Panthers hope to land Winter Classic
Florida believes they could play the outdoor game at the new Marlins ballpark.
Sportsnet Staff | December 30, 2011
A Winter Classic in Miami? Seriously, it could happen.
The Florida Panthers are interested in bringing the outdoor event to the Miami Marlins' new stadium, according to a report in the Miami Herald.
With the Marlins' retractable roof, ice-making experts confirmed to the Miami Herald that an outdoor NHL game could be played in South Florida but they would need to close the roof for two weeks in order to prepare NHL-quality ice.
"The NHL has this down to a science," Graham Caplinger, ice technician for the Panthers, told the newspaper. "They definitely could do it in Miami… If it's in the winter months, I see no reason why you couldn't do it.''
Whether the NHL would want the Winter Classic to take part in Miami, where interest in the Panthers is sporadic at best, is another issue.
"You may lose the spirit of the thing because it will be inside-outside, but I think it would be cool, said Caplinger."
Ideally, the roof would be open on the day of the game to keep the outdoor effect in place. The scenery of an outdoor game in Florida is what the Panthers would try and sell to the league.
"It would be unique, that's for sure,'' said Panthers forward Kris Versteeg, who played in a previous Winter Classic for the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in 2009.
"Everyone loves coming down here, and it would be neat to have a tropical outdoor game. People would travel from all over for that. The game and the weather would be great for the fans. It was awesome playing at Wrigley, but I don't want to play in that cold again. But it was a memory I'll always have.''
Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen is intrigued by the idea and has already spoken to Marlins officials about their new stadium.
I think it would be a really good experience for the league,'' Dineen said. "This is something that would be attractive in this market and people all over would watch it. Now we have a facility for it, so let's plant the seed and get it here.''
It is unclear if the NHL would like to bring the Winter Classic to a warm climate. Many teams are in pursuit of the next Winter Classic and you'd have to imagine the Panthers would rank near the bottom of this list.
But the Panthers remain interested and believe it can work.
"I wish I would have thought of this myself, but it's a real possibility,'' team president Michael Yormark said.
How Don Cherry Piano Desk went from friends’ joke to viral hit
Greg Wyshynski, Yahoo! Sports, Dec 30 2011
The video begins like so many other Hockey Night in Canada Coach's Corner segments: Don Cherry in a garish jacket, ranting about a hot topic in the NHL; to his right, Ron MacLean playing the bemused comedic straight man.
Nine seconds into the clip, things yet weird. As he often does, Cherry presses his hands on the desk in front of him to emphasize a point. As his fingers hit to the tabletop we hear a loud cacophony of piano notes. He bangs the fingertips of his right hand down three times; each time, more piano music, high notes from the right side of the keyboard.
This continues throughout the ingenious 1-minute, 54-second video of "Don Cherry's Piano Desk", which finally provides the old-school commentator with jaunty musical accompaniment. The absurdity of the clip, the flawless execution of the concept and a cultural icon being parodied proved to be an irresistible combination: The video, posted to YouTube on Dec. 23, went viral and is nearing 600,000 views as of Friday.
http://youtu.be/qdJp5-g69go?hd=1
Where did this video come from? Who's the twisted mind behind it?
Turns out, it was joke among friends that turned into an Internet sensation.
Ryan Broadbent, 30, loves hockey but doesn't follow the NHL fanatically like others in Oshawa, Ont., do every season. But like so many other Canadians, watching Don Cherry on Hockey Night In Canada every Saturday was ritualistic.
Broadbent and his friends would watch the featured game but mute the commentary, playing music instead. When Cherry would appear with his rants for the week, off went the music and up went the volume.
"We all think Don Cherry is super entertaining and I think anyone would be hard pressed to disagree," he said.
Last season, Broadbent shared an observation: During his commentaries, Cherry would tap his fingers as if he was playing an invisible keyboard. It became a running joke during every Coach's Corner; Dec. 17's edition, featuring Cherry's comments about Canadiens coach Randy Cunneyworth, was no exception.
How Don Cherry Piano Desk went from friends’ joke to viral hit"Later that week I was telling my work friends to watch Cherry's hands on the next Coach's Corner and pretend that he's sitting in front a piano pounding away at the keys. Instead of waiting for the next Coach's Corner, they suggested that I should make a video with the piano added in," he said.
So Broadbent took the video, popped it into Apple's GarageBand and showed off the mash-up to his coworkers the next day. They laughed. Hard. So he popped it onto YouTube in order to share it with some other friends on Facebook.
"At first I was only expecting a few thousand hits, tops. And that was being optimistic," he said. "However, it just took off and stated being talked about all over the place. I've been receiving constant emails, texts and Facebook messages saying things like 'I just heard your video mentioned on the radio.'"
He was a little nervous about CBC's response to a parody of their biggest on-air talent. But Broadbent received the blessing of a spokesperson this week, and it was featured on their news program "The National."
"By no means am I trying to make fun of Don in this video, I think he's great and every bit as entertaining as the sport he contributes so much to," he said. "Don Cherry's Piano Desk is just meant for a quick laugh based on a small observation."
An observation that, frankly, is going to change the way thousands of hockey fans watch Coach's Corner — at least for the time being.
"I'm sure many people have been watching HNIC for years and thought nothing of Don's finger tapping," he said. "When they see the piano video, it seems so obvious and they can't help but laugh."
Concussions, Crashes And Collapses; 2011 Was Tough For The Game Of Hockey
The game of hockey has had a tough 2011, with concussions, fighting, team collapses and a plane crash dominating the headlines where scoring lines once sat.
The Saturday Ticket, Sympatico.ca Sports, Dec 30 2011
When Sidney Crosby's head collided with David Steckel's elbow in the Winter 2011 Classic, it triggered a series of events that formed the foundation for the year's biggest hockey story. It was a story that began on the very first day of 2011, and as the year creeps to a close, it is very much a tale without an ending, happy or otherwise.
Four days after his collision with Steckel, Crosby's head hit the glass when he was checked (legally) by Tampa Bay defenceman Victor Hedman. He didn't play again for 10 months. When he returned, he lasted eight games before his concussion symptoms returned. It's not known when he'll play again.
It's not as though concussions weren't on the NHL's radar prior to 2011. Eric Lindros, Pat Lafontaine, Scott Stevens, Paul Kariya had their careers shortened because of them. But until this year, there just wasn't the collective will amongst the game's leaders to deal with the issue in a meaningful way. Some would argue the league and it's the NHLPA still aren't doing enough, but there's no question they've been moved to action.
In 2010, the NHL introduced Rule 48, designed to outlaw blindside hits to the head, but this year the rule was amended to crack down on hits where the head is the principal point of contact. And when Brendan Shanahan took over from Colin Campbell as the NHL's head of discipline, he was instructed to come down hard on offending players.
Crosby, Chris Pronger, Jeff Skinner, Kris Letang and Marc Staal are some of the more prominent players currently sidelined with head injuries. About 30 players are experiencing concussion-like symptoms at the moment, making this issue one that will dominate headlines again in 2012.
Here are some of the other stories that dominated headlines in 2011:
The War on Fighting
Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak passed away this year. All three were enforces. Boogaard battled drug and alcohol abuse, while Rypien and Belak battled depression. Their deaths helped shed light on the role of the enforcer in the NHL. Former tough guys Jim Thomson, Stu Grimson, Chris Nilan and Georges Laraque spoke out against fighting in hockey, each saying how much they hated the role, and how it contributed to their personal demons.
But unlike the concussion issue, there's absolutely no desire on the part of the league to curb fighting. If anything, the NHL is promoting bare-knuckled fighting like never before. The league's website has video links to fights, seemingly proving the league approves of this nonsense.
Welcome Back, Winnipeg
Fifteen years after losing the Jets to Phoenix, Winnipeg got them back. Sort of.
It wasn't the Coyotes who moved to Winnipeg, but rather the Atlanta Thrashers. This mattered little to Manitobans, were who positively thrilled to have their team back. Season tickets sold out within days of going on sale, and the excitement reached a fever pitch when it was announced that yes, the team would be known as the Jets.
The league still has to figure out what to do with the Coyotes beyond this season. Quebec City is viewed as the most likely destination for the franchise, but the city still doesn't have an arena to support big league hockey long-term. There's a possibility the league could place the Coyotes in southern Ontario until a permanent home can be found. At any rate, there could soon be eight NHL teams north of the border.
A Cup Final to remember
The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to win their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Within minutes of the final buzzer, Vancouver was being looted and burned, prompting outrage from all right-thinking Canadians and eventually leading to an inquiry.
The Bruins lost the first two games in Vancouver, before dominating on home ice to tie the series. The turning point came in Game 3 when Vancouver defenceman Aaron Rome hit Nathan Horton with an illegal headshot. The hit galvanized the Bruins and their fans to the point where the Canucks looked completely out-classed at the TD Banknorth Garden.
Tim Thomas captured the Conn Smythe Trophy, turning in one of the best goaltending performances in Cup Final history. His counterpart Roberto Luongo, meanwhile, was unable to shake his reputation as a goalie who falls apart in big games.
Yaroslavl Plane Crash
The summer of 2011 provided the hockey world with a stark reminder of how fragile life is. On September 7, the plane carrying the Russian team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crashed just after taking off, killing 43 people.
Several of the victims had strong ties to the NHL. Former players who lost their lives that day included Brad McCrimmon, Igor Korolev, Alexander Karpovtsev, Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skratins, Karel Rachunek, Josef Vasicek and Maxim Shulanov.
An official investigation ruled pilot error and mechanical malfunction as the cause of the crash.
Washington's Woes
It finally happened. No, the Capitals didn't win the Stanley Cup in 2011. Rather, they fired coach Bruce Boudreau.
Boudreau survived a series of pre-mature playoff exits, but was fired in November with the Caps in the midst of a funk. He was replaced by former Washington captain Dale Hunter, who has long been rumoured to be the next in line for the job.
Caps fans had the assurance of GM George McPhee that everything was being done to build a Stanley Cup winner. The goaltending was supposed to be better this season. It isn't. The Caps were supposed to be a grittier bunch. Instead, Washington continues to play as 20 individuals.
Alex Ovechkin is a shadow of his former self, and honestly looked as though he was trying to get Boudreau fired. Several other Caps continue to play well below their potential. As a result, this is a team fighting for a playoff spot – never mind the Stanley Cup.
Philadelphia Makeover
More than a few observers scoffed at Flyers' GM Paul Holmgren when he revamped his roster in the off-season. Gone were Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, traded to Los Angeles and Columbus respectively – on the very same day. Holmgren then traded for the rights to free agent goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and then signed him to a massive 10-year contract. He also signed Jaromir Jagr, hoping the former Hart Trophy winner still had something left in the tank.
Well, it's Holmgren who's laughing these days.
As of this writing, the Flyers held down first place in the Eastern Conference. Bryzgalov and Jagr have endeared themselves to the Philly faithful, while the Kings and Blue Jackets have had disappointing seasons with the ex-Flyers in the line-up.
The past two Stanley Cup winners ended long droughts. Could 2012 be the year the Flyers end a 36-year dry spell?
Canada Collapses at World Junior Championship
They blew it. Plain and simple.Leading 3-0 after the second period, Canada imploded in the third period of the Gold Medal Game, allowing five unanswered goals. Truth be told, it was a total team collapse. The Canadians stopped skating, and once the flood gates opened they were powerless to stop the powerful Russians.
Of course, the loss was not taken lightly in this country. Fingers were pointed at coach Dave Cameron and goalie Mark Visentin. Canada's streak of five consecutive gold medals – ended only a year earlier – seemed like ancient history. Not many people were in the mood to hear that Canada had won either gold or silver at the WJC every year since 2002.
Instead, it was a case of "What have you won for my lately?"
Rangers win the Richards Sweepstakes
Brad Richards was the big prize in the 2011 free agent marketplace. And in the end, the New York Rangers offer was too good for Richards to reject.
In signing a nine-year contract worth $58.9 million, Richards has a retirement contract. In choosing the Rangers, he's also fairly close to his home in Prince Edward Island. On top of everything, he's been reunited with coach John Tortorella, whom he won a Stanley Cup with in Tampa.
Before the free agency season got underway, Richards invoked his no-movement clause to block the trading of his rights, preventing the Dallas Stars from receiving compensation for losing his services. Stars' GM Joe Nieuwendyk was less than pleased, but in the end he had only himself to blame for not moving Richards earlier.
NHL realignment
The NHL will have a much different look next season. In early December, the Board of Governors approved a realignment plan that will see the league adopt a four-conference format. Commissioner Gary Bettman worked the backrooms to ensure the proposal had enough support to pass. In the end, only four teams voted against the proposal.
Waive Goodbye: Rangers Place Avery on Waivers for Second Time
THE CANADIAN PRESS, December 30, 2011
NEW YORK -- Sean Avery's career with the New York Rangers appears to be over.
The Rangers placed the veteran winger on waivers Friday before their 4-1 win at Florida, giving themselves the option to assign him to the American Hockey League's Connecticut Whale if he goes unclaimed by 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Avery's latest demotion wasn't the result of the bad behaviour that has plagued him in the past. Instead, he struggled to work his way into coach John Tortorella's lineup on a Rangers team hovering around the top of the Eastern Conference.
The 31-year-old started the season in the AHL after failing to make the Rangers out of training camp and was recalled on Nov. 1. He amassed three goals and 21 penalty minutes in 15 games.
The roster move comes at a time when the Rangers appear close to welcoming forward Wojtek Wolski (sports hernia) and defenceman Marc Staal (concussion) back into the lineup.
"We're getting healthier," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "This team is getting healthier, so it comes down to a numbers game."
It also means Avery won't be part of the Winter Classic, which will see the Rangers face the Flyers at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 2.
"Sean's a good friend," Brandon Prust said. "It's sad to see him go, but those are decisions that are out of our hands. Obviously we hope he does well and he's going to keep working hard and try to get back up here."
Avery had been a healthy scratch for nine straight games since last appearing on Dec. 10.
If he goes unclaimed and is sent to the minors, his most likely route back to the NHL would be as a free agent. Avery's US$15.5-million, four-year contract expires on July 1.
NHL facing big year in 2012
CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI Agency, Dec 30 2011
So here we are ready to flip the calendar to 2012 and there is no escaping the feeling this is going to be one of the most influential and important years for the NHL in recent memory.
The biggest issue confronting the league is the concussion situation, which is nothing short of dire with Sidney Crosby, the poster boy for both the league and brain trauma, almost exactly where he was a year ago: out indefinitely, his season and, it's not too much of a stretch to say, his career up in the air.
The scary thing is, nobody seems to have any answers, though the dialogue will continue, about treatment, about the rules, about how to make the game safer. Just saying hockey is a dangerous game and concussions are always going to be a part of it isn't good enough.
The other developing story will be the talks for a new CBA, which are expected to get underway after the all-star game in Ottawa at the end of the month.
If I was going to bet at this point, I would say there will be another lockout.
As it was put to me the other day by one of the interested parties, there are some owners of American-based teams who wouldn't be heartbroken to see the league shut down until Christmas. The games from October until after the Super Bowl are the poorest attended in some markets.
Some owners would save a lot of dough by not playing those games and would put a bit of a hurt on the players as they would lose half their 2012-13 salaries.
That's what happened in the NBA, which has some owners who share similar views about their business as NHL owners.
Hopefully I'm wrong.
