Good Thing Goring Didn’t Want to Coach Ducks

Craig Hartsburg got the Mighty Ducks’ coaching job only after Butch Goring turned the team down. Despite themselves, the Ducks have done the right thing.

Just as wise-cracking Ron Wilson was the right coach during their first playoff run two years ago, Hartsburg is the right guy for their second go-round. Wilson’s storytelling and rah-rah speeches worked for a team that was learning how to win and had never experienced playoff intensity; Hartsburg’s calm but exacting approach is suited to a seasoned group that is beginning to realize its potential. With a rush reminiscent of their fast finish in 1997, the Ducks can overtake Phoenix for fourth in the West.

“I’m not a fan of prima donna coaches around the league, because they think they come ahead of the team and the franchise,” said Pierre Gauthier, the Ducks’ general manager. “Craig is an organization guy in many ways--the way he handles himself in public, the way he acts with players. He’s not a guy who’s trying to manage the club. . . . His style is the right chemistry for this club. His assistants [George Burnett and Newell Brown] too. He’s very demanding, and there’s a good work ethic in practice and in games.”

He’s not colorful, but he doesn’t have to be. He lets players be the stars. “They’re both good coaches, with different philosophies,” said center Steve Rucchin, who got his first chance from Wilson and has improved his game under Hartsburg. “Craig’s a guy who’s not going to put up with us not playing the way we should be. We’ve got a lot of hard-working guys, and that’s Craig’s philosophy. . . . .There are no selfish players on this team. Craig instills that in us. The coaching staff has done a great job with what we have to make sure we play within our limitations.”

Hartsburg sees his task as putting players in the right situations and preparing them to succeed. The most rewarding aspect of the job, he joked, “is when the buzzer goes off and we have more goals than the other team.” But that’s not the only reason he’s a coach--or why the Ducks have thrived.

“On other levels, the rewards are building young men. We want to make players better, and if you make them better people as you go, that’s great,” he said. “You’re a professional coach, you’re paid to win and to build a team. We can be proud of what we’re trying to build.”

The Ducks’ 3-1 victory over the Red Wings on Sunday, their first real test in their seven-game winning streak, might be the day they came of age. “When you beat a team like Detroit, that’s saying some pretty good things about your team,” Rucchin said.

Pretty good isn’t good enough for Hartsburg. That’s great news for the Ducks, whose second choice is proving to be first-rate.

THIRD TIME NOT ALWAYS A CHARM

The Red Wings might learn this week whether defenseman Uwe Krupp can play again this season. If Krupp’s back problem shows no improvement, they almost have to make a move before the March 23 trade deadline.

Krupp, signed as a free agent last summer, is scheduled to see a specialist about the injury that has idled him since Dec. 19. The Red Wings, who also lost veteran defenseman Todd Gill five weeks ago because of a broken forearm, miss the physical element Krupp provides.

“If we get fortunate in the next three or four weeks and he gets healthy, we’re very comfortable,” General Manager Ken Holland said. “Aaron Ward, Mathieu Dandenault and Yan Golubovsky got an opportunity to play and they’ve played well. . . . If we don’t get fortunate, we’ll have a big hole, and I don’t know if we can fill it. Uwe Krupp is the wild card.”

Gritty left wing Brent Gilchrist, almost recovered from hernia surgery, is close to returning. Regaining Gill, Gilchrist and Krupp would infuse energy into the lineup without losing anyone, but regaining only Gill and Gilchrist might not be enough. Holland must decide if he should sacrifice the future to get a player for the stretch run--and factor in the possibility he will lose superb defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom after this season because Lidstrom wants his children to be educated in his Swedish homeland.

“We’re one of seven, eight, nine teams with a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup,” Holland said. “If there’s a short-term deal or long-term, we’re going to look at it.”

FLAMES AREN’T FLICKERING

Life without Theo Fleury hasn’t been as bad as anticipated for the Flames. They’re 3-1 since they traded their top scorer to Colorado and are two points out of the last Western Conference playoff spot, fueled by solid efforts from youngsters emerging from Fleury’s shadow.

Valeri Bure, Cory Stillman and Jarome Iginla excelled in the Flames’ 4-1 victory over the Kings on Saturday, the entire team’s work ethic was impeccable and the Flames never lost a battle along the boards or in the corners. “Everybody thought we would be out of the playoffs and we wouldn’t have any chance, but a lot of guys have stepped up,” Bure said.

“This is not a shot at Theo, but now that Theo is gone, they realize this is their team and they’ve got to do it.”

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR

The Predators won’t make the playoffs, but their inaugural season has been a rousing success. “I knew we could be a team that would win some games, but I’m a little surprised at where we are now,” said Coach Barry Trotz, whose team is only eight points out of eighth in the West. “We’ve lost [more than 250] man-games to injury too. We’ve put guys into positions they’ve never been in, and we’ve found out a lot about our organization.”

Despite an 0-8-1 streak at home, they sold out four of their last six games at the Nashville Arena and have played to 92% capacity overall. They’ve proved a scrappy team can accomplish a lot with the right leadership, competing hard despite a thin offense and a negligible power play. That they can talk about a playoff berth and not be ridiculed is a tribute to Trotz, General Manager David Poile and a corps of players who were spare parts on other teams a year ago.

“All the things you hoped would happen have happened,” said Jack Diller, the Predators’ president.

“We’re playing down the potential playoff aspect. We want people to focus on the way in which the team plays, that it’s an exciting, hard-working team. We don’t want them judging the season on whether we’re in the top eight or not.”

SLAP SHOTS

Ottawa goalie Ron Tugnutt, who leads the NHL with a 1.64 goals-against average, twisted his knee Saturday. He didn’t start Monday but the injury is not believed to be serious. . . . Seamless glass is made to take a blow from a sledgehammer and not bend. What happens when a player’s body hits it? The body absorbs the force. The result last week was a concussion for Toronto’s Alyn McCauley. Seamless glass gives fans a clear view, but that’s not worth risking players’ lives. . . . Flyer General Manager Bob Clarke went over the head of Coach Roger Neilson and ordered 21-year-old Jean-Marc Pelletier to start in goal last Thursday against the Senators. Welcome to the NHL: Ottawa 5, Flyers 0. The Flyers’ struggles sparked rumors Clarke will fire Neilson and replace him with Mike Keenan, but Keenan may be the source of that talk.

Jimmy Waite refused a demotion to the minors and is at an impasse with the Coyotes. They may suspend him and acquire Mikhail Shtalenkov, whose erratic play hurt him in Edmonton. . . . Jim Carey, signed by the Blues after injuries thinned their goaltending ranks, will earn $200,000 this season and $600,000 next season, plus up to $1.4 million in incentives.