Out Of This World

He’s neither a stiff nor a savior. If you must label Dmitri Mironov, then simply call him an NHL all-star.

“Yeah, sure, surprised, very surprised,” Mironov said of his selection as a reserve to the World team that plays a team of North American all-stars Sunday afternoon at General Motors Place.

There are better defensemen in the league, but they don’t wear a Mighty Duck uniform.

Others play a more physical game, skate faster, score more, but Mironov is the best the Ducks have on their beleaguered blue line this season.

Without him, the Ducks (15-25-8) would be in even deeper ice shavings than they already are when the season resumes after the weeklong All-Star break.

Such are the troubles of the Ducks, who have only four victories in the last 21 games and have fallen from a playoff position in the Western Conference.

But for a weekend in Vancouver with the World All-Stars and 17 days next month with Team Russia at the Olympics in Nagano, Japan, Mironov can leave his Duck troubles behind.

“All-Stars will be more for fun,” he said. “Olympics will be no fun. Everyone going for the gold.”

He chuckled at the thought of it.

Lately, it seems, the laughter has been drowned out by anger and frustration in Anaheim.

How to wring the most from the least? It frequently has been a losing battle for the Ducks.

But it might explain why Mironov is in Vancouver this weekend in the first place. After all, somebody stood up and took notice of him.

It hasn’t been difficult this season, and not only because he stands 6 feet 3 and weighs 215 pounds. Mironov has been easy to spot among the mistake-prone rookies and slow-footed veterans playing with him.

He is the Ducks’ second-leading scorer with 26 points (five goals, 21 assists), which doesn’t say much for the Ducks’ depth.

Teemu Selanne leads the Ducks with 33 goals and 49 points. His participation in the All-Star game is considered a no-brainer. Many have touted him for MVP honors for giving the Ducks the small bit of success they’ve had this season.

The gulf between No. 1 and No. 2 would be closer if Paul Kariya hadn’t sat out 32 games because of a contract dispute. He has moved to fourth with 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 16 games after signing a two-year, $14-million contract Dec. 11.

General Manager Jack Ferreira knows Mironov would not be considered a No. 1 defenseman with any other team.

“[But] he is for us,” Ferreira said.

On most teams Mironov would be cast in a limited role as a power-play specialist. Move the puck. Pass the puck. Shoot the puck. Anything else would be a bonus for another team.

But Mironov is counted on to give the talent-poor Ducks so much more. He is assigned to the power-play and penalty-killing units. He plays a key role as the Ducks’ top offensive defenseman. He also is asked to play a bit of defense.

“It’s too much,” Coach Pierre Page said flatly of Mironov’s ice time, which hovers around a 26-minute average in each game.

Mironov disagrees.

“Everybody needs to play,” he said. “It’s your job. I think it’s enough to play 22 to 25 minutes.”

More often than not, Mironov has succeeded in this demanding role. He has produced a crucial goal or assist or rubbed out a would-be goal scorer with a strong check.

Duck assistant coaches Walt Kyle and Don Hay still talk about the impact of Mironov’s crushing open-ice check on Phoenix Coyote forward Jeremy Roenick during last season’s playoff series.

“A turning point,” Kyle called the check, which he believes loosened Roenick’s vise-like defensive grip on Kariya for the latter games of the Ducks’ seven-game series victory.

“A turning point,” agreed Hay, who coached the Coyotes last season and suffered behind the opposing bench when Kariya broke loose in overtime to score the game-winner in the Ducks’ pivotal Game 6 victory.

Other times, Mironov resembles the journeyman defenseman many believe him still to be.

Mironov an all-star?

They might still be shaking their heads about it in Pittsburgh, where he played parts of two seasons, and Toronto, where he got his NHL start in 1991-92 after five seasons with the Soviet Wings in Russia.

Certainly, he was a lightning rod for criticism at the start of last season in Pittsburgh. Fans at the Civic Arena booed him each time he touched the puck. The reception at Maple Leaf Gardens wasn’t much better before Toronto traded him to Pittsburgh in 1995.

But he thrived with the Ducks after the Penguins traded him Nov. 19, 1996. Suddenly, his defensive play improved. His plus/minus rating rose steadily. And he quarterbacked a much-improved power play.

By season’s end, he had set career highs with 13 goals, including 12 with the Ducks, and 52 points (46 with the Ducks). He was sixth among defensemen in the NHL in scoring. His plus/minus rating, which was minus four in Pittsburgh, was a career-best plus 20 with the Ducks.

His role did not change dramatically this season, but the cast around him isn’t the same.

“Pierre tries to reach a higher level of play, but I don’t know what’s happening,” Mironov said. “Everyone plays hard. It’s just that something is missing.”

A brawny partner to handle a more defensive role while Mironov pursues offensive chances is probably what’s most lacking.

After all, frequent power-play partner J.J. Daigneault hasn’t produced as he did in 1996-97. Veteran Bobby Dollas, an original Duck, was traded last week to Edmonton for youngster Drew Bannister.

Last season’s rookie find, Dan Trebil, has been sidelined by injury and so far has failed to repeat his success. Ruslan Salei, a second-year player, and Pavel Trnka, a rookie, have been asked to mature quickly and fill important jobs.

Against a backdrop of turmoil and failed expectations, it’s easy to see why Mironov stands out among the crowd.

“That’s an earned spot,” Kyle, who tutors the Duck defensemen, said of Mironov’s all-star selection. “I’m proud of him. I’m happy for him. He’s a good guy, an intense guy. He plays a good game with the puck. He sometimes gets in trouble without the puck.

“I think he’s a quality offensive defenseman.”

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1998 ALL-STAR GAME

* What: NHL All-Star Game

* When: Sunday, 1 p.m.

* Where: Vancouver

* TV: Channel 11