Steal of the Century? For Ducks, McInnis Could Be It

The worst trade in Chicago sports history? The Cubs traded Lou Brock to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he set stolen-base records that survived until the swift coming of Rickey Henderson. In exchange for Brock, the Cubs got Ernie Broglio, who set no records and failed to distinguish himself in any other way.

When the Chicago Blackhawks traded left wing Marty McInnis to the Mighty Ducks last month, Chicago fans did not rush to their talk shows and berate the Blackhawks for pulling the hockey equivalent of Brock for Broglio. McInnis, you see, never played a game for the Blackhawks.

Error, Chicago.

McInnis, who passed through Chicago in a three-way trade that sent him from Calgary to Anaheim, scored a goal and added an assist in the Ducks’ 4-1 victory over Chicago. McInnis has scored 14 points in 13 games with the Ducks, including four multiple-point games.

“I’m just happy we got him,” Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “I don’t know how we got him.”

The Calgary Flames included McInnis in a five-player trade with Chicago Oct. 28. The Blackhawks, like the Flames, wanted to rid themselves of McInnis’ $1.1-million salary. Anaheim General Manager Pierre Gauthier was happy to help and, within hours, snagged McInnis for the bargain price of a fourth-round draft pick.

The Blackhawks have played 13 games since the trade, scoring three or fewer goals in all of them. With 39 goals (in 20 games) this season, Chicago ranks last in the NHL in scoring.

The Ducks shed no tears, not after playing last season with an offense missing Paul Kariya and hence missing in action. Teemu Selanne tied for the NHL lead with 52 goals last season, but the lack of a supporting cast doomed the Ducks to the worst finish in franchise history.

So, with Selanne missing the past six games because of a strained thigh, how are the Ducks faring? Quite nicely, thank you, and thanks to McInnis, too. The Ducks are 4-2 without Selanne, and McInnis has 11 points in his past eight games.

And, as left wing Stu Grimson noted, Selanne isn’t the only injured forward.

“Teemu and Tomas [Sandstrom] and Travis Green, too,” Grimson said. “Those are three forwards that command a lot of ice time. We’ve been fortunate to have Marty.”

Said Hartsburg: “We thought he was a veteran guy that could come in and stabilize us. We never thought he could come in and score 40 or 50 goals. We just thought he could come in and be a solid player.”

More than that, McInnis has substituted for Selanne on one of the most potent lines in the league, joining Kariya and Steve Rucchin without slowing up the Ducks.

“He’s not as fast as Paul, but his timing is good. He knows how to be at the right place at the right time,” Selanne said. “Paul and Marty play well together.”

Selanne could return for the Ducks’ next game Wednesday, and it’s a no-brainer he’ll rejoin Kariya and Rucchin, right? Not necessarily. Hartsburg, remember, experimented with splitting Kariya and Selanne during training camp, and he’s not rushing to drop McInnis from the first line.

“I don’t see any real reason to break it up,” Hartsburg said.