Red Fisher: Jean Béliveau has "always been in a class by himself"

Ailing Jean Beliveau won the love and respect of Canadiens fans, teammates and opponents with his magical play and charitable work off the ice. He never forced himself on anyone, but everyone knew he was always there to help

By Red Fisher, The Gazette, February 29, 2012


MONTREAL - The golden years have not been kind to the legendary Jean Béliveau, who is undergoing “active investigation and treatments” at the Montreal General Hospital after suffering a stroke on Monday night.

Béliveau has been struck with an alarming number of health issues since retiring as a player following the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup victory in 1970-71.

There were cardiac problems in the mid-1990s. And in 2000, all of us were saddened to learn he would start radiation treatments for a malignant tumour doctors had discovered in his neck. This man, loved and admired by so many, who won so many battles on the ice in his 18-season career, took on his biggest one with greater resolve and courage than any game he ever played.

“I rely totally on the expertise of my doctors,” he wrote in a statement. “I intend to follow their instructions and recommendations to the letter. I feel good and I fully intend on winning this next battle.”

He won it, against all odds. He handled the radiation, although for a long while, he lost his sense of taste. He carried a bottle of spring water with him all day to ease the terrible discomfort of dry mouth, a condition that still exists. However, all through it he was still the smiling giant of a man, available to people of all ages and languages and colours.

His ability to charm others has never left him through good and bad times, because he is, after all, Jean Béliveau.

In June of last year, he underwent a preventive surgical procedure to repair abdominal aneurysms and required several months to recover.

Last week, he entered hospital with a severe nosebleed that finally was corrected after three days of treatment. Now this.

“He’s been going through a lot,” former teammate Dickie Moore was saying on Tuesday.

“It’s so sad. After all of the things he’s done over the years, after all of the charity affairs he’s attended … the money he’s raised for kids, Jean should be enjoying life,” Moore said of Béliveau, who celebrated his 80th birthday last August.

Béliveau and Moore were fierce rivals in junior hockey, but have been the closest of friends since their Canadiens days.

“When you talk about the great players, the superstars who’ve played for the Canadiens,” Moore said, “he’s right up there with the very best. As an individual, he’s always been in a class by himself. As an individual, on and off the ice, nobody comes close.”

Everyone who was there will never forget the night Béliveau was the guest of honour at a Bell Centre black-tie affair where $1 million was raised for six institutions: The Montreal Children’s Hospital, Ste. Justine Hospital, the Society for Handicapped Children, the Shriners and children’s hospitals in Quebec and Sherbrooke.

All of it for the kids.

Numbers and individual achievements don’t begin to describe what Béliveau has meant to the Canadiens organization, to people everywhere. Eighteen seasons with the Canadiens, his last 10 as captain; 10 Stanley Cups; two Hart trophies, one Conn Smythe; 507 goals and 712 assists in 1,125 games; 176 points in 162 playoff games. Stunning numbers, but they pale in comparison alongside the love and respect other players, old and new, and the people … his people … have for him and he for them.

“You know, when people are good, it makes me feel good to give back,” he would tell you. “People always have been good to me.”

This good man has been special in so many ways. Everything that is Béliveau comes from within. He truly cares about people, and that care always has been returned to him by people in all walks of life.

The same applies to the players he faced during his career. Opponents always played hard against him, but their respect for him and he for them was always there – and remains so to this day.

The same applies for hockey people at every level. Who but Béliveau could have been named captain of Team Canada at the Vancouver Olympics? A health issue prevented him from attending the Games, but eventually he was presented with the same ring players received for winning the gold at a sold-out charity dinner in Montreal

Béliveau, the player, was more than a captain: he was a father figure in many ways. If a player had a problem on the ice, Béliveau was only a stick-length away. If there were personal problems that needed attention, he was available. He never forced himself on anyone, but everyone knew he was there.

He was, in every way, a one-of-a-kind player, matched only by his grace and quality as human being.

Pray for him.

The first black player's big secret
Boston's barrier breaker: Willie O'Ree, shown in this 1960 photo, became the first black man to play in the NHL on Jan. 18, 1958.

Luke Fox, Sportsnet.ca, February 29, 2012


Almost all of the black players to ever wear an official NHL sweater have sought him out.

Mike Marson, only the second black player in NHL history, joined the Washington Capitals in 1974, a long 16 years after the colour barrier had been trampled. He wanted to talk to Mr. O’Ree.

Bill Riley, the NHL’s third black player, wanted to meet him as well.

So too did Herb Carnegie, a black Torontonian who believed racism kept him out of the game’s ultimate league in his prime, the 1940s and ’50s. Herbie and his brother Ossie and Manny MacIntyre formed hockey’s first all-black line as the starting forwards for the Quebec Provincial Hockey League’s St. Francois. Mr. O’Ree still chats from time to time with the Carnegie brothers.

Journeyman Tony McKegney, who played 13 seasons for seven NHL clubs after entering the league in 1978, wanted to speak to Mr. O’Ree. Grant Fuhr, Jarome Iginla, Wayne Simmonds... Mr. O’Ree, now 76 years old, is happy to talk to them all.

But what is there to say to the first black man to skate on National Hockey League ice, on Jan. 18, 1958? To the man who didn’t just smash through the game’s colour barrier but continues to stomp all over the rubble and grind it into a fine dust?

“All they can say is, ‘I can’t imagine what you went through to bust the doors and break down the barriers to make it possible for players like myself,’ ” Mr. O’Ree says.

If you think this is a story about a black Canadian, since dubbed the “Jackie Robinson of Ice Hockey” and awarded the Order of Canada, enduring hateful epithets and a few hundred extra hacks, then you are only 10 per cent correct.

For the most remarkable thing about Willie Eldon O’Ree is not that he made the cut in an all-white sport while he happened to be black. It’s not even that he made the NHL when there were only six teams and roster spots were five times harder to come by. It is that he made the NHL, and then flourished as a professional hockey player deep into his 40s, as a man half-blind.

We spoke at length with Mr. O’Ree from Buffalo, where he was continuing his new mission: encouraging boys and girls from diverse backgrounds to lace up skates and pick up the game of hockey.

Do people have any clue what it was like for you in January of 1958 when you became the NHL’s first black player?

You can Google me and find out a lot about me. But what they don’t know is, I lost my right eye when I was struck with a puck. I lost sight in my right eye, and the doctor told me that I would be blind in my right eye and never play hockey again. When I got out of the hospital, I told myself, I just can’t accept the fact that this doctor is telling me I’ll never play hockey again. He doesn’t know the burning desire I have within myself, and the goals and dreams that I’ve set for myself of not only playing professional hockey but making it into the National Hockey League. So I started playing again.

I went to the (Quebec Senior Hockey League’s) Quebec Aces’ training camp after playing my last year of junior. Up in Quebec, Punch Imlach was the coach and general manager. I made the team, but I didn’t disclose the fact that I couldn’t see out of my right eye. I was a left-hand shot playing left wing, so to compensate I had to turn my head all the way around to my right shoulder to pick the puck and the play up. I played for the Aces the next year, and then the Bruins invited me to their training camp in (1957). I went to their training camp, then came back and started playing for the Quebec Aces, and the Bruins said, “We want O’Ree to meet us in Montreal and play two games, on Jan. 18, which was a Saturday in 1958, and then in Boston on the Sunday.” I played the two games, then went back to my parent club, the Aces, and finished out the season. I went to the Bruins’ training camp again the next year and was called up again in 1960-61 and played 45 games with the Bruins.

A lot of people don’t realize, in the 21 years I played pro, I played with one eye.

How do you keep blindness a secret?

When I went to training camp and made the team, I told myself, “If I can make the team with one eye, don’t tell them.” Back then you needed a certain percentage of vision in each eye (to be allowed to play). If it gets out that I’m blind in my right eye, I probably won’t be allowed to play pro, and definitely won’t be allowed to play in the National Hockey League. I never took an eye exam in all the 21 years I played. I never sat in front of an eye machine. I don’t know why back then they didn’t make me. It’s different now. Back then, they were more concerned with your physical condition, and I always kept myself in good shape. I worked out in the gym and played some baseball. And by the time I was ready to return to training camp I was two pounds away from my playing weight. I kept my fingers crossed all those years hoping that nobody would find out. I just played and eventually forgot about it.

I was traded to the Los Angeles Blades of the Western professional Hockey League in 1961. Alfie Pike was the coach when I was out there. When I went to training camp, Alfie said, “Willie, have you ever played right wing?” I said, “No, Alfie, I’ve played left wing my whole career, being a left-hand shot.” He says, “Well, I’ve got about seven left-wingers here. Why don’t you give it a try? We could use your speed on the right side.” So now I switch over to my right, the boards are on my right, and I don’t have to turn around and look over my shoulder. The only disadvantage was taking passes on my backhand, but after three or four games, I fell right into it. I played the last 12 years of my career on the right side, and I won the Western scoring race in 1965, in ’69, and was voted onto four all-star teams due to the fact I switched over.

Do you let yourself wonder how successful you would’ve been in the NHL if you had perfect vision? Or if you had made the switch to right wing earlier?

