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NOMINEE |
THE SKINNY |
| Overrated |
The 4-on-4 in overtime |
The glut of ties in the game were
never a cornerstone issue until the league made it one. Of course, overtimes are
more exciting now, but it's gimmickry. The NHL should lavish as much attention
on what happens in the first 60
minutes. |
| Underrated |
Franchise stability |
In the past two years, more than a
third of NHL franchises have been sold or put on the block. The Islanders, in
the NHL's New York corporate backyard, are a rank embarrassment, and Carolina
has generated little fan
support. |
| Annoying |
Alexei Yashin, Ottawa |
While Colorado's Claude Lemieux
probably deserves a lifetime achievement award in this category, the continual
contract problems of the Senators' center and the machinations of his agent,
Mark Gandler, are
irksome. |
| Breakthrough |
Ed Belfour, Dallas |
The hyper-intense Stars
goaltender won the elusive Stanley Cup, repairing some frayed corners of his
reputation. |
| Uplifting |
Joe Nieuwendyk, Dallas |
After blowing out a knee in the
first game of the 1998 playoffs, the Stars center returned to win the Conn
Smythe Trophy in
1999. |
| MVP |
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo |
Has more impact on a team than any player in
the NHL, and singlehandedly put the Sabres two wins from a Stanley
Cup. |
Storyline to
follow in 2000 |
Canada |
The reticence of governments in Canada to
provide tax relief or other indirect subsidies for NHL teams will lead to more
teeth-gnashing and rending of hockey sweaters north of the border. Ultimately
only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens are locks to remain in
perpetuity in hockey's
homeland. |
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