Articles

[hockeygod]

A Canucks sixth sense?

ROY MacGREGOR / Vancouver— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, May. 31, 2011

It has become the great debate of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Not the Vancouver Canucks or Boston Bruins – that will eventually be decided on the scoreboard – but whether or not the Sedin twins of Vancouver are psychic?

Daniel and Henrik Sedin look so alike it took coach Alain Vigneault years before he could tell them apart. They speak so identically that they will sometimes say “we” even when one is talking alone. On the ice, they are distinguished by numbers, 22 for Daniel, 33 for Henrik, and by an astonishing ability to find each other when making passes, many of them blind, while moving the puck around in the opposition end.

So remarkable is this ability that the man who brought them to the NHL 11 years ago believes they “absolutely” possess a second sight, a sixth sense, a built-in communication system that gives them – Henrik the NHL's scoring champion last year, six minutes younger Daniel this year's scoring champion – an advantage never before known in the game.

“I've seen guys who had chemistry,” says Brian Burke, general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs but GM of Vancouver in 1999, when the Swedish twins were drafted. “But I've never seen anything like this – it's like they have radar.”

The twins themselves are not convinced, though Henrik, the team captain, did concede this week that, “Sometimes, even ourselves, we can maybe think that something strange is going on.”

Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, a fellow Swede and a linemate of the twins during the 2010 Olympics, says he has experienced what happens with them on the ice enough to believe that their story is all about skill and familiarity, not telepathy.

“It's not more than two super-skilled persons who can read the play,” Alfredsson says. “It's more just being used to each other. They've played together so long. They know each other perfectly.

“But they can sure make it look like there's something telepathic going on.”

“People say we have that on the ice,” says Daniel, who also does not believe in telepathy. “We have the thing we have because we've played together for so long. It has nothing to do with anything else.”

“There are always reasons why those things happen,” Henrik adds.

Alfredsson agrees and says that such seemingly magical connection is not unusual among elite athletes playing on a team. He felt it himself when, for a couple of seasons, he and Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley were the game's most formidable scoring line.

“It just happens,” he says. “You don't even have to think. You just know where the other will be. The twins take this to another level.”

“They communicate like dolphins,” says the twins' current linemate Alex Burrows. “The way they move the puck, they have that sixth sense.”

They do so because they are supremely skilled athletes – both were given the opportunity to move 800 kilometres south of their northern Sweden hometown of Ornskoldsvik to join an elite soccer school, but declined in favour of sticking with hockey – and because they have always played together, always on the same line. Among elite hockey players, there is simply no comparison when it comes to longevity and compatibility. Henrik, the elder, has always been the centre, the one most likely to make the pass; Daniel has been the shooter. Henrik has always been the team leader, Daniel content to let his older brother serve as captain of the various teams they were on. Henrik talks slightly more, but only slightly. They have the same accent, inflections and exactly the same dry humour. In separate interviews held only steps away from each other this week, they at one point cracked the same joke about winning a team scrimmage.

At age 30, the twins are clearly in their prime. They have their back-to-back scoring championships and, if Daniel is named winner on June 22 of the three finalists nominated as the league's most valuable player, they will have back-to-back Hart Trophies, as well. This week they were named recipients of Crown Princess Victoria Prize, awarded annually to Sweden's best athlete.

It usually goes to single recipient – but even in Sweden they do not separate the Sedin twins.

No brothers have ever won consecutive scoring championships in the league's 94-year-history. Brothers, however, are far from novel in professional hockey. Even the Hall of Fame greats – Maurice (Rocket) Richard, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky – all had brothers play with variable success in the NHL. The six Sutter brothers of Viking, Alta., all made it, including Ron and Rich, the first twins to play in the league. There have been five sets of twins since.

But identical twins – the product of a single egg, as opposed to the more common fraternal twins, which come from two eggs – are different still. It has only happened twice in the NHL, and in the case of the Lundqvist twins, Henrik and Joel, they not only did not play together but played different positions, Henrik goal for the New York Rangers while Joel, who now plays back in Sweden, was briefly a forward with the Dallas Stars.

Only the identical Sedins can claim to have played the same position, forward, and on the same line. They have never been separated. Not in sports, not in school. Their father is a school principal and the parents, Tommy and Tora Sedin, placed high value on education, although they allowed the boys to complete their high school studies in four years rather than three to allow more time for hockey. “We considered it very important for Henrik and Daniel to finish their studies,” says their mother. “We talked about it at home. Who knows what would have happened with the hockey? There was no guarantee for success. Anything could have happened.”

Anything could happen in the Cup final, too, but that won't stop Tora from watching her boys compete for their first NHL championship, despite her stated affinity for the “more pleasant” sport of soccer.

“The games are played nighttime here in Sweden, but … well, it's really exciting now,” she says. “So I guess I'll sit up and watch. And if everything goes in the right direction, we will come over for the fifth game.”

Success did happen, and quickly. By 16 they were playing at the highest level – so involved with hockey that the parents let them complete high school in four years rather than three – and the play of the identical twins of Ornskoldsvik was being noted.

Twins are always a curiosity – and have been since the days of Greek and Norse gods, since the Old Testament, since Romulus and Remus founded Rome – but identical twins far more so in that there is large belief that they have their own special communication skills, as do certain birds and animals.

Such a possibility has always intrigued science – and fascinated false science. Experiments conducted on television have included separating young identical twins so one is in a room subject to various stimuli – hand plunged into cold water, frightened by a rubber snake – while the other is hooked up to a lie-detector machine in another room to record emotion. In those experiments, a telepathic connection was claimed. It was also quickly dismissed as pseudo science.

