It's a tad confusing. In the locker room before his first Flames game, Ville Nieminen decided to fire up his new teammates. "Hey, boys," he screamed, "it's one bus and 20 steering wheels!" The other players looked at the new left wing, then each other. "I think that was encouragement," says defenseman Robyn Regehr. "We cannot understand him," says left wing Krzysztof Oliwa.

On the ice, the native of Tampere, Finland, is even tougher to figure. Nieminen has got speed and passing ability but is known more for questionable hits and a cartoon-villain grin. "He's dirty, but he's clean," says Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren. "He finds ways of getting into your head without going overboard." Like leaping all over the ice (check out eccentrix.com/members/nimoland/jumpin.html) and winning board battles by rear-ending unsuspecting puckcarriers. And with his reach and adhesive tenacity, there's no one in hockey better at turning a backcheck into a steal and an odd-man rush. Jarome Iginla's line may be Calgary's marquee unit, but Nieminen's trio (with Marcus Nilson and Shean Donovan) won Calgary the Western finals. "He's relentless," says McLaren. "He comes hard, finishes checks. Typical Flame."

And he understands his role for the first time in years. After winning a Cup with Colorado in 2001, Nieminen landed in Pittsburgh, where he felt pressure to score instead of checking. "I'm not proud of how I played in Pittsburgh," he says. "I didn't try hard." He got rescued this past season by the lunchpail Sutters, first by Brian in Chicago, then, on Feb. 24, by Darryl in Calgary. "They told me what my job was going to be and to work hard," he says. "I expect to be accountable. The past two years, it's been Finding Niemo. I thought the story would have a bad ending, but they found me."
-- E.A.

Commentary: Trade for Nieminen not insignificant

Mike Board
calgaryflames.com

Okay, so the acquisition of Ville Nieminen doesn't rate as a blockbuster trade for the Calgary Flames. But that doesn't mean it is insignificant by any means.

For much of this National Hockey League season Calgary GM coach Darryl Sutter has been concerned about the left wing position -- an area he felt the Flames lacked depth, now and in the future. Enter Nieminen, a pesky, get-under-your-skin player, who is 26 years old. A player who is excited to play, excited to be in a playoff run and a player who Sutter feels upgrades the situation at left wing.

Secondly, it could be the final trade the Flames make this season as Sutter has ruled out renting a high-priced player for any stretch drive. "That would be poor management," Sutter declared.

Why? Because the price of renting that sought-after goal-scoring forward is too high. When Sutter talks to other general managers, they are not asking for Jarome Iginla. They are asking for Dion Phaneuf, the Red Deer Rebel defenceman the Flames drafted in the first round last summer who is considered a blue-chipper. Sutter has said all along the Flames are a team that will build through the draft, not free agency, and has essentially declared Phaneuf untouchable.

"If I can upgrade our depth or upgrade our youth, we'll look at that. I won't do anything that will jeopardize what we are trying to do long-term," said Sutter. "You can't buy them (players). That's not the situation we are in. You are not going to trade a top young defenceman for scoring. I am not going to give up a first round pick. To me, that is poor management."

While many observers bemoan the lack of scoring by the Flames -- 144 goals prior to Thursday's game against Detroit -- Sutter noted that the team is ninth overall in scoring in the Western Conference. The Dallas Stars, a team neck-and-neck with the Flames in the playoff race, had 139 goals as of Thursday. Essentially, Sutter is saying that he feels there is enough potential scoring on the Flames and that trading away a young prospect or a high draft pick to acquire a scorer is to take a step backwards. At the same time, he suggests that there are players who need to pick it up in the scoring department, noting that captain Jarome Iginla is not going to score every game.

Sutter figures he has already made a big deal this season with the acquisition of Miikka Kiprusoff in net. At the time of making that deal with San Jose, Sutter said what he had really done was to draft a goalie as he gave up a draft pick for Kiprusoff.

Also at the time of acquiring Kiprusoff, there were those asking: 'Who is this guy and why did Calgary acquire him?' We know all know who Miikka Kiprusoff is and what he has done for the team.

That brings us back to Nieminen as the same question is likely being asked in any conversation relating to the Flames. This is an energetic player who plays an agitating style, has speed and, in the past at least, has shown he can score a little.

"He is a great guy. A great player. He has a lot of skills. He is fast. He can be an agitator," said centre Stephane Yelle, a linemate of Nieminen's when the pair played in Colorado.

Sutter said players like Yelle and Nieminen might not show up on the scoresheet a lot, but they contribute greatly to winning.

"They are not the kind of players who score a lot of goals," said Sutter. "But they are the kind of guys who make a difference in winning or losing."

