Rick Dudley said he takes great satisfaction watching the Lightning's success even though he was pushed out as general manager in February 2002 and now is GM of the rival Panthers.
"Let me put it to you this way," he said. "I don't think an architect has to live in the house to be proud of the construction, and for the most part, I was the architect of that team. I am proud of that."
Dudley resigned under pressure after he and ownership differed on the wisdom of trading Vinny Lecavalier (Dudley favored it), his penchant for moving players around the organization and conflicts over budget. But he brought in many pieces to the puzzle that have fit so well. And some of his best acquisitions were for bargain prices.
He got goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and defenseman Stan Neckar from the Coyotes for defenseman Paul Mara, forward Mike Johnson, a prospect and a draft pick. He got left wing Vinny Prospal from the Panthers for Ryan Johnson and a sixth-round draft pick. He got defenseman Dan Boyle from the Panthers for a fifth-round draft pick.
Captain Dave Andreychuk and right wing Martin St. Louis were acquired as free agents. Left wing Fredrik Modin was acquired from the Maple Leafs for defenseman Cory Cross and a draft pick, and center Tim Taylor was acquired from the Rangers for Nils Ekman and Kyle Freadrich.
He drafted center Alexander Svitov and right wing Nikita Alexeev. He also hired coach John Tortorella as an assistant and associate coach Craig Ramsay.
"They are obviously an elite team that has a chance to make some noise in the playoffs, and that's what we were trying to get to," Dudley said.
Will Dudley be rooting?
"It's one of those things that if I told you 100 percent I'd be rooting, that would be hard to say," he said. "But by the same token, I've come to the point where I feel very good about their success. It was good to have a hand in it. I miss a lot of the guys and a lot of the people I worked with. There are way too many people not to wish them luck."
His big chance
Edmonton backup goalie Jussi Markkanen missed a March 30 game at Chicago with a bout of food poisoning. The Oilers recalled Ty Conklin from AHL Hamilton to fill in, but he could not get to the United Center on time. The final option was Oilers video coach Brian Ross, who suited up as Tommy Salo's backup. He did not get into the game.
Five questions: With Red Wings rookie Henrik Zetterberg:
Q: If you win rookie of the year, will it be as special as the same honor you won in Sweden?
A: Sweden, of course, is special but I think rookie of the year in the NHL is a little bit better.
Q: Were you warned about the roughness of the NHL?
A: It's part of the game. It's a bigger part here than it is in Sweden. The first couple of fights you don't know what to do, you just look. You just have to keep your head up. It's like a big hitter on the other team you play against. Just know if they are coming and be aware of it.
Q: What's it like playing on a line with Brett Hull?
A: It's been a lot of fun. With him having over 700 goals, he's always right.
Q: Does he do a lot of talking on the ice?
A: He always has something to say. He's a great guy, a great player, so it's been an experience.
Q: Fellow Swedes Markus Naslund and Peter Forsberg are vying for the scoring title. Who's going to win?
A: It's a tough one to pick. But if I have to pick one, I think Naslund is going to win.
Around the league
How the mighty have fallen. The Hurricanes, who went to last season's Stanley Cup final, are going to finish 30th. "We've been battling on the bottom for a long time," coach Paul Maurice said. "We're not real excited about it. It won't go in our brochures." ... The Red Wings and Sergei Fedorov have put off contract negotiations until after the playoffs. ... Despite a fine rookie effort, Ottawa's Jason Spezza likely will not playing much in the playoffs. "He's 19 years old," coach Jacques Martin said. "He's good depth for our organization." ... The Blues are the second team, after the Flyers, to go to white netting behind the goals. ... With the specter of Mario Lemieux's retirement hovering over the Penguins' final game this season at the Igloo, fans chanted, "One more year." "I thought they said, "One more beer,' " Lemieux said. ... Do you think Mario is retiring? He used 25 sticks and three jerseys in the game against the Hurricanes and signed each.
Quotable
"Foppa pa vag att flytta hem" - headline in the Swedish paper Aftonbladet. Translation (according to the Denver Post): "Peter is on his way home" about Colorado's Forsberg playing next season in Sweden.
Quotable II
"I didn't say a word. They just make it up. It's always been like that." - Forsberg's response.
- Compiled by staff writer Damian Cristodero from personal interviews and information from other news organizations.
[Last modified April 18, 2003, 13:17:43]
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