1998 Winners - Akron Argonauts (defeated Collingswood Cougars)
1997 Winners - Upper Darby UnderDogs (defeated Akron Argonauts)
1996 Winners - Collingswood Cougars (defeated Tacoma Aroma)

     Another win by a player not on a playoff team.  Jagr was by far the most productive Cougar, his 21 points 9 more than the next highest from his team.  The Cougars missed the playoffs by only one point, and Jagr could have been ridden to success there if other Cougars had contributed more during the season.
     Runners-up are Akron's Tony Amonte, the league leader in goals scored (14), and Niagara's goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, whose gameday save percentage was over .960.

1998 Winner - John Leclair DD
1997 Winner - Mark Messier CC

1998 Winner - Matthieu Scheider AA
1997 Winner - Brendan Shanahan UD

     What's most remarkable about Fleury's win, with 22 points, is that he spent the first half of the season scoring very little.  He wins the title by virtue of having scored more goals than co-points leader Peter Forsberg, 9 goals to 6.  
     Following them were 3 players with 21 points.

1998 Winner - Jaromir Jagr CC
1997 Winner - Mario Lemieux CD

Geidi Prime Award

for League's Leading Goalscorer

     With the N-HL's inception of the Richard Award, the HHL follows suit.  
     Amonte had 14 goals, leading runner-up John Leclair, with 11.

     Desjardins' involvement in 10 of Clementon's 38 goals means they depended on him for over 26% of their scoring, at times.  Although outpointed by runners-up Ray Bourque, 11 points for Akron, and Darrel Sydor, 12 for Castle Downs, he was far more vital to his team than were they.

1998 Winner - Scott Niedermayer WW
1997 Winner - Ray Bourque AA

     It seems that 4 points is the mark for HHL rookies, having been met by all three winners of this award.  All the nominees came from Halifax, and Morris wins over Morrison and Muckalt having matched their points totals as a defenseman, and having played only part of the season.

1998 Winner - Patrick Elias - DD
1997 Winner - Jim Campbell  - UD

     Niagara managed to keep their goals against to 2.00, mostly on the outstanding season of goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.

     Castle Downs, 2.20 GAA, and Collingswood, 2.55 GAA, were runners-up.

1998 Winners - Collingswood Cougars
1997 Winners - Akron Argonauts

     This award was really never in doubt.  Khabibulin had a remarkable unbeaten streak and a likely record-number of shutouts.
     Eddie Belfour UD, and Dominik Hasek UD, had good seasons, but Niagara rode the 'Bulin Wall to a runaway Regular Season Title.

1998 Winner - Chris Osgood CC
1997 Winner - Chris Osgood CC

     Rich wins easily, having taken his 2nd year expansion team to a runaway title during the regular season.  His Ottawa and Calgary lines provided plenty of offense, and his selection of Khabibulin as starting goalie, over last season's Guy Hebert, proved winning combinations.
     Patrick Murphy took his franchise to their first playoffs, breaking the Collingswood-Upper Darby stranglehold.  Albert Chiu's rosters continue to prove worthy opponents. 

1998 Winner - Paul Kenny CC
1997 Winner - Albert Chiu CD

     Adam Graves had 30 goals in N-HL play by the end of the HHL season, but frustration with the poor performance of his Rangers line had Paul Kenny remove Graves from the lineup.  Some of those goals could have earned the point that would have found Collinsgwood a playoff spot.
     Patrick Roy, as always, sits out while Hasek leads the team in Upper Darby, and Jeremy Roenick, a top 25 scorer, was missing from the same lineup for reasons unknown.

1998 Winner - Mike Johnson NR
1997 Winner - Mats Sundin CL

     With 30 spots on a roster, one can seemingly always hold on to one prospect.  Nedved's holdout frustrated a lot of people, and Collingswood manager Paul Kenny must have been one.  He dropped Nedved, only to see him return to the league as a Castle Downs Ice Bandit, and a NY Ranger.  Surely, combined with Graves, he would have been quite valuable.
     Akron, dropping some Washington defensemen, chose to drop Sergei Gonchar, their leading scorer at the back.  And, exchanging Ottawa D, Akron dropped Chris Phillips for Jason York. 

1998 Winner - Albert Chiu CD

     Gilmour was acquired by Akron, under Kommissioner's Regency, along with Sergei Samsonov, for Eric Lindros.  A perennial point-a-game scorer, Gilmour was moving from the defensive system of New Jersey to an open Chicago offense.  Now-fired manager Dirk Graham never used Gilmour right.  Instead of playing with Amonte or Zhamnov, Gilmour was used to spur slumping lines and teach rookies.  The effect on his N-HL and HHL scoring was telling. 

