The National Strat-O-Matic Hockey League Newsletter League Established May 1, 1997 Volume #7, Issue #25 - June 17, 2003 ************************************************************************** Current League Officers: Commissioner: Doug Norris (303-492-3493) Vice-Commissioner: Eric Goodman Email List Administator: Steve Kramer Email the whole league: mailto:nshl@thalia.org NSHL Chat List: mailto:nshlchat@thalia.org Web Page Administrator: Brian Leahy League Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/nshlweb ************************************************************************** HAIL TO THE CHAMPIONS: In a surprising five-game outcome, Mark McNeil's Lyndonville Blades captured their first-ever Farley Cup with a four-games-to-one decision over the Topeka Scarecrows. The first postgame presentation from commissioner Doug Norris went to Lyndonville's outstanding wing, Miroslav Satan, the winner of the 2003 Jean Beliveau Trophy as most valuable player in the Farley Cup playoffs. Satan brought his game to another level during the postseason, tallying fourteen goals (six of those shorthanded) and eleven assists, while racking up a very-respectable +22 plus-minus. Although voting results for the Beliveau Trophy are not made public, it is believed that Satan won a tight victory against his goaltender, Sean Burke, who was nearly impenetrable in the Finals. After the obligitory photo opportunities, it was time for the main event. Following a few short words of congratulations to both rosters, Norris handed the Cup to team captain Rhett Warrener, who triumphently hoisted the shiny (ooh, shiny...) Cup before passing it along down the line. Aside from a raucous gathering of approximately two thousand partisan Blades fans who made the trek in hopes of witnessing such an event, the Cup celebration was met with polite applause by the Topeka faithful. Opined Walter Turner of nearby Lawrence: "This just makes us want to be right back here again next year, with a better result, of course." The Blades, who had a very respectable 21-13-5-2 recond away from upstate New York this past season, earned victories in Topeka in both Game One and Game Five. "I think it's probably easier to win on the road," noted defenseman Bryan McCabe. "At home, you have to deal with all of the distractions - the ticket requests, the media, traffic. On the road, you're at the hotel, and then you're at the rink. It would have been nice to lift the Cup in front of our fans, though." That begs the question, however, of just whose fans the Blades will be lifting the Cup in front of. Although a parade is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, with celebrations both in Lyndonville and nearby Rochester, the underlying rumours of owner Mark McNeil's departure remain. Team officials had no comment regarding those rumours. Congratulations, once again, to the Blades on their first Farley Cup title, to the Scarecrows for providing a valiant opponent, and to the fourteen other squads (and Scott Shigemi) that helped to make this year's playoffs go off nearly hitch-free. ************************************************************************** WELCOME TO CHRIS MALITSKY Chris Malitsky has joined the NSHL as our newest associate. He joins Ryan and Jason in our ever-growing league, which now stands at twenty-seven members (its largest ever). It reminds me of, back in the day (1996), when we had to settle for a fifteen-team league because that was all we could find, and how much we've grown as a group. Even when owners leave our league (always a sad occassion), they usually make it a point to mention to me how great our owners are, and I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for doing your part to make our league as attractive as it is (va va va voom). Anyhow, welcome Chris (cmalitsky@comcast.net) into the fold, and may he have many productive seasons with us (although I call dibs on the next Farley Cup). ************************************************************************** HOUSTON OUTLAWS 2002-03 