Carbonneau shrugs off the years

6/15/99

By Tim Cowlishaw
The Dallas Morning News

It only makes sense that Guy Carbonneau, at 39, should be here this time of year.

Riding the "Maid of the Mist" at Niagara Falls, maybe.

But diving to the ice to block the Sabres' final shot in Game 3? Killing eight penalties in one game, logging extra ice time because fellow penalty-killer Mike Modano was in the box three times?

"This time of year is the reason you keep playing hockey," Carbonneau said. "And if I'm going to play, I want to be a major part of the team. I don't want to be a guy who just comes in here and there to take a faceoff."

Major? There's not much question about that.

In fact, all four Stars centers have played significant roles in the Stars' surge to a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. Joe Nieuwendyk has continued to deliver key goals, Modano is setting up plays and using his speed to check the opposing centers, and Brian Skrudland has been a distraction and a pest for Buffalo.

But the Stars' ability to shut down the Buffalo power play is the key to the rest of this series because Buffalo simply isn't good enough to consistently beat Dallas five-on-five. That's where Carbonneau comes in.

It's one of the most vital functions he performs for the Stars, just as he did for Montreal in winning Stanley Cups against Calgary in 1986 and Los Angeles in 1993.

Those Cup victories are great memories for Carbonneau, but he's determined to create more moments for the memory banks this week.

"In Montreal, the Stanley Cup was an ongoing business," Carbonneau said, smiling. "If you weren't at least in the Finals every three years, something was wrong. I've been here for four years, and we started out at the bottom, but we've won two Presidents' Trophies, and now we're in the Finals."

And the Stars are close to that dream. Two wins in four games and the Cup is theirs. Carbonneau admits to thinking about lugging that great silver bowl around the ice one more time.

"There's a feeling that it's close, but feeling is one thing," Carbonneau said. "Touching is another."

A few years back, another chance to touch the Cup was the last thing on Carbonneau's mind. Staying employed in this league had become a chore.

First, his beloved Canadiens gave up on him in the summer of 1994. Traded him to St. Louis straight up for Jim Montgomery.

And you were wondering why the Canadiens aren't a playoff team any more.

After one failed season in Mike Keenan's system, Carbonneau was on the outs in St. Louis. The Blues waived him, but there were no takers. The Stars were willing to take a chance as long as they could unload Paul Broten's contract, so a deal was made on Oct. 2, 1995.

It was more an exchange of liabilities than a trade of assets. Or that's how it seemed.

A year later, even the Stars weren't totally convinced that Carbonneau could contribute to the rebuilding process. They exposed him to waivers at the start of the season but, again with no takers, Carbonneau stayed in Dallas.

And he flourished.

Assistant coach Doug Jarvis, a former Montreal teammate of Carbonneau's, has not been surprised.

"I'm not sure how St. Louis' team was set up, but I know how we were setting up our team," Jarvis said. "We looked at people and what roles they could fit into. With Guy, we knew he could fit in as a checking center, a guy who could win draws and as a penalty killer.

"On top of all that, he could provide the leadership because of the excellence he demands of himself and his teammates. It seemed to be the right fit for our package."

In the Stars' Game 3 victory Saturday, Carbonneau played 19 minutes. Jere Lehtinen was the only Dallas forward (20:40) who played more.

And that's why Carbonneau sees no reason to shut down a dignified career, win or lose. In the year 2000 when he turns 40, look for Carbonneau to be taking the key faceoffs, to be the leader on the ice in the final minute protecting one-goal leads.

"I'm thinking about playing another year right now," Carbonneau said. "I would love to keep playing and love to stay in Dallas."

It wasn't love at first sight, but this affair has lasted far beyond all expectations.

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