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May 1, 1991
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
NORDS ON LIFE SUPPORT SINCE TRADING HUNTER
The Quebec Nordiques died of cardiac arrest on June 13, 1987, the day they traded Dale Hunter, the heart of the franchise. Ever since, they haven’t made the playoffs. This past season, they finished dead last in the NHL for the third consecutive year, thus becoming the first franchise since the entry draft was instituted in 1968 to select No. 1 three years running. Barring a major surprise, Eric Lindros will complete the hat trick. Lindros; Owen Nolan; Mats Sundin; Joe Sakic; Curtis Leschyshyn; Ron Tug-nutt and Stephane Fiset. Ladies and gentlemen, meet les Nordiques de Quebec of the 1990s. The Nordiques are dead; long live the Nordiques. But who, or what, killed the Nordiques of the 1980s? How did the club get so rotten in the first place? Bad trades?…
DEFENSE REMAINS PRIME OBJECTIVE
There was a time when general manager Mike Smith made almost all the draft decisions while he was assistant GM of the Winnipeg Jets. Now, he makes next to none. The credit belongs to director of scouting Bill Lesuk. “I still resent people saying I drafted Keith Tkachuk (19th in 1990),” Smith said. “I never saw him play. Bill Lesuk drafted him. “I’m involved in the draft, but we’re not going to pick some John Doe because I saw him play one game rather than pick a guy they (scouting staff) have seen all year.” Last June, the Jets broke a pattern of selecting major-junior players in the first round, something they had done in 10 of 11 previous drafts. Instead, they made Tkachuk their first-ever first-rounder from a United States high school. And with…
GOALIE POOL SHALLOW, TALENT OVERSEAS DEEP
This is not the Year of the Goaltender. In our annual survey of NHL scouts, The Hockey News found it difficult to find one who was excited about this year’s crop of netminders. There was virtually no consensus. For every scout who was intrigued by a specific netminder, there were three who had no interest in him at all. As a result, it was impossible to include even one goalie in our top-44 ranked prospects. Which may be a mistake. Traditionally, NHL clubs will start taking netminders in the second round. Once one team claims one, the trend is usually for several more to follow. Also, goaltenders could be taken in the second round because the scouts didn’t seem too enamored of the overall talent pool of skaters from the middle of the…
GM REPORT CARDS
His critics said Gerry McNamara was misguided. McNamara said he was misunderstood. His record said he didn’t miss very often during the first three rounds of the entry draft. The former general manager may have made a lot of enemies in the Toronto media but he also made a lot of good draft choices for the Maple Leafs from 1982 through 1987. It didn’t save his job but it should allow him to save face more than three years after being fired as GM. An analysis of the nine entry drafts from 1980 through 1988 reveals McNamara has much of which to be proud. He had the best record of any GM in the league—past or present—for picking NHLers during the first three rounds. An astounding 78 per cent of his choices in…
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