KRESKIN RULES!
You heard it here first, Jocko: Anaheim would finish in the coveted
No. five slot and Teemu Selanne would become the only NHL player to
hit the 50-goal mark, nabbing the inaugural Rocket.
Alright, so I'm no Amazing Kreskin. And if that were the only shame
in this situation, Ducks fans could handle it. But the real shame
in Anaheim dropping to sixth is that now, instead of rolling over
Phoenix -- which they would have done, despite Craig Hartsburg's
claim that the Coyotes are "just as good" as Colorado or Detroit --
Anaheim will likely be crushed by the defending Stanley Cup
champions in the opening round of the playoffs.
In the words of David Byrne and Talking Heads, circa 1985: How did I
get here?
MOTOWN REVIEW
With destiny in their own hands -- playoff-positioning destiny,
anyway -- Anaheim dropped the ball. The Ducks had four games to
solidify a one-point lead over St. Louis for the all-but-automatic
berth into second- round play (read: a first-round berth against
Phoenix). They started well, rocking the Coyotes, 3-0. But they
earned just one point over their final three games, and it didn't
come where it mattered most, against the Blues.
In fact, the loss to the Blues was a perverse microcosm of Anaheim's
regular season, where many elements of their game were working, but
one area (on any given night) let them down. Astonishingly, in this
case, that one area was goaltending. And had Grant Fuhr not stood on
his head at the other end, the Ducks still might have prevailed.
Nonetheless, in the playoffs you have to beat good goaltending, and
to earn the fifth seed, Anaheim couldn't.
So now it's off to Motown, where Anaheim has played well, but hardly
prospered (0-3-1) over the past two years. They've got just one win
(1-6-1) against Detroit in that time, and when last these teams met
in postseason action (Ron Wilson's swan song as Anaheim coach), the
Ducks were swept into summer -- albeit in extremely entertaining
fashion.
By the looks of things, a repeat of that performance may be on the
horizon. Working against the Ducks is an untimely injury bug. After
remaining relatively healthy all year -- Tomas Sandstrom's broken
wrist was the only serious injury to befall the team -- players are
going down. Defenseman Pascal Trepanier, just coming into his own,
blew out his knee playing pick-up basketball. Pavel Trnka took a
blow to the head that caused him to miss the team's final two
games. Ditto for Jason Marshall, Anaheim's most physical
defenseman. But most distressing is the groin injury that has
plagued Steve Rucchin over the past month of the season.
Rucchin, without whom the Ducks cannot win, missed 10 of the team's
last 13 games, returning only for the final two. And though he's
playing again, it's unclear whether Rucchin is 100%. Let's not
forget that groins are tricky; that Rucchin was plagued by a
similar injury for much of last year; and that he's going to play
through whatever pain he has to in order to take the ice against
Detroit. As for his effectiveness, which is critical for the Ducks
on big draws (always), to power the second line (when put there),
and to center the big boys (when the game is on the line), that
remains to be seen. Likewise, his presence is key on Anaheim's
league-leading power play, which has been disturbingly inconsistent
of late.
Combine all that with a reinvigorated Detroit team -- featuring
Anaheim nemesis Chris Chelios (so hated he's almost an honorary
Coyote) -- and things don't look rosy for the men in teal.
WHY SHOW UP?
If things look so bleak, why even show up?
Because this is the playoffs, and anything can happen. Besides, when
the Ducks DO show up -- all of them - - they can play with most
teams. Guy Hebert is certainly capable of outdueling Chris Osgood
(and that's no slam on Ozzie), and if the power play clicks,
well...you never know.
But Hartsburg is really up against it: With Scotty Bowman having the
final say in on-ice matchups, it could be tough to get Kariya and
Selanne some room to move. And if those guys can't either work it at
even strength or draw some penalties, the series could be short.
SELANNE THE GREAT
Tee-mu; Tay-mu; Teddy Flash; The Finnish Flash. Call him what you
will - it's Tay-mu, by the way -- Teemu Selanne is the best pure
goal scorer in hockey. For the second year in a row he has led the
NHL in goals, notching 47 to capture the first-ever Rocket Richard
trophy. Nobody's cumulative numbers (313 goals) are better since he
entered the league in 1992. So now I'm getting back on my soap box.
When people search for someone to carry the league's PR torch in the
wake of Wayne Gretzky's retirement, the names Forsberg, Jagr, Kariya
and Lindros are often heard. The name Selanne never is, and that's so
wrong.
With all the skill this guy has -- even if it is buried in the
Pacific Time Zone (where The Great One once toiled, let's not
forget) -- it hardly seems fair that he should also have charm,
boyish good looks, a winning smile, the world's most positive
attitude, an accent that makes the girls swoon...and exactly no
play from the league office.
Think I'm overdoing it? Not a chance. Everybody loves this guy. And
if the NHL gets it right, Teemu will be smack dab at the center of
every NHL promotion from now until the day he hangs up his skates.
For now, though, Anaheim fans will just have to be happy knowing
they've got the best scorer, and the best-kept secret, in the
game.
