Game one of the journey to potential gold began yesterday afternoon as a late Christmas present to anxious Canadians. The pre-tournament action had yielded ‘iffy’ results, to say the least, in the eyes of everyone watching. More importantly, the exhibition with the Finnish national team had yesterday’s round robin game against the Fins being revered as a virtual toss up. Excitedly to myself and I’m sure to my fellow Canadians, aside from the 1st stages, the game was no toss up. The Canadians came out in full form with a massive Albertan crowd behind them.

Canada began by simply dominating the boards play, battles and cycle game, doing a great job of keeping it low, drawing in the inexperienced, young Fin defenders and working magic with soft passes to the slot. The Fins themselves did manage to do a great job early, chipping away at the Canadians with well timed and placed body checks, while setting up an excellent cycle game, not the norm of course with most European squads. It goes without saying that the Fins generated a generous portion of their chances off the rush as well. However, when the game was still up for grabs the Canadians did a superb job defensively limiting the Finnish chances, by keeping the Fins to the outside and pushing the forwards to back check hard for the puck and collapse down low in front of the net when needed.

Aside from the team, individually, I had a lot of mixed emotions about the new group of Canadians. Some good, some bad…no ugly though (no one played bad enough to make that pun). I was unimpressed mostly with the play of Brett Connolly, offensively he seemed somewhat lacking, especially considering the expected level of output from an NHL experienced offensive threat. Defensively I saw turnovers and more so than that lack of commitment to his own end, not back checking at full pace, losing key battles along the boards and more. The only other negative seemed to come from Mark Visentin. An 8-1 win is a success for any goalie but coming out of camp Mark needed to work on his main weakness, however, it was very evident in a few stages of the game, Visentin showed great weakness getting pulled out of his net while sliding across all too easy leaving the net wide open to opposing players in front or in the slot.

Mike Stone and Jonathan Huberdeau were blatantly obvious positives to anyone who watched the game or at least saw the resulting statistics. Less in the spotlight, the Hamilton brothers, Dougie and Freddie, played very impressive in their own respective roles. And of course, the line led by NHL’er Smith-Pelly was excellent at producing much needed energy/hard fore checking shifts. Sadly enough, an update this morning says Smith-Pelly broke his foot blocking a shot in the game, I doubt he will be available for the rest of the tournament. Apart from that setback Canada’s 8-1 victory was a big step forward in a potential gold medal run. Next match up will pit the Canadians against the always tough Czechs on the 28th at 8 ET.

In honour of Canada’s captain and as a way of saying good luck to the young Canadian squad, “May the Schwartz be with you!”

Matt Reed
Writer for Hockey Independent and Inside Hockey
Freelance Writer for PuckLife Magazine

http://twitter.com/NHLMattReed

Sorry to all for not posting sooner, but, when you’re not a full-time TSN analyst/writer; some things have to take precedent over writing for the readers.

The WHC, although amusing to watch (in my mind anyway), is usually completely disregarded due to the much more attention grabbing playoff action of the NHL. No excuses needed. But the tournament itself is beginning to evolve and really play a significant role on the world stage. What I am referring to and I hope some of you have noticed is the substantial amount of upsets occurring in the tournament.

Now give me a list of excuses to why teams may not be performing to their usual level, the main being not all NHL players are overseas playing for their respective countries, and I will gladly agree with you. But I still think merit needs to be given to what is happening.

About two years ago to this day I watched a documentary featuring countries such as Switzerland, Germany and even Norway and their respective developing hockey programs. Some of which even led by amateur to semi-pro coaches from my own Canada. The documentary really hit home the message that countries, previously regarded as no-name hockey countries, will be quickly developing into 5^th, 6^th, maybe even a medal finish or two. No more 9-1 games. Even though it’s not the Olympics I believe it’s evident that we are seeing this trend.

Interesting games thus far;

Germany over Russia: 2-0

Norway over Sweden: 5-4 (SO)

Germany over Slovakia: 4-3

Latvia almost beating Finland: 2-3 (SO)

Norway blanks Austria: 5-0

Denmark holding their own against Russia: 3-4

Canada & USA only beating Norway & France: 3-2

Switzerland over USA: 5-3

Saying it one more time, I am well aware that not all the players are overseas representing their respective countries but it’s more than just an evolution of the final scores. Watching games where France, a former non-qualifier, is not only barely losing but actually controlling the hockey game at times and executing successful plays and strategies. The intensity level from both sides of the hockey game is incredible and it makes for much closer games.

In retrospect, past games would feature (no offense meant to anyone) Belarus v. Canada, if the score only came out 4-0 it was usually because the Belarussian goalie stood on his head or Canada just missed a lot of shots, it was never because Belarus dominated the second period only anything along those lines. With more funding to minor hockey, development programs in these countries and some ‘damn’ fine coaching, these teams are starting to become a proverbial thorn in the top Countries side.

It all begins at the WHC, teams gain confidence playing against ‘weakened’ top teams and see what it takes to beat these teams. Confidence on top of all of the previous mentioned developments and you’re looking at a round robin where Sweden, among other top teams, has to play full force to beat teams like France, Norway & Denmark. Although I love to see Canada dominating on the world stage I am really excited, I think it is fantastic for the sport of hockey and the competition on the world stage. It could potentially make for some interesting Olympic matches in 2014 & 2018…

Of course this is all providing the NHL plays in the Olympics in the future, but that of course is an entirely other article for another day.

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Quebec City would contribute $187-million while the province would put in $200-million.  A private consortium that has been selling seat reservations for the new arena would be responsible for the remaining $13-million.  However, Quebeckers waiting for the federal government to pitch in were disappointed 12 days later when Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Josee Verner announced that the Conservatives would not be contributing any funds.  Nonetheless, media company Quebecor entered the fray on March 1 by agreeing to a deal worth up to $200-million if the arena becomes home to an NHL team in exchange for 25 years of naming and management rights.

But why did the federal Conservatives not contribute to the arena project given that any party with dreams of forming a majority government in an election needs to retain or win seats in Quebec, a province with 24% or 75 of Canada’s total of 308 national seats?  After all, 6 of 10 current Conservative seats are located in the Quebec City-Lévis region.  Why risk alienating Conservative voters who will one day live in the shadow of the arena?  Ominously, why did the Conservatives heavily redact a 60-page document that assessed the feasibility of funding the arena?

Part of the reason is that there is no Canadian precedent for federal governments funnelling large amounts of money towards the erection of sports facilities or supporting professional sports teams.  In the mid-1990s with Canada recovering from economic recession, no level of government wanted to risk the public backlash that would have resulted if subsidies were granted to the ill-fated Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets or the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Canadian Football league franchise while amounts allotted to health care, education and other social programs were being slashed.

In 2000, the Liberal federal government announced plans to give the Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver franchises $2.5-million each as a form of assistance payments.  At the time, the U.S. dollar was close to 40% more valuable than the Canadian loonie.  Clubs north of the border, while taking in revenues in Canadian dollars, pay out salaries in U.S. dollars.  Just three days later, the Liberals cancelled the scheme due to a strong public outcry.  One vocal opponent was Stephen Harper, then-president of the National Citizens’ Coalition, a conservative public advocacy group, who said, “Canadians are being forced to subsidize millionaire hockey team owners and that’s a misconduct.”

Thus Harper in 2011, currently the nation’s prime minister, reasoned that reneging on his stance from a decade ago would be politically more dangerous with an election campaign looming than the risk of not offering funding and losing votes in Quebec.  The opposition will likely try hard to focus the campaign on several high-profile cover-ups and lack of transparency during the Conservatives’ five years in power.  If Harper chose to open the federal treasury for the arena he would surely be accused by the opposition of contradicting himself and using money to buy votes in Quebec and risk alienating the Conservative bedrock base in the province of Alberta.

Additionally, a decision to start cutting cheques for sports arenas or professional teams would set a dangerous financial precedent that would not be fiscally prudent in these uncertain economic times.  If federal money was granted for a Quebec arena, then how could subsequent governments deny funding for future proposed sports facilities?  What about Saskatchewan’s dream of a $431-million domed football stadium?

Ironically, on the same day that Quebec City mayor Regis Labeaume glowed when announcing the Quebecor partnership, Regina, Saskatchewan mayor Pat Fiacco tried to put on a brave face when talking about the federal government’s lack of funding toward his city’s proposal.  It was estimated that $100-million of federal funds were needed to start the Regina project.  These are not small-scale ideas but major, multi-million dollar projects that would severely hamper future federal budgets, already swimming in deficit situations.

In the end, the Conservatives likely administered their own private, internal polling to gauge the level of support in their Quebec City base.  Quite possibly, “big-C” conservatives in Quebec City reacted the same way they might react if they live in Alberta or other parts of Canada: they prefer small government, low taxes, limited spending on social programs and actually don’t want astronomical amounts of public money subsidizing professional sports teams or facilities.  Alternatively, the Conservatives surmised that this issue will hardly be a factor during the campaign and the number of outraged citizens who refuse to vote for them will not significantly affect the final poll results in Quebec.

Either way, when it comes to hockey, sports, money and governmental involvement in Canada, issues always tend to be a political football.

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The Gold Medal Game: forever burned into the memory of every Canadian.  Canada went up early on goals by Jonathan Toews, who clearly shone above any other individual player in the calendar year 2010, and Corey Perry.  Ryan Kesler put the U.S. on the board shortly after Perry’s goal and Zach Parise tied it with a desperate pulled-goalie tap-in with less than half a minute to go in regulation.

Midway through the overtime period, Crosby tried to streak into the American slot but was met by all four U.S. players and forced to the far half-wall.  But Crosby stayed on the puck sliding it to Jarome Iginla in the corner as Crosby rolled off toward the net.

“Iggy!” Crosby screamed.  The pass was right on his tape…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Today, Crosby rests and waits to see if he can salvage something, anything, out of a season where he was scaling new heights with ridiculous ease before being sent to the sidelines with a concussion suffered on or shortly after New Year’s Day.  Iginla’s Flames started the 2010-11 season slowly to the point where the Calgary captain was the subject of trade rumours.  Since then, Calgary has made a strong push for the playoffs.

This is what I wrote on the night Crosby scored in overtime, February 28, 2010:

Sidney Crosby was born and bred for this moment.

In a country that elevates its sublimely talented hockey superstars to iconic status, it was only appropriate that out of the many star players populating Team Canada’s roster, the wunderkind from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia would emerge as the one who seized the moment that asked for a hero.

Out of the many, Sidney.  E pluribus, Crosby.

At 2.54 pm local time, with over 15-million alarmed fellow citizens anxiously looking on, Crosby took one small step toward Ryan Miller, flicked the puck past him, then took one giant celebratory leap for Canadian mankind.  OT game-winning goal.  Gold medal-winning goal.  On home ice.  Lights out, Vancouver.

Did you seriously think it would turn out this way?

Of course you didn’t.  After all, Hollywood is an American institution and surely, Canadian hockey fans never believed that a script worthy of an Academy Award next weekend would play out in living colour on the silver screen of Canada Hockey Place.  In a Winter Olympics that has simply been magical for host Canada, it was stretching the bounds of reality to ask for one more storybook, golden moment.  Oh sure, Canadians could envision winning gold in a business-like, non-fairy tale fashion over the United States, and it certainly looked likely when Jonathan Toews scored in the opening frame and Corey Perry scored mid-way through the second period to give Canada a 2-0 lead.

However, when Ryan Kesler cut the lead in half five and a half minutes later on a deft deflection, Doubt cast her dark shadow clouds over sunny Vancouver.  When American Zach Parise scored the tying goal with Miller on the bench during the United States’ last, desperate push with just 24 seconds remaining in regulation time, not only was a storybook golden moment unlikely, it was completely out of the question.  Even the possibility of a business-like golden finish became questionable.

Every Canadian in the arena or watching at home, at the corner pub, or pressed up against the windows of an electronics store looked up and down that home team bench and wondered about all the many talented, battle-tested players and asked the same question: Who would be the one to rescue Canada?  Who would be the overtime hero?

