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Lecavalier Not Mad At 'Hockey Night' Report

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

eerlendsson@tampatrib.com

Published: November 20, 2008

TAMPA - Millions of hockey viewers tune in each week to "Hockey Night in Canada," an institution on Saturday night television throughout Canada. So when gossip or rumors spill out on the Satellite Hot Stove segment during the second intermission, it often becomes gospel around the hockey world.

One report last weekend pointed the finger at Lightning center Vinny Lecavalier as the ringleader of a player revolt against former coach Barry Melrose.

"I heard that Vinny Lecavalier went into ownership and said, 'I didn't like it under John Tortorella last year, and this is worse this year and you've got to get rid of him,'" Hot Stove panelist Al Strachan reported.

Strachan said he attempted to reach Lecavalier before he ran with the report, but without verification or speaking to the Lightning captain, Strachan told the viewing audience - which now includes U.S. viewers on the NHL Network - that Lecavalier led the charge to have Melrose fired.

"I didn't do it, I don't think anybody else did it," said Lecavalier, who verified Strachan did try to call him before reporting the rumor. "They went to another show after the Hot Stove segment and said they talked to me and that it wasn't true, and after that I didn't really think about it after that."

But the court of public opinion often doesn't let facts get in the way of a juicy report. Lecavalier said he isn't concerned about how he'll be perceived now.

"He said what he had to say and he went with what he thought. They weren't facts, he just went with something he thought happened, but owner Oren Koules said it wasn't true, General Manager Brian Lawton said it wasn't true, so I'm not mad," Lecavalier said.

Lightning interim head coach Rick Tocchet lived through some of the same reports of misinformation two years ago when he was caught up in a gambling ring scandal when he was coaching in Phoenix.

"There's been a lot of stuff written here recently about what has gone on the past two months, and most of it isn't true and we haven't heard one word of Vinny Lecavalier talking to anybody, and I'd be surprised if he did," Tocchet said. "And I can speak from experience, I really don't care about the perception and I don't think Vinny cares because he knows. ... The Globe and Mail, TSN, who cares, everybody is looking for stories, but with him they're not there."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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