This was last Sunday in Pittsburgh, the morning after Marian Gaborik had scored the tying goal at 19:53 of the third period before getting the winning goal at 12:07 of overtime to lift the Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Ducks in Game 1 of the western semis.
This made Gaborik the first player in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs to score in overtime after getting the tying goal within the final 10 seconds of regulation. First ever — as in the Rocket never did it, Howe never did it, and Jagr, Gretzky, Lemieux (Mario and Claude) never did it, either.
Imagine, and the Great Gabby even got his goals by going to the front, the place to which he allegedly had been allergic — except, that is, to anyone who watched him play for the Rangers (except for a certain notable individual with a position of authority) … and to anyone who played with him on the Rangers.
“All I know is that I loved the guy as a teammate,” Brian Boyle told Slap Shots. “He is a great guy and a great player, and we were lucky to have him here.
We pretty much know how he got the reputation, and Boyle does as well. For whatever reason, despite a pair of 40-goal seasons in his first three years in New York, Gaborik never was the apple of coach John Tortorella’s eye.
Oil and water; Tortorella and Gaborik. There wasn’t room for both of them, then there wasn’t room for either of them. And because the Rangers were in desperate need of restocking at last year’s deadline and because this year’s cap loomed even then as an issue, Gaborik and his $7.5 million cap charge went to the Blue Jackets for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and John Moore.
At least the Blueshirts didn’t feel compelled to throw a first-rounder into the mix.
Gaborik didn’t make much of an impact upon his transfer from SoHo to Buckeye Country. He suffered a pair of significant injuries this season. The Jackets were looking to move him. There wasn’t much a line of interested parties.
Then the Kings and general manager Dean Lombardi stepped up and made what appears to be the deal of the trade deadline, getting Gaborik as a rental in exchange for Matt Frattin and a pair of second-round draft choices, an original third-rounder becoming a second when the Kings stormed back from down 3-0 to defeat the Sharks in the opening round.
Through Friday night, Gaborik — who scored six goals in 25 playoff matches for the Rangers — was tied with Pittsburgh’s Jussi Jokinen for the playoff lead in goal-scoring, each with six. The Elegant Assassin had 10 points (6-4) in 10 games for L.A.
There is no doubt that he has re-established himself and resurrected his reputation — or at least there should be no doubt — as unrestricted free agency beckons. But Gaborik may not get there, because you know this: The Kings like to keep their guys, and this guy seems meant for L.A. the way he was meant for Broadway.
“I sent him a text after the game,” Boyle said last Sunday. “I’m really happy for him.”
No one’s price on the free agent market ever really drops, but you would have to wonder if Matt Moulson’s lack of production for the Wild will have an impact when he gets his crack at it, or whether the overriding need around the league for a reliable goal-scorer will override his issues.
Similarly, you would have to be skeptical about the Ryan Miller-as-Missing Piece formula with the goaltender preparing to hit the market following a most ordinary first-round for the Blues, who sure did buy into that narrative upon moving a perfectly good netminder in Jaroslav Halak to Buffalo in order to get him.
When a coach is fired one season into a five-year deal, as Tortorella was a couple of weeks ago by Vancouver, then the two-year extension granted to Randy Carlyle in Toronto represents neither an endorsement nor an issue worthy of provoking overreaction.
We would suggest president Brendan Shanahan would like the opportunity to actually watch Carlyle work before reaching a conclusion on whether the marriage between the coach and the club personnel is a good one.
Well, it’s not as if the Islanders could use someone like Nino “Floor” Niederreiter on their team.
Here’s a tip for all newly hired general managers: Simply say at your introductory press conference that you believe in analytics, and your hiring will be hailed immediately by the media.
In an era during which hockey players are becoming less and less accessible to the rank-and-file of the press, there at his locker is Sidney Crosby patiently and politely answering one question after another.
Always.
And there barging into the opposition’s goaltender are James Neal and Chris Kunitz, one time after another.
Always.