Scouting combine dress rehearsal for draft
Vancouver Sun, May 24 2012
Scout, scout, scout. It's a never-ending cycle for hockey teams trying to unearth the next great one.
From spring hockey to summer tournaments to league play beginning each fall, there is always a prospect to watch, to evaluate and to analyze. Then when all the bird-dogging is done, there is the NHL scouting combine.
The combine, now in its 19th year, brings together the top 100 prospects for next month's entry draft and the 30 teams that will be selecting them. It's the biggest deal happening in the hockey world next week - May 28 to June 2 in Toronto - other than the little Stanley Cup tournament the league also has going.
Player and possible future employer have the chance for a meet-and-greet. Player does dryland testing while possible future employer observes. Player performs a variety of tasks, among them vertical jump, long jump, bench press, VO2 Max (aerobic) and Wing-ate (anaerobic).
It's a must-attend event and the Vancouver Canucks will be there with an army of eyeballs. Assistant GM Laurence Gil-man, who oversees the Canucks amateur scouting department, is leading the contingent that includes all the full-time amateur scouts, some of the part-timers as well as conditioning coach Roger Takahashi and even Takahashi's assistant, Bryan Marshall.
"I think the best way to describe the combine is that it completes the body of work that has gone on in the prior eight months," Gilman explained.
"Our scouts have been on the road watching hundreds of games across the globe. The combine affords them an opportunity to see a player's personality where, often times, you don't see it when you're scouting a game and just watching them.
"It also gives us an opportunity to see them tested physically. So it really just brings together everything that has been collected from conventional scouting."
Gilman emphasized that the Canucks don't rely solely on these interviews to probe a player's psyche. Scouts are asked to gain a lot of intel on prospects throughout their draft-eligible seasons.
"We expect our scouts to do off-ice homework and get to know the kids as well as they can," Gil-man said. "We expect them to talk to their coaches and, if possible, go into the school, talk to their principals, speak to their billets, talk to their teammates. But a player's stock can be enhanced, or in the alternative, can decrease based on his performance at the combine.
"So the combine is extremely important. It is clearly an opportunity for a player to audition and, like any audition, some go well and some don't."
Vancouver Giants defenceman Brett Kulak, 18, is among the anointed 100 heading to Toronto. He is projected to be an early third-round pick by The Hockey News. Central Scouting has listed him No. 55 among North American-trained skaters.
A smooth-skating puck-mover, Kulak has been doing a little scouting of his own, seeking out Giants teammate Davil Musil and other pals who have been to the combine.
"They just told me 'be ready' and to train hard leading up to it," Kulak said Wednesday from his hometown of Stony Plain, Alta. "So that's what I've been doing. I'm more excited than nervous. I'm going to take this opportunity and make the most of it."
The interview process can be tiring and Kulak has been warned he could do as many as 15 a day.
"I've started to think about the questions I might be asked and to prepare myself a little bit for it," he said. "I've already had one written kind of test for a team and there were some really weird questions on there. You kind of didn't know which answer was right. Yeah, there was one like the 'which-animal-would-you-be?' question."
Edmonton-based player agent Gerry Johannson, who represents prominent NHLers Milan Lucic, Ryan Getzlaf, Brent Sea-brook and Carey Price, has been sending clients to the combine ever since it began. This year he has five, including Kulak. He keeps his advice simple: prepare for the physical testing and be yourself in the interview room.
"I really try not to prepare the players for the interview pro-cess because I think they need to go in relaxed," said Johann-son, 45, a one-time defence-man for the New Westminster Bruins. "They're sometime meeting 20-25 teams and, generally, there will be at least five guys, and maybe six or seven, in the room. Some are just visiting with you, some are challenging you and some want to talk about your teammates.
"So we just want our guys in there being relaxed and comfortable and being them-selves. They've had interviews throughout the season so they've met with scouts before and they kind of get it."
This year's entry draft goes June 22-23 in Pittsburgh.
OHL's Knights, host Cataractes on a collision course in Memorial Cup final
Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press, May 24 2012
SHAWINIGAN, Que. - The London Knights and the Shawinigan Cataractes will be coming from opposite directions when they collide in the final of the Mastercard Memorial Cup.
The Ontario Hockey League champion Knights have been off since Tuesday, as they clinched a bye to the final by finishing first in the round robin portion of the four-team tournament.
The host Cataractes took the long route, finishing last in the round robin but then winning the tiebreaker game against the Western Hockey League-winning Edmonton Oil Kings and dethroning the defending champion Saint John Sea Dogs in the semifinal.
The Knights (2-1) and Cataractes (3-2) will clash Sunday night in the final amid the clamour of the raucous Shawinigan fans at the Bionest Centre.
The question to be answered is whether the Knights have the advantage of being rested or the Cataractes are favoured for taking momentum into the decisive game.
''I guess we'll have to wait and see,'' was all Cataractes defenceman Morgan Ellis would say.
The main advantage could be home ice, where a veteran Shawinigan side seems to feed off the deafening noise, which may be intimidating for a mostly younger London team.
''The buildings' always really loud and it definitely helps,'' said Shawinigan rearguard Brandon Gormley, the Phoenix Coyotes' prospect who has been one of the stars of the tournament with nine points in five games.
The Cataractes also have confidence from having handed London its only loss of the tournament, a 6-2 thrashing on May 20 in which Gormley had two goals and an assist.
''We'll have to play good defence and we need our forwards playing good sound hockey and our goalie playing well,'' said Knights coach Mark Hunter.
The Knights have succeeded with a defence-first game and strong counterattacking from top forwards like Seth Griffith and Vladislav Namestnikov.
Their specialty is shot blocking, particularly from veteran centre Austin Watson — who is also their scoring leader thus far with four points in three games — and the top defence duo of Jarred Tinordi and Scott Harrington. Watson's linemates, the pesky twins Matt and Ryan Rupert, should also be a factor.
A problem is that Shawinigan's defence aces, Ellis and Gormley, have been particularly effective at getting shots through to the net for forwards to tip in or score on rebounds. Both prefer the well-placed wrist shot to the big slapper from the point.
''It's so hard to score in today's game,'' Gormley said. ''Guys are blocking shots and collapsing down low.
''Any way we can get pucks to the net and keep them in at the blue-line, it benefits our forwards.''
The game-winner that sank the Sea Dogs on Friday night was a case in point, as Ellis slipped a shot through that Yannick Veilleux tipped past goalie Mathieu Corbeil to break a 4-4 tie.
It was the Cataractes third game in as many nights and dispelled any notion that fatigue would be a factor.
Hunter welcomed the break because his team had been through a long season and playoff drive that culminated with their victory in five games over Niagara in the OHL final.
Shawinigan finished second to Saint John in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regular season, but then were upset in seven games in the second round by Chicoutimi. That left them a 31-day break before the Memorial Cup, although they didn't sit idle.
Coach Eric Veilleux put his team through a punishing schedule of practices and off-ice workouts to get them into top shape in body and mind.
''We had a chance to talk during that month,'' said Veilleux. ''Many things were addressed.
''When you go through adversity, you pretty much know the reasons why. I don't want to call it an accident, but we lost Game 7, which we weren't really planning on. The right things were said. You find solutions. They were clearly understood before this tournament and that's what we're seeing right now.''
Now Shawinigan has a chance to be only the second team to win the Memorial Cup after having to play in a tiebreaker game. The first was also in Quebec in 2009 in Rimouski, where the Windsor Spitfires lost their first two games and then ran the table.
The final will be Shawinigan's fourth game in five nights and their sixth in 10. It will be London's fourth in 10 days.
''They look prepared, physically and mentally,'' said Hunter. ''They're an older team, not depending on 17-year-olds. That helps.''
Another factor is goaltending, where Shawinigan veteran Gabriel Girard has been solid while London's Michael Houser has been surprisingly off his game. Girard has been the starter since the Cataractes' second game after Alex Dubeau got the loss in the tournament opener against Edmonton.
He has posted a 2.50 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in four starts.
Houser was named the outstanding player of the OHL this season after tying a league record with 46 wins and posting a 2.47 average. But at the Memorial Cup, he has let in some soft ones. His average is 3.03 and his save percentage a weak .885.
But history favours London.
The Cataractes are a founding member of the QMJHL but have never won a Memorial Cup. The Knights are seeking their second in seven years, both with brothers Dale and Mark Hunter running the club.
They had a veteran, star-studded team in 2005 that included winger Corey Perry and won the event on home ice.
Dale Hunter was the coach then with Mark as general manager, but the roles are reversed after Dale took time out to coach the Washington Capitals this season.
Mark said the brothers have evolved since their first title.
''We're calmer than we were then,'' he said. ''We know it won't help them if we're too wound up.
''They have to do it on the ice. We're just here to help them along. We don't want them too tight. It's going to be a game with a lot of emotion. And too much emotion is no good either.''
Cataractes win Memorial Cup
Ryan Pyette, QMI Agency, May 27 2012
SHAWINIGAN, Que. –For the eighth time in the last 40 years, the Memorial Cup needed an overtime hero.
Today, his name is Anton Zlobin.
The crafty Russian scored 17:51 into overtime to deliver the Shawinigan Cataractes their long-awaited first Canadian Hockey League title, 2-1 over the London Knights before 4,763 Sunday night at Centre Bionest in one of the most riveting finals in tournament history.
Zlobin will get free poutine for life in Quebec.
For the Knights, it's a shot right to the gut.
Seven years ago when the Knights won the Cup, it felt like the coronation of a king.
This time, they tried to grab the crown and shove it onto their heads, defying all pretenders with fortified defence, expert shot-blocking, timely scoring and shameless icings.
