Mercedes diesel adds punch to Grand Cherokee
The email address still says “www.daimlerchrysler.com,” but Chrysler Group is now its own entity, with new investors nearly finalized, ince Germany’s Daimler-Benz sold all but 19.9 percent of its ownership. The influence on the people who make the superb Mercedes-Benz vehicles will continue on the new Chrysler Group, and perhaps the 19.9 percent ownership will mean continued and expanded use of the Mercedes diesel engines in Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands.
A recent week spent with a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee produced far more than mere satisfaction. The Grand Cherokee has long been a link between the hard-core off-roading Jeep lovers and the mainstream everyday drivers who haul families and supplies to and from shopping centers, and everywhere else. The Cherokee not only represents one of the first “sports utility vehicles” — from long before the term SUV entered our lexicon — but also has become a mainstay of Jeep and its Chrysler parent.
Strong, sturdy, but not particularly technologically advanced engines have always supplied the power to the Grand Cherokee, and the engine array takes a giant step forward for 2007. The test vehicle I drove housed a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine. It is the same common-rail diesel that powers many of the Mercedes vehicles, especially in Germany.
Now, this is not the loud, clattering, foul-smelling truck diesel that most U.S. consumers identify as being diesel. That identity is an unfortunate tribute to our fuel companies’ unwillingness to provide decent diesel fuel for U.S. consumers. Those who have visited other countries can attest to diesel excellence. In Europe, for example, half the vehicles sold are diesels, which have fantastic durability and fuel-economy. They also completely obliterate the stereotype of being slow and stodgy by having turbochargers pick off the exiting exhaust, channel it to spin a compressor wheel, which pumps a much increased volume of fuel-air mixture back into the engine.
The European turbodiesels run so swiftly, so smoothly, and so free of the smell and smoke, that U.S. visitors are universally amazed to learn they’re in a diesel-powered vehicle. It happened to me, last year. I had the chance to do some driving in Germany, and to reach the site, I was driving a Mercedes E320 station wagon. We were sailing along the unlimited-speed-limit autobahn, north of Munich, and I stepped on it to pass a “slower” vehicle — which was dawdling along in the center lane at about 110 miles per hour.
As I passed, in the left lane, the Mercedes wagon accelerated easily. Reading kilometers per hour, the speedometer moved smoothly up to 210, 220, 230, and to about 245 km per hour, where I held it, as I pulled back into the center lane. It be a foreign concept to Minnesota drivers, but nobody drives in the left lane except to pass in Germany, which is why nobody passes on the right. Anyway, I held it at that speed, which computed to a bit over 140 miles per hour, for about five minutes. With a bit of congestion ahead, I slowed down so we wouldn’t sail right on past our exit.
When we got to our destination, we spotted the emblem that said “CDI” on the rear of the car. It was a 3-liter turbodiesel. We had no idea it was a diesel from a driving standpoint, or from a silence standpoint. Of course, diesel engines always could be refined more, because they get to run on European diesel fuel. It always has been cleaner than U.S. diesel fuel, running at about 12 parts per million sulfur, a figure recently reduced to 5 ppm.
In the U.S., U.S. diesel fuel has finally reached reasonable standards, too. Last year, low-sulfur diesel was reduced to a limit of 15 parts per million sulfur. It had been about 245 ppm. That’s not only absurd by any standard, but is the reason for all that disgusting smell, smoke, and oily residue that turned many away from considering diesel. Turns out, the foul quality of U.S. diesel fuel is among the main reasons the top diesel engines couldn’t pass emission tests.
The advent of clean diesel in the U.S. means that a whole group of technically brilliant turbodiesels could start showing up in this country, beyond only the miniscule number of Volkwagen and Mercedes cars. Mercedes, which leads the way with new “Bluetec” clean-diesel technology, offer it in its new sedans, where it meets the stringent U.S. emission standards. But its common-rail diesel works well too, even if it will soon be supplanted by the Bluetec system.
The 2007 Grand Cherokee has good 3.7 and 4.7 V6 single-overhead-camshaft engines, and the high-performance 5.7-liter Hemi V8 in a hot-rod version. Respectively, those engines offer 210, 235, and 330 horsepower, and 235, 305, and 375 foot-pounds of torque. So the 3.0-liter common-rail turbodiesel V6 is the smallest displacement engine offered in the Grand Cherokee, and while its 215 horsepower seem puny, it develops 376 foot-pounds of torque which not only is the best of any Grand Cherokee engine, but it peaks at 1,600 RPMs and holds steady to 2,800 RPMs.
