The last time Brian Sutter was involved in a Blackhawks-Blues playoff series . . .
“Don’t go there,” Sutter interrupted. “I know what you’re going to say.”
. . . he got fired.
It was Blues coach Sutter vs. Hawks coach Mike Keenan in that 1992 series and they were both hitting Mach I on the Nuts-O-Meter. It got so bad, they started yanking players from between-periods broadcast interviews. No lie.
Not sure who started it, but one of them refused to let a player leave the dressing room after the first period of a game for the usual interview on what was then SportsChannel.
When the other one heard about it, he refused to let his player go. Guess those interviews can be exhausting.
But wait. There’s more. Keenan got so riled and paranoid that he tried to prohibit a SportsChannel producer from talking to the Blues’ director of public relations, even though they were in college together. Why the craziness? The feeling was that the loser would leave town, which Sutter did after the Hawks won in six games.
“I learned that you don’t always control everything,” Sutter said. “Your best players have to be your best players.”
Keenan’s best players were exactly that after he called them out with the Hawks trailing in the series two games to one. Keenan publicly named Jeremy Roenick and goalie Ed Belfour, knowing what buttons he was pushing. And he was right, as Roenick and Belfour led the Hawks to three straight victories.
In fact, the Hawks would win 11 in a row to get to the Stanley Cup finals, where Pittsburgh swept them.
Some of those memories were revisited last week in a playoff series in which Sutter is behind the Hawks’ bench in a building where the Blues retired his number.
The former Blues captain appeared to get choked up a bit when talking about his time in St. Louis but quickly changed to Full Metal Sutter when asked if beating the Blues would give him any extra satisfaction.
“Not really,” he said. “Let’s put it this way: If one of my brothers was standing in front of the bus [Thursday] night [after the Hawks won Game 1], I’d have run him over–and I wouldn’t call out any warning.”
As the Blues come onto the ice in the Savvis Center, the excitable public-address announcer screams, “Do you bleed blue?” Yeesh.
The Cubs blew a 6-0 lead in Montreal, and I’m thinking, Don Baylor could get fired in two languages.
Just guessing Baylor didn’t get canned after the Cubs gave up 15 runs in Montreal because the exchange rate makes it only 10 runs U.S.
Bad enough that you want to put some of those black tarps around Baylor’s pitching decisions, but then Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry gave him that bullpen. But, hey, at least Cubs pitchers kept Vladimir Guerrero from hitting for the cycle in the same inning.
The Cubs lose four series, three to teams that will finish below .500, and someone in management wants to say a healthy Moises Alou would make all the difference? Sorry, but that’s weenie talk when you have potential Hall of Famers in Sammy Sosa and Fred McGriff.
What’s your favorite at-bat of the Moises Alou era?
Kenny Lofton is Rickey Henderson with a mute button.
If only Jim Parque’s arm brought as much heat as his mouth.
Tip to Jon Rauch: Left, right, left.
The Devil Rays put Wilson Alvarez on the disabled list. What they ought to do is put him on Weight Watchers.
The Cincinnati Bengals are the team you schedule for homecoming. The Detroit Tigers are the team the Bengals schedule for homecoming.
Chris Stynes’ dangerous bat and his scary defense are two reasons baseball should have a plus-minus stat like hockey.
Speaking of that, I think a guy who’s in the penalty box when his team allows a power-play goal should be given a minus. Hey, he started the problem.
Jerry Krause proclaimed this 21-win season a success. Nice standards, pal.
Jalen Rose wants Krause to bring in a veteran at each position. That includes GM, too, right?
Problem is, without Charles Oakley, the Bulls will have a big void at coach-killing loudmouth.
Dave Leitao. Whoo.
All the alleged candiates available, and this is what Mr. Big-Time Bill Bradshaw, the interim athletic director, brings to DePaul? Just guessing that good seats are still available at Mr. Big Time’s arena that is so far off campus it’s in another area code.
How can Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins and John Calipari walk into a recruit’s living room and compete against the brand name that is Dave Leitao?
Quick, someone tell Mr. Big Time that DePaul plays in Conference USA, not Conference You Are Who?
Bill Bradshaw, your plane is boarding.
I’ve been out of town, so how do you pronounce the new DePaul coach’s name? Lee-toe? Le-tow? Let-down?
The obvious competitive disparity has prompted Bud Selig to call for a salary cap on Tiger Woods.
That’s some effect Anthony Mason had on the Bucks this season.
Montreal manager and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson: “People ask me what I’ve learned over the years. I’ve learned not to put myself in the lineup.”