And Sutter did not have to give up a young player to add what he considers a winner. Of course, the jury is still out on Nieminen. His debut against Detroit on Thursday was as advertised -- he is sandpaper alright, rough around the edges, getting his nose dirty and isn't afraid to poke and jab and crosscheck his way through the crease or in the corners.

"After a game, if they hate me, I think it is a good sign," said Nieminen. "When you play hard, everything happens. Everything starts from there."

He played 13:38, registered one shot and numerous face-rub-like shots on a line with Dean McAmmond and Shean Donovan -- a line that has plenty of speed to burn.

Nieminen certainly fits into Sutter's style of play and the type of team he is building in Calgary. He has won a Stanley Cup. He's positive -- he is constantly smiling and chatting and ribbing his teammates. And he is optimistic enough to declare that the Flames will be in the playoffs. "It's the best time of any player's career," said Nieminen.

Perhaps he turns out to be the final piece in this year's Flames puzzle. With just a few days until the March 9 trade deadline, Sutter certainly isn't hinting at an overhaul. In fact, he doesn't expect much to happen in the Flames backyard come trade deadline day -- which falls on a game day for the Flames, who host Edmonton.

"We play that day. Will there be movement that day for the Calgary Flames? Highly unlikely," said Sutter.

Flames reunite with pest friend

By TODD SAELHOF -- Calgary Sun

They've always had grit.

Now they've added the sandpaper.

It's a combination the Calgary Flames were without until the past few days, when Stephane (Grit) Yelle returned to the lineup after missing five weeks with a sprained knee and Ville (Sandpaper) Nieminen was acquired in a trade Tuesday with the Chicago Blackhawks.

"They're not the kind of players who score a lot of goals," said Darryl Sutter, talking of the former Colorado Avalanche duo yesterday after practice. "But they are the kind of guys who make a difference in winning and losing."

Which, of course, is crucial in this stretch run. In the ultra-tight Western Conference, one loss can drop a team out of the playoff picture.

Yelle, returning to the lineup after missing 18 games with a knee injury, was a key contributor to the Flames' 2-0 win over the Avalanche Tuesday. He blocked several shots, including one in the dying seconds that led to Chris Clark's empty-net goal, earning the team's green hard-hat award as unsung hero of the game.

"It was a good test," said Yelle, whose knee gave him no trouble.

"And blocking shots? I try and do that as much as possible. It was routine."

It was Grit, a nickname bestowed upon Yelle by backup goalie Jamie McLennan.

"He's a tough man -- grits it out," added defenceman Andrew Ference. "He's blocking shots and takes a huge hipcheck from (Rob) Blake and gets right up and gets on the forecheck."

And Sandpaper?

Well, Nieminen has made a career from rubbing the opposition the wrong way -- an asset the Flames sorely need and a reason he was warmly welcomed by his new teammates yesterday.

"Ville's a little more annoying (than Yelle), I think," said Ference, a teammate of Nieminen's with the Pittsburgh Penguins. "I don't think Yelle p---es off as many guys as Ville does. You go into the corner with him and he might get his elbows a little high or give you a couple of pokes with his stick or give you that smile of his. You've seen that smile? It's psychotic."

Kind of like Jarkko Ruutu, then?

"That's the kind of player he is, to be quite honest," agreed Sutter. "And left wing is a position we're going to try to upgrade. It's an older position for us. He's 26 years old -- he's a player I would have preferred to have here all year."

Fans will get their first chance to see Nieminen in Flames colours tonight when the Detroit Red Wings visit (7 p.m., Sportsnet).

"If at the end of the game an opponent doesn't like me, I think I've had a pretty good game," said Nieminen.

"After a game, if they hate me, I think it's a good sign. When you play hard, everything happens. And everything starts from there."

Nothing wipes away Finn's grin

Jean Lefebvre
Calgary Herald

Monday, March 01, 2004

There's the tale about the game years ago when Edmonton Oilers forward Esa Tikkanen unleashed a lively, loud but completely unintelligible stream of dialogue from the bench.

Befuddled Oilers players immediately turned to Jari Kurri, who like Tikkanen is from Finland, and asked: "What did he say?"

Kurri shrugged and shook his head: "I have no idea."

Thus was born Tikkanese, the strange and inimitable racket that baffled and antagonized many a National Hockey League player and caused more headaches than Gordie Howe's elbows.

Tikkanese hasn't been heard in an NHL rink in five years, but thanks to the newest member of the Calgary Flames, helpless players can still get an earful of similarly perplexing patter.