Out of the many, Sidney.  E pluribus, Crosby.

In Canada, there is a reason why we label Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux “hockey icons” and place them on a higher tier than their merely “star” contemporaries.  For Gretzky and Lemieux, their natural gifts, their stratospheric accomplishments and their uncanny ability to succeed in pressure-cooker situations gave them the right to be labelled “icons”.  Crosby traces his hockey ancestry to this royal lineage.  It was Gretzky who tabbed a then 14-year old Crosby, fresh off a 193-point season in Nova Scotia Minor Hockey, as the one who had a shot at breaking his records.  It was Lemieux, the King Penguin, who drafted Prince Crosby and welcomed him into his castle, where they both still reside together.

Icons identify the moment; icons seize the moment; icons create one frozen moment that will be remembered for all time.

Every great achievement Crosby has earned thus far in his still young career was but a prelude to what we witnessed yesterday.  Youngest to score at the World Junior Championship.  Youngest to win a scoring title.  Youngest captain ever.  Youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup.  All, mere arrows pointing to this frozen moment that was waiting for him from the day he was born, a prodigy on skates.

Some critics lamented, even as late as Saturday evening, that Crosby was underachieving and not scoring as much as he should in the Olympics.  They wanted Crosby to rediscover his finishing touch in the same manner that Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Rick Nash seemed to do as the tournament proceeded.  What the critics constantly fail to grasp is that there is no need to fret about the performance of icons.  Out of the many stars on Team Canada, some will score in bunches and some will periodically slump.  As we speak, out of the many Canadian teenagers, mesmerized by the hockey that they observed the last two weeks, some will in four years, populate a portion of the next Olympic roster.  Out of the many, there will be stars but likely, no icons.  Out of the many, there will still only be one hockey icon for this generation, ever to the rescue.

Out of the many, Sidney.  E pluribus, Crosby.

Very easily.  Hockey is in our blood; in our marrow, as Canadians.

In that inimitable way that hockey behaves, it can go from providing pure, unadulterated bliss to a cold, swift stab in the back in the blink of an eye.  Not forty-eight hours after crossing back into the home country, riding a crest of elation at Canada’s pwning – as the kids say – of the host United States in the second semifinal, it seemed like a mere formality that Canada’s momentum would carry them past the game Russians in the Championship Final on Wednesday night.

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Canada jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two periods and skated back onto the ice after the second intermission twenty minutes away from gold.  Even when Russia scored two quick goals to cut the lead down to one, they were up against the clock as well as the Canadians and still as time continued to countdown, Canada moved within twelve and a half minutes away from the title.

Twelve and a half minutes.

But when a pair of first-round NHL draft picks connected on the game-tying goal – Evgeny Kuznetsov to Vladimir Tarasenko, it is not a stretch to imagine that households across Canada, boisterous with excitement mere seconds before, fell as quiet as the stunned pro-Canadian crowd inside HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

Suddenly, the bleeding that every Canadian thought would be stopped by a player stepping up to cauterize this national wound, only flowed with more rage.  Artemi Panarin’s go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal with 4:38 left was like a bullet that opened another wound, irreparable, unstoppable.  By the time Nikita Dvurechensky iced the championship with a breakaway goal, sprung into the Canadian zone on the third assist of the game from Kuznetsov, the Canadian pulse had figuratively already flatlined.

In the sombre, devastated post-game atmosphere, coach Dave Cameron noted that his team seemed to get back on their heels even as the second period wound down – an omnious sign.  Forward Zack Kassian denied that Canada ran out of energy but said, “Hockey is a weird sport.  Sometimes you have momentum swings and you just can’t stop it.  They just kept coming and coming and we stopped getting the bounces and it made us look like we were standing still.”

Kassian was right.  The Russians seemed to repeat wave after wave of attacks in the offensive zone, playing with nothing to lose and an air of confidence.  Their confidence was buoyed by a late game comeback against Finland, powered by Kuznetsov, to win their quarterfinal.  Subsequently, these eyes watched live in Buffalo as Russia stunned Sweden in the semifinal in the final minutes of regulation to tie the game, then won in a shootout, despite being outplayed for most of the game by the Tre Kronor.

Did Russia pull the wool over everyone’s eyes this year?  Did they play coy like the Soviet team in the 1972 Summit Series, spotting Canada a lead in the opening game before blitzing the hosts into stunned submission?  Nobody really knows.  What every Canadian does know, however, is that they will be haunted for a second consecutive year by a World Junior gold-medal game loss.  The sound of Kuznetsov’s jubilant screams in the deathly silent arena as the final seconds ticked down will be in our ears until Christmas when the top under-20 squads reconvene in Calgary and Edmonton.

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While partisans on both sides of the border wished for the Canada v. U.S. game to take place in the gold medal game to set up an exact rematch of last year’s World Junior Championship final, the anticipation surrounding this year’s semifinal proved to be just as intense.  Canadians stewed over the crushing of their dashed dreams of an unprecedented sixth straight IIHF U20 title ending on home ice in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan last January when current Washington defenceman John Carlson scored in overtime giving the Americans a stunning victory.

The U.S. entered the 2011 tournament as the consensus choice to repeat as champions as eight players from last year’s champions returned to the roster.  Meanwhile, Canada stereotypically played the humility card, stating that this year’s squad would be a mixture of good old-fashioned grit, grease and size, a collection of four equal lines with no superstars that would have to grind out victories.  Moreover, neither of Canada’s two goaltenders, Olivier Roy and Mark Visentin, stood out like American Jack Campbell a returnee from last year.

And the preliminary games followed the script.  The U.S. went undefeated and Canada dropped their last game to Sweden forcing them into a quarterfinal which they won 4-1 over Switzerland.  On Monday, this writer made the trek across the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge not far from the area where British General Isaac Brock was slain during the War of 1812.  Arriving at HSBC Arena two hours before the Sweden vs. Russia semifinal began, an obligatory inspection of the nearby beer tent, ominously quiet, was made and a thick roast beef sandwich with a side of pickles and chips was quickly devoured.

If there’s one thing to take away from the first semifinal, it is this: Has Russia been playing coy the whole tournament?  They needed a final day victory over the Czech Republic to even guarantee themselves a spot in the playoff round then fell behind 3-1 to Finland on Sunday night before Yevgeni Kuznetsov, a first-round pick of the Capitals, took over.  He scored with under four minutes left then set up the game-tying goal with under two minutes left then scored in overtime to stun the Finns.

On Monday, Russia took a 2-0 lead until Sweden scored a late second period power play goal and an early third period even strength goal to tie up the game.  With 3:52 remaining in regulation, Dmitri Orlov of Russia took a costly slashing penalty and Patrick Cehlin made him pay by scoring 33 seconds later.  But once again, Russia refused to go quietly and Sergei Kalinin made a diving stab at the puck in the goal crease with 1:27 left to tie matters once more.  I looked over at a yellow-clad section of Swedish fans who watched the play right in front of them …. stunned.

Despite being outshot badly by Sweden 49-32 and 5-1 in overtime, Russian goaltender Dmitri Shikin shone in the shootout, keeping out all three Swedish attempts (with a little help from the post on the last shot) as Russia prevailed.

In the evening, well, it was like night and day.  The previously quiet beer tent was literally bursting with fans, virtually all red-garbed Canadians.  Foolishly, I found myself embedded in the centre of the area and it took me nearly ten minutes to even elbow my way back out.  From there, the ticket lines and concourses were also a Red Sea of Canadians, drowning out every “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chant with an emphatic ”Let’s go Canada!” rebuttal.  And in the stands, there was no question this was a “home” game for Canada.  Thunderous cheers greeted Team Canada as they took the ice for the pre-game skate and once again when they lined up for the opening faceoff.

Feeding off the crowd’s energy, Canada opened the game by swarming the Americans, denying them room to set up plays or skate and hitting every white jersey in sight.  Canada was rewarded for its hard work when Curtis Hamilton deftly picked up his own rebound and rammed it in the net at 2:38 of the first period.  Then, at 13:54, Brett Connolly sent a shot towards the net that was neatly tipped over Campbell’s right shoulder by a streaking Quinton Howden to give the Canadians a 2-0 lead, sending the crowd into another explosion of joy.

In the middle frame, Canada kept the pedal down, building on their 12-5 first period shot advantage with a volley of 16 more shots.  Two quick penalties committed by Charlie Coyle and Patrick Wey put the U.S. shorthanded by two men and Ryan Johansen made the Americans pay 1:01 into the 5-on-3 by netting his third goal of the tournament.

Early in the third period, Zack Kassian, a Sabres’ prospect who may one day call HSBC Arena his home, sealed the game when eight seconds after Canada killed off a minor penalty, he took a head-man pass from Calvin de Haan alone on Campbell and buried it to give the red and white a 4-0 lead.  Canadian netminder Mark Visentin lost his shutout bid with 10:23 remaining when Chris Brown scored on a power play but otherwise, the game was pure mastery by Canada.

The atmosphere from a fan’s perspective was simply electric.  Every time a Canadian delivered a crushing hit, the crowd roared with approval; every time Visentin gloved down a puck, the crowd roared with approval.  Every time Canada rushed into the U.S. zone, every fan behind the net would rise with anticipation.  Fortuitously, our seats were one section to the right of the Canadian players’ family area and like every other Canadian in the crowd, they cheered just as loudly.  Finally, in true fan fashion, there was nothing quite like exchanging high-fives after each goal and after the game with strangers around us, united by our common Canadian bond.

Tonight however, one final task must be accomplished or the euphoria from Monday will be moot.  Since the World Juniors became an official international championship in 1977, Russia has won 12 titles (as Russia/CIS/USSR) while Canada has won 15.  Under the current playoff format, the two titans opposed each other in 2002 and 2003 and from 2005 to 2007 with Russia winning the first two matches and Canada the latter three.

The 2011 World Junior Championships are underway in Buffalo, NY and as has become tradition over the last few years, several Kings prospects are participating – Derek Forbort (USA), Brayden Schenn (Canada) and Maxim Kitsyn (Russia).

Team Russia probably isn’t off to the start they were hoping for.  However, both the U.S. and Canada remain undefeated after their first two games.  If they each win their remaining pair of preliminary games (pool play), they’ll get an automatic bye into the semi-finals.

It’s no secret that the match-up nearly all of North America would hope for is a U.S.-Canada final for the gold medal.  Defenseman Drew Doughty experienced the high of winning gold back at the 2008 WJC, while fellow blueliner Jack Johnson was only able to muster a bronze at his two events (2006 and 2007).  Both players shared some exclusive comments about their experiences…

TEAM CANADA – DREW DOUGHTY

At the 2008 WJC held in the Czech Republic, Team Canada was littered with future Kings – goaltender Jonathan Bernier; defenseman Drew Doughty and Thomas Hickey; and Wayne Simmonds at forward. They beat Sweden in the final by a score of 4-3, something Doughty spoke about recently:

MM: Most people are familiar with your gold medal victory this past February at the Olympics.  However, you also had a pretty big moment back in 2008, being part of the team that won Canada it’s fourth gold in a row at the WJC…

DD: It was amazing. We had so much fun. It was a great group of guys, a lot of guys who are already playing in the NHL – which shows how good of a team we really were. I met my roommate there, Wayne and I were roommates at World Juniors - so, we kinda built our chemistry together and that’s a big part to my success in the NHL, having a guy who you can have similarities to and have fun with. It definitely helps you in the NHL. That (event) was one of the stepping stones in my career. It was one of the times I really had to step up to the plate and be at my best. I think from then on out I grew as a player.

MM: The U.S. met Canada that year in the semi-finals. In a bit of a twist, the U.S. team had gone unbeaten in pool play and had a bye into that second round match-up. Meanwhile, you guys played your way into that game and then defeated them 4-1. Any memories from that game?

