Win or Lose, Flyer Rookie Is Standing Up to Pressure

For every Ken Dryden or Ron Hextall who made a stellar goaltending debut in the Stanley Cup playoffs, there’s a Steve Penney--an average player who was invincible for a few weeks but soon reverted to form.

There’s no telling which way Brian Boucher’s career will go. But the Flyer rookie has become stronger as the pressure has intensified, a sign he may be for real.

“I haven’t thought of him as a rookie since after about five games,” Flyer veteran Rick Tocchet said. “I remember one game, he let in four or five goals--which is rare--and the next day he was smiling and talking and working on what he thought he had done wrong. He’s a pure professional. He never gets too high or too low. That’s what you’ve got to love about the kid.”

Boucher, 23, was chosen by the Flyers in the first round and 22nd overall in the 1995 entry draft. He spent the last two seasons with their American Hockey League farm team, where he was considered the second-best goaltending prospect after Jean-Marc Pelletier.

Boucher didn’t get his chance until this season, when the Flyers finally realized John Vanbiesbrouck wasn’t going to take them far. Boucher played 35 games, compiling a 1.91 goals-against average in becoming the first rookie goalie since 1950-51 to play 25 or more games and post a goals-against average under 2.

Since being anointed the playoff starter, the Woonsocket, R.I., native has compiled a 2.03 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in leading the Flyers past Buffalo and Pittsburgh and to a 3-2 lead over the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference finals.

Working with goaltending coach Rejean Lemelin has made Boucher more aggressive in challenging shooters.

“He trusts himself,” said Craig Ramsay, who took over the Flyers’ coaching job when Roger Neilson left for cancer treatment. “He carries himself like he believes he wants to be that [confident] player.”

Boucher has outplayed New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur, considered one of the NHL’s best. However, Boucher doesn’t keep tabs on who makes more saves.

“I can’t get concerned with what Marty’s doing at the other end,” Boucher said. “He’s a big part of their team, but that’s for our defensemen and forwards to worry about. I try not to think about the other goalie. I just try to do my job.”

Nor does he take time to marvel at what he has accomplished.

“I don’t want to stop and think. I just want to keep going,” Boucher said. “It’s been a fun ride, but the moment you start thinking, it will catch up and bite you. I just want to ride this as long as I can.”

NOT-SO JOLLY ROGER

Neilson, who underwent a stem cell transplant in March to combat multiple myeloma, will not coach the Flyers if they advance to the finals.

“It has been decided I won’t be behind the bench,” he said last week, without specifying who had made that decision. He didn’t have to. General Manager Bob Clarke’s fingerprints are all over it.

“If I was going to come back, I would have had to come back earlier,” Neilson said. “Rammer has done a great job.”

Neilson, who wears a cap to cover the hair loss that struck in the late stages of his treatment, will remain an “eye in the sky,” relaying observations from the press box to Ramsay and assistants Wayne Cashman and Mike Stothers.

“I’ve done it before,” Neilson said. “I did it in St. Louis with Joel [Quenneville].

“I still feel involved, but it’s a different thing than being the head coach. But we have a good staff. I’ve worked with Cash and Rammer and Mike before and we work well.”

END OF AN ERA

The last key member of the Oilers’ dynasty left Edmonton last Friday with the resignation of Glen Sather, who was the headmaster, ringmaster and resident genius for 24 years.

Squabbling among the 37 investors who own the club had frustrated him for a while, but the ousting of group chairman Jim Hole, a Sather supporter, changed the political climate. Sather had tight budgetary reins, and with the Oilers at a competitive disadvantage because of the weakness of the Canadian dollar, had a tough time building a contender.

“I am a free agent,” he said. “I don’t like the prospect, but I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “I’ve given 25 years of my life and tried to do it honorably and within the rules of the league. I respect the owners for what they’ve done. I don’t think a majority were against [his departure].”

Sather has talked to the New York Rangers about replacing Neil Smith as general manager, but said there was no offer on the table. Still, it’s more likely he will go there than to Phoenix with Wayne Gretzky, who is considering investing in the Coyotes.

“I haven’t even thought about [a new job],” Sather said. “I may start tonight. But don’t call me.”

The Rangers, who have missed the playoffs the last three seasons, are willing to give Sather big money and stock. He might bring with him Oiler Coach Kevin Lowe, who attended Sather’s farewell news conference Friday, and assistant coach Craig MacTavish. But has Sather done a good enough job the last 10 years to be in such demand? A look at the Oilers’ drafts--and how little they got out of the trade that sent Gretzky to the Kings--suggests Sather and the people he relied upon aren’t as smart as they’re reputed to be.

