Hottest Game on Ice Is Also the Most Dangerous

Chris Pronger apparently will be fine. Those who saw what happened to the St. Louis defenseman Sunday may need a while to recover.

Pronger lost consciousness and collapsed in a heap after he was hit in the chest with a slap shot by Dmitri Mironov during the third period of the Blues’ 6-1 loss at Detroit. His heart slowed and he was out for about 30 seconds, but his normal heart rhythm resumed quickly.

Pronger underwent a battery of tests in St. Louis, shortly after he was released from a Detroit hospital. The results of the tests are expected today.

His participation in Game 3 of the Blues’ Western Conference semifinal against the Red Wings today at the Kiel Center is doubtful, but that hardly matters.

He’s lucky. So is the NHL.

Given the checks, collisions, blocked shots and stumbles in every game, and the sharpness of skates and sticks, it’s remarkable that more players aren’t seriously hurt. The only player to die in an NHL game was Bill Masterton of the Minnesota North Stars, who struck his head on the ice in 1968.

Two other injuries stand out from the usual broken bones and cuts. Clint Malarchuk of Buffalo suffered a severed jugular vein in 1989, when a skate blade sliced his throat. A few years before that, Mark Howe slid into a goal post--which was anchored to the ice and didn’t give way, as magnetic posts do--and was impaled on the upright coming through the ice.

The Blues’ Blair Atcheynum played in a junior game in which a player broke his neck.

“He hasn’t walked since,” Atcheynum said.

The same fate befell Boston University’s Travis Roy, who fell into the boards on the first shift of his college career and suffered an injury that left him a quadriplegic.

Marc Bergevin was so scared by Pronger’s mishap, he had to calm his nerves before skating to his teammate’s side.

“I didn’t want to look right away,” Bergevin said. “By the time I got over there, he seemed to be OK.”

What happened to Pronger could happen again. It could be worse next time. But Bergevin said he can’t afford to think about the game’s inherent dangers.

“If you do, you probably won’t be able to do your job,” he said.

Sometimes it isn’t just a job--it’s a life.

WILL EIGHT BE ENOUGH?

When Detroit Coach Scotty Bowman laced on his skates and glided around Joe Louis Arena with the Stanley Cup last spring, it seemed likely he would skate right into retirement. He hadn’t taken a victory lap after his previous triumphs--six as a coach and one as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ director of player personnel--so his sentimental gesture seemed to signal the end of his Hall of Fame coaching career.

His players, however, knew better. He came back for his 26th season and has a good chance to tie Toe Blake’s record of eight Cup coaching victories.

“He was born to coach,” winger Darren McCarty said. “You don’t have his success in this league if you aren’t. He loves it. We said last year, and it’s true again, that with our team, he’s got the guys he’s wanted. Being able to keep most of the guys here was another reason he stayed.

“Who knows how long he’ll keep doing it? It’s an honor and a privilege to play for him. He’s taught us and let us be what we can be. Him being there is something you don’t think about. You expect him to always be there.”

Bowman remains the master of matchups and anticipation. Whether it’s practicing pulling the goalie on a power play to gain a six-on-four advantage--a ploy the Red Wings successfully used in Game 1 against St. Louis--or putting rugged rookie Tomas Holmstrom on a line with finesse players Sergei Fedorov and Vyacheslav Kozlov and seeing Holmstrom blossom, he’s seeking every possible advantage. He usually finds it.

“He’s always giving us new challenges and making us hungry to play each game,” McCarty said. “There’s no complacency here, and the reason is because he’s not going to allow us to be.”

Bowman’s thoughts remain a mystery because he is snubbing reporters after game-day skates and on days off. The NHL probably will fine him, making his wallet lighter, if not his conscience.

COLOR THIS RED WING BLUE

Detroit defenseman Dmitri Mironov, acquired from the Mighty Ducks for Jamie Pushor and a fourth-round draft pick, played Sunday after having been exiled for four games. He replaced Viacheslav Fetisov, whose 40-year-old legs are failing and costing the Red Wings defensively.

Bowman never told Mironov why he was removed from the lineup, why he was reinstated or whether he will stay.

“Who knows?” Mironov said. “Ask Scotty. He knows everything.”

We’d love to ask, but, well, see the preceding item.

Being out of uniform had upset Mironov.

“I don’t understand why they pick me up before the playoffs if they play good without me,” said Mironov, who had seven points in 11 games after the trade and has two assists in four playoff games.

“I need to play. I am going to be a free agent. Everybody watches the playoffs.”

Mironov’s family moved from Anaheim last weekend to Toronto, where he has a house from his days with the Maple Leafs.

AU REVOIR, JACQUES

Jacques Lemaire’s resignation as coach of the New Jersey Devils was no surprise. He hated being scrutinized, although there was reason to question his robotic defensive system after it failed to carry the Devils past the second round of the playoffs after their 1995 Cup triumph.

In five seasons, Lemaire won 247 games and his Cup victory can be considered tainted because it followed the lockout-shortened season.

The Devils’ neutral-zone trap was a step backward for hockey, and Lemaire’s unwillingness to be flexible hurt his team. Defense wins games, but not when it’s for the sake of stifling opponents and doesn’t build a foundation for the offense.

CAPITAL DOINGS

The Capitals are still in good shape, despite a 4-3 loss to the Senators Monday that cut their series lead to 2-1. Ottawa goalie Damian Rhodes, who was pulled in the opener and replaced by Ron Tugnutt in Game 2, was shaky again. He was saved only because the Senators’ power play produced three goals after scoring once in 12 chances.

The Senators’ best hope of pulling even lies in being aggressive around the net and setting a fast tempo that would test Washington’s suspect defense.

OIL’S WELL

Why did the Dallas Stars bother to show up and take no shots in the first period of the second game of their series against Edmonton? Yup, none. Zero. Zip. Zilch.

The Oilers have outplayed the Stars in virtually every period of their series and Dallas was fortunate to win the opener. Dallas’ luck won’t hold up.

SLAP SHOTS

The San Jose Sharks are near agreement with Coach Darryl Sutter on a new two-year contract. . . . Colorado Avalanche General Manager Pierre Lacroix wouldn’t give Coach Marc Crawford a vote of confidence, leaving Crawford’s future in question. Firing him would be a mistake. He didn’t get stupid overnight. He was the victim of a slow defense and lack of locker room leadership, which is more Lacroix’s fault than his. Crawford’s name has been mentioned in connection with the Toronto coaching job, which is still held by Mike Murphy but may not be his for long.

You know you’ve made it when you have an asteroid named after you. That honor was bestowed upon Buffalo’s Dominik Hasek by astronomers in his native Czech Republic. . . . The Montreal Canadiens collected more than 20,000 signatures on petitions asking the NHL to name a goal-scoring trophy after Rocket Richard. Canadien president Ron Corey will bring the petitions to the next Board of Governors’ meeting. . . . Edmonton Oiler General Manager Glen Sather offered Jari Kurri a scouting job. Kurri, who retired when the Colorado Avalanche was eliminated by the Oilers, is returning to his native Finland.

The Philadelphia Flyers agreed to trade Paul Coffey, who didn’t play in the playoffs. They will have to pay part of his $2.9-million salary or hope the expansion Nashville Predators think he’s worth that much as a box-office draw. . . . Center Vincent Lecavalier of the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was rated the top prospect in the entry draft June 27.