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Sunday, January 05, 2003

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Pat Burns has read all season the criticism of the Devils' ultraconservative ways. He has read how skilled players such as Patrik Elias, Joe Nieuwendyk and Scott Gomez are a shadow of themselves because of his system. He has been faulted, too, for attendance being way down in New Jersey despite the team's first-place status.

On Thursday, he fired back, delivering a profanity-laced tirade at the Devils' beat writers.

"Do you think I'm telling the players not to score? I've read a couple of articles, and it's just like I'm telling the [expletive] players not to score goals. That's horse [expletive]. Everybody's job is to score goals. Do you think there is a coach in the league who says, 'Don't score goals because this system is a defensive system?' Wake up and smell the [expletive] coffee."

He seemed to single out the Penguins when pointing out that he also is weary of being criticized by opponents. On a visit to New Jersey in early December, Mario Lemieux commented on the Devils' ways, but he was nowhere near as critical as he has been of other defense-first systems in the past.

"I hear these crybabies on other teams saying, 'How do you expect to sell tickets? '" Burns said. "What are we supposed to do, let Mario Lemieux score seven goals, lose, 7-1, and then everyone will be happy? ... Go out and trade chances with Mario and see what happens. There might as well not be a coach behind the bench. Some teams don't like our system because they can't do what they want. If you are that good, then beat the best goalie in the league and shut up."

The Devils aren't alone in struggling to score. The Flyers are frustrated enough by waiting for the likes of Keith Primeau, Mark Recchi and Simon Gagne to produce that Bob Clarke revealed to reporters in Philadelphia he is trying to trade for a scorer.

It could be taken two ways, but Bryan Trottier and the rest of the Rangers' coaching staff was given a vote of confidence Friday by Glen Sather. "I think they've done very well," Sather told reporters. "I'm happy with the way things are." The Rangers have the NHL's No. 1 payroll at nearly $70 million and are six games below .500.

It won't be known until April if the Lightning will make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1996 and only the second time in franchise history. But this month is sure to provide a barometer. In the previous five seasons, Tampa Bay has gone 10-52-5-2 in January, an average of two wins per season in that month. "We're trying to change the ways of the Tampa Bay Lightning," center Tim Taylor told the St. Petersburg Times.

It's early in the Thrashers' coaching search, but Don Waddell earns low marks for originality so far. His only interview has been with Terry Murray.

How is it that the Senators have been able to respond to off-ice turmoil so much better than the Sabres? That might be best encapsulated by this quote from Daniel Alfredsson in the Ottawa Sun about his team's motivation: "We're kind of like Ray Bourque was in Boston. Everybody wondered if he was a great player or not because he hadn't won a Stanley Cup. Well, we're trying to prove to everybody that we've got a great team here."

Give the Canadiens credit for knowing how to take a hint. Thursday night, the Senators' Marian Hossa scored four goals. At the same time, younger brother Marcel Hossa scored two for Hamilton of the AHL. The next morning, Marcel was skating in Montreal.