Shell
05-16-2003, 08:23 PM
Canes' interest in playoffs runs deep
Cole, Ferguson have 'family' ties
By LUKE DECOCK, Staff Writer
As the Anaheim Mighty Ducks try to take a 3-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference finals tonight, two members of the Carolina Hurricanes organization will be watching with familial interest.
Scouting director Sheldon Ferguson, who originally drafted Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, has a father's stake in the playoff sensation.
And when forward Erik Cole watches Minnesota defenseman Willie Mitchell, it's with the pride of a brother.
In 1995, Ferguson's first year in charge of the Canes' draft, he used his first pick on the job to take Giguere with the 13th overall.
The Canes ended up trading Giguere to the Calgary Flames in the deal that brought Gary Roberts to Carolina. The Flames then inexplicably shuttled Giguere off to Anaheim for a draft pick.
Giguere is the story of this year's playoffs, leading the Ducks to shocking upsets of two of the NHL's best teams. The Ducks swept the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, then beat the Dallas Stars in the conference semifinals.
He has yet to allow a goal against the Wild, running his shutout streak to 153:17 -- second in NHL playoff history. To Ferguson, it's proof of the promise he saw in Giguere at 18.
"I'm so happy for him," Ferguson said. "It didn't happen overnight. It takes a little longer for goaltenders, but he has worked hard at it. ... It took a couple trades, but he gets all the credit in the world. He's such a great, great individual. You can't be anything but happy for him."
If Giguere is the best story of the playoffs, Mitchell isn't far behind. He broke his cheekbone in four places in Game 7 of the Wild's first-round series, then was in the lineup three days later for its second-round opener.
He's also playing with a nasty wrist injury -- calling to mind the playoff tenacity of Cole, who played in last season's conference finals while coughing up blood from a bruised lung.
Cole and Mitchell were freshman roommates at Clarkson in 1997-98. Last year, Mitchell would leave messages on Cole's cell phone during the playoffs.
This year, it's Cole doing the calling -- usually during games, sometimes three or four in a night. They've actually spoken only twice since the playoffs began.
"When he and I do catch up with each other, we'll usually talk for two hours," Cole said.
Mitchell, godfather to Cole's daughter, was in a group of friends who visited Cole during the Stanley Cup finals last year.
If the Wild can pull off another comeback -- Minnesota is already the first team to come back from two 3-1 deficits in one season -- it might be Cole's turn to visit.
"It's kind of cool," said Cole, who is rehabbing three different injuries at home in upstate New York. "He brought up that, last year, we were the ones doing it. This year, it's them."
Cole, Ferguson have 'family' ties
By LUKE DECOCK, Staff Writer
As the Anaheim Mighty Ducks try to take a 3-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference finals tonight, two members of the Carolina Hurricanes organization will be watching with familial interest.
Scouting director Sheldon Ferguson, who originally drafted Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, has a father's stake in the playoff sensation.
And when forward Erik Cole watches Minnesota defenseman Willie Mitchell, it's with the pride of a brother.
In 1995, Ferguson's first year in charge of the Canes' draft, he used his first pick on the job to take Giguere with the 13th overall.
The Canes ended up trading Giguere to the Calgary Flames in the deal that brought Gary Roberts to Carolina. The Flames then inexplicably shuttled Giguere off to Anaheim for a draft pick.
Giguere is the story of this year's playoffs, leading the Ducks to shocking upsets of two of the NHL's best teams. The Ducks swept the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, then beat the Dallas Stars in the conference semifinals.
He has yet to allow a goal against the Wild, running his shutout streak to 153:17 -- second in NHL playoff history. To Ferguson, it's proof of the promise he saw in Giguere at 18.
"I'm so happy for him," Ferguson said. "It didn't happen overnight. It takes a little longer for goaltenders, but he has worked hard at it. ... It took a couple trades, but he gets all the credit in the world. He's such a great, great individual. You can't be anything but happy for him."
If Giguere is the best story of the playoffs, Mitchell isn't far behind. He broke his cheekbone in four places in Game 7 of the Wild's first-round series, then was in the lineup three days later for its second-round opener.
He's also playing with a nasty wrist injury -- calling to mind the playoff tenacity of Cole, who played in last season's conference finals while coughing up blood from a bruised lung.
Cole and Mitchell were freshman roommates at Clarkson in 1997-98. Last year, Mitchell would leave messages on Cole's cell phone during the playoffs.
This year, it's Cole doing the calling -- usually during games, sometimes three or four in a night. They've actually spoken only twice since the playoffs began.
"When he and I do catch up with each other, we'll usually talk for two hours," Cole said.
Mitchell, godfather to Cole's daughter, was in a group of friends who visited Cole during the Stanley Cup finals last year.
If the Wild can pull off another comeback -- Minnesota is already the first team to come back from two 3-1 deficits in one season -- it might be Cole's turn to visit.
"It's kind of cool," said Cole, who is rehabbing three different injuries at home in upstate New York. "He brought up that, last year, we were the ones doing it. This year, it's them."