A Step Backward Could Move Lightning Forward

By Mark Pukalo

One simple thing was very clear about this Tampa Bay Lightning season. Every contest counts the same amount.

The Bolts opened the season a respectable 12-6-1 despite showing some troubling signs. Those problems were realized when they went 10-18-5 during the fateful middle of the season, including putrid performances against Vancouver (two) and Arizona. The 20-6-4 finish was good, but not good enough.

Even with all that - though some circumstances might have changed - if the Bolts had held on to a one-goal lead at home against Arizona on March 21 they could have finished with 96 points and in third place in the Atlantic Division.

Ultimately, you knew it wasn’t going to happen for the Lightning after that collapse against Arizona as Ottawa, Boston and Toronto continued to collect points. There was just not enough room for error. 

But in some ways, it’s not the worst thing that could have happened to the Lightning for a number of reasons. Rest - physical and mental - is one, after playing way more games than any other team the previous two seasons. A one or two-round trip through the playoffs this season might also have meant keeping Valtteri Filppula, Ben Bishop and Brian Boyle around while not giving long looks to some of the young players. Filppula’s cap number and no-move clause would have hurt next season while they needed to get something for unrestricted free agents Bishop and Boyle. The veteran duo brought back a second-round pick and a big right-handed defenseman (Erik Cernak). They also were able to deal Filppula without retaining salary. In some ways, it was also a plus that captain Steven Stamkos did not play at the end of the season to give his knee more time to get stronger.

This season provided some answers and showed kinks in the armor for everyone at different times. Ondrej Palat had a disappointing first half and was one of the best players in the second while Alex Killorn was the exact opposite. Jonathan Drouin clearly showed he should be an untouchable, but you still would like a little more consistency and a few more even-strength points from him. Tyler Johnson continued to be inconsistent, but had some great nights. Cedric Paquette had a good stretch, but once again was injured. J.T. Brown was gritty and active, but went backward offensively this season. Vladislav Namestnikov has not shown any progress, especially on defense where Drouin is a Selke candidate compared to him. Adam Erne and Yanni Gourde certainly showed they are NHL players while heady Brayden Point may have established himself as the team’s second-line center moving forward. Let’s also hope Ryan Callahan comes back healthy, because he is way more important than some fans think.

Nikita Kucherov was the team’s MVP and it was amazing he put up the numbers he did after being a bit lost during the team’s bad stretch in January. The only criticism on Kooch, except for the odd no-look pass in his own zone (see Drouin), is his attitude after games. He needs to take a few extra seconds of his time to give more than one or two-word answers to the media, who laud him game after game. It was funny at first. It looks bad on him now.

Victor Hedman had a poor game here or there, but it will be a crime if he’s not a Norris Trophy finalist, and Anton Stralman was tremendous in the final 30 games. After that, it’s still a work in progress on defense. Jason Garrison had a rough first half and only improved when placed beside Stralman. Braydon Coburn was solid enough most nights, but is more of a No. 5 than anything. Andrej Sustr showed a bit more progress than Namestnikov, but he doesn’t produce nearly enough good performances and gets lost in key situations too much. Jake Dotchin was the biggest surprise after being recalled and may just be the third defenseman protected in the expansion draft while Slater Koekkoek - perhaps unfairly - has lost his momentum.

So, what happens in the offseason?

The big question, in my opinion, is what to do with Johnson? Palat and Drouin must be signed. But should the Lightning really go down the middle with Stamkos, Point and Johnson? That’s a bit too small in my mind and Point seems to be more productive at center. Can Johnson alone, or in a package, get the Lightning a top-four defenseman?

Many have talked about trading Killorn and, while it’s not out of the question, if you deal the Harvard graduate you get smaller again. With all his faults - like too many penalties - Killorn is a winner and a glue player. I think you try to trade Johnson and bring in a veteran third-line center (way cheaper than Filppula’s deal would have been) for a year or two to give promising middle men Anthony Cirelli and Brett Howden more time to develop. It certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing if Boyle came back on a two-year deal and started as the third-line pivot. But I bet a team offers him a longer-term deal he cannot turn down.

