Articles

[hockeygod]

Team Denmark's family trio

QMI Agency, Dec 27 2011

They might as well be hockey's first family of Denmark.

With head coach Todd Bjorkstrand and his two sons, Patrick and Oliver, all with the national team at the 2012 World Junior Championships, they're representing both nation and name in Edmonton this week.

After growing up in the U.S. hockey hub of Minneapolis, Todd spent time in the minor pro leagues before leaving the continent to pursue a 12-year career in the Danish Super League with Herning.

Both his sons were born there.

"At the time, I was playing in the IHL, so it was an opportunity to go over there for one year and move on, but that didn't happen," said Todd, who moved from the ice to behind the bench of the Herning Blue Foxes after notching 1,100 career points and four league MVP honours.

"I signed for another year and met my wife (Janne). We got married, and I've been over there for 21 years now."

The last two of which he has spent coaching the junior national squad, which was joined by 16-year-old Oliver this year to complete the family's international trifecta.

"It's a special feeling," said the 5-foot-10, 156-pound Oliver. "Me and Patrick, we play on the same line in Denmark and my dad's the coach there also, so we're used to it. It helps a lot."

As does having their father's footsteps to follow as they pursue pro careers.

"It's special, with your dad and what he's accomplished," said Patrick, 19.

"You always try to live up to that, but I have never really felt that much pressure and he's never really put that much pressure on me.

"He just wants me to be happy and love what I do. I want to do well, so I put a lot of pressure on myself."

Determination is a trait the brothers share.

"We both want to make it to the NHL," said Patrick.

"It's a long road, but we want to do what it takes … and I think we can accomplish it if we work hard."

And the world junior championship offers them a big step in the right direction.

"It's been unbelievable," Patrick said. "I've never been in a hockey stadium this packed."

Opening night of the tournament saw Denmark lose 11-3 to the U.S. in a game that featured both homelands of the Bjorkstrands.

"I'm from Minnesota, I'm a hockey player. They've been around it their whole lives and everything," said Todd, who reunites with family members in the U.S. as often as possible.

"We go there every summer. I love it in Minnesota," said the 6-foot, 191-pound Patrick.

"It's like a second home, I think."

Communication is key to the success of their father/ coach relationship — though the Bjorkstrands use different languages to achieve it.

"I've always spoken English," Patrick said.

"My dad, he started when I was a little kid and I speak Danish to my mom and English to my dad. He can speak Danish, but of course he prefers English.

"We've always been used to it, it's just natural for us."

While Todd understands the language of his transplanted home, he said he runs his practices in English. It's not due to a lack of effort — he made a courageous-but-accent- challenged attempt to speak Danish early on — but has since been urged to stick with his mother tongue.

"Most players speak English," Oliver said. "So they know what he says and I don't think it's a problem."

HOCKEY HOME: Herning,

Denmark, is not only home to the Bjorkstrands, but also the country's oldest and newest NHL draftees. Frans Nielsen was taken 87th overall in 2002 by the New York Islanders, while Oshawa Generals right winger and current junior national team member Nicklas Jensen was taken 29th overall by the Vancouver Canucks this year.

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

[hockeygod]

Northstars hope history lesson includes repeat of ’87

John Down, Calgary Herald December 28, 2011

The year was 1987. A very good year . . . for the Calgary Northstars. It was the one and only time they won the Mac’s Tournament.

“I would have just graduated,” smiles bench boss Keith Fagnan, whose team is off to a 2-0 start in the 34th edition of the battle among 25 of the country’s and two international major midget AAA teams.

So does the Max Bell Centre based-club, which also serves as tournament headquarters, use history and that long drought to inspire their young guns?

“History is big with us,” admitted Fagnan. “Not just ’87, but all our teams and we make sure the guys understand what the makeup and character of those teams were and let them know they have that opportunity every time they step on the ice.”

The Northstars are tied for fourth in the Dodge Division of the Alberta Major Midget Hockey League but have picked up the pace considerably in recent games and are now strutting a more complete team game.

They opened the Mac’s on Monday with a 3-1 win over the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers and followed it up Tuesday with a 6-0 romp over the Tisdale Trojans in Pool 4.

Sam Plaquin popped two goals and an assist and Riley Whittingham a goal and two assists to support the 21-save shutout of goaltender Davin Green over the 1995 finalist from Saskatchewan.

“We were a little inconsistent at the beginning (of the season) and then about eight games before the Mac’s, the guys started to play with consistency, eliminate the peaks and valleys,” said Fagnan. “That’s when we got on a consistent roll so things have been good.”

Needless to say, these young men draw an added adrenalin when they lace up for Mac’s games but Fagnan doesn’t see it as a prime driving force.

“We want to continue to progress going forward and right into the playoffs at the end of the year so we sort of structure everything to climb that mountain one step at a time,” he said. “This tournament is just one of those steps . . . our goal is to get better every game, every month.”

The Northstars, like several teams, also have a highly-touted rookie prospect in 15-year-old defenceman Ben Thomas.

A six-foot-two, 170-pounder, the Calgarian was drafted in the third round of last summer’s Western Hockey League bantam draft by the Calgary Hitmen.

“Talented players like Ben have a tendency to continue to get better and rise to the challenge,” said Fagnan. “He’s been pushed this year probably like he’s never been pushed in the past. “It’s only going to make him better and has made him better.”

Thomas, unlike many others, has been able to take the big step from Bantam AAA to Midget AAA.

“It’s a pretty big adjustment,” said the team’s only 15-year-old, “but I’m doing OK so far. It’s harder to handle some of the players because they’re bigger than they were in bantam and the speed’s a lot faster, too, but other than that, it’s gone OK.”

That’s not to say there weren’t trials and lessons to be learned as he pushes hard to take yet another step next season and play in the WHL.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes throughout the season, but I just learn from them and keep going,” he said. “At first I was a little bit shaky but I’ve settled in and feel like I belong in this league. I hope to play for the Hitmen next year, and if I keep working hard, maybe I’ll make it.”

THIS AND THAT: The Calgary Bruins marched out pink jerseys for their Pool 7 girls game last night against the Saskatoon Stars in support of the fight against breast cancer . . . Not too many sons of NHLers spotted but Taylor Joseph, a rangy forward with the York Simcoe Express, can lay claim to that honour. He’s a son of former NHL goalie Curtis Joseph, who had a nine-game pit stop with the Flames during 2007-08.

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

[hockeygod]

Johnson: Team Sweden, where the name remains the same

George Johnson, Postmedia News December 27, 2011

CALGARY — Stands to reason that an 18-year-old Swede named Forsberg would select as his favourite all-time hockey hero maybe, say, a Mats Sundin. Or a Nick Lidstrom. Markus Naslund, as a doff of the butterfly-wing-thin Jofa helmet to nostalgia. Or perhaps one of those precocious copycat twins out Vancouver way.

But no. Against all odds, flying in the face of logic, he picks — “Peter Forsberg,’’ replies Filip Forsberg.

And no, the kid’s no kin. Not a son. A nephew. Not even a distant second cousin removed, remotely linked by some relative’s wife’s third marriage on the outskirts of Ostervala.

“Sorry,’’ he confesses wearily. “Not at all.’’

Thanks for asking.

“Since I’ve come to this tournament,’’ sighs Forsberg, “I’ve answered that question like, 10 times before.

“It’s an honour to be compared to him.’’

If only by name?

“In some small way.’’

So, Forsberg picks Forsberg.

Who’d have thought?

“I’ve tried to watch him as much as I can. Some late games, it was hard to watch. But the national team’s games I have seen. I have seen his tributes many times on the YouTube.

“He could do everything. Not the biggest guy on the ice but one of the toughest. I really liked the way he used his own body to protect himself and protect the puck.

“Of course, I take some pieces of (other players’) games to make my game better; to learn from all the guys I watch on TV.’’

The WinSport Arenas are a clearing house for Pool A world junior teams on this Tuesday late morning. The density of traffic, comings and goings, are on par with the airport hub in Frankfurt.