American drivers love horsepower and they love low-end, 0-60-type acceleration. What they don’t seem to realize is horsepower happens up at the higher reaches of the rev range, while torque is what they’ve always cherished for low-end power. So the Grand Cherokee accelerates like the proverbial scalded cat.
Driving along in I-94 gridlock trying to escape to the West of Minneapolis, and you see the chance to change lanes. Tap the 5-speed automatic shift lever to downshift a gear or two and hit the gas, and the thing fairly leaps ahead and into the other lane. The low and mid-range power is astonishing. And so is the lack of noise, or any trace of sooty smoke coming out the tailpipes.
Best of all, the EPA fuel estimates are 20 city and 24 highway, and our driving was in that range on two tankfuls, even in thick congested traffic. Diesels run indefinitely, generally with far better durability than gasoline engines, and they generally get better fuel economy. Those are the two reasons for their great popularity in Europe and the world over. The problem with fuel was specific only to the U.S., where the only other problem is getting over the old criticism from back when General Motors tried to apply diesel technology to its Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser V8s, and they blew up like popcorn. Diesels require a much higher compression ratio, so the engines must start out being reinforced and structurally very solid.
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The Grand Cherokee Limited 4×4 I test drove had a base price of $37,645. That included the other upgraded Limited features, sucjh as front, side and side curtain airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with antilock and brake assist, electronic stability program, power sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, remote start system, dual-zone air conditioning, power adjustable pedals, steering wheel mounted audio controls for the Boston Acoustics Premium sound system, power seats with driver memory, foglights, automatic headlights, power heated folding outside mirros, and a full-size spare on a matching 17-inch alloy wheel.
Options on the test vehicle included the turbo-diesel engine, at $3,700, which also adds a 22-gallon fuel tank, Sirius satellite digital radio, Quadra-Drive four-wheel drive, limited slip front and rear differentials, and an engine block heater. Other options were a rear back-up camera system and DVD-based navigation system, an audio upgrade, hands-free phone communication, and the rear park-assist warning beeper. That boosted the sticker price to $44,495.
A lot of SUVs might boast more luxury, and some might claim more power. But few, if any, can claim the smooth and powerful driveability of the diesel, with its inherent fuel economy and durability standards, plus all the other comforts of a midsize SUV that is classy enough to take you to the country club, and rugged enough to take you there without using the highway.
Now if we can just make sure Daimler-Benz keeps sending the newest Mercedes diesels over to Detroit, where the Grand Cherokee is built, and maybe even a few others. Wouldn’t a Bluetec turbodiesel with all-wheel-drive go impressively into a Chrysler 300C? Or a Dodge Magnum?
New S80 rises to challenge best German rivals
With the possible exception of someone lost in the wilderness for 20 years, or maybe lost while working at a major automotive magazine, it is obvious that Volvo has been on the upsurge to complement its pace-setting devotion to safety with ever-improving performance and appealing style. The 2006 Volvo S80 was an example, a fine flagship, built on a platform that was the standard of the industry for safety.
It was good enough to be the structural base for the XC90 SUV, and Ford called on its Swedish subsidiary to provide that platform to underpin Ford’s Freestyle and Five Hundred. Volvo has never lost its determination for safety, so we can assume that renovating the S80 entirely for 2007 has only improved on a vehicle that was already such an impressive benchmark.
After driving the car at its media introduction, for a week in Minnesota winter, and more recently for a week in Minnesota traffic, I am convinced the new S80 is a worthy challenger for the kings of the entry-luxury segment — the BMW 5, Audi A6, Mercedes E, Cadillac STS, and any Acura RS or TL, Infiniti M or G, or the Lexus GS. It provides all the pleasures of a smooth-running luxury car, plus a few surprising new ones, and it also has enough performance to satisfy a reasonably aggressive sporty driver, delivering plenty of thrills, even though it does it without ever losing its poise.
Apparently it was that poise, or maybe its stoic Scandinavian heritage, that prompted Car and Driver magazine to misidentify most of the S80’s assets as liabilities, while ruthlessly ripping the S80 for being devoid of any personality. I disagree, totally.
Even in base form, with a new 3.2-liter inline 6-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive, the lighter S80 feels quick and agile, and it starts at a bargain price of $38,705. Turning out 235 horsepower and 236 foot-pounds of torque, the 3.2 also serves as the basic engine for the XC90, and the new Range Rover LR2, a distant cousin.
