St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 55

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH -b. SECTION SUNDAY, MAY 16, 1993 BERNIE I MIKLASZ -Ml COMMENTARY Quick Start Wins Norris For Toronto By Dave Luecking Of the Post-Dispatch Staff TORONTO Three years ago, the Blues went into Chicago Stadium and promptly were blown out 8-2 in the seventh game of the Norris Division Finals. The debacle was dubbed the "Monday Night Massacre." On Saturday, the Blues went into Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens for Game 7 of the Norris Finals and a similar disaster occurred. Dub this one the "Saturday Night Slaughter." The Toronto Maple Leafs destroyed the Blues 6-0, winning the best-of-sev-en series and earning a ticket to the Campbell Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Kings.

The series begins Monday night. The shutout was the first against the Blues in the playoffs since April 21, 1988, when Detroit blanked them 6-0 in Game 2 of the Norris Division Finals. Toronto will appear in the conference finals for the first time since 1978 and only the second time since they won the Stanley Cup in 1967. Los Angeles reached its first conference finals time by beating Vancouver in six games in the Smythe Division finals. The Blues' dream of reaching the conference finals for the first time since 1986 evaporated early Saturday.

Scoring a goal every 5 minutes, the Leafs built a 4-0 lead in the first period. Dave Andreychuk scored a power-play goal at 5 minutes 2 seconds. Wen-del Clark scored at 10:02. Mike Kru-shelnyski made it 3-0 at 15:12, and Clark netted his second goal 19.6 seconds before the 20-minute mark. Former Blue Doug Gilmour assisted on the first two goals and later scored a goal, giving him 22 points and the Leafs' playoff record.

Krushelnyski had a goal and an assist. Dave Ellett and Glenn Anderson each had two assists. Rookie Kent Mandervilie scored the Leafs' other goal, his first in the playoffs. 1 Although the game was over much earlier, the sellout crowd of 15,720 in hockey-crazed Toronto didn't start singing "Na na na na, hey hey, goodbye" until the 5-minute mark of the final period. The crowd taunted Blues goalie Curtis Joseph throughout the game, chanting "Jo-Sieve, Jo-Sieve.

Jo-Sieve." Joseph's brilliance had covered up the Blues' numerous mistakes to get the team this far, but he couldn't pull out one more miracle. Toronto was all over him from the See BLUES, Page 6 AP The Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate their 6-0 victory over the Blues in Game 7 of the Norris Division Finals on Saturday night. Stanley Cup Playoffs Party Ends Too Early For Pittsburgh course Saturday morning, with two rounds left in the playoffs courtesy of the Islanders, who finished 32 points behind the Penguins in the regular season. None of the players were seen Saturday morning around the Civic Arena. The Penguins don't have an official break-up day, but Harry Sanders, a spokesman for the team, said that players would start cleaning out their lockers Monday or Tuesday.

Tom Barrasso and Ulf Samuelsson were the only players to be found around a somber Pittsburgh dressing room after the game. Scotty Bowman appeared in the coach's mandatory postgame media briefing. No one said much. Bowman attributed the elimination to the goaltending of Glenn Healy, who made 42 saves for the Islanders, while Barrasso and Samuelsson said the series should never have gone to seven games. "You can't eliminate the possibility of a loss in the seventh game," said Barrasso, who tended goal in every game of the playoffs.

"It's that one time and anything can happen," Barrasso said. Barrasso knew that when eight months of hard work and superiority come down to a seventh game let alone sudden-death overtime like Friday night a season can be ruined. 1 993, New York Times News Service PITTSBURGH The white banners with three Stanley Cups proclaiming "Yes We Can" that decorated downtown telephone poles started to come down Saturday morning. So did the yellow signs in store and office windows that declared: "The Cup Stops' Here." Despite the sunshine that glistened off the roof of the Civic Arena just a little north of where the three rivers meet, supporters of the Penguins and residents of this city were gloomy Saturday morning. Unlike the last two years, when the Penguins captured the Stanley Cup, there will be no parade this June with the players hoisting hockey's most coveted prize.

The Penguins' attempt to establish themselves as a dynasty came to an abrupt end Friday night in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders. The Penguins finished the season with 119 points. They set all kinds of records, including a 17-game winning streak. Mario Lemieux overcame Hodgkin's disease and continued to be the game's best player. The Penguins were the overwhelming favorite to win their third consecutive Cup and join the Canadiens, Islanders and Oilers as hockey's modern-day dynasty.

