By Bruce Berlet
No one – repeat no one – enjoyed/enjoys tough, physical, fan-pleasing hockey more than Kevin Dineen.
The former Hartford Whalers star right wing/captain, now coach of the Portland Pirates, thrived on the kind of play, earning endless plaudits from Connecticut fans and respect throughout the hockey community.
But Dineen sees a bad trend developing in the game he loves. And you need go no farther than the Pirates-Connecticut Whale game on Saturday night in which neither team backed down, jabbing at the opposition was commonplace and hits often ferocious. It hardly seemed appropriate behavior on Boy Scouts Night at the XL Center.
“It was a great game and hugely disappointing,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said after a heart-breaking 3-2 loss on Derek Whitmore’s power-play goal with 7.5 seconds left after an interference penalty on Dale Weise.
But Dineen wasn’t pleased there were only eight minor penalties, one on Pirates defenseman T.J. Brennan for delay of game when he inadvertently lifted the puck over the glass. Everyone is in favor of the players, not the referee(s), deciding a game, but Dineen expressed concern about the direction of the game.
“I thought there were some marginable hits on both sides,” Dineen said. “Hits are one thing, but blows to the head are really dangerous and getting too common.”
Boston Bruins officials and fans would emphatically agree with Dineen, one of their major antagonists during his playing days. They must wonder what has to happen to former Wolf Pack center Marc Savard for the NHL to take serious actions against players such as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Cooke and Deryk Engelland.
Cooke’s blindside hit on Savard on March 7 knocked Savard out for the remainder of the regular season, then he returned for a first-round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers but was plagued by post-concussion syndrome and missed the first 23 games of this season. The cheap shot led the NHL to outlaw blindside hits to the head, but Cooke didn’t receive any suspension. Then on Jan. 15, Engelland smashed Savard into the boards with a forearm to the mouth that left the feisty center “woozy” but he also didn’t’ receive a suspension.
Amazingly, none of the Bruins came to Savard’s defense even though it was the same team attacking the same player. Savard’s ego and style of play can grate on people, but he’s still a teammate playing for a franchise once known as the Big, Bad Bruins and whose president is Hall of Famer Cam Neely, one of the all-time tough guys whose career was cut short by a knee to his leg by former Whalers defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, now an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes.
Then on Jan. 22, Savard sustained a “moderate” concussion when he was slammed face-first into the boards by former teammate Matt Hunwick in a 6-2 victory over the Avalanche in Denver. Bruins coach Claude Julien called it a clean hit, but Savard is out indefinitely resting at his home in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, his season and career very much in question.
Accidents happen in hockey, but when the head is the intended target, strong measures must be taken by AHL president and CEO David Andrews and NHL vice president Colin Campbell, who is in charge of discipline. A minimum suspension of 20 games should be handed out for egregious hits, with increased penalties for subsequent illegal actions. Altering shoulder and elbow pads to make them more about protection than weapons should also be implemented.
Hopefully the NHL Players Association supports such action so there’s more talk about hockey than injuries. The NHL’s marquee player and leading scorer, Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, has been chastised for wimpish behavior and being a crybaby at times, but he had to miss the NHL All-Star festivities this weekend after being out the last nine games with a concussion sustained when he was slammed into the boards head-first by Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman on Jan. 5. Crosby is feeling “a little bit better,” but it’s not known when he will return.
Penguins general manager Ray Shero had a terrific line when he said he supports “at least exploring” banning all hits to the head.
“We are a league where you can accidently hit a guy in the head with your shoulder and not be penalized,” Shero told USA Today. “But if you clear a puck out of your zone and it accidently goes in the stands they give you two minutes. Does that make sense?”
No. No. A thousand times no.
Dineen is also concerned about an AHL schedule in which his Pirates and Providence Bruins both entered the All-Star break having played eight games in 11 days.
“I describe it as a dangerous schedule,” Dineen said. “These kids play with their hearts and extremely hard, and I think it’s unhealthy for them to play that much hockey in such a short period of time.
“And it’s not the hitting. It’s groins and hurting a knee. We’ve got a serious knee injury from just a guy stepping in a rut, and when things like that happen, you’d like to see them drop the schedule down. The schedule doesn’t need to be 80 games at this level.”