"It's Finnglish," grins Ville Nieminen, the pesky left-winger acquired Tuesday from the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 26-year-old Finn pleads guilty to being a great gabber, but he's always wondered what the big deal is.

"I don't know," is how he once put it, "how I can make anybody mad by me talking because I don't think they understand me, anyway."

Nieminen is equally puzzled by the fascination for his other open-mouthed habit -- a penchant for playing with a gaping grin/grimace that reveals more teeth than a Jaws movie poster.

He's understandably tired of being asked about the Jack Nicholsonesque facial expressions and has come up with a pat response to make the point that they are natural and unconscious.

"I always ask, 'Why are you right-handed?' " he says. "It's the same thing."

That may be so, but colleagues certainly aren't going to pass up an opening to razz the fun-loving and popular Nieminen.

"He even does it when he's doing up his laces," remarks Flames defenceman Andrew Ference, who also played with Nieminen in Pittsburgh.

Ference leans over and contorts his mug in a valiant attempt to mimic Nieminen's game face. "I don't know," he shrugs, "if he's in pain or what."

Right-winger Shean Donovan, also a former Penguin, has an interesting theory.

"Maybe," Donovan quips, "he's got big lungs and he's got a little more capacity to suck in all that air.

"I think it's pretty good, though," he continues. "It's his trademark. He's obviously an agitator, so as an opponent when you see that big grin coming, sometimes it makes you a little bit mad."

The Flames are counting on the Finn's feistiness to be a valuable asset as they push for a playoff spot.

Nieminen, for his part, is tickled by the trade. Two years ago at the deadline, he went from first-place Colorado to out-of-it Pittsburgh. This time, he goes from a cellar-dwelling club to a contender.

"It's a lot easier the second time," nods Nieminen, a member of the Avalanche's Stanley Cup championship squad in 2001. "Every hockey player wants to get to the team that plays in the playoffs. It's best time in everybody's hockey career to play in the playoffs."

A favourable schedule allowed Nieminen, girlfriend Kaisa and two-year-old son Viljami to get settled into their new home.

"I really like Calgary," says Nieminen, who represented Finland at the 2002 Olympics. "It's a hockey town -- a Canadian hockey town. It's an honour to play in an NHL city like this."

A job Ville, Ville well done
Beamin' Nieminen helps Flames finish Sens

Scott Cruickshank
Calgary Herald

March 12, 2004

Ville Nieminen, an all-world agitator, did his job, not to mention a couple of others Thursday.

The Calgary Flames' left-winger was his usual burr -- hacking and whacking, slashing and gnashing, yapping and flapping (his gums).

All in all, a typical night's work for the recently acquired Finn, a tough cookie by all accounts.

But against the Ottawa Senators, Nieminen also helped orchestrate the game's first goal and then scored an absolute honey in the third period to pace his new pals to a feisty 4-2 National Hockey League decision at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

"I told the guys before that I had good hands -- but it was in the casino," said Nieminen, who made an exuberant tour of the ice for his first-star turn. "I told you before, two weeks ago when I got traded (from Chicago), I felt like I got called up. It's my job to bring some excitement."

The Flames, 35-26-6-3, received their offence from all corners of the globe.

Swedish centre Marcus Nilson, on an opening-period power play, produced the first goal for his latest employers. Later, he skittered in a diving empty-netter.

Meanwhile, Polish winger Krzysztof Oliwa drained his second goal in the past three games, an occasion celebrated heartily in front of the sellout crowd of 17,869.

But it was Nieminen's goal, at 9:16 of the third period, that cracked open a 2-2 deadlock.

Hotfooting it along the right boards and wearing that curious smile, he cut purposefully toward the net and popped the puck into the top corner, over a sprawling Patrick Lalime.

"He scored an unbelievable goal there. He just roofed it -- a water-bottle shot from in close. That's exciting," said Nilson, who, along with right-winger Shean Donovan, joined forces with Beamin' Nieminen. "He's a good player. He makes it hard on the other team -- he's hard to play against. I was excited to play with him."

The Senators, 37-19-9-5, generated their own European flavour -- goals by Czechs Marian Hossa and Martin Havlat.

Western Conference implications, obviously, were in the Flames' favour. Two teams desperately chasing the Calgarians -- the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators -- tied 1-1, settling for a point apiece.

"It was a great team effort. Everybody contributed as best they could," said Oliwa, whose mates outshot the visitors 34-23. "We want it bad, so everybody works really hard."

This used to be an automatic part of the Flames' storyline -- Oliwa tangling with his counterpart early in the contest. It's the primary reason he was leading the NHL with 28 bouts.

