Warning: Don't get lost in the Hatcher zone

Sporting News, The, Nov 22, 1999 by Larry Wigge

Derian Hatcher sees a different game since he helped the Stars win the Stanley Cup in June. When he watches a game now on TV, the pace still looks fast and furious. But since experiencing the frenzied two-month postseason last spring, the speed seems to be reduced to slow motion.

"You don't have time to think. You just react," Hatcher says of the playoffs. "The ups and downs are like a roller coaster ride for a couple of months."

And now ...

"It's like taking an old record and changing the speed from 78 rpm to 45," he says. "It's slow ... and slower. That could be why some of our guys are having such a hard time this season."

No longer are the Stars mechanical in their work. But while Dallas is fighting to stay around .500, Hatcher has reached a new level.

Many around the NHL think the 27-year-old Hatcher--a 6-5, 225-pound monster with a mean streak--is the best defensive defenseman in the league. And with a new confidence from that Stanley Cup run, he's playing better than St. Louis' Chris Pronger and is considered a front-runner for the Norris Trophy along with Los Angeles' Rob Blake.

Enter the Hatcher zone at your own risk. In his ninth NHL season, Hatcher has become kind of a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood. If you enter his neighborhood, you make his day.

"You look at him sometimes, and you can tell he's pretty (ticked) off at someone," Avalanche left winger Dave Reid says. "That's when I would stay away from him--and I was his teammate the past couple of seasons.

"When you're playing against him, you don't want to go near him when you know he is mad or when it's a serious part of the game. You can see the fire in his eyes. You know if you get close to him, that stick is going to just whack you across the back. And you'll feel it--for days afterward."

"He's just plain mean--and dirty," says Coyotes center Jeremy Roeniek, whose jaw was broken by Hatcher in the first round of the playoffs last spring. "He's so big and strong, if he gets mad at you, he could break you in half."

Strange, but until that hit on Roenick, a large contingent of Stars fans thought that Hatcher wasn't tough enough, that he should put his mark on more opposing players, that he couldn't help carry his team to the Stanley Cup.

The fire in Hatcher's eyes now is just like that in Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Scott Stevens and Peter Forsberg. Instant intensity.

That the game has slowed to Hatcher's pace is simply a sign that he has arrived. He clearly is in control.

"Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary were still big heroes when I played in Chicago," goaltender Ed Belfour says. "While Gale Sayers and Walter Payton made an impact on offense, Butkus and Singletary took their jobs just as seriously--and teams had to create game plans to counter them. Derian seems to be getting that way for us."

Hatcher's huge reach seemingly goes from Galveston to El Paso, making it tough to get the puck through to Belfour.

"He's got natural leadership skills," winger Mike Keane says. "Sometimes he doesn't even have to say a word. He just stares at you--and you'd better be alert to what he wants."

Most important, Hatcher clearly has become the best defenseman on a team loaded with good ones such as Sergei Zubov, Darryl Sydor, Richard Matvichuk, Shawn Chambers and Jamie Pushor.

"When we made him `captain, some people said, `He's just a kid,'" center Mike Modano says. "But you could see he was going to be a great player."

In this league, you're measured by who you are playing against, and Hatcher matches up against the very best--Forsberg, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Kariya ...

"That's the challenge," Hatcher says. "It's like all the great defensive players the Cowboys have had. They don't score the touchdowns ... but they can still make an impact by stopping the high-profile stars on the other team.

"What it gets down to is fighting for space."

But as he says that, it sounds more like a challenge, like a dare to step into the Hatcher zone, like a mission for someone who soon would fear for his life.

TSN's
Power Poll

Rk.   Team             W-L-T-RT

 1.   Ottawa           12-5-1-1
 2.   Detroit          10-4-3-1
 3.   New Jersey       9-6-2-1
 4.   Toronto          10-6-3-1
 5.   Phoenix          9-5-3-0
 6.   Los Angeles      10-4-4-0
 7.   Philadelphia     10-7-2-1
 8.   St. Louis        10-6-1-0
 9.   Boston           8-6-4-0
10.   Florida          9-6-2-2
11.   San Jose         11-8-2-1
12.   Vancouver        9-5-3-1
13.   Dallas           8-8-1-0
14.   Colorado         8-7-2-1
15.   Carolina         7-7-3-0
16.   Anaheim          8-8-2-1
17.   Buffalo          7-9-2-0
18.   Pittsburgh       4-8-3-2
19.   Washington       6-8-2-1
20.   Tampa Bay        6-9-1-1
21.   Nashville        6-9-1-1
22.   N.Y. Rangers     6-10-3-0
23.   Edmonton         4-8-5-3
24.   Calgary          5-10-2-0
25.   Chicago          4-8-4-1
26.   Montreal         5.12-1-1
27.   N.Y. Islanders   4-9-2-0
28.   Atlanta          3-10-2-1

Rk.   Team             Comment

 1.   Ottawa           Yashin mess is no longer a distraction.
 2.   Detroit          Verbeek's signing means Kocur, Maltby
                        injuries really bad.
 3.   New Jersey       Devils' age is showing in back-to-back games.
 4.   Toronto          Rookie Antropov has proved to be a quick
                        learner.
 5.   Phoenix          Five successful rallies show character, but
                        no preparation.
 6.   Los Angeles      Rookie Kaberle is nearly as talented as his
                        Toronto brother.
 7.   Philadelphia     When Brind'Amour, Jones return, there'll be
                        depth up front.
 8.   St. Louis        Demitra's Slovakian line makes plays others
                        never think of.
 9.   Boston           Joe Murphy? Burns doesn't need another
                        headache.
10.   Florida          Dvorak, who never does anything in October,
                        is wired now.
11.   San Jose         Suter has been real go-to defenseman for
                        Sharks.
12.   Vancouver        Naslund will be asked to pick up pace for
                        injured Messier.
13.   Dallas           Hitchcock to Nieuwendyk: Get your act in
                        gear.
14.   Colorado         The Stabilizer--Adam Foote--comes back to
                        lineup.
15.   Carolina         Rookie Tanabe not just an
                        offensive-defenseman wannabe.
16.   Anaheim          Special teams of '98-99 aren't so special
                        this season.
17.   Buffalo          Rookie Afinogenov's skill may be best on
                        Sabres.
18.   Pittsburgh       Constantine's contract status should not be
                        left hanging.
19.   Washington       No surprise Caps might trade Oates--with
                        his 1-goal start.
20.   Tampa Bay        Tucker's switch to the wing leads to more
                        scoring.
21.   Nashville        Houlder should help defensemen move the puck.
22.   N.Y. Rangers     The Muckler Watch is on--Paddock is waiting
                        in the wings.
23.   Edmonton         Too many knucklehead plays by defensemen are
                        costly.
24.   Calgary          Boos don't faze Fuhr--for now.
25.   Chicago          Look for improvement now that D-man Mironov
                        is signed.
26.   Montreal         Polls say GM. Houle and coach Vigneault are
                        in danger.
27.   N.Y. Islanders   Kenny Jonsson plays more and more crucial
                        minutes.
28.   Atlanta          Deal for Devils' Morrison would be a good
                        one.