Teams such as St. Louis, Minnesota and Anaheim - if they don’t go far in the playoffs - may need some more offense and Johnson could fit in there. Minnesota is in expansion draft jail. You wonder if the Lightning could deal Johnson to the Wild (with picks, Brown, a prospect?) in a package for center Charlie Coyle and defenseman Jonas Brodin - then send Brodin and Koekkoek to Winnipeg in a deal for Jacob Trouba. Problem solved with Coyle as your physical third-line center and Trouba makes your top four D formidable. The Wild can only protect three out of the fivesome of Marco Scandella, Jared Spurgeon, Ryan Suter, Matt Dumba and Brodin for the expansion draft. The only good news for Minnesota is it can only lose one player. There is also Anaheim’s dilemma with righty D man Sami Vatanen if they can’t get Kevin Bieksa to waive his no-move clause. If it means exposing Dotchin to get a true No. 3 blue liner, it’s probably worth it.

Imagine if the Lightning could keep both Koekkoek and Dotchin somehow and add Trouba. You could have a top six of Hedman-Dotchin, Koekkoek-Stralman and Coburn-Trouba. Even if you must deal Koekkoek or expose him, you can use Garrison for one more rebound season. Pipe dream, maybe. I’m sure Andrei Vasilevskiy would love to play in back of that group, though. The Russian’s only poor stretch last season was playing behind a defense that was just brutal in front of him. He had little chance. Seems like Peter Budaj would be the perfect backup, but it’s up to the unrestricted free agent whether he tries to be a starter somewhere or not.

The expansion draft will be very interesting at every level. Vegas should be able to put together a solid team for coach Gerard Gallant, but it could be very random what they are looking for from each team. The Golden Knights will need some veterans to lead the way and provide enough cap cash to reach the floor. They could pick the best young player on your team or a veteran that fills a role. GM George McPhee could come to the Lightning’s list and take a veteran D man like Coburn and Garrison or he could think young and pick Koekkoek (if there), Namestnikov or even Paquette. Heck, he could see Brown as a nice third-line player who can fight.  

It seems pretty obvious who the Lightning will protect up front - Stamkos, Callahan, Drouin, Kucherov, Palat, Johnson and Killorn. After Hedman and Stralman, the big choice comes on defense. It likely has to be either Dotchin or Koekkoek, but the Lightning may value Coburn more. Dotchin has probably passed Koekkoek on the depth chart and he’s a righty, but Vegas might look at it another way. Don’t forget Dotchin played with Hedman, which probably makes him look a little better. Ultimately, the Lightning probably protect Dotchin and cross their fingers that McPhee chooses Namestnikov or Garrison. I tried some inception with McPhee when he was in the Amalie Arena press box in March. But I don’t think he will pick Erik Condra.

You can expect Lightning GM Steve Yzerman will wrap up contracts for Drouin, Palat and perhaps Dotchin in the next month. If Johnson is not signed by late June it may be a signal he is being shopped. There’s no doubt his new team would want to do his next contract.

The end of June and early July will be very interesting times for the Lightning. When it’s over, the pain of what fans endured this season might just be worth it.

Vegas Baby

There are teams that will have very difficult decisions on who to protect for the expansion draft in June. That will likely lead to some moves in the final week before the Golden Knights make their selections and teams with cap space may get a few bargains because of it.

San Jose, Detroit, Minnesota and Anaheim seem to the teams with the most difficult decisions. Teams that could go with eight protected skaters rather than seven forwards and three defensemen could be – San Jose, Colorado, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Nashville.

If the draft were this week, here’s what the first Golden Knights roster could look like.

