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[hockeygod]

Tim Horton: hockey's brand name

Adrian Dater SI.com INSIDE THE NHL July 15, 2011

Tim Horton, perhaps the most well-known name in all of Canada, was by most accounts a very difficult man to get to know.

Frank Orr spent 37 years writing about sports for the Toronto Star, much of that time covering the Maple Leafs, for whom Horton played from 1951-70. Orr says he can count on one hand the number of times that Horton ever really talked to him in depth, but one was in a Montreal hotel lobby on an off-night during the 1962 Stanley Cup playoffs between the Leafs and the Canadiens. Horton was well-established as an NHL defenseman by then, but never far from his mind were thoughts of how the Leafs had cut his roughly $8,000 salary in half for 1955-56 because he had suffered serious leg and jaw injuries on a hit by Bill Gadsby of the New York Rangers late the previous season.

"Horton told me that injury had drilled into him how fragile careers in a contact game could be, and with a wife and four young daughters to support, he said that he was looking hard for a business to get involved in off the ice," says Orr, who was inducted into the media wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989. "He had worked for a Studebaker dealership in Hamilton, Ont., and with some friends had tried a drive-in hamburger spot bearing his name, which barely broke even. A couple of years later with a partner, he tried a donut/coffee spot in Hamilton. It worked modestly well."

It may sound as if Orr is trying to be funny. After all, Tim Hortons is now the largest restaurant chain in all of Canada, with more than 3,000 locations and several hundred more in other countries including the U.S. The chain grossed nearly $2.6 billion (Canadian) last year and employs more than 100,000 people. You really can't go more than a few kilometers in reasonably well-populated areas of Canada before seeing Horton's name in familiar red, italicized letters. Canadian tourists often speak of going through "Timmy's withdrawal" if they go just a few days without a "Double Double" (large coffee with two creams, two sugars) or accompanying "Timbits" (bite-sized donut holes).

But the fact is, at the time of Horton's tragic death in an auto accident in 1974, the number of stores bearing his name numbered only 40. In 1975, Horton's half of the business was sold by his widow, Lori, for $1 million and a Cadillac Eldorado to Horton's second co-partner, a former Hamilton policeman named Ron Joyce. Today, Joyce is worth hundreds of millions and he travels by private jet to his several luxury homes. Lori Horton died in 2000, having squandered the money from the sale years before. She had unsuccessfully sued Joyce, claiming that she was not of sound mind while doing the original deal because of alcohol and prescription drug use.

The unpleasant business aspects of the chain's history and Tim Horton's life and death — much of which was aired in the 2006 book "Always Fresh: The Untold Story of Tim Hortons By the Man Who Created a Canadian Empire" by Joyce and journalist Robert Thompson — has not diminished Horton's legend. Orr says Horton probably never would have guessed that the stores bearing his name would become the phenomenon they are today, but he recalls that Horton felt great pride after his first store opened in Hamilton in 1964.

"The business was important to him, for the income it generated," says Orr, "but he once said to me, 'I think people are a little surprised that I'm having success at something other than hockey because they thought I was just a dumb jock.'"

Those who played with Horton said he rarely talked about his shops, which originally served just donuts and coffee but today feature a wide variety of other items, including soups and sandwiches.

"He was a hockey player first and foremost, and a very good friend and teammate," says former Maple Leaf Dave Keon, like Horton a Hockey Hall of Famer, who now lives in Florida. "The business stuff was a distant second, but I know he cared about his shops. I know he and Ronnie (Joyce) worked hard at it, but I'm sure he'd have been a bit surprised at how big it became."

Joyce is largely credited for turning Tim Hortons into a mega-success through tireless work and menu innovation, though there are some who believe that he has taken a little too much credit at the expense of Horton's name. (Repeated efforts to contact Joyce for comment were unsuccessful.) That Joyce chose to air some of the late Horton's dirty laundry in the book — saying he was an alcoholic, unfaithful in his marriage and often an indifferent business partner — has cast Joyce in a negative light among many Canadians. (If he "created" the Tim Hortons empire, as his book's title suggests, maybe he should have taken Horton's name off the signs and put his own up, say his detractors.)

Great on ice

Horton's name is known to most North Americans under the age of 30 for his coffee shops, but his feats as a hockey player haven't been lost on those who played with and against him. He won four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs before being traded to the Rangers late in the 1969-70 season. Even at 44, he was still playing a strong brand of defense for the Buffalo Sabres when, in the wee hours of Feb. 21, 1974, after a game, he lost control of his De Tomaso Pantera sports car on a highway near St. Catherines, Ontario. He collided with a culvert and died after being ejected from the vehicle. Police later said he'd been driving more than 100 miles per hour. An autopsy revealed his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

Peter McNab was a rookie forward on that Sabres team, and he got to know Horton when the two lived at the same Buffalo hotel, the Statler Hilton.

"We rode back and forth from the practice rink together in that Pantera. Sometimes he'd even let me drive it," McNab says. "He had those big, black horn-rimmed glasses (from nearsightedness) and didn't look the part of this guy who was such a big, powerful presence. But there was no stronger man in the game of hockey at that time, even at his age."

Despite his modest 5-10, 185-pound frame, Horton was all muscle and chiseled jaw. His "bear hugs" of players during fights were such that opponents said they couldn't breathe, and after awhile everybody learned not to mess with him.

"I remember one day at practice, I just went around Timmy Horton, and all of a sudden this hand came out and picked me up and sat me on the boards," McNab says. "And then he says, 'Kid, you didn't think that would work did ya?' And I weighed 225 pounds. Guys were just laughing."

Jim Schoenfeld was another rookie on that 1973-74 Sabres team. He was often paired with Horton, both on the ice as defensive partners and in hotel rooms during road trips. A native of Galt, Ontario, Schoenfeld idolized Horton as a Maple Leaf and says he never would have had the success he achieved as an NHL player without Horton's insight, despite the brief time they played together.

"The biggest thing he taught me was to time your departure from the offensive zone, so that you're matching the speed of the forwards in the neutral zone," Schoenfeld says. "It was all about timing; the old term is 'standing the guys up', but there's a misnomer there, where you think it's just standing flat-footed and lunging at the forward and you get toasted on either side. But it's really where you give the forward a little ice, and once you come to the point of no return, you take him out. Once I got it, it really made things easier for my game because I spent a lot less time in the defensive zone. And even if a guy beat you, he was often off-sides. I'd want to back up all the time, but Timmy's thing was always 'No, you've got to hold the line.'

He kept teaching me, and it was invaluable."

Horton was so strong, Schoenfeld says, that he could put his stick on the ice with just his thumb and two fingers to block passes. Most defensemen put the stick on the ice with their knuckles first, but that often leaves a little gap through which the puck can scoot. Horton taught Schoenfeld the proper way to get the stick flat on the ice, and as a result he broke up a lot more passes than he would have the old way.

Hall of Fame former coach Scotty Bowman also remembers Horton's strength above all.

"If he got you up against the boards, you didn't get out unless he let you," Bowman says. "He was just very powerful and impressive. He was a good looking man with these four beautiful daughters. He had a presence about him, but he was quiet, too."

When the horrible news came on that early morning in 1974, McNab says, "You just couldn't believe that Timmy Horton was gone. He was just too big and strong."

The Sabres advanced to the Stanley Cup Final the following season. Schoenfeld says Horton's death was a tragedy that still affects him today, but it helped galvanize the Sabres as a team.

"I've never talked to a teammate about it, but I think that it made us kind of have a renewed respect for the contributions of everyone else," Schoenfeld says. "The next year, I thought we pulled together as a team, whether you want to call it because of his spirit or something like that. We all shared in the grief together, and we all helped each other get through it and I think it helped grow the team."

The name lives on

Horton has four surviving daughters — one of whom, Jeri-Lyn, ironically married Joyce's son, Ron, Jr. The elder Joyce reportedly gives a regular stipend to the four Horton daughters even though Joyce himself cashed out of the business in 2001, selling his remaining shares to the Wendy's Corporation for a reported $250 million.

Jim Schoenfeld says that whenever he walks into a Tim Hortons store today he always takes a moment to remember the man he knew only too briefly.

"This may be the last generation that really only knows who Timmy was. Everyone else, they know the name, they associate it with coffee and donuts and conversation. But they don't know the magnitude of the man. That to me is a little sad, but that's life."