The game plan worked perfectly but, in the end, they fell one goal short.
They call Shawinigan the ‘Energy City,’ and you have to wonder where the Cataractes got theirs this week.
Four games in five nights wasn't enough.
They needed the legs for overtime, too, before finally knocking off the Knights.
After 43 years of close-but-no-cigars, they started to feel like a team of destiny this year.
The Cats had been either prince or paupers in their star-crossed Quebec league history. They were hoping for, just this once, to sit in the throne.
They finally got there.
But not before Eric Veilleux's run-and-gunners had a devil of a time removing the sword from GM and head coach Mark Hunter's massive stone of discipline and structured hockey.
Nothing was decided after three periods.
Fitting, because no one with the Knights saw a trip to the final coming. Not until the trade deadline, anyway.
“Once we saw (the indefatigable Austin) Watson and (Greg) McKegg walk in the room in January,” London forward Matt Rupert said, “we knew what was expected of us.”
London lost its head coach Dale Hunter to the NHL's Washington Capitals and his Stanley Cup dreams, but never flinched. His younger brother Mark stepped in.
The Knights stared at elimination for the first time in the last game on the Canadian Hockey League calendar, and didn't blink.
London turned defenceman into forwards, forwards into D-men, and sat out older players to give younger kids minutes. They put together a checking line of 18-and-unders who didn't care if they played against the other team's top scorers.
They had junior hockey's best goalie, then camped out in front of him and did everything humanly possible to avoid pucks from getting to him.
A handful of Knights from the 2005 Cup champs flew in on a private plan for the game, including Anaheim Ducks star Corey Perry and former captain Danny Syvret. Knights rookie assistant coach Dylan Hunter was on that legendary Knights team, too.
“We wanted to be here to support the boys,” former Knights sniper Rob Schremp said, “and to hope this team got to feel what we did back then. The games I saw them play, and it was just in the playoffs, they were relentless (the way they were in '05).
“They never give up and keep pushing. It's great to see and it's fun to watch.”
London had a dream start.
They wanted, in the first 10 minutes, to score first, shut down Shawinigan's red-hot offence and take the revved-up crowd out of it early.
They did it all.
Ryan Rupert put the Knights, who came in with four days rest, on the board 5:42 into the game, banging home a pass in the slot after furious forechecking by his twin brother Matt, and Austin Watson. The Cataractes surrendered the opening goal in five of their six Cup games.
Shawinigan scored 13 goals in its previous two games and lit up London for a half-dozen last Sunday.
But it took them 10 minutes to register a shot and they ended up with only four in the opening 20 minutes. It looked like the Cats needed a map to find the Knights net.
When you're watching London play, you have to look beyond the usual stats to the smaller things – blocked shots, faceoff wins and the number of icings.
London GM and head coach Mark Hunter figured if his team could establish a lead and play physically, the quick Shawinigan forwards would start to feel the lead in their legs from playing four games in five nights.
But Russian forward Anton Zlobin gave the Cats a second-period jolt, scoring three minutes in to tie the game.
From there, it turned into a stalemate.
Shawinigan was trying to become the second team – after Watson's 2009 Windsor Spitfires – to win the Cup from the tiebreaker game.
It's a little easier to do now because there's a day off between the semifinal and the championship game. Teams no longer have to play three-in-three to win the tournament like they did seven years ago.
In fact, the 2005 Knights were the last team able to jump on a tuckered-out squad, beating the Sidney Crosby-led Rimouski Oceanic less than 24 hours after they had to win a semifinal game against Ottawa.
The following year, the CHL added the day off in between, hoping to create more competitive final games. In Quebec, they call it the 'Doris Labonte' rule after the outspoken Oceanic coach, who complained about the format.
CHL-NHL teenager rule needs adjustment
Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News, 2012-05-30
This year’s top draft prospects are currently having their heads scrambled by their prospective employers at the NHL combine and many decisions will be made in the next few months. The players themselves also need to figure out where their development will be best served and with players jumping from the NCAA to major junior, an inequity has become more pronounced recently: The kids drafted outside the Canadian League can go to the American League as teens, while their major junior counterparts must wait.
At 6-foot-7 and 242 pounds, defenseman Jamie Oleksiak possesses a frame that is surpassed by just a handful of NHL players. It’s part of the reason Dallas selected the Toronto native with the 14th pick in the 2011 draft and why he will turn pro next season, either with the Stars or their AHL affiliate in Texas.
Oleksiak ended this campaign in the Ontario League with the Niagara IceDogs, who acquired him during the season from Saginaw. But it’s only because he was drafted out of Northeastern University that Oleksiak will be able to play for the AHL’s Texas Stars next season as a 19-year-old. If he had been in major junior all along, it would have been NHL or bust for another year. And that is kind of dumb.
While it’s great for players such as Oleksiak or Washington’s John Carlson, it seems unfair that Boston Bruins pick Dougie Hamilton would have to return to junior next season if he doesn’t make the big squad, just because he was drafted out of OHL Niagara.
By all accounts, Hamilton’s size and skill (he’s 6-foot-5 and nearly 200 pounds) mean he will crack the B’s blueline next year, but I’m sure the Bruins wouldn’t mind the option of sending him to AHL Providence to play against men.
The NHL has an agreement with the CHL that its prospects must remain in major junior until they are 20 or have played four full seasons. This rule, of course, is to keep talent in major junior. But is it outdated?
Prospects today are much more prepared physically than even 20 years ago and thanks to Goliaths such as Oleksiak and Hamilton, they’re often bigger than most NHLers. In Europe, top prospects play against men all the time – Tampa’s Victor Hedman and New Jersey’s Adam Larsson being two of the more high-profile recent examples. Those two D-men also boast big frames and high skill levels.
With Oleksiak in particular, the Stars were happy he was dealt to Niagara mid-season, but wouldn’t have minded seeing him play against men, either.
“He could have gone to the AHL this year,” said Les Jackson, Dallas’ director of scouting and player development. “But he was going to a good coaching setting and with all those guys playing at the world juniors (four other IceDogs played for Canada), that was confirmation he was with a good group.”
Still, it was nice for Oleksiak and the Stars to have options. Pundits will tell you that no player has been ruined by being developed longer, while many who were rushed have, but that’s the problem here: The AHL represents the perfect middle ground between junior and the NHL and it’s not available to everyone.
The perfect example is Toronto’s Jerry D’Amigo. Drafted out of Team USA’s national team development program, he spent one year at R.P.I. before deciding to leave school. He turned pro and joined the AHL Marlies as a teenager. When his results were middling, he went to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers midway through the campaign before heading back to the Marlies this season. He’s now in the Calder Cup final and boasting 13 points in 13 games.
D’Amigo needed a little more time before becoming an effective pro, but because he and the Maple Leafs had options, the stocky left winger was able to navigate those waters.
Carlson went from the United States League’s Indiana Ice to the London Knights after he was drafted by the Capitals, but jumped to the AHL Hershey Bears after one season. He actually joined Hershey in the playoffs and won a Calder Cup as a teen, then came back the next year and did it again for the repeat. Now he’s Washington’s best defenseman.
The CHL is not suffering for talent – just ask Miami University, which has lost Tyler Biggs, Connor Murphy, Ryan Hartman and now Patrick Sieloff to major junior the past two summers – so why not allow the option for the exceptional to become pros as teens? The stakes in the AHL are lower than the NHL and the kids can always come back to junior if necessary, but at least they’d have the choice.
Junior hockey rakes in big money
PAT HICKEY, The Gazette, May 29, 2012
MONTREAL - Junior hockey is big business.
We saw that last week in Shawinigan, which played host to the Memorial Cup tournament. Every hotel and auberge in the city was fully booked. The same held true for accommodations in neighbouring Trois-Rivières.
Folks were lined up three deep to order a Shawinigan Handshake at Le Trou du Diable, and the two chip wagons on 5e Avenue were doing a roaring business as the local bars closed.
(For the uninitiated, a Shawinigan Handshake is a locally crafted brew whose label carries a caricature of former prime minister Jean Chrétien with his hands around the neck of Don Cherry)
The Edmonton Oil Kings arrived on a chartered flight, while the London Knights made the trek in a bus equipped with Internet connections and satellite television. Brothers Mark and Dale Hunter can afford such luxury. The former National Hockey League players who own the London franchise take in more than $6 million in gate receipts, and their player payroll is about one-tenth of that. NHL owners would love to have profit margins like that.
But if the Canadian Hockey League’s gamble on a relatively small market like Shawinigan paid off last week, the rewards were dwarfed by the windfall produced at the World Junior Championships this year in Alberta.
At Hockey Canada’s annual meeting last weekend, the governing body tabled a preliminary report on the event. It showed a profit in excess of $22 million, which is why Canadian cities are lined up to host the event.
Hockey Canada will get $9 million to support grassroots programs across the country. A chunk of that will go toward recruiting young players and another chunk will be devoted to keeping them in the game. Hockey Canada also retains $3 million to help attract future tournaments.
The CHL, which contributed most of the players to the bronze-medal Canadian team, gets $6.6 million. Most of that money will go into the scholarship program for major-junior players. The three major-junior leagues announced last week that they spent $5.2 million on scholarships this past school year for 545 active and 722 former players. That’s a lot of money until you do the math; it averages out to a shade over $4,100 a player, which doesn’t cover tuition at most Canadian universities.
Hockey Alberta gets $950,000, while the other 12 branches across the country get $165,000 each.
The International Ice Hockey Federation receives $1.5 million, while the other nine federations represented in the tournament will divide $450,000.
