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Sunday, December 10, 2000
Pens forward fulfilling expectations
By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell
Special to ESPN.com
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| Eastern Fodder |
He said that
"In Russian custom, you don't loudly celebrate your 40th birthday. Thirty-nine, 41, 42, 50 -- those are bigger so you can have a lot of
friends and people. But 40 is the quiet time, very quiet time. I don't know
why."
-- Panthers' C Igor Larionov, who now is the only
active 40-year-old in the NHL. |
Larionov |
The number
The former refers to the number of penalty
minutes, the latter to career points for Flyers' wing Rick Tocchet who could become just the second player in history to achieve that milestone -- Dale Hunter is the other. Going into Friday's game, Tocchet had 929 points and 2,889 PIMs. |
3,000 and 1,000 |
Northeast Division Notes
Sabres' coach Lindy Ruff looked prophetic
when 23-year-old center Denis Hamel busted out Tuesday night against the Canadiens, scoring one goal and setting up a second one. Ruff had been praising Hamel, a native of Quebec, for his determination and work ethic. ... Maple Leafs forward Yanic Perreault had a little egg on his face when he was nailed in overtime for an illegal stick. The Leafs had a power play when Florida coach Terry Murray called for a stick measurement. Perreault said he usually trimmed the extra width from
the end but hadn't been doing it lately. To his credit, he took the heat for
his error.
Atlantic Division
Michal Grosek has had a hard time getting any
time in the Rangers' lineup of late. The left wing, who scored 20 goals for
Buffalo in 1998-99, said he isn't sure what his role is with New York. His
argument is he can't do much with only six shifts a game. Coach Ron Low's
has questioned Grosek's passion for the game. In
situations like that, it's always a chicken-or-egg thing. If a player doesn't
get much playing time, he says he can't do much. The coach says he isn't
getting much playing time because he isn't doing enough.
Southeast Division
Tampa Bay's captain Vincent Lecavalier has no
problems adjusting to any situation on the ice. His biggest challenge has been the
enormous demands on his time off the ice. Lecavalier, a well-spoken
20-year-old who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft, has been in
tremendous demand. He has done photo shoots for Sports
Illustrated and Vanity Fair, been on the NHLPA's "Be A
Player" show as well as making appearances on the NHL's "Cool Shots" and ESPN2's
"NHL 2Night." Lecavalier, who is one of the most cooperative athletes in
the league, said he didn't mind the attention. However, he was going to make
sure it didn't interfere with his primary job -- playing hockey.
Injury news
It's disturbing to see what's going on with C Doug
Gilmour. Tests showed the pain in his trunk wasn't serious but that knowledge
didn't keep the gritty veteran from being in severe pain. At 37, Gilmour has
a tremendous amount of miles on his body, which has never been nearly as big
as his heart. According to reports, Gilmour was supposed to consult with Dr.
Joseph Polino, a specialist in deep-tissue injuries. It's not
known when he will be able to return. The theories range from simple old age
to his changing his skating style after back surgery last year, which has put
extra strain on his midsection and pelvis. ... Montreal's Trevor Linden has been playing with an ailing left hip flexor. He said he'll be fine, and the
Canadiens certainly hope so considering how many injuries have plagued that
club this year.
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In the past, Pittsburgh forward Alexei Kovalev used to drive his coaches crazy with his inconsistency. He had brilliant skills but didn't always apply
himself.
This season, it's only his opponents Kovalev is driving mental.
The soft-handed Russian has 16 goals and 16 assists in 27 games as of Friday. He is second in the NHL with 112 shots on goal.
Why is Kovalev running circles around his foes, and why is the right wing
the best player on the Penguins this year, even better than Jaromir Jagr?
There are a number of reasons. Kovalev said he dearly wants to play in
an All-Star Game, something he has never done. He figures if he reaches that
goal, he'll be looked at differently and as one of the elite in the NHL.
Another possibility is he's in the final year of his contract that is
paying him $2.3 million. Interestingly, any player up for renewal tends to feel he has
something to prove.
The third theory is that the 27-year-old is sick and tired of hearing
how maddeningly inconsistent he's been and wants to be a complete player.
This year, he's added a more physical element to his game; he is playing the
point on the power play; he's killing penalties, and he's driving to the net. And most importantly, Kovalev is doing it all pretty much every night.
Last month, Kovalev said he didn't want to show other people the kind of
player he was. He was out to prove it to himself.
"All my life, I've been trying to prove people wrong," he said. "Right now, I know how good I am, and I don't care what other people think. I don't want to show anybody else what kind of player I am. I
want to show myself. This is for me."
Kovalev won a Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994, a season in which he
had 23 goals. Last year, he tallied a career-high 26 with the Penguins, and he has a great chance to break that in '00-01.
He has impressed his coach, his teammates and his opponents.
"You have to be focused on him all the time," said Boston Bruins'
goalie Peter Skudra, who played with Kovalev in Pittsburgh.
Skudra admitted to being a little surprised at how well his former
teammate is playing.
"A little bit," Skudra said. "I remember from the past, we used to
talk all the time, and he always had a lot of chances and maybe he didn't
shoot the puck enough in the past. Now, he puts pucks on the net all the time.
He has a great shot. Quick and hard and that's how he scores goals."
Kovalev said partly it's because he expects more of himself.
"We can't wait for (Jagr) to carry us on his back," he said. "We want
to come up and expect something from the other guys. Score a goal or do
something."
Penguins' forward Matthew Barnaby said he saw a different kind of determination in Kovalev this season.
"He said at the start of the year, 'It's time for me to step up and use
everything,'" Barnaby said. "He's stepped up, and we can count on him every
game. He's working hard every game and he's playing great. He's been a go-to
guy."
Can the All-Star Game be far behind?
You bet it can be.
Inside the locker room
You've heard of rivalries in divisions, rivalries in conferences and even sibling rivarly. How about rivalry because of sharing a developmental squad? That one is new. Islanders GM Mike Milbury, apparently feeling that Los Angeles Kings' prospects were getting the lion's share of the ice time with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL, has elected to yank all five of his prospects out of there.
One player was recalled to New York, three were sent to Springfield (AHL) and
one was reassigned to Trenton of the East Coast League. Lockmonsters GM Tom
Rowe described the move as an "emotional and irrational decision."
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe covers the Eastern Conference for ESPN.com.
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