HEAR AND THERE: NBC will use 30 cameras for the Winter Classic Monday, more than double what they use for an indoor game. They will also have an Airplane Cam and the Cable Cam over the ice surface. The only one I'm interested in is the Torts Cam ... Speaking of the Winter Classic, nice touch by the Philadelphia Flyers alumni to wear a No. 10 patch for their game Saturday against Rangers alumni to honour former teammate Brad McCrimmon ... Rangers D Marc Staal has been cleared for contact after being sidelined by a concussion incurred last year on a hit by brother Eric of the Carolina Hurricanes. He apparently was unofficially approved for contact when he wrestled with brother Jordan of the Penguins in Eric's kitchen as the clan got together for Christmas at Eric's place.
THE BUZZ: Good line by New Jersey Devils D Henrik Tallinder after he got hit in the foot by a shot in practice: "It took my mind off my back." ... When the Columbus Blue Jackets won in Dallas Thursday night, it ended a stretch of 23 games dating back to last season since they had won away from home in regulation time ... Something to which we can look forward: the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings play three times in the next 16 days, starting Friday night in Chicago ... Looks like it's going to be strike two for Matthew Hulsizer in his pursuit of an NHL team. Saturday is the deadline for him to get a deal done to buy the St. Louis Blues and it doesn't look like it's going to happen. He sniffed around the Coyotes, too.
JUST SAYING: There seems to be some misunderstanding out there about Bob Gainey's role with the Montreal Canadiens. Some are talking about him coming back to the team because he has been seen on the road at a couple of games (Winnipeg and Montreal). Fact is, he's never been away. Since giving up the GM title, he's still had tremendous influence on club decisions and regularly has conversations with players ... Say what you want about Mike Green as a defenceman, but the fact is the Washington Capitals are 8-0 with him in the lineup and 10-15-2 without him going into Friday's game ... Saying somebody is the best player on the Wings is saying something, so here's to you, Jimmy Howard.
JUST WONDERING: How crazy is this stat: Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom is 16-0 all-time at home against the Edmonton Oilers. Backstrom almost started a riot when he slashed Oilers F Ryan Smyth at the end of the game. "He slashed me four times before that," said Backstrom. "So I had a lot of things to catch up (for)."
THE LAST WORD: The best coaching change that has worked -- you could say the only one that has worked (pending how things go with Darryl Sutter in Los Angeles) -- is Ken Hitchcock in St. Louis. Hitchcock had a rep for being a miserable guy with which to work, but his time away from the game seems to have mellowed him a bit. He's counting to 10 these days before saying what's on his mind. He sat outside the rink in his car for a while the day after the Blues lost to the Wings. "I wasn't coming in until the coffee was over. Don't come in angry," he said. "If they're expecting me to go postal, forget it. Too old for that."
TOP 5 NHL STORIES FOR 2012
1. Sidney Crosby. As the calendar turns, we find ourselves -- so disappointingly so -- almost right where we were at the beginning of 2011: wondering what the future holds for the game's best player, out again with a recurrence of concussion symptoms. When, or if, Crosby returns will be the big story for the first few months of 2012. The implications are far-reaching for the NHL and the Penguins.
2. The CBA. Talks on a new deal -- the current agreement is set to expire in September -- are set to begin sometime after the all-star game at the end of the month. This is going to be another case of the owners wanting more takebacks and the players having to take a haircut again. How much is too much?
3. Boston Bruins. After shaking off their Stanley Cup hangover, the champs have been ripping it up. Something to consider: their power play is up to ninth in the league this season after performing so horribly in the Cup run last spring. You can bet GM Peter Chiarelli will do something to bolster the roster, too.
4. The Phoenix Coyotes. It's been relatively quiet on the rumour front, which is usually a good sign. The NHL remains committed to keeping the Coyotes in Glendale, but after Saturday they are free to entertain offers from potential owners interested in moving the team for next season. Expect talk about a move to Quebec City to heat up if nothing has happened by April.
5. Rules. With the recent spike in concussions, there will be more talk about adjusting the rules to try and reduce circumstances where players are vulnerable. The talk will be about putting the red line back in for two-line offsides and getting rid of the trapezoid to allow goaltenders to move the puck.
THE GROCERY STICK
Who is, literally or figuratively, heading for or in that comfortable spot on the bench that separates the forwards and the defencemen?
Buffalo Sabres forward Drew Stafford is coming off a 31-goal season which saw him rewarded with a four-year, $16-million contract. So far this season? He has six goals and 19 points going into Friday's game, which has led to Stafford being one of the Sabres who could use a change of scenery. "I'm coming close," said Stafford. "It all starts with speed. The next part is putting it in. Hopefully, the next one's going in."
SOMETHING SPECIAL
Boston Bruins
Power-play situations: 124
Goals: 24
Percentage: 19.4
Rank: 8
It's not good news for the rest of the league that the defending Stanley Cup champs look like they are improving the weakest part of their game. The B's power play was 20th in the league in the regular season last year and 14th among the 16 teams that made the playoffs last spring. They won the Cup despite their power play. But it is better this year by more than three percentage points (19.4% vs. 16.2%) and has moved up to eighth in the league's regular-season standings. Interesting to note the Bruins power play is the only unit not to have given up a short-handed goal this season.
AMBULANCE CHASING
Injuries that are having, or could have, a big impact.
Columbus Blue Jackets
I know. The Blue Jackets. Who cares? But the Jackets' signing of free-agent defenceman James Wisniewski to a six-year, $33 million deal is a bit of a cautionary tale and represents how off the rails the season has been in Columbus. After missing the first eight games of the season with a suspension, Wisniewski now could be out indefinitely after suffering a suspected broken ankle taking a shot off the stick of Dallas Stars forward Mike Ribeiro. It's almost like the Wisniewski signing -- frankly, the Jackets overpaid -- was bad karma. He's had 17 points in 29 games and, at minus-18, is tied for the second-worst plus/minus rating in the league. What a brutal season for Wisniewski and the Jackets.
GO FIGURE
57
The Boston Bruins goal differential -- on the positive side -- going into Friday night's games. In 17 of the 24 games they have played since Nov. 1, the Bruins have surrendered two goals or less. As impressive as that is, they won't come close to the record for goal differential in a season: the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens were an incredible 216.
8
The number of teams, since the lockout, that have made the playoffs with a negative goal differential. The Ottawa Senators hold the record, having made the playoffs in 2009-10 despite being outscored by 13 goals. Interesting to note the Senators are fighting for a playoff spot this season despite sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference at -15 going into Friday's games.
1
The number of team in the Western Conference that have made the playoffs with a negative goal differential since the lockout. That would be the 2008-09 Columbus Blue Jackets, who finished seventh despite being -4 on the season. The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens have each made the playoffs twice in the East with a negative goal differential.
1
The number of teams since the lockout that led the league in goal differential and went on to win the Stanley Cup that season -- the Detroit Red Wings in 2007-08. They were 73. The lowest-ranked team in goal differential to win the Cup since the lockout was the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were ninth (25) in 2009. The last two Cup winners were ranked second.
Hockey Night in Canada's Best of 2011
CBC Sports, Dec 30 2011
Hockey Night in Canada puts together the best of the year that was.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/video/#id=2182049329
Ted Nolan resurfaces at world junior tournament
ERIC DUHATSCHEK, Globe and Mail, Dec. 30, 2011
From the where are they now file:
The NHL’s 1997 coach of the year has his face pressed up against the glass at Canada Olympic Park 3, watching the Latvian juniors practice and chatting with the Russian team’s press attaché. This is Ted Nolan’s latest venture into the hockey coaching world, an adviser to the junior team this week and next, but primarily here in his capacity as the head coach of Latvia’s senior men’s team for the 2012 world hockey championships.
Nolan is a familiar figure in the hockey world and this is part of the charm of the world juniors - it attracts people from every part of the industry for a two-week gathering and a chance to get caught up with old acquaintances who, this close to another New Year’s Eve, should definitely not be forgotten.
Nolan is one of those, someone who can be liked and admired at the same time. At age 53, he is once again travelling down a new coaching path thanks to a moment of serendipity that unfolded on a Thursday night back in early August when the telephone rang in the Nolan home. It was Latvia calling, out of the blue. Would he be interested in coaching their men’s team? Yes, he would.
“They called on a Thursday night, on Friday we worked out a deal and Monday, I was there,” said Nolan, of the whirlwind courtship.
The connection to Latvia was former NHL goaltender Arturs Irbe. Irbe and Nolan crossed paths many years ago when the latter interviewed for a position with the San Jose Sharks’ organization. Nolan didn’t get the job, but he was there for training camp and met Irbe, who passed along a recommendation to the federation.
So Nolan is trying to immerse himself in all things Latvian, which has rabid fans wherever they happen to play, but is struggling here at the world juniors and coming off a 14-0 loss to Russia in preliminary round action Thursday night. For the Latvian juniors, the goals are modest at this stage: Try and stay in the A group for next year’s tournament, which they’ll get a chance to do during relegation round play next week.
Nolan has more than his share of experience with handling young players. He broke into the coaching ranks with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds back in 1994 and led them to three Memorial Cup finals, winning in 1993. That got him the job in Buffalo, where he was the Jack Adams winner in 1997 as the NHL’s coach of the year, riding Dominik Hasek’s goaltending and Michael Peca’s two-way play to get the rebuilding, overachieving Sabres into the playoffs. A tiff with then GM John Muckler pushed Nolan out a year later, and he didn’t surface in the NHL until the 2006-07 season when he helped the usually hapless New York Islanders to a 92-point season and an unexpected playoff berth. The next year, after the Islanders couldn’t match that result, he was let go again.
Nolan also got to the Memorial Cup final with Moncton in 2006 and lost the championship game to Patrick Roy and the Quebec Remparts. The gig in Latvia follows three years as the VP of hockey operations with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, which came to an end after Terry Pegula bought the parent team, the Sabres, and changed the administrative structure of their primary farm team.
So now he is handling Latvia, with a mandate “to add a little bit of the North American flavour to their game. I’m looking forward to coaching the world championships. They’re a small country. To stay at this level for as long as they did, it’s pretty impressive.”
Beyond his coaching ventures, Nolan devotes most of his time to the Ted Nolan Foundation, whose mission statement is to promote “healthy lifestyle choices for all aboriginal youth.”
Nolan was raised on the Garden River Reserve near Sault Ste. Marie, and had a 10-year professional career, divided between the NHL (78 games) and the AHL (374 games, 280 points). He began the foundation in 2004 after his mother, Rose, was killed by a drunk driver, and is constantly on the prowl to raise funds to improve educational opportunities for aboriginal youth and to immerse them in physical activity. According to the foundation’s website, “self-esteem is at the base of it all; (and) his programs are interwoven with values inherent in First Nations’ rich heritage.”
Recently, the Ted Nolan Foundation entered into a five-year partnership with the Tim Hortons Children's Foundation, which will permit about 50 aboriginal children to annually attend a camp, focusing on leadership skills.
“I’ve been doing presentations since I was 23,” said Nolan. “I was the first kid from the native community back home to ever make it so they wanted to know how I made it. So I broke down some things - about perseverance, about overcoming obstacles, about how to have a plan and then stick to it. All these places I go, I try to speak to some of the top corporate guys in North America.”
One example: During his time coaching Moncton, Nolan met Robert Irving, of the Irving family, and says he learned a lot about how “having the right people, having a goal, and how you communicate with people.
“I’ve coached 12-year-old kids, 17-year-old kids,” he pauses here, to smile, “28-year-old kids, 35-year-old kids. Everybody needs direction.”
Right now, Nolan is providing direction to Latvian youth. On one of his first visits to Latvia in the summer, Nolan was at a rink and had a tap on the shoulder and turned around and there was Brad McCrimmon, in the house with his Yaroslavl Lokomotiv team, playing in a preseason Kontinental Hockey League tournament. The two, who played against each in the pros, visited the way any two North American ex-patriots do on foreign soil and at the end of the conversation, Nolan asked him how it was going. Good, McCrimmon told him, except for one thing.
“He said, ‘training camps here are forever.’”
What a bizarre turn of events then - that Yaroslavl’s plane went down just as the KHL regular season was about to start.
For Nolan, preparation time is what makes his current assignment so unique. Mostly, in junior or the pros, coaches are so focused on the moment - the next game, the next practice, the next shift. Here, he says, “I have eight months to prepare for one tournament,” he said. “Eight months to decide how are we going to run training camps, and how are we going to translate my systems into Latvian to make it easier for the players. Ninety per cent of the players speak English, so it won’t be that hard.
“This is one of the greatest hockey jobs ever.”
Latvia has been on the fringes of the senior world A pool for years, one of the former Soviet republics that has produced, among others, Irbe, Sandis Ozolinsh, Sergei Zholtok and most recently Raitis Ivanans for NHL teams.
“I think they’ve proven they can play at a certain level,” said Nolan. “Now, to make the next step - to compete against Sweden, to compete against Canada. They have a great program for kids, so there’s no sense re-inventing the wheel.”
But according to Nolan, what they need is someone in the pipeline that they can excited about.
“They’ve had some good players, but to have a special guy? Maybe that’s coming. It’s not there yet. This (Zemgus Girgensons) kid is rated in the first round. He’s a pretty good player.”
THE DUCK WATCH: Could there be a more disappointing NHL team this year than Anaheim, where the Ducks have just 10 wins in 36 games and appear to be getting worse, not better, since the coaching change from Randy Carlyle to Bruce Boudreau. Under Boudreau, the Ducks are 3-7-2; and goaltender Jonas Hiller looks as if he has zero confidence now. Anaheim is leaky defensively and everyone can share the blame for that - its inexperienced defence corps and forwards that in Thursday night’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks back-checked with all the urgency of a Sunday driver, out for a leisurely ride. The Big Three (Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry) is underperforming; there is limited support from the supporting cast and maybe the saddest thing of all is that they are wasting Teemu Selanne’s final NHL season; he is the one bright spot on a team that looks as if it is going nowhere in a hurry; and has little of hope of making a second-half surge to the playoffs.
COLUMBUS WATCH: And speaking of underperforming teams stuck at 10 wins, here are the Columbus Blue Jackets, coming off a victory over the Dallas Stars, but forced to play the next four-to-six weeks without James Wisnewski, who fractured an ankle in that victory and will be out until February. Wisnewski has been a good addition when he’s played - and that eight-game suspension he served off the top of the season, along with Steve Mason’s struggles in goal, put the Blue Jackets behind the eight-ball early. As of today, Anaheim has 16 points to make up to get a playoff and Columbus 17. It is safe to say that both will be open for business, when the trade market starts to heat up soon.
GETTING ALL JIGGY ABOUT IT: Colorado has made a surge of late and the Avs’ Saturday date with the Ducks is a big one, if only because it is J.S. Giguere’s first game back in Anaheim (a team he led to the Stanley Cup in 2007) since he was traded to Toronto back on Jan. 31, 2010, almost exactly 23 months ago. Giguere has been part of Colorado’s recent revival; his strong play seemed to pick up Semyon Varlamov the past week or so. You would think Giguere will get the call against the Ducks; on Friday morning, he was reminiscing on a conference call with reporters about his time in Anaheim, which represented the best days of his hockey-playing life. The Ducks essentially revived and maybe even saved his career when they acquired his rights from the Calgary Flames for a second-round pick in June of 2000. The Flames made Giguere available because they’d determined not to protect him in that year’s NHL expansion draft. According to Giguere, he’d lost something like 17 games in a row in the minors for Calgary and acknowledged: “My career wasn’t going anywhere.” But the Ducks had goaltending guru Francois Allaire on their staff; and Giguere met with Allaire that summer; and started the long process of rebuilding his game into the shot blocker that he became. He started the 2000-01 season playing for AHL Cincinnati, was promoted to the big club later that year; and hasn’t played in the minors since. “From there, I never looked back,” said Giguere.
