UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE (06/23/02)

UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Ukrainian NHL Report Cards

Final regular season grades for Ukrainian hockey players in the NHL during 2001-2002 have been assigned by this correspondent using the following criteria. Expectations figured heavily into the grading.

A+ to A-

Stars delivering on performance/salary expectations; very good players delivering beyond performance/salary expectations; good role players delivering well beyond expectations.

B+ to B-

Stars performing below performance/salary expectations; very good players delivering on performance/salary expectations; good role players delivering beyond expectations.

C+ to C-

Stars performing far below performance/salary expectations; very good players delivering below performance/salary expectations; good role players delivering on expectations.

A Keith Tkachuk (LW): Rediscovered powerhouse ability, arguably top Blues' forward. Notched 38 goals and averaged a point per game.

A Peter Bondra (LW): His huge first half-season kept team alive. Totaled 39 goals taking tons of pressure off new teammate Jaromir Jagr. His 80 minutes in penalties showed newfound feistiness.

A- Dave Andreychuk (LW): Leadership, grit and 21 goals almost assuredly get this graybeard another one-year contract from the young Lightning.

B+ Tony Hrkac (C): A late free agent signed, he finished with a career high 18 goals and 44 total points. Only solid veteran forward in the mix with phenom rookies Kovalchuk (is there any chance Ilya is Ukrainian? Stay tuned...) and Heatley.

B+ Richard Matvichuk (D): Finally showed some offensive flair with a career best nine goals. Continued to be a stabilizing influence on shaky defense corps during underachieving Stars' season.

B Ken Daneyko (D): One of new coach Ken Constantine's late-season workhorses after sitting out a few too many games in first half. Will he finish his career as a Devil?

B Curtis Leschyshyn (D): A very good veteran presence on an Ottawa club which went to second playoff round.

B Ruslan Fedotenko (RW): Goal total rose to a whopping 17 as third-liner though total point total fell. Hopes for expanded role next year with new coaching regime.

B Steve Konowalchuk (LW): Injured with severe shoulder that kept him out until the Olympic break in Feb. Plenty valuable (voted co-captain by his peers) in Capitals' last 28 games.

B- Andrei Nikolishin (C): If you find yourself in a war make sure you pick this guy for your foxhole. Has many roles including penalty killer, top opposing line checker and sometimes first line center.

B- Glen Metropolit (C/W): Go ahead and tell him he can't compete. No job for him with parent Caps? See 17 assists in 35 games with bulk of production after Adam Oates trade to Philly.

C+ Drake Berehowsky (D): Provided lots of blueline depth and grit for Coyotes after arrival from Vancouver. Top-six defender during playoffs.

C Vitaly Vishnevski (D): Thank God for massive strides down the stretch after so-so first two-thirds of regular season. Still very young.

C Alexei Zhitnik (D): One goal with all of that ice time plus power play duty on one point? Did have 33 helpers. Should work on shooting accuracy in off-season.

C Brad Lukowich (D): Lofty plus-minus numbers of 2000-2001 declined by 29 this season. Must take two giant steps forward next year.

C Nikita Alexeev (RW): Hasn't yet come close to harnassing great potential or demonstrating consistency. Lightning in a bottle?

C Wade Belak (D/LW): Averaged about eight minutes of ice time, usually as fourth liner. Utilized lots more in long Leafs' playoff run due to many injuries and own versatility.

C- Oleg Tverdovsky (D): Offensive output took big hit (6G-26A-32 points), but so did every single Anaheim Un-Mighty Duck! Offset lack of offense with more disciplined defensive prowess.

C- Sergei Varlamov (LW): Inconsistent in limited play with Blues put promise on temporary hold. Showed mean streak for Team Ukraine in Olympics.

C- Dmitri Khristich (C/W): Top name star on Ukraine's Olympic team enjoyed much better second half of regular season along with many other Capitals.

C- Joey Tetarenko (D/RW): Continues to exhibit so much NHL character to compensate for AHL skills/everything else. Amassed 123 penalty minutes in only 38 games.

C- Todd Fedoruk (RW): Co-resident enforcer with Donald Brashear who despite demotion to minors still saw action in 55 games.

C- Dieter Kochan (GT): Let in too many really soft goals in his five game audition for back-up goaltending job in Tampa Bay. Lightning have announced they will not resign him. Back to minors.

Most valuable/clutch player: Keith Tkachuk (LW), St. Louis Blues. Although his season took a detour with a deep thigh bruise and groin strain sustained at the Olympics, Tkachuk was the Blues' true - and often lone - threat to take over games. In the best physical shape of his career, Tkachuk was back playing with "a chip on my shoulder." That edge had him not only scrapping in front of the net for ugly goals, but also creating space for himself. No longer a letter-wearer (captain or assistant captain), he was unburdened and having fun again.

Despite letting his frustration get to him late in late-season games, Tkachuk was the Blues' best bet to score the heroic goal or set it up. Whether it was clearing the path to the net or bulldozing after a rebound, Tkachuk has a nose for popping in the ugly goal.

Masterton nominee/most dedicated player: Dave Andreychuk, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning. This award is all about perseverance and dedication to hockey, and Andreychuk showed both when he not only came to Tampa Bay, but helped craft a young team on the ice, and, most importantly, in the locker room. Andreychuk also was a vital cog during games. He called this season one of his most gratifying. So much so that the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer seemed to be leaning toward playing another season.

Andreychuk played in his 1,412th NHL game last January 26 against the New York Islanders to pass Harry Howell for 12th on the all-time list. His two goals on April 4 against Pittsburgh gave him 20 goals for the 17th time in his career. That tied him with such venerable hockey stars as Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne and Mike Gartner for third all-time.

Unsung hero/surprise performer: Tony Hrkac, C, Atlanta Thrashers. A very late free agent signing after Atlanta's pursuit of Yanic Perreault fizzled, Hrkac was one of the only veterans who performed up to expectation. He played smart, won faceoffs, didn't commit many defensive zone mistakes and was third on the team in scoring with 44 points.
Surprise team of the regular season: the Phoenix Coyotes. Picked to finish 30th out of 30 NHL teams in some hockey publications, the Phoenix Coyotes were the league's biggest surprise in the 2001-02 season. Despite slashing payroll by $15 million, Phoenix finished with the second-most points in club history (95) and finished sixth in the Western Conference before losing in the first round of the playoffs to San Jose.

"We're on our way," managing partner Wayne Gretzky said. "We knew what we needed to do, we made the changes we knew we had to make, and the coaching staff and the players should be commended for getting as far as they did. It really was a heck of a year."

Babych sues

Former NHL defenseman Dave Babych, who played from 1980 to 1999 with the Winnipeg Jets, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings, is suing Comcast Spectacor, the owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, and the team's doctor for $2 million. Babych claims he was pressured to play for the Flyers in the 1998 playoffs when he was suffering through a serious foot injury. Babych played five playoff games that year, which he said led to the end of his career. Babych played in only 41 games with the Flyers and the Kings the next season and then was out of the league.

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