Articles

[hockeygod]

Campbell: Blues surprise by plucking Ken Hitchcock from Blue Jackets

Ken Campbell, The Hockey News, 2011-11-07

Well, this wasn’t quite what we all expected when it came to the coaching future of Ken Hitchcock, was it now? In fact, when most of us first found out Hitchcock was going back behind the bench, we naturally assumed it would be with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After all, you give up a nine-spot and you’re on pace for 29 points this season, you kind of figure that’s the natural order of things.

But Blues GM Doug Armstrong, who has a history with Hitchcock that goes way back to their days with the Dallas Stars, managed to hire him away from his Central Division rival when he brought on Hitchcock to replace the fired Davis Payne Sunday night. With a 6-7-0 record this season, Payne didn’t appear to be the first on the NHL’s firing line by a long shot, but when your power play has fewer goals than Claude Giroux, that’s presumably a sign things are not going well at all.

On paper, the Blues have a team that should not miss the playoffs, even in the ultra competitive Western Conference. But the team Hitchcock left shouldn’t be the bottom feeder in that conference either. That’s the funny thing that seems to happen when you don’t get very good goaltending from the guy you’re relying upon most to stop pucks for you. Both Steve Mason in Columbus and Jaroslav Halak in St. Louis have been dreadful this season and they both have to take their share of the culpability for their teams’ early season woes.

Now the question is, why would a team that seems to be screaming for a coaching change allow Hitchcock to go to a division rival for nothing more than the ability to get off the hook for the rest of his contract, particularly one that needs a coach such as Hitchcock more than ever at the moment? (For those of you in Columbus screaming for some kind of compensation, you should know the NHL did away with that a couple of years ago. The moment you give another team permission to talk to one of your management people about a job is the same moment you give up any right to compensation.) It will be interesting to hear GM Scott Howson’s perspective on that in the coming days.

The thinking here is even though the Blue Jackets are now staring down the prospect of facing Hitchcock six times a season, they thought it was worth allowing him to leave because his presence had become too much of a distraction and a veritable Sword of Damocles hanging over the coaching staff. Even though Hitchcock was assigned to work with the Blue Jackets farm team, he had been sitting with team president Mike Priest during games, which never creates much feeling of security.

The thinking was that Hitchcock, who still had the rest of this season remaining on his contract, would go behind the bench if the Blue Jackets fired Scott Arniel to guide the team for the rest of the season. That clearly was not a scenario Hitchcock wanted to see transpire, because he knew doing so would be a no-win proposition. And more importantly, it would have taken him out of the running for vacant jobs such as the one that came up in St. Louis.

And from the Blue Jackets perspective, what good would that have done anyway? They are currently the proud owners of five points in the standings. Teams in the Western Conference have, on average, been required to earn 94 points since the lockout to make the playoffs. That puts them hopelessly out of the playoffs before the season is even a month old. In order to qualify for the post-season, the Blue Jackets need 89 points in their final 68 games, or a .654 winning percentage, or a record that resembles something like 40-19-9.

You can be certain, meanwhile, that starting Tuesday night when the Blues open a five-game home stand against the Chicago Blackhawks, they will be on notice. Hitchcock has been known to lock horns with the stars on his team, but this Blues team is one without stars, so that shouldn’t be a problem. St. Louis is a decent, hard-working team that can play a pretty good game 5-on-5 and is actually a decent defensive team. They give up the second-fewest shots in the league and if not for being let down by their goaltending, they’d probably have a better record. This is a team that should be in the thick of the playoff race, hovering somewhere between sixth and 10th in the standings.

And the one thing we’ve learned is that if you let things get away early in the season, it’s almost impossible to make up ground. Payne was a good coach with a decent record coaching the Blues, but he was not Armstrong’s choice and it’s likely when Armstrong found out he could get Hitchcock, he figured the time was right.

Hitchcock will add discipline, structure, and accountability and will be on the Blues players constantly. Young struggling players such as Chris Stewart and T.J. Oshie would be well advised to prepare for long video sessions, some very difficult practices and perhaps the occasional extended view from the bench. The Blues management team is obviously thinking that will be enough to get this team into the playoffs. If that happens, Hitchcock will be looking a long way down to see the organization he left.

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

[hockeygod]

HITCHCOCK PLANS NO ROSTER MOVES, SEES PLAYOFF POTENTIAL

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Nov 7 2011

ST. LOUIS — It all happened so quickly. The St. Louis Blues changed coaches after only 13 games. Now Ken Hitchcock is in charge, an experienced hand who says he knows how to get the most out of these players.

On Monday, hours after his introductory news conference as the successor to Davis Payne, Hitchcock was on the bench for his first practice with a team that's off to a stumbling start. His first game with the Blues is Tuesday night, at home against Chicago.

Hitchcock plans no major changes, inheriting a staff and style of play, but will expect more consistency. He believes the Blues have the talent to be a playoff team, "but the buy-in has to be immediate."

"I want us to be proud of the way we play the game," Hitchcock said. "I think at the end of the day, I want people in St. Louis to say, 'Man, that team plays the right way."'

The Blues dismissed Payne after a 6-7 start left them in 14th place in the Western Conference in favour of a man with more than 1,000 games of coaching experience. General manager Doug Armstrong said he saw an underachieving team and another season getting away from St. Louis, which has missed the playoffs five of the last six seasons.

"Obviously, when you work with someone you try and support them all the way up until the last second," Armstrong said. "This was based more on a gut feeling that there was a different direction could go with an experienced coach that could poke and prod and get a young core to meet their potential."

Goalie Jaroslav Halak in particular has struggled with a 1-6 record. Forward Chris Stewart is off to a slow start with three points.

Hitchcock said it would take one practice to fix the power play, which misses the speed of injured forward Andy McDonald and is last in the NHL. He's coached forward Jamie Langenbrunner with the Stars, worked with Stewart and defenceman Alex Pietrangelo and Carlo Colaiacovo with the Canadien national team.

"I've had great success in working with top guys and getting them to play," Hitchcock said. "I think there's potential with a lot of guys to be top players here."

Hitchcock, who turns 60 in December, is the second-oldest coach in the NHL. Payne, 41, had been among the youngest. Hitchcock is the Blues' fourth coach in six years, all of them in-season hires, and is signed through next season.

Armstrong was an assistant GM when Hitchcock coached the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup in 1999-2000, so he turned to a familiar face. Hitchcock was available, serving as a Columbus Blue Jackets consultant after getting fired as coach two seasons ago.

Columbus gave the Blues permission to talk to Hitchcock, who said he's watched every NHL team play at least four times "in preparation for the next gig."

"I just felt like I couldn't miss out on this opportunity," Hitchcock said. "I know we've got a climb ahead of ourselves. We have as much or more potential than anybody around."

Since being let go by Columbus, Hitchcock has been on a strength and conditioning program and also has worked on his golf game.

"You're in the business so long, you don't even know what type of stressful situation you're under," Hitchcock said. "I've had fun, but it's time to get back to work. It has re-energized me."

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

[hockeygod]

Blues, Blue Jackets respond differently to crisis

David Shoalts, Globe and Mail, November 7, 2011

It’s interesting the way two NHL franchises under siege responded this week.

