Thursday, April 30, 1998 | 7:38 a.m.
SUN hockey writer Tim Graham's annual look at the best -- and worst -- of the Las Vegas Thunder season:
Most Valuable Player: Patrice Lefebvre, for the second year in a row. He posted team records in points (116) and assists (89) despite playing for the worst team in franchise history.
Least Valuable Player: Ilya Byakin. The blue line's weak link had no heart on the ice.
Defenseman of the year: Steve Bancroft. His trade to the Calgary Flames' organization was risky as the Thunder tried to Super Size its lineup. The power play never recovered.
Player of the future: Konstantin Simchuk. The Thunder chose Trevor Roenick as its top rookie, but Simchuk demonstrated he has what it takes to be a mainstay in goal.
Player of the past: Tim Cheveldae. The former NHL all-star did not find his game in Las Vegas, going 9-16-5 with a 3.82 goals-against average. Porous defense did not help Chevy's cause, giving him reason to possibly try again.
Most memorable game: The Thunder's dramatic 3-2 victory over the Long Beach Ice Dogs in Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Unlikely heroes Barry Potomski and Russ Romaniuk scored in the last 5:33 to keep the season alive.
Least memorable game: An 8-3 loss to the Ice Dogs April 7. Despite the debut of former NHL star Petr Nedved, the Thunder played one of its worst games in franchise history.
Tapped in: Tacoma Sabercats. The Thunder's new West Coast Hockey League affiliate allowed it to cultivate several players, including Simchuk, Rodrigo Lavinsh and Dan Shermerhorn.
Tapped out: Phoenix Coyotes. The Thunder's NHL affiliation provided little help all year. Only the oft-injured Jeff Christian made any impact, while Radoslav Suchy and John Slaney were recalled with no replacements.
Top gun: Jesse Belanger. When Belanger was healthy and motivated, he was almost unstoppable. He scored 32 goals in 52 games. Imagine how many assists Lefebvre would have had if Belanger was around all season.
Pop gun: Shermerhorn. He went nuts with Tacoma, scoring goals by the bushel. But he couldn't score a goal in 17 games with Las Vegas.
Best way to save money: Fan favorite Darcy Loewen was traded to Utah to free room under salary cap for the acquisition of David Shaw from the NHL; Former head coach Chris McSorley came out of retirement to fill out his team's roster for a game.
Worst way to spend money: The new logo and jerseys didn't increase merchandise sales enough to keep the Stars & Thunder Store open at the Meadows Mall.
Biggest gamble: The Thunder lost its attempt to procure Nedved's awesome services. They paid him more (pro-rated) than any other player before the IHL ruled him ineligible for the postseason. But it was worth the try.
Player you'd want behind you in a street fight: Sam Helenius. Don't let his Mickey Mouse tattoo fool you. He's 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and likes to mix it up.
Player you'd want to face in that street fight: See Least Valuable Player.
Thunder plus-minus
+
1. No Sasha Lakovic.
2. The brilliant play of Patrice Lefebvre.
3. The brazen attempt to sign Petr Nedved.
4. Clint Malarchuk's brutally honest comments.
5. Boom Boom.
6. Radio man Tim Neverett.
7. The Darcy Loewen trade.
8. Trainer Van Parfet.
9. Making the Thomas & Mack Center a Macarena-free zone.
10. The Singing Usher, Rick Atkinson.
--
1. The inability to win after New Year's.
2. Shameless Thunder three-star selections.
3. The loss of Chris McSorley's flashy quotes.
4. McSorley's one-game return to the ice.
5. Jesse Belanger's disappearing act down the homestretch.
6. David Shaw's unfortunate retirement.
7. Taking Bill Bowler in the expansion draft but never signing him.
8. The IHL's four-quarter experiment.
9. A public address announcer who couldn't pronounce the names.
10. Radio coverage that switched stations without warning.
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