Carbonneau triumphantly returns

5/16/99

By Gerry Fraley
The Dallas Morning News

Guy Carbonneau smiled again on Saturday night. Hockey can heal.

Even when a player has a sore right knee that could give out on the next shift, needs ice packs on his right wrist and left ankle and walks away from Reunion Arena with a fat lip courtesy of a high elbow from St. Louis’ Geoff Courtnall.

Even when a player’s heart aches.

This was Carbonneau’s first game since a knee injury on April 23 spoiled his strong start and knocked him out of the first-round series against Edmonton after two games. This was also Carbonneau’s first game since the death of his father, Charles-Aime, of a heart attack on May 6.

There were times during the Stars’ 3-1 victory in the Western Conference semifinal series when Carbonneau’s mind wandered. There were times when his body would not do what he wanted.

By the finish, the world began to fall back into order for Carbonneau. Hockey can do that.

"I’ve got my lows," Carbonneau said. "But hockey is my life. Being back with my teams helps me deal with this.

"Emotionally, it was a tough three weeks. Not because of the injuries, but because of what happened to my dad…Coming back into the room and having the guys help you along the way, that’s a big plus."

His teammates understand. Joe Nieuwendyk lost his mother about two years ago. Playing the game brought him comfort in a time of grief.

"What takes your mind off it the most is being on the ice," Nieuwendyk said. "I think Guy’s glad to be back. Sometimes, that’s the best way to heal: Getting back with your teammates and playing this type of hockey."

Carbonneau helped the Stars as much as they helped him.

Carbonneau brings the wisdom of 194 career playoff games, a valuable resource at this time of the season. Carbonneau’s return allowed coach Ken Hitchcock to shuffle personnel and have four effective lines for the first time in this series.

Carbonneau also aided the penalty-killing unit. It allowed only five shots in stopping all four St. Louis chances.

"He gave us maturity in some areas," Hitchcock said. "That’s a hard thing to do: Go out of a series when you’re an older player and then come back in. He got a lot better as the game went on."

There were problems.

Carbonneau tired but "not as much as I expected." He gained confidence in the ailing knee but admitted "I’m not out of the woods yet."

He could not perform his specialty: Winning faceoffs.

In the regular season, Carbonneau won 53.3 percent of his faceoffs. In the two games against Edmonton, he won 62 percent of his faceoffs.

Against the Blues, he lost 10 of his first 11 faceoffs and won only four of 19 overall.

"I needed a challenge," Carbonneau said. "In the first 30 minutes, it was hard to get in there. My concentration wasn’t there. Maybe I was worried about other things."

The competitor in Carbonneau surfaced in the third period.

The Blues went on the power-play with 4:09 remaining. Carbonneau won the first faceoff. When the Blues regrouped and attacked, Carbonneau blocked a shot from the point by Al Maclnnis. Guy Carbonneau was back.

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