Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 21:27:36 -0800 Subject: WHL Weekly vol. 2 Hello, and welcome to the second edition of the WHL Weekly. In this issue: 1. **New Feature** Weekly Interview with Jim Hauer 2. Midseason Playoff Picks 3. Team of the Week 4. Player of the Week 5. Stand Out Stats 1. **NEW FEATURE** WEEKLY INTERVIEW WITH JIM HAUER Every week a League GM will be interviewed by the WHL Weekly's star-reporter Jim Hauer. Jim will go from town to town to make his weekly interview, and he'll try to get one with every GM in this fine and competitive league. Watch your mailbox, you could be next. JIM: Hi everybody! My name is Jim Hauer, and before I present today's "victim" I want to thank WHL League Office, for giving me this great job. -- With us today is Owner and GM of the VANCOUVER DRIZZLE - DAVID SHUMKA JIM: Hi there, David, how are you doing these days? DAVID: I've been great since the Drizzle got hot. JIM: You have made a rather good job with your team. Started up slow, and now you're in playoffs-position. What was the reason for the bad start, and what was it that made your team a winning one? DAVID: Well, I feel the bad start had a lot to do with the schedule. In my first five games, I think, I played the Monarchs twice and the Bangers twice. I was 0-7-0 to start the season, so I thought I needed to make a trade and I traded Belfour, Oksiuta and, Boucher to the Mustangs for Hextall, MacLean, and Gill. That trade really got the Drizzle rolling toward success. JIM: Yes, that was a good trade, but you also made another big deal, when you moved Mario Lemieux to the Mallrats for Renberg. Anything you can tell us about that trade, and was it really wise of you to trade Lemieux? DAVID: I wasn't doing all that well, so I needed to make a change and I wasn't afraid of losing Lemieux because I had a perfectly capable center in Arnott. I needed a really good right-wing, and I got that in Renberg. People may judge that trade and think that "Wow, Lemieux is racking up the points with Lindros." I don't think about the trade that way. Since the trade we have been soaring and the Mallrats have been sucking. JIM: Well, maybe it was wise after all. Over to something else. You have the same amount of points as local rival, the Voodoo. Is it any rivalty between your teams? DAVID: Well, there was before they got the new owner. I hated the old owner. We would send e-mail to one another proclaiming our mutual hate. He once sent me a trade offer for one of my goalies because I had Richter and Belfour and he had no goalies and I replied with something like, "Ha! No way you're getting one of MY goalies, there's a reason I chose Belfour in the second round." Then he wrote something like, "Well, that was stupid of you. You wasted a pick." Boy, I hated him. JIM: Ok, I will stop talking rivalry here, so we don't start another war here. So, which player is the most important player on the your team? DAVID: Well, there are a few. Renberg, of course. Kurri has been playing very well of late along with Beranek. Now I have two effective lines: Quinn, Arnott, Renberg and Beranek, Corkum, Kurri. JIM: Any player your disappointed with, and will you trade him for the first fair offer that you get? DAVID: Well, Scott Niedermayer has been a disappointment to all three teams he's played for, with only eleven points. But, he has SO MUCH potential, so I don't think I'll trade him. JIM: Maybe this is a bad question, because of course you want, but are there any special player you want on your team? DAVID: Well, there are some players that everyone wants on their team, but I think Fedorov would be hard to get. Just kidding. I would like a player like Trevor Linden, he's a guy who quietly performs. JIM: Finally, David, will the Drizzle reach the