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Waiting for his turn
Detroit's Legace sits despite a 19-game unbeaten streak
Posted: Monday December 03, 2001 6:09 PM
Updated: Tuesday December 04, 2001 5:01 PM
By Robert Rodriguez, CNNSI.com
O' the places he could go.
But instead of being the No. 1 goalie for an upstart franchise or a playoff contender, the Red Wings’ Manny Legace has sat on the bench most nights watching, first Chris Osgood, and now future Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek get the majority of the time between the pipes.
Never mind that his career record as a Red Wing is an amazing 35-5-5. Or that he is 17-0-2 in his past 19 games. The last time Legace lost, people were returning Christmas gifts instead of buying them.
"I can't explain it," said Legace, who last tasted defeat on Dec. 27, 2000. "I'm just going out there and trying to compete and play. The stars have pointed down on me."
As of Monday, Legace is a perfect 7-0-0 with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage this season. He defeated the Islanders in New York on Oct. 13 and shut out the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Nov. 21. And despite battling a sore neck while Hasek was sidelined with the flu, Legace went 3-0 on an October road swing through Nashville, Carolina and Dallas.
The Red Wings knew they had a jewel in Legace when they signed him as a free agent from Los Angeles after the 1998-99 season. After some seasoning in Manitoba, Legace went undefeated in a brief stint in 1999-2000. The following season, he had only five losses in 34 games.
When Detroit traded for Hasek this offseason, the Red Wings decided Legace was a keeper and Osgood was the odd man out. Osgood was plucked in the waiver draft by the Islanders, where he has been instrumental in their turnaround.
So which is better, getting ample playing time like Osgood or a Stanley Cup championship? Legace would be the No. 1 man in Atlanta, Anaheim and possibly at Pittsburgh or St. Louis. No longer would he be sitting on the bench for big games or in the playoffs.
But how could Legace pass on the perfect setup he has at Detroit? Where else can a young goalie be an understudy and successor to a hockey great, while playing on the league’s most dominating team? Once Hasek retires, Legace likely steps right in.
For now, Legace has remained poised and ready at a moment’s notice throughout "The Streak" (what his teammates call his unbeaten stretch). Asked what keeps him ready when his name is called, Legace mentions the many snipers Detroit has that tee off on him at every practice.
"If that doesn't keep you sharp, you've got some problems," Legace said.
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Bolting from the Bolts?
Disgruntled center Vincent Lecavalier could be shipped out of Tampa Bay soon and headed to Ottawa or New Jersey. According to Friday’s Ottawa Sun, the Senators have offered center Radek Bonk, Chris Phillips and a draft pick for Lecavalier. The Devils reportedly have offered center Bobby Holik and Scott Gomez. Lecavalier and head coach John Tortorella have not seen eye-to-eye on many issues since Tortorella took over, so maybe a fresh start for Lecavalier is just what he needs. Through 22 games this season, Lecavalier has only three goals and seven assists.
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Seeking Pen-sion
Things could get quite ugly in Pittsburgh regarding the breakup between the Penguins and Ivan Hlinka. The former coach claims the Penguins have not paid him the $800,000 he is owed on a three-year contract and has hired two lawyers to possibly sue the team for breach of contract. After Hlinka’s firing, Pittsburgh GM Craig Patrick hinted at offering a scouting position or some other job in Europe to Hlinka, but that has not occurred.
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 Colorado @  Detroit -- Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST
Although the rivalry is not as violent as it once was, these teams still hate each other with a passion. The Red Wings have proven themselves as the front-runner for the Stanley Cup. The Avalanche have struggled to break past the .500 mark this season. But the records mean nothing when it comes to this feud. |
 St. Louis @  Phoenix -- Wednesday, 9 p.m.
EST
Keith Tkachuk makes his return to Phoenix for the first time since he was traded this past March. Tkachuk started his career with the Winnipeg Jets / Coyotes franchise, amassing 323 goals and 300 assists in nearly nine full seasons.
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 N.Y. Rangers @  Toronto -- Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
If Eric Lindros had been granted his first wish, he would have been playing this game as a Maple Leaf. Instead, Lindros nearly has regained his All-Star form to lead the Rangers to a stellar start. Both teams are near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, which adds more intrigue to this matchup.
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Plus: Curtis Joseph
The Maple Leafs goalie keeps on giving Canada's Olympic selection committee reasons to make him the starting goalie at the Salt Lake City Olympics. CuJo stopped his third penalty shot this season in a win this past Saturday against the Blackhawks. So how does this help his Olympic cause? Team Canada lost in a shootout at the ’98 games in the semifinals.
Minus: WAAG jinx
It might not be as potent as the SI cover jinx, yet the Week at a Glance top story and Storylines have had a negative impact on several players and teams this season. Since the Penguins’ Alexei Kovalev was featured two weeks ago as the top story, he has scored only one goal and two assists in six games. Also, the Canadiens were featured for their hot start earlier this season, only to fall back down to reality. And Patrick Roy was highlighted for his shutout streak, only to get pulled out of his next game.
