Peca hung out to dry!
By Rick Anderson
March 6, 2000
The Buffalo Sabres stood idly by and watched their post season hopes be destroyed at the hands of Steve Konowalchuk as he pummeled their captain, Michael Peca and did not come to his aid. As a result of being cross-checked in the face and having his left shoulder be separated in the fight with Konowalchuk, the Sabres have probably lost Peca for the season and any hopes they had of making the playoffs.
The Washington Capitals beat the Sabres 2-1 in the MCI Center in Washington, but the game took on a lesser importance while Peca lay on the ice bleeding profusely after getting pummeled by Konowalchuk. He had to be helped off and skated hunched over in a great deal of pain. It was learned today that Peca will be lost to the team from 4-6 weeks with a full separation of his shoulder.
"The puck went down the ice," said Peca."I said the play was over, and he came over and cross-checked me high (in the face)," Peca said. "Just as I was about to come off, he pushed up on my arm and it (the shoulder) popped out right away. I was pretty defenseless."
That's when Peca told Konowalchuk that his shoulder was separated. What does Konowalchuk do then? He goes on a rampage with Peca's face, knowing full well that the Sabres' captain cannot possibly fight back with his shoulder out. The Sabres on the ice stand by and watch their captain get pummeled as do the refs with no one breaking up the carnage. Finally, Konowalchuk forced Peca to the ice and intensifies his pummeling of the Sabres helpless and bleeding captain. After several seconds of this, the officials stepped in and got Konowalchuk off Peca. Konowalchuk got up and skated triumphantly over to the Capitals bench while Capital coach Ron Wilson smiled and shook his head in approval. He had gotten his revenge for what Peca had done in the first period.
It seems that Wilson had it in for Peca. He had labeled the Sabres captain as a marked man ever since he took out Sergei Gonchar with an open ice hit early on in the game. Because no penalty was called on the play, Wilson decided to take matters into his own hands - at the very end of the game.
"He got a direct shot to the head and I'm sick of it," fumed Wilson. "Gonchar probably has a concussion. He (Peca) went for the head and left his feet. I hope something happens to him and I hope that the league reviews it. I want something done, not only for our players, but for them all. There are too many guys out there this year with concussions."
It doesn't seem like Wilson has any concern with the injuries that Peca may have suffered as a result of his retaliatory act. Wilson sent out Konowalchuk with the direct purpose of getting payback. His mission was accomplished. Once again a vigilante act has given the NHL a black eye just like in the Marty McSorley case.
Peca would not have anything to do with his players not coming to his defense. He said that no one knew that he was injured and if he weren't, he could take care of himself.
"I'm not going to whine about it. I think it's a physical game and things are going to happen,'' Peca asserted. "I know things don't always go the way you'd like them to and that's why it's a team game.''
As for the game itself, the Sabres played a better game than they did against the Islanders the day before, but they could not get a puck past Olaf Kolzig until the final seconds of the game. He made 28 saves in the game and was spectacular when he needed to be.
One of the most spectacular saves of the season came in the latter part of the third period when the Sabres were pressing to tie the game. There was a flurry of action in front of Kolzig when a shot by Vaclav Varada slid through Kolzig and was headed towards the goal line before the All-Star goalie swiped the puck out of the crease. The puck went to Peca who put a shot off the right goal post. James Patrick got the rebound but could not lift it over the sprawled Kolzig and he smothered it before any more damage was done.
"Basically, I just slowed the puck down," Kolzig said about sweeping the puck out before it went over the line. "Luckily, I have long arms, so I just reached back and cleared it."
Varada could not believe how Kolzig could keep the puck out of the net.
"Michael and I crisscrossed on the blue line, and I shot it right away," said Varada. "I saw the puck trickle through his glove, and I thought it was going in the net. He made an unbelievable stop, but he hit the puck right to me. I shot it right back to the net. I thought it was in. I don't know what I hit, the defenseman or a post, but the puck went back to James Patrick in the slot. He couldn't put it in."
The Sabres gave Dominik Hasek a rest as Martin Biron started his first game since a February 17th 2-1 loss to Vancouver. Biron made 24 saves and wasn't at fault in either of the two Capitals' goals.
Jeff Halpem scored the opening goal on a power play with 6:41 left in the first period when he tipped in a shot made by the very guy who took Peca out at the end of the game, Konowalchuk. That goal held up until late in the third period when the fireworks erupted.
With just under two minutes to play and the Sabres pressing to get the tying goal, ex-Sabre Calle Johnasson got a breakaway on Biron and buried it to make it 2-0 with 1:51 remaining in the game.
The Sabres were able to get the puck into the Washington zone in the last minute to get Biron off in favor of an extra attacker. Finally with the clock winding down, Dixon Ward got a shot off on Kolzig and Stu Barnes tipped in the rebound with ten seconds remaining. That may have been the most costly goal that the Sabres have ever scored, as if the play had continued Peca and Konowalchuk may have never fought. As it was, the Sabres scored and pressed frantically to get another one in the last couple seconds, only to see they captain get waylaid at the hands of Konowalchuk and probably will be out for the rest of the regular season.
The Sabres now have to make do for their remaining 15 regular season game without their top player and captain. Peca has been on a tear for the past month, not only making his ferocious hits, but scoring more goals than anyone else on the team during that time. Now the Sabres, who had to be without Dominik Hasek for most of the season, are now without their main offensive weapon and motivator. They still are only 3 points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they have a huge hurdle in front of them. The remaining 15 games will definitely be gut-check time for a team that gutlessly stood by and watched they heart and soul get pummeled on Capital ice Sunday.
Lindy Ruff is getting plenty of heat for not warning his players about a possible retaliatory act on Peca after his hit on Gonchar in the first period. The Sabres players are also experiencing criticism for not coming to the aid of Peca as he was getting mauled at the hands of Konowalchuk.
"I don't believe anyone knew he was in trouble," said Ruff. "I didn't see the whole incident until I watched it on tape. You've got three referees who were standing all around, hands up warding the players off. They've seen Michael fight, they know Michael can fight."
"I did not see it, but he said that Konowalchuk cross-checked him in the face and went after him," Ruff continued. "He was bleeding and has a dislocated shoulder."
When Peca made it back to the bench after the beating, Ruff saw how serious the injury was to his captain and went berserk. He started whipping water bottles in the direction on Ron Wilson and started screaming at the Capitals coach and the head referee Terry Gregson. Rob Ray tried to come over the boards and get into the fray, but the on-ice officials held him back. Hasek actually came over the boards and started arguing with Gregson.
The Sabres return to Washington on April 9th to play their last game of the regular season. As the Sabres may be already out of the playoffs by then, it may set the stage for a vigilante by Sabres players who would want to atone for the beating their captain took.
"What comes around, goes around,"said Dixon Ward. "I don't think this is the last game we play against Washington this year. Things always even themselves out sooner or later."
The opinion here is that the Sabres will not attempt anything in the way of revenge come April 9th. As they showed Sunday and when Rob Ray got his head handed to him at the hands of Georges Laraque last season, the Sabres have not come to the rescue of their own players when in need. That has been a serious flaw in the character of the Sabres ever since Ted Nolan departed. Until they start sticking up for each other, this team will be besieged by every team from here on out.
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The incident took place during the last seconds of the game. The Sabres had just scored to pull within one goal of the Caps, but there was only 10 seconds remaining and almost no chance to pull even in the game. Apparently Konowalchuk took his stick to Peca's face and then grabbed Peca's shoulder, causing it to dislocate.
Calle Johansson puts puck past
Martin Biron after breakaway to put
Caps up 2-0 late in the third period.
[AP Photo]
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