Ex-Kootenay Ice coach Kris Knoblauch in limbo after Alberta Golden Bears land AHL coach
Neate Sager, Buzzing The Net, 30 May 2012
Kris Knoblauch has had a rough few days even by the standards of the coaching profession.
First Kootenay Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth, well, iced him as coach on Friday. The WHL team learned Knoblauch was interviewing for the University of Alberta Golden Bears coaching vacancy even though no one from the CIS powerhouse ever contacted the Ice for permission to speak to a coach under contract. It also looked like Knoblauch was a betting favourite to land one of the top five coaching positions in all of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, which should explain why someone would leave a WHL team for a more secure university position.
Then over the weekend, Fort McMurray Oil Barons play-by-play man Tyler King reported Alberta had offered the job to another Golden Bears alumnus, Ian Herbers, from the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals, rather than Knoblauch. (The story was of interest in Fort McMurray since Oil Barons coach Gord Thibaudea was reportedly intereste.) The Edmonton Journal ended up reporting a denial that was true, only to end up reporting about 48 hours later that King's report was bang on. What was the source of confusion that left Knoblauch in limbo?
From Global TV Edmonton's Dean Millard:
"I was told [Herbers] didn't interview and couldn't get the job because he didn't interview. So either someone on the selection committee wasn't aware of the whole story or someone on the selection committee was telling different information. One of two things happened." (The Pipeline Show)
That just makes it all the more bizarre. Typically, Canadian Interuniversity Sport isn't like the NCAA; the director of athletics can't just say, "Hire this man." (Or woman, as the case may be; some schools have this strange idea gender equity also applies whom is paid to coaches their female athletes, imagine that. But I digress.) There's always procedures and protocols in place. If Bill Belichick suddenly said to himself, "Self, I need a new challenge and no media scrutiny, I'd like to coach the York Lions," he'd still have to go through the whole rigamorale.
Is Herbers qualified for the job? No doubt. The way it was handled, though, comes off badly. It reads like the fallout from the Knoblauch news leaking out, and the reaction in Kootenay, caused Alberta to go off the board and offer the job to Herbers. There are certainly a lot of unanswered questions. The obvious space on the jump-to-conclusions mat is the one stating that Alberta might have worried that playing poach-a-coach by hiring Knoblauch would hurt its rep in the WHL, its main recruiting pond.
Much of recruiting in CIS is by word of mouth. Players who aren't going on to pro hockey often base their school choice on having former teammates and close friends already there, or a recommendation from their junior coach or GM. Gregg Drinnan reported, "I am told one U of A player has apologized, via email, to [Jeff] Chynoweth for how all this was handled." That plays into the idea that hiring Herbers was about saving some face in WHL circles. But that doesn't help Kris Knoblauch, who just won the WHL championship last season, find a new job.
Knoblauch knew interviewing for Bears coaching position was a big risk:
It cost him his job when the Kootenay Ice learned what he was doing
Evan Daum, edmontonjournal.com, June 6, 2012
EDMONTON - Kris Knoblauch knows that life as a hockey coach can be a gamble.
The former head coach of the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League lost his job a few weeks ago after his general manager, Jeff Chynoweth, learned that Knoblauch was set to interview for the University of Alberta Golden Bears head coach position.
“I thought for my family and my career, it just made so much sense to try and get that position at the U of A and that’s why I took a chance. I trusted some people I should’ve been more cautious about, but it was certainly a risk that I was willing to take,” Knoblauch said.
Knoblauch’s firing by Kootenay was the culmination of a Golden Bears hiring process that started in mid-April for the former Bears standout, who spent five successful seasons between 1999-2004.
“I was in the office one day and there were rumours about me going to the University of Alberta and I hadn’t contacted the university, nor had they contacted me. That day, there was a message from my secretary to call Stan Marple,” Knoblauch said of the beginning of his involvement in the Bears job search.
“I returned that call and that’s when we discussed the possibility of returning to the university as a coach.”
Knoblauch then became part of the process to find the Bears next head coach, a position that came open in late March when Marple, who spent a year as interim head coach, was reassigned to the newly minted general manager position.
“That day, when I got contacted by the university, I talked to my employer — the Kootenay Ice — about my interest in the job and they gave me a one-week window to pursue it, but this was the middle of April and the job closing date didn’t come until May 15th, so there was really no possibility for me to really pursue it in that week time frame,” Knoblauch said.
It was at that point Knoblauch began a gamble that would eventually cost him his job, despite giving the Ice the impression that he was no longer interested in returning to the U of A.
“Absolutely, I took a huge leap of faith,” Knoblauch said about pursuing the Bears job. “The coaching position with the University of Alberta meant a lot to me. It was a risk I was willing to take, because I thought it was the best thing for me.”
Knoblauch isn’t bitter about Ian Herbers being named head coach of the Bears, but the former WHL championship-winning coach is frustrated by the process, which resulted in his firing only moments before interviewing for the Alberta job.
“Certainly, there wasn’t a guarantee that the job was mine, but I was under the impression I was a very good candidate. Everything short of the job being guaranteed to me,” he said. “After this process was over, I’ve heard many names of people being kind of given the same sales pitch of applying.”
Marple, for his part, has expressed disappointment that Knoblauch lost his job, but felt there was no wrongdoing on the part of the selection committee.
“At the end of the day, I feel very bad for Kris that he lost his job over this with the Kootenay Ice, but again I don’t know what his contract entailed, or if he had the legal right to apply,” Marple said. “I do feel the process was successful in the sense that we hired the best coach that we could’ve for the position.”
Despite losing his coaching job, Knoblauch is not ready to leave the coaching ranks.
“Coaching is my passion and I truly love it, so I’ll continue that,” Knoblauch said.
The latest edition of DubNation is available below.
It’s more than 70 pages of major junior-related stuff, including some terrific photos, a feature on Portland Winterhawks star Sven Baertschi, a look at the artwork done by Taylor Vause of the Swift Current Broncos, a flashback to when Don Cherry played in the Memorial Cup.
It’s all created by Doyle Potenteau and it’s all free.
So . . . check it out!
Gregg Drinnan
http://dubnation.ca/DubNation/Magazine.html
Under the Mask: Hockey Canada should look in the mirror regarding goalie woes
John Cullen, Buzzing The Net, June 25 2012
A four-year Ontario Hockey League veteran, goalie John Cullen recently finished his final year of junior with the Windsor Spitfires. He will be bringing his player's perspective to Buzzing The Net on a regular basis.
There is no doubt that Canada is one of the most proud hockey nations in the world. And with that level of pride comes the constant expectation of success.
There's a reason Hockey Canada's blueprint is called the "Program of Excellence." Gold medals at the under-18 and under-20 tournaments are very important to Hockey Canada, because success at the lower levels helps develop the players that can succeed on the Olympic stage. Perhaps because of bias, I believe that the goaltender is the most important position on any team going into these kinds of international tournaments.
I was lucky enough to play for Team USA at the under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, and being able to wear my country's jersey was an awesome experience — one that I will cherish forever. As many in Canada know, the world junior championship is the pinnacle for all junior aged players and it's every kid's dream to represent his country on the world stage.
Earlier this month, Ron Tugnutt, Hockey Canada's goalie consultant, said he thinks European goaltenders in the Canadian Hockey League are stealing jobs and robbing homegrown talent of valuable playing time.
"Too many junior teams are taking the easy way out by bringing in European goaltenders and not giving Canadian kids the chance to develop," said the former NHL goaltender.
Hockey Canada's head scout, Kevin Prendergast, believes having American and European goalies in the CHL is hurting the quality of the Canadian goaltenders the country is producing.
"Over the past 8-10 years the goaltending in Canada hasn't been at the elite level that it had been for the 20 years before that," Prendergast told The Pipeline Show. "From a goaltending standpoint, there are just not enough jobs for our (Canadian) kids to get better."
Prendergast is also quoted during the interview saying he doesn't think it's fair for American or European goalies who win starting jobs in CHL to represent their countries and beat Canada on the world stage.
Well, guess what? Hockey isn't fair.
Take it from someone who spent four years in the Ontario Hockey League and played behind two world junior medal-winning goaltenders — Canada's Mark Visentin and Team USA's Jack Campbell.
I love hockey, the lifestyle and everything else that comes with it, but when you get to a high enough level it becomes a business. There's a point where the game you fell in love with as a kid learning to skate on a pond can, at times, be cold and unfair.
I have seen kids at all ages put in the countless hours of hard work only to have their dreams cut short by a career-ending injury or an abusive parent; that is a reality. But when I hear Hockey Canada's brass calling for a limitation on European and American goalies I take it personally. If they had their way, I might not have had the chance to play in the OHL, which was, for me, the opportunity of a lifetime.
Young goaltenders in Canada have almost every advantage imaginable when it comes to development. Compared to the players in Europe or certain places in America, things like available ice time, good facilities, competitive leagues and tournaments, and knowledgeable coaching are far more accessible in Canada.
This year with the Windsor Spitfires, I had the opportunity to play with a young European goaltender named Jaroslav Pavelka. He was in the OHL playing as an import player away from his native Czech Republic. Pavelka (aka 'Pavy') and I developed a friendship as I helped teach him English and assimilate to the new culture. Playing with him opened my eyes to all the sacrifices these import players make, not only moving thousands of miles away from their families but away from the only way of life they have ever known.
Growing up in a culture where hockey is a way of life is a dream come true for many young players. It's the perfect breeding ground for talent to become successful and the competitive nature of Canadian minor hockey is an amazing thing.
