Quebec Nordiques Dynasty (NHL 04)

[Canada_Carlos_Ball]

Quebec Nordiques November 2003-04 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Nov 2	vs San Jose Sharks
Nov 5	at Buffalo Sabres
Nov 7	at Columbus BlueJackets
Nov 8	at NY Islanders
Nov 11	vs Ottawa Senators
Nov 13	at Carolina Hurricanes
Nov 15	at Philadelphia Flyers
Nov 16	vs Florida Panthers
Nov 19	vs Boston Bruins
Nov 21	at Florida Panthers
Nov 23	vs Phoenix Coyotes
Nov 25	vs Ottawa Senators
Nov 27	vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Nov 29	vs TB Lightning

Nordiques Send Lang To Blackhawks

In a rather shocking move, the Quebec Nordiques traded Robert Lang last night to the Chicago Blackhawks. Lang, a 33 year-old veteran centre, had recorded 1 goal and 5 assists in 11 games so far this year. He could not be reached for comment.

In return, the Nordiques get 23 year-old right-winger Brandon Reid. The Kirkland, Quebec native had 8 points (4G, 4A) in 11 games with the Blackhawks up to this point this year. He also played a handful of games in the NHL last season with the Vancouver Canucks after a very succesful junior career with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.

"We really like the package we're getting with Brandon. We feel as though he could have the ability to step right into our bottom six, and he will be presented with every opportunity to move up on the depth chart. He has a very ceiling as a prospect. Robert is a great veteran and I wish him all the best in Chicago, this trade was nothing personal at all," commented Nordiques GM Carlos Verde.

"Well if they're willing to give us a second-line center for a relatively unproven prospect, that's their problem," retorted Hawks GM Mike Smith when asked why he gave up such a budding young prospect.

Reid is expected to suit up on Sunday afternoon when the Nordiques host the San Jose Sharks.

NHL Standings - Updated: Nov 1, 2003
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA
Carolina*	8	1	0	18	50	31
Buffalo*	7	4	0	14	44	37
NY Islanders*	6	2	1	13	47	39
Toronto	7	3	0	14	41	32
Boston	6	4	1	13	55	44
Pittsburgh	6	3	0	12	45	39
New Jersey	5	4	0	10	37	38
Québec	5	6	0	10	35	36
Montréal	4	5	2	10	37	45
NY Rangers	4	3	1	9	29	32
Washington	4	6	0	8	27	36
Philadelphia	3	5	2	8	38	45
Tampa Bay	3	4	0	6	30	28
Ottawa	3	5	0	6	29	29
Florida	1	10	0	2	37	59
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA
Vancouver*	8	2	0	16	52	38
Chicago*	7	3	1	15	42	36
San Jose*	5	4	1	11	38	44
Minnesota	7	4	0	14	44	36
Nashville	6	3	0	12	39	28
Edmonton	5	3	1	11	35	35
Phoenix	5	4	0	10	37	42
Detroit	5	5	0	10	37	37
St. Louis	5	4	0	10	31	31
Columbus	4	4	2	10	40	43
Anaheim	4	7	0	8	44	51
Dallas	4	6	0	8	37	39
Los Angeles	3	6	0	6	31	41
Calgary	3	6	0	6	28	36
Colorado	2	7	0	4	28	37

[Canada_Carlos_Ball]

ROLOSON SHINES IN DADE COUNTY
Two goals in less than a minute secures game

Quebec Nordiques at Florida Panthers
Nov 21, 2003 1 2 3 F QCN (9-11-1) 0 3 1 4 FLA (6-15-0) 1 0 1 2 Three Stars Dwayne Roloson (QCN) - G 41/43 Jim Vandermeer (QCN) - D 1G Cory Stillman (QCN) - RW 1G, 1A	Team Stats Comparison QCN FLA Shots on Goal 29 43 Hits 15 2 Faceoffs Won-Lost 9-9 9-9 Penalty Minutes 13:00 7:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 1 4 Time on Attack 6:12 6:04
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD FLA Pirjeta (2) (Guolla) - 11:13 SECOND PERIOD QCN Kotalik (4) (Stillman, St. Jacques) - 4:00 QCN Gagne (12) (PP) (McCabe, Rivet) - 11:59 QCN Vandermeer (3) (Vasicek) - 12:25 THIRD PERIOD FLA Sykora (7) (Smehlik, Malakhov) - 12:52 QCN Stillman (9) (EN) (Vasicek, Rivet) - 19:53

[Canada_Carlos_Ball]

