Richter, Leetch lead impressive spring sweep

Mike Richter and Brian Leetch are the only New York Rangers left from the last team to play the Islanders in a playoff series. That was 1990, when Richter went 3-0 in a five-game, first-round victory, and Leetch missed the series with a broken ankle. In the latest Battle of New York, the two most senior Rangers were also the most dominant. Richter posted back-to-back shutouts to open the series, and allowed a total of three goals in the four-game sweep. Leetch led the team in scoring with two goals, both winners, six assists and was tops in plus/minus at plus-11. He was on the ice for 18 of the Rangers’ 22 goals. “You need to have your best players playing their best,” said coach Mike Keenan. Not only were his best players…

Coaches, GMs recognize net worth

Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres became the first goalie in 20 years to post a sub-2.00 goals-against average. Arturs Irbe of the San Jose Sharks led his team to an unexpected playoff berth. John Vanbiesbrouck was the driving force behind the Florida Panthers’ landmark year. Montreal Canadiens’ Patrick Roy was, well, Patrick Roy. Goaltenders throughout the NHL were contributing and responding to the dramatic decrease in scoring in 1993-94. The league’s coaches and general managers recognized that fact when they cast their ballots in our annual survey. A record 29 coaches and GMs participated and 25 of them chose a goalie as their MVP. Here’s how they voted in each of the five categories: Player most valuable to his team: Vanbiesbrouck was more popular with management than the players, earning 16 of 29 votes…

Oilers’ Arnott best rookie? Is so

Vanbiesbrouck BEST GOALTENDER Hockey analysts devoted a lot of time trying to determine how the Florida Panthers became the best expansion team in NHL history. Great coaching, shrewd player recruitment, adherence to a successful defensive strategy and good goaltending were all cited. Those were contributing factors, concedes John Vanbiesbrouck, but there was one key element. “Great luck,” he said. “In each game, it seemed things started to go our way early. That helped our confidence. We felt we could be competitive.” Getting the first goal was critical for the Panthers; they went 30-12-12 in games they scored first. In many cases, however, it was a case of not allowing the first goal. That’s where Vanbiesbrouck came in. Opponents recognized that and voted Vanbiesbrouck the best goalie in the NHL. He out-polled Buffalo Sabre Dominik Hasek…

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE