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Eagle flies coop Look for Gainey to resolve Belfour flap with Hitchcock
Updated: Monday January 08, 2001 4:55 PM
If this were kindergarten, the note home for AWOL Dallas Stars goalie Ed Belfour would read: "Does not work well with others." Belfour bolted in Boston on Saturday after an argument with coach Ken Hitchcock, a dispute triggered by Belfour's refusal to take additional shots in the morning skate as the scheduled back-up always does. Hitchcock had decided to play Marty Turco, who wound up shutting out the Bruins. Belfour is notorious for edgy interplay with goaltending partners, the most infamous being when he told Chicago teammate Jeff Hackett he would never be more than a No. 2. Given Hitchcock's unflagging public support of Belfour through his troubles with police last March, the goalie's flight appears remarkably short-sighted. Look for general manager Bob Gainey to defuse the situation and Belfour to return by the end of the week.
Hlinka must adjust for Pens to contendMario Lemieux's spectacular return has transformed Pittsburgh from a marginal playoff team into an Eastern Conference contender. But unless coach Ivan Hlinka changes his philosophy, they have almost no shot at the Stanley Cup. The formula for a four-series playoff marathon is simple: good goaltending, star players and rolling four lines. Pittsburgh is lousy with stars, but the goaltending is average and Hlinka barely plays even his third line. No team since the 1994 New York Rangers has won a Cup with a shortened bench. A mindful Lemieux already suggested that Hlinka give more ice time to the pesky Matthew Barnaby.Leafs looking to make movesThe Toronto Maple Leafs have hit a wall, winning just three of their past 12 and not beating a team with a winning record in a month. Owner Steve Stavro met with coach and general manager Pat Quinn after Toronto blew a third-period lead against Washington Saturday, the Capitals scoring the winner when faceoff master Adam Oates cleanly beat Nik Antropov on a draw in the Leafs zone.Toronto needs immediate help on defense, and are talking to Los Angeles about star free agent Rob Blake, discussing veteran Phil Housley with defense-rich Calgary and inquiring about Montreal's Eric Weinrich. Quietly the Leafs are still working on a deal for Eric Lindros. Toronto has two obvious assets: the will to improve and enough money to make it to happen. Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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