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REGULAR ISSUE:
GHL Power Standings
Will Cox III presents: THE GHL TEAM OF THE WEEK
Players of the Week
Trades by Matt Banks
GHL Rumours
Meet the GM
The Sharks' Grade AAA Beef of the Week
Femmes Choice Award
Grienk's HipChecks

GHL Power Rankings
The Top 10 Teams in GHL(as of Tues, Jan 11, 2000)

LW	TW	Team	Pts	Last 10	Comments
1	1	Royals	84	7-2-1	Trade after trade to make his team worse.   How does he continue to dominate?  Now Palffy is on the block.
5	2	War Pigs	65	6-3-1	The Pigs are WHITE HOT!!!  However....the dark side of the Lindros deal is now going to haunt the Pigs.  He is hurt for a month and joins the growing list of injured Pigs.  Watch this team sink in the ratings next issue.
8	3	Hurricanes	65	9-1-0	After seeing what adding a top center did for the Earthquake, GM Moreau added Sakic and watched her team catch fire.  Her Hurricanes made the biggest move ever in the rankings up five spots.  Her team has a tendency to play like a yo-yo though.  One issue they are on fire and by the next issue the Canes drop to 8th in the Rankings.
2	4	Bearcats	66	7-3-0	The Bearcats have Eddie Belfour in net and he gets the wins for them.   GM Belanger is trying to get playoff performers on his team and does not care as much about regular season rankings.  He wants to peak for the playoffs so watch the Bearcats drop a little before getting back to their previous #2 spot.
4	5	Storm	59	3-5-2	Storm have a great team, but I still do not think they are getting their full potential.  Looking over his roster, you wonder why GM Campbell is not at the top of the GHL.
10	6	Earthquakes	45	8-2-0	GM R.Barkhouse has retooled this franchise.  His plan? Simple.  Add the top GHL center and surround with some of the best defensively ranked Dmen in the GHL.  At press time, the Quakers had a 7 game win streak going and are keeping pace with the Hurricanes.
3	7	Ice Dawgs	56	4-5-1	The Ice Dawgs are faltering and are now finding themselves in the last playoff spot in the American Conference.  Once Beezer starts slowing down, the Dawgs do not have much more to keep winning.
6	8	Wolverines	55	3-6-1	The Wolves continue their consistent hockey.   They are watching over their shoulders now as the Arsenal are getting closer and closer.
9	9	Odyssey	52	3-6-1	GM Lancaster is frantically dealing to find the right mix for his Od Squad.  He better find it fast as the playoffs are approaching and the Odds are out of the playoffs right now.
-	10	Arsenal	45	4-6-0	Out of the playoffs right now, GM Bailey adds top notch power forward Randy McKay to the team in hopes of overtaking the Wolves.

WILL COX III presents: THE GHL TEAM OF THE WEEK
 

Hello all, this is Will back again after a one week vacation in the Hawaiian islands. It was good, and thank you Keith for covering for me. This week I will be covering the Humpbacked.  This team has had it's ups and downs in the GHL, they have been everywhere from first to worst in the Canadian Conference. GM Jon collins was once the GM of the All-Star team for his conference. Those days are behind the Humpbacked as they are fighting to get fifth place in the Conference. They are showing little improvement in their last 10 at 3-5-2. They also have troubles in overtime with a hurting record of 1-2-10 in the extra frame. Their should be all-star Center is playing mediocre at best with less than one point per game while getting much ice time. Although, at center there is a very bright sport in Andrew Cassels. He has just 1 point less that JR. Eric Weinrich is a defensive bright spot with one of the only two plus/minus rating in the plus with +1. He also has the highest Points Per Game for a d-man on the Humpers. As a team they have room for improvemtn between the pipes with a team average of 3.41 and a save percentage of .877. The brightest spot between the pipes is long time past for the Humpers, Curtis Joseph is a record holer for most shots faced and most saves in a game while he was with the Humpers.  GM Collins must be looking to move some things around to turn this club around and bring it back to the days of Craig Janney scoring many points, many many points! Too many to imagine for such a player. So until next week...the ABYSS are gonna WIN some games.. I guarantee (actually I hope...)  There ya go.. sorry about the miscommunication, probably wrong address!  Will

