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Sunday, March 30, 2003

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The Maple Leafs made four bold moves at the NHL trading deadline with an eye toward a Stanley Cup, acquiring playoff-tested veterans Owen Nolan, Doug Gilmour, Glen Wesley and Phil Housley.

But it took only two weeks for euphoric talk of a first championship since 1967 to cool considerably. Nolan has been outstanding, but the other three are out with major injuries, and their status for the postseason is in serious jeopardy.

Gilmour, the subject of a 12-page tribute in a Toronto newspaper upon his return, went down with a torn knee ligament in his first game.

Wesley’s ankle was broken Monday when he blocked a shot.

Housley has been slow to heal from a broken foot he had from his time with the Blackhawks.

On top of that, veterans Gary Roberts, Travis Green and Mikael Renberg are out with injuries that could linger.

“It’s been a real downer for a lot of our guys,” Roberts told the National Post of Canada. “It was such a high after we acquired these guys at the deadline, and we lose Dougie the next day.”

Ted Nolan, easily the most popular head coach in NHL history to have only one season on his resume, told the Toronto Star he remains eager to find work. He has been out of the NHL since an ugly break with the Sabres in 1997, after winning the Jack Adams Award with a fiery manner. “There are some NHL teams that struggled again this year,” he said. “The Rangers haven’t made the playoffs for six years now. If I was them, I would take a chance on me.”

The Lightning is in the playoffs for the first time since 1996, and General Manager Jay Feaster is eager to remind everyone that Sports Illustrated picked his team to finish last in the entire NHL. He not only canceled his subscription to the magazine, but now also wants to have a bonfire of SI preview issues outside the team’s arena. Paul Fichtenbaum, SI’s hockey editor, responded: “Hey, if I was a GM and my team was picked 30th and I didn’t agree . . . I probably would feel the same way Jay did.”

Tampa Bay will be one of six teams in the postseason that did not participate last year. The others are the Capitals, Mighty Ducks, Oilers, Stars and Wild. That is the highest turnover since the 16-team field was adopted in 1979-80.

Feaster isn’t the only GM feeling emboldened these days. The Islanders’ Mike Milbury said the acquisition of Janne Niinimaa at the deadline gives his team a defense without peer. The point is difficult to dispute. Niinimaa, Roman Hamrlik, Kenny Jonsson and Adrian Aucoin are the top four, and Eric Cairns, Mattias Timander and Radek Martinek take what little ice time is left. "No doubt in my mind you'd have to trouble finding a better defense," Milbury told Newsday.

The NHL plans to further restrict goaltending equipment next season, which is bad news for the Islanders’ Garth Snow, who many around the league feel has the largest pads of anyone. One executive with that opinion is Rangers GM Glen Sather, who last week complained to the league about the size of Snow’s chest protector. That brought this reply from Snow: “This sounds like it’s one person crying like a baby.”

Why players are loath to leave places like Pittsburgh for places like New York: A photograph of Alexei Kovalev in the New York Post the morning after the Penguins’ victory there Wednesday identified him in the caption as “Mr. Invisible.” He has slumped for two weeks.