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Tuesday, October 12, 1999
Great Grant
"I almost did a double take," he admitted, laughing. "I'd kind of forgotten. So when I saw him, I asked him 'What are you doing here?' "
Yesterday, at last, playing like Grant Fuhr.
Carolina's first goal, on its first shot? Shoulda had it.
The third, putting the visitors up trey? Iffy, being generous. But with the score tied, the game on the line, the Flames' precarious confidence in peril of being sadistically crushed again, Fuhr bailed them out.
He turned back the 'Canes, and the clock.
"That's why we went out and got him," said coach Brian Sutter.
Deader'n disco through 40 minutes, the Flames rallied for that 3-3 OT tie on the strength of a determined third period, keyed by a five-minute spearing major to Carolina defenceman Marek Malik.
"We took a really stupid penalty on a weak call on the spear," muttered 'Canes coach Paul Maurice, "and it cost us a goal, the game and a point."
Diligence may have gotten Calgary in position to secure its first point of the season. Fuhr, however, guaranteed it.
"Finally!" he exhaled, more in self-recrimination than anything, pulling his pads off in the dressing room.
Big saves at big times has always been the man's M.O. But his start had mirrored this team's -- ugly. An 0-2 record, 4.91 GAA and .841 save percentage were far below Fuhr's standard.
He is, after all, being paid $3 million US to steal games, break hearts and piggyback a mediocre team to unexpected heights. These guys ain't going anywhere he doesn't take them.
After Calgary had inexplicably equalized, Fuhr held his ground on the dangerous, darting Sami Kapenen, who'd burrowed inside Bill Lindsay for a partial-breakaway. With Lindsay subsequently banished for hooking, he repelled a Glen Wesley shot through traffic, dove back to deflect a dead-to-rights chance for rookie David Tanabe, standing alone near the right post, then stood tall on two Jeff O'Neill cracks from the side of the net.
Of that group, glittering gems all, the Tanabe chance was undoubtedly the most crucial. Initially, it appeared the young defenceman had shot the puck back across the face of the crease.
"It hit the top of my stick," confessed Fuhr. "Not exactly the most graceful save ever, was it? But then, I've never been very balletic."
The best, though, was yet to come. Frisking Phil Housley like a pickpocket cruising through Times Square on New Year's Eve, O'Neill sped into the clear in overtime for the afternoon's pivotal moment.
"That," said Fuhr, "is just a question of patience. Who's gonna blink first."
O'Neill did, the goalie staying with him all the way to make a pad save and preserve the point.
"No one in here puts more pressure on himself than Grant," said defenceman Derek Morris, whose light-as-an-airbubble shot from the point sliced the 'Canes once-insurmountable lead to a goal and pumped the Flames full of adrenaline.
"He may be light-hearted and kind-hearted but he's such a competitor."
One that felt a lot better about his situation, and himself, after what happened yesterday.
"That's a big point for us. We gotta start somewhere and that's something to build on. I didn't like their first goal. I should've had it."
And that newfangled 4-on-4 overtime hockey? How'd he enjoy that?
"Actually," replied Fuhr, grinning. "I kinda like it. It's a little more wide-open. I played in that kind of game for 10 years (in Edmonton).
"That was hockey the way I remember it."
And, more crucially to the here and now, that was Grant Fuhr the way we remember him.
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