In both St. Louis and Columbus, the fires are raging because both teams are supposed to be young and on their way up but both are in a death spiral. The Blue Jackets are last overall with a 2-11-1 record and the confidence of that young team is in tatters while the Blues are one spot ahead of the Jackets at 14th in the Western Conference with a 6-7 record.

Both teams have goaltending issues. The Blue Jackets’ Steve Mason has a big contract and small results. He has a 3.70 goals-against average and .869 save percentage and has never matched the 2.29 GAA and .916 save percentage he posted as a rookie in 2008-09 that prompted general manager Scott Howson to reward him with that fat contract. The problem is, the Blue Jackets have no depth at that position, which is why Mason appeared in every game this season but one.

In St. Louis, Jaroslav Halak is just as bad. He’s 1-6 with a 3.35 GAA and a similarly embarrassing .856 save percentage. The difference is backup goaltender Brian Elliott is surprisingly good. He is 5-1 with a 1.72 GAA and .941 save percentage.

The trouble is, too many of the Blues’ skaters are under-achievers, like Chris Stewart (three points) and Patrik Berglund (five points).

So why was it the Blues fired head coach Davis Payne and hired Ken Hitchcock, while the Blue Jackets stood pat? And not only that, the Blues took Hitchock, who was under contract in Columbus for the rest of this season at $1.3-million (all currency U.S.), away from the Blue Jackets.

After all, aside from the goaltender issue, the teams’ other problems look similar. Both have no shortage of under-achievers who have big contracts and both are under intense pressure to make the playoffs. The Blues have not been in the playoffs since 2009 and only made the post-season once since 2004. The Blue Jackets have one brief playoff appearance in their 11-year history.

Scratch the surface, though, and the Blues’ troubles are more severe. They may list their average attendance as 19,150, fifth in the NHL, but those fans do not bring in a lot of revenue. NHL insiders say there are a lot of giveaways and discounts with Blues tickets because the team’s rebuilding efforts are dragging on and the owners are desperate to woo an increasingly disaffected fan base.

Incoming owner Matthew Hulsizer is well aware of these problems and signed off on the coaching moves.

In Columbus, attendance may only be an average of 13,000, 27th in the NHL, and the owners are certainly tired of losing gobs of money but the Blue Jackets have a little more breathing room. The city recently agreed to buy Nationwide Arena and Nationwide Insurance agreed to buy a piece of the Blue Jackets and inject a chunk of cash into the operation. In exchange, the team pledged not to move for a long time.

Howson may be under as much pressure as Jackets head coach Scott Arniel, but he is standing pat for now (at considerable risk to his job) for a couple of reasons. One is that injuries and suspensions played a role in the awful start. Jeff Carter, the No. 1 centre who was brought in at great expense, is still on the sidelines and defenceman James Wisniewski was lost for the first eight games because of a suspension. The team is also missing two of its top four defencemen.

Another reason is the only thing the Blue Jackets have been known for in their short history is upheaval. They’ve had five head coaches and almost as many interim head coaches. One more firing is not going to help much when you don’t have a goaltender and no GM is about to do you any favours in a trade for one, either.

So despite the rampant speculation Hitchcock, who is working off his contract after being one of those fired Blue Jackets coaches, was about to replace Arniel was off-target. And Hitchcock does have a long history with Blues GM Doug Armstrong when both worked for the Dallas Stars.

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

[hockeygod]

Blues smart to hire Hitchcock + 30 Thoughts

Elliotte Friedman, CBC Sports, November 7 2011

There is a rule good general managers adhere to: Don't fire your coach without lining up a strong replacement. Ken Hitchcock was not that guy in Columbus, but he is in St. Louis.

As rumours swirled that Hitchcock, still being paid $1.3 million US by Ohio's team, was coming back behind the bench in Columbus, a few sources strongly denied that was going to happen. Despite the Blue Jackets' nightmarish start, there was serious debate about whether or not a Hitchcock return would have made anything better.

Hitchcock lasted just 58 games after leading the Jackets to their one and only playoff appearance. That alone should tell you there was something seriously wrong between him and the players. With confidence in Columbus already at a record low, I don't see how a reunion would have led to anything better. It wouldn't have been fair to anyone, including Hitchcock.

Saner heads saw this, which is why, when Blues GM Doug Armstrong called for permission Sunday afternoon, it was granted.

This is a much smarter play for Armstrong than it would be for Jackets GM Scott Howson. Hitchcock doesn't have the same history with [most of] the Blues, giving him — and the team — a better chance at success.

Two other storylines of note:

First, does Armstrong make this move without an ownership change looming? Prospective buyer Matthew Hulsizer is in bed with former Tampa Bay Lightning owner

Oren Koules, which leads to speculation that former Lightning GM Brian Lawton has his eyes on the front office.

No matter how bad an idea that may be, Armstrong can't afford a down year. He knows Hitchcock well (considered bringing him back for a second tour in Dallas) and clearly said, "If I'm going to go down, I'm going down with my guy."

Second, hopefully every organization, including the Blue Jackets, looks back at what happened in Columbus the last couple of weeks and says, "That's not going to happen again." A fired coach should never be around as much as Hitchcock was. (A friend of Hitchcock's called me after Mike Milbury blasted him on the Hotstove and said ownership wanted him at practices and games in a consultant-type role.)

Whatever the case, it was a distraction. An enormous one.

In the future, both the coach and the team should set it up this way: Have him scout. Have him write reports on opponents or potential trade/free agency prospects. Have him available by phone if you need to ask a question.

But don't have him at the rink — not fair to incumbent head coach Scott Arniel, to Hitchcock, to Howson, to anyone.

30 THOUGHTS

1. A few tweeters asked how Hitchcock's contract works. If St. Louis is paying him any less than $1.3 million, Columbus must make up the difference. Some of you followed up with, "What stops the Blues from paying him, say, $1?" Good question. What I didn't realize until last night is the NHL has a formula for this. St. Louis must give him the average salary (at least) of all the coaches with similar experience.

2. Hitchcock's coached 1,042 NHL games. So we're talking Lindy Ruff (who just got a new contract), Paul Maurice, Joel Quenneville (also a recent new deal) and Terry Murray. Not sure if Ron Wilson (300 more games), Jacques Martin (200 more) or Barry Trotz (100 less) are in that mix. But you have to think Columbus can't be paying much, if anything.

3. Arniel's defenders say he hasn't had his full team. (The Jackets' two biggest off-season acquisitions, James Wisniewski and Jeff Carter, haven't played a game together). The loyalty to him is admirable because a lot of teams would have done something after Saturday's ugly loss in Philly. But with Carter getting closer to a return, you can't imagine the coach has a ton of time.

4. The question, however? Who would be the replacement if it gets to that point? Howson's Edmonton connection made me wonder about Craig MacTavish, but he doesn't have an in-season out. (AHL coaches generally don't, although it would ultimately be Vancouver's decision).

5. Rick Nash: Full no-move clause next three seasons. Teams who have asked are being told, "He has not asked to be traded and will not be traded."

