Hartsburg’s Style Has Some Substance

He can be dour and demanding, but the Ducks have taken to Craig Hartsburg’s coaching style so far.

The Ducks like Hartsburg’s defensive-oriented game plan and his willingness to stick with it through good times and bad--not that there have been many difficult patches during a 3-3-3 start.

“We want to be an honest, no-frills, hard-working team,” goaltender Guy Hebert said.

Hartsburg, an honest, no-frills, hard-working defenseman for 10 seasons with the Minnesota North Stars, has the Ducks playing steady if unspectacular hockey.

The Ducks have a firm commitment to an aggressive forechecking style, which produces turnovers, which in turn produce scoring chances.

Pierre Page tried the same approach last season, but ditched it in favor of the neutral-zone trap and other assorted game plans throughout 1997-98. The ever-changing styles seemed to confuse the Ducks, who missed the playoffs with a 26-43-13 record.

“He’s made a point of having one set plan,” Hebert said of Hartsburg. “This is the identity of our team. This is how we’re going to play. The difference between this year and last year is we don’t change systems every week or every month.”

Added right wing Teemu Selanne, “He’s tough. He expects us to work hard every day, whether it’s in practice or a game. I think we’re working harder and working smarter. He doesn’t get mad during games. Sometimes he gets really mad in practices. If we do something wrong, he gets mad. It makes everyone work harder.

“Overall, I’ve been really happy.”

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For what it’s worth, the Ducks tied the Dallas Stars, 3-3, Friday. The Stars then defeated the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, 3-2, Saturday.

The Ducks tied the Blues, 2-2, Saturday. St. Louis defeated the Red Wings, 3-1, Thursday.

The Ducks play host to the Red Wings on Sunday. But don’t count on a Duck victory, because the Red Wings lead the all-time series, 12-3-5.

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When Selanne and Paul Kariya score goals in the same game, as they did against St. Louis, the Ducks are 23-4-7, including 2-0-2 this season. When Selanne, Kariya and center Steve Rucchin score goals, as they did against Dallas, the Ducks are 7-0-3, including 0-0-1 this season.