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CALGARY — It may be Mike Keenan's first playoff appearance in a dozen years, but he hasn't forgotten the first rule of the NHL coaching handbook: how (and when) to start working the referees.
Keenan waited until the scrum surrounding him died down to a manageable few reporters before segueing into his subtle, messaging mode. On the eve of the Calgary Flames' opening-round series with the San Jose Sharks, which begins tonight in Northern California, someone ventured that the series was bound to be physical.
Keenan took that as his cue to suggest, "You've got two physical teams that are going to compete and play hard, and I hope the officials let them."
Keenan paused to let that sink in before offering that it would be all right if the referees made the obvious hooking and holding calls, but stressed: "It would be more exciting for everyone involved, including the fans, if they let them play hard and not get involved in the process. Ultimately, that's what you hope for from the officials."
What Keenan really hopes for is that his shut-down defence pair of Robyn Regehr and Cory Sarich will get a chance to play a physical game against the Sharks' No. 1 scoring threat, Joe Thornton. In an otherwise fabulous season, Thornton had a relatively quiet time of it against Calgary, only one assist in four games and an overall minus-4 rating.
The Flames took three of four games from the Sharks in the regular season, but that was before defenceman Brian Campbell showed up to change the look of the power play and improve San Jose's transition game.
The Sharks represent an interesting test because two of their most visible players, Thornton and forward Jeremy Roenick, both played for Keenan in the past and genuinely believe that he aided them in their development by pushing them hard.
In a telephone conference call with reporters on Monday, Roenick told a hilarious story about playing for Keenan on the 1992 Chicago Blackhawks, who went to the Stanley Cup final but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mario Lemieux. According to Roenick, Keenan instructed the team's medical staff to put a cast on Roenick's wrist after a slash by the Penguins' Kevin Stevens to make a point that the Pittsburgh players were getting away with murder.
"To be honest, I was kind of embarrassed," Roenick said, "but you do what Mike Keenan says."
With Calgary starting on the road, Keenan will need to work extra hard to get his matchups, something he didn't think he got enough time to do in last Thursday's pivotal 3-1 loss to the Wild in Minnesota.
"In Minnesota, we had two very inexperienced officials [Eric Furlatt and Chris Lee] and they were giving us absolutely no time to make a change," Keenan said. "You've got to have a little bit of common sense, to make those choices.
"The hurry-up faceoff is another big part of it because puck possession is a big part of success and then they're out there, they're obsessed about dropping the puck, without using the common sense of it all. I hope that in the playoffs, they have a better feel for it."
The Flames go into the series as the decided underdogs, but captain Jarome Iginla, the only 50-goal scorer in the Western Conference, is all right with that.
"People are going to say we don't have a chance," Iginla said. "We believe we do. We like the matchup. We've played against them. We definitely respect them. We know they're a good team. We're going to enjoy this. It's Game 1. I can't wait."
If the physical play ends up spilling over into fisticuffs, could Iginla possibly fight Thornton? Iginla has been known to drop the gloves occasionally and Thornton showed his readiness by pummelling Dallas Stars pest Steve Ott in the regular-season finale last Sunday.
"You don't say things like that before the series," Iginla said with a laugh. "The last few playoffs, there's been more fights than I remember watching. I can see why. It gets pretty heated, with what's on the line and the style of teams. If you get used to playing a certain way, then those happen, too."
There is a strong San Jose connection with the Flames, probably no more apparent than with Owen Nolan, who was the Sharks' captain for years and had most of his best years playing for the team.
Nolan keeps an off-season residence in San Jose and owns a bar down the street from the Shark Tank, but was dismissive of the connection, or that it might mean something special to him.
"It really isn't," Nolan said. "I'm just excited to be back in the playoffs. It's been a while since I've been in it and with the team we have, we feel we can go far."
Nolan anticipated that he might "get a few boos" from the hometown fans, but said of the Sharks: "To me, it's just another team that's in the way of trying to get to where I want to be, which is the Stanley Cup.
"I mean, it's a great organization. They really took care of me and I thank them for that, but this is playoff time. This is my new home. This is my new team, so I'm just excited to be getting this thing started."
So, too, were his new teammates. Yes, the playoffs are finally on us, a new year in the new NHL, but for some, it feels just like old times.
