Larry Latour writes:
 
>Can anyone else give me some detailed info on the finalists... for
>example, is Felsner just a point machine, how's his defense,
>what's his +/-, gane winning goals, slumps, stuff like that...
 
Felsner's defense is in the o.k. category.  He's not Esa Tikkanen, but he's
not Brett Hull either.  I don't have his current +/- rating, but I believe
it's around +24.  He never really slumps, because even when he doesn't score
his presence is still felt dramatically.  He didn't get a goal in the CCHA
phinal phour last weekend and that will frustrate him.  He does have a
tendency to have explosive nights and weekends.  In the past, these usually
came against teams such as Miami and Ferris State.  This season he dropped
the bomb on Minnesota with a 7 point game and 10 point series.  He also
finished off Ohio State in the CCHA first round with a 4 goal effort.  His
main assets are speed and strenght, IMHO.  Yes, he has both!  He's one of
the fastest players in the CCHA.  One of his trademarks though is carrying
defenders on his back all the way to the goal mouth.  He scores most of his
goals from in close -- thus, I guess it can be said that he has a knack for
scoring in a crowd.  If he wasn't playing hockey, he'd be a linebacker.
Probably a middle linebacker, he's just near impossible to take off of the
puck.
 
I can tell you this as well.  There are some ill feelings around Ann Arbor
about Michigan State's Dwayne Norris getting the CCHA player of the year
award over Denny.  No one contests that Norris isn't a tremendous player
that had a great season, but Denny has carried Michigan for four years.
He's done so much for the Michigan program and the CCHA.  He's been a member
off the CCHA all-rookie or all-star team each year.  He's led the league
in scoring twice and is the all time leading goal scorer in CCHA history.
 
Finally, here's what fellow Hobey Baker finalist Darrin Madeley had to say
about Felsner:
 
  "Denny is the scariest man on the ice.  He scares me from the time he gets
on the ice.  He's so big and powerful you need different tactics.  If you
don't make a decision he'll power over you."
 
John Haeussler
Univ of Michigan