ROOT FOR THE CAPITALS?; NOT IF YOU KNOW THEY'RE DOGS MORE THAN UNDERDOGS.

Byline: JARRE FEES The NHL 

It's always tempting to cheer for the underdog, and the Washington Capitals are so far down the underdog chart they almost deserve an ovation. This is a team that managed to beat Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek when no one else could. A team that wants to win for captain Dale Hunter, a team with the most quotable NHL coach since Barry Melrose left Los Angeles.

It's tempting to want them to come back and win the next four games, a feat accomplished only once, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942. It's tempting, that is, until we remember the racial slurs uttered to black players earlier this season on two separate occasions by the Caps' Chris Simon and Craig Berube.

It's tempting to want former Ducks coach Ron Wilson to win a Stanley Cup, to show Disney what a mistake it made by not renewing his contract. Until we remember the highly quotable Wilson was silent after the racial slurs were uttered, and just as silent when his U.S. Olympic team trashed a room in Nagano after the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Where is the quotable Wilson when the character of his team is on the line?

When defenseman Marty McSorley was caught with an illegal stick in Game 2 of the 1993 Kings-Montreal Stanley Cup finals, Melrose told the press, ``It's my responsibility. I should've caught it.'' As though the head coach has time for a quick stick check between periods.

Melrose had his baggage as a coach, but he believed the buck stopped where he sat. And that baggage was a carry-on load compared to the trunk of questionable silences Wilson is carrying around. Underdogs should travel light.

It's tempting to cheer for Washington captain Dale Hunter, 37, playing in the first Stanley Cup final series of his 17-year career. Until we remember this is the same Dale Hunter whose 3,446 regular-season career penalty minutes are the highest among active NHL players and second all-time only to the 3,996 racked up in 14 seasons by Dave (Tiger) Williams.

It's tempting to cheer for Hunter, a likable goon, until we remember this is the henchman who separated Pierre Turgeon's shoulder with a mean, dirty hit after Turgeon's game-winning goal for the Islanders in the 1993 playoffs.

If there is one legitimate reason to cheer for these underdogs, it would have to be goaltender Olaf Kolzig, nicknamed Godzilla by his teammates.

Through June 13, Kolzig had faced a whopping 702 shots in 20 playoff games, an average of slightly more than 35 shots per game. Compare this to the 557 shots faced by Detroit's Chris Osgood in 21 playoff games, an average of 26.5 per game.

Kolzig is the primary reason the Caps got this far and this lucky. He's the reason to cheer, and quite possibly the Conn Symthe winner when Detroit wins the Stanley Cup.

It wouldn't be the first time a player from the losing team has won MVP honors. In 1987 the Edmonton Oilers won the Cup, but Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall took home the Conn Smythe trophy.

And if Godzilla fails to capture the hardware, it won't be because he didn't play his part. It's only that he needed a better supporting cast.

Rinkside: Last week Melrose looked like the front-runner for the Chicago Blackhawks' coaching job, succeeding Craig Hartsburg, who was fired at the end of the regular season after the Hawks failed to make the playoffs.

Melrose might be out of the picture, however. Ex-Flyers coach Terry Murray, ex-Sabres coach Ted Nolan and recently retired Chicago player Denis Savard are all said to be on the new list of contenders. Add former Avalanche coach Marc Crawford but only if the Blackhawks aren't required to compensate Colorado so Crawford can be released from the final year of his contract.

MacInnis signs: St. Louis defenseman Al MacInnis has signed a three-year, $15 million contract that includes a no-trade clause and makes him the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL.

The Blues must decide whether to try to resign Brett Hull, Geoff Courtnall and defenseman Steve Duchesne, all of whom become free agents July 1.

The Kings are rumored to be interested in signing offense-minded Duchesne, who played for Los Angeles from 1986-91 before being traded to Philadelphia.

Anniversary gift: When Sergei Fedorov scored the game-winning goal Sunday in Detroit's 2-1 victory over the Caps, he scooped up the puck.

``I'm going to keep it for a while and decide what I'm going to do,'' he said. ``Definitely it is in memory and appreciation for what Vlade and Sergei did for this team. I'll show them and maybe they'd like to keep it.''

Sunday was the one-year anniversary of the limousine accident that critically injured teammate Vladimir Konstantinov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakonov.

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PHOTO The class of the Caps, goalie Olaf Kolzig, yields the winning goal in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup.

Rich Lipski/Washington Post