NHL Standings - Updated: Dec 1, 2003
ATLANTIC	W	L	OTL	PTS
NY Islanders	12	7	1	29
New Jersey	14	8	0	28
NY Rangers	13	10	1	27
Pittsburgh	13	9	0	26
Philadelphia	9	10	3	21
NORTHEAST	W	L	OTL	PTS
Toronto	15	9	1	31
Buffalo	14	11	0	28
Boston	12	10	1	25
Montreal	9	10	5	23
Ottawa	9	12	1	19
SOUTHEAST	W	L	OTL	PTS
Carolina	16	6	2	34
Quebec	11	13	1	23
Tampa Bay	11	8	1	23
Florida	10	16	0	20
Washington	8	15	1	17
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	OTL	PTS
Carolina*	16	6	2	34
Toronto*	15	9	1	31
NY Islanders*	14	7	1	29
Buffalo	14	11	0	28
New Jersey	14	8	0	28
NY Rangers	13	10	1	27
Pittsburgh	13	9	0	26
Boston	12	10	1	25
Quebec	11	13	1	23
Tampa Bay	11	8	1	23
Montreal	9	10	5	23
Philadelphia	9	10	3	21
Florida	10	16	0	20
Ottawa	9	12	1	19
Washington	8	15	1	17
CENTRAL	W	L	OTL	PTS
Nashville	16	6	1	33
Chicago	13	9	3	29
Detroit	12	11	2	26
St. Louis	12	9	0	24
Columbus	11	10	2	24
NORTHWEST	W	L	OTL	PTS
Vancouver	19	5	1	39
Edmonton	13	10	1	27
Minnesota	12	10	2	26
Colorado	11	12	1	23
Calgary	9	12	0	18
PACIFIC	W	L	OTL	PTS
Dallas	10	14	1	21
Phoenix	10	13	0	20
Los Angeles	10	13	0	20
San Jose	9	13	2	20
Anaheim	7	17	0	14
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	OTL	PTS
Vancouver*	19	5	1	39
Nashville*	16	6	1	33
Dallas*	10	14	1	21
Chicago	13	9	3	29
Edmonton	13	10	1	27
Minnesota	12	10	2	26
Detroit	12	11	2	26
St. Louis	12	9	0	24
Columbus	11	10	2	24
Colorado	11	12	1	23
Phoenix	10	13	0	20
Los Angeles	10	13	0	20
San Jose	9	13	2	20
Calgary	9	12	0	18
Anaheim	7	17	0	14

TSN EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER-SEASON REVIEW

Atlantic

Pleasant Surprise - Young Marian Gaborik of the New Jersey Devils would win the Rocket Richard Trophy were the season to end today. The Slovakian Right-Winger has a whopping 32 goals in 22 games played, meaning it would take him just 35 games to reach the 50-goal mark, an unbelievable pace! Gaborik leads a strong, veteran line-up who sit 2nd in an extremely tight Atlantic Division. Despite lacking much secondary scoring (Derian Hatcher and Chris Gratton are the second-best offensive weapons on the team, they've both got 12 goals), or stellar goaltending (Tommy Salo's SV% is .841, back-up Martin Hnilicka's is .848), Gaborik has carried this team to a well-above .500 mark in one of the toughest divisions in the league.

Disappointment - Despite the Islanders being in first place in the division, Doug Weight has been a humongous disappointment for the Long Island team. The Islanders picked Weight with their 2nd pick in the draft, and to this point he's registered only 13 points (just 5 goals) in 22 games, which puts him 8th on the team in scoring, very disappointing for their 2nd round pick. He also has a team-worst -11 +/- rating. Could he be on the trading block come February?

Northeast

Pleasant Surprise - Richard Zednik (R.I.P.) has been a fantastic surprise for the division-leading Toronto Maple Leafs so far. He has the 2nd-most goals on the team (23 in 25GP), and has been clutch (5GWG). Almost all of his points come on the powerplay, as he is otherwise a 2nd/3rd line right winger. 18 of his 23 goals to be in fact. Still, great for the Leafs to have some secondary scoring in the form of the speedy Zednik.

Disappointment - The Bruins' Tyler Arnason has been an utter disappointment. They drafted Arnason in the 4th round and expected him to be a contributing 2nd-line center. So far this seaosn, Arnason has 4 points in 23GP, and one of the worst +/- ratings in the league at -9. While he's still young and has prospect status, he does need to step it up, and the Bruins hope it'll be sooner rather than later for the young center.

Southeast

Pleasant Surprise - Overall, the Carolina Hurricanes. No one expected the Canes to be THIS dominant (16-6-2). Even with their top line of Hull-Forsberg-Bure, their defense was considered too porous to compete, their goaltending weak. As we enter December however, they are not only competing, but leading the Eastern Conference. With budding young star Ilya Kovalchuk pushing the vets on the roster like Bure and Forsberg, you can be sure that this time will be playing hard all the way through April.

Disappointment - Steve Eminger was taken with the Panthers' 6th-round pick. They were expecting a two-way top-pair type defender. They've gotten far from it from the 21 year-old Woodbridge, ON native. They've gotten 3 points (all assists), and an EVEN +/- rating from the 6'1, 202lb. Eminger. This kid's got time, but right now he's simply not getting it done in the role the Panthers have him in.