By the end of his, Horton's marriage appeared headed to divorce and despite better success with his shops, a $100,000-plus salary with Buffalo, and four Stanley Cup rings, "He never seemed really happy," says Orr.

Says Keon, "To those of us who played with him, though, he was always happy playing the game of hockey and he did anything for a teammate. That, to me, is where he'll always have made his name."

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

[hockeygod]

THN in Russia with Pavel Datsyuk: The kids hit the ice

Rory Boylen The Hockey News 2011-07-19

EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA – The language barrier here is thick, but it doesn’t stand in the way of the English instructors connecting with their Russian students and vice versa.

As Day 1 of the PD13 Hockey School took off Monday, the 80 kids were split into two groups – one of youngsters and one of the slightly older ones.

When asked which day of the camp was his favorite, Datsyuk answered and couldn’t help but show a small piece of his always-joking personality.

“My f…? Day off,” he said with a wry smile and a brief pause. “No it’s the first day, starting day, seeing lots of new kids. It’s new for them and they’re shy, but some kids when they get to their second camp they’re really open and they like it more and more.”

I took to the ice for the morning session, followed the young group through their rigorous day of training and got to see first-hand just how seriously uplifting the goals of this camp are. We’re only 20 percent through, but I’m beginning to understand Pavel’s joke and why the respite at the end of it will be both needed and rewarding.

The first thing to note is the fact there are 11 instructors on the ice for about 30 kids. The second thing is how vocal all of the guys in red tracksuits are throughout each drill, despite the language divide. There's stick-slapping to urge players to finish a drill hard, body language to get players to keep their heads up when carrying the puck, and high-fives, fist-pumps and head-pats that reward the mostly mullet-topped kids.

That’s part of the design of this camp: Pavel’s desire to ensure every kid learns from the experience and interacts positively with it has led to this almost overblown number of teachers.

“When you have one coach for 20 kids you don’t see everybody, but when it’s 10 coaches for 30 kids they teach every kid and give it to him good,” Datsyuk explained. “But it’s a five-day time, it’s small steps. The parents see and we tell (the players) every day what they need to be a better player, but when we talk about the camp…it doesn’t only make you a better player, but a better person.”

The day for each group was split into five rotating sessions, two on-ice, two off-ice and one for video. We began in the morning with skating drills: cutting hard corners on your edge and being led by your stick, quick-feet with explosive starts over three sticks and pivoting.

Skating drills turned into puckhandling drills, getting the kids to skate with the puck in front of them, and learning how to stickhandle with their heads looking straight forward. The afternoon turned more towards shooting, with five stations set up for different scenarios.

As difficult as it can be at times to communicate with these Russian kids, the camp has a couple of instructors who speak the language to translate and speak directly. One of those teachers is Vadim Podrezov, a sturdy former Russian League defenseman with an imposing presence, thick accent and kind personality.

Currently a Florida Panthers scout, it’s not terribly shocking to learn he played against legends such as Vladislav Tretiak and Sergei Makarov when he moved away from home at 18 to suit up for the Novosibirsk team in Siberia.

It’s his second year at the camp and he enjoys the instructing, but the bigger reason he participates is simple: his son, Dameed, gets the opportunity to skate on the same ice as one of this generation’s legends.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Podrezov said. “I was here last year and it was a great experience, especially for the kids because Pavel Datsyuk is the same kind of legend for them like for us when we were small guys with (Vsevolod) Bobrov or (Valeri) Kharlamov.”

When the kids are on the ice it’s not Pavel running the camp and explaining the practice. Instead, he’s constantly talking one-on-one with the kids, gathering pucks, setting up pylons and demonstrating a couple of drills. He’s more in the background than up front, but you can imagine each word he speaks to them is gospel and each moment he spends with them is surreal.

Think about the names Tretiak, Bobrov, Kharlamov – then add Datsyuk to the mix. And then think of this: At lunch in the cafeteria, there was Datsyuk playfully fielding questions from a few kids asking him something in Russian. When I asked him what they were saying, he told me they wanted to know what time they went back on the ice, but he didn’t know because he’s not running the show.

“He is a superstar in the hockey business,” Podrezov said, “but he’s so simple and easy to talk to.”

212 AWARD FOR MONDAY

Each day, the camp hands out the 212 award to a kid who “takes it to the extra degree.” It stands for the temperature water boils at and doesn’t go to the best player, but the one who works extra hard and has fun doing it. The winner gets a Datsyuk-signed hat, a special jersey to wear the following day, plus he gets to lead his group on the ice and start every drill in the next session.

Congratulations Monday goes to Matvei Nasyrov from Khanty-Mansiysk, whose smiling and eager face I ran into a number of times on and off the ice. His hometown is another 500-plus miles northeast of here.

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

[hockeygod]

THN in Russia with Pavel Datsyuk: The doozie of dry-land

The Hockey News Rory Boylen 2011-07-20

EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA – The rain fell hard and the thunder sounded Monday night at the Kurganovo Complex after a loud first day of workouts at the PD13 hockey school. It was an early, overcast morning after a long, gruelling session the day before, so the challenge Tuesday for the instructors was to make sure the kids were involved and active right from the get-go.

Enter Jeremy Clark, professional trainer, off-ice director at the camp and owner of the Minnesota Top Team facility. Clark specializes in MMA-style training and did some fighting of his own. But the type of workouts he swears by are valuable to hockey, which makes him a key piece of this team.

Clark focuses mostly on core exercises and preaches the importance of balance. Weights are overrated in this program because there are so many other, more basic elements you can use to give yourself better overall strength and fitness.

After following the younger age group Monday, I joined up with the older kids (10 to 12) Tuesday as they took to the field to be put through Clark’s paces right off the bat. At PD13, the schedules remain the same every day for each group, alternating between on- and off-ice twice a day with lunch and a video session in the middle. But the drills change, which is something especially important to Clark, who believe strength is built through muscle confusion.

The kids started off with two laps of the track, stretching and a couple other warmups before being split into groups at six workstations. Among them were medicine-ball tosses, lunges and pulling a resisting partner halfway down the field while holding a stick. The kids cycled through each station at two-minute intervals and went around the field twice.

By the end of it all they were red-faced and panting and with the on-ice session so close all they really had time to do was put on their gear. They gasped in disbelief when Clark told them they’d be spending about five times longer on these types of stations by the end of the week. At least the afternoon session was made up of a soccer game to give them exercise and a bit of fun, too.

Clark and translator Sviatoslav “Slava” Kiselev, the former manager of the Belarussian national team, are paired for the dry-land component of the camp. Clark shouts orders and designs the workouts, while Kiselev helps and chats with the kids in Russian tongue.

What’s neat to see, despite the separation of languages, is the kids’ recognition of the term “hockey player position.” Through Clark’s lead, the older age group all shout the phrase whenever it’s said by one of the instructors. If you’re trying to get one of the kids to bend his knees in the middle of a drill, just say “hockey player position.”

Clark has been a part of PD13 since it opened four years ago and says his viewpoint on why he helps out in the camp has changed drastically from when he began. Where at first it was special to work with and train Datsyuk, it’s now become a brotherhood bond filled with memories the gruff fighter cherishes.

There’s one story in particular that has become legendary at this annual camp.

“Jay and Todd (Woodcroft) always blow it out of proportion,” Clark said, “but they joke that I was running a station and Pav came down – we were doing a backhand off the boards station – and their joke, different in reality, is that I told Pav to step away and I was going to show them how to do this drill.”

Originally when Todd told me the story it involved Clark falling on his butt, while Ekaterinburg’s native son looked on…I’m just saying.

In fact, half the fun for Clark is the recalling of stories such as this one from PD13. He uses the words “precious” and “important” when describing what lasts on from here for him and the friendship he’s developed with Datsyuk.

“When he comes to Minnesota, Pav always drops me a text and we go out and grab a coffee and that matters to me a ton,” Clark said.

The memories will surely continue this year. I’ve already planted a few of my own. Today I met Nikita Morozov, a second-year student from Ekaterinburg. His favorite team is the Red Wings, his favorite player is Pavel Datsyuk and he says the camp has helped him improve his skating tremendously, while connecting him with his hero.

“His first impression of Pavel was definitely that he’s friendly with the kids and that he wants to share his experience with them to make them better,” Kiselev translated. “He was very impressed and he asked for an autograph when he first met him.”

