2001 Expansion Draft Results

The 2001 Expansion draft took place on June 27, 2001. Teams were allowed to protect one goalie, three defensemen, and five forwards. Once a team lost a player, it could not lose another. Because there were 28 teams to pick from, not every team would lose players. Dallas and Minnesota both got through the draft with their rosters fully intact. As for the Expansion teams, Portland went with a lot of proven veterans, stocking their roster with familiar names like Jason Lind, Kyle Boone, and Scott Whitmore. Atlanta focused more on youth, selecting talented young Redshirts goaltender Ben Kerrigan in what was regarded as the biggest steal of the draft, as well as other solid young players like Eric Thorn and Jordan O'Reilly.

G – Bradley Pope, OAK

G – Jason Lind, KC

D – Karl Magnusson, NYC

D – Jason McGinnis, BOS

D – Gordon Quincey, MTL

D – Toivu Niskala, TOR

F – Kyle Boone, CHI

F – Brett Wilson, CLE

F – Troy Dowdy, QUE

F – Todd Becker, STL

F – Jason Whitaker, WPG

F – Scott Whitmore, WSH

G – Ben Kerrigan, PHI

G – Jim Cochran, LA

D – Jason Driscoll, SEA

D – Jordan O’Reilly, EDM

D – Greg Cote, NOS

D – Patrick Gagnon, PIT

F – Alyn Bryant, CAR

F – Eric Thorn, DET

F – Jason Murphy, MIA

F – Niklas Jonsson, LI

F – Chris Falkner, DEN

F – Marc Brunelle, MIL

Cascades, Copperheads Unveil Logos and Uniforms

In June, 2001, the expansion Portland Cascades and Atlanta Copperheads each took another big step towards opening their inaugural seasons. Both teams unveiled their logos and uniforms. On June 25, Portland unveiled a logo featuring a Mountain resembling a growling bear in the team colors of "Midnight Blue, Glacial Silver, and Blizzard White." The home jerseys are white while the roads are navy with both uniforms featuring a mountain design.

The Atlanta Copperheads unveiled their uniforms the following day. The logo features a snake ready to attack, while the uniform features one of the most unique striping designs ever seen in the league, including a pair of snakes running over the top of the shoulders. The team colors are Maroon, Black, and Copper. The reaction from fans was mixed, with some younger fans enjoying the unusual look while other fans felt it was a bit much. "The jerseys are a little out there but we really wanted to do something different, something to draw the younger fans in" said team owner Joseph Cartwright.

In addition to the expansion teams' logos, the league also unveiled new logos for the Eastern and Western Conference, as well as new all-star uniforms for the 2002 all-star game. This will be the first time since 1997 that the all-star teams will have special uniforms, since then, players wore their regular club team uniforms for the game.

Concordes Unveil New Look

Just days after the Philadelphia Redshirts took home the Lewis Cup, the Long Island Concordes unveiled a new uniform set for the 2001-02 season. The color scheme has now changed from teal, orange, and purple to navy, orange, and silver. The logo from the Concordes third jersey has now been promoted to primary status and has been updated in the new colors. "The teal and purple was fun but I think we all soured on it because we just didn't have much success in it" said owner and founder Ed Jeffereys. "We wanted to get back to the success we had in the past so we've put a new spin on the original colors. I think it looks good myself." The new jerseys also earned praise from none other than "Captain Concorde" himself, Stuart Burns, who was named the team's vice president in the spring. "It's a cool look" said Burns. "I just hope it's a winning one."

In addition to Long Island's new threads, two teams also introduced new alternate uniforms for the upcoming season, while one team announced they would be dropping theirs. The Calgary Wranglers decided to go with just the home white and road black, while Seattle and St. Louis both unveiled new third jerseys. The Grey Wolves unveiled a black jersey featuring the wolf's head from the secondary logo, while the Spirits introduced a new color, sky blue, to their scheme on a uniform featuring their tertiary logo. The logo had previously been featured exclusively on t-shirts, hats and other merchandise, but proved popular with fans, convincing team management to create a jersey with it.

