NEWS OF MAPLE LEAFS
Last Update:
Sunday April 18, 1999 7:31PM EST
Sunday April 18, 1999 Berezin will be ready for playoffs, Korolev to make a early return?
Right-winger Sergei Berezin has been declared fit to start the NHL playoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs after X-rays revealed his face was only bruised during a 3-2 loss in Montreal on Saturday night.
Berezin, the Leafs' leading goal scorer this season with 37, left the game late in the second period after being struck on the side of the face by the stick of Canadiens defenceman Craig Rivet. Swelling led him to believe he might have suffered a broken jaw. There was a sign of relief Sunday when the X-rays were analysed.
At 7 p.m. yesterday, the Leafs couldn't say who Igor Korolev would replace if he came back by Game 1 on Thursday.
By 8:30, an opening may have presented itself, right on Korolev's old line, when Sergei Berezin was whacked in the cheek by an errant stick. Korolev, who continues a remarkably quick comeback from a shattered right index finger on March 3, now might have to compete with Ladislav Kohn to replace Berezin at right wing, or be used elsewhere.
Suddenly, coach Pat Quinn has to play musical chairs with the NHL's top offence.
"(Korolev) has been a big part of our team," Quinn said before Berezin was hurt in a 3-2 loss to the Habs. "It's one of those pleasant problems for a coach."
Korolev is expected to be cleared to play after he has an appointment with Dr. Brent Graham, a specialist, early this week in Toronto. Korolev looked as though the injury was giving him few, if any, problems at the morning skate yesterday, and he spent some time afterward experimenting with a roomier glove to accommodate his playing cast.
"I don't want to (jinx) myself, but it feels good," Korolev said.
Quinn likes the job Yanic Perreault has done centring Berezin and Garry Valk in Korolev's absence, but he wants a good fit for the Russian to resume his best campaign in seven NHL seasons.
"I don't care where," Korolev said with some desperation in his voice. "I just want to play.
"I'm used to playing centre this year, but if I go to the wing, it's only a matter of getting my head ready, not anything else."
Korolev's attractiveness to the Leafs last year was his ability to play all three positions. However, he couldn't fill the No. 2 centre's role and was a minus-18 by season's end, unsure of his future here. Now he is on board for three years at $2.6 million US and already has a career-high 34 assists under Quinn.
Wednesday April 14, 1999 Get Gretzky in blue and white
Will he or won't he?
Only Wayne Gretzky knows for sure. But this much is certain. The people who run the Toronto Maple Leafs should make every effort to get him to wear the blue and white next year.
If he retires in the near future, he's doing so for one simple reason. It's not that he can no longer play; it's that he no longer wants to play for a loser.
So why not leave a slow, aging team and come to a dynamic, young team which would be the perfect place to wind down his career?
During a telephone conversation on Saturday, Gretzky said he would make his decision about retirement after the season and not before. Then he went on to talk about the Rangers' chances of re-signing free-agent defenceman Brian Leetch, and the possibility of free-agent forwards such as Mark Recchi and Theoren Fleury joining the team next season.
He clearly was thinking that if the Rangers can pick up some quality players, he would be interested in staying on. But the other side of the coin is that the Rangers have done nothing to encourage him to stay.
General manager Neil Smith has been unusually quiet on this matter, which leads to speculation that he wouldn't be heartbroken if Gretzky decides to call it quits.
So even though Gretzky originally promised Smith that the Rangers would be his last team, perhaps the time has come for the two to agree that circumstances have changed and that the promise is no longer binding.
If that's the case, then where better for Gretzky to play than Toronto? Not long ago, he was willing to end his career here. He and the general manager of the time, Cliff Fletcher, came to terms on a contract that would have seen Gretzky join the Leafs for three years instead of going to the Rangers. Gretzky even offered to take a deferred salary to make the whole concept more palatable. Leafs owner Steve Stavro, however, using the logic that Gretzky's presence wouldn't sell a single extra ticket, refused to approve the deal.
But other than Gretzky's age, what has changed? His parents still live in Brantford. He still views himself as a Canadian. He still understands the country's hockey heritage and reveres the Leafs' place in that heritage.
At the moment, he's a bit down. The Rangers have missed the playoffs for the second successive season. He suffered a serious back injury. He's having the least productive season of his career. There are even those who say he's washed up.