Writing in Psychology Today in 2009, British author Digby Tantam, who is both a psychiatrist and psychologist, claimed that legitimate parapsychologists “have been unable to duplicate these results in the laboratory.” Identical twins Randy and Jason Sklar said that they were involved in a clinical university study on telepathy when they were 14, Randy drawing shapes in one room while Jason was attempting to copy them in another. “I was so far off,” Jason Sklar told the magazine, “they ended up stopping the study.”

What, then, explains the blind passes of Henrik Sedin to Daniel, the innate ability of Daniel to place himself in a spot where he will have a clear shot at goal if only he is given the puck? The twins say familiarity. Brian Burke jokes that they have the mentalist skills of “The Amazing Kreskin,” who used to do mind-reading on a popular television show of the 1970s. There are many – several of them NHL teammates and opponents of the twins – who would agree with Burke.

They were still children playing in Ornskoldsvik when they were noticed by Thomas Gradin, a former NHL player then working as a scout for the Canucks. He believed they had an ability to “read” each other that was not understandable but also undeniable. On Gradin's urging, Burke travelled to the world championship in Oslo, Norway, to see for himself. He came back a believer, “We decided we were going to move heaven and earth to get them together.”

At the 1999 NHL entry draft, Burke completed a complicated series of trades with three teams that ensured Vancouver would have the second and third pick, having been assured that the team picking first overall, the Atlanta Thrashers, had settled on another choice. He called both Sedins to the podium at the same time, holding out jerseys with No. 22 (D. Sedin) and No. 33 (H. Sedin) in the hopes that each would take the jersey intended.

Like everyone else, Burke could not tell the two apart. At times in the past, the twins have fooled the media, even doing interviews as their brother. They seem so much the same, yet have lived fairly separate lives in Vancouver – Henrik with wife Johanna and two sons in Yaletown, Daniel with wife Marinette and two girls and a boy in Shaughnessy.

They blossomed slowly, really only coming into their prime over the past three seasons. Burke says former coach Marc Crawford deserves credit for getting them to the level they are now at. Alfredsson says that, as with many European players, it took them years to adjust their talents to the smaller North American ice surface. The Sedins play what is called a “cycle” game – working pucks out from the corner boards by circling and dropping passes to each other and their linemate until an opening presents itself.

“It's harder to do on the North America ice surface where there's just not as much room,” Alfredsson says. “Obviously, you have to do it a lot quicker. And they're really good at that. They seem to find a way to take it to the net on a consistent basis. That's unusual. And they do it with small, little plays are so difficult to do. But they do it.”

They do it with such success that, despite earlier concerns that they were off to a slow start in these playoffs, Henrik is today the leading scorer in Stanley Cup play with two goals and 19 assists, and Daniel not far behind with eight of each.

“We thought they would be top-six players,” Burke says. “No one talked about Hart trophies or Art Ross trophies back then. It would be intellectually dishonest to pretend otherwise.”

Such success, naturally, has led to financial reward. And even when it comes to contracts, they are treated as one. When current GM Mike Gillis signed them to twin five-year, $30.5-million (U.S.) contracts two years ago, he said, “Because of their style of play, they are symbiotic and effectively inseparable. As such, we will treat them as a single entity for contract purposes, while recognizing their individual needs and attributes away from the arena.”

Henrik Sedin claims it doesn't bother them in the slightest to being regarded as one. “With those questions,” he says, “you're going to get the same answers.”

“We think pretty much the same way,” Daniel adds, “so we're going to answer the questions the same way, for both of us. It's been like this for 15 years – and it's not going to change.”

As for being regarded as “freaks of nature” if not mere curiosities, Daniel just laughs off all the talk about telepathy and psychic skills and being able to read each other's mind on the ice.

“We bring it on ourselves,” he says.

“We answer the same way … we like the same things … and we can't really do much about it.”

With files from Matthew Sekeres in Vancouver and Janne Bengtsson in Sweden.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[DaveM]

Found this one this morning. Surprising stance from a former tough guy. Any thoughts?

Changing The Checking Age Does Not Soften Our Sport
By:
Mike Milbury

I don’t want to be confused with somebody who has gone “wimpish” on the sport of hockey. I think we’ve had a lot of “soccer mom” mentality creeping into our game, and I know much of it is based in a very real concern for concussions and other types of injuries. With that said, I don’t want to take it too far.

I was honored to join USA Hockey’s subcommittee on body checking and feel that I have a broad background that allows me to bring something to the table on this important topic.

The subcommittee consisted of some very educated individuals who care deeply about the game. Nobody was getting paid or had a hidden agenda. Some were adamantly opposed to changing the rules on checking and others were fully supportive of the change. That was the starting point for the dialogue that followed.

Information was presented from many different points of view. Some focused on the competitive and skill development side while others came at it from a physiological perspective. As a parent, I listened with great interest as Dr. Michael Stuart presented information that indicated that kids under the age of 11 or even 12 were more susceptible to concussions, and also that the impact of those concussions could last for extended periods of time.

Clearly, kids at that age are not developed physically enough to enter into this kind of contact without real jeopardy to their health. That was a no brainer to begin with, but it was more than that.

The majority of us who sat on the subcommittee are not doctors and are not in a position to discuss the physiological impact checking has on the game. But it was up to us to talk about how it impacted the skill development of our young players at such a pivotal point in their lives.

As much as I love the rough nature of the game, you have to learn how to play the game first. Common sense would dictate that if you can’t skate, you can’t play. Our biggest and most physical kids also need to have the skills to be able to play at a higher level. Let them become familiar with how to make a backhand pass and play in a two-on-one situation. This is critical in order to achieve continued success and upward movement in the game of hockey.

