| | DALLAS -- The next time the Dallas Stars meet the Anaheim
Mighty Ducks, there will be no love lost. Especially on the part of
the Stars.
The defending Stanley Cup champions are in an uproar over
incidents Saturday night that resulted in injuries to two of their
key players: Mike Modano and Darryl Sydor.
|  | | Hitchcock sounds as if the Stars may retaliate for hits on Modano and Sydor. |
Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said he was disgusted by "cheap
shots" by the Mighty Ducks that left Modano, the team's leading
scorer last season, and Sydor sidelined for at least three games.
Modano suffered a mild concussion, broken nose and strained neck
ligaments when hit from behind into the boards by Anaheim
defenseman Ruslan Salei.
Sydor, a defenseman, suffered a fractured left eye socket in the
third period after having his head hit into the ice by Anaheim's
Jim McKenzie. Sydor had come to the aid of No. 2 center Joe
Nieuwendyk, who was checked hard into the end boards by Mighty
Ducks defenseman Pascal Trepanier. Nieuwendyk wasn't seriously
injured and returned to the game.
"I can't get over the fact there's so much disrespect there,"
Hitchcock said Sunday.
"We need to wake up before somebody gets killed. It's really
stupid hockey by stupid hockey players. I think those two players
(Salei and Trepanier) are either the stupidest people in this
league or they just brought themselves a war."
The teams meet again Friday in Anaheim.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Stars went on to beat Anaheim
2-0.
Bryan Lewis, NHL director of officiating, said the NHL will
review all three game misconduct penalties by the Mighty Ducks -- to
Salei, McKenzie and Trepanier. The league must make a decision on
any suspension before the Ducks play the Phoenix Coyotes on
Tuesday.
The Mighty Ducks practiced at the Stars' practice facility on
Sunday, and Anaheim general manager Pierre Gauthier said his team
was not looking for a war with the Stars.
"We're not a team like that. We don't go into other peoples'
buildings and try to goon it up," he said.
Modano was taken off the ice on a stretcher Saturday and
transported to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, where X-rays, CAT
scans and an MRI on his neck were all negative. He was held
overnight for observation and released Sunday.
Hitchcock said both Modano and Sydor will be re-evaluated after
one week, meaning neither would go on a three-game road trip that
will take the Stars to Detroit, Anaheim and San Jose this week.
"With ligaments in your neck, you never know," Hitchcock said
of Modano's injury. "Sometimes, it's 7 to 10 days and you're ready
to go. Sometimes, it's two to three weeks."
Hitchcock said Sydor would have to be able to work out without
creating swelling around his eye before he could even think about
returning to play.
"He's going to have to be cleared for contact, and he's going
to have to wear a (protective) visor for a while," Hitchcock said.
Stars players said seeing the normally peaceful Brett Hull
respond to Modano's injury by getting into a fight with Salei was
inspirational.
"Brett Hull played the best game since he's been a Dallas
Star," Grant Marshall said. "He brought intensity. He showed
character in sticking up for Mike. We don't need him to do that all
the time, but just to set the precedent."
Hull, Modano's linemate, called Salei's hit ridiculous.
"It's disgustingly cheap to have a guy in such a vulnerable
position and to just take advantage of firing him headfirst into
the boards," Hull said, calling it "worse than cowardly."
"It's time for the powers-that-be in the NHL to put their foot
down. It's time for them to sit up and make a lesson of this guy."
Salei said he had no intention of hurting Modano, who led the
Stars in regular-season scoring with 81 points and playoff scoring
with 23.
"I hope he's going to be fine," said Salei, who received a
five-game suspension last season for causing a serious injury to
Phoenix's Daniel Briere by tripping him with his skates.
"I barely touched him. He was going fast and I tried to catch
him. Maybe I touched him, but I don't think I hit him from behind
or really pushed him."
Derek Plante or Pavel Patera is expected to take Modano's place
on the first line with Hull and Jere Lehtinen. Richard Matvichuk,
who joined the team Saturday after ending a contract dispute
Friday, is the likely replacement for Sydor. | |
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