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Goaltending, Coaching, Skill Decided Series -  June 27, 1997 - Volume 50, Issue 38 - Bob McKenzie 

We’ll never know whether Chris Osgood would have led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup this year, but coach Scott Bowman’s decision to go with veteran Mike Vernon certainly looks like a stroke of genius.

The diminutive 34-year-old Vernon stopped 102 of 108 shots in the four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers for a save percentage of 94.4. Vernon, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, provided Detroit with the kind of goaltending Philadelphia could only dream of.

Goaltending was just one area in which the Wings had it all over the Flyers. Here are the other reasons why Detroit beat Philly silly:

OFFENSIVE DEPTH The Wings had four solid lines, all of them scoring at least three goals in the final, while the Flyers were, at best, a three-line team which didn’t have a single unit generating offense.

LARRY MURPHY AND NICKLAS LIDSTRÖM Who says nice guys don’t finish first? Eric Lindros and John LeClair managed just two even-strength goals and were a collective minus-10 thanks in large part to Lidström (plus-6) and Murphy (plus-10).

INJURIES The Wings lost one-man game to injury through the playoffs (Joey Kocur); the Flyers 40. The loss of Petr Svoboda and Paul Coffey and Kjell Samuelsson’s slow return to form crippled the Flyer blueline, although the Wings being healthy was a greater factor than the Flyers missing players. “It was amazing,” Bowman said. “No injuries. It’s the best I ever remember it.”

LAST MINUTE, FIRST MINUTE Six times in the final, including three times in Game 3, the Flyers allowed the Red Wings to score early or late in a period.

SKILL, SPEED, SMARTS Nowhere was the Wings’ edge in these areas as evident as their ability to take Flyer dump-ins, trap Flyer forecheckers and provide quick transition for countless odd-man rushes.

STAR STRUCK The Big E crashed and burned in his first Cup final. Initially, the effort

was there, but when the results failed to materialize, he, like his teammates, lost his focus.

COACHING Terry Murray’s use of the phrase “choking situation” made matters worse for a team already on the ropes and underlined a chemistry problem between him and his players. The Wings and Bowman, meanwhile, were in harmony this year, unlike two years ago when he ripped them for showing no heart against the New Jersey Devils.

EXPERIENCE Past Wing failures taught them how to win. The Flyers were befuddled at the first sign of adversity. They’ll no doubt return one day better for the experience. ■

While the one of the key strengths of the Red Wings during the 2024-25 NHL Season was their power play, one key area of weakness that ultimately played a major role in causing them to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs was their penalty killing.

At one point in the first few months of the season, their penalty killing efficiency was even worse than the mark of 68.2 percent set by the Los Angeles Kings in 1979-80.

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While the penalty kill showed slight improvement after Todd McLellan took over as head coach, Detroit still finished last in the NHL, ranking 32nd out of 32 teams with a 70.2 percent success rate.

If the Red Wings hope to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, that number must improve. With McLellan behind the bench for a full campaign, can Detroit elevate its PK to at least the middle of the pack? 

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It was an active offseason for Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, who not only traded the disappointing Vladimir Tarasenko and his $4.75 million cap hit to the Minnesota Wild but also signed several new players. 

In addition to the free agent signings of James van Riemsdyk, Mason Appleton and Ian Mitchell, along with the acquisition via trade of John Gibson, the Red Wings also signed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker. 

UPDATE: The #RedWings have signed Jacob Bernard-Docker to a one-year contract with an AAV of $875,000. pic.twitter.com/SrFmZhlrxk

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2025

Bernard-Docker, who split last season between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres, feels that the Red Wings are the perfect fit for himself as a team on the rise.

“There’s a lot of potential there, and [Detroit] is a team on the right trajectory,” Bernard-Docker said last month per the Red Wings' official website. “I’m super excited to go there, show what I got and hopefully be a contributor.”