I have my own kids. I don’t want to see them get hurt; I want them to have a good time. I want to see body contact and body positioning, but what I really want to see is kids playing the game the right way. Our focus needs to be on developing the foundation that will serve kids for as long as they play the game. Our rush to introduce physical play at a young age closes that window of opportunity.

When we get kids at 11 and 12 years of age, some of them have vast disparities in height and weight and even degrees of passion about the sport. Some of them can become overwhelmed when it comes to the physical play. In our rush to introduce checking we run the risk of losing kids who are on the bubble and may not have developed their bodies to the point where they can effectively give and take a check.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the physical part of the game, but I believe the introduction of physical play into the game should come at a deliberate pace. It starts with teaching body contact — rubbing, bumping, edging out and gaining proper positioning on an opponent — rather than focusing on hard hits.

And when we do introduce checking, we need to teach players to check hard and check clean. No rational person or player wants to leave the rink knowing that he just broke someone’s jaw or he gave a guy a concussion that might alter his life. Nobody wants to live with that.

I dread the day when we take out the physical element of the game because we are worried about safety issues. If you’re too worried, don’t play. There’s an element of risk in a lot of things we choose to do — rock climbing, skiing, cycling — and hockey is no exception. Still, we owe it to our kids and we owe it to the game to make it as safe as possible.

Even at the youngest age levels, there will always be races for loose pucks and battles in the corner and in front of the net. Those one-on-one battles are what make hockey such a great game to play. The game will still be physical, it will still be fast and it will still be fun. It will also be safer.

This rule change proposal isn’t about checking being removed; it’s about checking being improved. And for the good of our sport, this checking model needs to be adopted when it comes up for a vote.

Mike Milbury has been involved in hockey for more than 50 years. He played collegiate hockey at Colgate University and went on to a 12-year NHL career with the Boston Bruins. After retiring as a player, Milbury went on to serve as head coach with the Bruins and New York Islanders before taking over the role as the Islanders general manager. He is currently working as a commentator for NESN, Hockey Night in Canada and NBC’s weekly hockey broadcast. He has six children and is currently an assistant coach with his son’s Peewee team. He is also a valued member of the USA Hockey Checking Subcommittee.

[hockeygod]

Thanks for this article.

Milbury has changed his public tune somewhat during this 2010-2011 season he has been on Hockey Night in Canada. He is a smart person who comes from a time where hockey players were considered Neanderthals. I suspect his change in tune has something to do with his kids (who play hockey) getting to the age of checking and now the 'dad' hat hits closer to home. I always thought Mike was different than the rest of the old-school culture and respect what he has to say. This is a good article and I continue to hope more people speak up to improve the game.

My friend Dan MacDonald emailed me earlier this week and suggested we practice 'contact confidence' weekly for at least 20 minutes / week on and / or off-ice from a younger age to get the kids more familiar with body contact – what is 'right' and what 'isn't' from both technique and ethical angles – so it isn't as big of a shock when body checking is implemented (at whatever age.) Right now in Canada, we attend a one-day coaching clinic, then that's it. Most coaches (in my experience teaching, mentoring and evaluating coaches) aren't comfortable teaching this (expecting others to teach it!) so they only give it a quick overview. Dan also calls for more regular teaching of angling, steering, influencing and playing the opponent's hands as methods to regain the puck – not just a big body check (which lately seems to be to separate the head from the man; not the man from the puck!)

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[Tom Molloy]

I have always thought the rule in minor hockey up to U17 should be to reduce body checking from two to one stride. U20 and up back to two strides – and call charging and boarding.

There is no reason for young kid's to play full contact. If a player rubs out the puck carrier WHILE HIS STICK IS ON THE ICE AND PLAYING THE PUCK, then it is safe and also teaches proper angling. This is what the criteria should be in my humble opinion.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[DaveM]

Good points.

I agree that Mike Milbury has evolved a great deal over the last few seasons. I grew up watching him do stuff like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8K7roZu3WU

Here, at the high school level, we have a huge discrepancy in size between the 14 and 18 year old players and it makes for a tough adjustment for kids coming from house league. Not everyone is out to separate the players head from their body, but some certainly are and it only takes one bad hit. Watching the world championships this year I was amazed at how much the larger ice surface changes the game even with all the big bodies out there. If you ask me that's the easiest change the NHL could make. I know it's expensive, but so is having Sidney Crosby sit on the sidelines for half the season.

Dave

[hockeygod]

Dave,

Too bad the NHL didn't act in a forward-thinking manner and require all new buildings to build 200' x 100' – then provide a certain date for compliance. When Calgary built the Saddledome for the 1988 Olympics, it had stands that move so it could be expanded to 100' across (international size.) This one change would help accommodate the size, speed and fitness levels of today's players much better than the current configuration – and perhaps reduce some of the injuries! I wonder if they will have to go to a 4 on 4 game to open it up – shrink the rosters (to the howls of protest of the NHLPA and purist fans)?

Re: Milbury – I believe it was in Vancouver when Mike climbed into the stands and beat a guy with his own shoe. I think this link is vs. the Rangers? Old-time hockey…

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[DaveM]

Dean – The 4 v 4 situation would be a tough sell, but I think you are right….much more affordable than renovating all the new arenas out there. It would also address the possibility that the 30 team league is too watered down, though I'm not sure I am sold on this idea.

Couldn't the league could allow the big sheets to be phased in as new buildings go up? I would think it would be a big advantage to teams that have the Olympic size sheet for the majority of their games, like the advantage Detroit has knowing how to use the fast boards at Joe Louis. I'm sure it would reduce injuries significantly for the teams as well playing at minimum of half their games (and some practices) on the big ice.