But those aren't hockey people. In the hockey community, the people whose knowledge of the game guarantees a paycheque insist that he's still extremely valuable. In today's hockey, 60 points is a good showing. It's certainly not domination of the game, but it is a contribution that's far above the average. Despite all the missed games, he would still be the third-leading scorer on the Leafs.
Let's not forget that only 10 weeks ago, this guy was voted the most valuable player in the all-star game.
The Leafs, with Pat Quinn's offensive style of play, would be perfect for him, just as he would be perfect for the team. Quinn's offence is based on players getting into the open spaces to provide outlets. He relies on quick, hard passes and a north-south movement. This is the game that Gretzky virtually invented.
He's not as fast as he once was, but he's certainly not slow either. He has never lost his passing skills and in the Leafs' offensively oriented game, he would be a significant boost for what already is a feared offence.
At this stage of his life, there's no sense being unhappy. He's wealthy and he has had a long, illustrious career. He loves to play the game but he hates to lose, and if he stays in New York, there's not much chance of winning. So if he stays with the Rangers, he'll be unhappy.
The Toronto scenario creates a totally different picture. Even if he played for only for a year, he would help the youngsters develop while giving the team a solid second line. The road to a championship is a long one and Gretzky's presence would represent one more step along the road.
Furthermore, the franchise likes to think of itself as a storied one, an integral part of the game's heritage. It is only fitting that the greatest player in hockey history wind up his career as a member of the Maple Leafs.
But Gretzky never would come to Toronto to look for a job. If he leaves the Rangers, it would be because he thinks he has no future in the game.
The Leafs should do everything in their power to change his mind.
Tuesday April 13, 1999 Toronto faces off against boredom
The most imposing opponent the Maple Leafs likely are to face over the next 11 days is boredom.
With only two games remaining and their first playoff game not scheduled until next Thursday, the Leafs could have difficulty maintaining their competitive edge.
"I don't know if (all that down time) is good or bad," said Pat Quinn, who plans to take his team to Barrie or Hamilton for a few of days, if only to break up the monotony.
"I know one thing. It's going to give the guys who have some nagging injuries more time to heal up."
The fact the Leafs will be appearing in the playoffs for the first time since 1996, the coach said, should also help his players maintain their focus.
But apprehension alone won't compensate for the rust which is sure to set in between Saturday's final game in Montreal and the first game of the post-season.
It doesn't help that Toronto's four potential playoff opponents -- Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston and Buffalo -- have a minimum of three games left, or that their seasons don't expire until Sunday.
But Quinn yesterday seemed more concerned about the additional media attention his club would attract during the long countdown to the playoffs. Hence, he is taking his club out of town.
"It's the type of thing you do to try to minimize (the off-ice) distractions," Quinn said. "Some teams carry it to a more grave extent than others."
The Leafs aren't looking beyond the first round.
"I think it's important in that first round because our conference is so close," Quinn said. "There's no way of predicting which four teams will come out of that first round."
Monday April 12, 1999 Thomas cautions Leafs
You cruise, you lose.
That's the bitter lesson Steve Thomas absorbed last season when the New Jersey Devils waltzed into the playoffs with 107 points, only to be run over on the dance floor when the post-season mosh pit opened.
So Thomas was firing warning shots around the dressing room on Saturday night, despite a crushing 9-1 win over Florida and the lure of more easy pickings this week when the regular schedule ends against the Isles and Habs, two more playoff outcasts.
"We went into the post-season with nothing to play for," Thomas recalled of Jersey's shocking first-round upset at the hands of the eighth-place Senators. "Ottawa just worked their butts off in their remaining games (6-2-2 in April) and came into that series on a real high. We couldn't pick up the intensity."
So, Leafs such as Thomas and Steve Sullivan vowed not to get too fat on their personal feeding frenzies against the Panthers, and rather vowed to keep an eye on the back door where most series are won or lost. Thomas tied his career high with five points and tied a club record with three third-period assists, while Sullivan produced the first four-goal outing of his career.
"I just hope we don't forget what we've been through these past few weeks," Thomas said of the Leafs attempt to batten the hatches after a sub.-500 March. "Let's not sacrifice what we've done for the sake of just trying to score more goals. We have three or four days off before our next game (Wednesday at home versus New York), a good two or three of those for conditioning. Let's not let things slip away."
Coach Pat Quinn has no such intention, having planned a major refresher course starting today when full practice resumes. The Leafs likely won't drastically alter the attack-oriented game plan that has generated 95 points, but instead will emphasize how its speedier elements can be used to beat the static styles of many of the Leafs' potential first-round foes. Quinn did tinker with some forechecking drills prior to playing three games in four nights last week.
