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Tipped Off
03-25-2005, 10:21 AM
From the Oregonian - 3/25

Silvertips pack their passion for playoffs

Coach Kevin Constantine is inspired by his young team's love of the game as they take on the Hawks

PAUL BUKER

Everett's Kevin Constantine is the only coach in NHL history to lead two eighth-seeded teams to first-round upsets in the Stanley Cup playoffs. His San Jose Sharks stunned the Detroit Red Wings in 1994 and his Pittsburgh Penguins knocked off New Jersey in 1999.

"That was a lot of fun," Constantine said.

The 46-year-old coached in 378 NHL regular-season games with San Jose, Pittsburgh and New Jersey, yet his amazing run with the expansion Everett Silvertips last season in the major-junior Western Hockey League has a special place in his heart. Everett reached the WHL Finals in its first season of play.

"It was right up there on a par with any of those (NHL) things," Constantine. "I've never been involved with a team that won three straight overtime games to stave off elimination (the Kelowna series). I don't know if that's ever been done."

For Constantine, coaching 15- to 20-year-olds in major-junior is no comedown. There are no Jaromir Jagrs in the Everett Silvertips-Portland Winter Hawks Western Conference first-round playoff series that begins tonight at the Rose Garden, but Constantine and Winter Hawks coach Mike Williamson both say there are unique rewards at this level. "The guys you coach are really into the game," Constantine said. "They're really into being taught the game. They love the game of hockey for the game itself."

On paper, the Hawks and Silvertips look evenly matched. The Hawks have home-ice advantage, but both teams have shown they can win on the road.

They also are beset with injuries. Portland's second-leading scorer, Dan DaSilva, will miss Game 1 because of a concussion suffered Saturday when Seattle's Zack FitzGerald hit him with a stick. Williamson said DaSilva is doubtful for Game 2 on Sunday, too.

Another incident Saturday, a line brawl between Everett and Tri-City, may cost the Silvertips two players for Game 1. Defenseman Taylor Ellington and Everett forward Zach Sim are questionable with concussions.

Although DaSilva's long-term status is unclear, the Winter Hawks are anticipating the return of defenseman Jordy Fike and defenseman/forward Alex Aldred, who are recovering from knee and wrist injuries, respectively.

Regardless of the medical issues, the teams expect a healthy competition.

"They've got a high-powered offense with those two good lines up front," Everett captain Mitch Love said of the Hawks. "They can really bury you if you don't watch out. We've both got some big and physical guys who compete down to the wire. It's going to be a battle. Both teams compete so hard out there, tempers are going to flare."

Off the ice, some Winter Hawks supporters, critical of what they perceive as the Silvertips' tendency to take dives, plan to wear diving goggles to the Rose Garden tonight. "Ah, it's great," Constantine said. "The fans have to get into something. If they want to jump on that, that's fine. I think it's great. I love rivalries."

The rivalry is taking on a life of its own, and Constantine said the series will do the same as it progresses.

"These two teams, they're maybe not the greatest teams in the league, but they're both good, extremely competitive teams who play a very spirited game," he said. "I think it could be a tremendous series."

Looking back to last season, Everett knows magical things can happen in the playoffs. The Hawks' recent playoff history is less encouraging: three consecutive first-round defeats. There was a 4-1 series loss to underdog Tri-City last season, a seventh-game loss to Spokane in 2002-03 after Portland built a 3-1 series lead, and a Game 7 loss to Seattle in 2001-02.

Those close to this year's Hawks say there is a special chemistry and a good mix of youth and experience, but that won't mean anything if Portland doesn't get past Everett.

"I'm really happy with where our guys have gotten to," Williamson said of the team's 17-5-1-1 finish to the regular season. "I'm happy where our leadership has gotten. This team has an opportunity to potentially go deep in the playoffs, but the fact is we're going to have to be at the top of our game. We're going to have to have guys step up and play better than they have in the regular season to advance."

Hawks wing Brian Woolger said the anticipation level has been high this week. "I feel like everyone's way more excited," Woolger said. "Last year we were a little bit nervous, we didn't know what to expect. This year, we've got so much confidence because of the way we played in our last 25 games. We believe in ourselves more than we did last year."