Re Milbury: I don't remember the Vancouver incident, but I remember watching the Rangers/MSG one in shock as a kid. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's Milbury (#26) ripping the guys shoe from his foot and hitting him with it. There's a better clip here:

[hockeygod]

I prefer 5 vs. 5, but on the bigger ice. 4 vs. 4 for now? Shrink the rosters? Big issues…

I guess something has to start somewhere… new buildings should have to be built 200 x 100 (moveable so they can remain 200 x 85) and perhaps older buildings would need to be renovated by a certain date.

Problem with retro-fitting: it's always more work and a bigger job than if you do it right from the start. Which = more $ to build / retro and it also takes away seats (or $) from the owners and could impact sight lines, etc.

Since I am playing commissioner for the day, I would also like to see an approximately 60 game schedule with less back to back or 3 games in 4 nights, etc. as the fatigue (travel and playing) take away from the on-ice product (not to mention create injuries.) Each team would play at least one home and one away game against each team so fans can see all the teams. Then they would play within their conference / division – whatever they call it (amongst their 15-16 teams). Salaries and the cap would be pro-rated. Only two weeks of training camp. 7 days for rookies; then the next 7 days are for the pros (and some rookies who 'make the cut' – the other rookies get assigned to their affiliate teams.) Play in tournament settings so there is less travel and move the tourney's from city to city every year. Take 10 days off at Christmas (Dec 23-Jan 2) and another 1 week break at the end of regular season. These would be 'rest breaks' for the players – to allow for rehab / recuperation so they can get healthy. No practices at this time. Rehab is OK. Then 2 days of practice before starting games again.

I like what the OHL or QMJHL did this year. They took the x ___ # of top teams for playoffs, not just based on division or conference. Travel might be bigger, (it also might not be…) but you are truly rewarded for being a better team (playing a genuinely 'weaker' opponent.) So for the NHL, 1 could play 16, 2 plays 15, etc. This used to be how it was way back in the day…

The BCHL is changing their playoff structure too. See below:

—

The British Columbia Hockey League has announced several significant changes with regards to its schedule, playoffs and team roster rules that are aimed at improving cost efficiency and player development for member clubs. The changes come about as a result of a recent meeting of the BCHL board of governors.

With respect to playoffs, the following changes are being made:

– There will be eight teams that qualify for playoffs, four from each conference. This will accommodate the conclusion of the season being later and ensure a team is available when the Doyle Cup begins.
– There will be just three rounds of playoffs as one round is being eliminated. This is meant to promote competitiveness in opening rounds though this change is on a trial basis and will be reviewed after the end of next season.

With respect to the schedule, the following changes are being made so BCHL games are more accessible for fans and teams can trim travel costs:

– The 2011-12 season will begin later. Games will commence Sept. 23 and will conclude March 11 to coincide with the more traditional hockey season. Teams will be given an option to hold training camp starting in August as usual or push it back to September.
– The league will be going back to a half-interlock schedule that will see each team play every other team but not necessarily visit all buildings. Regional rivalry games will be given more attention.
– The BCHL office will be producing the schedule for the coming season. This will allow weekend dates to be maximized and may see occasional earlier start times on Saturdays to promote attendance by families. It will also ensure reduced travel for clubs with double-headers (i.e. playing the same opponent in their building Friday and Saturday) being incorporated.

With respect to team rosters, the following changes will be implemented for the coming season:

– Roster will be reduced to 21 players from 23 as in past years. This will promote player development and ensure more players dress for more games.
– Each team must carry at least one 16-year-old and one 17-year-old player. This is an effort to develop homegrown B.C. players as with the reduced roster size, these younger players are guaranteed to dress for games.
– An October selection of affiliate players will be held. It is not a true draft and is meant to simply introduce 15-year-old players to the BCHL and keep them on affiliate rosters for the season. At the conclusion of the season, teams will not keep rights to these players.

“We’re confident these ideas will be embraced by our member clubs as we continue to work through our strategic plan,” said league commissioner John Grisdale. “The BCHL looks forward to implementing these changes and improving the product we put on the ice next season.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Yes, there is life after 30

Vancouver’s late-blooming Sedin twins are in full flower

03-06-11 IIHF

VANCOUVER – Wayne Gretzky was 22 when he played in his first Stanley Cup final in 1983 after shredding the NHL record book. Pavel Bure peaked with two 60-goal seasons by age 23. But the Sedin twins are cut from a different cloth.

Now 30 years old, the two superstar offensive players of the Vancouver Canucks have played the best hockey of their career over the past two seasons. Granted, Henrik and Daniel Sedin – the 2010 and 2011 Art Ross Trophy winners respectively – have taken their share of criticism en route to a Stanley Cup final meeting with the Boston Bruins. (That was especially true in the first two rounds versus the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators, before Henrik exploded to take over the playoff scoring lead versus the San Jose Sharks, with Daniel close behind.)

Yet don’t forget Gretzky was also lambasted when the New York Islanders limited him to four assists in the ‘83 finals, and it was Mark Messier who took the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Edmonton Oilers finally revenged themselves on the Islanders and won the Cup the following year.

There is still no question that the Sedins, chosen second and third overall by Vancouver in the 1999 NHL draft, have established themselves among the world’s absolute elite at a later-than-average age.

“We had some tough years here in the early going,” said Daniel. “We wanted to get better every year. We took some small steps in the beginning. The last few years have obviously been going much better.”

In some respects, the Sedins’ journey simply confirms the prevailing view that Swedish players take longer to reach their top potential than, say, their Canadian or Russian counterparts.

But could the fact that the Örnsköldsvik natives didn’t strictly specialize in hockey as youngsters also account for their peaking late?

In Daniel J. Levitin’s well-known 2006 book This Is Your Brain on Music, the American psychologist states: “The emerging picture…is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert – in anything. In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, and what have you, this number comes again and again. Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or twenty hours a week, of practice over ten years.”

