Articles

[hockeygod]

Visentin taking it like a champ: Keeps it classy through heatbreak

ERIC FRANCIS, QMI Agency, Jan 4 2012

CALGARY – He came into the tournament the poster boy for last year's gold-medal meltdown.

He'll leave once again with heartache.

However, regardless of whether Mark Visentin departs with a bronze medal or not he'll take home with him a level of class, poise and professionalism every mother and father would be proud of.

"You can't lull," said the 19-year-old goaltender following a spirited skate that belied the heartbreak felt by all on Team Canada following Tuesday's semifinal loss to Russia.

"You can't sit here and be sad or feel sorry for us — it's our fault. We have to be responsible for that loss and (Thursday) we move on. We had to regroup. Obviously it's disappointing but we're professionals and when you are a professional it means coming to work every day no matter what happens."

As one of four players returning from last year's third-period meltdown, the plan all along was to have last year's jersey and the silver medal put in a shadow box for display. This year's souvenirs would be boxed separately.

And while the prize from either varies as much as the experience, Visentin is convincing when he outlines the major difference.

"I know last year losing the gold-medal game it was different after that because there weren't any more games and I had to go home and deal with it like that," said Visentin of the sour taste left in his mouth following the five goals he let in to ruin an otherwise golden performance.

"It would be a good feeling to go out on a winning note. Coach Don Hay settled us down and I think the guys have done a good job getting over the loss and focusing on the bronze-medal game."

Was there anything he felt he could say to help his teammates get over Tuesday's semifinal loss?

"I don't have to teach them a lesson — we learned the lesson ourselves yesterday and it was pretty straightforward what we learned," said the Phoenix Coyotes first rounder from Waterdown, On. — the only logical choice to start Thursday's bronze matchup with Finland.

"We need to play a complete 60 minutes. We played unbelievable in the third period and that's the way we need to play for 60 minutes tomorrow for us to be successful."

Asked literally hundreds of times about his nightmarish finale in 2011's tourney, Visentin has patiently owned his performance and that of his team. His refusal to pass the buck and accept responsibility is equal parts noble and heartening.

So when Visentin replaced starter Scott Wedgewood in the second period of a 5-1 game, the last thing anyone thought about was whether this was his opportunity to avenge last year's loss. However, two quick goals by Canada early in the third made it a nailbiter that likely had many wondering if perhaps karma was at play and the quiet keeper would help author the greatest of turnabouts.

"I thought for sure it was going to happen," said the ever-positive Visentin of what would have been one of the great comebacks in hockey lore.

"The biggest thing is trying to stay positive and in the second intermission I really felt I had the group of guys in front of me who could do it. Once we started clicking out there it was pretty unbelievable and watching it from one of the best seats in the house was fun. Too bad we hit a post there with a couple seconds left."

It wasn't until after the game Brendan Gallagher thought long and hard about how great it would have been to help Vistentin slay the Russian dragon.

"You do have a have a heart for him because you know what he went through last year," said Gallagher.

I know how hurt I was last night but I thought a lot about how the returning guys must feel. I can't imagine how badly they wanted to win."

But unlike most Canadians, that's not what dominated Visentin's mindset Wednesday.

"I always take a positive approach," he said.

"I want that bronze."

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

[hockeygod]

Finland pumped for third meeting with Canucks

STEVE MACFARLANE, QMI Agency, Jan 4 2012

Disappointment is the predominant feeling in Canada with the world junior hockey championship hosts having to settle for a shot at the bronze.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, there's a sense of pride.

"It's a big thing. We worked really hard," said Finnish goaltender Chris Gibson, whose team takes on Canada for third place Thursday at the Saddledome (1:30 p.m., TSN). "Everyone in Finland are really proud of us.

"The team, we knew we could go far but we never really thought we could go THIS far. Now it's up to us to put everything we have (into it)."

The underdog Finns nearly found themselves in the gold-medal contest but gave up a two-goal lead in the third period and lost to Sweden in a shootout.

But unlike their Canadian counterparts, who fell 6-5 to Russia in the other semifinal after trailing 6-1 in the final frame, there's no sense of failure.

"It's not a disappointment at all. We'll take any medal we can take," Gibson said. "It's a great thing to have your country in the top four, but if you leave with a medal, it's even better."

If they do beat the hosts, it will be Finland's first world junior hardware since they claimed the bronze in 2006.

Meanwhile, it's the first time in 10 years the Canadians have missed out on at least a shot at the gold.

Thursday's battle will be the third between the Finns and Canadians since exhibition games began in December.

Canada claimed both previous contests, beating Finland 3-1 in a pre-tournament warmup Dec. 19 in Calgary and then kicking off the roundrobin on Boxing Day with an 8-1 thrashing in Edmonton.

But that embarrassing loss seemed to somehow inspire the Finns, who went on to beat the U.S., Denmark and Czech Republic in the preliminary round before falling just short against the Swedes.

"They're not a team to be overlooked," Team Canada's Ryan Strome said Wednesday after practice at WinSport Canada Athletic Ice Complex. "They've got arguably one of the best players in the world outside the NHL, some people say, in (Mikael) Granlund. They're a good team."

Canada's captain, Jaden Schwartz, is also cautious.

"They've obviously improved a lot," Schwartz said. "Ever since the Boxing Day game, they've played really solid games — they beat good teams.

"We've got to make sure we're ready and prepared."

For their part, the Finns are excited about Round 3 against Canada in hostile territory.

"We get another chance to beat Canada," said Gibson, one of just a handful of Finns who practised during an optional skate Wednesday. "We've done a lot of good things during this tournament. That first game of the tournament was a wakeup call for what we really have to do. Now I think everyone's ready for the game tomorrow."

Don't expect them to quit this time.

Gibson, who took a beating in that 8-1 loss and was replaced as the starter, admitted that Boxing Day contest was mentally tough for his team to stay engaged in after they got down 2-0 in the first five minutes and faced a 5-1 deficit after two periods.

"It was a hard game to play in — Canada's home-opener — and they score a couple of fast goals," said Gibson. "It was a hard game to finish, but we finished it. After that, we moved on. We watched some videos the next day and we moved on.

"After that, everything started going up. We responded very well after that and we've been playing some good hockey during this tournament.

"We really want to work hard (Thursday) and get the medal and go out of the tournament with a smile on our face."

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

[hockeygod]

Canada's Walk of Shame: No longer carry top billing at home

TERRY JONES, QMI Agency, Jan 4 2012

CALGARY – It was 11:30 a.m. when Team Canada was forced to suffer their first group humiliation of the day.

They had to make The Walk of Shame.

It was at the magnificent new WinSport complex at Canada Olympic Park, where the team held their selection camp in the 2,800-seat showcase rink, and where their state-of-the art dressing-room facilities are located.

The IIHF decreed the gold medal game teams have the use of the two feature sheets in the new four-rink, $345-million complex where all four practices were held simultaneously.

So the Canadian teenagers, who lost the gold medal game qualifier the night before, were forced to schlep past the Swedes in the feature rink, traipse past the Russians who beat them the night before, and even had to trudge past their bronze medal game opponents from Finland to reach the sheet of ice where beer-league and minor hockey teams are the biggest user groups.

Canadians, and particularly Calgarians who had invested in 21-game ticket packs in anticipation of watching Canada in the gold medal game, woke up to see the sun had come up on a spectacular 12 C Wednesday.

