Articles

[hockeygod]

NEW QUEBEC ARENA DOESN'T MEAN NHL TEAM IS CLOSER

BOB MCKENZIE, TSN, March 26 2012

The National Hockey League's position on Phoenix – or Quebec City if you like – is pretty much the same now as it has always been.

That is, the goal is to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix. There are no immediate plans for relocation or expansion to anywhere, let alone Quebec City and, well… stop me if you've heard any of this before.

But here's what we also know to be true.

The NHL cannot possibly wait as long this year as it did last year for the Phoenix situation to resolve itself. Last year, the Coyotes were not locked in for another season in Phoenix until almost mid-May and the sale of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg didn't take place until the end of May.

The NHL was able to wait as long last year because True North – the owner of the Jets – had an entire hockey and business and arena infrastructure ready, willing and able to accept a franchise at the last minute.

In spite of Sunday's arena news conference in Quebec City, neither Quebec nor Seattle are as well positioned as Winnipeg. So unless Phoenix is resolved in short order, the league will at the very least have to begin laying some relocation groundwork in the very near future.

Now there's nothing to stop the NHL from running parallel or simultaneous tracks – one leading to the Coyotes staying in Phoenix and the other one leading out of the desert – but it should be noted the NHL has yet to start down that second track.

So the good folks of Quebec City shouldn't get too excited just yet.

If the Coyotes are on the move, there's no guarantee it's to La Belle Province. It's certainly a viable landing spot, but so too is Seattle. And the Pacific Northwest may be a more desirable location from the NHL's perspective.

There's no NHL expansion on the immediate horizon, but if the league and Players' Association achieve labour peace and a new collective bargaining agreement next fall and if there are no further existing franchise fires to put out, growing the NHL to 32 teams would seem to make sense.

But even then, Quebec City might still be in tough – competing with a second NHL franchise in Southern Ontario, Seattle or who knows where.

So while it's all very exciting for Quebec City to get a new arena, that's not to be confused with necessarily being a tangible step closer to getting an NHL franchise.

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

[hockeygod]

Architects of Glendale pro sports disaster won't be around for fallout

David Shoalts, Globe and Mail, March 28, 2012

The architects of a disastrous foray into professional sports by the suburban city of Glendale, Ariz., will not be around to deal with the fallout.

Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, 68, announced this week she will not seek a sixth term in office this summer. Earlier this year, Glendale city manager Ed Beasley, 53, said he planned to “retire” some time this year.

The politician and the bureaucrat are leaving behind a debt of almost $1-billion (all currency U.S.) for the city of 250,000, much of it created by the decisions to build an arena for the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes (and to spend more than $50-million propping up the team) and a spring-training complex for Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

It was Beasley who handled the day-to-day operations of Scrugg’s master plan of building facilities to attract major-league teams. The only scheme that worked out was building a football stadium for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Glendale will play host to its second Super Bowl in 2015.

However, the fate of the Coyotes remains up in the air, as the NHL has been unable to find a buyer willing to keep the team in Glendale. Talks with former San Jose Sharks president Greg Jamison have yet to produce a deal and the likelihood of the Coyotes moving to Quebec City, Seattle or Kansas City is growing.

The Arizona Republic (below) has the details of Scruggs’ decision and her legacy. The most interesting parts are the comments from Scruggs’s fellow politicians about her reign.

—–

Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs will not seek a 6th term

Cecilia Chan, The Republic | azcentral.com, Mar. 28, 2012

Nineteen-year Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs announced late Tuesday that she will not seek a sixth term in office.

Three people have already pulled papers to run for mayor in the August primary election.

Scruggs, 68, was first elected councilwoman in 1990 and became mayor three years later.

Scruggs' announcement comes on the heels of City Manager Ed Beasley in December saying he would retire this year after 10 years in the city's top administrative post.

In a two-page statement, Scruggs thanked Glendale residents for joining her in transforming a bedroom community into "a thriving center of employment, retail activity, and tourism."

Under Scruggs' leadership, Glendale has crafted an image as a sports and entertainment destination. The city will host its second Super Bowl in 2015.

Before Scruggs departs, she must make tough decisions about the upcoming budget that has a shortfall one councilwoman has pegged as high as $30 million.

Also to be resolved is the three-year ownership saga of the Phoenix Coyotes, the city's first professional sports team that moved into an arena the city borrowed $180 million to open in 2003.

A new leader also will need to oversee Camelback Ranch, the spring-training facility for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox. The city borrowed $200 million to build the ballpark, anticipating paying the debt with help from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority and commercial development around the venue. The recession has hampered both those funding sources.

"It's ironic and disappointing that as I leave office after 22 years of service, we are again in the throes of a freefalling national economy, one even worse than when I took office in 1990. However, because of the vision and leadership to create a sustainable diversified economic base, Glendale is in a better position to recover," Scruggs said.

When Scruggs joined the Glendale City Council, the city had already annexed a massive chunk of land to the north that was planned for the Arrowhead Ranch community. The city had invested millions in infrastructure, but the project languished as the primary developer eventually went bankrupt.

As Scruggs was appointed mayor, she said the council increased property taxes by 20 percent because the city did not have an economic base to support municipal services.

"We immediately began plans to turn our city around and point it toward a sustainable future," the mayor said.

City leaders revamped the vision for Arrowhead Ranch and the project eventually took off, today one of the city's most noted residential communities and a busy commercial corridor.

In the years to come, the council strategized to pursue jobs instead of more rooftops, leading to the sports and entertainment district that includes the Coyotes, the spring-training ballpark and the Arizona Cardinals stadium.

Scruggs became a regional leader, advocating to protect Luke Air Force Base, which the city annexed in 1995, and on transportation issues.

The city's longtime leading lady said her proudest joy was creating programs for neighborhood renewal and to encourage residents participation in government.

Scruggs thanked her family for support and sacrifices as she fulfilled her mayoral duties.

She battled health issues shortly after being elected to her fifth mayoral term. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and underwent chemotherapy. In 2010, she said she was cancer free. She has not publicly discussed her health since then and did not indicate that played into her decision not to seek re-election.

She said she looked forward to time with her family, a husband and grown daughter.

"Now we are anxiously looking forward to plans for our future when we can do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it," she said.

Scruggs, in the statement that came late Tuesday night, said she was on vacation and would not be available for further comment until Monday.

So far, a state lawmaker, an attorney and the head of a non-profit have said they will run for mayor. They include Jerry Weiers, Walt Opaska and Manuel Cruz.

Candidates have through May to file paperwork to run in the August primary election.

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

[hockeygod]

Quebec City all a-lather as NHL rumours fly

Sean Gordon, Globe and Mail, March 27, 2012

This is what it's like when the Habs suck and there's nothing much else to talk about in Quebec: all molehills instantly become Himalaya-sized.

Former coach and current radio analyst Dany Dubé, a wise and plugged-in hockey man, mentioned on Radio-Canada on Monday that a Phoenix Coyotes player of his acquaintance had been advised to "go and learn French" by someone in the organization.

That has, of course, been taken as the firmest indication yet that the Yotes are Quebec City-bound in a question of weeks.

Not so fast, said Dubé, who expands and nuances his statement here.

The gist, for those who don't read French, is that the tidbit should only be seen for what it is: people within the team's hockey staff are starting to think this could happen. That doesn't mean it will, after all the Atlanta Thrashers' players were pretty much the last to find out last year that the team was in the process of being sold and moved to Winnipeg.

