As teenaged major junior hockey teammates in 1992-93 and 1993-94, Scott Nichol and Adam Deadmarsh used to sit side-by-side in the Portland Winter Hawks’ Memorial Coliseum dressing room.
Now they’re on opposite sides in the Western Conference first-round series that continues with Game 6 tonight at the Pepsi Center, and in some ways the circumstances highlight the fact that Deadmarsh’s career ended prematurely because of concussion problems. He played his last NHL game in the 2002-03 season.
Nichol, the Sharks’ “energy” center, is 35. He has a goal and an assist in the series, helping the Sharks take a 3-2 edge in the series.
Deadmarsh, the Avalanche’s video/development coach, is 34, and during the games, he’s watching Nichol — and everyone else — from his video bunker.
In their two seasons together in major junior, Deadmarsh had 76 goals, Nichol 71.
“He made the NHL at age 18, and you just knew he was going to make it,” Nichol said. “He wasn’t the best skater, but he worked the hardest all the time in practice. He went hard to the net and he always moved his feet, and it was such a joy to watch him play in the NHL because he never changed. He was such a great guy.”
When he retired, Deadmarsh had 184 regular-season goals and 26 in the playoffs. Nichol finally got his first career postseason goal in Game 2 of series at San Jose last week, and that was more evidence of his perseverance. He seemed mostly pegged as a career minor-leaguer, spending seven seasons in the AHL and IHL before finally sticking with Calgary in 2001-02. This is only his fourth time in the NHL playoffs, after three appearances with Nashville.
“It’s been a long road, but I wouldn’t change anything,” Nichol said. “I spent those years in the minors, and I went through two ACL surgeries and shoulder surgeries in the minors. It kept me back a bit, but I still kind of pinch myself every day that I’m in the NHL. I was never the best player, but I just kept on going.
“I kept seeing guys go up and I said, ‘Hey, I probably could play up there.” But once you’re a captain in the minors, it’s kind of the kiss of death in a way. You’re usually there to develop the young guys, and I was fine with that role. But I signed with Calgary, with a new coach and a new GM, and I got a chance to show what I could do.”
The Avalanche has a similar story, with fourth-liner Matt Hendricks, who is in his first full season in the NHL, but isn’t officially considered a rookie because he is 28, beyond the cutoff age for Calder Trophy eligibility.
Terry Frei: 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com