Forwards - Colin Wilson (Nashville), Darren Helm (Detroit), Reilly Smith (Florida), Tyler Ennis (Buffalo), Charlie Coyle (Minnesota), Jannik Hansen (San Jose), Blake Comeau (Colorado), Kevin Hayes (Rangers), Michael Raffl (Philadelphia), Andrew Copp (Winnipeg), Trevor Lewis (Los Angeles), Ryan Reaves (St. Louis), Josh Anderson (Columbus), Curtis Lazar (Calgary), Ryan Strome (Islanders), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Ottawa)

Defense - Adam McQuaid (Boston), Ian Cole (Pittsburgh), Sami Vatanen (Anaheim), Slater Koekkoek (Tampa Bay), Martin Marincin (Toronto), Trevor van Riemsdyk (Chicago), Brandon Davidson (Montreal), Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton), Stephen Johns (Dallas), Alex Biega (Vancouver)

Goalies - Philipp Grubauer (Washington), Eddie Lack (Carolina), Louis Domingue (Arizona), Scott Wedgewood (New Jersey)

Top 150 Movies in my 50 years - 120-111

120. Begin Again - Director John Carney has strung together three terrific movies in a row with music as the theme and this is the middle one that came out in 2014. A brilliant songwriter (Keira Knightley) about to head back to England and a down-on-his-luck record producer (Mark Ruffalo) meet by chance and make wonderful music together in New York. It is imperfect at times and the music is simple, but there are so many rich scenes. 

119. The Hurricane - I was captivated by William Nack's amazing 1992 story on Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in Sports Illustrated and was anxious to see the movie in 1999. While some of the facts were fudged, as usual in the films such as this, it did not disappoint with Denzel Washington producing one of his best performances as a boxer who was wrongly-convicted of a triple murder. "Hate put me in this place. Love's gonna bust me out."

118. Guardians of the Galaxy - The 2014 film from Marvel Studios is an action/comedy romp with a motley crew of superheroes, led by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). Bradley Cooper provides the voice for the cheeky raccoon-like character Rocket, whose buddy "Groot" steals the film. It's just a load of fun and can't wait for the sequel which is out soon. 

117. Saturday Night Fever - The 1977 musical drama popularized disco and made Welcome Back Kotter's Vinny Barbarino (John Travolta) into a major superstar. The dance scenes are tremendous and Tony Mareno's partner Karen Lynn Gormley shines. The Bee Gees' music, especially "More Than a Woman," is key to the film. 

116. Life is Beautiful - Roberto Benigni won Best Actor in 1997 and directed this Italian comedy-drama. Benigni plays a Jewish man who uses his imagination and humor to save his son from death at a German concentration camp. It was the first film that I enjoyed thoroughly despite dealing with subtitles and the ending is both sad and triumphant.

115. Elizabethtown - Cameron Crowe's most under-rated film stars Orlando Bloom as a young man, embarrassed by a huge failure in business, who must deal with death in many different ways. His journey leads him to the realization of what life is all about. Kirsten Dunst has never been cuter as a friendly stewardess. Some think her character was not real, that she was supposed to be an angel that saves Bloom. So many great scenes. 

114. Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese's brilliant 1990 mob drama starred Ray Liotta, along with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, and was based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi named "Wiseguy." Pesci won Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards and will always be remembered for one incredible scene. It is a great film and many would rate it higher, but it is just not one I watch over and over. 

113. 50/50 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of my favorite actors, plays a young man who is forced to deal with a rare form of cancer. Anna Kendrick is adorable as a young hospital therapist finding her way and Seth Rogan's humor does not screw up the movie, which was nominated for a Golden Globe. It is an emotional journey and the story is very intelligently told. 

112. National Lampoon's Vacation - The 1983 road trip romp was the first of the series and by far the best with Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo loading up the Family Truckster and heading to Wally World. When it came out, it was unique and one of the best comedies ever, but many have passed it along the way. Chase's encounter with Christie Brinkley is sure memorable though. 


111. Chasing Amy - Kevin Smith's off-beat film stars Ben Affleck as a comic book artist who falls in love with his lesbian friend (Joey Lauren Adams) and both go through soul-searching issues. Basically, it's just about how difficult love and relationships are. Some critics thought it was too stereotypical and narrow, but in my mind it was thought-provoking, unique - sometimes crude - and hilarious.

Remembering the Whale - 23 years later

By Mark Pukalo

I made it to my seat behind the goal at the Civic Center on April 23, 1992 for the pre-game skate, just trying to squeeze the last bit of enjoyment out of another disappointing season for the Hartford Whalers.