Those are the Latvians trooping off Ice Sheet 1 to make way for the Russians. Slovakia has vacated No. 2, and the Swiss are clomping over from their dressing room. Sweden, meanwhile, has just finished a brisk hour-long workout on No. 3.

In such controlled chaos, it’s easy for Filip Forsberg to get lost in the shuffle.

Not that he can count on that for very much longer.

“I’ve always dreamed of being in the spotlight, of course,’’ confesses Forsberg, an anticipated top-five selection in the upcoming summer’s NHL draft.

“I want to play in the NHL against the best players in the world. But first of all I have to be drafted. Then I’ve got one year left on my contract (with Leksands IF of the Allsvenskan) back home. So when the time is right, I have to make a decision.’’

Swedish coach Roger Ronnberg is confident when the decisive moment arrives, this kid will make the right call.

“He’s really mature. You can’t believe he was born in ‘94. Sometimes it feels like you’re talking to your older brother.

“He has a unique attitude, character. How should I say . . . he has the self-confidence to look at himself from outside. The way he approaches the game, fantastic. It doesn’t matter if we are here in the practice rink or we are playing Canada in Rexall.

“He’s the same kid.

“Just competing, chasing the puck.’’

The 1-0 Swedes are faced with a tricky test Wednesday versus a Swiss team that played infinitely better than a 3-0 loss against pre-tourney co-favourites Russia would suggest. With a showdown looming against the Russians on New Year’s Eve for first place in the group, the ambitious Swedes can’t afford an unexpected slip-up.

“They have good skaters, as us,’’ adjudged Ronnberg. “They work hard, as us. They forecheck well, backcheck well, block shots and have a lot of offensive threats in the lineup. We are aware of that.

“We know it’s going to be a really tough game.’’

Much, as always, is expected of this Swedish group, particularly after slaying Canada in a pre-tournament game. Ronnberg, though, isn’t about to start blaring trumpets and tossing confetti.

“I don’t want to talk about expectations,’’ counters the coach. “I want to talk about dreams, about goals. Our dream, our goal, is to win the gold. But we have to conquer the gold. We will never be given the gold.

“If we play our best hockey in the right games, sure we can take it. But it comes down to one or two games. We are really humble about that.’’

He has passed that humility down to his players.

“Of course,’’ echoes Forsberg, “we’re going for the gold. But we don’t think of ourselves as the favourites at this tournament. The Russians are obviously good. And Canada, too. So maybe we are little on the outside.

“I like it that way.

“It doesn’t matter if we play our best games here at the beginning and then lose in the semifinal. After that it’s . . . over. So we need to grow through the whole tournament.’’

The growth of the collective is naturally deeply entwined with the ongoing growth of its budding star.

So what’s in a name, anyway?

Plenty, if you’re a highly-touted Swede and it happens to be Forsberg.

“They have differences in the way they play, of course,’’ says Ronnberg. “But it’s a good comparison. Because the most important part of Peter Forsberg is the way he was competing. Always competing. Doing everything it takes to win a hockey game.

“Filip is the same.’’

Related? Maybe not by blood . . .

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

[hockeygod]

No one’s neutral about the Swiss

ERIC DUHATSCHEK, Globe and Mail, Dec. 28, 2011

His surname is well-known in hockey circles around North America, but it was only after Dave Sutter arrived from Monthey, Switzerland to play junior for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds that he became aware of its significance on this side of the ocean.

“Everyone in Seattle was saying, ‘Your name is Sutter? That’s unbelievable. You have Sutters in Switzerland?’ ”

Yes they have Sutters in Switzerland and the one playing defence for its world junior team is an imposing physical specimen, a 6-foot-5 giant of a defenceman with a familiar surname that resonates in these parts.

And so, while Canada’s world junior team is immersed in preliminary round action up in Edmonton, Switzerland has emerged as the people’s choice in the other half of the tournament, being played down in Cowtown.

Everybody loves an underdog, right?

Playing against a talented, but undisciplined Swedish team Wednesday, there was much to like about Switzerland’s performance in what finished as a heartbreaking 4-3 shootout loss against one of the tournament favourites.

Lukas Meili was stupendous in goal for the Swiss; Sutter provided a physical presence on defence; draft eligible Joel Vermin scored Switzerland’s first two goals of the tournament; and Dean Kukan tied the game with 2:04 to go in the third, setting the stage for a fabulous finish. Ultimately, Switzerland gave the Swedes everything they could handle through 60 minutes of regulation and five in overtime, falling only in the shootout, where its lack of scoring was acutely felt.

Switzerland’s performance was all the more remarkable, since it played much of the game without Sven Bartschi, its best player and maybe the purest goal-scorer that the NHL’s Calgary Flames have drafted in ages (and presumably, is the biggest reason for Switzerland’s popularity here).

Bartschi is lighting up the WHL like no other Calgary prospect since the 1996 world junior hero, Jarome Iginla, played for Kamloops – and everyone knows how well that turned out. Against Russia in the opener and then again in the early stages of the Swedish game, Bartschi’s presence caused a noticeable ripple in the crowd whenever he stepped on the ice at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Sadly, that ripple of interest in Bartschi turned into a murmur of concern, after he left the game in the opening period with an undisclosed injury. But Switzerland kept fighting and signalled that the A pool includes more than just Russia, Sweden and a trio of afterthoughts.

Fact is, Switzerland also gave a very good account of itself in the opener against Russia, ultimately losing 3-0 in a game in which it held a 40-30 edge in shots and looked far more poised than it did in a couple of pretournament games against Canada and the United States, which were both routs.

It isn’t just all about skiing any more and for Bartschi, the NHL’s lockout of 2004-05 made a key contribution to the current state of Swiss hockey. He was 13 at the time, busy playing with NHL ’05 on PlayStation, when all of a sudden, there they all were, live and in person – Joe Thornton and Rick Nash playing for Davos, Danny Brière and Dany Heatley for Bern, Martin St. Louis for Lausanne.

“I really appreciate that they came over,” Bartschi said in an interview before Wednesday’s game. “That’s exciting as a little kid, to see those guys on the ice and on TV. I look back on that and to think that maybe in a year or two, I have a chance to play against them …”

Switzerland may not be part of international hockey’s unofficial Big 7 (Canada, United States, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia), but it sometimes makes things interesting at the world juniors, and finished a credible fifth last year. The NHL is taking notice too: Bartschi went 13th overall in the 2011 entry draft, while his former Portland Winterhawks teammate, Nino Niederreiter, went fifth overall to the New York Islanders in 2010. Niederreiter was still eligible to play in the 2012 tournament, but the Islanders did not release him for duty.

“If you look at our league right now, the scoring leader [Damien Brunner of EV Zug] is a Swiss guy,” Bartschi said. “Normally, you see Canadians up there, but he’s a Swiss guy and he’s 10 points ahead of anybody else.

“If you look at the progress we did over the last couple of years, it’s exciting to watch.”

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

[hockeygod]

Finland upsets U.S. at world juniors

Roy MacGregor, Globe and Mail, Dec. 28, 2011

At times it looked more like a cartoon than a hockey game.

There were the formidable Americans – long, gangly kids stepping over the boards like giraffes – up against the already-dismissed Finns (courtesy of Canada’s 8-1 Boxing Day blowout), the shorter, stockier Europeans more like Shetland ponies in need of a boost to vault the boards.

And yet, and yet …

This was not the Finnish team of the Dec. 26 embarrassment. That game had been all about stage fright and Canadian bounces, a strong home team pouncing on an early lead and racing with it while the Finns grew increasingly eager for the game to end.

This Finnish team had a fresh face in goal, Sami Aittokallio, and a fresh sheet of ice on which to rewrite their ugly tournament story. And they did exactly that, this time enjoying home crowd advantage with the cheers for their white and blue coming from the red and white of those thousands of Canadian fans who had tickets to this game but not to the later match featuring Canada against the Czech Republic. Nor was this the U.S. team of the 2010 world junior championship held in Saskatoon, where they skated at warp speed and stunned a very strong Canadian team in the gold-medal game with a 6-5 overtime win.