AND FINALLY: Jason Blake, who was traded to the Ducks by Toronto in the Giguere deal, has missed most of the season with an injury - a nasty skate cut - but is skating again and could play within the week ... Returns are also on the horizon for a couple of defencemen who were big stars two years ago, Washington’s Mike Green and Buffalo’s Tyler Myers. Green has missed 21 games with a groin injury and may be a week away. Myers is recovering from wrist surgery and his estimated return is about two weeks out ... Colorado will be monitoring the health of its young star, Matt Duchene, who injured his right leg when his skate got caught in a rut Thursday night and limped off in noticeable discomfort. Some sort of update should be available later Friday.
Should defenceman keep two hands on the stick?
SEAN GORDON, Globe and Mail, Dec. 31, 2011
To play big-time hockey is to accept that every so often your hindquarters are going to get a good chewing, in the parlance of the game, for not doing things the right way.
Montreal Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges recently recounted a memorable roasting earned as a prospect in the San Jose Sharks’ organization.
The correct way to play defence, it seemed, was eluding the then-teenaged Gorges in a practice, who was informed at top volume that he was either too dense or too lazy to figure it out.
But then, the Sharks were famously punctilious about the way they wanted their blueliners to play: both hands on the stick at all times.
“As soon as it came down to a one-on-one or a puck battle, they never wanted you to have that free hand because you weren’t as strong. That was a big thing,” said Gorges, who was traded to Montreal in 2007 for Craig Rivet (the Sharks also sent a 2007 first-round pick that the Habs turned into Max Pacioretty).
In the intervening years, Gorges has adapted his technique, shading away from what he was taught in junior and in minor pro during an era when the unlamented can-opener – jam stick between opponent’s legs, twist, shove – was meat and drink for all defencemen.
“It was never stick on puck, it was stick between the legs,” Gorges said. “I take the benefits of it, but sometimes I find if you have two hands on the stick you’re limiting your mobility.”
Yet the criminally underrated Gorges, who is among the NHL’s elite in blocking shots and logs large numbers of hard minutes against opposing top lines, is a throwback compared to his regular defensive partner, P.K. Subban.
Though Subban’s form has wavered at points during his sophomore season – playing defence in the NHL, it shouldn’t need to be pointed out, is hard – he remains a swashbuckler and a confirmed proponent of one-handed defending.
“I like to lean on guys and get separation with speed, I also find it harder to skate with two hands. But the main thing is I want to be able to hold guys off,” said Subban, who at 22 has little recollection of prelockout skulduggery in the corners and blue paint.
“I think it boils down to things like body type and instincts. Andrei Markov’s going to rely on positioning and strength. Hal Gill’s almost seven feet tall and has a stick that’s 20 feet long. I need use my quickness,” he added.
Pro-level players often compare notes, and in the case of Gorges, who grew up in the B.C. interior, that usually happens with close friends and contemporaries Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators (“that’s a couple of pretty good resources to have,” he chuckled).
“You talk to those guys about how they work and what they’re taught. You look at Duncan, and he’s always stick on puck, it’s how he defends ... he’s going in there one hand on the stick, as soon as the puck’s loose it’s two hands and he’s gone,” the 27-year-old Gorges said. “Whereas Shea is coming in with two hands, he’s going to run you over, and then when he gets loose it’s one hand, here we go. So for each player it’s what works for you.”
Because he’s undersized for a top-pair defenceman, Gorges said in his case that means resorting to trickery – “I use a pretty long stick, I can hide it [using one hand] and hold it in high to my body, then you have that extra element of surprise when a guy’s skating at you.”
Call it old school versus new school, compare it to PC versus Mac, Coke versus Pepsi if you must, some players clearly feel the number of hands one holds on a hockey stick is a philosophical, rather than merely stylistic, question.
“I was always a two-hand guy, especially when the league was more tolerant, you’re just stronger with two. But I’ve had to change with the rules,” said Gill, the lumbering 6-foot-7 veteran who may be more wistful for the prelockout era than any player in the NHL. “The way I see it, you still have to have the ability to battle with both hands on the stick. It’s why I still have a job.”
Scotty Bowman, Brian Williams to get Order of Canada
STEVE RENNIE, The Canadian Press, Dec. 30, 2011
Hockey coach Scotty Bowman, sportscaster Brian Williams and former prime minister Paul Martin are among 66 notables being inducted to or promoted within the Order of Canada.
Former Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler, retired chief of defence staff Rick Hillier and Canadian Lt.-Gen. Charles Bouchard, who commanded the recent NATO military mission in Libya, are also among those receiving honours.
Storyteller Stuart McLean, host of the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe, was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Others being honoured include: Kevin Lynch, former clerk of the Privy Council; billionaire Seymour Schulich, an investor and philanthropist; lawyer and businesswoman France Chretien Desmarais, the daughter of former prime minister Jean Chretien; newspaper columnist Alain Dubuc and Open Text Corp. chairman Tom Jenkins.
Bowman joins such hockey greats as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr in the Order of Canada.
Considered one of the greatest hockey coaches of all-time, Bowman won a record nine Stanley Cups behind the benches of the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.
Bowman holds the record for the coach with most wins in league history. He was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 1991.
Williams, perhaps best known for his coverage of the Olympic Games, has worked as a sportscaster for CBC and CTV.
Martin was the Liberal prime minister from 2003 to 2006 after serving as Chretien's finance minister. He was named to the Order's highest rank, Companion, “for his distinguished contributions to Canadian politics and for his active involvement in promoting opportunities for Aboriginal Canadians.”
Fowler was kidnapped with colleague Louis Guay and held hostage by an al-Qaida faction for almost five months in the Sahara Desert. He and Guay were released in March 2009. Prime Minister Stephen Harper insisted no ransom had been paid for their release.
Hillier, the straight-talking Newfoundlander who rose to the job of Canada's top soldier, was named to the second-highest rank, Officer of the Order. He did more than perhaps any other military leader to rally Canadians around their men and women in uniform during the early years of the war in Afghanistan. He was also instrumental in wrangling new money and equipment for his troops.
The Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.
Chosen by an independent panel based on nominations from the public, the order has three levels of membership — companion, officer and member.
The awards will be presented by the Governor General at a ceremony at a later date.
2011: The Year that was
Jeff Blair, Globe and Mail, Dec. 31, 2011
You think it's rough in the serious parts of Canada's National Newspaper? Spend some time back here as we head into the one-year anniversary of what could effectively be the end of Sidney Crosby's career. If only you'd stolen a peek the other way, Sid. If only you'd raised your head for a millisecond during that last shift of the second period at the Winter Classic and seen ham-and-egger David Steckel. If only that trademark, sixth-sense awareness on the ice hadn't let you down …
We've had off-season body counts and in-season career counts and that's just in the NHL. It just seems as if it's all been about fighters taking their own lives and Crosby's stillborn return from the fog of concussion, but there's been so much more: the usual labour intrusions, drug arrests, and failed tests in almost every sport, and alleged odious sexual assaults on young boys at Penn State.
Yet on the field or the ice, it was the good guys who ruled as never before. So on the eve of 2012, let's raise a toast to the Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Bruins and Dallas Mavericks for giving us satisfying champions in four major sports.
Credit the Packers with getting it started in their 31-25 Super Bowl win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The character and integrity of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers are more in the mould of Bart Starr than his predecessor, the tiresome and egomaniacal Brett Favre. Rodgers scored one for the white hats in beating the Steelers and their quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, who missed four regular-season games after violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy. Roethlisberger thus avoided sexual-assault charges, but was still shown to be an out-of-control, sexist oaf worthy of derision, surrounded by the usual coterie of enablers endemic to the NFL lifestyle.
The Packers set the tone. The Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in a riveting best-of-seven Stanley Cup final, with rags-to-riches goaltender Tim Thomas the face of a team that was transformed from the big, bad Bruins of yore by its proximity to the Canucks, an unlikable and of whiners who spend an inordinate amount of time sniffing out imaginary, league-orchestrated officiating conspiracies and carping about a lack of respect.
The Canucks are a star-crossed team destined to become the Chicago Cubs of the NHL; they are the only people on the planet unaware that they won't win until they tie the can to goaltender Roberto Luongo; they are a team cheered on by folks who have twice celebrated failure by laying waste to their city. Canadians are parched for a Stanley Cup winner, but not bad enough that they'd want their thirst satiated by that lot.
Bless the Dallas Mavericks for snatching the NBA title from LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat, whose odd combination of entitlement and false bravado had worn thin and who became the Wall Street bankers of the sports world. No team in recent memory has been as reviled.
And shout-outs, too, to the McMaster Marauders for their improbable, crazy-quilt, double-overtime win in the Vanier Cup over the powerhouse Laval Rouge et Or, as well as the B.C. Lions for sifting through the ashes of a 0-5 start and conjuring a home-field Grey Cup win.
Resiliency was also a trademark of the 2011 World Series champion Cardinals, who were something else in winning what was forecast to be a sexless, benign, white-bread showdown with the Texas Rangers. Twice the Cardinals won despite being down to their last strike, and they overcame a monumental by manager Tony La Russa during a pitching change, which he blamed on a bullpen phone.
There has never been a team quite like these Cardinals in the long history of baseball: 10 ½ games out on Aug. 25, eight games out in September … World Series champions. “Destiny” is a cliché, but when the Cardinals' Skip Schumaker stared into a sea of reporters and offered it as an explanation, all anybody could do was look down at his notebook or tape recorder and nod.
Sweden on another collision course with destiny at world juniors
ALLAN MAKI, Globe and Mail, Dec. 30, 2011
They can remember it all, the seven of them who were there. They can remember the sick feeling when Russia scored with less than 90 seconds left in the third period to force overtime. They can remember the shootout with Russia scoring and their captain, Anton Lander, being turned aside.
It was the worst, said Swedish defenceman Patrik Nemeth. Their gold-medal dreams dashed by those unsinkable Russians. And now here they are a year later, Sweden and Russia, on another collision course at the world junior championship.
This time it’s not a semi-final showdown; it’s a Saturday night round-robin meeting to determine which side advances directly to one of two semi-finals. And in case the Swedes needed another reminder of just how dangerous Russia can be, Evgeny Kuznetsov provided it the other night with a nine-point virtuoso performance against Latvia.
“We know [the Russians] have good players,” said Nemeth, one of seven Swedes back from the 2011 team. “We remember last year. We were feeling good because we had played so well and then it was over … It was a long flight home.”
The Swedes have made a talking point out of what unravelled in 2011. They had stormed through their round-robin games beating both Canada and Russia and were ahead by a goal in the semi-final when Russia roared back. That was the win that emboldened the Russians and helped help them stage an even bigger comeback in the gold-medal final against Canada.
For the Swedes this year, it’s been altogether different. Instead of starting strong, they’ve had their struggles taking too many penalties against Latvia, allowing too many goals on too few shots and having to go to a shootout to defeat Switzerland. Rather than fret over it, the Swedes have taken a philosophical approach.
“Last year, we played the first four games really good,” said Roger Ronnberg, whose team ended up missing the medal podium completely. “We won the group but we got beat in the playoffs right away. It’s better if the team is better in the last game.”
That message – save the best for last – is being reinforced by the returning players.
“They remind all the guys that they haven’t won anything,” Ronnberg added. “Stay on the ground. Keep working. Don’t look too far ahead, but look back.”
The Swedes could match up well against Russia if their goaltending is solid. To this point, Johan Gustafsson has looked beatable while Russian counterpart Andrei Vasilevski has posted back-to-back shutouts. The rest of the two lineups boast equal strengths.
The Russians have young stars in Nail Yakupov and Mikhail Grigorenko, a hot hand in Nikita Gusev and the redoubtable Kuznetsov as their catalyst. (“It’s difficult to compare,” Kuznetsov said of the 2011 and 2012 Russian teams. “All were older players, except me. But this team has more depth, more talent.”)
The Swedes counter with the draft eligible Filip Forsberg, mad Max Friberg (with his stick-riding goal celebration) plus the eye-catching Mika Zibanejad in his first world juniors. Zibanejad, the Ottawa Senators’ first-round draft pick of this past summer, has been listening to his more experienced teammates and is now preaching their rhetoric.
“Sometimes we play good. Sometimes we’re not focused,” he noted. “We’re having too many zone minutes [in their defensive end]. That’s not going to be good for us in the long term. We’re working on it.”
Overall, the Russians are rounding into a team at a quicker pace than the Swedes. Russia has scored 20 goals and allowed one through three games. It has the top penalty killing and the best save percentage from its goaltender. Sweden finally showed some dominance Friday by thumping the Slovaks 9-1. Maybe now the Swedes will begin playing their best hockey by looking back and not too far ahead.
“What did you learn from last year’s loss to Russia?” Friberg, one of the seven returnees, was asked.
“Not to be satisfied with winning the [pool group] or anything like that,” he answered. “Think about the next game and never be really satisfied until you have the gold medal around your neck and on the way home.”
Team Canada’s Mark Scheifele needs to get going
ROY MacGREGOR, Globe and Mail, Dec. 30, 2011
And so, at midnight on Saturday, Mountain Standard Time, Mark Scheifele will say farewell to what he calls “probably the best year of my life.”
How he feels at the end of the New Year’s Eve match between Canada and a Team U.S.A. desperate to salvage some pride out of the tournament may well determine whether or not 2011 is indeed the best of the 18 years the native of Kitchener, Ont., has so far known.
For Mark Scheifele has to get going.
This may seem a strange statement when applied to a team that has scored 23 goals in only three games, but Scheifele knows it to be true just as his coach, Don Hay, knows it not only to be true but necessary.
The preliminary rounds of the World Junior Hockey Championship are largely a farce – perhaps never so perfectly illustrated as in Russia’s 14-0 crunch of Latvia on Thursday in which a single player, Russian captain Yevgeni Kuznetsov counted nine points – and Team Canada has yet to be even slightly tested. In scoring 23 times, they have allowed but three, two of those coming in the third period of Thursday’s 10-2 thrashing of Denmark when the Canadians, clearly bored, lost focus as well as interest.
That task will only get tougher, perhaps as early as this meeting between Canada and the U.S. While the Americans have had a terrible tournament -- beaten earlier 4-1 by Finland and defeated Friday 5-2 by the Czechs -- the Canada-U.S.A. games have traditionally been hotly contested. Two years ago in Saskatoon, the teams exchanged wins, the Americans taking the gold-medal match in overtime. Canadian players who are expected to score will most certainly be required next week -- but perhaps as early as this otherwise meaningless New Year's match.
“In a short tournament,” Hay warned earlier this week, “you’re not going to wait to long to see if they get going.”
There was no need for Hay to name Scheifele. The junior star with the Barrie Colts has the size (6’3”, 184 lbs) and the credentials. Drafted seventh overall by the re-born Winnipeg Jets, he was such a pre-season sensation with the Jets (scoring two goals and two assists in his first pre-season game, as well as being named first star) that the Jets signed him to a three-year NHL contract and put him on the roster for the opening of the regular season. He had, after all, led the entire team in scoring in the pre-season.
Jets head coach Claude Noel at one point stated he would be “stunned” if the easygoing teenager wasn’t kept on the team. However, when Scheifele could manage only a single goal in seven real NHL games, Jets management wisely decided to return him to his junior team for more ice time and more experience. In only 19 games back with his junior club, he had an impressive 36 points.
Scheifele, an eternal optimist, thought being sent back was the right thing for him, despite his admitted “disappointment” about not being able to remain playing at the higher level.
“It’s probably been the best year of my life,” says this hockey late bloomer. “To get drafted [in the Ontario Hockey League] and play there a year and then playing under-18s and then getting drafted [in the NHL] and getting to start in Winnipeg – it’s been great.
“When Winnipeg decided to send me down I was able to try out for this team.”
