European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 12, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday May 12, 1994 sports the stars and stripes Page 31 car sucks oust Nab 3-2 Lead by the associated press the Vancouver canucks moved into the Western conference finals of the incl playoffs while the san Jose Sharks closed in on the other berth. The canucks wrapped up their Confer ence semifinal series in five games with a 4-2 Victory tuesday night Over the Dallas stars.  a a they earned a spot in the conference finals against the Winner of the san Jose Toronto series which will continue with game 6 thursday night following the Sharks 5-2 Victory tuesday night the Sharks Lead the Best-of-7 series 3-2. The nil playoffs were to resume wednesday night with new Jersey visiting Boston in an Eastern conference semifinal game. The devils needed one Victory to close out that series and Advance to the Eastern conference finals against the new York rangers. The rangers advanced with a 4-1 series win Over Washington. Pavel by re scored two goals As the canucks won for the seventh time in eight games Vancouver returned to the conference final for the first time since 1982 when the canucks ousted Chicago in five games Nathan la Fayette and Bure scored in the first period Murray Craven in the second and Bure again the third As the Rypien will play for Berea Ohio of a last year the Cleveland Browns signed Vinny Testaverde As a backup for Bernie Kosar. Kosar was Cut won a super bowl ring with Dallas and now Washington a Mark Rypien will Back up Testaverde. The 31-year-old Rypien an unrestricted free agent Cut by the redskins last month was the super bowl map in 1992. Right now he does no to mind serving As no. 2 quarterback. A a in a a Vinny Testaverde fan. Id like to sit Here and cheer Lead for 16 games a he said tuesday. A i Hope i can be a Guy to help Vinny up when he a knocked Down and be a guiding Light for him. If the Opportunity comes because of an unfortunate injury you have to he ready to  Rypien signed a two year Deal Worth at least $1.95 million. He will get $800,000 in base pay next season along with a $350,000 signing Bonus with a �?T95 option for $800,000. Because of a $34,6 million team salary Cap Rypien a salary will count $975,000 each season. Rypien sought his release from the redskins after they asked him 1 to take a pay Cut. He reportedly rejected a Washington offer that would have Cut his $3 million Saja by to $1 million. Nil playoffs canucks outscored Dallas 18-11 in the series. A a a  Mike Modano and Dave Gagner both on Power plays were the Only Dallas players to beat Vancouver goaltender Kirk Mclean. Andy Moog played the last four games in the series in goal for Dallas. Vancouver out shot the stars 33-30 in game 5. Sergei Makarovs two goals and two assists led the Sharks Over the Maple Leafs. Lin mate Igor Larionov added three assists for the surprising Sharks who re turn to Toronto with two chances to finish out the series when it resumes thursday night. The Sharks had the worst record of the 16 teams that made the playoffs. -7 a f. Makarov who with Larionov and Johan grape nov make up the Sharks top scoring line Hadnot scored a goal in the series. But the Trio was dominating during the first period and accounted for the Sharks first four goals. Sharks goalie arturs irbe rebounding from a disastrous game 5 Outing faced 29 shots stopping 27. He stopped All eight shots in the third period to preserve san Jose a 5-2 Lead. Toronto a Felix Potvin turned Back 22 of 27 shots. After a triple by Joseph Durso the new York times Louisville by. R so after All the slipping and shoving in the rough and Rainy 120th Kentucky Derby last saturday what did it prove Jimmy Jones a Hall of Fame Trainer won the Derby for Calumet farm eight times in partnership with his father a a. Jones. His superstar citation was the last horse to  on a Sloppy track until go for Gin did it 46 years later after watching the rough House Derby on saturday at the age of 85, he said a it did no to prove anything. It was like a Rodeo. Everything happened. Everybody stepped on everybody else a toes holy Bull got turned upside Down at the Start. A valiant nature got turned upside Down on the first turn. One incident like that after another. You have to give the Winner credit because he got there first and Nick Zito did a Good Job getting him there. But it did no to prove anything. A the Winner got a springboard Start and never looked Back. You run them again and you a probably get a different  not even Nick Zito has any illusions. He won the trophy and the first prize of $628,800 and the glory of getting go for Gin through the Maze of miseries into the winners Circle and he also owns the distinction of winning the grandest race in the land for the second time in four years. But he admits that he is not moving on to Maryland with a Clear shot at sweeping the triple Crown or even at repeating the performance in the Preakness. No dominant horse went Back to the barn Dallas Grant Ledyard gets under Vancouver a Gino Odjick and sends him lying during playoff action in Vancouver tuesday night. Saturday at Churchill Downs. A these horses Are so Good a he said a that you can to even think one of them might sweep the triple Crown. You have to go from one race to another and Hope for the Best. Look holy Bull might come Back and run his race. But the Derby did no to establish any one of them As the dominant 3-year-old in the  remember last year when the Champion of the division was Prairie Bayou who fractured a leg and did not survive the Belmont stakes in june. He won the eclipse award posthumously. Three different horses won the triple Crown classics. The same scenario could be rerun this year but not because there is any shortage of 3-Ycar-old stars. There Are plenty of 3-year-old stars this year but none of them has seized Power yet. Its not like 1947 when the Jones team blitzed the Washington futurity with a three horse entry starring citation be a witched and free America and they ran 1-2-3. Its also not like 1948 when they put the two horse entry of citation and Coaltown into the Kentucky Derby and ran 1-2. None of this detracts from what Zito accomplished with go for Gin a Colt who in his last three races had not been Able to catch Deere holy Bull and Airgun. When it counted most in the Kentucky Derby he was ready. He did some clobbering of his own coming out of the Gate straightened out and quickly shot into the Lead while everybody else was trying to get untangled. After a mile and a Quarter it was go for Gin still on the Lead with Strodes Creek closing in full stride but two lengths too late. But it did no to prove anything although it did foreshadow something the second half of the racing year will produce new contenders for the breeders cup and the final championships in a talented but wide open class of 3-year-ods. In fact Charlie Whittingham arid some other major trainers arc Basing their strategy on it. Whittingham still cunning at 81, knows. That Strodes Creek has Breeding and stamina. He did no to even race As a 2-year-old, but in his fourth race this year he ran third in the Santa Anita Derby and in his fifth race he ran second in the Kentucky Derby. And after skipping the Preakness in his sixth race he has a Good Chance of a running first in the Belmont. Then in the second half of the year More fresh faces will appear. Scotty Schulhofer a undefeated Twining skipped the triple Crown series entirely in order to get some experience but he won the Withers last week and he is being aimed for the travers stakes in August via the Peter pan later this month. And they All May be joined by Irun the horse who beguiled Jerry Bailey into abdicating his seat in the Saddle of go for Gin out who then was sidelined by knee chips. Charlie Whittingham considered the question a will there be a triple Crown this year a he kind of snorted and replied a maybe not in this Century. The Way they re going in horse racing Well be All casinos by then