Quinn Rides to the Canucks’ Rescue

The last thing Vancouver General Manager Pat Quinn wanted to do was fire Rick Ley and return to coaching. But when a 3-7 slump dropped the Canucks toward the bottom of the Western Conference playoff rankings, it was the only thing Quinn could do to keep a disappointing season from becoming a disaster.

Expected to be a powerhouse after they acquired Alexander Mogilny from Buffalo and paired him with fellow Russian Pavel Bure, the Canucks instead started slowly. Bure was getting on track when he injured his knee Nov. 9 and underwent surgery. That was only the beginning of a nightmare for the Canucks, whose $25.3-million payroll is the NHL’s fourth-highest.

When Ley and defenseman Jeff Brown had words, Quinn responded by trading Brown to Hartford. When the team’s defense was in disarray and fans called for Ley’s head, Quinn backed him again. When Ley lost his players’ attention and respect, Quinn finally decided he couldn’t support his friend any longer.

“Basically, it looked like our guys might have been giving up a little bit,” said Quinn, who was 2-2 and had the Canucks sixth in the West before they faced the Mighty Ducks Monday at Anaheim. “We had such a year of turmoil and it was not something that could be handled, unfortunately for a good man and a good coach. We made a decision, and I don’t know if it’s the right one or not. At the time, I felt it was.”

The results have been mixed. The Canucks beat the Chicago Blackhawks in Quinn’s debut but were then routed by Edmonton. They began this trip by squandering a 3-0 lead at Calgary and losing, 4-3, but played decently in a 4-2 victory over the Kings on Saturday. Locked in a tight cluster with Toronto, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Calgary and the Ducks, their playoff fate is still unclear.

“Crazy, isn’t it?” Quinn said. “We haven’t been anything to jump up and down about, but a whole lot of other clubs that were expected to be better are struggling. St. Louis was pretty healthy most of the season but then they got hit with a bunch of injuries. Winnipeg seems to be the team that’s jumping up and winning.”

Said center Trevor Linden, the Canucks’ captain: “We’re not a confident team now. If we could put a couple of good games together, I think our confidence would come back. We’re just running out of games. “

A DEVIL OF A TIME

Only a few days ago, the New Jersey Devils faced the infamy of becoming the first defending Stanley Cup champions to miss the playoffs since the 1969-70 Montreal Canadiens. But after back-to-back victories over the Hartford Whalers and New York Rangers, their prospects look brighter. They’re two points ahead of Tampa Bay with three games left, and if they tie, the Devils would advance because they had a 3-1-1 season-series edge over the Lightning.

The Devils play host to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, play the Capitals at Washington on Thursday and finish at home against Ottawa. “For this team not to make the playoffs will be a travesty,” winger Steve Thomas said.

Players have been frustrated by Coach Jacques Lemaire’s focus on defense, which limits their offensive creativity. They’ve scored two goals or fewer 39 times in 79 games and their 209 goals is the NHL’s second-lowest total, ahead only of Ottawa. Lemaire has told defenseman Phil Housley, whose passing and scoring skills make him an ideal offensive catalyst, to play a conservative style that wastes his talents and put a tight rein on defenseman Scott Niedermayer, a nimble skater who could generate offense.

Missing the playoffs would be an unhappy repeat of history for Lemaire, who played for the 1970 Canadiens. It would also raise questions about whether the Devils’ championship was tainted because of last season’s lockout.

E.R. AND CHICAGO HOPE, TAKE NOTE

The season has become a war of attrition. Last team standing wins.

In an eerie coincidence, three alumni of the Edmonton Oilers’ Stanley Cup dynasty--Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Bill Ranford--were injured last Thursday. But it’s not only oldsters getting hurt. Boston forward Todd Elik broke his wrist, the Capitals lost defensemen Calle Johansson and Joe Reekie, to wrist and foot injuries, respectively, and knee injuries suffered by current Oilers Jeff Norton and Curtis Joseph knocked Edmonton out of the race.

Gretzky (lower back strain), Brett Hull (torn groin muscle) and Grant Fuhr (dislocated kneecap) are on the sideline for St. Louis, but forward Shayne Corson’s broken jaw is nearly healed. Gretzky is expected to miss another week, but GM/Coach Mike Keenan said Fuhr will be back soon.

Messier, who tore rib cartilage, sat out the Rangers’ last two games. Also out were defensemen Marty McSorley (groin pull) and Shane Churla (separated shoulder). Flyer center Eric Lindros sat out a loss to Boston Sunday because of a bruised calf but might return Wednesday against the Devils.

The Buffalo Sabres have lost goaltender Dominik Hasek for the final three regular season games because of a sprained left knee.

The Chicago Blackhawks, already doubtful that Jeremy Roenick’s sprained right ankle will be ready for the playoffs, lost defenseman Steve Smith indefinitely Sunday after he cracked a bone in his leg.

WHALE CALL

The Whalers’ fourth consecutive playoff miss could be their swan song in Hartford. Although the terms of a loan from the state of Connecticut obligate them to stay for two more seasons, they might try to leave town.

General manager Jim Rutherford said that to be viable, the Whalers must sell 11,000 season tickets for next season by May 1. That’s more than double their current total and more than they ever sold in any of their 17 NHL seasons.

Nashville, Tenn., which failed to lure the Devils last year, might take the Whalers instead. Portland, Ore., is another strong possibility. Cleveland has also been mentioned.

SLAP SHOTS

Tampa Bay Coach Terry Crisp--the NHL’s senior coach after four seasons on the job--and General Manager Phil Esposito got contract extensions. . . . The death of National League umpire John McSherry brought to mind the NHL’s insistence a few months ago that linesman Ron Finn step down after he was found to have heart problems. Finn hasn’t resumed working. . . . The New York Islanders will dump the ugly fisherman logo they adopted and return to their old Long Island map logo to celebrate their 25th anniversary next season. The hideous design looked like the Gorton’s fisherman and inspired mocking chants of “Fish sticks” even among home fans. . . . Toronto reporters call Coach Nick Beverley’s geriatric Maple Leafs “Beverley’s over-the-hillbillies” . . . Fans in St. Louis and Denver will have to pay to see some first-round home playoff games on pay-per-view TV. St. Louis fans probably won’t run up a big bill because the Blues won’t play many home playoff games. . . . The Lightning might regret scheduling a playoff ticket-selling party after its game against Buffalo last Friday. Tampa Bay lost to the Sabres, who are out of playoff contention, and lost again Saturday at Pittsburgh.

Gary Roberts was pulled from Calgary’s lineup because of neck problems, and his future is clouded. He underwent neck surgery last year and gave the Flames a huge lift when he returned at mid-season. . . . The county commission of Broward County, Fla., north of Miami, voted to build a $212-million arena for the Panthers to open in the 1998-99 season. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman helped swing the vote by promising to bring the All-Star Game and league meetings there. . . . The Colorado Avalanche expects construction to begin this summer on a new arena, which will open in late 1998. It will be built on land formerly owned by King co-owner Philip Anschutz. According to the Rocky Mountain News, Anschutz will get $20 million for the land, $6.6 million for his share of the arena’s development costs, $5 million after the building opens and a free luxury suite. He will also get $4.1 million for his share in an amusement park next to the site.