[Canada_Carlos_Ball]

NOVEMBER RECAP

Quebec Nordiques November 2003-04 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Nov 2	vs San Jose Sharks	Won, 6-5
Nov 5	at Buffalo Sabres	Lost, 6-5
Nov 7	at Columbus BlueJackets	Won, 6-5
Nov 8	at NY Islanders	Lost, 4-3
Nov 11	vs Ottawa Senators	Lost, 5-4
Nov 13	at Carolina Hurricanes	Lost, 6-5
Nov 15	at Philadelphia Flyers	Lost, 5-1
Nov 16	vs Florida Panthers	Lost, 6-5
Nov 19	vs Boston Bruins	Won, 6-5
Nov 21	at Florida Panthers	Won, 4-2
Nov 23	vs Phoenix Coyotes	Won, 6-3
Nov 25	vs Ottawa Senators	Won, 6-4
Nov 27	vs Toronto Maple Leafs	Lost, 5-3
Nov 29	vs TB Lightning	Lost, 5-2

The month of November was not all that kind to the Quebec Nordiques, who were very streaky and inconsistent throughout the month. The Nordiques posted a 6-8-0 record, which was pretty much on par with their October showing, but also suffered through a 5-game losing streak, followed by a 4-game winning streak. Dwayne Roloson regained his great form from last season, posting a solid .913 SV% in the month of November. Jarome Iginla and Simon Gagne continued to lead the team in scoring, while Roman Hamrlik and Jim Vandermeer continue to provide some surprising offense from the blueline. Pascal Leclaire (80) , Nik Antropov (71) , Rick Nash (70), and the Nordiques' 2nd-round draft pick are all rumored to be on the trading block.
The Nordiques sit two points behind eighth-place Boston, having played two more games than Boston. December will be a key month for the Nordiques, will they fall off the back end of the playoff picture? Or play their way into a playoff spot? Only time will tell...

[Braeden]

Holy Leclaire is overrated! :P

[Canada_Carlos_Ball]

Quote: Originally Posted by Braeden

Holy Leclaire is overrated! :P

He was drafted eighth overall the year before. But yeah, he was, even for the 03-04 season, considering he'd be a rookie that year. He's dont a great job backing up Roloson so far, so I'm not complaining!

[Canada_Carlos_Ball]

SOARIN' IN STEELTOWN

Shorthanded trifecta leads Nordiques to road victory

The Quebec Nordiques picked up an important two points last night in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. Playing a team that sat just three points ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings going in, the Nordiques got off to a quick start, with Josef Vasicek and Trent Klatt scoring two goals in the first period to give the visiting Nordiques a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, despite being outshot 14-8 by an aggressive Penguins offense. The 2nd period never really settled into a flow, as both teams spent a lot of time in the 2nd frame cooped up in the penalty box. Blame the refs, blame the players, blame the game, either way the penalties limited the game's potential in what was a stagnant, choppy 2nd period. Pascal Leclaire was spectacular, turning away another 16 shots in the 2nd period. In the third, everything went crazy, with the Pens tying the game with just over half the 3rd period to go on J.P. Dumont's 12th of the year in conjunction with Vinny Prospal's highlight reel shot earlier in the period. Then everything went crazy. The parade to the penalty box continued, featuring Quebec players almost exclusively. With just under a minute to go, and down a man, Jarome Iginla hit a streaking Bryan McCabe just outside the Penguins zone. McCabe took the puck, faked out Joe Thornton, came in alone on Pens netminder Dan Cloutier, and wired a quick wrister over Cloutier's glove, to effectively give the Nordiques the game. Cory Stillman added an empty-net goal, and Roman Hamrlik added a stat-padder with a few seconds left. The scoreline belittled the close nature of the game, but the Nordiques, and everyone who watched them tangle with the Pens last night, knows just how close this game was. The Nords will come home to host Boston tomorrow night.

Quebec Nordiques at Pittsburgh Penguins
Dec 1, 2003 1 2 3 F QC (12-13-1) 2 0 3 5 PIT (13-10-0) 0 0 2 2 Three Stars Pascal Leclaire (QC), G 43/45 Roman Hamrlik (QC), D 1G, 1A Trent Klatt (QC), LW 1G, 2A	Team Stats Comparison QC PIT Shots on Goal 32 45 Hits 21 7 Faceoffs Won-Lost 6-14 14-6 Penalty Minutes 12:00 6:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 3 5 Time on Attack 6:09 6:01
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD QC Vasicek (3) (PP) (Klatt, Stillman) - 7:12 QC Klatt (3) (SH) (Vandermeer) - 14:47 THIRD PERIOD PIT Prospal (7) (Skoula) - 2:08 PIT Dumont (12) (Walz, Karpa) - 9:57 QC McCabe (4) (SH) (Hamrlik, Iginla) - 19:04 QC Stillman (11) (SH) (EN) (Leclaire) - 19:44 QC Hamrlik (5) (SH) (Klatt) - 19:56

[Canada_Carlos_Ball]

I have decided to turn this dynasty into a long one..much in the same style as Boxer's CBJ one on NHL 12. The focus will be on transactions and long-term as opposed to individual games. I will do four regular season updates (20, 40, 60, and 80 games), and then every playoff game if I'm to make it to the postseason. Sound good? So the focus will be on lines, trades, free agent signings, and the draft.