Restless Former Duck Coach Keeps Busy

From his seat in the Great Western Forum press box Saturday, Pierre Page was far above the fray that consumed King Coach Larry Robinson and Colorado Coach Bob Hartley. But Page would have traded places with either one in a heartbeat.

“It’s more fun down there,” Page said. “There’s a lot of action down there.”

Not that Page has been idle since he was fired June 15 as coach of the Mighty Ducks. He finished an accelerated MBA program, scouted in Europe for the Swiss team Ambri-Piotta and is evaluating players in the West as a consultant for Nashville. “I’m not one to sit still,” he said.

That restlessness was part of his problem last season, when the Ducks compiled a franchise-worst 26-43-13 record. Although he has one of the game’s brightest minds, he never settled on one system or idea. And while he was victimized by circumstances beyond his control, such as Paul Kariya’s contract dispute and concussion and a paralysis in decision-making within upper management, he didn’t help himself by frequently changing directions.

Although many players seemed to tune him out, he never wondered if they quit on him. “Maybe I lost a little bit of the pulse of the team,” he said. “Wherever I’ve been, I’ve been able to say I got the most out of people. Personally, you go through a phase where you analyze things. That’s a question I never asked, because I found that as a coach, you have to get through whatever happens. That’s part of mental toughness. I ended up paying the price for what happened last year and I have to learn from that. . . .

“We had the best start in the history of the franchise and then Paul came back and we stopped doing the things that made us successful. Maybe we were waiting for Paul to do everything. Maybe if we had Paul from the first of the year, it would have been different. But you can’t say.

“I saw Craig Hartsburg a while ago, and I hope he does well. You never want things to be worse because of you.”

At 14-15-8, the Ducks are ahead of their 13-18-6 record a year ago. Hartsburg, who was Page’s assistant when Page coached the Minnesota North Stars a decade ago, has won players’ respect by installing a simple but solid defensive system. Of course, Hartsburg has a sound Kariya and has benefited from some good personnel moves by new General Manager Pierre Gauthier.

“Hopefully, they can keep it going,” said Page, who still lives in Orange County. “Kevin Haller has been a real good acquisition and plays against opponents’ top lines. Last year, when we played against Carolina, he hounded Teemu Selanne. And [Marty] McInnis was a great move.”

Page is uncertain about his next move. “I was hoping to coach again this year,” he said. “The good news is there’s more stability for coaches, and no coach has been fired. The bad news is I’ve got to wait a little longer.”

SEEING STARS

The Stars have followed the same path the Red Wings did a few years ago by having spectacular seasons only to be upset in the playoffs.

If the Stars are going to again imitate the Red Wings and turn promise into Cup-winning performances, this is the season because veterans Guy Carbonneau, Brian Skrudland, Mike Keane and Craig Ludwig have a lot of mileage on them. So far, they’ve played like golden oldies during a franchise-record 11-0-3 unbeaten streak that has contributed to a league-high 54 points.

“I think it’s really going to come down to maybe the last month of the season. I think whoever can keep up this pace and keep playing at this level will have a chance at the President’s Trophy again,” center Mike Modano said, referring to the award won by the team with the best record. “But it’s going to be nip and tuck throughout. I think injuries will play a part, who can withstand those and who can fight through it and maybe win games when key guys are out of the lineup.”

Phoenix is 1-1 without its top line of Keith Tkachuk (broken rib), Jeremy Roenick (concussion) and Dallas Drake (suspension). If the Stars are going to put the Coyotes in their rear-view mirror, now’s the time.

“I think that has driven us a little bit to finish No. 1 in our conference, at least to let Phoenix grind it out with some other teams before we get to them [in the playoffs],” Modano said.

AVALANCHE OF LOSSES

With the halfway point of the season approaching, it’s too late to write off Colorado’s woes as a bad start. Joe Sakic, who returned last Saturday after missing nine of 10 games because of his wife’s illness and his shoulder injury, knows it’s time to forget excuses.

“We’ve got to start playing better. You’re not going to just turn it on,” he said. “We have to start now. We have got to turn it around.”

That would be easier if defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh were signed, but his contract dispute continues because he wants to be paid for games he missed this season, in the form of a bonus or raise next season. The Avalanche’s power play is at 16.6% efficiency, down from 17.4% last season.

“As players, we’d like to have him here,” Sakic said. “I hope they’ll be able to find a way [to resolve it]. I don’t think they’re too far apart.”

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR . . .

Was it frustration or some ulterior motive that moved Canuck Coach Mike Keenan to say his players “need a kick start or a new coach”?

Was he hinting he needs new players, which General Manager Brian Burke can provide by trading Pavel Bure? Or was he saying he wants out, because he thinks he has squeezed all he can out of a mediocre cast?

If he wants to be fired--knowing he would be paid the rest of his contract and would be hired by another team--he probably won’t get his wish. “Nothing is further from my mind than making a coaching change,” Burke said. “It has never been considered.”

That could be the truth. Then again, Burke keeps insisting more than five teams want Bure and that can only be posturing or wishful thinking.

ALL RHODES LEAD TO VICTORY

Ottawa’s Damian Rhodes wasn’t the first goalie credited with a goal, but he’s the first to get a goal and a shutout in the same game. With a penalty pending against Ottawa on Saturday, the Devils pulled goalie Martin Brodeur. Devil defenseman Lyle Odelein’s pass eluded his teammates and slid into the open net; as the last Senator to touch the puck, Rhodes got credit.

“I couldn’t even shoot the puck down the ice and score,” he said. “I couldn’t believe the puck went in.”

Teammate Andreas Johansson was happy too: He has Rhodes in a hockey pool. “He got me nine points tonight,” Johansson said. “Five for the shutout, three for the win and one for the goal.”

SLAP SHOTS

Harry Sinden, the Bruins’ president and general manager, told the Boston Herald he thinks the NHL is big enough. “There’s just a point you reach, and we’re there, we’re definitely there,” he said. “I would doubt very much if we’d ever vote for any further expansion.” Not until they calculate their cut of the next expansion fee, anyway. . . . It’s hard to see Paul Coffey helping the Hurricanes much. A neck problem limited him to 10 games with Chicago and he’s not at full strength. At least Carolina’s acquisition of Coffey for Nelson Emerson isn’t a big gamble because the Flyers, who traded Coffey to Chicago last June, are paying $1 million of his $2.5-million contract.

The Red Wings’ concern about Uwe Krupp’s sore back led them to grab Todd Gill on waivers from St. Louis. They also looked at Igor Kravchuk, whose offensive failings have soured the Senators. . . . Ranger Coach John Muckler and Colorado’s Bob Hartley had to be separated by players and officials after Muckler protested Hartley’s use of goons Scott Parker and Jeff Odgers against Wayne Gretzky’s line late in a 6-3 Ranger rout last week. Hartley said he was giving ice time to players who hadn’t gotten off the bench much, which is flimsy. But why play Gretzky if not to run up the score? He doesn’t need the practice. . . . Swedish identical twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin have been the talk of the world junior tournament. They’re eligible to be drafted in June.

Flyer center Eric Lindros is due back Thursday after missing two games because of a concussion. He wanted to play Sunday but was overruled by the team’s medical staff. It was a wise decision, considering he had a serious concussion last season. . . . Dallas Coach Ken Hitchcock, who will coach the North American All-Stars, has been involved in 11 All-Star games and is 0-11. He’s 0-2 in the NHL. . . . Rumors say the Oilers are again interested in Toronto goalie Felix Potvin, but they’re more likely to make a move on defense. Before doing anything, they’ll wait for center Doug Weight to return from knee surgery. He’s skating and may play in a month.