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Yearbook 2003-04
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’s Riot on the Western Front
You can view them as the final desperate acts of dynasties refusing to fall without a struggle. Or maybe the off-season moves of Detroit and Colorado underscored why the two teams have remained at the top of the Western Conference for the length of the current collective bargaining agreement. So both went out of the playoffs early. So what? The Red Wings merely signed Norris Trophy finalist Derian Hatcher from Dallas and forked over more money to bring back Dominik Hasek. And for a bargain price, the Avalanche reunited Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya on ‘Team Baizley.’ Either the past few months marked a changing of the guard or a pair of empires striking back. But without a doubt, the landscape of the West changed dramatically in 2002-03. Since the 1995 lockout, the West…
Peaking Duck
The Devils were holding the Stanley as Cup high the standards Jean-Sebastien Giguere set all spring, leaving his eyes even redder than a light behind Roman Cechmanek. This was no time for the just-named fifth MVP in Stanley Cup history to come from the team to losing be doing any cartwheels; good thing for him he wasn’t called upon. One of the NHL’s tightest secrets - that the Mighty Ducks had one of its best goalies - was out from Game 1 of the first round when Giguere not only could have stopped the Red Wings all night, but, in 63 shots in three overtimes, saving actually did. The dirtiest little secret of the 2003 playoffs, however, was held in the household, where it is Giguere whispered that the 26-year-old detonator…
Washington hopes for Capital offense
The question surrounding the Washington Capitals on a daily basis last season was which club would show up - the one strongly committed toa team or one game that would go through the motions? The same question remains this season, but the situation is far more worrisome. On the plus side, the Capitals finally realized they didn’t possess endless fire-power, four lines so were designed with that in mind. This season, it is hoped two lines will produce offense, a third will successfully check the opposition’s top line and the fourth will create some havoc. On the negative side, it was rare last season when all four units performed as designed. But more importantly, the defense corps needs to be rebuilt, virtually from the ground up. Calle Johansson, one of the best all-around…
‘I want to score the winner’
All he could do was sit. And watch. And hope. And - as difficult as it was - understand begrudgingly that his day would eventually come. For a lot of kids in their first semi-final Game 7, the safest place in the world would be on the bench. You might not score, but then again, there’s no way you’d make a mistake and screw up your team’s chances of getting to the Stanley Cup final, either. That was the furthest from thing Jason Spezza’s mind as the clock ticked down with his Ottawa Senators tied 2-2 with the New Jersey Devils, the winner earning a berth in the final against Anaheim. When you’re a “special” player, a highly publicized phenom who has been in the public eye since you were 14 years…
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