YEAR-END WRAP UP Eric Goodman, Houston owner Houston started the season strong, before enduring a late-season collapse and eventually bowing out to the veteran Topeka Scarecrows in the Western Conference finals. A move toward youth after the new year brought in a number of prospects and young players, but it remains to be seen whether the team's few remaining veterans can provide the necessary focus and leadership for the next few season. The future may be bright with players like David Legwand, Patrik Stefan and Jeff Jillson waiting in the wings - but can the team tread water long enough for them to find their niche? Top Forward: Daymond Langkow Daymond Langkow came to Houston in December and shared the number one center role with Patrik Elias, scoring 23 goals in 52 games and playing in every game situation. Langkow's great season helped to offset the loss of Forsberg somewhat, as the Edmonton native adapted well to his position of 'go-to' guy. Top Defenseman: Nicklas Lidstrom It's like a broken record, but Lidstrom has been the Outlaws go-to guy on defense for at least the past two years. He lead the team in assists and ice time, and though his goal totals were down he quarterbacked the Outlaw's 8th ranked power play and played against the opposition's top line night in and night out. "Charlie Hustle": Scott Hartnell Hartnell had only one goal in 25 games for Toms River, but caught fire when he came to Houston. The youngster had 19 goals in 52 games for the Outlaws, and found himself playing against other teams' top lines night after night while killing penalties and seeing spot duty on the second power play unit. His high-energy approach to the game won over fans instantly and his on-ice effectiveness won over the coaching staff. Biggest Overachiever: Langkow Pre-season prognosticators had predicted that he wouldn't break the 30-goal mark, but Langkow led the team with 42 tallies on the season (including his time in Brooklyn). Only Elias saw more time on the penalty kill, and Langkow's four shorthanded markers tied for second on the team. Biggest Underachiever: Curtis Joseph CuJo had his worst season in a Houston uniform, barely breaking the .900 save percentage barrier and managing to come out only two games over .500 on the season. The former (and disputed) Beliveau Trophy winner didn't make nearly as many game-saving stops as he has the past two years, and rumor has it that his time in Texas may be coming to an end. Fan Favorite: Brendan Morrow Young Brendan barely beat out midseason acquisition Hartnell for this one, and the two hard-skating and harder-hitting wingers will anchor the Outlaws checking line for years to come. Team MVP: Nicklas Lidstrom When your leading scorer is a defenseman, it either says something about how good the blueliner is or how poor your forwards are. Houston fans like to believe that Lidstrom's second straight season leading the Outlaws in points is indicative of the Swede's all-world talent, not a lack of supporting cast. Lidstrom picked up another Orr Trophy and a first-team All-Star position. Without Nick, this team wouldn't be going anywhere. Turning Point of the Season: Peter Forsberg injury announcement When Houston forward Peter Forsberg announced at the beginning of training camp that he was going to miss most or all of the 2002-2003 season, a collective sigh went up from Outlaws fans. The loss of their captain and top-line center shifted the team from contender to pretender status, and sent management into a frenzy of rebuilding moves. Forsberg had hoped to return in time for the playoffs, and was furious when he was told he wouldn't be allowed to suit up in the postseason. Expect the all-world center to take his frustration out on opponents next season. Best Personnel Move: BRK deal on 12/15 & STM deal on 12/16 (Tie) Mid-December brought the two trades that helped the Outlaws out the most in the short term: (1) David Tanabe and Houston's first round pick this season to the Gulag for Andrei Nikolishin, Matthias Timander and Brooklyn's