 Nash
aims for scoring Rampage
Lindsay Kramer | NHL.com correspondent
Oct 18, 2006, 4:00 PM EDT
© NHL.com
Deep in the heart of Texas, forward Tyson Nash is trying to make
his way back to the NHL. But first, he has to get to the AT@T Center, home of his AHL
squad, the San Antonio Rampage. On a morning earlier this week,
the taxi taking him from his hotel to the arena for practice is
of little help. Nash, who has been in the city for about a week,
is giving directions to the driver. A right here. A left there.
Pull up to that door. There, that will do. Nash has navigated
his own arrival.
"The rink is kind of way out in the fairgrounds,"' Nash
explained. "He (the driver) probably doesn't go there too
often."
If only Nash's return trip to the big time could go as
smoothly. Then again, considering he's in charge of that, too,
maybe it will. Nash, 31, one of the most irritating
middleweights in the NHL over the past few seasons, has been
sent to the AHL by parent club Phoenix. Nash, a veteran of 374
NHL games with St. Louis and Phoenix, hasn't played in the AHL
since 1998-99, with Worcester.
The demotion was a stunner to Nash. He said Phoenix gave him
a day to see if he could work out a trade to another team, then
sent him to the Rampage. Nash's wife and three young children
remained in their home in Phoenix.
"I'm not sure how this came to pass. I had a strong training
camp,"' Nash said. "I was actually really shocked. I've
definitely been humbled by this. You definitely don't want to
take a day for granted in the NHL. Not that I ever did that."
Nash never had grounds to. He was originally a 10th-round
pick in 1994 by Vancouver, taken behind 246 other players. He
played for the Syracuse Crunch for three seasons before the
then-parent club Canucks decided he had no NHL future and let
him go.
Big mistake. Nash caught on with the Blues and battled his
way to fourth-line fixture status despite his average size
(5-11, 194) and modest skills.
"I'm not going to let it end right now. But I'm proud of what
I've accomplished with what I've been given," he said. "This is
just another bump in the road. I have a lot to give."
Nash, as smart as he is chippy, knows that in today's hockey
climate that starts with offense. He's always been a good AHL
scorer, contributing 20 goals one season with the Crunch. In his
first five games with the Rampage, he posted three goals. Nash
was seldom counted upon to score in the NHL, never hitting
double figures in goals at that level. His stay in San Antonio
is meant to show that maybe it's time an NHL team looks at him
in that light.
"I'm trying to find my offensive touch again, something you
tend to lose when you're a fourth-line player," he said. "When
you go to the NHL, you have to play a certain role. I thought I
was great at it. It's nice to get back down here and get that
(scoring) touch back. When I go back to the NHL, maybe I can put
the puck in."
Around the AHL -- San Antonio defenseman Bryan Helmer now is
the active leader in consecutive games played, at 162.
Manitoba's Dustin Wood saw his streak end at 220 games when he
sat out the Moose's opener on Oct. 4 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
... Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defenseman
Alain Nasreddine, who had no goals in 71 games last season,
posted two in his first three games for the Penguins this
season. ... Grand Rapids' capacity crowd at Van Andel Arena on
Oct. 14 marked the 11th opening night sellout for the Griffins
in as many seasons. ... In the Griffins' win at Toronto on Oct.
14,
Valtteri Filppula registered an assist in his eighth
straight regular season appearance with Grand Rapids, breaking a
franchise record. ... Hershey's 4-0 start is the team's best
since winning six in a row to begin the 1982-83 season. ... At
0-4, the Crunch has failed to earn at least a point through its
first four games for the first time in its 13-year history. ...
At 0-3, Hartford began a season with back-to-back losses for the
first time in the franchise's 10-year history.
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