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Plus: Ryan Smyth
More than two weeks ago, the Oilers winger gruesomely broke his right ankle and had a steel plate and seven screws inserted to repair the spiral fracture. But now, Smyth is walking around without crutches, a limp, or even a cast. Although there is no certain timetable for his return, Smyth began riding the stationary bike to get back into shape. Don’t be surprised if Smyth is back for the Olympics. Amazing.
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Minus: Slava Kozlov
The Sabres winger was supposed to be a key contributor in the offense when he was acquired from Detroit in the Dominik Hasek deal. But it seems his lack of production has pushed head coach Lindy Ruff to the brink. In last Tuesday’s tie with the Rangers, Ruff made Kozlov a healthy scratch. Kozlov, who must think a 16-game streak without a goal is a benchmark for greatness, gave the Sabres the play-me-or-trade-me ultimatum on Buffalo radio.
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Plus: New York Ranger goalies
After the performance of both Mike Richter and Dan Blackburn this past week, it's no wonder the Rangers are the most improved team in hockey. Richter recorded consecutive shutouts in wins against Carolina and Tampa Bay. Sandwiched between Richter’s shutouts, Blackburn stopped 45 shots in a win at Montreal.
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Minus: Defensemen
It hasn’t been a good week to be a big bruising bully. Colorado’s Rob Blake missed three games last week because of a groin strain. Also, the Blues’ Chris Pronger could get some time off because of a sore wrist and Chicago’s Jaroslav Spacek will miss up to two weeks with a broken finger. Looks like those delivering the punishment are getting the worst of it.
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"One shot, three goals. Not bad."
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| -- Islanders right wing Mariusz Czerkawski after scoring a hat trick against Washington. Two of the goals came on Czerkawski passes that deflected off Caps defensemen.
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"The whole ordeal was probably the hardest thing I've had to deal with in my life, but I'm really happy it worked out."
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-- San Jose defenseman Mike Rathje
on his holdout after signing a four-year deal worth approximately $8.25 million with the Sharks.
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A lot can happen with a man off the ice. In rotisserie-scoring leagues, the leaders might have wide margins in goals and assists that will take time to whittle away, if possible at all. But remember that power-play and short-handed goals can change in a game or two.
In his weekly Puck Amok column, Dave Wallace lists several players making marks in both the power-play and short-handed goal categories. He also offers advice on some hidden gems that might be in the waiver pool that you can pick up for a quick goal.
Also, click here to read all of our fantasy hockey
coverage.
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Eric Lindros AP |
It was a ho-hum week for Lindros this past week. But this upcoming week should be a different matter.
The Rangers went 2-0-1 with Lindros registering a goal and two assists. His lone goal of the week came in a 2-2 tie with the Sabres on Nov. 27. The game also was the first meeting between the two teams since Buffalo's Varclav Varada drew a three-game suspension for clipping Lindros with his stick. ‘Big E’ also had two assists in the Rangers’ 5-0 shallacking of the Hurricanes and an assist in a 3-1 win at Montreal.
Lindros likely has this week highlighted on his calendar. The Rangers travel to Washington on Monday before a home-and-home series with the Maple Leafs beginning Thursday. It was the Maple Leafs that Lindros originally wanted to play for when he was a holdout with the Flyers. Thursday’s game will be played in New York. But the intrigue of the series will be when the Rangers play in Toronto on Saturday and reception Lindros will get.
As of Sunday, Lindros leads the Rangers in points and is tied for the lead in goals and assists.
Follow Lindros' progress this season here in the Head Games section of the Glance every week.
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| Last week's topic: What is the best arena in the NHL? |
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The PepsiCenter!! Beautiful, comfortable, state of the art technology, good ice surface (so I'm told),good location and home to the best team! GO AVS!
Nancy McGuire, Aurora, CO
Best Arena. That's easy: the Montreal Forum. What? OK then, the Boston Garden.
No Way!? How 'bout Maple Leaf Gardens? Ya don't say.
Adam Reisinger, Towson, MD
Absolutely The Garden. No other place brings together drunken professionals and big-name stars like MSG does.
Andrew Grefig, New York City
The American Airlines Arena of the Stars is the best arena in hockey. I love getting my dry cleaning done while I watch a game. Fabulous.
Jacob Olgreen, Dallas
The Olympic Saddledome in Calgary not only is the best architecturally, there is not a bad seat in the place and the ice surface ranks in the top 2-3 in the NHL.
Dan Dumett, Marietta, GA
Hands down the best arena in the NHL is Skyreach in Edmonton. Any player will tell you it has the best ice in the league and when those fans get going its a nasty place for visiting teams.
Jorge Mariano, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
I don't think there can be a "best". With all new arenas, the NHL rinks have turned into the cookie-cutter baseball stadiums of the 60s...big, spacious with little imagination. I'd take a loud, raucous Spectrum over the First Union Center anyday.
Rick Bauer, Bellmawr, N.J.
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| This week's topic: If you were commissioner for a day, what would you change? |
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Robert Rodriguez covers the NHL for CNNSI.com. "Week at a Glance" appears each Monday during the season.
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