212 AWARD FOR TUESDAY

On Day 2, the winners of the signed hat, special jersey and first-on-the-ice honors were Artur in the younger group and Ivan from the older group. On Day 1, as we were in the changing room waiting for the kids to get dressed before introductions, Artur gave me the strongest, most enthusiastic fist-pump of them all.

It’s funny – he’s also from Khanty-Mansiysk, the same as Day 1 winner Matvei Nasyrov. The pair sits two players down from each other here, but play on the same team 500-plus miles away at home where their squad tops the league standings.

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

[hockeygod]

Former NHL Goaltender and Ex-Red Staniowski went from NHL to Afghanistan, and still has a soft spot for Rhode Island

By MARK DIVVER Providence Journal Sunday, July 17, 2011

Ed Staniowski was 20 years old and straight from the prairies of Western Canada when he started his pro-hockey career with the Providence Reds in 1975. It didn’t take him long to acquire a taste for Rhode Island.

“I loved the ocean right from the get-go. It was easy for me to fit right in,’’ said the former goalie.

Staniowski quickly learned to enjoy lobster, which he’d never eaten while growing up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He and his teammates often dined at Custy’s in North Kingstown, which was famous for its all-you-can-eat buffet.

“That was a favorite place of mine,’’ he recalled, laughing. “I think I ate five or six lobsters in my first sitting there.’’

It’s a good bet that Staniowski, now 56, will tear open a lobster or two when he visits Rhode Island for the R.I. Reds Heritage Society’s 11th annual Reunion Weekend, Aug. 5-7.

And it’s guaranteed that he’ll have plenty of stories to tell. Of the dozens of ex-Reds who are expected to attend the reunion, few have had the kind of post-hockey career that Staniowski has experienced.

After a decade in pro hockey, including NHL stops in St. Louis, Winnipeg and Hartford, Staniowski joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1985. Now a lieutenant colonel, he has been to Afghanistan four times, and has also served in Sierra Leone, the Middle East and Bosnia.

“I’ve had a chance to see a lot of the world, and I’ve been a lot of places where bad things were happening,’’ he said.

Staniowski was contemplating a military career before he ever thought of playing pro hockey.

“I was planning on going to the Royal Military College, which would be the equivalent of the U.S. Army’s West Point,’’ he said. “My intent was to go to military college, become an officer, and make a military career. But I had some success playing junior hockey’’ –– he was the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year for the Regina Pats in 1975 –– “and the scouts told me, ‘Hey, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to get drafted . . . Hold off with any commitment to the military and see what happens.’ ”

St. Louis picked him in the second round in 1975, and Staniowski decided to give pro hockey a try. After training camp, he was sent to Providence, which at the time was a farm club of the Blues and the New York Rangers.

All these years later, Staniowski still remembers the warm relationship that Providence fans had with Reds players. “You were embraced as a member of the community. Folks were so outgoing,’’ he said. “Everyone’s goal is to play in the National League, of course, but it was a bittersweet moment when I was called up.’’

After retiring from hockey, Staniowski raised horses and grew grain on a farm back home in Western Canada. But he soon decided to give the military a try, joining the reserves.

“It was a natural fit for me. . . . The military has given me what I enjoyed most about professional hockey.’’

In addition to the camaraderie, he said, there is “a certain adrenaline rush about parachuting out of an airplane at 160 mph with 50 pounds of gear on your back. Jumping out of a helicopter on a hilltop in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Or leading troops in Afghanistan,’’ he said.

“The character of the folks I met and played with in the NHL and the American League — I see those same people in the military now. Folks that are team-oriented, dedicated, focused. They are going to get the job done. They’re the pride of America and the pride of Canada,’’ he said.

“I’ve seen some great young Canadians and some great young Americans who have paid the ultimate price for going over and serving our two great nations. I will carry that with me for the rest of my days.’’

Staniowski is currently stationed in Kingston, Ontario, where he is director of primary reserve training. His wife, Capt. Gillian Parker, is a military search-and-rescue pilot who flies C-130 Hercules planes.

Of the upcoming Reds reunion, Staniowski said, “I’m looking forward to catching up with some of the guys. Those friendships tend to mean more as you get older.’’

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

[hockeygod]

THN in Russia with Pavel Datsyuk: Goalie day

Rory Boylen The Hockey News 2011-07-21

EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA – Pavel Datsyuk may be one of the NHL’s premier skating talents, but here at the PD13 hockey school there’s also a place for goalies.

Taking charge of this aspect of the camp is the laid back Petter Sandstrom, a professional Swedish goaltender with Troja-Ljungby of the Allsvenskan circuit, one level below the Swedish Elite League. When the skaters are doing drills that don’t involve netminders, Petter and his students head off to their corner of the rink with translator (and our photographer for the week) Masha Leonova, to work on the fundamentals of the position.

Petter cites Stefan Persson, goalie coach of AIK, as his inspiration. When working with Persson in the past, Petter says he learned a lot from the coach who gave him insights into positioning he had “never thought of before.” AIK has a rich goaltending tradition, with such names as Miikka Kiprusoff and Tim Thomas spending time there.

Wednesday started with the young group and before hitting the ice the two goalies, Artem and Vladimir, were pulled into the dressing room for a quick video issued by the Swedish Hockey Federation that Petter uses to preview what they’ll be working on during the session. Today the focus began with backing-up and pushing-off one leg to get to the post in the butterfly position.

Petter has been an instructor for a couple of years at the camp and after Day 1 he noted how far along one student in particular had come since last year. Eight-year-old Artem Khachatvzov, a Moscow native from the CSKA program, was a little rough around the edges 12 months ago, but is a different player with a different mentality this time around.

A large part of that improvement is due to Artem’s dedication, but credit also goes to his mother, Aietan, who has provided her son with the opportunity by enrolling him in another goalie school back home.

Still, this is the one young Artem enjoys the most. Aietan said he’s been looking forward to it since last year’s ended.

“He’s been dreaming of seeing Pavel again,” she said.

I’ve mentioned a few times in this series about the upbeat nature of the coaches at this camp and that it runs in contrast to how things are usually done in Russia. Aietan mentioned how good all the instructors here were with the kids and asked me if this is how hockey is coached in Canada. I told her our programs back home absolutely push players to get the best out of them. But, at the same time, you’re being taught, not yelled at all the time, and after-practice joking around is common. Back home, a coach is a coach, but he can also have fun and be one of the guys.

To which she replied: “You’re lucky.”

There was an added spice to Wednesday’s program. July 20 marked Datsyuk’s 33rd birthday, so his stall was adorned with balloons and our dressing room was pasted with some amusing pictures and photos of him handing out hockey sticks to youngsters and carrying around the Stanley Cup.

The guys carried on a running joke from the 2010 camp as well. Last year Valtteri Filppula attended and rather than coming all the way to Ekaterinburg they thought, why not have a VF51 school in Finland? So, this year, Jeremy Clark had a batch of white T-shirts made with a VF51 logo and the motto “The Prettiest Hockey School in Europe.” When Datsyuk saw that, he had a good laugh.

To all you Red Wings fans, he said he feels like Benjamin Button.

Happy Birthday, Pavel.

212 AWARD FOR WEDNESDAY

The third winners of the camp’s daily award went to Vasily in the younger group and Nikita in the older group – the same Nikita we met in this space yesterday.

Near the end of an on-ice session Wednesday, we were running a “tornado” drill, the most famous one at PD13, where two players battle over pucks inside the center ice circle and try to put them in one of the two small nets. Nikita got frustrated at one point after being bodychecked over, but after a quick pep talk, he went back into the ring the next time and laid a nice hit of his own for a little retribution.

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

[hockeygod]

CULLEN: NHL TAKEAWAY LEADERS IN 2010-2011

Scott Cullen TSN July 20, 2011

Tracking giveaways and takeaways in the NHL can be tricky business, as it does require some judgment on behalf of the scorer, certainly much moreso than goals, assists and plus-minus.

For that reason (and as you'll see below), giveaway and takeaway numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt, yet there can be interesting information gleaned from the results.

Scott Cullen looks at the numbers and comes up with the leaders and trailers in takeaways per 60 minutes of even strength play last season in the NHL.

While it's no surprise that Pavel Datsyuk, a three-time Selke Award nominee that has led the league in takeaways in three of the last five seasons, would rank among the leaders, it's more noteworthy that Joe Thornton would finish with the most takeaways in the league, as well as the best rate at even strength.

