Before the horde descended on Eric Fehr in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ dank and cramped dressing room, his friend Matt Cullen, about a foot away, had nice things to say.
“I told him, ‘It’s about time,’” Cullen said. “He’s been big for us. Played some really solid minutes, some really solid hockey. I was really happy for him to get that one tonight. We were all happy.”
Cullen, an upright puddle like all players once a game ends and the equipment is removed, then checked with Fehr to see if his comments were acceptable.
“Is that good Fehrsie? Is that what I was supposed to say?”
“Yup,” Fehr replied. “Check’s in the mail.”
A jovial evening for Fehr in the unfamiliar space of the visitor’s dressing room in Verizon Center was made possible by a single, late drive to the net. At 15:32 of the third period, Fehr’s redirection of Evgeni Malkin’s why-not pass toward the net put the Pittsburgh Penguins in front, 2-1. Pittsburgh navigated the remaining minutes well enough to make the goal stand. It heads home after yanking the Eastern Conference semifinals into a tie at a game apiece.
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The circumstance warrants joy for the scorer, no matter geography. Had Fehr provided the winner on a hometown pond in Winkler, Manitoba, that would have done fine. But, he did it in Washington, against the team that drafted him 18th overall almost 13 years ago. Back then, Fehr was a 17-year-old with gel and highlights in his flat top. Today, what remains of his hair is shaved tight, the balding man’s counter to the inevitable.
He played nine of his first 10 seasons in the league for the Capitals. Though he was never the potent scorer his junior hockey career suggested he may became, he was around and reliable enough that the Capitals played a tribute video for him earlier this season during Pittsburgh’s first visit.
Fehr was injured and unable to play back on Oct. 28, but the video stirred his recollection of the good times in Washington, the ones that are the lasting memories much more than the bumpy career start or being shifted off the wing and to center by former Capitals coach Adam Oates.
“I really enjoyed my time here,” Fehr said. “I’m very grateful for the time they gave me here. They treated me really well. I’m very thankful and I have a lot of love for the fans here, too. They were always good to me. I have nothing bad to say about the team other than we want to beat them here.”
His contribution on Saturday night was vital. Fehr said he was just pushing to the net in case Malkin shot the puck. He was in search for a rebound. Instead, he was able to slip a tip above the glove of Washington goaltender Braden Holtby. The puck bounced off the right post and into the net.
“Did I mean to go high glove, post it in?” Fehr said. “Probably not. I was trying to put it on net and it worked out very well.”
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“You can’t really call it lucky, but it was lucky where it kind of went,” Holtby said. “If it was anywhere other than there, I have it. You throw enough pucks you’re going to get one that goes in the perfect place sooner or later.”
Fehr’s final two-year deal in Washington expired at the end of last season. Since entering the NHL, he had been apart from the Capitals once, spending a lousy season with the Winnipeg Jets. Fehr returned to Washington for three seasons after escaping, and at the end of the last, he knew his next contract would likely have him playing somewhere else. With the bad experience his only time in another city, and multiple surgeries during his career, Fehr, 30, said he wasn’t sure what would happen next.
“You just try to fight through that,” Fehr said. “Try to come back every year a little bit better. When you have a coach that believes in you, it really helps you. Goes a long way.”
The Penguins signed him for two years, aligning Fehr in what he, and they, felt were predictable circumstances. The Capitals romped through the regular season to the Presidents’ Trophy. The Penguins played slick hockey behind them, making the clubs one and two in points by season’s end. A taut playoff series seemed inevitable, especially considering the current playoff format.
“You knew if you wanted to get the cup, you’re going to have to go through this team,” Fehr said. “The way they were playing all season, with the division matchups, you’ve got to get out of your division first in the playoffs, we knew that it was going to go through Washington and now we gave ourselves a chance.”
His tip-in in his former town provided that.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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