| Friday, November 3
By George Johnson
Special to ESPN.com |
|
Colorado forward Peter Forsberg is leaning on a Pepsi Center garbage can, two hours before Wednesday's game against Calgary, talking about the glitches in his comeback.
The last time the Flames were in Denver, on Nov. 27th, Forsberg
returned from six months off following shoulder surgery. And he looked
positively superhuman, proceeding to perform a clinical autopsy, dissecting the
poor, bedraggled Flames for two goals and five points in a 7-1 blowout.
"That first game," says Forsberg now, his face lighting up, "was pure magic.
But after that, boy, did I come down to earth in a hurry.
|  | | Forsberg hasn't dazzled much since his first game back from injury. |
"I think maybe, looking back, having such a big game right off the bat put more pressure on me right away, people saying 'Oh, he's back.' But I wasn't,
not really."
Forsberg's like a scientific boxer whose jab is just a split-second off; the
vocalist a maddening half a beat behind the band.
"Six months away is a long time. Peter's only human," Adam Deadmarsh said. "Even though some of the things he does on the ice might make you question that."
Prior to Friday's three-point effort against Montreal, Forsberg had put up just nine points in 13 games. That was far below Forsberg standards.
"It's been frustrating, for sure," Forsberg admits. "I just haven't felt ... right.
My timing's a little off. I knew it was going to take a while to feel
comfortable again. I'm getting better and better every game, but I haven't played great hockey yet."
The Avs haven't, either. Forsberg's struggles have mirrored his team's.
"We might be looking at our names on paper and saying 'Wow! We're a good
team'," winger Dave Reid said. "And then we look at the standings and say 'Wow! Maybe we're not that good.' The whole conference and the league is tight. Every game is a battle and everybody has to come out and play their best every night."
The Avs have been, in the opinion of most, quite a disappointment thus far,
unable to shake either Calgary or Edmonton, small-market clubs devoid of
big-name stars.
"I guess people think we should be way ahead of all the other teams," says
Forsberg, shrugging. "But they play hard, Edmonton and Calgary. If you're not
willing to work like they do, they'll beat you.
"I think a real bonus for us is that despite the fact we've had a lot of guys
out -- Joe (Sakic) and Adam (Foote) and a bunch more -- the kids have really
stepped up. Alex Tanguay and Milan (Hejduk) and (Martin) Skoula and Chris Drury have really picked up the slack. But, you're right, two or three games over .500 is not good enough. And injuries are no excuse."
Patrick Roy feels the Avalanche have nothing to apologize for.
"I think we have to be happy with the season so far," challenges the
ever-challenging goaltender.
"Considering the injuries we've had and the fact we've spent almost all season
on the road, I'd say we have nothing to be upset about. We should be content --
not satisfied, but content.
"I looked on New Year's, and Toronto had played something like 27 games at home
and 15 on the road. Do you honestly think they'd be that far ahead of us if we
reversed schedules?"
True enough. Roy and Co. played more road games (24) and fewer home dates (16)
than any other Western Conference team at the 40-game mark.
Colorado's numbers are okay -- the power play is ranked second, penalty killing
10th, team defense is hovering in the middle of the pack -- but the results
aren't there. Yet.
"Calgary is a surprise," admitted Roy. "Edmonton ... well, they've got five of
those 'regulation ties' where you get a point for losing in overtime. Take those
five away, and we've got a little more breathing room on them."
As Roy quite rightly points out, sliding bodies in for the departed Theo Fleury,
Sylvain Lefebvre and Valeri Kamensky isn't a task successfully negotiated overnight. "Those three guys," he said, "played a lot of minutes."
Deadmarsh feels the Avs' five-on-five numbers must be improved on drastically
in order to be able to pull away from the pack. And a healthy, happy, in-tune
Forsberg will doubtless go a long ways in that.
"You can see more and more of the old Peter coming back every night," Deadmarsh
said. "And, you know, Peter a little bit off is better than most guys
going at full throttle."
Ain't that the truth.
