Red Wings' goalie Jimmy Howard is a possible candidate to play for Team USA in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Photo by MPR529.

Jimmy Howard and the rest of his Detroit Red Wings’ teammates were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 20, but that hasn’t stopped Howard from continuing his season by representing his country.

Howard is currently the number one man between the pipes as a member of Team USA in the 2012 IIHF World Hockey Championships, which is held in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden.  He has back stopped the Americans to five wins (four in regulation, one in overtime) in the tournament and has a 2.16 goals against average and a .918 save percentage, including an 18-save performance in a shutout win against the defending champions, Finland this past Sunday.

Before he missed three weeks with a broken left pinky on February 2, Howard was among the top three goalies in the NHL and was having an all-star season, possibly on his way to a Vezina Trophy nomination (31 wins, 2.03 gaa, .924 save percentage in 44 games). However, his game went a tad south when he returned. Howard still finished the regular season with more than respectable numbers: 35-17-4,  2.12 goals against average, .920 save percentage and six shutouts (five before the finger injury).

Since the US has advanced to the quarter-finals (starting with a rematch with Finland tomorrow morning), Howard’s next games in the tournament will help further his resumé in the international hockey scene. If Howard and the rest of the Americans take home at least a bronze medal this weekend, Howard could better his chances of receiving a ticket to Sochi.

He has looked good during the tournament and is getting a small sample size of what it will be like against the world’s best in the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics, which is only 21 months away and will be held in Sochi, Russia. That is, if there is a new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL, NHLPA and the IIHF (the current CBA expires September 15), but I’m going to assume that all parties will work something out, which is why I’m writing this blog.

As of  right now, Los Angeles Kings’ goaltender Jonathan Quick is making a case as the best goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If he takes the Kings to the Cup Finals and makes life difficult for either the New Jersey Devils or New York Rangers, he could end up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP. As for regular season hardware, he’s my choice for the Vezina Trophy, and he’s got the numbers to show it (35-21-13, 1.95 gaa , .929 sp, 10 shutouts).

Since teams in the Olympics are required to carry three goalies, another name who could also be given a ticket to Sochi is Cory Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks. His spectacular play this past regular season (20-9-1, 1.96 gaa, .937 sp, 3 shutouts) is forcing the hand of the Canucks’ front office to ship Roberto Luongo out of Vancouver.

Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres is another American-born goalie that shouldn’t be counted out. It was over two years ago when he played the best hockey of his career and everyone took notice when he played at the Winter Games in Vancouver. Even though the US lost to Canada in overtime, Miller backstopped his team to a silver medal and was the MVP of the tournament. His numbers in Vancouver were jaw-dropping: 5-0-1, 1.35 gaa, .946 sp.

The downside on Miller is that there were two different players wearing #30 for the Sabres last season. The first #30 was 5-6-0 in 11 games with a 2.86 gaa before suffering a concussion when he had his bell rung by Boston Bruins’ forward Milan Lucic in early November. After he returned to the lineup, he eventually tightened his game and played like the Ryan Miller that we’re accustomed to seeing and finished with a record of 31-21-7 with a 2.54 gaa, .916 sp and six shutouts. Two knocks are against him—his inconsistent play last year and his age (he’ll be on the south side of 33 by the time the 2014 Olympics will start).

Now, I’m not saying that being 33 is old for a hockey player. It’s not, but Howard, Quick and Schneider will be 29, 28, and 27 respectively by the time the Winter Games start. By then, they’ll still be in the prime of their of their careers.

I would expect Howard to return to pre-injury mode for the Red Wings next season. And if he has another all-star season, his stock will soar even higher for making the cut as one of the three goalies headed to Sochi. If USA Hockey decides to select three out of Howard, Schneider, Quick or Miller, they will have an advantage over the rest of the teams (including Canada) when it comes down to goaltending.

Imagine being a fly in the wall inside the room where the selection process will take place. If he returns as general manager of Team USA, Brian Burke will have some very difficult decisions to make. The goaltending situation will be the most tasking.

Red Wing fans, whether he starts or is behind the bench, what do you think of the idea of Jimmy Howard representing the US in 2014?