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Originally a first round selection of the Ottawa Senators in the 2018 NHL Draft, Bernard-Docker would play the first several seasons of his career in the Canadian capital city before being dealt this past March to the Buffalo Sabres along with Josh Norris in exchange for Dylan Cozens, Dennis Gilbert, and a 2026 second-round pick.

Having played for both teams, who are in the Atlantic Division along with the Red Wings, Bernard-Docker seems similarities between all three clubs. 

"In a way it's a similar group to where I was in Ottawa, with a real good young core,” Bernard-Docker said. “Buffalo had a real good core. [Detroit is] on that edge of breaking out. There’s a lot of real good players on the team.”

In addition to his time in the NHL, Bernard-Docker has also represented Canada on the international stage, winning a gold medal in the 2021 IHF World Junior Championship. 

He arrives in Detroit with 144 games of NHL experience, and already can see himself contributing to Detroit's penalty killing, which was dangerously close to being ranked the worst in NHL history at various points last season. 

"That's one area where I was really looking to develop and show how I played in the minors and maybe I haven't shown as much as I'd like to in the NHL yet," Bernard-Docker said. "It's an area that I think is a strong part of my game. I'm willing to block shots and I'm pretty good on my stick.”

The Red Wings will open Training Camp in Traverse City, Mich. on September 18, which will be followed by their first exhibition matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks on September 23. 

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The Buffalo Sabres are preparing to kick off a hugely-important season for them. The Sabres haven't made the Stanley Cup playoffs in 14 years, and to say there's a massive amount of pressure on them to get into the post-season in 2025-26 would be a massive understatement.

So, every game Buffalo plays this season will be extremely important to its bottom line. And that's why THN.com's Sabres site has been examining the Sabres' chances against each opponent this year. We've moved our way through three NHL divisions, and today, we began our analysis of Buffalo's first Pacific Division rival -- the Anaheim Ducks.

You can read that "Know Your Enemy" series file by clicking here. But we also want to hear from our readers. What do you think of the Sabres' chances against the Ducks next season? Do you agree with our evaluation that, on paper, Buffalo should beat Anaheim in both games for the second consecutive season? Or do you like the Ducks to punch back and at least even out this series?

Be sure to let us know your opinion. And feel free to sign up as a community member of our Sabres site. Tell us how you see things in the hockey world, and grow your connection to the game.

The Buffalo Sabres have failed in one consistent way in recent years -- namely, that they haven't played Stanley Cup playoff hockey in nearly a decade-and-a-half. Thus, there's an inordinate amount of pressure on the Sabres to be a playoff team this year. And as we've seen in the NHL's overtime/shootout era, teams can make or miss the playoffs by only one or two standings points, so it's not an exaggeration to say that just about every game is going to be important to Buffalo's playoff hopes.

That's why we here at THN.com's Sabres site believed it worthwhile to examine each of the Buffalo's 31 opponents next season, and see if we can't make a solid guesstimate as to how the Sabres will fare against each of them. And after moving our way through the Atlantic, Metropolitan and Central Divisions, we're now starting our look at Pacific Division teams with a breakdown of Buffalo's chances against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks missed the playoffs by 16 points last season, so they have a long road back to being true Cup threats. But Anaheim made some smart additions this summer, and they're going to be a tougher team to play against. How much tougher? Our best answer to that question is below.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. ANAHEIM DUCKS

NEW DUCKS PLAYERS: Mikael Granlund, C; Chris Kreider, LW; Ryan Poehling, C; Petr Mrazek, G

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 2-0-0, Ducks 0-1-1

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  January 10 at Buffalo; March 22 at Anaheim 

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Ducks have slowly been building their core for years now. Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek has been meticulously adding young talent to the group, and the Ducks now have a semblance of a winner. But clearly, Verbeek believes his team needed an influx of experienced players, as that's been happening a lot in Anaheim of late.