That’s the thing right there. I don’t know if they found out that I had an impairment. After I left the Bruins, the coach and general manager, Lynn Patrick, said, “Willie, go home and have a good summer. We look forward to you coming back to the Bruins.” So I go home and tell my mom and dad and all my friends that I’m coming back to training camp.

I was home about six weeks, I’m in my living room at my mom’s place, and the phone rings. My mom says, “It’s a sportswriter. He wants to talk to you.”

I pick up the phone, and he says, “Willie, what do you think about the trade?”

I said, “What trade are you referring to?”

He says, “You’ve been traded to the Montreal Canadiens.”

I say, “I have?”

He says, “Yeah, what do you think?”

I said, “Well, I’ll probably be playing on their farm team.”

I never found out why I got traded, and I never asked.

How’s your sight now?

Oh, I’m blind. I’ve been blind from the day the puck hit me. Later I had my eye removed, it was paining me so much. I went to the doctors, and they X-rayed it and said, “We could inject a solution that will alleviate some of the pain, or we can remove your eye and you’ll have no pain.” So I had my eye removed and I wear a special prosthesis; it’s like a contact lens that I need to clean every now and then.

Obviously it was a different era, but when you were hit in the eye, did anyone even mention the need for face protection?

Nobody wore any helmets. The goalies didn’t wear masks. Face guards weren’t even invented until the ’70s. The goalies were getting hit with sticks and pucks in the face, and you tried to protect yourself by keeping an eye on the puck. What happened to me was, a slap shot from the point came when I was in front of the net. A defenceman cross-checked me in the back and swung me around. I turned around to see where the puck was, and it ricocheted off a stick and struck me in the eye.

Let’s go to the beginning. What was it like growing up as a kid in Fredericton, New Brunswick?

Great! Being the youngest of 13 children, I had a good childhood. My parents were very strict about me staying in school and getting an education. I played about nine different sports growing up, but I always had to keep my grades up. I played up through the ranks (in several sports) until I was 14, when I decided I wanted to be a professional hockey player.

My older brother was also my friend and my mentor, and he taught me a lot of things I should know if I wanted to choose hockey as a career: “You’ll have problems with other people because of your race. You’ll be called names. Don’t let that interfere with what you really want to accomplish. If you stay focused on playing to the best of your ability and representing your hockey club, the other stuff will fall by the wayside.”

That’s what I put in my mind, and I just kept focused and worked hard. And every time I went to camp I said, “If they’re going to keep 20 players on their roster, I’m going to be one of the 20 no matter what I have to do. If I have to fight, if I have to score, if I have to skate faster…” In all the training camps I went to, I made the team. Later, I got traded. I was afraid to fail. I was afraid to go away to a training camp and not make it and come home and face my parents and say, “I wasn’t good enough to make the team.” That would be devastating. I played afraid.

Was your brother able to see you play in the NHL?

Oh, yeah. My family came to Montreal and Toronto, because those were the two closest cities. They watched me play. They came to Montreal and saw my first game, and then to Boston to see me on the Sunday. My mom and dad supported me. They didn’t have to push me because I did all the pushing, but they were always there when I needed them.

When did you realize that there were no black players in the league?

I knew it when I was in junior. When I went to Quebec the first year, Phil Watson was the coach. He had played earlier with the New York Rangers in the ’40s. He said, “Willie, you know, there are no black players in the NHL. You could be the first. You have the skills, you have the ability. All you have to do is work hard.” It went in one ear and out the other, because I just wanted to do a good job in junior.

When I was second year I went to Kitchener and Jack Stewart told me the same thing: “Willie, you have the skills to break the colour barrier.” When I turned pro with the Quebec Aces, Punch Imlach and Joe Crozier told me the same thing. It started to register with me. We won the Duke of Edinburgh Trophy, which was like our Stanley Cup at that time. That gave me the extra confidence I needed.

How aware were the fans on Jan. 18, 1958 that the colour barrier was being broken?

I don’t know if they were or not. I was no stranger to the Montreal fans. I had played against the Montreal Canadiens in exhibition games, and I played against the Montreal Junior Canadiens and the Montreal Royals. So when I stepped on the ice on Jan. 18, 1958, I saw people pointing at me, saying, “There’s that black kid. He’s up with the Bruins now.” There was nothing said about breaking the colour barrier. It didn’t register with me until I read it in the paper the next morning. Then when I was called back up in 1960-61, the media said, “That’s Willie O’Ree. He’s the Jackie Robinson of hockey.”

Where did the majority of hate and ignorance come from?

Players and fans, especially when I came to the States. There were only six teams when I was playing. I noticed the racial slurs and remarks in Detroit and especially Chicago. But it really didn’t bother me. I just wanted to play hockey, and if they couldn’t accept me for the individual that I am… because I had the skills to play in the league. I fought a lot when I first started, not because I wanted to but because I had to. Guys wanted to see what I was made of. I’d drop the gloves. I said, “If I’m gonna leave the league, it’ll be because I don’t have the talent.” It got a little easier as time went on, but I stayed focused on playing the best hockey I could. Soon I gained the respect of not only the players on the opposition but the fans in the stands. I’ve had racial slurs directed at me at airports and restaurants, so it goes in one ear and out the other.

How old were you when you stopped playing profesionally?

Forty-five. I injured a couple of ribs and decided to pack it in. I enjoyed the 21 years I played (pro), met a lot of great guys. The guys I played against in the NHL were great players, and I thank the Boston organization for thinking enough of me to call me up and making me part of their team.

What happened to you after you stopped playing pro?

I retired in 1980, my last year of pro, and then I had several jobs, but I wanted to get back into hockey in some capacity. I had something to give back to the sport that the sport gave to me. I wrote letters and had doors open and close. I had numerous jobs. I worked for a private security company for 18 years. And if you’ve ever been to San Diego, there’s a historical hotel in Coronado called Hotel Del: I got into security over there.

I worked there for five years, and then Brian McBride, who was the newly appointed vice president of the (NHL’s) diversity program, found out I was in San Diego, and Brian said, “Mr. O’Ree, would you like to be an ambassador and encourage boys and girls to play hockey?”

They laid a plan out, and I looked at it. The first thing I said was, “Are we looking at a long-range program? Is this something that’ll still be going in 20 or 30 years? Because I don’t want to involve myself with something that goes for a couple years and fizzles out.”

Brain McBride says, “No. I’m 100 per cent for it, and commissioner Bettman is 100 per cent for it.”

I said, “I’m in.”

When you hear of incidents such as the fan in London, Ont., throwing a banana at the Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds last fall, what runs through your mind?

Ignorance, that’s all it is. This guy who threw the banana, put yourself in Wayne Simmonds’ shoes: How would he like it, the reception that he gave? It’s just ignorance. The guy brought the banana in for one purpose only; they don’t sell bananas in the stadium. (Editor's note: The man who threw the banana said he did buy it from a stand in the John Labatt Centre.) He brought it in to throw it on the ice and discredit the player. Things like that, they happen but you wonder why they happen. We just need to keep working together, and hopefully down the road there will be no more racial remarks and slurs directed towards these players.

Most of your recognition has come in the last decade: the Order of Canada, the Fredericton arena named after you, the Lester Patrick Award. Why the delay to recognize your accomplishments?

They say things happen for a reason. I have to credit commissioner Bettman for appointing me to the diversity program. A lot of this recognition has come in the past five to eight years. I don’t know why the reason. The type of individual that I am, I just wanted to give back and let these boys and girls know there is another sport they can play if they want to. Some of them have never had a chance to skate, let alone play hockey.

Once I get these kids on the ice, I’ve never had one boy or girl tell me, “Mr. O’Ree, I don’t like this. I’m not coming back.” Ninety per cent of the job is just getting them on the ice and letting them know that it’s a fun sport. Like yourself, feel good about yourself. If you like yourself and feel good about yourself, people will like you. If you have a negative attitude, what do you expect from other people? The one expression I use is, “If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right.” You have to believe in yourself and set goals for yourself and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t attain your goals.

When the doctor told me I’d never play hockey again, I couldn’t accept that. He was a fine physician, but he didn’t know the burning desire in my gut. I went out and played hockey regardless, to prove this gentleman wrong. And I forgot about the impairment that I had. People said it’s impossible to play hockey, with its speed and sticks flying, when you’re blind. Well, you can do the impossible if you feel it within yourself. I’m a strong believer in that.

I’ve been blessed. My dad said, “Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” There’s truth to that. It doesn’t seem like a job when you can go out and put a smile on a boy or girl’s face. It’s very rewarding.

Is the NHL doing enough to encourage diversity?

Oh, yeah. There’s more rinks all over now. Hockey’s a very unique sport. You can go to any type of hall or court and throw a baseball, dribble a basketball or hit a tennis ball. In order to play hockey, you need to get on the ice. You could start with an in-line skate program, but you really need to get on the ice. There’s no other way. Now these kids have that opportunity.

Is there a piece of memorabilia that you hold dear?