There are a couple of high-profile two-way players that rank among the leaders, including Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Backstrom, yet there is an interesting mix in style of play and calibre of player that ranks among the takeaway leaders.

Checkers like Frans Nielsen, Ryan O'Reilly and Dave Bolland aren't terribly surprising, yet the list also includes offensive talents like John Tavares and Alexander Semin that might be a tad more surprising.

Among forwards that played at least 25 games, then, here are the Top 25 in takeaways per 60 minutes of even strength play:

Rank PLAYER TEAM POS ES TAKE ES TOI ESTAKE/60
1. Joe Thornton San Jose C 93 73406 4.56
2. Pavel Datsyuk Detroit C 62 52020 4.29
3. Derek Roy Buffalo C 32 30130 3.82
4. Philippe Dupuis Colorado C 35 33145 3.80
5. Frans Nielsen N.Y. Islanders C 55 52186 3.79
6. Jonathan Toews Chicago C 74 75441 3.53
7. Mathieu Perreault Washington C 21 21770 3.47
8. Bryan Little Atlanta C 62 65098 3.43
9. Ryan O'Reilly Colorado C 55 57824 3.42
10. Josh Bailey N.Y. Islanders LW 52 54931 3.41
11. Matt Halischuk Nashville RW 15 15981 3.38
12. Peter Regin Ottawa C 38 40607 3.37
13. Kyle Wellwood San Jose C 26 27851 3.36
14. Greg Mauldin Colorado C 15 16093 3.36
15. Jeff Skinner Carolina RW 62 66552 3.35
16. T.J. Oshie St. Louis RW 40 43249 3.33
17. John Tavares N.Y. Islanders C 68 73853 3.31
18. Alexander Semin Washington RW 49 54278 3.25
19. Jamie Benn Dallas LW 52 58341 3.21
20. Nicklas Backstrom Washington C 64 73131 3.15
21. Dave Bolland Chicago C 41 49207 3.00
22. Cal O'Reilly Nashville C 27 32615 2.98
23. Matt Stajan Calgary C 47 56787 2.98
24. Alexander Burmistrov Atlanta C 43 52237 2.96
25. J.P. Dumont Nashville RW 33 40119 2.96

Among those players that weren't big in the takeaway department, naturally, there are quite a few enforcers. They tend not to move particularly well, which makes it difficult to get in quickly on the forecheck to create turnovers.

At the same time, not registering a lot of takeaways doesn't inherently prevent a player from being a useful checker. For teams that tend to have possession of the puck a lot, there aren't many opportunities to take it away from the opponent.

That's part of the reason that checking forward like Drew Miller and Danny Cleary for Detroit, Gregory Campbell for Boston, Michael Rupp for Pittsburgh, Blair Betts for Philadelphia and Ryan Johnson for Chicago end up at the low end of the scale. However, since they have teammates that obviously take the puck away more, there is still room for improvement in all cases.

Here are the Bottom 25 forwards in takeaways per 60 minutes of even strength play (minumum 25 games):

Rank PLAYER TEAM POS ES TAKE ES TOI ESTAKE/60
397. Ryan Johnson Chicago C 4 18156 0.79
398. Brad Staubitz Minnesota RW 6 27544 0.78
399. Brandon McMillan Anaheim C 9 41907 0.77
400. Danny Cleary Detroit LW 12 56788 0.76
401. Adam Hall Tampa Bay RW 12 58364 0.74
402. John Scott Chicago LW 3 14600 0.74
403. Tanner Glass Vancouver LW 7 34142 0.74
404. Michael Rupp Pittsburgh C 9 43964 0.74
405. Matt Calvert Columbus LW 5 25461 0.71
406. Blair Betts Philadelphia C 6 30598 0.71
407. Travis Moen Montreal LW 10 51220 0.70
408. David Desharnais Montreal C 5 25994 0.69
409. Cam Janssen St. Louis RW 3 15741 0.69
410. Vaclav Prospal N.Y. Rangers LW 4 21200 0.68
411. Ryan Reaves St. Louis RW 2 11275 0.64
412. Marc Savard Boston C 3 19106 0.57
413. Cody McLeod Colorado LW 6 38805 0.56
414. Gregory Campbell Boston C 8 55150 0.52
415. Trevor Gillies N.Y. Islanders LW 1 7037 0.51
416. Steve MacIntyre Edmonton LW 1 7144 0.50
417. Michal Repik Florida RW 3 22052 0.49
418. Paul Bissonnette Phoenix LW 2 15069 0.48
419. Drew Miller Detroit LW 5 37957 0.47
420. David Koci Colorado LW 1 8558 0.42
421. Colton Orr Toronto RW 1 13820 0.26

On defence, Dustin Byfuglien is far and away the leader in the category, but the most glaring result is that seven Islanders defencemen rank among the leaders at the position, which could be a reflection on how liberal they are in recording takeaways on the Island, but also perhaps an indication that the Islanders have many, many opportunities for their defencemen to take the puck from the opposition.

Here are the Top 25 defencemen in even strength takeaways per 60 minutes (minimum 25 games):

Rank PLAYER TEAM ES TAKE ES TOI ESTAKE/60
1. Dustin Byfuglien Atlanta 76 93180 2.94
2. Andrew MacDonald N.Y. Islanders 40 64691 2.23
3. Kevin Bieksa Vancouver 43 71562 2.16
4. Justin Braun San Jose 14 24223 2.08
5. Erik Karlsson Ottawa 46 82722 2.00
6. Jack Hillen N.Y. Islanders 34 61863 1.98
7. Travis Hamonic N.Y. Islanders 35 64741 1.95
8. Shea Weber Nashville 50 96237 1.87
9. Bruno Gervais N.Y. Islanders 22 44482 1.78
10. Kevin Shattenkirk St. Louis 35 71189 1.77
11. John Carlson Washington 43 89085 1.74
12. Marc Staal N.Y. Rangers 44 92247 1.72
13. Victor Hedman Tampa Bay 39 82158 1.71
14. Joe Corvo Carolina 42 88819 1.70
15. Milan Jurcina N.Y. Islanders 19 40194 1.70
16. Dan Hamhuis Vancouver 32 68949 1.67
17. Jim Vandermeer Edmonton 26 58241 1.61
18. Mike Weaver Florida 38 85272 1.60
19. Radek Martinek N.Y. Islanders 30 67891 1.59
20. Chris Tanev Vancouver 10 22890 1.57
21. Johnny Oduya Atlanta 36 82753 1.57
22. Brent Burns Minnesota 40 92472 1.56
23. Andrej Sekera Buffalo 33 78362 1.52
24. Dylan Reese N.Y. Islanders 9 21458 1.51
25. Ryan McDonagh N.Y. Rangers 17 41067 1.49

Among defencemen at the low-end, it obviously doesn't reflect well on part-timers Joe Callahan, Matt Smaby and Brett Lebda to have so few takeaways, but being low on takeaways doesn't necessarily mean a defenceman can't be effective.

Dennis Seidenberg was obviously very effective shutting down the top lines of Boston's opponents in the postseason, but he's one of five Bruins defencemen to rank low on the takeaway chart.

Here are the Bottom 25 defencemen in even strength takeaways per 60 minutes (minimum 25 games):

Rank PLAYER TEAM ES TAKE ES TOI ESTAKE/60
196. Nick Schultz Minnesota 9 76414 0.42
197. Matt Greene Los Angeles 7 60864 0.41
198. Steven Kampfer Boston 4 35778 0.40
199. Johnny Boychuk Boston 8 71590 0.40
200. Matt Niskanen Pittsburgh 6 53940 0.40
201. Anton Volchenkov New Jersey 6 54553 0.40
202. Keith Ballard Vancouver 6 54784 0.39
203. Dennis Seidenberg Boston 10 92869 0.39
204. Tim Gleason Carolina 9 84747 0.38
205. Bryan McCabe N.Y. Rangers 6 60253 0.36
206. Keith Aulie Toronto 4 40380 0.36
207. Adam Foote Colorado 4 42123 0.34
208. Adam McQuaid Boston 5 53714 0.34
209. Brian Lee Ottawa 4 45237 0.32
210. Alec Martinez Los Angeles 4 48505 0.30
211. Oliver Ekman-Larsson Phoenix 3 37779 0.29
212. Sami Salo Vancouver 2 25260 0.29
213. Andreas Lilja Anaheim 3 43345 0.25
214. Paul Mara Montreal 3 47774 0.23
215. Andrew Ference Boston 4 66316 0.22
216. David Schlemko Phoenix 2 36140 0.20
217. Sheldon Brookbank Anaheim 1 26859 0.13
218. Brett Lebda Toronto 1 27554 0.13
219. Matt Smaby Tampa Bay 0 12632 0.00
220. Joe Callahan Florida 0 24477 0.00

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

[hockeygod]

THN in Russia with Pavel Datsyuk: The draft

Rory Boylen The Hockey News 2011-07-22

EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA – So far at the PD13 camp, the kids have been put through countless drills on and off the ice. The entire program is designed to work on attributes that have made Pavel Datsyuk one of the world’s best players: puck protection, stickhandling, skating, body positioning, etc.