lottery pick and (2) Tony Amonte to St. Michaels for Daymond Langkow, Andrew Ference and the Privateer's 4th rounder. The players acquired in both deals stepped right into the Houston lineup, and Brooklyn's pick moved up to 3rd overall in the draft lottery. Worst Personnel Move: TRL & DVD deals, both on 3/24(Tie) In a short-term sense, the worst move by management was also a tie, this time between (1) the trade of Dallas Drake, Andrei Nikolishin and Ossi Vaananen to Toms River for David Legwand, Andrei Zyuzin and the Lightning's 1st round pick and (2) sending Jon Klemm to Drayton Valley for Jeff Jillson and a 5th rounder. Both trades will help the Outlaws over the next few years, but effectively hamstrung the Outlaws for the end of the regular season and the playoffs. Trading four of their top eighteen skaters and only getting one roster player in return sent Houston into a tailspin over the last month of the season and left them with far too little depth to compete with Topeka in the conference finals. ************************************************************************** DIVISION CHANGES The Commissioners' office plans to have a 2003-04 divisional alignment in place by the end of the month. If you plan to move your team's location, or if you'd like to request a division change for your team, please let me know as soon as possible. Calgary (Toronto) will most assuredly be moving westward, as well as Minneapolis (Greensboro), with Toms River moving east. And, as always, I'll post a rough draft of the alignment to the list before making any permaneny changes. ************************************************************************** FINAL REGULAR SEASON LEAGUE STANDINGS: NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T OL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road x-Long Island Berserke 82 54 19 8 1 117 0.713 284 197 26- 8- 6- 1 28-11- 2- 0 x-Buffalo Bulldogs 82 52 22 7 1 112 0.683 277 191 27-10- 3- 1 25-12- 4- 0 x-Lyndonville Blades 82 46 23 10 3 105 0.640 306 216 25-10- 5- 1 21-13- 5- 2 x-Corner Creek Green C 82 45 27 7 3 100 0.610 268 234 28- 9- 3- 1 17-18- 4- 2 Brooklyn Gulag 82 27 33 15 7 76 0.463 203 245 16-15- 6- 4 11-18- 9- 3 New York Lancers 82 14 67 0 1 29 0.177 136 296 9-31- 0- 1 5-36- 0- 0 ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T OL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road x-Montreal Wanderers 82 48 16 14 4 114 0.695 251 178 22-11- 6- 2 26- 5- 8- 2 x-Quebec City Patriote 82 42 28 8 4 96 0.585 234 205 23-11- 4- 3 19-17- 4- 1 x-Florida Hellcats 82 40 28 10 4 94 0.573 263 223 23-16- 2- 0 17-12- 8- 4 x-St. Michael's Privat 82 36 27 13 6 91 0.555 222 218 18-12- 9- 2 18-15- 4- 4 Manayunk Bullies 82 31 36 13 2 77 0.470 206 224 17-18- 5- 1 14-18- 8- 1 Greensboro Gunners 82 15 49 14 4 48 0.293 154 265 11-23- 6- 1 4-26- 8- 3 NORTHWEST DIVISION GP W L T OL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road x-Seattle Rainiers 82 42 33 6 1 91 0.555 217 222 23-15- 3- 0 19-18- 3- 1 x-Toms River Lightning 82 39 35 5 3 86 0.524 272 255 22-15- 2- 2 17-20- 3- 1 x-Drayton Valley Drill 82 35 33 10 4 84 0.512 252 256 14-18- 7- 2 21-15- 3- 2 x-Fort Garry Fiddler C 82 37 36 7 2 83 0.506 240 237 21-15- 4- 1 16-21- 3- 1 Seattle Sasquatch 82 35 35 8 4 82 0.500 235 239 20-16- 3- 2 15-19- 5- 2 Vancouver Whitecaps 82 9 63 5 5 28 0.171 138 329 5-30- 3- 3 4-33- 2- 2 CENTRAL DIVISION GP W L T OL Pts Pct GF GA Home Road x-Topeka Scarecrows 82 54 21 7 0 115 0.701 294 189 26- 9- 6- 0 28-12- 1- 0 x-San Francisco Hedgeh 82 41 31 8 2 92 0.561 254 252 22-13- 5- 1 19-18- 3- 1 x-Toronto Arenas 82 40 31 9 2 91 0.555 257 234 22-13- 4- 2 18-18- 5- 0 x-Houston Outlaws 82 42 35 3 2 89 0.543 272 242 19-20- 1- 1 23-15- 2- 1 Capital City Cougars 82 31 42 8 1 71 0.433 254 281 19-16- 5- 1 12-26- 3- 0 Hampton Roads Hounds 82 28 41 7 6 69 0.421 222 283 14-19- 3- 5 14-22- 4- 1 ************************************************************************** #1W TOPEKA SCARECROWS vs. #4E LYNDONVILLE BLADES (Farley Cup Finals) Lyndonville 3, at Topeka 2 (OT) [Game One, Farley