Was Sutter the Real Problem?

Dean Lombardi praised Darryl Sutter so effusively it sounded as if he had just hired Sutter to coach the San Jose Sharks, instead of having fired Sutter and his assistants.

Sutter “gave us an element of respectability we truly lacked,” Lombardi said. And no, the general manager didn’t think players had tuned Sutter out after five seasons, during which the Sharks increased their point total each season.

“I’m not denying that six years is a long time,” Lombardi said, “but that’s also one reason Darryl had success. You know who he is, and it served him very well.”

If it served him so well, why was he the first NHL coach fired this season?

Team President Greg Jamison offered the usual platitudes, saying Sutter had improved the team but a change was needed to take it in another direction. Lombardi, who made the decision after the Sharks’ 3-2 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday, also offered little insight.

“It’s certainly not an easy decision to make when you have a track record with a person for a long period of time,” said Lombardi, who delegated scout Cap Raeder and pro development director Doug Wilson to coach until he hires a replacement, probably within a week (can you say Ron Wilson?). “There’s no magic formula.... I told him, hopefully we can talk later and analyze it.”

Analyze this: The Sharks (8-12-2-2) have an identity crisis, caught between Sutter’s grind-it-out mentality and a need for more speed and offense. They didn’t get the bounce they expected when goaltender Evgeni Nabokov and defenseman Brad Stuart returned after resolving contract disputes, and they probably relied too much on veterans. The retirement of Gary Suter shouldn’t have shattered their defense so badly, and their team defense has slipped. Was that personnel or coaching?

Lombardi said Sutter hadn’t pressured him to sign Nabokov and Stuart, and both expected the team to struggle without them. But Lombardi said he was concerned by “the degree of drop-off even without those guys.... It’s not realistic to think we’d be 10-0 but we should be able to be X-Y-Z. We took a bigger hit than we expected.”

And it was easier to fire Sutter than dump 20 players from a $47.7-million payroll.

Whatever his faults, no coach is more principled than Sutter. He can be gruff, but most players considered him fair. Growing up on a farm as one of seven brothers -- six of whom played in the NHL -- he had to be tough. But he was also compassionate. He coached the Chicago Blackhawks to the 1995 conference final and walked away because he wanted to make a difference during the early years of his son Christopher, who has Down syndrome. He went to San Jose in part because the area has good educational facilities for Christopher, and he shaped the Sharks into a Stanley Cup contender.

“He knows what he did, and that organization knows what he and his coaching staff did,” said his older brother Brian, fighting his own battles as coach of the Blackhawks. “They’re as responsible for that as anyone. They’re the only organization in professional sports that’s done what they’ve done over the last five years.”

Darryl Sutter might resurface in Calgary if the Flames fire Greg Gilbert. Wherever he goes, improvement will follow. It’s less certain that will be true for the Sharks, unless they can lure Scotty Bowman out of semiretirement.

One Day at a Time

When a fan taunted Theo Fleury and offered him a beer while he watched his Blackhawk teammates play the Kings on Saturday at Staples Center, it was another test on a road full of trials

A year ago, he might have reacted angrily. But Fleury, suspended Oct. 8 for violating the terms of his substance-abuse aftercare program, laughed, shook his head and declined. He moved to the back row of the press box with the man he calls his “life coach,” Jim Jenkins, his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor and constant companion.

“The whole idea behind having a sponsor is, he’s gone through a lot of the same things I’ve gone through,” said Fleury, who signed with Chicago last summer. “He can relate to what I’m thinking and feeling.”

Fleury, forbidden by his doctors to discuss his problems, resumed practicing with the team last week. He missed a session Friday after he’d overslept and his cab driver couldn’t find the Kings’ El Segundo practice facility, but Blackhawk General Manager Mike Smith said he’s not counting that against Fleury and has been impressed by Fleury’s fitness.

“We knew the risks when we signed him,” Smith said. “He’s still a top-level player, and if he can keep his life in order, he can be a big help.”