Instead, the Penguins headed for home or the golf Series: Toronto wins 4-3. Game 1: Toronto 2, Blues 1 in double overtime. Game 2: Blues 2, Toronto 1 in double overtime. Game 3: Blues 4, Toronto 3. Game 4: Toronto 4, Blues 1.

Game 5: Toronto 5, Blues 1. Game 6: Blues 2, Toronto 1. Game 7: Toronto 6, Blues 0. A Fantasy Ends, And Real Blues Show Their Worth TORONTO Really, it was nice while it lasted. The Blues and their fans took a one-month vacation from reality, enjoying a sweet daydream that allowed us to forget a harsh truth: this is a team with serious problems.

It was so much fun, this long joyride through April and into May, for which we can thank meddling Norm Green and the National Hockey League's charitable playoff system. The lag-gardly Blues, last to qualify, extended their spring break. The Blues reinvented themselves and became pesky, uppity underdogs, sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks and tormenting the bemused Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blues put a mock Stanley Cup in the center of their dressing room, a cheap made-in-Tai-wan souvenir that became a priceless symbol of a dream. The 37-36-1 1 regular season was forgotten and the Blues were forgiven.

Goaltender Curtis Joseph became a star. The city tingled, with St. Louis sports fans suddenly keeping both eyes on the puck. The size of the big, blue bandwagon grew each day. The giddy Blues welcomed everyone to jump on and live a fantasy.

Thanks, Blues. It is time to wake up now. Saturday's disgraceful 6-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs was a jarring reminder of the Blues' troubling state of affairs. This was supposed to be the game of their lives: Game 7 of the Norris Division finals, the kind of moment and test of character for which professional athletes supposedly work. "We've been aware of what people have been saying about us all year, that we're not good enough, but that's bull," defenseman Jeff Brown said before the game.

"We're going to try and prove something, not only by winning Game 7 but going further. It's one of those years when anyone can win the Cup." Right. We're not trying to single out Brown, who in fact, played hard Saturday. He didn't have much company. The Blues took the ice at venerable Maple Leaf Gardens and cowered like wet, shivering, frightened kittens as Toronto scored four first-period goals.

The Blues slinked away in a shameful, wimpy performance that destroyed most of the respect they'd earned through the playoffs. The complaint here isn't that the Blues lost; Toronto was obviously the superior, more playoff-savvy team, stocked with a collection of former Cup winners and big-game players. The disappointment is that the Blues put up little resistance. Losing is acceptable when players labor hard for three hours, satisfied that they gave everything. If 100 percent effort still isn't enough, well, you go home with your dignity intact.

But 6-0? It leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Too bad we had to find out what this team was really made of. I hope the kids of St. Louis turned the television sets off early. You wouldn't want the little folks to be confused, wondering how their heroes well-paid pro stars could enter the most important game of the season and show no pride.

The Blues didn't care, didn't hustle, didn't compete. What exactly was the point? Wasn't this team inspired by the possibilities? Now with the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated, none of the four regular-season division champions remains in the Final Four, and the Stanley Cup is up for grabs for those who want it most. Weren't the Blues sparked by seeing the New York Islanders go into Pittsburgh on Friday night to stun the Penguins? The improbable, scruffy Islanders won that series without contributions from three injured cogs: 132-point scorer Pierre Turgeon, captain Patrick Flatley and top checker Travis Green. The Islanders pulled off an epic upset on heart and passion. And now the Blues as stated here before the playoffs began must do the right thing and clear out the locker room.

Let's sweep it out, save a few precious valuables and turn over the roster. Memo to the front office: You have four months to get some new players, some fresh blood, some people who care. This is mandatory, unless you want to see your season-ticket base diminish. Because I can't imagine many self-respecting, hard-working Blues customers wanting to Invest spare income to watch the same group of losers who quit in Toronto. The Maple Leafs didn't just supply an alarm clock on Saturday night; they delivered a wake-up call with an elbow to the face, a stick to the jaw, a knee to the side.

The Leafs pushed the Blues back to the regular season, for a second look at the turmoil that bubbles anew. The Leafs, in one sense, did the Blues a valuable service: They will force management to re-examine the future and make the necessary changes. This playoff run shouldn't confuse us. The real Blues showed up Saturday night. So long, fantasy.

