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Hulluva deal for Dallas? Wait just a minute

Sporting News, The, July 13, 1998 by Larry Wigge

Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman says the Dallas Stars were Detroit's toughest test the past two playoff seasons. Give them a couple of goals here or there and they beat the two-time defending champions. Now, after signing former five-time 50-goal scorer Brett Hull, the Stars think they have those goals.

Last season the Stars got serious and finished with the best record in the regular season. Next season, nothing short of winning a Stanley Cup can be considered an improvement. But ...

Hull is not a 50-goal scorer anymore. He was unhappy with the ice time he got in St. Louis last season when he scored a career-low 27 goals and he figures to get even less playing time in Dallas, where coach Ken Hitchcock rolls over four lines.

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In St. Louis, Hull ran off coaches faster than Wimpy devours hamburgers--and despite his praise of coach Joel Quenneville, Hull did nothing to change his reputation as a coach killer.

Consider this:

Quenneville becomes coach in January 1997 and wonders why his players won't go to the net to create more scoring chances. He says it again and again, with no reaction from his players.

I'm standing with Blues scout Bob Plager one game last season and he tells me to watch Geoff Courtnall and Pierre Turgeon their sticks in front of the net while standing at arm's length from the opposing goalie. After the game, we talk to Courtnall about it

"Hey, Courts, why don't you get in front of the goalie?" Plager asks.

"I can't" Courtnall replies.

"You can't or you won't?" Plager asks.

"I can't," he says, shaking his head. "I can't because Brett won't let me. He doesn't want anyone blocking his shooting lanes."

Wait just a minute. Doesn't every other successful team crowd the net? You better believe it. And now you know why Quennevilie said, "No comment," when reporters asked about St. Louis fans booing Hull in the playoffs against Detroit, instead of at least giving a polite defense of Hull after all his years of service to the Blues.

Hitchcock has seen that big shot from Hull, and he saw the Blues improve to the fourth-best record in the NHL last season. But looks can be deceiving, and it's what is behind those goals that will make or break this deal for Dallas.

Chemistry got the Stars to the conference finals. And the opposite chemical reaction of the Hull equation could hurt Dallas more than his loss will hurt St. Louis.

Still, the Stars are right to take a chance on Hull. giving them the goals they crave (especially in a division with more games against creampuffs like Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose and Anaheim, Hull will score more than the 27 goals he had in '97-98). And the Blues were correct in their assumption that they can cut their budget and still keep Quenneville's team system intact with a little more tweaking and in giving Hull's ice time to Pavol Demitra, Jim Campbell ... and Courtnall.

With speed on his wings and not having to worry about a step slower Hull, Turgeon's numbers should improve. The Blues had the most goals in the NHL last season, but their power play was ninth. With players getting the opportunity to crash the net look for St. Louis' power play to improve, even if the Blues don't sign free agent Ron Francis.

"On paper, Dallas looks like a stronger challenger," says Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman' whose team never has had trouble shutting down Hull. "Big games are won with teamwork and chemistry. And that's the part of this deal we won't know about until next spring."

And based on what Hull has shown in St. Louis the past few years, the Stars' three-year $17 million investment has a greater chance to blow up in their faces.

Associate editor Larry Wigge covers hockey for The Sporting News E-mail him at wigge@sportingnews.com.

Hulluva deal for Dallas? Wait just a minute

Sporting News, The, July 13, 1998 by Larry Wigge

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