A Mighty Nice Start : Kariya’s Goal Ices Win Over Coyotes

They twirled and swirled their white towels, turning the stands at the Pond of Anaheim into “a living thing” from where Mighty Duck Coach Ron Wilson stood.

They wore white T-shirts, white golf shirts and white hockey jerseys, trying to create a tradition where there was none before.

The fans of the Mighty Ducks roared their approval at the first Stanley Cup playoff game in the team’s four-year history Wednesday, as the Ducks beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 4-2, in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

It was playoff hockey--a tight and hard-hitting game, filled with skill and decided finally by the goaltending of the Ducks’ Guy Hebert, who protected a one-goal lead for the final 20 minutes.

Hebert made 29 saves, never able to catch his breath until Paul Kariya was hauled down by former Duck Oleg Tverdovsky with 47 seconds left, headed for the empty net on a breakaway. Kariya was awarded the goal--his second of the game--because of the rule governing such fouls on breakaways when the goaltender has been pulled.

It was a game that hinged largely on a trade that happened more than a year ago, when the Ducks acquired Teemu Selanne in a deal with the Winnipeg Jets--now the Coyotes--sending them Tverdovsky along with another former first-round pick, Chad Kilger.

Selanne can feel no strong ties to the team in the strange Southwestern uniforms that plays in the desert instead of an isolated city on the frigid prairie of Manitoba.

He was largely the measure of the Coyotes’ undoing Wednesday, scoring two goals as the Ducks’ top line scored all four even though center Steve Rucchin sat out because of back spasms.

It was a painful night in some ways for Tverdovsky, 20, who became an all-star defenseman this season but was booed nearly every time he touched the puck in what could have been a triumphant return to Anaheim.

The reason was the remarks he made shortly after the first-round matchup was clinched, saying he “hates” the Ducks and wanted to “kick their butts.”

“He probably should have been a little more diplomatic,” Coach Don Hay said.

The remarks caused Tverdovsky more embarrassment than anything. The Ducks weren’t bent on retribution, even though Tverdovsky’s teammates warned him to keep his head up.

The outcome wasn’t decided until the final minute. The Ducks led, 2-0 after the first period. Selanne scored on a five-on-three power play, and Kariya scored the other.

Phoenix’s Jeremy Roenick scored 3:27 into the second to make it 2-1, but Selanne made it 3-1 at 14:15.

Hebert stopped a breakaway attempt by Keith Tkachuk, the NHL’s leading goal-scorer during the regular season with 52, but at 16:48 of the second, Tkachuk was credited with a goal after deflecting Teppo Numminen’s power-play shot.

Hebert did the rest, even after Phoenix pulled goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for an extra attacker with 1:03 left.

The “white-out” tradition is one the Ducks may be dueling with Phoenix to keep, since the Coyote team was planning one because of its history in Winnipeg. “It’s not like someone has exclusive rights to it,” Wilson said. “Now the fans have a challenge: Who can do it better?”

The Ducks gave the towels--essentially hand towels with a logo--to every fan who attended Game 1 and issued a press release: “Towels can be purchased at the following home games.”

Duck defenseman Bobby Dollas fingered one in the morning.

“It’s not an expensive one, I know that,” he said. “I’d probably put a little hole in it right here and put in on my golf bag.”

It is a tradition being born in a playoff series without much. The Coyotes are in their first season in Phoenix, leaving the four-year-old Ducks as the venerable old team.

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MORE ON GAME 1

SPASMS

Rucchin watched from the trainer’s room. C6

NOTES

Rychel hasn’t forgotten last local playoff run. C6

GAME REPORT: C6