The only thing missing at this point is the NHL experience and the kids are about to dive into that aspect on Friday, with an authentic team draft setting the stage the day before.

The schedules on the second-last day of the camp ran as usual and even began to swerve towards the physical components of the game. But it was at the end of the second practice when the mood began to shift to game day. The players gathered around a table that was placed at center ice and coaches were assigned to the two teams that will face off Friday afternoon: The Banditos and The Torpedoes.

Todd and Jay Woodcroft became GMs of the two teams and, through the translating of Masha Leonova, went through all the pomp and circumstance you would expect from a professional team at the podium, with a little injected humor.

“He has an entourage the size of President Putin’s…The Banditos are proud to select: Vova!”

The GMs let the players know trades could still happen until 10:00 p.m. Thursday, so they had to make sure they answered the phone just in case (though it wasn’t that serious). There are stories of some past players being unable to sleep the night before and on the Friday a few have shown up in suits over the years.

From now until game time, the teams will be separated: Players eat with their teammates, do drills together and play soccer against each other. This is what the buildup has been coming to and the excitement in their young faces is palpable.

By now, everyone knows Datsyuk’s draft story, the fact he was a sixth-rounder selected 171st overall in 1998. But he’s not the only one here selected by an NHL team.

One of the coaches on The Torpedoes bench, Kirill Gotovets, a seventh round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009 as an 18-year-old, has been an instructor at PD13 for each of the four years of its existence. A native of Belarus, he also acts as a translator when the coaches are explaining drills.

Gotovets was originally a student at camps the Woodcrofts held in Belarus. The defenseman was seeking to play in North America and, with a little advice from his new friends, found himself playing two years at the prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school. While there, he played with a few other European draftees such in Alexander Fallstrom and Erik Haula.

If that’s not impressive enough, the defenseman’s story gets even better from there. He always wanted to get a good education along with playing hockey and last fall began playing at Cornell University on a hockey scholarship – the first Belarusian to gain this kind of honor from an Ivy League school.

When Gotovet’s Torpedoes team takes to the ice Friday, it’ll be up against Greg Ireland’s Banditos. It’s being billed as the kids vs. the veterans as Ireland’s years of coaching experience from the ECHL and American League will come in handy. But since this is his first PD13 camp, will Gotovet’s unique experience here help?

Ireland, who was last in North America coaching the San Antonio Rampage, was once an assistant and then the coach of the Red Wings’ American League affiliate in Grand Rapids. At training camp, the Wings split players up into four teams and have a mini-tournament in Traverse City, Mich. In his first year at the camp, Ireland was coaching one of those teams and happened to have Datsyuk on his roster. At the time, the 25-year-old was only two seasons into his NHL career.

One end of the Traverse City Arena is all glass that extends up to the second floor where the weight room is. Whichever two teams aren’t playing are up doing mandatory workouts and a number of the Red Wings veterans happened to be upstairs when Ireland’s team was heading into a shootout.

“I saved Pav for the end,” Ireland said. “I thought it was amazing because you had guys up top like Yzerman, Shanahan, Chelios. I guess someone yelled ‘It’s a shootout and Pav’s shooting.’

“When I looked up I just saw all these guys looking out the window like little kids and they were waiting to see what the next move was going to be.”

With all the parents of the PD13 school kids invited to the showdown for the Cup, we can expect that same type of excitement here in Ekaterinburg Friday.

212 AWARD FOR THURSDAY

This is the final time the honor of excellence will be handed out this year and today’s winners were Vanya in the young group and Kirill in the older group.

Vanya is a return student and is a very familiar face to the instructors. “Vanya Vanya my little lasagna,” is what he’s recognized as and he was also the first overall pick in the young group’s draft.

On Friday, one player in each group will earn THN’s award for the week.

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

[hockeygod]

THN in Russia with Pavel Datsyuk: The final showdown

Rory Boylen The Hockey News 2011-07-23

EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA – Hello Russia and hockey fans in the Baltic states and Kazakhstan…

Welcome to game day at PD13. The drills and training are complete and the draft is behind us, so on Friday it was time for The Banditos and The Torpedoes to hit the ice and face off for the Pavel Datsyuk Cup. A metallic replica of the Stanley Cup, you won’t be able to drink out of this chalice as it’s topped with a strainer.

All day, both squads were eager to chant the name of their team in unison, whether it was on the walk down to the soccer field in the morning or heading out onto the ice in the afternoon. They were now part of a team: a message the camp was determined to get across as a chief reason why hockey is such an easy sport to fall in love with.

Friday was all about NHL simulation. From being shown how to properly set up their equipment in the dressing room to the pep talk before the game, it was about as authentic as it could get for the kids.

Just like in the NHL, the pucks were stacked and the kids stormed the ice to “Thunderstruck.” After a brief warmup, player introductions were carried over the loudspeaker. The parents lining the railing along the top concourse were amped up just as much as the youngsters who were suited up; there was even a “Torpedoes” sign posted on one end of the platform.

An air of excitement wafted through the Kurganovo Ice Complex and after the Russian National Anthem played, it was go time.

In both games The Torpedoes jumped out to dominating leads: 5-0 in one, 3-0 in the other. Their faces awash with emotion, the kids showed this was one of the biggest games they’d play all year.

Tim ‘Velvet’ Velemirovich, one of the coaches on The Torpedoes bench, knows a thing or two about championship matches. The former University of Manitoba left winger was in his second year at the program when it lost to Alberta in a showdown that would have brought the Bisons to their first University Cup final since 1965.

From there, ‘Velvet’ played a couple of seasons with the Southern Pro League’s Fayetteville FireAntz and won rookie of the year honors in 2007 after leading his team with 89 points in 56 games. It was during that freshman season he and the FireAntz went all the way to the President’s Cup final, defeating the Jacksonville Barracudas 3-1.

The two-time 30-goal scorer in the SPHL was looking good for a couple more titles Friday, but after finishing ahead 8-5 in the younger age group, the older kids had a much more unexpected finish. The Banditos overcame their deficit and took the game to a shootout, winning 2-0, with the clinching goal being scored by our friend Nikita Morozov.

The excitement wasn’t quite done there, of course. “Commissioner” Jeremy Clark presented the losing teams with the consolation trophy – a miniature version of the day’s big prize.

Then out came the granddaddy of them all, the Pavel Datsyuk Cup.

With Queen’s We Are The Champions blaring, the kids held the Cup over their heads, passed it off to one another and did a victory lap around the ice just as the pros do across the ocean and a world away. Parents ran down and crowded the surface for pictures to serve as lasting memories from one of the most unique and special hockey camps anywhere.

After the game, instructors Jay and Todd Woodcroft gave one last speech of inspiration and Datsyuk had the final Russian words. The kids and their parents then made the rounds, getting autographs from and pictures with all the instructors and giving their reluctant goodbyes.

The PD13 kids hockey school was a robust spectacle. In five days relationships and teams were built, skill levels were improved, confidence was raised and the game of hockey reached over borders and across cultures. It was made possible by the desire of Pavel Datsyuk to give something back to a community and country that helped him reach the sport’s summit with the hope that some day one of these kids will climb up right next to him.

Echoing what everyone said about Detroit’s No. 13 this week, Velemirovich takes us out with his own story of the superstar.

“He’s the best hockey player in the world right now and he’s just one of us, just a normal guy who goes out there and has fun,” Velemirovich said. “He’s like a kid out there. When the kids go off the ice, sometimes he and I are playing around, tossing saucer passes back and forth and playing little games. Like I had a puck here and he had a puck at his end and we were trying to hit the puck from the other side of the ice.

“I beat him by the way.”

Da Zvidanya from Ekaterinburg.

