| | Let's take a closer look at the Anaheim vs. Dallas debacle last Saturday night.
The Ducks entered the game with a 7-19-1 record against the defending Cup champs. Anaheim boasts two of the game's best players, yet has not been able to enter the elite group of NHL teams.
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“ |
I hate Dallas. You can put that in the
paper. ” |
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— Ducks goalie Guy
Hebert in the preseason |
So, how do they decide to crack that group? By doing exactly that: Cracking the group.
What Ruslan Salei did to Mike Modano when he pushed him into the boards should be punished. Anyone who's ever played hockey knows that anyone two to 10 feet from the boards is dangerous prey when facing that direction.
But the damaging blow was not as premeditated as, say, the sucker punch that ended Jeff Beukeboom's career or the cross check in the face that threatened Paul Kariya's.
What's important to the NHL -- other than Modano's health -- is that it seems the Ducks entered the game with the intention of intimidating the Stars.
Jim McKenzie and Pascal Trepanier also earned game misconducts on Saturday. McKenzie's was a double misconduct for pummeling Darryl Sydor, fracturing Sydor's left eye socket. And Terpanier crumpled Joe Nieuwendyk.
Modano, Sydor, Nieuwendyk ... three of Dallas' best -- and cleanest -- players.
Salei's postgame concern appeared sincere, yet he has a history for cheap-shot controversy. The defenseman began the 1998-99 season with a five-game suspension for the way he knocked Phoenix's Daniel Briere off his feet last preseason.
The Stars received whatever message the Ducks intended to send, except the results could backfire when the two teams meet this Friday in Anaheim.
"They bought themselves a response from our team that has to be made," Hitchcock told The Los Angeles Times. "I've never seen anything in my life like that hit on Modano. I've never seen anything in my coaching career that scary."
In terms of team toughness, utility-pest Pat Verbeek and Craig Ludwig no longer play for Dallas, but the Stars remain big and tough -- as well as highly skilled.
If the usually docile Brett Hull is mad enough to defend a teammate and throw punches, just imagine how it made Derian Hatcher feel.
"It's disgustingly cheap to hit a guy in that position," Hull said. "To throw him head first into the boards is just cowardly."
Bourque passes Coffey for goal mark
Boston's Ray Bourque moved past Carolina's Paul Coffey as the
NHL's all-time leading scorer for defensemen Saturday night when he
notched his 386th career goal in the Bruins' 3-1 loss to the
Hurricanes.
The lack of fanfare can be attributed to Coffey's active NHL status, but the fact that few noticed sums up a lot of Bourque's career: Brilliant humility tends to get less attention.
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RAY BOURQUE'S NUMBERS
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GP
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G
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A
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PTS
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PIM
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+/-
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1454
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386
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1083
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1469
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1067
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504
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Bourque, 39, quietly began NHL season No. 21 for his career. And he's still the leader of the team. Young stars like Kyle McLaren freely admit that they remain in awe of Bourque, who is 18 points shy of Coffey's all-time points mark for defensemen.
Bourque's No. 386 drifted by, probably because he'll score at least 19 more this season.
Lalime's comeback
Remember Patrick Lalime?
In 1997, he took the NHL by storm, winning 21 games with a 2.95 GAA and .913 save percentage for the Penguins.
From there, he disappeared in the minors. But he has resurfaced in Ottawa, filling in for injured Ron Tugnutt. Making his first NHL start in more than two
years, Lalime shut out Philadelphia Saturday night as Ottawa won its
season opener 3-0.
Lalime, who made 17 saves, posted his first NHL shutout since Jan. 15, 1997.
"I had two good years in the minors and I was looking for another chance," he told the Ottawa Sun, not sounding the least bit bitter about his two-year hiatus from the NHL.
| |  | | | Hasek |
The Hasek affect
Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek may be leaving the NHL after this season, but his style may impact the professional game for some time after he leaves.
Hasek's style defies convention -- and the odds. He doesn't play a butterfly or standup style per se. His only goal is to stop the puck, no matter how silly he looks or how he uses his equipment.
Goalies as successful as former Cup winner Chris Osgood look to emulate The Dominator.
"I like playing against him," said Osgood after shutting out Hasek and the Sabres 2-0 on Saturday. "He's the guy all the young and middle-age goalies want to be like.
"I find myself dropping my stick now and picking the puck up with my blocker. I don't know where that came from. It's just from watching him. He's always done stuff like that.
He's a freelance goalie, that's what I call him." | |
ALSO SEE
Hitchcock still fuming over hits on Stars
NHL Weekly Faceoff
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