I had known Michael Peca since his rookie year with Buffalo and, later, his signing as an Islander. I was there for the notorious Toronto playoff series and the crippling of by Darcy Tucker that ultimately paved the way for a Maple Leafs seven-game series win; which, by the way, broke my heart.
I had known Michael since his rookie year with Buffalo and, later, his signing as an Islander. As I remember the latter in particular since it took place on a sunny afternoon in a rose garden, outside the Garden City Hotel.
My journalistic instincts told me that he was going to be a tv dream come true -- an articulate, humorous personality with the accent on candor. In short, he was a straight shooter and we became friends, if not bosom buddies. And it stayed that way through that notorious Toronto playoff and the crippling of by Darcy Tucker that ultimately paved the way for a Maple Leafs seven-game series win; which, by the way, broke my heart.
Fast forward to five or so years ago; my last season doing Isles Hockey for MSG Networks. Before the season began, Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky hosted seven Isles former captains and their families at a fancy Long Island country club. They'd be there for about a week and each ex-captain would play a round of golf and then would be interviewed by me, one by one.
To my surprise -- and pleasure -- Michael Peca was the first one and, in the end, one of the very best. As in the past, Michael laid it all on the line; no nonsense,
straight with every answer. (Remember, I still was seething over the Darcy Tucker incident. My direct question was: "Was that a cheap shot?" And here are his direct words:
"Yeah. But cheap shots go on all the time on the ice. I happened to be on the wrong end of one that ended my season.
"Darcy Tucker and I became good friends a short time after that. In retrospect, I got to do other (dirty) things to other guys when I played and I'd hate to think that they would have carried grudges for a long time after me. Hey, hockey is a physical game. We ourselves in position to get hurt and hurt others. At times we don't intend to do it but sometimes it's the nature of the game. In other words, you have to live with the good and the bad."
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