A wrinkle in Detroit's crease

Hockeytown isn't big enough for both Hasek, Joseph

We all know how dangerous it is to get involved with somebody on the rebound. As much as they may want to be committed to the relationship, all it takes is that lonely phone call from the ex in the middle of the night to rekindle those past passions.

Next thing you know, you're all on Jerry Springer, spewing obscenities and taking wild swings at each other.

OK, so maybe it won't come that in this busted love triangle between Red Wings GM Ken Holland and goalies Dominik Hasek and Curtis Joseph. But it might.

Hasek, you'll remember, dangled retirement as leverage to force a trade out of Buffalo after the 2000-01 season. He won his Cup with the Wings in '02 and then set off into the Czech sunset despite Holland's pleas for him to stay. Holland, needing to replace the six-time Vezina winner for a Cup defense, wooed Joseph to fill the void left by Hasek.

Talk to the hand, CuJo! I don't wanchu no more!

The art of the deal Red Wings GM Ken Holland denied reports that he is considering waiving Curtis Joseph in hopes that some team will pick up the two years and $16 million left on his contract. Holland says he's not prepared to just let Joseph go for nothing. "I was asked if we get to Sept. 28 or 30 or whatever, IF IF, underline IF we get to that point, would I consider waiving Curtis, and I said, 'Yeah, it's possible because anything's possible,' " Holland said. "But the next thing you know, it's in the paper, on the Internet and they've taken out the word 'if.'  "If we have to start the season with these two goalies, we're prepared to do it. If sombody thinks we've painted ourselves into corner, that's not going to get a deal done." So what will? It's been a slow offseason in the NHL with very few blockbuster deals. The three teams most often connected to Joseph are the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. "I have some serious discussions with a couple clubs," Holland said, "and I've had other conversations that were just discussions. The word I'm using is creative in that I'm trying to be creative to get something done. "We have two of the top six or seven goalies in the world and I want to be creative with a trade that makes sense for both teams and is financially sound for both teams. It might take more than two teams, whether it's a three-team deal or something else." Here are the most popular rumors: Detroit sends Joseph to the Bruins straight-up for former Red Wing Martin Lapointe. Detroit sends Joseph to the Rangers, who send goalie Mike Dunham to the Bruins, who send Lapointe to Detroit. There also was speculation that the Wings might be interested in a Joseph-Petr Nedved swap. Detroit sends Joseph to St. Louis, where he started his career, in an exchange of salaries, perhaps that of Michigan-native Doug Weight. -- David Vecsey

"It's definitely an awkward situation," conceded Holland on Wednesday as he continued to work the phones in an effort to move Joseph.

"I mean, what is loyalty? If you look at our franchise, we have a lot of people who have been here a long time -- both on the team and in the front office. This organization really has been built on longevity and keeping people around. But also as a franchise, our standard is to try to compete with the elite teams and do the things that allow the team to move forward. Obviously, the commitment we made to Curtis and the commitment Curtis made to us was a factor. But we are running a business, and sometimes we have to make tough decisions.

"And when there are tough decisions to be made … you just make 'em."

We talk a lot about "loyalty" here on the sports page. It's one of those ambiguous catch phrases we use to explain, belittle, praise or berate the subjects of our little soapbox sermons. As sportswriters and as fans, we feel it is our moral obligation to decide who has and who hasn't shown the proper loyalty … as we define it, of course.

Who was to blame in the breakup between Tom Glavine and the Atlanta Braves? Did Abe Pollin screw Michael Jordan or did M.J. bully his way out of the Wizards' front office? Did Emmitt Smith overstay his welcome in Dallas or did the Cowboys give the NFL's all-time rushing leader the bum's rush?

Pull up a couple bar stools and we'll be here all night.

But there's no debating who is at fault in Hockeytown, where the Red Wings cut the legs out from underneath Joseph by kowtowing to Hasek's whim of a comeback.