6. Dave Campbell's been a Bauer skate rep for 20 years. Last summer, for the first time, he was invited to a player's Stanley Cup party. That player: Chris Kelly of the Bruins.

7. One week after the Hotstove report on re-alignment, some interesting fallout. Had one GM, basically, say I'm on crack, that this will never happen. Other sources say they think the Pittsburgh/Philadelphia problem is being worked out and will be solved. What's clear is that some teams are fighting this very hard.

8. Both the NHL and federal government threw the cone of silence over the meeting between Gary Bettman and finance minister Jim Flaherty. (They met in Manhattan the week of Oct. 24. At least the NHL returns emails, unlike the political party I voted for). Educated guess: with the league looking for new buildings in Edmonton, Calgary, Quebec City and, eventually, southwestern Ontario, Bettman felt out Flaherty's interest in contributing. It's highly unlikely, but you can't fault the commissioner for trying.

9. With all of these questions about what Detroit is going to do, remember one thing about Ken Holland. He believes in American Thanksgiving — as in, that's when you really know your team.

10. Is there a coaching staff that does a better job than Phoenix's? Dave Tippett added two new assistants this year in Jim Playfair and John Anderson and still the team continues to play hard-edged, highly disciplined hockey that makes it so much better than the sum of its parts.

11. If the Coyotes make the playoffs, though, the NHL's coach of the year should be Sean Burke. Burke — tall and lean — targeted Mike Smith in free agency, partially because they have similar builds. He felt he could work with that. Clearly, Smith believes in Burke, too, looking good after a rough season in which he spent time in the AHL.

12. I remember a CFL coach saying, "When your team is struggling, the most popular guy in town is the backup quarterback." We're seeing that in Buffalo with Jhonas Enroth and Ryan Miller. Sabres were in a 1-4 funk that finished with Miller getting pulled against the Flyers. Enroth came off the bench to win two straight.

13. Miller's peers, however, really think highly of him. "I just love the way he plays," said Nikolai Khabibulin of the Oilers. "Every time he slides on the ice, [he] just looks very smooth." Probably one of the most sound goaltenders in the league," added Carey Price of the Canadiens. "I think Miller's the complete package."

14. Two things Price and Martin Brodeur of the Devils agreed on: When you're struggling, you must practise well. And they, [respectfully], cannot understand how Henrik Lundqvist is so successful playing as deep as he does. It's totally foreign to them.

15. Khabibulin on Brodeur: "Mentally, he's probably the best I've ever seen … he's got a lot of games where he has to face 14, 15, 20 shots and the team's not scoring … he has to come up with that one save and he seems to be able to do it his whole career."

16. Brodeur wouldn't come right out and say it, but indicated he wants to play again next year. Asked which goalie he likes watching, he immediately picked Pekka Rinne.

17. Very interesting reactions to Rinne's new deal with Nashville. "Statement contract," said one exec. "Fair deal for both sides," said another. That seems to be the majority opinion. Saw some media claiming that $7 million is too much for a goalie, but I disagree here. This is not just about a goalie. This is about a franchise that becomes the Kansas City Royals or Pittsburgh Pirates if it doesn't get at least one of Rinne/Suter/Weber signed and soon.

18. One agent explained why Rinne was the most signable. Since the lockout, the largest UFA deal for a goaltender is four years and $27 million for Khabibulin in Chicago. (Technically, Ilya Bryzgalov never hit the market). High-level defencemen tend to do much better. That gave Rinne more incentive a take a big-money contract sooner. However, if they didn't get it done in the very near future, he was going to stop negotiating and take his chances. Wisely, the Predators got it done.

19. Canadiens fans are asking, "How does this affect Price?" Well, the first thing to recognize is that he's not a UFA, so he doesn't have quite the leverage. Second, Rinne's contract cannot be used if Price goes to arbitration because UFA deals are not allowed as comparables. I think the Canadiens will take care of Price (and they should), but maybe not at that level.

20. Price's Remembrance Day mask already has a bid for $5,000 on it at legendsdepot.com and he hasn't even worn it yet. His previous mask — pink for cancer awareness — raised $20,000. Pretty impressive stuff.

21. Watching Capitals' Bruce Boudreau and Alexander Ovechkin reminds me of Scotty Bowman and Steve Yzerman doing battle in 1994. Boudreau doesn't have Bowman's pedigree, but Ovechkin should know short-term pain turned into long-term gain for Yzerman.

22. We expect players to care as much as we do, so we can't rip them if they react angrily to being benched in critical moments (Ovechkin) or if they temporarily forget the cliches after a loss (Joe Thornton calling the Rangers "soft"). New York is 3-0 since Thornton said that, which can't be a coincidence. John Tortorella's probably reminding them before every period.

23. One of the interesting things about Andy Sutton's disciplinary hearing? It was entered into evidence that Gabriel Landeskog suffered a broken nose. The rookie hasn't missed any games and blamed himself for keeping his head down, but I don't think Sutton was very happy. I had no problem with the suspension, though, because Sutton's history mattered much more than the injury.

24. Apparently, Sutton is very tight with Shane O'Brien, who fought him immediately. Guess that's why O'Brien looked like he wanted no part of the fight. He understood it had to happen, but you could tell his heart wasn't into it.

25. Jim Hughson caught this, but one of the signs Toronto coaches aren't happy with Luke Schenn: his penalty-killing time is down. Last season, Schenn led the team in shorthanded time per game (2:44). This year, he's fourth and you can see Jake Gardiner earning more time in that situation.

26. Asked Zach Parise of the Devils what he would think if a coach told him, "I see you as a full-time centre." Parise smiled politely, which was an answer in itself. He likes the wing better.

27. Parise's teammate, Ilya Kovalchuk, asked if he could continue playing 26, 27 minutes per game for an entire season: "Sure, why not?" Kovalchuk currently leads all forwards at 25:30, three minutes more than Corey Perry of the Ducks. (Three minutes!) Kovalchuk led the league last year, but that was 22:33/game.

28. Still with the Devils, Adam Larsson (my Calder pick) on which player has impressed him most so far in his young career: "Keith Yandle … so smooth and makes simple plays look easy."

29. Josh Gorges of the Canadiens said he had a lengthy conversation with assistant coach Randy Ladouceur about simplifying his game. You could see Gorges pressing — trying to do so much — when Montreal was struggling early.

30. If you haven't read it, check out Nick Cotsonika's piece on the debate over concussions There are doctors pushing back against the claims being made about damage from hits to the head. I've done a lot of concussion work, but this Sports Illustrated article in particular made me stop and think.

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

[hockeygod]

A Dying Breed

Nick Kypreos, TSN, November 7, 2011

http://www .sportsnet.ca/hockey/2011/11/07/kypreos_dying_breed/?source=video

The move to hire Ken Hitchcock in St. Louis can be summed up in one word: Desperate.

Clearly the patience of Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and his management team was running paper thin after a mediocre start to the season, so they went back to the old drawing board.

Hitch will get the rest of the season to show everyone what a genius coach he still is, and if he does get them to the playoff dance, he'll likely parlay it into a new, lucrative long-term deal with the new ownership group. And if he doesn't, he'll simply fade off into the sunset like so many have done in the past.

