Lilley No Wilting Flower When It Comes to Hitting

He ran amok for seven games, hitting everyone in sight and looking very much like the red-devil-with-hockey-stick tattoo on his right shoulder.

John Lilley made friends quickly with the Mighty Ducks, his feisty style making him seem larger than his 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame.

But there was one thing missing--his first NHL goal.

Saturday, in his eighth big-league game, it happened. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs. On Hockey Night in Canada. In front of 17,174 at The Pond of Anaheim.

David Williams slipped a cross-ice pass through a tangle of bodies and onto Lilley’s stick.

Lilley, alone in front of Maple Leaf goalie Damian Rhodes, didn’t miss with a backhander.

It came at the 4:37 mark of the third period and proved to be the game-winner in the Ducks’ 3-1 victory.

“It might not mean anything to John, but it came on a national telecast all across Canada,” Coach Ron Wilson said. “It’s like Monday Night Football.”

They don’t get Hockey Night in Canada in Wakefield, Mass., Lilley’s hometown, but he hoped his folks were watching on the satellite dish at the home of teammate Joe Sacco’s parents.

If not, well, Lilley, 21, has a compelling story next time he phones home. For keepsakes, he had a score sheet, which he promptly folded in half. And, of course, the puck.

“Randy Ladouceur picked it up for me, but I don’t know where it is right now,” said Lilley, a member of the 1994 U.S. Olympic team.

Later, equipment manager Mark O’Neill handed it over.

“He made a great play on it,” Lilley said of Williams’ pass that set up the goal. “I was standing alone in front and I got it up a little bit and fortunately it went in the net.”

With his first goal out of the way, Lilley can return to basics.

“He plays the game hard,” linemate Garry Valk said. “A lot of kids when they come in are timid right off the bat. But he’s banging and working hard. He’s a small guy but he plays the game big.”

Said Wilson: “He’s very quick and in your face. He hits everything that moves and I think the rest of the guys feed off that.”

Lilley dismissed comparisons to Tony Granato and Mike Donnelly of the Kings. But it’s clear from his play that, like Granato and Donnelly, he isn’t willing to back down despite his size.

“I can’t be in awe of guys I’ve watched my whole life,” Lilley said. “(Playing a physical game) is what I have to do to be effective. I’m not going out there and (float) around the net.”

And about the tattoo?

“A stupid thing I did a few years ago,” he said.