His return to junior was seen as a blessing for Team Canada, as there were early concerns about this team’s ability to score, given that several of the finest teenage hockey players in the country had managed to stick with their NHL clubs, including rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the Edmonton Oilers.
That early worry has not proved out – though it is admittedly difficult to draw any sensible conclusions given the quality of opponents the powerful Canadian juniors have so far faced.
Even so, following Thursday’s romp over Denmark, Scheifele stood 25th in tournament scoring, behind 10 Canadian teammates including Mark Stone, tied for third (six goals, one assist) with fellow Canadians Ryan Strome (three goals, four assists) and Jonathan Huberdeau (one goal, six assists).
Scheifele, who did not crack the scoring sheet until he scored two late goals in Canada’s 5-0 victory over the Czech Republic, was held to a single assist against Denmark when at times it appeared the Canadians could score at will.
Scheifele says it felt great to “get that monkey off my back” when those two goals went in against the Czechs – both scored off perfect passes from his Barrie Colts teammate and closest hockey friend Tanner Pearson.
“I was putting pressure on myself,” he admits. “That’s how you kind of motivate yourself, by putting extra pressure and trying to get the best of myself.”
“Sometimes,” says Hay, “that goal scorer is looking for that goal to get jump-started.”
And yet, it hasn’t happened – at least so far.
Scheifele hardly needs to be told. “It’s a short tournament,” he says, echoing his coach. “You have to go with who’s producing. You have to take whatever role they give you. One night it could be a shut-down role, one night it could be a scoring role.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
With the real tournament about to begin, however, that “whatever it takes” may still mean goals from Mark Scheifele.
Czech Republic eliminates U.S. at World Juniors
DEAN BENNETT, The Canadian Press, Dec. 30, 2011
Petr Mrazek, the Czech Republic goaltender who gave Canada fits, put the lights out on the United States, making 52 saves in 5-2 win at the world junior hockey championships Friday.
The Detroit Red Wings prospect turned back point-blank shots and goalmouth redirections, stopped a penalty shot and even got a little help from his goalpost in the win at Rexall Place.
The victory by the Czechs assured 3-0 Canada would win Pool B and get a bye to the semifinal. The rival U.S. (1-2) was sent to the relegation round later Friday when Finland hammered Denmark 10-1.
“I was so focused before the game because it was the America and I'm playing in (North) American hockey,” said Mrazek, with the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League.
“I wanted to win this game.
“The guys helped me a lot in the zone, with rebounds. It's a win for the team.”
Mrazek shone earlier in the tournament in a 5-0 loss to Canada.
The win put the 2-1 Czechs into a tie with Finland for second place in Pool B but neither team can catch Canada. Finland and the Czechs meet Saturday.
Switzerland beat Latvia 5-3 later Friday in Group A action in Calgary.
U.S. forward Jason Zucker said the loss to the Czechs was stunning.
“No words can describe it,” said Zucker.
“We played a fantastic game tonight. I thought we played outstanding.
“Usually if you get 54 shots in a game you give yourself a damn good chance to win (but) hats off to them. They played well and their goalie played great.”
The Americans outshot the Czechs 18-6 in the first period and 15-13 in the second but as the third period started were knotted at two goals each.
Both times the U.S. took the lead only to see the Czechs rebound by scoring on American goalie Jack Campbell, who looked shaky often fighting the puck and struggling to control rebounds.
He didn't get any help from the partisan anti-U.S. crowd at Rexall Place.
The fans cheered loudly for the Czech Republic, lustily booed the Americans and mocked the U.S. netminder with drawn out mocking chants of “Caaampbelllll, Caaampbellllll!”
The Americans stormed the Czechs in the third period and were poised to take the lead when Josh Archibald was pulled down on a breakaway was awarded a penalty shot.
The American tried a backhand deke on Mrazek but lost control of the puck and it bounced off the side of the net.
Just a couple of minutes later Campbell failed to corral a goalmouth rebound and Czech forward Peter Holik banged in what proved to be the game winner.
Tomas Filippi added his second goal of the game with less than three minutes to go, before Holik scored into an empty net to seal the victory.
Tomas Hertl also scored for the Czech Republic while TJ Tynan and Bill Arnold replied for the Americans.
Filippi agreed Mrazek was the difference.
“He stops everything. You can't beat that,” he said.
The Americans opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 5:14 of the first period. JT Miller, streaking down the left wing, slipped the puck through the slot, which Tynan then redirected past Mrazek.
The Czechs were playing short handed at the time after forward Petr Straka was given a boarding major and a game misconduct for ramming U.S. defenceman Derek Forbort into the boards at centre ice.
The Czechs answered back at 12:05 when Filippi fired a shot from close in on Campbell.
Campbell blocked the shot with his goal pad but before he could smother the puck Filippi banged it through his legs and into the net.
The Americans regained the lead at 11:50 of the second period. Mrazek deflected a bad-angle shot from Zucker right to Arnold, who was standing at the side of the crease for the quick tap in.
Czech forward Hertl answered back three minutes later, grabbing a turnover in the U.S. end, walking in alone on Campbell and lifting a backhand shot over Campbell's left shoulder.
That set the stage for a frantic third period that saw the U.S. fire 21 shots at Mrazek — and lose.
“I don't really know what to say,” said Miller.
“We hit three posts, so I guess it just wasn't our day I guess.
“It's not like we played bad and got beat up on. We played our best and it still wasn't enough, which is just really upsetting.”
Finland 10, Denmark 1
At Edmonton, Teemu Pulkkinen tied a tournament record with four goals in the third period as Finland hammered winless Denmark.
Miikka Salomaki had two goals and two assists for Finland (2-1) while Ville Pokka had a goal and two assists.
Jani Hakanpaa, Joel Armia and Mikael Kuronen also scored.
Patrick Bjorkstrand had the only goal for Denmark (0-4), which is headed to the relegation round.
Denmark only dressed 15 players for the game.
---
Switzerland 5, Latvia 3
At Calgary, Gaetan Haas and Christian Marti scored goals a minute apart late in the third period as Switzerland earned a hard-fought win over Latvia.
Looking for its first victory at the tournament, Latvia (0-4) tied the game 3-3 when Vitalijs Hvorostinins scored at 12:42 of the third period. But Haas scored his second of the game 22 second later then Marti added some insurance to keep the Latvians winless.
Christoph Bertschy also scored twice for Switzerland (1-1-1).
Toms Andersons and Nikita Jevpalovs had the other goals for Latvia.
Tim Wolf made 20 saves for the Swiss, while Latvia's Kristers Gudlevskis stopped 36 shots.
Switzerland faces Slovakia on Saturday with a spot in the quarter-finals on the line, while Latvia heads to the relegation round.
World Junior Hockey 2012: Danish players suspended for mock press conference
Farhan Devji and Aaron Hutchins, edmontonjournal.com December 30, 2011
EDMONTON - Five Danish players suspended for joking around at a mock news conference on Friday say they didn’t know they were on camera.
They feel they were “caught with their pants down.”
Forward Jonas Sass and four of his teammates took to the coaches’’ podium over an hour after Denmark’s 10-2 loss to Canada on Thursday evening.
They sat there, pretending to be coaches, shaking hands and opening up drinks before pointing to an empty media gallery for questions.
After a volunteer asked them what they thought of the Canadians, Sass responded: “Not much. It’s once in a lifetime. We come here, big favourites, we lost 10-2,” as his teammates laughed with him.
“We knew were underdogs. We just wanted to cheer the team up after a 10-2 loss,” Sass said Friday.
The coaches found out about the players goofing off that night after seeing a video of their fake press conference on TV, said general manager Ulrik Larsen.
Although the players said they’ve learned their lesson, they also feel they were taken advantage of by a cameraman.
“We didn’t know the camera guy was there and filming everything,” Sass said. “It was wrong.”
Denmark head coach Todd Bjorkstrand broke the news to the players on Friday morning, but they knew it was coming, Sass said.
“We’re here to play hockey and represent Denmark. Danish hockey has come a long way,” Bjorkstrand said. “I don’t want my players goofing around after a game after losing 10-2.”
General manager Ulrik Larsen was present with coach Bjorkstrand when they broke the news.
“Were not here to be laughed at,” Larsen said, just before Finland thumped Denmark 10-1 on Friday evening. “This isn’t a kids’ tournament.”
Assistant captain Nicklas Jensen, the only Dane drafted into the NHL, saw his teammates joking around in front of the microphones.
“(Jensen) tried to get them off,” said Patrick Bjorkstrand, the team’s only goal scorer in a 10-1 loss to Finland. “He wasn’t happy.”
The players were watching the game from section 209 as Finland defeated Denmark in the team’s final round robin game before next week’s relegation round.
Denmark particularly missed the offensive prowess of Mathias Bau-Hansen on Friday. His two goals in the first period against Team USA in the tournament opener gave fans something to cheer about.
Nicki Kisum, Anders Thode and Anders Schultz were the other players suspended. They said it was for one game; the coach said the duration hadn’t yet been decided.
“There’s consequences with these things,” Patrick Bjorkstrand said. “There has to be consequences.”
Brian Sass-Jensen, Jonas’s father, sat among the other Danish players’ families in the stands with his hands pressed together on Friday, quietly studying the Danish team on the ice that was playing without his son.
“I’d prefer not to comment and the reason I say this is because (Denmark) is still in the tournament,” he said. “But I will say this: I know (Jonas) is sorry. I know he didn’t know the cameras were running. I know he wishes he hadn’t done it.”
Friberg’s broom-riding celebration the talk of the town:
Swedish winger ruffles a few feathers as he rides his stick after tallying in shootout
George Johnson, Calgary Herald, December 30, 2011
CALGARY - Out on the ice, WinSport Arena sheet B, his teammates were indulging in a few post-holiday jollies mimicking the newly-notorious Mad Max.
Joyriding on their sticks. Celebrating routine scrimmage tap-ins with florid theatricality.
“I’m glad somebody found it funny,’’ said a slightly bewildered Max Friberg later.
“I play with a lot of emotion. I got happy and I did something … I’m just sorry they took it the wrong way or got mad at me.’’
Friberg’s slaloming, tobogganing, Broomhilda act after scoring on Sweden’s second shootout try against the overmatched but resolute Swiss on Wednesday night, had already, in the space of one sleep, become the talk of the town, if not the tournament.
Depending on your rooting interest, Friberg’s Tiger Williams take was either A) a wonderful, spontaneous expression of joy and personality all too lacking in today’s dour, tightly-buttoned-down, cookie-cutter game (we opt for that); or B) nothing more than a crude show-up.
The pro-underdog Scotiabank Saddledome crowd let Friberg know exactly their opinion of his shenanigans.
“I don’t know if he thought about it much,’’ said teammate Mika Zibanejad, unable to resist a mischievous smile. “It’s just something that popped into his head.
“Really, it was pretty funny.
“He’s probably not the most popular guy in Canada right now. But we don’t care about that. We’re here to play hockey. If they like us or not, we can’t control that.’’
Zibanejad certainly didn’t mind getting in on the gag when asked if he planned on swiping the template for Friberg’s celebratory shtick should he net an overtime or shootout winner later in the tournament.
“I have my own.’’
And that would entail, precisely?
“You’ll see. You’ll see,” he said with a wink.
As the cameras pointed and the questions kept arriving from the same angle, the prevailing response from the Swedish camp to the outraged was this: Chill.
“We’re dealing with young kids here,’’ said coach Roger Ronnberg. “We have to understand this is a huge experience for these kids to play the world juniors and they love every minute of it. They don’t have a thought about doing anything bad.
“We tell them all the time to stay steady on the ground, with both feet, be humble, but in that moment … it can happen.’’
Linemate and team captain Johan Larsson waved a dismissive hand at the kerfuffle Friberg has generated.
“We didn’t expect so much, so much … talk,’’ he stammered. “So much noise. So much writing. It’s hard to understand.
“Really, it’s not such a big thing.’’
From Ziggy Palffy and Travis Green puckering up on the Island to Teemu Selanne’s Capone-style rat-a-tat-tat during his Winnipeg days to Sean Avery’s impromptu pushups to Alexei Kovalev’s moonwalking to, of course, Tiger’s groundbreaking stick-riding act, the unconventional goal celebration has long been a controversial aspect of the sport.
“I’ve heard the story now about (Tiger) Williams doing it against Calgary,’’ said Friberg. “I didn’t know that. Of course they’d get angry. If it’s true.’’ He shrugged. “Maybe they’re lying to me.
“But I had no idea.
“I’ve seen it on YouTube.
“I didn’t mean to offend the people here in Calgary, or the opponents. So of course now I’m thinking about it a little bit.
“Like I said (Wednesday) night, I had no teammates to celebrate with on the ice. It was just bad timing.’’
Over and above the good-natured teasing, the Swedes were a decidedly loose, relaxed lot on Thursday, despite having allowed a very valuable point to slip away (three for regulation wins here, only two for overtime or shootout victories) in the third period Wednesday.
“The most important thing in a short tournament like this,’’ said Ronnberg wisely, “is that things don’t get too big, too serious. Don’t think about the consequences of the game, the importance. Just stay in the moment, and enjoy it. You have to enjoy every day.
“(Friberg’s teammates) know he’s the last person to want to offend anybody. So that’s whey they were giving him a hard time.’’
Certainly no one has more reason to be loosey-goosey than Friberg, an Anaheim Ducks’ draft pick, who’s notched five goals and a shootout winner in two games heading into Friday’s joust with Slovakia at the Saddledome.
He’s getting a lot of attention, but not much respect. Monday, the guy scores four and is somehow bypassed for player of the game. Forty-eight hours later, he slides a shootout winner through the wickets of stellar Swiss goaltender Lukas Meili and is lustily booed for his act of exuberance.
“Maybe,’’ said the newly-notorious Mad Max, “they don’t like me over here.’’ He held up a hand. “No …”
Whoa there, people! Joke. Joke!
“I’m just,’’ Friberg said amiably, “trying to do my best. Everybody else can think what they want. We’re here to win games. In the end, it doesn’t matter what people say.
“Right now it’s fun to be out there. It’s always fun to play hockey. I give and get more energy when I’m smiling, when I’m happy.
“I’m not used to this, scoring all these goals, so of course it’s fun.’’
You could say he’s enjoying the ride of his life.
Not only on his stick and down the boards, either.
Team GB in Tony’s hands:
Still playing Hand replaces Thompson as Great Britain coach
MARTIN MERK, IIHF.COM, 30-12-11
LONDON – Ice Hockey UK appointed Tony Hand as new head coach of Great Britain’s national team.
Hand signed a four-year contract to replace Paul Thompson, who had been coaching the team for the last five years.
The Edinburgh-born 44-year-old is currently the player-coach of English Premier League team Manchester Phoenix and will work in a dual role for club and national team.
The Scotsman became the first British-raised player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was selected by Edmonton Oilers in 1986.
After the draft, he participated for two weeks in Edmonton’s pre-season camp with the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier and was offered a spot on a Canadian junior hockey roster. But his career in North America didn’t last long as he played just three games, with eight points (4+4), for the WHL’s Victoria Cougars.
Hand felt homesick and has been playing in Great Britain ever since. He scored over 4,000 scoring in his career with the Murrayfield Racers, Sheffield Steelers, Ayr Scottish Eagles, Dundee Stars, Edinburgh Capitals, Belfast Giants and Manchester Phoenix.
His first coaching role was in the British National League with Dundee Stars, and has also had spells with Edinburgh Capitals and Belfast Giants in the Elite League, before joining Manchester in 2007.
“I am proud to be appointed to the role of head coach and am very excited about the challenge. I am looking forward to working with some fantastic players and it will be a great honour and privilege to coach the national team,” Hand said in an official announcement.
