Ribeiro building new memories in Dallas

Mike Ribeiro's fast start helped him earn a new five-year, $25-million contract extension.

Of being a Montreal native and wearing a Canadiens T-shirt and dreaming he was Guy Lafleur at the age of 4. Or at 13, playing on a team sponsored by the Habs, and getting the chance of a lifetime to score on Patrick Roy.

"I’m a teenager and we’re having a scrimmage with the Canadiens," Mike Ribeiro recalled the other day, sounding almost as excited as he must have been when he was 13. "Our goaltender gets a chance to stop Denis Savard and then, well, I get to shoot against Patrick Roy.

"I didn’t score. Not even close. But it didn’t matter ... not when you get to shoot against !”

Born in Montreal, raised a Canadiens fan and the best was yet to come -- being drafted by Montreal in second round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft (45th overall) and then playing for Les Habitants.

But now Mike Ribeiro is making new dreams and new memories after being traded to the Dallas Stars Sept. 30, 2006 for defenseman Janne Niinimaa. He’s already shattered his career-high of 20 goals in his first 36 games this season and is currently on a 35-40 goal pace.

The fast start helped earn Ribeiro a new five-year, $25-million contract extension.

"I always knew I had this in me, but ... "

Ribeiro’s voice kind of trailed off at that point in our conversation.

"Last year it took me a while to adjust to a new city, new team, new teammates. It was difficult. It was my first trade and I really didn't know what to expect.

"This year ... I’m focused. More comfortable."

"He was a pretty good player in Montreal, don’t forget that," said Hall of Fame winger Michel Goulet, who also grew up in Quebec and now is an assistant to Colorado Avalanche GM Francois Giguere. "There’s a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations for French kids who grow up in Quebec and play there. Sometimes the expectations can be too much.

"I loved it. It pushed me, but that isn’t always the case with players."

"The scrutiny can make you feel like you’re living in a fishbowl," Ribeiro said. "Don’t get me wrong. I loved being a Canadien. It was surreal playing in my hometown. But I was there five years (parts of six seasons) and I never felt like I got the chance I should have. I said it at the time and I’ll continue to say it. They traded me too soon."

Ribeiro stickhandled neatly around that fishbowl theory when it came to letting him be himself on the ice in Montreal. He misses the family and friends he grew up with in La Belle Province, but now he feels more focused because everything is about his wife, Tamara, and three children, Mikael, Noah and Viktoria.

"My wife and kids and I are closer than ever," Ribeiro said. "There are no outside distractions. I feel more focused ... maybe more responsible for our life as a family than I ever have. Maybe that’s made me more mature, more accountable on the ice."

Closeness? Ribeiro has a baby tattoo in the likeness of his son Mikael on his left arm and one of Noah on his right. And ...

"I’m waiting for Viktoria’s hair to grow out before I add a tattoo of her," Mike chuckled.

It’s that family bonding that started this feel-good story for Mike Ribeiro. His father, Alberto, played professional soccer in Portugal and later for the Montreal Manic of the North American Soccer League after he met his wife, Maria. The genes came from dad, who currently works for Kraft. But Maria Ribeiro, who left her job in manufacturing to become a full-time mom, was always there for Mike.

"Mom always walked me to practice ... and she carried the equipment bag on her shoulder," Ribeiro said proudly.

Mike played soccer and baseball as a youngster, but hockey was always No. 1.

"Dad was always there to tell me to always believe in myself ... at whatever I did," Ribeiro recalled, saying that he still hears his father’s voice repeating that advice any time he faces tough times or a tough decision.

Like Sept. 30, 2006.

"I was at practice and the trainer called me off the ice and said; ‘Bob Gainey wants to see you.’ I knew that couldn’t be good," Ribeiro recalled. "When I heard I had been traded, I was shocked ... hurt ... numb."

But this story isn’t all about Montreal, playing for or against the Canadiens. It’s the drama of a slight kid from Montreal who has just overcome yet another of those obstacles that make us all stronger in the end.

"Yeah, I’ve heard; ‘You’re too small’ or ‘You’re too slow’ at every level from squirts to pee-wees to midgets to juniors and then in the NHL," he said. "I was just 150 pounds when I reported to my first Montreal Canadiens camp in 1999. But that’s OK, I worked at it, putting on five pounds each year."

The math may be off a little, but Ribeiro’s now 6-foot, 178 pounds or so.

"You can either let the criticism get you down ... or use it as a source of motivation," Ribeiro smiled, saying that he doesn’t really feel like he’s playing any differently this season, but that he is more confident and more comfortable in Dallas now.

"I had a good offseason, started training early, and arrived in Dallas in early August to get more familiar with the city and get my kids enrolled in school. It helped us all feel good about our new surroundings."

Those around the team say Ribeiro’s puck strength is freakish. He’s grittier, more competitive than most thought he was during his time in Montreal.

Ribeiro is not only leading Dallas in goals and points, but he’s at the top of the team in plus-minus as well.

Giving a little flex, Ribeiro laughed. "I’m skinny strong."

"To me, it’s all about a continued maturity," coach Dave Tippett said. "It takes time to feel comfortable in new surroundings off the ice. We were hoping that comfort would help him grow on the ice this season, and it has in a big way.

"More than that, Mike has worked on his conditioning and his focus. He’s gone from being a small, skilled forward to a small, very skilled forward that competes and uses his energy and instincts to go to the puck and make things happen on offense and defense."

Ribeiro is not only leading Dallas in goals and points, but he’s at the top of the team in plus-minus as well. And that’s saying something for a player who was being hit with a tag of not being interested in hockey in Montreal.

A big part of his productivity is the chemistry that he and captain Brenden Morrow have on and off the ice. And you know, a linemate has to be playing at a high tempo to be on the same wavelength as the ultra-competitive Morrow.

"The difference between last season and this season is clearly his confidence," Morrow said. "It’s difficult when you come to a new team. You’re just trying to fit in. You don’t want to rock the boat. This season, he isn’t new anymore. He’s outgoing, comfortable.

"We see the game the same way -- and that’s important. I work hard and try to find the holes and Mike is so skilled and has such good hands that you just have to be ready, because he'll find you if you're open."

Magic? One-time success? Or no fluke?

"He’s the real deal. With the skills and pace he’s playing at, he’s for real," said Blues goaltender Manny Legace. "He’s really impressive, plays smart, heads-up. He makes all of the right plays. And he’s got a great shot."

And to think, all it took was a surprise trade for the rest of us to find out about the real Mike Ribeiro.