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Théodore shows he has Hart Posted: Thursday April 11, 2002 4:03 PM
Scene from the movie Dirty Dancing: Jerry Orbach: "I know you're not the one who got that girl in trouble."
Well, I was wrong about the Capitals making the playoffs, and I've rethought my Hart stance (see below). I knew I could count on my loyal readers to remind me of such failings. I'm not going to get into the few prognostications that I luckily got right (I wouldn't want to rankle all those Stars fans). So, without a further squawk from me, on to your Mailbag: About your comments on José Théodore not being your MVP choice because of his record, I think you should consider the fact that it's quite an achievement for him to have such a record on a team that suffered key injuries and is not all that talented defensively. Théo carried the Habs all year and is the main reason they made the playoffs. You have to look beyond the stats at the real contribution.
Brace yourself, J.F., and you, Andrew of Ontario, who sent in a similar pro-Théodore letter, and all the rest of you José lovers: I've come around. In a previous Mailbag I said Théodore would have a tough time winning the Hart Trophy because of his roughly .500 record. Since then this cat has capped an already stupendous year with arguably his best two-week run of the season. He's got 30 wins and he practically willed Montreal into the playoffs with his play down the stretch. Théodore has been a candidate for MVP for a while now, but if the Canadiens had missed the playoffs I would not have voted for him in the Hart race. Now Montreal has finished strong and reached the postseason going away. Théodore hasn't had a great cast in front of him this year, and given the dearth of Hart Trophy candidates around the league -- it's the shallowest field in years -- he's an excellent choice for MVP. As a Carolina Hurricanes season-ticket holder (since the time they played in Greensboro), I am lucky enough to watch Ron Francis play every night. He has not missed a game this year and has been astonishing with the number and quality of assists. Throw in goals and power-play points and I think Mr. Francis should not be ignored for the Hart Trophy. I know I sound like a homer, but without him this team would be nowhere. Does Francis merit any Hart Trophy consideration? If not, why not?
Francis could get the Masterton Trophy (comeback player of the year) or the Lady Byng (nicest fella in the league who can also play), and his excellent season ensures that the Hurricanes will exercise their contact option and bring the 39-year-old center back next year (at a cost of $5 million). Francis is also the best scorer on a division winner and therefore should get at least some MVP consideration. A couple of things play against his candidacy in my mind: He's not nearly as physical a player as the Hurricanes' other top forwards; Sami Kapanen and Jeff O'Neill both score nearly as much as Francis and have much more of an impact along the boards. Also, the fact that Francis is such a force on the power play actually works against him; he's only scored 35 even-strength points this season (well off the pace for a strong MVP candidate). It's nice that you stand by your man, and Francis is having an inspiring season at an advanced age, but he's not quite Hart-worthy How can the NHL justify having a .500 team holding third place in the Eastern Conference playoff standings? Giving any team in the Southeast Division home ice is just embarrassing. Giving any team home ice when it doesn't deserve it is embarrassing. Where's the integrity?
I'm not surprised to see such a missive coming from Ontario. The Maple Leafs could have been the third seed if not for those dastardly, Southeast-division-winning Hurricanes. By the way, Carolina is eight games over .500 -- so you're not even close there -- but your complaint that teams with better records are being seeded lower than Carolina simply because Carolina won its division is understood.
Every year there's a team or two that gets shafted by this rule, but it's an excellent rule nonetheless. The NHL needs to make division races important, and the best way to do that is to give a big reward for winning the division. By guaranteeing the division winner a home-ice seed, the league helps put some fire into division rivalries, helps make its regular season more meaningful, and also helps ensure a greater geographical representation in the postseason. Emphasizing the division races adds integrity, it doesn't take any away.
Does whichever team wins the East have a chance against the winner of the West? And will Detroit have to close the deal in four or five to beat Colorado -- should they meet -- or do you think the Red Wings can grind it out if the series were to go to seven games? I believe that Detroit will lose if it's a seven-game series. The postseason is a long journey, Simon, and a lot can happen to a team's makeup and mojo between now and the Cup finals. As it stands, however, I can't see a team from the East beating either Detroit or Colorado. And I'd be quite surprised if one of those teams does not represent the West in the finals. The Red Wings are deeper, both offensively and defensively, than they've been in years, so I don't subscribe to them needing to play a short series to beat the Avalanche. It's true that in a matchup the magnitude of Game 7 in the Western Conference finals, Colorado's Patrick Roy would have an edge over Detroit's Dominik Hasek. But both these teams can grind it out, so that series could go either way, regardless of how many games it takes.
Why does this rumor of Ken Hitchcock going to the Rangers keep popping up? How are he and Pavel Bure going to co-exist? How about Mr. Unaccountable himself, Eric Lindros? The only player who would have meshed well with Hitch was Mike York, and we know where he is right now. These rumors keep popping up because Hitchcock is going to be the Rangers' next coach. And he'll do a lot for the franchise. Players don't have to mesh with Hitchcock; he makes them fit. In Dallas, Mike Modano complained about Hitchcock, Brett Hull complained about Hitchcock, and so on. But Hitch kept to his m.o., demanding accountability from his players. Sure enough, the players followed, and sure enough, they won. How many Stanley Cups has Bure won? How about Lindros? They'll listen to Hitchcock; players who miss the playoffs tend to be ready to lend an ear. You don't need Ken Hitchcock to motivate guys like Mike York. York would play tenacious two-way hockey if you or I were coaching him. Hitch is, in part, about getting the attention of players who need waking up. He'd be perfect on Broadway. Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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