs. Florida. - Peter Schaefer out through Week 23, and Week 25 road games. CCC -*J.J. Daigneault out Week 21 home games, Week 21 at Fort Garry and Week 21 at Fresno. -*Tommy Salo out Week 21 home games, and Week 21 at Fort Garry. CRR - Dimitri Mironov out through Week 23. DET - Petr Nedved out Week 21 road games. FGF -*Dominik Hasek out Week 21 home games, Week 21 at Capital City and Week 21 at Fresno. -*Richard Smehlik out Week 21 home games. MON -*Sebastien Bordeleau out Week 21 road games. -*Patrick Roy out Week 21. QPS - Jeff Beukeboom out Week 21 home games, and Week 21 at Toronto. - Steve Chiasson out through Week 25, and Week 27 vs. Toronto. -*Robert Lang out Week 21 vs. Cabbagetown. -*Alexander Selivanov out Week 21 vs. Cabbagetown. - Tim Taylor out Week 21. SEA - Dave Babych out through Game Five, FCFR. -*Adam Deadmarsh out Week 21 road games, Week 21 vs. Fort Garry and Week 21 vs. Fresno. - Nathan Lafayette out Week 21 road games. TOR -*Bobby Holik out Week 21 at Cabbagetown. -*Craig Johnson out Week 21 road games, and Week 21 vs. Cabbagetown. -*Oleg Kvasha out Week 21 home games, and Week 21 at Cabbagetown. VAN - Sandis Ozolinsh out through Week 23, Week 25 road games and Week 25 vs. Quebec. VOF -*Andrew Cassels out Week 21 at Capital City. - Janne Laukkanen out Week 21 road games, and Week 21 vs. Vancouver. -*Joe Murphy out Week 21 vs. Capital City and Week 21 vs. Vancouver. (note on playoff injuries: each round is designated as follows... FCFR: Farley Cup First Round, FCQF: Farley Cup Quarterfinals, FCSF: Farley Cup Semifinals, FCF: Farley Cup Finals) ************************************************************************** TRANSACTIONS: Transactions are announced weekly in the newsletter based on confirmations received throughout the week. BRK - SIGN Jim McKenzie. - SIGN Jason Dawe. - RELEASE Matt Johnson. ************************************************************************** League Governing Boards Responsibilities of the following governing boards are outlined in the Constitution. Review Board Tom Vinacci, Buffalo Bulldogs Patrick Shea, Long Island Berserkers Mark McNeil, Lyndonville Blades Constitutional Council Head: Patrick Shea (isles2@idt.net) Doug Norris, Commissioner Andy Bartalone, Vice-Commissioner Lance Milligan, Fresno Owner Dean Engemoen, Vancouver Owner **************************************************************************