Olympics Could Create Problems for Red Wings

Since the start of the season, Detroit has been the class of the league, having racked up a whopping 61 points. Coaches such as Minnesota’s Jacques Lemaire don’t see the star-studded Red Wings losing a playoff series.

But before the Red Wings start planning to parade the Stanley Cup around, they’d better remember that they’re going to have to do it the hard way.

Detroit will have a league-high 10 players at next month’s Salt Lake City Olympics and any of those Olympians could be hurt. Even if the Red Wings come through the Olympics unscathed, their team will be anything but fresh for the playoffs.

“We’ve played over 40 games already and we’re just starting the new year,” said New York Ranger winger Theo Fleury, who will represent Canada at Utah. “Because of the Olympics, everything is compact, which makes our schedule a lot tougher.”

Before the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, hockey experts were choosing the Colorado Avalanche as the favorites to win the Cup. But when standout center Joe Sakic suffered a knee injury playing for Canada in Japan, then played hurt the rest of the season, Colorado lost its edge and watched Detroit take home the Cup.

That could happen this season to the Red Wings, whose Olympians are among the oldest players. By playoff time, six of Detroit’s Olympians will be 36 or older.

Playing in the Western Conference will also work against Detroit. Olympians who play for NHL teams in the Eastern Conference have easier travel because of the proximity of the teams. The Red Wings will not catch that break.

Fleury, who played most of his career with the Calgary Flames, is glad he’s playing with an East Coast team.

“The travel on the East is way better,” he said. “It is so much easier on you. When I played in Calgary, it was unbelievable. We had very few charter flights [and] a lot of time, we had to fly commercial. It was tough. It took a lot out of you. It can definitely catch up with you at playoff time.”

HOLIDAY JEER

Florida Coach Mike Keenan and Chicago forward Tony Amonte have been exchanging unpleasantries since Keenan took over the Panthers.

Amonte, who played for Keenan when both were with the Rangers, said when asked to compare Keenan to Chicago Coach Brian Sutter, “Mike Keenan couldn’t hold this guy’s jock strap. Keenan never coached. Keenan never coached the power play. Keenan never coached penalty killing. He never had a system. He tried to motivate by intimidation. Brian is the most prepared coach I’ve ever seen.”

Keenan responded, “First of all, Tony is an excellent player, but some of his comments are inappropriate for a professional athlete at this point. He was a young boy when he was traded [by the Rangers to Chicago] and he’s still upset.

“Well, that’s part of the game. [The Rangers] won the Stanley Cup [in 1994] probably because of the players we traded him for [Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan].

“He’ll understand that some day, when he’s in that position. We needed those components that he could bring at that time.

“Sometime you only have one chance in 54 years to win the Cup and you’ve got to take advantage of it.”

LINE SHIFTS

* New York’s Eric Lindros will be watched even closer, now that he has suffered his first head injury of the season. Although Lindros said he felt only a little off after leaving a game against San Jose in the first period on Friday, expect the Rangers to be cautious with him for the next week. New York has six more games to reach 50 for the season and that’s when Lindros is to collect the first $6 million of his performance-clause-laden contract, provided he’s been “concussion free.” The Rangers have not determined Lindros’ recent injury to be a concussion.

* Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux, who has been sidelined because of a hip injury, plans to return to the Penguin lineup within the next two weeks after skating pain-free last week. He rejoined practice Monday, his first official workout with the team since Nov. 12.

“I’m not holding back right now,” he told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “I’m skating the way I used to in the past. [It’s] just going to take time. The best way to get back in shape is to play games. The sooner the better, obviously.”

* You have to love Dallas Coach Ken Hitchcock’s straightforwardness. Guess which Dallas Star he was talking about when he recently said, “If you want to be an elite team and stay there, it’s all about the goaltenders.” Yes, it was Dallas goalie Eddie Belfour, whose goals-against average has gone from 2.34 last season to 2.66 this season. “If Eddie can play the way he did the last two years, that will give us a fighting chance,” Hitchcock said.

* Despite having the league’s second-best record, Chicago still is looking for some respect. The Blackhawks have given up a ton of goals and critics have questioned their defense and penalty killing.

“You can read what you want into those figures,” said the outspoken Sutter. “I love to hear people say that we’re not good defensively. We’re very good defensively. We’re a darn good team, five on five, and our penalty killing has made very important steps lately.”

* The San Jose Sharks must have listened to former King Coach and ESPN personality Barry Melrose, and got big heads over the Christmas break. After the Sharks had opened the season with an 18-8-6-3 record, Melrose said they were the best team in the league. Since then, San Jose has lost three consecutive games.

* Chicago right wing Steve Thomas will be out for at least 12 weeks after breaking his left ankle for the second time this season, Buffalo forward Slava Kozlov will miss two months with a torn Achilles’ tendon.

* Colorado can only hope that the latest reports out of Sweden regarding six-time all-star center Peter Forsberg are true. According to the Denver Post, Forsberg plans to return to the Avalanche after playing for his country in the Olympics.