OffSides (The Official Magazine of the WHL Weekly) -------------------------------------------------- Editor's Note ------------- The format for Offsides has changed slightly as it will now come in two installments. I will continue to bring the featured articles but the stats will be published by the commisioner every 5 games. OffSides will be sent out every weekend so articles can be sent to me by Friday of every week. I want to thank Mike and Brian for the stats work that they do, I know I appreciate it. Team Notes ---------- Edmonton Vikings ---------------- The Vikings faced the toughest part of their schedule this week and showed that they might not be quite ready for primetime. Losses to the Sparrows, Corinthians and Stallions left management concerned that they are still not a playoff-contender. GM Lee McEwen has commented that outside of Eric Lindros no one is untouchable and he's willing to make any moves that would strengthen the team for this year's playoff run. The biggest concern right now is the lack of a quality back-up goaltender. Garth Snow was brought in during the off-season after Dominik Hasek left as a free agent and has not done the job. If Jamie Storr goes down for any amount of time, no one on the team believes Snow is capable of doing the job. Also on the trading block are Niklas Sundstrom, Jaroslav Svejkovsky, Geoff Courtnall and minor-leaguers Dean McAmmond and Mats Lindgren. Chicoutimi Sparrows ------------------- In Saturday's game against the Vipers, right winger Paul Ysebaert scored his first goal in the WHL since WHL2. Since then, he has been limited to 15 regular season games over the 3 years, spending most of his time in the WFHL. Goaltender Felix Potvin is certainly one of the reasons why the Sparrows are doing so well lately. He seems to be back to his WHL2 shape, after 2 relatively difficult seasons. He did win 31 games in WHL4, but with a 3.89 GAA. Back in WHL2 he won the Vezina Trophy and maintained a 2.89 GAA and posted 39 wins. Another guy who's playing very well lately is defenseman Craig Rivet. He was obtained during the offseason for Garth Snow, and was seen to likely be 7th or 8th defenseman during the season. But he has been playing awesome, scoring 9 goals with 24 assists in 40 games. He's become a very reliable two-way defenseman, and has turned out to be our third defenseman. League Notes ------------ The Corinthians are starting to pull away from the Stallions in the Wales Conference in the race for home-ice advantage. Super rookie Vincent Lecavalier is battling Paul Kariya for the scoring lead and still getting better. Lecavalier could be the first rookie to lead the legaue in scoring if he continues on his torrid pace. After four years of being in the thick of the hunt for the Cyber Cup, it looks like the Waterloo Lunatics are going to rebuild. GM Jason Stumpf has already moved Darius Kaspiaritis and Donald Audette and there are rumors that more veterans are on their way out. With new rules coming into play for WHL6, there should be several prominent free agents available this summer. Without a first round selection, the Raiders will need to make a good decision in the free agent draft if they hope to improve next season. There are whispers in Seattle that centre Josef Stumpel could be moved before the trade deadline. With youngsters Maholtra, Gomez and Lundmark all in the big picture and Jason Allison and Steve Rucchin firmly entrenched, Stumpel looks to be the odd-man out. The Saints are desperate for some scorers on the wing with no one in the system ready to fill that role. Prospect Update ---------------- Tim Connolly, Saskatoon Enforcers - Drafted 8th overall last season by the Enforcers, Connolly is making waves in his first year as a pro. In limited ice-time with the Yellowknife Pylons, Connolly has racked up 19 points in 27 games. Blessed with good speed and great size, Connolly is the protypical center. He moves the puck very well and is not afraid to play the body. Connolly should make the jump to Saskatoon next season and could be a front-runner for the Calder Trophy. A Look Back ----------- The Chicoutimi Sparrows struggled in the WHL's inaugaural season, finishing out of the playoffs. Since than they have established themselves as one of the league's elite and are in constant contention for the Cyber Cup. This week we look at the Sparrows formation and history. Team Firsts First Franchise Player: Pierre Turgeon, first round draft pick (18th overall), on October 26th, 1995 First Franchise Trade RW Mike Keane and 15th round draft pick to the Boston Agent Orange for LW Kelly Miller, on November 6th, 1995 First Franchise Goal Travis Green, assisted by Kevin Miller and Mike Hudson, at 05:56 of the 1st period, on Game 1 (December 11th, 1995) against the Waterloo Lunatics First Franchise PP Goal Kevin Miller, assisted by Kelly Miller and Brian Leetch, at 18:12 of the 2nd period, on Game 1 (December 11th, 1995) against the Waterloo Lunatics First Franchise SH Goal Scott Lachance, assisted by Martin Lapointe, at 08:55 of the 1st period, on Game 1 (December 11th, 1995) against the Waterloo Lunatics First Franchise GW Goal Kevin Miller, assisted by Kelly Miller and Brian Leetch, at 18:12 of the 2nd period, on Game 1 (December 11th, 1995) against the Waterloo Lunatics First Franchise GT Goal Martin Lapointe, unassisted, at 03:31 of the 3rd period, on Game 13 (January 5th, 1996) against the Milton Mustangs First Franchise Win Felix Potvin, on Game 1 (December 11th, 1995) against the Waterloo Lunatics First Franchise Lose Felix Potvin, on Game 2 (December 13th, 1995) against the Waterloo Warriors First Franchise Overtime Loss Felix Potvin, on Game 11 (January 3rd, 1996) against the Raleigh Wolfpack First Franchise Shutout Felix Potvin, on Game 19 (January 19th, 1996) against the Boston Agent Orange Team Historical Info 1. Coaches Records Michel Goulet Hired November 1st, 1995 Fired December 18th, 1995 Team Record of 1 W 4 L 0 T Steve Penney Coach by interim from Game 5 (December 19th, 1995) to Game 8 (December 22nd, 1995) Team Record of 0 W 4 L 0 T Gilbert Perreault Hired December 22nd, 1995 Team Record of 25 W 33 L 7 T (WHL1) WHL2, WHL3, WHL4, WHL5 Captain: Pierre Turgeon is the first and only captain in Sparrows history. Current Cyber Cup Odds (Courtesy of Bally's Sports Book in Las Vegas) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kingston Corinthians 2-1 Vancouver Voodoo 5-2 Rocky Mountain Express 5-2 Toronto Stallions 3-1 Hartford Dropkicks 4-1 Edmonton Vikings 8-1 Chicoutimi Sparrows 10-1 Chi-Town Krushers 12-1 Southampton Seagulls 15-1 Hamilton Steelcats 15-1 Penticton Venom 20-1 Seattle Saints 25-1 Saskatoon Enforcers 30-1 Des Moines Dominators 35-1 Waterloo Lunatics 35-1 Montreal Juggernaughts 50-1 Missisauga Ice Dogs 75-1 Pittsburgh Endless 75-1 Spokane Chiefs 75-1 Rainbow Lake Frostbite 90-1 Tampere Tappara 120-1 Missisauga Vipers 120-1 Halifax Hawks 125-1 Almont Raiders 130-1 ©Web Hockey League 2000