Panthers Improving in a Hurry With Bure
Pavel Bure has brought sizzle to the Florida Panthers’ bland, new arena. Since his arrival, the Panthers have moved into position for a playoff spot, pulled better TV ratings and won back fans who had turned away in boredom.
“Players of that nature are rare,” Panther General Manager Bryan Murray said. “How do you get them? You draft and you wait. I’ve had some nice players over the years. Bengt Gustafsson [in Washington] and Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman [in Detroit] come to mind. The most exciting player, without a doubt, is this guy. He’s just explosive. . . .
“You worry sometimes about other players on your team after you make a deal like this. To a man they all said, ‘Wow! What an addition!’ ”
Before Bure sprained his knee Friday, an injury that’s expected to idle him at least a week, he had eight goals in six games and had scored or set up 11 of Florida’s 19 goals since his arrival.
“Just playing alongside the guy is a dream,” rookie winger Mark Parrish said. “You always want to play with a superstar. He’s going to make everybody pick up their play.
“What doesn’t he do? He’s a great goal scorer, a good passer and one of the best players of all time.”
The Panthers aren’t an elite team, but they can do damage in the playoffs. And with Bure having agreed Monday to a five-year, $47.5-million deal with a $10.5-million option year, they have reason for long-term optimism.
To get him and Bret Hedican, they gave up only Dave Gagner, Ed Jovanovski, Mike Brown, a draft pick and the rights to Kevin Weekes.
The Kings could have topped that, but their reservations about Bure’s off-ice behavior made them hold back, although they won’t acknowledge it. General Manager Dave Taylor said he didn’t want to give up prospects, but Bure is a proven commodity and if those King kids don’t pan out, passing on Bure will be a grievous error.
The Kings have shifted their focus to Theo Fleury, who is older and less a scoring threat than Bure but still effective. Working out a new contract--he can be an unrestricted free agent July 1--may be the key to that move.
In the meantime, Bure is delighted to be a Panther.
“I think it’s a really good hockey team, good defense, good goaltending and guys who can make things happen,” he said.
However, he’s uncomfortable with the suggestion that he’s their savior.
“Hockey is a team game,” he said. “One player can’t win it all. You have to work together as a team, and if you do, we have a chance.”
AN AVALANCHE OF VICTORIES
It’s no coincidence Colorado’s 12-game winning streak began when defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh signed a two-year, $6.7-million deal and rejoined the team. He has nine points and is plus-eight in 12 games, but that only hints at his impact. His passing gives the Avalanche a quick, dangerous transition game and makes him a strong offensive threat.
“Everybody was so pumped up when he got back,” center Joe Sakic said. “He’s such a big part of the team and he’s a great guy, so I think everybody was excited to have him back.
“And the way he plays the game really opens up the ice for the forwards. You know he’s going to play 20-25 minutes a game, and in that time you’re always going to have that fourth guy coming in late or even leading the rush.”
It also helps that Patrick Roy regained his confidence. Roy has given up only 18 goals during the streak and has three shutouts. His defense is steadier too, and the team as a whole is better able to play the pressure game Coach Bob Hartley advocated from the beginning.
“The biggest thing at the start of the year was all the injuries we had to our defensemen,” Sakic said of the Avalanche’s frustration. “You win with good D and good goaltending, and when you miss four to six of your front-line guys, it really sets you back a bit.
“We never really had too many problems [with Hartley’s ideas]. It was more injuries and losing.”
THEY KNOW THE WAY FROM SAN JOSE
Imagine the laundry bills for the Sharks’ record 10-game trip, which is being played over 17 days and four time zones. But their emotional baggage will outweigh their suitcases if they don’t start winning. They are 1-2 after defeating Phoenix on Monday and have a four-point hold on the eighth Western Conference playoff berth.
“We’ve been hearing about this trip for a while, but it’s harder looking from the outside than from the inside,” center Mike Ricci said. “The really tough thing is, we’ve got to get back to the way we know how to play.
