Ward's World
If you're among the people who scoffed when I wrote in these very
pages in September that Dixon Ward would be leading the Buffalo
Sabres in goal scoring in December, well, who's laughing now?
Ok, I didn't join the staff here until I met Michael Dell at a
Culture Club reunion tour show in Erie in November, but the point
remains that Dixon Ward has been quite the feisty little goal
scorer this season.
Ward's 10 goals (through December 5) are one more than Michal
Grosek's nine (or anyone else's nine, for that matter) and three
more than Teemu Selanne has. (Stats are so awesome, man.)
Ward had five goals on the season going into the November 25 game
against the Nedved-fortified New York Rangers, and he had eight
coming out of it. Ward's first career hat trick was the
difference in a 4-2 victory over the listless Range.
That '2' on the Rangers' side marked the end of an unholy 263
minute, 46 second shutout streak Dominik Hasek had going against
the Blueshirts.
Ward was rather cranky after his turnover led to a Leafs win the
game before, the Sabres' last at Maple Leaf Gardens. He politely
declined to speak with media types after the game. After the
Ranger game, he spoke about "redemption" and "having something to
prove." Let it all out, Dixon, we're here for you.
A lot of prime players have worn number 15 for the Sabres in
their storied history -- Gerry Meehan, Adam Creighton, Lou
Franceschetti, and who can forget Doug Smith, one of a long list
of Scotty Bowman masterstrokes, just to name a few -- but to our
knowledge none of them have had a better couple months to
start a season than Ward.
Ray Suspended; Grosek Gets 'A' For Effort
Rob Ray, who's at that age where you have to keep an eye on him
constantly, was suspended by the NHL for four games and fined
$1,000, (all together now:) the maximum allowed under the
collective bargaining agreement, for slew-footing the
inconsequential Alex Hicks in the game November 28 in Florida.
Ray was ordered to sit out the game the following day at Tampa
pending a phone hearing. On December 1, the league passed
sentence officially. Ray missed home games against Florida and
Philadelphia and the Sabres' first visit to Nashville as well as
the Tampa game, a 6-3 Sabres win.
In Ray's absence, Michal Grosek got an 'A' slapped on him. Your
less comprehensive and accurate periodicals and media will say
this is because Grosek was acting as an assistant captain, but we
know he was really an alternate here at LCS. What in God's name
does the captain of a hockey team need an assistant for? Let
alone two?
The show of confidence in Grosek was something he appreciated.
Interviewed between periods of the Nashville game by roving
reporter Danny Gare, Grosek positively beamed as he spoke about
what the letter meant to him.
Hasek was shown a seat during the game at Florida, too, but by
Lindy Ruff. Dwayne Roloson, who never gets to do anything fun,
played the last 40 minutes and actually got saddled with the loss
as the Sabres fell 6-2.
I'm Lyin' In Bed, Just Like...
Mike Wilson, part of one of the most one-sided trades in Buffalo
history (at least, those few in favor of the Sabres -- who can
forget Andre Savard, Tony McKegney and J.F. Sauve for Real
Cloutier, for crying out loud), was inked to a multi-year
contract, the team announced December 1.
The deal will keep Wilson in the fold through 2001, and the best
part is he doesn't get paid for the 19 games he missed. In
exchange, Wilson said the Sabres sweetened the third year of the
deal.
Wilson had three goals and an assist in six games for Las Vegas
of the IHL while awaiting a contract with the Sabres, matching
his NHL career totals for points in 201 career games.
Wilson's signing leaves Donald Audette as the Sabres' only
unsigned player. Audette requested a trade from the team on
November 10.
Jockeying For Ice
Among those who've played bit parts in the Sabres success over
the last two weeks are Derek Plante, Erik Rasmussen and Wayne
Primeau. It's no coincidence that any success one or the other
has likely comes at the expense of the others as far as the next
game's ice time.
Plante was a healthy scratch in Tampa Bay as newly-recalled
Rasmussen and Randy Cunneyworth got into the act. Plante made
his way to the press box at the Marena for the following game
against Florida as well. When in the lineup, he sees limited
action, but can contribute with his speed and savvy.
Rasmussen has been a fixture since his callup, even seeing some
time opposite Michael Peca and Vaclav Varada on the big line.