When I left the Bruins I would’ve taken my jersey with me had I have known I wasn’t coming back. But there are some early hockey cards out. I have a couple cards that have part of a hockey stick that I played with inserted in the hockey card. Then I have some pictures of some of the guys I played with and a picture of the old Boston Gardens. I get back about four times a year and go to the Alumni Room and see some of the guys I played with. Some are still there. It’s a nice feeling.

Why aren’t you in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

[Laughs] I only played in the NHL 45 games. If I get into the Hall of Fame, it’s going to be for the work I’m doing now. A lot of people tell me, “You should be in the Hall of Fame. You broke the colour barrier!” Yeah, but I only played 45 games; the guys that are in there played in the NHL for years and established themselves. But I’m hoping one day I get in.

Describe your day-to-day role with "Hockey Is for Everyone."

Back in 1998, the NHL all-star game was in Vancouver, Canada. It just happened to fall on my anniversary (of breaking the colour barrier) of Jan. 18. Commissioner Bettman appointed me the director of the NHL’s diversity program as an ambassador to make it possible for more boys and girls to play hockey. At that point, there were about four or five programs; we have 34 now. My duties are to travel around to the different programs and help these kids on and off the ice, develop their hockey skills and life skills. The logo “Hockey Is for Everyone” is exactly what that means -- we won’t turn any boy or girl away. We’ll make it feasible for these boys and girls to play, and if they come and don’t like it, they can just walk away. It won’t cost them anything. Since my involvement over the past 14 years, I’ve seen a big increase in the number of boys and girls who want to play the game.

In those 14 years, are there examples of children you’ve seen grow up through the program?

There’s several. One is Gerald Coleman. He was with the program in Chicago called PUCK, Positive Uplifting of Chicago Kids. I met Gerald when he was 13, just a skinny little black kid. He came through the program, wanted to be a goaltender. Everybody tried to talk him out of it: “No, Gerald. You’ll be turned down because of your colour.”

“I don’t care,” he said. “I’m going to be a goalie, and I’m going to play in the National Hockey League.”

Well, four years ago he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, played (two games) in the NHL. I think he’s in the minors now, but he’ll definitely be back. (Coleman currently plays with AHL’s Lake Eerie Monsters.) And there’s two or three other kids who are in college playing now. A lot of these kids come through the program, then come back to help out.

Before we finish, tell me about meeting Jackie Robinson.

I met him on two occasions. I met him in 1949. I was playing baseball in my hometown, and the reward was my team was taken to New York to see the Empire State Building and Radio City Music Hall and Coney Island and all the tourist attractions. He was playing with the Dodgers; I met him after a game. I told him, “Yeah, I play hockey too, Mr. Robinson.” He didn’t know there were any black kids playing, but he said, “Whatever sport you choose, work hard and do your very best. Things will work out for you.”

And when I was traded to the Los Angeles Blades in 1961, in 1962 the NAACP held a luncheon in Mr. Robinson’s honour. I made a case to the Blades to go. Mr. Robinson was over in the corner talking to a couple of media people. After they cleared out, we went over.

The coach of our team said, “Mr. Robinson, I’d like you to meet one of our star hockey players. This is Willie O’Ree.”

Mr. Robinson looked at me for a couple of seconds. Then he said, “Oh, yeah, you’re that young fellow I met in Brooklyn.”

So from 1949 to 1962, he remembered.

-----

My dad played with Willie in Spain in the late 1970's(?); many years after Willie 'retired' from playing pro. He said he was an incredible man and was still in unreal shape for his age and a heck of a hockey player. I wished I would have had a chance to see that.

Unlike father Warren, Spitfires’ Kerby Rychel looks to be a sure bet for NHL draft

Sean FitzGerald, National Post, Mar 2, 2012


WINDSOR — Stan Rychel can remember feeling uncomfortably warm in the big room, but suspects it was probably just the tension. His son dreamed of hearing his name called at the National Hockey League’s amateur draft, but one by one, hour after hour, teenagers sitting behind, in front and beside them were invited to the floor, and the air grew stale.

It was June 15, 1985, and they had driven into Toronto from the family home in Windsor, where Warren Rychel would borrow his father’s lawnmower to cut the grass at one local arena just so he could get one more hour of ice time. Along with Warren’s mother, the two were in the audience as the NHL’s 21 teams began calling out 252 names.

“It was hard,” Stan said. “It was probably harder for us than maybe it was for him.”

Wendel Clark went first. Craig Simpson went second. Wayne Gretzky’s little brother was called late in the third round. Warren Rychel, a hard-working winger with more ambition than natural ability, was never called, leaving his seat only when it was time to climb into the car for the long tearful drive home.

“It’s an experience,” Stan said. “I don’t think I’d want to go through it too often.”

But he will have to, at least one more time.

Warren Rychel eventually landed regular work in the NHL after fighting his way through the now-defunct International Hockey League — and fighting is the proper term, with the 938 penalty minutes he earned in one three-season stretch — and has become part owner and general manager of the Windsor Spitfires. The Ontario Hockey League team won back-to-back Memorial Cup titles under his ownership group, and even though it is rebuilding this year, the team has been making a run at a playoff spot with a player whose name could be called early in the 2013 NHL draft.

Kerby Rychel, Warren’s eldest son, is the team’s leading goal-scorer.

“He’s got way more skill than I did,” Warren said. “But his work ethic, I don’t think, at this age, that anybody matches it. He really wants it.”

Kerby was born nine years after his father first went undrafted, on Oct. 7, 1994, the week the NHL locked out its players. Warren had landed work with the Los Angeles Kings and was one season removed from appearing in a Stanley Cup final. Gretzky was the star, and Keith Gretzky, that third-round pick in 1985, played through his final season in professional hockey, in a minor league that no longer exists.

Kerby Rychel scored 36 goals in 60 games heading into play Thursday. His father scored 47 goals over his entire three-year OHL career.

“He’s a good package of NHL potential,” said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. “So when you look at the OHL, he’s going to be one of the guys that you’re going to say, ‘he has first-round potential.’”

He is being projected as a power forward. Kerby has his father’s frame, at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, but has better hands and vision. He has a knack for scoring, beating the highly ranked London Knights for three goals in a game last month, and he also has a knack for violence, getting thrown out of a game last weekend for hitting from behind.

“I’ve talked to a few NHL scouts, friends of mine, who said if he was in the draft this year, he’d be considered a first-round pick,” Spitfires coach Bob Boughner said. “That’s a pretty big statement for a kid this age.”

Boughner, who is also president and part owner of the team, has known Kerby since he was a baby. Many of the people around the team have known him for that long, in no small part because Rychels and Boughners seem to be everywhere around the arena in Windsor.

Stan Rychel works in the pro shop with Boughner’s father. Kerby’s grandmother helps to prepare meals in the arena on game days, and his little brother, Maddux, has a seat next to their father during home games. They both watched in silence as Kerby was ejected last Sunday afternoon, opening a small hole in the broad tapestry of profanity that Warren had been weaving during a critical game in the schedule.

The Spitfires have become a factory for NHL talent over the last six seasons. Edmonton Oilers winger Taylor Hall was a key member of Windsor’s back-to-back Memorial Cup championships, along with Nashville Predators defenceman Ryan Ellis and New Jersey Devils centre Adam Henrique, who led the NHL in rookie scoring heading into Thursday night’s games.

Their accomplishments have been framed and put on display in a wood-panelled hall that leads into the team’s dressing room.

What Rychel and Boughner have developed is junior hockey only in name. Players have their own lounge, a fully equipped gym and a flat-screen television hung on the wall of their dressing room, with spacious wooden stalls that are almost identical to ones used by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“It’d definitely be a special moment for me and my family if I were to get selected,” Kerby said. “I worked really hard, all the way up, and it’d be an honour to get drafted.”

His grandfather did not even learn to skate until he was 12 years old. Stan Rychel was born in Poland, moved to Canada when he was 10, and is almost certain the first pair of skates he ever wore were a donated pair of men’s figure skates.

He has already been through the draft as a father, and as the patriarch of a group that lists hockey as a family business, he sounds like a man trying not to get too excited about going through the whole process again as a grandfather.

“Anything can happen — he can get hurt, this may be a fluke year and next year could be a different story — but with Kerby’s work ethic, I could see him being drafted,” he said. “It’s a dream.”

Bettman talks Quebec, Coyotes: Relocating franchises a last resort

By REJEAN TREMBLAY, QMI Agency, March 2 2012


No easy road to top for Bettman

NEW YORK - When you enter the building at 1251 Avenue of the Americas, you are initially held up for a good 10 minutes by security. It is also located at the heart of Manhattan, three minutes from Times Square.

The offices of the National Hockey League are on the 15th floor. Hypermodern, in steel-grey tones, the meeting rooms line the way as you approach the office of Gary Bettman. A huge space, where many objects and photos remind you that you have indeed stepped into the office of the NHL commissioner. It's a work area, not overly luxurious.

Today, Gary Bettman receives visitors in a shirt and tie.

Half an hour later, the conversation is very animated. We have already spoken of the league's successes despite a difficult economy in the United States and started in on the situation of the Phoenix Coyotes.

