The learning never stops

Sporting News, The, June 14, 2004 by Kara Yorio

There might be a long way to go before another season gets started, but when it does, lessons can be learned from this one. Among them is that a well-constructed, low-payroll team with good goaltending can win. But the Wild and Mighty Ducks already proved that. The Hurricanes proved it, too. Now the Lightning and Flames have proved it. That, however, is another column for another time, and there will be plenty of time to write that one over the next few months.

Three other things the 2003-04 season taught us:

1. Nothing is won in July.

This shouldn't really be news to anyone. But sometimes, in those long, hot, hockeyless summer days, it's difficult to remember. A team can look so good on paper, it seems as if there's no way it can't win on the ice. Who didn't think the Western Conference was going to be a battle between the Red Wings, who signed Derian Hatcher and brought back Dominik Hasek, and the Avalanche, who added Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne to Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg? Well, some people knew better. Or maybe it's hindsight, in which case we all know better.

General managers of teams with large wallets--if such people exist when the teams reconvene--need to practice a little restraint. Sometimes things are too good to be true. Hasek, Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace? The Red Wings had an embarrassment of riches that simply turned into an embarrassment, a daily soap opera and constant question until Hasek's groin gave out. Reuniting Selanne and Kariya for their old, productive ways? That didn't exactly go as planned, either.

It's about the big picture, not the big paycheck. Although the Avalanche looked unbeatable at times when all players were healthy and happy, there just weren't enough of those times and, in the end, Colorado couldn't outplay the younger, more balanced Sharks.

2. Veteran experience is good ... in moderation.

Look at the Lightning. Dave Andreychuk and Tim Taylor--that's it, that is their veteran experience. The Flames added Martin Gelinas and had Dave Lowry. It's always good to have been there and know what it takes and be able to pass along the needed even-keel attitude and professionalism. But hockey is a physically draining game where little injuries add up and older bodies can't bounce back as fast. No matter how well-conditioned they are, 40-year-olds just can't take the pounding 20-year-olds can. These guys break down. A roster full of them is never complete. The Maple Leafs are the perfect example. An organization can't become the last stop for every local guy winding down his career, even if it was a grand career. To put together such a roster is asking for breakdowns as the 10-month season stretches from training camp to the Cup finals. A team needs a mix of youth and experience, of young legs and knowing minds.

There is an element of luck--good and bad--when it comes to suffering or avoiding injuries, but there are contributing factors, and age is one of them. The veterans are men in their late 30s and early 40s who have had a punishing life. And as a subset of this lesson, can all general managers please agree that retired players should stay retired? With all due respect to those players pulled from their couches to compete, they stayed at home in the first place for a reason. While there, they can't possibly be keeping themselves in good enough shape to make an effective return.

3. Speed and a risk-taking style can win in the playoffs.

The Devils proved last year that good defense could shut down any fast and furious, skilled offensive system. The defenses of such teams are usually porous, and the severe Red Rover trap forced one turnover after another. But the Lightning took risks this year and won. The Flames used an aggressive forecheck and a lot of team speed to get a lead before shutting down into their prevent defensive system, which was one of survival more than anything and one many teams in the past have ridden to playoff victories.

General manager Jay Feaster says he built the Lightning for the new era of cracking down on interference, hooking and holding. Even though the crackdown has disappeared at times and by no means is complete, Feaster's team has managed to open up the ice. An opposing team will have to have plenty of speed to compete with the Lightning--not only up front but also on the blue line.

A team can be fast and fun--and successful--after all.

Get all the latest news leading up to the draft at www.foxsports.com, keyword: NHL.

SPEED READS

* Wouldn't it be nice if the Stanley Cup finals didn't pit one exhausted, injured team against another? Once again--and this time with the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations making it a problem that can be changed--the season was too long. The playoffs also are too long, but they at least are more entertaining. A shorter season would give fans a chance to see skill, not survival, in the finals.

* Flyers goalie Robert Esche, who underwent hip surgery, says he could be back in time to play for the U.S. at the World Cup despite initial medical reports that stated otherwise. Flyers G.M. Bob Clarke, who has suggested Jeremy Roenick not play in the tournament, must be thrilled.