This American team is mostly huge – defenceman Jarred Tinordi the hugest at 6 foot 7 – but Wednesday afternoon at Rexall Place they appeared slow relative to the darting Finns and, strangely, complacent while the Finns were feisty. Unless matters change, and dramatically, it hardly bodes well for the New Year’s Eve centrepiece of this tournament, when the rival Canadians and Americans are scheduled to meet in the final game before the tournament centres in Calgary to decide the medals.

While the Americans outshot the Finns 24-9 by the end of two periods, that statistic told next to nothing of the game. The Finns were ahead 1-0 when, off a cycle play in the right corner, Miikka Salomaki was allowed to walk out and roof a wrist shot past the glove of U.S. goaltender John Gibson.

At the other end, Aittokallio was superb and perfectly positioned on all direct shots, though he did allow a goal 19 seconds into the third period when Brandon Saad was left alone in front of the Finnish crease and tipped in a cross-ice pass from Emerson Etem.

How the Finns went on to win this game hinged on perhaps the most powerful force in this tournament – not speed, not size, but poor youthful judgment.

With the Americans pressing hard in the third period, the U.S. team was given a power play, only to have Gibson squander that by immediately taking an unnecessary interference penalty.

The Finns were able to turn that faux pas into renewed energy, with Joel Armia scoring on a partial breakaway by slipping the puck through Gibson’s five-hole. Then, a half minute later, the Finns went ahead 3-1 when a cross-ice pass clicked in off the skate of U.S. defenceman Jon Merrill. That goal was credited to Mikael Granlund.

Granlund’s brother, Markus, then helped set up Arnia for his second goal of the game, a week effort that Gibson should easily have stopped.

By the time the buzzer went, the dismissed Finnish teens had whipped the vaunted U.S. teens 4-1 in a game that no one but a proud Finnish grandparent could have predicted.

But then, that is the true beauty of the world juniors.

Where everything is possible.

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

[hockeygod]

NHL readies for big chill in Philly

Dan Gelston, The Associated Press, Dec. 28, 2011

After his final shift is over in the NHL's version of Old Timers' Day, former Flyers great Eric Lindros wants to stick around and catch the Winter Classic.

Can't blame him. The outdoor extravaganza has blossomed into a coveted score, with the price of admission rivalling a Super Bowl seat or Final Four trip.

Now can anyone find some tickets for Lindros to watch the Jan. 2 game between his former teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers?

“I've got a group of buddies and we're all going to head down and enjoy the weekend,” he said. “We hope to get some tickets to the Classic game. It's a hot ticket in town.”

There's not a hotter pair for any marquee event in Philadelphia.

Of course, it's never too late to buy a ticket on the secondary market.

Just be prepared to spend.

Lindros can still snag one on what will be the baseline in Citizens Park Bank for US $5,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, on StubHub.com

And critics say the NHL isn't as popular as the other Big Three sports.

It is when it's time for the NHL to leave the indoor, climate-controlled arenas and take it outside for its annual New Year's season showcase, an event that has morphed from a one-day game into a week-long winter carnival, going on a yearly tour from classic ballparks to super-sized NFL stadiums.

Only the Phillies' bats in October are supposed to go cold at Citizens Bank Park.

That all changes Monday when the Rangers and Flyers add a chilly chapter to their heated rivalry in one of baseball's most popular stadiums.

“We look for teams, we look for matchups, we look for facilities that we think when we put them all together, people will get excited about it,” NHL commissioner Garry Bettman said.

This will be the fifth Classic, third in a baseball stadium, and second straight with HBO's “24/7” cameras rolling.

The Flyers lost to the Boston Bruins two years ago at Fenway Park where the Green Monster served as an imposing backdrop.

“It was one of my best hockey moments,” Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said. “You hear the skate marks going off the ice. You hear the puck going off the glass when you miss the net. All the hockey sounds you don't get in a big-time building when the fans are right on you.”

The only change this season is the date.

The Winter Classic was bumped from its traditional Jan. 1 slot to Jan. 2 so the game wouldn't conflict with a full slate of NFL games. The Eagles' stadium across the street from CBP was ruled out because of the season finale against Washington.

The Phillies were happy to host the grudge match on the site of the 2009 World Series between the Phillies and the New York Yankees.

“We probably didn't anticipate just how comprehensive the whole thing is,” Phillies president David Montgomery said. “I give the NHL credit. It's quite an undertaking.”

The ballpark will be bustling with sticks and pucks over the next week from legends, to current greats to college kids and families. There is a free, three-day festival outside the CBP gates, Penn State plays Neumann University on Jan. 4 and Villanova plays Drexel the following day. The Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, plays the Hershey Bears on Jan. 6.

There's also a high school game, and open public skating — for $60 an hour.

That means about 175,000 fans are expected for the open-air events.

“It's a confirmation that Philadelphia is not just a Flyers town, but a bona fide hockey market,” team president Peter Luukko said.

The stadium is configured to a bit more than 44,000 seats: 20,000 tickets went to the Flyers, 10,000 for the Rangers, 4,000 for the Phillies and the rest to the NHL and corporate sponsors. The Flyers also allocated 1,300 tickets to youth hockey groups at discounted prices.

No wonder cities have turned up the heat on the league office to host the next Classic.

“Going back to the first game, we didn't know how quickly we could sell 73,000 seats in Buffalo, and it turned out we were sold out in 20 minutes,” NHL chief operating officer John Collins said.

The NHL stumbled onto a huge hit with the alumni game, a lace-up-the-skates exhibition that started last year in Pittsburgh and has generated huge hype this year in Philadelphia because of Lindros' long-awaited return after a decade of estrangement from the franchise he led to the 1997 Stanley Cup finals.

What the NHL thought would be a fleeting feel-good game when it made its debut last year in Pittsburgh, has turned into a feature attraction.

“We weren't planning on selling a whole lot of tickets, we allocated something like 5,000 tickets,” Collins said. “Then Mario Lemieux decided to play.

“Suddenly, the sense was, we could have sold out Heinz Field again for the alumni game and we weren't prepared. We were in the middle of a lot of operational detail, so I think we sold only about 10,500 tickets. We won't do that again. That's a great opportunity.”

Luukko said the alumni game is sold out. Former Flyers stars such as Lindros, Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent play ex-Rangers greats such as Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and Adam Graves on Saturday.

Not everyone was happy. Season-ticket holders did not have the Winter Classic in their package and were forced to buy tickets to the alumni and AHL games if they wanted to attend.

“We did have some limited complaints,” Luukko said.

Also, the official announcement from the league came in late September, well after the schedule was released, and after the news had leaked out in various forums since the spring. Montgomery said the first call from the Flyers came last January.

The NHL needed to work out a new TV deal with NBC and the Phillies had some ticket issues that needed to be addressed before the date was set.

“I'm sure the NHL would like to add more suites but, because of our contracts with our suite customers, we couldn't do that,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery and NHL officials did not disclose how much it cost to rent the ballpark. Included in that price tag is a new baseball field, which was last replaced after the 2009 World Series.

“That's probably the No. 1 issue,” Montgomery said.

Forget bats and balls.

This weekend is about Claude Giroux and Marian Gaborik. Danny Briere and Brad Richards. Ilya Bryzgalov and Henrik Lundqvist.

The Winter Classic, through its brief history, has always been about stars or ratings-friendly, large-market teams such as the Flyers and Rangers. As the tradition grows, the league could branch out to give small-market teams a shot.

Bettman said earlier this year in an interview with the Star Tribune, “We'd be crazy not to do a Winter Classic in Minnesota.” So the league definitely sees the market as ripe for the game.

At some point, the NHL will roll the dice between two teams that aren't steeped in history.

“Nobody ever cancelled their Super Bowl party because they didn't like the two teams playing in the game,” Collins said.