“I am following in some great footsteps in Paul Thompson, who did a fantastic job in his time as GB coach,” said Hand, who was given the Membership of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to hockey.
Great Britain hasn’t been among the elite nations since the 1994 IIHF World Championship in Italy. Hand was part of that team as a player and also represented Great Britain in nine lower-tier World Championships, most recently in 2007.
“Tony stood out from all the rest. He is a legend in British ice hockey and is well-known throughout the ice hockey world,” Andy French, Ice Hockey UK’s General Secretary, said about the appointment. “I am sure Tony will be able to build on the fantastic work done by Paul Thompson and keep GB challenging for promotion to the top flight.”
Great Britain will participate in the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where the best two of the six participating teams will be promoted to the top division in 2013.
The other teams battling for promotion are Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Japan and Ukraine.
Regina Pats practise what they preach
GREG HARDER, Regina Leader-Post, December 28, 2011
REGINA -- If their first practice after the Christmas break is any indication, the Regina Pats could hit the ground running in the second half of the WHL season.
“I have to say, without a doubt, in all my 32 years of junior hockey and pro hockey, this was the best post-(Christmas) practice I’ve been involved in,” head coach Pat Conacher said after his team’s workout on Tuesday morning at the Brandt Centre. “They were engaged and they were flying. It was a great sign. You have to practise well to be able to play well. I can’t tell you how happy I was. We had a short break, only probably four days off by the time they got home. But they came back and it was high tempo. I take my hat off to the kids because they came ready to rock this morning.”
In fact, Conacher was so pleased that he cut the practice short in hopes of saving a little extra for tonight’s road contest against the Brandon Wheat Kings.
“They were giving me everything they’ve got,” he continued. “I just hope it carries into Brandon. You never know (how it will translate to games) but right where I stand this morning, I feel really good about it.”
Reading between the lines, Conacher interpreted Tuesday’s effort as a positive sign that his players were excited to be back and motivated to get down to business.
Captain Brandon Davidson agreed.
“It’s very exciting to see, especially after the Christmas break,” noted Davidson. “Everyone is usually a little lazy, a little lackadaisical (after the mid-season hiatus). But the guys were firing today. We got practice cut short because we want to save that momentum. It’s great to have a team that comes back from a break and is fired up and ready to go. Hopefully we can take that into Brandon.”
Coach Pat Conacher not taking credit for Regina Pats’ success
Greg Harder, Regina Leader-Post, December 28, 2011
REGINA — It’s often said that coaches get too much of the blame when their teams struggle and too much credit in times of prosperity.
Regina Pats head coach Pat Conacher takes the good with the bad, although he hasn’t experienced much of the latter in the wake of a surprising first-half performance which saw his team post a winning record (19-15-2-1) and set itself up nicely for a chance to end a three-year WHL playoff drought.
“I’ve said before, the credit goes to the players,” said Conacher, whose club opens the second half tonight in Brandon against the Wheat Kings. “I’ve had some great support. It has been a total team effort. My whole thing when I came here was to try to change the culture. You’re never guaranteed success but we definitely were doing all the right things to give us success. And of course at the end of the day it’s the buy-in from the players. It’s all those little things that add up to the big things, which is winning.”
Conacher often mentions that he and GM Chad Lang have been “on the same page from Day 1” in regards to their priorities on and off the ice. He also lauds the efforts of assistants Malcolm Cameron and Josh Dixon, describing them as “professional coaches” who’ve made invaluable contributions as teachers and mentors.
That said, Conacher is the one who ultimately sets the tone.
“He really keeps guys in line and he definitely got that respect from the whole dressing room early in the year,” noted veteran centre Jordan Weal. “When you have that respect as a coach and the players respect what you want to accomplish, it’s only a good thing. He seems to have that knack as well to get the right guys on the ice at the right times. Not many coaches have that.”
Although he’s technically a rookie head coach in the WHL, Conacher had a long career as a player and a coach at various levels, including the NHL. He has drawn upon all those experiences since joining the Pats, who are reaping the rewards.
“I don’t think he wants the credit but he gets his fair share,” said captain Brandon Davidson. “A lot of our success has come from Pat and the way he has changed things. We’re still the same group we were last year for the most part. A few new faces but mostly a new coaching staff. That has definitely had a huge impact on how we’re playing.”
The same goes for their work off the ice, which is another area of emphasis under Conacher.
“Being part of the community and really reaching out and helping the community has made us better people and made us better hockey players,” continued Davidson. “We respect a lot more things now. I think we’ve just grown as a group and really come together. Things have been happening because of hard work and discipline.”
How about chemistry?
Veterans like Davidson and Jordan Weal will tell you the Pats are a much closer team than they’ve been in the recent past. Being a tight group away from the rink has translated to playing well as a team on the ice.
“The leadership group in this room is really good,” noted Weal. “The older guys have really brought in the young guys and (treated) them as equals.”
“It’s definitely a close room,” added Davidson. “The relationship of the guys in the room and away from the rink, it has been a team unit. If you’re a group off the ice, you’re going to be a group on the ice. It’s better to (go to war) with five guys than one.”
The Pats’ team-first mentality has helped them focus on themselves rather than listen to dissenting voices that projected yet another losing season. Although still in the early stages of a potentially painstaking rebuild, the team has found a way to raise the bar — thus raising expectations for the second half of the season.
“Now we have to go forward,” added Conacher. “It’s the little things we do, it’s our detail, it’s the way we have to play each and every day, our identity as a hockey team. We have to keep pounding on the guys about that. We have to keep dragging that out of them. A lot of the players, as the season goes on, they’re taking a lot of pride in who they are and what their responsibilities are and the identity they’ve created for themselves. But that never ends. You have to keep getting better as a person and a player. It’s always a work in progress. We’re a long ways from the finish line.”
Former Regina Pats player Todd Strueby remembers 1982 world junior tournament
CRAIG SLATER, Regina Leader-Post, December 22, 2011
REGINA — A Canadian television crew was nowhere to be found. Even the national anthem was missing.
But Canada had just won the gold medal at the 1982 World Junior Hockey Championship. Other than the few hundred spectators who watched the game live in Rochester, Minn., Canadians from coast to coast were oblivious to the outcome.
It sounds like a nightmare, but that was reality for Regina’s Todd Strueby and his teammates on that gold-medal-winning Canadian team of 30 years ago.
“There was no video broadcast at all. There was media coverage, but not at all what it’s like today,” Strueby said. “It has evolved into this huge event, and that’s great to see. I think everyone in Canada, especially hockey fans, has grown to love this tournament.”
This year, the world junior tournament will be hosted by Calgary and Edmonton. Strueby, along with every player who ever wore the maple leaf during a world junior tournament, has been invited to the event by Hockey Canada as part of the 30-year anniversary.
Over the past 30 years, the world junior hockey championship has certainly rose to the forefront among events in Canada. The tournament in ’82 marked the first year Canada, which used to be represented by club teams, was comprised of a collection of the best junior-aged players from across the country. It featured the likes of Strueby (then of the Saskatoon Blades), Regina Pats defenceman Garth Butcher, Mike Moller, Gord Kluzak and goaltender Mike Moffat. The latter three were named to the tournament all-star team that year. Pats general manager Bob Strumm doubled as the GM of the world junior team.
Minneapolis was the host site of the ’82 event, but games were also hosted in nearby Rochester and across Minnesota, as well as in Winnipeg and Kenora, Ont.
The arena in Rochester, where Canada and Czechoslovakia skated to a 3-3 tie, didn’t have O Canada on its playlist. Instead, the players lined up on the blue line and sang in unison. The arena also was devoid of television cameras. Canadians listened to a telephone feed of the final few minutes of that game during a Hockey Night in Canada telecast.
The tournament has seen obvious changes since then.
“For players, though, I don’t think the tournament has changed at all,” Strueby insisted. “We knew how big a deal it was, just like the players now do. We knew the impact it would have on us and on our country. As Canadians, we know how big of a deal it was, how intense it was. I don’t think that will ever change.”
The ’82 tournament didn’t have a playoff round. The eight teams played each other once. Canada and Czechoslovakia sat at the top of the standings with identical 5-0-1 records before they met in the final round-robin game, which was essentially the gold-medal final.
Regardless of the lack of hype that surrounded that game, and the fact it was played at a neutral site away from the host city, it was still a big deal for the Canadians.
“The rink was probably the same size as the Twin Arenas ... just a little tin barn,” Strueby remembered. “But for us, it didn’t matter where we played or how many fans were there. This was the biggest game of our lives at that point. For some of us, it was the biggest game we would ever play in. It was such a huge event for us.”
Media coverage of the tournament has intensified over the years but, according to Strueby, the rivalries have remained.
“We didn’t hate the Russians, but there definitely was a huge rivalry with them back then. I think that’s still there,” he said. “Even though a lot has changed over the years ... some of their (junior) players are playing here now, but it’s always a big game when you play Russia.”
Strueby, though, said the games in Calgary over the next couple of weeks will take a back seat to the socializing he plans to do with old friends and former teammates.
“I don’t care if I see one game while I’m there,” said Strueby, who played for the 1980-81 Pats before being dealt to Saskatoon. “I want to see some of my teammates. The hockey world will seem so small because everyone knows everyone. Even if I didn’t play with some of these guys, we all know each other in some way. We’re all a part of the same movement and that’s what makes this a special thing.”
Widow claims family friend won't return her gold
Darah Hansen, Postmedia News December 29, 2011
VANCOUVER — An 84-year-old widow is suing a British Columbia Hockey Hall of Famer, alleging she gave him thousands of dollars in gold and silver and he won't give it back.
According to court documents, Laverne Sniegocki of Chemainus, B.C., is seeking the return of her property — or its value in lieu — after entrusting Ernie "Punch" McLean with at least 15 ounces of gold bars, 74 ounces of silver bars, several large gold nuggets and a series of gold coins two years ago on the promise the renowned former junior hockey coach, now 79, would sell it for her.
Sniegocki and her husband accumulated the gold and other precious metals while living in the remote northern community of Atlin, B.C., according to court documents filed with the B.C. Supreme Court earlier this month in support of Sniegocki's claim.
The couple owned and operated the Atlin grocery store from 1975 to 1987.
It was there, Sniegocki said, that she became friends with McLean, an avid gold miner since wrapping up a colourful career as head coach of the Estevan and New Westminster Bruins in the 1980s.
After her husband's death in October 2009, Sniegocki said she turned to McLean to advise her on how and when to sell her collection of gold and silver.
She alleges McLean agreed at the time to sell the property on her behalf and give her the money, but never did, and has since refused to answer her phone calls or letters.
McLean has yet to formally respond to Sniegocki's allegations in court. He was quoted by local media saying the dispute is the result of a misunderstanding, and that the property is in storage.
Phone calls by the Vancouver Sun to McLean's Coquitlam, B.C., home were not returned by press time.
Sniegocki declined to comment on the case when contacted by the newspaper Thursday.
McLean made headlines in the summer of 2009 when he went missing while prospecting in a remote wooded area outside of Dease Lake, B.C. Search crews found him weak and hungry, but otherwise healthy, five days later.
In 1972, McLean survived a plane crash in northern Saskatchewan. He lost an eye and broke his jaw and shoulder blade, but somehow managed to crawl from the wreckage and seek help.
Orr inspires Canada to win over U.S.
Roy MacGregor, Globe and Mail, Dec. 31, 2011
It seemed only appropriate that the loudest cheers of the first two periods were for nights past.
”Bob-by!
“Bob-by!!
“BOB-BY!” they chanted.
And all he did was wave at them. Still, the mere presence of Bobby Orr – going on 64 and looking, not acting, half his age – was enough to release the pent-up emotion that was long ago bottled for a New Year’s celebration that was supposed to matter a great deal.
Unfortunately, sadly, this game did not matter at all.
Playing early on as if they already had hangovers, Team U.S.A. fell 3-2 to Team Canada in a game that, until late in the third period, held about as much tension as a soggy New Year’s Eve hat.
Yet the ingredients were all there for what could have been. On medals, Team U.S.A. and Team Canada roughly balanced out, the Americans winning gold in Saskatoon two years ago, bronze in Buffalo last year, the Canadians with two straight silver medals.
The Americans had in net their hero from Saskatoon, Jack Campbell, now playing in his third straight World Junior Championship, supposedly older and better.
The Americans had their entire coaching staff from that 2010 gold back. They had seven returning players and a remarkable eight first-round NHL draft picks on their squad. They had huge defence and had come out of the exhibition round with a 5-0 licking of Slovakia that seemed to bear well for Edmonton and Calgary.
Canada-USA, after all, is supposed to be the great rivalry. It isn’t, actually, though the broadcasters would love that – the great Canadian junior rival is, and remains, Russia. Still, recent junior events, especially Saskatoon – where the two teams exchanged wins and U.S.A. won the gold in overtime – had created a natural storyline.
Even better, the two team captains were already familiar with each other, Canada’s Jaden Schwartz of Colorado College and Team U.S.A.’s Jason Zucker of the University of Denver competing for the “Gold Pan” in one of the fiercest rivalries in college hockey.
Players, however, are easy to define, teams much less so. There are hugely talented teams that simply cannot get it together – Team Canada in the 2006 Turin Olympics – and superior teams that stumble inexplicable, as Team Sweden did against Belarus in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games.
Put the junior Team U.S.A. in category one: a team blessed with great talent, cursed with poor play for most of this tournament. After an impressive 11-3 thrashing of Denmark on Boxing Day, the Americans lost 4-1 to the Finns and then 5-2 to the Czechs, thereby rendering the much-anticipated New Year’s match against unbeaten Canada meaningless and, shockingly, sending the inept Americans off to the relegation round.
The Canadians, on the other hand, won every one of their games to claim first place in the division and get a bye into the semi-finals, which will be played next week in Calgary.
In the early going of this meaningless game, the Americans put on a vivid display of what had gone so wrong this week. Defencemen could not control pucks along their own boards, forwards could not read each other, the power play was non-existent. And thought the crowd launched derisive (ital)”Camp-bell! Camp-bell”(end ital) chants at the American goaltender, he was far from the problem. No Campbell, no third-period fretting. In fact, Campbell played very well, as did Canadian Scott Wedgewood for the most part. Wedgewood now has given up two goals in his two games – one good, one bad – and gives Canada a solid alternative to Mark Visentin, who has also been excellent in the preliminary round.
Canada got its goals from Mark Stone, with his seventh of the tournament, Schwartz and Brett Connolly, all in the opening period.
It was good that the 16,647 fans on hand got their cheering in early, for there was little gold-medal display on later in the game as the Americans, reaching for their pride, finally began to play, just as the Canadians, understandably already looking ahead to Calgary, lost focus and determination.
The Americans scored halfway through the final period when, on a broken play, Team U.S.A. forward Charlie Coyle was able to snap a hard wrist shot high into the net behind Wedgewood. They scored again when Zucker was allowed to spin around the net on a wraparound and beat Wedgewood.
If only the Americans had found their game before the countdown began to put an end to 2011. The Edmonton round would have been a tournament and the New Year’s Eve match could have lived up to its early billing.
But it was not to be.
And so, with the preliminary round finished in Edmonton, it is fair to say that this superb Team Canada has yet to be truly tested.
But it is coming – and no fan of the World Junior Hockey Championship would wish it otherwise.
Harold Ballard’s ghost still haunts Winnipeg
Paul Waldie, Globe and Mail, Dec. 30, 2011
Sure Winnipeg Jets fans have made life difficult for opposing teams at the MTS Centre this season. But wait until Saturday when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to town. That will unleash a whole new level of hostility.