The commissioner understands what's going on in Quebec: "I am aware of the new TVA Sports network. I am aware of the efforts of Pierre Karl Peladeau. I am informed of what is going on in my world. I also know that the economic power of Quebec City is much bigger than it was. The studies that I have read have kept me informed. And I know the mayor of Quebec, Mr. (Regis) Labeaume, and I know that he is certainly a determined and opinionated man. But I also know that the people of Quebec are lucky to have a mayor like that," Bettman said.

But every time he seems to open a door, he always adds, and sometimes repeats a dozen times in a louder voice: "If ... if ... if ... if ... if ..."

In other words, if one day a team can be moved, he will let us know.

Expansion is never talked about, but wouldn't that be logical?

"We aren't talking expansion because we are not planning an expansion," Bettman said. "We are comfortable with 30 teams. We are continually receiving requests for information or signs of interest. We have received interest from Quebec, Seattle, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Southern Ontario, from Saskatoon, even Halifax. I always give the same answer.

"We don't like moving teams and, currently, there are no teams available. Maybe one day the circumstances will allow for one but for now, there is nothing available."

When he says this, Bettman's voice is unequivocal. However, he will take the time to explain to what point the league feels responsible towards fans of the teams.

He says -- and repeats -- that the league will work to the limit to protect the Phoenix fans or any other affected team.

"As we speak (last Thursday) we have been working with three groups to save the Coyotes," he said. "We are going to the limit. In the past, when we moved the Nordiques and the Jets, there was a reason. We had no owner ready to continue operations in those cities. Despite our efforts, we couldn't find one. That's what happened in Atlanta. The team became available for Winnipeg the day where it was certain that it was impossible to find an owner for Atlanta.

"The rule is that when we are in a city, we stay in the city and we do everything we can to make it work where it is. We don't want fans to worry. We have a commitment to them."

Seattle, Kansas City, Quebec? Bettman shrugs his shoulders. He repeats that as long as things aren't finished in Phoenix, there will be no option of a move.

Which doesn't stop him from preparing everything discreetly. For example, he knows Peladeau is interested in bringing an NHL team to Quebec.

"I met Pierre Karl a few times. At least two or three times. I know very well of his interest and his passion for hockey and to bring a team to Quebec. I also know his sophisticated business sense and I am aware that he brings an extraordinary environment along with him.

"If ... if ... if ... if ... a franchise was available, there would be three factors to consider. One, the owner. Two, the arena. And three, the market. That is how we must analyze the demands and make a decision."

But all the cities will have a new arena, so that's no longer a determining factor.

"It's a base condition," Bettman said. "I already said it. In fact, what weighs most in the decision is the new owner. Because we invite them to become one of the 30 owners in the NHL. He is invited to sit with the others at the big table. He becomes one of ours. As for the market, it might already be established or still needing development. But it goes without saying that we have never once doubted the passion and love of our fans in Quebec."

There has to be a deadline to get the Phoenix situation resolved but Bettman won't confirm it.

"I don't know. All I know is that we are working to save the Coyotes," he said. "And I should also say that there is no list of favourite cities in case of a move. There is no conspiracy. Look on the walls, do you see a list of cities? If you want, go look in the files on my desk, you won't find a list. For the simple reason that there is no team available. But when something moves, it is clear that these ones are ready to move forward.

"When we had to leave Atlanta, Mark Chipman and David Thomson were ready. They had made me aware of their intentions for a few years already. As did Pierre Karl Peladeau. But I'm not saying Quebec is ahead, I'm saying that I haven't yet thought about what we would do if...if...if...if it wasn't working in Phoenix."

Meanwhile, the commissioner made another point. Referencing the fans of Winnipeg and Quebec, he noted: "I understand that we had to leave a city like Quebec for economic reasons at a certain time. I think that you have to consider that these fans that had their team taken away because of a decision to move. If you went somewhere else and have a chance to come back, you have to keep it in mind."

And contrary to public opinion, Bettman doesn't consider himself biased towards the United States: "I am perfectly aware of the passion and power of hockey in Canada. And the economy in Canada is strong. It's a country that has been extraordinarily well directed for many years. It shows today. With the Canadian dollar at par, that weighs heavily."

My feeling after speaking with the commissioner and a few of his lieutenants? If the Phoenix Coyotes have to leave in the spring, they will end up in Quebec. Even the people in his office are dreaming about it.

Canadiens icon Jean Béliveau progressing well after stroke

CBC Sports, Mar 2, 2012


Montreal Canadiens icon Jean Béliveau is making encouraging progress since suffering a stroke Monday evening, according to his wife.

Élise Béliveau told the Montreal Gazette on Thursday that her 80-year-old Hall of Fame husband is speaking and laughing and has regained some of his strength as he goes through more tests.

He remains closely monitored by specialists.

The Canadiens announced Tuesday that Béliveau was admitted to Montreal General Hospital after a stroke a day earlier. He was a patient at the same hospital in June for endovascular surgery to repair abdominal aneurysms.

The former Canadiens great, who won 10 Stanley Cups during his Hall of Fame career, has endured a number of health problems.

Since the 1990s, Béliveau has been in and out of hospital on several occasions. A cancerous tumour was removed from his neck in 2000, and he underwent 35 chemotherapy treatments for a malignant throat tumor. The cancer remains in remission. He also had a stroke in January 2010. Prior to that, it was mostly his heart that was the concern.

Béliveau played his entire 20-year career with the Canadiens and is second on the team’s all-time list in points (1,219) and assists (712) and is third in goals (507).

He capped his brilliant time in Montreal with an unexpected Stanley Cup title in 1971 after the Canadiens upended the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games.

Élise Béliveau expressed gratitude in the Gazette interview for the overwhelming concern and affection shown to her husband and family from around the world.

Leafs fire head coach Ron Wilson, replace him with Randy Carlyle

Eric Duhatschek AND Sean Gordon, Globe and Mail, Mar. 02, 2012


At around noon on Friday, Ron Wilson was in his familiar track suit, running a brisk practice, putting the fast-fading Toronto Maple Leafs through their paces in suburban Montreal.

Afterward, he held forth for the cameras in a spartan dressing room typically populated by recreational hockey players.

Asked whether he was concerned over the mounting speculation he might soon be relieved of his duties, Wilson calmly said: “The talk in town doesn’t really matter.”

Within a few hours, he was the Leafs’ former coach.

On the heels of a miserable 1-9-1 slide that has seen Toronto tumble out of the playoff picture, the Leafs brain trust has evidently decided a change was in order.

And so they now turn to former Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, another head man who also suddenly found himself without a mount on the NHL’s coaching carousel earlier this season.

The no-nonsense Carlyle, who just wrapped up a trip scouting Eastern Conference teams for Anaheim, is expected to be behind the Maple Leafs bench when they play the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, in what has to count as a pivotal game.

The 55-year-old former Winnipeg Jets standout spent more than six seasons as Ducks boss, and has previously worked for Leafs general manager Brian Burke, who hired the former Norris Trophy winner when he ran the Anaheim franchise. The pair won a Stanley Cup in 2007.

In a 2007 interview discussing his coaching philosophy, Carlyle said that while he never imagined that he would ever become an NHL coach, he hasn’t forgotten what was important to him as a player.

“I don’t spend a heck of a lot of time in the dressing room,” said Carlyle, a defensive-minded coach and a notorious taskmaster. “I think that’s the players’ area. As a player, I didn’t want our coach always in the dressing room, so I don’t go into the dressing room very often. I go in, deliver whatever I have to do, and come out.”

The decision to fire Wilson will have been a traumatic one for Burke, he and Wilson have known since their university days at Providence College and are close friends – as such Burke will be able to commiserate with Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier on Saturday. Gauthier made a similarly painful move in December, firing long-time pal Jacques Martin.

Burke was steadfast in his support for Wilson last week when disgruntled fans in the Air Canada Centre voiced their displeasure with lusty chants of “Fi-re, Wil-son!”

But ultimately the team’s disconcerting slide made considerations of loyalty and friendship moot.

“This was not an easy decision for me to make,” said Burke, who thanked Wilson “for all of his hard work and dedication to our organization over the past four seasons.”

Earlier Friday, Wilson’s former players said the coach wasn’t to blame for the team’s current wretchedness.

“There’s only so much the coach can do,” centre David Steckel said. “We’re the ones who play the games.”

Added winger Joffrey Lupul: “It’s not fun for anyone, it’s not fun for the coach, it’s not fun for the goalies, it’s not fun for the fans. This is kind of the time when it’s easy to start pointing fingers and blaming people and that’s something we’ve talked about in here we don’t want to do.”

Historians will note Wilson, who signed a one-year contract extension over the Christmas holidays, was done in by spotty goaltending and inconsistent defensive play, both of which will need to improve drastically over the final five weeks of the regular season if the Leafs are to avoid extending their playoff drought to seven seasons.

The players believe it can be done, as Steckel said: “The reality is there’s still 18 games left, there’s still plenty of time to make up ground.”

The 56-year-old Wilson leaves Toronto fourth on the all-time NHL list for games coached, his record in Toronto was 130-135-45.

In 1,401 career games with Anaheim, Washington, San Jose and Toronto, he has a 648-561-91 record with 101 ties.