Some found it in their hearts to forgive these kids who gave them the near-miracle comeback, battling back from a 6-1 deficit in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to Russia. But others couldn't get past their failure to handle the pressure, the lack of discipline and the fact there appears to be a trend developing in which other countries are getting much more outstanding goaltending than Canada.

For the players, it was dealing with their own personal demons of knowing if they hadn't taken a penalty, if they had moved the puck off the boards instead panicking into plays like a two-on-none breakaway for the top two Russian players, if they hadn't …

The regrets aren't too few to mention.

Virtually no player on the team woke up Wednesday morning unable find some major moment where they didn't rise to the challenge. And there were admissions of not having handled the pressure.

"I don't know if the word is regret," said goaltender Scott Wedgewood. "But a lot of players know they made bad decisions.

"I know it's the biggest learning experience of my career. It's the first time I had to deal with a crowd like that, knowing the entire nation was focused on the game. I thought I'd be ready for it, but until you get in it, you can't be ready for it.

"We had led every game. When they got the lead, we didn't know how to deal with it.

"I'm sure most of us realize today there were things we could have done better. We had a lot of problems with discipline when things weren't going our way.

"I know what I experienced, going forward to the rest of my career, will probably make me better."

The discipline, which included Jonathan Huberdeau taking a misconduct for slapping the boards, Boone Jenner's spear (which drew him a suspension for Thursday's bronze medal game) and the other losses of composure which resulted in Russian power plays, was probably the most unforgivable.

"It was the kind of game where you do things you will regret later," said coach Don Hay.

"When players get frustrated, they do things they'll regret. They take misconduct penalties and selfish penalties."

There's no need for a national inquisition into the state of hockey in our nation like the one a decade and a half ago, because these kids lost this game and left Canada in a bronze medal game for the first time in 11 years and the first time ever as host of the event. But it might be time for a national study of some sort on the status of goaltending.

While it would be insane to hang this on Scott Wedgewood, there are valid concerns.

Several of the international goalies who were so spectacular at this event play for Canadian junior teams. Indeed, 25 of the 59 CHL teams have European goaltenders.

And here's a stat: from 1996 to 2004, French Canadian goalies played 56 of the 60 tournament games. From 2005 through to today, French Canadian goalies have only played five of 50 games.

Kids in Quebec wanted to grow up to be Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur. But for some reason, the current generation doesn't want to be Roberto Luongo.

Hey that's the ticket. Maybe we can hang all this on Roberto Luongo.

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

[hockeygod]

FRASER: ABOUT PLAYERS AND THE REMARKS THEY MAKE

KERRY FRASER, TSN.CA, Jan 4 2012

Hi Kerry,

First of all, Happy New Year and I wish you all the best for 2012. I hope you will have an awesome year.

It's been reported that Krys Barch of the Florida Panthers got a game misconduct because a linesman apparently overheard Barch using a racial slur against PK Subban. If this is true, then this is the first time I can ever remember a referee or a linesman giving a penalty to a player for such alleged conduct.

With that said, I want to know – Did you ever give penalties to players because they said something that was as bad?

Jason Bouchard
Toronto, Ontario

Jason: Happy New Year to one and all! I thank you for providing this very important first question of 2012 in hopes that tolerance and appropriate conduct is extended by each of us to all our brothers and sisters throughout this New Year. This makes for a long column, but a very important topic.

The investigation continues concerning Krys Barch's alleged comments that were overheard by a linesman and resulted in the assessment of a game misconduct. This is not the first time that a linesman reported such an incident.

Shane Doan was accused of directing an anti-French comment to the four-man Francophone officiating crew in a game and assessed a misconduct penalty which blew up into a major ordeal. I don't know of a better person or one more grounded in his Christian faith than Shane Doan throughout the NHL. I've seen him spitting mad in the moment and the very worst I ever heard him utter was the word, "frig". He was exonerated of all charges following an in-depth investigation by the League.

In the name of tolerance, let's not rush to judgment to convict Krys Barch. If through a thorough investigation, the NHL finds Barch guilty of directing a racial slur at PK Subban, he will be appropriately reprimanded (as anyone should be) and a valuable lesson learned by all.

Political correctness in our ever changing world demands us to be sensitive to the feelings of others. The hard truth is that the intolerance and inequality well documented throughout history was never okay but certainly something to learn from.

Even though there is no 'PC rule book,' we should all know what type of comments cross the line. Some years ago, 'racial taunts or slurs' were added to the NHL rule book under Game Misconduct, rule 23.7 (ii) to address these changing times. Respect and tolerance for the differences of others is something that we must uphold.

Taunting and trash talk continues to be utilized by some participants in all sports in an effort to gain an edge and veer an opponent off his game. I don't believe that will ever change. Some of the banter can be funny while others just plain inappropriate.

Jason, I want to share some incidents committed by players and fans that I encountered during my career which I believe went below the line of being deemed acceptable. In each case I will provide my response or non response to the incident. In publicized events I will use names; in private incidents I will leave it generic in nature.

Prior to the sensitivity issue players often taunted their opponents with trash talk that centred on sexual orientation. 'Queer' was the optimum buzz word. Some might remember a Hockey Night In Canada hot microphone near the Philadelphia Flyers bench catch Bobby Clarke's displeasure with referee great, Bruce Hood when he shouted, "Hood, you —-ing queer."

In a game I worked a scrum ensued after a whistle in front of a team bench. The tough guy/fighter was on the bench and had his face well covered with Vaseline to protect against potential cuts. He and an opponent on the ice, who happened to have a high-pitched famine type voice got into a verbal confrontation. The player on the ice said with a lisp, "Oh why don't you just go put some more Vaseline on your face," to which the tough guy immediately responded, "At least I don't stick up my _ _ _." Everyone laughed including the player with the wispy voice. The scrum dispersed and nobody was offended.

In another game prior to racial slurs being penalized a player of East Indian decent was involved in a scrum by the player's bench when the trash talking began. An opponent seated on the player's bench in a calm voice looked to his teammate seated beside him and asked, "Did someone call a cab?" The only one that didn't find it humorous was the player of East Indian decent. I heard the comment and failed to respond.

In 1995, Claude Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP when he led the NJ Devils to the Stanley Cup in spite of going through a very public, nasty divorce. In a preliminary round Matthew Barnaby, the king of agitation and trash talk was all over Lemieux, trying to get him off his game.

Claude approached me at a stoppage in play with tears in his eyes and asked me to please tell Barnaby not to speak to him about his personal life. Claude told me that he was going through a terrible divorce and that Barnaby had made some extremely derogatory and obscene comments about his estranged wife.

As far as I'm concerned a player's family is off limits. I immediately called Matthew Barnaby over insisted that he apologize to Claude Lemieux or I would throw him out of the game. Barney didn't believe I could or would do it until I firmly said, "Try me."

It took two Barnaby two attempts because I didn't think the first one offer to Lemieux was sincere enough. Claude accepted the second one and skated away leaving me to threaten Matthew Barnaby never to say those types of things again or he would get an early shower.

Fans can also wound players with insensitive words. Mark Fitzpatrick was playing goal for Florida Panthers in a game in Tampa just after a publicized incident where he was charged with aggravated domestic battery. At the first commercial stoppage Mark was visibly shaken and pointed to a fan directly behind his goal that he said was taunting him by calling him a wife beater.

