Defense Falls In Behind Man Used to Fighting in Trenches

If there are times Craig Hartsburg looks down his bench and, out of habit, thinks to send Chris Chelios and Gary Suter over the boards, who can blame him? In Hartsburg’s three seasons as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, Chelios and Suter were his touchstones. He relied on them to play 30 or 35 hard minutes a game for a team he couldn’t count on for much else, a team he couldn’t count on to score enough goals or show enough character to make the playoffs last season.

As coach of the Mighty Ducks, Hartsburg doesn’t have a Chelios or a Suter to trust with the job of protecting a lead or killing a penalty at a crucial time. He has no Norris Trophy candidates or all-stars on his defense. He has some youngsters, some retreads, not much in the way of muscle and no dominant presence, no one who can change the flow of a game as Chelios, Ray Bourque or Rob Blake can turn things around with a hit or a clever offensive play.

“I’m sure it’s probably been tough for him,” Duck defenseman Jason Marshall said. “Chelios and Suter are such great defensemen. But he’s worked well with us and has been really patient and encouraging. I feel more confident with him here.”

If the Ducks need anything, it’s confidence and consistency. They have been through the turmoil of two coaching changes the past two seasons and of losing Paul Kariya for most of last season because of a contract dispute and a concussion. They have seen their only general manager, Jack Ferreira, replaced by Pierre Gauthier. They have seen too many changes in too short a time.

If anyone can restore their equilibrium, it’s Hartsburg. He wasn’t their first choice to replace Pierre Page, whose lack of coaching credibility and failure to stick with a system made him the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. But from all indications--including the Ducks’ 3-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday at the Arrowhead Pond in their home opener--Hartsburg is the right choice to steer this foundering ship back on course.

In his 10-year NHL career Hartsburg was never the most talented or flashiest defenseman on the ice. He was intelligent, made quick and decisive decisions, and was never unprepared or outworked. If the Ducks can be half as smart and diligent as he was, they’re bound to improve on last season’s 26-43-13 debacle.

“We’ve been solid defensively and that’s what we’re counting on,” he said. “We need, as a group, to be good defensively. If we are, we have a chance to win. If we don’t, we’re going to struggle.”

Hartsburg isn’t as eloquent as Page, who spent more time in practice conducting chalk talks than working with players. Hartsburg is quiet, almost dour. However, the work he has done to solidify a defense corps that figured to be the Ducks’ weakness speaks volumes for his coaching.

“The good thing about this season is the coaches have stuck with the same things,” Marshall said. “From the first day of camp, they said, ‘We’re going to be the hardest-working team in the NHL.’ That might have happened at the start last year, but after a while we relaxed and got into bad habits and then we’d have to start over. This year, if the coaches see us relax, they stop and say, ‘That’s not what we want you to do.’ I think having him here is good for us.”

The Ducks’ defensive zone coverage is vastly improved and their overall defensive play has been cohesive. They’re forechecking more energetically and the forwards are helping defensively. Even Kariya was seen slamming Bourque into the boards in the first period Wednesday.

Above all, Hartsburg has the attention of players who tuned out Page well before last season came to its sorry, non-playoff end.

“It always helps when you have a coach who used to play the game. He was a great player, and guys believe in him and respect him,” Teemu Selanne said. “When he talks, he really means what he says. So far, he’s been really positive. . . . He really tries to push guys to do the right thing. He gets frustrated if someone does something wrong, but he will tell you so you can fix it. How else are you going to learn?

“Even the first three games we lost, nobody panicked. Last year, Chicago went 0-7 with him, and I think that was a good experience for him. He didn’t panic and try to do something different from what he knew was right. Sometimes, coaches start to panic and do unbelievable moves and even they don’t know what they’re going to do. It’s also important for a coach to know his players. You can’t just yell at certain players. Some guys don’t react well if you yell. He knows how to read players.”

So far, the read on Hartsburg and the Ducks is encouraging.