Still, it's the sort of thing that gets people all a-lather, particularly in a fevered atmosphere like Quebec City's, where recent developments like city council approving renovation dough for the Colisée and this past weekend's official announcement of the new arena project (which has been a done deal for months) have contributed to people getting all hepped up.

Another way to interpret Dubé's scoopette? At least the players are getting some good advice if the team does end up moving to La Vieille Capitale.

http://blogues.radio-canada.ca/bloguesportif/2012/03/27/les-coyotes-et-le-francais-precisions-2/

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

[hockeygod]

Coyotes solution remains a puzzle: Seattle, Quebec City or status quo?

Bruce Arthur, National Post, Mar 28, 2012

The NHL has put so much time and effort into keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix that nobody can seriously doubt their intent, but the sunset is coming.

At the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, commissioner David Stern admitted, at long last, that the SuperSonics would be leaving Seattle after 40 years there. And in some kind of karmic penance, he spoke passionately about wanting to be part of the solution in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

“No one ever called me a romantic, but I’m feeling pretty good about it,” he said. “There is such a countenance of political strength and governmental strength, that I think this is really an opportunity to do something good.”

The league was forced to take over the Hornets franchise in 2010, and is currently seeking a buyer that would keep the team in New Orleans. And this is the part where we come to an NHL team in Quebec City.

They want one, you see. The good people of Quebec will pay approximately $400-million for an arena to be built by 2015, in the hope that the National Hockey League will see fit to repatriate the Nordiques after all these years. And the Phoenix Coyotes, a franchise that has bled away in limbo for nearly three years, is the best bet.

And right now, it appears there are three options, and not necessarily in this order: One, the Coyotes are packed up within the next month or so and moved to Quebec City, where la Colisée is hastily renovated with city money, and the party lasts all night and through much of the summer, and those who own provincial liquor distributorships or local bars are eventually able to buy their own islands.

Two, the Coyotes are moved to Seattle, which seems far more complicated. The arena plan put forward by hedge fund magnate Christopher Hansen and the city of Seattle last month is predicated on an NBA team first, though the NHL says Seattle could work for them irrespective of Hansen’s plan.

“Yes, I do believe that is possible,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an email. “But even if done in conjunction for purposes of a new arena, that plan wouldn’t necessitate NBA expansion or relocation for next year.” He added that an NHL team could theoretically move to Seattle without an NBA team ever doing the same. Since there is no public arena plan in Seattle other than the one put forward by Hansen last month, and since there has been no public arena plan approved by the city and county since the Sonics left, and since Key Arena is frankly unsuitable for hockey, this seems a difficult trick.

Three, the Coyotes stay in Phoenix for another year, or in the realm of the least improbable eventualities, even longer. Daly declined to provide an update, saying “We are continuing to work on a Glendale solution.” This would likely require the NHL and Glendale both paying bills they would prefer not to pay, though it is said there are some in Quebec City who would not be entirely surprised by this.

So, the NHL is facing a decision. The NHL has put so much time and effort into keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix that nobody can seriously doubt their intent, but the sunset is coming. It is believed that the league favours Seattle, the 12th-largest metro area in the United States, but is split on which option is more likely. It is believed that a prospective NHL owner for Seattle has already been identified.

But to make it easy an NBA team will have to be involved, and it does not appear likely that an NBA team will be available in the next month. The Sacramento Kings were the most likely candidate, but have struck an arena deal to keep the team in place. The Memphis Grizzlies are for sale — if they were moved to Seattle, a solid case could be made to call them The Boomerangs — but have an onerous lease that ties them to Memphis until 2021, and even then cannot be easily broken unless the team falls short of attendance incentives.

So that leaves the Hornets. But the NBA has put a restriction on the sale, temporarily limiting it to buyers who would keep the franchise in New Orleans, and the league has expressed optimism that an owner will be found, especially after a deal was struck with the state of Louisiana to spend US$50-million to renovate New Orleans Arena. The deal would theoretically increase revenues for any new owner, while also tying the Hornets to New Orleans until 2024. Either way, none of the signs point to a team being made portable anytime soon.

If the Hornets were to be shipped to Seattle, the NHL’s decision would be relatively easy. Without them, the NHL will have to choose the harder road — another year in Glendale, a move to Seattle with no promise of a new arena being triggered right away, or the irrevocable road to Quebec. And if NHL chooses an American destination again, despite Quebec’s prostate overtures, it will be because they are dreaming of Canadian expansion money, and have found a sucker. Or more specifically, an American one.

These are grim times to be a hockey fan in Canada. Toronto is in a pit, Montreal has been engulfed in flames, Calgary is creaking its way into the heart of mediocrity, and in Edmonton the Oilers let 20-year-old star Taylor Hall play the entire season with a shoulder that he knew would require labrum surgery. Hey, when you’re that close to a Stanley Cup, you pull out all the stop … oh.

Even Vancouver has a Daniel Sedin concussion and riot prevention to worry about. The easiest places to cheer are in Winnipeg, which will not make the playoffs but will continue to exist, and in Ottawa, where a dream season was nearly derailed when the starting goaltender cut himself while trying to slice a frozen chicken breast.

Still, Quebec City wants in, misery or not. When he announced Seattle was dead on that day in New Orleans, Stern said, “I accept that inevitability at this point. There is no miracle here.” When Gary Bettman is forced to utter those words in Arizona, we will learn what the league wants and, more importantly, what it thinks it can get away with.

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

[hockeygod]

Ice Edge group back in the Phoenix hockey picture

David Shoalts, Globe and Mail, March 29, 2012

Anthony LeBlanc and his group of businessmen once known as Ice Edge Holdings are back in the Phoenix hockey picture.

Only this time it is not to make an ownership bid on the financially moribund Phoenix Coyotes but to manage Jobing.com Arena in suburban Glendale and try to bring in a minor-league hockey team if the Coyotes move to another city this summer.

On Mar. 1, LeBlanc sent an e-mail message to Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, city attorney Craig Tindall and each member of city council. It was prompted by Scruggs’ public musings the city needs a “Plan B” if the Coyotes leave.

LeBlanc said his company, now known as Lakehead Yale Sports Holdings LLC, is willing to sign a long-term contract to manage the arena, try to find a minor-league team as a tenant and work to increase the events at the arena if the NHL decides to move the Coyotes.

LeBlanc also wrote in the e-mail offer that he received approval from the NHL to “pursue these discussions in more detail.”

However, city manager Ed Beasley appeared to raise an objection in an e-mail to Mayor Scruggs, saying NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told him no such approval was granted. Beasley also did not want to take the proposal to city council for discussion, as the mayor suggested in an e-mail, because he argued a process needs to be developed for any alternative plan and a new management contract for the arena needs to be put up for bids.

Neither Scruggs nor Beasley could be immediately reached to confirm if their e-mail messages were legitimate or if LeBlanc’s offer was discussed by city council. However, a source said the matter was discussed Mar. 6 at an executive session of council, which is not open to the public, and set aside because the Coyotes situation is not resolved.

LeBlanc said there was a partial misunderstanding with Daly about approval from the NHL. He said Daly did not tell him to proceed with attempts to get an American Hockey League or ECHL franchise or negotiate a management contract with Glendale, only that the NHL would not object if he researched the matter.

“I think [the NHL] really is trying to keep the Coyotes in town, LeBlanc said, adding that his group is willing to wait until that situation is resolved before pursuing an arena management contract. He said he discussed the offer with Tindall but has not received an official response.

“We like Glendale, like the building and see an opportunity,” said LeBlanc, who added the ball is now in the city’s court. “If they come to us and say we’d like you to help, then we can talk.”

