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Guynemer
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Nieminen is a *****; however, at that particular moment, he didn't do anything to antagonize that sort of violence.
Be patient, however; he will do something eventually.
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Guynemer
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Oh come on, Asher.
You post a poll from a Canadian website, and stroke yourself because it shows that Canadians think that the goalie on the only remaining Canada-based team is playing at the highest level? Big ****ing surprise.
Just because they happen to be right doesn't really change things much.
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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:35
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A profile of your favorite plaer, Lawrence:
quote:
Finding Nemo - right in
the thick of things
By Larry Wigge
NHL.com columnist
May 19, 2004
Playing on the edge. Playing mean and tough with passion and fierce determination and, yes, nasty. These are some of the qualities required of players to win the little battles ... and get into the heads of an opponent, when the stakes are so high at this time of the year.
Going to the edge -- and yes sometimes over that edge -- is all a part of playoff hockey, and there's one name that seems to be on the lips of all of his opponents so far this playoff year: Calgary Flames winger Ville Nieminen.
Finding "Nemo" in this case isn't difficult.
In the Detroit series, Nieminen skated straight for Red Wings goaltender Curtis Joseph and rammed him down to the ice for no good reason -- and he incurred a one-game suspension for the uncalled-for hit.
In the San Jose series, he's been caught spearing Sharks defenseman Rob Davison, sticking a couple of others and just being a pest.
And that doesn't count some important offense he's contributed throughout the playoffs -- including a one-goal, one-assist performance as he and linemates Marcus Nilson and Shean Donovan were the key cogs in a Game 2 triumph in San Jose as well as a skilled setup for Nilson's quick goal in the Sharks' 3-0 victory in Game 5 at San Jose.
Three goals and three assists in 17 playoff games may not sound like much, but Nieminen's contributions are normally expected in the checking, hitting and just plain playing-on-the-edge sort of game that is required at this time of the year.
"He's a cheap-shot artist," Detroit winger Kirk Maltby said after the attack on Joseph.
"He violated the code by driving right into Cujo," Red Wings coach Dave Lewis said. "Rules are rules, but there's a code in the NHL, but I've never seen anyone just cross the line like that so deliberately."
"There's nothing he won't try out there," Davison said, shaking his head in disdain.
But that's from the guys who have to face the unpredictable Nieminen, who has become one of those players you love to hate when he's on the other side ... but who is invaluable if he's on your team.
Earlier in the playoffs, Flames captain Jarome Iginla just smiled when the conversation got around to Nieminen. In fact, Iginla went on the say that the Flames' acquisition of Nieminen from Chicago in a late February trade might have been the most underrated deal for his team -- and that's saying a lot in a season of trades that has brought goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff from San Jose, Nieminen from Chicago, Nilson from Florida and Chris Simon from the New York Rangers.
"Nemo's been a warrior for us in the playoffs," Iginla said. "In the postseason, you want everyone to try to be in the face of an opponent -- and that's Ville's game. He'll hit you and then give you a big smile and get under your skin, make you angry enough to want to get back at him."
"In the postseason, you want everyone to try to be in the face of an opponent -- and that's Ville's game." - Jarome Iginla
"He's a real agitator -- and a great playoff player," Flames coach Darryl Sutter said. "In the playoffs, everyone has to bring his 'A' Game every night and Nemo's been one of our most consistent and aggravating players to play against."
Nieminen reminds a lot of people of fellow Finnish winger Esa Tikkanen, who was a real pain in the neck to opponents when he helped the Edmonton Oilers win four Stanley Cups and then one more for the New York Rangers.
"He's a real character," Flames center Craig Conroy said, shaking his head.
"It was a little scary the first time he was in the starting lineup for us and he skated by the bench and he was yelling at everybody at the top of his lungs. We all kind of sat there trying to figure out what he was trying to say," laughed Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr. "Since then, it's become kind of a ritual for him to do that before each game. It's obviously his way of giving us some encouragement. But ...
"We jokingly call him Esa Tikkanen, because, like Tikkanen, he is supposed to speak three or four different languages -- but half the time I don't think you could understand him in any of those tongues."
A well-meaning Nieminen said, "Just call it Finn-glish."
Then he added, "I don't know how I can make anybody mad when they don't understand me most of the time, do you?"
What hasn't been lost in the translation is the effort and passion and grit the 27-year-old native of Tampere, Finland gives in the playoffs. Remember he also played a big part of Colorado's Stanley Cup run in 2001, with four goals and six assists -- plus more unpredictable actions on the ice.
What it comes down to is this: We know that not all plays, all goals, all defensive efforts are not pretty when teams get as far as the conference finals -- and the team that has the most players who play on the edge the most win more of the little battles that win games.
And finding Nemo in that role is not uncommon at this time of the year, even if he didn't really make as much of an impact after leaving Denver for Pittsburgh and Chicago.
Some say he has responded to the hard-work ethic demanded of him by Brian Sutter in Chicago and Darryl Sutter in Calgary. More likely, going from last place in Chicago to a contender in Calgary has been plenty of impetus.
"I always wanted to be a better player than just an agitator," Nieminen said with a big smile late in the Detroit series. "I thought I showed some of that in our Cup season in Denver when I scored 14 goals in the regular season and had another four in the playoffs and had an opportunity to play on one of the Avs top lines (because of an injury to Peter Forsberg).
"But I've come to learn that I'd be out of a job if a coach try to rely on me to just be a skilled hockey player."
The line of Nieminen, Marcus Nilson and Shean Donovan has been superb in the last couple of rounds.
But when you start to wonder just what kind of life it is trying to get under every opponent's skin and start to think that everything seems to be all fun and games for Nieminen, you can learn that this 6-1, 200-pounder has his serious side as well. Like when I brought up the Esa Tikkanen comparisons.
At first, Nieminen cringes a little when anyone brings up the name Tikkanen. But not because he didn't like the way Tikkanen played -- there's no question he learned a lot of his techniques from the loquacious Tikk.
"Esa was my dad's name," Nieminen told me during that Stanley Cup run in 2001 as he paused, choking on his words. "I don't talk about this much. But my dad taught me a lot about this game. He was a pretty good player in Finland and had me on skates when I was 4 and he challenged me to be beat him 1-on-1 all the time. The reason I'm a little melancholy about this subject is that my dad always had an alcohol problem and it had an effect on the whole family.
"Earlier this year when I was playing at Hershey (American Hockey League), I got the call early in the season that my dad had died. It really hit me hard. But the thought I take with me is that at least he didn't wake up with a hangover that morning."
A rather spacey look replaced that contagious Nieminen smile about this time. It was a time of reflection that led to a smile.
"I'm convinced he sees all of my games now, you know what I mean?" Ville said. "And I'm sure he's proud of what I've accomplished. I play like he taught me how to play. While I don't think he would have ever won a Dad of the Year award, to me, I looked at him as kind of a role model, because of how he taught me how to play this game."
That was three years ago, but you can see that Nieminen hasn't lost any of that grit and passion for the game -- and, oh yes, that aggravating, agitating style.
And you know something, I think Ville Nieminen is right.
Truth be told, Ville never really gave himself much of a chance to play in the NHL. But he is clearly making a difference, just like Esa Nieminen always thought his son would. |
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18-05-2004 22:52
Attachment: 
After last night's game I managed to squeeze back into the lead.
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