But, lately, dance partners eager to respond to Oliwa's shinpad-tapping invitations had been hard to uncover. Snubs have come from Chris Dingman, Reed Low, Peter Worrell and, most recently and surprisingly, Georges Laraque.

But Thursday, that first-period element was back with a bang -- in the name of Chris Neil. Just 149 seconds after the opening faceoff, Oliwa sought out a new playmate and Neil obliged. The bare-knuckled duo went at it viciously, whaling away with huge punches, with both gentlemen hitting the ice at least once.

It set the stage for a stunning opening 20 minutes of hockey -- emotion, chances, hits, saves . . . and one goal.

Chris Clark had earned the Flames a power play by busting down his right-wing boards. Chris Phillips grabbed him, Clark did likewise, and they hit the ice.

The holding penalty, however, went to Phillips and Flames boss Darryl Sutter directed over the boards an interesting assortment of forwards -- Chuck Kobasew, Nieminen and Nilson. It worked.

Kobasew, a going concern these days, circled behind the enemy net and emerged with the puck. Spinning, backhand to forehand, he eluded large-limbed Zdeno Chara and fired a hard shot.

Nieminen forced the puck to Toni Lydman, who whipped a point shot at the Ottawa cage. En route, it was deflected by a perfectly positioned Nilson.

"I'd rank it up with some of the top goals I've scored, obviously," said Nilson, who also went nine-for-13 on the dot. "It's always nice to get a start like that with a new team. It felt great, actually. I was pretty pumped when I saw it go in."

scruickshank@theherald.canwest.com

Nieminen ends drought with winner against Sens

By ALLAN MAKI

Friday, March 12, 2004

CALGARY -- The other night, Ville Nieminen was so upset about his lack of goal scoring he jokingly told his Calgary Flames teammates: "Give me the puck. I'm hot -- in the steam room."

He also had this to say about his offensive output: "I'm all Swedish, no Finnish."

Last night, the Finnish forward was back on his game and hotter than a sauna, scoring the winner in a 4-2, fast-paced thriller with the Ottawa Senators.

Nieminen grabbed the loose puck at the Ottawa blueline, blew in on Patrick Lalime, then lifted a shot over the Senators' goaltender at 9:16 of the third period at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The unassisted goal was Nieminen's fourth of the season and his second in as many games. He also scored in Tuesday's 1-1 tie with the Edmonton Oilers. Before that, Nieminen had gone three months without a goal.

Given the length of his drought, he said he was anxious to score "before the leaves were on the trees."

Thanks to Nieminen's heroics and an empty-net goal from the Swedish-born Marcus Nilson, his second of the game, the Flames reached the 35-win mark for the first time since 1993-94, when Calgary won 42 games and qualified for the postseason.

The loss left the Senators tied for second place in the Northeast Division with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs lost 3-2 to the lowly Pittsburgh Penguins, while the Bruins moved into first place with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres. The Montreal Canadiens failed to gain ground on Ottawa and Toronto as they lost 3-2 to the Florida Panthers in overtime.

Ottawa's Martin Havlat had scored in the third period to tie the score at 2-2. He stole the puck from Calgary defenceman Denis Gauthier and scored on a nifty rush from centre ice. At that point, there was a sense the Senators would flex their offensive muscle and find a way to win.

But the Flames never trailed against Ottawa, even though they struggled at times and failed to manage a shot on goal during a four-minute power play in the second period. Marian Hossa was called for goaltender interference and unsportsmanlike conduct, but was back in the game before Calgary could do anything serious.

Less than a minute later, though, the Flames turned a 3-on-2 rush into Krzysztof Oliwa's third goal of the season. The crowd responded by shouting the seldom heard chant of "Oliwa, Oliwa, Oliwa."

Last night's game began with a rarity for the Senators. It was the first time in weeks the team was able to play as complete a lineup as possible. Trade deadline acquisition Greg de Vries, who signed with the New York Rangers last summer but never got to finish the season with them, played on defence after having only one skate with his new team. De Vries flew here on Wednesday and joined the Senators in time for their annual rookie dinner. He skated yesterday morning and was partnered with Wade Redden.

The Senators also welcomed back centre Radek Bonk, who had missed the 14 previous games with a broken bone in his foot. Bonk was reunited with Hossa, the team's leading goal scorer. Bonk and Hossa have played together over the past few seasons, and Bonk's ability to check the opposition's top centre was sorely missed by the Senators.

The Flames now head off on a three-game trip through Nashville, St. Louis and Detroit. The Senators will play tomorrow night in Vancouver against the Canucks.

Commentary: Trade for Nieminen not insignificant Mike Board calgaryflames.com

Commentary: Trade for Nieminen not insignificant

Mike Board
calgaryflames.com