I have a long story about the night Pat LaFontaine scored at 2am to beat the Caps in the playoffs that I won't bore you with. And I watched as Grant Fuhr and Billy Smith battled it out in the finals.....both guys have been voted into the Hockey Hall of fame. Congrats to them.
Newsday - LaFontaine played his final NHL game with the Rangers in 1998, sustaining a concussion in a collision with teammate Mike Keane that ended his career.
TSN - The native of Spruce Grove, Alta., is the first black entrant into the hockey shrine.
Daily News - When he talks to Sather, Robinson would like to get a clear picture of the GM's roster plans. He would like some assurance that Brian Leetch will be re-signed. And while he didn't reveal his preference either way, he would want to know whether Mark Messier is coming back.
Faceoff.com - So before we start grasping at straws, or at least at trendy rule changes, we all need to take a few deep breaths. Yes, there were some duds in this year's NHL playoffs, just like there were duds 20 years ago and 20 years before that.
More faceoff.com - Remember, this is a contact sport. The winners play up to 28 games in a two-month period, sometimes enduring back-to-back games. They play through injuries that would put some people in a hospital bed. They battle with the determination of a pit bull locked on to a lamb chop.
Slam - But while winning may put fans in a building for a while, it won't keep them coming back. Look at the Devils. With three Stanley Cups in nine years, they can match their winning record over the last decade against anyone's. But they managed only three sellouts this season.
Posted by Bird at June 12, 2003 07:36 AMeMail this entry!
Goaltender has always been my favorite position. My favorite players have mostly always been goalies throughout the years. Although I hated the Isles & Oilers throughout the 80's, I have to admit that Coco & Smith were outstanding and I always admired their incredible athleticism and skills, and they both definitely do deserve the honor of being entered into the HHF.
(Man I am getting old. 20 years ago when these two were in the prime of their careers, I was trying to hang on to the memory of 1979, the last time the Rangers made the Finals. Now I am trying to hang on to the memory of 1994.)
Anyway, a quick Goalie quote:
FRANK "ULCERS" MCCOOL, goaltender, Toronto, on the loneliness that goaltenders feel:
"If you lose, the fans blame the goalie and the reporters take up the cry. After a while, the other players believe what they read and the goalie feels like it's one man against the world. Everyone else who makes a mistake, it escapes the attention of the crowd. But the goalie? If he blows one, they know it. Pretty soon, the goalie feels like an outcase. The only friend he has is the other goalie across the ice. He's the only one who understands."
(Hal Bock: "Save! Hockey's Brave Goalies", 1974).
Posted by: Tina on June 12, 2003 08:06 PMAnother quote:
JACQUES PLANTE, goaltender, Montreal, on what it's like to play goaltender in the NHL:
How would you like it if you were sitting in your office and you made one little mistake. Suddenly, a big red light went on and 18,000 people jumped up and started screaming at you, calling you a bum and an imbecile and throwing garbage at you. That's what it's like when you play goal in the NHL.
(Klein, Reif: Klein/Reif Hockey Compendium)
Posted by: Tina on June 12, 2003 08:08 PMI'd add that when a keeper makes a mistake, grown men hug while the red light goes on.
That doesn't happen for any other position in sports.
Posted by: bird on June 12, 2003 08:13 PM
|
Recent Articles
|
|
|