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Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:31 AM

Gretzky takes the high road

Eric Duhatschek

So Wayne Gretzky did show up for Hockey Hall Of Fame ceremonies. I thought he might. Even though the decision wasn’t officially made until Sunday night, his friends that were being inducted – notably Brett Hull – made it clear that they wanted him there and weren’t concerned that his presence would overshadow or otherwise detract from their moments in the sun.

Throughout his career, Gretzky has been - above all else - intensely loyal to those in his inner circle. Sometimes, that didn’t always serve him well, but at the end of the day, he wanted to be around to support Hull, Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille and Steve Yzerman on a curious sort of anniversary – 10 years after Gretzky was inducted as the sole member of the class of 1999. Nice symmetry there.

Of course, because Gretzky hasn’t made the NHL rounds the way he usually does, the demands on him Monday night were great. It wasn’t just the players that were being honoured that were happy to see him. Pretty much everybody that had crossed paths with him throughout his career attended as at all. So, for example, at the cocktail reception prior to the ceremony – for the honourees, their guests, and members of the selection committee – it was a reunion of sorts for his old Rangers’ team. Mark Messier was there, along with Jeff Beukeboom and Mike Richter. The New Jersey Devils’ contingent – out in full force to support Lou Lamoriello’s enshrinement – included Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko and others. Mike Modano came up from Dallas for Brett Hull, as did Joe Nieuwendyk. In fact, there was a photo opportunity for hard-core Calgary Flames’ fans as the night ended, with four members of the 1989 team all crowded in the foyer of the Hall – Nieuwendyk, Jim Peplinski, Joel Otto and Theo Fleury, who happened to be in town for a book promotion; didn’t even know the ceremonies were underway, and came up afterwards just to visit. Lanny McDonald was in the building, too, but upstairs in the Great Hall for a private party. Gretzky dropped in on that one, too before disappearing into parts unknown. He stopped by to shake hands and looked OK – a little jetlagged and pretty much under siege from meeting the various demands, including a gaggle of pesky reporters that have been waiting patiently for him to speak on the Phoenix Coyotes’ bankruptcy, the current state of his relations with the NHL, and his plans for the future.

What emerged was this: He’s viewing his current position – in which he is no longer affiliated with any NHL team – as a sabbatical of sorts. In all those years coaching the Coyotes, he commuted back to L.A. to spend time with his children during breaks in the schedule. It worked for him and his wife, Janet, but it wasn’t perfect. So now’s a chance to catch up, to see his son play high-school football, to immerse himself in their lives more than he could when he had a full-time job and lived in another city.

The suspicion is that he will eventually go back to working in some capacity for the LA Kings. Robitaille is a member of their front office; general manager Dean Lombardi told me months ago that his goal was to bring Gretzky back into the Kings’ family as soon as he was ready.

Gretzky skated around the issue of how he feels about the NHL. Officially all is OK which is in keeping of his make-no-waves approach to life. On the night of the Hall Of Fame celebrations, he was savvy enough to know that wasn't the time to speak his mind. That would then be a distraction; that would overshadow the event; and essentially defeat the purpose of coming in the first place. But there is always a kernel of truth in everything he says, a hint to his state of mind, and I think he gave us when he noted hockey “right now is just not part of my life.” It doesn’t mean it won’t be again; it’s just going to take a little time for the wounds to heal. In short, while his differences with the NHL are real, they don’t appear to be irreconcilable – and he will be back, probably sooner than later.

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Friday, November 6, 2009 11:24 PM

Leafs should keep riding Gustavsson

James Mirtle

Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson has a tricky decision to make for Saturday’s home game against the Red Wings: Does he keep riding the hot hand in goal, Jonas Gustavsson, in back-to-back games, or give the start over to struggling vet Vesa Toskala?

Wilson has remained mum on the decision all week, but with Toronto coming off a 3-2 win over Carolina on Friday, a game in which Gustavsson again played well, it would make sense to give the 25-year-old rookie his sixth start in the past seven games. The Leafs have now picked up points in six consecutive games, and Gustavsson has been a positive factor in the five he played.