Locales for Super Bowls, WrestleManias, Final Fours and all-star games are selected well advance of the date. When the NHL released its season schedule, there was no mention of the Winter Classic. Collins conceded the league would like to announce future games about 14 or 15 months ahead to build into advertisers' marketing plans.

So where to next? The NHL would love to hit Yankee Stadium, but bowl game commitments make that impossible for the immediate future. NFL stadiums are tricky because of the playoffs and the time the league needs as it takes over a stadium. While college students are often on break around the Classic, college stadiums could be sites — consider, Michigan State tied Michigan 3-3 in overtime at Spartan Stadium before 74,554 people in 2001.

Collins laughed as he recalled a phone conversation from NBC Sports president of programming John Miller “probably 10 minutes into my first day,” with the classic pitch: “We'd like to do something big,” on New Year's Day.

Snow, a sold-out football stadium and Crosby scoring the shootout winner highlighted the inaugural event in 2008 between the Penguins and Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium. In 2009, the Chicago Blackhawks played the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field. In 2010, the Boston Bruins hosted the Flyers at Fenway Park. Last season, the Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field.

Now, there are news conferences for the game's official jersey unveiling, cameras are positioned for the arrival of ice trucks, and NHL.com airs a live “Winter Classic Rink Build.”

All this hoopla for a game not played for a Cup or trophy, but two points.

Lindros shouldn't miss out. He did have tickets before raffling them away for charity.

He can hit up a familiar face for a new pair.

“We'll probably have to take a few away from the commissioner,” Collins said, laughing.

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

[hockeygod]

The Sacre Bleu Issue With the Canadiens' New Coach
And the rest of the week in the NHL

Katie Baker, GRANTLAND.COM, Dec 22, 2011

When the Montreal Canadiens fired coach Jacques Martin over the weekend, it wasn't a shocking move. The team, floundering in last place in the Northeast Division, needed a shakeup. And while the Canadiens' head-coaching job has long been a revolving door, they weren't even the quickest in the league to send it spinning: Five other NHL teams had already canned their head coaches this season. The biggest surprise of Martin's dismissal was that it hadn't already happened, or that GM Pierre Gauthier hadn't been let go also.

Nor was it particularly unusual to promote an assistant coach to the top job. Plenty of NHL coaches have gotten their big break that way, just as plenty of others have served their temporary roles as placeholder and stepped back down once a flashier or flat-out-better replacement was found.

But when the Canadiens announced that an assistant coach would be filling the void on an interim basis, the reaction in and around some parts of Montreal was trés scandalisé. That's because Randy Cunneyworth ne parle pas Français.

"Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson is seeking to soothe tensions in the city after hiring a unilingual anglophone head coach," announced CTV, gravely.

Several angered nationalist groups called for boycotts of Molson products. Molson himself issued a statement: "Although our main priority remains to win hockey games and to keep improving as a team, it is obvious that the ability for the head coach to express himself in both French and English will be a very important factor in the selection of the permanent head coach."

"The coach of the Canadiens is the most scrutinized personality in Quebec," explained Journal de Montreal columnist Denis Poissant.1 "Even more than the prime minister, Celine Dion and even [Quebec City mayor] Regis Labeaume."

Indeed, many in Montreal cherish the Canadiens as a cultural institution, a civic phenomenon, an entity that transcends plain old sports. Serge Savard, the legendary former GM, said that the team "belongs to the people." And the vast majority of those people speak French … even if the overwhelming majority of the Canadiens roster does not.

But none of this is about the composition of this particular Montreal lineup, nor is it even about Cunneyworth. This is a broader issue, much the way the Canadiens are envisioned to be some broader symbol. This same conversation is had any and every time there's a vacancy, whether it be on the coaching staff or on the depth chart. Greg Wyshynski recalls various outrages over non-Francophone captains, as well as "dozens of draft picks and other transactions made out of concern for culture."

It's fine to do things out of concern for culture, and the franchise is free to operate in whatever way it sees fit. But it can also be incredibly limiting. Travis Hughes surveyed the NHL landscape and found that the array of French-speaking coaches out there is pretty slim pickins. Of course, there is that one "perfect" solution, the one talked about incessantly whenever a coaching change appears imminent: Patrick Roy. Questioned this weekend about whether he'd consider it, he chose his words carefully. "Yes, it is certain I would listen if the Canadiens called," he said (presumably in French).

For the time being, though, the Habs stand just three points out of the playoffs (although it's a crowded and competitive three points). And Cunneyworth has a merciful bit of breathing room for the rest of 2011 — the Canadiens don't play their next home game until January 4. He already seems to be getting in practice.

"J'aime bien Randy Cunneyworth," Twittered Renaud Lavoie, a hockey reporter for the French-speaking Canadian network RDS, yesterday. "Je viens de le croiser et il m'a dit en français 'Salut comment ça va ?' avec un sourire."

For those unilingual Anglophones among us, that meant: "I like Randy Cunneyworth, we just crossed and he said in French "Hi how are you?" with a smile."

Last night we were treated to episode two of HBO's 24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic. Watching the four-episode series is bittersweet, like reading a really great book: You rue your progress, wanting to read the next page but hating that it'll put you that much closer to the end. I'm devastated that we're already halfway there.

Some observations:

Peter Laviolette Would Be Great on HFBoards.com: One of my favorite small moments was coach Laviolette skating up alongside Scott Hartnell in practice to quietly congratulate him on his 200th goal, which led to this exchange regarding the coach's own brief NHL career:

Laviolette: That's 200 more than me.
Hartnell: You didn't get one?
Laviolette: …12 games.

And Laviolette's rally sputter of "Typical Montreal" to show his displeasure with the officials at the Bell Centre (this one in particular, I believe) was great for two reasons: (a) see above, and (b) taken in conjunction with his point-proving war of attrition with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this season, it painted a picture of an NHL coach who shares many a fed-up viewpoint with even the most passionate NHL fans among us. Now, let's just hope that the show got some good footage last night of him shoving Dallas' Steve Ott.

Officiating Is an Art, Not a Science: As they did last year, HBO included footage from inside the officials' locker room, which yielded some F-bombs as well as some interesting chatter about the reasons (some sketchy) for some of their on-ice decisions. But nothing was as direct as the mics picking up one official skating alongside the Flyers' Max Talbot, who had just been called for a penalty, and admitting it had been a bad call. "But sometimes you just accumulate things," he said. Terry Gregson must have loved that.

Too Little on Pronger, Too Late on Giroux: For all the inside access we're promised with the show, it seemed like kind of a cop-out to show the news that team captain Chris Pronger is out for the season with a concussion by just showing footage of a coach's press conference, as Pierre LeBrun wrote. As for Claude Giroux, his return to the ice after a concussion of his own took place too late — last night as well — to work it into the show. A pity, because Giroux recorded a goal and three assists in the game. (Still, the scene of the team doctor asking him how his head felt during any texting was fun.)

Even When He's Nice, John Tortorella Is Kind of a Hard-ass: Of course, the big lump-in-throat story was that of 10-year-old Liam, a huge Rangers fan with cerebral palsy who befriended John Tortorella at an MSG Garden of Dreams event. (I would do anything to read their text messages.) As "awww"-inducing as the Liam plot was, I had to laugh when Tortorella explained that following the kid's hip surgery over the summer, the Rangers coach checked in with Liam frequently because he felt "he was getting a little lazy" with his rehab. Stop projecting your feelings about Wojtek Wolski onto innocent children, Torts!

The Show Has Become Self-Aware: Last week's episode brought us the hilarity of Philadelphia goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov espousing on "the universe," sacred tigers, and Chinese law. This week, Bryz walked into a team meal the way Forrest Gump boarded a bus: His teammates, having watched the program,2 had no desire to sit near him. (Jagr literally moved his tray to another table.) It was playful … but also kind of not? I dunno, I felt a little bit bad for Bryz, although I guess it's hard to feel bad for someone who proceeds to happily sit down and begin comparing his "blue-eyed" Siberian husky to "basically a hot girl, man."3 In another ouroboric scene, a pair of Flyers rookies lay in their hotel room and discussed how crazy it is to be on a team with Jagr. "He was on Sega Genesis," said Zac Rinaldo. "I used to play that game religiously … I was Eric Lindros."

