Murphy uneasy in favorite's role
Posted: Tuesday June 09, 1998 01:59 AM
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Murphy, the only Red Wing to play all 82 games, will have his hands full defending Peter Bondra (Elsa Hasch/) |
DETROIT (AP) - Larry Murphy doesn't
flinch much. He's been an NHL defenseman for 18 years. Still, he looked
uncomfortable Monday when someone suggested the Detroit Red Wings were
heavy favorites to defend their Stanley Cup title against the Washington Capitals.
"We don't even look at ourselves as favorites," Murphy said. "You get
caught up in reading your press clippings and it's trouble. If somebody
says they're not good and don't have a chance against us, it will fuel
their fire for sure."
Detroit, one of the NHL's original six teams, has won the Cup eight times.
The Red Wings are in the finals for the third time in four years. The
Capitals, by comparison, are appearing in the finals for the first time in
their 24-year history.
"The underdog is the best position to be in," Murphy said. "It's not a
fluke the Capitals are in the finals."
The Red Wings eliminated Phoenix, St. Louis and regular-season
champion Dallas to get to the finals. With 103 points during the regular
season, Detroit finished 11 better than the Capitals. In addition, the Red
Wings were 2-0 against the Capitals during the regular season.
"They're going to be gunning for us," said Murphy, the only Detroit
player to play all 82 regular-season games. "They're going to use whatever
they can to motivate themselves. You use whatever you can get your hands
on."
One of Washington's biggest weapons in eliminating Boston, Ottawa and
Buffalo in the first three rounds was a 6-foot-3, 225-pound goalie. Olaf Kolzig has been
the most dominant goalie in the postseason, compiling a 12-5 record and
posting playoff bests with a 1.69 goals-against average and four shutouts.
"It's going to be a big problem," Murphy said. "He's big and he covers
a lot of the net. It's going to be a case of creating as many scoring
opportunities as you can because you know goals are not going to come
easy."
But probably Murphy's biggest headache will come from trying to defend
speedy Peter
Bondra, the Capital's leading scorer the past four years. Bondra scored
52 goals in 1996, 46 goals in 1997 and 52 again this season. Through the
first three rounds of the playoffs, he had six goals and four assists.
"You're not going to totally stop him by any means," Murphy said. "You
just try to limit him as best you can."
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