Brad Wall says it's too soon to talk about an NHL team in Saskatoon

SASKATOON— The Canadian Press, Mar. 02, 2012


Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says talk of an NHL team for Saskatoon is very speculative.

Hockey fans have been tweeting up a storm since TSN journalist Bob McKenzie wrote a column musing about the possibility of an NHL team relocating to Saskatoon.

But the premier suggested Friday that it's too soon to lace up the skates.

“Obviously this is very hypothetical and in early stages and sort of the stuff of rumours right now,” Wall told the Business News Network (BNN) in an interview from London, England.

“But I'm pretty biased. I would wonder why the NHL's not already in Canada's greatest province. I think we produce more per capita NHL players than anywhere else in the country. And obviously it's a hotbed of hockey.

“If Winnipeg can do it, I like our chances.”

A recent report from the Conference Board of Canada concluded that the country could sustain as many as nine National Hockey League franchises. The report from the Ottawa-based think-tank said Quebec City and Hamilton would be the most suitable cities.

The researchers looked at population size, market wealth, corporate presence and the level playing field created by a Canadian dollar that hovers around par with its U.S. counterpart. They ruled out any area with a population lower than 750,000.

Report co-author Mario Lefebvre said there were questions about Halifax and Saskatoon and Regina, but he said those markets are too small for teams to survive.

Saskatoon estimates its population is about 234,200. The city is home to the Saskatoon Blades, a junior team in the Western Hockey League.

Wall pointed out that the province supported the world junior hockey championships when they were held in Saskatoon and Regina in 2010. That included making upgrades to Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre.

But the premier said it's too soon to talk about what might be needed for an NHL team.

“We always look at reasonable proposals, based on a need for recreational infrastructure, for those kind of facilities. But I don't make that comment in the context of this NHL speculation. I think that'd be way ahead of ourselves,” he told BNN.

Study says outdoor ice hockey could perish

Canadian Press, 04/03/2012


Canada's favourite pastime is on its way to being an indoor-only sport in some areas of the country, a new study warns.

The study, released Monday by United Kingdom-based IOP Publishing, says outdoor ice hockey in Canada is being threatened by climate change.

Lawrence Mysak, co-author of the report and a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Que., said warmer winter temperatures caused by climate change is restricting the operation of ice rinks.

"We were able to see that in general, the rinks were being opened later and later over the last... 50 years, and secondly that the length of the season has also shortened by... one or two, sometimes three weeks," said Mysak from his office in Montreal last week.

Mysak fears the gradual warming of the earth caused by burning fossil fuels could eventually cause the beloved outdoor activity to perish in several decades.

"If we extend the trends into the future, there could be no outdoor skating rinks with global warming taking place," said Mysak, who grew up carving his skates into outdoor rinks in Edmonton, Alta.

Regions that are being hit the hardest are the Prairies, southeastern British Columbia and southern Ontario and Quebec. The Maritimes and northern parts of the country did not see significant changes, he said.

Using historical weather data from more than 140 weather stations across Canada since the 1950s, the researchers calculated the annual start date and length of the outdoor skating season, said Mysak.

He said the beginning of the season is considered the last of three days where the maximum temperature does not exceed -5 C, as it takes several cold days to lay the initial ice on the rink.

They then looked at how many days in January and February were cold enough to skate on backyard or community rinks built on the ground or snow, said Mysak.

Damon Matthews, co-author of the report and a professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Que., said many regions experienced decreases in the length of the outdoor skating season.

"It's hard to imagine parts of the country that currently do enjoy outdoor skating not being able to do that at some point in the future," said Matthews, adding the study is the first of its kind.

"Outdoor skating, particularly hockey, is synonymous with Canadian culture. I think there's big cultural ramification to this as well."

But Justin Beaulieu of Lower Sackville, N.S., said losing outdoor skating rinks is a small casualty in the grand scheme of climate change.

"There's a lot more than skating that we have to worry about with climate change," said the 39-year-old who was enjoying his Sunday on the ice at an outdoor rink in Halifax, N.S.

"It's the big picture. We have a lot more to worry about."

In order to ensure Canada's future hockey stars will have access to backyard rinks, the country must tackle reducing greenhouse gases, the experts agree.

Since 1950, winter temperatures in Canada have increased by more than 2.5 C - three times the globally-averaged warming attributed to global warming caused by human activity, a news release from the publisher said.

Mysak said the study began as a 2011 thesis by McGill masters student Nikolay Damyanov.

Cherry drops another bomb on Burke: Battle over Ontario gets heated

Joe Warmington, QMI Agency, March 3 2012


Forget the Battle of Ontario. This is the battle for Ontario.

And it’s a barn burner.

An old fashioned donnybrook, in fact.

“You want to get me off? You want to take me on?” Don Cherry said of Leafs General Manager Brian Burke on Coach’s Corner Saturday night. “Two years ago you said you were going to do something to me in the playoffs. Remember that? And I said, ‘Oh Brian Burke I’m shaking in my boots. I’m shaking right now. Do your best.’”

Another Cherry bomb.

For Grapes, the battle stems from the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs do not have one player from Ontario currently on the roster.

For GM Burke, a loud and bombastic failure so far in his first three years at the helm despite tens of millions spent, it may end up being a battle to keep his job.

It’s a heavyweight prize fight.

Perhaps Burke can “rent a barn” at Riverdale Farms, like he suggested he wanted to do to settle a heated grudge match he had a few years back with Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe?

The problem is — as fighting goes — Cherry had 1,343 professional penalty minutes over 16 years in the minor leagues where Burke had 60 penalty minutes in just one season.

Their first two rounds were hot. The third round is steaming.

In January, Burke admitted he had “quietly and professionally” gone to Cherry’s CBC superiors to complain about what he called “vicious and cutting” attacks during Coach’s Corner against his coach and players.

Cherry took exception to him going “behind my back” — saying it’s “quite obvious” Brian is “trying to deflect from his team’s performance missing the playoffs three years running at my expense and to be a hero to his players at my expense.”

The temperature rose a few more degrees Saturday when Cherry called out Burke for both his lack of Ontario players and his going after his job.

“Here is what kills me,” Cherry said. “Burke goes to my bosses and says I am a bad guy because I said something vicious about his coach; two weeks later he fires him? Figure that one out folks!”

But it was the surprising fact that there are currently no Ontario players being iced that was one right to the kisser of American-born, dual-citizen Burke.

“Every team in the National Hockey League has a guy from Ontario except one. Guess who it is? It’s Ontario’s Toronto Maple Leafs,” said Grapes. “Now if you want American college guys; if you want Americans you got the team.”

As a Maple Leafs season ticket holder, Cherry said “we pay his salary from Ontario” and to “not make the playoffs for three years in a row, probably not four and not have one guy from Ontario is a crime as far as I am concerned.”

Forget the barn. To the woodshed.

Self described “vindictive” but other times big-hearted Burke did not seem to respond Sunday — fresh off his first win in a month with his new, Ontario-born, coach Randy Carlyle. He eventually patched up the feud with Lowe without any barn rental and will likely have no choice but to do the same with Cherry since going behind a guy’s back for his job in hockey is not honourable.

Even though Burke’s defenders say he has drafted, and his developing many Ontario players, his detractors say Ontario players like Nazem Kadri and Mike Zigomanis should be in the lineup now instead of overpaid and under-achieving team members who are not from these parts.

The bench-clearing brawl that ensued has gone viral.

“I thought Don was superb,” said former Toronto Sun hockey columnist and Hockey Night in Canada commentator Al Strachan. “For the most part, the Toronto media corps, that is supposed to be so demanding, has given Burke — or “Burkie” as they almost universally call him — a free ride. His inconsistencies are ignored; his gaffes are written off; his arrogance is forgiven and his general ill temper is accepted as a somehow acceptable personality trait.”

Strachan added Burke “has had great success browbeating the superiors of those who disagree with him and (allegedly) getting them fired but he tried it once too often when he went after Cherry. Unfortunately, very few in the Toronto media have had the fortitude to examine what Burke really is and to stand up to him. Don did that on Saturday night and it was great to watch.”

And every hockey fan certainly loves to watch a good tussle between two heavyweights.

There’s enough material develop a third CBC life and times movie where Jared Keeso does have excellent job of playing Grapes. But who is going to play Burke.

-----

CBC about to pay for Don Cherry’s criticism of NHL?

BRUCE DOWBIGGIN, Globe and Mail, Mar. 04, 2012


Journalism makes strange bedfellows. Don Cherry’s polemic Saturday on Coach’s Corner about Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke allegedly attempting to have him fired is one of those moments.

Cherry has the right to expect editorial freedom from the league that he covers. As much as we’ve disagreed with him, we support Cherry if a team executive tries to have him fired for taking positions contrary to the party line at the Air Canada Centre. Yes, strange bedfellows.

So long as he’s accurate, Cherry’s entitled to make a public show of his opinions, no matter how he’s dressed, no matter how over the top his delivery. (It’s up to CBC, not Cherry, to provide balance in its coverage.)