DD: I remember being fully prepared for them. We knew they had some firepower up front [James van Riemsdyk (Flyers) led the tournament with 11 points, Colin Wilson (Predators) tied for the lead with six goals] and they were pretty good all around. But, we went into that game with no doubts in our minds that we were going to beat them. And we took it to them right from the puck drop. We obviously dominated that game.

MM: In addition to the gold medal, you were also named to the All Star team…

DD: Going into the tournament you really don’t know what to expect. Obviously, you’re hoping to be one of the best players. The team gave me every opportunity to be one of the best players on that team and I thought I played really well.

That’s a bit of an understatement. He finished the tournament with four assists (second best among all defenseman), zero penalty minutes and was even (+/-) over the seven games played. Canada also had the best overall penalty kill (89%), an area where Doughty was no doubt a major contributor.

Further, he became just the fifth Canadian player to be named the Top Defenseman of the tournament…and the first to do it before being drafted into the NHL.

While this year’s Canadian team is battling the likes of Sweden and the Czech Republic this week in Buffalo, Doughty will get a chance to meet up with two of his other teammates from 2008 - Kyle Turris of the Coyotes on Wednesday and Claude Giroux of the Flyers on Thursday.

TEAM USA – JACK JOHNSON

The 2006 WJC featured names like Evgeni Malkin (Russia), Nicklas Backstrom (Sweden) and Steve Downie (Canada). Meanwhile, the U.S. squad featured a future Duck and a future King in Bobby Ryan and Jack Johnson. That team almost won a medal too, falling short to Finland in the bronze medal game.

One year later Johnson returned to the WJC and this time came home with some hardware, beating host country Sweden for the bronze. Below he talks about what he took away from those two tournaments…

MM:  What are some of the key memories overall from the two years at the WJC?

JJ:  I was happy I got to win the bronze medal there.  I had a lot of fun, lots of great memories from the tournament.  I think we had two great teams that we thought should have done better than we did.  But, I was able to play with a lot of friends, guys that will probably turn out to be lifelong friends.

MM:  You had a goal in 2006 vs. Finland.  Is that your best memory from the first WJC?

JJ:  It was a fun tournament there in Vancouver.  It was a great atmosphere, great time.  I scored that goal in the bronze medal game against Finland.  I thought we should have won that game too.  I thought we should have done better both years.  But, we had to pull our goalie in one of the round robin games (pool play) to try and win the round robin.  It put is a tougher route than we wanted.  It was a fun tournament though.

MM:  The following year you guys lost 2-1 (semi-finals) in another US-Canada classic.  Knowing how proud you are to be an American hockey player, is that one those losses that sits with you and eats at you?

JJ:  We went into that game expecting to win.  I thought we had a better team.  I thought we should have won in that shootout too.  I know at the time we thought we had the better goalie and the better shooters going into the shootout.  We wish we could have gone through their roster.  I think we had more depth.  But, in a shootout anything can happen.  It is what it is though.  Canada had a great team, the U.S. had a great team and it came down to a shootout.

Johnson went on to say that although he hasn’t met Forbort yet, he’s pulling for his fellow American and hopes the future King can win gold this year.

As for his time in a U.S. jersey, his other international experience includes three IIHF World Championships and two Under-18 tournaments for Team USA.

Oh yeah, and he returned to Vancouver as part of Team USA for this past February’s Winter Olympics.  While he earned a silver medal there, it came at the hands of Canada once again after Sidney Crosby scored an overtime goal in the gold medal game.

Given that he’s only 23 years old, you can probably expect to see Johnson patrolling the blue line for the red, white and blue in several more tournaments in the years ahead.

Perhaps there’s even a gold medal in his future at some point.  Only time will tell.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

WJC 2011 Guide - What You Need To Know - included links to interview w/ future Kings at WJC

The Complete Story on Brayden Schenn

10 Tidbits on Drew Doughty

Drew Doughty is Odd Man Out in LA - notes on Jack Johnson, Rob Scuderi, Matt Greene

Frozen Fury 2010 – Johnson Post-Skate Comments

Frozen Fury 2010 – Doughty Post-Skate Comments

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Kuhnhackl, 18, was drafted in 2010 by the Penguins in the fourth round, 110th overall and is playing his first season with the two-time defending Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.  He is fourth on the team in scoring with 33 points and 17 goals.  Després, 19, was taken by Pittsburgh in the first round of the 2009 draft, 30th overall and is completing his fourth and final year with Saint John of the QMJHL.  His solid play on the blue line is a reason why the Sea Dogs (29-4-2) are the top-ranked team in the CHL.  Després leads all QMJHL defencemen in points per game.

After Canada defeated Sweden 4-1 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto last Tuesday evening in a pre-tournament exhibition game, Hockey Independent had a chance to speak with Després.

HI: What have you thought so far about your two games here at the World Juniors?

It’s unbelievable.  I’ve enjoyed the experience.  We have a very good team and we try to progress every day.

HI: You’ve competed in international tournaments before.  You were at the Under-18 summer tournament.  Do you find that the pace of this is just the same as other international tournaments or is it an adjustment getting to that level?

It’s a little adjustment.  I mean, the transition game of the Europeans is very different than our style.  You’ve just got to adjust to it and play inside the dots and play your positions well.

HI: Has [Canadian World Junior Team Head] Coach [Dave] Cameron talked to you about a specific role that he wants you to have?  I know you’re more of an offensive-minded defenceman in Saint John, but what role does he see you having once the games begin?

He wants me in more of a defensive role.  He wants me to play good defence.  He wants me to move ahead of the puck, play physical and use my big body.

HI: Back in September when you were at the Penguins’ camp, you were probably one of the last players to be cut.  What was that experience like, playing with world-class players like Crosby, Malkin and Letang?  What advice did they give you before you headed out to Saint John?

They told me, before I left, to keep working on my good habits.  Try not to get into bad habits in practice and just try to get better every day and come back at camp stronger next year.

HI: Was that the same thing [head coach] Dan Bylsma and [GM] Ray Shero might have told you?

Yeah, well it was longer than that but they told me to keep working on my game and play the same way as I played in Pittsburgh.  It’s hard to do it in Saint John but I try to work on that and I still play like that – good stick on puck, good body positioning.

The editor of Prospects Hockey magazine joined me in the mixed zone and asked Després some additional questions.

PH: How many exhibition games did you play [in Pittsburgh]?

I played in four exhibition games.

PH: We’ve seen 19-year olds come back, high draft picks … It’s tough to say if they struggle, but it can be a letdown coming back.  What was it like to go back and play in junior?

The first week was really rough.  I was down, but then I just practiced with my friends who went to the (QMJHL) Finals last year and I’m trying to enjoy as much as I can, the last year of junior, because junior is not the same as the NHL.  It’s a lot different: guys have families and stuff, so I just try to enjoy it as much as I can.

PH: How would you compare the Saint John team this year to last year?

I think it’s similar, very similar.  I think that we’ve got a lot of depth.  We can roll four lines and we’re able to produce a lot of offence and our young guys stepped up [in the place of Nick] Petersen and [Mike] Hoffman, who produced a lot of goals last year.

PH: What did you know about this guy (pointing to Sean Couturier of Drummondville) growing up?

Actually, I’ve played against him twice a year so I haven’t played against him a whole bunch.  Actually, this was the first summer that I met him.

In Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol the reader is taken through a spiritual awakening of Ebenezer Scrooge as Christmas Eve slowly moves into the next day, a process that includes visits from what the author called Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

With that in mind, we present an essential collection of hockey gifts this season for the Kings fan in your life.

GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST

Penny pinchers beware - we’re going to jump straight up to the big time.  The mask to the left was actually worn by Kings’ goalie Rogie Vachon around 1976-78.  For a mere $33,000 you could have won it in an auction last month.

If that’s a little out of your budget but you still like the mask, pick up a replica for about $500 at several online retailers, including here.

Perhaps equally as rare – and still uber cool - is this Gretzky doll.  Long before Pillow Pets were all the rage, you could snuggle up with a #99 doll while watching Kings games on TV.

These came out around 1991 after a successful line of similar dolls for wrestlers Hulk Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper.

The hockey line also included Brett Hull and Mario Lemieux dolls.

If you have one already, hope it’s in good condition.  These are super, super rare.

This next item may not be the most difficult to find or cost the most – both of which are actually part of what makes it so great – yet, if you’re a Kings fan, you have to own this book.

Kings broadcaster Bob Miller is an institution. He’s a constant, crossing over the purple and gold era, through the silver and black days, all the way up to the present.

This book features some of Bob’s favorite memories over 30+ years and is like taking a walk down Kings history.  When it comes to the Kings past, this is perhaps the bible.

Click the image to the left and check it out.  You can even get a used copy for a couple of bucks.

For the remaining collection from PART ONE (here’s a link: Gifts of Christmas Past) -  including a few game worn jersey options, one of the coolest pair of tennis shoes ever, a puck from the ’60s and more.

GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT

Don’t worry ladies, we didn’t forget about your gift buying needs.  We all know most guys would walk around in sweats and no shirt if it was socially acceptable…and they cant wear a jersey everywhere (even though some may try).  So, dress up the man in your life with a pair of Kings cuff links.  This item is available here for about 20% off and they’re a guaranteed conversation starter when he’s wearing his Sunday best.

Fans of the Los Angeles Kings know one thing for sure about the team’s history – goaltending hasn’t been it’s greatest strength.

The fine folks over at The Royal Half bring you the latest in goalie fashion wear…the netminders shirt – listing the finest the Kings have had to offer over the last 15 years.  (available here)

Something tells me they wont be crossing off that top name for quite some time.

One of the other things Kigns fans know is they finally have a General Manager they can trust to see things through to the end.  The current team is built for the long haul, not just the next few months.

So, pick up an IN DEAN WE TRUST t-shirt - brought to you exclusively from the MayorsManor store.  There are several different styles to choose from in many different colors, for both men and women. 

As they say on the streets of New York ‘get ‘em while they’re hot!’

Click now to see the remaining collection from PART TWO (link: Gifts of Christmas Present) – including great hockey jewelry, jersey buying tips, mascot items and other useful info. 

GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS YET TO BE

Sneak peek at some items that may be available in the not-too-distant future…

In the true spirit of Festivus, next winter the Kings will be hosting a special one-night-only event at their training facility in El Segundo, CA – the Festivus Feats of Strength contest, featuring the battle of the Jonathans, Quick vs. Bernier.

They’ll face off in must see competitions like wrestling, weight lifting, barrel toss, Zamboni pulling, stick breaking and helmet crushes. Nobody goes home until it’s decided once and for all, who is the baddest man on the planet wearing a Kings goalie mask. 

Be sure to get your tickets early for this one, as it will sell out.  General admission tickets are $32, VIP seats are $45 and come with a signed poster.

For all you heavy travelers out there you won’t want to miss out on this item. Set to come out later this spring, it’s the Brayden Schenn Luggage Collection. 

These sporty pieces come adorned will emblems from all his recent stops.  They’re designed for fashionable folks, with a bit of functionality too – each piece fits inside airplane overhead compartments and can help speed you through customs when shuttling back and forth between Canada and the United States.

If you’ve read our previous gift guides, you know we save the best for the last…

MayorsManor is thrilled to announce the launch of the next Kings bobblehead:

‘The Colonel’ Kyle Clifford

This item will sell for $13 and will be limited to a signed and numbered edition of only 1,000. Be sure to order one before all the other hockey fans out there realize just how kick ass this kid is!

Click now to see the remaining collection from PART THREE (link: Gifts of Christmas Yet To Come) – including Stanley Cup related items, etc.

There you have it, this completes the Gifts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

Merry Christmas everybody…and to all, a good night.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

note: Special thanks to Indiana Matt for help with the last two images.

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In contrast to last night’s cakewalk over Switzerland in Oshawa, Sweden was the team that came out firing.  In the first period, Sweden outshot Canada 15-5 and held the hosts without a shot on goal through the first 6:11 of the game until defenceman Calvin de Haan fired a long slap shot from the right point that was gobbled up by Swedish netminder Robin Lehner.