"We'll be fine," Roy said assuredly. "This is still a very good team."
Rest of the West:
Mike Vernon may be gone from the Silicon Valley, but he's far from forgotten.
When the veteran goalie was dealt to the Florida Panthers recently, many
questioned the Sharks' judgement. Vernon is a two-time Stanley Cup winner, a
former Conn Smythe Trophy recipient, and if San Jose was serious about taking a
run at the old silver mug this year, weren't they taking a bit of a risk
dropping everything in the lap of Steve Shields?
Only time, of course, will tell.
But if Shields can measure up this spring, the former Buffalo Sabres backup says
he'll be obliged to send Vernon a note of thanks.
"I learned a lot playing with Dom (Hasek), about practicing and technical stuff,
but I also learned a lot from Vernie," said Shields. "The things I learned from him were mostly from the shoulders up. Vernie taught me how to relax and enjoy the game. His attitude was that you had to realize that playing well and competing hard was your job, but that you can still focus and have a good time."
Added Mike Ricci: "Vernie taught everyone in here a lot. We'll miss him. But
this team has confidence in Steve Shields; that he can take us where we want to
go."
Quick hits:
The Vaclav Prospal-Patrice Brisebois name-calling controversy is, in the opinion of some, too much ado about something. "I've been called worse than
that. A LOT worse," says Flames' francophone defenseman Denis Gauthier.
"Especially considering the way I play. It's not right to call people names, and
it's not smart but in the heat of battle, things are going to be said. I don't
hold grudges about that. It's a reaction. Now, if someone came up to me on the
ice, completely calm, and called me that kind of name, I'd be upset. But it's a
tough game, a physical game. What's acceptable to say and what's not? You get
called some pretty bad names on the ice that have nothing to do with language or
culture"
The ageless Larry Murphy has counted 'em up -- during his NHL
career, he's played in 48 different buildings, soon to be 50 when he adds the
Staples Center in L.A. and Pepsi Center in Denver to his list. Scotty Bowman,
meanwhile, numbers the buildings he's coached in at 53.
Now that Cory Stillman and his 12 goals are gone for the season (shoulder surgery), the dip between Calgary's No. 1 sniper, Valeri Bure (18 goals) and second-place Jarome
Iginla is a whopping 11 goals.
With nine goals and half a season to play,
Doug Brown of the Red Wings is in danger of relinquishing the one record he
holds -- Only NHL player at 150 goals or more for a career that has never
recorded a 20-goal season.
Flames defenseman Tommy Albelin has his own website ... just thought you'd like to know.
If there's a bigger bust in the West than Boris Mironov, send a wire -- the people in Chicago could use cheering up. Bo-Bo has just six points, all assists (and only two on the power play, which he was supposed to quarterback) and is a minus-12 in 22 games. But hey, you can't expect a ton for $3.1 million, can ya?
Oiler coach Kevin Lowe
figures this is where his club makes its big move up the Western Conference
standings. The Oil began eight straight home dates Wednesday versus the Sharks.
"We have eight games in a row at home and a chance to get things going," he
said. "We felt we've had a good year. We felt we've been robbed in overtime a
few times. We could have a few more wins and a few more points. We're missing a
key player (Rem Murray) right now. We get him back, we'll be a better team, so
it will be an interesting run."
The Hawks have moved into hotel digs the
afternoon of home games, so as to afford the players more peace and quiet. "The
way they're playing," noted one writer, "likely under assumed names".
With
Calgary actually in playoff contention at the midway point and goalie Fred
Brathwaite still the talk of the town -- if not the league -- the Flames have been
christened 'Freddie and the Dreamers' after the '50s band. Could this be one
dream that actually comes true?
Quote of the week:
"We can't figure out if it's from a security perspective or whether everybody's
just too lazy to take them down," -- Wings forward Brendan Shanahan on the 14
precautionary metal dectectors, outfitted for New Year's Eve, that
remain in Joe Louis Arena.
George Johnson covers the NHL for the Calgary Sun. His Western Conference column appears every week during the season on ESPN.com. |  |