THN AWARD

In place of the 212 Award for the final day, we honored a skater from each age group who showed character and dedication from Day 1 through Day 5.

In the young group Danil Gushin received a Datsyuk-signed PD13 hat and in the older group the efforts of Kirill Tyutyaev earned praise.

—–

Though this column series is complete, the camp carries on for another week as the pace steps up a notch with teenaged prospects, beginning Sunday. Watch Rory Boylen's column space as well as THN's Prospect Report section for additional features based on his time in Russia in the future.

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

[hockeygod]

Scott Thornton, hockey's real Ironman

By Connie Jensen The Hockey News 2011-07-23

Scott Thornton had an extensive NHL career that saw him play for six different teams over 17 seasons. The rugged left winger amassed 285 points and 1459 penalty minutes over that span, but upon retirement in 2008 Thornton wanted to accomplish something that had been on his mind since before his career had even begun: An Ironman triathlon.

In 1991, Thornton was part of the Canadian world junior team that captured gold in Saskatoon. It was there that his love of Ironman racing began. A few days before the tournament started, the coaching staff played a video of Dick Hoyt, who pushed, pulled and carried his quadriplegic son, Rick, through all parts of the competition.

“It was a very inspirational movie and kind of helped all of us get through our Christmas blues that we had at the time,” Thornton said. “Since then I have watched Ironman Kona (the world championship) every year on TV.”

Thornton has stayed active post-hockey. He owns a CrossFit gym in Collingwood, Ont., where he spends about six hours a day training others. He had the opportunity to meet local Ironman star Claudia Johnston, who shared her experiences with him. Thornton liked what he heard and soon after met with Barrie Shepley, the Canadian Olympic triathlon coach and the man who helped Simon Whitfield win gold in Sydney in 2000.

“Next thing I know I’m signed up for Austria,” Thornton said.

At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds Thornton was far from an ideal candidate for an Ironman. Most triathletes are smaller as carrying extra muscle mass is a detriment. The optimal weight for a male is around 150 pounds.

If Thornton’s size unusual for an Ironman race, so was his way of preparing: “I really wanted to prove that Crossfit training could be effective endurance training, so we designed a specific program for me that’s different than most triathletes.”

From November to July, Thornton hit the gym every day, doing six-hour bike rides – even in the pouring rain – and countless laps in the pool.

In March, he even climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with his wife Joelle.

“That is the last thing I would want to put in the program,” Shepley said, “but he was going to fulfill this commitment to his wife on this project that they were going to do together.”

Before Thornton's training began, Shepley found some statistics about former NHLers who had also participated in Ironman. Mike Richter and Pat LaFontaine had competed in a few, so their times set the bar. LaFontaine’s time was best 11 hours and 50 minutes and that became the mark to beat…if only for the number.

“It had nothing to do with Pat and it really had nothing to do with me wanting to be the fastest NHL hockey player. It was just a goal to race towards,” Thornton said.

After eight months of preparation, Thornton, along with 149 other Canadians, headed to Klagenfurt, Austria for the July 3 race. When it came time to hit the starting line, Thornton was ready to go.

“It felt to me like getting ready for a playoff game,” Thornton said. “I was very, very excited, nervous, anxious…I wasn’t scared,”

The first part of the race was the 2.4-mile swim, something Thornton knew would be daunting. But before he took off he made sure to take it all in.

“Standing on the beach with 2600 athletes waiting to go in the water, waiting for that canon to go off was a feeling that I absolutely love, love and seek, so it was incredible,” Thornton said.

He finished the swim in one hour and 26 minutes, which meant he was still on target to beat the record. However, it wasn’t the most comfortable part of the race.

“You’re getting kicked and punched and people are grabbing your feet and you feel like you’re salmon spawning up a river at times,” Thornton said. “So once I got out of the water I felt very relieved.”

Next, Thornton had to cycle two 90-kilometer loops through the mountains. When he finished he was within one minute of the time he needed to be in order to break the record.

“At this point I thought, ‘Hey, this is no longer just a pipe dream. The guy is two-thirds of the way and he’s still on time,’ ” Shepley said.

The 26.2-mile run was last – and Thornton struggled. Halfway through he was four to six minutes behind his target. After some encouragement from Shepley on the sidelines, however, Thornton started picking up the pace and was passing people all the way to the end.

He completed the Ironman in 11 hours and 38 minutes, breaking LaFontaine’s record.

“The vast majority of people at 13 miles are hurting so bad that when they fall off the time they want they never get it back,” Shepley said. “So it was a huge accomplishment and a huge task for a big guy.”

Thornton’s children, Nash, 15, and Zoe, 11, jumped over the barricade as he ran in.

“I was just wrapped with emotion,” Thornton said.

Although Shepley believes Thornton could shave 30 to 40 minutes off his time, Thornton isn’t certain he will be doing another Ironman right away. For now he's satisfied with the top-notch memories of his first adventure.

“It’s hard to believe I did it, it still hasn’t sunk in,” he said. “It’s something for so many years I’ve respected and watched people do and thought, ‘Holy crap man, one day I’ll try to do one myself.’ It’s pretty neat. It’s a good feeling.

“I had some good moments in my career, big games and things, and this would match right up there.”

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

[hockeygod]

David Littman: How to be a good rookie, Part 1

David Littman The Hockey News 2011-07-24

With the NHL draft recently completed, I was thinking back on my times as a rookie.

A hockey player is considered to be a rookie many times in a career. Every time you step up to the next level, you go from being a veteran right back to being a freshman.

Some of the rookie “rules” are obvious, but there are also “unwritten rules” of being a rookie hockey player.

IN THE DRESSING ROOM

The biggest mistake a rookie can make is showing weakness. “Show no weaknesses” should be your motto. If guys get on you about a bad game, a weird birthmark you have or any insecurity you have about yourself, laugh with them. The veterans are doing it to test you. They want to see how much can you take.

There is an expression hockey players have: “Take it now or take it all year.” Remember that. Pass this test and you’ll become part of the team.

The other mistake I’ve seen rookies make is acting cocky. A cocky new face in the room will quickly get on the nerves of the veterans. I saw this firsthand when I played with the in the International League.

A player came onto my team straight out of college where he was a Hobey Baker finalist as the best U.S. college player. He was a free agent and many teams offered him contracts. He made the mistake, however, of saying that he thought he was too good for this league and he belonged in the NHL.

While this may have been true, he should have kept it to himself.

We all knew he would have a great NHL career (which he did), but we never looked at him the same way again.

ON THE BUS

Rookies sit towards the front of the bus. This is because the veterans are at the back (probably playing cards)…and the coaches are at the front.

Most players have a certain seat that they sit in every year on every trip, so at the beginning of the year don’t just go on the bus and take a seat. Wait until the veterans have taken their seats and then ask a second-year guy where you should sit.

Rookies are also expected to double-up if there aren’t enough seats. Veterans get their own two-seater.

When you arrive at your destination, rookies do most of the work (if you go directly to the arena). Rookies are responsible for the stick bags, helping the equipment managers with the skate sharpeners and all extra equipment.

I remember playing for Rochester in the American League and we would have three games in three nights. The first night might be in Baltimore, the second in Springfield and the third may be at home. We’d play the Friday night game and then get on the bus to travel five or six hours.

If you are doubled-up in a seat, rigamortis has pretty much set in by the time you arrive. The first stop is usually the arena. It’s three in the morning and you unload the bus. Rookies take the most stuff and usually it takes a few trips to get everything into the dressing room before going to the hotel. The next night you do it all over again.

If a rookie complains about any of this, they’re not going to be very popular with the rest of the team.

ON THE PLANE

The equipment manager handles all the equipment. This means the players can get off the plane and right onto the bus to the hotel.

Young hockey players, I am about to save you $50. Never check your personal bags when travelling by plane. If you do, the bus will have to wait for you.

The vets, who know you <never check your bags, will fine you $50. I’ve seen this happen a few times. I’ve been on two-week road trips with only one small carry-on bag. Stick some stuff in your hockey bag to save room.

Another tip: If you’re on a commercial flight, take a middle seat if the plane is crowded. You’ll earn a few points with the vets.

I made a few of these mistakes at some point in my hockey career. Hopefully, these “rules” can help future rookies avoid them.

Check back Monday for a few more in Part 2.