LeBlanc is also pursuing an AHL or ECHL franchise for his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont. He said the name of his company was changed because Ice Edge Holdings was formed for an unsuccessful bid to buy the Coyotes.

Daly said in an e-mail message that the NHL may come to support a Plan B like LeBlanc’s but only if a point is reached where “it becomes necessary to explore other opportunities.” He said the NHL is still “doing everything possible” to find a new owner for the Coyotes.

“Any other focus or consideration at this point would be premature, and would serve only to distract from what we believe is our jointly-held objective [with Glendale],” Daly said. “Only to the extent the current situation were to change, would we be supportive (theoretically) of the consideration of any other alternatives. And that's what I told [LeBlanc].”

Both Scruggs and Beasley, the architects of the plan to build sports facilities to attract major-league teams that left the city of 250,000 facing a massive debt in the wake of the recession, are stepping down from their posts later this year. Beasley plans to retire at some point this year and Scruggs announced this week she will not seek a sixth term as mayor in this summer’s election.

Their departures could change the city’s approach toward keeping the Coyotes. In the last two years, the city poured $50-million (all currency U.S.) to cover part of the team’s losses. But the city of 250,000 is facing a total debt approaching $1-billion and a new mayor could be unwilling to pour more money into the NHL team.

The NHL, which claims to be negotiating a sale of the Coyotes with multiple parties although no deal is in sight, has to make a decision on moving the team by the summer. Candidates for landing the Coyotes are Quebec City, Seattle and Kansas City.

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

[hockeygod]

Canadiens fire Gauthier, begin search for new GM

Sean Gordon, Globe and Mail, Mar. 29, 2012

It had to end this way, really, and now it has.

Pierre Gauthier is now the ex-general manager of hockey's most decorated franchise, shown the door with less than two weeks to go in an abysmal season that has the Montreal Canadiens dead last in the NHL's Eastern Conference.

Gauthier, who previously ran the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks, leaves a club in disarray, but nevertheless one with promise.

The Montreal Canadiens have fired general manager Pierre Gauthier. Gauthier is shown speaking at a news conference in Montreal, Monday, Feb. 8, 2010, where he was announced as the new general manager of the Canadiens.
Video
Canadiens fire GM Pierre Gauthier

The Habs will have a chance to draft an impact player in June, and clearly team president and principal owner Geoff Molson decided it is time to retool the hockey department well ahead of that pivotal decision. Molson also announced that former GM Bob Gainey, who has been advising Gauthier since stepping down in 2010, has left the team by mutual consent.

It was clear last December when Gauthier fired head coach Jacques Martin – his long-time friend – that the GM was also rolling the dice on his own fate.

The Habs were two points out of eighth place then, and promptly went into a tailspin under interim boss Randy Cunneyworth.

That's to say nothing of the firestorm provoked by the decision to appoint a unilingual Anglophone.

More damaging than all of that, perhaps, was Gauthier's decision to part company with Martin – on the day of a game – came shortly after Molson gave his coach and GM a public vote of confidence and said there was no intention of making a coaching change.

If you're going to make a liar out of your boss, it had better be worth it, and in the end it was a catastrophic miscalculation.

One of many, in fact: signing Andrei Markov to a three-year extension despite uncertainty over his balky knees, trusting that Scott Gomez could rebound from a dismal year, firing assistant coach Perry Pearn two hours before a game, taking on Tomas Kaberle's bloated contract to fix the power play, and imagining that Rene Bourque was a more effective player than Michael Cammalleri.

Gauthier inherited a team that had just gone to the conference finals, and on his watch it has regressed badly.

That's not all his fault – you can't legislate against injuries – but what is his fault is that he made it such there is no one else left to blame.

Molson has appointed former Habs GM Serge Savard to help lead the search for Gauthier's successor, and suggested that while hiring a French-speaking executive is his preference, his priority is finding the best person for the job.

"We need to remember that our fans want us to win, period . . . we will do anything that is required to win," he said. "Our organizational culture is to support and adopt this passion for victory. Nothing else matters."

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

[hockeygod]

Paul Henderson hoping for a miracle

Dan Robson, Sportsnet.ca, March 30, 2012

Paul Henderson scored arguably the most famous goal in Canada's rich hockey history.

Paul Henderson sits at a bare table in an empty room with an intravenous line in his arm and a grapefruit-sized tumour in his abdomen. For the past two hours, a translucent yellow liquid has drained slowly into his bloodstream from a bag that hangs next to him on a stand. It's a vitamin-based treatment he has received at this health clinic in Toronto's west end since he was diagnosed with lymphocytic lymphoma chronic leukemia in November 2009. The weekly dose is intended to bolster his immune system and slow the cancer creeping through his body. "It's in my abdomen, my chest, my lymph nodes and my blood," he says. Still, you have to look closely to see the effects of the disease. He's lost some weight over the past few years, his face is thinner, his clothes a little looser. But his dark grey hair remains thick and curly. His skin is tanned from a recent vacation. A strict diet and constant exercise have kept up the appearance that he is just another aged legend, not a man who has been told that, at best, he has less than a decade to live. "I just refuse to worry, or get upset, or be fearful," he says. His soft voice doesn't waver. "It doesn't do one particle of good."

It has been 40 years since Paul Henderson hopped the boards in a cold Luzhniki Ice Palace in Moscow, capital of the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and skated toward the net, took a wild stab at the puck, and fell. He pulled himself up, circled back toward the net and — with 34 seconds left, in the final match of a series that transcended sport — shovelled a Phil Esposito rebound into the Soviet net. It was Sept. 28, 1972, the day Henderson became a hero by scoring the biggest goal in Canadian history. Then, the series linked the country in a tumultuous, terrifying world where the distinction between politics and sports was less easy to discern. But it's a period that has slipped further from popular consciousness, into hazy history — only to return in tidy anniversaries, 15 years, then 20, 35, now 40. During the next six months, the goal that lifted Canada over the USSR in the Summit Series will be replayed and discussed repeatedly. There will be history class projects, retrospective articles, TV specials and gala dinners. But this year, as the legends of 1972 gather and wave and smile as we cheer, it is unlikely that Henderson, the hero, will be there.

Right now, Henderson still feels relatively healthy, but with the cancer continuing to spread, he is preparing to undergo intense chemotherapy in hopes of temporarily halting the disease. "There's no cure," he explains. Early treatment wouldn't have helped his longevity, so doctors have waited as long as possible — before he's in too much pain, or has lost too much weight — to administer chemo. If successful, the treatment might hold off the cancer for another five years. But it will likely come back, Henderson's been told, leading to another, more intense round of chemo that might provide another couple of years. Henderson doesn't frown as he says this. He says it plainly. It's just a fact. "When you have cancer, you can define the trivial from the important very quickly," he says.

Reflecting on the legacy that he has built in Canadian history, Henderson, 69, says he views the goal differently now. "I look back on it with much more appreciation," he says. "I have to shake myself some days… Man, that was an incredible experience." He had joined the camp as one of 35 NHL players selected to take on the Soviets, but it seemed there was little chance for him to get substantial time. "I wasn't one of the superstars," he says. But Henderson emerged as a key player, scoring seven goals, including the winners in games six, seven, and eight.

The goal became a fact of life that he'd never escape. "It's always overshadowed my career," he says. "There's no question." Returning to Canada from Russia, Henderson was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. The celebrity status, he admits, was overwhelming. Suddenly, everybody wanted something from him — endorsements, appearances, photos. The fans expected more game-winners on the ice. Henderson found himself mired in the highs and lows of wins and losses. He drowned the lows in booze. "I was miserable," he says. "I just didn't know how to be happy."