It was a little over a year after Hall of Famer Ron Francis was shockingly traded and the only reason the Whalers made the playoffs was that the Quebec Nordiques were more dreadful in a five-team division. Hartford won 15 games fewer than they lost in the 1991-92 regular season and were no threat to the mighty Montreal Canadiens in the first two games of the postseason.

The Civic Center looked about half full for Game 3, with only the diehard fans in the seats - even the most hopeful expecting to see two more games before moving on to the offseason.

A funny thing happened though. The Whalers came at the Canadiens in waves that night. They hit - even Andrew Cassels. They created. They used their speed. Whether Montreal had assumed the Whale would just roll over or not, the Habs could not get a handle on the game. Murray Craven scored twice while Patrick Poulin, Zarley Zalapski and John Cullen also got the puck past Patrick Roy.

I had always enjoyed hockey and especially liked going to games with my group of friends. But I wasn’t totally invested. Basketball was still my favorite sport and soccer was probably second.

When I walked out of the building that night after a 5-2 victory, I was a true hockey fan. I had never seen a more exciting sporting event. Hockey was No. 1. It has been for almost 28 years since.

I remembered days like that this week with the 20^th anniversary of the Whalers’ final game upon us. It’s hard to believe it’s been two decades since political stupidity and greed took the team away from the community and its loyal fans.

You think about the sorrow and the joy of the 20 years. Unfortunately, many of the memories are painful. One playoff series victory. Many tough days on and off the ice. But there is still something that makes you smile when you hear Brass Bonanza.

I was in the Civic Center for the college basketball game the day before the roof collapsed, but there would be many more close calls for the Whalers when they reached the NHL.

I laid on the floor listening to the radio for Game 7 of the 1986 second-round series with Montreal when Claude Lemieux went high to the glove side on Mike Liut in overtime. The Whalers were probably a better team that season and could have won it all if they had gotten past that game. How much would a Stanley Cup have changed their fortunes?

Hartford won the Adams Division the following season - the only time they finished better than fourth - and lost in the first round, but the most gut-wrenching defeat came in 1990.

The Whalers led the hated Boston Bruins two games to one and owned a 5-2 lead after two periods in a raucous Civic Center. Ray Bourque wasn't skating onto that ice. He was injured. But mistake after mistake led to goals against. Bob Beers scored. Yes, Bobby Beers. Randy Ladouceur was minus-4. Dave Poulin’s shot on the winning goal was traveling so slow it barely got over the line, but somehow it eluded Peter Sidorkiewicz. At least that’s how I remember it. Bruins 6, Whalers 5. Final.

I’ve never been more crushed walking out of a sporting event. It took every ounce of restraint to not punch one of the many disgusting Bruins fans in our face as we left the Civic Center. This night came about a month after Christian Laettner beat UConn at the buzzer in the Eastern Regional final. Crazy.

The Whalers would take that series to seven games, but lose. Same thing happened in 1992. Yvon Corriveau missed the net on a breakaway in overtime and Russ Courtnall scored from the slot to win the last playoff game in franchise history. Whether it was a joke or not, I heard second hand later on that Whalers goalie Frank Pietrangelo told reporters he thought the shot went under the ice to beat him. It was the Montreal Forum. So, who knows?

The team could never win the big game. It was frustrating. But they were the lovable losers. When people went to games, they were hooked. The city would have gone nuts over a long playoff run.

Like any smaller market professional teams, the stands were full when they were winning and attendance went down when they hit tailspins. No offense to the amazing UConn women’s basketball program, but Connecticut doesn’t love that sport. It loves winners.

For most of us, though, the Whalers became a big part of our lives. We got season tickets as a group, sometimes scalped when we didn’t pick that game in our preseason draft, got together before games, got together after, and often cried in our beer.

You remember the great wins like in 1992 and some of the crazy moments, the time freezing rain prevented me from going to a game against Minnesota on a Sunday night after I did a 360 on the highway. Somehow, I got home driving 2 mph with one wheel on the side of the road that night. I wasn’t around for some of the great moments in the mid-80s with Bill, Doug, Chip, Bob and others, when they would talk to players as they walked by at the Chuck’s Steak House bar after games. I was told the story about Ray Ferraro, who would always acknowledge the group in the glory days at Chucks. One night Bill Calhoun, my good friend who passed away suddenly in 2010 and I miss every day, was not at the game. Ferraro, I was told, walked by that night and turned back to say, “Hey, where’s Billy?”