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Forty-three human beings perished yesterday in a plane crash moments after takeoff from Yaroslavl, Russia. Seven were crew members of the airplane.  The remaining thirty-six were hockey players and coaches constituting almost the entire roster of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club that reached the semifinals last season.  The team was destined for the capital city of Belarus where they were scheduled to play Dinamo Minsk in the 2011-12 season opening game for both clubs.  That game will now be indefinitely postponed because of this unspeakable tragedy in what must surely be hockey’s darkest year ever in North America and now Russia.

The death of New York Rangers’ enforcer Derek Boogaard from overdosing on painkillers in May … The reprehensible conduct of depraved, heart-hardened inciters and opportunists, rioting and looting in Vancouver hours after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in June … The premature death of Winnipeg Jet scrapper Rick Rypien who suffered from depression in mid-August followed just two weeks later by the death of enforcer Wade Belak who also suffered from depression.

Now this.

Now another cold, cruel slash through the soul of the global hockey community.

“A catastrophic loss to the hockey world.” – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

“The darkest day in the history of our sport.” – IIHF President Rene Fasel

There have been and will be more retrospectives on those who died in Yaroslavl.  Most will recount the statistical record and notable accomplishments of certain players.  For NHL followers, some names on the list of people lost in the plane crash are familiar: New Lokomotiv head coach Brad McCrimmon and assistants Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev.  Players Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins, Josef Vasicek and Pavol Demitra.

We remember Salei representing Belarus in three Winter Olympics including 2002 when his country stunningly upset Sweden in a quarterfinal game.

We remember the dazzlingly consistent Demitra who once scored 20+ goals in nine straight NHL seasons, mostly with St. Louis.  As late as last year in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Demitra led all players with 10 points in 7 games in what would be his swan song season as an NHL player with the city’s Canucks.

Yet in the context of this horrible event, the real tragedy is not that Salei, Demitra and their teammates will never again skate for Lokomotiv or any other club, but that simply, their lives have been lost and those closest to the 36 hockey team members and 7 air crew have lost a grandson, granddaughter, son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister, cousin, uncle, aunt, husband, wife, teammate or close friend.  Hockey in Yaroslavl may one day rise again, but in the present moment, it is a time of sheer agony for mourning lives lost.  It will be doubly agonizing for Yaroslavl citizens to know that Lokomotiv members who passed away yesterday will never again grace their community.

We try to cope or console at these times by offering kind, sincere words but often, only platitudes emerge from our lips.  Therefore, this post will be brief.  The accompanying photograph of mourners in Minsk speaks more powerfully than any further extraneous words.  May God, with His sovereign power to bestow common grace on all peoples, grant wisdom and comfort to Russia, especially Yaroslavl, as they mourn and rebuild.

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While Jagr completed the final year of his contract with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, there is no indication that any NHL club is interested in signing the Czech star.  Jagr speculated with hyperbole on his own as to where he might play next season.  “Maybe Pittsburgh … Maybe Montreal. Maybe New York. Pittsburgh, I played there for a long time. Mario is the owner. It’s better to play with great centres like Crosby and Malkin, (then) this game is a little bit easier and I’m not young anymore. I would like to score some goals, empty-netters with those guys and it’s a lot easier.”

After experiencing a turbulent end to the KHL post-season, it would be understandable if Jagr intends to return to North America.  Avangard Omsk finished first overall in the 23-team KHL regular season but reportedly, after Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Avangard head coach Raimo Summanen challenged Jagr to a fistfight. Several teammates later came forward anonymously to say that Jagr was being made a “scapegoat” as Avangard bowed out in Game 7.  Summanen has since been let go by Avangard Omsk and the team’s general manager Anatoli Bardin will tender a new contract offer on Tuesday.

Would a new bench boss make Jagr more likely to stay in Russia?  A contract much richer than what he could command under the salary cap system of the NHL?  Or perhaps the fact that the KHL regular-season schedule is just 54 games long and less physically punishing?  On the other hand, perhaps Jagr will consider the substantial salary decrease he was forced to accept last off-season and think about the type of work environment he wants to ply his trade in at this point in his career.

Yet it would still take a formal offer, likely in July during the free agent signing period when teams know what the 2011-12 salary cap will be and what positions need to be improved.  For the Penguins, a proven scorer would be a welcome addition.  Since the early part of 2011 when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were sidelined indefinitely and the dearth of reliable scoring depth revealed itself, Shero subsequently added James Neal and Alexei Kovalev at the trade deadline.  While Neal figures in the Penguins’ long-term plans, Kovalev will not be back and should provide a useful illustration for nostalgic Pittsburgh fans clamouring for the repatriation of another favourite former son.