MEET THE GM:  This Weeks Featured GM - the Avs' Jack Bredehoft (ED NOTE:  This is another new feature of GHL News.  Each week I will choose a GM to answer a few questions.  Jack has courageously accepted to be the first GM of this new series.) How old are you?  13 years old. What is your marital status? Dating Kids? No. What are your hobbies? Flying model airplanes. Name of School Completed or Currently Attending?  Harper Creek Junior High School Do you work? Where? What do you do? I work at the Binder Park Zoo where I feed the animals. If your life was made into a movie what actor would play you? Tom Cruise Favorite Movie? Austin Powers I and II Favorite TV Show? Drew Carey and Whose Line Is It Anyways?? Favorite Book? Last of the Mohicans Do you play hockey?  What position? I don't play hockey. Favorite NHL Team?Of course....the Colorado Avalanche What do you like best about the GHL?  I like how we play all year round. What do you like least about the GHL? I don't like the bye weeks.  (To clarify: he means nights your team does not play.) If you were Commish, what  would you change about the GHL? I would eliminate bye weeks. If all GHL players were available to you for nothing and you could choose only one, who would you choose and why? Petr Forsberg so I can replace Gretzky at center. Where are the strengths of your GHL team? Gretzky is the strength of the Avalanche. Where are the weakness of your GHL team? My Avalanche are weak at LW, RW, and Defence. What are you doing to make your GHL team better?I am just trying to improve the team in all positions so someday I can get to the playoffs.

Tenderizer of the Week:  Eddie Belfour SuperGoalie Eddie Belfour is this weeks TOW winner.  If I were to choose any goalie for my team.  Eddie would be first pick.  Belfour is currently leading the Canadian Conference to an early lead in the All Star game.  As well, Belfour plays night after night for his Bearcats where he provides the Cats with the consistent tending they need to stay in first place.

Goon of the Week:  Steve Campbell/Jessica Moreau  This week is a week of 1sts for the GOW award.   It is the 1st time it was awarded to a GM and the 1st time there was a tie for the award.  For those not in the know, there was quite the batch of evil emails between the two over the Guess the GM contest started by yours truly.  There were reported flamings going on.   Luckily, the two returned to their humanitarian ways after the disagreement.  Steve returned to his "Save the Squirrel" campaign which champions the cause of the North American Tree Squirrel by encouraging drivers to place special squirrel alarms on their vehicles which emit high pitched tones to alert the Tree Squirrel to oncoming danger.  Steve began the foundation after his brother, dressed as a squirrel on Halloween, was hit by a vehicle and has been drinking through a straw ever since.  Jessica continues to lead her own Hurricanes' Goals for Ugly Kids program, where local companies donate dollars for every Hurricane goal.  Jessica uses the money to purchase paper bags which she distributes to local ugly Nova Scotian kids.  "I really feel I am making Nova Scotia a more beautiful place to live," says Moreau.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:   Peter Forsberg-leading the Canadian Conference and Earthquake WOW.  Forsberg is running away with the points lead in the GHL with 95 in 57 games.  He is the "main man" in Earthquake land where he leading the Quake to a 7 game winning streak and a run to first place in the Canadian Conference. If I were to choose any forward for my team, Petr would be my choice.  GM R.Barkhouse made Forsberg his choice and it produced immediate dividends.  Taking them from out of the playoffs to GHL Cup contenders.

TRADES by Matt Banks

Name the GM Contest Update Due to the fact that I do not want to cause any more bad blood among GMs with my "senseless personal attacks" , I am cancelling the Name the GM Contest.  Last weeks answer will remain nameless.  Ironically....the person who answered the trivia question also was the answer to the question and she was ecstatic to receive front row tickets to the War Pigs.

Over the Roster Limit: The following teams are over the roster limit of 40: Tigers (42), Vikings (42), Avalanche(41).  GMs Sundvall, Eisenring, and Bredehoft must drop players to get down to 40.  Please email the commish with the names of the players that you wish to drop.  Failure to do so will result in the Hammer picking your droppees for you.