Growing up in the small community of Lucknow, Ont., Henderson's family was swamped by debt. He often says that he didn't own a pair of skates until he was nine. His father, a gruff veteran of the Second World War — he was the only man in his squadron to survive a mortar attack — pushed his son to excel at hockey. More than his genuine love for the game, Henderson wanted to become a hockey player to ensure that he was successful, like the players he heard about on Foster Hewitt's Saturday night radio broadcasts. "I wasn't going to live the way my parents were," he says. He spent hours playing hockey with friends in the basement of the local Chinese restaurant, or sneaking into the nearby arena after hours. He started working on his signature in grade five, perfecting the sweeping loop of the P. "I had great penmanship, I practised it for hours," he laughs, as a nurse steps into the room to check on the IV bag. Henderson went to his first game at Maple Leaf Gardens when he was 12, sitting in the top row, where wall meets roof. He closes his eyes and remembers watching the Leafs and Boston Bruins skate onto the ice. "I could do this for a living," he told himself. He didn't return to the cathedral on Carlton Street until his first game as a pro, when the Detroit Red Wings called him up from their junior team in Hamilton. His father picked him up and drove him to Toronto. "You make an impression," his dad told him. "Don't let me down. You get out there and you nail somebody." In his first shift, the only one he'd get that game, Henderson skated onto the ice, elbowed Dick Duff in the head and fought him. Less than 10 seconds into his career, Henderson was in the box. As the ref led him to the penalty box, he looked up to see his dad waving his fist proudly. Henderson excelled, becoming a confident pro — some said cocky, arrogant even. "I was all about being successful," he says. "I thought happiness came from achievement."

Today it's impossible to understand how Henderson views the goal, how he accepts his cancer, without acknowledging how fundamentally his perspective on life shifted when a pastor knocked on his door and asked him to be part of a Christian hockey camp in 1973. "What do you pay?" Henderson asked. "We don't pay," the pastor replied. "Do you know who you're talking to?" Henderson laughed. But the pastor, Mel Stevens, pushed further. "You seem like you've got an edge to yourself," he told Henderson. "You really seem like a frustrated, angry young man." The Canadian hero was broken. He met with Stevens for two years before dedicating his life to Christianity in 1975.

Henderson has since used his celebrity to share his devout faith. He runs a spiritual mentoring program for business leaders in Toronto, and speaks regularly at churches and Christian events.

He cherishes the moments he gets to spend speaking at schools, sharing hockey history with inquisitive kids and wide-eyed teachers. He loves being dragged into hockey dressing rooms to offer some wisdom and inspiration. And, as was the case in late February, being on vacation in the Bahamas as fellow Canadians question whether it's really him, and then apologetically ask for a photo. But more than anything, these days, Henderson is holding close the things that mean more to him than a goal ever could — family. He travels as much as possible with Eleanor, his wife of 50 years this November. He hosts his grandkids for sleepovers at "Granny's Hotel," getting down on his knees to play mini-sticks. He attends their hockey games, yelling as loud as any fan and offering encouraging talks to both teams when the final buzzer sounds. For years, he says, he felt obliged to speak at events or attend special functions. Now, he's taking a step back. "I'm not nearly as important as I used to think I was," he laughs. "It's a wonderful discovery."

Henderson sits and chats for nearly an hour after his treatment. He frames the conversation, and his life, in the context of his faith. "God says just handle today, and so that's all I do," he says. "And if tomorrow shows up, I'll do the same thing. But I have no fear of dying." He acknowledges that chemo is going to be a painful battle. "I wish there was a way around it," he says, "but at this point it doesn't look like there is."

Two days later, Henderson is a featured guest at a fundraiser for Hockey Ministries International at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke, Ont. Men of all ages — most were alive in '72, some weren't — from across Toronto have gathered to play a tournament run by former Leaf Mark Osborne. During lunch, Henderson is joined on stage by Ron Ellis, his good friend and former linemate. They sit next to a poster of the famous photo of Henderson jumping into Yvan Cournoyer's arms after scoring that legendary game eight goal. "Celebrate 72" the poster reads, "40 years, strong and true." They answer questions about the Summit Series, getting laughs with a rehearsed routine. "I scored seven goals — six of them were really nice goals except for the last one," Henderson tells the men. "And for 40 years! ‘Henderson makes a wild stab for it — and falls.'" The room erupts. "Not very endearing," he quips. Ellis follows: "He got the goal, but I had something to do with it. I was sitting next to Paul on the bench. I made sure I stepped back so he could get over the boards without tripping." The crowd applauds.

As they linger afterwards, a small crowd forms around Henderson. He poses for photos and signs sweaters. Ellis stands nearby, scribbling his name a few times and chatting with fans. "This is the key one," he says of the coming 40th anniversary of the Summit Series. Ellis is on the team's organizing committee. (Henderson was also on the committee, but has taken a leave of absence.) Of the '72 squad, members Bill Goldsworthy, Gary Bergman and Rick Martin have all passed away, along with John Ferguson, who served as an assistant coach. "This is the one where everyone is fairly healthy. Five years from now, 10 years from now, we're all going to be in our 80s. So this is the one we really want to enjoy." Several players have already been part of a reunion in Russia, and events honouring the series across Canada will start early this summer.

Four decades since Canada's claim to hockey greatness was challenged (and barely secured by a miracle with 34 seconds left), the series is starting to take a place in history books that drifts just outside of the realm of empathy for a new generation of fans. For 20 years, at least, you could hear the echoes of Foster Hewitt's call — "Henderson has scored for Canada" — and feel part of the hysteria that swept the nation. Now, inevitably, it's a little harder to discern — more of an honoured moment in time than a point of visceral pride. At least for those who didn't live in the moment, and can't imagine that this nation roared louder or felt stronger than it did when Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner at the Vancouver Olympics. Still, for many, the 40th anniversary marks a return to something that is very real.

Henderson entertains a semicircle of fans for about 20 minutes before excusing himself. "Well, I've got a two o'clock appointment, boys," he tells the pack of beaming men. He bumps fists with them as he walks away, careful not to contract dangerous germs. He walks across the corridor, down some stairs, and is gone.

Excited, the men stay in a group sharing their stories of "the goal." They recall the exact grade and classroom they were in, down to the teacher's name, when they crowded around a TV, watching a live feed of the game from Moscow. They remember the tension that weighed them down, shoulders hunched, watching and waiting and hoping. They remember the moment, the relief, the thrill that sent them roaring into the streets. And the men ramble on, like the boys they were. They celebrate a series long gone, and its icon, still here. It's the hope of Henderson's family, and his country, that he'll remain in the celebration for years to come. Lord willing, Henderson says, there's always time for one more miracle.

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

[hockeygod]

Simmons says: Peddie's cheapness caused some of Burke's mess
Leafs should look at Russians … Who the Habs should be calling

By Steve Simmons, QMI Agency, April 1 2012

TORONTO – You can trace the origins of the sad demise of the Maple Leafs back to a single decision that then-CEO Richard Peddie made on Aug. 23, 2003.

A decision that, more than anything else, has been responsible for the lack of playoff games in Toronto since the season lost to lockout. A decision that cost Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., the company Peddie is so often credited with building, somewhere between $60- and $100-million in lost playoff revenue alone.