The Penguins took a no-risk flyer on Kovalev, dealing a late-round draft choice to Ottawa hoping that the veteran Russian sniper could find one last reserve of fuel to help the Pens make a deep playoff run.  It was a longshot at best but many still were sorely disappointed when Kovalev provided just one measly playoff goal against Tampa Bay.

Quite possibly, the same sequence of emotions could play out if the Penguins were to make actual rumblings about signing Jagr.  Already, some fans have drawn up possible forward line combinations, inserting Jagr on Malkin’s right wing or dreaming of a first power play unit that starts with Crosby, Malkin, Neal and Jagr.  It is critical to remind ourselves that it is 2011, not 2001 when Jagr won his fourth straight scoring title.  2011, not 1991 when a 19-year old Jagr scored 69 regular season points and 24 more in the playoffs, carrying the Penguins during Mario Lemieux’s absence in the Patrick Division Final.

Yes, as late as 2005-06, Jagr played the entire 82 game schedule with New York and scored 54 goals and 123 points earning 1st team All Star honours and the players’ choice as MVP.  But after leaving North America in 2008 and having played three KHL seasons averaging just 52 regular season games and 8 post-season games, how fit would Jagr be for NHL hockey in 2011-12 entering a season in which he would be 40 by the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Sure, his minutes could be tightly controlled in the regular season to give him extra rest and to optimize his skill and talent by deploying him solely on the power play but when the post-season rolls around, should a roster spot really be occupied by a one-dimensional player with low endurance?

Instead of yearning for the magical past and hoping against all logic that it can be immaculately resurrected, it might be better just to remember Jagr as he actually was and be content to leave the epitaph on his NHL career alone: 7-time 1st team All-Star, 5-time scoring champion, Hart Trophy winner, 3-time Ted Lindsay Award winner, countless regular-season and playoff memories, one of the best stickhandlers of all time, the greatest European scorer of all-time, 2-time Stanley Cup champion and unquestionably, the second greatest Penguin ever.

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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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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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.

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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Krueger used a spider-web on a diagram as an analogy to explain his vision for future international hockey events, implying that nations should find common ground and build a “Global Hockey Web”.  He spoke about how every hockey-playing country can point to certain landmark victories or tournament-hosting opportunities where the citizens, especially kids, became inspired to pursue hockey.  For Sweden, winning the World Championship in 1962 was akin to Canada rallying to beat the Soviets in 1972.  The Americans had their “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 while for Latvia in 2006, the chance to even host an IIHF World Championship represented a great source of pride.  Some of the innovations Krueger proposed were the creation of a new World U-23 Championship and a Victoria Cup Final that would see two NHL teams battle for the right to face the winner of a KHL champion vs. European champion match.

Deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly agreed fundamentally with most of Krueger’s ideas, but said, “I believe that Olympic participation every four years, World Cup participation every four years and World Championship participation every year is probably too much to ask the best players in the world to do on a regular basis.”  However, he expressed his support for a World U-23 Championship noting, “it’s a great concept.  It’s actually something that’s received some attention in the past [with] discussion and dialogue,” reasoning that splitting the current workload for international representation among different age groups may ease the burden on many stars who presently suit up for their country in every tournament.

ALEXANDER MEDVEDEV 17 mins 04 sec KHL president reviews contract transfers, the Olympics, relations between the KHL and NHL and future growth in Russian hockey. (This writer asks questions at 1:33 about the Evgeni Malkin transfer controversy and at 13:18 on further KHL European expansion).

KHL president Alexander Medvedev then pointedly said, “It’s quite obvious that there’s no need to spend time and money to analyze the effect of international events on hockey.  That’s why I was a little bit surprised to hear Gary Bettman say there still has to be time to decide [NHL participation in the Olympics].”  He then wryly added, “We have a first-class product; NHL is a “triple-A” product and not to send the NHL to Olympic Games, either to Sochi or the next destination is like putting poison or pesticide into the soil that produces this first-class product!  I hope that such a decision will not be taken.”