To fully qualify as a performance-luxury sedan, Volvo didn’t flinch at the needed upgrade, and installed the fantastic, Yamaha-built 4.4-liter V8, with 311 horsepower at 5,950 RPMs, and a whopping 325 foot-pounds of torque at 3,950, and a redline of 6,500 RPMs. That all comes with a six-speed Geartronic transmission and a Haldex all-wheel drive system that shifts power from front to rear if hard acceleration or a tendency to spin is detected. The V8 S80 starts at $47,350, although the test car that I had for a week had enough options to boost the price to $56,025 — steep, but reasonable in view of the futuristic, and fully usable features.
The narrow, 60-degree, transverse-mounted engine has variable valve timing that can alter the cam profile, to low lift for cruising or high lift for power takeoffs. Stand on it and shift the automatic via the manual gate, and the engine soars, sounding like a race engine all the way up. Acceleration is impressive, considering that it weighs over 4,000 pounds. And the fit under the hood is precise, because all the V8’s accessory drives are tucked in under the banks to fit in a narrow, crashworthy slot between the front wheels.
Few, if any, cars can match all the features on the top S80. Let’s tick off some of them:
* The S80’s active headlights are more active than most, pivoting in a wide swath to light the road around upcoming curves. If you get out of the car and open the trunk at night, the brake lights shine in bright strips, a great safety touch on a dark roadway.
* The BLIS (blind spot information system) uses tiny cameras in the outside mirrors to signal a little light in the front door pillars, which come on, alerting the driver that a car has entered what could be a blind spot, or merely might have been unnoticed. Glance at the light, and in that glance you see the vehicle in the side mirror.
* A strip of warning lights works with the radar adaptive cruise control, so if you get too close to the car ahead, lights flash and a staccato sound warns that a crash may be imminent. In heavy congestion, if you glance down at the audio at the moment the car ahead stops abruptly, the system can alert you in time to stop or swerve.
* Steering can be set for low, medium or high turning force — a cure for complaints about too-light a touch. The three-button suspension setting is comfortably firm on “comfort,” immediately firmer on “sport,” and rigid enough on “advanced” to be reserved for freeways that are considerably smoother than what I see. Switch back and forth while going over expansion-joint tar strips and you get dramatic evidence of how effective the alterations are.
* The stability control system monitors every bit of driving input every 10th millisecond, preventing the car from skidding, if necessary, and also readying the brakes to prepare for a hard stop.
Seats are supremely comfortable and adjust for cushion height and lumbar support, plus they have heaters and, with the perforated leather option, a ventilation feature.
* Interior controls are ergonomically well designed, with the industry-best center stack — a thin panel taken from the S40, with a small storage area behind it, instead of a massive facing on the dash. The audio control numbers are laid out similar to a telephone push-button pad, three numbers to a row, for ease in adjusting without taking your eye off the road. Another dash switch can drop the rear seat headrests to avoid blocking rearward vision through the rear view mirror.
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* Climate controls have a sitting-body silhouette, with arrows pointing up, middle and down, so you push a corresponding button to direct airflow, and a knob on the left adjusts more or less fan speed. The dash is two-tone, grey and beige, made of a pleasing soft-touch material, with an imbedded accent strip of either real wood or brushed aluminum. Ignition is push-button, so you don’t need the key if you have it in your pocket.
* Use the key fob to lock the doors, and the outside mirrors fold flat to avoid being bumped in parking lots. That fob has a tiny transmitter inside, so when you can’t remember clicking the remote lock and go up to the 34th floor, or fly to Seattle, you can click the button, and an LED will advise you if the car is locked or unlocked. The device also reacts to the car alarm to alert you that someone has broken in, and it can detect a heartbeat and warn if someone is lurking inside the car.
* The audio system has eight speakers, or 12 as optional, with an MP3 player, auxiliary iPod and USB jack. A humidity sensor, standard on V8 models, assesses how foul the outside air is when you’re parked, and if it reaches a certain foulness, it will closes all vents.
The Bosch electronic antilock brakes have a feature that reads when you let off the gas suddenly, and charges the brakes in preparation for optimum force in a panic stop.
If all that were included and the car was still a slug, it would be a worthwhile vehicle. But the S80 is no slug, responding quickly to the touch of a toe on the gas or brake pedal, and to the hand on the steering wheel. My only question would be whether to take on all the features of the loaded V8 model, or to save $10,000 and get the very impressive 3.2 version, which still has the great brakes, seats, and handling features, as well as the crashworthy frame, body, and airbag-filled occupant compartment.