Trying to intimidate the press is nothing new for Burke. He has attempted, successfully at times, to silence his critics in media positions by going to their bosses with his complaints. We’re waiting for the moment when his new employers at Rogers and Bell must choose between Burke and one of their radio, TV or print employees who’ve irritated the Maple Leafs’ GM. For now, the friction point is between Burke and CBC, partners in the NHL national broadcast rights in Canada.

Which leads us to the other issue raised by Cherry’s bombast: What’s an acceptable level of criticism from a host broadcaster?

Cherry tailored the facts on Saturday about Burke trying to have him fired. It’s not simply the Maple Leafs who are carrying a grudge over his flamboyant and persistent criticisms of the NHL and its product. When CBC executives made a pilgrimage to the NHL board of governors, they were rudely greeted by criticism of Cherry and MacLean from the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks, whose complaints about biased coverage and editorial failings have been voiced on other occasions.

The league, too, has been less than enthusiastic about Cherry’s demeaning of the new rules, discipline czar Brendan Shanahan, and the refereeing. Commissioner Gary Bettman appears to be boycotting Hockey Night in Canada after several contentious interviews with MacLean. Some of this is predictable, of course. As the expression goes, journalism’s goal is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

But it is becoming clear that CBC may pay a price for countenancing the Ron ’n’ Don agenda of old-time values. NHL officials would not comment publicly on whether the pair would be an impediment to CBC retaining all or some of the next national TV rights package in Canada, which begin in 2014. But the sentiment in the league office seems to be, can anyone imagine the NFL’s broadcast partners being as constantly critical of the game, its officials, clubs, league and, particularly, the commissioner as Cherry/MacLean have been?

This became toxic this year when Cherry mocked the league’s disciplinary department and referees. While it doesn’t want to censor its broadcaster, the league does feel it could stand a little love once in a while from the stars of its Canadian partner.

Jeffrey Orridge, CBC vice-president of sports properties, told Usual Suspects that CBC would not publicly discuss the issue of whether Cherry/MacLean could cost them HNIC. But we have learned that HNIC and CBC employees are concerned that the personal agenda of the Coach’s Corner pair is jeopardizing the future of the show on CBC.

There is a feeling that Cherry/MacLean dominate editorial content on the show, and the content is no longer acceptable to a league that wants to emphasize speed and skill at the expense of grittiness and fighting. Some feel that Cherry, facing retirement, is looking to go out on his shield by picking a fight with the suits of the league for the soul of the sport.

The 77-year-old Cherry says he is on an annual contract with CBC. MacLean has two more years on his deal. Some think it’s time they moved on. Removing either or both this summer from HNIC would be a tricky public relations move for CBC, which is already under fire from both political and broadcast critics. For a corporation facing financial challenges in the next year, the advertising revenues from HNIC are crucial. Losing them, a disaster.

Can CBC retain both HNIC’s revenues and Cherry/MacLean? We may be about to find out.

From IIHF.COM

2012 IIHF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH COACHING SYMPOSIUM, HELSINKI, FINLAND

The 2012 IIHF International Youth Coaching Symposium will take place May 4-6, 2012 during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Helsinki, Finland. The seminar is organized by International Ice Hockey Federation, together with Finnish Ice Hockey Association, World Championship Organizing Committee, and International Ice Hockey Centre of Excellence.

The themes of the seminar are based on the fundamentals of Finnish ice hockey – Game sense, Character, and Skating. The seminar, aimed at youth coaches, will also cover the subjects of talent, learning, and teaching. These themes are examined by Finnish and international top speakers such as talent researcher Kari Uusikylä, former scout and executive vice president of St. Louis Blues and current CEO of Jokerit; Jarmo Kekäläinen, and Tommi Pärmäkoski, a trainer of F1 driver Sebastian Vettel.

Dates May 4-6, 2012
Location Sokos Hotel Presidentti (auditorium), Helsinki
Price 325€ (excluding accommodation)

Price includes:
- Seminar lectures
- Access to seminar materials in the Hockey Centre website
- Participants material package
- Lunch and coffee during the seminar days
- BLR-FIN game shown in the night club of Sokos Hotel Presidentti
- Tickets to the World Championship games CAN-USA, FIN-SVK, SUI-BLR in Hartwall Arena


2012 IIHF INTERNATIONAL COACHING SYMPOSIUM, HELSINKI, FINLAND MAY 11-13

The 2012 IIHF International Coaching Symposium will take place May 11-13, 2012 during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Helsinki, Finland. The seminar is organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation, together with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, World Championship Organizing Committee, and the International Ice Hockey Centre of Excellence.

The themes of the seminar are based on the fundamentals of Finnish ice hockey – Game sense, Character, and Skating. The seminar has several international and Finnish coaches to presenting their view on the themes. One of the top names is Mr. Aki Hintsa, former head doctor of Finnish Olympic Committee now working with conditioning of the Formula 1 drivers at McLaren.

Dates 11-13.5.2012
Location Sokos Hotel Presidentti (auditorium), Helsinki
Price 395€ (excluding accommodation)

Price includes:
- Seminar lectures
- Access to seminar materials in the Hockey Centre website
- Participants material package
- Lunch and coffee during the seminar days
- FIN-USA game showed in the night club of Sokos Hotel Presidentti
- Tickets to the World Championship games of KAZ-USA, FIN-CAN, SUI-FRA, KAZ-CAN and SUI-SVK in Hartwall Arena


Accommodation

Seminar participants have an opportunity to reserve accommodation in Sokos Hotel Presidentti for the price of:

95€ for two nights in a double room
190€ for two nights in a single room

Sokos Hotel Presidentti is a busy congress hotel locating in Helsinki city centre. It is located just next to the Kamppi shopping center and only 5 minutes away from Helsinki main railway station, from where it takes only 10 minutes to get to the Harwall Arena.


Sign Up!

Registration to seminar will open soon.

FRASER: THE FORUM, THE BATTLE OF QUEBEC AND THE SENATOR

KERRY FRASER, TSN.CA, 3/7/2012


Growing up in Ontario, both Kathy and I were Leafs fans (she's much more devout than I). The Canadiens were the hated arch-enemy. The Flying Frenchmen combined the speed and skill of Rocket Richard and his brother Henri (the Pocket Rocket), Jean Béliveau, Bernie Geoffrion, Yvan Cournoyer and Guy Lafleur with the toughness of John Ferguson and Ted Harris. Their defence corps boasted a seemingly endless supply of future Hall of Famers, from Doug Harvey and Butch Bouchard to Jacques Laperrière, Serge Savard, and Guy Lapointe...

Throughout their storied past, the Canadiens didn't just do business in a unique way, they espoused a philosophy of pride in the organization that every member was expected to live by. I could feel it in the air each time I entered the old Montreal Forum.

The Habs' fans were very demanding, expecting nothing less than a Stanley Cup every year. These high expectations were a by-product of the deep sense of pride that flowed both ways between the team and the community. A player walking into the Canadiens' dressing room for the first time would get an instant history lesson, as the walls were adorned with photographs and names of past players...

On May 1, 1985, I packed my bag early in the morning and headed off to the Sarnia Airport to catch a flight to Montreal... This was only the third time I had been assigned to the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the first time I had been chosen to work Game Seven of a divisional final series... This was The Battle of Quebec!...

Clashes between the Nordiques and Canadiens pitted the smaller provincial capital against the metropolis... Throughout the province, the media - particularly the competitive French-language newspapers in Quebec City and Montreal - were relentless in their coverage and would pull no punches in their pursuit of sensational headlines. On more than one occasion, I was advised by John McCauley [then Director of Officiating] to be very careful about what I did or said in public in either city. Even the officials were fair game!...

Both teams came to play, and there was none of the rough stuff that we might have anticipated. At the end of regulation time, it was all tied up at two... Once I dropped the puck to start the overtime, it didn't take long for the game and series to end...[Peter] Stastny pounced on the rebound, and Penney made another stop but still couldn't control the rebound. Stastny would make no mistake the second time, putting the game and series in his pocket at 2:22 of overtime...

I got caught in the crossfire between these two bitter rivals in Game Five of the Adams Division final on April 28, 1987. The Nordiques had stunned the Canadiens by taking the first two games in Montreal, while the Habs won the next two at Le Colisée. Late in the third period of the fifth game, with the score tied at two, I disallowed a goal by Alain Côté, and Nordiques coach Michel Bergeron was transformed from "Le Petit Tigre" into a roaring lion — or, depending on your perspective, a raving maniac. To this day, the thought or mention of that call causes Bergeron's already high blood pressure to boil out of control.

We had a rule, even back then, that a goalie should be allowed to stand in his crease and do what his job description entails—namely, to defend his net by stopping the puck without being interfered with. This was the premise that later led us to the ridiculous interpretation that a goal could not be counted if a player had his foot - even a toe - in the goal crease, or even on the goal line.

Players went hard to the net, and goalies such as Billy Smith and Ron Hextall had a technique for keeping their goal crease clear — and not the same one used by the "ice girls" on Long Island or in Philadelphia, who scrape away the debris during commercial timeouts. I made it clear to goalies that I would not allow them to be bumped, jostled, interfered with, or bodychecked when they were within the confines of their crease. On the other hand, if they decided to do their own housekeeping with their stick or any other appendage, I would penalize them accordingly. The arrangement worked extremely well.

