Renney Just Can’t Figure Out Canucks

When coaching junior teams and guiding Canada to a silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics, Tom Renney could motivate players by appealing to their pride and patriotism. In his first year as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, Renney is learning that rah-rah speeches don’t work quite as well on millionaires.

Despite a $27.3-million payroll that ranks in the NHL’s top five, the Canucks have slipped toward the bottom of the pack in the increasingly tight Western Conference playoff scramble. On sheer talent, they should rank among the league’s elite, but a 3-8 slump--including losses to the Kings and Mighty Ducks over the weekend--dropped them a point out of the final playoff spot.

“Talent doesn’t win the games for you,” said winger Alexander Mogilny, who leads the Canucks with 26 goals and 60 points but hasn’t had the long, brilliant streaks he once did. “Work, discipline, special teams, everything like that will win it. I wish I had the answers.”

So does Renney.

“We’ve been up and down all season, with the exception of five or six weeks when we were tying to create an identity and we worked hard,” he said. “The scary thing is, they tease you with a great game here and there. This team has a hard time sustaining that. This team has [some] guys who put it on the line night after night and others who don’t.”

Nor can the Canucks decide what kind of team they want to be. Mogilny and winger Pavel Bure thrive in a run-and-gun system, but Renney favors simply dumping the puck in, rather than carrying it, if there’s no obvious play. And though he likes a grinding game, he doesn’t have enough grinders to wear down opponents. His defense is average at best and porous at worst.

“The biggest challenge is being a consistent, responsible hockey team,” Renney said. “I’m a bit frustrated, but I’m keeping my wits about me. We’re in the hunt and we’ll exhaust every option to get this turned around.”

The options aren’t plentiful. And time is short.

“We win a game and we can’t come back with the same intensity the next game,” veteran center Mike Ridley said. “We have to be ready every night. Years ago, there were games you could just show up, because the league wasn’t as good. We’ve lost two to Ottawa and lost two [to the Kings] and those are games we should win. . . .

“We’ll win a game and start feeling good, then we’ll lose the next one. We can’t put any kind of streak together. We’re three-quarters of the way through the season. It’s not easy to say, ‘OK, let’s turn it on now.”’

For the Canucks, it’s now or never.

FEELING THEIR OATES

Boston center Adam Oates was on target with his scathing criticism of the club’s management last week.

The Bruins, who are last in the East and are about to miss the playoffs for the first time in 30 years, are a directionless team owned and run by people more intent on making money--reportedly $14 million last season--than on building a winner. The Bruins’ traditional work ethic can’t mask a lack of offensive talent and a defensive corps that relies too much on Ray Bourque.

“You have to look at the people upstairs,” Oates told the Boston Globe. “Things have gotten worse every year since I’ve been here. What are we doing? Are we rebuilding or do we want to win a Cup? Our best player [Bourque] is 36 and he gets less and less support every year. . . . It’s sickening. It’s a joke. I’m sick of it. Every other team tries [to improve]. We don’t even try.”

Mike O’Connell, Boston’s assistant general manager, accused Oates of being greedy--Oates’ request for a new deal was rejected by General Manager Harry Sinden--but O’Connell acknowledged, “There’s some truth to some of the things he said.”

As punishment, O’Connell took the alternate captain’s A from Oates. O’Connell said he’s listening to trade offers, but a worse punishment might be to make Oates stay.

AVALANCHE OF MONEY

By signing Peter Forsberg to a three-year contract worth about $13.5 million, the Colorado Avalanche enhanced its chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champion in several ways:

--The move ended speculation over what might have happened this summer, when he would have been a restricted free agent. Rumors had begun that the New York Islanders would pursue him, which might have been disruptive.

--It shows a commitment to maintaining excellence and harmony, even though the club is stuck in a small building that lacks revenue-generating suites. Several other players have also received raises and extensions.

--The Avalanche retains one of the NHL’s premier players, and he’s only 23.

--Signing him might influence Joe Sakic to stay. Sakic, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, knows he won’t have to lead by himself and will have a superb cast around him.

Forsberg is locked up for only two more years--the first part of the deal restructured his salary for this season--but by the end of this contract the Avalanche should be able to pay him more because it can move high-salaried veterans and go with talented but cheaper kids.

It’s a win-win-win situation: Colorado keeps Forsberg, he gets a raise and the team remains a Cup favorite.

HE’LL TAKE MANHATTAN

The New York Rangers couldn’t defeat the New Jersey Devils on the ice last week so Ranger Coach Colin Campbell tried to win some verbal points.

Bored by the Devils’ defensive style, Campbell said, “We have players who want to make the good play. The Devils are an interchangeable flock of forwards.”

He also insulted the Continental Airlines Arena by saying, “Where am I anyway? Newark? Jersey City? East Rutherford? You look outside the building, you can’t tell what town you’re in.”

We’ll tell you where you are: sixth in the East after an 0-5-2 streak in which the Rangers scored only seven goals. As for those unexciting Devils, they’ve lost only once in their last 14 and have established themselves as Cup contenders.

SLAP SHOTS

Tampa Bay goalie Daren Puppa’s return from back surgery lasted only one game. He felt sore and won’t play again for about two weeks. . . . No goalie has been voted the NHL’s most valuable player since Jacques Plante of Montreal in 1962, but Dallas goalie Andy Moog believes Buffalo’s Dominik Hasek should win the award. “I don’t think anyone could argue that Dominik is not the most valuable player for his team throughout the whole league,” Moog said. “Give me one guy that is more valuable than he is, and we’ll have an argument about it.”

Marcel Dionne, center on the Kings’ great Triple Crown line, declined to participate in the club’s 30th anniversary weekend, March 13-15. King officials hope he will change his mind. . . . The trading deadline, originally March 20, was moved to March 18. . . . The Philadelphia Flyers, concerned that a neck injury might end Kjell Samuelsson’s season, will deal for a defenseman before they get center Doug Gilmour.

Defenseman Mike Ramsey, who retired last spring after Detroit lost to Colorado in the Western Conference finals, will rejoin the Red Wings this week. Ramsey, 36, was a superb shot-blocker until aches and age overcame him. He also played too much last season after other defensemen were hurt. This time, he is likely to play sparingly as Coach Scotty Bowman tries to stabilize a young defense.

Luc Robitaille, back in Ranger Coach Colin Campbell’s doghouse, sat on the bench for the third period of a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia Sunday. The Kings were interested in him a few weeks ago but backed off. . . . The Phoenix Coyotes, maddeningly inconsistent, have lost two after winning four of five. “Our record should be better than it is,” center Bob Corkum said. “It takes a long time to jell as a team after the move from Winnipeg and with so many new players, but we’ve jelled pretty well as of late.”

The Edmonton Oilers invited notoriously lazy Petr Klima for a tryout. New York Islander General Manager Mike Milbury, looking to strengthen his team for a playoff push, said no thanks. “Why not Klima? Because Klima’s a dog. You know it, I know it,” Milbury said.

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Ouch! Canada

Vancouver isn’t the only struggling Canadian NHL team. Of the country’s six franchises, only the Edmonton Oilers are above .500.

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Team Record Pct. Edmonton 29-27-6 .516 Vancouver 27-31-2 .467 Calgary 25-30-7 .452 Montreal 22-29-11 .444 Ottawa 20-27-13 .442 Toronto 23-36-2 .393 Totals 146-180-41 .452

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