“It’s going to be a crazy atmosphere,” said Chuck Duboff, who grew up a Leaf fan but will be at Saturday’s game cheering loudly for the Jets. “I’ve been excited about this since I saw the schedule come out.”
Animosity? Resentment? Grudge? Jets fans have all that and more when it comes to Toronto. Yes, Jets fans booed the Phoenix Coyotes mightily when they showed up in early December, but that was only 15 years of pent-up anger over the team’s abrupt departure in 1996.
The hatred of Toronto goes back almost 40 years – all the way to the late 1970s, when Leaf owner Harold Ballard campaigned against allowing the Jets and three other World Hockey Association teams into the NHL. That so enraged the city there were calls to boycott companies connected to the NHL as well as the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who were owned by Ballard at the time. The fury went as far as Ottawa with Winnipeg politicians leaning on the federal government to push the NHL to override Ballard’s objections.
When the Jets finally got into the NHL in 1979, along with the Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers, the Winnipeg Arena was covered in “We Hate Leafs” signs for the first game against Toronto.
The hatred didn’t end there. When the Jets fled to Phoenix the resentment kept building as Winnipeggers endured years of being force-fed Leaf games on Hockey Night In Canada. Even now with the Jets back in the NHL, many Winnipeggers still feel the Leafs dominate media coverage. Adding to the injury for some fans were comments last June by Leafs general manager Brian Burke who dared question the long-term viability of the Jets, saying that while it was great to have the team back in the league, “It’s not a slam dunk” the Jets will be a success.
If all that wasn’t enough consider this: the Jets and the Leafs have the same record heading into the game, 18-14-5 with 41 points. And, as of Friday, the teams hold down the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
Thus, the atmosphere for the New Year’s Eve will be special.
“Winnipeg Jets’ fans always feel like we’re the red-headed stepchild,” said Derek Brookes, an ardent Jets fan who can’t wait for Saturday’s game. “Even though Winnipeg has gotten more than its normal share of coverage because of the return of the Jets, the fans have still got a chip on their shoulder.”
There will probably be a few Leaf fans at the MTS Centre and some brave souls may even wear their Leaf jerseys. In fact there was a time when Leaf fans filled the Winnipeg arena, back when the Jets games weren’t such a hot ticket.
“Ironically, the Leafs used to be one of the more popular teams at the old Arena,” recalled Jets fan Michael Bailey. “You would see more Leaf jerseys than Jets jerseys when Toronto came to town, despite the Ballardian opposition to the merger. ... All that said, this time around things are very different. I’m certain that there will be a few Leafs jerseys at the MTS Centre on Saturday but it’ll be all Jets, Jets, Jets. It’s cool to be a Jets fan these days. It wasn’t so cool 25 year ago for some reason.”
Jets fans will have to confront one dilemma Saturday. What to do with Leaf goalie James Reimer? The MTS Centre crowd has taken to jeering opposing goaltenders constantly this season but Reimer hails from Morweena, Man., about 140 kilometres north of Winnipeg, and he is expected to have loads of family and friends in attendance.
All that hype and hatred has made the game a pricey event. Tickets for all Jets games sold out long ago but some are available on reselling sites such as Stubhub. As of late Friday there were six tickets listed for Saturday’s game. The asking price? From $479 to $1,000.
Getting To Know: Mike Rupp
Mike Rupp has one goal and 38 penalty minutes in 14 games this season.
Mark Malinowski, The Hockey News, 2012-01-01
Status: New York Rangers left wing/center.
Ht: 6-foot-5 Wt: 243 pounds
DOB: Jan. 13, 1980 In: Cleveland
First Hockey Memory: "I remember the morning, waking up and putting the hockey equipment on - it was airing out in the living room. Those Saturday mornings had to put the gear on on the couch, drive to practice with all my equipment except my skates on. I remember doing that a lot."
Nicknames: "Rupper, Moose, Sasquatch."
Hockey Inspirations: "I was a big Gretzky fan."
Last Book Read: "Lone Survivor."
First Job: "Produce clerk."
First Car: "Chevy Lumina."
Current Car: "Ford F-250."
Favorite Movies: "Talladega Nights, Glory."
Greatest Sports Moment: "Game 7, Stanley Cup final (2003 with N.J., scored the Cup-clinching goal)."
Most Painful Moment: "Couple Game 7 losses."
Favorite Uniforms: "Hmmm....Blackhawks."
Favorite Arena: "Montreal."
Closest Hockey Friends: "I don't know if I could put a finger on one. A lot of good teammates over the years."
Funniest Players Encountered: "Mike Mottau. Just everything that comes out of his mouth, with a dry sense of humor, but it's hilarious."
Toughest Competitors Encountered: "Scotty Stevens."
Most Memorable Goal: "Game 7."
Embarrassing Hockey Memory: "Coming out on the ice, I had my stick sideway and went through the door. For warmups. We all came running out. And I got stuck, and we all ran into each other. (Where?) Pittsburgh."
Favorite Sport Outside Hockey: "All sports, but I'm a big basketball fan."
Funny Hockey Memory: "I remember we were having a real serious meeting. And it was one of those, kinda going around the room and all the players were saying what their jobs are. The GM (Lou Lamoriello) was in the room, we were saying what your job is, what you bring to the table. Mike Mottau just like, it doesn't sound funny but in the moment it was. He just said, like, what he does, ‘Keeps it simple, moves the puck, good first pass’ and he's like, ‘Let all the lightweights know that I got my tie-down ready and I'm ready to go.’ Made everyone laugh."
Last Vacation: "The Outer Banks, North Carolina."
Favorite Player(s) To Watch: "My favorite player ever to watch is Pavel Bure. No one is quite like that."
Personality Qualities Most Admired: "Honesty, accountability, passion."
Big E shines in Philly return
Lindros finished the Alumni game with one assist Saturday.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, December 31, 2011
PHILADELPHIA -- Eric Lindros stepped out of the dugout to a roar he hadn't heard in Philadelphia in almost 12 years.
Big E had his standing O.
Lindros pointed his stick toward nearly 49,000 fans and took his long-overdue walk toward the infield ice to join his Flyers teammates. One of the great players in a franchise loaded with them was back in the orange and black.
With a packed Philadelphia crowd standing and going wild in appreciation, Lindros made a triumphant return to the city in a Philadelphia Flyers jersey, a bitter parting more than a decade ago forgotten from the moment No. 88 hit the ice for warmups.
The red reserved for the Phillies at Citizens Bank park gave way to 40,000 fans in Flyers orange -- so many who paid just to see Lindros play in the alumni showcase, a prelude to Monday's Winter Classic between the Flyers and New York Rangers.
Lindros assisted on the first goal of the game, connecting with former Legion of Doom linemate John LeClair, to help the former Flyers beat the old-time Rangers 3-1 Saturday.
"It really felt special here," Lindros said. "It's nice to be back and heading out to restaurants and hearing the well wishes around town. I'm happy to be here and catch up with some people I haven't seen in a while."
Lindros' last appearance for the Flyers was in May 2000 when he was laid out by New Jersey's Scott Stevens in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
He would be traded 15 months later to the Rangers because of a nasty falling out with former general manager Bobby Clarke.
All was forgiven Saturday.
Lindros and Clarke, who won two Stanley Cups with the Flyers in the 1970s, chatted and skated together during warmups. Clarke received a huge ovation from the 45,808 fans who filled a reconfigured ballpark. Lindros also took a seat on the bench during intermission with youth teams playing on an auxiliary rink.
The two Flyers greats -- who led a triumphant final lap around the ice when the team left the Spectrum in 1996 -- hadn't talked since the trade until this weekend.
"It's good. We talked this morning and everything's great," Lindros said.
Clarke, still an adviser to the Flyers, stood by his comments that all ill will toward Lindros evaporated the day of the New York trade.
"He's 38. He can make a comeback," Clarke said, laughing.
After Lindros, the loudest cheers were reserved for goalie Bernie Parent. "Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!" echoed throughout the park for the affable goalie, who sparked the phrase in the '70s, "Only The Lord Saves More Than Bernie Parent."
Parent played five minutes 32 seconds and stopped all six shots. Each save made the "Bernie!" chants return.
"I felt the pressure," Parent said. "Once you get on the ice, you want to perform, you want to do well in front of your fans."
Shjon Podein and Mark Howe also scored for the Flyers and Pat Quinn was behind the bench.
Flyers founder and chairman Ed Snider dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff between honorary captains Clarke and Mark Messier.
Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves and Stephane Matteau were among the former Rangers who returned for this reunion, also having won the franchise's last Stanley Cup in 1994. Mike Keenan coached the Rangers.
"These were successful players who had successful runs," Keenan said.
Glenn Anderson scored in the second period for the Rangers.
"Once you get to a certain age and have bypassed your prime, there's a lot of mistakes and it's pretty funny to watch," Anderson said.
Wins and goals hardly mattered Saturday.
This was all about Lindros' homecoming.
Lindros and the Flyers had been estranged since their breakup more than a decade ago. Lindros won a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, made six all-star teams, and led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals in 1997. His career was shortened by a series of concussions, and clashes with management paved his way out of town.
From the moment No. 88 peeked out of the Phillies' dugout, the crowd stood and started cheering. The fans went wild when Lindros took the long walk to the infield rink that stretched from first base to third base.
He raised his arms in triumph and broke into a wide smile after his feed to LeClair put the Flyers up 1-0. LeClair, Lindros and winger Mikael Renberg comprised the popular and productive Legion of Doom line in the 1990s that helped the Flyers out of their darkest era in franchise history and into the finals.
The game served as opening act for a week's worth of games. High school, college and minor league teams will play at Citizens Bank Park and there's an open skate for fans.
Saturday's start time was pushed back two hours to 3 p.m. for more ideal temperatures for the outdoor game.
The NHL expects Monday's game to start at its scheduled 1 p.m. time.
"We have a pretty big window to get the game in," said NHL chief operating officer John Collins.
Collins addressed other topics on the future of the Winter Classic:
--The NHL isn't likely to stretch much beyond the Midwest for future Winter Classics because it likes the 1 p.m. ET window on Jan. 1 or 2.
--The NHL has considered Citi Field, MetLife Stadium, the Yale Bowl, and even West Point as potential sites in New York/New Jersey. Detroit is in the mix as potential future site.
--The NHL and HBO have not yet talked about a "24/7" going forward for 2012.
--Canadian teams could become part of the Classic.
--Collins on the Jan. 1 day off: "It's not ideal that we have this dead day tomorrow. But it's kind of nice in that it stretches the event over a couple of days and I think there are more fans who have the ability to come out and touch it and feel it."
Calm before CBA storm for Fehr, NHL
MIKE ZEISBERGER, QMI Agency, Jan 1 2012
Donald Fehr, who has been the NHLPA's executive director for just more than a year, talks to Mike Zeisberger on wide-ranging list of issues concerning the NHL's CBA, which expires on Sept. 15. (Getty Images)
TORONTO - When the clock struck midnight on Saturday, it signified more than just champagne corks popping and large groups of boozed-up revelers crooning in song to usher in the new year.
It also marked the final countdown to the end of the current collective bargaining agreement between the National Hockey League and the players association.
With 2011 giving way to 2012, hockey fans have their collective fingers crossed that another ugly work stoppage such as the one that plagued the sport in 2004-05 does not happen again when this CBA runs out on Sept. 15.
The point man on the players side is Donald Fehr, who has served as executive director of the NHLPA for about 13 months now. Given his two-plus decade stint as the head of the baseball players union, his mandate remains the same: Represent the interests of his constituents which, in this case, are more than 650 NHLers.
In a recent, wide-ranging interview with the Toronto Sun, Fehr, 63, addressed six key points related to the upcoming collective bargaining process.
1. On his relationship with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman
Fehr and Bettman have known each other for about 30 years, which could help talks at the grass roots level. Having said that, Fehr cautions that it does not guarantee an agreement will be reached any quicker because of it.
“It may (play a factor) from the standpoint of trying to judge someone brand new and trying to judge what every phrase means, things like that,” Fehr said. “But we’ve both been around a long time. We both know how this game is played, if I can phrase it that way. We both have our own reputations. In the end, the dynamics of the deal are governed, in my experience, by the interests of the constituents.”
2. On fears that a potential clash of personalities have hindered past CBA talks in pro sports
“All this talk about the personalities of the negotiators, or whether they’re not making a deal in the interest of their clients because they are upset with each other, just doesn’t strike me as the real world,” Fehr said, “I think that’s gossip stuff. I hope so anyway.”
3. On the suggestion that the players have become more unified
“I think so,” Fehr acknowledged. “I think that the feeling was, there used to be an extremely close sense of community here. And after the lockout, with the disruptions and the uncertainty and the change of administrations the two or three times that they had, that got lost a little bit.
“You had a generation of players come in, a little less than 50% of the membership now, that didn’t have any first-hand experience with the way things used to be. But they are looking as a group to put it back together. They are beginning to understand that their greatest strength in bargaining is their own unity. They get it pretty quickly when you talk to them.”
4. On the talks timeline for the months ahead
While Fehr thinks discussions will kick off sometime after the Jan. 29 all-star game, don’t be surprised if the bargaining crunch-time occurs in the summer.
“In a lot of labour relations settings, the last few weeks before the exsisting agreement expires is when the key compromises are made if a deal is going to be done by the date of the expiration of the existing agreement,” Fehr said. “That’s usually the case in negotiations, whether it be key legislation or someone buying a house ... But I would expect that, leading up to it, we’ll do a lot of preliminary work.”
Fehr added he wants to “spend more time with the players this spring talking about what additional things we’ve learned.”
5. On whether recent labour agreements in the NFL, NBA and MLB have an impact on the upcoming NHL talks
“Not really,” he said. “The negotiations are self-contained. The economics of the four sports are different. The nature of the individuals are different. And the issues are likely to be different.
“There was a long strike in baseball the owners forced in 1994. They had a hockey lockout in ’94. Doesn’t mean they had one in football.”
6. On another potential work stoppage
“The purpose is to hope to avoid doing that,” Fehr said. “And you hope that’s the feeling on the other side, too. A lot of people think that was not the view the last time.”
FEHR ON REALIGNMENT
A decision from the NHLPA on the league’s radical realignment proposal likely will come within the next couple of weeks, maybe even days.
The potential format, which was passed at the league’s Board of Governors meetings at Pebble Beach in early December, would see the 30 teams split into four conferences, with the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning joining the Maple Leafs and fellow Northeast Division foes Buffalo, Boston, Montreal and Ottawa in one of them. Now, all that remains, is an endorsement from the PA.
Executive head Donald Fehr said the union and league officials had held discussions on the subject in the 10 days or so leading up to Christmas.
Said Fehr: “Is there more travel or less? Does it produce more or fewer off days? If so, are those more concentrated at home or on the road? Does it result in getting to away cities later? Does it affect the playoffs in a good way or is it fundamentally unfair? And are there are certain divisions where it is mathematically easier to make the playoffs than in other ones?”
“Those are some of the things we’ve been discussing."
ON CONCUSSIONS
Know this: The head of the NHL Players Association is just as concerned about the concussion issue in hockey as players, league officials, fans and media are, if not more.
To that end, Donald Fehr makes the following observations:
1. “Until very recently, the number of concussions as compared to last year was actually down. Whether that remains the same over the course of the season remains to be seen.”
2. “We’ve had a rash of them among well-known players in the past several weeks. And that generates a lot of publicity and is very upsetting.
“It’s upsetting when a player of any calibre goes through this.”
3. “We are working with the league on a concussion working group and elsewhere to attempt to examine things that have happened the past several years.
