TWO LOVES SATISFIED


It's been a whirlwind two weeks for yours truly. I got married on June 3rd and proceeded to take off that same evening on a jet plane to London with my new bride. Amidst all the elation of marriage was the harsh reality that I would miss Games 5, 6 & 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. All the games I watched and reviewed, wires I scoured and newspapers I perused coming to a halt with the three biggest games of the year on tap......and me being in a foreign country!!

My wife knows my love for hockey and she was sympathetic of my Cup plight, but hey, this honeymoon thing is a once in a lifetime chance. So I did what most hockey addicts would do: I implored my brother-in-law to tape the three games for me and I would watch upon my return. My biggest task was going through an entire week in London without hearing the results of the games.

This was more easily accomplished than I thought, mainly because Londoners don't give a crap about hockey. It's soccer or cricket there, with hockey not even a one sentence blurb in a sports section, especially with England qualifying for the World Cup during our stay. My one brush with results came from the lips of a fellow American who mentioned the series. I immediately put my fingers in my ears and began humming like a four year old.....and it worked.

So I arrived safely home after a blissful week with my wife, careful not to encounter any hockey talk now that I was back on American soil. I made a beeline to my brother-in-law's house and grabbed the tapes. I was bleary-eyed after seven hours on a crowded plane, but determined to see if Ray Bourque would hoist Lord Stanley.

After some chop-busting from the Mrs, I hunkered down with Game 7, knowing that all the marbles rested on that game........and NOT knowing who won it. It was a great feeling. It was a great game. And it was great to have a wife to snuggle with after it was over.

BOURQUE'S GLORY

So much has been said about Bourque's quest for the Cup. What would he do if he won? If he lost? Would he retire if he won? If he lost? The coverage blurred a more amazing fact: that Ray Bourque was playing hockey at an elite level during a Cup run....at the age of 40. That he was logging big minutes in games that mattered and not some sideline cheerleader waiting for the boys to bring his trophy home.

It was truly classy for Avs captain Joe Sakic to hand the Cup to Bourque to hoist after 22 years of dedicated service. Bourque's grace and commitment to the game made him the sentimental favorite everywhere, except New Jersey. Although even Bourque himself said retiring without a Stanley Cup would not be the end of the world, it just wouldn't have seemed right for this good guy not to make it to the summit.

Of course, the Cup barely had his fingerprints on it before the media could ask him about retirement. He deflected the question, and rightfully so. Bourque can still play hockey at an elite level and now that the Cup is in tow, maybe fans and media can just marvel at the fact that they are seeing a throwback, a rearguard of old time hockey. Let's hope he keeps playing.

ADVANTAGE: ROY

Barring an unforseen incident (or Dominik Hasek's sudden Canadian citizenship), Conn Smythe winner Patrick Roy will be the starting goalie for Canada in the 2002 Olympics. Martin Brodeur looked human in the series and was exploited by Colorado shooting high all series. Brodeur has taken knocks for playing on a good team, and his exposure as a mortal in this series only makes those whispers louder.

Roy, on the other hand, has only added to his incredible aura. Despite a terrible giveaway in Game 4 that cost the Avs the game and almost the series, Roy buckled down and showed why he is the best money goalie ever. Couple that with Canada's poor showing in Nagano and Wayne Gretzky has a no-brainer decision in making Roy the starter. Now if he can just keep Roy in the nets............

PLAYOFF THOUGHTS

Poor Petr Sykora......he missed the Devils hoisting of the Cup last year after Stars Derian Hatcher knocked him out with an elbow. Then, he was one of the few Devils to show up in Game 7 this year only to watch Colorado win it..........Blues goalie Roman Turek went from hero to goat in a hurry. After beating the Stars with stellar play, he spit the bit big time against Colorado. so much so, that St. Louis will have to rethink the goalie position if they are gunning for the Cup.........Although I said he should share the MVP award with Mario Lemieux, Sakic is hands down the best player on the planet right now.........The Kings magical playoff run added up to a two year extension for coach Andy Murray......Watching ABC's story on Chris Drury and former Boston University teammate Travis Roy was gripping. Roy was paralyzed 11 seconds into his first shift when he crashed heavily into the boards. Just seeing the video of Roy on the ice after the crash was a numbing experience because you knew immediately that this was gravely serious. As a player and future father, it's something that wakes you up and realize that life doesn't come guaranteed, even during a game. It will be a great day when Drury brings the Cup to Roy's home.......... Another hockey lifer retired without sipping from Lord Stanley. Devils backup goalie John Vanbiesbrouck called it quits after 20 years in the league. Beezer had a couple of shots at the Cup. He strapped the Rangers to his back in 1986, only to lose to Montreal in the conference finals. He got swept by Colorado in 1996 as a member of the Florida Panthers and fell victim to the Avs again this year after the Devils acquired him at the deadline. "I am retiring officially, tonight," Beezer said after Game 7. "That's the decision I've made. I had a long year and I know this is as close as I'm going to get as a player."

THE HALL CALLS

Congratulations to Mike Gartner, Jari Kurri, Vyacheslav Fetisov, Dale Hawerchuk and Craig Patrick for their election into the Hall of Fame. Gartner ranks fifth all-time with 708 goals and is the only player in history with 15 consecutive 30 goal seasons. Kurri was Gretzky's right hand man for many years as well as a top defensive forward. Fetisov is the second Russian born player to be inducted. Vladislav Tretiak was the first. Hawerchuk is 13th all-time in scoring with 1,409 points. Patrick was assistant coach and general manager of the 1980 Olympic team and was GM of the early 90's Penguin teams that won two Stanley Cups.

RANGER NEWS

Adam Graves won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Gravy had a tough year, losing an infant son and his father while having a subpar year and almost being traded. True to form, Gravy faced it all and made no excuses for his play. And he was the same dominating presence on the charity scene as he is every year. Ranger GM Glen Sather has a tough call to make on him this year........The Rangers signed the WHL's top scoring defenseman, Matt Kinch, to a three year deal. The 21 year old had 18 goals and 66 assists in 70 games for the Calgary Hitmen. The Rangers also signed 21 year old left wing Barrett Heisten to a three year deal.

LET THE SPENDING BEGIN

The Flyers threw out the first free agency pitch, signing forward John LeClair to a five year deal worth roughly million per. This makes Sakic worth at least million per. Rob Blake should command 9-10 million per year. Dallas declined a .5 million option on Brett Hull, making him a free agent. Don't look for Hull to take a pay cut to stay in Dallas..... The most interesting scenarios involve 1. Sakic - will he stay in Colorado or be wooed by St. Looie? 2. Keith Tkachuk - is he going to be traded......again? 3. Where will Blake end up?