Just a few more hours till the puck drops. Unfortunately, we're not off to a good start.
Mogilny ruled out of Game 4
Canadian Press
4/16/2003
TORONTO (CP) - On a morning dominated by discussion of Shayne Corson's resignation from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the most dramatic development was the announcement that Alexander Mogilny is suffering from concussion symptoms and is out of the Toronto lineup indefinitely.
Mogilny, who was the leading goal scorer in the playoffs going into Wednesday's action with five goals, was thought to have recovered after being clipped by Jeremy Roenick's stick in the second overtime period in Toronto's 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final series on Monday.
But Mogilny, who was cut on the chin, failed a late-afternoon neuro-psychological test Tuesday, indicating he has symptoms related to a concussion.
"He had a downturn yesterday," Toronto coach and GM Pat Quinn told a group of reporters just hours before Game 4 Wednesday. "The report wasn't where we needed to have it."
There were "enough symptoms to say he shouldn't be playing tonight," Quinn said.
Mogilny will be re-tested Thursday and his availability for Game 5 Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia remains uncertain.
Mogilny has been Toronto's best player as they carried a 2-1 series lead into Wednesday's fourth game. He has one assist to go with his five goals.
As for Corson, his name plate has been removed from his dressing room stall and replaced with that of AHL call-up Alexei Ponikarovsky. Corson's name has also been removed from the official game notes.
Quinn said he encouraged his players to forget the issue and move on.
"I've asked our guys to park it. Let's get going forward here," he said.
Corson, a healthy scratch in Game 3, met briefly with Quinn after the game and told him he was resigning.
"Simple as that," Quinn said.
Corson told Toronto papers he was frustrated with his diminished role with the team and worried how it was affecting his health and that he didn't want the issue to become a distraction.
The 36-year-old has battled panic attacks along with a host of physical ailments since signing with the Leafs as a free agent in July 2000.
Corson's agent Rick Curran alluded to a schism in the Leafs dressing room in saying that some players would be disappointed that Corson was no longer part of the team, "and there will be those who are happy."
Neither Quinn nor captain Mats Sundin would comment on Corson's presence in the dressing room.
"It's an unfortunate situation for everybody," Sundin said. "I'm going to stop there."
Forward Darcy Tucker, who is also Corson's brother-in-law, said people who don't understand what Corson is dealing with shouldn't judge him.
"When you're in that state of mind and you're physical well-being is at question, decisions have to be made. The main thing for him is to get everything in order health-wise," Tucker said. "I think he's at peace with his decision."
Close friend and teammate Travis Green was also supportive.
"He's my friend first," said Green. "He's going to be my friend for a long time. The biggest concern is his well-being."
Quinn told the team of Corson's decision at a team meeting Tuesday and said he did not make the news public earlier in case Corson wanted to reconsider.
"I didn't want it all the way out there," Quinn said.
Quinn said it's unlikely Corson could return now and Tucker said he gave odds that Corson would retire at 70-30.
"He didn't want to deal with the stress of hockey," Tucker said.
Corson was a member of Canada's Olympic team in 1998 and played in a number of international tournaments for Canada.
A combination of injuries and inconsistent play that saw him made a healthy scratch for the first time in his career, limited Corson to only 46 games this season.
He scored only twice in 32 playoff games with the Leafs. He was minus-2 in the first two games of the Philadelphia series.
Mogilny ruled out of Game 4
Canadian Press
4/16/2003
TORONTO (CP) - On a morning dominated by discussion of Shayne Corson's resignation from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the most dramatic development was the announcement that Alexander Mogilny is suffering from concussion symptoms and is out of the Toronto lineup indefinitely.
Mogilny, who was the leading goal scorer in the playoffs going into Wednesday's action with five goals, was thought to have recovered after being clipped by Jeremy Roenick's stick in the second overtime period in Toronto's 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final series on Monday.
But Mogilny, who was cut on the chin, failed a late-afternoon neuro-psychological test Tuesday, indicating he has symptoms related to a concussion.
"He had a downturn yesterday," Toronto coach and GM Pat Quinn told a group of reporters just hours before Game 4 Wednesday. "The report wasn't where we needed to have it."
There were "enough symptoms to say he shouldn't be playing tonight," Quinn said.
Mogilny will be re-tested Thursday and his availability for Game 5 Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia remains uncertain.
Mogilny has been Toronto's best player as they carried a 2-1 series lead into Wednesday's fourth game. He has one assist to go with his five goals.
As for Corson, his name plate has been removed from his dressing room stall and replaced with that of AHL call-up Alexei Ponikarovsky. Corson's name has also been removed from the official game notes.
Quinn said he encouraged his players to forget the issue and move on.
"I've asked our guys to park it. Let's get going forward here," he said.
Corson, a healthy scratch in Game 3, met briefly with Quinn after the game and told him he was resigning.
"Simple as that," Quinn said.
Corson told Toronto papers he was frustrated with his diminished role with the team and worried how it was affecting his health and that he didn't want the issue to become a distraction.
The 36-year-old has battled panic attacks along with a host of physical ailments since signing with the Leafs as a free agent in July 2000.
Corson's agent Rick Curran alluded to a schism in the Leafs dressing room in saying that some players would be disappointed that Corson was no longer part of the team, "and there will be those who are happy."
Neither Quinn nor captain Mats Sundin would comment on Corson's presence in the dressing room.
"It's an unfortunate situation for everybody," Sundin said. "I'm going to stop there."
Forward Darcy Tucker, who is also Corson's brother-in-law, said people who don't understand what Corson is dealing with shouldn't judge him.
"When you're in that state of mind and you're physical well-being is at question, decisions have to be made. The main thing for him is to get everything in order health-wise," Tucker said. "I think he's at peace with his decision."
Close friend and teammate Travis Green was also supportive.
"He's my friend first," said Green. "He's going to be my friend for a long time. The biggest concern is his well-being."
Quinn told the team of Corson's decision at a team meeting Tuesday and said he did not make the news public earlier in case Corson wanted to reconsider.
"I didn't want it all the way out there," Quinn said.
Quinn said it's unlikely Corson could return now and Tucker said he gave odds that Corson would retire at 70-30.
"He didn't want to deal with the stress of hockey," Tucker said.
Corson was a member of Canada's Olympic team in 1998 and played in a number of international tournaments for Canada.
A combination of injuries and inconsistent play that saw him made a healthy scratch for the first time in his career, limited Corson to only 46 games this season.
He scored only twice in 32 playoff games with the Leafs. He was minus-2 in the first two games of the Philadelphia series.