My Parents Enjoyed the Show, Too: Because I am a person who writes things on the Internet for a living, it's essentially part of my contract that I must at some point operate from my mother's basement. And so, after calling my parents last week and informing them that in advance of my trip home for the holidays they needed to get HBO (with the same tone I once used to procure Trapper Keepers during back-to-school sales — Mo-om, I neeeeeed it! Loveyouthanks!), it was only fair to sit down and watch the show as a family. It was cool to see the things that they, the elusive "casual fans" whom 24/7 is designed to reach, latched onto. My dad was visibly amped to see John McEnroe playing guitar with Henrik Lundqvist, but he was a tough crowd: "They're terrible," he declared. And while I was busy giggling over inside-hockey things like Laviolette sputtering "typical Montreal," my mother had her own take: "What!?" she exclaimed. "Didn't the reffers see that?"

Piling on the Pylons: The Week's Worst Performances

Terry Pegula, the natural-gas magnate who poured megabucks into the Sabres franchise this offseason, has, like most moneymen these days, grown unhappy with the return on his investment. After his team fell 8-3 to the Penguins Saturday — a particularly annoying loss for the Pennsylvania native — a frustrated Pegula snarked to the press: "We saw some great goaltending tonight, didn't we?" before suggesting that his daughter might have been better in net.5

A few days later, Sabres president Ted Black — "Pegula's trusted lieutenant," per ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun — unloaded on the team in his own way. "I don't know of a coach that has done so much with so little for so long than Lindy [Ruff]," he said.

While the Sabres are only a point out of the playoffs, the vibe surrounding the franchise has become increasingly bleak. The team has battled injuries and been rattled by mediocre goaltending — the one thing most people assumed they could rely on.

Black continued, admitting: "I recognize the inherent cruelty of asking fans who have been through 40 winters of disappointment to have patience or to ask them to have a sense of hope and promise."

Inherent cruelty? Winters of disappointment? Buffalo is starting to sound more like Westeros — a place where things end up badly for just about everyone involved.

Taking It Coast to Coast: A Lap Around the League

White Cover Mag got into the holiday spirit by assigning a Christmas movie quote to a player on every NHL team. Alex Ovechkin gets a line from Bad Santa: "Are you saying there's something wrong with my gear?" while the Minnesota Wild's Matt Cullen is like Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation: "If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now." I have to admit, I'm a little sad he didn't go with the "You're what the French call les incompétents" for … well, you know who.

Beware the boards. First San Jose's Martin Havlat got caught up while trying to hop onto the ice; the team announced today that the injury-ridden player will now miss up to two more months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his hamstring. (OW.) On the brighter side, this botched hit by the New Jersey Devils' Cam Janssen that left him comically upended on his own bench inspired NHL.com's merry band of mischief-makers to go with the video headline: "Janssen in the Dark." Someone at league HQ is a Bruce fan!

The Washington Capitals' Mike Knuble played in his 1,000th career game Tuesday, making him the second-oldest player to reach the milestone. He was given a silver stick, a Tiffany crystal, and a certificate for a Sea-Doo. Best of all, the Capitals won the game, topping the Predators 4-1 and getting goals from the guys they're supposed to be getting goals from: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin. (Troy Brouwer added a score as well.)

The Toronto Maple Leafs' Colby Armstrong, who has been plagued by one injury after another, tried to conceal a concussion he received in a game Saturday night against Vancouver. Liam McHugh of NBC Sports asked VP of player safety Brendan Shanahan about the incident during the Flyers-Stars pregame show last night. "I think players are getting adequately educated, and the Colby Armstrong situation is actually a great example," Shanahan said. "He was probably outed by teammates or coaches. The peer pressure used to be that you weren't telling anyone. Now it's that you do."

With the World Junior Championship set to commence Monday, Team USA received a last-minute setback. Defenseman Seth Jones, the 17-year-old son of Popeye7 who is projected to be a potential no. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, sustained an upper-body injury during an exhibition game that will keep him out of the tournament.

As the old sports cliche goes, you can't win the championship early in the season, but you sure as hell can lose it. The most ominous thing I read this week to that end came care of the Edmonton Journal's Jonathan Willis, who looked back at the mid-December standings over the last several seasons and found that teams sitting more than a few points out of playoff contention were extremely unlikely to make up that ground, despite the season not even being half over. I've collected his tweets on the subject here; but the money line: "Out of TB, NYI, CAR, LA, CGY, EDM, COL, ANA, and CBJ, it's probable that just one team will make the post-season."Let's hope it's the Kings!

Some sundry statistics: Chicago captain Jonathan Toews, a leading candidate for the Hart (MVP) Trophy, is currently the league's best faceoff man, winning 60.5 percent of his draws … He's also third in the league in takeaways with 42. (Colorado's Ryan O'Reilly has 51, while the Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk has 45.) … With their 3-2 shootout win over the Flyers on Monday, the Avalanche improved to 6-0 in the "skills competition"; only the Devils, at 7-1, have had more wins … Speaking of the Devils, Patrik Elias became the franchise's all-time leading goal-scorer this weekend with his 348th career goal and had six points in his last four games before coming down with the flu … That point streak pales in comparison to the one being put together by Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, who has totaled 15 points in his past six games, including a three-goal, two-assist night against Buffalo.

Here's a sentence, presented without commentary: "Children's singer and longtime hockey fan Raffi Cavoukian is so fed up with Don Cherry's rock 'em sock 'em antics he has started a Twitter campaign to mute Canada's most colourful commentator."

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

[hockeygod]

U.S. women's hockey pioneer Angela Ruggiero retires

The Associated Press, Dec. 28, 2011

Four-time U.S. Olympic women's hockey player Angela Ruggiero has announced her retirement.

The 31-year-old Ruggiero made her announcement Wednesday after 16 years with the U.S. women's national team.

Ruggiero, from Simi Valley, Calif., was a defenceman on each of the four American women's Olympic hockey teams, scoring 208 points as the team's most physical player. She appeared in a record 256 games for USA Hockey.

Ruggiero won one of the sport's first Olympic gold medals in 1998, followed by two silver medals and a bronze. She also played briefly alongside her brother in an American men's minor league.

The Harvard graduate became a member of the International Olympic Committee as an athlete representative last year.

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

[hockeygod]

Campbell: THN's 2011 player of the year
It's been an incredible year for the Bruins' Tim Thomas.

Ken Campbell, The Hockey News, 2011-12-29

The indisputable low point of 2011 for Tim Thomas came in a 7-6 loss to the Buffalo Sabres when he allowed all three skaters to score in the shootout. That it came Jan. 1 gives you an indication of how the rest of the year went for him.

The NHL does not have an award for player of the year, but if it did, it would undoubtedly go to Thomas. No player in the NHL has displayed the sustained excellence Thomas has since the calendar turned to Jan. 1. And what makes all of this even more compelling is that despite the fact Thomas will turn 38 during this year’s playoffs, 2012 could turn out to be an even better year for him.

Since coming into the game in relief of Tuukka Rask in that loss to Buffalo Jan. 1, Thomas has posted otherworldly numbers and accomplishments. With one game remaining on the Bruins schedule in 2011, Thomas has posted a 49-21-5 record with a 2.04 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage, including playoffs.

He led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup by playing every minute of every game of the post-season and was named Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the MVP of the playoffs. In the Stanley Cup final, the guy gave up eight goals. Now, if the Bruins had swept the Vancouver Canucks in four straight games that might not have been so impressive. But it was a seven-game series. In the three games Thomas lost in the final, Boston was shut out 1-0 twice and he gave up only five goals.