So it was with some amusement when I read a review of the new S80 in the May issue of Car and Driver — a magazine that used to be my favorite. The magazine ridiculed the new S80 for having no trace of personality, and ripped virtually everything, suggesting that unique safety devices were signs of paranoia, and such innovations as adjustable steering and suspension were worthless. The quick and noticeable adjustable suspension system, according to Car and Cheapshot, ranged “…from too soft, to almost right, to just wrong.” Quite predictably, the writer ripped the car for handling like a front-wheel-drive vehicle, adding “front-drive handling characteristics are rarely desirable…”
A headstrong hotshot who enjoys hanging out the rear end in a power slide might also find it easy to spin out of touch with reality, much the way his dedication to rear-drive might cause his rear-drive car to spin out of control in an autocross. I love rear-drive performance cars, but in real world Minnesota, where winter is more than an occasional storm that melts in a day or two, the assets of front-drive approach the security of all-wheel drive, even in storms heavy enough to keep rear-drive stalwarts from venturing out. The best test of true “real-world” performance remains an autocross, where cars compete singly for times over a cone-lined course in a parking lot. It’s always a kick to see overpowered rear-drive performance cars like a Corvette, Mustang and Porsche roar and fishtail, while constantly and easily being humbled by a Mini Cooper, GTI, Civic Si, and RSX for best elapsed time. The ability to hang the rear end out to the edge of control is less dazzling when rivals can stay in control — and on the power — to get around a tight turn.
The magazine took some snide cheapshots at the S80’s new safety features. One suggested that the individual adjustability of the steering, and the suspension firmness, were because Volvo was too indecisive to pick one as best, then it claimed that none of the settings were good enough. I thought that any reasonable driver would find all the settings good, and could select one as a favorite. Car and Driver did note the S80’s very good lateral stability, but attributed it to the tires. As for the LED strip and warning tone for closing dangerously fast on the car ahead, the magazine said, “…or, you could use your eyes.” And, for the ingenious new blind-spot-alert lights, it said: “…or, you could adjust your mirrors.”
Safety doesn’t sell magazines, perhaps, but we can only hope that potential Volvo customers won’t let such an attack prevent them from their own test drives, which will guarantee that a truly remarkable new luxury-performance sedan won’t be overlooked.
‘X’ marks right spot for Infiniti’s new G35X sports sedan
Most every new vehicle is impressive at its introduction, so getting a second chance for a more lengthy evaluation can solidify or contradict those first impressions. In the case of the Infiniti G sedan, completely revised for 2007, all of its best attributes were reinforced — and then some.
Nissan came out with an all-new Altima midsize sedan for 2007, and it is a winner, with its dramatic styling lines enhanced and everything upgraded. With Infiniti being Nissan’s upscale arm, it made sense that the G would also be renovated, and the new one is better in every way, which is going some, because its predecessor was a vehicle worthy of being compared to the BMW 3-Series — the state-of-the-art benchmark for every midsize sedan.
Because it already had developed an impressive resume of its own, the Infiniti entry level sedan could have rested on its record. But Infiniti marketers researched prospective buyers, asking them what all they wanted in a car and what all they didn’t like, about a variety of vehicles. The G is officially the G35, reflecting on the 3.5-liter V6 under the hood. Now they’re pretty much calling the new car the G, in line with the larger and more powerful M, and the top of the line Q.
The interior is luxurious and ergonomically sound, with high-class fit and finish, and choice materials. There is aluminum trim, and the switches are designed for a balance of touch and surety. The instruments are white and violet. The leather on the steering wheel is hand stitched so you don’t feel any awkward lumps. Wood trim, an option, is African rosewood. The paddle switches on the automatic transmission are magnesium, not plastic. Furthermore, it has a 7-inch screen on the color monitor if you get the navigation system, and the nav system is my personal favorite, for clarity, accuracy, and the unique “bird’s-eye” view that gives you an interesting perspective of where you’re going.
The G35 also has Bluetooth for hands-free telephone, and there is a 9.5-gig hard drive for recording your music favorites for playback of your own favorites as you drive. Playing it back means through a potent, 10-speaker audio system, including a three-way front door speaker set-up with 10-inch woofers, two 6.5 inch full-range speakers, and the usual assortment of smaller midrange and tweeters, plus a digital amplifier with eight channels of equalization, and 374 watts of system power.
Before doing its revision, Infiniti calculated that the 3-Series BMW, the Acura TL, the Audi A4 and A6, Lexus IS and ES, Volvo S60, Saab 9-3, and Cadillac CTS all are valid competition, and marketing chief Jim Hooke explained that all those competitors are bigger, better, faster, and better values than they used to be. Infiniti’s task, Hooke said, is to make sure the G “surrounds you with what you need inside the car, so you can concentrate on what surrounds you, outside the car.”
