By Nancy L. Marrapese GLOBE STAFF
22 Mar 1994, Tue The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts)
Joe Juneau made it as far as Hanscom Air Force Base as the Bruins prepared to depart on a 3 p.m. charter flight for Quebec yesterday, coincidentally at the time of the National Hockey League trading deadline. His No. 49 bag was all set to be loaded until management told the equipment staff to leave it off, that Juneau had been dealt to the Washington Capitals for hard-shooting All-Star defenseman Al Iafrate.
At practice at the Garden in the morning, Juneau seemed certain he'd still be a Bruin after the deadline. Asked about published reports that he'd be dealt, Juneau smiled and, perhaps with a measure of wishful thinking, said, “What will they write after the deadline comes and I'm not traded?”
But he was, and he appears to vault to the No. 1 center spot on a Capitals team that is crying for offense.
.Juneau declined to be interviewed by the Globe last night 'but said through his Boston-based attorney, Brian Cook, that “he'd miss the fans and people of Boston but had no comments relative to the team.” He was scheduled to leave for Washington this morning and is expected to play for the Capitals tonight.
Cook said Juneau consulted Bruins right wing Steve Leach (a former Capital) about Washington, plans to keep his North Shore home and will return here in the offseason.
While Juneau didn't think he'd be dealt, lafrate was certain someone was going, probably him.
“I thought it was inevitable,” said lafrate, who plans to join his new teammates today in Quebec. “I don't think it's out of the blue. It was a matter of who they were going to trade. They needed more potency on offense. I'm very happy to be going to Boston.”
lafrate, a rock-solid 6 foot 3 inches and 220 pounds, celebrated his 28th birthday yesterday. He has a blistering shot and will help solidify a defense anchored by Raymond Bourque.
“He's the best defenseman who ever played,” said lafrate of Bourque, “and I'm not the best. But I try my hardest. My ultimate goal is to be considered one of the best.
When I first came into the league, the tag was that I was too offensive and I didn't hit enough. Then it kind of went the other way and back and forth. I just want to contribute both offensively and defensively.”
lafrate, who favors heavy-metal music and Harley Davidsons, is a bona fide character but said his free-spirit label is a little exaggerated.
“It might be overblown,” he said. “Because of my musical preference and what I do in the summertime, which is cruising around on a Harley, I think people get ideas. But I'm a pretty simple dude. I'm mellow.”
And talented. lafrate has a slap shot that can exceed 100 miles per hour. He is able to rush the puck and jump into the play in the offensive end, although it's something he hasn't done a lot this season.
‘Ive rushed the puck the least in my whole career,” he said. “It's because of the system we were playing and I'm not above the system, but if we were down by a couple of goals and needed offense, I would try to make a difference. I try to be a complete player.”
lafrate goes into tonight's game with 10 goals – only four fewer than Juneau – and 35 assists in 67 games.
“We've certainly got a player who's been a top-echelon defenseman in the league for a few years, particularly on the offense,” said Bruins president/general manager Harry Sinden. “More than that, it gives us four defensemen who would stack up with any four in the league in [Glen] Wesley, Bourque, [Don] Sweeney and now lafrate. That's going to be very important with Cam [Neely] out.”
In making the deal, which Sinden said was in the works for more than a week, the Bruins instantly commit
to defense as Buffalo did when it lost Pat LaFontaine to an injury.
“That's a good analogy.” said Sinden. “We're not going to get Cam's goals. If you just take it on stats alone, we're down one goal a game.”
While lafrate will take some burden off the other Boston defensemen. the pressure on offense without Juneau and Neely falls heavily on the shoulders of center Adam Oates. But Sinden feels the team will make up for it with right-wing Steve Leach and center/winger Jozef Stumpel on the mend from knee injuries and light wing Mariusz Czerkawski on his way at the conclusion of the Swedish League season. Nevertheless, he said, it was difficult to let Juneau go.
“It was very hard,” he said. “Joe's been an exciting player, a particularly entertaining player for myself and I think most of the fans. But we felt we had a hole there in our defensive corps that had to be shored up with a player like lafrate who'd come and be one of your four established defensemen. In order to get that type of player, we had to move to a player the caliber of Juneau. He's a new player in the league, it's really only his second year in the league. It's a risk absolutely.”
Both players enter their option seasons next year. Juneau, whose salary is a modest $250,000, will be looking for well over a million at contract time. lafrate is making $900,000 this year.
The Capitals acquired two defensemen yesterday, Joe Reekie from Tampa Bay and Jim Johnson from Dallas, which paved the way for them to deal lafrate.
“We did a lot of talking [yesterday] and over the weekend,” said Sinden. “We didn't really want to do anything until we saw what happened. We felt this was a move we should make and once you do that, you'd better make it. It was up to Washington. We were waiting on them all day.”
The Boston players didn't really have time to react, it all happened so fast.
“It was scary,” said rookie Bryan Smolinski. “I was puzzled by the whole situation. I guess I haven't realized that part of the game yet.”
Smolinski's roommate on the road was a little more familiar with it.
“It's tough,” said Oates, who was dealt from Detroit to St. Louis before being traded to Boston. “My first time was a shocker, too, although it made me a better person. It will be really good for Joe. I don't wish it on anyone because it's very hard. But it will be a real test for him.”
IAFRATE
First and foremost is his size – he's a 6-foot-3-inch, 220-pound wrecking ball who will stand out on the Boston blue line … 1992-93 was his best season (25 goals, 41 assists and an All-Star)… Has the NHL's hardest shot and is one of the league's fastest skaters … Led the Capitals this season with 252 shots on goal… Allows the Bruins some new options, especially on the power play, where he can be used as a power forward (possibly in Cam Neely's slot) or a point man … Not going to tear the house down like Dave Manson or Marty McSorley, but he will put fear into frisky forwards careless enough to run into the Bruins' goaltenders … A 1984 US Olympian and Toronto's first pick (fourth overall) in the '84 entry draft … A Harley Davidson, heavy-metal, chain-smoking, old-time hockey player who won't be seen with the pretty people at the city's elegant night spots … Adds a presence to the Boston defense not seen since Gord Kluzak retired . . Had right knee surgery in 1990 (torn anterior cruciate ligament) … Nicknamed “Alley Cat” … Uniform number will be 43 … Happy belated birthday (he was 28 yesterday).
JIM HOBAN