The fan Mark singled out was a middle aged man dressed very professionally. His seat was positioned directly in front of a seam in the glass where his shouts could be easily heard on the ice. I approached the fan who confirmed the insensitive comments he had been directing at the Panthers goalie. I asked him please refrain from anything further of that nature or I would have him ejected from the building to which he agreed.

Prior to the start of the next period I took one of my signed hockey cards and passed it through the glass as an offering of cooperation to the fan. The gentleman was most apologetic for his conduct and said that he, of all people should be sensitive to the issue for Mark Fitzpatrick given the fact that in his professional life he operated a shelter for battered women. The emotion as a hockey fan caused him to lose control of his professional values and senses.

The very best example and lesson I can offer on the subject came from an incident on Dec. 20, 2000 in a game at Madison Square Garden between the NY Rangers and the St. Louis Blues which I wrote about in detail in The Final Call.

A scrum ensued at the end of the first period between Theo Fleury (who had just completed the League imposed substance abuse program) and Tyson Nash, a second-year player with the Blues.

Theo approached me with tears in his eyes after Nash brought up Fleury's much publicized battle with alcohol and drugs. I approached Blues coach Joel Quenneville in the coach's room and we agreed to get his player to offer a sincere apology to Theo Fleury on the red line between the two benches prior to the start of the next period. Tyson was visibly shaken when he offered the apology which was accepted by Fleury. The two combatants shook hands, the game finished and I thought that was the end of it.

That is until I was writing my book ten years later and called Tyson Nash for his permission to chronicle the event. The telephone got quiet – Tyson said, "Kerry, that was a life-altering, career-changing incident for me." It was obvious to me that the apology I forced in 2000 had a profound effect on Tyson Nash even to this day.

Let me share with you in Tyson Nash's own words the positive impact the incident that night on Madison Square Garden ice had on him.

"When I first started playing hockey, I was actually pretty decent and had the ability to put the puck in the back of the net, but as I travelled on in my career I realized, and certain coaches helped me realize, if I was going to make the NHL…I needed to play a certain way. I, of course, didn't always agree with them…but I listened and am so thankful I did because of the career I ended up having…

Coach Quenneville gave me an opportunity and a role on a great team. When I first got called up to the NHL after four years in the minors, I knew this might be my only chance to show what I can do…I ran around and hit everything that moved and smiled and laughed the whole game through, and in many more after that, for I was living my dream and I was playing in the NHL…Coach Quenneville told me that I needed to be the most hated man in hockey and bring that smile and energy to every game and as long as I did that I would be a St. Louis Blue. The rest was history. From that day I would do whatever I had to do to stick in the league; I would hit anything and anyone…I would yell and chirp and do whatever I could to get the upper hand or draw penalties. After all, we had the best power play in the league, and in fact we had a stat sheet for penalties drawn—which, of course, I dominated. At least I could say I was good in one stat column.

I am pretty sure I was a ref's nightmare, always in the middle of everything, and it just escalated from there. It was a tough role [to assume] because it really wasn't who I was. I consider myself a pretty nice guy who, off the ice, hates controversy, but on the ice I had to do something totally opposite or I would be gone. I was given a job and I wanted to be great at it, no matter what or who stood in my way – until on a particular night.

Before a game against the Rangers, everyone talked and gossiped, and in the heat of the moment I said things that I typically never do and [got] personal. I was frustrated with Theo Fleury and in the heat of the moment I…attacked him as a person. Obviously, Theo was a very fiery guy and it didn't take much to get him, but instead of fire him up, I apparently struck a chord emotionally and he approached Kerry Fraser about it and, well, that was a huge wake-up call for me that certain things are offsides no matter how bad you want to win the game…

After that I never went after someone's personal life, and I have Fraser to thank for playing dad in this one." – Tyson Nash.

I believe the insight and honesty of Tyson's candid self-analysis have great value. We are reminded that, while winning at all costs seems to be the accepted aim of our game, form the NHL to youth hockey, the cost might not be a simple two-minute penalty but something so damaging and injurious it cuts to the core of an opponent.

Players, fans, coaches, parents and officials at all levels of the game; let's incorporate the valuable lesson Tyson Nash learned at MSG as a New Year's resolution for all of us.

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

[hockeygod]

World Junior Hockey 2012/ Cole: What the heck did we just witness?

Cam Cole, Vancouver Sun January 4, 2012

CALGARY – Team Canada’s failure to win the gold medal at the world junior hockey championship for the third year in a row is:

(a) a pity;

(b) an embarrassment;

(c) an outrage;

(d) grounds for a federal inquiry, or at the very least, a national navel-gazing summit on the deplorable state of our national sport.

Myself, I’d be in the (a) camp.

There is a case to be made for (d), mind you, because our national sport is more than occasionally deplorable at some levels, mainly at the professional end.

But Tuesday night’s 6-5 loss to Russia in the semifinal of the 2012 IIHF under-20 tournament wasn’t any kind of evidence of it.

It was, in fact, evidence of the opposite: that at the junior level, with adrenalin-charged teenagers equally apt to rise to enormous emotional highs or crash to panic-stricken lows, often in the same game, our hockey – and the Russians’ hockey, and the Swedes’ hockey, and the Finns’ hockey – can take an entire country on that same rollercoaster ride and leave a fan wondering, as all of us here were wondering Tuesday:

“What the heck did we just witness?”

A nervous, undisciplined, poor-finishing letdown by Team Canada in the first two periods, or a demonstration of jaw-dropping Russian skill? An epic collapse by the cocky, drama-queen Russians in the third period, or a classic exhibition of Canadian passion and wounded pride and grit that fell one goalpost, and perhaps a few more ticks of the clock, short of a miracle comeback?

Who feels worse heading into Thursday’s afternoon bronze medal match: the Canadian kids, for having lost their minds and their manners in an ugly second period before mounting a fierce rally? Or the Finns, for having one boot firmly planted on Sweden’s neck, up 2-0 at the end of two periods, then blowing the lead and losing in the shootout when their captain and best player, Mikael Granlund, lost the puck and didn’t even get a shot off?

Wednesday at the WinSport arena complex, where all four medal contenders practised simultaneously, was for kicking the loss to the Russians around one more time, licking wounds, and trying to put a happy face on the task of getting up for the consolation prize.

“Well, that’s a challenge. It’s a real challenge for us, and we’ve already started that process,” said Canadian head coach Don Hay.

“You know, it’s not the end of the world, right? We’ve got to go play the game. It’s no use feeling sorry for ourselves, we’ve got to get over that. We have a job to do, and we have to go out and do it to the best of our abilities.

“I think they just have to [realize] that this is the last time they’re going to be together, and you want to be able look back and reflect on what you’ve accomplished and be proud of that. You’d like to leave here with a medal.”

There are any number of Canadian players who would love to have a few moments of Tuesday’s game back – like Boone Jenner, whom the IIHF suspended for the bronze medal game for spearing Yevgeni Kuznetsov. The Russian star had skated over to Jenner, apparently to gloat, after Jenner had been flattened with an elbow to the head by defenceman Ildar Isangulov, who was also suspended and will miss the gold medal match.

Or like Jonathan Huberdeau, whose 10-minute misconduct late in the second period for disputing a slashing call took Canada’s most creative player out of the game for 12 vital minutes. Or like Brendan Gallagher, who was wonderful all night except when the little warrior took an obviously frustrated high-sticking penalty that handed the Russians the means to score their final, and eventually decisive, goal.