Fleury said he’s in game shape and ready to play as soon as the NHL evaluates his doctors’ recommendations and reinstates him. Hockey has always been his refuge during a rough-and-tumble life, although he lost his grip on his game with his erratic behavior last season while with the New York Rangers.

“I’m doing all right. Everything’s good,” said Fleury, who looks trim and has a bone-crushing handshake. “I’ve been ready to go for a long time. It’s a matter of when the doctors say is the right time.... I couldn’t have had more support than I’ve gotten in Chicago. I’m at a point in my career where I wanted to be in a winning situation. They were a great team before I came and my role is to provide leadership and help the young kids. I’ve got a lot of good years left.”

Howling at the Moon

The Coyotes, 1-2-4 in their last seven games and 2-5-4 in their last 11, are scrambling to stay within playoff reach in the West.

“We have a lot of injuries and we haven’t been playing very well,” said Wayne Gretzky, the Coyotes’ managing partner. “First of all, we’re not a prolific goal-scoring team to begin with, and when we lose people to injuries, it’s worse. And when you lose confidence that makes it more difficult. We have a few guys who haven’t scored the way we’d like them to score.

“The teams in our conference have gotten better. Look at L.A., Dallas and Anaheim. The competition has become more difficult.”

It’s tougher without goalie Sean Burke, who sprained his ankle Oct. 24 and hasn’t returned. Also missing long-term are center Krystofer Kolanos (concussion), defenseman Drake Berehowsky (knee surgery) and winger Brad May (shoulder surgery). Forward Brian Savage has missed 11 games, and prize free agent Tony Amonte hasn’t had a major effect, contributing six goals and 18 points in 25 games.

“We have to face reality,” Coach Bobby Francis said. “We have a tough time scoring goals. We’re going to have to keep it tight in every zone.”

Their schedule has also been a killer, sending them on the road for 15 of their first 25 games. But they’re merely 2-5-3 at home and playing before dwindling crowds. Their announced average at America West Arena is 12,353, 76% of capacity.

“There’s a lot of things you can look at, but they’re all excuses,” Francis said. “The reality is, you can talk about the schedule all you want, and being on the road so much, and the ungodly number of injuries we’ve had. But those are things we can’t control. The only thing we can control is our play.”

Slap Shots

New York Islander goalie Garth Snow’s new pads have drawn attention from the NHL because they’re so long. He appears to have found a loophole in the rules, which govern the width of pads but not the length. However, that might soon change.... Memo to Islander management: Drop those hideous orange third jerseys that turn players into giant yams. Unless, of course, the idea is for opponents to laugh themselves into submission.

The Montreal Canadiens seem more combative in practice than in games. Richard Zednik and Karl Dykhuis got into a fight on the bench during a scrimmage last week, duplicating a scrap between Donald Audette and Craig Rivet.... The Globe and Mail, a national newspaper in Canada, detailed some serious financial problems facing the Ottawa Senators. The club owes more than $350 million to creditors and has borrowed $14.3 million from the NHL, with plans to borrow more. Majority owner Rod Bryden has proposed restructuring the club’s finances through selling partnerships, which were expected to raise more than $230 million.

It’s almost spooky, but identical twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks ended long scoring droughts within a short span. Henrik scored his first goal of the season Nov. 25, then Daniel ended a 17-game slump in the next game. Their revival and the resurgence of Trevor Linden have helped the Canucks win 10 consecutive games and pass early-season leader Minnesota atop the Northwest.

Ottawa forward Marian Hossa, whose career was nearly derailed by a serious knee injury, has a 13-game point-scoring streak, the league’s longest this season. He has 12 goals and 22 points in that span, a key reason for the Senators’ 8-0-2 surge.

Former Mighty Duck goalie Guy Hebert, a team ambassador and radio commentator, believes forecasts of a work stoppage in 2004 might be hurting teams at the gate. He thinks fans could be reluctant to make financial and emotional investments if the sport’s future appears gloomy. “People are not going to renew season tickets if there’s a strike possibility,” he said. “I think for the sake of the players and the fans, both sides have to sit down now or next season and make sure it’s not something that goes on.” Amen.