"We've reviewed our system on the chalkboard the past few (practices), now we'll do it on the ice," Quinn said. "There's no question about what we want to do in our minds. Now we want to take it into a game.
"Though we don't know our opponent yet, most of them play a similar style (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, Buffalo), so we'll prepare for that style. We'll also be working on special teams."
Quinn repeated his preference not to sit out his top guns this week, though he may curtail their ice time.
Sunday April 11, 1999 Leafs' Karpovtsev will be minus an award
One Russian reached a milestone last night, another found out he will be stonewalled for an NHL trophy.
When a press release updating the Bud-Light Plus Minus Award was circulated, league leader Alexander Karpovtsev's plus-37 was nowhere to be seen. That's because the criteria stipulates the winner must appear in a minimum of 60 games. Karpovtsev, who added a plus-one last night in the 9-1 rout of Florida, can't get in any more than 58.
The Leafs have Curtis Joseph and Pat Quinn in the hunt for the Hart, Vezina and Adams Trophy, respectively. But Karpovtsev thought he had a shot at becoming the first guaranteed award winner since Doug Gilmour and Pat Burns captured the Selke and Adams respectively.
"I didn't know that until (last night), but it's okay, I'll play for the team," Karpovtsev said. "It would be nice to have when I go for my new contract (he has another year at $1.8 million US), but if I don't get a trophy, I still know I've had a good season. Every time I look, I see the plus go up, but I didn't keep track of the other names around me."
The award has been given since 1982-83, but always with the 60-game stipulation. The $5,000 prize goes to charity. Chris Pronger of the Blues won last year with plus-47 in 81 games. Philadelphia's John LeClair and injured teammate Eric Lindros are this year's recognized leaders at plus-35, with the injured with Ottawa's Magnus Arvedson at plus-34.
The plus-minus is considered a deceiving statistic by many, a fact which Karpovtsev is well aware. His previous best was a plus-12 in 1993-94 with the Rangers when they won the Stanley Cup.
"I had a great year once in New York and I think I was just plus-1," he said. "It can be strange when you get a plus or minus for a puck that bounces in from the blue line."
Karpovtsev has struggled at times since an early season deal brought him here from the Islanders for Mathieu Schneider, but much of it was rooted in nagging injuries .
He's becoming more prominent on the Leafs' slowly improving power play and had a five-game points streak recently. Despite being held off the board last night, his 28 points lead all Leafs defencemen with the exception of newcomer Bryan Berard.
"The way he's playing, blocking shots and everything, he's giving us a lot of confidence," teammate Dimitri Yushkevich said.
Yushkevich was doing a little celebrating of his own last night, when he bagged one of the Leafs nine goals and rushed to collect the puck. It was his sixth of the season, ending an eight-year curse on both sides of the Atlantic where he failed to get more than five.
"I've had dreams of scoring six," Yushkevich said. "This will give me a lot of confidence going into the playoffs."
Saturday April 10, 1999 Leafs helping Cujo collar hardware
The Cujo campaign has commenced.
With just nine days remaining in the regular season, voters for the Hart and Vezina Trophies yesterday received a promotional package from the Maple Leafs touting Curtis Joseph for the two major awards.
The package includes an autographed puck with Joseph's picture on it and the slogan "The Puck Stops Here."
Joseph appreciates the club's support.
"It's flattering," Joseph said. "But you don't think about it when you're out there."
Instead, the standout goalkeeper thinks victory. Wins always have been the most important statistic to Joseph.
And a Joseph victory against the struggling Florida Panthers tonight would lasso a club record for the first-year Leaf. He enters the Florida game with 34 wins, tied with Johnny Bower (1959-60), Mike Palmateer (1977-78) and Felix Potvin (1993-94).
Unfortunately for Joseph, he won't get a shot at cleaning up the regular season with three wins to reach the 37-victory mark, a total that would surpass his career best 36 wins with the 1993-94 Blues.
Leafs coach Pat Quinn said yesterday following his club's optional skate that Joseph will play in two of the team's remaining three regular-season games.
With a playoff spot locked up, home-ice advantage in the first round all but secured, a 100-point season no longer a possibility and the race for first in the Northeast Division over, the task for the Leafs is to stay sharp during the final week of the regular season and be ready for the playoffs, which will begin for the Leafs on April 22.