“We have to win battles in front of [the opponent’s] net. People say we don’t score enough goals, but I don’t think we win enough battles. We’ve got to win those battles if we’re going to win games. You’ve got to play 60 minutes, especially on the road.”
The Flames played 11 consecutive road games in 1988 during the Calgary Olympics but came home after three games for the all-star break. The Sharks, exiled because of a tennis tournament and an ice show, won’t get a similar respite. The Flames, incidentally, were 5-5-1 on their odyssey.
ULTIMATE PENALTY
When does a hit become assault with a deadly weapon, not merely an insult?
Left wing Jacques Mailhot of the Fresno Fighting Falcons of the West Coast Hockey League asked a court to determine whether defenseman Dean Trboyevich of the Anchorage Aviators should suffer criminal consequences for spearing him last Tuesday, even though he was not hurt and continued playing.
At Mailhot’s request, police reviewed the incident and arrested Trboyevich. He was released on $20,000 bail and rejoined his team but is scheduled to appear in Fresno County court Wednesday.
If the case is treated as a misdemeanor, Trboyevich can get up to a year in jail. If it’s treated as a felony, he can be sentenced to two to four years in state prison and fined $10,000.
The WCHL suspended Trboyevich for the rest of the season and the playoffs Friday and put him on probation through the 1999-2000 season.
The next question is whether this will start a trend of players going to court to solve problems hockey has traditionally policed on its own.
“It’s certainly a concern of ours, and when I say ‘ours,’ I mean those of us involved in hockey,” WCHL Commissioner Mike McCall said. “We hope to be able to govern ourselves with a level of integrity and credibility. No league or team has a right to tell a citizen he can’t press charges, but we hope and still feel all these situations will be rectified at the league level.”
McCall said Trboyevich has a clean record.
“This is about a young man’s life,” McCall said. “But I have a 7-year-old myself and as parents, we feel these kinds of actions are not acceptable at any level. Players must be responsible as role models, whether they accept it or not.”
A year ago in the WCHL, Jason MacIntyre of Phoenix struck Thom Cullen of Tacoma in the face with a baseball swing as players left the ice at the end of a period. Cullen suffered injuries to the left side of his face and filed charges but dropped them after mediation. MacIntyre was put on probation and ordered to perform community service. He was also suspended for the rest of the season and the playoffs and was banned from the WCHL.
SLAP SHOTS
The Edmonton Journal called for the firing of Oiler Coach Ron Low, but General Manager Glen Sather isn’t likely to listen. Nor should he. Low would be a much better coach if Doug Weight hadn’t hurt his knee. . . . Neil Smith, the Ranger general manager, got a vote of confidence from Madison Square Garden boss Dave Checketts. Smith is still paying for the Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup, having traded away youngsters such as Weight and Tony Amonte to bring the veterans he and then-coach Mike Keenan wanted.
Left wing Wendel Clark, enjoying a rebirth with 20 goals, is likely to be rescued from Tampa before the March 23 trade deadline. Colorado and Dallas are interested in him. . . . Buffalo tough guy Matthew Barnaby was scratched Sunday, and his trade wish may soon be granted. The Sabres, once a spirited, team-first bunch, are splintering and near collapse. . . . Mark Messier’s days in Vancouver may be numbered. General Manager Brian Burke wants to put his own stamp on the Canucks and Messier is strongly identified with Keenan, whose departure Messier mourned. Alexander Mogilny’s name has come up in trade rumors too.
The Washington Capitals considered trading Mark Tinordi, perhaps to Detroit, but their four-game winning streak renewed their playoff hopes and delayed plans to unload players. . . . Detroit Coach Scotty Bowman is unhappy with the production of Sergei Fedorov and the lack of physical play from winger Brendan Shanahan. His big guns are being outplayed by opponents and his team is 5-16-2 against opponents that are .500 or better.
