News from April 1994
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Pavel gossip line
GAME ONE - at Calgary Flames Walking into this first round series, the relationship between the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames could be described as hateful. Even before the series began, Canucks tough guy Gino Odjick got the snow ball rolling. "A lot of their guys depend on Sandy McCarthy. I'm sure it helps a guy like (Gary) Roberts, who is chippy and plays dirty, but he'll never fight anymore. If Sandy wasn't there for him, he would spend a lot of time getting pounded in the head." The Canucks were, without question, the favourite... to be refried by the Flames. The Calgary Flames were strongest where the Canucks were weakest: in the position of center ice. The Flames had Nieuwendyk, Reichel, Titov, Otto, Kelly Kisio and Wes Walz. Not to mention all star wingers Gary Roberts and Theo Fleury. The series presented a unique opportunity to compare the possible outcomes of the Petr Nedved deal. Nedved was originally going to be dealt to Hartford for Michael Nylander, Zarley Zalapski, and James Patrick. However, that deal was cancelled because behind Pat Quinn's back, the St. Louis Blues signed Nedved to a multi-year contract. Nedved, of course, was eventually given to the Blues for Jeff Brown, Bret Hedican and Nathan Lafayette. However, shortly after trading Nedved, the Calgary Flames made the deal for Nylander and the two defenseman. Before Game One, Pavel Bure was questioned if he was concerned by the intense checking he would encounter against the Flames. "I don't care about physical. We've had so many games that were real tough, against Chicago, against Calgary. I think I'm alright. If someone is going to shadow me, it means other guys from the line have more room. Silencing the critics, at least for a day or two, the Vancouver Canucks walked into the Saddledome and stole the show in Game One. Geoff Courtnall started everything off by scoring first, with a passout from the corner that deflected off the skate of Calgary defenseman Chris Dahlquist. The Flames had trouble rebounding, as the Canucks made it 3-0 by the end of the second period, on goals by Ronning and Babych. With a dozen minutes left to play, the Canucks kept pressing, and added two more on goals by Linden and Jeff Brown to seal the first game 5-0. The goals stopped coming, but there was a lot of rough stuff to end the game. The ending of that game would set the tone for the rest of the series.
GAME TWO - at Calgary Flames If Game One represented sunshine, then Game Two certainly represented shadows. Saying the Calgary Flames cranked it up wouldn't do them justice. The game proved to be a violent, penalty filled match. In the first period, the Flames scored first, with Joe Nieuwendyk tallying. The Vancouver Canucks replied, with Jeff Brown scoring. Mike Sullivan scored again for the Flames, followed by two Al MacInnis goals. The burly Calgary defenseman would finish the game with five points. Calgary went 4 for 10 on the power play, while Vancouver scored only once in nine chances. Goaltenders Kirk McLean and Mike Vernon were ran by opposing players several times in the game, with their teams failing to come through and support them. The worst player on the ice was easily Pavel Bure, who coughed up the puck in his own end to avoid a check, which resulted in Sullivan's short handed marker. Bure, was also in the penalty box when Calgary notched two other goals. Bure confessed afterwards, "I didn't feel very well and I don't know why. Sometimes you're flying, but today I was really far from flying. Everything went wrong." The series was now notched at one a piece, and Vancouver, heading back to the Pacific Coliseum, now had home ice advantage.