"We were all stunned when we were informed of Hasek coming back," said Joseph's agent, Don Meehan. "We went from the feeling of, at first, confusion and being stunned to a sense of being angry to a sense of being angry but realistic.

"I think we all know full well that clubs are entitled to do what they do. And we’ll respond accordingly."

The proper response, Meehan says, is none … for the moment. He is waiting for the Red Wings to work out a trade, which is complicated by the NHL's economic downturn and the threat of a work stoppage causing many teams to shy away from the $16 million owed to Joseph over the next two seasons. Even if Holland can find a taker, Joseph has veto power.

And hell hath no fury like a goalie scorned.

Goal Judge Net Gains and Losses  Hasek '01-02  Joseph '02-03  Record   41-15-8  34-19-6  GAA   2.17  2.49  Sv. Pct.   .920  .912  SO   5  5  Playoffs   16-7  0-4  Photos: Elsa, Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images

Joseph wasn't always sharp last season with the Wings, but his numbers were just marginally worse than Hasek's from the year before. And don't forget that the Wings were transitioning under a new head coach and playing without captain Steve Yzerman until the very end of the season. Yet Joseph and backup Manny Legace still backstopped the Wings to the second-best record in the West.

But Detroit's a funny place when it comes to hockey. When they win a Stanley Cup, it's all about their superlative team-first philosophy. Yet, when they don't win a Cup, it's Chris Osgood's fault. Or it's Mike Vernon's fault. Or, last year, Joseph's fault.

Nevermind that the Wings scored just six goals against Jean-Sebastien Giguere as the Mighty Ducks began their improbable run to the finals with a four-game sweep of the defending champs. Nevermind that CuJo's postseason numbers were slightly better than his regular-season numbers.

Holland says the postseason washout played no part in choosing Hasek over Joseph, but he's also aware that public perception may be otherwise. In the end it simply boiled down to choosing one goalie over another.

"Obviously, Dominik Hasek is one of the best goaltenders in history of our game. His record says that with two Hart Trophies, six Vezinas. We won the cup with him a year ago," Holland said. "He says he's very motivated to come back and play. He's very hungry. In talking to our people here, we made a decision that it we were going to exercise the option on Hasek to protect the asset, for lack of better word.

"We made a commitment when we signed Curtis Joseph to a contract and he made a tremendous commitment to us. And that was the mindset of everybdy in the organization that we were going forward with Curtis Joseph. At that time, I didn't know Dom would be coming out of retirement. He didn't know he'd be coming out of retirement. It created [the awkward situation]. I mean, we've got two great goaltenders, there are families involved, people have to move, there's lots of money involved."

It's easy to understand the lure of Hasek. Few goalies have ever presented such a strong psychological edge, and though he is aloof in the clubhouse, no teammate has ever felt a lack of confidence in Hasek when he steps between the pipes. CuJo, it could be argued, is the opposite. Though a great clubhouse guy beloved by teammate, his presence has been accused of shrinking in some big games.

But you know what? When the Wings needed Joseph to fill the void, he was there for them. And I believe they owed him a little loyalty and a little respect. When the flighty Hasek started talking about a comeback, it would have been easy for the Wings to decline his option and let him try the free agent market.

Joseph will land on his feet, no doubt, and Meehan says neither he nor his client are sweating it.

"Curtis is a stand-up guy, a competitor, and he's not going to back down from any challenge," Meehan said. "It's really not an issue because we'll examine all the possibilites as they present themselves. Curtis is spending the summer with his family … chasing after four kids keeps him pretty busy."

A team will come calling eventually. And if there is any justice in the world, it will be the Colorado Avalanche, who, coincidentally, need to replace a recently retired, future Hall of Fame goalie.

A revived Colorado-Detroit rivalry featuring CuJo vs. The Dominator?

Now that would be the stuff of Springer.

David Vecsey's Voice of Reason column appears weekly on SI.com.

Comments? To e-mail Vecsey, click here.

 

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