There’s also the call-up factor where players compete in AHL games and then get called up and have to face even tougher competition even if it’s for fewer minutes. Last week, the Rangers sent down defenseman Michael Del Zotto and forwards Dale Weise, Evgeny Grachev, Kris Newbury, Chad Kolarik and Brodie Dupont. They all played in games Friday and Saturday, and then Del Zotto, Grachev and Newbury were called up Sunday and practiced with the Rangers on Monday in preparation for Tuesday night’s game at Madison Square Garden against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It’s hard on all of us,” Dineen said.
Newbury and Grachev are expected to play alongside Rangers captain/Trumbull native Chris Drury, while Del Zotto might watch as former Wolf Pack wing Ryan Callahan (hand) and defenseman Dan Girardi (rib cage) will return. Wing Brandon Dubinsky (stress fracture in left foot), another former Wolf Pack player, also might return, and forward Vinny Prospal (knee) is on track to make his season debut Thursday night at home against the New Jersey Devils. Center Erik Christensen is shooting for Feb. 11 against the Atlanta Thrashers, while Ruslan Fedotenko isn’t expected back until the middle of the month.
“It’s good to get the guys on the ice,” Rangers coach John Tortorella told the New York media after practice. “Cally does everything for us. He’s one of our leaders. I give our team a lot of credit because I was most worried when he was went out because I wasn’t sure how they would react because he means so much. He’s important in the (locker) room and on the ice.”
As for the Whale call-ups, Tortorella said: “We’ll have to see if Del Zotto gets in, but he has played really well in Hartford. I like Newbury’s grit and hopefully he can win some face-offs. Grachev has played much better (in Hartford), but it hasn’t translated here yet (he is pointless in eight games). Now he has to protect pucks and score some goals. Weise played well, too, but we can’t take everybody.”
WHALE HOMESTAND ENDS FRIDAY NIGHT
The Whale (22-20-2-5) and the rest of the AHL are off until Thursday, and then they end a four-game homestand Friday night at 7 against another struggling team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (19-23-3-3). A last-second, 3-2 loss to the Portland Pirates on Saturday night was the Whale’s third in a row overall and fourth straight and sixth in seven starts at home after eight consecutive wins at the XL Center. It dropped the Whale into fourth place, one point behind Worcester, which beat Providence 3-2, and they are only three points ahead of the Bruins, who have two games in hand. The Whale is 11-12-2-1 at home and 11-8-0-4 on the road but 4-1-0-1 in the GEICO Connecticut Cup against the Sound Tigers, capped by Chad Johnson’s 22-save shutout in a 4-0 victory at Bridgeport on Dec. 26. Right wing Jeremy Williams, the Whale’s representative in the AHL All-Star Game on Monday night, leads the team in goals (22) and points (40). Newbury is second in scoring (5, 31), followed by right wing Chad Kolarik (17, 16) and center Tim Kennedy (9, 24).
The Sound Tigers will come to the XL Center on a four-game losing streak that ended the worst calendar month in franchise history (1-9-2-1) and dropped them into the division cellar. Like the Whale, the Sound Tigers have had to try to battle through countless call-ups, including on Monday, when goalie Kevin Poulin and defensemen Ty Wishart and former Wolf Pack Dylan Reese were recalled by the parent New York Islanders. Poulin and Reese returned to the Islanders after spending two games with the Sound Tigers during the NHL All-Star break. The Rangers recalled Del Zotto, Newbury and Grachev after they played two games with the Whale. Reese had a goal in a 3-2 loss at Worcester on Friday, when Poulin made 45 saves. The Sound Tigers’ leading scorer is right wing Rhett Rakhshani, who has three of his 10 goals and two of his 24 assists against the Whale and is tied for first in rookie scoring. Center Rob Hisey (7, 18) is second in scoring, and center David Ulstrom (6, 17) is tied for third with Wishart (4, 19). Left wing Michael Haley (12, 10) leads the team in goals. Rookie Mikko Koskinen (5-14-0, 3.67 goals-against average, .882 save percentage) has played the most games in goal for the Sound Tigers.
After the Sound Tigers game, the Whale will play a home-and-home set with Portland, Saturday at 7 p.m. in Maine and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the XL Center. The teams have split their first four games, with both Whale victories coming on overtime goals by former Pirates center Tim Kennedy on Dec. 29 and 31. The Pirates (29-14-4-1) have won five of their last six games to move within a point of Atlantic Division-leading Manchester.