Hello, reality. The Maple Leafs knocked the Blues from the cloud that we've all been floating on. Marlins Throttle Magrane, Cardinals 8-0 0 By Rick Hummel Of the Post-Dispatch Staff The last time Joe Magrane won a game in Busch Stadium, Calvin Coo-lidge was in the White House and there was no major-league team west of the Mississippi. Perhaps a slight exaggeration here but it has been 985 days, or since Sept. 4, 1990, that Magrane has won in front of friendly fans.

The Florida Marlins, whose motto is Always on Saturdays, beat Magrane 8-0 Saturday night here behind Ryan Bowen's six-hitter. That raised their record to 6-0 on Saturday with the first shutout in their six-week history. The Cardinals have lost just two games to the two expansion teams out of seven played but they both have been one-sided defeats and Magrane has suffered both, the first, an 11-2 drubbing by Colorado. Magrane missed most of the previous two seasons with arm problems and recently incurred a side injury that cost him a start. He breezed through three innings, then he fell victim to former Cardinal Chuck Carr, who sparked two run-scoring innings, and his own control problems.

Carr, whom the Cardinals left unprotected in the expansion draft, helped run the Marlins to the game's first run in the fourth. After Magrane had retired the first Ex-Card Carr finds a fresh start with Marlins 3F Reggie Jackson's fairy tale culminates with Hall of Fame 5F nine hitters, the speedy Carr was credited with an infield hit when shortstop Ozzie Smith threw high to first after fielding a slow hopper. Carr stole his 18th base, went to third on a ground-out by Rich Renteria and scored as third baseman Todd Zeile fielded a scorcher by Benito Santiago. That would prove to be enough for former Houston Astros righthander Bowen, who apparently wore thin with an 0-7 record last year. Bowen pitched around four walks as he recorded his second complete game in succession the Marlins' second overall and the first shutout of his career.

He has a stretch of 16 consecutive scoreless innings over two starts. The Marlins chose Bowen, 25, on the third and last round at the November expansion selections. "We took a gamble on his arm," said general manager Dave Dombrowski. "He's a former No. 1 draft pick.

"His problem has always been control but he's got quality stuff." Bowen, talking of his two partial seasons in Houston, said, "I did the best I could when I was with Houston. See CARDS, Page 5 rf l- i in hi urn. i Jerry Naunheim Jr.Post-Dispatch The Marlins' Jeff Conine is forced out at the plate by catcher Erik Pappas in the fifth inning. fey' RACING Coming Home Chris Borsa returns home and wins the featured men's open 1 0K race in the first Spirit of St. Louis Road Race on the city's downtown streets 10 Gelding Storms To Preakness Win 1993, The Washington Post i BALTIMORE Pimlico Race Course paints the Stable colors of the Preakness Stakes winner on an infield statuette, which Saturday required only a touch-up.

Prairie Bayou, second in the Kentucky Derby as the favorite two weeks ago, overcame three front-runners in the stretch and nearly 80 years of history to win the $725,900 Preakness by a half-length over Cherokee Run. The 118th running of the Preakness was tainted by the breakdown of Union City, who fractured his right front ankle almost halfway through the backstretch and later was destroyed. Before a sun-drenched crowd of 97,641, Prairie Bayou supplied Loblolly Stable with its second successive Preakness victory, following Pine Bluff. This meant the traditional postrace brushwork required only new coats of yellow See BAYOU, Pagl 1 Foyt Love Affair With Indy Ends By John Sonderegger Of the Post-Dispatch Staff INDIANAPOLIS A little bit of Indy died Saturday morning. A reluctant A.J.

Foyt, choking back tears, decided to take one farewell lap around the track that made him famous. Then he parked his No. 14 Arie Luyendyk tinkers race car forever, he says. his way to pole 11F "It's a hard decision, but there comes a time," Foyt told fans who had gathered at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway fur the first day of qualifications. Twice he lost his voice as he tried to speak over the public-address system.

"I felt if I was going to run team, I can't be a driver. I love you all a lot, and you have been great fans," Foyt told the crowd. See FOYT, Page 11 FOOTBALL WV 1 "foil in i Fee Dilemma If the NFL sets too high of an expansion fee, wouldn't the league almost be inviting James Busch Orthwein to move the Patriots to St. Louis instead of paying for an expansion team? 14 Karen ElshoutPost-Dispatch Jean Driscoll of Champaign Crossing the finish line i..