“Let’s put it this way, when players get frustrated, they do things they regret,” said Hay. “If you understand how important winning is, you really feel the value of discipline. It’s about sacrifice and doing things to help you win – it’s not about getting even.”

For reasons difficult to explain, the Russians’ speed and skill and determination seemed to catch the Canadians off-guard, and they didn’t get great goaltending from either starter Scott Wedgewood or his reliever four goals in, Mark Visentin.

“I don’t know if the best word is regret. Disappointment, bad decisions, yeah,” said Wedgewood. “But for myself, it’s probably going to be the biggest learning experience of my career, because it’s the first time I’ve ever felt pressure of that [magnitude], in front of a crowd like that, in front of a nation. You’ve got to be able to handle it. I thought I was ready for it, but there’s some things you can’t be ready for until you’ve experienced it.”

Unquestionably the Canadians had the easier path to the semifinal in Pool B, and could have used some high-pressure preparation for what the Russians threw at them.

“Russia came at us early, and I don’t think we were expecting it, and we had to be more prepared for what they had,” Wedgewood said.

“They got a couple of breaks early and we didn’t know how to deal with it. It’s the first time we’d got scored on first in the tournament, and then we were down two, and I mean – everyone wanted to win, it’s not like we were going to give up, and we never did – but to be in that circumstance for the first time in the tournament kind of caught us by surprise.”

Somehow, now two forwards short, the Canadians have to rise again.

“It may not seem all that important now, but 10 years, 20 years down the road that bronze medal sounds a lot better than fourth place,” said Gallagher.

“It’s not what Hockey Canada is all about – they’re about gold medals. But they’re also about playing hard every time you’re on the ice.

“We try to do that the best we can, and hopefully everyone watching us sees that. We’re going to go out there and play for them and play for that crest on the front of our jersey, and play for each other. It’ll be a fun game, and we’re going to enjoy it.”

Fun? Without a gold medal to play for?

That’s downright un-Canadian. Cue the summit.

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

[hockeygod]

World Junior Hockey 2012: Sweden’s Patrik Nemeth loves to annoy his opponents

Chris O'Leary, edmontonjournal.com, January 4, 2012

CALGARY – If he hasn’t already, Patrik Nemeth is going to get on your nerves.

The Swedish defenceman loves to get a mental edge on his opponents. Most of the time he uses his six-foot-five, 216-pound frame to do that, laying out bodies on the ice and stifling snipers.

The Dallas Stars prospect (41st overall in 2010) has usually irritated his opponents well before the puck has dropped, though, with a pre-game ritual that’s guaranteed to rub people the wrong way. Before the national anthem has started to wind down, Nemeth breaks from the pack and circles his net a couple of times. He did it at Rexall Place in Edmonton when the Swedes played Canada in an exhibition game on Dec. 23 and drew the ire of his opponents. Nemeth got the last laugh though, as Sweden came away with a 5-3 win. Skating into Thursday night’s gold-medal game, winning is something the Swedes have done a lot of since Boxing Day.

“We played an exhibition game last year in Toronto and I did the same thing,” the Stockholm native said, chuckling. “It’s been a habit.

“I do the same thing back home in Sweden, but I know the national anthem isn’t really as big a thing there as it is here.”

Nemeth’s habits are known to Swedish head coach Roger Ronnberg, who has pleaded with his defenceman to just stand still for a few more seconds during the anthems — particularly when it’s on Canadian ice.

“He doesn’t do things like that with a purpose,” the coach said. “He’s just a kid focused on playing a game. We’ve told him several times that (when) the national anthem plays, put your helmet in your hand and stand still, but … he’s into the game and he’s so focused. It’s hard to control him sometimes.

“We try to take it away. It’s not respectful, but it’s hard to control the kids sometimes.”

Nemeth said that he thinks the routine does give him an edge, which is what he’s after.

“I think hockey is a mental sport and you get that (mental) game working and you’re ahead of your opponents,” he said.

For any pre-game stress that Nemeth causes his coach, he balances it out — and then some — when it’s time to get down to business.

“He’s a really steady defenceman,” Ronnberg said. “He’s had a role to shut down the other team’s best lines and he’s been leading also on the penalty kill.

“He’s also a guy who is a defenceman that is strong on the puck. I love his puck possession and he’s found a way to be effective here that I really love about him.”

On Wednesday, Nemeth took to a different game. He entertained the request of Swedish journalists, who wanted pictures of him smashing Russian matryoshka nesting dolls. The sound of porcelain smashing on the floor at Canada Olympic Park drew a crowd of media onlookers. When told about what Nemeth was up to, Ronnberg was almost in disbelief.

“He did what? It’s nothing I told him to do, for sure. Some one of you guys (media) fooled him to do it,” he said, fighting back a bit of a smile.

“It’s not good. I think we should be humble here and just focus on ourselves and have big respect for the Russians because they have a really good hockey team here.”

Nemeth downplayed the photo-op.

“It was a newspaper wanted me to do that, so I had to,” he said, laughing. “I don’t think (the Russians) saw it. I don’t think that’s a big deal.”

Nemeth’s teammate, Oscar Klefbom called his fellow defenceman a free spirit.

“I don’t think about it too much,” he said of what Nemeth does during the anthem. “It’s just his thing to try to irritate the other teams. We’ll see if it works against the Russian team.”

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

[hockeygod]

World Junior Hockey 2012/ Johnson: Russians playing beautiful hockey as they go for gold:
Centre of famous KLM line, Larionov excited by the team built by coach Bragin

George Johnson, edmontonjournal.com January 4, 2012

CALGARY – They were, both back in their day and for always, a singular three-sided wonder to behold.

As tight, as together on and off the beat, as the piano, double bass and drums of a superb jazz trio. The rink was their recording studio — big occasions, top-step-podium games, their jam sessions.

Krutov-Larionov-Makarov.

The legendary KLM Line.

And count Igor Larionov a big fan of the way coach Valeri Bragin has structured this Russian team at the IIHF world junior championship gunning for gold on Thursday night, the direction he has them pointed.

To enthall. To enrich. To entertain.

“I like it very much, the way they play,” critiques the former Detroit Red Wings star, long renowned a saavy, cerebral analyst of the sport.

“When you watch them the whole tournament — and I’ve watched a lot of games … they’ve brought back a fast, exciting game to Russian hockey. Even that game against Latvia, when they showed that kind of skill, that’s how we played on the KLM line.

“One-touch passes, skating through the neutral zone, slowing down the game a little bit. All different aspects.

“That’s what I thought. This is like the greatest hockey. It brings back memories of when I played. It shows this game can still take people off the seats.”

Larionov, in his guise as player agent, sits in the small, semi-circular stands overlooking Rink 3 at Winsport Arenas on the eve of Thursday’s gold-medal game between Russia and Sweden. He’s watching two of his clients, the projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL dntry draft Nail Yakupov and defenceman ­Artyom Sergeyev, prepare for the most nerve-jangling night of their young lives.

The Russians are coming off back-to-back energy-sappers. Tight, emotional, taxing victories against their two fiercest historical rivals, the Czechs and Canadians.

In the first, a quarter-final, they needed overtime to squeeze through. In the second, only 24 hours later, they needed to withstand a typically relentless, rabid Canadian third-period charge from five goals down, hanging on grimly at the end like a cat stuck to the living-room curtains.

