Ducks Cap Road Trip by Beating Winnipeg

The Mighty Ducks were a never-say-dire team again Sunday, when they finished an incredibly arduous, tumultuous six-game trip through freezing snow and boiling anger by beating the Winnipeg Jets, 6-4.

The Ducks came from behind three times, scored three goals in the third and fended off a final furious effort by the Jets’ powerful trio of Teemu Selanne, Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhamnov. “I think some people around the league don’t understand what character and grit we have on this team,” said center Shaun Van Allen, who scored the tying goal at 8:10 of the third and slung in an empty-netter from 160 feet with 14 seconds left.

Only two days earlier, winger Todd Krygier launched an expletive-laced tirade at Coach Ron Wilson during practice after learning he wouldn’t play against Chicago with his parents in the stands to watch him.

By Sunday, the tiff was over, Krygier and Wilson agreed.

“I don’t think it was a big deal; it’s just words,” Wilson said. “He made a fool of himself. He knows that and he apologized to his teammates. He’s a very emotional guy and he said some things he didn’t mean.”

Krygier’s outburst seemed out of character for a player well-respected enough that Wilson chose him to be one of three players who alternate wearing the “A” as assistant captains. Still, players have been traded for less than what Krygier did, but Wilson put him right back in the lineup.

“Everything was fine [the day after it happened],” Krygier said. “Obviously it was big that we won the game.

“It hasn’t been an easy trip. We all go through our ups and downs.”

The Ducks--who played in front of 10,661 in what was probably their final visit to Winnipeg Arena--won in no small part because of the efforts of the Brothers Sacco.

They trailed, 2-0, after Tkachuk scored two goals in the first nine minutes. But David Sacco, playing his first game since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last month, carried the puck from his end all the way in on Winnipeg goalie Tim Cheveldae, beating defenseman Deron Quint with a change of pace and then putting a back-hander past Cheveldae at 9:52 of the first.

David Sacco also assisted Paul Kariya on his 25th goal. His brother, Joe, scored the go-ahead goal at 10:35 of the third when he put in the rebound of David Karpa’s point shot after Bob Corkum beat Mike Eastwood on a draw.

“The Sacco brothers both played great. Those were both big goals,” Krygier said.

Joe Sacco also assisted Van Allen’s first goal, a nifty shot that Van Allen flipped into the net while practically straddling the goal line. It tied the score, 4-4, at 8:10 of the third.

“I don’t know how he put it in there,” Joe Sacco said.

Guy Hebert wasn’t flawless in goal, but he made some game-saving stops, especially after Cheveldae was pulled with 33 seconds left.

“We needed big saves and we got them when we needed them,” Wilson said.

The Ducks were relieved to be headed home after a trip that took them into the aftermath of the East’s record-setting blizzard. Had they been flying commercial instead of charter, they might have been forced to cancel their game against Philadelphia Tuesday, a 2-2 tie.

The Ducks finished the trip 2-3-1, recovering with a victory after losing to Boston and Chicago by a combined score of 10-2.

“It’s a good finish,” winger Todd Ewen said. “This was a tough road trip and a lot of things happened. It’s part of growing together. We’re a whole bunch of different guys. But it’s one game--we can’t order the rings or have a parade.”

Duck Notes

Defenseman Don McSween will return from minor league Baltimore this week for the All-Star break for both leagues, and management will decide whether he should play more games in Baltimore or test his ability in the NHL. McSween is attempting to come back after suffering severe nerve damage in his right hand when his wrist was slashed by a skate blade last season. “It’s still too early to tell,” General Manager Jack Ferreira said after watching McSween play. “It’s been encouraging, I think, for him. [But] I still don’t know if he can do the things it takes to play in the National Hockey League.” . . . The Ducks’ healthy scratches were forwards Valeri Karpov, Patrik Carnback and Steven King and defenseman Oleg Mikulchik.