1998 Winners - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Slava Kozlov, Sergei Fedorov - UD

     Adam Oates' injury probably kept Washington out of the playoffs this season.  It turned Washington's offense into a blunt blade.  With Pivonka out, too, Petr Bondra's scoring dropped way off, and this affected Akron's ability to score the most.  Many goals were lost early in the season due to a lack of assists, something Oates excels at.
     Runners-up: Saku Koivu CC, who was part of Montreal's injury parade (Corson and Recchi), and Pierre Turgeon CD, whose injury didn't slow down Pavol Demitra in the least!

1998 Winners - Pierre Turgeon, Alex Mogilny - CD
1997 Winner - Pat LaFontaine WW

Melange Award

for Most Damaging Holdout

Peter Nedved - CC

     Nedved, as noted above, caused a chain reaction.  Paul Kenny dropped him, and lost a valuable second-half performer.  Lacking a NYR spark, Adam Graves was out of the Collinsgwood lineup, and that cost more.
     Runners-up: Pavel Bure HS, Zigmund Palffy AA.  Bure's absence didn't keep Halifax out of the playoffs.  Palffy's forte is scoring, and Akron's biggest need early in the season was assists.

Shaddam IV - of House Corrino.  Shaddam IV was the Emperor of the Known Universe as the Dune books began.  As the ultimate authority in the Dune universe (of which House Harkonnen is a part) the trophy is named for him.

Paul Muad'Dib - overthrew Shaddam IV.  The single most important character in the books, his name is taken for the most important player (to his team) in the HHL.

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen - is my favourite character in the Dune books.  Nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, he was killed in personal combat by Paul Muad'Dib.

Stilgar - was a Fremen leader, a 'Naib'.  In the Avalon Hill game based on the Dune books, he is the most powerful leader, with a fighting strength of 7. (The next-highest value is 6.)  The highest-scoring player wins the award named for Stilgar.

Duncan Idaho - is the only character to appear in all 6 Dune books.  He was a loyal servant of House Atreides, a great fighter/tactician, and protected House Atreides (in cloned form) for thousands of years.  The best defenseman in the league wins his award.

Guild Representative - is one of the weakest leaders in the Avalon Hill game, with a strength of 1.  He also is usually the first leader to die, being so disposable, when the game is played.  The HHL Rookie of the Year award is named for this neophyte.

Bene Gesserit - was a society of women who used mental and physical powers to manipulate the Universe.  They had the power of Voice, compelling others to do their will.  In the Avalon Hill game they have the best overall leader strength and fighting skill, and are particularly hard to defeat in combat.  The Defensive Award is named for them.

Gurney Halleck - was another loyal retainer of House Atreides.  He, like Idaho, trained Paul Muad'Dib.  The League's Best Goaltender is awarded his namesake.

Piter de Vries - was the Mentat (a human with astonishing mental powers) of House Harkonnen.  The League's Best Manager, also a superior human (!!) wins his award.

Doctor Yueh - was the personal physician of House Atreides.  The Why Wasn't He Playing Award is named for him not because he's a physician, but because he was a traitor to his faction, thereby hurting their chances.

Kull Wahad! - is a Fremen saying indicating amazement.  The Surprising Trade Award is one that would inspire a Fremen to say "Kull Wahad!"

Tleilaxu - were a group in the Dune books who could clone people, shapeshift and manipulate biological forces.  Even with these powers they always failed to succeed.  Underachievement in the HHL is named for them.

Thufir Hawat - was the Mentat of House Atreides.  Fed false information and captured by the Harkonnens, his powers were reduced to nothing, thereby damaging the Atreides' cause.

Lady Jessica - was Paul Muad'Dib's mother.  She was a major force in his success.

Chani - was a Fremen woman, and Paul Muad'Dib's concubine.  She bore Leto II, Paul's son, who ruled for over 2,000 years.

Irulan - was the daughter of Shaddam IV, and the wife of Paul Muad'Dib.  She was the political tool, via marriage, that allowed Paul's ascension to the Throne, and became his official historian.

Beast Rabban - (award not given this year, but nominally for Highest Scoring Team [the Brute Force Award]) was a nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.  Mentally weak, he was a powerful brute of a man.