It looked as though this game might continue for a while, since the game in Quebec two nights earlier had been sent to overtime with the exact same score. Montreal scored five and a half minutes into the extra period. When I saw Quebec's Paul Gillis attacking the net hard, with Mats Näslund of the Canadiens chasing him on the backcheck, I immediately recognized all the makings of trouble in the crease. Sure enough, Näslund gave Gillis a little bump from behind that Gillis took advantage of to speed right into the goal crease, where he made solid contact with the left side of Montreal goalkeeper Brian Hayward. Gillis was not content with that contact, however: he hooked his skate around the left skate and pad of Hayward while he applied pressure with his stick to the goalie's upper torso. Gillis then used his momentum and force to drag Hayward to the side of the goal crease and beyond.

Seeing this take place, it would most likely not have drawn a penalty or a reaction from anyone in those days, especially given the score and the time remaining. Unless, that is, there was a consequence to Paul Gillis's actions. Therein lies the problem. In the same instant that I saw Hayward being dragged out of the net, I also saw Côté ready to fire a shot from the high slot into the now-empty Montreal cage. Before the puck left Côté's stick, the whistle was in my mouth and I was blowing as hard as I could. The Nordiques' celebration was short lived as I waved off the goal and penalized Gillis for goaltender interference. I also gave Näslund a token interference penalty for his nudge on Gillis that triggered the events. The penalties were a wash, and I felt justice had been served.

With a faceoff in the Montreal end, the Nordiques seemed to be in shock. The Canadiens won the draw and marched down the ice. Guy Carbonneau set up Ryan Walter for the winning goal with 2:53 remaining. With his team down one goal, and certainly with enough time to score an equalizer, the very last thing I wanted to do was to give Bergie a bench penalty—or, worse yet, throw him out of the game. As Le Petit Tigre began to growl and bare his fangs, he was providing me with all the ammunition I would need to make such a call, but none would be forthcoming at this particular time. After the horn sounded, though, the fireworks started up in the hall outside our dressing room. Michel was out of his mind, his face so red I thought he was going to blow up. There was no sense pouring gasoline on an inferno, so Bob Hodges, Leon Stickle, and I made our way into our dressing room as Michel and his people were moved elsewhere...

[The next day] I was listening to radio station CHOK in Sarnia when it was reported that a lawsuit had been filed against Sarnia native and NHL referee Kerry Fraser by a group in Quebec claiming prejudice! I couldn't believe my ears. Wait a minute, I thought. I had just worked a game involving two teams from the province of Quebec, and I was being sued for prejudice? I called the NHL office in Toronto, got Jim Gregory on the line, and told him what I had just heard... He told me that, if served, I should just send the paperwork to New York and that the league would stand 100 per cent behind me. That was reassuring—for the time being.

When all three playoff series went to Game Seven, and I wasn't called on for any of them, I knew I was done for the year, even before John McCauley completed the unfortunate task of telling me. I know it was not something John relished doing...[Some time later] John told me that he got calls from all over the league on the Quebec ordeal and that I had many friends in very high places. He promised that someday he and I would sit down and he would let me in on all that had transpired. We never did have that conversation as John passed away after the 1989 Stanley Cup final in which Calgary beat the Canadiens in six games. I cherish the many moments that we got to spend together during his final series of life.

In the summer of 1987, I received a personal letter from Serge Savard, general manager of the Canadiens, along with a videotape with enhanced footage of the play. It clearly showed Paul Gillis hooking Hayward's skate and using his stick to drag him out of the crease, as I suggested had been the case. With the class that Serge Savard always demonstrates, he said it had taken courage to make that call and he thanked me for being able to put the game ahead of my own self-interest... Serge's letter came at a time when I felt alone and abandoned...

Tigers play-by-play man Ridley to call No. 3,000:
He's also driven the team bus on the majority of their trips - all told, a 'pretty incredible' feat, says Flames play-caller Maher

Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald With Files From Scott Cruickshank, March 6, 2012



When Bob Ridley hits the Chat 94.5 airwaves Wednesday as the Medicine Hat Tigers take on the Kootenay Ice, it'll mark his 3,000th game broadcasting Western Hockey League action.

"It's been awesome," said Ridley, who will be honoured in a pre-game ceremony. "The reason is it's been like one big family. I just feel so very, very fortunate to have been involved for so long. I've been getting texts and e-mails and phone calls from numerous players for the Tigers over the years. It's really, really special for myself, my family, and the Tigers and everybody that's been involved."

In the past few days, Ridley has heard from former Tigers coach Willie Desjardins and former players like Dean Chynoweth, now a coach with the New York Islanders, Dallas Stars forward Vern Fiddler, Clarke MacArthur of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Darren Helm of the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Kris Russell, to name a few.

"It goes on and on," Ridley said. "I feel very proud of it.

"It's incredible how quickly time has gone by. When I started back in 1970, I never thought I'd see 3,000 games, that's for sure. But here it is."

And, from one voice to another, Peter Maher can relate. However, the longtime play-caller of the Calgary Flames, who recently celebrated his own 3,000th game behind the microphone, believes Ridley's milestone might have been tougher to accomplish.

On top of calling all of the Tigers' WHL games, Ridley has driven the team bus on the majority of their trips during his career - and, at 67 years old, he is still occasionally behind the wheel.

"I would say, his calling 3,000 games have been a whole lot more of a rigour than my 3,000 games," Maher said. "Even if he didn't drive the bus, just busing to all those games all over the place would be a real chore."

Like, for example, the trek from Medicine Hat to Prince George for a pair of games, then on to Vancouver - which was the club's most recent road trip.

"It's a real tribute to his stamina and his abilities to be able to travel as much as they do and broadcast all those games," Maher said.

"And driving the bus on top of all that? I can't comprehend doing what he's done.

"Pretty incredible."

Since the Tigers joined the WHL in the 1970-71 season, Ridley has been the team's only play-by-play broadcaster. And, amazingly enough, after nearly 42 campaigns, the Drumheller native has only missed one game - not because he was sick, either. He had to cover a national women's curling event, which his boss's wife was competing in.

Calgary Flames defenceman and former Tiger Jay Bouwmeester said Ridley is a fixture around the team.

"He's been the glue there - the one thing that never changes," he said. "Some of those long trips, you don't realize the time that he puts in. When you think about it, he's announcing the game, then driving the bus and you're at the back sleeping - and taking for granted what he's doing."

Bouwmeester arrived in Medicine Hat just shy of his 16th birthday and appreciated Ridley's friendly face.

"When you're a young kid like that - and you go off and you're away from your parents and family for the first time - to have a guy around like that? He's almost like a grandpa," he said. "He's just there to support everyone. He's so friendly. As the generations go by, not much changes. He's always open to the kids. He's got a lot of knowledge.

"He can share a lot of things. A really neat guy. An awesome guy."

The sentiments were shared on the Twitterverse when word got out that Ridley would be celebrating the milestone soon.

In fact, a few Twitter followers started a hashtag (#putbobridleyinthehhof), informally petitioning his inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame (he was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2000).

Maher likes the idea. "I'm going to bring that up with the broadcasters group for the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award (which Maher won himself in 2006)," he said. "He'd be a really worthy recipient."

Carlyle cleaning up mess left behind by Wilson:
'We have to correct this as a group'

By STEVE SIMMONS, QMI Agency, March 7 2012


TORONTO - Randy Carlyle was candid enough to admit he was nervous.

That was before he watched the good and the bad and the deficiencies of his Maple Leafs team all in one game on his fourth night of the rest of his coaching life. He doesn’t want to look at old games on tape. He doesn’t want to have any preconceived notions about his group. He wants to learn this team from Saturday night on.

And what he’s learned so far is there is much work to do — because frankly, the previous coaching administration left behind something of a mess.

He won’t say that. He isn’t here to castigate Ron Wilson. But what’s clear from Carlyle’s first four days on the job and listening to his words is this: He has to remake this team and mould it into something it has never been before.

The Leafs have to learn how to play in their own end of the ice. Tuesday night they gave up five goals against — the eighth time in the past 10 games they have given up four or more goals against.

“You can’t play that way,” said Carlyle. “Our offence is good enough.” Quick translation: their team defence, something Wilson rarely stressed, is not.

It isn’t just defensive zone coverage that Carlyle is looking for. He wants the Leafs to compete harder as a group, especially in one-on-one situations. He wants them to be tougher on the boards. He wants them to go to the net with a vengeance, the way the Boston rookie Jordan Caron did Tuesday night (Caron, for the record, was a late first-round draft pick chosen 18 picks after the Leafs selected Nazem Kadri).