It was that kind of a relationship with the fans. It could have continued.

I remember hearing the story of the group seeing Claude Lemieux at a bar in the late 80s and, after the hockey villain took some verbal abuse from Whalers fans, he simply showed them his 1986 Stanley Cup ring. His brother Jocelyn Lemieux later played for Hartford and became a crowd favorite for a short time. We told him the story of his brother one day and he laughed.  We urged him to help get the team to win one for us in Boston late in a lost season. They went out and won the game. Lemieux was quoted afterward that they wanted to win this one for the loyal fans.

One night the players and officials stood for the national anthem and there was a bit of a delay before the singer started. Frenchy, standing five seats or so to the left of us behind the goal wearing his green Whalers jacket and looking disheveled as ever, took the opportunity to send a message to referee Denis Morel - often noticeable for puzzling calls - who was facing us from the red line. “Hey Morel,” Frenchy wailed for everyone to hear. “What are you looking at?” There was also time that the Whaler mascot made an unintended obscene gesture while riding the Zamboni, but we won’t go too deeply into that.

Those were the days. You thought they’d go on forever. But Eddie Johnston, with the approval of coach Rick Ley apparently, traded Ronnie “Franchise” and Ulfie Samuelsson for Cullen, Zalapski and some guy named Jeff Parker. It was the beginning of the end. They missed the playoffs the final five seasons.

Owner Richard Gordon didn’t know what he was doing. They were always flailing. The Whalers drafted a superstar defenseman named Chris Pronger. But, although you could see his great talent, you remember the day when he put his coat over his head to hide who he was (like no one could figure it out) after several players were arrested in Buffalo. Pronger didn’t want to be in Hartford after a while. When Peter Karmanos bought the team, GM Jim Rutherford dealt him to St. Louis for Brendan Shanahan. Shanny said all the right things at first. But after one of the quietest 40-goal seasons (44) in NHL history, he wanted out.

I went from being a fan to one of the beat writers for the Hartford Courant in the Whalers final two seasons. I learned a lot. It took me to some great or interesting places that I will always remember - Barrie and Kitchener, Ontario, Ottawa, Los Angeles, St. Louis, the pond in Anaheim, Dallas, Toronto, Landover, Mary. and Tampa.

I should have known something was going on when I saw the look on Shanahan’s face in the locker room after the final contest of the 1995-96 season. It was the last game for the Sabres at the old barn called "the Aud" in Buffalo and the teams settled scores with brawl after brawl. There were 156 penalty minutes and eight 10-minute misconducts. Shanahan and goalie Jason Muzzatti were ejected. Shanahan was probably thinking - the Whalers are never going to get any breaks.

“I don’t get it,” Shanahan said to me that night. “Someone has to have more (power plays), but nine to two? I kind of thought the Sabres were just as willing as we were. That’s a pattern that’s developed with us and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop.”

Hmm.

On came another embarrassment when he asked for a trade. The easy excuse was the “uncertainty” of the franchise’s future. He was dealt to Detroit for Keith Primeau, who was a true pro and one of the most genuine athletes I had met at that point. But future Hall of Famer Paul Coffey also came in the deal. That created more drama. Coffey didn’t want to be in Hartford, either. He asked for a trade.

I remember standing outside the visitor’s locker room in Tampa after Coffey’s admission and asking Kevin Dineen about the situation. Dineen simply said, “I don’t want to talk about anyone that doesn’t want to be on this team.”

This only would happen to the Whalers - Shanahan opposed Coffey (Philadelphia) in the 1997 Stanley Cup finals.

Dineen’s return for parts of the final two seasons made those last days more tolerable. He was John Wayne on skates, blowing around Hall of Famer Larry Robinson for a big goal in the 1986 playoffs and decking Mike Milbury - who I heard would need smelling salts to be awoken. But, most of all, he was blood and guts. He was a leader - the kind of player who was easy to root for and gave the media time when it was needed.