Thomas also won his second Vezina Trophy by a comfortable margin and finished fifth in voting for the Hart Trophy as the league’s regular season MVP. There are those who argue if Thomas were given more starts and, therefore, a chance to post more victories and even gaudier numbers, he would have won that Hart. But the Bruins believe – and who’s going to argue with them? – that Thomas is as effective as he is because he doesn’t get worn down the way a lot of other workhorse goaltenders do. And unlike a lot of teams in the NHL, the Bruins have a backup in whom they have as much confidence as they do their starter. In fact, there’s nothing to suggest Rask wouldn’t be able to post the same kinds of numbers as Thomas if he were given the opportunity.

Thomas also had the quote of the year and the save of the year for 2011. During the Stanley Cup final when Roberto Luongo made his ridiculous statement about Thomas not saying anything nice about him, Thomas responded by saying, “I didn’t realize it was my job to pump his tires. I guess I have to apologize for that.” Then he went out and outplayed Luongo so badly that it provided the Bruins with the margin they needed to win the series.

As for the save of the year, you can see that on our “Top Plays Of 2011” Puck Panel.

The only other two serious contenders for player of the year in 2011 would be Daniel and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks, which says a lot about their sustained consistency. While the vast majority of NHL players have had difficulty maintaining 12 months of elevated play due to inconsistency (see Corey Perry, Steven Stamkos), injury (see Sidney Crosby, Ryan Kesler) or because they simply had 12 miserable months (see Alex Ovechkin, Dany Heatley), the twins have continued to produce points and believers with their play game-in and game-out.

Over the course of 2011 (with two games remaining), including playoffs, Daniel Sedin had 45 goals and 118 points over 107 games, while Henrik had 22 goals and 109 points in 108 games. The one blight on the Sedins was that they failed to lead the Canucks to the Stanley Cup and, particularly in the final, were rendered ineffective by the Bruins and their physical style of play.

That, of course, included Thomas, who levelled Henrik in front of his net in Game 3 of the final, a contest that proved to be the turning point in the series, just

Dean
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Game Intelligence Training
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[hockeygod]

NHL continues to dream bigger when it comes to taking games outside

Chris Johnston,The Canadian Press, Dec. 29, 2011

The NHL has only just begun its great outdoor experiment.

With the fifth instalment of the Winter Classic game set to be played between the Rangers and Flyers at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Monday, NHL chief operating officer John Collins continues to dream big about what lies beyond it.

Among his goals is seeing the game make more of an impact nationally. Even though all of the league's outdoor games to date have been a big hit on the local level, Collins sees plenty of room for growth.

“It's still early, it's only five years,” he said Thursday in an interview with The Canadian Press. “Certainly we've got a lot of attention and I think the business metrics have been great. I think just getting to more markets (will help with) exposing the game.”

Collins is the driving force behind the Winter Classic, having taken an idea that started with the Heritage Classic at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium in November 2003 and turned it into a significant yearly event on New Year's Day.

An eager television partner also played a significant role in its creation — “Winter Classic kind of landed on Jan. 1 because frankly NBC had a big window on a big day, why wouldn't you take advantage of that?” said Collins — but the future of outdoor games likely includes those played on other dates as well.

A second game was played at Calgary's McMahon Stadium last season and Collins seems warm to the idea seeing multiple outdoor dates on the schedule again in the future. That model gives the league a chance to start satisfying the demand from teams wanting in on the action.

“Absolutely, there should be more Canadian teams in these games,” said Collins. “Just like teams like Minnesota should be involved and St. Louis should be involved and Colorado should be involved — you can just keep going on and on.”

Since Collins took a job with the NHL in August 2008, the league has constructed its calendar around big events. It's reasonable to assume that additional outdoor games could be used to bolster the lineup.

“I think there are a lot of markets that would be fantastic,” he said. “I'd like to ultimately see these games not viewed as a regional matchup or a Canada game or a U.S. game, but really kind of a celebration of hockey. If you're a hockey fan — whether you're a Canadian hockey fan or an American hockey fan or a Flyers fan or Flames fan — these games are special and unique and you should be tuning in even if your favourite team isn't playing in the game.

“It's kind of that line that we use all the time: `Nobody ever cancelled their Super Bowl party because they didn't like the two teams that were playing in the game.“’

Interestingly, Collins believes the league missed out on an opportunity to take the Winter Classic to another level in Pittsburgh last season.

There was plenty of hype leading into a game between Sidney Crosby's Penguins and Alex Ovechkin's Capitals, particularly with HBO's “24/7” series playing to rave reviews during its first hockey venture. But poor weather at Heinz Field forced the start time to be pushed back to the evening and some momentum was lost.

That also ended up being the night Crosby suffered an undiagnosed concussion, which ensured 2011 would become a year the sport's best player would rather forget.

“I thought last year the game matchup with Ovechkin and Crosby was something that would help get it over the top,” said Collins. “And then unfortunately we had to move the starting time of the game, puck drop, which was a great thing — it was fun to be in prime time, it looked great — but there was that disconnect with people who knew the game was on at 1 p.m.

“(They) might have come to NBC to watch the game at 1 p.m., and almost didn't realize that they were watching old Winter Classic games. So there was a bit of a falloff there.”

The weather forecast for Monday's game appears to be good. In the event of inclement weather or poor ice conditions, Collins says the contingency plan includes moving the start time back to late afternoon or evening on Jan. 2 or possibly pushing it back to Jan. 3 “if the day really is bad.”

“But it doesn't look like we're going to have that kind off issue this year,” he added.

This Winter Classic promises to be the biggest yet, with a soldout alumni game scheduled for Saturday — just one more sign of growth for the NHL's signature weekend. HBO's second “24/7” foray has also helped create interest.

As much as Collins enjoys seeing the Winter Classic “light up a city,” he's curious to see how it will be embraced beyond the local markets.

“I think this year it's more about the rivalry and the passion, the dislike I guess, that these two franchises have historically for each other,” said Collins. “I think it's good old hockey. We'll see how much that resonates behind Philly and New York.”

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

[hockeygod]

Danes look forward to loss against Canada

ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI, QMI Agency, Dec 28 2011

This one could get ugly.

If the Canadians are beating the likes of Finland and the Czech Republic 8-1 and 5-0, heaven knows what they’ll do to the Washington Generals of the world junior hockey championship tonight.

Funny, though, the lambs are actually looking forward to the slaughter.

Denmark, having lost 11-3 and 7-0 in two starts so far, know they’ll be destroyed when they meet the Canadians this evening in Edmonton, but they wouldn’t miss it for the world.

“All of us, we’ve all been talking about it, that this game is going to be amazing,” said forward Mads Eller. “Full to the roof with the crowd. It’s definitely something we looked forward to when we saw the schedule.”

Even if it’s more lopsided than a peg-legged pirate in a room full of beavers.

“Of course, it’s going to be the biggest experience of our lives, maybe it’s the only time we’re ever going to play this type of game,” said Eller. “For some of the players, for me maybe, this might be the biggest game we’re ever going to play.”

Head coach Todd Bjorkstrand told his players to simply go out and seize the day.

“He said it’s going to be a big game with a big crowd, go out and enjoy it,” said Eller. “Don’t be intimidated by Canada. Don’t fear them, go out and play with courage. Go out and do your best.”

The Danes have been adopted by the fans in Edmonton through the first two games. They’ve basically been the second favourite team of everyone here.

“It was pretty special, we didn’t see that coming against the US, when they came on the ice and were booed,” said Eller. “It gave us something extra that they cheered for us.”

“Obviously we’re not going to get it tonight,” forward Nicklas Jensen said of the crowd support. “But just being out there with the atmosphere, it’s going to be crazy. I know all the guys in our dressing room are going to be pumped.

“We want to give the Canadians a really tough game. We’re going into the game to win, but realistically we just want to compete and work harder than them every shift.”

If you’re Canada, how do you prepare your team for a game you might win 10- or 12-0?

“Details and habits, it’s all about details and habits,” said head coach Don Hay. “It’s about playing as a team and not getting too far ahead of yourself. Focusing on the things that make you a good team. When you get into pressure situations, those details and habits are really important and if you’re good at those they come naturally. If you have to think about them, sometimes it’s a little bit too late.”

