Mike Keenan's explanation on why he kept Kristian Huselius on the bench for all but six minutes of Thursday's 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche says all you need to know about how the coach thinks the winger will respond to playoff hockey once again.
Informing the media it was simply getting too tough out there for the 175-lb. dipsy-doodler, Keenan instead put everyone from Mark Smith and Marcus Nilson to Wayne Primeau and Jim Vandermeer on the left side of the team's top line, featuring Daymond Langkow and Jarome Iginla.
While we've long known how GM Darryl Sutter feels about Huselius masquerading as a first-liner, now we know how the coach feels.
That means Alex Tanguay will surely return to the top line by default, putting endless pressure on Iginla's unit, which appears now as if it will be counted on for all the playoff scoring.
Craig Conroy and Owen Nolan will then have to shoulder the burden of Huselius on the second unit, further limiting their effectiveness as checkers/scorers.
Someone like Matthew Lombardi will have to step forward soon or the Flames first-round opponent will need only to shut down the top line to win.
Now more notes, quotes and anecdotes from a sports world wondering which GM will anoint himself the league's dumbest this summer by spending upwards of $3 or $4 million annually on Huselius.
Around the horn
It's been several weeks since Russian hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak essentially bilked organizers of the Edge School's Legacy Dinner. Marring what was otherwise a first-class evening, Tretiak spoke for a matter of minutes before officials scrambled to the stage to do a question-and-answer with the Russian goaltender who somehow touted himself as a dinner speaker. Faster than you can say Paul Henderson he was finished, offering very little insight into a fascinating career. He also frustrated school officials by refusing to speak to the media for fear his pristine image in North America would be tarnished if he spoke here about the Russian League he's spearheading to rival the NHL and steal some of its future stars. Hey, Vlad, chances are your league is going to be as successful as your public-speaking career ... Good thing the Calgary Stampeders' two quarterbacks -- Henry Burris and Dave Dickenson -- are well-spoken, classy and community-minded. Otherwise, with the departures of fan favourites Jay McNeil, Brian Clark and Scott Coe this winter, the club would have even further distanced itself from the paying public ... This year's most surprising Sweet 16 participant, Davidson, also happens to be the most intriguing. Not only is the son of NBA star Dell Curry playing the role of the superstar, but two Quebec-born guards, Max Paulhus Gosselin and William Archambault -- are chipping in with clutch roles.
Parting Gifts
Most overlooked deadline deal? The Florida Panthers are 8-3 with D Wade Belak in the lineup ... WR Marc Boerigter has played his last pro football game, having recently accepting a sales job in Kansas City where the former Stampeders receiver and recent Toronto Argonaut played four years with the Chiefs ... D Karl Alzner, captain of the Hitmen and the Canadian junior national squad, said each of the last two gold-medal runs at the world juniors started with a video sent from the Trailer Park Boys wishing them luck in the tourney. "They always cracked us up," recalls the 19-year-old Washington Capitals' first rounder. "Bubbles said last year he wouldn't hesitate to throw on the shoulder pads if we needed his help at any time." ... When C Sean Avery of the New York Rangers is allowed to be wailed on for more than 90 seconds by New Jersey Devils RW David Clarkson, you have to believe it's the linesmen's way of getting back at the game's biggest irritant. Yet, somehow they were able to conceal their smiles.
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