HOWE, PROPP AND HANGSLEBEN VISITING
Former Hartford Whalers and 1986 NHL All-Stars Mark Howe and Brian Propp and ex-Whaler Alan Hangsleben will be at the XL Center on Friday night. They will hold a private, “meet and greet” reception with Whale season ticket holders and invited “Outdoor Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011” ticket purchasers before the game (4:30-6:30 p.m.) and then drop the ceremonial first puck. Hangsleben also will sign autographs in the XL Center atrium during the second intermission with selected Whale players.
Friday is the 25th anniversary of the 1986 NHL All-Star Game at the Hartford Civic Center. Howe and Propp were with the Philadelphia Flyers and played on the Wales Conference team that beat the Campbell Conference 4-3 in overtime. Propp, who finished his 15-year NHL career with the Whalers, scored the first Wales goal. It was one of four All-Star appearances for Howe, the son of hockey legend Gordie Howe who was at the XL Center on Friday night scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, a job he has held since retiring from the Red Wings in 1995.
Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., the Grand Rink at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods will host a skate with Hangsleben and former Whalers Doug Roberts and Garry Swain, former Bruins Bob Miller and Tom Songin and Whale mascot Pucky. Fees are $10 for adults with a $5 skate rental, and $6 for children with a $2 skate rental. Hot beverages and photo opportunities are included, as well as the chance to win tickets to the “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl” on Feb. 19.
WHALERS AND BRUINS LEGENDS FACE OFF FEB. 19
Hall of Fame defensemen Brian Leetch, a Cheshire native, and Brad Park headline the Boston Bruins legends team that will play the Hartford Whalers legends on Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. in the opener of the doubleheader that’s part of the “Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest” on Feb. 11-23 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. The Whale and Providence Bruins will play at 7 p.m., and in case of bad weather, that game will be played Feb. 20 at the XL Center.
Other commitments for the Bruins team are Enfield native Craig Janney, former captain Rick Middleton, who played 12 seasons in Beantown and two with the Rangers, Reggie Lemelin, Ken Hodge, Don Marcotte, Rick Smith, Bob Sweeney, Lyndon Byers, Cleon Daskalatis, Jay Miller, Bob Miller (no relation) and Ken “The Rat” Linseman, who was a member of the Whalers for a few moments as he passed through in a multi-player trade with Philadelphia and Edmonton that included Mark Howe leaving Hartford for the Flyers. Derek Sanderson will coach the Bruins team.
Commitments for the Whalers team are WHA Hall of Famer Andre Lacroix, John McKenzie, whose No. 19 is retired in the XL Center rafters, Blaine Stoughton, Pat Verbeek, John Anderson, Garry Swain, Bob Crawford, Chris Kotsopoulos, Jim Dorey, Jordy Douglas, Ray Neufeld, Gordie Roberts, Darren Turcotte, Nelson Emerson, Mark Janssens, Bill Bennett, Jeff Brubaker, Fred O’Donnell, Terry Yake, Scott Daniels and the Babych brothers, Dave and Wayne. Emile “The Cat” Francis, a coach and general manager with the Rangers and Whalers, will be back behind the bench again, and Norm Barnes and former captain Russ Anderson will be assistant coaches.
Celebrities scheduled to play with one of the legends teams include Michael Keaton, Alan Thicke and David E. Kelley, son of New England and Hartford Whalers coach and general manager Jack Kelley and the writer of the 1999 hit film “Mystery, Alaska,” which was produced by Whalers Sports and Entertainment president and CEO Howard Baldwin and his wife, Karen. “Mystery, Alaska” cast members slated to appear are Michael Buie, Scott Richard Grimes, Jason Gray-Stanford and Cameron Bancroft, along with Neal McDonough, Kevin Zegers, Bobby Farrelly, David Henrie and the Hanson brothers – Steve, Jeff and Dave – who played for the Minnesota Fighting Saints and were the comedic linchpins of the classic movie “Slap Shot.”
Tickets ($20 to $85) for the doubleheader can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Bushnell box office in Hartford on Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or by calling the Whale at 860-728-3366. They also can be purchased online and printed immediately at Ticketmaster.com.
WAY TO GO, NHL!!!!
Kudos to the NHL for making its All-Star Game more interesting than any other sport with the creation of the Fantasy Player Draft.
It was interesting – and fun – to watch center Eric Staal of the host Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom pick their respective teams as captains.
