November 18, 2011
The Maven: Star power
When it comes to players who can light up the league, Rangers’ trio shines the brightest
by Stan Fischler/Columnist
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.”
--- Jane Taylor, “The Star”
There are hockey players and then there are hockey players and then there are HOCKEY PLAYERS.
You can call them the most-holy-blessed-be-hes, marquee men, skaters of the center stage or whatever denotes extraordinary on NHL ice.
They are easily recognized in any number of ways, starting with the weight of their press clippings, the overwhelming numbers of times they face television cameras or the surplus of trophies on their mantelpiece.
If that doesn’t work, try chasing down their contract size, in which the numbers stretch from here to there, and the years make calendars blush with envy.
Ilya Kovalchuk’s pact with the Devils extends from here to eternity – or, by Collective Bargaining Agreement standards -- 15 years at $100 million. Not that the Rangers latest savior, Brad Richards, needs to vacate the center ring; not at nine years at $60 million.
We’re talking about superstars who have paid their dues, boast laudable credentials and never will be asked to play bit parts for the rest of their hockey lives.
These big stars twinkle big-time but Richard’s kilowatt power automatically exceeds Kovy’s because Richards is featured on Broadway, where the lights never dim, not even at 3-o’clock in the morning.
Likewise, it’s different on the island; it has to be when the biggest attraction across from the Uniondale arena happens to be the Coliseum Deli on Hempstead Turnpike.
Five of the greatest players of all-time – Hall of Famers Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Billy Smith and Clark Gillies – will be the first to tell you that starring in suburbia is not quite the same as shining on Seventh Avenue -- even when you win four straight Stanley Cups and no less than nineteen consecutive playoff series.
On the other hand, that in no way detracts from the distinct possibility that Isles forward John Tavares – 21-years -old compared to Richards’ 31 – someday may be as prominent as Sid Crosby or Al Ovechkin.
Trouble is that the Isles ace has only been around for two full seasons, and everyone knows that at least three are required for one to attain top billing.
There are, of course, exceptions. Bobby Orr of the Big, Bad Bruins owned center stage the moment he stepped on the ice. “Bobby,” said his coach, Don (Grapes) Cherry, “was an instant institution, just like Bunker Hill.”*
Likewise, Mark Messier was an institution before he became Rangers captain. And, like some institutions, Messier grew even larger in stature after guiding the Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup.
Which brings me to the question: How do our Met Area teams compare to one another when it comes to star power? Let’s take a look.
Rangers
As Frank Sinatra liked to warble in “New York, New York,” his signature tune, “If you can make it on Broadway, you can make it anywhere.”*
While not precisely true, the theme is evident and that explains why players as far back as legendary Howie Morenz – known in the 1930s as “The Babe Ruth of Hockey” – gravitated to New York because they knew the star power gets its highest voltage on The Great White Way.
More recently, the likes of Bobby Holik and Scott Gomez abandoned the comfort of New Jersey’s dressing room – not to mention Stanley Cup success – for Manhattan, where they scored big, at least with their bank accounts
Now, the Rangers boast the most notable marquee name of the past offseason, centerman Richards, who was coveted by at least a dozen clubs. When his list was narrowed down to a few, it was New York he chose for several reasons, not the least of which was reuniting with his Stanley Cup-winning coach from Tampa Bay, John Tortorella. Add to that the Gotham’s glitter and a juicy pact that sets the Maritimer up for life.
A similar template was in place for Richard’s linemate – depending on Tort’s game-to-game whims – Marian Gaborik when he was considering destinations other than his original Minnesota Wild team. The Slovakian sensation corralled a five-year pact and … poof! Just like that, he became the Big Apple’s biggest scoring star, at least in lights if not arithmetic.
With other Blueshirts, stardom came slowly, almost painfully, as in the case of Henrik Lundqvist. By 1999-2000, he was buried so deeply in Sweden that even The Hockey News couldn’t find him. Eventually, Rangers majordomo Glen Sather did, plucking the goaltender in the seventh round of the 2000 NHL draft.
A good five years passed before Sather invited the Swede to training camp, where he was chosen to be back-up to the main man, Kevin Weekes. That plan lasted about a week before Lundqvist emerged as numero uno between the pipes.
In a space of five years – and with all due respect to Gaborik and Richards – Lundqvist now rightfully claims to be the top hockey star in The Apple and, if you don’t believe it, re-check his nickname: “The King.”
After the Big Three, the wattage dims when it comes to Rangers names in lights. Captain Ryan Callahan (Rochester, N.Y.) comes closest. Another quasi-star is his buddy, Brandon Dubinsky. Not only did he lead the club in scoring (24-30-54) last season, but his 100 penalty minutes indicate that he was one of the most belligerent Blueshirts, which automatically makes him one of the faithful’s favorites.*
Devils
Over the years, the Garden State entry featured stars galore, which accounts for its three Stanley Cups. Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Martin Brodeur commanded as much attention as any NHL aces simply because they were All-Stars — and sometimes even better than that.
