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 Stanley Cup Notebook Hasek hears it from Stars' fans, then he doesn't
Posted: Wednesday June 09, 1999 02:03 AM
DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Stars' fans were all over Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek during Tuesday night's opening game of the Stanley Cup finals. When the Sabres' starting lineup was announced in pre-game introductions, Hasek received the loudest boos. Then when Brett Hull beat Hasek with a shot in the first period, down came the derisive chants at Reunion Arena: "Ha-sek, Ha-sek!" Then came the sweetest sound of all for Hasek -- the sound of silence when the Sabres' Jason Woolley scored in overtime to give Buffalo a 3-2 victory in overtime. Opening salvoIn winning the opening game of the Stanley Cup finals, the Buffalo Sabres put the odds heavily in their favor to win the series. Eighty percent of the teams that have won the opening game have gone on to win the NHL championship. Only 12 teams have come back to win the Cup after losing the opener. The last to do it: the New York Rangers against the Vancouver Canucks in 1994. A nice ring to itThe Dallas Stars' starting lineup featured players with a combined four Stanley Cup rings -- two each for Mike Keane and Guy Carbonneau. Big D; Big BucksIs a hockey game worth $1,000 for one ticket? No, it's worth more -- if it's the Stanley Cup finals in Dallas. People who were lucky to have tickets for Game 1 on Tuesday night reportedly had turned down offers of that amount. Still crowdedTuesday night's crowd of 17,001 was the 47th straight sellout at Reunion Arena -- counting 38 in the regular season. Defensive battleThe best defensive forward in the NHL? It's a close call between Buffalo's Mike Peca and Jere Lehtinen of the Dallas Stars. Peca and Lehtinen have won the Selke Trophy the last two years as the league's best defensive forward. Peca has attracted special attention after helping shut down players such as Ottawa's Alexei Yashin and Boston's Jason Allison in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and doing another good job on Toronto's Mats Sundin. "He is a pretty gritty player," said Dallas' Mike Modano. "He can score and he can check and he does all the areas of the game very well." Buffalo's Dixon Ward puts in his vote for Peca. "I don't think there is a question who is the best all-around player in hockey right now. The only example I can use is Lehtinen gets to play with [Brett] Hull and Modano and Peca has to play with me." Weighty problemWhen Dallas Stars coach Ken Hitchcock tells you, "I lost a couple of hundred," he isn't talking about dropping two C-notes at the track. He's talking about his weight. Thanks to a severe diet and intense exercising, Hitchcock has trimmed down to 245 pounds. "I was once up in the high 400s," Hitchcock admits. The hardest part of keeping the weight off? "After losses, it's always more difficult," he says. "You become mindless." Familiar facesThere's plenty of experience among the nine on-ice officials selected for this year's Stanley Cup finals -- starting with linesman Ray Scapinello, who has made 18 previous appearances in the NHL's showcase event. Referees Kerry Fraser and Don Koharski have each appeared in eight previous finals, and Bill McCreary and Terry Gregson in six apiece. Along with Scapinello, Kevin Collins has worked nine Cup finals and Gord Broseker four among the linesmen. The only officials without previous Stanley Cup finals experience are referee Dan Marouelli and linesman Jay Sharrers. The first game will be officiated by Gregson, McCreary, Scapinello and Sharrers. Waiting gameA television reporter was interviewing Buffalo's Dixon Ward with a group of other reporters and cameramen in the Sabres' locker room prior to Tuesday night's opening game of the Stanley Cup finals. A teammate, just showered and holding a towel over his shoulders, waited for the interviewer to finish so he could get through the crowded area to his locker. And waited. And waited. Finally, he couldn't wait any longer. "When does the book come out?" he quipped. Cup or bustAnything less than taking home the Stanley Cup would be a disaster for the Dallas Stars. Ask Jamie Langenbrunner. "We've grown as a team over the last few years," said the Stars forward. "We've taken one big step in the last two seasons [reaching the Stanley Cup finals]. But now it's up to us to prove we're ready to take the biggest. "Now that we've come this far, anything less than winning the Stanley Cup would be a big disappointment." Loading upWhat does a hockey team do on the day of a game in the Stanley Cup finals? Same as any other day -- eat and sleep. Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre said it's business as usual -- a pre-game meal at 12:30 p.m. including plenty of carbohydrates for energy. That usually means pasta and bread, chicken and vegetables. The Buffalo players usually take an afternoon nap after that, and have a light snack a couple of hours before the game, like fruit and bread. "The players don't like to play with a heavy stomach," Grand-Pierre said. It also leaves room for a post-game meal.
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