The Sedins had clearly put in their hours even before they came to North America in 2000. But like a fellow Swedish late-bloomer, Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, they didn’t just lock themselves in a hockey rink as teenagers.

When it comes to sports excellence, those ten thousand hours can be accumulated in more than one discipline, some experts believe. Overspecializing early can hold some athletes back.

“We were playing soccer up until age 16,” said Daniel. “I think it’s good to play a lot of sports when you grow up. Guys can get tired of playing hockey when they only play hockey growing up. But we played a lot of sports. We still think hockey is the best thing, and we’re having a lot of fun out there.”

The twins began pushing toward a point-per-game pace following the NHL lockout of 2005. Having been criticized relentlessly in their early years – would they end up as busts like the top pick from 1999, Atlanta’s Patrik Stefan? – they knew they had to get stronger in more ways than one.

There was the physical side. While the Sedins trained hard in their early years, they needed to refine their off-season routines to get NHL-ready. “It’s tough to play in this league when you struggle to keep up physically,” said Henrik, Vancouver’s captain. “When we came in, we didn’t have the speed, skating, or strength to beat guys in the corners. We’re still not the fastest skaters, but we can skate with the guys in this league. That’s been a big thing for us.”

How about the mental aspect?

“Mentally, I think you get stronger by the things you go through,” explained Henrik. “Mostly the bad stuff, that’s what makes you stronger. It’s easy to play when you’re not getting criticized and people think you’re the greatest. But when you go through tough stretches, either you quit or you move on and get stronger. That’s what we did.”

In 2009-10, things really came together when Henrik was named league MVP. His brother is a strong candidate to take home the Hart this season.

Now the twins bring the complete package, to the dismay of NHL foes and the delight of linemate Alexandre Burrows. He was playing in the ECHL as recently as 2004-05, but today finds himself alongside two NHL scoring champions nightly.

“I watched them play together for three or four years,” said Burrows. “They had different linemates. They’ve had Matt Cooke, Taylor Pyatt, Anson Carter. Even previously, when I wasn’t on the team, they used to play with guys like Jason King and Trent Klatt.”

Burrows knows the secret to complementing the twins’ extraordinary possession game: “The key is that they like to have the puck, and there’s only one puck on the ice. I’ve got to make sure they get the puck as many times I can. They’re going to make plays that nobody else in this league is able to do, saucer passes all over the ice. They can both beat guys out of the corner in what seems like really limited space. It’s spectacular. I just try to open up some space for them so they can have more time to settle the puck down and make plays.”

While the twins should remain great players for years to come, they know their window of opportunity to win a Stanley Cup is closing. That’s why they’ll do anything they can to oust Boston and bring the Canucks the first Cup in the franchise’s 40-year history.

It started well for the Canucks with a 1-0 victory on home ice in Game One on Wednesday when Raffi Torres scored the only goal with 19 seconds left in regulation time.

“We know from Vancouver’s experience in the past that it’s tough to get to this point,” said Henrik. “The Canucks have been in the finals three times now. It’s not easy, but there’s a reason for that. Especially since the lockout, we’ve had pretty much 25 teams that can win it every year.”

Just the kind of calm, logical perspective that you’d expect from a 30-something. One who knows the importance of staying on an even keel in the quest for Lord Stanley’s mug.

LUCAS AYKROYD

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Insider’s look at junior hockey
Wild player filmed scenes during the regular season

By Corey Voegele Wenatchee World sports writer Thursday, June 2, 2011

WENATCHEE — Chris Rumble spent two seasons in Wenatchee trying to become the best hockey player he could be. But if his hockey career doesn’t pan out, Wenatchee could still be remembered as the place he launched a different path in his life.

The Wild defenseman spent the 2010-11 season collecting behind-the-scenes video and audio for a 90-minute documentary called “Into the Ice,” an insider’s look at the world of junior hockey.

“It’s something that’s never been done before,” Rumble said. “I think it’s an interesting subject, a bunch of guys who are really living on their own for the first time and who have a lot of passion (for hockey).”

Between last September and April of this year, Rumble shot more than 80 hours of video. He’s currently in the process of turning that footage into a 90-minute snapshot of the recently completed season, and he hopes to show the finished product for the first time in early August at Town Toyota Center.

Rumble missed a month-and-a-half of the season due to injury, which allowed him to shoot all but a very small portion of the video himself. He convinced teammates — and even officials — to wear wireless microphones during games.

“I just walked in (to the officials’ room), and said, ‘Do you mind if I mic you up?’,” Rumble said. “I got four refs to do it for four different games.”

Rumble said there will probably be two versions of the completed film, a PG-rated version with choice words bleeped as well as an uncensored version.

“I had mics on guys during games and during practices,” Rumble said. “(Usually) you can never understand what goes on inside the glass.”

Rumble said he plans to hold back nothing, which he knows might not sit well with some of his former Wild teammates.

“It’s totally raw, and I know some guys are going to be upset with themselves, and there will be some guys who are upset with me, but that’s the price you’ve got to pay,” Rumble said.

Rumble, the son of former NHL player and coach Darren Rumble, also got current NHL players to contribute to his project.

“I’ve got interviews from a few NHL guys on their (junior hockey) experiences,” Rumble said.

More information: http://www.insidetheglass.com

Corey Voegele; 661-5223

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Myhres wants to give back to NHL by fighting substance abuse

By John Down, Postmedia News June 3, 2011 Calgary Herald

Brantt Myhres has been to the dark side . . . again and again and again and again . . . and again.

And now the 34-year-old former National Hockey League tough guy wants to give back, wants to share his knowledge, wants to help players who are struggling with substance abuse.

