Halifax Floor Hockey League
Grade: A
When Phil Mickelson finally broke through to win a major golf tournament earlier this year at the Masters, Lynx captain Richard Wanamaker was probably watching closely. Until Mickelson’s triumph, he was universally regarded as the best golfer never to have won a major. Entering the 2004A season, the Lynx were unquestionably the best team never to have won the ADC FHL title. But with the addition of Rookie of the Year candidate Martin Kane in nets, the Lynx have rolled through the regular season thus far undefeated. Kane will be looking to be only the second rookie goalie ever to win the ADC FHL championship (excluding the inaugural season), after Jim Bain won the title with the Hackers in 2003A. Perhaps even more significantly, the Lynx are positioned to finally dethrone the Sabres and Hackers, after being the first team other than those two squads to finish first in the regular season.
Lite-Sabres
Grade: A-
When you're the ADC FHL's Lite-Sabres, expectations are high. When you’re also the defending champions, expectations are through the roof. Despite those lofty expectations, the Sabres have not disappointed this season. And they can largely thank rookie goaltender Bill Pope for their second-place positioning. An unknown talent from a Newfoundland league, Pope has emerged has a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. Lifelong Sabre and team captain Chris McMaster gave Pope the starting goaltender role due to his own apparent hamstring injury at the beginning of the season. Although the Lite-Sabres are only reporting that McMaster has a "lower-body injury", sources suggest that McMaster has a sciatic nerve problem that prevents him from fully stretching out his left leg. Aside from goaltending, the 2004A Sabres team has been defined by their balance, evident by their six 10-goal scorers.
LAN Hackers
Grade: B+
Although the members of Keane's original LAN (Local Area Network) team (John Dulong, Dave Walsh, & Don Abbott) are long gone from the LAN Hackers, their winning legacy has lived on. In fact, the 2004A regular season is the first time that the Hackers have not finished in the top two positions. But they will slot in at 3rd place, and undoubtedly be a dangerous playoff team. In early all-star voting, the Hackers top two forwards Jeff Shute and Donnie Bailey find themselves on the first-team All-star squad. Analogies to the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens abound – both teams have a rich history of success, and current hockey fans either love them or hate them.
Sunnydale Slayers
Grade: B
After a strong 2003B playoff season, and a hugely successful draft, the Sunnydale Slayers were poised to take the league by storm in 2004A. But a couple of unforeseen personnel issues have derailed a determined Slayer squad. First, it was the announcement that their number one goaltender Graham Dodge would largely be unavailable after the Slayer’s fifth game. This forced captain Gian Scalet to trade tenacious rookie forward Pierre Martin for a promising, yet unproven net-minder, Joe Robson, to fill Dodge’s shoes. Then, if things weren’t tumultuous enough for the Slayers, their best defensive defenseman, Mike Sullivan, left the team abruptly when he signed with a team in a Winnipeg floor hockey league. Despite those shake-ups, the Slayers will always have a “puncher’s chance” in the playoffs with their high-voltage forward tandem of Scalet and Tony Joyce.
Keane Chill
Grade: C
When ADC FHL founding-father Michael Griffiths returned to the reigns of the Keane Chill at the beginning of the 2004A season, fans had reasons to be optimistic. But sporadic attendance by number one goaltender Jeff McCarthy, and more absenteeism from the highly touted Phil Pellerin, has left the Chill in a familiar place: near the bottom of the ADC FHL pack. Journeymen Trevor Murphy and Peter Rankin placed some of the blame on their bold new weekly cable TV venture, “The Murphy and Rankin Comedy Hour”. Rankin explained, “Murph and I aren’t naturally very funny so we have to spend a lot of time practicing with the show’s writers…so much time that it was interfering with Griffiths’ practice sessions.”
Keane Fire
Grade: D-
Fire captain Harvey Snelgrove will be the first to admit that little has gone right for the Fire in the 2004A season. Firstly, Snelgrove was unable to capitalize on a favorable drafting position to acquire a premiere scorer, thus placing undue stress on his team that is heavily laden with rookie talent. Then, Snelgrove and 6th all-time leading scorer Kenzie Royal found out that they would be traveling with work and unable to attend many of the late-season games. Those problems were further compounded by the complete desertion of draft-pick and championship-winner Rob Romaine, who reportedly could never come to terms with Snelgrove’s draconian practice sessions.