LATE HITS… Mark Visentin gets the start in goal for Canada.

—–

Even if the game, on paper, appears one-sided, this is a pretty presumptuous title. And as we know, this is why we play sports… the game isn't played on paper! I hope the Danes surprise Canada and make it a good game… just to shut the reporter up(or copy person) – whoever penned this headline!

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

[hockeygod]

Canadians solve Mrazek puzzle: Overcome a little adversity by finally beating Czech goaltender

Vicki Hall, edmontonjournal.com, December 28, 2011

EDMONTON —They talked ad nauseam about this scenario on their Rocky Mountain retreat in the cosy confines of the palatial Banff Springs Hotel.

Sports psychologist Peter Jensen warned the 22 teenagers on Team Canada to expect adversity at the world junior hockey championship. It wasn’t a matter of if, but when.

On Wednesday night, the dreaded ‘A’ word showed up in the form of Czech Republic goaltender Petr Mrazek. A fifth-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, Mrazek surrendered the first goal of the night to Mark Stone at 5:37 of the first period.

From there, the lanky Ottawa 67s puck stopper drove people crazy – from coast to coast to coast — for precisely 30 minutes and 39 seconds of stop time.

Finally, New York Islanders prospect Ryan Strome converted at 16:16 of the second period to restore a sense of calm to this hockey-mad nation.

Canada prevailed with a 5-0 victory.

“Even before the tournament, we’ve been talking about situations like that,” said Niagara IceDogs centre Freddie Hamilton, Canada’s player of the game. “Even if we’re down, we have to stick with things and stay positive.”

Perhaps regular hockey fans need a session with Dr. Jensen. For a good hour in real time, Canadians moaned about the Czech netminder via the wonders of social media.

Among his many saves, Mrazek stoned Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brett Connolly on an attempted wraparound. He robbed a sprawling Brendan Gallagher of an empty net with his left pad.

“I’m a little mad at myself,” Gallagher said after the game, rolling his eyes at the memory.“I shot it back at him.

“I’m not going to give him too much credit on that one. I’ve got to put that in a better spot.”

On his most impressive save of the night, Mrazek waited and waited – and waited — for Mark Stone to commit before denying Canada’s Mr. Automatic on a penalty shot.

“I knew he was going to try the five-hole,” said Mrazek, who apparently has a future as a clairvoyant once his hockey career days are over. “He went from the other side and he is right handed so I knew.

“I was happy. It was in the last minute of the first period, they didn’t score so I was so happy.”

So happy he let loose with an emphatic fist-pump complete with left knee drop — a showy move roundly booed at Rexall Place and panned across the country via Twitter.

“That’s their home team,” Mrazek said with a shrug. “Sixteen thousand people might not have liked that celebration but they didn’t score.

“I didn’t mind.”

The Canadian bench sure did.

“I guess he’s very emotional for his country,” Freddie Hamilton said. “I’m fine with it. If anybody is emotional for their country, it’s fine with me.

“But it definitely fired us up a bit.”

A bit?

“I didn’t like it,” Gallagher said. “He was happy. He made a big save for them at a big time, but we didn’t like it too much.”

“The fist pump, eh?” defenceman Jamie Oleksiak said when asked post-game about the unorthodox celebration “Their goalie gave a fist pump, but Scott Wedgewood kind of one-upped him getting the shutty.”

Wedgewood indeed turned 26 shots for Canada in his first tournament action – leaving the sell-out crowd to chant his name as one when the final horn blew.

Mrazek earned Czech player-of-the game honours for making a spectacular 33 saves.

“We know we’re going to face adversity even stronger than this,” Gallagher said. “Our team stuck with the game plan. It’s something we need to learn from.

“We pushed and pushed, and we eventually got some pucks by their goalie.”

Eventually being the operative word.

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

[hockeygod]

MacKinnon: Connolly fights to prove doubters wrong:
Canadian winger’s commitment, lack of emotion questioned by many during pre-tournament play

John MacKinnon, edmontonjournal.com, December 29, 2011

EDMONTON – Canadian winger Brett Connolly’s game is like his speech — laconic, economical, but effective.

As an NHLer on loan to Team Canada, he’s meant to be a leader, although there had been some doubt about that since the Tampa Bay Lightning player landed in Calgary for Canada’s selection camp. As a skilled, returning player, Connolly is also meant to provide offence.

He delivered all of that on Wednesday night for Canada, as they dismissed a solid Czech Republic team 5-0, a result that might have been even more lopsided except for the acrobatic work of goalie Petr Mrazek.

Connolly’s signature moment was a highlight-reel goal to finish off a sparkling shift at 18:11 of the second period, giving a 3-0 lead that grew to a 5-0 advantage by game’s end.

He just missed on a first scoring attempt, but quickly found a seam again, took a pass from linemate Quinton Howden and made some one-on-one magic.

He shifted past Czech defenceman Jiri Riha, then deked Mrazek to the ice. His shot kissed the left goalpost and dropped into the crease, but Connolly gently tapped the puck into the open cage as he skated behind the net.

“Yeah, it was a key part of the game,” Connolly said when he was asked if that was one of his most memorable goals. “I missed one earlier, had a wide-open net, so it was nice to see that one go in.

“I don’t think I was going to let that not go in the net that time.”

Much was made of Connolly’s lack of emotion and suspect body language during Team Canada’s selection camp.

Well, after he buried that goal, Connolly celebrated with a major a fist pump, then he smacked the Plexiglas in the corner, just for emphasis. He wanted that one and it showed.

With the tournament ending foot injury to feisty winger Devante Smith-Pelly, Connolly was moved up from the fourth line to a unit centred by Freddie Hamilton. Howden plays right wing on the line.

Canadian head coach Don Hay clearly is expecting Connolly to be a difference maker on his team and the six-foot-two, 200-pound winger from Prince George, B.C., knows it. Not only did Connolly move up on the depth chart, Hay started the Freddie Hamilton trio against the Czechs.

“Obviously, me being a leader, he expects the best of me and I expect the best of myself,” said Connolly, peppering his answers with team this and we that, deflecting the focus from himself. “But with Devante out it’s not only me that has to step up, but all the other guys, too.”

The idea in a short tournament is for a team to get better, game by game. Precisely how you calibrate that in Canada’s case, after an 8-1 bludgeoning of Finland and the 5-0 victory over the Czechs, is a little obscure.

True, there were missed chances, like Connelly’s mid-second period effort, when he deked Mrazek to the ice, then slid a shot harmlessly wide of the net.

Brendan Gallagher missed two or three chances, including an out-and-out whiff on feed with a wide-open net. Mark Stone, Canada’s scoring star so far with four goals, was stuffed by Mrazek on a penalty shot, but only after opening the scoring for Canada.

So far, Canada has outscored their opponents 13-1 in two games. Both their goaltenders have played well. On Wednesday night, Scott Wedgewood pitched a shutout and set up Canada’s second goal with a Martin Brodeur-like breakout pass to Hamilton, who set up Ryan Strome for the score.

Oh, and Canada faces Denmark on Thursday night. The Danes have lost 11-3 to Team USA and 7-0 to the Czechs.

Canada is well-positioned for that New Year’s Eve game against the Americans, which figures to be a showdown for an automatic berth in the tournament semifinals.

It can’t hurt the supposedly undemonstrative Connolly has shown he wants to contribute to a gold medal as much as any of the others.

—–

Johnny Mac used to be the Media guy when I coached and worked with Team Canada in the 1990's. Great guy and always good to be able to read his articles on the web!

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

[hockeygod]

Fehr and loathing ahead in NHL contract bargaining

BRUCE DOWBIGGIN, Globe and Mail, Dec. 29, 2011

Before looking forward to 2012, Usual Suspects would like to dislocate a shoulder as we pat ourselves on the back for our 2011 prognostication: “The biggest Canadian sports story in the coming year [2011] will be played off the fields and rinks as Rogers Communications and CTV/TSN size each other up in the wake of some unprecedented managerial shuffles in 2010. Can they co-exist – as they did for the Vancouver Olympics – or will we see the start of a war for rights and control of the next NHL, CFL and FIFA World Cup TV rights packages?”

