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All the presidents' men Do the Blues have the goods in postseason?
Posted: Wednesday April 12, 2000 03:52 AM
By Mario Annicchiarico, Edmonton Sun While many are already questioning the ability of the St. Louis Blues to survive these 1999-2000 NHL playoffs as a favourite, two members of its alumni have little doubt they can endure. "You know, we had 107 points there one year and that was a hell of a year, a hell of a year," said Calgary Flames head coach Brian Sutter of the 1980-81 campaign in which he and his then St. Louis teammates recorded a 45-18-17 mark, first in the old Smythe Division. That was 19 years ago. Red Berenson stood behind the bench and Emile (the Cat) Francis was general manager and president. Bernie Federko turned in a 104-point season and Edmontonian Wayne Babych led the Blues with 54 goals. But that all seems second-rate to what the organization has accomplished this season. After Sunday's meaningless loss in Chicago, the Blues finished atop the NHL with 114 points and have to be considered a Stanley Cup favourite, no matter what the experts say. Back in 1981 they lost out in the second round, dropping a six-game series to the New York Rangers in the quarter-finals. That after a solid regular season. SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT "The only team that had more points was the Islanders, so you knew that once they got past that mark there was a feeling of what they've accomplished there," said Sutter of this year's Blues. Led by defencemen Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis, goaltender Roman Turek and centre Pierre Turgeon, the Blues claimed their first President's Trophy in their 33-year history. That didn't surprise Sutter or Flames goaltender Grant Fuhr, who came to Calgary just this season via Missouri. "I'm not really surprised. I got a chance to see that team develop for five years," offered Fuhr. "When Prongs (Pronger) first got there, they all didn't think he could play and now he plays 32, 33 minutes a night. Everybody realizes how good Al (MacInnis) is and I think their forwards have always been skilled, but they've never really been looked at as being that skilled. "You're starting to see a good team playing under a good, structured system. I think Joel (coach Quenneville) has a pretty smart system when it comes to the game, where he turns them loose every once in a while, but he also keeps a rein on them; they have to check," added Fuhr. "As long as they play that way, there's not many teams that are going to beat them." Yet questions remain about their experience, although they did push the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Dallas Stars to six games in last spring's Western Conference semifinals, including two wins and two losses in overtime. GOALTENDING SUSPECT League whispers suggest goaltending could be the Blues' weak link as Turek hasn't yet had to prove himself in post-season play. He handled it well during the regular season, finishing first in wins (42-15-9), first in goals-against-average (1.95) and shutouts (seven). "Roman's been good and he's a perfect fit for that system," suggested Fuhr. "They don't give up a lot of good chances and when they do he's been good. As long as you get someone who doesn't mind getting between just 17 and 20 shots a night. It's a good thing." Yet Turek's triumphs were largely unexpected after a sluggish start. "I think it's a bit of a surprise to everybody because nobody was totally certain what Roman Turek was going to do," said Sutter. "There's not anybody who could flat out say that. He was a backup goalie who hardly played in Dallas." But the system the Blues play allowed him to slowly find his niche. "Obviously if you have two of the top defencemen in the game that's a major plus for you," said Sutter. "Certainly with a top centreman like Turgeon - he's an outstanding talent, and a top centreman to every team is a key to winning." The Blues have been built around a solid footing from the back end out. "The coaching staff and certainly (general manager) Larry Pleau has put together a group of guys that like to complement and surround their key players with the right mentality and the right attitude," said Sutter. "They have an excellent hockey club and it'll be interesting." But Sutter, who finished fifth in Blues scoring back in 1981 and still stands third in career points with 636, realizes there are always a few surprises. "I don't underestimate what the Oilers are going to do, and certainly not San Jose. Los Angeles has upgraded itself," he said. "As everybody knows playoffs is goaltending, that's a key component."
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