If Hockey Canada is upset over their own development of goaltenders, why are they blaming the imports and Americans? Many of us have worked our whole lives, made countless sacrifices to move far from home for a chance to play in the best junior league in the world.
The message to young Canadian goaltenders is straightforward — work hard and utilize all of the resources available to you. Many players around the world do not have those same luxuries. If you don't make it to the NHL or CHL you don't blame imports or Americans, you look in the mirror. The same is true for Hockey Canada.
The poor play of Canadian goalies at the world juniors was one of the biggest factors for the end of the nation's five-year gold medal streak (2005-2009) and has been a factor in their recent bronze (2012) and silver finishes (2011).
That is not the CHL's fault. Having world class goaltenders come in from outside of Canada only makes CHL and its players better.
I played with fellow American goalie Jack Campbell over the past two years, and it was one of the most rewarding hockey experiences in my life. He is one of the nicest, hardest working people I have ever had the chance to meet. Being able to play alongside him not only made me a better goalie, but it made me a better person. Having a world-class athlete like Jack on our team was great because his work ethic and positive attitude rubbed off on all of us.
When Jack left Windsor for Sault Ste. Marie he joined up with a Hockey Canada goaltending prospect by the name of Matt Murray. Murray is a very talented goalie who has represented Canada internationally, winning bronze at the world U-18 and has earned an invite the Canada's world junior goaltending summer camp.
A goalie partner relationship is a tight bond because you share tips and tricks to help each other become better. Having a goalie partner like Jack — a Dallas Stars draft pick, three time IIHF gold medalist — even for a short time can only be beneficial.
As a goaltender, Jack Campbell has been in more pressure situations than anyone I know and those are the kinds of players you want on your team. The kinds of players who are committed, who strive to be better or work harder than the competition, regardless of their nationality.
Blades featured on TV
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The StarPhoenix, June 28, 2012
In addition to their traditional summertime workouts, Saskatoon Blades' players might want to practise their wit and on-camera charm for the coming WHL season.
The Blades, in conjunction with the WHL, have been in talks with Sportsnet in an effort to create an allaccess television show that will regularly document the team's process during their 2012-13 MasterCard Memorial Cup campaign.
The show will be called On the Edge: Road to the Memorial Cup, according to discussions from a Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications commission hearing on May 7.
Blades head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken expects the series will be similar to the popular 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic episodes that aired on HBO in each of the last two years.
The two respective HBO series were designed as a precursor to the outdoor NHL games featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals in 2011 and the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers in 2012.
"We have a bit of an idea of what they want to do," Molleken said. "Obviously, they'll start right at the start of the year. They'll be allowed into the dressing room, onto the bus, different things like that.
"We want to be as open as possible so that people have a good understanding of what it's all about."
The WHL released its schedule Wednesday, but the total number of episodes or the amount of filming time is not yet known.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison said an official announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
"Rogers Sportsnet has plans to feature the Blades as a lead up to the MasterCard Memorial Cup throughout the course of the season," Robison said. "That's one of the exciting elements that fans can watch (this season) - the Blades' preparation as it leads up to May."
Blades owner Jack Brodsky met with members of Fadoo Productions, the show's production company, at the 2012 Memorial Cup last month in Shawinigan, Que., to discuss some of the parameters. Brodsky believes Fadoo is close to receiving the green light from Sportsnet. Corey Russell, president of Fadoo Productions, could not comment when contacted.
"Obviously, with these things we have to be respectful of the ages of the players and whatnot, but it's going to be a neat thing," Brodsky said. "It's interesting when you see the 24/7s and things that are going on. I watch those to get an insight into some of the people and the characters.
"The way the thing is done, to have that done around our hockey club especially in a year like this, would be terrific."
The filming will continue into the playoffs, so Molleken has some reservations about giving the crew too much access to his mostly teenaged players.
Molleken added that he wasn't sure at this time when an episode would air after shooting had concluded.
"I think that they'll do a real good job with it," he said. "They know that there's certain guidelines and situations that they won't be involved in.
"We'll cross that when a situation arises. Once I get a chance to sit down with them too, then I'm sure that I'll want to hear what their ideas are and it'll either be a yes or no."
Although discussions are ongoing, Robison is already excited to watch the first episode. He sees it not only as a chance to create interest locally, but league-wide as well.
"Well, not only in Saskatoon, but throughout Western Canada and across the country with Rogers Sportsnet," Robison said. "As a result, it'll certainly get everyone very familiar with the Blades' organization, the preparation, the players and the challenges of being the host team of the Master-Card Memorial Cup."
Plymouth Whalers’ Connor Carrick explains decision to decommit from Michigan
Neate Sager, Buzzing The Net, Fri, 29 Jun, 2012
Connor Carrick vows that he will block out reminders of his decision.
Decommitting from the college powerhouse Michigan Wolverines to play for the Plymouth Whalers means the offensive defenceman will still be in the same state where UM's maize and blue often dominate sports headlines. But Carrick, whom the Washington Capitals drafted in the fifth round at the NHL draft last Saturday, figures he can move onward and upward with the Whalers. The way he describes what went into his change of course is reminder that no matter how much people talk about a NCAA team losing a player who had a scholarship waiting for him for two seasons, a teenager's prerogative to change his mind always prevails.
"It was very difficult for me to decommit," said the 5-foot-11, 187-pound Carrick, the second graduate from the U.S. under-18 team to join the Whalers since the end of last season after forward Ryan Hartman. "If I was going to college hockey, Michigan was the only school for me. I'm a man of my word, and it didn't make me feel very great to be doing this, but I knew I had to call [associate] Coach [Billy] Powers and [assistant] Coach [Brian] Wiseman. Quite frankly, if I can't man up and call them, I'm probably not old enough to make that decision. I hope they win a national title next year.
"I'm the kind of guy who tends to make decisions very slowly," added the Orland Park, Ill., native, who had already chosen his roommate for this season at Michigan, U18 teammate Andrew Copp. "I make decisions very slowly. There was a lot of agonizing over this decision. I may take baby steps to arrive at a decision, but I don't take backward steps once i arrive. If Michigan has a great year next year I'm not going to feel like I should have gone there. At this time, this i what want. If they hoist some hardware next season, I'm not going to regret it. Hopefully we can hoist some hardware of our own in Plymouth."
Carrick should be pencilled in as a top-four defenceman for the Whalers, who return a good-sized core from the team which tied for the second-best record in the 20-team OHL with 97 points last season before a seven-game second-round loss to rival Kitchener. Former overage captain Beau Schmitz and 20-year-old Austin Levi, who combined for 84 points from the back end last season, are each likely going to be in the Carolina Hurricanes farm system. So Carrick believes the Whalers can offer him the minutes and role he needs.
"I think I can bring a good offensive dimension from the blueline," says Carrick, who has been invited to Team USA's national junior evaluation camp along with Hartman and two of his new Whalers teammates, NHL first-rounders J.T. Miller (New York Rangers) and Stefan Noesen (Ottawa Senators). "I really like the way Coach [Mike] Vellucci has his teams play, a high-octane, high-speed game and they have some great forwards. I think I can fit into that."
Family relocating to Michigan
The Whalers traded with the Guelph Storm for Carrick's OHL rights on Wednesday, four days after he was drafted by Washington. It reads somewhat like Plymouth did its homework on finding out that Carrick would be interested in playing for a U.S.-based major junior team. His mother, Debra Carrick, and hockey-playing brothers, 15-year-old Blake and 11-year-old Hunter, are already planning to live in the Detroit area this season for the sake of getting better competition. Along with the more extensive OHL schedule, joining the Whalers means Connor Carrick can live with family instead of a university residence.
"The decision to move my brothers up was made a long ago," he said. "When the Plymouth option came up, it was a huge plus. We're all going to be here this year. My dad's making a big sacrifice, staying back home during the week and then coming up on weekends. I'm really tight with family. There were a lot of moving parts that had to be worked out before I decided.
"I was already thinking about this before I got drafted," Carrick added when asked where the Capitals organization stands on his choice. "Anybody who thinks that [about Washington possibly steering him to the OHL] could not be more wrong. I came came to it independently. They showed an ability to support both sides. When I talked to the Caps, they were very supportive."
Carrick knows he's closing the door on an opportunity of a lifetime by passing on Michigan, which is one of America's premier state schools. He is confident casting his lot with the Whalers will pay off with a shot at the pros, although he wants to make sure to have a fallback.
"I'm going to get my degree regardless," he said.
Kitchener Rangers irate over Jacob Trouba report
Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports, Tue, 3 Jul, 2012
Nothing says summer quite like the ongoing bitter feud between the NCAA and Canadian Hockey League.
If the latest firestorm over defenceman Jacob Trouba is any indication, it’s going to be a scorcher.
On Monday night a report in The Michigan Daily – the University of Michigan’s student newspaper – suggested that Trouba could potentially forgo his commitment to the Wolverines to play for the Kitchener Rangers who, according to unnamed sources, had offered $200,000 in place of an education package.
Such a payment would contravene the Ontario Hockey League’s rules in regards to impermissible benefits.
Steve Bienkowski, the Rangers’ chief operating officer, flatly denied the report and any kind of payment offered to the Trouba family. In addition, Bienkowski said the team has retained a lawyer and will purse the matter legally.
“We’re going to look at every legal remedy we have against the newspaper, the reporter and these so-called unnamed sources in the OHL who need to be held accountable for basically saying lies against our organization,” said Bienkowski in a phone interview from Halifax.
Unlike most OHL teams, the Rangers are community-owned and not a privately held company. As such, an external accounting firm audits their financial statements and those accounts are presented to season-ticket holders each year.
