Final Analysis An exciting year of hockey has come to a
close as it was expected to, with the crowning of the Detroit Red Wings
as Stanley Cup Champions. Of course, the playoffs also gave us the opportunity
for Lord Stanley's Pool -- completing its fifth year with an exciting
finish.
B.L.T., on the strength of Sergei Fedorov's final round, pulled
ahead of Vince Galante and held him off for a one-point victory.
Tony Ruffolo won the battle for third that had any of five possible
winners.
Key to the Pool The key to the pool was without a doubt Peter Forsberg
-- especially when combined with Dominik Hasek. Only four entries -- B.L.T.,
Vince Galante, Vince Brescia, and Dane Clatney -- dared
take the formerly injured superstar, and B.L.T. and Galante finished 1-2
after also picking Hasek. Brescia, a two-time pool champ, took Hasek as
well, but lost the pool by taking three players from Philly.
McCauley makes the Dream Team There are many unlikely names on the 2002 Dream
Team (the best possible picks under the rules of the pool). Even though
it's stocked with Colorado, Detroit, and Toronto players -- the most popular
teams in the pool -- they weren't the players most picked. Only Sakic
(29 picks), Lidstrom (26), and Hasek (14) were favourites, while four
of the players were completely overlooked by poolies.
Forwards:
Forsberg, Col, 27 (4 picks)
Yzerman, Det, 23 (3 picks)
Joe Sakic, Col, 19 (30 picks)
Gary Roberts, Tor, 19 (no picks)
Ron Francis, Car, 16 (no picks)
Alyn McCauley, Tor, 15 (no picks)
Defense:
Lidstrom, Det, 16 (26 picks)
DeVries, Col, 13 (no picks) Goalie:
Hasek, Det, 47 (14 picks) Team: Detroit, 10 (21 entries) TOTAL: 205 points
Remember the Big Picture A weak start to the pool doesn't mean you're out
of the running... just ask three of the top five entries, who sat in the 20's after Round 1. In a remarkable turnaround, four of the original top 5 finished out of the top ten and the other finished 8th. The lesson: pick players for the long-term, and don't be enticed by high scorers that will be out early.
Notables Third time lucky?Ron Wener hopes so. This is the second straight year he finished in the top 5 -- but out of the cash... Best forward line:George Smith had the best front six this
year, with 93 points. A far cry from Al White's 125 last year, but still
ten more than the nearest competitor... Hasek dominated the pool: Hasek's record-breaking performance (47
points) was so strong that all 14 entries that took him were in the top
19 in the pool. Basically, no Hasek... no chance.
Who was hot/not at the end
Hot
Andrew Ryan
Danthrax
Altaf Champsi
Russell Reed
Christian Pitcher
John Menary
Not
Brendan Browne
David Reilly
Tim Crockford
Karen Patterson
Dane Clatney