For Armstrong, he can sell this with minimal downside because Hitchcock won't get a new long-term deal until he proves he can motivate this group into playoff contenders.

Armstrong can also pin this hiring on how no one else was remotely available with Hitchcock’s coaching experience to save this season. Above the surface, we all know Armstrong put his job on the line with a very gutsy call.

In the meantime, Hitch will go into the Blues' dressing room and remind the players who the new boss is and how the country club atmosphere has officially come to an end. He'll start by grinding them to the bone with rants, raves, threats, lies & tantrums — heck, whatever it takes to get the team winning.

And knowing a thing or two about brow-beating coaches, he'll probably get a jolt out of them within a week or two but count on one thing: it never lasts long. These "old school" coaches don't get the four or five-year shelf life expectancy they once knew.

Players now quit on hard-line coaches much earlier because they stop believing what they're selling far more quickly than ever before. In my era, coaches fed off our fear of having our careers buried by them and worrying we'd never recover — even highly-paid players felt that way.

Today, highly-paid players who are locked in long-term don't suffer the same insecurities we did back then. Players now look at coaches and think to themselves: "You're embarrassing yourself". Then they shut down because they're not buying what's being sold to them so they often outlast the coaches.

The truly successful coaches today are the ones that look at their players as partners, not puppets. You won't find a better example of that than Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's a man who can still pass as one of the guys, while maintaining the utmost respect of his players.

And how does he manage to do that?

By simply offering knowledge and wisdom in a manner that isn't so intimidating; by having better communication skills than the norm. This is how Bylsma and his colleague Joel Quenneville stay ahead of the curve when it comes to dealing with the new generation.

Interacting with a fair, honest approach — without attitude — can go a long way with these kids. Take a good listen when cameras roll on certain coaches when they speak — it's like they invented the game. Now imagine what some of the players get from coaches behind closed doors in a private one-on-one meeting. I may miss the paycheques but certainly not those meetings.

Coaches who continue to bully just don't last anymore. Hitchcock was very fortunate with his group in Dallas back in 1999 — they had Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull, Ed Belfour, Sergei Zubov and Derian Hatcher. Those were guys who could stomach the everyday dosage of his condescending attitude and still maintain professionalism despite it.

The only question that really matters today is whether or not David Backes, Patrik Berglund, Alex Steen, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jaroslav Halak have the same type of stomach.

Good luck boys … the Pepto-Bismol is on the back shelf in the trainer's room.

Nick Kypreos is a Stanley Cup champion and Hockeycentral analyst

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

[hockeygod]

How Gretzky gave rise to the goon

DEREK CARSON, TSN Fan Fuel | November 7, 2011

If you are fed up with fighting in hockey and the goon style of play in the NHL, you should direct your frustration at the person who indirectly gave rise to the role of the enforcer – Wayne Gretzky.

The concept of a skilled elite player did not start with Gretzky. However, what did start with Gretzky, and has continued ever since, is the concept of a skilled elite player who needs a protector. Gretzky was the first.

He was the first superstar who had a dedicated teammate to ensure he wasn't consistently roughed up by the opposing team, most famously Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley.

Before Gretzky, superstars were left unprotected and had to mix it up when the opposing team tried to impose their will. Men like Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard, Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr had to do it themselves. If you went into the corner with Howe, you didn’t go back a second time.

For Richard or Hull or Esposito to be able to display their incredible puck handling or goal scoring abilities, they didn’t need a dedicated bodyguard ready to fight for them should anyone have the audacity to drive them into the boards or give them a nice hard cross-check. They were superstars who stood up for themselves, and that’s part of what made them so great.

There’s no question that we need to get rid of hockey’s goon element, but while we do that we need to redefine the meaning of a superstar to be a complete (and I mean COMPLETE) player.

Hockey’s a rough sport. If you can’t handle that, you shouldn’t be playing in the pros. The goons would have no place in hockey if today’s “superstar” could take care of himself, if they were modeled after Howe or Orr or Richard, instead of Gretzky.

So the next time some lumbering giant who can barely skate starts a fight in order to send a message of protection for his team’s “superstar”, don’t blame the player. Blame Gretzky.

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

[hockeygod]

Sports matter to the nation, but hockey matters the most

Roy MacGregor, Globe and Mail, Nov. 07 2011

There are times when Canada feels like a one-sport country.

So dominant is hockey in the national conscience that, at an Order-of-Canada ceremony held at Rideau Hall on Friday, so much fuss was made over the two hockey stars being honoured – community-conscious Trevor Linden and three-time Olympic champion Hayley Wickenheiser – that it seemed there might a fourth level to the three-tier national honours system reserved only for those who can skate.

While attendees crowded about the two deserving recipient for autographs and photographs, brilliant scientists, generous philanthropists, accomplished artists and one other gifted athlete – four-time Olympian Tricia Smith, winner of a silver medal in rowing and senior vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Committee – had to make do with family pictures and the well wishes of other recipients.

Such is the power of the national sport. (There are two, officially, but the hold of lacrosse, a wonderful game, on the national psyche compared to hockey is roughly the equivalent of the Green Party’s hold on Parliament.) Hockey is so dominant, in fact, that it almost squashed all other sports in the country when it came to having a special place in which to honour the stars of the various games Canadians play.

At one point, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame shared quarters at Toronto’s Exhibition Place with the far more popular Hockey Hall of Fame. When the Hockey Hall of Fame left for its own downtown quarters in the early 1990s, the second hall foundered to a point where it virtually disappeared.

“We became the orphan,” says Roger Jackson, the 1964 Olympic gold medal rower who ran the successful Own the Podium program at the 2010 Winter Games and is today chair of the reborn Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Efforts were made to find a new home, but they failed. The hall found the “perfect location” in the old Ottawa railway station, only to have the government of the day change its mind and decide to keep the building operating as a conference centre. By 2006, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame was an embarrassment, existing only as a web site and in storage.

Jackson was asked by then Senator Trevor Eyton if he could help “find a solution.” They put the Sports Hall of Fame out for proposals, nine cities made pitches and in 2008 it was awarded to Calgary. On Canada Day 2011, the new $30-million building opened at Canada Olympic Park, fully financed and, according to Jackson, $112,000 under budget. A $20-million endowment fund to cover operating costs is, he says, well on its way to completion.

Tuesday night at Calgary’s TELUS Convention Centre six new athletes will be inducted – football star Lui Passaglia, paralympian Lauren Woolstencroft, soccer player Andrea Neil, triathlete Peter Reid, IOC member Dick Pound and, of course, a hockey star in Raymond Bourque – bringing the total number of inductees to 520, representing some 60 sports.

The new hall is, by early accounts, a hit. It opens with a 14-minute film that captures the emotional highs of all Canadian sport. “People come out of it just trembling,” Jackson says. Visitors pass by statues of eight iconic sports heroes – from Wayne Gretzky to Herman (Jackrabbit) Smith-Johannsen – and visit a dozen galleries and 50 interactive exhibits.