And, after an awful start, Toronto's finally got some momentum and should ride the hot hand.

There are two issues to consider. 1) Gustavsson is only a couple weeks removed from a groin issue that kept him out of action for almost three weeks, and Toronto can ill-afford him to miss more time, and 2) Being that this is his first NHL season, he’s not very accustomed to playing in back-to-back games.

Earlier this week, Gustavsson said that while playing two games in two nights was rare back home in Sweden’s Elitserien, he had done so in the postseason and was prepared for the challenge in the NHL.

“In the regular season, we never played back to back, but in the playoffs we did,” he said. “For everyone that plays hockey, of course its not the best situation, but you find ways to handle that and get ready for it.

“If the coach wants you to play back to back, you find a way to [do it].”

Gustavsson been getting noticeably more and more comfortable in the Leafs' crease over the past few games, making 30 saves against Tampa Bay on Tuesday and 34 against Carolina (including 18 in the third period). He has said that he’s still adjusting to some of the differences between playing in Europe and North America, namely the smaller ice surface (which leads to more difficult shots from different angles), but Saturday’s game will give him a chance to begin to grow accustomed to the NHL’s gruelling schedule.

Despite the fact Gustavsson has vastly outplayed Toskala so far this season, however, Wilson has wavered on anointing him the team’s No. 1 netminder.

“We’re going to play him right now, he’s playing really well,” Wilson said of Gustavsson. “But I wouldn’t say anybody has the No. 1 spot. Whoever’s playing well and we feel gives us on a night to night basis the best chance to win, that’s who will be in goal.”

And that’s not exactly a tough call right now.

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Saturday, November 7, 2009 11:29 AM

Raycroft responds to Leaf nation

Matthew Sekeres

Andrew Raycroft was an Air Canada Centre whipping boy for two years in Toronto, but he has been a godsend for the Vancouver Canucks, winning four of five starts in place of an injured Roberto Luongo (fractured rib).

Back in Canada and in the NHL spotlight again, Raycroft was asked why his name alone draws such a visceral reaction from Leaf Nation.

“I’m still a little confused with the way it ended up in Toronto,” the goaltender said this week. “I know I didn’t have a good season my second season there, but I never really understood why no one really liked me.”

When asked if it was his comment that he doesn’t actually watch NHL games on television, Raycroft said he was aware that the remark didn’t go over well with Leaf fans.

“My wife doesn’t let me watch hockey,” he said. “I’m on the road 100 days per year. When I’m at home, I can’t sit around watching hockey all night. I want to hang out with my family. It’s not that I don’t love the game or love my job. That’s what people interpreted. I never really made a point to go back on it. It’s what I said. It came out of my mouth. And I guess that’s what I don’t understand, that people would think I don’t love what I do.”

Rewind to training camp, when Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault said he would need his backup goaltender to play 15 to 20 games this season because of the condensed NHL schedule.

In Vancouver, the comment raised eyebrows because a healthy Luongo wouldn’t normally miss that many games. In Toronto, it drew guffaws.

I had written about Leafs-turned-Canucks before, but Kyle Wellwood’s battle against the bulge, and Mats Sundin’s turncoat signing, didn’t generate near the response. My inbox – subject line: Raycroft – heard from many Blue and White supporters, who said the Canucks were doomed if Vigneault’s words proved prophetic.

Then, earlier this week, Raycroft was asked about the strong defensive play in front of him, and answered with a reference to his last three years, spent with terrible teams in Toronto and Denver.

“I haven’t enjoyed this for a few years, and I forgot how much fun it is,” he said. “I’m used to the last few years, when you get three or four or five good chances a period. It makes a big difference when you only get three to six chances over the game, just because you don’t get down in games two- or three-to-nothing, and it gets ugly.”

Door open after the subtle dig, I asked about his frayed relationship with Leaf fans. Raycroft was Toronto’s starter in 2007-08, playing 72 games, but he lost the job to Vesa Toskala a season later and posted some ghastly numbers (3.92 GAA, 87.6 save %).