Co-exist they did, buying (along with Larry Tanenbaum) the controlling interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in December. Yes, CTV and TSN launched a radio station, TSN 1050, to compete with newly renamed Sportsnet Radio 590 The Fan in Toronto. The sides poached talent and made angry noises. But on the biggest transaction, MLSE, they exchanged vows to never part. No doubt there will be aftershocks along the fault line of this happy union, but it should recede into just biz-a-ness this year.

So what will replace the media marriage as the sports media talking point of 2012 in Canada? What name will be on the lips of every media savant this year?

Donald Fehr. Or, more specifically, the collective agreement between the NHL and National Hockey League Players’ Association that expires Sept. 15, 2012. Among the possible proposals will be a rollback of the players’ revenue share and a term limit on contracts. The future of NHL participation at the Olympics will be debated. And that’s just the first day.

For those just joining us from a long-term coma, previous bargaining between the owners and players has gone about as well as the Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries marriage. So should this attempt by management to blame the work force for the Phoenix Coyotes turn out any different?

That answer would be Fehr, the new executive director of the NHLPA. When he first took over the Major League Baseball Players Association in 1986, Fehr was like Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes. His acid tongue and uber-disciplined approach took the MLBPA into and out of a number of labour stoppages, including the cancellation of the second half of the 1994 season and World Series. But his union always avoided a salary cap and came out stronger and more disciplined.

So we should be expecting to lose another NHL season, right? Not exactly. Toward the end of his tenure at the MBLPA, Fehr settled a significant new contract with Major League Baseball before the expiry date of the previous deal. He became a man you could talk to – so long as you knew that he thought salary cap is a curse word. Who then will NHL owners see: the Fehr Factor or The Don, who makes you an offer you can’t refuse?

Despite Fehr’s reputation, NHL owners respect Fehr’s résumé and don’t have the grudge they did against Bob Goodenow, the NHLPA executive director during the 2004-05 lockout disaster. They know Fehr’s membership still includes several prominent players who went behind Goodenow’s back during the lockout, effectively cutting his throat, and still others who shanked Paul Kelly, Fehr’s predecessor in the NHLPA hot seat. (Because Fehr actually consulted with the former rebels, he’ll know them personally.) Crucially, the owners know he’s not of the hockey culture.

Bur Fehr will also understand the weaknesses in a large-market ownership that played loyal last time only to get whacked by certain provisions in the collective agreement. He has seen the $2.1-billion (U.S.) in U.S. TV money and other revenue streams grow. Which could make him a man to dispassionately parlay with on issues – so long as he’s able to ride the membership tiger.

Owners are preparing lots of giveback demands to rile players and test Fehr’s mettle. There will be dark days when TSN analyst Bob McKenzie shrugs his shoulders and says, “Who knows?” But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman knows he has no mulligan with the public or media this time. He must get this collective agreement done on time or risk losing the 24/7 HBO and Winter Classic momentum – and tarnishing his own reputation.

For all these reasons and more, Usual Suspects says take it to the bank: There will be a collective agreement before its time in 2012.

REFS ROAR BACK

Apparently Usual Suspects isn’t the only one to notice ESPN analyst Jon Gruden’s inability to grasp the NFL rule book. After we noted on globesports.com Gruden’s befuddlement over a roughing call, former head NFL supervisor of officials and now Fox analyst Mike Pereira took issue with Gruden ripping referees in the Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans Saints game last Monday for not knowing a head shot from slap shot.

“I am not a fan of Gruden’s,” Pereira wrote on his Fox blog. “Not today, not yesterday, not when I worked for the NFL and not when I was working on the field as a side judge. He was a loudmouth as a coach who constantly disrespected officials and he is a blowhard in the broadcast booth who spouts off when he doesn’t know what he is talking about.”

“Gruden said he doesn’t understand how games are being officiated? Correctly and consistently in this case. But that’s okay, Jon. Just throw the officials under the bus when you don’t know the rules. Officials are often criticized and, sometimes, deservedly so. Not in this case, however. It is Gruden who deserves the criticism. C’mon man! I enjoy that feature done by ESPN’s studio hosts. Let’s see if they have the courage this week to shout, ‘C’mon man, learn the rules’ to Jon Gruden.”

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

[hockeygod]

At world juniors, the spectacle’s the thing

Roy MacGregor, Globe and Mail, Dec. 29, 2011

It may be the only way to make sense of it all.

Try thinking of this not so much as a tournament – at least at this stage – as a spectacle.

Even the World Junior Championship tag line – “I was there” (“J’etais la”) – is more about the spectator than the player, just as most games are as much about what the fans score as will the teams.

“Spectacle” is a near-perfect description, a middle-English word intended to convey a sense of staring at something deemed special. It is not by chance that the dictionary suggests as synonyms “circus” and “pageant” – both more accurate at this point than “tournament” or “championship.”

Consider, as Exhibit A, Thursday evening’s pond hockey shinny game, Canada versus Denmark. The Danes, hopelessly overmatched, might have better advised to stay in their street clothes and try to trick the Canadians into doing the same by bringing along the sign that was placed this balmy week at the entrance to the downtown outdoor ice surface: “Rink Closed Due to Poor Ice Conditions.”

At least cancellation would be a tie, sort of…..

No one expected the Danes to challenge, just as challenges are automatically out of the question for so very many of the games played in the long lead-up to the medal round. Strangely, those who carp about women’s hockey being so lopsided remain largely silent about the imbalances in world junior hockey competition – perhaps because, in Canada, the spectacle has been made ritual – a tip of the hat here to TSN – and beloved rituals are not to be challenged.

It matters not that Canada whipped Finland 8-1 and then the Czech Republic 5-0 any more than it matters that the Danes entered this match having already lost 7-0 to the Czechs and 11-3 to Team U.S.A. – an 18-3 deficit that could only get worse up against the tournament favourites.

And did, as the Danes fell 10-2 in what can only in a gesture of mercy be called a hockey game. Both Danish goals came in the third period with the Canadian players largely tuned out.

Yet it matters not because of spectacle. The fans arrive dressed in red and white and maple leaves head to foot. They wear cowboy hats fashioned out of Molson Canadian beer boxes. They pound their Thundersticks to drive the homeside onward, though this was about as necessary Thursday evening as ordering the dog to clean up that plate of gravy.

They filled the seats and they filled the corridors. They posed with red tunic Mounties for photographs – the WJC now in the same sacred realm as Canada Day and the Grey Cup – and they spent so much on the 50/50 draw that by the end produced a payout of $87,480.

At the souvenir stand, the checkout line was as long and twisting as the security line at a major airport on a long weekend. They sold out almost instantly of the 30th-anniversary edition jerseys and volunteers were fending off cash offers for the blue long-sleeve t-shirts they’d been issued, the ones with all the team flags down one arm.

It mattered not where you went in Rexall Place arena, there was a circus atmosphere. Even in the men’s washrooms, the mirrors asked “’Who’ Tall Are You?” with the heights of various Canadian celebrities marked off to show hand washers (sadly, still a minority) are as tall as Jim Carrey at 6 foot 2, as short as Michael J. Fox at 5 foot 4 or the size of Justin Bieber (5 foot 6) or Terry Fox (5 foot 10).

(Unfortunately, The Globe and Mail was at press time unable to confirm what might be found on the mirrors in the women’s washrooms.)

You could line up for beer or line up to put a bid in on the silent auction – an autographed Dave Keon No. 14 Toronto Maple Leafs jersey starting at $350, a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins unsigned jersey beginning at $250 or even a Bobby Orr “No. 5” (for an early All-Star appearance) signed and numbered, starting at $200.

And if all this wasn’t enough, there was also the game.

With 16,275 fans cheering as loud the final goal as they had the first.

So it is when spectacle is the main draw.

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

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