Rangers Need More Than One Leader

As Mark Messier goes, so go the New York Rangers. When torn rib cartilage limited his effectiveness in the first two games of their series against the Montreal Canadiens, they had no life. They also had no victories.

“I’ve said it before. There is no one in any sport more important to his team than Mark is to ours,” winger Adam Graves said. “Not only as a player, but spiritually, for the intangibles he brings.”

Well said. But as a veteran team, the Rangers should have responded better than they did. Where were Graves, Luc Robitaille, Kevin Lowe and Bruce Driver to take charge? Where was the defense to step up and take men out of the play and keep the young Canadiens from using their speed?

So far, all Robitaille has done is give the puck away and sulk rather than get back into plays. After his bad pass sent Lyle Odelein in on a short-handed rush in Game 2, Robitaille whacked his stick against the glass and didn’t bother to chase Odelein, a beefy defenseman whose speed never frightened anyone. Driver has taken bad penalties, as has Alexei Kovalev. The Rangers, who led the NHL by being short-handed 495 times during the season, can’t afford to tire Messier and their other penalty killers.

Not until Sunday, when Messier had three days’ rest, did the Rangers play a complete game and beat the Canadiens, 2-1, cutting Montreal’s series lead to 2-1. Messier set up two power-play goals by Graves to help the Rangers win in Montreal for only the second time in their last 22 games. Defenseman Brian Leetch, slowed in the first two games by pain medication for an injured right instep, stopped taking the medicine and was sharper Sunday. The Rangers did a decent job holding center Vincent Damphousse to one assist after he racked up four goals and two assists in Games 1 and 2.

“We haven’t played our best hockey yet,” Messier said. “We certainly can and will play better. We came into the playoffs without any momentum, and we’ve had to build it as we go along.”

Tonight’s game at the Molson Centre is pivotal. If Pierre Turgeon wakes up and the Canadiens get two centers going, the Rangers could be in trouble because they have no second-line center to match him. But at least they have the old Messier, which is more than they had in the first two games.

SINGING THE BLUES

The shots are coming at a furious pace in the St. Louis-Toronto series--and that’s the verbal battle between the coaches.

Depending on your allegiance, Maple Leaf forward Nick Kypreos was trying to maim Blues goalie Grant Fuhr or was obeying the laws of physics when he was pushed by Blues defenseman Chris Pronger and fell onto Fuhr in Game 2. The Blues said Fuhr tore ligaments in his right knee--which seems doubtful because he skated Sunday and talked about returning--and St. Louis Coach Mike Keenan claimed Kypreos was trying to hurt Fuhr.

“It’s unfortunate that he decided--maybe his coach did I don’t know--to take out a premier player on our team,” Keenan said. “There’s no excuse for it. Unless their coaching staff devised it, the player took it upon himself to employ that tactic.”

That infuriated interim Coach Nick Beverley. “He’s lost any respect I had for him, based on his comments that I or any member of my coaching staff would advocate deliberately trying to injure an opponent,” Beverley said. “We want to win, yes, but anyone who knows me and my character, to be called on the carpet so to speak in front of the media in that manner was thoroughly disgusting in my view.”

Brian Burke, the NHL’s chief disciplinarian, suspended Kypreos for Sunday’s game. He determined Kypreos wouldn’t have been in that position if Pronger hadn’t hit him, but said Kypreos “had an opportunity to avoid the collision with Mr. Fuhr, but chose not to. I am satisfied that Mr. Kypreos did not intend to injure goaltender Fuhr by his actions.” Never mind that it would have taken the agility of an Olympic diver for Kypreos to have twisted in midair and avoided Fuhr. Score one for Keenan.

Losing Fuhr would have given Keenan a nifty excuse had the Blues collapsed, but an overtime goal Sunday by Glenn Anderson--who had been benched the first two games--gave them a 2-1 series lead. This one is far from over, though.

SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE

Reports that Wayne Gretzky is about to sign a three-year deal with the Blues are premature, according to his agent, Mike Barnett. Talks are on hold while the Blues play the Maple Leafs but might resume before the next round.

“We’ve spent many, many days working on the contract. Negotiations have been fruitful but since the playoffs have commenced, any information regarding the contract is going to be held back until the Blues conclude their playoff season,” Barnett said. “It’s Wayne’s desire to be completely focused on the playoffs. . . . There are an awful lot of areas that have to be addressed. Now that the playoffs have arrived, Wayne’s input is no longer available, and we will let him determine when he wants to continue. On many matters, we were in the area of agreement. We simply ran out of time [before the playoffs began].”

WHALE CALL

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman denied reports the Hartford Whalers will move to Nashville, Tenn., but the Whalers will be going somewhere. After setting a May 1 deadline for selling 11,000 season tickets, they were at about 5,300 last week including anticipated renewals.

Owner Peter Karmanos Jr. talked to officials at the Palace of Auburn Hills (Mich.) about moving there, but the Detroit Red Wings would fight an attempt by another club to move into their territory. The indemnification fee they’d demand would erase any Whaler profits for years. Bettman would also discourage that move because he’d prefer franchise shifts to involve a city that doesn’t already have an NHL team, so the league can enter a new TV market.

SLAP SHOTS

A fight almost broke out before Game 2 of the Ranger-Canadien series at Madison Square Garden when Montreal’s Donald Brashear skated over the red line during warmups and onto the Rangers’ half of the ice. Ranger defenseman Kevin Lowe had to be restrained from going after him. . . . Straight from Motown: the Red Wings have a new theme song, “I Want Stanley,” a revision of the song “I Want Candy,” by Bow Wow Wow. It’s available in arena and rap versions. . . . Sunrise, Fla., west of Fort Lauderdale, was chosen to be the site of the Panthers’ new, $212-million arena, scheduled to open for the 1998-99 season. . . . King assistant coach John Perpich, whose contract expired, was asked back by Coach Larry Robinson.

Washington Capital Coach Jim Schoenfeld blundered by not starting Olie (as in goalie) Kolzig Monday against Pittsburgh after Kolzig rescued Jim Carey and won Games 1 and 2 of the series. Carey was shaky again Monday in Washington’s 4-1 loss. The Capitals have squandered two 3-1 leads over the Penguins in their last three series. . . . Detroit goalie Chris Osgood had a strained abdominal muscle Sunday, leaving Mike Vernon to lose to the spunky but outclassed Winnipeg Jets.