Cup Finals] LYN Miroslav Satan - two goals, including goal at 9:30 of overtime TPK Adam Oates - game-tying goal late in third, shorthanded assist LYN Sean Burke - thirty saves, 11/12 GR Lyndonville 2, at Topeka 3 [Game Two, Farley Cup Finals] TPK Adam Deadmarsh - game-winning power-play goal, assist LYN Miroslav Satan - two goals LYN Sean Burke - thirty-seven saves, 9/11 GR Topeka 2, at Lyndonville 5 [Game Three, Farley Cup Finals] LYN Miroslav Satan - two goals, assist LYN Sean Burke - twenty-eight saves, 11/13 GR TPK Brian Leetch - two goals Topeka 5, at Lyndonville 6 (OT) [Game Four, Farley Cup Finals] LYN Todd Bertuzzi - four goals LYN Marek Malik - goal at 8:00 of overtime TPK Ulf Dahlen - three assists Lyndonville 2, at Topeka 1 [Game Five, Farley Cup Finals] LYN Sean Burke - twenty-eight saves, 8/8 GR TPK Tommy Salo - twenty-nine saves, 7/7 GR LYN Mats Sundin - game-winning power-play goal ************************************************************************** NORRIS POWER INDEX: Home-Ice Advantage is currently estimated at: +0.161 goals ## TEAM P-RATE 1. Topeka Scarecrows 1.378 2. Lyndonville Blades 1.282 3. Buffalo Bulldogs 0.989 4. Long Island Berserkers 0.959 5. Montreal Wanderers 0.942 6. Corner Creek Green Calves 0.596 7. Florida Hellcats 0.589 8. Quebec City Patriotes 0.480 9. Houston Outlaws 0.416 10. St. Michael's Privateers 0.263 11. Toronto Arenas 0.203 12. Toms River Lightning 0.042 13. San Francisco Hedgehogs 0.009 14. Fort Garry Fiddler Crabs -0.051 15. Drayton Valley Drillers -0.094 16. Seattle Rainiers -0.124 17. Seattle Sasquatch -0.137 18. Manayunk Bullies -0.210 19. Capital City Cougars -0.250 20. Brooklyn Gulag -0.436 21. Hampton Roads Hounds -0.779 22. Greensboro Gunners -1.372 23. New York Lancers -2.115 24. Vancouver Whitecaps -2.579 LEAGUE FILES ARE CURRENTLY AT: Tom Vinacci has graciously set up NSHL league files for our usage at and they can be found at: http://www.highrantdistrict.com/SOM/NSHL/ Please let Tom or I know if you have any concerns. ************************************************************************** INCENTIVE POINTS: ACCUMULATED IP: BUF: -2 IP CCC: -2 IP CGC: -11 IP DVD: 2 IP GRG: 1 IP HOU: -4 IP STM: 2 IP SFH: 1 IP SES: -23 IP TPK: 1 IP TRL: 1 IP TOR: 1 IP VAW: -8 IP ************************************************************************** ASSOCIATE LIST: SINCE GP Ryan Barckert May 17, 2003 0 Jason McCorrister May 20, 2003 0 Chris Malitsky June 17, 2003 0 If you're still an active associate, and aren't on this list, please get in contact with me. Thanks! Doug ************************************************************************** TRANSACTIONS: CCC - TRADE VAW#4 to MIN for Garth Snow. - RELEASE Nelson Emerson, Stephane Richer and Dave Manson. DVD - TRADE Garry Valk, Darby Hendrickson and Brent Gilchrist to MIN for Peter Skudra and DVD#8. FLO - TRADE Jeff Hackett to HRH for Theoren Fleury and HRH#3. - TRADE Kirk Muller to FLO for TRL#7. HRH - TRADE Theoren Fleury and HRH#3 to FLO for Jeff Hackett. HOU - TRADE Boyd Devereaux and HOU#5 to MIN for Travis Green. MIN - TRADE Josh Green and Ilya Bryzgalov to NYL for Dan Bylsma and NYL#7. - TRADE Peter Skudra and DVD#8 to DVD for Garry Valk, Darby Hendrickson and Brent Gilchrist. - TRADE Travis Green to HOU for HOU#5 and Boyd Devereaux. - TRADE Marty Reasoner to STM for Krystofer Kolanos. - TRADE TRL#7 to FLO for Kirk Muller. - RELEASE Bob Corkum, Andrei Nazorov, Mike Wilson, Juha Ylonen, Eric Boulton, Darren Langdon, David Harlock, Jarno Kultanen, Marc Moro, Todd Rohloff, Pavel Kolarik, Uwe Krupp and Brian Holzinger. - TRADE Garth Snow to CCC for VAW#4. NYL - TRADE Dan Bylsma and NYL#7 to MIN for Josh Green and Ilya Bryzgalov. STM - TRADE Krystofer Kolanos to MIN for Marty Reasoner. ************************************************************************** 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 Eric Goodman, Vice-Commissioner Andy Bartalone, St. Michael's owner Lance Milligan, associate **************************************************************************