“One is to minimize the likelihood of concussions. But on the other side, it is to recognize them more frequently than we did in the past, doing a better job of diagnosis and not forcing players back (too early).
“A big problem with concussions is (players getting) concussion No. 2 before concussion No. 1 is healed, You want to do everything you can to avoid something like that.”
4. “We are working with the league and on our own on whether there are changes in equipment, rules and the nature of the rinks that could make a difference.”
ON THE SOCHI OLYMPICS
Yes, there is a group of players who would love to lace up the blades at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
And, yes, Donald Fehr acknowledges that having NHLers at the next Winter Games potentially would give the sport more exposure “in markets which don’t ordinarily watch NHL players ply their trade.”
“But that is a consideration,” cautioned Fehr. “It doesn’t mean it’s the only one.”
It has been suggested that, as part of the collective bargaining process, the league would concede allowing NHLers in Sochi in exchange for concessions from the union.
Of course, you don’t hear such talk coming from Fehr’s lips.
“There will be some ongoing discussions,” he said. “If NHL players are going to participate, it requires a three-way agreement involving the NHL, the players association and the IIHF.”
Added the NHLPA executive director: “There are a lot of players who are very interested in it. There are others who feel the potential disruption of the season, especially going seven eight nine time zones away, and the squeezing of the schedule that results at both ends from the hiatus, would not be worth it. There are other individuals within the game ... who think that, while you get a tremendous bump if they’re in North America or not too many time zones away from what the viewing audience watches, that it may not be true if it’s in the Far East or central Asia.
“So, we’ll have to see.”
2011 in Sport: The year in lip
Bruce Arthur, National Post, Dec 31, 2011
“Playing bad golf.” — Tiger Woods, on what he’s been up to lately.
In the final installment of our 2011 in Sport series, Bruce Arthur sums up a year that had its fair share of unforgettable — and often ridiculous — moments with a compilation of the top sports quotes since January 1st:
JANUARY
“There was a Toronto Maple Leaf fan sitting next to her. But I missed by a couple of inches.” — Ottawa Senators winger Ryan Shannon, who sent a shot off the crossbar against Carolina that ricocheted into the crowd and hit his wife in the thigh.
“They’re scared of the beard and the unibrow.” — Pittsburgh Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis, on why opponents won’t fight him.
“I asked them if they wouldn’t mind maybe playing a little better tomorrow. They said they’d think about it.” — San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, after his team lost by 13 to the New York Knicks.
“That’s where Nike is.” — Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, when asked if he knew anything about the state of Oregon before facing the Ducks in the BCS Championship.
“I can’t say anything. I did the same thing last year. That’s what happens when you’re big and white.” — Orlando Magic forward Ryan Anderson, after teammate Hedo Turkoglu missed an in-game dunk.
“Dogs Express Interest in Owning Michael Vick.” — Headline on sportspickle.com, after the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback who served time for dogfighting expressed interest in owning a dog again.
“Well, he probably has sensitive skin, no?” — Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin, trying to convince a referee not to give his teammate a five-minute major for a high stick that drew blood.
FEBRUARY
“There’s, no jokes, a ‘stripper shortage’ going on at the Super Bowl. Which is weird, because I’m seeing a ton of awful dads here.” — Donald Glover, of the TV show Community, on the stripper shortage in Dallas.
“The NFL says next year’s halftime show will be Yoko Ono, a hyena, and two balloons rubbed together.” — Comedian Andy Borowitz, after an awful performance at the Super Bowl from the Black Eyed Peas.
“They seemed like good kids. They asked me if they could use my name for the band and I told them, ‘As long as you stay out of jail, go ahead.’ ” — Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk, on a punk band in Quebec called Les Dales Hawerchuk.
“I don’t drink coffee. Can you imagine if I did?” — New York Rangers coach John Tortorella, on his already acerbic reputation.
“It would be nice to play some black-and-white movies, maybe some Kurosawa films, get some culture out here.” — Bill Murray, on the commercial-playing video screen embedded in John Daly’s golf bag during the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
“We’re actually Coyotes fans. We’re just dressed this way to fit in.” — Sign spotted at a Phoenix Coyotes game, held by fans wearing jerseys of the visiting Vancouver Canucks.
“We should have brought a giraffe or something.” — Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson, after teammate DeMar DeRozan lost the NBA slam dunk contest to Blake Griffin, who jumped over a car on his final dunk.
“Stay off the crack. Drink a chocolate milk. Enjoy your moment. That’s all I got.” — Charlie Sheen, giving a pep talk to the UCLA baseball team.
MARCH
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Sidney Crosby
“Penguins Coach Assures Everyone That Dazed, Vomiting Sidney Crosby Is Progressing Nicely.” — The Onion, strangely prescient.
“Ah, the Princeton-Harvard game. Today’s winner earns the right to create disastrous foreign policy.” — From the parody Twitter account @OldHossRadbourn.
“Zdeno Chara: ‘It’s not my fault there was a stairway behind the person I shoved.’” — Sportspickle, after the Boston Bruins defenceman claimed he did not mean to injure Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens.
“Playing bad golf.” — Tiger Woods, on what he’s been up to lately.
“Your wife refers to your fat butt as the ‘Big South.’ ” — From David Letterman’s Top Ten Signs You’ve Been Watching Too Much College Basketball.
“Barry Bonds’ perjury trial started today. Or as Barry Bonds puts it, ‘No, it didn’t.’” — Stephen Colbert.
“This old man has had his blinker on for like 8 miles. F*** where I’m going I’m just going to follow him to see how long he’ll keep it on.” — Milwaukee Bucks guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, on Twitter.
“Mets Release Mets.” — The Onion.
APRIL
“I don’t really read what you guys write. I read Playboy and things like that.” — San Jose Sharks centre Joe Thornton, on his critics.
“Second base is a manhole cover, Dave. For the whole year. They use the other team’s gloves. No catcher’s masks this year. They just get an ugly guy.” — Comedian Chris Rock, on the financial predicament of his favourite team, the New York Mets.
“Once missed a tournament because of a herniated Schwartzel.” — From David Letterman’s Top Ten Surprising Facts About Charl Schwartzel, the Masters winner.
“I woke up with two knees and no big boobs.” — Montreal Canadiens defenceman Jaroslav Spacek, on how he knew his arthroscopic knee surgery was a success.
“I don’t know.” — Mike Tyson, after being asked by the Post’s Scott Stinson, “Why did you get that tattoo on your face?”
“We get a driver and he figures out what’s going on. At the end of the day, I’m dropping him off at his house and then taking the guys to the hotel. The next morning we go pick him up.” — Canadian curling skip Jeff Stoughton, on the perils of being a non-drinker at the world curling championship.
MAY
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Stephen Colbert
“What? Take him out of the game? No, you put the concussed players back in. It’s the brain-damaged ones that don’t feel fear!” — Stephen Colbert, on the new era of concussion protocols.
“You know, I’d like to be an astronaut. And for some reason, they just won’t let me.” — Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost, on Billy Butler still wanting to play first base.
“I think if his head would be normal size he’d be only 5-4. But his head is so big it makes him like 5-9 or something.’’ — Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, on diminutive teammate J.J. Barea.
“I’m older.” — Vancouver Canucks centre Henrik Sedin, when asked why he had missed a practice that his twin brother Daniel attended.
“First off, I just want to say to my wife, I hope I didn’t put you into labour.” — Canadian MMA fighter Mark Hominick, after a bloody loss at UFC 129 in Toronto.
“I’ve dealt with the North Koreans.” — Former U.S. ambassador Tom Schieffer, when asked if he was concerned about dealing with the messy divorce of Frank McCourt and his wife Jamie when asked by Major League Baseball to run the team.
“Worst Parade Ever!” — Sign spotted at the finish line of the Washington marathon.
“They’re day to day, except for today and tomorrow.” — Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher, updating the injury status on two of his players.
“Is it a move I would do again? No.” — J.R. Hildebrand, who was leading the Indianapolis 500 when he crashed on the final lap.
“An elderly lady was in a car, and she had the oxygen tubes up her nose and she rolled down the window and gave us a certain gesture. It was awesome.” — Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, on the reception his team received in Vancouver before playing the Canucks.
“The Kentucky Derby is coming up. This year, the horses may be subjected to a surprise drug test. Isn’t everything a surprise to a horse, though?” — David Letterman.
“If I had a best buddy, it would probably be Dennis Rodman.” — Dennis Rodman.
JUNE
“I haven’t spoken to her about that yet but I’m pretty sure she’ll be supporting me on Wednesday, I think.” — Tennis star Andy Murray, on playing Feliciano Lopez, a pretty-boy favourite of his mother’s.
“Oh, what kind of dog is it?” — Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon, 80, after outfielder Logan Morrison told him he was “Going home to play with Twitter.”
“If I had known in the late ’70s that it was okay to pig out on human flesh, I would have eaten Guy Lafleur.” — Mike Milbury, after Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows bit the glove of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron.
“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you disparage the pathetic lives of the little people who make it possible for you to have a career bouncing an inflatable ball.” — Stephen Colbert, after LeBron James said that people rooting for him to fail would “have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today.”
“And Venus said, I’ll never forget … what was it … I can’t remember what she said.’’ — Serena Williams.
*If I had Rafael Nadal’s arms, I’d wear those shirts all the time. I’d wear those shirts to funerals.” — Parks and Recreation head writer Michael Schur.
“If Colin Campbell was mayor of Vancouver, he’d give two games to a lot of residents.” — Marc-Antoine Godin, of La Presse, on the night of the Vancouver riots.
“And I’m really going to miss the free throws.” — Shaquille O’Neal, on retiring from the NBA.
“Nate McMillan? What college is that?” — Basketball player Jeremy Tyler, asked about the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers while working out for the team.
JULY
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Brian Wilson at the ESPY Awards
“Michelle was relieved to know people would be talking about what someone else wears at the White House.” — U.S. President Barack Obama, on a White House visit from the San Francisco Giants and eccentric closer Brian Wilson.
“I have 294 messages, and the writing is far too small for me to look at them in this state, so I may look at them tomorrow at some stage and figure them out.” — Golfer Darren Clarke, the morning after celebrating his unexpected win at the British Open
“No, sadly not. Maybe next time.” — Prince William, when asked during his visit to Los Angeles whether he had come to buy the fiscally teetering Dodgers.
“Let’s go bankrupt!” — Chant heard at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.
“Miguel Angel Jimenez’s warm-up routine remains so suggestive that spectators are trying to stick dollar bills in his belt.” — Dan Jenkins, of Golf Digest, on the hip-gyrating stretching routing employed by the Spanish golfer.
“Due to the extreme heat, Bud Selig is nude.” — From David Letterman’s Top Ten Signs You’re Watching A Bad All-Star Game.
“I don’t think so. I thought everybody hated them already.” — Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, on whether his new teammates would have to taught about hating the Vancouver Canucks.
AUGUST
“Brawl Highlights Decades Of Tension Between China, Georgetown.” — The Onion, after a brawl broke out in a basketball game between Georgetown and the Chinese national team.
“I played four years in Detroit. I can handle a car.” — Former quarterback Joey Harrington, after he was hospitalized with a broken collarbone and a punctured lung, suffered when he was hit by a car when riding his bicycle.
“He’s only 22, so his right wrist should be the strongest muscle in his body.” — Golf commentator David Feherty, when Rory McIlroy hurt his wrist at the PGA Championship.
“Well, I’m getting paid a lot of money.” — New England Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins, on why he signed after a holdout.
“I love that little [guy]. It looks like he escaped from Cirque du Soleil and they put a uniform on him.” — Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, on Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia.
“After all the rioting in London this week, officials are worried that it could mean security problems for the Olympics next year. On the bright side, the guy running with the torch will just blend right in.” — Jimmy Fallon.
SEPTEMBER
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Metta World Peace
“I didn’t have a lot of fun today, no. But it’s early.” — Andy Roddick, after losing in the quarter-finals at the U.S. Open.
“It’s like something to do with the universe.” — Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest, asked to explain the significance of changing his uniform number from 37 to 70. He later changed his name to Metta World Peace.
“It seems like there’s going to be lots of murders. Make sure we have enough ambulances.” — Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, on his early impressions of the rivalry between the Flyers and the New York Rangers.
“Morning all, someone ended a tweet to me with ‘STFU.’ I’ve no doubt they were referring to St. Fu the patron saint of long mustaches.” — Receiver Chad Ochocinco, on Twitter.
“It seemed OK in the shower. I haven’t went around and asked everybody, but the shower seemed fine.” — Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, during his team’s historic collapse down the stretch.
OCTOBER
“Right now it’s a mid-body. But picking my nose, it’s an upper-body.” — Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Carl Gunnarsson, on the difference between upper-body and lower-body injuries after taking a shot off his ring finger.
“Profile Of Serial Killer Matches Description Of Baltimore Ravens.” — The Onion.
“I thought to myself, self, you’re a sick man trying to make logic of this.” — Winnipeg Jets coach Claude Noel, on what he was thinking during a 9-8 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
“I’d give him like an 8.5 because he passed it to Hossa instead of me.” — Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp, asked to rate a particularly remarkable pass by teammate Patrick Kane.
“I’m just glad I’m no longer the one people are making fun of on a daily basis.” — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, after photographs of teammate Rob Gronkowski with a porn star circulated on the Internet.
“I don’t care how good technology is these days, there’s a lot of hair on that body.” — Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa, on why it’s good his teammate Roberto Luongo didn’t join Ryan Kesler is posing for ESPN’s Body Issue.
“We take the square footage between the right-field line and centre field and the square footage from left field to centre field, divide that by pi and multiply it by bulls—, and then we pick the dugout. The field that’s closest to the dugout, that’s where Lance plays.” — St. Louis cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, on how he decided to position outfielders Lance Berkman and Allen Craig in the NLDS.
“Is my mother listening?” — Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean, when asked his impression of a 7-2 loss to Philadelphia.
NOVEMBER
Jason Miller/Getty Images
Ozzie Guillen
“I didn’t read the book.” — Shaquille O’Neal, asked what his favourite part of his new book was.
“My excuse was sometimes I felt like the boat moved when I shot, and that’s why I missed.” — North Carolina centre John Henson, after beating Michigan State in a game played on the USS Carl Vinson.
“I have a bulldog and named him DH because he is so lazy.” — Ozzie Guillen.
“To answer your question, I’m not going to answer that question. Anybody else got a question?” — Georgia football coach Mark Richt, asked about three of his players who were allegedly suspended for failing a drug test.
“It looks like mine now.” — Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic, after teammate Daniel Paille took a puck in the nose.
“Kim is insisting that she really did marry for love and not publicity. She said her agent was very clear that a love marriage was the most lucrative, in terms of selling home video rights.” — Jimmy Kimmel, on the 72-day marriage between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries.
“Hopefully, this story will help her get a date to the prom.” — Judy Thompson, mother of 16-year-old golf phenom Lexi Thompson, on getting into Sports Illustrated.
“I finally looked up John 3:16. It reads, “The kick is up and it is good.” — Andy Borowitz, on the Tim Tebow phenomenon.
“You know, nobody died.” — Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne, after another loss in a 2-10-4 slump.
DECEMBER
“God’s a great financial planner.” — Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, after Albert Pujos’ wife said that God told them to sign with the Los Angeles Angel.
“He’s starting to look like a hockey player. Pretty face, pretty boy, it’s almost over.” — Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, on Mason Raymond taking a puck in the face.
“Hey, I’m from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. It makes Buffalo look like Rome.” — Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul, after he made fun of the view from his Buffalo hotel room on Twitter.
“Thinking of buying Packers stock? For $249, I will print you a certificate and hold an imaginary meeting where your vote also doesn’t count.” — Pablo S. Torre, of Sports Illustrated, on the Green Bay stock sale that sold 185,000 non-voting, non-appreciating shares in two days.
