Hot Coffey helps wake up Pens
By ALAN ROBINSON
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH They had to pay a
high price for it. but a strong dose of
hot Coffey has been exactly what was
needed to revive the Pittsburgh Pen
guins.
The Penguins completed the NHL's
biggest trade in years last week
acquiring five-time All-Star de
fenseman Paul Coffey in a seven
player deal with the Edmonton Oilers
- with one purpose in mind. That was
to make the playoffs they’ve missed
for five consecutive seasons.
And if Coffey’s first three games in
a Penguins’ uniform are any indica
tion. making the playoffs may be the
least of their worries.
"1 m happy with the deal, I hope
Edmonton is.” said Coffey, a two
time Norris Trophy winner as the
NHL’s premier defenseman. ‘I had
(he chance to play on three Stanley
Cup winners in Edmonton, the chance
to play with Wayne Gretzky.
“But now I have the chance to play
with Mario Lemieux, and I think the
talent is here to make the playoffs.
But it takes all 20 guys, not just one or
two.”
It took four guys promising cen
ter Craig Simpson, first-round draft
choice Chris Joseph and veterans
Moe Mantha and Dave Hannan to
pry Coffey and left wings Dave Hunt
er and Wayne Van Dorp from the
defending Stanley Cup champion Oil
ers. The Penguins also will get the
first opportunity to negotiate with
free-agent goaltender Andy Moog af
ter the Olympics.
General Manager Eddie Johnston
has been accused of mortgaging the
Penguins' future for a quick playoff
lix now and, possibly, to save his
job. since it long has been rumored he
would be replaced if Pittsburgh
missed the playoffs again.
But while Johnston agrees the Pen-
Colon youß with the Collegian arts
d»y- • j section
Pittsburgh’s recently acquired Paul Coffey (No. 77) - shown here in his debut
against the Quebec Nordiques last Wednesday has helped revive the
Penguins offense. The Pens are 2-0-1 in their last three games since Coffey
came over in a trade from the Edmonton Oilers.
guins paid a big price, he said, “How
many times you do get the chance to
trade for a guy who's scored 140
points? We needed a quarterback to
run our power play. We needed a guy
to run the ship. "
Coffey hadn’t played in a game all
season after demanding that the Oil
ers trade him, yet he was on the ice
for 27 minutes as the Penguins rallied
from a four-goal deficit and beat the
Quebec Nordiques 6-4 last Wednes
day. He had three assists and helped
the Penguins convert three of their
final four power-play opportunities.
In less than a week in Pittsburgh.
Coffey has:
• Helped the Penguins to two wins
and a tie in three games, including
their first road victory of the season.
• Revived a dismal Penguins'
power play that had been converting
only 14.7 percent of its opportunities.
He’s contributed five assists in three
games, all on power plays, as the
Penguins cashed in on 7-of-17 power
play chances.
• Given Lemieux. the center who’s
considered hockey’s second-best
player to Gretzky, the world-class
teammate he's lacked the past three
seasons. "I know we are going to
complement each other verv well,"
Coffey said.
“I think the talent is
here to make the
playoffs. But it takes
all 20 guys, not just
one or two.”
Scotty Bowman, the former Mon
treal and Buffalo coach, compares
the Lemieux-Coffey tandem with the
old Phil Esposito-Bobby Orr duo of
the Boston Bruins.
"It is difficult to defend against two
great players on the same team,”
Bowman said. “I used to dread play
ing Boston when they had Orr and
Esposito."
AP Laserphoto
• Brought to Pittsburgh the confi
dent air of a winner. "There is a fine
line between winning and losing, and
I hope Dave (Hunter) and I can bring
some of that here," Coffey said. Hunt
er has two goals and assists in his
first three Penguins’ games.
• Generated playoff-like enthu
siasm in Penguins’ fans who have
endured 20 years of mediocrity. After
selling out only three of their first
nine home games, the Penguins have
sold out both of their Coffey-era
games and advance ticket sales are
up.
If
I
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MAKE ——————
Froese
by scoring touch
By KEN RAPPOPORT
AP Hockey Writer
NEW YORK As an NHL goaltender. Bob Froese of the New York
Rangers knows to expect the unexpected.
But even he was surprised by the first goal of his professional career.
That was beyond my wildest dreams," said Froese, who was
credited with a goal in Sunday night's 3-1 victory over the New York
Islanders.
It was only the second time in the 70-year history of the NHL that a
goaltender had been credited with a goal. BiUy Smith, who ironically
was in the nets for the Islanders Sunday night, had the first, against the
Colorado Rockies on Nov. 28, 1979.
Even more ironic, the goal credited to Smith was almost identical to
the one awarded to Froese.
There was a delayed penalty call in the Colorado game against the
Islanders, allowing the Rockies to pull their goaltender for an extra
attacker. Colorado defenseman Rob Ramage attempted a pass from
the corner, but he missed his man at the point and the puck sailed all the
way to the other end and into the Rockies’ net. Since Smith was the last
Islander to touch the puck, he was credited with the goal.
At Madison Square Garden Sunday night, the Islanders pulled Smith
out of the nets for an extra attacker on a delayed penalty in the second
period.
Denis Potvin skated down ice on a breakaway and fired a shot that hit
the metal bar under the net and bounced to the faceoff circle. Brent
Sutter pounced on the puck and attempted a pass to the point. However,
he missed his man and the puck sailed all the way to the other end of the
ice and into the empty Islanders’ net.
"I missed hitting my defenseman on the point,” Sutter said. “They
were getting a penalty and Smitty was out of the net. There’s not much
you can do. It’s history now and we lost the game. It’s not the first time
it s happened. Unfortunately, it happened tonight.
I m not going to dwell on it. . . the loss bothers me more.”
But there was some question after the game whether Froese legally
deserved the goal. Even he questioned it.
Under NHL rules, a player must touch the puck in order to be credited
with a goal. Froese had kicked a leg at Potvin’s shot and was the closest
Ranger to the puck before it went into the Islanders’ net. But Froese
admitted after the win that he never touched it.
"I don,t think I touched it,” Froese said. “I think it ought to be
changed.”
According to a strict interpretation of the rules, the goal would belong
to Lucien Deblois, who touched it last.
“My puck is in the Hall of Fame,” Smith said. “If he didn’t touch it, it
should be changed. He doesn’t deserve the record.”
December 5-6, 1987
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