It Was Best and Worst of Seasons

Pittsburgh Penguin center Mario Lemieux came back from a year’s medical leave and was as good as ever. And the Ottawa Senators were as bad as ever.

Some things in the NHL never change.

But other things changed dramatically during the recently-completed season, including the status of eight coaches and four general managers.

Wayne Gretzky changed teams, going from the Kings to St. Louis, and a change in ownership of the Stanley Cup was ensured when the New Jersey Devils, who bored opponents into submission with their neutral zone trap, became the first defending champions to miss the playoffs since the 1969-70 Montreal Canadiens.

Even the addresses of several teams changed as the Montreal Canadiens left the Forum for the Molson Centre--nicknamed the Keg--in March and the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning all opened new arenas or said farewell to their old ones.

Following a directive designed to cut down on obstruction fouls, referees early in the season called anything that vaguely resembled a penalty. By midseason, they reverted to letting anything short of ax murder go unpunished in the third period.

Here’s a look at this season’s winners and losers.

WINNERS

--The Detroit Red Wings won a record 62 games, but anything less than the Cup will be a failure for Scotty Bowman’s crew.

--Lemieux made an incredible return from back woes and Hodgkin’s disease. In 70 games, he scored a league-high 69 goals, tied teammate Ron Francis for the league lead with 92 assists and held off teammate Jaromir Jagr in winning his fifth scoring title with 161 points.

--The Philadelphia Flyers beat out the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the East. Goalie Ron Hextall confounded his critics and Eric Lindros reaffirmed his leadership ability.

--The Colorado Avalanche made the NHL’s return to Denver a success, thanks to bold trades for Patrick Roy, Claude Lemieux and Sandis Ozolinsh.

LOSERS

--New Jersey Coach Jacques Lemaire had great goaltending and defense but didn’t use that defense as a foundation for an offense. He gave his players no offensive freedom, which they resented, and their morale dissolved. No creativity meant no goals, no playoff spot and no Cup repeat.

“It’s not the result of [Saturday’s season-ending loss to Ottawa] or the last 10 games. It’s the result of the whole year,” center Bobby Holik said.

He’s right. The Devils missed Claude Lemieux, who was traded to Colorado after a contract dispute; defenseman Bruce Driver, who signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent, and assistant coach Larry Robinson, who had bridged a communication gap Lemaire couldn’t cross.

“There has to be a lack of leadership,” Lemaire said of the Devils’ elimination.

On a team in which personalities weren’t allowed to develop and he set himself up as the leader, he incriminated himself.

--The New York Islanders’ defense and goaltending were as awful as their new fisherman logo.

--Feeble goaltending put the San Jose Sharks in a hole early, and when their touted youngsters didn’t produce, they were toothless.

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR

--The Mighty Ducks made a good run at the playoffs and might have sneaked in if their power play had exceeded 10% in the first three months. Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne may be the best 1-2 punch not named Mario and Jaromir.

WAIT TILL NEXT CENTURY

--The Kings are rebuilding for about the 347th time. They have some promising defensemen but also have 15 third-line forwards and no go-to guy.

--The Senators won only 18 games, but set a club record. Radek Bonk, Alexei Yashin, rookie Daniel Alfredsson and new management give them some hope.

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There are no clear-cut choices for the individual honors. Try these:

Hart trophy (most valuable player)--Lindros, last year’s MVP, had a great season with 47 goals and 115 points, but Hextall and John LeClair were also vital to the Flyers’ success. A case can be made for St. Louis goalie Grant Fuhr, who appeared in a record 79 games, but Lemieux deserves it. When he turned it on, he was nearly unstoppable.

Norris trophy (best defenseman)--Detroit’s Vladimir Konstantinov had a breakthrough season, but perennials Ray Bourque of Boston and Chris Chelios of Chicago were still tops. The edge goes to Bourque, who carried an otherwise feeble defense.

Vezina trophy (best goalie)--Detroit’s Chris Osgood had impressive numbers--a 2.17 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage--but his defense gave him many easy nights. Playing behind a rag-tag defense, Tampa Bay’s Daren Puppa had a .918 save percentage, second to Buffalo’s Dominik Hasek, and a 2.46 goals-against average and was pivotal in getting the Lightning to the playoffs. A Puppa scooper.

Calder trophy (rookie of the year)--King right wing Vitali Yachmenev started well but faded, finishing with 19 goals and 53 points. Chicago winger Eric Daze led rookies with 30 goals and tied for second with 53 points, and Florida defenseman Ed Jovanovski delivered big hits. But Alfredsson, with 26 goals and 61 points, was the top rookie scorer and the only rookie to lead his team. A vote for this Senator.

Selke trophy (best defensive forward)--Sergei Fedorov, the 1994 winner, led all forwards with a plus-49 plus/minus.

Lady Byng (sportsmanship)--Center Adam Oates had only 18 penalty minutes and led the Bruins in scoring.

Jack Adams (coach of the year)--A tie between Detroit’s Scotty Bowman and Tampa Bay’s Terry Crisp. Bowman kept his players’ confidence after being swept in last year’s finals. Crisp led a team of has-beens and never-wasers to its first playoff berth.

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Laker guard Nick Van Exel thought his seven-game suspension for striking NBA referee Ron Garretson was severe, but it’s not as severe as the punishment imposed on Maurice “the Rocket” Richard of the Montreal Canadiens in 1955 for punching linesman Cliff Thompson.

Richard was suspended for the final three games of the season and the playoffs for striking Thompson, who tried to break up a fight between Richard and Hal Laycoe of the Boston Bruins. His absence enabled teammate Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion to pass him for the scoring title--and it set off the infamous Richard riots, which began when fans attacked NHL President Clarence Campbell at Montreal’s next game at the Forum. When a forfeit was declared, crowds smashed windows and looted stores.

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Kudos are due the Senators for beating the Devils on Saturday in a game that meant nothing to them but determined New Jersey’s future. The Kings, Stars and Buffalo Sabres also played hard in games that affected opponents’ playoff hopes. . . . The Sabres will wear new uniforms in their new arena next season. The colors are black, red and silver and the logo is an angry-looking buffalo that could be a victim of mad cow disease.

The NHL won’t let the Islanders dump their “fish-stick” logo and revive their Long Island map logo until 1997-98. However, they will wear the map logo on their third jersey next season.

Chicago Blackhawk owner Bill Wirtz, irate when NHL disciplinarian Brian Burke didn’t suspend Detroit’s Igor Larionov for slashing defenseman Steve Smith and breaking Smith’s leg, sent Burke a pair of glasses. There are better ways to make the point, but Burke seems swayed by reputation. Larionov’s two-handed slash from behind merited more than a minor penalty. Burke also let off New York Ranger center Mark Messier after Messier cross-checked Edmonton’s Dave Roberts in the face, causing nerve damage. However, Detroit right wing Dino Ciccarelli was suspended for the first two playoff games for punching Chicago’s Enrico Ciccone.

St. Louis Coach-General Manager Mike Keenan denied rumors that he had waived the last two years of his four-year contract when his bosses acquired Gretzky or that he will waive the last two years if he doesn’t win the Cup. He also denied reports he will leave St. Louis for Toronto. Don’t forget, he said he wouldn’t leave the Rangers in 1994. . . . According to Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada telecast, Gretzky will sign a three-year deal with the Blues this week. . . . The Sharks sold out every home game and have an 84-game sellout streak over three seasons. Overall, the NHL set an attendance record, drawing more than 17 million.