Sure, 17-to-19-year-olds are brimming with virtually inexhaustible energy, enough to light Times Square on New Year’s Eve for a century to come, but mightn’t such expenditure of resources in such a concentrated time frame provide Sweden a slight edge in the final?

“It’s possible,” conceded Bragin. “I think the Swedes will be more fresh. We’ll see who’ll be ready (Thursday). We’ll check the physical condition and then we’ll see how we’re going to play. The most important part will be to not sleep during the first period and be ready for the game from the beginning.”

In terms of psychological advantage, Sweden, remember, burrowed back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Russians in the final game of the round robin and earn a bye into the semifinals.

“I think we’ll take a lesson from this game,” said Bragin. “I think the Swedes are like us. They have great motivation because they don’t win world juniors for something like 30 years. But in a final, the chances are always 50-50. They can desire. We can desire. The game will show who’s strongest.”

Despite their draining past 72 hours, the Russians have plenty of reasons to be confident. Captain Evgeny Kuznetsov tops the tournament scoring chart with 13 points. Nikita Gusev and Yakupov aren’t far behind at nine apiece.

Seventeen-year-old goaltender Andrei Vasilevski — utterly brilliant for 40 minutes against the Canadians on Tuesday — has arguably been the best at his position here, a 2.01 goals-against-average and eyebrow-arching .953 save percentage. His draft stock has gone through the roof of the Scotiabank Saddledome at this tournament.

Fatigue, says Larionov, won’t be a Russian issue.

“You’re 17, 18 years old, playing for your country in front of a beautiful crowd (Tuesday) and the day before. You have to come and show your best. They played a good game (against Canada), except for a couple mistakes at the end. But you expect that. It’s youth hockey.”

What fascinates Igor Larionov, what fires his hope and imagination, is fast, skilled, compelling hockey. The style of game — Russia being the best example here — that enthralls old fans, the ones who remember the magic of he and his KLM linemates, and makes new ones.

“That’s who we play the game for. The trap … It used to be dump-and-chase, now it’s chip-and-chase. It’s not a favourite of mine. Yes, you’ve gotta play some defence, but at the same time you’ve got encourage the skill.

“(We need) patience of the coaches with these young men — doesn’t matter, Russians, Canadians, Swedes, Finns — to use all their strengths to bring the game to the next level.”

Now, after the mountain of hype and 10 days of competition, there is nothing beyond one game, two nations.

A person would be hard pressed in pinpointing one player who’s been involved in more high-stakes clashes over a career than Igor Larionov. His countrymen, he advises, must put the exhilaration of Tuesday’s Canadian ouster behind them.

“Unfortunately,” he says, “yesterday’s game was yesterday. It’s yesterday’s news. So you’ve got to re-focus, get some rest and be ready for (Thursday’s) game.

“Because now you’ve got a chance, a once-in-a-lifetime chance, to be a world champion.”

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

[hockeygod]

World Junior Hockey 2012: Canada will give its all in battle for bronze medal

Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald January 5, 2012

Today is a new day and for 22 Canadian teenagers, it’s their last chance to celebrate a victory as a team.

And while playing Finland for a bronze medal is not what they envisioned or expected at the start of the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, at this point it’ll have to do.

“We don’t want to go home empty-handed,” said captain Jaden Schwartz as Canada faced the music, a day after suffering a 6-5 semifinal loss to Russia. “You lose, you get nothing — you win, you get a bronze and we’re going to do whatever we can.

“As individuals, I think winning bronze is going to mean more to us than what we think right now,” said Schwartz, one of four returnees from the 2011 silver-medal squad.

The Canadians awoke Wednesday morning, sick to their stomachs and trying to remember if Tuesday’s nightmare really happened.

“It’s obviously not what we wanted,” said Canadian centreman Ryan Strome. “We wanted to play for a gold-medal game.

“But we talked last night; we have something to play for still. We can go out here with a win and that’s a positive. I’m really proud of this group. We’ve come so close and it’s not good to quit now. There’s so much to play for still. We’re going to do our very best (today).”

The players skated at Calgary’s WinSport Arena and Hockey Canada’s galactic headquarters in their final practice as a team.

Today will be their last clash in red and white Canadian silks at the Scotiabank Saddledome as they vie for a bronze medal for the first time since 2001 in Moscow.

“We had a really good practice,” Strome said. “I mean, we’re not the happiest guys, but we worked really hard. Coach wanted us to work hard and we did. I think we just have to move on as quickly as we can.”

Despite the open wounds, Strome kept things in perspective.

“We’re going to see our family a bit later — and we’re just going to have to kind of get over it a little bit,” he said. “(Today) is another game day and I think everyone’s going to be over it. And, if not, they’re going to have to figure it out quick because we have a game.”

In the other semifinal Tuesday, Finland suffered a cruel shootout defeat to Sweden. The loss stung considering the Finns scored two goals on 12 shots and held onto the lead 3:11 into the third period. Sami Aittokallio was also outstanding through three periods, overtime and the shootout, making 55 saves on 58 Swedish shots.

Canada expects an improved Finnish squad, compared to the one it beat 3-1 in exhibition play and 8-1 to open the tournament on Boxing Day.

“I think we kind of woke them up there,” said Canadian defenceman Brandon Gormley. “They played very well after we beat them pretty bad. We’re expecting a much different team.

“We have to look forward, there’s no other option. We’ll be ready for Finland.”

The bottom line, according to Schwartz, is there is no time to feel sorry for themselves.

“We came here to win a gold and we didn’t accomplish that,” he said. “We have to regroup and refocus. We have to be determined to win a bronze medal.

‘‘I don’t know how many chances you’ll ever get to put on the Maple Leaf sweater,’’ said Schwartz.

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

[hockeygod]

World Junior Hockey 2012: MacKinnon: Team Canada players ponder the meaning of Medal #28

John MacKinnon, Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald January 5, 2012

CALGARY – Brett Connolly’s body language and what it meant has been a Team Canada leitmotif throughout the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship.

The sharpshooting winger, on loan from the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, responded by scoring in all five of Canada’s games so far. He has been a rock-solid leader for a team aiming to win a bronze medal today against Finland, a team Canada defeated 8-1 in the championship opener.

On Wednesday, the morning after the heartbreaking 6-5 semifinal loss to Russia, reporters were reading the body language of the entire 21-man roster, assaying the mood of the team.

In a country hard-wired to demand gold from its teams in elite hockey championships, could Canada regroup and go for bronze with the same zeal?

To ask that question says more about the attitude of Canadian society, really. And to pose it to teenage boys hurting from a tough loss is somewhat unseemly, a scab-picking exercise.

Canada, after all, has won a medal for the last 13 straight seasons at the World Juniors, including five straight gold from 2005-09.

The only other country that approaches that performance record is Russia, which today will go for its 11th medal in the last 14 years, its fifth gold in that stretch.

No other country comes close to the top two. The Czech Republic has won 14 medals in the history of the tournament, while Finland has won 12 all-time.

The United States, Canada’s supposed key rival, has won seven medals overall, just two of them gold. If Sweden beats Russia today, they will win their 15th medal overall, their first gold since 1981, just their second gold ever.

Canada cannot add to its record total of 15 gold all-time this year, but it can win its 28th medal. That’s something special, right?

“Well, it’s not what Hockey Canada is about, they’re about gold medals,” said Brendan Gallagher, the feisty forward for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants of the WHL, who scored in Canada’s comeback effort against Russia. “But, they’re also about playing hard every time you’re on the ice.”

