Rucinsky ready for redemption with Habs

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999

By Lucas Aykroyd

Martin Rucinsky knows what an unforgiving city Montreal can be. Canadiens fans and media clamor for the Stanley Cup every year even when a championship is clearly out of reach. It’s a tough scenario for a slick but non-physical forward like Rucinsky whose scoring has declined each season since 1995-96, from a high of 75 points to last year’s 34.

The hiring of new club president Pierre Boivin and the potential sale of the team’s home, the Molson Centre, will not influence the hometown boobirds one way or another if Rucinsky and his teammates don’t light it up on the ice.

After firing two goals for the Habs in a 3-1 exhibition victory over the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place September 14, the 28-year-old Czech left winger told EuroReport: “We just want to put last season behind us. There are opportunities out there for us this year, and it’s a brand new season on October 2.”

If Rucinsky’s pre-season play is any indication, the Canadiens have a decent chance of improving on last year’s forgettable results (32-39-11). His first goal against Vancouver showcased Rucinsky’s soft hands, as he converted a tic-tac-toe passing play from Scott LaChance and fellow Czech Miroslav Guren on the power play at 8:13 of the first period. Guren sent him in alone on rookie Vancouver netminder Alfie Michaud at the 15-minute mark of the second frame, and Rucinsky capitalized with a series of dekes that left Michaud grasping at air and the puck in the back of the net.

The 6-1, 205-pound veteran said he’s enjoyed Montreal’s Western Canadian swing with pre-season games against Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. He said the opportunity for the team to bond with three days together in Montreal and then a visit to Banff has created a lot of positive energy, with players “working hard on and off the ice.”

The addition of workhorse center Trevor Linden promises to improve the Canadiens offensively and defensively this season. Against his former Canuck mates, Linden was paired with Rucinsky and the two showed some early chemistry.

“He’s an excellent player, and he was a huge acquisition for us this summer,” said Rucinsky of Linden, who is also looking to rebound after two dismal seasons with the New York Islanders. “I’ve been on his line since the start of training camp, and so far I think we’ve had some good moments out there and I feel very comfortable. Of course, it’s the coach’s decision about who plays where.”

Turning from Montreal to the subject of Czech hockey, Rucinsky expressed support for superstar netminder Dominik Hasek’s decision to retire at the end of the 1999-2000 NHL season: “It’s a personal decision. He’s doing it for his family, as he said at the press conference. Unfortunately, it will be a big loss to this league, but I respect what he’s decided.”

Paradoxically, Rucinsky said the Czech Republic’s recent triumphs in international tournaments can be traced back to one of his country’s greatest hockey humiliations: the 1996 World Cup, where the Czechs failed to make the playoff round.

“We learned a lesson there. We had a good team, and everybody was saying we should at least get to the semi-finals. Instead, we lost 7-1 to Germany. It was a huge disappointment. In the last two years, we learned we have to play as a team and everybody has to sacrifice their personal stats for the team. That’s what we did in Nagano and last year at the world championships in Norway.”

The man from Most, Czech Republic has the gold medals to prove it. Now Rucinsky has to hope his Montreal squad can apply the teamwork principle to redeem themselves for last year and give Habs fans something to cheer about this winter.