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Sporting News, The, May 26, 1997 by Larry Wigge

Player of the Year DOMINIK HASEK Buffalo Sabres

He isn't called The Dominator for nothing.

Before a game February 18 at Buffalo, Flames coach Pierre Page knew he had to come up an edge--and the place to start was finding a way to beat Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek. Page stayed on one side of the ice, sending assistant coach Guy Lapointe to the other side to get a different perspective.

"We all know he's unorthodox in how he stops the puck," Page says. "He uses his quickness and competitiveness to beat you. As a result, the same trends you see in other goalies just aren't there.

"This wasn't just another practice--or maybe it was. It was mind-boggling to me, because he didn't give up a goal, didn't let a single teammate beat him in maybe 20 minutes. I looked at Guy and both of us were shaking our heads."

The Flames went on to beat Hasek five times, salvaging a 5-5 tie against the Sabres--but Page insists it wasn't because of anything he or Lapointe had seen.

In fact, when his team is outshot 63 times during an 82-game schedule, Hasek is bound to have an off-day. The bottom line, however, is that Hasek posted a 37-19-10 record and 2.29 goals-against average, with five shutouts and a league-leading 92.9 save percentage. And he led a team considered, at best, a borderline playoff team to the Northeast Division title.

Hasek's performance was so dominant, it was recognized as such by the players voting for the THE SPORTING NEWS Player of the Year Award, an award never before won by a member of the Sabres. Even more significant, no goalie had won the league's Player of the Year Award since Montreal's Jacques Plante in 1962. But there was no contest this season. Hasek received 91 of 151 votes from fellow players, with Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux a distant second with 28.

All of which proves that the puck does stop in Buffalo--right in front of Dominik Hasek.

Rookie of the Year BRYAN BERARD Hew York Islanders

No one ever questioned Berard's offensive skills. It was his defense that drew heavy scrutiny. But G.M. Mike Milbury made sure early on that his rookie defenseman knew how important it was to be an all-around player.

"He's sort of a mustang that needs to be tamed," Milbury says. "But not to the point where I want to break his spirit."

Berard had eight goals and 40 assists--number that were higher than those of long-time star defensemen Paul Coffey and Al MacInnis and just six points short of the rookie point total of Islanders Hall of Famer Denis Potvin.

Berard's 11 multiplepoint games underscore how explosive he is. Ironically, Berard didn't get to the NHL without first being traded. The first overall pick in the 1995 draft became embroiled in a contract dispute with the Ottawa Senators. Late in the '95-96 season he was traded to the Islanders for defenseman Wade Redden, the second pick in the same draft.

Berard received 51 votes from his fellow players for Rookie of the Year. Calgary's Jarome Iginla was second with 32 votes, and St. Louis' Jim Campbell third with 21.

Coach of the Year KEN HITCHCOCK Dallas Stars

Hitchcock took over behind the Dallas' bench midway through the 1995-96 season, replacing G.M. Bob Gainey. Players talked about Hitchcock's even-handed approach. But that approach didn't show in the standings until this season. The Stars opened with a 6-0 run and never looked back, finishing with a team-record 48 victories and 104 points.

"Teams often slump at one time or another during the long season," veteran goalie Andy Moog says, "but Hitch kept us focused and fresh no matter who was in the lineup."

Moog, in fact, was one of seven regulars--including Derian Hatcher, Joe Nieuwendyk, Greg Adams, Jere Lehtinen, Bob Bassen and Richard Matvichuk--to miss 10 or more games. To Hitchcock's credit, the team played better than .500 hockey without them.

The Stars' amazing turnaround from last to first in the Central Division set records. The only other teams to do that since the league expanded in 1967-68 were Chicago in 1969-70 and the Rangers in 1993-94.

Only a red-hot goaltending performance by Edmonton's Curtis Joseph kept the Stars from continuing in the playoffs. But in no way did that diminish Hitchcock's performance. The 11-8 vote sneaked him by second-place finisher Ted Nolan of Buffalo.

Executive of the Year JOHN MUCKLER Buffalo Sabres

Few experts expected the Sabres to make the playoffs--much less win the Northeast Division title. Muckler's prudent personnel decisions played a big part in that success--even though he became embroiled in a season-long dispute with coach Ted Nolan--a fight in which he finished second: Muckler was fired following the playoffs.

Sometimes the power struggles can cloud the performance of a man in an executive position. One year earlier, ownership ordered Muckler to cut at least $5 million from the payroll. It was an unpopular decision, but Muckler made the most of it.

The team finished out of the playoffs in 1995-96 with a 33-42-record but came back to post a 40-30-12 record this past season--and youngsters Michael Peca and Mike Wilson, obtained from Vancouver in the Alexander Mogilny trade, were key parts of the aggressive, never-say-die Sabres' surprising success.