Realignment Has the Maple Leafs Going in Right Direction

It never made sense for the Toronto Maple Leafs to be in the Western Conference, but the NHL wanted to evenly distribute the “original six” teams between the East and West to maintain tradition.

Finally, Ken Dryden, the Maple Leaf president, proposed a shift and realignment before the 1998-99 season. The move has been an unqualified success for his team.

The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs in their final season in the West but earned 97 points and reached the conference finals their first season in the East. They had a club-record 100 points this season, but have fallen behind the New Jersey Devils, 2-1, in their second-round playoff series.

Traveling less has kept them fresh, but there’s more to their turnaround. Another factor is Coach-General Manager Pat Quinn’s use of a run-and-gun style, which gives most trap-fixated East teams fits.

“I tried to analyze the team and see what we had,” Quinn said earlier this season about his strategizing. “I looked at past tapes and I saw this group tried to play a restricted game, one that was defensively oriented. I believe in defense, but what makes the game great is transition, and this team wasn’t making the transition with any assertiveness. It was more like, ‘If we get the puck, we’ll turn it over.’ . . .

“There are times when you try to create your offensive opportunities when you’re butting against the strength of the defensive system you’re playing. You have to take advantage of what you’re given.”

The Devils haven’t given them much, and the Maple Leafs haven’t capitalized on their strongest assets: the speed of forwards Mats Sundin, Sergei Berezin and Jonas Hoglund and the offensive skills of their defensemen. However, the more shots goalie Curtis Joseph faces, the better he generally is. He faced an average of 29.4 shots a game this season and has seen 275 shots in his nine playoff games, compiling a 1.85 goals-against average and .938 save percentage despite the Maple Leafs’ 5-1 loss Monday.

“Whatever teams he’s played on, he’s seen a lot of activity, and he’s played his best when he sees a lot of shots,” Quinn said. “We know he’s a guy that likes activity. It gives you a sense of confidence that you can try some things.”

Joseph is 5-2 in playoff games in which he faced at least 30 shots.

“Last year, we had a little trouble with Eastern teams, but in our playoff run we played a lot of tough teams in there,” he said. “A lot of nights we’ve had to weather a storm, but we’ve learned to work smart and work hard.”

But hard work won’t be enough unless the Maple Leafs can dictate a faster pace and open up the game, playing to their strengths.

TUG OF WAR

The Ottawa Senators traded Ron Tugnutt and defenseman Janne Laukkanen to Pittsburgh for Tom Barrasso because they wanted a “playoff goalie.” Only one goalie is still in the playoffs--Tugnutt.

While Barrasso fizzled against Toronto, Tugnutt stopped 152 of 160 shots in the Penguins’ five-game victory over the Washington Capitals. In the second round, he has stopped 72 of 73 shots and led the Penguins to a surprising 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers. Tugnutt’s 1.27 goals-against average and .961 save percentage are tops among goalies who have played more than one game.

“He’s in our head right now,” Philadelphia winger Rick Tocchet said. “We faced [Buffalo’s Dominik] Hasek, who is the best goaltender in the world, no question. But against Washington and against us, [Tugnutt] is staking his claim that he’s the best in the playoffs. He’s in the zone.”

For Tugnutt, an original Mighty Duck who has played for six teams and had a 3-8 postseason record, vindication has been sweet.

“It gave me a chip on my shoulder,” he said of being dumped by the Senators. “I wanted to prove some people wrong.”

Tugnutt and his teammates proved a lot by winning twice at Philadelphia, where the Penguins had lost 16 consecutive games. They played sound defense and got excellent penalty killing in negating 10 disadvantages. They also prevented the Flyers from using their brawn down low, where the Flyers create many of their goals.

Tugnutt used to call himself “Ron Toughluck,” but his luck turned when Jean-Sebastien Aubin, who figured to be Pittsburgh’s playoff goalie, sprained an ankle in early April and Tugnutt stepped up to win four of six starts. If the Penguins defeat the Flyers, Tugnutt can call himself a winner.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

Toronto defenseman Bryan Berard, who almost lost his right eye after accidentally being struck by a stick March 11, can distinguish images and count fingers held close to his face. Wearing dark glasses, Berard attended the Maple Leafs’ game against the Devils last Saturday at Toronto. He’s optimistic about returning to the NHL but has a long road to regain the minimum 20/200 vision required by the league.

“There is hope for more vision to come back,” said Berard, who has had three operations to repair his torn retina and clear blood from his eye. “Every doctor’s appointment . . . that’s what I hope to hear. . . . Within five feet, I can tell the difference between two or three fingers. But that can go for the worse, so I’m not getting my hopes up too high.”

His doctor, Stanley Chang, said Berard’s ability to see images and count fingers, “is quite a surprise to me, compared to what he had before the [first] surgery.”

Berard said during a news conference April 5 he wouldn’t wear a visor if he returns, but since has modified that.

“As professional athletes, players have a choice to wear a visor or not wear a visor,” he said during an interview on “Hockey Night in Canada.” “I’m not saying I’m for visors, but if I ever get back to playing I probably would wear one.”

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?