  

2001 Lewis Cup Finals

For the first time in a decade, the 2001 Lewis Cup finals would be a battle between the two conference champions, as the defending champion Kansas City Twisters met the Philadelphia Redshirts. CBC commentator Graham Helm summed up the series; “The Redshirts are looking for their first title in 79 years while the Twisters are looking for their first in almost 365 days.” Right from the start, the Twisters looked just as good as the team that had won it all a year earlier. Brett Delaney had a goal and an assist on Jeremy Kitchen’s goal in a 2-0 Twisters win. Game two was closer, with Philadelphia giving up two leads throughout the game as it went into overtime. After the teams remained tied after one overtime, Alex Leblanc scored early in the second to win the game for Philly and tie the series.

Game three was in Philadelphia, where the Redshirts had lost only one game the entire playoffs. They got off to a quick start in this one too when veteran Jonathan Stafford opened the scoring just 1:23 into the first period. Philadelphia played a strong defensive game while Pierre Noel was solid in the net until midway through the third period, when a Scott Drayton point shot found its way through everybody and into the net. Just minutes later, Travis Watson put Kansas City ahead, then Mike Singer sealed it with an empty-net goal. “We need more offense” said Redshirts head coach Clint Allen. “Pierre has been great for us but we need our forwards to give him more to work with.”

Kansas City was now in the driver’s seat, having taken back home-ice advantage, while the Redshirts continued to struggle finding ways to score. In game four, All Philadelphia could muster was a goal from Brendan Carnes late in the second period. Luckily for the Redshirts, Pierre Noel played the game of his life, stopping 59 shots for a shutout as Philly won the game 1-0 to tie the series. The Twisters were confident that it was still their series to lose heading into game five back in KC, but now it was their turn to struggle with scoring. Philadelphia twice early in game five and a Brett Delaney goal halfway through the second period was the best Kansas City could do. Noel stopped 41 shots this time as the Redshirts stood just one home win away from finally ending their drought.

In the 1922 Eastern League championship, the Redshirts relied heavily on a young goaltender named Herb Schmidt to backstop them to the title. Schmidt courageously played on a broken foot and stopped 63 shots in the final game for the win. Now 79 years later, 25-year-old Pierre Noel was faced with a similar challenge. Early in game six, Noel took a hit that shook him up, it appeared he had injured his hand. Nevertheless, Noel made save after save in the first period as the Twisters applied pressure early. Even when Kansas City had a powerplay, Noel shut the door. Halfway through the period, Brendan Carnes scored to give the Redshirts the lead. The crowd cheered, but nervously. Philly fans knew their history, in 1953 the Redshirts gave up a 1-0 lead in the final moments of game seven, ultimately losing in double overtime. In 1958, they gave up a 2-0 lead before losing to Toronto. This time, the Redshirts nursed their delicate lead until early in the second, when Alex Leblanc made it 2-0. This time the PhillyDome erupted. The way Noel was playing there was no way the team would lose this time. With the clock winding down, Jared Baxter, who had not scored all series, passed the puck to 22-year veteran Jeff Waters, who slid it into the empty net. The building shook as the crowd celebrated and the referees had to keep the Philadelphia players from spilling onto the ice with 22 seconds to go. Finally, the clock counted down to zero as the players mobbed Noel and the fans went wild. For the first time in their long PHL history, the Philadelphia Redshirts were the Lewis Cup Champions. Commissioner Darryl Byrd presented the cup to Jeff Waters, who had waited to hoist the cup as a Redshirt since 1979. “I honestly can’t believe this is actually happening” said Waters. “We’ve all waited so long for this, and it’s finally here. I’m just so thankful to actually be a part of it.”

2001 Playoffs

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia (1) vs Toronto (8)

Philadelphia entered the playoffs as the PHL’s hottest team and carried that momentum into their first round series with the Toronto Racers, jumping to a 2-0 lead before the Racers tied it up with back-to-back wins at home on the strength of Joe Murdock’s four goals between the two games. But a 6-0 blowout back in Philly stopped any momentum the Racers had picked up and the Redshirts went on to win the series in game six thanks to an overtime goal from Sergei Dyatlov.

Washington (2) vs Detroit (7)

The heavily favoured Generals dominated the Mustangs in the first three games, taking a 3-0 series lead. But facing elimination at home in game four, Detroit played a tight-checking game, stifling Washington’s star forwards Rob Wentzel and Igor Zharkov while Patrick Fletcher scored the OT winner. The Mustangs pushed to tie the series with another win in game five, but the comeback fell short as Detroit ultimately lost game six 3-1 while Washington advanced.