Sean Couturier took the opening faceoff and picked up where he left off last night by contributing, this time on the defensive end.  Just two minutes in, after Sweden broke into the Canadian zone on a partial 2-on-1, a shot came off the left pad of goaltender Olivier Roy.  Couturier, backchecking, slid to interrupt the shooting lane, preventing a scoring chance.

Canada opened the scoring at 7:32 when Jaden Schwartz made a head-man pass to Brayden Schenn along the left wing boards, springing Canada on a 2-on-1. With Ryan Ellis skating stride for stride with Schenn.  Schenn faked a shot, then fired the puck over the left shoulder of Lehner.  Schenn missed a second goal with about two minutes left in the period by inches when his backhand try from a Louis Leblanc pass was thwarted by Lehner.  His counterpart Roy stood tall late in the opening frame too.  When Swedish defenceman Fredrik Stryman cruised in from the point, deking his way to the net before unleashing a shot, Roy used his left shoulder to parry away a high backhand attempt.

The second period was marked by special teams almost from start to finish.  Eight penalties were called in total – five on Sweden and three on Canada.  The hosts doubled their lead to 2-0 at 6:43, 16 seconds into a 5-on-3 advantage.  Jaden Schwartz once again initiated the play when he fired a centre-point shot that was deflected to the right side of Lehner.  Zack Kassian pounced and stuffed the puck into the net.

Captain Ryan Ellis, known more for being an offensive-minded blueliner, showed his defensive skills less than four minutes into the period when he slid headlong, dislodging the Canadian net as he blocked a shot.  ”Everyone’s got to chip in and do their part.  I might not be the big shutdown kind of guy but [blocking shots] is huge for our team,” Ellis said, post-game.  He called the goal by his Windsor OHL teammate Kassian, “huge … it was a power play goal.  It was a big goal to get there at the end of the second.  He’s been playing well for our team, skating hard for our team.”

Later, defenceman Calvin de Haan showed hustle as well, backchecking during a botched moment in a late Canadian power play, racing back to pokecheck the puck off the stick of Swedish forward Oscar Lindberg.

In total, Canada received 7 of its 10 total power plays in the first two periods and overall converted just 1 of the 10 chances.  Coach Dave Cameron repeatedly deployed as his primary power play unit: Ellis at the left point, Schwartz at the right point, Schenn at the right half wall, Ryan Johansen as the screen and Kassian on the left side.  Cameron said, “I thought our power play was like our game: sluggish and sloppy,” noting that the key to effective power plays is traffic in front of the goal.  “That’s a component of it.  You’re not going to beat good goaltending just on straight shots too often.

“There’s a lot of good hockey teams here.  Sweden’s one of them and it’s a real challenge to beat them and they pushed us tonight.  We found a way [to win].  It was a real good test and that’s how you get better,” he continued, commending his players’ composure amidst the fire of a highly-physical game.  “We’re preaching discipline.  You’re not going to win this tournament being undisciplined and I thought we were real disciplined tonight.”

The final period was also marked by Canadian power play chances.  Canada received a 1 minute, 17 second 5-on-3 advantage midway through the period but was unable to convert.  “We had a lot of time to practice [the penalty kill],” Swedish head coach Roger Ronnberg joked.  “We played good but we drew too many penalties.  That’s the brutal truth.  We have to take down the penalties if we want to beat Canada … We have put this team together to have the best chance to beat those guys on the small rink.  My guys competed but we have to learn the lesson to compete under pressure and not go over the edge and draw those penalties.”

Ronnberg said that Schenn’s opening goal helped Canada more than it hurt Sweden, downplaying conjecture that Canada had a fast start to the game.  “I don’t think Canada started this game so good,” Ronnberg said, possibly alluding to Sweden’s 15-5 first period shot advantage.  “We had good control of the game.  They didn’t have any scoring chances before they scored.  It’s tough but I think my guys had good energy even after the goal, but I think it was a relief for Canada.”

Max Friberg cut Canada’s lead to 2-1 when the Swedish forward skated to the middle of the near circle and fired a slap shot that went right through Roy at 9:17 of the third period.

After Quniton Howden passed the puck through the slot from the left wing boards, Johansen gave Canada some breathing room with 4:05 left when he made a turning forehand shot from the far circle that sailed over Fredrik Petersson Wentzel, inserted as Sweden’s netminder at the start of the third period.

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Canada came out swarming Switzerland in the opening minutes of the first period and were rewarded when Marcus Foligno scored at 1:25.  Captain Ryan Ellis put a slap shot on net and Foligno found the loose puck at the left side of the net and tapped it in before Swiss goaltender Benjamin Conz could cover up.  Considered a long-shot to make the club, Foligno, a fourth round draft choice of the Buffalo Sabres in 2009, impressed Team Canada brass with a strong showing during selection camp intrasquad games.

The second goal for Team Canada was manufactured by its starting line.  After applying pressure deep in the Swiss zone, forward Louis Leblanc fired a pass from below the goal line to Jaden Schwartz at the dot of the far faceoff circle.  Schwartz one-timed a snap shot over the right shoulder of Conz.  Just one minute and 37 seconds later, Carter Ashton and Casey Cizikas skated through the slot together and Cizikas buried a pass from Ashton to give Canada a 3-0 lead.

Cizikas later emphasized the importance of contributions from every team member. “We got pucks deep, we took the body when we had the chance. It was a good start for our team. All four lines were going.  All four lines were doing what they had to do.  It was a great all-around effort for our team.  We had scoring from all four lines today. I think that was the biggest thing to our success tonight.”

Swiss head coach Richard Jost used his time out and it seemed to settle his players as they played a more tight defensive game throughout the rest of the period despite being outshot 15-6.

In the second period, Canada capitalized on the power play when they were gifted with a four-minute man advantage courtesy of a Gaetan Haas cross-check.  Tyson Barrie crept up to the top of the circle during the first half of the double-minor and one-timed a Cody Eakin cr0ss-seam pass past Conz to give the home side a 4-0 lead.

After Leblanc picked up his second point of the night with a goal at 8:05 of the middle frame, Couturier finished off a barrage of rapid-fire Canadian shots when he calmly lifted a wrist shot into the net from the bottom of the far circle.  Couturier picked up a secondary assist on Canada’s seventh goal when defenceman Calvin de Haan fired a point shot past a screened Conz for a power play goal just 16 seconds after Swiss forward Ryan McGregor went to the box for holding.

Couturier echoed Cizikas’ comments on a total team effort.  “The whole team did good.  All four lines contributed and that’s what we need.”  He said his forward line featuring himself centering Marcus Foligno and Zack Kassian used size and strength to their advantage.  “We’re big boys and we just try to use our bodies the most we can.  We try to create plays offensively and I think we’re doing a pretty good job so far.  There’s a lot of credit that goes to my teammates: Foligno and ‘Kass’ were making a lot of room for me and winning battles and it was a good line.

“We blocked some shots, we chipped pucks out, created a lot of things off our forecheck.  We just try to keep it simple: forecheck, create stuff … it’s just exhibitions right now but we’re just trying to get some momentum going.”

In the third period, Switzerland replaced Conz with Lukas Meili and he was solid, stopping 17 of 18 shots and superb early, the best Swiss penalty killer during a 5 on 3 Canadian man advantage that lasted 1:22.  His only blemish was allowing a goal by Carter Ashton at 8:45 when Ashton arced toward the Swiss net off the right wing boards, then tucked a forehand shot just past the right pad of Meili.

In between the Canadian pipes, netminder Mark Visentin had a light load, facing only 20 shots.  Visentin admitted that it can be hard to keep focus in a blowout.  ”It’s tough to stay focussed out there so what I do is try to stay vocal out there and talk to my teammates.  There were a couple bouncy pucks that I thought I should have done a better job of playing but at the end of the day, none went in.”  He praised his teammates for their effort.  “They were absolutely great, making the first pass out of our end … the biggest thing for us was that we were physical tonight, we outworked them, we wore them down eventually.  It was just the way we cycled the puck and created chances that was excellent.  I think we rolled all four lines well tonight so it was really great to see that.”

Head coach Dave Cameron was generally pleased with the effort of Team Canada.  “I think we were good start to finish.  Getting the early lead took a lot of the pressure off. We got pucks deep, we dominated.”  He admitted it was hard to gauge Visentin’s performance given the small amount of shots given up.  “What you see is what you get … I think it was a hard game for him because there were long stretches where there were no shots and then a flurry to start the third. But we won 8-0.”  As expected, he named Olivier Roy as his starter against Sweden tomorrow night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Cameron was also satisfied with the physical play of the Couturier-Foligno-Kassian trio calling them a “big physical line that can dominate down low.  They were good at getting the puck low.  I thought their shifts were a little long but they’re big bodies and I thought that they played to their strengths.”

He cautioned that against Sweden, players cannot afford to stay on the ice as long as they did tonight.  “Because we had the puck so much, I thought our shifts got a little long.  That’s one thing we’ve got to be a little careful of.  [Facing Sweden], I think it will be a little bit better of a test, so we’ll have to be better.”

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Four of the team’s seven defencemen are 6’2″ or taller including 6’5″ 227 lb. Jared Cowen, a 2009 first-round draft pick of Ottawa who returns to Team Canada after winning silver last year.  Captain Ryan Ellis, back for his third tour of duty for Canada at the World Juniors, was named team captain today.  Ellis was an alternate captain on last year’s team and also won a gold medal in 2009.  He also won back to back Memorial Cups with Windsor in the OHL over the past two seasons.  Ellis’ alternate captains will be fellow blueliners Cowen, Calvin de Haan and forward Brayden Schenn.  The four players are the only ones to have previous World Junior Championship experience.

Sean Couturier, a talented 18-year old forward with Drummondville of the QMJHL, is the only non-drafted player on the roster.  Last season, he won the QMJHL scoring title and was the first 17-year old to do so since Sidney Crosby in 2005.  Couturier is tabbed as a prospect who could likely find himself as the first overall NHL draft pick in Minneapolis next summer.  Jeremy Sandler of the National Post, reported last Thursday that the following three forward lines were being used in practice:

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Tonight, Hockey Canada opened the intrasquad portion of its team selection camp and Team Red won 4-1 over Team White on the strength of two goals by Marcus Foligno, a 2009 draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres.  Foligno is hoping to follow the same career path as his brother Nick, an Ottawa Senators’ left wing, and their father Mike Foligno who played 1,018 games in the NHL.  Another prospect in camp hoping to crack the final roster is Simon Desprès, a defenceman drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 30th and final pick of the first round in 2009.

Desprès was the last player cut from the Penguins’ pre-season training camp this fall and is now playing in his fourth year for the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.  In both 2009 and 2010, he impressed Pittsburgh coaches at both the summer prospect camp and pre-season training camp.  His mobile skating ability, improved shot and poise with the puck are skills that stood out to observers at the camps and his stick-handling during the rookie tournament this September in London, Ontario was also noteworthy.

As a raw 16 year old rookie in 2007-08, Desprès played a mostly stay-at-home defensive style.  In his second season, he assumed more offence-generating responsibility including seeing time on the power play.  Last season, Desprès posted career-best scoring statistics (9 G+38 A, 47 PTS) despite playing the fewest games (63) of any of his three major junior seasons.  He was a key cog on a Saint John club that posted the best regular season record (53-12-3) in the QMJHL.  Although the Sea Dogs bowed to their New Brunswick provincial rival, Moncton Wildcats in six games during the QMJHL Championship, Desprès scored 19 points in 21 playoff games.

This season, despite missing nearly a month of Saint John’s games in September due to his pre-season tryout in Pittsburgh, Desprès is still the league’s third-highest scoring defenceman with 26 points and leads all blueliners in points per game at a 1.18 clip.  His +19 rating ranks him 9th overall among defencemen.  Unsurprisingly, Saint John has once again surged into the overall lead of the QMJHL at the approximate midpoint of the season with a 27-4-2 record.