“I didn’t get off to a good start, Vesa played well, and [former coach] Paul [Maurice] loves to ride goalies,” he said. “That’s the way he does it, and I was fine with that. I understood it. But I didn’t understand how us collapsing was my fault. I never understood it, and I always took the heat for it.”

Raycroft, a former Calder Trophy winner and still just 29 years old, made some spectacular saves in a 5-2 win over Minnesota on Thursday. His goals-against average is 1.60, and he is stopping 93.6 per cent of shots.

Cory Schneider will start for the Canucks Friday in Dallas, and Luongo could return on Tuesday in St. Louis, so it appears that Raycroft’s time as No. 1 has come to an end – at least for now. But as he attempts to revive his career on the West Coast, give Raycroft an A on the first test.

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009 04:21 PM

Trying to make sense of Sens' grievance

Eric Duhatschek

Just when you thought that Dany Heatley’s dispute with the Ottawa Senators had faded mercifully into the history books comes the news that his ex-team now wants their former star forward to repay the $4-million (all currency U.S.) bonus they paid him back on July 1.

Not sure how this grievance is winnable from the Senators’ perspective, on any level.

Yes, they can argue that they paid a lot of money to Heatley on that $45-million contract he'd signed two years previously and weren’t duly compensated by his performance on the ice. Yes, they can complain that it was Heatley’s intransigence – refusing to waive his no-movement clause to accept a trade to the Edmonton Oilers – that left the Senators on the hook for that bonus payment, because of the way they'd originally worded the contract.

Though both positions are eminently defensible, legally, they sound like wobbly starting points.

If Ottawa had wanted to desperately to recoup that $4-million before they traded him, they should have made the San Jose Sharks absorb a contract they wanted to unload. Every team has them these days; and often, the willingness of a trading partner to take on an unattractive contract is the tipping point in a deal. Why do you think Tom Preissing gets traded so often? Or Brad Lukowich?

Given how difficult it was for the Senators to get value back for Heatley because of his $7.5-million annual salary-cap charge, an arbitrator would look at the deal and say the dollars the Sharks saved on the contract might have been the reason they went forward on the trade that sent Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo to Ottawa. One way or another, Heatley was going to get his money from somebody.

Naturally, the larger issue is the timing of the grievance. Originally the Senators filed the complaint against Heatley in the summer and asked for an expedited hearing. That was turned down. So now, here is the NHL Players’ Association, likely at rock bottom in terms of its strength as a union because of another round of resignations and departures, and the Senators brightly determine that they want to continue the fight. Well, why not? Kick 'me where they're down, right?

Publicly, the NHL’s position – on the rare occasions when commissioner Gary Bettman will discuss the NHLPA’s trials and tribulations – is that the league believes a strong union is good for business.

Deep down, it is hard to imagine they truly believe that. Otherwise, would they have not have discouraged Sens owner Eugene Melnyk from filing a complaint that seems like a sure-fire loser, given that Heatley – whatever you may think about him asking for a trade after negotiating a no-movement clause - did not technically breach his contract.

In the end, all these grievances go before an independent arbitrator. The NHLPA has appointed as interim legal counsel, long-time association attorney Roland Lee to handle matters in the short term.

Even as the union self destructs, the one thing you can be sure of is that even if they need to look outside their ranks for help, they can always find a sharp lawyer somewhere willing to mount a defence on Heatley’s behalf.

In some ways, the NHL has inadvertently done the players a favour by heading down this path. Just in case the players association required further evidence of the need for strong leadership heading into the next CBA talks, this pre-emptive shot across the union's bow can only reinforce that belief.

And the NHLPA does have one card to play – the option of extending the CBA to 2012, or for an extra year beyond the original six-year term, to prepare for the battle that lies ahead.

That extension, you’d think, is as good as done – or it will be, as soon as they put someone in charge who is actually empowered to make a decision.