His aggressiveness has landed him in the box at inopportune
times, but overall he seems to be the one of the three taking the
greatest advantage of his opportunities.
Primeau complained to the press following the home-and-home
against the Leafs November 20-21 that he was upset with the
amount of ice time he was getting. Ruff challenged him to be
more aggressive and physical when given the opportunity, and the
approach seemed to work well in the short term. Primeau banged a
bunch of mostly listless Rangers around on the 25th, and has
tallied a goal and an assist in recent wins.
Lindros is a Punk
Eric Lindros was asked to leave the 3-0 Sabres win on December 4
late in the first period when he took a two-handed swing at Jay
McKee's head. The league fined Lindros $1,000, which in case you
weren't aware is the maximum allowed under the collective
bargaining agreement, but declined to suspend him for the
second time this season under circumstances that would've gotten
Curtis Brown at least three games.
Lindros and Lindros Sr., Flyers GM Bobby Clarke, both claimed
that Lindros was trying to pry his stick out of the hold someone
had on it when it just snapped up unexpectedly; and also that
Michael Peca, who is two feet, three inches shorter, head butted
him.
"You can't trust the officials and can't trust the league
anymore," said Clarke. "They're so damn eager to throw someone
out. I don't trust what Koharski might put in his report."
Trust no one, Mr. Clarke.
We've loved the Flyers since the 70s, for just these reasons.
Hasek was otherworldly in the game, and the two thirds of the LL
Cool J line that were left, John LeClair and Keith Jones, were
held to a shot on goal apiece.
Boughner Faces Old Mates, Sings 'Elvira'
The Sabres played their first game against Bob Boughner and the
Nashville Predators (we're fairly confident that this is the only
place you'll ever hear them referred to that way) on December 5.
Boughner welcomed Rasmussen to the Sabres lineup with a good
lickin' in the second period. It was Boogie's 200th NHL game,
which is why we mention it. The first 177, of course, were with
the Sabres.
We can't decide what we think about this whole Nashville deal.
It's surreal at times, as the PA announcer lets the crowd in on
the reason for every whistle and beats them over the head with
the fact they're on the power play; and then you're dealing with
a team with uniforms that new and a logo that gay playing like
the mid-80s Chicago Blackhawks already... a team two months old!
We digress. The Predators were, get this, the better team on the
fifth, but Hasek and a disallowed goal (which we should add never
crossed the goal line) did the newbies in. It was the Sabres'
third game in four nights, and it looked it. Rasmussen had a
secondary assist and an empty-net goal, and Brian Holzinger
scored the game-winner and was named the game's third star,
behind Hasek and the Predators' Eric Fichaud.
Hot, Hot, Hot
All that (last two weeks):
- Ward's vitals: five goals and an assist and a plus-four in
six games.
- Darryl Shannon has been outstanding, not only in that way he
has of being outstanding without drawing a lot of attention to
himself, but also in that he chalked up two goals, three assists
and a robust plus-8 in six games. He's been moving the puck
deftly, taking the body, and making like an all-around solid
third or fourth defenseman on an NHL team.
- Hasek: .941 save percentage in the last six games. We could
go on, but why?
- Matthew Barnaby was 2-5-7 and plus-3 in his first five games
after his suspension, and has cooled to a respectable 1-6-7, 10
PIM in his last six.
Others Receiving Votes
We need to mention Vaclav Varada. Varada played his best game of
the year against the listless Rangers on November 25, bullying
people around and assisting twice on Dixon Ward goals. He
followed that later with a one assist effort against Philly, in
which John LeClair and a few other Flyers were genuinely wishing
him dead. Varada's been a plus player in seven of his last 10
games.
Jay McKee played a couple of his best consecutive games of the
season against Philadelphia and Nashville. What we like so much
about McKee this year, beyond the fact that he helps make the
Mogilny trade look like science fiction, is that he's asserting
himself so much, and yet so productively. He's not taking
penalties when you really wish he wouldn't, as Rasmussen has
been, but he's sticking his neck out, jumping into the play to
move the puck or take the body, and never failing to recover.
Last Word
"He grabbed my stick and pulled it back. When I pushed through, I
caught a player in the upper arm and went up and over everybody,
never hit anybody."
-- Eric Lindros teaches physics
This column brought to you by the word 'listless.'