The eloquence was impressive, and I didn’t know he was speaking from the Infiniti brochure, but when he added: “Sports sedans have come to be regarded as purely machines,” I had to interrupt. “You mean,” I asked, “you think the sports sedans from BMW, Audi, and Acura are purely machines, without personality?”
He backpedaled quickly. “I guess we mean looking inward more than outward,” said Hooke, acknowledging the emotional connection of those cars. “Certainly that’s what sets the BMW, Audi and Acura apart. To compete in this segment, performance is the cost of entry.”
To say nothing of flair, emotion, and personality. Some performance cars have it, and BMW, Audi and Acura are among them, and some don’t. Infiniti wanted to make sure the new G would have it, going past the level of entry or mid luxury.
The shape of the G is distinctly Infiniti, and while the G Coupe — basically a 350Z 2-plus-2 — won’t be changed until 2008, the sedan is a roomy, versatile vehicle built on a 40-percent stiffer structure, and with the fourth generation of what is called the “VQ35HR” engine, which powers everything from the Nissan 350Z, Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder, Murano and Quest to Infiniti FX35 and G35. The new engine is not just tweaked, but has 80 percent new parts, with variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust valves, via dual overhead camshafts. In its new trim, the 3.5 V6 develops 306 horsepower at 6,800 RPMs and 268 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800 RPMs.
Interestingly, the revised transmission is a 5-speed, while the manual is a 6-speed. Competitors’ automatics have six speeds from the Audi, seven from Mercedes and BMW, and eight from the top Lexus. So why five? Simple, Infiniti engineers say. With six, seven or eight gears, a car spends less time in each, and Infiniti chose to let drivers enjoy the thrill of winding the 3.5 up to higher revs in each gear for a longer period, enjoying the “swell” of power. With a 7,600-RPM red line, the engine has room to rev, and power does build over a broad torque range, much like a wave, rather than coming on in a peaky rush. Besides, it sounds great.
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In the automatic, first, second and third gears are set for performance, while fourth and fifth are set to cruise at lower revs for optimum fuel economy. There are manual magnesium paddle switches on the steering wheel for those who want to shift the automatic manually, and a DS mode setting directs the transmission to hold for higher shift points. The automatic also blips the throttle to match revs on downshifts. The close-ratio 6-speed stick is for those who want to extract every bit of performance.
The styling is familiar, but the 2007 model has some unique upgrades. For example, the horizontal blades of the grille are twisted as they reach their outer edges, crafted to simulate the pride of ancient Japanese swordsmen.
The G also has double wishbone suspension, which is both firm and compliant to meet the demands of performance drivers and those who want comfort. A subtle little touch is that the rear suspension allows flexing and altering the angle for a four-wheel active steering response to quick cornering or precision in emergency handling. It’s one of those assets that you might never notice, until you have to swerve to miss a deer that darts out in front of you, when the quick response of the G steering will be appreciated.
After driving the G in Palo Alto, Calif., I was anxious to get one back on Minnesota roads. I didn’t have any snowstorms to confront in the week I drove it, which was too bad, because the model was the G-35X, which has all-wheel drive. That gives the G a total of five different models — the G35, G35 Journey, G35X AWD, G35 Sport, and the G35 Sport 6MT. In a clever move, you can choose any model and add the sport package as a stand-alone feature.
My G35X had the Sport package, so it handled superbly, even if I didn’t get the foul weather that would have let it shine even more brightly. At a sticker price of about $37,000, the Infiniti G fits right in with its target segment. Whether you call it mid-luxury, sport-luxury, or entry-luxury, it may be the most impressive batch of cars in the industry, and the G35X expands the by one more impressive entry.
Wild tackle Anaheim in NHL’s widest-open Cup run
Because the Minnesota Wild are making their second appearance ever, there is more interest than ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Minnesota. But make no mistake — never before in the National Hockey League’s long and storied history have the playoffs been more wide open than this season.
On paper, the Wild should be distinct underdogs to the Anaheim Ducks. The simple reason is that an Edina native and former high school star named Brian Burke was kicked out of Vancouver because, as an American, he was an easy scapegoat when the Canucks sagged for a season, and he landed on his feet in Anaheim. First thing he did, with an outstanding goaltender named Jean-Sebastien Giguere and a great defenseman in Scott Niedermayer already in place, was to obtain Edmonton’s top player — big, swift, and mean defenseman Chris Pronger. The Oilers went to the Cup final last spring, losing only to Carolina in a stirring seven-game final, then Pronger requested a trade. That led to the demise of the Oilers, who are now just a rebuilding shell of that team a year later.
