Simon Is Disciplined by Capitals
By Rachel Alexander
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 15, 1998; Page E1
The Washington Capitals, already thin at the forward position, looked positively gaunt yesterday after Coach Ron Wilson sent left wing Chris Simon home for "disciplinary reasons." With left wing Craig Berube also missing to attend a family funeral, defenseman Ken Klee had to practice as a forward just to fill out lines for the day's drills.
Wilson would not elaborate on Simon's situation, but sources said it was the result of a verbal exchange between Simon and the coaching staff on the bench during Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Detroit. Simon, who was at the Capitals' practice facility yesterday, but left early, was not available to comment.
Wilson addressed the issue with the players during a five-minute, on-ice meeting before practice started.
"We were talking about a situation with Simon and what happened last night, and Wils [Wilson] let the players know what his feelings are," center Adam Oates said. "It's something that should be kept amongst the players and the coaches."
Berube is expected back by this afternoon, a move that would return Klee to the blue line, but Wilson said yesterday he was unsure of Simon's status for either this morning's practice or Friday's game against the Montreal Canadiens. Wilson said, "It's an internal team thing, no big deal. We've got a team and I sent Simon home, it's as simple as that."
Regardless of Simon's situation, the Capitals may need some additional help at forward. Left wing Steve Konowalchuk is now expected to miss a month with an ankle sprain he aggravated on opening night. Centers Jan Bulis (ankle) and Michal Pivonka (shoulder) are also expected to be out another month, and free agent center Andrei Nikolishin is still in Moscow, waiting for his agent and General Manager George McPhee to work out a contract.
In the meantime, McPhee has been looking to make a minor trade to bolster the team up front, although he said is looking to deal draft picks, not players. He is also determined not to let the Capitals' injury situation influence his negotiations with either Nikolishin or defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who is also unsigned.
"It would be nice to have them in the lineup," McPhee said. "But I would sooner make a trade than pay them more money than what I think is the right amount. And if I was to pick someone up short-term to fill in, it would be with future considerations."
Both Gonchar and Nikolishin have said they are considering playing in another league this season, although both believe they can still work something out with the Capitals. Gonchar has been in Aspen and Los Angeles while negotiations have continued, while Nikolishin has been in Russia practicing with his former team, the Moscow Dynamo. A former captain of the Dynamo, Nikolishin cannot play with the team because it would violate the NHL's collective bargaining agreement.
"I am just waiting, that is the hard part when you are ready to play," said Nikolishin, who gets regular updates on the Capitals from defenseman Dmitri Mironov. "If we sign, it will be better for everyone, the team, us and the people coming to the game. But it has to be the right agreement."
In the meantime, players believe the roster is deep enough to withstand all the absent forwards. Left wing Trevor Halverson looked comfortable Tuesday playing in Konowalchuk's place, and center Mike Eagles is still waiting to play his first game of the season. Klee, who has played as a forward in a handful of games over the last two seasons, said he would also be ready to step in if needed, noting: "I always try to pay attention to what the forwards are doing, just to stay in the flow of it."
"Every team is going to have injuries," left wing Brian Bellows said. "So whenever a team suffers such major injuries, the depth gets depleted, but a lot of teams in our situation couldn't field four quality lines. We've been able to, and I think we played as well as the Red Wings the other night even with the injuries."
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