Next, Burke gave a taste of comments to come when he fidgeted in his seat and joked, “These might be the most uncomfortable stools ever invented.”  He reiterated his stance that he and the Maple Leafs both support NHL involvement in the Olympics but “if and only if some of the concerns that this poses for NHL teams are addressed,” citing Anaheim as an example of a team who suffered off the ice due to a loss in fan interest post-Olympics and on the ice when players lost momentum.  “It’s much more complicated than waving a flag and saying we have to go.  It’s much more complicated than saying we want to see the best players.  If the NHL decides not to go, the Olympics will continue.”

The Toronto GM then discussed resurrecting the World Cup as a best-on-best alternative if NHL Olympic plans fall through with the caveat that proper preparation time is a must.  “The World Cup, the advantage to me, where I think it’s a preferable tournament is in terms of international hockey, the best hockey I ever saw was the ’87 Canada Cup.  Those teams assembled early, had a training camp to work on special teams.  My players, a lot of them, got to Vancouver on Sunday.  We played games in the NHL on Sunday afternoon, 5 o’clock or 3 o’clock at the latest, then had to fly to Vancouver, practice Monday and play Tuesday … it wasn’t ideal, so let’s do it right.  Let’s hold this tournament in August or early September.  Let’s have a training camp; let’s get the team together, work on special teams and put the best product on the ice.”

Subsequently, Paul Romanuk proposed holding a “Global Hockey Week” in February instead of the All-Star Game where every professional league in the world would shut down and come together for a conference much like the World Hockey Summit to exchange ideas.  The “crown jewel” of the week would be an NHL champion vs. European champion exhibition match and a World Players’ Skills Competition.  When broadcaster Healy suggested using that week in February for the World Cup in non-Olympic years, Burke dismissed the idea saying that there was already too much of a burden of in-season events for NHL players.  Immediately, Healy quipped, “Fine, we’ll have [the World Cup] in Toronto in April!” a poke at the moribund Leafs’ annual absence from the playoffs that everyone in the room laughed at, except Burke.

Burke also took loud exception to what he perceived as unfair criticism from Bassin.  Bassin tersely declared to the panellists that people are tired of hearing about the problems and conflicts of getting NHL players into the Olympics and wanted to hear solutions, a comment that received applause from many other delegates.  Burke responded by yelling, “It’s not that simple to get everyone on a goddamn plane and go over and play the games … It’s not that simple and we’re letting it become an emotional issue in this room,” and rebuked Bassin for making an applause-garnering statement without considering all the difficult factors involved in the decision.

Tomorrow, the Summit will come to a close, but not before the imbalance between North America and the rest of the world in women’s hockey is discussed in the morning, followed by the final topic, Growing Participation in Hockey, in the afternoon.

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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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Alfredsson and ex-NHL goalie and current broadcaster Glenn Healy both were in favour of a possibility of a “Champions League”-style series where the elite teams of the NHL would play a number of games against their counterparts in Europe.

RENE FASEL 1 min 33 sec IIHF President Rene Fasel addresses compensation for players playing in the World Championships and Olympics.  (The first question was from this writer).

DANIEL ALFREDSSON 3 mins 36 sec Ottawa captain discusses potential NHL games in non-traditional markets, the financial aspect of opening the season in Sweden and fighting in hockey. (The first question was from this writer).

In the second session, State of the Game, examining potential avenues for growing hockey in non-traditional markets and countries, Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman, pointing out that he now works in Florida, stated that the provision of facilities in such places and exposing people in non-traditional cities will go a long way in bringing more potential athletes to hockey.  Former NHL defenceman and current German national team head coach Uwe Krupp agreed, saying the building of hockey facilities and making them profitable will encourage growth.  Krupp also cited the star power of Wayne Gretzky when he was traded to Los Angeles in 1988 as a major reason why many kids took up hockey in California.  He went on to explain that the NHL’s “Goals and Dreams” community program which performs outreach initiatives in cities, is another positive step in exposing kids to hockey.

UWE KRUPP 1 min 38 sec Krupp credits NHL scouting in Germany for not missing potential talented hockey players. (All questions from this writer).

Toronto GM Brian Burke and agents Don Meehan and Pat Brisson gave an overview of Agents’ Role in Working with Young Players.  Moderator Jim Hughson, one of the voices of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, asked the trio what should a hypothetical GM or agent say to the parents of a 16-year old who wants to become an NHL player?  Burke pointedly stated that there is ”no one way” to answer.  He wryly stated that ”parents are the worst judges of talent” due to their obvious emotional attachment and cautioned parents to stay clear of potential agents who want to speak directly to young teenage players.