With a relatively short time to make an impression, Desprès must hope that a strong showing in selection camp, his impressive QMJHL résumé and his previous appearance in front of Hockey Canada decision-makers at the 2010 National Junior Team Summer Development Camp, will work in his favour when selections for the final roster are announced this Wednesday.

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While the Blues played a spirited game against a talented opponent, the AHL Toronto Marlies were defeated 4-1 earlier in the day by the Lake Erie Monsters.  The municipal addiction, the Leafs, were shut out for the second straight game, 2-0 at the Air Canada Centre by the New York Rangers.  It would be the second of eight straight losses sustained by the Leafs.  Yet 19,063 packed the arena to watch.

Blues’ defenceman Sean Kliewer, a fourth-year player from Brunkild, Manitoba, 50 km southwest of Winnipeg, gave his thoughts on the general lack of fan support and interest in college hockey in Toronto.  He compared and contrasted the culture between U of T and University of Manitoba.

“It’s a different culture, I think.  [I have] friends who play for University of Manitoba and it’s a very athletic school.  Here, [U of T] is a very academic school so you have the contrast.  A lot of people back home on a Saturday night go to a game and then go out afterwards.  Here, you might have people staying home so the culture’s a little bit different.  People focus here on school.”

Kliewer agreed that the absence of professional sports in Winnipeg, especially after the Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996, may also contribute to Manitobans’ interest in amateur sport but emphasized that citizens of his home province are unanimous in their hope of bringing back the Jets some day.  “Back home, everyone still loves the Jets.  You go into any sports store and it’s Jets merchandise, Jets merchandise, Jets merchandise.  It’s all everyone talks about: bringing the Jets back.  Hopefully, Winnipeg can support a team again.”

He suggested that the U of T campus needs to establish more of a community atmosphere to establish backing for its sports teams.  “I think it starts with, even outside of hockey, with U of T supporting more of a community.  If I go to class, I’m in a class with 300 people. You don’t really get a chance to meet people.  There’s not a lot of social events outside of class.  Most people come, do their business, go home, that’s it for the day.  So if you start to get bonds around campus, you’re going to get people coming out to sporting events because they know people and vice-versa and it becomes a social event and you get people out.”

On this night at Varsity Arena, the Blues set the tone with sustained offensive zone pressure early in the opening period. Their efforts paid off when forward Michael Markovic tapped in a rebound from near the crease past sprawled Concordia netminder Maxime Joyal for the opening goal at 6:33.  Both teams were unable to convert on the power play in the first period.  The Varsity Blues failed to score during 2:27 of consecutive power play time including 1:33 of 2-man advantage when Stingers’ forward Charles-Antoine Messier followed teammate Alexis Piette to the box midway through the period.  U of T demonstrated good passing but several shots directed to the net missed wide.  Concordia also was 0/2 on the power play during the first period.

Speedy second year U of T left wing Brent McGrail created scoring chances on several rushes and made a takeaway in the offensive zone with about six minutes remaining in the period.  Senior year defenceman Sean Kliewer cut off a centering attempt moments later and also averted a breakaway with about 3 minutes left with a pokecheck.

In the second period, rookie forward Blake Boddy gave U of T a 2-0 lead on a give-and-go play.  From the slot, Kyle Ventura slid the puck across to Boddy who wasted no time firing a high wrist shot past Joyal.  Concordia cut the lead in half by scoring with one second remaining on their fourth power play opportunity of the game.  Messier one-timed a cross-crease pass high over the glove of Blues’ goaltender Andrew Martin to get the Stingers on the board.

Play turned chippier towards the end of the middle period, with Blues’ defenceman Matt Walters jawing at the Concordia bench after the end of a shift.  In the final period, Concordia came out guns blazing but Martin was equal to the task, denying Messier a chance at a second goal ninety seconds into the period when he made a pad save on a quick shot from the slot then turned away a point shot from defencman Eric Begin moments later.  The Blues broke the game open when they scored four times in 4:53.  Paul Dupont got things started when he scored his first of the season at 7:05, curling in from the near boards, putting a shot on net then stuffing in his own rebound from in close.  McGrail added a power play goal just over two minutes later, then Boddy scored his second of the game at 10:40.  Dan Brewer scored a minute later to make it 6-1 and Concordia replaced Joyal who gave up 6 goals on 30 shots, with Sheldon Baerg.

After the game, U of T head coach Darren Lowe said he did not want his team to play over-cautiously heading into the third period when they were clinging to a 2-1 lead.  ”We’ve gone into the third period three times with a lead and blown the lead, so I just said to the guys, we can’t go into a shell.  We’ve got to play hockey. For a little while, we were back on our heels, but then it broke.  Last night was what we needed: we needed to find a way to win a hockey game.  Once we did that, we had a little bit of offence.  So that’s what we did.  We had a little bit of confidence going into the third period.”

Lowe also noted the contributions of some of the rookies on the team including Boddy who had two goals and defenceman Cam Bernier who rushed back into the defensive zone to prevent a Concordia breakaway late in the third period with a pokecheck.  “We have 11 or 12 first-years in the lineup …  It’s tough on a young team to be able to win hockey games and play well so those two guys played really well but so did a lot of other guys on our team.”

Tonight U of T (4-7-3) will host University of Ontario Institute of Technology (5-7-3) at 7:30pm on “Minor Hockey Night”.  Will a larger crowd come out this evening to watch Toronto collegiate hockey?  Both clubs played past overtime last evening.  The Blues beat Laurier 2-1 at Varsity Arena on Friday while UOIT fell 3-2 in Ottawa.

Take these men for your ensamples. Like them, remember that prosperity can be only for the free, that freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.

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Hobey Baker, America’s first hockey star of the twentieth century, demonstrated this courage to defend freedom when he served his country during the latter part of the Great War.  While many associate his name with the award given annually to the finest player in American collegiate hockey, Hobey Baker was much more than just an excellent hockey player.  Baker starred at Princeton in both football and hockey.  He captained both Princeton Tigers teams to national championships: the football club in 1911 and the hockey team in 1912 and 1914.

Even before the United States entered World War I, Baker had already taken flying lessons, anticipating the call of his country for prepared and trained pilots.  In 1917, as a First Lieutenant, he went to England then France for further flying and advanced military pilot training.  Baker became a member of the 103rd Aero Squadron in April 1918 and was posted to the Fourth Army where he was part of a group patrolling the lines in northern France.  At the end of the month, Baker participated in a counter-attack near Ypres in poor-visibility conditions due to mist, low clouds and smoke from exploding shells.  Despite accidentally getting separated from his fellow pilots and a faulty compass that caused him to fly inside German lines, the gritty Baker was able to navigate his way back to safety.

The following month, drawing on this experience, Baker went on the attack with a group of five from the 103rd Squadron in Ypres and took on twenty-five German scouts.  Baker shot down one of the planes and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre, for heroism in combat against the enemy.  By the summer, Baker was promoted to flight commander of the 14th Aero Squadron and began training new pilots.  By autumn, his skills and leadership were once again recognized when he was promoted to Captain and in early November, days before the end of the Great War, he led his new squadron into battle and personally shot down two more German planes.

In wartime as in peacetime, Hobey Baker’s exemplary character and leadership were clearly evident.  On the ice and on the gridiron, he was known for his sportsmanlike conduct, often giving personal congratulations to the opposing team.  As a commander, the pilots under his authority respected, admired and trusted him.  He was reliable, unselfish and always willing to deflect credit to his fellow pilots.  Tragically, forty days after the Armistice was signed, Hobey Baker was killed when a repaired plane he was test-flying crashed in Toul, France.  He was twenty-six.  Major Charles Biddle, a fellow Princeton graduate and one of Baker’s former commanders had this to say about the deceased pilot: “I have never known a man who was more eager to fly or who tried harder to give to his country the very best that was in him. He fought whenever the opportunity offered and always with the most fearless courage.”

In addition to the Hobey Baker Award, Princeton has honoured him by naming the school’s arena the “Hobart Baker Rink”.  He was the first American to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 and twenty-eight years later, became a charter member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.  In 1975, he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Sources: Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, Princeton Alumni Weekly Blog
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, Flickr Creative Commons

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This statement will seem like heresy to many in Toronto but to those who objectively look at facts, it cannot truthfully be stated that Toronto loves all hockey.  Rather, Toronto loves Maple Leafs’ hockey.  Attendance tends to be cited in all sports as a reasonably good statistical indicator of fan interest.  It is widely known that the Leafs sell out most of their home games at the 19,800-seat Air Canada Centre (ACC) every season.  At the 8,140-seat Ricoh Coliseum located minutes west of the ACC, the Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, averaged just 4,070 (50% capacity) in home attendance last season.  The Mississauga-St. Michael’s Majors of the OHL play in a 5,501 seat arena but have approximately 1,000 season ticket holders.

Three weeks ago at Varsity Arena, the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues hockey team dropped a 6-2 decision to visiting University of Quebec-Trois Rivieres (UQTR) Patriotes.  UQTR dominated the first two periods and by the beginning of the third period, had staked themselves to a comfortable 5-0 lead powered by Francis Charland’s four-point night including both UQTR power play goals.  The Varsity Blues scored the next two goals.  The first was a nice backhander by Robert Kay as he cut across the crease and the second was a fluky shot by Byron Elliott from a sharp angle along the goal line that ricocheted in off goaltender Jean-Christophe Blanchard’s back.  However, UQTR cut off the Varsity Blues’ momentum just 39 seconds after Elliott’s goal, when they scored again, icing a 6-2 victory.

It was impossible to not notice that the seats in the 84-year old Varsity Arena were mostly empty.  A question that I have been unable to answer sufficiently for years is: how can a city that considers itself knowledgeable and passionate about hockey largely ignore the sport at the non-NHL level, especially at the collegiate level?  How is it that most Canadians, whose national sport is hockey by official government proclamation, ignore university hockey, but in the United States, collegiate hockey thrives?  Tickets for the general public at Varsity Arena cost just $10 for adults and $5 for youths and non-U of T students.  U of T students are admitted free.  Moreover, the game against UQTR occurred on a long Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.  Where were the fans?

After the game, I spoke with Varsity Blues’ head coach Darren Lowe, starting his sixteenth season behind the U of T bench.  Lowe played and captained U of T in the early and mid-1980s, winning a provincial Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship in 1982.  He played in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins and represented Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympics and Spengler Cup.

On the subject of awareness on campus and in Toronto about the Varsity Blues and Canadian university hockey, Lowe said, “The one year that I felt we had a lot of interest here was the NHL lockout year and we actually had a very good team here and we thought everything was going to take off with lots of fans but I think this is a Toronto Maple Leaf town and it doesn’t matter who you are.  Even the Toronto Marlies don’t get good support.  Our goal should be to get as many students here as possible because it’s affordable for them.

Lowe believes that there are several ways to attract student fans which would in turn benefit the U of T hockey program. “I’m sure there’s all kinds of things that they could do: giveaways, free tuition, cars from insurance companies, shootouts … but it takes a lot of work.  Hopefully, we’ll start to move in that direction and it would make our life easier here to recruit players.”

Blues’ fourth-year goaltender Andrew Martin thinks on-campus awareness about the university hockey team has improved slightly noting, “I think it’s improved a little bit over the last year.  I mean there’s more awareness with our website.  We’ve got more things going on such as mobile service [on] the Varsity Blues, there’s more interactive stuff on our website which I think helps but overall I think it’s getting a little bit better.”

Entering tonight’s game against nationally 9th-ranked Concordia Stingers, the Blues sit in 9th-place in the ten team OUA East Division with a record of 1-2-3.  The 3rd-place Stingers, 5-2-0, lost last night 4-1 at Nipissing, but defeated the Blues 3-2 in overtime last Saturday in a matinee in Montreal.  The Blues recorded their first win of the season last night at Varsity Arena with a 4-3 shootout win over Carleton.

