Sutter showed in Calgary that he could co-exist with players who didn't fit the prototype Sutter blood-and-guts mold (i.e. Phil Housley and Valeri Bure); that in fact he had the ability to draw more out of them than anyone felt possible. Alexei Zhamnov (26 assists, 40 points) and Eric Daze (23 goals, 40 points) are more proof of that in Chitown. Only a handful of coaches -- Mike Keenan, Scotty Bowman, Pat Burns among them -- by their will and force of personality actually become the identity of the team. Sutter is one of those rare few.

The complete antithesis of the man he replaced, Finnish theatre director Alpo Suhonen, Sutter has a history of drawing blood from a stone, although when he took this job he made it clear this team had more talent than either the St. Louis, Boston or Calgary clubs he'd assumed control of. So far, he's proven himself right. Grade: A

Ftorek is known as a details guy, and the details are being taken care of in Boston. Boston has the fewest losses in the East (10), the seventh-best defensive record in the league (2.28 goals allowed per game), has been dynamite at the FleetCenter (13-0-4-3) and over .500 on the road and owns a burgeoning superstar in Joe Thornton. The Bruins have been able to work around the holdout and subsequent trade of leading scorer Jason Allison to the Kings. Grade: A

Yes, Yashin's team-leading 40 points, Peca's sterling plus-12 rating and Osgood's 16 wins and .916 save percentage are the main reasons the Isles are resurrected, but don't for a moment discount Laviolette's contribution. Only 37, he's been an ideal hire by the much-maligned Mike Milbury, and hopefully will be allowed to grow with his improbable, upwardly-mobile team. Grade: A

After watching Don Hay served up as a ritualistic sacrifice in the springtime, Gilbert has the full support of general manager Craig Button (indeed, may, as whispered, have actually been his 1 or 1A choice for the job -- along with the recently-deposed Brian Sutter, believe it or not! -- before hiring Hay).

Unlike poor Hay, who walked around for months resembling nothing less than someone on Death Row, there's no mistaking who's in charge now. Gilbert isn't one to try and curry favor, to play the political game. He's already benched last year's second-leading scorer Marc Savard for his stubbornness in sacrificing self for the whole.

That the Flames remain in the playoff mix as the season nears its second half is proof of the job he's done. Grade: B

The most obvious plus of bringing Keenan on board -- Pavel Bure is smiling again. Hey, that's pro sports today. Having your superstar happy goes a long, long way. After being swamped 7-1 by the Bruins last Friday, the Panthers rallied the next night to slay Toronto 4-2, and Bure made a point afterwards of praising Keenan and his level reaction to the blowout for orchestrating the about-face.

Those on the scene in Miami feel Keenan is precisely what the Panthers needed -- someone from the outside, with absolutely no previous ties to the organization or any of it's talent (Bill Torrey had been around forever, Duane Sutter scouted many of the drafts, Terry and Bryan Murray had a hand in the acquisition of or selecting of much of the roster) to march in and make unbiased assessments on players.

Plus, with a three-year deal in the hip pocket of his immaculately-cut suits, this isn't a Boston-type situation for Keenan -- he has the full backing of ownership. After going through two coaches and as many GMs in a under a year, and Keenan must surely be eyeing a dual role by next season, the players must realize that they're next in any possible lineup for the guillotine. And, let's face it, there are far more undesirable places to play than Miami. Grade: C-plus

Well, the confetti has been summarily swept up. All that remains is reality. And the reality is that the Pens have only had Lemieux and Straka in their lineup for 11 games apiece and the glow of 2000-2001 has dimmed. Yet that's what confronts the former long-time Pittsburgh assistant coach and it's his mandate to make the best of it. That the Penguins have remained in the playoff chase -- six points out of eighth -- in the absence of Lemieux, who provides so much of the team's identity, is testament to the grip Kehoe has quietly put on a very volatile ship.

What Kehoe has done is make a point of not playing favorites (oh, save one guy, but he's a pretty important guy, and his boss, after all), banishing Milan Kraft and Billy Tibbetts to the minors. He knows the personnel, understands their strengths and weaknesses. Grade: C