For those not paying close attention during the long NHL regular season, Carolina and Edmonton — last year’s Cup finalists — BOTH missed the generous playoff allotment this year.
The reason the Oilers sank in the West is a big reason why Giguere and the Ducks are flapping. Pronger might join Niedermayer once in a while, but mostly they alternate, meaning one of them is on the ice all the time. Good as Niedermayer is, opponents could get around him, or wait for the next shift to attack. Now, there is no way to feel comfortable attacking the Ducks. Also, the incredible skills of 36-year-old Teemu Selanne up front makes the Ducks an enormous offensive threat. Don’t forget, while North Americans were licking their wounds at the “fluke” of both Canada and the U.S. failing to reach the gold medal game at the 2006 Olympics, Sweden won the gold, and Finland — mostly because of Selanne — won the silver.
The Wild have their incomparable tandem of Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra up front, and strong support from Brian Rolston, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Mikko Koivu and Mark Parrish when it comes to scoring. Demitra (25-39–64) and Rolston (31-33–64) tied for team scoring honors, with Gaborik next, at 30-27–57, tied with Bouchard’s 20-37–57. Impressive, but Selanne had 48 goals, 46 assists, for 94 points, and his centerman, someone named Andy McDonald (27-51–78), as well as defenseman Niedermayer (15-54–69) had more points than the Wild’s leader.
Still, the Wild missed Gaborik for two months when his horrible strained groin prevented him from igniting the offense, and since his return, the brilliant tandem of Gaborik and Demitra made the Wild one of the NHL’s hottest and most explosive teams. Count the series as a toss-up, and, being provincial, we’ll pick the Wild to win in seven. This is not the wide-eyed, inane prediction of some of the media guys who may (or may not) have seen a game this season, but a pick-with-the-heart for coach Jacques Lemaire against a team that has everything. Count on this, too. Whichever team wins this series has a realistic chance at going all the way. It’s possible that nobody is better than either one of these teams right now.
Elsewhere in the West, Detroit opens against Calgary, and depleted or not, I like the Red Wings to prevail, in six, as Pavel Datsyuk outplays Jarome Iginla in a classic duel of elite forwards, while Dominik Hasek edges Miikka Kiprusoff in a battle of elite goalies. Vancouver is host to Dallas, and Mike Modano, who some consider the best U.S. player ever to play in the NHL, will be the difference as the Stars shine in six. San Jose opens at Nashville, and while I think Nashville’s Predators are impressive, I think coach Ron Wilson will have Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo at full speed and the Sharks will win in five.
Out East, a series I find as intriguing as the Wild-Anaheim match finds Tampa Bay at New Jersey. GM Lou Lamoriello shocked everyone by reassuming coaching duties two weeks ago, but the Devils will rise up to their best, and the likes of Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner, defenseman Paul Martin, and goaltender Martin Brodeur will be just barely enough to escape in seven games against the Lightning, who are led by the dynamic duo of diminutive sparkplug Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. Lecavalier led the league with 52 goals (52-56–108) and St. Louis had 43-59–102. That’s two guys over 100 points on the same team, while only six players in the entire NHL topped 100. However, I don’t think that winner will go all the way to the Cup.
That’s because of Buffalo, which faces the New York Islanders in the first round, and which has no 100-point guys but does have seven 20-goal skaters, led by ex Gopher Thomas Vanek, who notched 43. The Islanders showed great tenacity in making the playoffs on the final day, as former Denver University goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, from Minneapolis, stepped in to star, and the Islanders knocked out Montreal and Toronto on the final day. Buffalo could sweep in four, but we’ll guess five — scoring one for tenacity. Atlanta is at home to the New York Rangers, and Atlanta should outlast Jaromir Jagr (30-66-96), and can outscore him with the likes of Marian Hossa (43-57–100), in six. Another great matchup is Pittsburgh at Ottawa, where Ottawa has a swift, explosive team, but Pittsburgh has boy-wonder Sidney Crosby, who led the NHL with 36-84–120. I like Dany Heatley and Ottawa to ambush the Penguins in seven, but that series is also a toss-up.
The Wild are — first of all — plural! Some newspapers insist on referring to the Wild as a singular noun, but Minnesota is singular, and Wild are as plural as the Vikings, Twins, Gophers, or (dare we mention) the North Stars. As a “they” instead of an “it,” the Wild are a bunch that no other NHL team would be eager to play right now, even though they came in only seventh of eight teams by point totals of the three divisions that comprise the West half of the NHL.
