| Hockey Heaven: Articles Ferraro feels another draft; Waiver list is latest concern |
BRUINS NOTEBOOK By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 09/26/99 Peter Ferraro has been there before. He didn't particularly enjoy it, but he accepted it because he didn't have much choice. The place? Hockey limbo. The forward is one of three players the Bruins left exposed for tomorrow's waiver draft. In June, Ferraro was chosen by the Atlanta Thrashers in the expansion draft. However, the Bruins had worked out a deal so Atlanta wouldn't take goalie Rob Tallas . To complete the deal, the Thrashers traded Ferraro back to the Bruins for Randy Robitaille. Ferraro turns 27 in January and said it's hard to play on the bubble. ''It's not easy, that's for sure,'' said Ferraro, who was the Most Valuable Player of the American Hockey League playoffs last season as he led Providence to the championship. ''You never know what to expect. It's frustrating. It's something you think about a lot. ''It seems as if you can never just relax and just play. That's the most frustrating thing, but life could be a lot worse, too. I'm lucky to be able to do what I'm doing and have the opportunity that I have at my age. It's beyond my control.'' One of the drawbacks in the life of a pro athlete is the potential for a change of address at any time, with no notice. ''With the way things have gone, getting picked up by Atlanta and sent down last year, it's not a shocking thing,'' said Ferraro. ''But at the same time, I've always said I want to be in this organization and play here and have an opportunity to play here. ''If that's not in their plans, that's beyond my control. The only thing I can do is work hard and do the best I can. I think I did that in terms of being sent down last year and trying to contribute to winning a Calder Cup and putting forth an effort.'' Coach Pat Burns said there aren't many jobs available on the Bruins, but Ferraro said he's hoping he can secure one of them if he's still around after tomorrow. ''I think when they picked me up [in July of last year], it was to have me be a depth guy,'' said Ferraro. ''If all goes well and I'm back in Boston and I have a chance to be a fourth-line depth guy, it's something I'd love to do but if that's not the case and I have to go on somewhere else and get picked up, it's something I have to take as a positive. We'll see. Nothing shocks me anymore. I'm numb to it all.'' Splitting hairs A rumor was circulating in the press box at Fenway Park yesterday that the Bruins had come to terms with goalie Byron Dafoe on a one-year contract. But president/general manager Harry Sinden said it wasn't true. When asked why he wouldn't just split the difference between the club's offer of $3 million and Dafoe's $4 million demand, Sinden said the Bruins already had. He said the Bruins were going to offer Dafoe $2 million as a starting point but felt it would be an insult, so the team put forth $3 million as their initial - and final - offer. ''Let's say we started at $2 million and he wanted $4 million and we went to $3 million; everybody would be happy, right?'' said Sinden, clearly being facetious. ''We started at $3 million because we knew that's where we'd have to end, anyway. Why make him an offer of $2 million when we know that's not proper? In order to get to $3 million? So we can say, `We split it with you?' ''We went to $3 million because we didn't want to start at $2 million and go to $3 million. Out of respect for him, we said we'd go to the number he should get immediately. We didn't want to give him anything lower than what he should get. If our initial offer was so bad, he should've gone to arbitration and gotten more. But he knew our initial offer was so good that the only way he could get more is to do what he's doing.'' He'll be back Defenseman Mattias Timander, who left Friday night's game against the Blackhawks because of a charley horse in his right leg, is expected to be fine. Timander was kneed in the thigh late in the second period and left the rink on crutches. ''I knew it was bad because I couldn't even finish the shift,'' he said. ''I couldn't stand on it. And of course, they scored, too.'' Burns said he expects Timander to skate tomorrow ... Anson Carter (groin) and Jason Allison (ankle) are both improving steadily, but neither will play until opening night, according to Burns. He's the Mann Cameron Mann tied the game on a second-ṕeriod penalty shot, and Sergei Samsonov and Steve Heinze scored in the third period, lifting the Bruins to a 3-1 exhibition victory over the Buffalo Sabres at the FleetCenter. The win gives Boston a 5-0-2 record with two games remaining. Goalie Rob Tallas, who appears to have a stranglehold on the start for Saturday's opening night against Carolina, had 20 saves. Stu Barnes scored Buffalo's lone goal. This story ran on page D04 of the Boston Globe on 09/26/99. © Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company. |