playoffs? DAVID: Yes, and I'm going to win. No, seriously. I mean it. JIM: Ok, thank you for your time David, and good luck in future. And I, Jim Hauer, will be back next week, with another interview and another GM. ----------------------------------------------------------------- - This is Jim Hauer for the WHL Weekly in Vancouver ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. MIDSEASON PLAYOFF PICKS Well, there has been some confusion in the Web Hockey League Board of Directors concerning the playoffs. At this point it will be the top eight teams in the conference making the playoffs with the top team in each division occupying the top two spots, but we'll keep you posted. If the playoffs began today: WALES Conference 1. BANGERS .676 2. WARRIORS .610 3. MONARCHS .670 4. ICETASY .617 5. LUNATICS .595 6. GRUNTS .570 7. MALLRATS .568 8. GANGSTAZ .551 9. AGENTS .500 10. HITMEN .440 11. RAPTORS .420 12. SPARROWS .344 CAMPBELL Conference 1. HUSKIES .620 2. RAPIDS .540 3. VIKINGS .534 4. WOLFPACK .478 5. GOALPOST .466 6. DRIZZLE .457 7. VOODOO .430 8. BLIZZARD .423 9. QUAKERS .410 10. MUSTANGS .395 11. KODIAKS .365 12. FURY .326 Notice: Seven out of the eight teams that have playoff spots in the Campbell Conference would not have a playoff spot if they were in the Wales Conference. I won't bore you with the first two rounds, so here's how I think the conference finals should go: The Bangers should end up facing the the Monarchs in the Wales final. I think the Monarchs have the edge. Both these teams have depth on offense, but I like the Monarchs goaltending, Vernon and Trefilov are one of the best one-two punches in the league. And the Bangers have very bad special teams. The Huskies should face the Rapids in the Campbell final. The Huskies have got a lot of depth in Hull, Oates, Shanahan, etc. but the Rapids are no slouch with Ridley and Fleury. I'm gonna give the nod to the Rapids because I feel Jim Carey is better than Puppa. Finals: MONARCHS! MONARCHS! MONARCHS! I feel they are the most balanced and deep team in the league. Here's how I think the playoffs would go: Wales Conference Conference Quarter-Final Conference Conference WHL FINAL Semi-Final Final (Finalists qualify ----------- for "UFHP") 1BANGERS |__BANGERS___ 8GANGSTAZ | | ----------- |_BANGERS__ | | ----------- | | 4ICETASY |__ICETASY___| | 5LUNATICS | | ----------- |__MONARCHS______ | | ----------- | | 2WARRIORS |__MALLRATS__ | | 7MALLRATS | | | | ----------- |_MONARCHS_| | | | ----------- | | 3MONARCHS |__MONARCHS__| | 6GRUNTS | | ----------- | |__MONARCHS___ Campbell Conference | | WINNER ----------- | OF THE 1HUSKIES |__HUSKIES___ | CYBER CUP 8BLIZZARD | | | ----------- |_HUSKIES__ | | | | ----------- | | | 4WOLFPACK |__GOALPOST__| | | 5GOALPOST | | | ----------- |__RAPIDS________| | ----------- | 2RAPIDS |__RAPIDS____ | 7VOODOO | | | ----------- |_RAPIDS___| | ----------- | 3VIKINGS |__VIKINGS___| 6DRIZZLE | ----------- 3. TEAM OF THE WEEK How 'bout them Icetasy? Er, those Icetasy? Er, that Icetasy? Er, How 'bout 'em? 8-2-0 in their last 10. WOWEE! And I don't often say WOWEE, so that means a lot. 4. PLAYER OF THE WEEK Mike Richter of the Drizzle. That's right, a goalie. In his last games he's lowered his Goals Against Average from 3.19 to 3.03, raised his Save Percentage from .903 to .907, and got one shut-out. Runner up: Sergei Fedorov. He got nine points in five games. 5. STAND OUT STATS Did you notice this? In their last three games the Huskies had 119 shots. The Icetasy had 129. Uh, WOWEE! Those are the two highest-firing teams in the WHL. Did you notice this? In their last three games the Rapids had 111 shots against. The Vikings have 116. Those teams have the worst defense of late. Dave Shumka Vancouver Drizzle, Web Hockey League (Donald_Shumka@mindlink.bc.ca)