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009 01:32 PM

Setting record straight on Muldoon

David Shoalts

My Monday column that brought up the Curse of the Muldoon drew a fair bit of response but not the kind a fellow enjoys. It seems I made a mistake.

The Curse of the Muldoon was a story invented by the late Jim Coleman, a legendary sports columnist, when he was working for The Globe and Mail in the late 1950s. The Maple Leafs were playing the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL playoffs, deadline was approaching and Coleman needed a column so the Curse of the Muldoon was born.

According to Coleman, when the team’s eccentric owner, Major Frederic McLaughlin, fired head coach Pete Muldoon midway through the 1926-27 season, Muldoon told the owner the team would never finish first as long as McLaughlin lived.

The trouble is, having remembered Coleman’s story from years ago, I looked it up in our electronic library. The version I saw was actually someone else’s account of Coleman’s tale. It said Muldoon told McLaughlin the Blackhawks would never win the Stanley Cup in his lifetime. I then wrote the Blackhawks finally won a Stanley Cup in 1961 after McLaughlin was long gone.

But, as readers Malcolm Geast and David Barclay pointed out, the curse was that the ’Hawks would never finish first. Coleman, of course, researched that more carefully than I did before he created his fable. The Blackhawks did not finish first from 1927 until 1967. But they did win three Cups in that period, 1934, 1938 and 1961.

I also received this e-mail:

Hello,

Jim Coleman was my grandfather. Last Friday was his birthday, so he has been on my mind for several days. What a treat to read your story about him and ‘The Muldoon’ today. I’ve passed it on to the rest of the family and I’m sure you’ve brought smiles to all of their faces as well.

Papa might not have approved of your comment about Harold Ballard – as he had an inexplicable soft spot for him. ‘Uncle Harold’ was only one of many characters I got to know through him, as you can imagine (especially around the racetrack). I wasn’t terribly aware of all of the controversy around Harold and his ownership of the Leafs, I just remember that he always made sure I had the best possible tickets for anything I wanted to see at the Gardens. And I also remember that my grandfather insisted I dress appropriately for sporting events – which meant in a skirt. (Even to Argo games at Exhibition Stadium in November.)

Thank you for conjuring up some wonderful memories of an exceptional grandfather.

Have a great day.

Kelly Coleman

And thank you, Ms. Coleman, for the nice story. When I was a young sports writer working in Calgary, I had the privilege of meeting your grandfather and travelling with him for a week. It was the 1981 Molson Skywriters Tour, a travelling party that visited all five CFL Western Division training camps over six days.

The tour, like Major McLaughlin, is long gone. Molson used to charter a Convair propeller airplane, which seated about 60 people and fill it up with sports writers, television and radio reporters, camera men (they were all men in those days) and a few brewery reps. The plane would start in Vancouver and go east, picking up the travellers, winding up in Winnipeg, where the official tour would start and work its way west.

As you can imagine, it was a non-stop party and many a dispatch was filed by someone with a raging hangover. However, Ms. Coleman, your grandfather was an absolute gentleman. That is the best word I can think of to describe him.

He arrived at the plane every morning nattily turned out in a crisply ironed shirt and a suit while all around him unshaven and slovenly media types were sleeping off the night before or getting a head start on the night to come. Mr. Coleman was not part of the raucous shenanigans but it was clear every person on the plane had the highest respect and admiration for him.

I was fortunate enough to sit beside him on the longest flight of the trip, from Calgary to Vancouver Island. It was spellbinding, listening to his stories from a lifetime of reporting the world’s great sporting events. A framed group picture from the trip still hangs on my office wall.

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Tuesday, November 3, 2009 02:42 PM

Stars get back Modano, Lehtinen

Eric Duhatschek

Chatted briefly Tuesday morning with Dallas Stars coach Marc Crawford who confirmed that at long last, both centre Mike Modano and left winger Jere Lehtinen would return to the lineup after lengthy injury absences. Modano and Lehtinen, both of whom were sidelined by rib problems and limited to one and two appearances respectively thus far in the season, were front-and-centre in the Stars’ halcyon days, two-thirds of their usual top line.