Those last few seasons didn’t seem like they would be the last. We all thought they would figure something out. Heck, they almost made the playoffs as a lame duck. State and city officials had to know this was going to be the only chance Hartford had to house a major-league franchise, right?

There is plenty of blame to go around. Karmanos was likely asking for too much. The State wanted to be stingy with the deal and didn’t value the team. Gary Bettman didn’t try hard enough to help broker a deal.

Isn’t it funny how Bettman has spent years and years trying to keep the Coyotes in Arizona and hardly lifted a finger for the Whalers? Heck, he’d probably lay down on the road to stop the Yotes from leaving. In Hartford, he virtually loaded the trucks for Karmanos.

Yes, Karmanos is a very unlikable figure and he deserves it. He didn’t deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame. But, all things considered, he was just a businessman. The Whalers were his business and he wanted to get the best deal possible. If he really planned to move the team to some great spot, why did he chose Raleigh? It was just the best of a lot of bad options.

One local sports host once said to me he was told state officials opened the vault for Karmanos, and pesky Pete did not want to stay. It depends who you believe or want to believe. I can’t imagine that was true.

The main culprits for the demise of the Whalers - after Gordon, Ley and Johnston took out their heart away - were the politicians. Governor John Rowland, who later went to jail as I proudly predicted, did not grasp the fact that the Whalers were going to be the only major franchise a city like Hartford could have.

Rowland and the others were easily played by Robert Kraft, who threatened to move the New England Patriots to Hartford if he didn’t get a better deal in Foxboro. Just move the Whalers out, clear the decks and Patriots are coming. Simple, right?

The politicians all fell for it. Kraft was never coming to Hartford. Not then. Not ever. Rowland and the state legislature could not have been more stupid and own less foresight. Democrats, Republicans, all of them. Joe Leiberman couldn’t be bothered. One of his advisers once told me, there was “no clear advantage to the state to have the Whalers in Hartford.” That’s total crap. The tax money alone would have made them viable. But Rowland’s advisers and some politicians apparently clapped when he announced the Whalers were leaving. What were they cheering for? Did they want to rub more dirt in the wounds of loyal Whalers fans?

Just thinking about the way the state mishandled the situation still infuriates me. Time doesn’t heal wounds. Just think about what it would have been like if the Hurricanes had won the Cup in Hartford instead of Raleigh. All of the state’s “petty fiefdoms” would have been just as in love with the Whalers as the epic UConn women’s basketball team.

Connecticut is a great hockey state. Just look at the NHL rosters. Jonathan Quick, Nick Bonino, Cam Atkinson, Kevin Shattenkirk, Max Pacioretty, Ron Hainsey, Adam Erne, Ben Smith are all from the Nutmeg State. I once had to pick the high school player of the year between future NHLers Bonino and Mark Arcobello. UConn has a Hockey East team now. If the Whalers ever came back, they would thrive with a new state of art arena that could also house UConn sports.

But it will almost certainly never happen. The only way is if an ultra-rich person who loves the Hartford area and the state of Connecticut wants to put together a project. Someone like Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, who knows what he is doing and embraces the situation like he did here in Tampa. Someone who could convince Bettman he is wrong about Hartford.

But Whalers fans shouldn’t give up their dreams. This week they should remember the good times. They should smile when major hockey pundits talk about how they miss the Whale.

I will remember high fives with Bill, Doug, Mary, Bob, Chip, Alison, Dave and many others after big goals. I will remember sitting in Maple Leaf Garden peering down on the fabled ice covering the team and driving through the snow to Kanata, Ontario. I will remember interviewing great people like Dineen, Adam Burt, Geoff Sanderson, Stu Grimson, Glen Wesley, Jeff O’Neill, Sean Burke, Primeau, Jason Muzzatti, Sami Kapanen, Skip Cunningham, Paul Maurice and many, many others. I will remember getting on the team charter the day the team announced it was moving from Hartford and not knowing what to do except glare at Rutherford (I later apologized). Of course, we were headed to Tampa Bay that day. That’s where my hockey soul ended up. And I remember the last game on April 13, 1997 when tears fell freely, when Dineen scored the winning goal - against the Lightning.

We still bleed green. Never forget. It’s been 20 years. But the Whalers will forever live in our hearts.