EFHL Playoff Newsletter

OK, so I lied. I didn’t think there would be a newsletter this week, but here it is. I think I need to get a life because besides the EFHL finals and the final period which go on for two more weeks, there is not much else to write about. But your dedicated commissioner is here to bore you with another newsletter.

If you guys on the Internet (except Rick) still care enough to visit our web page once in a while, you may have noticed that last week’s results weren’t posted until Sunday. This was because once again there were problems with the Spynet home pages web server all last week. There is a decent chance our page will move for next season.

Elite Cup results through March 31: Beaver Slappers 31 - Ice Dogs 23
Rick took the early lead in this one and has yet to relinquish it. At this point I am not too concerned because 1) one or more of Rick’s player could still go down to injury and he has used his last move; 2) I was down to Chris by five points at the end of the first week of the first round and won, mainly because of injuries; and 3) Hell, even if I lose I still get some money back, which is not too bad considering my points standing, although I hate to have this league continually line Rick’s pockets.

Rick has been led by Palffy, who has five goals and two assists for 12 points. What makes this painful is that I was extremely close to drafting Ziggy but instead opted for Kamensky. To make matters worse, Kamensky also had five goals this week, but has been firmly planted on my bench since being injured. Other than Palffy, Rick’s guys have been unusually average, so two or three of them are probably due to explode and torch me this week.

My team has also been very average. Recent standouts Renberg and Duchesne continue to star with five points each.

What is a newsletter without a mention of our playoff draft. This information is absolutely critical to your preparation for our draft (not really). The playoff races are pretty darn close at the moment. Our draft is on the second to last night of the regular season. It is likely that playoff spots will still be up for grabs on this night. Last year it was just two teams vying for one spot, so you just got to pick one player from each of those teams. We can do this if only two teams are still playing for spots. If there are more than two teams, you would be able to draft players from any team with a shot to get in. If you end up with a player or two not in the playoffs, you can then replace him with any player in the playoffs who was not drafted. This will be decided for certain just before the draft.

If you think of it, let Chris know if you and anyone else will be participating. One other playoff note, the playoff stats will probably be posted on the web periodically and mailed to those without Internet access probably after the second round.

EFHL trivia question: Who is the only NHL rookie to see active time in the EFHL this season? The answer is at the end of the newsletter.

To fill some more space this week, I will take a look at some players who were not on any EFHL team this season, although maybe deserved to when you look at their stats versus the pathetic stats that some EFHL players have totaled (especially when you consider the length of time some players have been active.) Let’s look at a few of these duds first.

Kozlov (Cougars): 22 goals and 21 assists for 65 points just doesn’t cut it for an entire season.
Verbeek (Cougars): Ditto. 65 points for the entire season.
D Hatcher (Cougars): 22 points for almost the entire season.
Bure (Ice Dogs): 23 goals and 78 points is OK, except when you consider he was my second pick.
Federov (12 Monkeys): 88 points is decent, but not for the fourth pick overall.
LaFontaine/Kovalev (Fargon Iceholes): I mentioned what could have been for Rob last week. The last forward position on his team has a grand total of 35 points.

Here are some players that probably should have spent some time on an EFHL roster this season.

Dave Gagner, Calgary. His 26 goals and 33 assists will leave him close to 100 EFHL points by the end of the season.

Joe Nieuwendyk, Dallas. Disappointing in his EFHL stint last year, after missing some games early in this season, he has 29 goals and 19 assists in 58 games. That projects to 109 EFHL points over a full season. Could have been a good addition for three-quarters of the season.

Bryan Smolinski, Islanders. Since being traded from the Penguins, he has 24 goals and 27 assists in 57 games. That projects to 106 points over a full season. Another good addition for three-quarters of the season.

Martin Gelinas, Vancouver. Overshadowed by Bure and Mogilny, Gelinas is on target for 100 EFHL points. He currently has 30 goals and 31 assists, both career highs.

Dino Ciccarelli, Tampa. With 31 goals and 23 assists, he should get close to 100 EFHL points, but a lot of those goals came early in the season.

Alexander Karpovtsev, Rangers. He actually was on a roster for a short time (Tortured Souls.) As a defenseman, his 8 goals and 28 assists for 44 points are better than a number of EFHL defensemen that have been active for the entire year.

Trivia answer: Bryan Berard (Free Radicals) is the only rookie to see EFHL action this season.

Next week there may or may not be a newsletter. The special (maybe) season in review newsletter will be posted on the web and mailed along with the final stats within a week after the regular season ends.

Standings and total points

Player statistics by team:

Player scoring rankings
Schedule
Rules

EFHL Home Page

Grant's home page