“I could watch a whole channel that was just Jerry Jones watching his team implode from a skybox.” — Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay, on the Dallas Cowboys owner.
“You’d think they’d be wearing pants.” — Canada world junior coach Don Hay, on waking up his players, who often answered the door in their underwear to be told they had made the team.
“Chemistry is something that you don’t just throw in the frying pan and mix it up with another something, then throw it on top of something, then fry it up and put it in a tortilla and put in a microwave, heat it up and give it to you and expect it to taste good. You know? For those of you who can cook, y’all know what I’m talking about. If y’all can’t cook, this doesn’t concern you.” — Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, on shortened training camps.
Delay of game
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, January 1, 2012
PHILADELPHIA -- Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr hit the ice looking more ready to shag flies than practise the power play.
The Philadelphia Flyers stars smeared eye black to fight the glare on a sunny morning as they skated on a rink constructed on the site of two Fall Classics that underwent a makeover as it shifted into the home of the Winter Classic.
Jagr later strode shirtless around the Philadelphia Phillies' clubhouse with a baseball bat slung over his shoulder.
Skater up!
Cold, wind, ice. Conditions that usually spoil the enjoyment of a World Series game are on deck for the fifth edition of the NHL's inside-the-park extravaganza, this one set for 3 p.m. Monday between the Flyers and the New York Rangers at Citizens Bank Park.
Amid the HBO cameras and Stanley Cup-atmosphere that has infused the game with enough energy to power the rink, a little perspective came Sunday from the Rangers and Flyers in their final practices.
"When we wake up, all the fun is going to be over," Giroux said, "and it's about two points on the ice."
The game was pushed back two hours because of a revised weather forecast that should offer optimal game conditions for players and fans.
The game was scheduled for 1 p.m. The gates will now open at 1 p.m. with the puck dropping two hours later.
Last year's game at Pittsburgh was moved into prime time because of rain.
"Let's play," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "It's time to play the game."
Workers stuck Christmas trees and winter firewood on the fake snow around the rink as the finishing touches were sprinkled on a project that started just before Thanksgiving. While fans hoped for winter wonderland conditions, the two-hour shift will at least mean chilly temperatures and less sun.
"It's going to feel different to be out there," Rangers centre Brad Richards said. "It'll be, look around for a little bit, but you don't want to get clocked, so you can't look too much."
The game is too important to gawk at the skyline.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette made it clear winning the game between two teams jostling for the top spot in the Eastern Conference is more important than putting on a show when he benched slumping goalie -- and "24/7" breakout star -- Ilya Bryzgalov for Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bryzgalov, the self-deprecating Russian, has failed to live up to the nine-year, US$51 million contract he signed in June and now finds a spot on the bench for the Winter Classic.
With temperatures expected around 4-5 degrees C, Bryzgalov joked he'd sip Earl Grey tea to keep warm. He could be in hot water after revealing before Laviolette's announcement that Bobrovsky would be in charge of trying to stop Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan instead of him.
Laviolette has strict guidelines on how he presents the day's starting goalie -- never a day ahead, rarely at morning skate -- and Bryzgalov's defiance may keep him on the bench.
Laviolette refused to announce a goalie even after he was told Bryzgalov spoiled the news.
"I have great news and even better news," Bryzgalov said. "Great news, I'm not playing tomorrow night. Good news, we have a chance to win the game tomorrow night."
The Flyers counted on Bryzgalov to become the goaltender that would lead them to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1975. He's 14-8 with a pedestrian 3.01 goals against average, and has allowed five, four and five goals in three of his last four starts.
"Six, five, next game if I give up three, it's going to be progress," Bryzgalov said.
His dry wit made him a hit on the first three episodes of HBO's behind-the-scenes look at both teams before the Classic. His two little children, meanwhile, bickered at a Christmas celebration over who was more Russian.
Laviolette planned to discuss his decision with Bryzgalov later Sunday. Oh, to be a fly -- or a "24/7" camera -- on the wall for that talk.
Bryzgalov admitted Sunday leaving Phoenix for big money and a hockey-mad market has made him feel added pressure.
"I like it here," he said, "but something's gone wrong with (my) game. Too much thinking. I wish I got (a) $450,000 salary."
Earlier this season, Bryzgalov said he was "lost in the woods."
Pine Barrens, perhaps?
Bryzgalov has shone on the HBO series that will whittle 750 hours of footage down to four over its brief run. HBO has pushed back the final episode of "24/7" to Thursday night because it needed an extra day to put the episode together.
HBO has 12 cameras filming Monday's game.
The camera crews have remained a silent presence, always filming, never talking or intervening.
In last week's episode, Bryzgalov's dog was caught chomping on his son's arm.
"I would say the kid would have had to have cried rather than just yelled at the dog" before the crew helped, senior producer Dave Harmon said. "If the kid wasn't crying, then we're going to keep shooting."
HBO airs a daytime version of the show where profanities are censored so families can watch together.
Tortorella said the cameras have not been a distraction.
"I think we've handled it well," he said. "We've had a number of distractions right from the get-go of camp. The guys have handled it well. This has been a great experience for them. I'm glad we've gone through it. We're honoured to be part of it."
Bryzgalov's act wearing thin on Flyers
CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI Agency, Jan 1 2012
PHILADELPHIA - At the end of a rambling, sometimes characteristically quirky and always entertaining dialogue Sunday, Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov came to the truth.
It's all pretty much been a lie. All that mugging for the HBO 24/7 cameras has been an act.
"I never let anyone get inside of my head. If you want to be honest, a serious question? I always lie to you guys," said Bryzgalov, who surprisingly made the announcement he won't start Monday's Winter Classic against the New York Rangers at Citizen Bank Park, ticking off Flyers coach Peter Laviolette.
It was yet another off-the-wall moment for the goaltender, who has been one of the stars of the HBO documentary in the run-up to the NHL's showcase regular-season event.
OK, so if he's always lying, when he says he's lying is he really telling the truth?
"You'll never find out my real feelings," he said. "We're talking now probably half an hour, right, and what you got from this conversation? Basically, nothing, right? That's how it's supposed to be probably. People doesn't care how I feel. They want a show. They want the entertainment. You remember the Rome, right? The antique Rome? The Roman Empire? What they want? Gladiators and bread. It's all they want.
"The crowd doesn't change. They still think the same. It's going to be three hundred years ago. In the future it going to be the same. It's all the crowd needs. I think life is a show."
And so it was again Sunday.
"I have great news and I have even better news," said Bryzgalov in the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse, which has been converted to the Flyers dressing room, as he met with the media. "OK, great news is I'm not playing tomorrow night and better news is we have a chance to win the game tomorrow night."
As far as his plans for spending the day outdoors at the end of the Flyers bench (if, indeed, he isn't playing and it isn't all just more of Bryzgalov's playing for the cameras): "Make sure I'm not forget in the morning my Thermos with some nice tea and enjoy the bench," he said.
What kind of tea?
"It's going to be Earl Grey, probably. Lemon. Lots of sugar, sweet."
Unlike the way things have been going for Bryzgalov lately. He's 0-3 in his last three games, giving up 16 goals on 87 shots.
Sergei Bobrovsky is 3-0, giving up six goals on 88 shots.
It's not the way Bryzgalov or the Flyers saw things going when they signed him to a nine-year, $51-millon contract in the off-season.
Is the weight of that deal affecting Bryzgalov?
"Yeah, maybe. I wish I got $450,000 salary for right now," he said. "'What do you want from me? I play for the gas (money).'"
When asked what was wrong with his game right now, Bryzgalov said: "Too much thinking."
A couple of Flyers players rolled their eyes when asked about Bryzgalov and the way he handled the news of his not starting Sunday. Laviolette, as per his custom, refused to name his starter (Bryzgalov said he was told by Flyers goaltending coach Jeff Reese he was not starting). Laviolette's displeasure with Bryzgalov prematurely revealing who would start was clearly evident.
Bryzgalov's act is wearing thin with the organization. He has already been told to stop beating himself up in the media after his famous meltdown (about being lost in the woods) after a game against the Winnipeg Jets.
It was interesting that when players spoke on the record, they mentioned how hard Bobrovsky works.
"Obviously, Bob deserves it," said NHL leading scorer Claude Giroux. "He's been playing well and since the start of the season he's been working hard and I think the guys can see how hard he works."
"Bryz has had a tough couple of games. Bob has been pretty steady the whole year," said Flyers winger Scott Hartnell. "I think it might be good for Bryz to get a wakeup call, work on some things, get back to being the goalie that he can be."
Bryzgalov said it hurt not to be starting Monday in such a high-profile game.
"Oh, yeah, that's true. (The) only one reason. If it's probably going to be another game, maybe I'm not going to be frustrated like that," he said. "I'm a human. I'm not made from the steel."
While what's fact and what's just fun for Bryzgalov is a moving target, the truth of his situation is this: when a guy is playing well and winning, off-the-wall behaviour like Bryzgalov's is charmingly quirky.
When he's struggling and the team is losing, he's a loose, though entertaining, cannon and a distraction.
That's the way it is in this show.
Mac's title for Severstal
Scott Mitchell, Calgary Sun, January 01, 2012
When the UFA Bisons should have been charging, they were grazing.
An uninspired effort from the Strathmore-based club allowed Russian squad Severstal/Lokomotiv to capture their second Mac’s Midget Tournament title Sunday at the Saddledome with a 5-0 win.
Goaltender Wilson Sproule kept the Bisons in it early, but two second-period goals gave the Russians all the momentum they needed and Alexander Sharov’s natural hat-trick in the third period put it away for Russia, who enjoyed their first Mac’s crown since a 2007 triumph.
Sproule was named the tournament MVP, and it wasn’t his fault the Bisons couldn’t mount any offensive charge whatsoever.
“Seven games in seven days is a lot,” Sproule said. “It was just one of those days.
“It was just one of those games where we couldn’t get our momentum going. Usually with our team, once we get one goal, it just keeps on coming.”
It was the Russians who kept on coming.
After taking a 2-0 lead into the second intermission, Russia sealed it early in the third when Sharov finished off captain Artyom Vorobyov’s feed on a shorthanded rush to make it 3-0.
Then, just over three-and-a-half minutes later, Sharov struck again, dangling in on the right wing and roofing a pretty backhander over Sproule’s glovehand to extend the lead to four goals.
He’d finish off the hat-trick with 52 seconds left.
“I was very happy,” Sharov said through a translator after his hat-trick performance. “Of course, I had lots of help from my teammates.”
“We supported each other out there and that’s why we won the game.”
Russian GM Vladimir Sokolov was impressed by the 16-year-old winger’s performance when the lights were brightest.
“Not a hat-trick, but he often scores,” Sokolov said when asked what type of player Sharov is back in Russia. “He should score. He should score more.”
Russia outshot the Bisons 32-14.
It was a sound beating and it’s the second time the Bisons have lost in the final in the past three tournaments, as they lost to the Vancouver Giants in 2009.
Meanwhile, the Russians are showing they’re a threat to win every time they venture overseas.
“It’s really great for the kids and a great experience for the coaching staff, as well — we did it,” Sokolov said. “I think the kids, they played tougher and they skated well."
Russia finally solved Sproule at the 5:42 mark of the second period when an Ahmed Gimbatov shot from a bad angle found its way through the Bisons goaltender’s pads.
Artur Chuvilyaev puts Russia up by two with just under three minutes to go in the second period, outskating the Bisons’ defence and teeing up a slapper that fluttered through Sproule’s five-hole.
The Bisons went 3-0-1 in roundrobin play, before dispatching the Calgary Flames 4-2 in the quarterfinals.
They followed that up with another 4-2 win in the semifinals, this time over the previously unbeaten Prince Albert Mintos.
Russia went 2-0-2 in the roundrobin and took out the Czech Republic’s Pirati Chomutov 5-3 in the quarterfinals, and followed that up with a 3-2 win over the St. Albert Raiders in the semis.
Forgive the heresy
Every year like clockwork a series of lopsided victories over hockey minnows remind Canadians just whose game it is.
Stephen Brunt, Sportsnet.ca, December 29, 2011
Please forgive the heresy.
Watching Canada pound the bejeezus out of Finland in the opening game of the World Junior Hockey Championships while a crazy-enthusiastic face-painted crowd savoured every patriotic moment of the rout wasn’t all that much fun, actually.
Neither was the routine triumph two days later over the Czech Republic, another of those stalwart members of Planet Hockey that exhibits little or no interest in this particular competition. Cumulative score in Canada’s favour so far: 13-1. And Wednesday’s match-up against the all-powerful Danes somehow doesn’t stir that potent mix of fear and excitement in anticipation.
It’s all kind of…well…overkill. Just like this entire tournament is overkill.
But that’s admittedly a minority opinion in a country that has fully embraced the WJHC as just another wholesome holiday ritual, right up there with the turkey and the carol sings, the festive bidding adieu to the year past and the days of consumer hysteria that surround them.
Why that’s the case is no mystery at all.
The WJHC provides a fix of meaningful hockey at a time when the National Hockey League tends to be in a kind of mid-season lull, stuck between the fever pitch of the opening few weeks and spike that comes around trade deadline day.
The games are televised during a fortnight when many people don’t have to work, and when just maybe it's time for a break from all of that enforced gaiety and togetherness.
The narrative imposed on the tournament, year after year, is both appealing and comforting from a Canadian point of view: our plucky fresh-faced proxies, wearing their great big maple leaf-shaped hearts on their sleeves, set off to take on the world, desperately trying to secure the symbol of teenaged hockey supremacy. Some of them are future NHL stars and some of them will see their careers peak right here. In either event, because junior hockey in this country the other fifty weeks of the year is almost entire a regional/local passion (and in the case of the country’s largest market, Toronto, isn’t a passion at all), a whole lot of Canadians are meeting them for the very first time. And they’re easy to like, especially as their virtues as players and as people are extolled in almost fairy tale terms.
We bite. Every year we bite. And every year, even though the odds are stacked enormously in Canada’s favour, from the site (the tournament only really works when it's held in Canada, or in a U.S. border city), to the disproportionate commitment of resources, to the sheer numbers, we manage to cast clear, unassailable favourites as plucky underdogs, battling to defend our national birthright, all wrapped up in a great big bow of Canadiana.
Here’s the truth. We ought to win. We ought to win every time. We ought to clobber everybody else. We have more players. We have far more money in the system. We put far more thought and effort and expertise into coming out on top than anyone else.
At the professional level, where the talent pool ranges in age from 18 to 35 and beyond, it’s far more likely that the Americans or Russians or Czechs or Swedes or Finns can assemble a team that might challenge Canada in a particular year. Narrow that demographic to players under 20-years-old, though, and the advantage tilts even more dramatically in our favour. We’re not going to win ‘em all, because in sport, stuff happens, but those losses, statistically, and realistically, ought to be viewed as flukes.
But you wouldn’t know it this time of year. You wouldn’t know it because for most Canadians the best and most profound sporting experiences of their lives have involved watching hockey players wearing the colours win (and sometimes, lose) in games where it felt like something larger was on the line. So memorable were those moments that all you have to do is mention the year: 1972, 1976, 1987, 1998, 2002, 2010 (in fact, some of the more crushing disappointments – 1979 or 1981 or 1996, anyone? – we have all but erased from our collective memory.) What the WJHC does, on an absolutely predictable basis, at a time when we can sit back and enjoy, is continue that story, and stir those same emotions, even if it requires a significant suspension of disbelief.
So let’s not overlook Denmark. They might keep it within a touchdown. Don’t forget how much is at stake.
If you set out to create it, to script it, you couldn’t do it any better.
Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
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