Prodded to ponder what any medal, including bronze, might mean to his kids, perhaps his grandchildren somewhere down the road, Gallagher understood the perspective.

“That’s the message they’re coming across (with),” Gallagher said. “It may not seem all that important now, but 10 years, 20 years down the road that bronze sounds a lot better than fourth place.”

This team can learn valuable lessons from a game in which Canada came unglued early in the face of an all-out Russian assault, then rallied furiously, only to fall just short.

“I don’t know if the best word is regret, disappointment, bad decisions,” said goalie Scott Wedgewood, still sore in his upper and lower back after being bowled over by a Russian forward in the second period. “I think (it is) probably going to be the biggest learning experience of my career because, it’s probably the first time I felt pressure at that circumstance in front of a crowd like that, in front of a nation and you’ve just got to able to handle it.

“I thought I’d be ready for it. I was for the most part. But there are some things you can’t be ready for until you experience it.”

Wedgewood said Canada, which ran up a 4-0 won-lost record and outscored its opponents 26-5 in the Group B round robin, might have benefited from a tougher game or two in the preliminary round.

But that’s the luck of the draw.

“Russia came at us early and I don’t think we were expecting that,” Wedgewood said. “We had to be more prepared for what they had.”

‘I think they got a couple of breaks early that helped them get ahead of us and then we kind of didn’t know how to deal with it.

“It was the first time we got scored on first in the tournament and we were down by two at a point. Everyone wanted to win, it’s not like we were going to give up, but to be in that circumstance for the first time in the tournament, kind of caught us by surprise, is the best way to put it.”

Wedgewood said he and his teammates have adopted the mindset that now “you’ve got to win to get a medal now, you can’t go to the gold medal (game) and lose and get a silver.”

Win and they’ll finish 5-1. Win and they’re bronze medallists.

Win and their body language should be that of a good and proud team that came up a little short.

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

[hockeygod]

THN at the WJC: Rising and falling draft stocks

Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News, 2012-01-05

Though the World Junior Championship is widely regarded as a tournament for 19-year-olds, this year in particular has featured some of the top draft eligible talent available for 2012. These youngsters were given a huge stage to showcase their skills and the results heading into the final games have been mixed to be sure. So how did they all fare? Glad you asked.

Nail Yakupov, LW – Russia

Depending on whom you ask, Yakupov is either the first- or second-best prospect in the draft. I say he’s first and he cemented it in Calgary. Though he is known more for goal scoring, the talented kid from the Tatar region actually put nothing but assists up heading into the gold medal game – nine in six games to tie for the tourney lead with Finland’s Mikael Granlund. That ability to vary his contributions is nice to see and his competitive drive (not to mention the best press scrums since Kirill Kabanov) is undeniable.

Mikhail Grigorenko, RW – Russia

An ankle injury against Latvia limited Grigorenko to spot duty for most of the tourney, so it’s hard to gauge his effectiveness. Those who don’t favor Yakupov go with Grigorenko at No. 1, but he couldn’t improve his station based on Calgary thanks to the injury.

Ryan Murray, D – Canada

True, Murray had the game from hell against the Russians, but the rest of his body of work was sound. He gave Canada big minutes when Scott Harrington and Nathan Beaulieu went down against Team USA and his skating ability was already well-known. I would still rate him the top D-man in the draft.

Filip Forsberg, LW – Sweden

Forsberg’s stickhandling and creativity has been quite evident in Calgary, but it hasn’t translated into results. He posted just one point through five games, but on the plus side, was chosen for the shootout against the Finns in the semifinal. At 6-foot-2, he also has enviable size.

Andrei Vasilevski, G – Russia

Goalies are always ranked differently in the draft, so this is as good a place as any to include Vasilevski. Forget the Canada comeback; the Russian has been bailing his defense out all medal round and has a flair for the dramatic with his glove hand. He’s a battler and will be one of the top goalies taken along with Malcolm Subban of OHL Belleville.

Jacob Trouba, D – United States

Big, ornery and skilled, Trouba brings a lot to the table. One of the better U.S. defensemen at the tourney, he has certainly solidified his draft stock and probably even given it a boost. Right now he’s looking like a top-10 pick for sure.

Sebastian Collberg, RW – Sweden

Another youngster trusted in the shootout against Finland, Collberg scored on his attempt and has put up great numbers for the Swedes. The mid-sized winger had four goals and seven points through five games, placing him second on the team behind Max Friberg’s 11 points. Collberg definitely has some slick hands and creativity and his stock will rise now.

Olli Maatta, D – Finland

An early concussion knocked Maatta out of the tourney, denying Finland one of their better offensive defensemen. Depending on the length of time he’s out, the OHL London import may get passed by other prospects, at least in the short-term.

Tomas Hertl, C – Czech Republic

An offensive catalyst for the Czechs, Hertl showed off some great playmaking skills with linemate Dmitrij Jaskin and in the process opened a lot of eyes towards his potential. Coupled with his numbers in the Czech League (15 points in 23 games), he’s looking like a first-rounder for sure.

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

[hockeygod]

Tending to Canada's goalie crisis

RYAN PYETTE, QMI Agency, Jan 5 2012

LONDON, ONT. – It's growing tiresome watching Canada get out-goaltended at the world junior hockey tournament.

That's three straight years now.

But it's too easy to simply declare a puckstopping state of emergency, toss teens Scott Wedgewood and Mark Visentin under the bus, wail about how Canada hasn't produced an elite-level goalie since Carey Price and worry about what's going to happen in net at the next Olympics.

The dramatic 6-5 semifinal loss to Russia Tuesday in Calgary merely underlines that every country is in the same kind of goaltending boat, but we better start to steer ours better.

Just look at how Canada was beaten in Saskatoon, Buffalo, and now Calgary. Each of those golden elimination games, the opposition yanked their starting goalie — and won.

That's how the names of those clutch backups — Jack Campbell, Igor Bobkov and now Andrey Makarov — were first burned into our puck-loving brains.

Heck, these Russians felt comfortable most of the time with a 17-year-old in net for an under-20 tournament. So no one's calling them a goaltending factory these days.

But Russian head coach Valeri Bragin made another masterful move by doing what Canada's Dave Cameron should've last year in Buffalo — pulled his starter before the lead was lost and, in the process, woke up some of his sleepy players.

It was a gutsy call, and it worked.

Canada, once again, didn't have a clear-cut No. 1 in net.

It went into the medal game without a loss — and still had to fend off a goalie controversy with the experienced Visentin passed over for the start in a game he had wanted for a calendar year.

Such is the kind of scrutiny that surrounds this team, especially when the tournament is on home ice.

Hockey Canada creates an environment, starting with the selection camp, in which everything is so ramped up, each practice is so intense and with meaningless exhibition games sold out and televised. The players get amped before the tournament even starts.

It's comparable to a sugar high. It's awfully hard to sustain the same energy level for over two weeks. It's an especially tough atmosphere for goalies and there's bound to be a crash at some point.

And it came at the worst possible time, with a near-storybook comeback glossing over the hard-to-stomach reality that a team like Canada had fallen behind 6-1 in the first place.

Sure, there hasn't been a Patrick Roy-like talent in Canadian garb for some time.

And it's a little startling that in the 20-team Ontario Hockey League where Wedgewood and Visentin play, half of the starting netminders are non-Canadians.

But the problem isn't so much in numbers of goalies or their development.