Montreal (3) vs Pittsburgh (6)

Much of the attention was on superstar Vincent Ducharme As Montreal entered their first round rematch with the Pittsburgh Stingers. Ducharme, playing in the final playoffs of his career, scored six goals in the Royale’s five-game victory over the Stingers, while Zdeno Kadlec added five of his own. “It felt good to be back” said Ducharme, who had missed the entire regular season due to a knee injury.

New York (4) vs Miami (5)

Game one between Miami and New York had one of the most stunning first periods in PHL history. After just 40 seconds, the underdog stingrays had a 3-0 lead, forcing the Civics to replace veteran goaltender Jason Wyley with Brad Thorne. The Stingrays went on to win the game 3-1 but Wyley was back in the Civics’ net for game two as New York won to tie the series. It would not be enough however, as Miami won the next three to complete the biggest upset in the first round.

Western Conference

Kansas City (1) vs Vancouver (8)

Two years after a tough second-round battle between Vancouver and Kansas City, the two teams met again in the first round in 2001. This time around, it wasn’t even close. Kansas City won game one 4-0 and that set the tone for the remainder of the series. Vancouver did not score a goal until the third period of game two and struggled all series to solve Jason Lind, ultimately scoring only four goals the entire series as the Twisters swept them in four straight games.

Minnesota (2) vs Oakland (7)

The Lumberjacks were heavily favoured to beat the Oakland Nuggets, who had barely reached the playoffs. But the Nuggets surprised everyone beginning with a 2-0 win in game two as the series remained tight all the way to game seven. Game seven was a 1-1 tie until the final minutes, when Brendan Marlo scored what would be the eventual winner for Minnesota as the Lumberjacks advanced with a 3-1 win. “They were a tougher team than we gave them credit for” said captain Jason Crowley. “We’re just glad to get the win and move on.”

Seattle (3) vs Los Angeles (6)

The breakout story of 2001, the Seattle Grey Wolves, entered the playoffs with high expectations. But the older, more experienced Los Angeles Wizards gave them all they could handle in the first round, winning game one and then game three to twice take the lead in the series. Drake Klausen, who was having a career season, scored twice in game four to get the Wolves back on track before Seattle won games five and six to take the series.

Chicago (4) vs Dallas (5)

With Dallas making only their second playoff appearance, nobody gave them much of a chance against the Chicago Shamrocks. Chicago shut the Desperados down in the first two games, taking a 2-0 series lead. But in Dallas, the Desperados treated their fans to two overtime thrillers where Kyle Clark scored the winner in both games in front of capacity crowds. Hockey had finally arrived in Dallas. The Desperados woes on the road continued back in Chicago, as the Shamrocks took the series lead again. After forcing game seven, Dallas broke out their orange third jerseys for game seven, hoping to change their luck on the road. It wouldn’t work, as Gustav Mattsen’s hat-trick gave Chicago a 5-1 win to advance.

Second Round

Philadelphia vs Miami

The Miami Stingrays were coming off the biggest upset in the first round over the New York Civics when they prepared to face the Powerful Philadelphia Redshirts in the second round. Right from the beginning, it was clear the Stingrays were no match for the Eastern Conference’s best team. Early in game one, disaster struck for the Redshirts, as number one goalie Ben Kerrigan went down with a severe leg injury. In came Pierre Noel and Noel stole the show, shutting out the Stingrays in the first two games. Miami challenged the Redshirts at home in game three, but it would not be enough, as the Redshirts took the series in a four-game sweep.

Montreal vs Washington

The Generals once again me the Royale in what had become one of hockey’s biggest playoff rivalries. The Generals immediately took a 2-0 series lead, leading many to speculate that the end was in sight for Vincent Ducharme. Ducharme responded by scoring the winner in a 2-0 game two win, then had an assist in game four as Montreal tied the series. The series eventually went to a seventh and deciding game, where Vincent Ducharme was the hero once again, scoring the overtime winner to send the Royale to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Kansas City vs Chicago