The Devils’ galaxy reached its peak in 2003 when coach Pat Burns’ club defeated Anaheim with the Two Scotts, Ken Daneyko, Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner and Gomez hitting the heights.
Following the Cup triumphs and after the 2004-05 work stoppage, hockey boss Lou Lamoriello began replacing departed leaders such as Stevens, Niedermayer and Daneyko with promising whiz kids. By far the most arresting of the new breed was 2003 draft pick Zach Parise. The Minnesota native -- currently the new captain -- immediately displayed his star quality by outplaying Sid the Kid in the home opener in 2005.
Another future headliner – soon to come into his own – is Travis Zajac. This Canadian center, who starred at the University of North Dakota, is currently injured. But, when healthy, Zajac does have the much-needed star power to excel in the Devils’ system.
Alas, when it came to finding someone in the stratospheric realm, Lamoriello swung one of the biggest deals in Met Area history, one to shake up the Devils for years to come.
On Feb. 4, 2010, Lou dealt Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier and Niclas Bergfors to the Atlanta Thrashers for Kovalchuk. Not only did the deal command banner headlines because of Kovy’s commanding presence, but the story developed a chain reaction of news stories throughout the summer of 2010, when commissioner Gary Bettman rejected the 17-year, $102 million deal.
If Kovalchuk was the shiny, new star, there was no question that the evergreen headliner remained Brodeur, who has been the face of the franchise since he guided New Jersey to its first Stanley Cup in 1995. Approaching 40, Brodeur has three Cup replicas on his mantelpiece, as well as four Vezina trophies.
Brodeur's star quality has been enhanced by the simple fact that he's been the most approachable, quotable and insightful of any superstar of any sport in Met Area history. Win, lose or shootout, Marty makes himself available.
Putting a rookie on any star list is rather presumptuous, unless one has an Ovechkin or Crosby in mind. But, every so often, a freshman arrives -- remember Niedermayer -- who displays extraordinary skills. When Lamoriello decided that his first draft pick - fourth overall -- in 2011, Adam Larsson, belonged on the New Jersey varsity, he must have seen some Nieder in the defenseman who turns 19 on Nov. 12.
Islanders
It's a given that no team will ever again boast a bloc of Hall of Famers such as Potvin, Bossy, Trottier, Gillies and Smith. Nonetheless, general manager Garth Snow has deftly manipulated his draft choices over the past few years so that he now is secure in the knowledge that the lads from Uniondale have a few budding aces, if not an actual Richards- or Kovalchuk-quality superstar.
That, however, could change by next spring, judging by the rapid ascent of Tavares to a level among the league's top young turks. Having scored 29 goals last season, the Toronto native showed early-season signs of reaching the 40-goal mark this semester, including a hat trick against the Rangers in a 4-2 win on Oct. 15.
Tavares' glittering counterpart on the blue line is Mark Streit. Presuming he remains healthy -- Streit missed the entire 2010-11 season after suffering a preseason shoulder injury -- the versatile, Swiss-born ace could be the best defenseman of the three Met Area teams. Solid in his own zone, Streit is an excellent power-play quarterback and his leadership qualities were acknowledged when Snow and coach Jack Capuano awarded him the captain's C.
While the Rangers (Gaborik-Richards) and Devils (Kovalchuk-Parise) each are fortified by a Big Two up front, the Islanders’ star situation – after Tavares and Streit -- is more iffy than anything because there's still some unfortunate skepticism about Michael Grabner, who rose from obscurity to a 34-goal season, not to mention Matt Moulson, who tallied 31.
Whether the Islanders have a headliner in goal will depend in large part on whether Al (The Big Cubano) Montoya finishes 2011-12 as well as he started it. For the moment, at least, goaltending-starmanship can be found in Newark and on Seventh Avenue. The Islanders will have to wait and see.
Here, there and everywhere
A year ago, the Islanders employed so many goaltenders, I ran out of fingers trying to count them.
Clarity appeared to be the order of the day as the new season began. Of the netminding corps, three would battle for the prime position -- Rick DiPietro, Evgeni Nabokov and Al Montoya. The majority opinion was that DiPietro would be given first crack to show he deserved to regain what once had been his throne. That failing, the accomplished Nabokov would take over as long as necessary.
To everyone's amazement -- The Maven’s included -- Capuano started Montoya in his club's first three games and the Cuban-American stopper put on a superior performance in each, winning two and losing one.
Meanwhile, DiPietro got bopped in the mask by a Brian Rolston bomb during practice and suffered a concussion, which meant that Nabokov would be the back-up in the club's fourth game of the season, this one at home against the despised Rangers.
Well, whaddya know; Montoya sat on the bench and Nabokov, who had not played an NHL game in a dog's age, started and beat the Rangers, 4-2, looking as good as he did in his San Jose Sharks prime.
All of which means that the Long Island goalie merry-go-round is as dizzying as ever.