Hockey, of course, is represented, from early community teams (Kenora, Dawson City, etc.) to Paul Henderson, the hero of the 1972 Summit Series who, for reasons that no one comprehends, is not in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

But hockey here is only a portion, one sport among five dozen sports. There are exhibits paying tribute to diver Sylvie Bernier, skier Ken Read and the other Crazy Canucks, cyclist Clara Hughes, speed skaters Gaetan Boucher and Catriona Le May Doan, curler Sandra Schmirler, paralympic star Chantal Peticlerc, swimmer Alex Baumann, inspirational runner Terry Fox and even a horse, Northern Dancer.

“They all hold their own,” Jackson says.

“They all tell us that sport does matter to us as Canadians – and finally, we have this important tool in which to honour those athletes who make sport matter so much.”

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

[hockeygod]

Mark Howe: His own man

By LANCE HORNBY, QMI Agency, Nov 9 2011

TORONTO – Nick Kypreos looked around the Philadelphia Flyers training camp room in 1984 and spotted Mark Howe.

“When you’re 18, you’re in awe of everyone,” Kypreos said. “But now you kind of felt like you were in the presence of hockey’s Royal Family. Gordie came by training camp on one or two occasions, which was an incredible experience for an 18-year-old.”

But it was at this camp that Kypreos came to appreciate that Mark was not a three-time Norris Trophy runner-up because of No. 9’s nepotism. Mark was an NHL star on his own course to the Hockey Hall of Fame this Monday.

“Some can sit here today and wonder why he’s in,” Kypreos said. “But to anybody who really watched him, he was truly among the best defencemen in the NHL in his prime. What was so abundantly clear was his talent, how fluid a skater he was.

“One thing that opened my eyes was his ability to open a pair of brand new skates from the box and wear them that night in a game. That was unheard of. You broke them in over the course of weeks. His confidence level just blew me away. Everybody knew he was his own man. At times, it wasn’t Gordie Howe’s son they were watching or talking about, it was Mark Howe’s father. That’s how good he was.”

The best life lesson Mark might have received outside the family circle was at the informal scrimmages Detroit players would have with their sons.

“I was maybe 10 or 12 and remember being schooled by Dean Prentice,” Mark said. “He scored a hat trick against me and said, ‘son, you better learn how to play defence’.”

Mark didn’t play into his 50s as Gordie did, but crammed a lot into a career that began in 1971. His Jr. Red Wings won the U.S. title, next year he was a 16-year-old on the silver-medal U.S. Olympic team and then a Memorial Cup champ with brother Marty and the powerhouse Toronto Marlboros.

“We’d played together pretty well every year of our lives. I was bound and determined to be an NHL player and the Marlies were a stepping stone.”

His coach was George Armstrong, with a laid-back style in contrast to future taskmasters Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan.

“The Chief ran things the way he wanted,” Howe laughed. “We were up in Montreal (at the Memorial Cup) just having an east-west practice, while every other team was working like crazy. (GM) Frank Bonello came down and said ‘you can’t do this with all the media (watching)’. George said, ‘This is what I’ve done all year and I’m going to continue’. He kept us loose and taught us the right things.”

The Howes stunned the hockey world a few months later, announcing they’d play for the WHA’s Houston Aeros, Gordie included. Houston had drafted Mark as an underage, which Gordie credits Colleen with devising, much to the chagrin of NHL GMs.

“A lot of people criticized, but I’d never change that,” Mark said. “To be given an opportunity to play with my dad and brother meant the world.”

A psychic told Colleen there were three trophies in the family’s future in '73-74, and sure enough, Houston won the Avco Cup, Gordie was MVP and Mark rookie of the year.

After three years, Aeros coach Bill Dineen made the keen observation that left-winger Mark’s vision of the ice would be of more use on the blueline.

While many people think of the Howes as a forward line, they only started one game as such, in ’79, when the Hartford Whalers joined the NHL and played the ancestral home in Detroit. Gordie retired that year, Marty in 1985, but Mark was just getting started.

“A lot of defencemen can switch to forward, but forward to defence is a lot tougher,” said ex-NHLer Bob McGill. “When I played Mark, first and foremost he was an excellent skater, 30 minutes a night before they probably clocked that. Mark and Brad McCrimmon were partners, the dynamic duo. Every time you played the Flyers, your No. 1 guys would be shut down.

“The big thing he never got credit for was how he quarterbacked the power play. He certainly inherited some hockey sense from his father, but he had a much better shot and his passing was better than he was given credit for.”

Mark had a career high 82 points in 1985-86 and was in 26 playoff games in ’87 when the Flyers lost the Cup final in seven games to Edmonton. Having survived one of the most gruesome injuries in hockey when the sharp stake holding up an old style net impaled him in 1980, the wear and tear eventually saw him let loose by Philly as a free agent. But it was the long awaited chance to play in Detroit, where he remains as scouting director.

“The only thing I could regret is after retiring, Dad said ‘why didn’t you take my number out of the rafters and wear it for one game?’ Had he asked, I would have, because otherwise I’d have never thought of doing it.”

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

[hockeygod]

Next wave of American stars arrive in NHL

Dan Gelston, The Associated Press, Nov. 09, 2011

Long before he was a budding star for the Philadelphia Flyers, James van Riemsdyk was a big New York Rangers fan.

Brian Leetch and Mike Richter were more than champions and star players.

They were proof that Americans could play hockey, too.

“Loved those guys,” van Riemsdyk said. “Any American, you always kind of have a special connection. Being American, you take some pride. Brett Hull. Mike Modano, I loved.”

Raised in New Jersey, van Riemsdyk was a prospect, even in youth hockey. He also played partially at a private high school in the Garden State, the genesis of a career that led him all the way to being the No. 2 overall pick of the 2007 NHL draft. In his third season in Philadelphia, van Riemsdyk has already played in a Stanley Cup final and been rewarded by the Flyers with a six-year contract extension.

Van Riemsdyk is also one of the standouts of the current crop of great American players in the NHL. As players like Hull, Modano and Chris Drury have retired, they've been replaced by a new wave of all-star Americans that are among the best at their respective positions.

Ryan Callahan captains the Rangers. Phil Kessel leads the NHL with 11 goals and 22 points entering Wednesday. Tim Thomas won a Stanley Cup with Boston last season. Zach Parise is one of the top goal scorers for New Jersey. Patrick Kane twice bested van Riemsdyk, first as the top pick of the ‘07 draft, then leading the Chicago Blackhawks past the Flyers for the championship in 2010.

“We already have a pretty young Olympic team and the USA team won the gold in the juniors last year, so that's a good sign,” Parise said. “I see a lot of good players from the colleges coming up and making it in the league now. There are younger, more talented players, even younger than me, moving up.”

Americans are coming from more than traditional hockey areas like Minnesota and the New England states. Van Riemsdyk was the highest draft pick out of New Jersey since New Brunswick's Brian Lawton was taken first overall by Minnesota in 1983.

“If you look back 15, 20 years, it was unheard of if there was even a guy drafted from Jersey, let alone a first-round pick,” van Riemsdyk said. “There's no reason to think it can't become a hockey hotbed.”

Anaheim's Bobby Ryan is from New Jersey. Washington Capitals defenceman John Carlson was born in Massachusetts, but played youth hockey and high school hockey in New Jersey.

