I just played 3 games in 3 days with 2 lines. The group I play with has players who played in the NHL, WHL, Europe, American League, minor pro all over, senior A etc.. We have a tournament at the end of Oct. and teams come from far away to play in it. Our group usually wins.

The team we played the first game had a two time Stanley Cup winner, a former captain of THE Red Wings and many other really good player, who by the way play regularly.

Our team consisted of former college players including a great goalie and 3 of my women's team. We ended up winning the top division 4-3, 3-0, 7-2. Here is the letter I wrote to the players in our organization.

This is a letter I wrote to thank the organzation for letting them play.

Hi All,

The girl's really loved playing in the tournament. When we didn't have enough players and Val and Ray agreed that some of my girl's could play to give is 10 skaters I don't think anyone knew just how good they are.

I needed a job 7 years ago and took on coaching women at MRC. They were good skaters but many had come over from ringuette and couldn't handle the puck or shoot very well. In 98 there were 8500 females playing in Canada. After the Olympic victory there are 85 000. The two 19 year olds have played hockey since they were 5. Kaley is 25 and played 4 years on the Canada U22 team. She was one of the Oval Extremes top scorers but never has played on the National Team that 8 of her teammates are on.

These girls work out every day and their dream is to play for Canada (Brittrany for the USA). They loved playing in the tournament and thought everyone was great.

I remember my sister playing in the mid 60's. There was a short revival of girl's hockey. She played in her jeans and figure skates. No pads or equipment. The one thing she had was a Jean Beliveau NORTHLAND PRO hockey stick. (my dad had a soft spot for his daughters and went out and bought her the best stick he could find. I was using a Hespler that was repaired many times by putting finishing nails down the blade gently while it was secured in a vice.Then wrapping it many times in tape to keep it together.) She was the top scorer in the city but never had any opportunity to go anywhere or pursue her love of the game. After a few years the league died and she never got to play again but still talks about her experiences.

These young ladies love the game and practice and play with a passion as great as the Rocket, Howe or Gretzky. They also are damn good at it.

We play out of Strathomore and it is the top women's hockey league in the world. Only us Edmonton and Minnesota are in the western league, the Oval, BC, and Sask all folded because no one believes in them enough to sponsor them. Our goal is to win this league and go east to win the North American Championship vs teams from Ont. Que. and th eastern USA. We only have 13 skaters and 3 goalies now and expect to pick up some players who are cut from the Olympic Team who are training with about 30 girl's and will have to drop a lot of good players before the Olympics.

We get a few people at our games but the hockey is really worth watching. Sunday 2 pm vs Edmonton is our first league game.

But mostly the girl's who played want to say thanks for letting them play and for treating them so well. They saw the life time sport they are involved it

Ps. (I backcheck all the time)

Take care,
Tom

Paulie, I have thought about doing something like that because I think I have unique experiences that have allowed me to see hockey all over the world. Some other coaches have done things with Hockey Canada and stayed in hotels while in other countries. I usually stay with the people who bring me there and get to know what is happening from a closer perspective.

In the last 20 years I have worked with Korean school, university and pro teams and gone to Korea as a guest coach. I have spoken at a World Championship in Finland as well and doing seminars with Juhani and Jursinov and done 3 hockey schools in Vierumaki as well as attend an international conference there. I have spent two weeks in Norway doing a hockey school and bringin the U of Calgary team there to play pro teams. I also took my women's team to Scandanavia on a tour 4 years ago.

Juhani and I set up the national development program for Austria and spent 2 weeks in Vienna teaching their coaches, I was there another year helping select their national youth teams.

I have done a hockey school in Guadalajara, Mexico which included a tour of the state each day. Done camps and hockey schools in Penn., California, Michigan, Minnesota.

I took my college men to Germany and Switzerland to play pro teams and have toured with 2 bantam aged teams to places inclucing the Czech Republic. I have also been to coaching conferences in Austria and my team played a tournament in Switzerland last year.

Last year with Red Bull I coached with coaches from Finland, Sweden, Russia, Canada, USA, Czech, Slovakia and Austria.

Here I have coached all levels of youth hockey from 6 to men, house league to AAA. I also have run practices for the Chinese and Australian national women's teams.

Each country has a differenct philosophy of the game and a different way to run a practice. Disciplin varies from non existent to beating players in the back of the legs with a hockey stick.

In the last 7 years I spent 5 coaching college women, 1 as a skills coach for the 4 Red Bull teams of pro, U20 and U17. I am the only coach in Calgary to be at all 3 hockey playing post secondary institutions, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology-4 years, U of Calgary - 8 years and Mount Royal College-5years

Besides meaning that I am getting old the experiences have given me exposure to most of the hockey world. One day I hope to put the experiences down on paper; even if it is just for me to remember everything before I am too old to remember anything.