Steve Yzerman speaks with the media at the conclusion of Day 1 of the World Hockey Summit at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

In addition, Burke said that GMs and agents need to have a joint relationship when dealing with young players.  Specifically, a good GM will immediately point out to the player his deficits in skill and what he needs to work on to overcome them.  Burke would expect a good agent to likewise drill into the player the message of working hard on skill improvement.

The night’s final session revolved around the controversies of Contracts and Transfers.  Much of the discussion, moderated by TSN hockey analyst Bob McKenzie, examined the often strained relationship between the NHL and the Russian Federation.  Deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly said that “mutual respect for contracts is the sticking point between the NHL and KHL …  The KHL still has some difficulties with certain Russian clubs in following rules set out by the KHL.”  He emphasized the need for greater cooperation between the two leagues and hoped, in the future, to overcome some of the difficulties.

Tomorrow’s program will be held at the Air Canada Centre highlighted by two lengthy panel sessions on Player Skills Development led by Pat Kelleher from USA Hockey in the morning and Junior Development in the World led by Cole Butterworth from the CHL in the afternoon.

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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.

Which path could Matt Cooke have taken to avoid colliding with Marc Savard?

And so the merry-go-round of hockey’s dark underbelly comes to life once again.  Can’t you hear the eerie, incendiary calliope music already?  Can’t you almost see and hear the horses on the merry-go-round already neighing and braying their predictable songs in light of this most recent hitting-to-the-head incident?   The Penguins sang a song of regret and sympathy for Savard after the game, but stopped well short of labelling Cooke’s hit dirty, or calling Cooke a dirty player.  However, Boston coach Claude Jullien thundered about Cooke during his post-game comments and used the phrase “blindside hit to the head” four separate times to ascribe pugilistic intent to the incident and stated it was an “example … of what we’ve got to get out of this game”.

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NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell will review tape today and before the next Pens’ game on Thursday, issue a suspension that many will consider a tired song – too lenient, a joke compared to the number of games Savard will miss, not commensurate with the crime.  Fans and writers will sing a dirge and lament that yet another player has been felled with a dangerous, perhaps intentional blow to the head, and wonder how close we are to witnessing an on-ice death.  Ironically, NHL general managers will meet in Florida this week to discuss hits to the head and how to reduce them.

Yet I can’t help but think nothing substantial will be done, judging by the NHL’s historic intransigence on this issue.  Would anyone be surprised if the GMs emerged after their three-day meeting and continued to sing their rehearsed chorus that more study is required on this issue?

Seriously, aren’t we past the point of studies and reviews?  The issue is not whether hits to the head occur frequently or infrequently in an average NHL game or whether a hit to the head was intentional or unintentional.  The issue is that given the speed of NHL hockey and the physical nature of the game, any hit to the head is extremely dangerous, potentially deadly and must be curtailed through severely increased penalties and a renaissance among players of simple respect.

Concerned Slovakian teammates look on as Lubos Bartecko is carried off the ice on a stretcher after being hit in the head by the arm of Norway's Ole-Kristian Tollefsen in a 2010 Winter Olympic playoff game on February 23, 2010 at Vancouver.

The International Ice Hockey Federation showed its zero-tolerance policy at last month’s Olympics for hits to the head, most notably when Detroit Red Wing prospect and Norwegian team member Ole-Kristian Tollefsen elbowed Slovakia’s Lubos Bartecko in the head in a particularly gruesome incident.  Tollefsen was swiftly given a game misconduct, a five-minute major and an immediate one-game suspension (which turned out to be moot as Norway was eliminated that night).  Yet according to the current NHL rulebook, hits to the head are still a subjective, grey area.  Adopting the IIHF standard plus minimum suspensions of 15 to 20 games for any hits to the head would be a good start.

Players must get rid of any flawed ideas that new rules against hits to the head will either severely restrict good, solid bodychecking and physical play, or unjustly penalize accidental hits to the head.  To use Cooke as an example, in the diagram above, I have marked two blue arrows showing two paths he could have taken.  He could have turned and followed the puck shot by Savard (circled in orange) or he could have skated into the space vacated by teammate Jordan Staal and Bruin Dennis Wideman (skating direction shown by orange arrows).

