Posted: Tue May 12, 1998

Sports Illustrated hockey writer Kostya Kennedy will answer your NHL questions through the Stanley Cup Finals. Click here to send a question.

That Blues/Red Wings series has thus far lived up to expectations: up and down the ice, hard-hitting, a pleasure to watch. Thank goodness Chris Pronger is O.K. The sight of him pitching forward onto the ice, unconscious, on Sunday was purely terrifying. Particularly for the immediately silenced crowd in Detroit, a city that has seen too many tragedies already on the football field (Mike Utley and Reggie Brown).

Our first question today asks about the best skill players in the NHL. My answers are relatively brief, but this opens up room for some great debate. Want to argue with my selections, or ask the reasoning behind them? Want to pitch a player of your own? Please do.

	Do both the Ducks' Selanne ...
	... and the Canucks' (for now) Bure make your top five?    (Robert Beck, top; Damian Strohmeyer)

In your opinion, who are the top five skill players in the NHL today?
—Jeff McGuire, Dallas

This isn't as straightforward a question as it sounds because skills vary. Wayne Gretzky can still make passes that no other player can, for example, but he doesn't have the explosiveness that you would normally attribute to a "skill player." So let me put Gretzky in his own exalted category.

Now for the five: Sergei Fedorov, Teemu Selanne, Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Bure and Peter Forsberg.

Jeez, I hated leaving off Paul Kariya but exempted him for health reasons. And Peter Bondra just misses the cut and Bondra's teammate Adam Oates is a tremendously skilled passer.

Do you think it's right that the media continue their onslaught on Colorado coach Marc Crawford? Last I checked he was not one of the million-dollar snipers who couldn't score on Curtis Joseph. Nor was he the big and famous No. 33 whose 5-hole was so big in the first round the entire Edmonton team could skate through it.

The media have become far too powerful in the demise of coaches. Do you feel that should be the role of you and your colleagues?
—Jeffrey Freeburn, Stirling, Ontario

The role of the media vis-à-vis coaches is the same as our role in all reporting: to give you fair representation of the truth, whether in editorializing or straight reporting. I know the Colorado media were critical of Crawford's relying heavily on two perhaps-tired lines near the end of the Oilers series. If the reporters believe this to be true then it's their job to report it. Same goes for the writers who questioned Jacques Lemaire's insistence on matching lines against the Senators.

One hopes, of course, that the reporters are well-informed and thoughtful observers. But they're not hockey coaches. You as a reader need to decide who you trust and who you don't. Some people are more reliable than others. As far as the media's direct role in coaches' dismissals, I think it's pretty minimal. A writer may well get some fans roiled up, but it's a very weak general manager who looks to reporters to decide whether or not to fire a coach. You may be infuriated by a perceived mistreatment by the press in the Crawford case or others—and that's valid. Perhaps you're right. But don't think the media control hockey jobs. They don't.

Rumors are flying high about former Devils coach Jacques Lemaire's next destination. One of them has him going to Colorado. What do you think?
—Michel Pegeon, St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec

Lemaire is so tight-lipped it's hard to know what he's thinking. But I'd be very, very surprised to see him go to Colorado this year. He's a little weary of constant scrutiny right now, and in Denver, where the team disappointed its faithful this year, he'd immediately be under a lot of pressure. I think he's going to stay out of the public eye this year and maybe beyond. Lemaire may well return to be a successful head coach in the NHL, but not this season.

Four questions: Will Eric Lindros be traded? Will Vincent Lecavalier be the No. 1 overall pick by Tampa Bay? Which free-agent goaltender will the Flyers pursue, Curtis Joseph, John Vanbiesbrouck or Mike Richter? And who will be the most prized free agent this offseason?
—Jarvis Bailey, Philadelphia

OK: Lindros—yes, traded (so many factors go into this but if it's yes or no, I'm going with yes). Lecavalier—If the Lightning can get three high picks and a player in a trade with Colorado, it'll take that. Otherwise Lecavalier for sure. Flyers—Beezer. Most prized free agent—Brett Hull in a narrow but fierce bidding war between St. Louis and Chicago. Those three goalies will be pretty prized, too.

In a game fraught with stoppages, what would be the impact of removing the offsides call? Increased action? An overall improvement of fan enjoyment? More scoring?
—Len Doak, Dallas

And a lot of slow skaters with great hands hanging out in the offensive zone, not playing hockey. I don't think this is a good idea at all. No offsides call would be drastic and would dramatically alter things, but with the exception of a few isolated plays it would do very little to enhance the flow of the game.

I heard from a friend that Chicago's Chris Chelios is retiring. Please say it ain't so! I have been looking for any news about it. Please help ease my panic. Is he or is he not?
—Derin Jones, Malin, Ore.

It ain't so. Chelios was extremely disappointed by his and the Blackhawks' performance this year and there's no way he'll walk away from his Hall of Fame career on that note. I know he's feuded with team management of late, but that's just his forceful personality coming through; he didn't like it when the front office tried to pass the buck on taking blame for the season. Chelios accepts responsibility and now he's determined to come back and make amends. He's also salivating at the prospect that Chicago might bring in Brett Hull.

How about the elbow to the head of Edmonton's Kelly Buchberger by Grant Marshall of the Stars? From the replay it was clear Marshall stuck the butt end of his stick right into Buchberger's eye. Something like that or Gary Suter's cross-check to Paul Kariya should draw more than a three- or four-game suspension. With the $1,000 limit on fines, the league needs to find a better way to punish these guys. I think 10 or 15 games is more appropriate for those hits.
—Brian Jackson, St. Louis

I agree: We need tougher suspensions. Check out this week's Inside the NHL for an examination of this issue and a look at the Marshall incident.

Send a question to Kostya Kennedy, and check back Friday to read more of his responses.

Previous NHL Playoff Mailbags
April 16: Setting the stage for the scramble
April 21: Reasons to get upset
April 24: No Sabres insurance needed
April 27: Let's not go to the videotape
May 1: Them's fightin' words
May 5: Calling Mr. Crawford
May 8: Lemaire couldn't stand the heat