Capitals Able to Overcome the Demons of Playoffs Past
George McPhee wasn’t involved with the Washington Capitals’ previous playoff failures and had nothing to do with their habit of squandering 3-1 series leads, so he didn’t realize how much psychological baggage the team carried into postseason play.
“It was more of an issue than we thought,” said McPhee, who succeeded David Poile as general manager last June. “When we went up, 3-1, against Boston, boy, we heard about all those past series, especially when we lost the fifth game. We were lucky to win in six games.
“We’ve accomplished a lot of things this year, and getting rid of those demons might be one of the biggest things we’ve done.”
McPhee didn’t make many personnel changes. However, two late moves--bringing former Mighty Duck winger Brian Bellows back from Europe and acquiring Esa Tikkanen from Florida for a minor leaguer and a conditional draft pick--have paid off during the Capitals’ march to the Eastern Conference finals. Bellows has four goals and nine points, and Tikkanen did his usual tenacious job checking Ottawa center Alexei Yashin in the second round.
“He’s certainly exceeded our expectations,” McPhee said of Bellows, who had played in Germany for the Berlin Capitals. “He’s been a lot like Tikkanen not only in the ways they’ve delivered on the ice, but the intangibles they bring to the locker room. . . .
“We’ve gotten outstanding goaltending and we have a good, veteran team that’s well-coached. That’s it. It’s as simple as that. Our goalies have just been phenomenal.”
The Capitals tied their series against Buffalo Monday at 1-1 on Todd Krygier’s overtime goal. Now, if only they could be as successful at the box office.
The Capitals lost many of their suburban fans after they moved from Landover, Md., to the MCI Center in downtown Washington and they haven’t sold out all their playoff games. McPhee, who lives in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington and is encouraging players to move there, believes it’s a matter of time before fans catch up to the Capitals and appreciate the team’s success.
“I thought we did a lot of things well this year,” he said. “We had a great preseason--we were 7-2--we had 40 wins on home ice and we won our first game at the MCI Center. All the things you need to have happen, happened. . . . But it wasn’t until we won the second round that we turned the town on again. We’re playing good hockey, and I think people will come.”
HITCHING A RIDE
Dallas Coach Ken Hitchcock was among the Red Wings’ biggest admirers even before Detroit stifled his team, 2-0, Sunday in the opener of the Western Conference finals.
“I think the thing that people don’t recognize is it isn’t about offense, it isn’t about defense, it’s about competing. Detroit’s the best team right now and they’re the defending champions because they compete harder in critical areas than anyone else,” he said. “And if you’re going to beat them, you’re going to have to beat them in those competitive areas.
“Unless you’re prepared to compete shift in, shift out, you’re not going to beat that team. They have talented individuals and they have good players in key positions, but there’s a lot of teams that have those type of players. They compete extremely hard individually and as a group, and that’s why they win.”
The Stars will have no chance unless they test the Red Wings more often. Taking only 14 shots isn’t going to get the job done, especially in a series where the first goal is likely to dictate who wins.
THE LINDY HOP
In the rush to praise goalie Dominik Hasek, the outstanding job done by Sabre Coach Lindy Ruff is often overlooked. In the near-impossible role of successor to Ted Nolan, who was coach of the year last season but was squeezed out because Hasek didn’t like him, Ruff didn’t panic after a slow start and built trust among a previously fragmented group of players.
Assistant coach Mike Ramsey, long a standout NHL defenseman, must also be credited for his work with the Sabres’ defensemen and penalty killing.
The Sabres’ strategy is no secret--challenge the Capitals’ slow defensemen and goad hot-tempered players into taking bad penalties. That it got Sergei Gonchar and Olaf Kolzig off their games is a credit to Ruff and a team Montreal winger Martin Rucinsky called average before the Canadiens were sent home by the Sabres. Ruff also deserves credit for not overreacting when Capital Coach Ron Wilson was caught on tape by a Washington TV station calling the Sabres “chicken [bleep]” for luring opponents into penalties. Ruff made sure players were amused, but not inflamed. Winning is the best revenge, not taking runs at people and landing in the penalty box.
Ruff, who spent most of his playing career in Buffalo, was a rookie the last time the Sabres reached the semifinals, in 1980. He’s savoring this second chance. “I thought it was going to happen a lot more, so I appreciate being here a lot more than 1980,” he said. “The staff and players should enjoy being here because you might not be back for a really long time.”
HELP WANTED
Longtime Edmonton General Manager Glen Sather has attracted interest from the Atlanta Thrashers, who are seeking a GM for their 1999-2000 season. But don’t be surprised if Sather uses that as leverage to get guarantees of broad authority and no interference from the Oilers’ new ownership group.
Other possible candidates for the Atlanta job include Detroit assistant GM Don Waddell, Mighty Duck assistant GM David McNab and Dallas assistant GM Les Jackson. Brian Burke, whose contract as the NHL’s director of hockey operations expires this summer, might be in the mix or might go to Vancouver.
HAPPY CAMPER
Hayley Wickenheiser, a member of Canada’s silver medal-winning women’s Olympic team at Nagano, was invited to the Philadelphia Flyers’ prospects camp in July. But don’t get a Flyer uniform ready for her yet.
“The idea is for me to play against better players and raise the level of my game a notch,” she told the Calgary Sun. “I would like to make it clear my intentions are not to make the Philadelphia Flyers. This camp is not intended to be a publicity stunt. It’s intended to give rookies a look and it should be a challenge for me to keep up with these guys.”
Cammi Granato, captain of the gold medal-winning U.S. team, was invited to a New York Islander training camp several years ago but declined to attend.
SLAP SHOTS
The Florida Panthers interviewed Montreal assistant coach Dave King for their coaching job. . . . Mike Milbury’s reputation as a genius survived his mediocre performance as general manager and coach of the Islanders. The club’s new owners gave him a five-year extension to do both jobs, but he has to show some results next season to maintain his reputation. . . . Mike Gartner put his Phoenix home up for sale and moved back to Toronto, anticipating the Coyotes won’t want him back.
Hasek and defenseman Richard Smehlik, who won gold medals with the Czech Republic at Nagano, can join Ken Morrow as the only players to win an Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup the same year. Morrow did it in 1980 with the U.S. Olympic team and New York Islanders. . . . According to the NHL, teams played to 99.2% of capacity through the first two rounds of the playoffs. That doesn’t count no-shows. . . . The Colorado Avalanche is expected to announce this week if Coach Marc Crawford will return. If not, Toronto and Chicago would love to have him.
The Dallas Stars brought in dehumidifiers to keep the ice playable at Reunion Arena. A better idea is for the season to end before summer starts and humidity and heat become major factors. . . . Robbie Ftorek’s return to the NHL coaching ranks is overdue. The New Jersey Devils’ new coach is likely to grant his defensemen some offensive freedom, which would maximize the talents of Scott Niedermayer. But Ftorek’s arrival won’t persuade unrestricted free agent center Doug Gilmour to stay. He’s gone. The Blackhawks top the list of teams interested in signing him.
