Anaheim, Calif. – On Wednesday, when it still was possible for Colorado to face San Jose in the Western Conference semifinals, the NHL issued a provisional schedule that said Game 1 of an Avalanche-Sharks series would be Saturday at the HP Pavilion.
At 11 a.m., Pacific time.
That became moot when the Mighty Ducks defeated Calgary in Game 7 on Wednesday night and the second-round Western Conference matchups instead became Colorado-Anaheim and San Jose-Edmonton. Television preferences and other issues slid the Sharks to a Sunday night home date for Game 1.
If the Flames had beaten the Ducks, it would have made for an interesting Saturday in San Jose. The reasons for the early Colorado-San Jose start? Among others, a fear of a multiple-overtime game and another San Jose-Colorado game scheduled for Saturday night – in arena football.
Murphy’s Law applies in hockey, too, and we’re not talking about Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Murphy or NHL vice president of hockey operations Mike Murphy. So if anyone had scoffed at the possibility of a multiple-overtime game, and ruled that the scheduling didn’t need to take that into account, guess what.
It would have gone seven overtimes.
Yet the marathon, into-the- middle-of-the-night, multiple- overtime, is-this-ever-going-to- end game seems to be an endangered species. The new anti-obstruction standards, pared- down goaltending equipment and other issues that have increased scoring make it hard to imagine multiple scoreless overtimes. Plus, the referees have been ordered to at least try to maintain vigilance in overtime and to not consider an overtime game ending on a power play some sort of shame-it-was-decided-that-way travesty.
There were 11 overtime games in the eight first-round series, including three in the Colorado-Dallas series, and only four went into a second overtime period. The longest game was when Edmonton’s Jarret Stoll scored at 8:44 of the second overtime in Game 3 against Detroit.
When he was in Denver during the first round, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league pondered measures designed to lessen the chances of multiple overtimes, including using 4-on-4 at some point in overtime, as is done in the five-minute OT that precedes the shootout in the regular season.
But Bettman said the league decided the overtime games generally would end sooner than in the past, and he has been right about that, too.
Of course, because this is (was) being typed shortly before the puck dropped in the Avalanche-Ducks series, I’m wondering if we were destined for a seven-overtime marathon in Game 1.
By now, you know the answer to that.
Coach Roy
Patrick Roy, part owner and general manager of major junior’s Quebec Remparts, has had a terrific first season as a coach. He moved himself behind the Remparts’ bench after they got off to a 1-5 start in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play this season, and has coached them to the league championship series against the Moncton Wildcats, who are guided by former Buffalo Sabres coach Ted Nolan.
Roy has had some trying personal circumstances in the past year, including the dissolution of his marriage and the serious illness of his mother, Barbara, whose arm had to be amputated because of a flesh-eating disease.
But on the bench, Roy has proved himself a capable coach – and maybe more than that – with his hometown franchise, which plays at the Colisee Pepsi, the former home of the Nordiques.
Before the QMJHL championship series, Nolan – once the NHL coach of the year – even fired the pre-emptive strike of saying he was a bit fearful the Remparts might get the breaks from the referees because they were in awe of the Hall of Famer whose number and name hang from the Pepsi Center rafters.
It seems likely that if he wants to, Roy will coach in the NHL someday.
Forsberg’s ankle woes
The news that Peter Forsberg might need surgery on both ankles and could miss the start of next season shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. Forsberg will get a second opinion from a doctor in Houston this week before a decision is made.
Forsberg’s injury history was the major reason the Avalanche’s half-hearted attempt to re-sign him last summer was defensible. I still feel as if the Avs could have found a way to keep either him or Adam Foote. This is not a validation, though, because Forsberg still had a terrific season – when healthy – with the Flyers, and it’s not his fault the Flyers fell apart against the Sabres.
Terry Frei can be reached at 303-820-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com.