"We will divide this final week into segments," Quinn said. "We won't be thinking of the big picture, but looking at some of the areas that need attention. Do we want to win these (final three) games? Yes. But the emphasis will be on the small things."
Special teams will continue to be one of the areas that Quinn will zero in on. The coach also wants to focus on play in the neutral zone.
All season long, the Leafs have suffered from mistakes that resulted from trying to force plays in the neutral zone. The risky play has led to turnovers and a slew of goals for the opposition.
"We need to make better decisions," Quinn said. "And if we don't, we need to know where we should be going to prevent a goal. Our defence has been doing a good job forcing the opposition outside. But our forwards have to learn to get to the middle."
The Leafs shouldn't have any shortage of inspiration for the final three games.
A win against Florida tonight, coupled with a Flyers loss or tie, and the Leafs would clinch fourth in the East and home ice in the first round.
Potvin likely will be in goal for the Islanders on Wednesday and the winner of the Leafs-Habs game in Montreal next Saturday would take the season series.
"We have a few things we want to work on," Leafs captain Mats Sundin said. "We want to go into the playoffs on a high note."
Thursday April 8, 1999 Johnson suspended for 2 games
Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mike Johnson was suspended two games by the NHL on Thursday for elbowing Ottawa Senators defenseman Janne Laukkanen.
The incident occurred late in the second period of Wednesday's 4-2 victory. As Laukkanen reached to deflect a puck flipped into the Senators zone, Johnson left his feet and elbowed him in the face. Laukkanen suffered a concussion and did not return while Johnson was assessed a five-minute major penalty.
Johnson, who will lose $4,583 in salary for the two-game suspension, was due to miss Thursday night's return match of the home-and-home series and Saturday's home game against Florida.
The Maple Leafs are in second place in the Northeast Division, five points behind the Senators with four games to play. A win by Ottawa would clinch its first-ever division title.
Wednesday April 7, 1999 Lots of coach-of-the-year candidates
Members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association are about to submit their coach-of-the-year ballots, and the choices will be difficult.
Pat Quinn wouldn't want the assignment.
"I don't know, to say this guy has done a better job than that guy is pretty darn difficult when there are so many good coaches around now," says the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. "To pick one is not an enviable task.
"I'm glad I don't have to do it."
Quinn rates serious consideration for a third Jack Adams Award. Toronto has improved by nearly 30 points in his first season behind the bench. After missing the playoffs for two years in a row, the Leafs sit fourth in the Eastern Conference.
"He's a good leader and teacher," Leafs captain Mats Sundin says of his coach. "He should be one of the candidates, for sure.
"I think he's been a big part of the reason this team has turned things around."
Quinn, 56, is coaching his fourth NHL team. He was coach of the year in 1980 with the Philadelphia Flyers and again in '92 with the Vancouver Canucks.
"He's definitely got to be one of the frontrunners," says Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph. "He's implemented a skating style that has worked for our team.
"He's a coach who knows the game well and commands respect."
Martin, 46, who previously coached the St. Louis Blues, is in his fourth season guiding the Senators. After finishing eighth in their conference last season, they are in first place today and will finish with about 20 points more than they had last season.
"He's a very methodical coach," says Senators defenceman Lance Pitlick. "He's not a yeller or a screamer. ...
"He treats each player as an individual. He's a player's coach and I can honestly say he's the best coach I've ever had."
The choice for top coach will be difficult, Quinn says.
"I think there are some tremendous candidates," Quinn said before matching wits with Martin on Wednesday night. "This year, boy oh boy, there's been some terrific jobs done by coaching staffs.
"Jacques has done a marvellous job in Ottawa. Look at Robbie Ftorek stepping in after Jacques Lemaire. Heck, Ken Hitchcock, this is the second year in a row they're going to be the best team in the league."
Hitchcock's Dallas Stars will be No. 1 overall at season's end for the second straight year. Ftorek took over in New Jersey and the Devils remained among the best in the East.
Bob Hartley's rookie NHL season coaching Colorado has been a success. The Avalanche won their division again despite a slow start aggravated by injuries that depleted the defence.
Barry Trotz helped the expansion Nashville Predators gain instant credibility with an unexpectedly high level of competitiveness.
Craig Hartsburg got another chance after being fired in Chicago and has the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in fifth place in their conference. They'll finish with about 20 points more than last year.
As is the case with all the best coaches, Martin and Quinn have earned the respect of their players.
