At Midseason, These Picks Shape Up as Best of the Best

Scoring has gradually gone up. No coaches were fired. There was no competition from the lockout-mired NBA.

How much better could the first half of the season have been for the NHL?

The halfway point arrived last week amid signs the league has succeeded in increasing scoring and improving the flow of games. Teams averaged 5.08 goals a game, short of last season’s 5.28 but up from the early weeks of the season, and games are generally less bogged down in defensive drudgery.

The Western Conference remains tight, but the top teams in the East have distanced themselves from the also-rans. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings have struggled, but Phoenix has emerged as a Western power. Toronto and Ottawa have helped tip the balance of power toward the East.

Here’s a look at noteworthy players and feats:

Half-season MVP: Curtis Joseph, Toronto. Honorable mention: Dominik Hasek, Buffalo; Eric Lindros, Philadelphia.

Joseph, signed as a free agent last summer, is the backbone of the Maple Leafs’ surprising success. Knowing he’s there to save them, they can take chances offensively. So far, they have thrived.

Without Hasek, the Sabres would be ordinary. His statistics are better than last season’s, but the Sabres are getting stiffer challenges from Toronto and Ottawa. They will have to win the Northeast Division for him to win a third successive MVP award.

Lindros has met General Manager Bob Clarke’s challenge to step up and take charge, transforming the Flyers into a complete team.

Rookie of the half season: Bill Muckalt, Vancouver. Honorable mention: Chris Drury, Colorado.

Muckalt’s 14 goals and 27 points for the low-scoring Canucks are impressive. Playing at the University of Michigan prepared him for a high level of competition.

Drury is overshadowed by Colorado’s exceptional veteran forwards but has immense talent and will only get better.

Half-season Norris (outstanding defenseman): Al MacInnis, St. Louis. Honorable mention: Chris Pronger, St. Louis; Darryl Sydor, Dallas.

MacInnis is having his usual strong season offensively, and his defense has been strong too. The Blues have had to play tighter defense since losing Brett Hull and Steve Duchesne to free agency and Pierre Turgeon and Geoff Courtnall to injuries, but MacInnis has steadied them.

Pronger is a workhorse and will win the Norris many times. Sydor is among the most productive defensemen and fits well in the Stars’ defensive system.

Half-season Selke (best defensive forward): Jere Lehtinen, Dallas. Honorable mention: Michael Peca, Buffalo; Bob Corkum, Phoenix.

Lehtinen may be the NHL’s best two-way forward. If the Stars’ defensive system were less restrictive, he could score 35 goals.

Peca puts muscle and effort into the Sabres’ defense and Corkum is responsible defensively and excellent on faceoffs.

Coach of the half season: Pat Quinn, Toronto. Honorable mention: Jim Schoenfeld, Phoenix; Ken Hitchcock, Dallas.

Quinn has worked miracles with a team that figured to be only average. The Maple Leafs’ offense is a surprise and Quinn has solidified the defense.

Schoenfeld hasn’t kept his players from fighting each other, but they’ve kept fighting as a team. They must still prove their character under pressure. Hitchcock’s insistence on team defense hasn’t made him popular, but it has made the Stars a legitimate Cup contender.

Half-season Vezina (outstanding goalie): Nikolai Khabibulin, Phoenix. Honorable mention: Hasek and John Vanbiesbrouck, Philadelphia.

Khabibulin’s new consistency gives the Coyotes confidence and he can steal games, a key to playoff success.

Hasek has been his usual brilliant self and Vanbiesbrouck gives the Flyers the dependable goaltending they have lacked.

BYE-BYE BURE--FINALLY

The Florida Panthers won the Pavel Bure sweepstakes by offering a package of players they will hardly miss.

All it took to get Bure, respectable defensemen Bret Hedican, prospect Brad Ference and a third-round draft pick were hard-hitting but erratic defenseman Ed Jovanovski, immature goalie Kevin Weekes--an unsigned restricted free agent--useful but aging center Dave Gagner, prospect Mike Brown and a first-round pick.

It’s tough to believe the Kings couldn’t have topped that--unless they never intended to and perpetuated talk of their interest only to make fans think they were planning a bold move.

Bure, who refused to report to Vancouver for a variety of petty reasons, brings speed and flash to the somnolent Panthers. They have skillful kids in Oleg Kvasha and Viktor Kozlov and now have improved their talent level for a playoff run without sacrificing center Rob Niedermayer.

General Manager Bryan Murray talked to Bure’s agent, Mike Gillis, about a contract extension for the Russian right wing, who can be a restricted free agent July 1. He was practicing in Moscow and is expected in Fort Lauderdale this week.

PICK A PROSPECT

Czech-born center Patrik Stefan of the Long Beach Ice Dogs, who has been idled since late November because of a concussion, was ranked the top prospect for the June entry draft. Pavel Brendel, a Czech who plays for Calgary in the Western Hockey League, was ranked second. The top prospects in Europe are Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin and the top American is center Tim Connolly, who plays for Erie of the Ontario Hockey League.

ARE THESE FIGHTING WORDS?

The National Post, a Canadian newspaper, is conducting a contest to choose a motto for the Maple Leaf locker room, figuring the team will leave behind its old motto, “Defeat did not rest lightly on their shoulders,” when it moves to the new Air Canada Centre next month.

The idea is to find an inspirational phrase to send the lads off to battle with fire in their eyes, which is why these entries were eliminated:

“If you can’t beat ‘em in the alley, you shouldn’t be bowling.”

“The past is tomorrow, the future is today, on Wednesday souvlaki is two for one.”

SLAP SHOTS

The bribery scandal involving members of the International Olympic Committee may affect the NHL’s thinking on halting its season to send players to the Games.

If the Games are moved from Salt Lake City to a site whose time difference will put them on at bad hours for TV in North America, the NHL might skip the whole thing. The main appeal of Salt Lake City is that hockey can be televised in prime time.

The Maurice Richard Trophy, to be presented to the NHL’s top goal scorer, will be unveiled before Sunday’s All-Star game. Maurice “Rocket” Richard, the former Montreal star who has been undergoing treatment for stomach cancer, is scheduled to attend. . . . It’s nice to see John Cullen, who battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and recently retired to become an assistant coach with Tampa Bay, will play for the Sunbelt Heroes in Saturday’s exhibition against a team of NHL Heroes, among them Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe.

King left wing Luc Robitaille should have been added to the North American team for the “real” game. The NHL often has to be reminded there’s civilization and good hockey west of the Hudson River. . . . The Dallas Stars are worried about center Joe Nieuwendyk’s sore right knee, which has sidelined him for the last three games. . . . Just when Tony Granato regained a spot in the San Jose Shark lineup, the feisty winger tore a knee ligament and is probably done for the season. He wasn’t scoring much, but his spirit was valuable on a team that often lacks heart.

For everyone saddened by Michael Jordan’s retirement, consider this: He’s rich, healthy and has many commercials ahead of him. Here’s something worth truly mourning: Doug Wickenheiser died of cancer last week at 37. He never made it big after being picked first in the 1980 draft, but he was an amiable guy and father of three daughters under age 5.

The Flyers are trying to trade 1993 top draft pick Alexandre Daigle, whose soft play and lack of motivation is reprehensible in someone so young. His general manager, Clarke, likes him but Coach Roger Neilson won’t play him. . . . The Canadiens asked free-agent-to-be Mark Recchi what he wants in his next deal. If the price is too steep, they may trade him before the March 23 deadline. . . . Tampa Bay Coach-General Manager Jacques Demers told Stephane Richer to shape up or be shipped out, as Craig Janney was last week. Janney was traded to the Islanders on Monday.