GAME THREE - at Vancouver Canucks The Calgary Sun had fueled thoughts prior to Game Three that Calgary Head Coach Dave King, formally coach of Team Canada, would start back up netminder Trevor Kidd. Mike Vernon had surrendered 5 goals in back to back contests, and no one seemed to object. The intense checking didn't feel like letting up for a second of Game Three. The tight checking affair went scoreless into the third period, until Wes Walz tallied 3:33 into the third, on a pretty give and go with Gary Roberts. The Pacific Coliseum's crowd finally got to jump out of their seats when Sergio Momesso replied for the Canucks, tipping a Gerald Diduck point shot just under the cross bar. Later on in the period, Geoff Courtnall missed a wonderful chance to propel the Canucks ahead, but Theoren Fleury, did not miss his chance on the counter rush. He leaned into a thirty foot blast, and the shot flew past McLean, putting the Flames up 2-1. The Canucks and their never say die attitude came into play, and they pressed and pressed, but Gary Roberts ended their hopes at 18:23. As Canuck-Luck would have it, Greg Adams scored to pull the Canucks to within one, but with only one minute remaining, it became useless. The Canucks pulled the goaltender, but failed to score, and Theoren Fleury added his second of the game to make the final score 4-2. Pat Quinn summed it up afterwards saying, "It was an excellent hockey game, but unfortunately we weren't good enough to get through it. When the game was on the line, we didn't have the discipline to win." The choice of keeping goaltender Mike Vernon between the pipes proved to be a good one, and the difference, for Dave King and his team.
GAME FOUR - at Vancouver Canucks Mike Vernon wore his same lucky jock strap for Game Four, as he again stole the show, and was as solid as a rock. Ex-Canuck Ronnie Stern scored the first goal of the game for the Calgary squad. Valuable waiver choice Martin Gelinas potted the Canucks first goal to even the score at one apiece, when he buried a bouncing puck past a declining Mike Vernon. Trevor Linden scored his 3rd goal of the series to make it 2-1 Canucks going into the 3rd period. The score was very favourable to the Flames, as Vernon was on his A game. During the second period, both Nieuwendyk and Joel Otto went down with injuries in the knee. When the two Calgary centres did not return for the final frame, Vancouver's chances of evening the series looked to be in their favour. But like a message from Mission: Impossible, the Canucks self destructed. Brutal defensive zone coverage ended up in a tally by Wes Walz only 44 seconds into the period. Only minutes later, Kirk McLean botched a clearing attempt, and the puck hit the tape of Mike Sullivan. Sullivan threw the puck to his opposite winger Reichel, who fed the biscuit to Fleury in the slot. It was Fleury's fourth goal of the series. The final score was 3-2, and the Canucks were looking down the barrel of a musket rifle. McLean, Pavel Bure, and Linden were announced as the three keys to Vancouver's success going into the playoffs, but captain Trevor Linden seemed to be the only one who was playing like he meant it. Pavel Bure was stuck at 3 assists, and Mike Vernon had outplayed McLean in the past three contests. Bure had seven minor penalties and a major under his belt already, mostly from the frustration of being shadowed extremely successfully. Including the previous years' playoff games, he was scoreless in eight straight games. Calgary head coach Dave King commented on the success of the coverage of Bure, but did not want to write off the Rocket yet. "I think you feel good that so far your plan has worked. But you're always thinking: Is this the game he'll find a way?"
GAME FIVE - at Vancouver Canucks Kirk McLean was being heavily critiized for being unable to make the big save when the game was on the line. The pundits had been calling for the head of Captain Kirk, in favour of backup Kay Whitmore. Pat Quinn, resisted the urge and the pressure of the fans to make the switch, and his decision to start McLean was the turning point of the series. Quinn also made other moves, deciding to move Trevor Linden from right wing to centre, and placed Pavel Bure on his right wing, Greg Adams on his left. Both decisions paid dividends, as Pavel Bure ended his goal scoring drought at 4:48 of the first period, on a one timed shot from the perfect pass of Greg Adams. But only 65 seconds later, Dana Murzyn, was caught deep in the zone of the Flames, and German Titov scored on a three on one. Both netminders must have drank some magical potion, because they put on a show for the ages. In the third period, Kirk McLean stood on his head and made saves on Gary Roberts, Robert Reichel and Trent Yawney. Again in overtime, McLean answered the call once more, denying Ronnie Stern. Eight minutes into the overtime period, the Canucks got a break when Gerald Diduck's pass skipped through Kevin Dahl's skates. Geoff Courtnall, fresh off the bench, ate the pass like a starved dog, and wired a shot from the right faceoff circle that beat Vernon's glove hand side. The Vancouver Canucks had new life, and it proved to be the turn around in their season. "It's fun now, and every shift is exciting," defenseman Gerald Diduck said. "You almost get the feeling of the fans a little bit. When you're out there, you're working hard and focused and concentrating. Then when you're on the bench, it's great hockey to watch, too, even from the bench." In their next practice, several Canucks took the day off, including Trevor Linden, Murray Craven, Cliff Ronning, Jeff Brown and Bret Hedican. Murray Craven was doubtful for the next game, as he had a sore back. Rookie centre Mike Peca was called up from the Oshawa 67s of the OHL as insurance, but wouldn't end up playing. Some Flame players felt that the momentum had swung to the Canucks. "Vancouver came in here and did what they had to do," captain Joe Nieuwendyk said. "They were hard on the puck and played well defensively. We have to stay confident, focused. We have to go there and do to them what they did to us."
