Simon claims his pain remains

By Adrian Dater
Denver Post Sports Writer

March 3 - Four months ago, the Colorado Avalanche traded popular left wing Chris Simon. And although Simon said he is not the kind of guy to hold grudges, he will not return any hellos if they come his way this week from Avs general manager Pierre Lacroix.
"I wouldn't say "hi' to him if we passed in the hallway," Simon said. "The one thing I learned from dealing with Pierre Lacroix is, there are no friends in this league." In an interview over the weekend from his Maryland home, Simon, 25, said he still hurts from the way he was treated at the end of his stay with the Avalanche. And the hulking player said he is even more disappointed he won't be able to face his former team when it travels to face his new one, the Washington Capitals, on Thursday.
"That's going to be awful," said Simon, who has missed the last 15 games for the Capitals because of a bad back.
But the pain in his back doesn't match what he said he felt from the team in its treatment of him during the playoffs, and into the off-season.
Simon also revealed what he said were previously undisclosed facts about the infamous practice incident between him and coach Marc Crawford during the first round of the playoffs against Vancouver.
Crawford chewed Simon out in front of his teammates for not playing his customary physical style when Canucks enforcers such as Gino Odjick were getting away with liberties against many Avs players.
Some wondered if Simon wasn't going after Odjick because of an unwritten code that says Native Americans won't fight each other.
But Simon said it was Crawford who ordered him not to fight before the series.
"Every player got one of these game books and in mine it said we weren't allowed to fight Odjick or Joey Kocur," Simon said. "Nobody knows about that. They didn't want us getting into fights and playing their game, so there was no way I could. Everybody thought it was because of the Native thing, but I fought (Calgary Flames forward and fellow Native American) Sandy McCarthy and I would have done my job against those guys, too." In an interview with The Post on June 16, 1996, Crawford said Simon "struggled a little bit early in that series, and we needed to have him play in the fashion that we'd become accustomed to seeing him play." But Crawford did express regret about the incident.
"Would I do things differently?" he said. "Yeah, I probably would . . . In hindsight, it was too far with Chris. I think the next time, I think I would handle something like that with a little more tact." Simon said he holds no animosity toward Crawford. But he is upset about some of the misconceptions surrounding the incident. Simon, in fact, credits Crawford for much of the success he's enjoyed in the NHL.
"He always told me that he didn't want me to be just another fighter, that I could play, too," Simon said. "And he gave me a lot of confidence in myself that I could play with good players. I owe him a lot for that." The player nicknamed "The Chief" doesn't have the same complimentary view toward Lacroix, though.
After posting career highs in goals (16), points (34) and penalty minutes (250), Simon thought he would be rewarded financially by the Avs in off-season contract ne gotiations.
Simon, considered among the best enforcers in the NHL, sought $1.2 million a year for his next contract. Simon said he was offered a take-it-or-leave-it deal of $625,000 a year, only $125,000 per year more than his previous contract.
"They got me for a bargain year and then gave me an insulting offer after I thought I had a good year," Simon said. "Maybe if they had come a little closer to what I wanted, I would have been willing to come down a little. But when my agent (Larry Kelly) told me about what they were doing, I said, 'That's it. It's $1.2 million and don't call me until I get it.' " Simon still isn't sure why he fell so much out of favor with Lacroix. Lacroix won't comment publicly about the situation.
But some insiders say the team didn't think he kept himself in good enough physical condition. They believe Simon's numerous injuries the last few years, including his current back problem, were because he didn't pay the price hard enough in the training room.
When he hurt his ankle in the playoffs against Chicago, some wondered about his commitment to rehabilitation.
"That's ridiculous," Simon said. "I was freezing my ankle every day. I gave everything I could to that organization. I think it was just a business decision on (Lacroix's) part." And despite the hard feelings about him, Simon said Lacroix "is one of the best in the business at his job." Simon did come close to getting the money he wanted, but only after being traded Nov. 2 to the Capitals, along with defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn, for Keith Jones and Washington's first-round draft choice in 1998.
The Avs certainly have benefited from the trade so far, but so did the Caps - at least until Simon got hurt Jan. 24 against Dallas.
Simon became an on- and off-ice sensation in Washington. He immediately went on an eight-game points streak playing on a line with high-scoring winger Peter Bondra. The Capitals were winning, and nobody was taking any liberties with them with Simon's intimidating presence on the ice.
Simon, a member of the Ojibway tribe, was featured in a Sports Illustrated story and quickly became the fans' most popular member on the team.
"It was overwhelming," Simon said. "I was actually getting a little tired of it. But the fans have been awesome to me here." And Simon said he still is flooded with letters that have Colorado postmarks on them.
"I'd say most of my fan mail comes from Colorado," he said. "They wish me the best and a lot of them say they wish I were still there." And what about his former teammates?
"Yeah, I miss some of them," he said. "I started my career with some of those guys. I was teasing 'Reech' (Mike Ricci) right after the trade, though, that we may be friends off the ice, but once we get on the ice, I'll be looking for him." Does Simon think the Avs have missed his physical presence so far?
"Well, I saw what happened to Peter (Forsberg) when he got kneed by that guy in Calgary (Todd Simpson)," Simon said. "I know for sure I would have been right out there doing my job on him.''