Nine of the top 10 goalies from the Quebec league are from that province. British Columbia leads the way in producing its stoppers in the Western league.

There are plenty of kids from coast to coast who don the pads, rise to the AAA ranks and play in the Hockey Canada program. There are lots of instructors who fill their schools with budding goalies.

Stars just don't come around all the time, and in the goalie trade, it takes a special person to last in the game for several years.

The odds of producing a Sidney Crosby are way better than a Terry Sawchuk, because there are five skaters on a team at one time, and only one goaltender.

But you don't always need a star in net to win the world juniors. You need someone to rise to the occasion.

Canada hasn't had it happen in a while.

Pressure isn't always power.

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

[hockeygod]

The future looks bleak for Canadian minor hockey
Youth participation in Canadian hockey programs is decreasing while the numbers are increasing in the U.S.

Emile Therien, Toronto Star, Jan 04 2012

Although Canadians are mourning the national team’s loss to Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championships, far deeper problems threaten the future of the game in this country.

First and foremost, hockey is plagued with serious injuries. Back in the 1970s the big safety issue was eye injuries. Now, more and more Canadians share concerns about bodychecking and head injuries. The Canada Safety Council has been speaking out on this for more than 20 years. Others are at last breaking their silence on this critical national health and safety issue.

A five-year study of 3,000 boys aged 4 to 18 in a youth hockey program in Burlington found that 66 per cent of injuries were from accidents such as colliding with teammates, sliding into the boards or posts or being hit with the puck. The researchers from the University of Buffalo attributed the remaining 34 per cent to players checking each other. Only injuries serious enough to keep players off the ice for at least 24 hours were counted.

A joint study by the University of Calgary, McGill University and the University of Laval tracked injuries to 2,200 peewee players through the 2007-2008 season. It revealed that 11- and 12-year old hockey players in leagues that allow bodychecking are 2.5 times more likely to get hurt and 3.5 times more likely to suffer a concussion. In Quebec, players do not bodycheck until bantam (ages 13 to 14), and even then only at the elite levels. In Alberta, bodychecking begins at the peewee level (ages 11 and 12).

The findings make a case for raising the bodychecking age and for limiting bodychecking at all levels. One of the researchers, Dr. Carolyn Emery from the University of Calgary, estimated a ban on bodychecking in peewee hockey would eliminate more than 1,000 injuries and 400 concussions annually among the nearly 9,000 peewee players in Alberta.

Traumatic brain injuries from hits to the head can lead to severe and lifelong consequences. Research by Dr. Shree Bhalerao, director of medical psychiatry at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and Deborah Pink, resident in psychiatry at the University of Toronto, have found they can cause post-concussive symptoms, cognitive disorders, depression, personality changes and substance abuse.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information reported 8,000 hockey-related injuries in Ontario hospital emergency rooms in the 2002-2003 season. Among players 18 and under, 62 per cent of the injuries were a result of checking.

The main reason kids play any sport is for fun — and getting hurt is no fun. Fear of injuries is driving young players and their parents away from the game. As the pool of talent dwindles, so does the quality and talent level of those who go on to represent Canada internationally.

Enrolment in Hockey Canada teams is currently 572,000 players, down more than 200,000 from its peak. And the prospects are grim. In the next decade, some say there could be 200,000 fewer kids playing the game. Yet Hockey Canada remains apathetic to the injury problem.

The opposite trend is evident south of the border, where the number of players registered with USA Hockey rose from 195,000 in 1990-91, to 500,579 in 2010.

Nov. 5 was Try Hockey For Free Day in the U.S. More than 430 sites in 47 states conducted free clinics for more than 11,000 American children ages 4 to 9. The event was part of a slate of activities scheduled for Come Play Hockey Month, an initiative involving USA Hockey and the NHL designed to increase youth participation in the game.

The American system and players are better today than they have ever been. Currently more than 58 universities and colleges play Division I hockey. In addition, 74 colleges play NCAA Division II and Division III hockey, and 447 colleges have club hockey teams (men’s and women’s).

Canada has no comparable development programs. Our system is built on and caters exclusively to the Canadian Hockey League and its teams, which are, in effect, commercial entities.

What’s the solution? Can corporate Canada save our game? An RBC survey released on Dec. 6 found that 82 per cent of Canadians in hockey households believe corporations must do more to help the sport’s grassroots programs. It is unclear whether that corporate support includes the thousands of small businesses that support minor hockey in their respective communities to the tune of millions of dollars each year. Nonetheless, corporate support, however defined, is not the magic bullet that will solve all these problems.

A major overhaul of minor hockey is needed in Canada — and soon. A detailed, systemic investigation of the issues confronting minor hockey is crucial.

The average annual registration and participation cost is about $1,500, according to the RBC survey; some families simply can’t afford this. Local availability of facilities and resources can also be an issue.

Until now, the hockey establishment has not been held accountable. Is it up to the challenge? Don’t count on it.

For leadership, look to the medical community, school officials, health and safety researchers and advocates, and other concerned organizations and individuals. It’s not too late to change direction and save our game, with its strong historical and cultural roots.

Emile Therien is former president of the Canada Safety Council.

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

[hockeygod]

Injury fears affect hockey enrolment

Emile Therien, Edmonton Journal, January 2, 2012

Calgary and Edmonton are hosting the prestigious World Junior Hockey Championships. All eyes are on Canada as it skates to reclaim bragging rights as the world’s best junior hockey power. Yet the international success Canada has enjoyed for years in minor hockey has long masked problems that threaten the future of the game in this country.

First and foremost, hockey is plagued with serious injuries. Back in the 1970s the big safety issue was eye injuries, including loss of eyes. Now, more and more Canadians share concerns about body checking. The Canada Safety Council has been speaking out on this for more than 20 years. Others are at last breaking their silence on this critical national health-and-safety issue.

A five-year study of 3,000 boys aged four to 18 in a youth-hockey program in Burlington, Ont., found that 66 per cent of injuries were from accidents such as colliding with teammates, sliding into the boards or posts or getting hit with the puck. The researchers, from the University of Buffalo, attributed the remaining 34 per cent to players checking each other. Only injuries serious enough to keep players off the ice for at least 24 hours were counted.

A joint study by the University of Calgary, McGill University and the University of Laval tracked injuries to 2,200 Peewee players through the 2007-08 season. It revealed that 11- and 12-year-old hockey players in leagues that allow body checking are 2.5 times more likely to get hurt and 3.5 times more likely to suffer a concussion.

In Quebec, players do not bodycheck until Bantam (ages 13 to 14), and even then only at the elite levels. In Alberta, body checking begins at the Peewee level (ages 11 and 12).

The findings make a case for raising the body-checking age and for limiting body checking at all levels. One of the researchers, Dr. Carolyn Emery from the department of kinesiology at the University of Calgary, estimated a ban in Peewee hockey would eliminate over 1,000 injuries and 400 concussions annually among the nearly 9,000 Peewee players in Alberta.

Traumatic brain injuries from hits to the head can lead to severe and lifelong consequences. Research by Dr. Shree Bhalerao, director of medical psychiatry at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and Deborah Pink, resident in psychiatry at the University of Toronto, have found they can cause post-concussive symptoms, cognitive disorders, depression, personality changes and substance abuse.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information reported 8,000 hockey-related injuries in Ontario hospital emergency rooms in the 2002-03 season. Among players 18 and under, 62 per cent of the injuries were a result of checking. Such injuries were the most common among 14- to 16-year-old players who had been exposed to body checking for several years.

