The Jets' shortcomings are all in their heads

Sporting News, The, March 28, 1994 by Larry Wigge

It's not spring fever, but the symptoms are eerily similar as we move closer to the playoffs.

A player talks about his team being too soft, as Blues goaltender Curtis Joseph did last week. A coach talks about players not showing up for games and not being tough enough, as Rangers Coach Mike Keenan has been saying for several weeks.

But you don't need a medical degree to find the cure, because the biggest part of this sickness is psychosomatic. This may be a push-button society, but in sports, mental toughness must be acquired, must be prodded, before a team succeeds.

"The problems are all up her," defenseman Dave Manson says with a poke at his head. "I play good at times, five or six games, and think I've got it back. Then I'll play five bad minutes, and it's all gone again."

The toughness players and coaches seek at this time of the season is not measured in Richter-scale hits or Wrestlemania takedowns -- and it starts behind the bench. The coaches who instill mental toughness in their players win in the playoffs.

"We have too many guys who give up," Jets General Manager and Coach John Paddock says. "The players should have become accountable long before this.

"It's fine to have character players on your third and fourth lines. But we need more than that type of player at the top."

That's an example of the archaic thinking that has multitalented Winnipeg out of the playoffs. It is up to the coach to motivate the players. It is up to the coach to make the players play bigger than they are.

"This team has talent," Jets defenseman Dean Kennedy says. "But talent means bugger-all unless it's applied. It's like we're in a leaky boat, adrift in the middle of the sea with no paddle and a tire iron tied around our necks."

Sure, there are self-motivated players. Doug Gilmour plays like he's 6 feet 5, not 5-11. Wayne Gretzky is a wisp of a guy, but he's won four Stanley Cup titles. Jeremy Roenick. Gary Roberts and others. But some players need a push -- and it's obvious the Jets are where they are because Paddock either is incapable of motivating his players or unaware it is part of the job description.

Paddock got some of the toughness he was looking for on defense with the acquisition of Manson from Edmonton.

But Oilers General Manager Glen Sather might be right when he characterizes the trade as four for one.

The Jets got Manson and a sixth-round draft choice. But the Oilers got defenseman Boris Mironov; center Mats Lindgren, who was Winnipeg's first-round draft pick last summer; and first- and fourth-round draft choices this year.

"As much as I would have liked to have had Manson, I wasn't going to mortgage the franchise like Winnipeg did to get him," Blues G.M. Ron Caron says.

Anaheim G.M. Jack Ferreira says the Oilers made a steal, that Lindgren, a Tomas Sandstrom clone with more skill, would have been in the top eight or nine picks in this summer's draft and that he will play in Edmonton next season. And in getting Winnipeg's first-round pick this summer, the Oilers will likely have the fourth and fifth picks in the draft. The highest pick they ever had was sixth overall in 1980 when they chose All-Star defenseman Paul Coffey.

Two names the Oilers are talking about are Moose Jaw left wing Ryan Smyth and Niagara Falls center Jason Bonsignore.

Even more important to the Oilers is the $1.2 million they would have had to pay Manson each of the next two seasons. They intend to use that money to re-sign All-Star goaltender Bill Ranford.

After a 4-0 victory over St. Louis last week ended a four-game losing streak and gave the Jets only their third victory since early January when Paddock replaced Mike Smith as general manager, Paddock talked about the chemistry of his club for next season. Injured right wing Teemu Selanne will be back to form a nucleus with inconsistent but talented Russian center Alexei Zhamnov, Finnish defenseman Teppo Numminen, recently acquired goaltender Tim Cheveldae and Manson.

"It's only one night, but we hope it's a sign of what can happen next season," Paddock says.

It will -- if Paddock remembers he is also the coach of the Jets.

March madness

If you wonder why the Rangers have stumbled of late, look no further than the fact they had to play 17 games in 29 days through last Friday.

It's no wonder the Rangers appeared physically and mentally exhausted.

Every team is complaining about the schedule, which was produced by a computer for the first time.

"Mr. Computer definitely needs a kick in the ass," Maple Leafs Coach Pat Burns says.

Icy bits

After Dave Manson was traded from Edmonton to Winnipeg, Penguins General Manager Craig Patrick turned to Montreal and asked about 6-foot-5, 240-pound minor league defenseman Gerry Fleming. That was after Blues G.M. Ron Caron had also expressed an interest in Reggie Fleming's son. Because of the interest, Canadiens General Manager Serge Savard decided he would rather keep Fleming and sign him to a new contract.... Shunned twice, the Penguins wound up getting defenseman Greg Hawgood from Florida for left wing Jeff Daniels. Hawgood won't provide muscle to the Pittsburgh defense, but he will add some speed to a slow-footed blue-line corps.... Getting defensemen Mike Lalor and Doug Zmolek from San Jose for left wing Ulf Dahlen may not look like much of a deal for the Stars. But look beyond Dahlen's scoring statistics and consider the extra defense and transition Lalor and Zmolek will add to the Dallas offense down the stretch and in the playoffs in the absence of injured captain Mark Tinordi. ...Kings Coach Barry Melrose knows how valuable former Montreal defensemen can be after going through Hall of Fame defenseman Jacques Laperriere's school of hard knocks. That's why Donald Dufresne looked so good to the Kings. And all they had to give Tampa Bay was a sixth-round draft choice.... First, it was center Mark Lamb from Ottawa. Now, it's Rob DiMaio from Tampa for minor league right wing Jim Cummmins. DiMaio definitely will light a fire on the Flyers' second line. But is it too late for them to make the playoffs?