"I'm a low-key individual," says Martin. "I have high expectations and I'm straightforward with the players.
"I have a tremendous staff. Mike Murphy and Perry Pearn do a tremendous job, and we have a very coachable team. We have players who are very respectful and have grown and have pushed themselves to be better on a daily basis."
Therein lies the secret to success, adds Quinn.
"I have discovered what I think is a common thread between the players of the 1970s, when I first started coaching, and the players today," he explains. "The common thread is, in spite of the materialism that has happened in our society, what interests them is being good at their jobs.
"No matter what material things are out there, people want to take pride in their chosen profession. So, that is often the common thread where you can address them and help them in their self-improvements.
"I look at myself as a person that is there to help a player who is interested in being the best he can be."
Wednesday April 7, 1999 Sens-Leafs clash a playoff preview?
The Toronto Maple Leafs want to plant a seed to infiltrate the psyche of the Ottawa Senators.
They'll get the chance when the teams clash tonight and again Thursday in Ottawa.
Toronto leads the season series 2-1, and will try to reinforce its claim to superiority in Ontario by ruining the Senators' bid to finish first in the Eastern Conference.
"We want to plant a seed and let them know we're for real and can play their style of game," Leafs forward Steve Thomas said after practice Tuesday. "I know we can beat them, and they probably feel the same about us.
"But we've been pretty successful with them this year and there's no reason for change."
Ottawa has 98 points. Toronto has 91 and is in fourth place in the conference.
"We want to send a message: that if we ever run into them further down the road, they're going to have to play really, really well to beat us," said captain Mats Sundin.
Coach Pat Quinn's team only has five games remaining but he has not abandoned hope of finishing first in the conference. It seems a stretch of the imagination, but there is no evidence he's been cultivating magic mushrooms. A sweep of these two games would move his Leafs within three points of the Senators, he reminds.
"Mathematically, we still have a chance for first place," he said. "That's the importance (of the two games) for us.
"If we don't happen to win, we'll downplay that importance, obviously, and say they're educational games in preparation for the playoffs. Hopefully, they'll be at least that whether we win or lose."
Toronto beat Ottawa 2-1 last Nov. 14 in Toronto, and 3-2 in overtime last Nov. 28, also in Toronto. The Senators prevailed 3-1 March 6 in Ottawa.
"It's becoming a great rivalry," said Sundin.
The two games represent an acid test that will help answer a question being asked in both cities: How far can our team go in the playoffs?
"They're a good test for us because they're a good team that's playing well, and they've played playoff style hockey pretty much all year long," said Quinn. "They're quite a conservative team without the puck and explosive when they have it."
Quinn suggested that, "Once you get (the puck) in their zone, that's when you have a chance to beat them."
"They're similar to our team," said Sundin. "They have four strong lines, and they're getting great goaltending. But if we play our best game we'll give them all they can handle."
As for nailing down home-ice advantage in the playoffs, Thomas couldn't care less.
"We've been really successful on the road," he said. "We don't have a problem playing on the road.
"We haven't been doing as good as we'd like to do at home, for whatever reason. To me it doesn't matter if it's home ice."
The Leafs are not yet acclimatized to the Air Canada Centre after playing 10 games in the new arena, and practising Tuesday in Maple Leaf Gardens brought back memories.
"It's not the same as it was here," Thomas said. "I don't know for what reason.
"I've heard the Raptors games are louder than our games. I guess it's the product you put on the ice. It inspires the fans to cheer. It's not the atmosphere I expected going into the playoffs for a team with 90 points."
What does matter is avoiding a slump during the last 10 days of the schedule.
"I really think it's important to finish on a good, positive note," he explained. "Last year when I played for New Jersey we had the conference sewn up virtually with three weeks left in the season.
"We cruised it in. We had nothing left to play for. We had a top seed. Ottawa, on the other side of the coin, they worked their butts off to get into the playoffs and they were on a real high. We couldn't pick it up to their intensity in the playoffs. That's why we got beat. It's important for us to go into the playoffs on a positive note."
Monday April 5, 1999 Berezin player of the week
Sergei Berezin of the Maple Leafs is the NHL's player of the week after scoring five goals and adding two assists during Toronto's three-game road trip in Western Canada.
Berezin, who had 34 goals entering Monday's game against St. Louis, edged Sharks centre Vincent Damphousse (5-2-7 in three games) and Penguins all-world player Jaromir Jagr (4-4-8 in three games) for the award.