“The reality is there’s nowhere to hide the kind of money people are accusing us of paying,” said Bienkowski, who is a chartered accountant himself.
“But it is what it is, we’ve been targeted before and I’m sure we’ll be targeted in the future.”
This is not the first time an OHL team – or the Rangers – have been accused of paying players large sums of money to play for them. Last summer Paul Kelly, the then-executive director of College Hockey Inc., an arm of NCAA hockey, accused teams of paying players though no proof was ever produced.
“As much as the CHL denies it, there are still instances where money is being paid to the family to lure kids away and de-commit from colleges,” Kelly told the Boston Globe. “It’s off the books, under the table, whatever you want to call it. If your dad is a fisherman, an out-of-work machinist, or a farmer, and a CHL program comes along and offers you $300,000 in cash, it’s tough for these families not to accept that type of proposal.”
On Tuesday afternoon, as the report continued to gather steam, the Trouba family issued a statement via University of Michigan spokesperson Rob Tillotson.
“There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have offered Jacob any remuneration,” said the release. “We have the utmost respect for the Kitchener Rangers and those that choose the CHL as an option, but Jacob will be attending the University of Michigan next fall as a student athlete.”
During last summer’s NCAA exodus, Trouba spoke to Yahoo! Sports at great length about the importance of keeping his word. He was adamant that he would take his time in making his final decision between the OHL and the NCAA because he didn’t want to be seen as someone who broke his promise.
"It's important because people have to trust you and what you say," said Trouba during the interview last August. "If you keep backing out of decisions – and all that, going back on your word – then you're just going to get that reputation."
From the looks of things, Trouba is still intent on being a man of his word. The only wrench in his plan to attend Michigan this fall is if the Winnipeg Jets – who drafted Trouba ninth overall last month – decided to sign him. Signing a pro contract would automatically terminate his NCAA eligibility.
At the draft, however, the 18-year-old told reporters he made his intentions to the Jets clear and that they told him they’d abide by his wishes.
"(The Jets) expect that, and I'm glad they do,” he told the Detroit Free Press of his decision to play college hockey. “I made it clear that's where I was going. I wanted them to know that picking me."
Last week, defenceman Connor Carrick decided to forgo his commitment to the University of Michigan and join the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers, adding to the angry discourse between fans of the CHL and NCAA. The fifth-round pick of the Washington Capitals intends to continue his studies at the University of Michigan while playing for the Whalers.
“I think they’re a little stung over Connor Carrick leaving and now they’re a little nervous over Jacob Trouba,” said Plymouth Whalers GM Mike Vellucci. “(The $200,000 payment) is not believable though.
“It’s just people that are scorned or people that want to make up an excuse why a player left. In our case Carrick came to us. We had his (OHL) rights, and he and his dad approached me to possibly play in Plymouth. It was the kid’s decision – there was no monetary (incentive) from us whatsoever. He wants to go to school, so he’ll continue to go to school and we’ll pay for it and he’ll play for us – it’s pretty cut and dried.”
Jacob Trouba “will be attending the University of Michigan next fall”
Cam Charron, Buzzing The Net, Wed, 4 Jul, 2012
After a potentially damning report that surfaced Monday night that suggested Jacob Trouba would allegedly accept a large sum of money to play in the OHL next season, Trouba's family took to the University of Michigan's Twitter account to deny the allegations.
Statement from the Trouba family: "There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have...
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) July 3, 2012
...offered Jacob any remuneration. We have the utmost respect for the Kitchener Rangers and those that choose the CHL as an option... — Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) July 3, 2012
...but Jacob will be attending the University of Michigan next fall as a student athlete."
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) July 3, 2012
The statement was included as the first on-record source quoted in Matt Slovin's story, updated at 2:51 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
The following paragraphs were not included in the original version the paper ran:
When contacted on Tuesday morning, the league office told the Daily that OHL commissioner David Branch was unable to comment due to "summer holidays." Ken Miller, the league's director of security, also was out of the office when contacted.
But later Tuesday afternoon, the Michigan hockey program released a statement on Twitter in regards to Trouba's future plans.
"Statement from the Trouba family: 'We have the utmost respect for the Kitchener Rangers and those that choose the CHL as an option ... but Jacob will be attending the University of Michigan next fall as a student athlete.' "
Prior to last week's NHL Draft, the original source said the odds were stacked heavily in Kitchener's favor. But Trouba's promise that he will be playing for Michigan this season makes it a coin flip.
You can't blame a young journalist for making too much of a rumour. Un-sourced attribution in regards to junior hockey players happens to even the most experienced journalists who are looking for a story. Dollar figures attached to players and teams have been circulated through my own email inbox, but there's no concrete evidence for any of them.
At this point, you have to think that the optics are too bad at this point for Trouba to be seriously considering going to Kitchener if he isn't signed by the Winnipeg Jets, the team that selected him 9th overall in the recent NHL Draft. If Trouba signs an entry-level deal, he'll be ineligible for the NCAA but not for the OHL. They control his development at this point.
As Sunaya pointed out yesterday:
The Kitchener Rangers are a community-run team so their books are open to the public. Hiding $200K might be hard even for Steve Bienkowski.
— Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) July 3, 2012
For some privately-run teams, you may be able to sneak a few thousand bucks without anybody noticing, but if there's enough money circulating under the table, at some point there will be a smoking gun to follow up on. At this point there isn't, and it won't happen with the Kitchener Rangers, who are understandably furious with the report. Bienkowski has already said that the Rangers "are going to look at every legal remedy we have against the newspaper."
This story may have a few extra twists and turns, but unless the Winnipeg Jets can convince Trouba otherwise with a good signing bonus to play in the CHL, I'd expect Trouba to suit up for Michigan Hockey in the fall as a student athlete.
QMJHL scholarship rules affecting recruitment of American players
Cam Charron, Buzzing The Net, Wed, 4 Jul, 2012
Of all three Canadian Hockey League member organizations, the one with the least overall American presence is likely the QMJHL. The mid-season Charlie Coyle defection to the two-time champion Saint John Sea Dogs notwithstanding, while WHL and OHL teams had a pool of players to draw from states where the NCAA isn't as established, the QMJHL's Eastern American presence is.
The Lewiston MAINEiacs are no more, which left the "Q" as the only CHL league without an American team this past season. As such, a rule was instituted last June to increase the number of Americans drafted. Each team had to take a minimum of two as part of a new development program for the league.
The problem now is that the QMJHL simply can't compete, monetarily, with the NCAA in the East. Especially not after the league's governors put in a provision that attempts to balance the playing field for small-market clubs, capping scholarships.
From a report in Le Soleil, translated by @HabItHerWay that quotes Quebec assistant-GM Jean Gagnon:
Aiming to favour its smaller markets, the governors* voted in a new rule concerning "special arrangements" with players. This new rule, starting now, puts an annual limit of $10,000 on scholarships/bursaries allotted to Americans, for a maximum total of $40,000.
This amount is in addition to the one already outlined in the QMJHL's scholastic policy, which puts an annual limit of $5,000 on bursaries awarded to these student athletes, for a possible total of $60,000.
And yet, one year's tuition in colleges such as Boston University, Boston College or Cornell University can easily cost anywhere between $25,000 and $40,000, depending on the program. As such, it's not uncommon for an American player to be offered a full scholarship ranging from $100,000 to $150,000.
"The League's message is paradoxical", according to Jean Gagnon. "On the one hand, for the last year we have been forcing teams to draft two American players, but on the other, we're preventing teams from making competitive offers to these players."
For the Quebec Remparts, they weren't able to recruit Calgary Flames-draftee Jon Gillies, who says in the story that he has two idols: Carey Price and Patrick Roy. Even Roy, who runs the Remparts, couldn't convince Gillies to come play for Quebec. Gillies says he needs the available time for off-ice workouts, but Gagnon is convinced it's due to education cost.
The new rule levels the playing field, because now not even the big market teams can recruit the big American players, according to Gagnon. This isn't the case in other leagues.
For instance, the way its done in the WHL, according to Director of Education Services Jim Donlevy, is that a player will get a scholarship based on "the cost of a publicly funded university in their home province or their home state". The cost is reviewed annually by the league, but a player from California or Arizona or Texas coming north to play in Alberta, even though the education may cost more where they're from, the WHL will still cover a basic education.
That isn't the case in the QMJHL anymore. If publicly-funded education programs cost, say, $25K, a player would need pretty well a full junior career to afford two years of school. NCAA programs out East can still offer full scholarships.
The way Gagnon describes this rule is a paradox. The QMJHL has mandated two new rules pertaining to American players. One that tries to lure them up north, and one that shuts down shop in the interest of promoting small-market clubs.
Kootenay hire Ryan McGill as coach, Victoria and Brandon only vacancies
Cam Charron, Buzzing The Net, Thu, 5 Jul, 2012
The Kootenay Ice can simply replace one WHL Championship-winning coach with another. It's been a while since we've followed upon the strange saga of Kris Knoblauch, who was behind the bench for the team's 2011 Ed Chynoweth Cup team. Knoblauch was fired after news leaked that he had been talking with the Alberta Golden Bears about a head coaching job in CIS.
Chaos ensued. The Ice cut ties with Knoblauch, who didn't even end up getting the job in Alberta. Instead, that was Ian Herbers. The Ice were also left without a coach, but that void was filled on Wednesday. Ryan McGill, who won two Cups with the Ice in 2000 and 2002.
Not only does McGill have an extensive coaching record in major-junior and professional hockey, but he also spent some time as a player in the NHL in the early 1990s.