Neither option, however, was practical.  If one clicks on the photo, I have linked the footage of the play in slow motion and one can easily appreciate that Cooke, already lining up Savard for a check, had no time to choose either of the two “blue arrow” options.  Cooke was quite correct to finish his check (as all players are properly taught from bantam level on up), but he was horribly incorrect in his split-second decision on how he carried out his check on two counts: 1) checking with any body part other than his shoulders or hips and 2) aiming his check, whether intentionally or not, above Savard’s shoulders.  Coaches must drill into players and players must drill into themselves that any hitting to the head shows a lack of respect for the game, is dangerous, potentially deadly and absolutely unacceptable.  If the whole point of checking, by body or stick, is to separate opponent from puck, wouldn’t logic dictate that aiming lower on an opponent’s body, nearer to the centre of gravity, would give a better chance at jolting a man off the puck?

Thus there can be no justification for “accidental” hits to the head.  They have absolutely nothing to do with trying to dislodge an opponent from the puck.  They have everything to do with dangerous and reckless play that has no place in a credible, professional hockey league.

There is no doubt in my mind that the NHL should continue to participate in the Olympics in Sochi and beyond.  Yes, I know it shuts down the league for two weeks but owners are still getting 41 home games just at a different time of the year and they are still getting the same money from Versus, CBC, TSN, and NBC if they go to the Olympics or not.  What the league gets from the Olympics is television exposure that they would not otherwise get, especially in the United States.  Do you think that Gary Bettman would have been all over every NBC owned network over the last two weeks if the NHL was not in the Olympics.  Also if the NHL kept playing for those two weeks while the Olympics were going on it is likely that the league would lose some viewers to the Olympic hockey tournament, in whatever new form it happens in.

Gary Bettman has said that the league has not currently made a decision on Sochi, but he sure seems like to point out the flaws of going to the Olympics over the positives.  If the NHL goes to Sochi or not will actually have to be decided in the next CBA so the NHLPA will have an input and at this point they seem all for it.  In all honesty it would not surprise me at all if Gary and the league are actually in favor of staying in the Olympics and are just using Olympic participation as a bargaining chip against the PA.

While the NHL should still go to the Olympics, the NHL should realize that it has some pull to use against the IOC/IIHF.  If the NHL did pull out of the Olympics it would greatly diminish one of the major attractions of the Winter Olympics.  The IOC would once again be left with a tournament that had European pros and amateurs from North America or they could move the World Juniors tournament to the Olympics.  The biggest problem with the World Juniors is that it would be less completive then the current format.  I mean there is a reason that it is huge in Canada every year and that is that they finish first or second every time.

The first thing that the NHL should demand in agreeing to go to Sochi is that games start at 9 AM and noon local time so that they can be on in prime time back in North America.  I am sure that some of the players and the Russian fans would not like this, but I doubt Michael Phelps enjoyed swimming in the morning in China but the IOC caved into NBC and he seemed to do fine.

Second, the NHL should take a stand and show that they are really committed to growing the sport by saying that if the IOC even attempts to take women’s hockey out of the Olympics the NHL will walk and have nothing to do with the Olympics.  Gary Bettman and the NHL always talk about growing the sport and this would be a BIG statement on the leagues part to support growing the game when it would not benefit financially.  Yes, currently the women’s hockey field is not that competitive, but the sport has grown greatly since it first entered the Olympics in 1998.  Over that same time women’s hockey as grown at lower levels including now having a number of competitive teams at the Division 1 level in the NCAA.  I would hate to see what would happen to all this if it was removed from the Olympics.

But the World Juniors aren’t just all about prospects (even when great Oiler prospects like Eberle and Paajarvi Svensson are playing), there is some really spectacular hockey played during the tournament as well. This year there was the New Years Eve game between Canada and the United States that stands out but there were others too, like the Finland/Czech Republic game in the round robin that got less press but was just as good.

As good as the hockey is for some games, the tournaments biggest problem is also how bad the hockey is for others. Starting in 1996 the tournament was expanded to include two additional countries and a medal round. Before that the tournament had included just eight teams and was a simple round robin format without a playoff.

The expansion of the tournament to include a medal round was a very good thing for the tournament. The playoff format draws more fan interest and television viewers, which results in more revenue for everyone involved. But those two additional teams are often destroyed by the stronger countries during the round robin.