So with a certificate from Calgary’s Mount Royal University in substance abuse counselling, he has offered his services to the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association. As one who has first hand experience from years of battling with addictions, he believes it is a topic that is often ignored by the public or swept under the rug by the players themselves.

“A lot of it goes under the radar,” he said during a telephone interview from his home in Edmonton. “A lot of people really don’t hear the dark side of it. I played with seven different NHL teams, 17 pro teams to be exact, and I had a first hand glance at the abuse that went on.

“A lot of these guys don’t want to say anything to anybody because their careers are at stake and that’s where I could come in. They could confide in me because I’m speaking the same language. There’s no threat to them, like they’re going to a coach, a general manager or an agent. They’re going to an ex-player who’s been there, done that several times.”

Myhres struck out five times in the NHL, the fifth suspension leading to a lifetime ban.

“I think I was the only player to get suspended four times by the league and then get reinstated,” he said. “I played one game with the (Calgary) Flames, a pre-season game (in 2005), got my orbital bone smashed by (Edmonton Oilers’) Georges Laraque in a fight and after that my spirits were down and I ended up relapsing again.

“It was really dark for about a year and half. At some point I said, ‘I’m either going to die or I’m going to get sober.’ I went back to treatment for six months in Oregon and when I got out, my goal was to give back. I wanted to help players who are struggling with it.”

Myhres met with new NHLPA leader Donald Fehr recently but while they agreed he could be a liaison to players, any formal role would have to be jointly agreed upon by the league and PA.

The recent death of former New York Rangers’ Derek Boogaard further strengthened his stance that the issue needs to be openly addressed. Boogaard’s death was believed to have been triggered by a mix of alcohol and Oxycodone.

“I’d definitely like to see a little more awareness,” he said. “The whole league is up in arms over concussions but could you imagine if somebody had died from one of those concussions how crazy it would have gotten.

“But there seems to be very little attention paid to guys who die because of drug and alcohol abuse. You give an 18- or 19-year-old kid $500,000 or $1 million, it’s sometimes a recipe for disaster.”

Myhres drew his first suspension for alcohol abuse when he was just a 17-year-old member of the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes. He paid his first visit to rehab when he was a 24-year-old member of the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1997-98 NHL campaign.

“They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” he said. “I looked at it as doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same result. You know what you’re getting into.

“For me I couldn’t seem to function without being medicated and I think fighting definitely took a major toll on me. I started fighting at age 16.”

Myhres had around 300 fights in pro hockey alone. In 154 regular season games in the NHL with Tampa Bay, the Flyers, San Jose, Nashville, Washington and Boston, he scored six goals and collected 687 minutes in penalties.

He never played in the NHL after Laraque broke his orbital bone, nor did he fight again. Now he’s been sober for three years but it’s an ongoing battle to stay out of the dark side.

“How I win the day is I don’t drink or do drugs,” he said. “I’m in the program and hang out with other people who have addiction issues and we try to get through it together.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Kennedy: What impact does the NHL combine have on draft day?

Ryan Kennedy The Hockey News 2011-06-04

It’s an event that has grown largely in scope over the years, but how important is the draft combine to the most important decision-makers, the NHL teams themselves? While the pomp and circumstance would lead you to believe the fitness portion has a lot of bearing on matters, the reality is a little more subtle.

According to one NHL exec I talked to, the most important things he learns at the combine's physical testing are effort and frame. As long as a young player appears to be giving it his all, the numbers aren't a deal-breaker. Certain aspects of the test play into this as well. On Day 1 of the fitness testing, the big guns were brought out early with top-5 players Adam Larsson, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Sean Couturier all coming through in the first couple sessions. Much was made of the fact none of them completed very many reps on the 150-pound bench press (two-to-six was the unscientific range among them). But the bench press must be done in a very specific manner, so improper technique – not a lack of strength – can disqualify them from posting bigger numbers.

When it comes to frame, that’s something the players cannot hide and while Nugent-Hopkins still looks skinny, he was no worse than Alexander Burmistrov, who jumped straight from junior to the Atlanta Thrashers this season despite a pencil-thin physique. Of course, when you’re uber-talented, it helps. Others are more open to scrutiny. As per usual, it was the kids trained in America that impressed the most in the frame department. Team USA power forward Tyler Biggs looked like he could step onto an NFL linebacker corps today, while Northeastern University’s Jamie Oleksiak was a monster on the intimidating V02 Max bike test. Even John Gibson, who tends net for Team USA, looked NHL-ready and displayed great athleticism to go along with his coveted size (6-foot-3, 205 pounds).

In the interview portion, which took place earlier in the week, one NHL scout told me that it can have a crucial effect on matters. He said for 95 percent of kids, a so-so interview won’t make much difference. But a horrible interview or a horrible fitness test can knock a prospect right off a team’s draft board. That franchise may only eliminate one or two names like that, but it could save them from making a huge mistake on draft day. Considering teams only make around seven picks overall, one or two early gaffes can be huge.

Another interesting takeaway from Day 1 was how many interviews some of the top players had, even though many of the teams had no shot at drafting them (barring a big trade). Larsson interviewed with 21 teams, while Swedish countryman Mika Zibanejad saw 29. The only team that didn’t come calling was Detroit, but only because the exciting youngster had already talked to one of their European scouts back home.

But the big question approaching draft day is what the order will be when everything shakes out. One insider told me Edmonton is having a very tough time choosing between Larsson and Nugent-Hopkins, who are very different players. Personally, I think the Swedish defenseman is a better fit, given the Oilers' organizational needs, but the insider pointed out the Edmonton media has been very hot on Nugent-Hopkins, who plays in Alberta already with Red Deer. That outside pressure is having an impact.