"He played in the NHL and that's what players want, is to get to the NHL and players can relate to him in that sense," said Chynoweth. "He's played in the NHL, coached in the NHL, coached in the American Hockey League, he's coached at all the highest levels, and he's won. [The Townsman]
http://www.dailytownsman.com/article/20120705/CRANBROOK0201/307059997/-1/cranbrook/former-ice-coach-returns-to-lead-the-bench-once-again
McGill had a 174-133-43 record during his first tenure, one that began when he took over for Dave Siciliano in the Edmonton days. The Ice won two Ed Chynoweth Cups as WHL Champions in 2000 and 2002, and the Ice won the 2002 Memorial Cup in Guelph. He left to join the professional ranks as the coach of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar Ben Knights, the Calgary Flames affiliate, and moved with the team to Quad City before becoming an NHL assistant in 2009. He was let go by the club after two seasons.
The hiring clarifies the WHL coaching situation. Only the Victoria Royals and Brandon Wheat Kings have spots to fill right now. The Wheaties' former coach in Cory Clouston has been linked to the Victoria job, telling the Victoria Times-Colonist "there is definite interest on my part. That's all I can tell you."
Clouston not only has NHL experience, spending two-and-a-half years in Ottawa with the Senators, amassing a record of 95-83-20, but he got his coaching start on Vancouver Island with the Junior A Powell River Paper Kings of the BCHL. Whatever the cause for his departure after one season in Brandon, he certainly has the qualifications to be a successful WHL coach.
Also mentioned in the Times-Colonist article from this morning is Dave Lowry. Nobody has been rumoured or linked to the Brandon job, but obviously assistant Dwayne Gylywoychuk is looking for the head coaching gig. The stated reason for the Wheat Kings letting go of Clouston in the first place was "in part because they didn't want uncertainty with the position during the offseason."
Here we are in early July, and the Ice have filled their vacancy, with the Royals likely closing out their search within a couple of weeks of learning they would need to fill the position. The Wheat Kings are losing Mark Stone and Michael Ferland this summer to pro hockey. Unless they're planning on hiring an internal candidate, they've gone through two drafts, a bantam draft and an import draft, without a key office piece at the table.
The bus life of a WHL play-by-play announcer
Kelly Friesen | Buzzing The Net – Thu, 5 Jul, 2012
From Brandon, MB. to Portland, OR. — Western Hockey League play-by-play announcers' jobs entail traveling throughout four provinces and two states with their respective teams on a charter bus.
"It's part of the job description," says the voice of the Prince George Cougars, Dan O'Connor. "Obviously there are better ways of transportation than a bus, but there's not a lot of money in junior hockey, so this is the best option available. Traveling on a bus isn't one of the bright spots of the job, but you get comfortable with it over time."
The WHL's longest road trips involve traveling over 4,000 kms in total. These long and grueling trips would be more durable if they led to a hot, sunny beach rather than a cold hockey rink. Nonetheless, as O'Connor said, it's part of the job description. Every announcer knows it's included in the lifestyle when they sign up for calling hockey games rather than working a real job.
"It definitely wears a guy down mentally and physically," says former Regina Pats play-by-play announcer Dan Plaster. "The ride there is usually exciting; everyone is pumped up for the game. The ride back is a different story though. A lot of people are grumpy and everyone can't wait to get back home."
Teams' success or lack thereof has a real effect on the mood of the bus. As a rule, it also determines whether movies and/or music are allowed on the bus to help pass the time.
"There is a huge difference between a winning and a losing road trip," says the voice of the Swift Current Broncos, Shawn Mullin. "You can't wait to get off the bus after a losing road trip, everyone is down or mad and it's just a bad atmosphere. While it is just the opposite after a string of wins. There are lots of smiles and laughs when they win. Winning also means you can watch movies. It always sucks when you can't watch any movies on the way back, time goes by really slow."
Even though the majority may not admit they secretly cheer for their radio station's team, the benefits of a win for the bus ride home is enough for one to think all announcers have their fingers crossed for a road victory.
"As a professional, you try and call the fairest game possible," says Mullin. "However, every Broncos play-by-play announcer Shawn Mullinannouncer is hoping their team wins. A road win equals a happy bus. It's just human nature to hope for an upbeat bus ride home."
Sleep appears to be the main attraction of spending countless hours on a bus for play-by-play announcers. There are bound to be some announcers who struggle to sleep in a crowded bus; nonetheless, the majority seem to take advantage of these long road trips by catching up on some sleep.
"I have no problem sleeping on the bus," says Plaster. "I try and get as much sleep in as possible on the trips. Players seem to have trouble sleeping, but not radio guys. I remember when I was colour commentator with Rod Pedersen, he would be out like a light before we even go out of our parking lot."
Despite there being a usable toilet on every bus, relieving oneself on the bus isn't very popular. One would not only have to take the walk of shame from the front of the bus to the back with everyone knowing something's not right in Texas, but one would also make the trip a little less comfortable by leaving a less than pleasant lingering odour.
"No one ever wants to get diarrhea on the bus," says Plaster. "You definitely watch what you eat on the road trips; try to avoid stomach aches at all cost. For us No. 2s are prohibited. I think the majority of teams have that rule. You have to take advantage of the rest stops. If you don't, it could mean a really uncomfortable drive."
The bus is one of the best places for announcers to get interesting inside information. There are often several conversations on each road trip that makes one perk up their ears. Nevertheless, the unwritten rule of "what happens on the bus, stays on the bus" stops these stories from being repeated on air.
"You learn a lot about players and hear a lot of stories on the bus," says O'Connor. "But those stories stay on the bus. They would make for a really interesting broadcast, but any professional broadcaster knows not to repeat what you hear on the bus in a broadcast."
Victoria Royals to travel in style with customized bus
Cleve Dheensaw, Times Colonist, July 7, 2012
Whoever thought a team hockey bus might be a candidate for the MTV reality show Pimp My Ride?
But the Victoria Royals newly-delivered bus — which sleeps 30 and comes complete with fridge/ freezer, two flatscreen TVs, MP3 plug-ins and Blu-ray disc player — might just qualify.
The cost of the bus is estimated at $650,000, but the team would not confirm price.
“It cost more than $500,000,” is all Royals president Dave Dakers would allow.
Anyway you cut it, it's a long way from those dent-marked, beat-up Bull Durham- and Slap Shot-era sports team buses of yore.
Dakers first got the idea during pro ECHL Victoria Salmon Kings days when he saw similar buses used by the Las Vegas Wranglers and Phoenix Roadrunners.
The bus will begin transporting the Western Hockey League's Royals beginning this coming season.
A used bus was gutted and interior of the shell retrofitted. Just getting it to Victoria from its retro-fit assembly site in Hueytown, Alabama, was a six-day cross-continental adventure. Wilson’s Transportation, which will provide the drivers and maintenance for the bus, flew maintenance-manager Jim Morrison down to Alabama. Morrison drove the bus back to Victoria.
But despite the 30 bunk beds, Morrison was able to sleep only one night in the bus because of the extreme high temperatures being experienced across the United States. It was so hot at night that the bus air conditioning couldn't keep up.
Because all the bus is taken up with living space — including restaurant-style leather banquette seating — it comes with a 20-foot trailer hooked behind that will carry the hockey equipment. The whole unit, bus and trailer, is 65 feet long.
“It’s a B.C. Ferries dream,” quipped John Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Transport.
But it will allow the Royals to arrive from away games at anytime overnight at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal and simply park the bus and await the 7 a.m. sailing while the players sleep in relative comfort.
Getting the high school-aged players to class first thing in the morning was a main consideration, said Dakers, not hotel room savings.
“With some of our transportation issues, this makes a lot of sense,” he said.
“This give us flexibility in travel and to arrive for road games as rested as possible. Coming home, the players will miss less days of school.”
It is believed to be the best bus in the WHL.
-----
This last sentence is going to cause clubs to try to out do each other in the busing department now...!
Kitchener Rangers sue student newspaper: Jets draft pick Trouba at centre of story
QMI Agency, July 09, 2012
The Kitchener Rangers of the OHL have taken legal action against a University of Michigan student newspaper and one of its reporters for publishing a story that alleged the team offered defenceman Jacob Trouba $200,000 to play for it.
A story that appeared in The Michigan Daily last week alleged that the Rangers tried to coax Trouba, a first-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets last month, out of a deal to play for the Michigan Wolverines.
The Rangers have now sued the newspaper and reporter Matt Slovin, according to the Waterloo Region Record.
"It's not a threat anymore," Rangers chief operating officer Steve Bienkowski told the Record Monday. "We served the newspaper and the writer there to either back it up or retract it."
The Rangers drafted Trouba two years ago but he declined to play, opting for the U.S. National Team Development Program instead. He has committed to Michigan but will lose his NCAA eligibility if he signs with the Jets.
Rangers seek $1M in damages
Josh Brown, Rangers Report: A Waterloo Region Record blog on the Kitchener Rangers, July 10, 2012
The Kitchener Rangers are seeking $1 million in damages over a story published in a Michigan student newspaper that claimed the club offered to pay a player to suit up for the team.
The defamation suit against The Michigan Daily seeks $500,000 in general damages and $500,000 in punitive damages and was expected to be filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Kitchener Tuesday, according to a team lawyer.
The story, which was published last week by the University of Michigan student newspaper, alleges, through an unnamed source, that the Rangers offered defenceman Jacob Trouba $200,000 in place of an education package to play in Kitchener. The team and Trouba family both denied the claim.
Trouba’s OHL rights are owned by the Rangers, but the blueliner has committed to the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship for next season. The 18-year-old was selected ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in last month’s NHL draft and is considered one of the top defensive prospects in his age group.