Coach Jacques Lemaire is a master strategist, who has forced, begged, coaxed and manipulated his players into pretty much playing the way he used to — back when he wore the No. 25 Superman colors of the Montreal Canadiens. Lemaire was the on-ice brains behind a talent-laden team that simply owned the Stanley Cup. If the Canadiens didn’t win every Cup in the 1960s and ’70s, whoever did win it had to get past them to make it.
Lemaire gets ripped for deploying something ill-informed writers refer to as the “neutral zone trap,” which is a defense-only tactical deployment geared to not attack, but instead to fall back in a strictly defensive posture instead of forechecking. To be accurate, the trap requires that the first forechecker doesn’t forecheck, but instead steers the puck-carrying defenseman to either carry or pass the puck from behind his net to the boards on either side. The first forward then escorts the puck carrier to the neutral zone, where other forwards seal him off, leaving no alternative but to force a pass to teammates who are thoroughly covered in the neutral zone.
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Lemaire’s system instead stresses defense first, but not only. In Montreal, as a player, when he felt someone like Boston’s brilliant defenseman Bobby Orr deserved special attention for his elite offensive skills. The result was Montreal won more Cups. He did it in New Jersey, as coach, when he took over an offensively biased team and had to put in strict rules to get them to pay attention to defense — and win a Stanley Cup. And he did it with the expansion gang he found in Minnesota, organizing the Wild to play solidly from their end of the rink out. Lemaire was an offensive maestro, but he knew that the best offense is worthless without the basis of a solid, goal-preventing defense.
So when you watch the Wild play, note how many times they come racing into the offensive zone, one or two forwards zooming in hard and forechecking all the way to the end boards. Sometimes a third forward also goes in deep, or a defenseman might join the rush as a fourth attacker. Whenever the Wild has even the first forward in behind the net forechecking, the definition of the “neutral-zone trap” is voided, except in the catch-phrase minds of some media types.
This is the year the Wild, from Lemaire and his assistants to general manager Doug Risebrough, have made their move. After last season, when they determined that the defensive-end discipline was in place, they turned their attention to offense. They added Demitra, a Slovakian National teammate of Gaborik, the explosively fast winger who has been the offensive signature player of the franchise. Having already added Brian Rolston, and patiently awaited the emergence of Mikko Koivu, they also added Mark Parrish, a gifted offensive force at getting to the front of the net and getting the puck into the net. Not to be overlooked is the addition of veteran defenseman Keith Carney, whose steady wisdom complements the puck-moving and skating skills of newly added defensemen Kim Johnsson and Petteri Nummelin — both of whom were obtained to bring the power play to life.
In goal, Manny Fernandez was the mainstay, although Finnish star Niklas Backstrom figured to challenge Josh Harding for the backup role. By surprise, when Fernandez went down with a leg injury, Backstrom — whose first three victories came in relief roles when Fernandez was having a rough night — not only filled in but took over the job, and led the league. Fernandez went 22-16-1, with a good 2.55 goals-against average and a solid .911 save percentage, but Backstrom went 23-8-6 with 1.97 and .929. Brilliant. And maybe as much luck as managerial skill. Harding, at 3-2-1, is 1.16 and .960. So the Wild go to Anaheim amazingly set in goal, but without Fernandez in the picture.
Wild’s big night proves streak by Ducks not unlimited
Whether the Minnesota Wild come back to make history against the Anaheim Ducks, or whether they head off to summertime in Game 5, nothing can alter the fabulous performance Minnesota hockey fans enjoyed Thursday night, when, after losing the first three games of the best-of-seven first-round series, they rose up to win Game 4 by a decisive 4-1 count, as 19,174 fans at Xcel Center roared their approval.
The game had everything, including the more productive intensity coach Jacques Lemaire was seeking, and goals by the missing-in-action top guns, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Marian Gaborik, Brian Rolston, and Mark Parrish. In fact, the Wild scored another goal, when Marty Skoula rifled in a screened shot from the blue line, but the goal was disallowed when Branko Radivojevic was accused of having his skate in the crease.
Didn’t matter. What did matter was that the Ducks, who certainly resembled a classy but hard-playing threat to go all the way to the Stanley Cup, looked like a 1970s remnant from an old Philadelphia Flyers or Boston Bruins “beat ’em in the alley” game plan.