Now, they add depth to a team that has essentially been rebuilt on the fly, with two blue-chip youngsters – James Neal and Loui Eriksson – fitting in nicely with veteran centre Brad Richards, who may be inching back into the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey picture with a strong scoring start (17 points in 12 games to lead the team in scoring).

For Crawford, in his first year coaching the Stars, Modano’s and Lehtinen’s return will give him the first real chance to see what his team looks like with all hands on deck. Dallas has had a decent start – 6-3-1-4 left them sixth overall in the Western Conference standings and they are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning in one bizarre category, most shootout losses, with four.

The irony there is that Dallas used to win shootouts all the time. In the year they were introduced, 2005-06, the Stars were a sparkling 12-1 in shootouts and were led by Jussi Jokinen in that category. Jokinen was eventually traded to Tampa and then handed off to Carolina, where he continues to thrive in the shootout. Wonder how much of a difference Jokinen’s presence in the Stars lineup could have made. If Dallas had anything close to Montreal’s record in extra time (the Canadiens have just one win in regulation so far this season), the Stars might be challenging for first overall in the conference.

But that is the only blip on an otherwise smooth transition for Crawford who, last Friday, became the 16th coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games. Unlike his last stop in Los Angeles, where he felt he needed to have a personal impact on the organization’s culture, Crawford said he was content to fit in and do things the Dallas Stars’ way. That, in turn, has translated into some early-season success.

Provided the Stars aren’t crushed by injuries again as they were a year ago, it looks as if they will be a factor in the playoff race.

“We’re crossing our fingers because it’ll be the first time we have a full complement of players,” said Crawford, looking ahead to Wednesday night’s home date with the Calgary Flames.

Crawford believes that captain Brenden Morrow, who missed most of last season recovering from major reconstructive knee surgery, “is only going to get better; that injury just takes so long to get comfortable with. On the other side of it, Mike (Modano) is still an elite player when he’s fresh. Just watching our power-play practice the last few days, it’s amazing the difference he makes. He just has great presence.

“As for (Lehtinen), he’s what we need now because we don’t have a lot of defensive experience and he is so good in that vein. I think that’s why Jere’s going to be such a good player for even a few more years, provided his health holds up. He’s like the people who came before him – the (Guy) Carbonneaus, (Brian) Skrudlands and (Mike) Keanes – he can play because it’s just not scoring that he contributes. We definitely need that. Our penalty-killing’s been better lately, but it’s near the low end overall. Penalty killing is an experience thing – and he’s got the experience.”

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Friday, October 30, 2009 01:22 PM

Wilson gets close look at Miller

David Shoalts

Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson will get a close look at one of his goaltenders for the U.S. Olympic team when the Leafs play the Buffalo Sabres tonight.

Ryan Miller, who took a 1.60 goals-against average and .944 save percentage into the game is a big reason why the Sabres surprised everyone in the NHL with a 7-1-1 start. He spent a lot of time in the offseason working on his game with the intention of becoming one of the league’s elite goaltenders.

“I’m well aware of how well he’s played this year,” said Wilson, who will be the head coach of the U.S. Olympic team. “We expect him to be one of our goalies if not the starting goalie.”

Wilson then added some advice for his division rivals: “I just hope Buffalo doesn’t wear him out.”

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009 02:49 PM

Boyd sidelined with flu bug

Eric Duhatschek

On the morning of tonight’s pivotal date with the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames centre Dustin Boyd was nowhere to be found, the latest NHL player to come down with the flu – and forced into isolation from his teammates.

This, of course, goes against the normal NHL ethic – that a player, injured or felled by an illness, attempt to play unless he is absolutely bed-ridden.

“That’s a little bit more of the old-school thinking that goes along with coaches who’ve been around for a long time,” agreed Flames’ defenceman Robyn Regehr. “For us as players, though, we don’t want guys who are sick around because even it’s one guy, he can affect the group – 20 or 22 guys.

“For the better of the team, you gotta make a decision with your head, not with your heart.”