The Rangers formally requested that The Daily retract the story or issue an apology and set a Monday deadline before moving ahead with a lawsuit. As of Tuesday, the story was still on the paper’s website. Staff from the Daily said they could not comment when reached earlier this week.
Trouba has never wavered from his desire to play for the Wolverines and expressed his position to prospective NHL teams before the draft. However, if the blueliner inks a deal with the Jets he will forfeit his right to play in the NCAA as the league does not allow pro players.
Rangers move forward with lawsuit over Trouba report
Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports, Tue, 10 Jul, 2012
The long, bitter and ongoing feud between the Canadian Hockey League and NCAA hockey took an interesting twist when the Kitchener Rangers announced they had made good on a previous threat to sue The Michigan Daily.
According to Kitchener’s chief operating officer Steve Bienkowski, the Ontario Hockey League team has filed a statement of claim in a Kitchener, Ont., court against The Daily – the University of Michigan’s student newspaper – and to reporter Matt Slovin. The issued claim is expected to be served on Wednesday morning.
The lawsuit stems from a report the newspaper published last Tuesday, which quoted an anonymous OHL source, who alleged the Rangers had offered standout defenceman Jacob Trouba, a Wolverines commit, $200,000 in lieu of an education package to play for Kitchener this season. Such a payment would contravene the OHL’s rules in regards to impermissible benefits.
Ryder Gilliland, the lawyer representing the Rangers in their suit, said the team is seeking $1 million in damages – $500,000 in general damages and another $500,000 in punitive damages. Once the official claim is processed, the newspaper and Slovin have 40 days in which to defend that claim because they are located in the United States.
“We’re actually not making any comment at this time,” said Jacob Axelrad, the editor-in-chief of The Daily.
The report, which appeared on the newspaper’s website gained traction on both sides of the border both in print and on the Internet, a fact that Gilliland said played into their suit.
“This story is all over the Internet,” said Gilliland. “It’s a very serious allegation and that’s why the Kitchener Rangers are taking action.”
The Trouba family has since come out publicly to deny the report through the University of Michigan.
“There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have offered Jacob any remuneration,” said the statement in part.
The Kitchener Rangers are community-owned team that has an external accounting firm audit their financial statements each year. Those statements are distributed to their season ticket holders at their annual general meeting.
“The reality is there’s nowhere to hide the kind of money people are accusing us of paying,” said Bienkowski, who is a chartered accountant, last week.
Gilliland said he sent The Michigan Daily a libel notice on behalf of the Rangers on July 3, a day after the story was first published, asking for the story to be removed and a retraction to be published. When that didn’t happen, the Rangers pushed forward with their lawsuit.
Also at issue for the Rangers is the fact that the report of payment was based on an anonymous source, someone allegedly within the OHL.
"When you're dealing with sources one thing you have to be very careful about is relying on a source that has a bone to pick," said Gilliland. "The Kitchener Rangers are very concerned - they don't know who the source is - they're concerned that... this was a source that was deliberately trying to cause harm to the Kitchener Rangers. Again, we don't know if that's the case, but that's a very real concern."
This isn’t the first time allegations of this nature have been leveled at the Rangers or the OHL. In March of 2009, both the Rangers and Windsor Spitfires threatened to sue Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson when he alleged that Kitchener had offered to pay $500,000 to the family of defenceman Cam Fowler to play in the OHL. Fowler later went on to play for the Spitfires and his father, Perry Fowler, denied the report that Kitchener had made such an offer.
Last summer it was Paul Kelly, the then-head of College Hockey Inc., an arm of NCAA hockey, who threw out a figure of $300,000 during an interview in the Boston Globe as a sum allegedly shelled out to players in order to play in the CHL.
None of the claims against CHL teams paying players “under the table” have ever been proven.
CHL president and OHL commissioner Dave Branch said he has been in touch with the Rangers since the Daily story was published and said these kinds of allegations damage the reputation of his league.
“It’s disturbing,” said Branch in a phone interview. “We hope that we can take the necessary steps moving forward that will preclude such proclamations that have no substance, no basis.”
In 2010, the OHL hired retired OPP officer Ken Miller as the league’s enforcement officer to investigate claims made against teams breaking the rules. According to Branch, Miller has not been involved in this case to date.
“This just came to our attention last week,” said Branch. “We have not taken any steps, at this point, to engage our enforcement program into the process.”
U. of Michigan paper faces $1 million defamation suit — in Canada
Judgment may not be enforceable in U.S.
Seth Zweifler, Student Press Law Centre, July 11, 2012
MICHIGAN — A Canadian hockey club filed suit against the University of Michigan’s student newspaper in an Ontario court Tuesday, following a story that alleged the team offered money to a UM-bound player.
An article published last week by Matt Slovin in The Michigan Daily quoted an anonymous Ontario Hockey League source who claimed the Kitchener Rangers offered Jacob Trouba $200,000 to play for the Rangers rather than honor his commitment to the university for the upcoming year.
Had Trouba accepted money as part of a professional deal, it would nullify his NCAA eligibility.
Tuesday’s defamation lawsuit seeks $500,000 in general damages and $500,000 in punitive damages, according to a report in The Waterloo Region Record.
A court spokesman confirmed the suit — Kitchener Rangers Junior A Hockey Club v. The Michigan Daily, Matt Slovin and John Doe — was filed in the Superior Court of Justice in Kitchener. He would not provide a copy of the suit, but said no court dates on the matter have been scheduled.
The Michigan Daily and the Rangers both declined to comment. Ryder Gilliland, who is representing the Rangers, did not respond to multiple requests for comment as of press time.
“When you're dealing with sources, one thing you have to be very careful about is relying on a source that has a bone to pick,” Gilliland told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday. “The Kitchener Rangers are very concerned — they don't know who the source is — they're concerned that ... this was a source that was deliberately trying to cause harm to the Kitchener Rangers. Again, we don't know if that's the case, but that's a very real concern.”
Trouba and his family denied the Daily report in a statement.
“There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have offered Jacob any remuneration,” said the family's statement. “We have the utmost respect for the Kitchener Rangers and those that choose the Canadian Hockey League as an option, but Jacob will be attending the University of Michigan next fall as a student athlete.”
Adam Goldstein, Student Press Law Center attorney advocate, believes the suit does not stand much of a chance of succeeding, given that the defendants are all United States citizens and likely do not have any assets in Canada.
He said that Canadian courts have in recent years increasingly dismissed attempts at “libel tourism” — the practice of pursuing a defamation case in a country like England or Canada, rather than the U.S.
While the standard to win a libel case is more relaxed in Canada — even true statements can be libelous — collecting damages from a U.S. citizen is challenging.
If a Canadian court were to find that the Daily had defamed the Rangers, a U.S. court would have to uphold that judgment for any damages to be collected, Goldstein said.
“Ordinarily speaking, a U.S. court will enforce a foreign judgment if it’s a valid judgment under foreign law, but the one exception comes when the judgment offends the First Amendment,” he said.
That exception was created in 2010, when Congress passed the Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage Act. The SPEECH Act makes foreign libel judgments unenforceable in U.S. courts unless they satisfy First Amendment standards.
Goldstein also pointed out that neither Slovin nor any Daily staff members can be forced to cooperate with Canadian court proceedings.
At this point, the defendants have several options. If they choose to ignore the Rangers’ suit, the hockey team could win by default. And while monetary damages may not be enforceable in the U.S., the defendants could be denied entry into Canada or countries it has treaties with because of the outstanding judgment, Goldstein said.
The Daily could also retain a Canadian lawyer to contest the suit on its behalf.
Detroit-based attorney Herschel Fink, who has consulted with the Daily staff on the suit but is not yet formally representing them, added that the amount requested in damages is “meaningless,” given the differences between the court systems.
Fink declined to comment further on the specifics of the suit, saying he was not yet familiar enough with the Daily’s coverage of the Trouba allegations.
Patrick Sieloff
Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News, 2012-07-14
Situated on the border with Michigan, Windsor has become an NHL prospect factory thanks to an equal development of Canadians, Europeans and Americans. The latest prize comes from the same U.S. national team development program that saw Cam Fowler, Jack Campbell and Kenny Ryan don Spitfires jerseys and proximity certainly mattered for Ann Arbor, Mich. defenseman Pat Sieloff.
“I grew up watching the OHL thanks to Plymouth,” he said. “Windsor, they put guys in the NHL. There isn’t another team I would have gone to in the ‘O.’ ”
Which is probably cold comfort for Miami RedHawks fans. Sieloff was originally slated to go the NCAA route, but with the draft approaching (Calgary selected him with the 42nd pick overall) he changed his mind and signed with Windsor, a team he was pretty familiar with already.
“I love the way they play,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of ‘94s (birth years) and I grew up with a couple of them.”
That cohort included fellow draftees Brady Vail and Ben Johnson, while Sieloff also skates in the summer with Kerby Rychel, a 2013 prospect and son of Windsor co-owner/GM Warren Rychel. For the normally skill-based Spitfires, Sieloff rounds out the lineup for next season.
“He’s a big specimen,” said co-owner/coach Bob Boughner. “His physical presence on the ice is what we need; a shutdown defenseman who is going to be hard on opposing players. I like that he has a defense-first mentality and that you can put him out in any situation.”
Scouts are also high on the youngster’s contributions.
“Not flashy, but has a lot of substance,” said one talent evaluator. “You might not find him in a game, but if you watch for him you don’t lose him. Coaches are really going to like him. Smart and competitive.”