The average salary in the NHL rose about 5% this season to about $1.35 million, the smallest increase in the last decade. Since 1990-91, salaries have grown by double digits annually.

The slowdown may reflect owners’ reluctance to give “retirement contracts” to veterans, many of whom didn’t sign until the season was well underway. That group includes Kirk Muller, Pat Verbeek, Grant Ledyard and Gerald Diduck.

According to the NHL Players Assn., of the 832 players who played at least 10 games this season or spent 20 days on an NHL roster, 280 earned $1 million or more. That’s a startling leap from 1991-92, when nine players earned $1 million or more and the average salary was $271,000.

The highest-paid player was Pittsburgh’s Jaromir Jagr, at $10,359,852. Mighty Duck left wing Paul Kariya was second at $10 million. The NHLPA found 126 players earned at least $2 million, 67 earned at least $3 million, 38 earned at least $4 million, 18 earned at least $6 million and nine earned at least $7 million.

Whether salaries maintain a modest growth rate or spike again will be closely watched this summer. The New York Rangers paid more than $60 million to free agents last summer and still missed the playoffs, so other clubs will be cautious in doling out dollars.

SLAP SHOTS

Arbitrator George Nicolau’s decision to let suspended Ottawa center Alexei Yashin play for Russia in the World Championships insults anyone with a sense of justice. Why allow Yashin the honor of playing for his country after he walked out on a valid contract? A more important arbitration decision is due later this month, when Larry Holden rules on whether Yashin owes the Senators a season. The Senators and the league contend Yashin has one year left on his contract, but Yashin and the NHL Players Assn. say he should be a restricted free agent July 1.

Get a message on your answering machine last week from someone claiming to be King Coach Andy Murray? It was Murray, who called season-ticket holders to thank them for their support. What he didn’t say is, ticket prices are likely to rise 5-10% next season.

Will the San Jose Sharks score against Dallas goalie Ed Belfour? They’re 0 for 2 games and will probably lack winger Owen Nolan the rest of the way. A club spokesman said Nolan had flu symptoms Sunday, but Nolan was limping in Game 1 after blocking a shot by Al MacInnis with his foot in Game 7 of the Sharks’ first-round series. Nolan also had shoulder problems. . . . Detroit captain Steve Yzerman has no goals in the playoffs, but played a strong defensive game Monday in the Red Wings’ 3-1 victory over Colorado. . . . Czech players have all six Penguin goals against the Flyers. Jagr has three, Robert Lang two and Martin Straka one. . . . The Flyers have found they can’t intimidate the Penguins--and they tried. Their instigation of an all-comers brawl near the end of Game 2 was as stupid as it was blatant. It’s the “Can’t beat ‘em, so let’s beat ‘em up” mentality that worked in the ‘70s but won’t work anymore.

Left wing Dany Heatley of the University of Wisconsin was ranked the top North American skater for the entry draft, which will be held June 24-25 at Calgary. . . . The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to announce a restructuring of their coaching staff this week. Lorne Molleken was demoted from head coach to co-coach with Bob Pulford, and that won’t be repeated.

Calgary Flames owner Harley Hotchkiss said the club is not for sale, although a group from Oklahoma City reportedly contacted Flame officials about moving. But Hotchkiss didn’t rescind his June 30 deadline for fans to purchase 14,000 season tickets to be assured the Flames will stay.

Mario Lemieux was a player the last time the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, in 1992, and he’s an owner now. But he sees similarities.

“I’ve been around the game all my life. I know what a winning team looks like. This one has it,” he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I can see it in the way the guys are playing. . . . I really think we can win the Cup. Not just this series, but the Cup.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Impenetrable

Pittsburgh goaltender Ron Tugnutt, who has two shutouts in seven games, and Dallas goalie Ed Belfour, who has shut out San Jose in two consecutive games and has three shutouts overall, are challenging several NHL playoff records:

Most shutouts, one playoff year:

4--Clint Benedict, Montreal Maroons, 1926, eight games; Benedict, Montreal Maroons, 1928, nine games; Dave Kerr, N.Y. Rangers, 1937, nine games; Frank McCool, Toronto, 1945, 13 games; Terry Sawchuk, Detroit, 1952, eight games; Bernie Parent, Philadelphia, 1975, 17 games; Ken Dryden, Montreal, 1977, 14 games; Mike Richter, N.Y. Rangers, 1994, 23 games; Kirk McLean, Vancouver, 1994, 24 games; Olaf Kolzig, Washington, 1998, 21 games.

Most shutouts, one playoff series:

3--Dave Kerr, N.Y. Rangers, in 1940 semifinals, six games vs. Boston; Frank McCool, Toronto, in 1945 finals, seven games vs. Detroit; Turk Broda, Toronto, in 1950 semifinals, seven games vs. Detroit; Felix Potvin, Toronto, in 1994 conference quarterfinals, six games vs. Chicago; Martin Brodeur, New Jersey, in 1995 conference quarterfinals, five games vs. Boston.

Belfour has a shutout streak of 138:53; the record for longest shutout sequence is 248 minutes, 32 seconds, set in 1936 by Norm Smith of Detroit.