A native of Flushing, N.Y., David Littman was drafted by the Sabres in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He spent four years at Boston College before turning pro in 1989. Over the next 10 years, Littman would play in the ECHL, IHL, AHL and NHL (with Buffalo and Tampa Bay). He currently works as a producer for the wildly popular EA Sports NHL series of video games. Littman will regularly write columns detailing his time as a pro and his life after hockey for THN's Insider series.

—-

Personally, I think these rookie rules hurt the team and are a terrible form of bullying. All players should carry bags and take turns demonstrating leadership. This sense of entitlement in hockey (and other sports, work) are SO wrong and such a byproduct of the 1800's union (Industrial revolution) mentality – they are outdated now. I believe everyone should respect each other and take turns with all the duties. Who would you respect more – an established veteran doing the toughest jobs at the toughest times – or the same guy who expects or tells the rookie what he should do – otherwise he will make fun of him and fine him? This just perpetuates this stupid code. Ridiculous. What parent would want that for their kids? "It's the code" is a bunch of BS. Be a positive role model and show the rookies the 'right way' to do stuff… no more rookie dinner tabs, hazing, etc. It's 2011 for Pete's sake – it's about time we acted like it! (See Bruce Brown's stuff at proactivecoaching.info/proactive/ for some great character-based coaching items!)

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

[hockeygod]

David Littman: How to be a good rookie, Part 2

David Littman The Hockey News 2011-07-25

With the NHL draft recently completed, I was thinking back on my times as a rookie.

A hockey player is considered to be a rookie many times in a career. Every time you step up to the next level, you go from being a veteran right back to being a freshman.

Some of the rookie “rules” are obvious, but there are also “unwritten rules” of being a rookie hockey player. On Sunday I laid out tips for the dressing room and for travelling. Today we look at another big one…team meals.

Get ready to open up your wallets…wide.

ROOKIE NIGHT

The first thing rookies need to know is, you will always go through a rookie night.

Rookie night is when the entire team goes out to dinner and the rookies are the guests of honor. By guests of honor, I mean the entire team will eat and drink as much as possible, with the rookies picking up the tab.

The fewer rookies there are, the more each one will have to pay. In the minors, I’ve seen rookies pay up to $1,500 each. In the NHL, it can get as high as $10,000 to $15,000. How does it get this high? Vets will order steak and lobster, champagne and $500 bottles of wine.

The bottom line is this: Rookies need to understand that rookie night is a rite of passage. Forget about the money. It’s about becoming part of the team and that is worth its weight in gold.

NORMAL MEALS

Don’t be cheap and don’t beat the pot.

When a hockey team goes out to eat together, everyone pays the same amount when the bill comes. If the bill is $1,000 with tip and there are 20 players, each player puts in $50. There are no exceptions. Here are the two mistakes rookies make:

• “I only had potato skins.” I remember a rookie in Rochester who said exactly this when the bill came. Big mistake. We laughed at him and for the rest of the season he was considered “cheap.” Vets are always looking for a weak spot in a rookie. Once they find it, they’ll never let it go.

• “Beating the pot.” This is when you order the most expensive thing on the menu because you know the bill is split evenly. You order the shrimp cocktail and filet mignon when everyone else is having burgers. The best thing to do is wait to see what other people are ordering. If everyone’s having shrimp and steak, then, and only then, go for it.

• Birds in the nest
At some meals, vets will tell the players to put their credit cards in a hat. This is called “birds in the nest.” This is how it works: the hat is passed around and each player blindly picks out a credit card. The owner of the last credit card in the hat pays for the entire meal. It’s pretty nerve-wracking and a huge relief when you see your card come out early.

As a rookie you have to understand this is part of being a team. It all evens out by the end of your career, so don’t worry if you have to pay once or twice. More important is what you do when you are left in the nest and have to pay.

If you laugh and cheer along, your teammates will gain immediate respect for you. If you get upset or sulk, you’re in for a long season.

I made a few of these mistakes at some point in my hockey career. Hopefully, these “rules” can help future rookies avoid them.
—–

OR FUTURE VETERANS CAN BE POSITIVE LEADERS AND STOP THIS ANTIQUATED SYSTEM OF BULLYING… GROW UP! It would be so refreshing to have one of these media people write an article on positive leadership – let's show these misguided people how to change their culture for the better. I challenge all you coaches out there to encourage a positive culture of respect for everyone with your teams – remain vigilant for good and bad examples to help educate your team the right way.

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

[hockeygod]

Long-time Red Wing Draper retires

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS July 26, 2011

DETROIT — Kris Draper loved playing hockey and he loved playing for the Detroit Red Wings.

Once the 40-year-old Draper learned he wasn't a sure bet to play for Detroit next season, he decided to hang up his skates for good.

Draper announced his retirement Tuesday after 20 seasons in the NHL, the last 17 with the Red Wings. He will remain in the organization in a still undefined front-office capacity, but he wasn't interested in signing a two-way deal to play in the minor leagues, coming to training camp on a tryout or playing with another team.

It was the Red Wings or nothing.

"I loved everything about the game and everything about the Red Wings," he said at a press conference at Joe Louis Arena. "And that's why I'm going to miss it so much"

Once one of the NHL's top checking forwards, penalty killers and face-off men, Draper helped the Red Wings win four Stanley Cups (1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008).

Not bad for a player acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in 1993 for the then-waiver price of US$1.

"I never thought that I would get a player at the cost of a smoothie at McDonald's. But it happened," Red Wings' owner Mike Ilitch said.

Draper's 1,137 games played with the Red Wings is fifth in franchise history behind only Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Alex Delvecchio and Niklas Lidstrom. His 222 playoff games trails only Lidstrom, and he had 24 goals and 46 points in those games.

Draper's career totals are 161 goals and 203 assists for 364 points in 1,157 games (he played in 20 games for Winnipeg from 1990-91 to 1992-93). He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward in 2003-04, when he posted career highs of 24 goals and 40 points despite missing 15 games due to a late-season shoulder injury.

"He was a role model for all of our young players and a leader in the locker-room," Detroit general manager Ken Holland said.

Draper also centred the "Grind Line" for many seasons with Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty as his primary wingers.

"(Former Red Wings' coach) Scotty Bowman trusted us. He trusted us in a lot of situations," Draper said. "I certainly enjoyed playing with those guys."

Draper had hoped to play another season in Detroit, but the club does not have an available roster spot and plenty of forwards. He was the odd man out.

"I played with some great players and because of that, I got my name on four Stanley Cups," Draper said.

Dean
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NCAA takes beating on '11-12 recruits

Ryan Kennedy The Hockey News 2011-07-29

Call it “Black Wednesday.” Because earlier this week, the NCAA was dealt a double body-blow. There was Phoenix first-rounder and Miami commit Connor Murphy deciding to take his game to the Ontario League’s Sarnia Sting instead. That same afternoon, it was confirmed that for the second straight summer, the University of Michigan would lose its incoming goaltender to the OHL as well.

John Gibson, Anaheim’s second-rounder from 2011, would be heading to Kitchener, much like Jack Campbell chose Windsor the season before. (The fact both Campbell and Gibson were Team USA national team development program products and the first American goalies taken in their draft classes only added to the bitter taste for college hockey fans.)

This came on the heels of New York Rangers first-rounder J.T. Miller spurning North Dakota in favor of Plymouth and Dallas top pick Jamie Oleksiak leaving Northeastern for Saginaw (though Oleksiak had played a year with the Huskies and left in part because coach Greg Cronin took a job with the Toronto Maple Leafs).

When all the broken glass is swept up, just one 2011 first-rounder is still slated to play college hockey this season: Toronto pick Tyler Biggs, committed to Miami. Even there, rumors are flying that the Oshawa Generals, who hold his major junior rights, are making a big push, though publicly Biggs says he’s heading to Ohio.

But assuming Biggs becomes a RedHawk, he’s still an island unto himself. In 2009, six first-rounders spent their next season in college, while in 2010 it was eight. Back in ’07, 10 made the choice, including James van Riemsdyk and Kyle Turris, the second and third players drafted overall.

So is this summer just an anomaly? Unfortunately for college hockey fans, probably not.

Along with Campbell, 2010 first-rounder Jarred Tinordi made the switch once he was taken by the Montreal Canadiens. Tinordi was supposed to attend Notre Dame, but ended up with the London Knights.

“I think (top prospects) are finding out the OHL prepares you for the NHL and you still get your schooling,” said London GM Mark Hunter.

