Lightning saga gets personal

By TOM JONES

©St. Petersburg Times, published December 13, 1997

OTTAWA -- Just when it seems things can't get any worse for the Lightning, the team goes to new depths for its misery.

As if a "For Sale" sign at the Ice Palace and owning the worst record in hockey wasn't bad enough, now the team's top players are feuding.

Dino Ciccarelli and the injured Brian Bradley exchanged harsh words through the media the past two days and the whole team has become involved in controversy regarding the health of Bradley, who has not played since sustaining a concussion Nov. 6.

To complicate matters, Bradley was in New York on Friday to have his right wrist examined by specialists. The wrist injury has many Lightning players questioning Bradley's desire to return. "I don't want to get into a (expletive) match with Brian Bradley; I like Brian Bradley," Ciccarelli said. "But this is something that we've all heard the past couple of weeks really. There were rumors that if he came back, then he might be traded and that he didn't want to be traded, so he didn't want to come back. There are all kinds of stories. I'm not questioning whether he is hurt; I'm questioning the reasons, or why, he isn't back. ... I think I'm saying what needed to be said. I just want to know what's going on."

Ciccarelli started the recent mess Wednesday. After Tampa Bay's 3-0 loss in Dallas, Ciccarelli said part of the Lightning's problems were at the center position and that one of the centers (Bradley) wasn't with the team "because he doesn't want to play."

Bradley lashed back Thursday, reportedly calling Ciccarelli, among other things, a "gutless little puke," and a "back-stabber." He reportedly vowed never to play on the same team with Ciccarelli again.

He also said his wrist could require surgery and may be career-threatening.

Ciccarelli tried to call Bradley on Friday to resolve things, but Bradley was in New York and could not be reached. Ciccarelli left a voice-mail message with Bradley's agent, Don Meehan, late Friday afternoon, but never spoke to Bradley or Meehan, who was in New York with his client.

"Hopefully we can get in touch and talk about this," Ciccarelli said.

On Friday, Pat Morris, Meehan's partner who also represents Bradley, said, "I don't think any guy who has contributed to a franchise like he has would want to walk out. If he could play, he would be playing. ... The guy wants to play. The guy has pride. ... It doesn't make sense that he would take the easy way out."

On Friday, Ciccarelli said he was not backing off his comments from Wednesday. But he added that he had nothing personal against Bradley.

"A lot of what (Ciccarelli) said was out of frustration and, let's face it, we're all frustrated with the way we've been playing," Tampa Bay's Paul Ysebaert said. "We all want Brian back. No one wants to second-guess anyone, certainly not someone's health or desire or whatever. But if someone's out, then let's get the best of the best to look at him and get him back."

However, many Lightning players questioned Bradley's absence and supported Ciccarelli's comments. In fact, many admitted it's been a growing sentiment on the team for the past week or so.

"I could sense this coming because I had heard it from some of the players," Lightning coach Jacques Demers said. "I would never question or doubt one of my players publicly. And I won't do that with Brian Bradley. But I knew there was a problem because I had heard it from some of the guys."

Bradley suffered a concussion Nov. 6, but was cleared by doctors to play because of negative test results. Still, Bradley said he was experiencing severe headaches and would not return until they ceased.

When asked Wednesday about whether some teammates were questioning his injuries, Bradley told the Times, "I don't care what the guys say. This is a serious injury I'm dealing with. Until they go through it, they won't understand. I'm talking about more than hockey here. This is my life. You don't mess around with head injuries." Then Thursday, Bradley announced he was going to New York because of the wrist injury originally sustained in January that forced him to miss 37 games last season.

"We want to know what's happening," Lightning assistant captain Jamie Huscroft said. "We all know how serious head injuries are. We were totally behind Brian all along through that. We wished him well and wished him good health. You would never question that. It's a scary thing. I remember early in my career having severe headaches after a concussion even after I was cleared to play. And I couldn't play.

"Then we heard he was coming back and that he was cleared to play and all. And we were excited to get him back. All of a sudden, it's his wrist. What's that? That's what we want to know. We need Brian Bradley. We're being embarrassed out there. We have the worst record in the league and here's a guy that can really help us. We want to know why he isn't here, that's all."

Huscroft even suggested that no one would have questioned Bradley had Bradley continued to be sidelined by the concussion. Captain Mikael Renberg said no player would ever question another regarding head injuries. And goalie Daren Puppa, whose own back troubles were the subject of doubt early last season, said he would never question another player's health.

"Seems like everyone's injuries are questioned when you can't prove it with an X-ray or a test result," Puppa said. "That's the nature of things. There's always doubt. People didn't believe me until it was proven I had a herniated disc."

Still, no one took issue with Ciccarelli's comments, particularly since they knew nothing of Bradley's continuing wrist problems until the last few days.

"It just doesn't look good," Huscroft said. "In a similar spot, Brian would question me. Or I would question Dino. Or Brian would question Dino. Bottom line? We all want Brian back."

Can that happen, though, after the events of the past few days? Lightning general manager Phil Esposito said he has not spoken to either Bradley or Ciccarelli and that, right now, the verbal battles are not an issue because, "Brian's not playing, so case closed."

Huscroft said the problem would be put to rest if, and when, Bradley returns. All Lightning players questioned, including many who supported Ciccarelli's remarks, agreed they wanted Bradley back.

"He's our No. 1 center," Renberg said.

"We miss him badly, without question. We need him," Ysebaert said.

And Demers captured the one thing that everyone can agree with: "I know this: we're a much better team with Brian Bradley than we are without him."

-- Staff writer Tim Buckley contributed to this report.