The Flames were scheduled to get their seasonal flu shots later in the day – with the H1N1 vaccine probably still a couple of weeks away. Still, with the Avalanche losing Peter Budaj to the strain; the Oilers Ladislav Smid just returning and the Capitals announcing Wednesday that Quinton Laing has swine flu, it looks as if the virus is making its way through the NHL – and the precautions are underway.

“They have team doctors for a reason,” said Flames’ coach Brent Sutter. “We trust the medical staff.”

At 38, the oldest member of the Flames’ is Craig Conroy. Does his age provide him with extra immunity?

“Hopefully, it’s going to bypass me,” he said. “I’ve definitely heard it’s not that much fun, so I’d much rather not want to get sick.”

The Flames’ light early-season schedule has been a contributing factor to keeping everyone, except Boyd now, healthy.

“We haven’t had to fly on airplanes, or do anything that puts us in close proximity to anyone who is infected,” said Conroy, noting that the team has adopted all the recommended precautions to keep the flu at bay.

“We used to have four or five water bottles that everybody shared. Now, a lot of times, you have your own water bottle. You don’t want to share water; you don’t want to share razors or towels. You do the best you can.

“Obviously, it’s going to get you if it’s going to get you, but you try your best.”

As for Colorado, with Budaj convalescing at home and rookie Tyler Weiman acting as back-up, the NHL’s leading goaltender, Craig Anderson, will make his 13th consecutive start.

“I think we’ve done a terrific job in quarantining the issue there (Budaj) there and making sure everybody’s healthy and staying hydrated and making sure it doesn’t spread through the team,” said Anderson.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009 12:47 AM

Big relief for Johnson, Canucks

Matthew Sekeres

Just bumped into Canucks general manager Mike Gillis in the GM Place elevator, who tells me that centre Ryan Johnson is going to be okay after a scary second-period incident here.

Johnson lost his balance while skating at a good clip, and slammed shoulder first into the end boards near the Detroit Red Wings net. Gillis said Johnson had movement and feeling in all his extremities, but did suffer a concussion after banging his head against the boards. The Thunder Bay, Ont., native is awake and coherent.

It was a terrifying incident to watch, mostly because Johnson’s body looked limp and there wasn’t much movement as he was being tended to on the ice by Canucks doctors and trainers, who stabilized his head and neck. His right arm looked like it was locked into an awkward position, extended from his body and bent at a strange angle. He was carried off on a stretcher, his arms crossed over his belly and his fingers locked.

GM Place was hushed, and six very worried Canucks players stood near Johnson, each of them offering some words of encouragement as he was being wheeled off the ice surface.

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Monday, October 26, 2009 03:44 PM

Stars prepare for Olympic audition

Visits by the Toronto Maple Leafs to every NHL team over the next few months are going to get a lot of attention from some opposing players, coaches and general managers. The players especially are looking to make an impression on the visitors.

But it is not because the Leafs warrant any special notice. What the some of the players want to do is make a favourable impression on Leafs general manager Brian Burke and head coach Ron Wilson because they are running the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in the men’s hockey tournament in Vancouver in February.

When the Leafs play the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night, for example, forwards Mike Modano and Toby Petersen and defenceman Matt Niskanen will be looking to impress Burke and Wilson. Modano, of course, was a fixture for years on the U.S. Olympic team. But at the age of 39 he is now a checking centre with the Stars. When he is healthy, that is. Modano aggravated a rib injury in practice a few days ago and probably will not play against the Leafs on Wednesday.

“There is really a lot of attention on the naming of the teams [among the players],” Stars head coach Marc Crawford said. “Players like to play in the Olympics.”

While there is no shortage of tales of woe for NHL teams who see a key player hurt during the Olympics – think the Ottawa Senators and goaltender Dominik Hasek in 2006 – Crawford says there are just as many positive developments. He was head coach of the Vancouver Canucks in 2006 and saw what Sweden winning the gold medal did for his team.

“It did wonders for the Swedish players on our team,” Crawford said. “Daniel and Henrik Sedin, their play just took off.”

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