Peddie went on the cheap and hired John Ferguson Jr. as general manager and he got even less than he paid for. The baton was passed from the fired Ferguson to the caretaker Cliff Fletcher, to an impatient and overpaid Brian Burke. Peddie paid too little for Ferguson, too much for Burke, who has spent the past three-plus seasons ridding himself of those who used to play here.

Burke has failed just as Ferguson, for completely different reasons, in completely different ways, failed. But if you go back to the beginning, so much of Burke’s early work was undoing the mess Ferguson had made.

That’s not giving him a free pass in any way. He has made his share of errors. But when you look back, big picture, the single determination made by Peddie in 2003 remains significant almost a decade after the disastrous decision.

THIS AND THAT

Should Brian Burke be fired? No. Should he be forced to explain where he is and where he is going to the new ownership of the Maple Leafs, absolutely. And if they don’t like the answers, then they can act accordingly … Funny, when the Bell and Rogers people had that gushing press conference to announce their partnership of the Leafs, Raptors et al, I remember them talking championships. Don’t remember them talking lottery picks … Wonder how Burke feels about Russians: Should the Leafs remain a contender in the draft lottery, they will get a shot at one of the following talented kids: Nail Yakupov is expected to go first in the draft. He’s a winger with all kinds of skill. But the centres to watch are Mikhail Grigorenko and Alex Galchenyuk, both of whom born a year later than Yakupov and both 6-foot-2. The sleeper of the draft might be previously injured Galchenyuk, who missed all but two games of his junior season in Sarnia … No wonder the Leafs are 14th in the East when you look at the statistical areas Ron Wilson needed to attack this season. It was something much discussed. The Leafs are last in the East in penalty killing, second last in goals against, and third last in goals against/goals differential. If you can’t address those areas, you can’t possibly succeed.

HEAR AND THERE

Going forward, the major difference between the semi-awful Montreal Canadiens and the semi-awful Maple Leafs. The Habs have Carey Price in goal. He’s a top-eight NHL goalie, maybe better than that. And the Leafs have…? … If I’m Geoff Molson and I’m hiring the next GM of the Habs, my first conversation is with player agent, Pat Brisson. Several former agents, including Pierre Lacroix, Burke, Mike Gillis, have had successful runs as general managers in the NHL. My second conversation would be Pierre McGuire, who reminds me of a young Ron Caron, with his outward enthusiasm and his encyclopedic knowledge of players in the NHL and those at the junior level … While much is made of the Leafs-Habs comparisons, consider this: Since the lockout, Montreal has played 48 playoff games, missing the playoffs just twice. In the four years prior to this one, they’ve played in 42 post-season games … Be honest, if you can afford a Raptors ticket, you can afford to buy your own damn slice of pizza. But I did love Dwane Casey’s line about the Raptors scoring 100 at home. He thinks it’s such a feat that sponsors should be giving out entire pizzas, not just slices, for the accomplishment.

SCENE AND HEARD

Thirty one seasons of writing about the NHL and I’ve never seen anything like this Maple Leafs collapse. Nothing even close … An ex-Leafs employee points out that three Toronto first-round picks — Tuukka Rask, Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo — have become important players on Boston and St. Louis, two of the better teams in the NHL. Previous management, no worse than current management, traded Rask for Andrew Raycroft and Steen and Colaiacovo for Lee Stempniak. How’d that work out? … What a shame it would be should Phil Kessel drop out of the top ten in scoring in the final days of the season. He has been in the top five since Day 1. But as part of the Leafs blowup, his numbers have been in decline … You wonder how important Joffrey Lupul is to the Leafs: In the 12 games since Lupul went out with injury, the Leafs have scored only 20 goals and been shut out four times … Don’t you want to be in that meeting with Randy Carlyle and Burke when the topic of Dion Phaneuf’s captaincy comes up? I can see Carlyle rolling his eyes already … Impressive: The never-aging Ray Whitney with 50 assists and how about the Mississauga kid, Matt Moulson, with his third straight 30-goal season on Long Island? Most amazing Moulson stat: On a team that has allowed 40 goals more than it has scored, Moulson is a plus player.

AND ANOTHER THING

Should it happen and the Phoenix Coyotes be moved to Quebec City, then it’s obvious the great coach, Dave Tippett, would not accompany the team north for linguistic reasons. That would make Tippett the top free agent coach of the summer in a market where there could be upwards of seven openings around the NHL … This is a personal first: I got kicked out of a minor hockey game before it began by a power tripping Zamboni driver, who refused to continue flooding the ice because I went the wrong way to my team’s bench. He wouldn’t continue until I left the building … Tough spot for agent Don Meehan, who represents Leafs captain Phaneuf and fellow defenceman Luke Schenn — the two aren’t getting along … I guess hiring Dennis Rodman as my accountant wasn’t the smartest move I’ve ever made … I don’t get this Paul Bissonette craze. I follow him on Twitter. Don’t find it all that interesting or ground breaking … Turns out all this time the Blue Jays have been mispronouncing the name of prized infield prospect Adeiny Hechavarria. They call him Hech-a-varria. He says it’s pronounced Etch-a-varria. The H is apparently silent … John Farrell had never seen it before in a game — Anthony Gose stealing second, third and home in the same inning against the Red Sox. He hopes to see it in the big leagues one day … I keep hoping the Raptors are lousy enough to get a shot at Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. I’ve kind of given up hope that they’re lousy enough to draft franchise-changer Anthony Davis … As of Saturday, former Burke intern Joe Nieuwendyk has Dallas, with the 28th lowest payroll in the NHL, is in the playoffs … Happy Birthday to Rusty Staub (68), Randy Orton (32), Scott Stevens (48), Phil Niekro (73), Darren McCarty (40) and John Axelrod (29) … And hey, whatever became of Bobby Heenan?

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

[hockeygod]

The Last Kid on Your Bench

Bruce Brown and Rob Miller, http://www.proactivecoaching.info, April 2012

We all enjoy coaching our most talented, competitive, hard working, coachable athletes. But often the players I most admire are the ones that are the least talented. Those players, who are on the team, practice hard, make other players better and seldom play. In this era of over controlled and self entitled players, we have all seen kids quit the team or transfer schools if they can’t start.

It requires a lot of personal courage to be part of a team when you know that you are not only not going to start but you will spend most of your time on the bench. Many of my favorite athletes were those players who found and embraced a small role, became great encouragers, and enjoyed being part of something bigger than themselves. Players who can be this selfless and still have great work habits often become the most successful in life with careers and families because they can put others first and make them better.

In youth and high school sports it could be a number of things – new to the sport; not maturing as early as other players so their size, strength and quickness are not as advanced; performance anxiety based upon outside pressure (parents); but most of the time it is just less physical ability. One of our Proactive Coaching beliefs is: The athletic experience should benefit every person on the team willing to commit to team values.

If anyone deserves special treatment, it is these athletes.

• As a leader, learn to show these players that you admire and respect them. Teach your most talented players to do the same. It doesn’t take much to mention their names when interviewed or take time to tell them individually how much they are helping the team and that you appreciate their contribution. As Coach Wooden said…”acknowledge the unacknowledged”.

• These players can still be given leadership responsibilities even if not the most talented – have a “bench captain”.

• Offer extra time and attention to help them gain skill or learn a role. Every player has a role and every role that supports the team culture, has value. Realize that often skill development may not come as quickly and easily as with your more talented players. Great teachers and coaches learn to never embarrass a willing learner – and don’t let anyone else do it either.

• When the player is someone who is going to mature late, we need to keep them looking ahead to when their body catches up with their heart and teach them that their best days are still coming if they can keep working and stay positive.