“We have to correct this as a group,” said Carlyle, who has watched the uneven Leafs through two games and enjoyed their speed, their ability to generate offence, their spirit as a group, but at the same has cringed — and rightly so — about how much he has to undo what this team is used to doing. This is start over time for the Leafs, who lost points last night to the ninth place Washington Capitals. This is loss one in the Carlyle chase: They can afford four more losses and that’s all. After that, you can declare them officially out of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

But this was first night, first home game, the first time for butterflies at the Air Canada Centre. It doesn’t yet feel like home for Carlyle, even though that was a surprisingly loud mid-week crowd for Toronto. It doesn’t yet feel like home when he hasn’t had time to set up his office, isn’t sure how all the equipment works around the dressing room, isn’t certain where to go around the Air Canada Centre and even has to figure out exactly where he has to go to get his morning hockey staple of peanut butter, toast and coffee to start the day.

It will take time. This is a team so immature when it comes to basics such as neutral zone play, forechecking effort, conditioning, not running around in the defensive zone the way the Leafs managed in their closest game this season against the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

“We’re supposed to be aggressive,” said Carlyle. “We’re supposed to be hard hitting. That’s how you play the game. Our compete level is the thing that’s going to turn this hockey club around ... We had a lot of positives in the hockey game.”

Just not enough to get a win or beat the slightly sloppy Bruins.

So was he at all nostalgic about returning to the Leafs as coach after beginning his NHL career here as a player? “If nostalgic means nervous, I guess it would apply here,” he said.

This is about as revealing as Carlyle will get. He has shown a different side of himself in four days on the Leaf job. He has been more open, more honest, more forthcoming, more personal and personable, than he ever was at any time in Anaheim. He hasn’t been gruff or angry or short yet — at least not to the outside world.

He has worked hard, inside the dressing room, outside the dressing room, in cultivating who he is and what he demands this team to be. These are the first days of kindergarten. There is so much for this Leaf team to grasp, to comprehend, to change. They have to learn to walk before they can run.

And now Carlyle has a win and a loss and a growing dossier of what is required for success.

“As a coach, you’re never comfortable. That just doesn’t exist in our world.”

Not with this team. Not in these circumstances.

-----

An interesting perspective on a coach taking over a team in during the season. I have done this before a couple of times and I enjoy hearing what other people do as I am sure this situation will arise again... and again!

Kennedy: Hockey community quickly accepting gay rights

Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News, 2012-03-07


The timing could not have been more fortuitous. Just as I was talking to a teen player who had come out of the closet to his team and school, the Burke family’s You Can Play initiative hit the world full-stride, with a public service announcement featuring a cavalcade of NHLers.

From Zdeno Chara to Dion Phaneuf to Rick Nash, it’s impossible to minimize the names involved in the project, which takes its inspiration from the late Brendan Burke, son of Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke and brother of Flyers scout Patrick Burke. When Brendan announced to the Miami RedHawks team he worked for that he was gay, it began a revolution in hockey that is now unstoppable: Being openly gay and playing the sport at a high level will not be mutually exclusive for much longer.

Simply put, the momentum is too great. This isn’t like the foot-in-the-crease rule or bringing back the red line – intolerance towards homosexuals is finally seen as being on par with racism and players are beginning to acknowledge that.

Speaking with the teen player (his parents aren’t as keen on his name being out there), he told me how one of the first sentiments his teammates relayed to him was that they’d kick anyone’s ass that gave him a hard time. And really, if the jocks are on your side in high school, there’s not much left to fear other than acne and cafeteria food.

For further proof, just look at the immediate reaction to those who came out against Sean Avery when the Rangers (OK, Connecticut Whale) agitator voiced his support for gay marriage. Agent Todd Reynolds was treated like a pariah on the Internet and lost client Andrew Brunette (who signed with Don Baizley), while sportscaster Damian Goddard was fired by Sportsnet shortly after supporting Reynolds. These were swift backlashes – not a lot of hemming and hawing, which usually happens in hockey.

Will we see a current NHLer come out of the closet soon? I wouldn’t be surprised if the first big name to break the barrier is actually a college or major junior player who graduates to the bigs. Nothing against the current crop of NHLers, but the exposure of the current high school generation to positivity surrounding the gay community is light years ahead of what I experienced – and I’m not that old (we had one openly gay kid in high school and when he was harassed, a senior school official suggested the kid go to another school if he didn’t like it).

One perfect example is the character Omar Little from The Wire. ESPN’s LZ Granderson had a great piece on NFL and NBA stars who respected the openly gay stick-up artist, even if their previous views hadn’t been so liberal. Willem Dafoe’s badass FBI agent in The Boondock Saints inspired similar accolades from folks in my experience. Meanwhile, the Internet has created a space where no kid, no matter how small a town, is alone anymore.

Being a pioneer isn’t easy and with the money involved in sports these days, it’s not surprising no active Big Four athlete has come out yet – in their minds, I’m sure there are too many “what ifs?” And that’s fine – people have personal lives for a reason and we don’t need to know everything about our sports heroes if they’re not comfortable sharing. But there will be a trailblazer. The teen I talked to? I think he’s a hero and I’m sure he won’t be the last. There’s a long way to go before homophobia is stamped out, but the momentum is picking up fast in the hockey world.

Carlyle's system will take time

Mike Brophy, Sportsnet.ca, March 8, 2012


PITTSBURGH -- Despite the results, Randy Carlyle's message remains the same.

After losing its second straight game and having accumulated just five points in their last 15 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs put forth a solid effort in dropping a 3-2 decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"There were a lot of positives that came out of (Wednesday's) hockey game," Carlyle said. "That's part of the coaching staff's responsibility. You are going to hear it a lot of times from me; it's about the environment we are able to create for them. They have to feel good about their work ethic and I told them so. But, again, the mental mistakes are correctable. The positional mistakes we made and the turnovers at inopportune times are correctable."

It was a second straight solid effort. It was also the second consecutive night the Leafs lost two players to injury.

Joffrey Lupul and right winger Colby Armstrong went down against the Bruins. Lupul, who will be out 3-4 weeks, suffered a separated shoulder while Armstrong broke his nose in a fight and is listed as day-to-day.

Early in the first period, Mike Brown -- who missed Tuesday's game with a sore hand -- crashed heavily into the end boards behind the Penguins' goal and got up slowly before heading to the dressing room with a leg injury. Not long afterwards defenceman Cody Franson took the butt end of teammate Tim Connolly's stick in the eye and also did not return to the game.

Carlyle, who was coaching just his third game since joining the Leafs last Friday, leaned heavily on some of his players who were given additional ice time and responsibility. Captain Dion Phaneuf led the Leafs at 29:20 and responded with a plus-2 rating.

"I think that we showed signs of enthusiasm and kind of stuck with our game plan," Carlyle explained. "I thought we were better from a defensive standpoint in the critical areas and I thought that our work-ethic was stronger, but we ran out of bodies. We lost two bodies in the first 10 minutes of the hockey game again (Wednesday) and it taxes everybody else.

"Then it showed in some of the questionable decisions in terms of when to pinch and when not to pinch; turnovers and positioning. It's the little things that are costing us and my message to the players was, until we adopt the mentality that we are going to correct those little things, the work they are putting in they are not being rewarded for."

On a day when the Penguins organization honoured the great Mario Lemieux by unveiling a statue of No. 66 in front of the CONSOL Energy Center, it was the visitors who got off to a fast start in the game.

Right winger Phil Kessel scored his second goal in as many nights and 34th of the season a minute into the second period with the teams playing four aside. The puck was directed to him at the side of the goal and he swept it past Brad Thiessen, who was playing in just his second NHL game.

Six minutes later defenceman Carl Gunnarsson scored his second in as many games when a shot by Mikhail Grabovski banked in off his leg. Pascal Dupuis pulled the Penguins to within a goal when he deflected a shot past Jonas Gustavsson.

There's a reason why the Penguins are one of the best teams in the NHL and were entering Wednesday's tilt riding a six-game winning streak and the Leafs found out why as the game progressed. Quite simply, the Penguins don't quit. They pounded the shorthanded Leafs every chance they got.

Jordan Staal tied it a minute and a half into the third on a similar tip-in and then Dupuis gave the home side the lead with a shot that somehow found its way through The Monster.

For the second straight night, Carlyle came to the defence of his goalie.

"They were out-shooting us (by a ratio of) 2-1 at one point until we finally got some shots so you really can't fault The Monster," Carlyle said. "I thought he gave us a chance in the game. I'm sure he'd like to have the one goal back, but he gave us a pile of saves and we weren't able to get the third goal to tie the hockey game."

In a vote of confidence, the Leafs once again turned to Gustavsson. Carlyle was very clear Tuesday after the Leafs were beaten by the Boston Bruins that Gustavsson was not to blame. The coach said he was abandoned by his teammates.

It is clear the Maple Leafs believe Gustavsson, and not James Reimer, gives them the best chance to win at this stage of the season.

While Kessel has continued to score under Carlyle, his poor defensive play has been an issue. Carlyle, however, wasn't willing to throw him under the bus.

"I think there's work for our group; not just the Kessel line," he said. "He scored again and you need offence to win in this league, but you also need defence and right now our mixture hasn't been what is required for success in the last two games."

Judging by the players' reaction after the game, they are starting to get the coach's message.

"In the second period we turned the puck over too many times and that's when it gets tough," said Gunnarsson.