The state known for Bruce Springsteen could find a rising number of prospects become stars in the NHL.

“I know when I played in New Jersey, we'd produce teams that went to the national tournaments and hung right with teams from those states,” Carlson said.

“You're now starting to see guys make it to the NHL from there, and it's only going to continue. There's a lot of talent there, in New Jersey, and it's improved talent. It's kind of a place now, where players coming out of New Jersey can decide on whether to go to college or whether to go pro. Maybe before, there were guys striving to get to college. Now, they're pushing for more.”

But how much more the Americans achieve outside the Stanley Cup is in doubt. An aging group of American veterans flamed out at the Turin Games, kickstarting a youth movement that led to a silver medal in Vancouver.

St. Louis Blues forward Jamie Langenbrunner, one of the older American stars easing the transition to a new generation, captained that Vancouver team. He said the result there can only help Americans earn more respect at the international level.

“You don't have to win every time, but you've got to be a tough team. You can't be a walkover,” he said. “The Olympics were a good step.”

But there's still work ahead. The U.S. has struggled at the World Championships.

“I don't know if it's put on quite the same pedestal for the Americans as it is for other countries,” Langenbrunner said. “But I think the young kids you see in the league right now, there's so many good young Americans. It's in good hands for a while. They should continue to be in that upper group.”

It's still in doubt whether NHL players will be making the trip to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Olympics. Van Riemsdyk has represented his country at various world championships and would love to try and earn Olympic gold.

“When you get a chance to do that, it gives you an extra sense of pride,” he said. “That's something I never take for granted. Any chance I can pull on that red, white and blue sweater, I'm always anxious to do it.”

Players like Kane and van Riemsdyk have long, distinguished careers ahead of them and plenty of time to try and match the careers of great American players like Pat LaFontaine, Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick, Modano and Leetch.

“I don't think we look at it so much as carrying the torch for those guys. They were all great players, and they did so much for our game, for our game in this country, certainly,” Carlson said. “But we are our own players, and we're going to have our own impact on American hockey as we continue to develop in this league.”

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

[hockeygod]

HITCHCOCK HIGH ON LEAFS

By TERRY KOSHAN, QMI Agency, Nov 10 2011

As he worked for the Columbus Blue Jackets between head-coaching gigs, Ken Hitchcock kept a dossier on each of the other 29 teams in the National Hockey League.

The recently hired coach of the St. Louis Blues isn’t swayed by the Maple Leafs’ two-game swoon.

“I watched them play live twice, and they are dynamic,” Hitchcock said on Wednesday. “They’re on the wrong side of things now, but only for two games, and they only need a crack about this big (said as he held a finger and thumb about a puck-width apart) to score.

“They’re the top rush-attack team in the league. To me, there are not many teams in the league that can score off the rush, but they can. They make plays that not many teams try, and that’s always a little bit unnerving if you get careless.”

How to beat a club that is quick in transition?

“They’re like any other team with top-end skill on a lot of lines,” Hitchcock said. “You have to make them defend more than they want to.”

——

So… the best defence is a good offence! If you have the puck more often, they are playing defence! Puck possession is the key (duh!)

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

[hockeygod]

Joe Nieuwendyk: The winning touch

By LANCE HORNBY, QMI Agency, Nov 10 2011

TORONTO – To those who watched everything Joe Nieuwendyk touch turn to gold, it’s no surprise the team he runs is first overall on the eve of entering the Hockey Hall of Fame.

With the Dallas Stars atop the NHL, Nieuwendyk will have the million dollar view from the Great Hall’s stage on Monday.

“You looked at a player such as Joe and said ‘this guy’s going to be a real good NHLer’, ” said Cliff Fletcher. “Well, people started looking at Joe years later, saying ‘this guy’s going to be a terrific general manager, too’.

“Joe was an insightful player. No one understands the game better and he’s had the opportunity to play for different GMs and some great coaches. When he retired, you could just see his potential, through his people skills. He’s also a good listener, which is important in hockey, but applicable to everything in life and something that’s missing with a lot of people.”

Fletcher has been tracking Nieuwendyk almost every step of the journey to the Hall. In 1986, the Flames’ GM used a second round pick from the Minnesota North Stars, acquired months earlier for Kent Nilsson, to secure Nieuwendyk out of Cornell University. Within three years, Nieuwendyk helped win the Flames’ inaugural Stanley Cup, the first of three for the Whitby, Ont. native, who repeated with Dallas in 1999 (as Conn Smythe winner) and New Jersey in 2003.

Nieuwendyk notched 51 goals as a rookie to win the Calder, later the King Clancy Trophy for leadership on and off the ice and brought home Olympic gold in 2002 with Team Canada.

“He’s as Canadian as it gets, great and humble at the same time,” said Sportsnet analyst Nick Kypreos. “With him, it’s just going about your business. He’s never clamoured for the spotlight or needed to come up with a clever quote to get some attention. Some people just get it and he’s one of them.”

That was recognized at Cornell when Nieuwendyk was named to the century old Sphinx Head Society, the school’s cream of the crop, whose ranks include prominent judges, politicians, writers and business tycoons.

On the ice, he slipped past the scouts his draft year while playing Jr. B for the Pickering Panthers, then had 21 goals as a freshman for the Big Red. Nieuwendyk and Brian Leetch were among the Hobey Baker finalists in 1987 and when he joined the Flames that spring, he burst in with five goals in nine games, then 51 his first full year.

“Immediate impact,” Fletcher said. “It wasn’t like inserting a rookie into your lineup, it was inserting a top line veteran.”

The whole NHL community took notice.

PAIN AND SWEAT

“Joey was nothing but class,” retired referee Bill McCreary said. “Obviously, he gave 110% for his teammates and the crest that he wore, but he was never an issue with the officials. If he had a question, he always approached us in a professional manner.”

Nieuwendyk, who was a teenaged Minto Cup lacrosse champion for the Whitby Warriors with future Flames’ teammate Gary Roberts, never tired of lifting trophies.

“When you win the Cup so early in your career, you think, ‘We’ll go back out and win four or five more’, ” said Flames’ teammate Lanny McDonald. “Roberts was never able to win one (more), but Nieuwendyk, to his credit, won three with three different teams.”

Nieuwendyk enters the Hall with two of his Cup-winning mates, Doug Gilmour of the Flames and Stars’ goalie Ed Belfour.

“You always look back to a lot of the pain and the sweat that you went through to get there,” Nieuwendyk said. “I was fortunate to go through it with both those guys. The common denominator with both, and I think probably the case for everybody that goes in the Hall, is that these two guys were ultimate competitors.”

Marc Crawford, who coached the Colorado Avalanche to the ’96 Cup, knows how hard it is to get the ideal conditions in the room for just one run from October to June. The league is going on 14 years without a repeat champ.

“Joe did it with three different teams, in three different roles, as a No. 1 centre, No. 2 and so on,” Crawford said. “And any time you score as many goals as he did (564) and pay the price in traffic through 20 years, that’s pretty impressive.”

Back woes likely dating to his lacrosse years helped end Nieuwendyk’s playing career at 40. The only places his magic didn’t work were Florida and Toronto, where the long Leaf Cup jinx held through his 2003-04 season. He did have six goals in nine playoff games, in Toronto’s last playoff appearance.