• For those players who simply do not have the physical ability, we need to understand that this will probably be their last athletic team experience and you probably are going to be their last coach – be a great coach for these players.

• I have learned that the players in this situation, who continue to work hard, study hard, play a role, stay positive and still don’t play as much because of their lower skill level, often make great coaches. They have had to study the game, break things down, analyze and spend extra time to learn basic skills allowing them to be better teachers than those who skill comes naturally. They understand roles and being part of a team so they have better ideas on how to build that camaraderie.

Looking back on a three decades of coaching, these players are part of my best memories – I hope that their memories of being on our teams are as good as my memories of their courage.

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

[hockeygod]

Canadian Cathedrals

This is an interesting link to a story Sportsnet did on some great old arenas…

http://www.sportsnet.ca/magazine/cathedrals/

Myself, I love Kimberly BC's old Memorial Arena and the old Cominco Arena in Trail BC (which also houses a neat sports museum!)

These are the firs tfour rinks featured in Sportsnet's article:

Cornwall's Si Miller Community Arena

St. Mike's Arena

Galt Arena

William Allman Memorial Arena — originally known as Stratford Arena

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

[hockeygod]

Glendale mayor fires shot across NHL’s bow

DAVID SHOALTS, Globe and Mail, Apr. 04, 2012

Finally, after $50-million and who knows how much more was poured into the Phoenix Coyotes, Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs had her come-to-Jesus moment.

As a result, she fired the first shot in what looks to be a messy divorce from the NHL and happy marriage with Quebec City or Seattle or some other city.

During a city council budget meeting on Tuesday, Scruggs unloaded on the NHL, which she accused of misleading Glendale officials about the prospects of selling the Coyotes, particularly last year when Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer was interested. She also wants a refund on the money the suburban city put up to help cover this season’s losses.

Scruggs said there is no deal in sight to sell the Coyotes despite the NHL’s claims it is negotiating with multiple parties. Finally, the mayor said there is no way she will ever agree to a proposal to throw another $20-million at the NHL, dressed up as a management fee for Jobing.com Arena, to help it through yet another season if no owner is found.

What the city needs to do, Scruggs said, is demand its latest $25-million gift back from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. He can keep $5-million, she said, we’ll use the rest to fix our horrendous budget problems and promise to pay the NHL back.

When Bettman was told of the request by Glendale city manager Ed Beasley, after much prodding from the mayor, he was said to have taken it “under advisement.”

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an e-mail message he “would strongly deny and reject the suggestion that anyone from the NHL misled city council or the mayor. We have at all times been completely transparent with the City of Glendale.”

At the end of Scruggs’s tirade, Beasley said he did have something to report on the Coyotes, so city council needed to go into an executive session, which is not open to the public. Beasley said he expects the NHL to cut some sort of an agreement to sell the Coyotes quickly but offered no information on the prospective buyer or a price or, most important, whether Glendale would have to pony up any money for the club, which did not impress city councillor Phil Lieberman.

“What he said is what’s been said for months, that there may be two or more people working on it and he hopes there will be a sale or settlement or some action on the part of the NHL in two or three days,” Lieberman said. “Nothing more definitive than that. No names mentioned, no organizations mentioned. I keep hearing this same thing over and over again.

“Do I personally want to rush into a deal with anyone? Yes if they have cash and they are buying the Coyotes without expecting anything from the city. No if it’s the same old deal, will you give us $100-million up front or provide $100-million in five to 10 years and we’ll think about buying it. I don’t want any of that.”

The only prospective buyer who did not come to Glendale with his hand out was the much-reviled Jim Balsillie, who wanted to move the Coyotes to Hamilton. Thus it’s safe to say there are no prospective buyers looking to pay the NHL’s asking price of $170-million for a club that loses $20-million in a good year, plus pay the city a reasonable rent and not ask for a cut of the arena’s revenue.

The $25-million on which Scruggs would like a partial refund is supposed to be sitting in an escrow account. It is due May 2. The problem is, there is only $20-million in the account because the cash-strapped city was $5-million short. Scruggs indicated the city still doesn’t have it and won’t be getting it.

The mayor was also quite exercised about the fact the city does not control the escrow account. The NHL does. She discovered this recently when she told Beasley she wanted to get Glendale’s $20-million out of the escrow account. Only the NHL can do that, she was told.

Leaving aside the question of what the mayor should or should not have known about the deal with the NHL, this nasty shock seems to have been the wake-up call for Scruggs. She then teed off on the NHL in Tuesday’s meeting.

The NHL still holds all the cards, though, which is good news for the folks in Quebec, Seattle or wherever. Officially, Bettman and the NHL have been in position to move the Coyotes since Dec. 31, when a deadline for the city to find a local owner passed.

Now that Scruggs made it clear the league is going to be $5-million short at the very least when it comes to collect May 2 and the money tap is turned off for next season, those buyers Bettman talks about had better come up with some cold cash fast.

Otherwise, it’s au revoir Glendale and bonjour Quebec.

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

[hockeygod]

Phaneuf captains sinking ship: D-man ill-equipped to lead Leafs

DAVE HILSON, QMI Agency, April 4 2012

TORONTO – You’ve got to wonder if Dion Phaneuf would have so readily accepted the captaincy of the Maple Leafs had he known what was in store for him and his teammates.

After a promising first half to this season, the Leafs went into a slide so horrific that no one could have imagined it.

They assembled an 8-16-4 record from the NHL all-star break through to March 27 when they were officially eliminated from the playoff race by the Carolina Hurricanes. The slump included a franchise-record 10-game winless skid on home ice.

Remember when general manager Brian Burke, with his team sitting in sixth place in the East after the break, said he wasn’t interested in just making the playoffs, he wanted to make a deep run? Yeah, right. Then the Leafs’ descent became so profound that only the most delusional among us believed they would somehow claw their way back into the playoff picture.

Coach Randy Carlyle, who replaced the fired Ron Wilson, said on the day Toronto was mathematically eliminated from the playoff race that the Leafs needed to play with “more will, pride, passion.” Then they went out and barely put up a fight against Carolina. They followed that stinker up by being humiliated 7-0 by the Flyers on home ice and, on Wednesday, losing 6-5 to Buffalo in overtime in a game they had a 3-0 lead.

So what happened? Who’s to blame for the freefall? There are no easy answers. But one thing is clear: There simply wasn’t any leadership in the dressing room.

A team doesn’t go into such a psychological funk, doesn’t turtle the way the Leafs did, if there was. It certainly wasn’t being provided by Phaneuf, the man handpicked by Burke and Wilson to lead the Leafs to the Promised Land. But it turns out he didn’t have the tools to get them there.

It turns out when push came to shove Phaneuf was ill-equipped to motivate his teammates to a higher level of play, to carry them on his shoulders. It turns out Phaneuf was no Sittler, Clark, Gilmour or Sundin — even though Burke would have liked us to believe he was.

“Today is a very important day for the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Burke had said when he introduced the Edmonton native as the team’s new captain back in June of 2010. “The Leafs have had many great players fulfil this role in the long history of the franchise, and we wouldn’t be taking this direction if we didn’t think it was absolutely the right step. We liked the impact Dion made with players, coaches and fans alike since his arrival and we consider him a building block toward future team success.”

Those words seem empty now. Now there is talk that the decision to name Phaneuf captain must be re-thought, that he should have been allowed to develop his own game before having the extra duties of the captaincy foisted upon him.

