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© St. Petersburg Times, published November 12, 2001
There are 43 shopping days until Christmas, but Lightning general manager Rick Dudley should give coach John Tortorella his gifts early.
With the team a few million dollars below its stated base-salary budget of between $24-million and $25-million (the bottom line fluctuates with the flow of players between the NHL and minor leagues), Dudley has a great opportunity to fill some glaring holes.
Wouldn't it be nice for Tampa Bay to have another scoring wing to help crank up the offense? Wouldn't it be nice to get a rugged defenseman to clear out the crease and put a moment's hesitation into the opposition?
How about a power forward who can crash the net or set up in the slot and create havoc?
And what about a heavyweight, a real bodyguard, who can make opponents think twice about putting a stick to Vinny Lecavalier's face, as happened Saturday against Pittsburgh.
Finding these players will not be easy. Scoring forwards, especially, are at a premium. And acquiring players could mean giving up significant assets (as Dudley calls them) in return. But that's why Dudley gets the big bucks, right?
So where do we start?
I vote for a more physical presence.
No matter what plaudits are thrown around about the excitement of watching highly skilled players, hockey is still won and lost in the corners and along the boards.
How many times has Tortorella talked about the importance of winning battles in those areas? And while not every situation calls for a glass-rattling check, watch how many times a good, hard, clean blow removes a player from the puck.
Not that Tampa Bay doesn't have players capable of delivering a significant jolt -- Cory Sarich, Nolan Pratt, Pavel Kubina and Jassen Cullimore are big, strong guys -- but it should be a more consistent weapon.
Speaking of weapons, there is still a place in this league for a legitimate heavyweight. Sure, he must be able to play a little bit -- as much as you hate him, Florida's Peter Worrell is the prototype -- but there is no doubt players feel safer when there is a brute on their side.
Lightning players said so last season when the team acquired Matthew Barnaby. But even Barnaby, as willing as he is, admits he is not a heavyweight.
And do you really want Sarich and Pratt, two key defensemen, stepping in (as they have) and putting themselves in the penalty box for extended periods of time standing up for teammates?
Only when necessary.
A real enforcer also would make a player like Barnaby more effective. He could agitate, get under the opposition's skin to throw it off its game, knowing someone has his back.
This is a tough game. The Lightning should be an even tougher team to play.
A WORD ABOUT OFFICIATING: Well, three words: bad, bad, bad.
The Lightning experienced two terribly officiated games last week, Tuesday against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum and Saturday against the Penguins.
Referees Mike Hasenfratz and Ian Walsh were so inconsistent on Long Island, Tortorella said, "I don't even know what penalties are in this league anymore."
And he was right.
But the most egregious errors occurred against the Penguins as Brad Watson and Scott Zelkin missed two obvious, possibly suspendable, infractions by Pittsburgh's Darius Kasparaitis.
The defenseman pounded Lightning center Brian Holzinger into the boards from behind in the first period and laid a knee-to-knee hit on Barnaby in the third.
No penalties were called.
What was called? Tampa Bay's Ben Clymer barely interfering with Wayne Primeau from behind on a breakaway.
Primeau got off a shot, fell after Nikolai Khabibulin made the save and was rewarded with a penalty shot, on which he scored.
Guys, you have to do better than that.