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Wednesday, December 8, 1999
Injuries stunning the Habs
MONTREAL -- There's luck. Chance. Fate. Whim.
But this ... this goes beyond those unexplainable, uncontrollable trifles into the realm of plague, or curse, or sick joke.
That's it. Just a shattering sick joke.
"I've never been involved in anything like it," says Shayne Corson, almost at a loss for words. "At any level."
Defenceman Eric Weinrich goes one step further.
"I've never heard of anything like it. At least not in hockey. We understand nobody's going to feel sorry for us. Just the opposite. Washington went through a bad spell with injuries last year. Maybe they might feel a little sympathy, but that'd be about it."
It is the most discussed topic in Montreal these days, has been pretty much all season -- the Canadiens' injury roll, more extensive than most rich kids' Christmas lists, only a tad more expensive:
Patrice Brisebois, 27 games (back); Vlad Malahkov, 28 games (knee); Saku Koivu, 15 games (shoulder); Igor Ulanov, 14 games (foot); Claude Rivet, nine games (cheekbone), four games (virus); Sergei Zholtok, 11 games (shoulder), one game (cheekbone); Shayne Corson, 10 games (colitis); Turner Stevenson, 11 games (back); Scott Thornton, five games (triceps); Brian Savage, seven games (vertebrae); Scott Lachance, five games (back); Jim Cummins, two games (concussion); Trevor Linden, three games (ankle); Danius Zubrus, one game (hip), one game (back); Martin Rucinsky, one game (concussion); Jeff Hackett, one game (back/shoulder); Aaron Asham, one game (concussion).
That's 185 games, including last night's. With any more (bad) luck, they could be up around 800 by season's close.
"You know," laughs Weinrich softly, "when I got to camp and looked down our roster, I thought to myself 'We're going to have a pretty decent team here.' But we've gone through two or three teams since then."
On a rare upbeat note, both Brisebois and Brunet returned to active duty last night, offering a small measure of relief.
"We're talking key people," sighs Corson, "and for long stretches of time. We'd just get someone back, everyone's spirits would pick up, and two more guys would get hurt."
SHANTZ STILL HURTING: Flames centre Jeff Shantz was still pretty sore yesterday, and as a precautionary measure sat out last night's game due to bruised ribs.
He was injured in New York and forced from Monday's 3-2 OT loss to the Rangers.
"I'd just made a pass and (Todd) Harvey cross-checked me," recalled Shantz. "I was open and he must've hit me in just the right spot. It hurt a little bit at first, but I finished the shift. I came out to take a draw on the penalty kill and that really hurt. Then I went to take a shot and the pain was really severe. So that was it for the evening."
Shantz hopes to be back in the lineup on Friday when the Vancouver Canucks are in town.
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