The Knights have feasted on the NCAA since the Hunters took over, landing stars such as Sam Gagner (Wisconsin) and Patrick Kane (BU or Michigan – hadn’t decided yet), to name the most prominent examples. Education packages entice kids who worry about their academic futures and the OHL is still the best developmental league in the world. So much so that Tinordi struggled at the beginning of his London career, despite being 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds.

“He did come on in the second half,” Hunter said. “I don’t know if he was quite ready to play three games in three nights, but by the end of it, he was working that big body of his.”

The conventional wisdom in Canada is that major junior provides a quicker path to the NHL thanks to a schedule that mirrors the pros. But college hockey also has its upsides and I think there is a certain class of player in particular that benefits from less games and more time in the gym or at the rink.

“Pretty much every morning I could go to the rink before class,” said Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who played for the University of North Dakota. “People thought I would leave school right after I was drafted, but I’m glad I stayed a second year. It worked out for me because I felt physically ready when I did get to the NHL.”

A great case study involves Turris and van Riemsdyk. While Turris was rushed to the NHL by Phoenix after one season at Wisconsin, JVR actually rebuffed the Flyers for a year, choosing to return to the University of New Hampshire for a second lap. After one full season with the Coyotes, Turris was demoted to the American League. Since that 2008-09 NHL rookie campaign, the still-developing youngster has played more games in the AHL than the big league. JVR on the other hand, played a few games for the AHL’s Phantoms once his UNH season was finished, but hasn’t been back since, registering 75 points in 153 NHL games (Turris has 46 in 131).

The battle for the hearts and minds of hockey’s youth will continue to be feverish and while the OHL certainly won the summer, it’s doesn’t mean the NCAA has been dealt a death-strike. The faithful will still fill Yost and Ralph Engelstad this winter and top recruits will still be in the lineup. Just not as many as there once were.

Dean
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[hockeygod]

Khabibulin in for 'terrible' time at jail: Ex-inmate
By MICHELLE THOMPSON, QMI Agency,
July 29, 2011

EDMONTON – Let’s hope Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin likes ant infestations, rotting oranges, and the colour pink.

Those are the sorts of things he’ll be in for once he starts his 30-day sentence Saturday at an infamous Phoenix, Ariz., jail, said an ex-inmate.

“The food is terrible,” said 34-year-old Koren Conine.

“It’s not even edible — you wouldn’t even feed it to your dog.”

Conine added there is a dog crematorium near the tent city where Khabibulin will be staying.

“It’s disgusting,” she said.

“It smells like death in there. It’s terrible.”

Khabibulin, 38, heads to Arizona’s Tent City jail Saturday to begin a 30-day sentence for extreme DUI.

The charge stemmed from a Feb. 8, 2010, incident in which Scottsdale police reportedly clocked the Ukraine native doing 70 mph in a 40 mph zone.

A test showed his blood alcohol content was in the “extreme” category at the time, which has a range of .15 to .199.

Conine recently served a six-month sentence in Tent City for the same misdemeanour.

She was released last June 13.

Both Conine and Khabibulin will have served a work-release, which means inmates stay at Tent City for the first two days, before being allowed out on a 12-hour day pass during weekdays.

Prisoners are required to spend their weekends in jail.

When he checks into Tent City, Khabibulin will have to leave his cell phone at the door, and cap his wallet contents at $40, Conine said.

He’ll be able to spend that money on things like vending machine snacks.

And Conine said packaged candy is probably the highest quality food Khabibulin should expect within the jail.

Inmates are fed rotting oranges and peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast each morning.

The peanut butter is made at the jail and loaded with oil, while the bread it’s wedged between is triple-rye so that the jail can meet daily caloric requirements, Conine said.

“I actually had ants in mine,” she said.

“The place is infested with roaches and ants — especially on the guy’s side.”

For dinner, inmates are fed flavourless mashed potatoes, refried beans, and spinach, Conine said.

Things get even worse after dinner.

That’s when inmates head to bed on a thin mattress, where the temperatures in the tent often swell to 49 C, said Conine.

“There’s no AC — there’s a fan that blows hot air,” she said. “They give you a blanket and a sheet. You’re lucky if you get a sheet.”

The Moscano Jail is run by the meanest sheriff in North America, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who’s known for making life terrible for prisoners.

He snatches away all that’s sacred to prisoners — including cigarettes, coffee, and magazines — and uses numerous tools to humiliate them.

That includes forcing the male inmates to wear pink, right down to their underpants.

But Khabibulin may get a pass on that last point, Conine said, adding most day-release prisoners are allowed to wear street clothes.

The netminder won’t be the first celebrity to visit the jail.

Boxing champ Mike Tyson, rapper DMX, and NBA star Charles Barkley have all done stints there.

You best follow the rules, netminder!

If he doesn’t follow Sheriff Joe’s rules, Khabibulin will be heading to the penalty box.

That’s how an infamous jail watchdog put it Thursday while preparing for the Oilers goalie’s Saturday arrival.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio — notorious for his tough-on-crime antics — oversees the Tent City jailhouse where Khabibulin will serve half his 30-day DIU sentence.

And Arpaio hinted there may not be room for two celebrities at the Maricopa County jailhouse.

“We have postcards there with my picture on it that they mail out,” Arpaio said.

“When I go in with a celebrity, they want his autograph and not mine.”

Khabibulin will need to follow Arpaio’s strict rules.

That means no beard, no cell phone, and no returning from his day releases drunk.

Because he received a work-release sentence, Khabibulin won’t have to wear the jail’s famous pink outfits unless he breaks the rules.

And if he does, he’ll be headed for the “penalty box,” the sheriff said.

But if Khabibulin behaves well, he may be in for a treat.

“Maybe this guy can play on our sheriffs’ hockey team,” Arpaio said.

“I can make him a special deputy.”

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

[hockeygod]

Long way away: Danton resumes pro career with third-tier Swedish team IFK Ore

Canadian Press 2011-07-29

Mike Danton's professional hockey career is resuming a long way from the NHL.

The 30-year-old forward is joining Swedish team IFK Ore, which plays in the third tier of the country's pro system. General manager Jens Nielsen confirmed the Danton signing to The Canadian Press on Friday, but declined further comment.

Danton spent the past two seasons with the Saint Mary's Huskies in Canadian university hockey after serving five years in a U.S. prison for a failed murder-for-hire plot.

The former NHLer tweeted about his move on Thursday night: "Just signed my first pro contract in eight years. I'm off to Sweden for the 2011-2012 season. Thanks to everyone for their support."

IFK Ore is based in the small village of Furudal, which is a little over 300 kilometres north of Stockholm. The team plays out of the 32-year-old Furudals Hockeycenter, which has a capacity of 796. It averaged 169 fans per game last season.

Players in Sweden's Division 1—which is below the Elitserien and Hockeyallsvenskan—earn modest wages and sometimes hold other jobs. The top player on each team is typically paid around 20,000 Swedish Kronar (C$3,050) per month.

Terms of Danton's contract were unavailable. However, Nielsen told Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet that it was a "great deal" for the team and expressed hope that Danton will be a role model for the younger players.

He's not concerned about the player's past.

"Of course we have discussed his past, but you can't judge someone for life," Nielsen told Svenska Dagbladet. "What's done is done, and now he seems eager to get away from North America and find the calm here."

Danton's time at Saint Mary's was a success. He enrolled in psychology at the Halifax university a few months after getting released from prison and was named an academic all-Canadian because of a straight-A average.

Even though he didn't dominate on the ice—Danton had three goals and five points in 28 regular-season games last season—he helped the school win its first CIS hockey championship in 2010.

All along, the allure of pro hockey remained. After Danton's parole ended in January, he was essentially free to pursue a playing career again with restrictions lifted on his ability to travel.

"I think anybody at this level would want to play at the highest level possible for them—for me, that would be the NHL," Danton told The Canadian Press then. "I'd like to get back to playing there. To be honest with you, yeah, it's in my mind.

"It's something I'd like to do."

Danton was a fifth-round pick by New Jersey in 2000 and played 87 career NHL games for the Devils and St. Louis. He was arrested while a member of the Blues in 2004 following a playoff game in San Jose, Calif.

U.S. prosecutors said Danton's intended target in the murder-for-hire plot was David Frost, a controversial figure who was his agent at the time. However, Danton suggested to the National Parole Board in 2009 that the target was his father, with whom he has been estranged.

The target wasn't identified in the agreed-to facts that were part of the court record when Danton pleaded guilty.

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

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