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Media split on Flyers
Posted: Wednesday May 17, 2000 05:43 PM Click here to send an NHL question to Kostya Kennedy. Mike Modano gets dumped into the Avalanche bench. Daymond Langkow is flattened by Scott Stevens. Keith Primeau picks a fight seven days after a Bob Boughner hit left him with a concussion. These have been a couple of tough semifinals. And they're only going to get nastier. The big question: Which team will finish the semis with the most teeth intact? Thanks for the great Qs, folks. On to the bag ... When will everyone stop underestimating the Flyers? It seems as though all
of the hockey gurus keep counting them out. Will they get any respect from you
guys in the New Jersey series? Or will they have to prove you wrong again?
You're right, the Flyers have been highly underestimated these playoffs. They deserve credit for what they've accomplished so far. This is a good team and it's Game 2 win shows that it isn't about to go quietly against New Jersey. But, while those of you in Media may believe, the media are not quite sold. The Devils still look like the better, deeper team. If the Flyers beat them, it will only be another I-told-you-so for all their faithful. What do you know of the rumors regarding Gretzky taking over in Phoenix?
The rumors are real and there is a definite possibility that Gretzky will take over as president in Phoenix. What happens with current Edmonton GM Glen Sather will have an impact on this. Sather has been negotiating with the Rangers, but Gretzky would love to have him as his GM in Phoenix. If Sather goes to Phoenix, you expect he and Gretzky to be announced in one major headline-grabbing, new-era-signalling press conference. One of the things holding hockey back is the inconsistent officiating --
there is too much slashing, holding, obstruction and, of course, fighting. Don't
we all want to see the rules enforced? For the entire 60 minutes? I
can't help but believe that a part of the problem is favoritism (maybe
subconsciously) displayed by the refs toward North American players. What would
happen if most of these refs were replaced by European officials? I think it
would be fantastic, and the players would adjust quickly to the new refs.
This is a capital idea. I don't agree with your charge of favoritism, even subconsciously -- referees for the most part do call what they see. However, referees have learned their trade in a system that allows for too much obstruction and violence. Bringing in some European/international officials would put the game under a new perspective. Those men are used to demanding a cleaner game with freer skating. There would be a period of some adjustment, but this could really help weed out some of the gratuitous clutching and elbowing that goes on. The league should get on this. I was talking to a friend from Detroit who was boasting about how the
two-time Stanley Cup champion red Wings were the most dominant in the '90s. I
pointed out to him the Penguins also won back-to-back titles and that they
should lay claim to the Most Dominant Team in the '90s title. It seems to
me that while Detroit is (was?) a great team, any team with Mario Lemieux,
Jaromir Jagr, Kevin Stevens and Tom Barrasso would be the team to pick. What do
you think?
This is an excellent debate, and one that I've had myself. First you have to agree on whether you think the regular season amounts to anything. If so, the Wings are indisputably the more dominant team -- in addition to their Stanley Cups, they've had some absolutely phenomenal seasons, such as 1995-96, when they went 62-13-7. Also, in the two years before they won their back-to-back Cups, the Wings went to the finals and then to the conference championships. On paper, the Wings are more of dynasty than the Pens. What Pittsburgh has going for it is the incomparable Lemieux (and, to a lesser extent, young Jagr). Mario was so dominant in those years that you felt teams didn't have a chance to stop him, or to stop Pittsburgh. Do the veteran Wings have one more Cup left in
them?
A lot depends on what happens between now and next March. The Wings need to infuse some young blood into their lineup. Amazingly, for all the energy that guys like Martin Lapointe and Darren McCarty bring to the Wings' effort, they're beginning to get stale. They need a couple of young guys to come in, play a lot of minutes and give this team a new look. If that happens, the Wings might contend again. But they can't stay old while the Avalanche and Stars implement youth. Where would you begin if you were the new Rangers GM? Obviously, the first
task is a top coach. After that, what would you address? There seems to be a lot
of holes, but there are some promising young players. My biggest concern is at
center -- they have only one player with any size, the unproven (and mistreated)
Manny Malhotra. They then have Tim Taylor, Petr Nedved and Michael York -- three
good centers, but with no size or grit and no first-liner. Do you think the
Rangers can acquire a first-line center, like Jeremy Roenick? Lack of grit is
also a team-wide issue in general.
I'd trade Theo Fleury, maybe in a deal for Alexei Yashin. Of course, my ownership would have to be willing to swallow some of Fleury's salary in almost any deal. Aside from Yashin, I'd look to move Fleury back out West, perhaps to San Jose, which has several players the Rangers could use and the Sharks could afford to surrender. I would not, incidentally, trade him for Keith Tkachuk, who has been widely rumored to be headed to New York. I'd also give Malhotra a lot of ice time. He may not be a first-liner, but he can likely be a solid contributor and give the Rangers a strong presence on, say, the third line. We don't know for sure what Malhotra will deliver but he's smart and dedicated and has tools. I'd like to see him in there day to day. I would also immediately room incoming rookie defenseman Mike Mottau -- who won the Hobey Baker award this year -- with Brian Leetch. Winning the Hobey Baker is no guarantee of NHL success, but with good guidance Mottau may be the real deal. If he steps in as a top five-quality defenseman, then the Rangers would have one of the better backlines in the conference. Send a question to Kostya Kennedy and check back weekly to read more of his answers.
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