GAME SIX - at Calgary Flames Game Six reinforced the fact that this series was not for the squeemish. After the Calgary squad had fallen behind 2-1 to the Canucks on goals by Diduck and Joe Charbonneau, the Flames took the helm. Early on in the third frame, Wes Walz tied up the game on a deflected point drive from Zalapski. Calgary would go on to outshoot Vancouver 10-2 the rest of the period, and Kirk McLean didn't just stand, he danced on his head. McLean turned aside Theo Fleury and Robert Reichel from in close. With four minutes left in the overtime period, the Calgary team was issued a bench minor for too many men. Pat Quinn called a timeout and enforced to his players to forget about picking the corner, and just throw the puck at the net. Quinn's words of wisdom worked, as Linden won a faceoff back to Bure. Pavel took a low shot, which bounced off a body onto Linden's stick, who potted the puck without any mistake. The goal gave the Canucks the 3-2 overtime victory and the 3-3 tie in the series.
GAME SEVEN - at Calgary Flames In the town of Calgary, the word choke was thrown around all over the headlines. Game Seven proved to be the best game yet, one of the most exciting in club history. Although Dave King was readjusting his collar, his team wasn't. The Flames jumped out to the early lead on a goal by Theo Fleury at 5:04. Pavel Bure replied with a power play marker on a simple scoop in from the edge of the crease. Just tow minutes later, Murray Craven, sore back and all, took a weak shot that bounced off two Flame skates and onto the tape of Geoff Courtnall, positioned in the slot. Courtnall made no mistake about it, burying his shot past Vernon. Despite being outshot 16-6, the Canucks hurdled to the dressing room up 2-1 after one period. In the second, steam rolling past the Canucks were the Flames, again firing 16 shots at goaltender McLean. They shocked the Canucks going up 3-2 on markers by Ronnie Stern and Fleury again, his sixth goal of the series. So what did the Canucks do? In a truly suspenseful manner, they pretended like they wanted to go home packing, getting only 3 shots in the first 16 minutes at Mike Vernon. Then, Pavel Bure found linemate Greg Adams with a pass down low, and Gus Adams gunned his way to the goalmouth and threw a backhanded shot at the net. The chance hit Vernon's pads and trickled into the back of the net. Headed once again into overtime for the third straight game with the score knotted 3-3. Both teams were given chances to end it, but they failed to convert. The Canucks swarmed the net of the Flames, and a drive by Craven had suddenly turned the other direction. The puck jumped to Gary Roberts, who chipped the puck into the neutral zone past a trapped Dana Murzyn. Fleury stormed onto the puck and was joined by Robert Reichel. Roberts than turned the play into a 3-on-1, with Jyrki Lumme being the only one back for Vancouver. Fleury held the puck and froze McLean before passing to Robert Reichel. Reichel one timed a shot without wasting any time. Half of the net was wide open, a gaping infamous void. McLean anticipated the pass and in desperation threw himself feet first across the crease. The puck hit his toe and bounced past the onrushing Gary Roberts before he could react. This stop became known to many as The Save of the Century, and to some, simply The Save. CKNW colourman Tom Larscheid was ecstatic saying McLean, possessing amazing "catlike" reflexes, had made the save of his life.
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