It also creates a domino effect because Colorado, with pick No. 2, likely would take Larsson if available, but maybe not Nugent-Hopkins since the Avs have so many great young centers already (Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly). Kitchener right winger Gabriel Landeskog then enters the picture, setting up a showdown between Nugent-Hopkins and Saint John star Jonathan Huberdeau for Florida's attention with the third pick.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Mark Recchi continues to defy his age

ROY MacGREGOR | Boston – From Tuesday's Globe and Mail – Published Monday, Jun. 06, 2011

On Saturday night in Vancouver, Recchi became the oldest person in the history of hockey to score a goal in a Stanley Cup final when the shaft of his tree branch ticked a Zdeno Chara wristshot in behind Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Monday night in Boston he became older still when he scored the winning goal in Boston’s crushing 8-1 defeat of the Canucks to set the series at two-games-to-one in Vancouver’s favour heading into Wednesday’s fourth game in this best-of-seven Stanley Cup final.

One period later, he became even older when he scored Boston’s sixth goal.

At 43, Recchi had just set, and then twice broke, a record he surely has no interest in owning. The previous senior citizen of the final had been Igor Larionov, who was 41 when he scored for Detroit Red Wings nearly a decade ago. Being “oldest ever” is an honour Larionov – who has won Olympic gold, world championships, Stanley Cups and the Canada Cup – likely hands over happily.

What the goals mean to Recchi is something quite different. Scoring in the NHL at 43 is not a distinction of age but rather a denial of age. He had not scored a point in his previous eight playoff games and was a minus-5 on the ice. He was being lashed in the media for his weak play, with the suggestion being that he be replaced by a player, 19-year-old rookie Tyler Seguin, who wasn’t even born when Recchi won his first Stanley Cup.

“The critics,” he announced at game’s end, “can kiss my ass.”

The native of Kamloops, B.C., in fact, played his first NHL game, in a Pittsburgh Penguins uniform, before five of his teammates were born. He himself was born in the year of the Prague Spring, the Vietnam War was raging; the year Pierre Trudeau became prime minister of Canada and The Beatles’ Hey, Jude was No. 1 on the hit parade.

What sets Recchi apart is that he is playing, at age 43, in a sport that has gotten dramatically younger in recent years, with footspeed far more a deciding factor than ice smarts. His familiar chop-chop stride – necessitated by short legs – remains almost as active as ever. Longtime hockey observers, however, have always maintained “it’s the hands that are first to go,” and recent evidence, such as the missed open net during Game 1 that would have given Boston a 1-0 lead in a game they lost 1-0, suggest that may well be true in Recchi’s case, as well, though his second goal of the night was off a good, quick shot.

Still, he is far from a ranking Methuselah in professional sport. Hall-of-Famer Gordie how was playing in the NHL at age 52. Soccer great Sir Stanley Matthews last played at age 50 in 1965. Football great George Blanda left the game in 1976 at 48. Satchel Paige pitched his last game at age 59 in 1966. Martina Navratilova played professional tennis at 49 and golfer Jerry Barber played a PGA event, the 1994 Buick Invitational, when he was 77.

According to Wikipedia, however, the oldest ranking athletes of all time are Ted (Double Duty) Radcliffe, who threw one pitch in the Northern League at age 96 back in 1999, and John Whitmore, a Masters Track competitor, who threw both javelin and discus at a competition back in 2004, when he was 104. “If I don’t drop it on my foot,” he said at the time, “I set a world record.”

Recchi’s record may stand for a long time, given that the game is getting so young and is also so physically abusive that even the best and strongest are often forced out in their early 30s. He is, in many ways, the game’s “Iron Man,” having missed precious few games to groin pulls and a single concussion suffered several seasons back. In more than 1600 regular-season games he has more than 1500 points, making him one of the game’s greatest scorers, even if he has rarely been recognized as such. His seasons have seemingly forever been overshadowed by teammates, from Eric Lindros when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers to Mario Lemieux when he was with Pittsburgh. He has played with seven teams, winning Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh in 1991 and Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. If he won a third this spring with Boston, he swore he would retire because he expected to party all summer and forego his usual extreme fitness regime.

The longtime oenophile recently told the Vancouver Province that a third Stanley Cup victory will mean he’ll be uncorking a bottle of 1970 Petrus that he bought back in the 1990s for $1,700.

It would be a proper salute to a career that surely will be remembered for more than three times – (with more still in him?) – becoming the oldest-ever to score a goal in the Stanley Cup final.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Rome’s vicious hit demands strong NHL response

ERIC DUHATSCHEK | Boston – From Tuesday's Globe and Mail – Published Monday, Jun. 06, 2011

Rome will burn. Or at the very least, he will be singed by the NHL justice system, such as it is.

In a season when no single issue has dominated the NHL’s agenda like head shots and in a season when commissioner Gary Bettman took the unprecedented step of unveiling a new player safety department on the eve of the Stanley Cup final, how else can the NHL respond but to throw the book at Vancouver Canucks defenceman Aaron Rome for his vicious and late hit that levelled Nathan Horton of the Boston Bruins on Monday night in Game 3 here?

The concussive force of the blow to Horton’s head left him sprawled on the ice, dazed, his eyes glazed, unmoving. As silence settled over TD Garden, the outcome of the Bruins’ biggest game of the season – the third of the 2011 Stanley Cup final – was suddenly a lesser consideration, secondary to the health of their teammate.

Attendants carefully braced Horton’s neck, gingerly lifted him onto a stretcher and then wheeled him off the ice so that he could be transported to Massachusetts General Hospital. The preliminary reports issued by the team said only that Horton was moving his extremities, so paralysis at least was ruled out.