Verbeek picked up former New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba last season, and this summer, he's added Trouba's Rangers teammate Chris Kreider to the mix. Kreider had a sub-par year in Manhattan last year, but he was hardly the only Blueshirts player in that department. And now, at age 34, Kreider has a fresh start with the Ducks.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Are Winnipeg Jets Too Good To Lose To Buffalo?The Buffalo Sabres are facing a massive amount of pressure to end their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought next season. But if they're to do so, they're going to need to win the majority of series they play against every NHL team. And that includes taking on top-tier teams like the Central Division-champion Winnipeg Jets.

Similarly, signing veteran center Michael Granlund is also going to help Anaheim's bottom line. Granlund has bounced around more than a little -- the Ducks are the fifth team he's played on since 2022-23 -- but Granlund quietly had 22 goals and 66 points last season. He's 33 years old, but Granlund has enough left in the tank to help Anaheim's cause.

Given that Buffalo beat the Ducks in both games last season, you'd have to say that the Sabres can't afford to take a step back and allow Anaheim to win either game they have against them this coming year. The Ducks want to completely close the gap separating them from a playoff spot, but to do so, they'll have to be focused and motivated all season long, and new coach Joel Quenneville has his work cut out for him in maintaining a consistent standard of play for his new team.

That said, if the Sabres can round into form in the later part of the season, they're going to be a challenge for any team, the Ducks included. And the latter part of the year is when both games against the Ducks will be played.

In any case, Anaheim's fast, skilled core is going to pressure Buffalo's defense corps and goaltending, and the Sabres will run into one of the NHL's better young goalies in Lukas Dostal. The Ducks aren't going to be anybody's pushover next year, but the Sabres can't afford a letdown against a team they're deeper than -- at least, on paper.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Central Edition: Will Mammoth Maul Buffalo As Utah Seeks First Playoff Appearance?The NHL's off-season rolls on, and every day brings with it more hockey talk. And in this ongoing THN.com series, we here at the Sabres site are focusing on the Buffalo Sabres' 2025-26 regular-season schedule -- and specifically, Sabres opponents who could get in the way of Buffalo's Stanley Cup playoff aspirations.

Anaheim still has some serious flaws. Their defense corps isn't going to be known as a shutdown crew anytime soon, and they're still going to have lessons to learn as is natural for a young group like theirs. So Buffalo has to show the Ducks they're a team that isn't going to let up out of overconfidence.

There's pressure on both teams, but the Sabres have more pressure on them than any other NHL team. And if Anaheim doesn't put its best foot forward, their games against Buffalo could once again see the Ducks in the loss column both times.

When the Ottawa Senators selected Victoriaville Tigres star Alexandre Daigle first overall in the 1993 NHL Draft, most people believed the team had landed a generational superstar. In his rookie season, Daigle scored 20 goals and 51 points, and while he didn't thrive the way the team had hoped, he was second in scoring behind fellow rookie Alexei Yashin, who notched 30 goals and 79 points.

The two “Alexes” were expected to become foundational pieces for the franchise once it freed itself from the struggles of expansion. 

What’s often forgotten is that after Daigle's rookie campaign, he returned to junior to rejoin Victoriaville in 1994-95. That also gave him another chance to represent Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, and his performance briefly reignited the Senators’ confidence in him.

It wasn't a bold move by the Sens, intentionally sending him back to junior for more development. The NHL was hit by a lockout that season, so there was nowhere else for him to keep playing.

When the NHL finally resumed play in January, Daigle was just back from a Canadian gold medal performance and posted 37 points in the remaining 47 games. However, over the next two and a half seasons, he simply couldn't get anywhere near the level everyone expected.

Ultimately, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1997–98 season.

As noted in now 30-year-old pieces from Chris Stevenson and Ken Campbell, pulled from The Hockey News Archive, Daigle’s return from the World Juniors once brought renewed hope within the Senators organization—though it would prove to be short-lived.

