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Sunday, September 09, 2001

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The natural reaction upon hearing that Saku Koivu has cancer is to think of the man, his family and his friends. To hope he will be able to battle through his ailment toward a full recovery.

But it's natural, too, to think of Koivu the player, for that is how most people know him.

And no city -- other than Montreal, of course -- can claim a greater appreciation for Koivu's skills than Pittsburgh, given that he has scored more points against the Penguins than any other NHL team. In 23 career games, he has 12 goals and 15 assists, averaging better than a point per game.

Included in those numbers have been some memorable performances.

Remember May 3, 1998, the night in Montreal when the Canadiens eliminated the Penguins in Game 6 of the first round of playoffs? Koivu, a left-handed shot, had a broken left hand and was incapable of gripping his stick. But he was the Canadiens' most physical player that night, and he chipped in a goal and an assist in a 3-0 victory.

How about his most recent game against the Penguins? That came at the Molson Centre Feb. 28, when he scored or set up all of the injury-ravaged Canadiens' goals in a 4-2 upset, netting two goals and two assists.

It probably is too much to hope that Koivu will be healthy enough to hurt the Penguins again the next time the Canadiens come to town, Dec. 19. But, as Mario Lemieux said a couple days ago, positive thoughts are key to recovery.

"I truly believe your mind can cure a lot of diseases," Lemieux said. "You have to approach it like you're going to beat the disease. It's not easy when you are in that situation, but you have to battle. You have to be strong mentally. And I think he is, just from what some of the guys have said and watching him play over the years."

The fans in Pittsburgh know that as well as anyone.

The Canadiens have created a special e-mail account for well-wishers: sakukoivu@canadiens.com

Icy chips

Far better news on the health front from Dominik Hasek, who appears to be fully recovered from the mysterious ailment that hospitalized him in the Czech Republic this summer. He had severe pain in his joints and was unable to walk for two weeks, but he worked out with a few of his new Red Wings teammates near Detroit this week and had no difficulty.

The Flames are trying hard to dump Phil Housley and his $2.5 million salary, but it doesn't appear there are any takers, given his price tag and that he had no power-play goals last season despite his reputation as a power-play specialist. Housley, 37, waived his no-trade clause in March to be traded to the Penguins but the deal fell through when Craig Patrick instead acquired Frantisek Kucera from the Blue Jackets.

Herb Brooks, coach of the U.S. Olympic team, did little to sugarcoat his team's weakness in goal during a conference call this week: "Goalies, pitchers, and quarterbacks are real keys, there's no question. Someone out of this group, they've got to come alive for us and they've got to get hot for a couple weeks. That's crucial." His top candidates are Mike Richter and Mike Dunham.

The Avalanche's Alex Tanguay, a Quebec native, after working the left side on a line with Lemieux during one of Canada's four practices in Calgary this week: "I couldn't even talk to him. I was so nervous, I couldn't do too much. I was focusing on him and looking at him the whole time," he said. "When everyone back home finds out, I'll receive a few calls and people asking me about it." For most of Lemieux's practices, he skated between Paul Kariya and Brendan Shanahan. "Pretty good line," he said.

The Islanders this week signed Alexei Yashin to a 10-year contract worth $87.5 million, far surpassing the previous largest package in NHL history. But, even with that deal and the four-year, $20 million contract signed by Michael Peca, New York's total payroll will be $32 million. That's roughly $2 million less than what the Penguins will spend and $4 million less than the projected league average.

Only 24 days until the puck drops between Lemieux and Joe Sakic.

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