After winning the toss, Staal smartly made Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward the first overall pick, much to the delight of the thousands of Carolina fans in attendance. Lidstrom started with young Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos, who has taken over the NHL scoring lead while Crosby recovers from his concussion.
Staal soon had some fun at the expense of younger brother and Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, who had given Eric some grief while interviewed on TV during the early stages of the draft. So in the fifth round, Eric leaned into the microphone and said, “Team Staal selects … from the New York Rangers … Henrik Lundqvist.”
As the Rangers goalie approached the stage to put on his Team Staal jersey and sit with his new teammates, Marc Staal mugged to the camera, jokingly showing how angry and upset he was that his brother hadn’t selected him.
“I expected to be taken in the first round,” Marc Staal said in mock jest. “I am not happy with this.”
But a round later, Eric ended the snickering as he chose Marc, assuring they would play together for the first time. Until then, it had always been Eric and Penguins center Jordan against Marc and youngest brother Jared in their pickup games in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Jared, the Phoenix Coyotes’ second-round pick in 2008, was traded to the Hurricanes on May 13 for a fifth-round pick. He began the season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, was assigned to the ECHL’s Florida Everglades on Nov. 19 and then recalled on Dec. 17. He is the cousin of former Wolf Pack wing Jeff Heerema, who plays for the Nottingham Panthers in the Elite Ice Hockey League in England.
Unlike the Staals, brothers Daniel and Henrik Sendin of the Vancouver Canucks were the fifth and sixth picks, so they played against each other for the first time for Team Staal and Team Lidstrom, respectively.
Toronto Maple Leafs wing Phil Kessel had to hang around nearly an hour waiting to be the 46th and final pick. It’s hard to imagine many of Major League Baseball’s egomaniacs sitting more than five minutes before departing the premises. But the wait was worth it for Kessel, who received a new car and a $20,000 donation for his favorite charity.
Team Staal won the SuperSkills competition 33-22 as Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara won his fourth consecutive fastest shot title with a record-breaking blast of 105.9 mph.
The All-Star Game pregame ceremonies Sunday included 12 local youngsters picking their own teams via sticks on the ice. The last sticks belonged to two surprise entries, former Hurricanes stars Rod Brind’Amour and Ron Francis, who received rousing ovations from the sellout crowd of 18,680. Francis holds virtually every franchise offensive record set mostly with the Whalers, and when he appeared, one of the youngsters in the center circle said, “No way, Ron Francis.”
“Ronnie Franchise” then was interviewed during Versus’ telecast that included Ward wearing a microphone while in goal in the first period. Team Staal was coached by former Whalers defenseman Joel Quenneville, who guided the Chicago Blackhawks to the 2010 Stanley Cup. You had to wonder if Ronnie and Joel thought all this could have been happening at the XL Center if Peter Karmanos hadn’t pushed the envelope so far and then bolted for North Carolina in 1997.
In the usually wide-open, no-checking game, Team Staal scored the first four goals in only 5:41, but Team Lidstrom made the biggest comeback in All-Star Game history when it rallied for an 11-10 victory. The winner was an empty-net goal by Dallas Stars forward Loui Eriksson, his fourth point of the game, because Eric Staal scored with 33.6 seconds left, making it the third All-Star Game in which both teams reached double digits in goals.
The Bruins Tim Thomas set a record by becoming the first goalie to win three straight All-Star Games. Blackhawks center Patrick Sharp (one goal, two assists, plus-2) was named MVP and received a new Honda, though Lidstrom certainly was deserving. His plus-7 rating in his 12th All-Star Game appearance was the highest since Adam Oates was plus-7 for the Wales Conference in 1991. Lidstrom’s defense partner, Shea Weber, was plus-6 with four assists.
So the league that has made the Winter Classic a New Year’s Day staple the last four years and gave even marginal fans an inside look at the game with HBO’s “24/7” with the Penguins and Capitals now also offers a All-Star player draft that drew rave reviews.
Congratulations, NHL. And to show people were paying attention to something really good, ESPN First Take had Jon Ritchie and Lomas Brown hold a Fantasy Player Draft of Super Bowl teams Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers on Monday. Not surprisingly, Ritchie and Brown made quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers and the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers the first two picks.
Yes, in this copy cat world of sports, you know you’ve arrived when ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in Sports headquartered in little ole Bristol, has two in-house residents copying what you did with the granddaddy spectacle of the granddaddy of modern sports.
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