This is not to blame Phaneuf entirely for the Leafs’ implosion — it was a group effort after all. But as captain of one of the most storied franchises in all of sports, he must shoulder a larger portion of the burden. Part of being a captain is to lead by example, to be better when everyone else is not. In this regard, Phaneuf failed. He was average when the Leafs needed him to be above-average.

And when the Leafs took to the Air Canada Centre ice for an optional morning skate on the day Carolina eliminated them from the playoffs, Phaneuf was nowhere to be seen. Not on the ice, not addressing the media. It would have made for good optics at the very least.

Then there were the giveaways, the bad decisions at both ends of the ice, opposing forwards turning him this way and that. On many nights, the mistakes were glaring. And during the slide into oblivion, where was the big hit, the big goal, the big play? They weren’t there.

Of course, it must be asked, why after only 26 games in a Leafs uniform had he even been named captain? To answer that, you must turn to Burke, a man desperate to give a face to a faceless team.

Burke had said upon his arrival in Toronto that he would rid the Leafs of Blue-and-White Disease, that things would have to be earned, not expected, under his rule. Then he handed the reins over to Phaneuf after just a quarter of a season.

In Burke’s mind, perhaps, Phaneuf was to be another Chris Pronger, the intimidating defenceman the then-Anaheim GM acquired from Edmonton to help his Ducks make their eventual Cup run in 2006-07.

But Phanuef is not Pronger. He is not as intimidating, nor is he as complete. Can you ever imagine Phaneuf compiling a plus-52, a number Pronger achieved with St. Louis in 1999-2000? And Phaneuf doesn’t command the same respect around the league.

Phaneuf was voted the most overrated player in the NHL in a Sports Illustrated poll of 161 NHLers and has been openly mocked by Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell and on-air analyst Ray Ferraro.

Do you think that would ever have happened to Pronger?

It was always Burke’s intention to foist the “C” upon Phaneuf even though he was barely 25 and had recently been traded by the Calgary Flames, a team that certainly didn’t see the defenceman as a worthy successor to Jarome Iginla, This despite the Flames drafting him ninth overall in 2003 and his impressive numbers since his rookie season.

Remember when Wilson called Phaneuf “the best defenceman in the league”? That was back on Oct. 29 after the Leafs had beaten Pittsburgh 4-3 to improve to 7-2-1. That statement seems laughable now. Phaneuf hasn’t even been the best defenceman on the Leafs.

Of course, the Leafs captain hasn’t been all bad. He leads the team in average ice time and is second in hits and blocked shots and third in assists and power-play goals. But there is much work to be done on his game. Had he not been paired with Carl Gunnarsson for a good portion of the season, his defensive deficiencies would have been even more glaring.

Who then, if not Phaneuf, should have been named captain? That is exactly the point. In the time since Burke took over the team in November 2008, until Phaneuf was named the 18th captain in Maple Leafs history, the Leafs GM had not acquired a single player worthy of wearing the “C.” He had assembled a team without a definitive leader. And for that, he must take the blame.

He was desperate to fill the void when Mats Sundin departed at the end of the 2007-08 season. Phaneuf, a former Norris Trophy runner-up, seemed like the perfect fit, a gruff and grumbly persona cut from the same cloth as his boss. But his bark is worse than his bite — and that shows on the ice all too often.

Perhaps no one should have been named captain until someone stepped up and earned the job. Perhaps the Leafs should have used a rotating captaincy until a true leader emerged.

Would another year without a full-time captain really have mattered?

By most accounts, Phaneuf is liked enough by his teammates and is vocal in the dressing room, but he seems ill-suited to the job. Couple the glaring deficiencies in his game with the rather begrudging way he deals with the media and you have a less-than-inspired combination. Let’s face it, no matter how painful it is to step up to the mic every day and answer the same questions, it’s part of the job. He is the face of the franchise and the public’s vision of the Leafs is very much affected by how Phaneuf appears to the media. And all too often that is brusque and dismissive.

Burke was supposed to be our Renaissance man, delivering Leafs Nation from the Dark Ages. Instead, all he has delivered is a rudderless, sinking ship.

CAPTAIN’S LOG

Dion Phaneuf is the 18th captain in Maple Leafs history, dating from 1927 to present. Here’s a look at the men who have worn the “C” for Toronto and the years that they served.

Player Years Served

Dion Phaneuf 2010 to present

No captain 2008-2010

Mats Sundin 1997-2008

Doug Gilmour 1994-1997

Wendel Clark 1991-1994

Rob Ramage 1989-1991

No captain 1986-1989

Rick Vaive 1982-1986

Darryl Sittler 1980-1982

No Captain 1979-1980

Darryl Sittler 1975-1979

Dave Keon 1969-1975

George Armstrong 1957-1969

Ted Kennedy 1957

Jimmy Thomson 1956-1957

Sid Smith 1955-1956

Ted Kennedy 1948-1955

Syl Apps 1945-1948

Bob Davidson 1943-1945

Syl Apps 1940-1943

Red Horner 1938-1940

Charlie Conacher 1937-1938

Hap Day 1927-1937

Bert Corbeau 1927

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

[hockeygod]

Oil Kings coach stays out of the Twitterverse: Old school coach considers that form of social media unproductive

Evan Daum, Edmontonjournal.com April 5, 2012

EDMONTON – Derek Laxdal may be a familiar name in the hockey world, but in the Twitterverse, the Edmonton Oil Kings head coach is a virtual nobody.

With countless athletes and coaches jumping into the social media deep end with Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, Laxdal is a throwback of sorts, preferring to live life in the real world and not in 140 characters or less.

“Personally, I find guys that are tweeting and texting, they’re checking their phones 24/7. It’s almost addictive. They all want to be heard, they want to see what’s going on. I don’t think it’s very productive,” Laxdal said of social media.

“I watch the kids, I key in on it and watch people on Twitter. They’ve always got their phones in their hands. You always see people at stoplights, they’re checking their phones and I just think it’s a distraction. I think it takes away from being a productive citizen.”

Fellow Oil Kings Twitter holdout Dylan Wruck has also yet to join the more than 500 million global users of Twitter.

As one of the shrinking number of players around the Western Hockey League not using the micro-blogging site that was launched in 2006, pressure from Wruck’s teammates to jump on the bandwagon continues to grow.

“The guys kind of get on me about not having Twitter, but I just haven’t gotten to it yet,” Wruck said. “I’m not too big into that type of stuff, but they’ve been pushing it hard on me lately, so I might have to get it.”

Oil Kings assistant coach Steve Hamilton finds social media a useful tool.

“I think it’s an opportunity for people to get a sense of some of the personalities on our team. It’s the kind of thing where you share what you want to share and I use it almost strictly for showing a sense of humour and commenting on things,” Hamilton said. “It’s light-hearted. I enjoy following the guys, I enjoy different guys around the league. It’s one of those things I never thought I’d really embrace, but I think times are changing and it’s important as a coach to stay a little bit relevant in terms of all the social media and things like that.”

Oil Kings manager of communications Ryan Ohashi previously worked for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, an organization that, at the time, didn’t allow players to use Twitter.

“I think it’s great for players. For a long time, especially, when you look at NHL players, you didn’t have an opportunity to market yourself as well, because it’s not marketed as an individual sport in that way,” Ohashi said. “I think it’s a great chance for a lot of guys who wouldn’t have a whole lot of spotlight to push their own personality and really get that out there.

“It’s a little different with our group of guys. They’re 16- to 20-years-old type of thing, so it’s a little different dynamic. We try and treat them as professionals, but they’re not quite there yet, so a lot of times you have to be a little guarded.”

