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Sunday, May 13, 2001

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The largest market in the United States is just across the Hudson River from the highest-scoring, most dominant team in hockey.

Dream scenario for the NHL, you might think.

Not quite.

Seems strange for those who don't understand the Manhattan mentality, but in New York, the Devils simply don't exist.

Flick through the radio dial, and the sports talk these days is about the Knicks' elimination from the NBA playoffs, about the Yankees' stunning failure to go 32-0 in their first 32 games and about the Mets' sagging offense challenging the Pirates' for worst in the National League.

Turn to the back page of the tabloids, and you will find more of the same. With the notable exception of Tie Domi's infamous elbow to Scott Niedermayer's head May 3, the Devils seldom merit a headline.

Why don't more New Yorkers turn their attention to the only hockey being played in this area this time of the year?

Quite simply, it's loyalty.

A New York sports fan, particularly one of the long-suffering Rangers -- don't you miss those "19-40!" chants? -- would view it as sacrilege to make the 10-mile drive to Continental Airlines Arena. Just as they did in the early 1980s, when the nearby Islanders were putting together a dynasty, these folks stick with their own.

That helps and hurts the Devils.

It helps in that it has allowed them to gradually carve their own identity and their own fan base from the suburban folk who dominate this neck of New Jersey. But it hurts in the sense that these Devils might never get their due.

More than a few in these parts have speculated that if Scott Stevens played in New York, there already would be a statue in his honor outside Madison Square Garden. That if Jason Arnott had scored his Cup-winning, overtime goal last spring for the Rangers, it might have been labeled the second Shot Heard 'Round The World. That if the much-despised Bobby Holik were a Blueshirt ...

No, that's going too far.

Icy chips

The punishment finally fits the crime. If Domi were to have served the remainder of his unique suspension through the playoffs, he wouldn't have had to forfeit any salary, since players are paid only bonuses in the postseason. But since the Maple Leafs are out and he must serve eight games at the start of next season, he must give up $62,671.

Intriguing comment from Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne on the Domi incident, to the Canadian Press: "A thing people don't really talk about is that guys like Domi, they are a little bit different. All the tough guys -- the guys who fight 15, 25 times a year -- there's a side of them people don't understand. For them to do that and play that role, there's a short fuse."

The Senators are coming out in support of Jacques Martin, their beleaguered coach, despite a tame performance in being swept by the Maple Leafs in the first round. Orders from ownership are for General Manager Marshall Johnston to acquire a few grittier players by next season to mix with all that speed and skill.

The Bruins' decision to hire Robbie Ftorek could come back to haunt them should they someday face the Islanders with Kevin Constantine behind the bench. Remember how badly Constantine outwitted Ftorek in that 1999 series when the No. 8 Penguins upended the No. 1 Devils?

The Islanders are down to Constantine, Ted Nolan and Bryan Murray for their coaching vacancy, but Peter Laviolette's name is being tossed around now, too.

You know the end is nigh when the Maple Leafs are considering offering Mats Sundin a five-year contract extension worth $50 million. Sundin can be a restricted free agent July 1, but he can opt for a one-year deal, then hit the open market the following summer. Even so, such a salary increase -- he made $7.5 million this past season -- hardly seems justifiable for a player who doesn't rank among the NHL's top 10.

Did you know that nearly 80 percent of the games in these playoffs have been decided by two goals or less? Hockey fans have been spoiled this spring.

Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@ post-gazette.com.