The following is an exclusive article from MayorsManor.com:

Fans in Los Angeles probably remember Kelly Hrudey as the blue bandana wearing goalie from the ’93 Stanley Cup Finals. Yet, north of the border he’s been a member of the legendary Hockey Night in Canada crew for over a decade now, both on television and satellite radio. Thus, the man loves to talk about hockey!

In fact, Hrudey’s plans for his post-NHL career were so well known towards the the end of his playing days, GM Dean Lombardi (then with the Sharks) once asked him “Why do I want to sign a 35-year old goalie who wants to be a broadcaster?”

In the interview below, we lean on his experience between he pipes to get some perspective on several goaltending related issues going on around the league, as well as some predictions for the Western and Eastern Conference standings.

MM: Roberto Luongo recently relinquished the captaincy in Vancouver.  What do you think about goaltenders wearing the ’C'?

KH: I still think it could work. Maybe he wasn’t the right guy for it.  From what I understand, he’s very good with the media.  However, he’s not one of the guys who is really hoping to have to do it either.  He just does it out of necessity because I think he recognizes the importance.  There are people that are more interested in it. 

For instance, I loved doing the media when I was a player (shocking!).  So, the role of being captain, wouldn’t have been a bother to me.  As an example, I used to do pre-tape a couple of hours before games if anybody wanted.  I always felt that couldn’t throw me off because if I was so poorly prepared that I couldn’t do a five minute interview with our TV group, then I had bigger problems.

But, I understand some players don’t – a guy like Paul Kariya just didn’t like media the day of the game.  And I get that, if that’s how he wants to prepare.  If it happens in some other city with a different goaltender, I think it can work.

Is there a goalie in the league right now who you think can handle it?

Marty Turco.  He’s incredibly bright, really thoughtful, engaging.  I could just list off about 30 qualities the guy has and why he would be a really good candidate.

What about on the ice - Chicago just replaced Antti Niemi, who won them a Cup a few months ago, with Turco…was that a good move?

Well, I think it’s a necessary move, simply because of their cap issues.  If there wasn’t a salary cap, that wouldn’t have happened at all.  They would have been more than happy to keep Niemi.  But, unfortunately, he had arbitration rights and he used them.  That’s where it took them.  But, Marty is so steady.  I think this is going to be a real good fit for both he and the organization.

How about Niemi landing in San Jose - is that going to help keep them near the top of the Western Conference?

With the team they have, that’s the type of goaltending they need. They just need steady goaltending in San Jose. They’re so strong. They keep getting younger, bringing in great talent. So, their organization is just top notch, from top to bottom. I’ve had this discussion now with several GMs across the league, ‘What do you really need in the net now?’ Do you need a marquee guy like Luongo or Kiprusoff or the other top guys, where you pay them big money? Or, do you just need steady (goaltending) and at a better price point, so you can build your forwards and your defense up. I think I’m actually leaning towards the latter. Just build a great team around it and make sure your goaltender is real steady and that he doesn’t blow games for you.

Back to the media for a minute, Dan Ellis (Tampa Bay Lightning goalie) got himself into some hot water this summer on twitter. What are your thoughts about professional athletes using social media, considering the backlash that can come with it?

Well, first of all, I didn’t find what he said to be offensive at all. I think he was just stating a fact. I wish Dan would reconsider (coming back to twitter) because he’s one of those great athletes out there that is really clever with it. I thought he used it extremely well. There is a slippery slope involved, of course. But, just because there is one minor incident…I wish he’d go back and do it again because he’s a good guy. I think he sent a lot of really important things and he had a real good connection with the fans. For others like him, I hope they don’t feel like ‘Oh boy, I better stop now.’

This is the way of the future. When you want that interaction between the players and the fans, as soon as they something that you might not agree with, that’s no reason to jump all over the guy.

I tend to believe that if he would have made the comment during the season, when there are more hockey stories going on, it might not have snowballed into such a big deal…

He said he worries more now about money than he ever has. Well, as a fan out there, isn’t that a responsible comment? Would they prefer that he said he’s near bankruptcy? In fact, I would entirely agree with him. I’m really worried and concerned about money all the time. I don’t care if you make $32k or $70mil a year, if you tell me that you worry about money, then I think you’re responsible.

Another controversy this summer was the Canadiens trading Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis.  Did Montreal make the right choice by keeping Carey Price?

Well…wow (pause)…that is one where I think we’re going to just wait and see.  I wouldn’t want to jump on that right away because when you look at it, that’s quite a decision to end up moving Halak considering how well he played.  But, Carey Price, I think a lot of people would agree, has a lot of potential.  I think a lot of people think he has a better upside.  I’m really rooting for him.  He’s a good guy and it’s a hard position to be in when the fans have already turned on you after only two exhibition games.  I’m hoping he can find the mental strength to get through it and it doesn’t crush him.

The Kings could soon be faced with a similar situation, where they have two NHL caliber goalies this year.  How do you see things shaking out between Bernier and Quick as the year wears on?

What a great scenario.  They have a guy who played extremely well last year and they have an up and coming guy, who it looks as though he’s going to be a superstar.  They couldn’t be positioned better.

Coach Terry Murray has gone out of his way to say there isn’t a goaltending controversy.  You’ve been through it though.  At some point, does it start to wear on either guy?

I’ll address Quick first.  That isn’t wearing on you because it’s just the nature of team sports.  You have to be the ultimate teammate, but competitor.  Your play has to speak for itself.  Ultimately, if you retain your job, that’s just because you’re simply better.  Secondly, if the other guy surpasses you, that’s just the nature of sports.  Nothing is handed to you.  So, you have to accept that.

In terms of Bernier, I think he’s shown that he was willing to have an attitude adjustment and improve, to get to where he needs to be.  Now, he’s finally put himself in a position where he’s within striking distance of being a number one guy.  That’s cool.

Craig Anderson seemed to fade a bit down the stretch last year and Colorado stumbled into the post season.  Is he enough to help get the Avs back into the playoffs this year?

I think he is.  He really came back extremely well in the playoffs.  He was just unbelievable and was the only reason they had any life whatsoever against San Jose.

How about Jimmy Howard in Detroit?

I don’t think he’s going to have a sophomore slump.  But, it will be pretty hard to top the season he had last year.  He blew everybody away. I think it’s safe to say he exceeded expectations by a lot.  All he needs to do this year is be really steady, really consistent – steal a few games.  But, I don’t think he’s going to have to be as spectacular as last year.  He was playing behind a really tired team last season and they should be a lot fresher this year.

Nearly everybody is in agreement on the teams at the top of the Western Conference coming into the season.  Most of the debate is around the bubble teams.  Who do you see sliding into the 6, 7 and 8 slots?

I’m going to go with Nashville again, simply because that organization continues to re-tool effectively.  I thought they were going to upset Chicago in the first round last year and it was very close to that happening.  Their goaltender is rock solid too.  I think St. Louis is going to jump back into the playoff picture, they’re poised to do it.  I thought they slipped a little last year and that’s not unexpected for teams that vault into the playoffs the season before unexpectedly.  So, I look for them to come back.  After that, everything is just up in the air to me.  Those are the two I think that will get in.  Who goes away, I’m not sure either.

Do the Edmonton rookies have enough to elevate them out of the cellar – say, above Minnesota?

I prefer that Edmonton continues to stay in last place.  I think that would be the best thing for their organization.  If they had one more killer draft, like they’ve had lately, I think that would put them in a great position.  Very much like what Pittsburgh did for a few years and what LA has been doing.

Who are your bubble teams in the Eastern Conference?

Buffalo is bubble team because I don’t know where they’re going to get their scoring from.  But, their goaltending is remarkable.  Philadelphia is still a bubble team to me, even though they had a great run last year.  New Jersey too.  I still don’t see them as being a top team.  I like a lot of their game, but I don’t see them at the top.

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The answer was neither ‘yes’ nor ‘no’.

The World Hockey Summit was never intended to be a watershed moment for international hockey relations nor for any other hot-button issue related to the game.  The Summit was always a conference intended to bring together global hockey leaders, stakeholders and fans with an interest in brainstorming and sharing ideas on how to meet the challenges facing hockey and to find ways to continue sustaining or expanding hockey’s reach in local communities.  Therefore, nobody should really have been disappointed when a photo of IIHF president Rene Fasel, a clear supporter of NHL participation in the Winter Games, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who has remained non-committal on sending his players to future quadrennial shindigs, together shaking hands on a deal, never materialized.

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A decision in favour (or not in favour) of sending NHL players will ultimately result from days, weeks and months of future negotiations and many mundane, undocumented, closed-door, rancorous meetings.  This Summit was for bigwigs like Fasel and Bettman and Bill Daly and Brian Burke to state their case and their position on major hockey issues in a controlled forum to the public with limited feedback or expectations of official agreements.

It was obvious to anyone in attendance that appearances by, and interaction with, Fasel and Bettman, widely acknowledged as two of the most influential men in hockey worldwide, were tightly controlled.  Fasel’s Q and A session largely consisted of questions from moderator Jim Hughson with little participation from assembled delegates.  However, while credit should be given to Fasel who made himself available for media scrums on three separate occasions, Bettman seemingly departed the Summit almost immediately after he arrived.  After Bettman’s Q and A session, this writer took a seat in the media room where Bettman fielded more questions from reporters.  The promised fifteen-minute media session was inexplicably cut to just over ten minutes, a small but telling point.  For a commissioner who has made extremely difficult but economically prudent decisions in his tenure, but has a reputation of talking down to his audience, it would have been appreciated if he had stayed the extra five minutes to listen to a few more questions and open up to share more of his insights and perspectives on the game he leads in North America.

Despite the lack of resolution on the Olympic issue, the Summit could still be considered a success – with guarded optimism.  The atmosphere was relaxed and mostly “collegial and collaborative” as USA Hockey’s Dave Ogrean put it, and mutual respect, at least in public, pervaded the three venues where the Summit took place.  Solid brainstorming and exchange of ideas flowed from most of the six topic-area panel discussions on Tuesday through Thursday and the four introductory hot-stove panels on Monday evening.

For example, agents Don Meehan and Pat Brisson found common ground with Toronto GM Brian Burke when they discussed the role of agents in working with young players.  All three cautioned parents in the audience to be on guard against unscrupulous fraudsters posing as agents who may attempt to exploit teenaged hockey players and their families.  Other examples of cooperation occurred in a hot-stove session where growing the game was discussed when representatives of widely differing interests – Steve Yzerman (NHL team GM), Hayley Wickenheiser (women’s hockey star) and Uwe Krupp (German national team coach) all concluded that funding and facilities are the overwhelming drivers of growth and excellence.  Moreover, the Wednesday morning panel reviewing the Vancouver 2010 Olympics finished with unanimity on the need for getting NHL players to participate in future Winter Games.

Yet as everyone realistically knows, unoffical consensus, high-sounding language and flowery rhetoric accomplishes nothing for hockey unless it is accompanied by follow-up work and official agreements based on the ideas and concepts presented at the World Hockey Summit.  This is why one can only give the conference a “report-card grade” with a qualifier at the present time - success, with guarded optimism - as the final result will not be known until leaders and delegates return home and meet within their countries to decide which goals and ideas can be feasibly implemented.  If certain goals, like increasing funding for women’s hockey in Europe, seem worthy but unattainable, it will be incumbent upon those who made pledges to make the unattainable attainable, like Fasel or Finland’s Arto Sieppi, who emerged as a strong advocate for the women’s game, to use their clout to influence others and to change attitudes to ultimately benefit the game of hockey.

