If I Had A River To Skate Away On - Part 2

The long road to greatness that brings it all back home...

As Stanley Cup Playoff hockey gets underway, I write to you, dear reader, a short letter about the ghost of goalies past.

It was a truly serene moment of Stanley Cup foreshadowing. Mario Lemieux, minutes away from winning his second straight Stanley Cup, a sweep over the Chicago Blackhawks. Hawks starting goalie Ed Belfour sitting on the bench — an Iron Mike Keenan mercy pull. A rookie backup nobody from nowhere takes the Eagle’s perch.

Mario floating around at centre, picking cherries, takes a stretch pass up the middle and breaks away past Chicago defensemen Chris Chelios and towards the young goalie, show down, one on one. Mario looking to bury the puck top corner glove side, doesn’t make much of the two pad, pre-flop glove save already in progress. In just his first few minutes, the rookie had the Chicago crowd buzzing, with nothing else left to cheer about except the fantastical saves made by the goofy looking euro goalie with a garbage can on his head. So just to let the world know he had arrived, Dominic Hasek flipped off Mario, two-pad slide glove-save style. The Madhouse roared. Pittsburgh won anyways, easily.

Chicago coach Mike Keenan left the windy city after losing in the final, again, as he had in Philadelphia with the sensational Hextall in net winning the Conn Smythe. Keenan would win the Cup with fellow Blackhawk Steve Lamer on the long suffering New York Rangers, two years later, but never again. After a brief stint in St Louis, Keenan left a trail of firings and failures that would inspire Mike Tortorella into the present day. Keenan returned years later, one more time, for two more seasons with strong playoff teams in Calgary. Redeeming himself. Losing in his final NHL playoff appearance to the Chicago Blackhawks, who would lose to Detroit, who would lose to Pittsburgh in the Finals. Considering his long standing tension with the 6th man in the crease, goalies sure did follow Keenan around. Hextall, Belfour, Hasek, Richter, Joseph and Fuhr.

Norris trophy star D-Man Chris Chelios, recently traded to the Blackhawks from the Canadiens, losing his second Cup in 3 seasons with both teams, stayed behind in Chicago after the 92 finals loss, 10 years in, 20 years to go. Who could forget that the same Chelios while in Montreal had been attacked by the same Hextall while in Philadelphia. A late 80’s rivalry for the ages, Keenan somehow in the middle of it, coming and going. It all reads like a Dan Brown sports prophecy thriller.

But for a young Hasek, the moment with Mario only opened up a door to a very long hall. The Buffalo Sabres scooped up Hasek where he dominated the league for nearly a decade but only nearly won a Cup in 1999, if not for Brett Hull’s game 6, game winner, sort of, and a veteran cast of characters in Dallas, including Ed Belfour. Easily overlook are Skrudland, Keane, Ludwig and Carbonneau, coach by Gainey, all veterans from the 86 and/or 93 Canadiens Cup Winners. Dallas fans will bellyache if the names Nieuwendyk and Modano aren’t included, just cause, but of course.

Finally, Hasek ended up in Detroit in 2002 with, get ready, Brett Hull and wouldn’t you know it, Chris Chelios. The 3 stars, in their veteran prime won it all and made the Red Wings a dynasty and legends of themselves. Hasek the first European starting goalie to win a Stanley Cup. As if?! After a brief sojourn in Ottawa, Hasek returned to Detroit and won it all one more time, with Chelios, both in their 40’s. Hasek the back up to a redeemed Chris Osgood. Chelios the Ponce de Leon.

These tangled webs of veteran Stanley Cup moxie we weave. These players who’s names keep popping up again and again, while others toil on the edges. Keenan, Chelios and Hasek. The combative coach, the indefatigable defensemen, a goalie with enough heart to win.

Hasek stands alone in the net, an individual, like none other since. Still a man of principle. Like Jagr, an enduring will. Both Czech children of the 1968 Russian invasion, who won Olympic Gold Medals and Stanley Cups. That the Russian Tretiek had been Hasek’s goalie coach in Chicago is a beautiful and sad poetic irony. Tretiak the goalie grand master banned from having his own career in the NHL by the same Soviet strongmen who had invaded Hasek’s homeland.

One more time they said. Revered and maligned. Iron men. Dominators. Stayed too long, or just long enough. Either way, who could blame them for trying, again and again, year after year? Like home, returning always seemed possible even when it seemed so far away.

To be continued….