The Lightning wing wants to be known more for his production than who he used to play for.
By JOANNE KORTH
Published May 22, 2004
TAMPA - There is a label Lightning wing Ruslan Fedotenko cannot seem to shake during this East Conference final, even as the hard-fought and highly entertaining series heads to its final game.
Former Flyer.
Peppered with questions the past two weeks about the trade that sent him from Philadelphia to Tampa Bay two years ago, Fedotenko has smiled, nodded and responded in the most direct way possible.
By scoring goals. Lots and lots of goals.
Playing on a line with center Vinny Lecavalier and right wing Martin St. Louis, Fedotenko has scored five goals against his former team, including two in Game 6, to bring his playoff total to eight, tied for fourth in the league.
"I feel comfortable," said Fedotenko, 25, a native of Ukraine. "I feel a little bit like I found my game. I think it's probably carryover from the second half of the season playing with Vinny and Louis. We just kind of took off really well, and it seems like it's carried through the playoffs."
Calgary's Jarome Iginla leads all scorers in the playoffs with 10 goals in 19 games. Lecavalier is second with nine. Fedotenko and Lightning center Brad Richards are among three tied at eight.
St. Louis, Lecavalier and Richards were Tampa Bay's top scoring threats all season, but Fedotenko's playoff production far outweighs the 17 goals he scored in 77 regular-season games.
"I think he's played pretty well for quite a while now," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "I think he's a good complement on that line with Vinny and Marty. And he's put himself in areas to score goals. I think that was one area he was struggling at earlier in the year."
The trade that brought Fedotenko to the Lightning was much-scrutinized because Tampa Bay gave up the fourth overall pick in the 2002 Draft. The second-round pick that came with Fedotenko was used to acquire defenseman Brad Lukowich from Dallas.
"Obviously, when you get a player that can make an impact and play right away, you'd give up prospects for that," St. Louis said. "This series, he's made that trade look pretty good. Feds is a good player, and he's played really well. And that's what we need from everybody."
Hockey is a business, and Fedotenko claims to harbor no ill will against the Flyers, who at the time did not have room for the young wing on their top two scoring lines.
"You can be traded any time," said Fedotenko, who scored 16 and 17 goals in two seasons with the Flyers. "It doesn't matter how well you do or how poor you do. I was surprised I got traded? Yes. But I was upset or I was angry or whatever people think? No, not at all."
Fedotenko seemed in perfect position to have the last laugh Thursday. In Game 6, the Lightning's first chance to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup final, Fedotenko scored what stood to be the tying and winning goals barely two minutes apart in the second period. It would have been the perfect story line, but Flyers captain Keith Primeau scored with 1:49 left in regulation to force overtime.
The Flyers won to set up Game 7.
"We work hard all year to have home-ice advantage, and hopefully, we can take advantage of that," Fedotenko said. "We have a great team. We have confidence in everybody in the room. We know we can do it."
Maybe then Fedotenko could shake that sticky label.
"We're all happy for Feds for the success that he's had against his former team, but I think Feds would like success against any team at this time of the year," St. Louis said. "Feds has moved on. He's a Lightning now. He belongs here."