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IIHF President Rene Fasel consistently championed the inclusion of NHL players at the Olympics throughout the week and made an additional pledge on Thursday afternoon in response to the imbalance between North America and Europe in women’s hockey.  “I promise to women all over the world who play hockey … we’re going to put some money, effort and passion into developing the women’s game.  I promise I will push very hard to find a way at Sochi in 2014 to have less of a gap than what we had in Vancouver.”  Fasel also encouraged his fellow leaders to maintain a long-term vision, work together and take action on many of the ideas presented.  “If we don’t care about the future, in 10 to 20 years, we are nowhere.   That’s why development is the first priority.  Safety and development are really important … Some very good ideas were presented.  Now we have to go back and ‘make our homework’.  We will take action, summarize, prioritize, agree, discuss, fight and then we have to act.  We need to work together.”

USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean similarly recognized the complexity of the tasks at hand and encouraged a spirit of cooperation.  “The great thing about this sport is that there is none that is as collegial and collaborative.  There is a lot of work to do.  I hope everyone goes back home motivated to get to work …  The work, the commitment, the funding, the political will and the action has got to take place in our own federations and in every individual community.”  Ogrean gave much of the credit for the advancement of the profile of hockey to the NHL, noting ”there’s no league that works with a sport anywhere near as well and with as much commitment as the NHL does,” then thanked Hockey Canada for their generosity.  ”They’re great partners, their game is so entrenched and it means so much in Canada and they’re always willing to share it with the rest of the world and all of us.”

He concluded his podium remarks by stating he looked forward to attending more summits in the future to gauge progress from around the world.  At the post-Summit media conference he shared how he “never realized how similar Scandinavian countries are with the U.S. and Canada at the grassroots level.  They’re built under the same model, totally volunteer-based, dealing with the same issues on how to recruit and train volunteers,” emphasizing the collective need to develop the game in a similar fashion in North America and Europe.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly called the World Hockey Summit a “monumental success” and came away impressed by “a lot of bright ideas, bright people and really good dialogue and discussion [and] found all the sessions very entertaining, enlightening and it forces us all to take a look at the game we love and look at ways to make it better and grow it.”

Bob Nicholson, president and CEO of Hockey Canada said that the closing of the Summit also represented a new beginning.  “This is just the start.  We have to challenge everyone here,” including the NHL when he said “we need you”, alluding to his desire to see its players participating in the next Olympics.  He praised the NHLPA for providing the ”best role models in any sport” and looked forward to Hockey Canada board meetings on Friday where he would ”set new challenges and new agendas to try to grow the game.”  Finally, he called for accountability from his fellow leaders and himself, pledging, “Don’t let us off the hook.  Bring us back to what’s happened the last three days, so that we make the game better.”

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Dr. Paul Dennis, a veteran sports psychologist who worked for two decades with the Toronto Maple Leafs, talked about the concept of “athletic Darwinism” explaining that “we have an obligation as adults to help children adapt to change.  [It is] a collaborative effort amongst coaches, parents, referees and trainers.”  Dennis used anecdotes from golf to discuss how to help kids deal with pressure.  When PGA professional Rocco Mediate had to make a critical putt in the 2008 U.S. Open, the golfer told himself that he simply and absolutely could not miss this putt.  Dennis also pointed to the fierce competitiveness and concentration of Tiger Woods (before his personal indiscretions) as an example of an athlete able to stare down intense pressure.

Dennis noted that elite professionals have the ability to turn the psychology of fear into thoughts of success and the thrill of winning.  Likewise, he encouraged parents and coaches to teach these concepts to children at a young age.  “Try to take the word ‘pressure’ out of the vocabulary and replace it with ‘challenge’ and ‘thrill’,” he concluded.

The Canadian physician was followed to the microphone by two distinguished Americans, Pat Kelleher of USA Hockey and Chicago Blackhawks’ President John McDonough.  Kelleher stated that there are approximately 600,000 players, coaches and officials in USA Hockey but numbers have slightly declined recently.  To combat the decrease, Kelleher talked about a type of marketing to parents to promote the game.  “We want to brand youth hockey as being positive for kids,” he explained.  Many parents who only have a cursory knowledge of hockey fear the expenses associated with equipment, team fees and tournament fees and his goal going forward will be to highlight the positives of the game to families.

McDonough’s presentation began with a high-energy video set to a military march-like beat showing the transformation of the Chicago franchise from an NHL laughingstock to one of the most respected organizations in professional sport.  The video flashed snippets of on-ice and business achievements over the past few years including a 386% increase in merchandise and concession sales, 100+ consecutive home sell-outs, back-to-back 100+ point seasons for the first time in 38 seasons and 112 points this past season (the team’s best ever total).  McDonough stressed the “really, really deep and strong connections” younger fans have made with stars like captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, seemingly due to identifying with them as peers.  He also stressed the importance of coaching clinics and the involvement of the team in the community, proudly noting that the Illinois State championship is held at the United Center.

One of the final session speakers of the day was Arto Sieppi, who also presented in the morning during the women’s hockey discussion.  In Finland, he put forth that playing for the love of hockey and fun and safety should never be forgotten due to the overwhelmingly stacked odds against achieving a roster spot in the NHL.  Of 33,000 boys who are born every year in the country, 500 will join the “Lions’ Club” children’s hockey program.  Of the 500, 300 will go on to play in formal peewee or bantam leagues.  Of the 300, 150 will attend an under-16 camp, the first chance at trying out for a national team.  Of the 150, just 30 will attend an IIHF World Junior Championship or World Championship.  Finally, of the 30, only 3 will ever make the NHL.  Therefore, he reasons properly that “the key words for Lions’ hockey are ‘fun’ and ‘safety’.”

Canadian star Hayley Wickenheiser fields media questions after her featured presentation on the future of women's hockey on Day 4 of the World Hockey Summit in Toronto.

Under clouds of concern for the viability of international women’s hockey due to the huge competitive disparity between North America and the rest of the world, Canadian star and featured speaker Hayley Wickenheiser described the frustrating challenges in growing women’s hockey outside North America while American star and panellist Angela Ruggiero was more hopeful about the future when they spoke this morning on Day 4 of the World Hockey Summit.  Wickenheiser opened her presentation by asking a rhetorical question.  “How many of you have women in your life?  Mothers, sisters, daughters?  How many of you, if they wanted to play the game of hockey, would want them to have that opportunity?”  Wickenheiser proceeded to outline the challenges in giving girls outside North America that opportunity to play hockey as well as the economic problems of funding women’s hockey.

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At a thinktank in Finland this summer that involved the top 14 nations in women’s hockey, the wide gap between Canada, the United States and the rest of the world was exposed.  While Finland, one of the most improved women’s hockey nations in the world, has 62 clubs playing on 124 ice rinks, Russia and China only have 6 rinks in each country.  She noted that the thinktank recommended having development camps for players from all nations in one place to learn and to bring best practices back to their country, coaching exchanges, a full-time person advocating for female hockey at the IIHF and coverage or waiving transfer fees (up to $2,000) for players who wish to change teams.

HAYLEY WICKENHEISER 6 mins 40 sec Hayley Wickenheiser discusses all aspects of the challenges facing the future of women’s hockey. (This writer’s question about the benefit of exchange programs occurs at 3:05).

Wickenheiser said that China has made a start to closing the gap, “playing 35 games with their national team.  What China is doing is that they’ve invested a ton of money into 30 players in their country, centralizing them, “hot-housing them” and trying to really develop a national program.  The problem with that is they’ve only got a few hundred players in their entire country and outside their national team, there’s nothing to support it.  There is no development system.  So I think we need more exhibition games for national teams and for the under-18.”

On the topic of funding, Wickenheiser lamented the paucity of dollars supporting women’s national teams, wistfully noting that her former elite club team in Calgary, now defunct, operated on a budget of $480,000.  “I don’t see how you can run a national team on a budget of $480,000.”  While Slovakia has increased their budget for women’s hockey, she expressed concern that Germany’s budget has actually decreased by 21%.  She said she spoke with German men’s coach Uwe Krupp about the reason for this and he responded, “because they’ve had no success … that’s the way it is, that’s the battle we’re facing, if they had success, there would be more money.”  Wickenheiser termed this “inverse thinking”.

Alarmingly, she noted that Russia is “spending zero on development, yet they’re hosting the next Olympics … so to me, on a federation and country level, it’s just not good enough and we have to raise the bar.”  Furthermore, she pointed out that half of the top 14 women’s hockey countries don’t even have a national women’s committee.  She exhorted other countries to mimic the model of Canada and the United States in terms of funding, recruitment, a balance of elite-level and grassroots hockey programs, leadership and education.

American star Angela Ruggiero, the all-time U.S. leader in games played, started by saying, “If I could send one message, it’s ‘give that opportunity to all the girls out there that want to play.”  She described her own experience, having to persevere and trying to even find a league to play hockey in California, through getting cut from boy’s teams as a youngster simply because she was a girl.  She described the explosive growth in American women’s hockey, from 5,000 girls playing at the time of the first U.S. national team in 1990 to 60,000 today.

ANGELA RUGGIERO 6 mins 17 sec U.S. star Angela Ruggiero answers questions about marketing and exposure of women’s hockey players and her role as advocate for womens’ sports. (This writer’s question on Ruggiero possibly becoming an IIHF board member occurs at 4:19).

“That’s improvement to me, that’s says that we’ve put some time, money and effort into it and we’ve seen some results.  That was only 20 years ago and I think there is the same potential worldwide.  I think it just takes the right people, believing that the girls deserve to play and that they can be amazing hockey players and just giving them the support to do it.”

U.S. women's hockey star and IOC member Angela Ruggiero answers media questions after her panel appearance on Day 4 of the World Hockey Summit in Toronto.

Ruggiero was grateful for all the benefits that playing hockey has afforded her in her life.  “I’ve been able to play in four Olympics, get a great degree from Harvard.  I’m pursuing a master’s degree as well.  I’ve had all these doors opened up to me because of the sport of hockey.”  In turn, Ruggiero, involved in numerous girls’ sports advocacy groups and charitable foundations, wants to use hockey as a vehicle to open up those same doors to others.  “I meet kids that can’t even talk, but they’re so excited to meet you and all they want to do is get your autograph, and they’re inspired, and to me you can change a generation by inspiring and I think that’s what women’s hockey has the potential to do.”

She enthusiastically talked about her visit to China with the New York Islanders when she attempted to introduce hockey amongst girls and boys, with the aid of a translator, teaching them simple skills like how to take a wrist shot.

Both Wickenheiser and Ruggiero were clearly moved when reminiscing about their childhoods and both stressed how much it meant to them that their respective families were involved in encouraging them to pursue hockey, when many at the time put up obstacles in their way.

Finnish women’s hockey director Arto Sieppi openly talked about how he had to overcome his ignorance and dismissiveness about women in sports in general, to become one of the strongest advocates for the women’s game in Europe.  He likened women’s hockey to a corporation and called each of the delegates a potential shareholder, urging them to “invest” and “buy that stock”.  He cited hopeful information about his nation: an increase in the number of proficient skaters from 2,300 to 4,700, “excellent cooperation with Hockey Canada” including a version of the Girl’s Hockey Day project, and heavy centralization of the national women’s team in advance of the Sochi 2014 Olympics.

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Timo Lumme, managing director of the International Olympic Committee’s TV and marketing services, presented some encouraging viewership statistics which showed the impact that NHL players participating at the Olympics had around the world.  He noted that the men’s gold medal game was the most watched hockey game of all-time worldwide, seen by 114-million people.  In Canada, that game averaged 16.6-million viewers and in the United States, 27.6-million viewers tuned in, a figure almost equal to the 28-million who watched Game 7 of this year’s NBA Finals.

Hockey historian and researcher Igor Kuperman chimed in and refuted several misconceptions about risks to NHL owners.  He noted that a drop in ticket revenue during a two-week Olympic break is generally negligible as most teams already have completed the majority of their ticket sales through a core of about 14,000 season-ticket holders.  He also commented that his investigation into injury risk showed that pre-season injuries have been greater than injuries sustained by players during the Olympics and found that through his association with the Phoenix Coyotes, players on the club from varying nations including Keith Tkachuk (U.S.), Nikolai Khabibulin (Russia) and Teemu Selanne (Finland) all showed up to NHL training camp in Olympic years, already brimming with enthusiasm about the Winter Games.

