Burke remains tentative with groin injury

By TOM JONES
Published November 6, 2005

TORONTO - Sean Burke still is not ready to play.

The veteran goalie tested his strained groin on the ice for the third consecutive day Saturday. He used the morning skate to see how he felt going down into his butterfly style, but admitted he remained apprehensive about going all out.

"I was a little disappointed," Burke said. "Not because I expected to be 100 percent, but I did think (Saturday) was the first day I was going to be able to go out there and go down and it didn't feel good that way."

Burke injured the groin stepping on a puck in practice Oct. 29. He sees improvement, but not enough to practice as if it were a game situation.

"It's just that I really wasn't too confident yet going down and I don't feel like I would be able to butterfly with the strength and the speed I need just yet," Burke said. "Hopefully, it's just a day-to-day thing."

MILESTONE GAME: Assistant equipment trainer Dana Heinze celebrated a milestone Saturday night. It was his 1,000th game in professional hockey.

"At the beginning of the year, the first thing I did was look at the schedule to see where my 1,000th would be," Heinze said. "I was hoping it would be in Tampa. Turned out it was here in Toronto and in kind of an ironic twist, it was the Hall of Fame game."

Heinze, 37, started his career in 1992 with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL. He also has worked for the Detroit Vipers of the old International Hockey League and the New Jersey Devils.

"At first I was thinking about it, like oh, 1,000 games really isn't that big of a deal," Heinze said. "But then the more I sat back and thought about it, it's a nice accomplishment. In the 15 years I've done this, trainers come and go. To be able to last this long is something special."

For the past six seasons, Heinze has helped take care of the Lightning locker room at home and on the road, where he brings along signs and nameplates to give visiting locker rooms a Tampa Bay feel.

"I think he spoils the guys rotten," coach John Tortorella said. "I know it's his job, but I think he extends himself. We ask our players to extend themselves in what they do, I think Dana takes that upon himself to extend himself."

Heinze planned to get a game puck and the score sheet and a Leafs photographer was to shoot a picture of him on the bench. He is going to put a display together to give to his parents.

MISCELLANY: Captain Dave Andreychuk played his 1,612th game, tying for sixth on the NHL list with former teammate Ray Bourque. ... The Hall of Fame hosted the Lightning Friday night and showed a special movie about the team's Cup run in 2004. "(It) was tremendously emotional," Tortorella said. "I know that lot of them have seen it before, but it was my first time and it was a tremendous, it was just such an emotional thing."

[Last modified November 6, 2005, 02:02:18]