In perhaps the best matchup of the second round, the defending champion Kansas City Twisters and the Chicago Shamrocks battled through six tight games before squaring off in a game seven showdown in Kansas City. The game remained scoreless through two periods and through most of the third before Jeremy Kitchen scored for Kansas City to give the Twisters the lead. Just seconds later, Martin Vannier tied the game for Chicago to send it to overtime. After an injury to Jason Lind early in OT, Jimmy Otterburn entered the net for Kansas City. Otterburn made 19 saves through two extra periods before Brett Delaney finally ended it for the Twisters, beating Dan Pilford with a wrist shot as Kansas City advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

Minnesota vs Seattle

Despite barely making it out of the first round, the Minnesota Lumberjacks were still favoured to beat the up-and-coming Seattle Grey Wolves in the second round. However the Wolves took advantage of some costly Minnesota penalties and won game one 4-2. That set the tone for the rest of the series, as Seattle also won game two 4-2. Despite barely winning game three, the Lumberjacks never recovered and Seattle advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in eleven seasons.

Third Round

Montreal vs Philadelphia

In the Eastern Conference Finals, Vincent Ducharme and the Royale faced the surging Philadelphia Redshirts. The Redshirts took game one at home, then Montreal tied the series with an overtime win in game two, with Ducharme setting up Sergei Vetrov with a beautiful pass as Vetrov beat Noel for the winner. It would be the last great moment for Ducharme. At the conclusion of game four, the Redshirts had a commanding 3-1 series lead. Believing it could be the last game of Ducharme’s career, the Montreal crowd gave their hero a standing ovation last lasted over 20 minutes while Ducharme saluted the crowd. Back in Philadelphia, the Redshirts finished the job, taking the game 2-0 to advance to the Lewis Cup Finals for the first time since 1989. The capacity crowd at the PhillyDome took time to pay tribute to Ducharme, then celebrated the big win. “I think we can do it this time!” said one excited fan. “I can feel it.”

Kansas City vs Seattle

The Kansas City Twisters stood just one hurtle away from an opportunity to defend their title as they faced the Seattle Grey Wolves in the Western Conference Finals. After Kansas City took a 2-0 series lead at home, the Wolves won two home games of their own to tie the series, then stunned the Twisters with a 5-0 win in Kansas City. The Twisters’ confidence was rattled, but Scott Drayton remained confident that his team wasn’t out of it yet. “We just need to get back to playing simple hockey” said Drayton. Facing elimination in game six, the Twisters took the Grey Wolves to overtime, where Darian Ashmore beat Sean Harrington on a breakaway to send the series to game seven. Back home for the deciding game, the Twisters came out flying, taking a 3-0 lead in the first period and eventually winning the game 4-1 to return to the Lewis Cup Finals.

2000-01 Regular Season

Probably the most popular subject for hockey fans to discuss in the year 2000 was the fate of the New Orleans Sound. The struggling franchise was entering its sixth season in Louisiana and having a hard time finding its footing in the market. Rumours abounded that the franchise was headed to either Houston or Ottawa and it didn’t help that the team had failed to reach the post-season since it played in Halifax. As the 2000-01 season began, the team was putting all its hopes on 19-year-old Brad McNair, who had played a key role for Team Canada at the World Hockey Challenge. McNair responded in a big way, scoring thirty goals by Christmas, while veteran Mike Bidden also benefited from playing with McNair, reaching a career high in points.  The Sound looked like a playoff team until disaster struck on January 8, when McNair suffered a broken arm in a game against Carolina. McNair missed two months of action while the Sound went on a 9-game losing streak which ultimately cost them a playoff spot.

In October, 2000, three new arenas opened including one in a new city, as the Nuggets finally moved into their new home in Oakland, while Detroit and Quebec left their storied homes for brand new facilities. For the Nationale, the move coincided with the franchise’s 50^th anniversary. The team brought back several legends from their past including Guy Benoit, Ben Williams, and Gilbert Giroux. It would be the only bright spot in a tough season in Quebec, as the Nationale finished last place in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Nationale’s provincial rivals, the Montreal Royale, were forced to play most of the season without their franchise player as Vincent Ducharme missed the season after undergoing knee surgery in the summer. Despite missing their best player, the Royale still managed to win the division thanks to a big effort from young star Zdeno Kadlec and veteran defenseman Jonathan Adams, who led the league in hits and plus/minus. For Adams, the successful year was a statement after the 32-year old was left off Canada’s WHC roster. “It definitely feels good to have a year like this, especially after the disappointment of missing the World tournament” said Adams.

