BY MARK SPECTOR
sportsnet.ca
BOSTON -- Aaron Rome may be done for the series, but he was out on the ice practising with the Canucks at the morning skate before Game 4.
It is unfortunate for both he and Boston's Nathan Horton, that a momentary indiscretion can mark the end of a Stanley Cup final that two hockey players worked a lifetime to take part in.
"It's sad," Daniel Sedin said of Rome. "He's one of those guys who would never hurt anyone else on the ice. Such a nice guy; such a good friend and teammate, you want to see him out there.
"Yes, it is sad to see."
For Rome, at least, the difference between him being in the Canucks lineup Wednesday and serving the first of a four-game suspension, is about a half a second. His suspension was based on the fact that he hit Horton nearly a full second after Horton had passed the puck, when the standard for elapsed time in that situation is about a half-second.
Not much of a margin of error, to be sure.
"You never want to see anything like that happen to any player," Canucks winger Mason Raymond began. "We still feel the penalty was a bit harsh, but it's great having (Rome's) presence around the room still, out on the ice. He's a big part of our team.
"You live for these moments, to get to the Stanley Cup final. It's tough that he can't be out there on the ice with us."
Boston coach Claude Julien sounded very doubtful that Horton would be at the TD Garden Wednesday night, let alone inside the Bruins dressing room, simply because of the severity of the concussion he suffered.
"Most of the time we let those guys stay back, get their rest, get better before we even allow them to come to the rink," Julien said. "As you know, being around a bunch of people is not the best thing for someone suffering with a concussion."
But will Rome have anything to say to his teammates before the game? Win one for Romer?
"I don't think he'll say that. If anything, it might be us. He's a quiet guy," Raymond chuckled. "Actions speak louder than words. We know what we can go out there and do for him, for Luc (Bourdon), and many other guys who are family, and pulling us along."
Of course, Luc Bourdon was the Canucks’ first-round draft pick and defenceman who was killed in a motorcycle crash on May 29, 2008. Alex Burrows honours his friend after every goal when he shoots an imaginary arrow into the air.
As for the lineups, Tyler Seguin will draw back in for the Bruins, with Horton out, and likely Keith Ballard will play in Rome's stead. Of course, neither coach would confirm any lineup moves.
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Over Bite
After NHL vice president of hockey operations Mike Murphy spoke with both teams about their on-ice antics Tuesday, the two sides are talking about simply playing the game starting in Game 4.
"I will be speaking with both general managers and coaches before the day's over," Murphy said Tuesday, "about the crap that we're seeing and the garbage that's going on and some of the issues."
That means no more finger-biting by Burrows, and no more references to the act by guys like Mark Recchi, Milan Lucic and Maxim Lapierre.
"We want to put a good product on the ice. It’s not always fun when you see the headlines that have been there throughout this series," Henrik Sedin said. "We've been told of that, we all read it. It should have been taken care of from Day 1. Hockey is not in the headlines right now -- it's all the other stuff. That's not fun."
As is the case at this time of year, the scrums are forming after whistles in this series. Players are getting sick of seeing each other every second night.
"Think about what's at stake right now," Manny Malhotra said. "The hostility and the animosity is growing with each game. That's the nature of playoff hockey. As much as we say we want to get rid of it, there is still going to be that tension in the air.
"They're probably stressing the same thing in their locker room," he said. "Nothing good is coming from these pushing matches. Let's get on with the game.
"If you don't get sidetracked by that stuff, you'll be more focused on your own game."
