For Stevens, the hits There is a reason why some of the biggest checks in Scott Stevens' hard-knock career have come against superstars like Paul Kariya, Eric Lindros and Ron Francis. Simply put, Stevens is always on the ice when the opposition's star players do likewise, so it doesn't take the world's most logical mind to follow the formula that many of Stevens' big hits will come against big players. "The way I play, my game and what I do, I think I can be a bit of a pain," Stevens said. "That doesn't mean I'm a bad person off the ice, but that's how I have to play to be successful and what I have to do to help my team win. I've got to play a physical game and the best I can defensively against the other team's top players."
And please discard the notion that Stevens is some kind of cheap-shot artist lying in wait for his unsuspecting prey. That kind of talk sells newspapers but rarely has a basis in fact. Stevens' hits are hard, violent, devastating and clean. And anyone associated on a daily basis in the sport knows it. "Playing against Scotty, you had to be alert," veteran center Joe Nieuwendyk said. "It was no secret that he's had some pretty big hits. That's in your mind. You need to have a sense of where he is." "With Scott, you know exactly what you're going to get from him," Lindros said of his longtime nemesis. "There's no question, you're aware of his presence on the ice. He's still definitely a premier defenseman in the league because of the desire he has on the ice. His style out on the ice certainly shows how much he wants to win." "I've always said that Scott Stevens should've won a Norris Trophy at some point in his career," former teammate Bobby Holik said. "Well, they don't give out the Norris Trophy in the Playoffs, but I'm his biggest fan. As a hockey player, he's one of a kind. Ken Daneyko, who recently retired, recalls a huge hit he absorbed from Stevens back in the days when Stevens was with the Capitals.
"We still see that hit every so often on one of those 'Greatest Hits' videos," Daneyko laughed. "The young guys ask me, 'How could Scotty deck you like that?' and I tell them, 'He's done it to a lot of guys.' When he came here, it was nice to know I didn't have to worry about that."
The New Jersey Devils have won three Stanley Cups since Stevens joined the team in 1991 and the ice time Stevens has logged against the NHL's top stars throughout those 12 years is prodigious and inspiring, since it means Stevens rarely has an easy shift. Take a look at the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs as a prime example. In the first round against Boston, Stevens was on the ice for virtually every shift taken by Bruins star Joe Thornton. In the second round, Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier got the Stevens treatment. In the Eastern Conference Finals, it was Ottawa's Marian Hossa. Against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Stanley Cup Finals, Stevens was on the ice when Kariya came over the boards and the New Jersey captain delivered a crushing check on Kariya in Game 6. The hit on Kariya was devastating to watch, and Kariya made a remarkable comeback to return to the game and score a huge goal in an Anaheim win 6 that forced the seventh game won in New Jersey by the Devils two nights later. "Well, I sensed he was there, but I thought I had a little bit more time than that," Kariya said of the hit. "That's Scott's game. He's very patient with his hits, and he times them right. But I thought it was a little bit late. He's a patient guy. He waits for his opportunity, and he's done that throughout his career."
NHL Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell immediately issued a statement that in the League's view the hit was a clean one, and Stevens admitted surprise that after all these years players still weren't paying close enough attention to avoid the devastating hits. "People talk about it all the time, it should be harder for those things to happen," Stevens said in the wake of post-game criticism of the Kariya hit. "It's pretty well known. So, yeah, but you can't let your guard down. Hey, it's a physical game out there." Stevens' pattern of play in 2003 followed a similar one to the journey taken by the defenseman in the 2000 postseason. In the first round, Florida's Pavel Bure, who led the League in goal scoring in 1999-2000, saw plenty of Stevens. The second round brought Mats Sundin and the Maple Leafs to face Stevens' withering game. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Philadelphia Flyers' John LeClair and Mark Recchi received the Stevens "treatment." And in the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals, Mike Modano and Brett Hull got a hefty dose of Stevens up close and personal.
In 1995, the first season the Devils won the Cup, Stevens again took the ice against the best the opposition had to offer, in this case the Bruins, Penguins, Flyers and Red Wings. In the Finals against Detroit, Stevens delivered one of his classic checks with an open-ice hit on Slava Kozlov that can still make you cringe when seeing the replay.
One might think that with this kind of track record the opposition would fear Stevens. But he says it is the other way around. It is the fear of failure that drives him and makes him raise his game another couple notches. "That's what brings out the best, when you have that fear factor,'' Stevens said. "It doesn't take much for those guys to change a game around or make the difference in a game." "He's got that will, that desire to be successful and not let anybody be better than he can be,'' former teammate Claude Lemieux said. "He likes to be matched up against other teams' best players.'' "He's been a top player and a top defenseman in the NHL for many years," longtime NHL coach Terry Murray said back in 2000 after the Devils had eliminated his Florida Panthers. "He had an impact with the Washington Capitals as an 18-year-old because of his physical play, his strength, his ability to hit and fight. I think when he got to New Jersey, he brought it to another level. I think Larry (Robinson) and Jacques (Lemaire) did a great job with him and he really became a solid team player. He's controlling his emotions now." Stevens agrees that working under Robinson and Lemaire in past seasons paid off handsomely in ratcheting up his game to such a high level.
"I'm more knowledgeable, more patient,'' Stevens said. "I've learned a lot here under Jacques and Larry about playing defense and good position. Just goes to show, you never stop learning. I probably played over 10 years, then I came here and was taught a lot of new things.''
Somewhat ironically, it was a blow absorbed by Stevens that inspired his teammates during the 2003 postseason. In the second round against Tampa Bay, a heavy shot from Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina struck Stevens in the left ear, knocking him to the ice. He missed the remainder of the game, but returned to the ice in the next game, providing obvious inspiration to his teammates. In that game, Stevens also scored a goal, adding another chapter to the story. "When he goes into the Hockey Hall of Fame, it should read, 'The toughest guy who ever played the game,' " Devils forward John Madden said of what Stevens plaque should say. "I don't think he needed to do that to show what kind of game he had and the kind of athlete he is," goaltender Martin Brodeur said of Stevens' return. "It was a great boost for us to see our leader suck it up. It would've been easy for him to bail out, but that's not the type of guy he is."
"This time of year, the gladiators step up. He does what he has to do," said Devils coach Pat Burns, who delivers praise in an eyedropper.
The more effusive Scott Gomez cut to the chase.
"That guy is sick, he's an animal," Gomez said of Stevens. "Nothing hurts that guy. It just shows what a leader he is."
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