Still, all signs point to Sather going to New York. He’s a name in a sport where few players and even fewer executives have such recognition, and the NHL would love to see a strong and prominent franchise in New York.

IT’S NOT A SPELLING BEE

Devil right wing Claude Lemieux is known for his trash talking, but his attempt to annoy Flyer captain Eric Desjardins last week didn’t quite work.

Skating up to Desjardins with the idea of starting a tussle, Lemieux said, “What’s the C on your sweater stand for? Selfish?”

Lemieux can be excused, because French is his native language, but it still provided an unintentionally light moment.

“I just laughed,” Desjardins said.

WEST MAY STILL BE BEST

Despite the Flyers’ cohesive play, former Hartford coach Pierre McGuire, a commentator for Canada’s TSN sports network and a contributor to Sports Illustrated, believes the Western Conference champion will win the Cup.

“You don’t have as much overall talent depth in the East as in the West,” he said. “Look at a team like Edmonton: They’re as good as a lot of teams in the East just on the talent level, but in the East it’s a different style of play. The teams that can play the trap and smash-mouth are the ones that win. They win in the East, but they couldn’t win in the West. They’d be exposed.

“A lot of the skill level in the East gets shut down because of the teams that play the trap.”

McGuire picked the Devils to beat the Flyers, “because I thought their depth and ability to roll four lines would win it for them,” he said. “In addition they have that top defensive pair of Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski. Philly has been living on their power play. . . . I never thought they’d score so many goals five on five.”

SLAP SHOTS

Gretzky, who was asked to join developer Steve Ellman as an owner of the Coyotes, visited Phoenix last week to tour the club’s training facility and the site of its proposed new arena. Ellman was supposed to have a deal in place last week but got an extension until Friday. He reportedly is having trouble finding additional investors, putting his bid on shaky ground.

Ottawa center Alexei Yashin’s arbitration hearing will be Wednesday and Thursday in New York. Arbitrator Lawrence Holden will have 30 days to decide if Yashin, who walked out on the final year of his contract, should become a restricted free agent July 1 or if Yashin owes the Senators another season. If the Senators win, they probably will trade him. The Kings are a potential suitor, and could use his size and skill. But his previous holdouts and his refusal to honor his contract cast doubt on whether he can be trusted. The Senators might want a package that includes a first-round pick, but the Kings have traded their last four first-round choices or the players they chose with those picks. Their farm system is thin except for goalie prospects, and they can’t afford to give up more of their future.

A year after the Penguins lost $13 million and were almost sold and moved, they’re on solid financial ground. They came close to breaking even this season, excluding $2-3 million in debt service. Attendance rose 4.1% as the Penguins, under new owner Mario Lemieux, got to the second round of the playoffs.

“What Mario Lemieux and the Penguins have accomplished this year is nothing short of phenomenal,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “It’s been a spectacular year on and off the ice. It’s a credit to Mario and their whole organization.”

The Penguins will soon get a report on the projected size and cost of a new arena. They commissioned a study of the area’s demographics and how many suites, boxes, premium seats and retail stores a new arena could support. Without financial help, though, they may stay at the Igloo, now known as Mellon Arena.

Former New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire is the top contender to coach the expansion Minnesota Wild. . . . How petty can the Flyers be? Very. On the cover of their playoff media guide, they airbrushed the captain’s C off Eric Lindros’ uniform.

The addition next season of the Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets may be the NHL’s last expansion for a while, according to Bettman. “It’s not on the radar screen,” he said. “We had an opportunity in the decade of the ‘90s, because of the influx of so many skilled European players, to expand without diluting the talent pool. I like our footprint. The new markets we’re in are going to be terrific, but that’s enough.”

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Stick Figures

The NHL’s crackdown on stick-related penalties this season has resulted in a dramatic decline in major and minor stick penalties over the last 12 years--at least the ones that are called.

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Season Games Minor stick* Major stick* Match# 1999-2000 1,148 2,677 (2.3) 20 (.02) 9 1998-99 1,107 2,531 (2.3) 20 (.02) 11 1992-93 1,008 3,348 (3.3) 138 (.14) 13 1987-88 840 3,405 (4.1) 151 (.18) 18 1978-79 680 1,636 (2.4) 24 (.04) 7

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* penalties (per game avg.); # penalties