Detroit GM Ken Holland presented two perspectives, from the angle of a fan and in his role as a club manager.  “As a fan, I want to go back to the Olympics.  I’m like everyone up here.  I think the Vancouver Olympics were an incredible display of what’s good about our sport.  The games were played with incredible speed, incredible skill.  It was exciting.”  However, he also took time to illustrate the real risks and reservations NHL teams have about continuing Olympic participation citing the injuries to Steve Yzerman in 2002 and Tomas Holmstrom in 2010.

“There are major issues that need to be taken care of … In 2002, when the Olympics were in Salt Lake City, a week or two before the Olympics, Steve Yzerman was selected for the Canadian team and he was having problems with his knee.  He didn’t know if he shouldn’t go or should go and ultimately, Steve made a decision to go represent his country at Salt Lake City and half way through the Olympic Games, Steve told me that his knee was bothering him and he probably needed to take a rest.  He kept pushing on and helped Canada win gold.  When he came back from the Olympics, he never played one regular season game for us for the rest of the year.  He played in the playoffs and was on painkillers and ultimately he had knee surgery.”

“In 2010, I sat in the locker room with Tomas Holmstrom, who was having the same bone-on-bone issues with his knee as Yzerman in 2002 and it was an emotional hour and I said to Homer (Holmstrom) make the decision tomorrow morning.  Tomas Holmstrom ultimately decided not to go.  When the Olympics were over, he was healthy, he played and he’s feeling good.”  Holland also cautioned that some contracts are not totally covered by insurance and noted the fatigue factor that many NHL teams with a large contingent of Olympic players tend to suffer in the immediate days and weeks after the Olympics end.

NHL players Daniel Alfredsson and Jamie Langenbrunner, like all the other speakers, were in agreement that the NHL should participate in the next Winter Games but Alfredsson acknowledged that, “there are hurdles that we need to get by, but I believe the Olympics are bigger than that.  You need to find a way to get everyone on the same page.”

JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER 10 mins 08 sec New Jersey forward talks about NHL players at the Olympics and answers inevitable questions about the Ilya Kovalchuk contract situation. (This writer’s suggestion that the NHL season should start earlier in Olympic years to give more rest to players, occurs at 3:36).

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Fasel strongly expressed his displeasure at any possible merger arrangements that would see European clubs become part of the NHL.  ”I will fight like hell and not allow anybody to come from abroad,” but he was open to an idea proposed during one of last night’s Hot Stove Sessions where a European champion would play the Stanley Cup winner.

Fasel praised the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics as a model for growing the game among the next generation of fans.  ”Vancouver was the best example.  The product was so good.  For a young boy interested in hockey, watching, he will play hockey.”  Fasel also approved of the smaller NHL-sized ice surface.  “I like the small rink very much.  I like the small ice.  This is a very political question in Europe.  I was sceptical in the beginning [but] what I saw in Vancouver, the intensity was great, unbelievable and the women’s game was much better on small ice than big ice.”

Fasel closed by exhorting both North America and Europe to work together in a spirit of cooperation to overcome current difficulties whether they are political or financial, to promote and strengthen hockey.  ”We need to work together, the NHL, the clubs, the leagues, the federations.  It’s not a money thing,” he said, as he paused and tapped his heart, “it’s here.”

The afternoon topic-area session, Junior Development in the World, was opened by Murray Costello, a former president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (the forerunner to the CHL) and a veteran observer of Canadian and international hockey.  Costello explained the differences in on-ice styles of European countries, then strongly advocated for letting European teenagers remain in their home countries to develop their skills and a distinct style rather than prematurely bringing them to North America to play in the CHL.  He reasoned that taking European players out of their countries as teenagers destroys the investment and work of European hockey volunteers who will never get to see the finished product of their efforts in their home country.

Co-speaker Slavomir Lener, a Czech native, who has coached in four different countries, concurred with Costello.  While recognizing the mutually beneficial relationship between the NHL and Europe, Lener sombrely presented chart after chart showing the rapid drain of junior talent, especially from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, to the CHL.  Unfortunately, many of those players have simply not honed their skills to a high-quality level to compete in the CHL and wash out.

“We don’t want to prevent players from leaving, but we want to inform them of their percentage chance of making it to the NHL.  We also like to say that the NHL is important for Europeans and European hockey.  It’s so crucial for our sport.  On the other side, European hockey is very, very important for the NHL.  All these players bring different styles, different flavours, different moves.  Obviously they bring a different quality to the NHL.”

“Why are they leaving?  Talking about the agents, a lot of the time they misinform players and parents.  They somehow withhold numbers of success rates of Europeans playing in the CHL … Some agents back in Europe don’t care.  They just blindly send the players over to the CHL.”

At the World U-20 Championship, the Czech Republic won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001, but since then have claimed just one bronze medal and fell to 7th place this past winter.  Slovakia won bronze in 2000 but fell to 8th place this year.  Players who leave, “lose their national characteristics [and become] “hybrids”.  They aren’t great players.  They didn’t master their skills.  They come here at 16 to 17 years old and want to be NHLers, are “half” Czech or Slovak and “half” North American and they’re nothing special,” Lener added, recommending that European players play in their home nations until they are at least 19 to 21 years old.

One of the final panellists who spoke was Jim Johansson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey.  He described the system the Americans have put in place to promote elite hockey development.  Through high school, collegiate, and a three-tiered junior system as well as the respected National Team Development Program, the U.S. is ensuring its most talented youngsters are challenged at every age, often playing against players older than them.  In the off-season, NTDP members will undergo skills training, working on passing, shooting and conditioning.

JIM JOHANSSON 2 mins 35 sec USA Hockey’s Jim Johansson answers three questions from this writer about youth hockey in California, the financial model for funding the NTDP and whether the U.S. is entering a golden age in hockey.

Tomorrow, the scene shifts to the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto for the third day of the World Hockey Summit.  The much anticipated Q and A session with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will take place at 1pm while Vancouver 2010 Evaluation and Establishing a Long-term Global Event Agenda will be the topic areas for the panels to discuss.

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He went on to caution against the trend seen in Canadian hockey where the “play” element has slowly dissipated, replaced by a system where hockey is often expensive to pursue, inaccessible and out of reach for many average families to enrol their children.  At the same time, he emphasized the importance of “high-performance” in coaching and instruction from “expert eyes” to support talented hockey-playing teenagers.  He concluded by stating “what it takes to become a champion may be different than what it is to be a champion” noting that a comprehensive approach looking at multiple factors of growth and development in children is necessary to produce talented athletes.

DR. MARK AUBRY 4 mins 43 sec Dr. Mark Aubry reviews initiatives in Canada and around the world to promote player safety.  (This writer’s question on potentially examining players’ pre-existing medical conditions occurs at 3:10).

BRENDAN SHANAHAN 5 mins 41 sec Brendan Shanahan talks about the fatigue factor after the Olympics and other miscellaneous hockey topics.  (This writer’s question concerning the wisdom of giving kids an off-season from hockey occurs at 4:10).

A second presentation followed, given by Dr. Mark Aubry, chief medical officer of Hockey Canada.  He analyzed three key areas of player health and safety: skill development, doping and body-checking.  He immediately pointed out that this past season, four of the ten top scorers in the NHL weigh less than 210 lbs., suggesting that hockey is inherently a complicated sport that places a premium on many kills including coordination, agility, balance and dexterity, not just purely muscle mass.  He lauded the IIHF’s new “Green Puck Project” launched at the World Championships this past spring in Germany, an initiative that symbolizes a stance against doping.  On the hot topic of body-checking, Dr. Aubry reviewed research literature and found that as far back as 1988, the Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine recommended that body-checking be introduced as late as possible.  Numerous subsequent studies seem to indicate a significant risk in injuries and concussions in leagues with checking.

On a positive note, Dr. Aubry explained that spinal injuries have decreased significantly over the years as coaches and referees have been instructed to clamp down on checking from behind.  Just as important, children are being taught how to safely position themselves along the boards to reduce their injury risk and to promote safety.  With concussions occurring in players as young as 8 and 9 years old, Dr. Aubry empasized the need to teaach restraint and the use of common sense to deter shoulder to head checks.  He stated that the IIHF has adopted regulations prohibiting no-head checking and no sticks to the head.

During the panel discussion, Philadelphia head coach Peter Laviolette gave his opinion on hitting in peewee hockey, stating that he felt there should be “no body checking but body contact.  I agree with the fact that injuries are becoming substantial.  My older son got a concussion, my other son broke a collarbone.  For kids that are not going on to play college hockey, it’s an extreme risk we’re putting them at.”

Ex-NHL star and current NHL VP of hockey and business development Brendan Shanahan agreed.  “When I was young, they took out body-checking and there wasn’t fighting but when you get to the professional level, if it’s in you to fight, it’s in you.  What I really want is a safe environment for [his son] to learn the game of hockey.  There has to be a little bit more accountability with the coaches.  At the minor hockey level, what frightens me a bit, there are ways we punish players who play physically or over boundaries of fair play.  We’ll punish those players but there are no punishments for coaches.  I’d like to say to some of the delegations: if there is a coach whose behaviour is repeated over and over again, you might not have to just look at the player, but you’d have to look at the coach.”

Shanahan also exhorted the delegates to let hockey be a game and not a chore.  He joked that his 7 year old son, Jack, is starting hockey, and “he’s a little bit of a pest like Avery, has desire and effort like Parise, but unfortunately skates like Happy Gilmore … the best thing [for kids and] a foundation for a young person’s future in hockey is to develop a love for it … I don’t ever hear kids talking about shinny hockey … you’d try new things, keep the parents and coaches off the ice.  [Back then] we weren’t thinking of getting a scholarship, we were just playing.”  He concluded by stressing the need to give kids an “off-season” break from hockey, however, during the summer months and dismissed the benefits of a round-the-year hockey-playing schedule.

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From the NHL, commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, GMs Brian Burke, Darcy Regier, Ken Holland, Steve Yzerman, coaches Peter Laviolette, Bob Boughner and players Jamie Langenbrunner and Daniel Alfredsson, are all scheduled to attend.  KHL president Alexander Medvedev, KHL chairman of the board Vyacheslav Fetisov and IIHF president Rene Fasel headline the list of panellists from Europe, a group that will also include representatives of Swedish, Finnish, Czech and Slovakian national hockey associations.  Members of USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, the CHL and NHLPA will also be among the featured speakers and panellists.

On Monday evening, the World Hockey Summit will open at the Hockey Hall of Fame with four “Hot Stove Sessions” tackling some of the challenges facing the business of hockey.  The first topic, Contracts and Transfers, will examine contentious issues surrounding contracts and player movement, especially between the NHL and KHL.  Second, Agents’ Role in Working with Young Players will focus on the reservations and perception that European hockey associations have about their junior players being transferred to the CHL through the work of agents.  Third, State of the Game will look at whether the time is right for hockey to be introduced to non-traditional countries.  Finally, the fourth session, Comparison of the North American and International Game, plans to study the differences between the NHL-sized rink and international-sized rink and whether one size emphasizes certain skills or promotes a more exciting game.

From Tuesday through Thursday, in-depth presentations and discussions will focus on six key topics: player skill development, junior development, an evaluation of hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, establishment of a long-term global event agenda, women’s hockey and growing participation in hockey.

For cerebral hockey fans, this event will surely be considered a potential landmark, and a great lead-in to the upcoming hockey season.  Just last week, the NHL held the Research, Development and Orientation camp in Toronto to brainstorm and test proposed rule changes that may make the game more exciting and enjoyable for players and fans.  Likewise, by bringing the most influential decision-makers in hockey from around the globe to Toronto for the World Hockey Summit, one hopes that this week, they will establish a foundation for new protocols, innovations and improved communication within countries and across borders, to enhance the excitement of hockey for all stakeholders for many years to come.