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BRUINS 5, HURRICANES 3 [ Game stats ]
RALEIGH, N.C. - The winds of change, blowing with hurricane force these days around the Bruins, roared again last night with news here, following Boston's 5-3 win over Carolina, that Rob DiMaio was traded to the New York Rangers for strapping right wing Mike Knuble.
DiMaio, a top checker and grinder for the Bruins the last four seasons, will fly to Pittsburgh this morning and is expected to suit up for the Blueshirts tonight against the Penguins.
''It really hasn't hit me yet,'' said a somewhat stunned but upbeat DiMaio, exchanging farewell handshakes with his teammates as they boarded a bus that transported them to a charter flight to Montreal. ''It's part of the game, I guess, just the way things work. Things are happening around here fast and furious. I guess this is just part of the job.''
For two of his seasons in Black and Gold, DiMaio was a key contributor on a third line with center Tim Taylor. He now will be reunited with Taylor in New York, presumably again on the No. 3 line, assigned to cover the top scoring trios among the rest of the Original 28.
The 27-year-old Knuble, ex- of the University of Michigan, began his career with the Red Wings, who made him the 76th pick in the '91 draft. He won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in the 1997-98 season and then was swapped to the Blueshirts for a draft pick Oct. 1, 1998. A potential power forward, if he can pick up his intensity, the 6-foot-3-inch Knuble likely will be in Montreal tonight when the Bruins face the Canadiens.
The move was made, from strictly a personnel standpoint, for size. The 32-year-old DiMaio is only 5-10, but plays an aggressive game that most nights makes him look 4 or 5 inches taller. He backs down from no one. He and defenseman Don Sweeney have been the club's two grittiest and most consistent performers this season.
''Knuble's big, I like his size,'' said coach Pat Burns. ''We need that.''
DiMaio also has been blunt, and that made him a more likely candidate to get the gate. In the hours leading up to and after Ray Bourque's trade to Colorado, DiMaio once more expressed his concern (i.e. dismay) over management's failure to fill out the roster and make the Bruins legitimate contenders. It wasn't quite akin to Adam Oates's outburst prior to his being dealt in '97, but it was blunt.
''I was just being honest, that's all,'' said DiMaio, asked again about those comments as he exchanged farewells. ''I certainly wasn't trying to burn bridges or anything. I hope it's not the reason I was traded, but who's to say? Boston was a great city for me. I loved my time there. I had great teammates, great coaches. It was just a great experience.''
Asked if he felt his comments ultimately were the reason he was shown the door, DiMaio said, ''Hey, I didn't say anything that no one else has said. I reiterated some things that others have said, and some of those have been reiterated to the public of late.''
DiMaio was referring, of course, to Bourque's comments in Tuesday's Lawrence Eagle Tribune, when he warned that his trade was ''just the start'' of things to come and that players around the league no longer wanted to play in Boston. Bourque soon backed off those statements, but only slightly, and Boston president/general manager Harry Sinden said he didn't believe Bourque made those comments.
DiMaio, hindered with a hand injury the last two weeks, did not play in the victory here. He said the hand has healed, will not need surgery (once a prospect), and he intends to suit up tonight. It will be his second tour in the New York metropolitian area, having begun his career with the Islanders as a 1987 draft pick.
This story ran on page G03 of the Boston Globe on 3/11/2000.
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