These being the playoffs, it is unlikely that any sort of firm concussion diagnosis will be immediately forthcoming either. But this was not the sort of incident the NHL needed now, not with interest in the sport at record levels, with television viewers on both sides of the border flocking to watch what is turning into a close and riveting Stanley Cup final.

So even if the NHL has a long history of sluggishly doling out the suspensions come playoff time, expect a penalty with some teeth. A penalty that will raise awareness. A penalty that will force NHL players to sit up and take notice. A penalty that – once and for all – sends a message that you cannot unload on a vulnerable player, when he isn’t in possession of the puck and hasn’t been for what amounted to a hockey-playing eternity.

Making it worse, if anything could, hockey fans in Boston have seen this solemn moment unfold far too often in the recent past. Remember Marc Savard? Savard hasn’t been the same player since a blind-side sit to the head from Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins left with him concussion symptoms so bad that his career is in jeopardy. How about Patrice Bergeron? Bergeron is playing in these playoffs, but only have a lengthy convalescence recovering from a serious concussion that he received on a hit from Randy Jones of the Philadelphia Flyers in October of 2007.

And lest we forget, the face of the NHL, Sidney Crosby, only just received medical clearance to resume his summer workout program from the Penguins’ doctors a few days ago. Crosby didn’t play a game in the second half of the season, after suffering a concussion in the Winter Classic against the Washington Capitals.

In the third round of the playoffs, Rome was himself the victim of a hit by the San Jose Sharks winger Jamie McGinn that left him bleeding from the face as he left the ice. McGinn received a major and a game misconduct on the play; Rome did not play the final two games of the series. Don’t these guys ever learn?

The NHL supplementary discipline process is in a state of flux right now. The long-time czar of discipline, Colin Campbell, was not going to be involved in this series anyway because his son, Gregory, plays for the Bruins. Mike Murphy, second in command in hockey operations, will review Rome’s hit on Horton. Next year, they’ll hand off the duties to Brendan Shanahan, who will be in charge of the player safety department.

Last week, Bettman said it was his “hope and expectation” that supplementary discipline will be ramped up as long as the players’ association is onside with the policy change.

“If there’s certain conduct that we want to see out of the game, then we’ve got to make sure we do what’s necessary,” Bettman said. “[With] discipline, people like to focus on punishment. I’d rather focus on using the supplemental discipline mechanism to better promote player safety.”

If they’re serious about promoting player safety, then there’s no better time to start than right now.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Rome suspended four games

THE CANADIAN PRESS June 7 2011

BOSTON — The Vancouver Canucks will have to play the remainder of the Stanley Cup final minus defenceman Aaron Rome.

The NHL suspended Rome for four games Tuesday for his blindside hit on Boston forward Nathan Horton during Boston's 8-1 victory Monday night. With three games having already been played in the final, the suspension effectively ends Rome's season.

"Two factors were considered in reaching this decision," NHL senior vice-president of Hockey Operations Mike Murphy said in a statement. "The hit by Rome was clearly beyond what is acceptable in terms of how late it was delivered after Horton had released the puck and it caused a significant injury."

Rome was assessed a five-minute major for interference and game misconduct for the hit, which came at 5:07 of the first period.

Rome will miss the remainder of the Stanley Cup final. Should the series not go the full seven games, his suspension will carry over to the start of next season.

Horton will miss the rest of the final after suffering a severe concussion as a result of the hit.

"We have to find a way to rally around it," said Boston forward Milan Lucic. "Everyone has to do a little bit more."

"I talked to him today and he said he's feeling OK."

Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron added he thought the suspension was justified.

"I think it's significant," said Bergeron. "He's not going to come back, he's done for the playoffs. But losing Horts — you can't replace him."

Horton had just passed the puck early in the first when Rome lowered his shoulder and left his skates to flatten him. Rome delivered what the Bruins saw as the kind of hit the NHL has tried to eliminate after several players sustained severe concussions.

The 26-year-old Horton, the right-winger on Boston's top line, was reportedly knocked unconscious by the collision, hitting his head on the ice and staying down for several minutes while medical personnel attended to him.

He left the game on a stretcher and was taken to hospital, where he remained overnight.

"He's been a great teammate for us all year," forward Mark Recchi, who scored two goals in Game 3, said before the decision was handed down. "It's tough to see your teammate down on the ice.

"We know it was late, but we're not in control of what the league does."

The Bruins updated Horton's condition in a release Tuesday morning.

Horton has eight goals and nine assists so far in the playoffs for Boston, which trails the best-of-seven final 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Wednesday night.

Horton is second in the playoffs with a plus-11 rating, and became the first player in NHL history to score a game-winning goal in a Game 7 twice in the same post-season run.

He skates on a line with centre David Krejci and Lucic. Boston coach Claude Julien hadn't yet decided how to replace Horton after the Bruins' victory Monday night.

"I think it's important for the whole league to protect our players from those sort of hits," said Julien.

Horton has been a hero in the post-season for Boston, which is in the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 21 years. Horton scored the winning goal in overtime in Game 7 of the first round against Montreal — and again in the Eastern Conference final, getting the only goal in Boston's 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay late in the third period.

Horton is in his first career post-season after spending his first six seasons with the Florida Panthers. The former No. 3 overall draft pick has 168 goals and 180 assists in 502 games.

Horton was Boston's second-leading goal-scorer this season with 26 and finished fourth in team scoring with 53 points.

While Horton is a key offensive player for the Bruins, the 27-year-old Rome is a depth defenceman for the Canucks, usually playing in their third pairing. He has one goal and 37 penalty minutes in the post-season.

Vancouver already lost defenceman Dan Hamhuis to an undisclosed injury in Game 1 of the final. The Canucks are deep on defence, with veteran Keith Ballard sitting out the first three games as a healthy scratch.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

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