ALL STAR Update The All Star game is going on as we speak and goaltending seems to be the key.  The Canadian division is getting it and the American conference isn't.  A side note to the competition is GM Banks' strange decisions to start Bure, Demitra, and Brindamour as starting Defenseman.  Bure was actually a 1st line Dman and 2nd line RW.  Needless to say, the Americans had 48 shots that game.

Rumour du JourSome decent players are on the block......Numminen....Svehla...Palffy....Gretzky ...Turgeon .....to name a few.   One wonders why GM Bredehoft acquired Gretzky for Roenick, when Gretzky is going to retire from GHL next year and then try to trade him later.  What would you give for Gretz? Not much I imagine.  GM Walker has been recently inquiring about a new goaltender.  Later that same night, his Lumberjack were shell-shocked 8-0 by the War Pigs - no wonder he is going for a goalie.

GM Belanger Responds to Trade Criticism  GM Belanger recently responded to the questions as to why he was breaking up his first place club.  Said Belanger,"The reason we are cleaning house is the dismal and I mean DISMAL playoff record of the team.  I would rather not make the playoffs than lose in the first round the way I did.  There is going to be some growing pains, but I look at the Royals, and I need to improve!!"  High standards indeed in Bearcat land!!!

The Avs File This reporter wonders just what GM Bredehoft is thinking when he makes his deals?  I mentioned above that Gretzky is on the block in the Rumour du Jour section.  Here's another.  First Avs get Khabibulan for Vernon.  Then trade Khabi to Pigs for Fiset.  Now, the Avalanche are looking to reacquire Khabibulan.  For who? Fiset.  What is Jack trying to prove with this goalie merry-go-round.

Lets Go Tigers, Lets Go  What is GM Eisenring thinking these days?  His last place Tigers have let in a league leading 206 goals at press time.  Yet, this team has a 75 defenseman sitting on his farm.   Just how high does Andrei Zyuzin have to get before he makes the pro roster???  The guy only is ranked in the 70s across the board and would be a top 2 line Dman on most GHL squads.  Cmon Tom, keep a closer eye on that farm team!!

FEMMES CHOICE AWARD (ED NOTE: THANKS TO SIRIKIT FOR TAKING ON THIS WEEKLY SECTION.  I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT FROM IT AS SHE IS CALLING IT AN AWARD BUT THIS IS A WELL WRITTEN STATISTICAL ANALYSIS !!) Here she be, a new section in the TGN by a Girl Gm Jessica Moreau team owner of the Hurricanes! A simple article on some one or some thing that needs to be brought to attention, and of course gossip included... This week’s article will be on a little known stat in the GHL! This stat can be found at the GHL XTRAstats site. It is the points per 20 minutes played stat. This is a good stat for GM’s who are looking for that diamond in the rough! Here is a little chart to get your minds working...     PLAYER M/PG P/20 P/G DIFFERENCE Brunette (STO) 2.2 1.24 0.14 -1.1 Korolev (ROY) 5.4 0.8 0.22 -0.58 Reasoner (ABY) 7.4 0.87 0.32 -0.55 Holmstrom(WAR) 8.5 0.82 0.35 -0.47 Marleau (ROY) 6.5 0.69 0.22 -0.46 Ricci (LUM) 9.1 0.78 0.33 -0.39 Hossa (WOL) 9.1 0.64 0.29 -0.35 These players are youngsters that would put on a great show if they played upwards of 20 minutes per game. As you can see with the chart the statistics are here to prove it. Take Andrew Brunette for an example he has 3 goals 3 assists in 44 games. But only managing to get 2.2 minutes per game. If he would play 20 minutes per game he would end up scoring 55 pts in his 44 games. Remember though this is only an estimate and some numbers had to be rounded. UNTIL NEXT WEEKS ISSUE ….SIRIKIT

Until Next Issue........HOW BOUT DA PIGS !!!!

GRIENK
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