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| Wednesday, December 8 | ||||||||||
Special to ESPN.com | |||||||||||
Not too much pressure this week. Unless, you work for the NHL, NHLPA or for Mark Gandler, Alexei Yashin's agent. Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne may be sacrificing points to help the team win more, while Eric Lindros and Flyers GM Bobby Clarke clear the stinky air in Philly -- and all smells like roses now.
Besides being tremendous individuals with great accomplishments, Kariya and Selanne lead the Mighty Ducks in several ways. But recently, Ducks coach Craig Hartsburg has split the dynamic duo up at times on different lines to get more balanced scoring. This may result in one or both not ranking among the top three, or even in the top 10, in scoring this year. Why? Hartsburg is trying to sell Kariya and Selanne on the idea of changing their games like Steve Yzerman did in Detroit. Wings coach Scotty Bowman asked Yzerman, now a 600-goal man, to sacrifice part of his game in order to make the Red Wings a more successful team. Yzerman obviously listened to Bowman because he is a different player. Yet he is acknowledged as every bit as great a player now as he was before.
Hartsburg's approach is a smart one and one that should be an easy sell to two intelligent players. I believe they will be up to the task. If people wonder what is wrong, why Kariya and Selanne may not be scoring as much, watch them as the team progresses. It will be an ongoing situation, and everything may not be what it appears to be. Lindros has spoken to his teammates, acknowledging the problems between him and Flyers GM Bobby Clarke. And, alas, the tension has been lifted in Philadelphia. The trade rumors have been put behind them, a big step forward for the team and for Lindros and Clarke -- both individually and together. The settling of differences between Lindros and Clarke has allowed the Flyers to settle down on the ice. Lindros and Clarke came out in the open, as two men should. A cloud was hanging over the Flyers, but the two deserve credit for straightening out an ongoing battle and for calming the team's worries. The players need to know what is going on around them. Those problems need to be remedied, especially when there are trade talks. After the terrible start they had, the Flyers have come a long way, losing only three of their last 22 games. They are a much more dangerous team now.
Brian Engblom is a hockey analyst for ESPN, and he played 11 seasons in the NHL. | ALSO SEE Head to head: Kariya vs. Kariya In the Corners: Kariyas have competitive fire AUDIO/VIDEO Mark Messier says Steve has all the tools of a great player. wav: 123 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Steve explains his brother's advice. wav: 150 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Paul says he's proud to have his brother in the NHL. avi: 494 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 |