In the closing minutes, with the game out of reach at 4-1, the Ducks sprung a two-pronged attack, with 2-on-1 muggings both springing up near the Anaheim bench. Brad May, a tough veteran, appeared to be looking for someone to pair off with, when Kim Johnsson, a smooth-skating Swedish defenseman who is a career non-fighter, skated by. May blocked his path, gave him a shove, then sucker-punched him, dropping him face-down on the ice, 10 feet from the Anaheim bench. May reached down and pulled Johnsson up, as though to punch him some more, but he appeared to be unconscious, so he dropped him back to the ice.
Afterward, incredibly, May was interviewed on television and said, “It’s playoff time. Games are tough, and you’ve got to do what you can to advance to the next round.”
Not much apology there. The next day, when the teams traveled back to Anaheim, Johnsson, who had logged the most ice time of any Minnesota defenseman, stayed back in Minnesota, hospitalized for further examination of an apparent concussion. May was banished with a three-game suspension for clear intent to injury.
Asked about the Ducks sudden attacks, Lemaire said: “I’m surprised they did that. We don’t want that. If that’s the way it’s going to be, then we’ll go after (Teemu) Selanne, or McDonald, or Pronger, or Niedermayer. May hit Johnsson, punched him, but Johnson is not a fighter. If they want one, we have one — he’s wearing No. 24, and he’s our tallest.”
That would be Derek Boogaard, Minnesota’s Paul Bunyanesque winger who continues to play well when given a chance to do something beyond defending his teammates. In the Thursday game, Chris Pronger’s goal had staked Anaheim to a 1-0 lead early in the second period. With two minutes left in the middle period and that 1-0 deficit hanging there, Boogaard got the puck, circled through the right offensive corner with nary a white jersey in sight, and fed a perfect pass to the slot. Pierre Marc Bouchard, who hadn’t had a single shot through three and one-third games, caught the pass and fired a quick wrist shot that was blocked back to him by a defender, then Bouchard ripped a follow-up slap shot and it beat goaltender Ilja Bryzgalov for a 1-1 tie.
“Boogey made a great pass,” said Bouchard. “My first shot got blocked, but I got another. The first was a wrister, and the second a slapshot — maybe I was frustrated the first shot didn’t get through.”
Whatever, the proper force sent the second one in, and Boogaard, one of the more feared fighters in the NHL, had made the play that turned the game around for the Wild. He was colorful in the dressing room afterward:
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Were you surprised that after none of your teammates had found even an inch of space, that you had nothing but room, and no Anaheim player was in that quadrant of the zone, meaning apparently nobody was interested in taking a run at you?
“You’ll have to ask the other team why they didn’t want to,” said Boogaard, with a twinkle in his eye.
Were you surprised they attacked a couple of your teammates in the closing minutes?
“No,” said Boogaard. “That’s the way they play. They’re fine when they win, but if they lose, they try to start something to intimidate you.”
Were you surprised that happened when you weren’t on the ice?
“Gimme a break,” said Boogaard. “They wouldn’t dare do anything like that if I was out there.”
As for the May incident with Johnsson, Boogaard said: “He’s supposed to be one of those veterans you respect, and he sucker-punches a guy who doesn’t fight. I have no respect for that.”
In the third period, still 1-1, the Wild erupted. Gaborik reversed position behind the net and jammed one in on a power play from the right edge of the crease at 3:23, giving the Wild a 2-1 lead. Midway through the period, the Wild struck for two goals in just over a minute.
Rolston, who had been silenced by the Ducks defense, broke up the right side, passing to his left for Pavol Demitra, who cut to his left and worked his way clear in the slot. As he went to shoot, however, he passed back to the right, instead. Rolston, just passing the goal on the right side, reached back to catch the pass, and snapped it in behind the goalie at 9:27.
The crowd was still roaring when Parrish got his stick blade on a shot from the blue line and deflected it cleanly in at 10:44. It was only two minutes later, on another power play, when Skoula shot from the left point. Radivojevic was screening up close, with his back to the goalie, and his left skate was clearly in the outer edge of the crease. In high school or college hockey, that’s illegal. But because Brett Hull once scored a Cup winning goal on a questionable in-the-crease decision, the NHL changed the rule in 1999 to allow a player to have a foot in the crease, so long as it didn’t interfere with the goalie.
As Skoula’s shot got to the net, Radivojevic raised his left foot off the ice, so as not to impede the shot’s flight, and as the puck hit the net, his left foot was not in the crease. The officials immediately disallowed the goal. The crowd howled, particularly when the big screen showed the replay. “I thought that rule is gone,” said Lemaire. “A skate in the crease is good, now.”
On top of that, Radivojevic had hoisted his skate up, and technically wasn’t even in the crease. You could look it up (on the accompanying photo). But it didn’t matter. Not on this night.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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