All of those people insisting Detroit goalie Tim Cheveldae is all that stands between the Red Wings and a Stanley Cup need to review last year’s championship. Wasn’t that much-maligned Kelly Hrudey in the nets for Los Angeles?
Sure, Montreal beat Hrudey and the Kings. But the point is Cheveldae is better than Hrudey. While both goalies have their critics, they are helped by their clubs’ potent offenses, which erase a mistake or two most nights.
Blackhawks coach Darryl Sutter denied that goaltending is a Wings weakness, but said, “But Detroit probably can allow to give up three or four goals and still have a chance to win.”
That’s a luxury Sutter’s team doesn’t have.
Give ’em back: The Hawks could use Steve Konroyd on defense now. Remember what former General Manager Mike Keenan got from Hartford for Konroyd in January 1992? The long-gone Rob Brown, now toiling in the Dallas minors.
Although he turns 33 next month, the Wings’ Konroyd is the kind of workmanlike defenseman the Hawks need-a veteran who can play steadily in his own end and be a calming influence.
“People are looking for an excuse when they start blaming our goaltending,” Konroyd said. “Cheveldae hasn’t had a lot of playoff success and the (Detroit) crowd is getting on him. But he hasn’t let that affect him and he’s played better than people give him credit for.”
Best in class: Sutter agrees with the majority opinion that, at the moment, the Wings’ Sergei Fedorov is racing toward MVP honors. However, of the teams Sutter has seen this season, Fedorov’s toughest competition is New York Rangers center Mark Messier.
“Messier dominated in the game against us, especially in the first period,” Sutter said. “He looked like a kid out there.
“One reason Fedorov is playing well is he’s getting more ice time than last season. It’ll be interesting to see how (coach) Scotty (Bowman) divides the time between Fedorov and (Steve) Yzerman the rest of the season.”