The Eastern Conference belonged to the Philadelphia Redshirts in 2000-01. The Redshirts won the division for the first time since 1989 as Jared Baxter enjoyed a career year, winning the scoring title with 112 points while playing with Brendan Carnes, who had 80 points of his own in a career year. Elsewhere in the East, Miami returned to the playoffs after a big win over the Carolina Raiders in their final game of the regular season, which eliminated the Raiders from the playoffs. In Boston, the Bulldogs endured another rebuilding year, though the Boston fans were treated to a final season with their longtime captain Craig Bush. The 40-year-old Bush played in 48 games for the Bulldogs, including their final games of the season. In his last game in Philadelphia, Bush was given a standing ovation from the Philadelphia crowd, who were normally hostile to any Boston player, especially Bush. “It was a classy move on their part” said Bush. Two nights later, Bush played his final home game in Boston. The crowd gave him a standing ovation that lasted nearly an hour after the game as Bush waved to the crowd. “I am very grateful for the two decades in Boston” said Bush.

In the West, the defending champion Kansas City Twisters were eyeing a repeat. With 110 points, the Twisters were the top team in the league while Scott Drayton took home top defenseman honours, and Brett Delaney led the team with 102 points, fifth in the league. The Twisters trailed Minnesota by just one point heading into their final game against St. Louis. After the Lumberjacks lost to Chicago, the Twisters had an opportunity to seal top spot. The Spirits, long out of the playoff picture and playing spoiler, held a 2-0 lead over Kansas City heading into the third period. Goals from Delaney and Jeremy Kitchen tied the game to send it to overtime, where Taylor Coldwell beat goaltender Travis Pulford to win the game and clinch first place for the Twisters.

In Seattle, the Grey Wolves won the Pacific Division for the first time in eleven years. Though Randy McAllen struggled, Drake Klausen had a big year, while head coach Bruce Dickenson was named coach of the year. For the Grey Wolves, it was the reward for a dark decade for the franchise, as the team had only made the playoffs four times in the 1990s. “It feels great to have success like this again” said longtime captain Jason Radford, who had been with the team for 19 seasons. “For a few years I wondered if we’d be this good again during my career.” In Dallas, the Desperados enjoyed their best season ever, winning 40 games for the first time in franchise history. Young power forward AJ Vernon was the driving force for the Desperados, scoring 43 goals while putting fear in opposing defensemen with his size and speed. Dallas also made a trade in late November that would set off a historic few weeks for one player. Elliot “U-Haul” Andrews was already playing for his sixth PHL team when the Desperados dealt him to the Cleveland Cosmos on November 27. After Andrews played just nine games for the Cosmos, he was then dealt to the Vancouver Bighorns on December 17. Andrews not only now had the record for most teams played for in PHL history, he also set the mark for most teams played for in a single season. “It’s not exactly what you expect going into the year but I like Vancouver and hopefully I can stick around for a while” said Andrews.

Vancouver acquired Andrews in an attempt to return to the playoffs and by the end of the regular season, the Bighorns sat just two points out of the final spot in the West, which was held by Milwaukee Choppers. If Vancouver tied Milwaukee, they would get the final spot as they had swept the season series with the Choppers. On the last day of the season, Milwaukee faced Winnipeg, while Vancouver faced Oakland. The Bighorns trailed the Nuggets with only 29 seconds to go when Sergei Zolotov tied the game, sending it to overtime. Early in the overtime, Trevor Kerwick blasted a point shot past Bradley Pope to give the Bighorns the win and forcing Milwaukee to beat the Pioneers if they wanted to keep their playoff hopes alive. Milwaukee and Winnipeg also went into overtime where Dan Crow broke the Choppers’ hearts with a big goal near the end of the extra frame. The Bighorns celebrated in the locker room as they were headed back to the post-season to face the powerful Twisters in the first round.

The hockey world received some shocking news on March 20, 2001. It started with good news when Vincent Ducharme began skating again. He then stated that he would return in time for the playoffs, followed by the stunning announcement that he would retire after playoffs were over. Plagued by knee problems, Ducharme stated that he wanted to maintain his health for the sake of his family while he was still young. “This is a very difficult decision to make but I think it’s the right one” said Ducharme. “I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the career I’ve had and I look forward to giving it one last shot in the playoffs.”