Jan 20, 1995/vol. 48, issue 18

Daigle Shows True Colours With Canada’s Golden Boys

By Chris Stevenson

Alexandre Daigle won gold with Canada’s national junior team, making him something he hasn’t been with the Ottawa Senators yet – a winner.

Daigle’s 51-point regular season last year and $12.25-million contract for five years have made the Senators a lightning rod for criticism. His contract has caused envy and has even been blamed for the current lockout.

Senators’ general manager Randy Sexton chooses not to evaluate the deal until after the five years.

But Daigle’s performance at the World Junior Championship has given Sexton and director of player personnel John Ferguson a reason-if they needed it-to sleep easier.

Playing on Team Canada’s top line, Daigle was everything he wasn’t with the Senators-inspired, confident, creative and unafraid to get involved in the physical game.

“I’m totally thrilled with Daigle.” Ferguson said. “I feel this is the greatest tonic for him. It’s going to bring his confidence back.”

Senators’ coach Rick Bowness felt the same way.

“It was great to see him carrying the puck, putting on the brakes and hitting the late man,” Bowness said. “That was a play he would try last year and it didn’t always click. It was good to see him setting up behind the net, hanging onto the puck.

“When a player plays with emotion, his confidence will come out. He was hitting people and making things happen at both ends.”

NOTEBOOK: Senators’ fans won’t be getting a first-hand look at the first-place PEI Senators of the American League’s Atlantic Division. Plans to have a game between Ottawa’s top farm team and the Cornwall Aces at the Civic Centre fell through. The plan was to make the game free to Ottawa season ticketholders, but details couldn’t be worked out… Alexandre Daigle has grown an inch-and-a-half since the Senators drafted him in 1993, putting him over 6-foot-1, John Ferguson said. ■

12 Former Ottawa Senators On The Move In Europe This OffseasonThe Ottawa Senators have seen a lot of players come and go during their rebuild.

---

Daigle Gets Zip Back

By Ken Campbell

RED DEER, Alta.-Randy Sexton saw something in Alexandre Daigle at the World Junior Championship he hadn’t seen in two years.

It was the same thing he saw when Daigle was getting kicked out of Quebec League games in 1992-93.

Sexton saw passion.

“I think a lot of it got zapped last year,” said the Ottawa Senators’ general manager. “The thing Alexandre has to remember sometimes, is it’s all right to play with emotion in the NHL and that people respect guys who work hard and throw their bodies in front of shots.”

Daigle, picked No. 1 overall in the 1993 entry draft, was a disappointment last year. He started the season well, winning NHL rookie-of-the-month honors in October, but collapsed in the second half.

His huge contract, with a scheduled payout of $12.25 million over five years, was a source of much controversy and blamed for adding to NHL inflation.

One year later, Daigle didn’t dominate Canada’s entry at the World Junior Championship. But he did show tremendous passing skills, blinding acceleration and a measure of courage.

Is he a $2 million-a-year a player? Not yet, if ever. But there’s no reason to believe he can’t develop into a very good player, maybe even a great one.

“We think he will be a very, very good player,” Sexton said. ’‘You can’t predict who will be a great player.”

Daigle was not a great player in Canada’s evaluation camp and came close to being cut. He finished the tournament with two goals and eight points.

“We weren’t going to ask him to play the fourth line,” said Sheldon Ferguson, director of player personnel for the team.

Instead. Daigle centered the first line with Todd Harvey and Jeff Friesen. The trio was Canada’s best unit and a big part of its lethal power play, which converted a remarkable 42.8 per cent of its chances (21 of 49).

The hard times have affected Daigle’s confidence, but not his professional or personal outlook on life. “I’m a positive person.” he said. “I’m not the kind of guy who sits there and says, ‘Oh, God, we had another bad game.’ I say, ‘Well, maybe the next game will be better.’”

Maybe better times are ahead for Daigle. ■

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