Just What They Needed : After NHL Years, Mantha Sparks U.S. Hockey and U.S. Hockey Sparks Him

A funny thing happened to Moe Mantha as he reached the apparent end of a trail that had wound through five cities over 12 NHL seasons.

Relegated to the bench by the Winnipeg Jets for all but 12 games this season, the 31-year-old defenseman resuscitated his career by joining the U.S. Olympic hockey team in January. A defensive stalwart with enough international experience to steady his younger teammates and enough enthusiasm to inspire them, Mantha has been a standout in the two victories that put the United States in position to claim a berth in the medal round with a victory over Finland tonight.

“I may be an old man in the hockey sense, but I’m not really that old,” Mantha said after practice at the Courchevel training rink Wednesday. “I’ve still got plenty of hockey left in me. I’m really enjoying this. I played 12 years in the NHL, with a lot of pressure. This is different. Here, I’m playing with a lot of young guys and I’m playing for my country, for the red, white and blue. A lot of players wish they could have a chance like this.”

Familiar with Mantha from World Championship tournaments, Coach Dave Peterson thought of the veteran when he decided to revamp his defense late in the pre-Olympic schedule. That decision seemed like a stroke of genius Sunday, when Mantha scored the first goal in a 6-3 victory over Italy, and again in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over Germany. Besides setting up Marty McInnis’ power-play goal, Mantha saved a goal by sweeping the puck away from an open net while goaltender Ray LeBlanc was out of position.

“I saved him that time, but he saved us a lot of times,” Mantha said.

Mantha’s stabilizing influence has saved Peterson a lot of anxiety.

“He’s a good experienced guy who’s a little bit older, and in sticky situations he plays a little bit calmer,” Peterson said. “He’s a very good team guy, and he’s good with young guys. I had him in 1985 in Prague (a fifth-place finish in the World Championships) and he was one of our starting defensemen. And while he’s good with young players, he’s also a pretty good player himself, albeit maybe toward the end of his career.”

Mantha was born in Lakewood, Ohio, the son of longtime American Hockey League journeyman Maurice Mantha. He went to Toronto to play junior hockey in 1978, when it was rare for an American player to make a Canadian junior squad, and he made his NHL debut in 1980 with Winnipeg.

Known primarily as a defensive player who made good use of his solid 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame, Mantha also enjoyed several good offensive seasons with Winnipeg and Pittsburgh. He scored a career-high 16 goals for the Jets in 1983-84 and had 52 assists and 67 points for the Penguins in the 1985-86 season.

Although his point totals declined to 28 and 24 the last two seasons, his goals and assists were reminders that he’s capable of contributing at both ends of the ice.

“I made a living, living off the power play in the NHL,” Mantha said. “It’s part of my role, to help the team win by doing whatever I can.”

Perhaps his biggest contribution has been using his experience and defensive expertise to help defense partner Scott Lachance. Although it seems an unlikely pairing, the team’s oldest player with its youngest--Lachance is 19--they have played well together. Peterson likes the duo so much, he went to the uncharacteristic extreme of cracking a joke.

“We put Moe with the young kid, and the kid wants to know if he’s getting Moe because he’s supposed to carry him,” Peterson said, smiling. “Scott Lachance is a very fine young hockey player who’s eventually going to be a fine player in the NHL. Moe can show him a few things.”

Mantha enjoys being a teacher.

“It makes me more responsible,” he said. “I like playing with the young fellow. I’m an old boy, and his excitement rubs off on me. You’ve got young blood rubbing off on the old boy and my support helping him.”

Lachance’s exuberance and the Olympic team’s two victories have rejuvenated Mantha. Although he’s not sure what will happen after the Games--Winnipeg General Manager Mike Smith has promised to try to trade him to a team that will play him--Mantha is enjoying the moment. He’s also enjoying the prospect of the U.S. team’s first serious test tonight against Finland, which boasts nearly a dozen players with NHL experience.

“The last nine games we’ve only lost one,” he said. “We’re riding high right now. The emotional character is there. We’re riding with a lot of emotion and Finland has to be ready to play us. . . .

“We beat Finland in the World Championships last year, so they’re going to be looking for revenge. It’s going to be a big challenge to our team. Each game gets tougher. It’ll be interesting to see if we take the bull by the horns or sit back and watch them play. . . . We’re not (at a peak) yet, but it’s coming. The excitement is there, the cockiness in a winning attitude. It’s the cockiness of being proud of what we’re doing.”