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Yearbook 1997-98
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.
All that's missing is Mile High toughness
The Colorado Avalanche’s bid for a dynasty died a quick and nasty death in 1996-97. Injuries, a bit of complacency and a Detroit Red Wings team on top of its game did in the Avs’ hopes for a second straight Stanley Cup. Despite winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season, the Avs looked anything like a championship team in the playoffs. There were too many games where they were dominated and even though they never quit, they ended up a far cry from the machinelike outfit that won the Cup its first year in Denver. The question becomes, can Colorado get back to its Mile High achievement of 1995-96? The answer is yes. Any team with superstars such as Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy will always be among the favorites. And with one of…
These guys very good, but are they great?
Change has not been kind to the New Jersey Devils. As they distance themselves from their one and only Stanley Cup in 1995, the Devils seem to be losing, and not replacing, the ingredients necessary to win again in the 20th century. With a team built around all-stars such Martin Brodeur and Scott Stevens, coach Jacques Lemaire still has a club classified as a contender. But it is a team which may lack the components which separate a very good team from a championship team. Since 1995, the Devils have traded and not adequately replaced at least three key players. No one has provided the heart and grit right winger Claude Lemieux gave them in 1994 and 1995 before he angered management by taking the organization to arbitration over a contract dispute. They no…
Avalanche will rumble again
It all seemed so easy, so right-almost enough to make you think they’ll do it again in 1997-98. They’ll try, of course. They’ll say they have no less motivation to win just because the curse is broken, that they have more reason to succeed as proof it was no once-every-four-decades fluke. Ultimately, they’ll fail. As sure as the missing tooth in Steve Yzerman’s Stanley Cup smile, the championship won’t be back in Detroit next year. Here’s why: ❑ No two-time lucky The last NHL team to repeat was the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992. Since then, six different teams have won the Cup, the first time that has happened since the 1930s. ❑ Parity The league is almost evenly split between those teams that have a realistic chance of winning the Cup and those…
MARIO JR. TO JAROMIR SR.
Jaromir Jagr is a gambling man. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ star right winger loves to spend time in the casino and is not shy about discussing strategy and predictions concerning the National Football On the ice, he can make plays out of situations that look like dead ends. His spectacular puckhandling and speed allow him to take chances where others would dump it in. Jagr has been a sure bet for the Penguins in his seven NHL years, but now the stakes have changed. Entering 1997-98, the guy believed to be the most dominant 1-on-l player in the game gets a chance to do something else that normally accompanies a player of his talent: become the undisputed leader of his team. Without Mario Lemieux, Jagr moves into a power position on the team. No…
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