Thursday, June 06, 2002
Carolina's Irbe stands up to Stanley Cup pressure
The Associated Press
DETROIT — Ask any NHL general manager what he needs to win the Stanley Cup, and the answer is usually the same: timely scoring, players who play their best in the biggest games and an elite goaltender. It's why the Detroit Red Wings traded for Dominik Hasek, even after winning Stanley Cups with goalies Mike Vernon and Chris Osgood. Why Colorado traded for Patrick Roy. Why Dallas got Ed Belfour. Why Carolina is three victories from winning the Cup with Arturs Irbe.
Wait a minute. Arturs Irbe?
Always a good goalie but never a certifiable big name, the 35-year-old Irbe has floated from San Jose to Dallas to Vancouver to Carolina, twice appearing in All-Star games, without breaking into the upper echelon of goalies.
Even this spring, he was benched temporarily for Kevin Weekes after allowing some bad-bounce goals in the Hurricanes' first-round series against New Jersey.
Yet, even as opposing players wait for Irbe to crack, to begin leaking goals and for Carolina to resume playing like the on-the-fringe team it has always been, Irbe is making a remarkable run.
Going into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals against Detroit tonight, Irbe is 8-2 with a 1.18 goals-against average since returning during Carolina's Game 4 comeback against Montreal in the second round. He is 10-4 overall, and 6-0 in overtime.
“I think he was certainly disappointed during the Jersey series,” Hurricanes captain Ron Francis said Wednesday. “But he and Kevin Weekes have a remarkable relationship, and when Kevin went in there, Arturs was pulling for him.”
Being benched at any time is frustrating enough for Irbe, who would prefer to be in net for every game every season.
“He played in 75 (of 82) games two years ago and 77 games last season, and he played in 41 consecutive games ... yet when I didn't play him in Los Angeles after we played in Phoenix the night before, he was mad,” coach Paul Maurice said. “I mean, he was so mad. He stayed on the ice during practice for 2 1/2 hours the next day to prove his point of how mad he was.”
Irbe hadn't appeared in the Cup finals before Carolina's surprising 3-2 overtime victory in Game 1 Tuesday night, yet didn't look tense or frazzled while turning aside 23 of 25 shots.
Perhaps his lack of nervousness is understandable, considering he has faced far more stressful situations than a mere hockey game.
In 1991, Irbe and his wife, Ilze, helped barricade the streets of Riga, Latvia, his hometown and the country's capital, to protect government buildings from the Soviet army.
Only the year before, Irbe had outplayed the Czech Republic's Hasek, also his goalie opponent in these finals, to help the Soviet Union win the 1990 world hockey championships.
But when Latvia declared its independence following more than 50 years of Soviet rule, Irbe cut his ties to the Soviet team and declared he would play for Latvia.
No wonder Irbe was upset in February when the NHL stepped in and said he couldn't miss a Hurricanes regular-season game to appear in an Olympic game. Irbe planned to play two Olympic games, but was limited to a 4-1 elimination loss to Germany.
Irbe has been successful in the Stanley Cup playoffs before — he was in net when eighth-seeded San Jose upset Detroit in 1994 — but this is the first time he has sustained such a high level of postseason play.
That's why the question isn't whether Irbe will stand up during the stress of a long playoff run, but whether his equipment will.
Unlike goalies such as Hasek, who always seem to be wearing upgraded gear, Irbe prefers to play with a worn glove and puck-blackened, beat-up goalie pads.
Irbe jokes about his ancient gear, some of which is no longer manufactured. Despite its unkempt appearance, Irbe doesn't discard it because he knows how the puck will react no matter where it strikes him.
To come back and win a series they were expected to dominate, the Red Wings, easily the NHL's best team during the season, know they must somehow solve Irbe.
“Game 2 is a big game, and we've got to bounce back,” Red Wings forward Brendan Shanahan said.
Irbe expects to see Detroit at its best Thursday, especially on the power play. The Red Wings couldn't hold 1-0 and 2-1 leads in Game 1 while going only 1-of-7 on the power play.
Irbe compares facing the Red Wings with a man advantage to playing the video game Mindsweeper.
“There is no room for error,” he said. “You miss the mine, and you get blown up. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.”
Notes: Detroit is 1-2 in Game 2s, Carolina is 2-1. ... The Red Wings have won only one of 10 Stanley Cup finals in which they lost Game 1 of a seven-game format. ... Dallas, in 1999, was the last team to lose Game 1 at home and win the finals.
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Carolina's Irbe stands up to Stanley Cup pressure 
