Perhaps concerned that Peter Worrell would take a hit to the helmet by a reporter’s pen, Panthers coach Terry Murray kept the left wing back at the team’s hotel during yesterday’s morning skate before facing the Devils in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Murray explained he felt that Worrell, who was whacked on his helmet by the stick of Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer on March 19, would be mobbed by the press about the incident. So attempting to keep him isolated, Worrell was held back from the 30-minute practice at the Meadowlands.
“I didn’t want Peter to come down,” Murray said. “I told him to say away from you guys today.”
After the incident, which took place near the end of the Devils’ 5-2 win at the Meadowlands, Worrell skated past the Devils’ bench and angrily furnished the throat-slash gesture. He missed the next few games with concussion-like symptoms, but did play against the Devils on April 3 and April 8 and made no further gestures.
As for Niedermayer, he was suspended for 10 games, including last night’s opening playoff game. He will be eligible to play in Game 2 Sunday.
“We want to move by it,” Murray said. “It’s an ugly incident that happened. I think a lot of stuff has cooled since the league made the appropriate decision on the suspension and the price has been paid.
“The game is the most important thing now. We’re not going to forget it. That’s impossible. It’ll never be forgotten for the history of the game, but we all want to move by it. I’m speaking on behalf of Peter, maybe, that he’s sensing the same thing. He just wants to get on with the game and be a hockey player and play the kind of game that he has to play and move by the incident.”
Being that his brother is the one who hit his teammate with his stick, it presented an uncomfortable feeling for Rob Niedermayer, the Panthers’ center.
“It was a little awkward,” Rob said yesterday. “Pete’s a very emotional guy. He was pretty upset with the things happened. We talked about it. It was one of the toughest things [I had] to deal with. Especially when you see your brother out there and your teammate out there, too. It is a tough situation.”
Too tough, presumably, for Murray to allow Worrell to discuss it yesterday. Reporters, he must realize, can be dangerous.
With the No. 4 seeded Devils having lost in the first round of the playoffs for two straight years, the No. 5 Panthers realize how much pressure New Jersey’s under to stop the streak.
“There’s tons of pressure on them,” center Mike Sillinger said. “That’s the good thing for us. The pressure’s all on them. We know they’re going to want to make things happen and make things happen early.”
Added Murray, “The first round is a difficult round. That’s why there are upsets. You start at home and the expectations are hight. If you slop a little bit then everybody comes down very hard on you. New Jersey knows what the scenario is for themselves, what the expectations are.”
Panthers starter Mike Vernon was goalie for Calgary’s ’89 Stanley Cup championship team. He went 16-5 in the playoffs.
LW Pavel Bure led the NHL with 58 goals. This is the 29-year old’s first trip back in the playoffs since ’94-’95 season with the Canucks when he had seven goals in 11 games.