St. Louis Post-Dispatch - February 14, 1990

Who is Top Rookie? Blues, Stars Disagree

by Dave Luecking

story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Tuesday touting the North Stars' Mike Modano as a leading candidate for the National Hockey League's rookie of the year was met with a good deal of scoffing by the Blues.

Not that they don't consider Modano a worthy candidate, but rather, they consider Blues rookie Rod Brind'Amour far and away the best choice to win the Calder Trophy. Never mind that Modano has 10 more points than Brind'Amour after Tuesday night's game at the Met Center. Modano, 19, the No. 1 choice overall in the 1988 draft, is second in rookie scoring with 57 points, on 24 goals and 33 assists in 60 games.

Brind'Amour, also 19, has 47 points, on 19 goals and 28 assists in 58 games. Still, the Blues pointed out that Modano plays regularly on the power play, where it's easier to score points. He has 12 goals on the man-advantage, twice as many as Brind'Amour, who plays on the second unit. Brind'Amour, drafted ninth overall in 1988, also has a plus-minus rating three times better than Modano. Brind'Amour is plus 23 after Tuesday's game; Modano is minus 13. ''That says more about Rod Brind'Amour than anything,'' Blues coach Brian Sutter said.

''Rod Brind'Amour's a big reason we're where we're at. ''Here's a kid who's played center all his life, but we switch him to left wing, and he plays it like he's been in the league for years. He competes in all three zones. He does so many little things you can't teach.'' Brind'Amour, Modano and Chicago's Jeremy Roenick are among the top candidates for the award. Roenick is third in rookie scoring with 48 points, on 19 goals and 29 assists in 53 games. If he had a vote, and the vote was Tuesday, Brind'Amour said he would select Roenick, the eighth pick overall in '88.

''Jeremy had a slow start, but he's been the best out of all of us in the last few months,'' Brind'Amour said. ''He's a great skater. With that kind of speed, you're not going to keep him off the ice. ''Obviously, Mike's a good player, too. It's hard to say who will win. What it comes down to is points. Mike gets a lot of power-play goals. That's a great asset. He's a good player. If he gets it, that's great, too.''

Some say it wouldn't be so great if Calgary's Sergei Makarov, 31, were selected. Makarov, an import from the Soviet Union, is a rookie in the technical sense and leads ''rookies'' with 61 points (17 goals and 44 assists). He's already on the record as saying he shouldn't be considered a rookie in the Calder Trophy voting, what with his heavy international experience.

Brind'Amour agreed: ''I'd sooner see Mike or Jeremy get it than Makarov. He's already proven himself. He doesn't need to go against us.'' As far as his chances, Brind'Amour said, ''It'd be nice to win it. It would be stupid to say, 'I don't want it.' Everybody wants it, but I have more important things to concentrate on.'' Such as? ''Coming to play every game and winning games.'' Brind'Amour broke out of a mini-slump with two goals against New Jersey in the Blues' 7-0 victory Saturday. His offensive output took a nose dive after the first 20 games as teams started to focus on Adam Oates' line.

Brind'Amour had 13 goals and 12 assists after 20 games, but he scored only six goals and 16 assists in the next 37. ''It was nice to see a couple go in the net,''he said. ''I wasn't getting any goals. I've got to bear down.'' At times, Brind'Amour has seemed almost reluctant to shoot. Alumni director and former trainer Norm Mackie set him straight. ''He told me it's like a batter in baseball going up thinking you're going to get a walk; you have to think of hitting home runs,'' Brind'Amour said. ''Maybe I was going in there thinking passing before shooting. That maybe had a lot to do with it. ''I was thinking, 'I've got to give (my linemates) the puck.' Meanwhile, they've given me the puck and I should bury it.''