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Tuesday, October 5, 1999
Something to prove
"What do you mean wait? I'm there now," the 37-year-old kidded yesterday.
Grant Fuhr, ready for a rocker?
Are you off your rocker?
Quick and acrobatic, he ranks among the best bounce-up goalies ever. As a bounce-back goalie, though, he may be without peer.
"Always, always after Grant Fuhr has had what he considered a 'bad' game, he's responded in the next one," challenged Flame captain Steve Smith. "He's a proud man.
"I have a hard time thinking of one time he hasn't risen to the challenge in this type of a situation."
So, St. Louis Blues, be warned.
Even a guy with five Stanley Cups, over 56,500 total minutes played in the league and approaching the magical 400-win plateau has things to prove:
To the Blues, tomorrow's visitors, for dismissing him as too old and too expensive. To his new city and new team, after an admittedly sub-par performance in the season opener.
So he has a double-barreled incentive.
"You want to win every game," Fuhr acknowledged. Then smiled. "But there are still some you want to win more than others.
"I have no hard feelings. They treated me pretty well there for four years."
Of his replacement, Roman Turek, he said: "He has good references. But it'll be different for him. He's never been the No. 1 man, playing 60-65 games, carrying a team. It's a big job."
What irked Fuhr about his St. Louis departure was the threat of his being placed him on waivers -- a gross indignity for someone with his credentials and tenure -- should he not rescind the no-trade clause in his contract.
"I was not impressed by that," he admits. "But looking at it now, Larry (GM Pleau) was in a tough position. I didn't fit into their budget. And they had a tight deadline. When you find out the team's been sold at 1 o'clock the day after you're traded, it doesn't take much to figure out what happened.
"But I don't think they thought I knew as much about the business as I do. I just wish someone had come to me and talked about it. I'm a pretty happy guy, as a rule. Not hard to get along with at all."
That's a fact. He was, however, a tad testy after Saturday night's 5-3 loss at San Jose's Shark Tank, pulled after 26 minutes, four goals and only 16 shots.
"I've listened to Grant the last couple of days, talking about how poorly he felt he played," said Smith. "Well, that's a reflection of how the rest of us played. We talked about this before the season, not hanging Grant out to dry. But that's just what we did the other night."
Fuhr wasn't buying any of that.
"I was upset at the time but it was understandable," said Fuhr of being replaced. "I mean, we were down 4-0. When you score three goals, any team should get a win or a tie.
"They didn't bring me here to play bad.
"Unfortunately, you can't play 82 good games. I was more mad at myself than anything."
Tomorrow, he plans on making us mad about him. Fuhr is, after all, rocketing into rarified air, just two wins shy of 400, a feat accomplished by only five men, legends all -- Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, Tony Esposito, Patrick Roy and Glenn Hall.
His next target, nine wins away, is Mr. Goalie, with Sawchuk a more-than-reachable 49 in front. Roy, at 412, and Fuhr could wind up fighting a tong war to the end of their careers for No. 1 all time.
"I'm not worried about 399," protested Fuhr, still without a victory as a Flame. "I'd settle for one right now. I have a lot of wins against this team but none for it so far.
"We've got to get that switched around."
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