This year those two teams were Austria and Latvia. In four games Austria was outscored 30-7. But Austria did well by comparison as Latvia was outscored 43-9. Both have already been relegated to Division 1 for next years tournament.

Watching teams get destroyed by 10 plus goals isn’t fun. Not for the fans and not for the payers on either side. As long as the talent gap is as wide as it is between the elite teams and the next level there will always be lopsided losses but there are a couple of things the IIHF could look at to make those games just a little closer and maybe a little more entertaining.

The biggest hurdle that teams at the bottom face is the loss of their 19 year old players. Teams that are promoted from Division 1 to play in the main tournament the following year often carry a lot of 19 year old players who will be ineligible to play the following year. So the team that country ices the next year will be young and inexperience, one that is very likely to get demoted back to Division 1 right away.

Between 2003 and 2009 14 teams were promoted from Division 1, 11 of those 14 teams were demoted the following year. Only Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Switzerland in 2008, 2009, and 2010 respectively avoided relegation the year after being promoted. Switzerland has had a Cinderella run this year and will play for bronze this afternoon.

The best way to make these countries more competitive is to have more of the players that got them promoted in the first place into the tournament. This can be done one of two ways.

First let the team promoted from Division play in the main tournament is the same year. This would mean that the Germans and Norwegians, who have been promoted this year, would be playing in this tournament. They could ice the exact same team. In theory because they already played a tournament together they should be more used to each other and the coaches systems making them even more competitive.

Logistically this would probably be hard to do. This year the Division 1 tournament ended on December 20 and the main tournament kicked off on the 26^th. I would think that schedules could be revised but the cost to send a team to two tournaments in such a short time span might be excessive.

If logistically it doesn’t work for a country to play in both tournaments in the same year then why not allow some of those 19 year old players to participate the following year? Would it really hurt the tournament if a team promoted from Division 1 was allowed four 20 year old players the following year? The result would likely still be losses and possibly relegation but the team should be more competitive and the games should be better to watch.

Even the other teams that were in the relegation pool but weren’t relegated could carry a couple of overage players. This could do nothing more than help make the countries more competitive and the games more enjoyable to watch. And at the end of the day isn’t entertaining hockey the goal?

The idea might seem a little bit out there but I can’t see it having a real negative impact on the tournament. If anything it might cause a couple more upset a year or another run like the Swiss are on right now and I don’t see anything wrong with that.

Capitals goaltending coach had distinguished international career

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Washington Capitals goaltending coach Arturs Irbe – perhaps the most famous Latvian-born ice hockey player of all time – has been selected as a member of the class of 2010 for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame, the Federation announced today. The Class of 2010 will be honored as part of the festivities at the 74th IIHF World Championship, to be held in Cologne, Germany, from May 7-23, 2010. The induction ceremony will take place on May 21.

 

Irbe’s distinguished international career began as a teenager at the 1985 IIHF European Junior Championship. He was named the tournament’s top goaltender, leading a Soviet Union squad that won the silver medal. Not long after, Irbe burst onto the professional stage with Dinamo Riga in the then-Soviet national league, winning Rookie-of-the-Year honors.

 

While Irbe starred for Dinamo Riga for four full seasons, he also played in two consecutive IIHF World and European Championships for the gold-medal-winning Soviet Union – claiming the IIHF Directorate Award for Top Goaltender during the 1990 event. In 1991, when Latvia achieved its long sought-after independence, Irbe began what would become a stellar 12-year NHL career. He appeared in two NHL All-Star contests and backstopped his Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002.

 

Irbe dressed for his native Latvia in eight more IIHF World Championships and two Olympic Winter Games, including the 2006 competition when he was selected Latvia’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremonies.

 

Joining Irbe in the IIHF Hall of Fame class of 2010, as chosen by the IIHF Hall of Fame committee, are Dieter Hegen (Germany), Vladimir Krutov (Russia) and Riikka Niemenin (Finland) in the players’ category. Rickard Fagerlund (Sweden) will be inducted in the builders’ category and Lou Vairo (U.S.) earned the Paul Loicq Award for outstanding contributions to international hockey.

 

The IIHF Hall of Fame, which was introduced in 1997, now boasts 160 hockey greats from 22 countries.

 

 

 

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Go Caps!!!!!