With the pitfalls of Twitter well known not only in sports, but the public world in general, Ohashi tells players to be aware of social media’s ability to impact more than just a select few.

“What we tell our guys more than anything on content is we want them to be themselves, we want them to put it out there, but at the same time, they know what’s right and wrong,” Ohashi said. “I always tell the guys more than anything it’s not so much what you’re saying, it’s who you’re saying it to. As long as you’re aware of your audience and you’re aware that when you put something out there it’s not just to the people who follow you, it’s to the whole world.”

As for when the world will finally hear from Laxdal on Twitter, Hamilton doesn’t expect that to happen anytime soon.

“I don’t think we’ll ever see Derek on Twitter, but we’ve got some names crafted up for him. We’re just waiting for him to sign up. I think he’d enjoy it, but he’s a little old school when it comes to that,” Hamilton said with a laugh.

“Maybe it’s old school, but personally I find it’s unproductive, it’s distracting and you know what, I’m a technical guy. I like the IT stuff, but that’s just one thing I don’t buy into,” Laxdal said.

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

[hockeygod]

An Emotional Gretzky Talks About His Father’s Illness

BOB MACKIN, NY Times, April 4 2012

The hockey star Wayne Gretzky paced the stage in the vast Vancouver Convention Centre as the featured speaker of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ 49th annual convention Tuesday.

Next door is the Olympic caldron that the four-time Stanley Cup winner lighted on the opening night of the 2010 Winter Games.

Now 51 and retired from the N.H.L. for 13 years, Gretzky is at ease before crowds. And Tuesday, he revealed a family secret as his voice quavered and his eyes welled up. His 73-year-old father, Walter, had received a diagnosis of the degenerative disorder Parkinson’s disease earlier in the morning.

“That’s something that hits you right in the gut,” Gretzky said.

Walter Gretzky, a retired telephone repairman, is probably Canada’s best-known father. He has had his share of adversity. A workplace accident 50 years ago left him deaf in one ear. In 1991, he nearly died from a brain aneurysm the week he turned 53. He has been a widower since 2005 when wife, Phyllis, who stayed out of the public eye, died from lung cancer.

“My dad put everything good into helping me play the game of hockey, he even would borrow two dollars from my grandmother so that I could get a hockey stick, to make sure that my stick was brand new,” Wayne Gretzky told the convention crowd. “He always motivated me and pushed me.”

There was one time when it didn’t work. That was April 18, 1999, before Wayne played his 1,487th and last career game for the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Just like old times, they shared a ride. Wayne conceded he was “just no good anymore” and had to call it quits.

“He drove with me to the arena, obviously I was a little emotional, it was my last game,” he said. “As we’re driving to the arena, all he said to me the whole way there is ‘Will you play one more year?’”

Gretzky’s retirement ceremony included a gift of a new car, driven onto the Garden ice by his father.

“I opened the door to help him get out, and he’s got his seatbelt on. I said ‘Why do you have the seatbelt on?’ He said, ‘Well, you never know.’

“He gets out and says to me, ‘Geez isn’t this a really nice car they gave me?’ I had to break the story and said, ‘No, it’s for me; I was the one retiring, not you.’ ”

Gretzky, hockey’s career greatest scorer, also recounted his first, ill-fated public speaking engagement as a 10-year-old in Brantford, Ontario, where the Lions Club recognized him for scoring a record 378 goals in a season.

As if speaking in class was stressful enough, he had to walk onstage as his idol and head-table mate Gordie Howe looked on. The young Gretzky nervously said thank you and cried before bashfully returning to his seat.

In keeping with his audience, Gretzky also reminisced about his involvement in a 1981 Brantford tennis tournament that raised $2,000 for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and how he convinced his Edmonton Oilers’ teammates Mark Messier and Paul Coffey to play a 1980 wheelchair basketball game against the future cancer fundraiser Terry Fox and spinal cord research fundraiser Rick Hansen. The hockey players were clobbered, 58-4, he said. Last fall, Gretzky joined Howe to raise $500,000 for Toronto East General Hospital at a private party for 100.

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

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Why the Lady Byng is a worthy award

Adam Proteau, The Hockey News, 2012-04-05

The conclusion of the NHL regular season means it’s time for members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association to submit their choices for many of the league’s individual awards. And the longer I’m afforded the privilege of submitting a ballot, the more I'm determined to rehabilitate the league’s most unfairly ridiculed and run-down, emasculated and emotionally-stigmatized honor.

Of course, I refer to the Lady Byng Trophy, presented to the NHLer “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

The way some people refer to the Byng, it’s as if the winner gets a big blue best-in-show ribbon following an onstage castration ceremony. When then-Toronto Maple Leaf Alex Mogilny won the Byng in 2003, he refused to show up and accept it, while other NHL types need only hear the “lady” part of the award’s name before they dismiss it as a dusty anachronism and indication of a player’s softness on the ice. When they do, those deep thinkers reveal themselves as myopians who regard femininity as a weakness – a recent example being former Isles GM Mike Milbury’s suggestion that Pens coach Dan Bylsma “take off his skirt” – while making no effort to understand the history and true nature of the Byng.

In case you weren’t aware, the actual Lady Byng was the wife of a Canadian war hero and former Governor-General. That’s admirable enough, but her request that the award be given to a player who embodies on-ice respect and dignity is even more reason to celebrate it.

Yet, somehow, the Byng has become a target for derision and for the life of me, I can’t understand why. If a soft touch such as Alexandre Daigle won it repeatedly, that would be one thing. But scan a list of Byng Trophy winners since its inception in 1925 – including Toe Blake, Dave Keon, Stan Mikita, Gilbert Perreault, Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Paul Kariya, Brett Hull, Pavel Datsyuk and Martin St-Louis – and tell me you’d turn a single one of those legends away from playing on your team. You’d be a fool if you said yes.

If the Byng is such a terrible comment on the caliber of a player’s game, why don’t we create the anti-Byng award? We could present it to the thinnest-skinned NHLer, the mega-macho hothead who can be thrown completely off his game with a couple whacks across the ankles or a cross-check in the small of the back. That sounds like a player every Stanley Cup contender could use, doesn’t it?

The fact of the matter is that, as the Red Wings have demonstrated, you succeed by playing between the whistles, not after they’ve been blown. Detroit legend Nicklas Lidstrom – who, incredibly, has yet to win the Byng despite being a constant target and taking only 512 penalty minutes in 1,562 career regular season games – epitomizes the spirit of the honor.

If you tell me he’s soft, I would tell you (a) he isn’t; and (b) your head is.

Indeed, one of the reasons no NHLer can throw a clean bodycheck anymore without an immediate, time-wasting scrum of face-washes and assorted threats of bodily harm is because the game’s gatekeepers have permitted the erosion of basic standards of sportsmanship – and, yes, toughness – in favor of reactionary, ultimately pointless testosterone eruptions.

Having a hair-trigger temper would do nothing for 2011-12 Lady Byng candidates such as Edmonton’s Jordan Eberle (who has only eight penalty minutes in 76 games this season), Dallas’ Loui Eriksson (10 PIM in 80 games) and the Islanders’ Matt Moulson (six PIM in 80 games). Those stars are hard-core precisely because they refuse to buy into the hockey establishment’s phony notion of what hard-core is.

So kindly keep your derogatory Byng comments to yourself. The more you attempt to undermine what it is to be strong and tough in today’s NHL, the more you discredit yourself as a modern-minded hockey fan.

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

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