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Lightning: no fear of lack of height

Several Tampa Bay forwards will make an impact with speed and strength, not size.

By KEVIN KELLY

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 5, 2000

[Times photo: Dirk Shadd] Defenseman Petr Svoboda stands 6 inches taller than forward Alexander Kharitonov.

BRANDON -- He is the tallest member of his family.

That alone gets Steve Martins excited.

"I consider myself lucky, man," he says.

But when the 5-foot-9 forward sits in a locker room full of super-sized defenseman, it's a different story.

"That's when you start questioning your size," he said.

Martins is one of five Lightning forwards who stand 5 feet 11 or smaller. The others are Martin St. Louis (5-7), Brian Holzinger (5-11), Stan Drulia (5-11) and Alexander Kharitonov (5-9).

"I hang around Martin because I feel so tall around him," Martins said jokingly this week. "We have similar backgrounds in that a lot of people question us because of our size. Otherwise, I hate Marty."

Look past the jokes because this is no novelty.

It was done by design.

Four of the five have not played a full season with the Lightning, coming to the team via trade (Holzinger), the draft (Kharitonov), waivers (Martins) and free agency (St. Louis) within the past year.

"They have unique skills," general manager Rick Dudley said. "We were trying to get faster. These guys are very fast, and in today's game, it's changed a little bit in that the rules are set so a smaller player can play and not be completely negated by a big lummox."

The NHL's desire to call obstruction penalties in the neutral zone this season may help.

"If the NHL ... will call the fouls that are written," Dudley said, "then a small, fast player can play and be a very effective forechecker because you won't be able to put a stick on him in the neutral zone and hold him up. If that's the case, then all these guys, their speed is going to be a factor."

All five will play primarily on the third and fourth lines, killing penalties, creating chances and helping the transition game.

"Just because they're smaller doesn't mean they can't play in this league," said defenseman Bryan Muir, who stands 6-4. "They're here for a reason. They've got a job, and they're going to do it.

"Everyone has certain attributes in this league. There's guys that are big and hit. There's guys that are small and fast, and there's guys that are offensive. Your body type sometimes distinguishes what you're good at, but they're going to be strong defensively in our own end, and they're very offensive as well."

Breaking into the league was a struggle for some, especially St. Louis. In four years at the University of Vermont, he put up statistics (91 goals, 176 assists) that would catch any scout's eye.

His height turned people off, and he was undrafted in 1997.

"I had to prove to everybody that, first of all, I could play in the minors," St. Louis said.

He played a full season with Cleveland of the International Hockey League and Saint John of the American Hockey League before signing a free-agent contract with Calgary in 1998.

"It's a tougher road to get here, that's for sure," said St. Louis, who signed with the Lightning in July. "You've got to prove every day, every practice, that you belong and your size is not a factor."

Each player has a similar theory about what it takes to have staying power -- speed, strength and playing smarts.

"If I didn't have that part of my game, I probably wouldn't be in the National Hockey League today," Holzinger said. "I try to use that to my advantage."

Coach Steve Ludzik likes the group's toughness and versatility.

"The thing with a smaller player, they've learned how to adapt their game and how to get away from guys," he said. "They would've never lasted this long. They sure aren't going to be scared of anybody.

"To be a tough player, you have to be a guy that's mentally disciplined. When you're dead tired, do you make the right play defensively? Do you get the puck deep to preserve a win for your hockey team? Do you take a slash across the back and eat it because you know if you retaliate, it may cost your team a game? That's toughness. That's mental toughness. That's physical toughness. That's what all those guys have."

LIGHTNING OPENER

New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ice Palace, Tampa.

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