“We had a great dressing room and were one of the teams that had a shot, but we came up a bit short,” Nieuwendyk said.

“Still, I’ll never regret playing for the team so close to my hometown, the team my idols played for. Every day was a pleasure coming to the Air Canada Centre where the people lived and breathed hockey.”

Nieuwendyk might be taking the Cup for another ride through Whitby before long.

“People wonder how Dallas is doing it this year — is it smoke and mirrors?,” Kypreos wondered. “Then you realize it’s Joe making the decisions and it makes it a little clearer.”

“You can see right now, how many good moves he’s made,” added Crawford, “whether it’s Kari Lehtonen, Alex Goligoski, Vern Fiddler or Sheldon Souray, he just does the right things. He recognizes what you need to do to make a team good.”

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

[hockeygod]

Kennedy: The sensitivity of a sporting legacy

Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News, 2011-11-09

If you’re of a certain generation, you may remember Pro Stars, the cartoon (and breakfast cereal, naturally) that combined the awesome powers of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Bo Jackson as sporting superheroes who helped kids.

Twenty years later, the landscape is shifting dramatically. Jordan is currently the biggest villain of the NBA lockout – a former superstar player-turned-owner who apparently has taken a very hard line on negotiating with his former union. Some current players are even swearing off his famous Air Jordan sneakers as an affront to what they see as hypocrisy from His Airness, who once told Washington owner Abe Pollin to sell his team if he couldn’t make money.

Meanwhile, Gretzky was just called out by retired enforcer Georges Laraque as the “worst coach” he ever played for. The Great One’s tenure as bench boss in Phoenix was certainly dismal and has largely replaced his best post-career moment, his fiery Olympic tirade in 2002, as his current legacy.

Jackson, meanwhile, had the shortest playing career of the three due to injury problems. But he largely stayed out of the limelight afterwards. You’ll see him throw out a ceremonial first pitch here and there, but the two-sport phenom has been more of an investor and entrepreneur since his days on the field ended. When you think of Bo Jackson, it’s pretty much all positive.

And I think there’s an important lesson here. Legacies are so delicate in sports and a very special generation of hockey players is reaching a crucial crossroads. Despite name recognition, starting at the top can be perilous. Once Gretzky bought into the Phoenix Coyotes, he very quickly took over the hockey operations, then the head coaching duties a few years later. He surrounded himself with buddies such as Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey and Mike Barnett.

Contrast that with Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, a player who inspired nearly as much adulation as Gretzky – and that’s no small feat. Yzerman’s climb to the top began as a vice president with the Detroit Red Wings, where he spent five years learning from some of the best minds in hockey, such as Ken Holland, Jim Nill and Jim Devellano. Only then did he feel he was ready to take over the lion’s share of duties in Tampa and, thanks in part to a great deal of skill on the Bolts, guided the team to within one goal of the Stanley Cup final as a rookie GM. His right-hand man was Julien BriseBois and his head coach was Guy Boucher. Both were up-and-comers in the hockey world and coveted by other organizations.

On a smaller scale, Doug Gilmour is going through the same pains as Gretzky in Kingston, Ont. The Frontenacs boast a long history in the Ontario League, but have been a painful team for years now. After two and a half ineffective seasons behind the bench, Gilmour was bumped up to the GM’s chair and his team now sits with the OHL’s second-worst record. His coaches include Todd Gill and Curtis Joseph, two fellow former Toronto Maple Leafs with no major junior coaching experience (though Gill’s credentials from Jr. A are excellent). How long will the Gilmour experiment in Kingston last before a full-scale fan revolt, or ‘Dougie’ gets tired of the scrutiny and quits?

Gilmour holds rare clout in Ontario, but goodwill doesn’t last forever and being the bad guy is not something hockey men of his stature are accustomed to. There’s something to be said for paying your dues, even if you come in with Hall of Fame playing credentials.

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

[hockeygod]

Shot blocking in the NHL shifts from rarity to necessity

PAUL WALDIE, Globe and Mail, Nov. 11 2011

When Russ Courtnall was playing hockey, he wouldn’t dare step in front of a shot and not many of his teammates did either.

Blocking shots was a rarity in Courtnall’s day, so much so the NHL didn’t even keep track of the statistic until 2005. “I wasn’t going to put my skinny leg in front of a shot,” said Courtnall who spent 16 seasons in the NHL from 1983 to 1999. “Far more players are blocking shots today than when I was playing.”

Indeed, shot blocking has become such a key component of hockey, Courtnall is now helping coach his 15-year-old son’s team on how to stand in front of a shooter. “We started when they were nine or 10 with sponge pucks and balls,” he explained. “We tried to teach them the timing in getting in front of a shot.”

Shot blocking has increased steadily in the NHL in recent years, a sign of the growing importance it plays in team strategy. In the 2005-06 season the St. Louis Blues led the league with 634 blocked shots and 92 players overall stopped 100 or more shots. Last season Anaheim led with 714 blocked shots and six other teams had more than 640. As for individual players, 110 blocked 100 shots or more.

The are many possible explanations about why shot blocking has become so prevalent. Some point to rule changes in 2005 that opened up the game and left shot blocking as one of the few legal means available to counter skilled players. Others say improvements in equipment have given players better protection. And still more say players are just bigger, stronger and more durable nowadays.

“Teams are definitely harping on it a lot more,” said Mark Stuart, a Winnipeg Jets defencemen who is tied for sixth in the league with 40 blocked shots so far this season. “In the last few years, there are a lot of teams that just collapse five guys in front of the net. Basically, if you are shooting from the point, you’ve got to get through two guys and then the goalie.”

Teams like the New York Rangers pride themselves on shot blocking and last year Ranger defenceman Dan Girardi led the NHL with 236 blocked shots. Girardi didn’t start blocking shots until he reached the NHL in 2006, when it became a central part of the Rangers’ penalty killing.

Some teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins have practised shot blocking over the years using sponge pucks. But that’s still rare and players are generally left to figure out how to do it themselves. Techniques vary, from lying down on the ice just as a shooter winds up, to standing up and being as big as possible to reduce the target area. Other players go down on one knee or both, making it easier to get back into the play once the shot is taken.

The key is to get as close to the shooter as possible. That cuts down on the speed of the puck which reduces the possibility of injury. Above all, timing and positioning are crucial. “You have to know when he is going to shoot because if you just go down and try and block a shot and he just passes it around you, it’s not working,” said Stuart who prefers to stand while blocking shots.

However a players does it, shot blocking can take its toll. Stuart has already missed a couple of games this season because of injuries inflicted from shot blocking. The Jets have also been without defenceman Randy Jones for four games after he got hurt blocking a shot with his foot. Even though many shot blockers wear extra padding on their hands and skates, it is often no match for a puck travelling at up to 160 kilometres an hour.

Most important of all, players need to know when to step aside and not block a shot at all.