The main reason kids play any sport is for fun and getting hurt is no fun. Hitting and the risk of serious injuries, including concussions, remove the motivation. More and more parents are simply not allowing their children to play.

Enrolment in Hockey Canada teams is currently 572,000 players, down more than 200,000 from its peak. And the prospects are grim. In the next decade, some say there could be 200,000 fewer kids playing the game. The Hockey News report (December 2010) suggests 30,000 fewer Canadians will play the game in the next five years. As the pool of talent dwindles, so does the quality and talent level of those who go on to represent Canada internationally.

The opposite trend is evident south of the border, where the number of players registered with USA Hockey rose from 195,000 in 1990-91 to 500,579 in 2010. More than 100,000 children under the age of nine registered to play hockey in the United States in 2010, a 15-per-cent increase from 2008.

The American system and players are better today than they have ever been. Their Program of Excellence has more elite athletes playing the sport. Currently more than 58 universities and colleges play Division I hockey; that number is growing. In addition, 74 colleges play NCAA Division II and Division III hockey, and 447 colleges have club hockey teams (men’s and women’s), including many of the large universities in the West and Southeast.

Canada has no comparable development programs. Our system is built on and caters exclusively to the Canadian Hockey League and its member teams, which are, in effect, commercial entities.

An RBC survey released on Dec. 6 found that 82 per cent of Canadians in hockey households believe corporations must do more to help the sport’s grassroots programs. Nonetheless, corporate support, however defined, is not the magic bullet that will solve all these problems.

A major overhaul of minor hockey is needed in Canada, and soon. Getting to the root of the problem is key. A detailed, systemic investigation of the issues confronting minor hockey is crucial.

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2012/01/02/injury-fears-affect-hockey-enrolment/

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

[hockeygod]

USA Hockey Scraps the American Development Model (ADM) Following the US Performance at the 2012 World Juniors

01-02-2012

Today, USA Hockey announced a complete overhaul of the recently implemented American Development Model (ADM). Immediately after its one win 2012 World Junior performance, USA Hockey held round the clock meetings with top US coaches across Minnesota in an effort to get the new program implemented before the end of this year's minor hockey season. The result is a new “Play-for-Pay” model based upon the long term international domination by the now defunct Soviet Union.

The proven Play-for-Pay approach is a clear departure from the current acronym based USA development model. Effective today, coaches are not allowed to use the acronyms Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD), small area games (SMAGs), fundamental movement and skills (FMS), and most importantly, using ABC’s for describing agility, balance, coordination and speed. USA Hockey’s Chief Director of Acronyms fired himself over the weekend after hearing a post game interview with an anonymous and confused USA forward saying “Wow, I thought ABC’s meant Avoid Back Checking….”. This comes as a double setback to the US as they had invested significantly into the creation of revenue generating on-line acronym practice and training videos (project CRAPs). Everyone now agrees that acronyms do not create winning hockey teams.

The Play-for-Pay approach will be a complete departure from the existing model, says Reg Dunlop, USA Hockey’s new Director Chief Associate Creator of the Play-for-Pay program. The new program is based on the premises winning is more fun than losing, and the more incentive given to winning the more likely it is to occur. Coach Dunlop goes on to describe several of the immediate changes, including:

Playing full ice games with a functioning scoreboard so kids can learn losing stinks and have a fear of it – the current program has kids, parents and coaches thinking they are all winners

Increasing registration fees for all, and using the proceeds to provide cash rewards for individual hat tricks – the current patches are not enough incentive to drive individual excellence

Encouraging goalie specialization at an early age so they can have more time to adjust to the fact that skaters just tolerate them in hopes they stop pucks – ADM had goalies believing they were a regular member of the team

Encouraging freezing of all pools in hopes to get more ice time for kids – swimming is an individual lane specific sport that teaches kids to keep their heads down, it has no correlation to winning hockey games

Many critics of the ADM program have made accusations that the prorgram was actually a tactic by Hockey Canada to keep USA Hockey down after USA took the Canadians to overtime in the past Olympics. Critics pointed to a long time quote on USA Hockey’s ADM website wherein Brian Burke, General Manager of Canada's Toronto Maple Leafs, is quoted and slipped in saying “The program is absolutely fantastic. I know its implementation will take some time, but the principles are dead…”.

USA hockey will be notifying coaches this week of the new on-line “potential specific coaching modules" that must be completed before the end of the following week. The fee for the 8 hour classes have been increased to $100.

—–

Nice to see someone at hockeygrinder.com has a sense of humour!

I don't see anything wrong with playing with a scoreclock; in fact, I recommend people keep track of the score in prctice as much as possible – as the game uses one – kids want to know who wins and who loses! We should reward scoring – that's the best part of the game! If you want to be all warm and fuzzy… hug a teddy bear!

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

[hockeygod]

Two To Watch

Damien Cox, Toronto Star, January 06, 2012

The verdict on in-season NHL coaching changes this season, at least so far, is split.

Six coaches fired, three of those teams now in a playoff position, three not so much. Of the three hired that had NHL coaching experience – Ken Hitchcock, Darryl Sutter, Bruce Boudreau – the news has been good for Hitchcock's Blues and Sutter's Kings, less so for the Anaheim Ducks under Boudreau.

Of the three that didn't have head coaching experience, Dale Hunter has maneuvered Washington into eighth in the east, while the results for Montreal under Randy Cunneyworth and Carolina with Kirk Muller behind the bench have been less positive.

We'll see how those six situations develop over the final half of the season – and see if more coaching changes result.

With the coaching moves so far, and with a number of teams well down in the standings possibly looking at alterations behind the bench for next season, the question is always out there: who are the hot coaching candidates not in the NHL?

Often, it's names who have been there before. Marc Crawford. Randy Carlyle. Pat Quinn. Michel Therrien.

Two who haven't, but are gaining lots of attention these days for their work in the AHL, lock horns tonight with at Ricoh Coliseum.

Dallas Eakins, with his Marlies in first place in their division, has been attracting lots of kudos for his work, particularly with the readiness of the players he has supplied to the parent club when they've been promoted. Nazem Kadri, Keith Aulie and Darryl Boyce would be the three most recent examples.

Eakins' squad, with Colton Orr and Phillipe Dupuis down from the Leafs and Jussi Rynnas having allowed one goal in his last two games, tonight takes on the Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL's top team with a sparkling 23-8-1 record this season. The Barons are the farm team of the Edmonton Oilers and are coaching by Todd Nelson, a one-time Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick who has the farm club doing much better than the Oilers are at the NHL level these days.

It's tough for guys like Eakins and Nelson to be recognized and to get a chance at the NHL level even if it's deserved. Eakins, at least, is benefitting to some degree by being in a large media market. It's more difficult in Sooner country for Nelson, who actually worked on the same bench as Cunneyworth under John Anderson in Atlanta and will coach the Western Conference squad in the AHL all-star game Jan. 30.

It's hard to see Eakins getting his NHL chance in Toronto where Ron Wilson just netted a contract extension. For Nelson, it's unclear what will happen in Edmonton if Tom Renney can't coax better results out of a team that many hoped would challenge for a playoff berth but has already all but fallen out of the race.

Regardless, Eakins are Nelson are two to watch, and they'll bash brains tonight down at the Ricoh.

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

[Author]

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