KADRI LOSS A TOUGH BREAK FOR AVALANCHE
Teammates staying positive after forward injures thumb in hit from behind in Game 3
No matter who you are cheering for or what you think of the player, it's always tough to see someone get injured in the playoffs.
At this, the best and most important time of the year, the emotional pain of having to sit out is almost always worse than the physical.
So, even the most die-hard Edmonton Oilers fan had to feel a pang of sympathy for Colorado centre Nazem Kadri, who is out for the foreseeable future after being pushed into the boards from behind by Evander Kane.
Kadri flew back to Denver on Sunday to see more doctors.
“It's unfortunate,” said Colorado defenceman Jack Johnson. “We'd love to have him out there. We saw him before he left. He's in good spirits, he's positive and he's going to do everything he can to get back during this run as soon as he can.
“That's everyone's mentality: staying positive, staying focused. We've got to keep going on. Just keeping our fingers crossed for him.”
It was an ugly incident that could have been much, much worse if Kadri hadn't put his hands up in time to protect himself. Unfortunately, in doing so he broke his thumb.
“Obviously that's a big loss,” said Colorado centre Darren Helm. “He's been a very important part of this team so it's up to everyone to step up and be just a little bit better.”
Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, always in full politician mode during his media availabilities, has been reluctant to address the Kane situation from the start and wouldn't comment again Monday morning when asked about the one-game ban that kept Kane out of Game 4.
The Avalanche, meanwhile, aren't happy with the entire situation. Not only did they lose a valuable second line centre for the series, if not the rest of the playoffs, but the guy who injured him got off with one game.
“It's the dirtiest hit in hockey,” said Johnson. “We figured some form of suspension was going to come down.”
TAKE NO PRISONERS
The playoffs often venture into the dark side, with players pushing the line, stepping over the line and the line itself blurred occasionally by the fog of war.
Teams go at each other with viciousness rarely seen in the regular season, or in any other sport, and the resulting body count makes the Stanley Cup playoffs as much about attrition as anything else.
Then, at the end, everyone shakes hands and wishes each other the best.
Leon Draisaitl has been playing on a bad ankle since Mikey Anderson took him down from behind in a scrum in Los Angeles and he had to limp into the tunnel when Nathan Mackinnon slew-footed him in Game 3. He understands that it's nothing personal, just the heat of battle, and says grudges don't usually extend past the end of a series.
“No, I don't think anything is ever taken personally,” he said. “Both teams want to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. You do whatever it takes.
“Obviously, there are situations where it's on the line, or it's close, but that's the way hockey is being played. That's the way hockey has always been played. It's a tough game. I don't think anyone ever takes anything personally.”
TAKING IT ALL IN
Johnson has been around a long time, 15 seasons, so getting a long playoff run this deep in his career has special meaning.
“It's been fun,” said the 35-year-old. “This is the type of situation you play for and want to be in. I've had a lot of opportunities in the playoffs and was often out in the first round, so it's exciting. I'm not taking anything for granted.”
Neither is Helm, who has also been around for 15 seasons. He hasn't been playing this late since a 2009 run to the Stanley Cup Final with Detroit.
“I think you definitely, definitely are in the moment,” he said. “Like (Johnson) said, you don't take things for granted. My first two years we went to the final both times. So this is an exciting moment. I think everybody realizes what's at stake and we're excited.”
There are situations where it's on the line, or it's close, but that's the way hockey is being played. That's the way hockey has always been played.
CROSSING PATHS
Helm spent 14 years of his career in Detroit, where then GM Ken Holland played a key role in launching his career.
Holland drafted him (135th overall in 2005), called him up as a rookie for the 2008 playoffs, won a Stanley Cup with him and promptly sent him back to the minors to start the following season.
“I love Ken, bringing me to Detroit, keeping me around for as long as he did,” said Helm. “He's done an unbelievable job in Edmonton, he did an unbelievable job with the Wings when he was there. He's a big part of my hockey career.”
Not that Helm was crazy about starting the 2008-09 season in the minors after winning a Cup the previous year.
“To be honest, I wasn't thrilled about it, but that was kind of the mentality of the Wings with their guys, spend some time in the minors,” he said. “I got past that and focused on playing and tried to make an impact when I got back up.”