“There are guys who are really good at it. But there’s guys that when they are not good at it, sometimes it can be a nightmare to a goalie,” said Jets goalie Chris Mason. Poor shot blocking leaves goalies screened and opposing players unguarded and able to pick up a loose rebound. Mason’s preference is for forwards to try to block shots at the point. If they can’t, then the defencemen should leave the shot to the goaltender.

Like many goalies, Mason has mixed views on the popularity of shot blocking, saying it has almost become a fad. While he appreciates the sacrifice his teammates make, he sometimes prefers them to just get out of the way. “I just think that the game today there’s maybe a little too much forcing guys into doing that when it’s not necessary.”

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

[hockeygod]

Doug Gilmour primed for Hockey Hall of Fame induction

ROBERT MacLEOD, Globe and Mail, Nov. 11 2011

They played together on the Calgary Flames team that won the Stanley Cup in 1989, were briefly teammates in Toronto with the Leafs, and have remained active in the game since their playing careers ended.

So it seems somehow fitting that Doug Gilmour and Joe Nieuwendyk will once again come together, this time as inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremony will take place on Monday in Toronto as the Hall will also open its doors to goaltender Ed Belfour and defenceman Mark Howe, who will join his father Gordie as an honoured member.

“He was a great teammate, a character. Not much really bothered Dougie,” said Nieuwendyk, who is general manager of the Dallas Stars, one of the NHL’s top teams so far this season.

“He very much liked to have a good time off the ice in the locker room joking around. He didn’t take it too seriously but when the puck dropped he turned into this ferocious 170-pound guy.”

For Gilmour, a former Leaf and Chicago Blackhawks captain, the Hall of Fame tribute is another in a long list of hockey accomplishments for the scrawny Kingston, Ont., kid who many figured would never amount to much in the game.

At 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds, Gilmour went undrafted in his first year of NHL eligibility.

Even after he piled up 119 points in his final junior year with the Ontario Hockey League’s Cornwall Royals in 1981-82, Gilmour had to wait until the seventh round before the St. Louis Blues called his name.

And despite totalling 128 goals and 203 assists in 186 games during his junior career, Blues coach Jacques Demers took one look at the undersized centre in training camp and asked one question.

“Demers asked if I could check,” Gilmour recalled. “I said, ‘Well, yeah.’ You do what you can to stay there [in the NHL].”

And stay he did, a memorable career that spanned 20 years with seven different clubs in which he scored 450 goals and 964 assists in 1,474 regular season games.

It was in the post season where Gilmour cemented his reputation as a clutch performer, tallying another 188 playoff points (60 goals, 128 assists) in 182 games.

When the Flames were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs in 1988 after finishing first overall during the regular season, former Calgary GM Cliff Fletcher knew that changes had to be made.

He targeted Gilmour and the following season he landed Gilmour along with Mark Hunter, Steve Bozek and Michael Dark from the Blues in exchange for Mike Bullard, Craig Coxe and Tim Corkery.

Playing for the first time with Nieuwendyk, Gilmour helped lead a veteran-laden Calgary squad to its first – and to date only – Stanley Cup championship in 1989.

Fletcher will tell you that the Flames would never have won that year if not for Gilmour.

Fletcher moved to the Maple Leafs in the summer of 1991 and on Jan. 2, 1992, he brought Gilmour on board in a blockbuster deal involving 10 players, the largest trade in league history.

The Leafs missed the playoffs that year but then began a memorable run that saw Toronto advance to the Eastern Conference finals in 1993 and 1994.

During the 1993 playoff run, Gilmour scored one of the most memorable goals in Leafs history in Game 1 of the conference semi-finals against the Blues.

Gilmour negotiated a 360-degree spin move behind the St. Louis net before he jammed home a backhander past Curtis Joseph that won it for the Leafs in the second overtime period.

Diversions Illustration. Doug Gilmour. Credit: Anthony Jenkins / The Globe and Mail

Gilmour said another thing he’ll never forget about his tenure in Toronto was when the Leafs came close to landing Wayne Gretzky during the summer of 1996.

Gretzky was a free agent looking to sign a contract that would be his last as a player and he had targeted Toronto as his first choice.

Gilmour said he took a phone call from Fletcher that summer asking him a simple question.

“Cliff said, ‘How would you like to have Gretz?’” Gilmour said. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’ll play wing right now.’ I said he can have the C.”

The deal was nixed at the last moment by former Leaf owner Steve Stavro and Gretzky wound up signing with the New York Rangers.

Gilmour was traded that season to the New Jersey Devils and he would bounce around with the Devils, the Blackhawks, the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens before returning to the Leafs in 2003.

In his first game upon his return Gilmour injured his knee that would send him into retirement.

Gilmour is currently the general manager of the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs.

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

[hockeygod]

NHL not budging with Coyotes

Heading into Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, the Phoenix Coyotes were averaging 10,023 fans. Only the Dallas Stars, with an average of 10,001 fans, were drawing fewer.

Pat Hickey, Postmedia News, Nov 11 2011

The sky is so blue above the Arizona desert that it has often been substituted in postcards for the sky over, say, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh or even sunny Florida.

But the future of hockey in the Valley of the Sun remains as cloudy as ever.

Depending on your point of view, Jobing.com Arena was half-full or half-empty Thursday night when the Montreal Canadiens faced the hometown Phoenix Coyotes. (Disclaimer: The arena is a half-hour drive from downtown Phoenix).

The team has been owned by the National Hockey League for two full seasons. Plenty of would-be buyers have kicked the tires, haggled over the price and faded into the picturesque sunset.

This summer brought news that two groups had been pre-approved by the NHL. One is headed by Jerry Reinsdorf, a local resident who owns the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox. The frontman for the other group is Greg Jamison, who is the former president of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. When a local insider was asked about the progress of the sale, he shrugged and replied: “Who knows?”

The most baffling aspect of the Coyotes situation is why the other 29 owners in the league haven’t pushed commissioner Gary Bettman to resolve the mess here by allowing someone to buy the team and move it. The current situation was created when Bettman vetoed Jim Balsillie’s bid to buy the team from Jerry Moyes and move it to southern Ontario. Since then, Bettman has made it his personal crusade to keep the team in this market.

While it may be admirable to say that the NHL doesn’t want to abandon the loyal fans here, there’s every indication that the fan base simply isn’t large enough to support an NHL team. The uncertainty over the team’s future doesn’t encourage fans to invest themselves emotionally.

In the first season after the work stoppage, the Coyotes drew an average of 15,582 fans. In the first year under league ownership, the average had dropped to 11,989 and the average last season was 11,285.

The decline flew in the face of Bettman’s long-held assertion that the best cure for low attendance in the league’s non-traditional markets is a winning team. The Coyotes, under the leadership of general manager Don Maloney, have defied the odds and have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons with one of the NHL’s lowest payrolls.

At the end of September, the team announced that season-ticket renewals were at an all-time high and that ticket sales generally were up. Heading into Thursday’s game, the Coyotes were averaging 10,023 fans. Only the Dallas Stars, with an average of 10,001 fans, were drawing fewer.

And the Coyotes don’t have any more success drawing fans on the road. The average turnout for a Coyotes road game is a league-low 13,272.

It’s time for the NHL to find the Coyotes a more hospitable habitat.

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

[Author]

Posts