May 31, 2012, Stanley Cup Final Game 1 notebook for HockeyPrimeTime.com
| Stanley Cup Final Notebook: Injuries a taboo subject |
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| Headlines |
| Written by Denis Gorman |
| Thursday, May 31, 2012 01:29 |
Injuries are always a sticky subject in the NHL, especially in the postseason. With the dreaded "upper body" and "lower body" injuries becoming the topic of conversation heading to the Finals, the two coaches involved are fairly tight-lipped. NEWARK, N.J. — The New York Rangers' John Tortorella is not the only coach who disdains discussing injured players.Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter grew testy during his morning press conference Wednesday when asked for a status update on Simon Gagne. The left wing has not played since Dec. 26 due to post-concussion symptoms. He recorded 17 points (seven goals and 10 assists) in 34 games this season. Gagne has skated with the Kings since March just started practicing five days ago. “It's what we said two weeks ago. There [was] zero chance [previously]. Now there's a chance, right?” Sutter said. “I'm not answering that question again about Simon. (He has been) cleared for contact, cleared for practice, traveling with the team. So there won't be any further update on that one because, quite honestly, the answer is the same and I don't know how to answer it, right? You tell the truth or say nothing.”
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That Jonathan Quick is among the league’s elite performers at his position is not exactly breaking news.  Following a regular season in which he compiled a sterling 35-21-13 record with a .929 save percentage, 1.95 goals against average and 10 shutouts in 64 games, Quick leads all playoff goaltenders in save percentage and goals against, is tied with Martin Brodeur in wins and is second in shutouts. So, naturally, the Devils aren’t sweating Quick. “We've seen this before,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “Last round we had [New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist]. This isn't anything new. I think for us the same things apply that applied to trying to get some goals past Lundqvist. You have to get traffic, bodies, shots. You can't get frustrated. Lundqvist shut us out the first two games of that series despite, I thought, a pretty significant territorial edge on our part. We stuck with it. “You're not going to get to guys like this easily. They're going to frustrate you at different parts in the series. It's battling through. We have that experience now. We got rewarded for taking that approach against Lundqvist. We have to do the same thing here.”
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Has the Kings’ success brought hockey to the forefront in Los Angeles?Sutter would not examine whether or not the sport is relevant in the second largest media market in the United States. Instead, he pontificated about what the Kings’ run to the Cup Final means to individual players. “I see kids like [Drew Doughty], [Dustin Brown], [Anze Kopitar] [and] Jonathan [Quick]; all of them have never been in that [media limelight] before,” Sutter said. “It's about winning, right? That's what creates it. Anything else is just BS. We've been able to get past the first round, so players get noticed, recognized a little bit more. Awesome for them. Win another round, becomes more. Third round becomes more. Anybody that's been here for a long time knows that, too. It's about winning.”
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Winning breeds success. It also grows interest in a player, a team and the sport.DeBoer has noticed what the Devils’ run to the Cup Final has meant for the city of Newark. “You see the excitement in the community,” DeBoer said. “I live in the community. My kids go to school. Not just Newark, but New Jersey in general, it's an exciting time. I think with the New York Giants winning the Super Bowl, a New Jersey team in the Stanley Cup Finals – it’s a great sports area to begin with – it’s great timing.” You can follow us on Twitter @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman. Photos by Getty Images |
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 10:48 AM
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