Look for highlights from Sieloff and you won’t find many cannon shots or end-to-end rushes. You will, however, see carnage – whether it’s fearless shot-blocking or blowing up an opponent with a huge open-ice check. No surprise the Michigan native tabbed Red Wings blueliner Niklas Kronwall as an inspiration.
“I love the way he can change the momentum of a game with a hit,” Sieloff said.
Boughner described his latest addition as a character kid and the six-foot, 198-pounder minces no words when it comes to his team’s play. Sieloff won gold at the world under-18s in the Czech Republic with Team USA, a squad made up entirely of NTDPers with the exception of prep schooler Danny O’Regan. But it was a previous bronze medal performance at the Five Nations that set the table.
“In Finland back in February, we were awful,” he said. “We had to make changes and guys had to buy into their roles.”
Sieloff certainly has his role spelled out in Windsor and glory may follow there, too. On a team that attracts high-end imports from Europe and also develops local talent, the Spitfires are well positioned for next season and 2014, when the OHL once again hosts the Memorial Cup. Windsor, after controversially losing out to Mississauga in 2011, would be a perfect host based on its on-ice product and new arena, which opened in 2008. That 2014 squad would hypothetically include Sieloff, Rychel (who led the team in scoring this past year) and recent OHL draft pick Josh Ho-Sang, a dynamic offensive talent that harkens back to the Taylor Hall era in Windsor.
The Spits always score goals; now they have someone to punish those who attempt to light the lamp in the other direction.
Kitchener Rangers’ lawsuit against student newspaper is ‘bullying’: lawyer
Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports, Tue, 17 Jul, 2012
It looks like it’s game on for the lawsuit involving the Kitchener Rangers and The Michigan Daily newspaper.
Herschel Fink, the lawyer representing the University of Michigan student paper and reporter Matt Slovin, confirmed to Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday that his clients had both been served with libel notices.
“It’s really disturbing to me what the Rangers are doing and it’s bullying,” said Fink. “It’s bullying a student newspaper and student journalists who are reporting on a legitimate subject of public interest, particularly in the public interest of those who follow hockey.”
The Rangers are suing The Daily over a story published on July 2 in which Slovin reported – based on an anonymous OHL source – that Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Trouba had been offered $200,000 in lieu of an education package to play in the Ontario Hockey League this season. Such a payment would contravene the OHL’s rules pertaining to impermissible benefits. The Rangers hold the Canadian Hockey League rights to the standout defenceman, though he has been steadfast in his commitment to attend the University of Michigan and play hockey for the Wolverines.
On July 3, the Trouba family issued a statement through the university that began: “There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have offered Jacob any remuneration.”
This case has garnered national attention in both the U.S. and in Canada because of the number of intriguing facets to the case – sports, cross-border law, anonymous sourcing, the rights of journalists, and the ongoing war between the CHL and NCAA hockey.
That feud, said Fink, is what he believes is at the heart of Kitchener’s legal action.
“I think that The Daily and (Slovin) its columnist appear to be really pawns in some ongoing feud … between the Canadian Hockey League and the NCAA,” said Fink. “It’s really, as it occurs to me, nothing more than a PR battle, because I don’t see that the Rangers have anything to gain by proceeding in this case.”
According to Fink, The Daily was served its notice in person on Monday, while Slovin received his notice on Tuesday morning. The lawsuit was filed in a Kitchener court, which means both the paper and Slovin have 40 days from the time they have been served in order to file their statement of defence. The Rangers are seeking $1 million in damages – $500,000 in general damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.
Fink, a former reporter and editor himself, isn’t tipping his hand in terms of how he and his clients intend to proceed.
“There are a number of things we might consider doing in Canada,” said Fink, who worked as the night city editor for The Detroit News while he was going to law school. “I think, first of all, we could appear and oppose jurisdiction and argue that, simply, there is no jurisdiction whatsoever. As part of that we could also argue that the forum (in Kitchener) is inconvenient and ask that it could be dismissed because there is another very convenient forum – those are possibilities that would certainly have to be considered.”
The biggest fight between the two sides looks to be over where the case should be heard. Since the Rangers have filed suit in Canada, Fink is accusing the Rangers of forum shopping, since the libel laws in the U.S. generally tend to favour the defendants. He also notes that because the Rangers do business in the U.S. – particularly in Michigan – where the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit and Plymouth Whalers are located, the case should be heard by the U.S. courts.
“They clearly know where Detroit is and they clearly know the road,” said Fink. “They do business here. There are a lot of interesting possibilities, but I don’t know how far they want to take it.”
But as far as Ryder Gilliland, the lawyer representing the Rangers, is concerned - he believes they’re right to have their case heard in Kitchener.
“We are quite confident that the Ontario court does have jurisdiction given that the subject matter of the article is the Kitchener Rangers,” said Gilliland in an interview last week. “The story even quotes an OHL source, so it’s clearly dealing with Ontario matters and it clearly affects the Kitchener Rangers which are Ontario based.”
No matter where the suit ends up being heard – if it goes that far – one thing is certain: hockey fans, media, and lawyers alike will all be interested to see what happens next in this fascinating case.
“It’s almost a law school exam in international jurisprudence,” said Fink.
Victoria Royals to name Dave Lowry new coach — report
Neate Sager | Buzzing The Net, July 19 2012
With a choice between two coaches who have NHL experience and a major junior track record,, it appears the Victoria Royals will hire the one with more recent success in the latter realm.
It appears the Royals, after speculation on Wednesday that they would hire former Ottawa Senators coach Cory Clouston, are going with former Calgary Flames assistant coach Dave Lowry. Lowry, of course, guided the Calgary Hitmen to a 122-point season and to within one game of the Western Hockey League championship during his lone season with that team in 2009 before going on staff with the Flames.
From Cleve Dheensaw and Mario Annicchiarico:
Lowry did not return calls Wednesday evening but was said to be en route to the B.C. capital.Royals GM Cam Hope interviewed several people for the open head-coaching position, including Lowry and other former WHL coaches Mark Holick, Kris Knoblauch and Cory Clouston.
"I have no comment," said former Brandon Wheat Kings coach Clouston, when reached Wednesday.
In an interview earlier this summer, Lowry expressed qualified interest in the Royals' coaching vacancy. His son and 2011 NHL draft pick, Joel Lowry, played two seasons for the Victoria Grizzlies of the B.C. Hockey League. (Victoria Times-Colonist)
(TSN's Darren Dreger tweeted it while I was in the course of typing this up.)
Many factors surely went into the Royals' pending decision, but it's hard to escape the conclusion there was an immediacy factor regarding Clouston's rough finish in Brandon. The former Sens coach's transition to coaching teenagers was, to put it politely, rather choppy and the Wheat Kings were perceived as an underachieving team after losing 4-0 to eventual WHL champion Edmonton in the second round. Had the Royals hired him, it would have been ironic since Victoria traded its best player, Buffalo Sabres prospect Kevin Sundher, to Brandon last season when it was looking for a shot in the arm.
Lowry, on the other hand, has a good reputation at the junior level after his success with the Hitmen. He also has that aforementioned connection to the city through his son, who plays for the NCAA's Cornell Redmen.
With Victoria naming its new coach today and Brandon promoting Dwayne Gylywoychuk yesterday, every WHL head coaching position is accounted for, barring anyone moving to the NHL or AHL.
Cataractes romp to 6-1 win, eliminate Oil Kings from Memorial Cup
Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press, May 24 2012
SHAWINIGAN, Que. - The Shawinigan Cataractes got goals from six different players as they coasted to a 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings in the tiebreaker game Thursday night at the Mastercard Memorial Cup.
The win put host Shawinigan (2-2) into the semifinal on Friday night against the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Saint John Sea Dogs (2-1). It will be the Cataractes' third game in as many nights.
The winner advances to the final Sunday night against the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights (2-1).
The Oil Kings (1-3), never found their stride after beating Shawinigan 4-3 in the tournament opener. The last Western Hockey League club to be the tournament's first casualty was Kelowna in 2005.
Yannick Veilleux, Morgan Ellis, Anton Zlobin, Kirill Kabanov, Michael Bournival and Pierre-Olivier Morin scored for the Cataractes, while Brandon Gormley and Michael Chaput each had two assists.
Henrik Samuelsson replied for the Oil Kings, who were outshot 31-30.
Shawinigan was coming off a 4-1 loss on Wednesday night to Saint John, the QMJHL powerhouse that is seeking a second straight Memorial Cup title.
Nerves were evident for both teams in the opening minutes until Veilleux opened the scoring at 7:30, tipping in a Gormley point shot after some good work from Kabanov.
Ellis was in the left circle to one-time a Gormley pass in during a power play at 17:01.
The Cataractes scored on their first shot of the middle period as Zlobin one-timed a back pass from Chaput past Laurent Brossoit at 1:54.
Proof that everything was going Shawinigan's way came when Kabanov's shot went off Brossoit, rebounded off the end glass, hit the goaltender again and rolled into the net at 2:59.
Bournival added a power play goal at 8:11 and it went from bad to worse for Edmonton when Morin picked off a pass and scored on a short-handed breakaway for a 6-0 lead at 13:59.
Edmonton finally got one with Shawinigan on a line change as Stephane Legault sent Samuelsson in on a breakaway to beat Gabriel Girard.
The Oil Kings, a young team that will have most of its top players back next season, arrived in Shawinigan only a few days after beating Portland in seven games in the WHL final. They never seemed to find their legs in Energy City, Shawinigan's nickname because of its hydro power plant.
The Cataractes were knocked out in the second round of the QMJHL playoffs and had a 31-day break before the Memorial Cup.
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