Hockey Blog In Canada

TBC: The Best Goalie Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:43:00 +0000

Teebz's Book Club is back with another great book for youngsters today as we continue with our efforts to get young hockey fans reading, and young readers picking up more books about hockey. We've seen a few good books already, and it's time to add another in The Best Goalie Ever, written by Gilles Tibo, illustrated by Bruno St-Aubin, and published by Scholastic. Much like the last book we reviewed on here, Where's My Hockey Sweater?, Mr. Tibo has written this book for younger readers, aiming for children between the ages of three and eight years-old. The colourful illustrations make it easy for younger children to get a good visual sense of the story, and the easy-to-read story will further your child's reading abilities while being fun.

Gilles Tibo has written and illustrated over one hundred books. He is an award-winning writer, earning such prestigious accolades as two Governor General's Awards and two Mr. Christie's Book Awards. Born in Nicolet, Quebec in 1951, Mr. Tibo got his start working as a freelance illustrator designing flyers and album covers. He also drew a large portion of the French-Canadian comic strips that appeared in newspapers. Thanks to his work as an artist, Mr. Tibo translated that success into illustrating books. More recently, he has begun to write books as well, and his success has resulted in worldwide accolades for his work. Mr. Tibo resides in Montreal, Quebec with his family.

Bruno St-Aubin began his career at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. After receiving a scholarship, he began work at Metamorphosis magazine. After returning to Canada, he enrolled at Concordia University in their animation courses. Since 1988, Mr. St-Aubin has illustrated over 50 children's books. Mr. St-Aubin resides in Quebec with his family.

A young boy named Nicholas plays the central character in The Best Goalie Ever. Nicholas' dad asks Nicholas if he's interested in playing net for his team the following day, and Nicholas says "yes". His dad, tucking him into bed, wishes him a good night, and it suddenly dawns on Nicholas that he has never stopped a puck in life!

Nicholas spends the entire night thinking about being a goaltender, and he stays up all night worrying about stopping pucks. As you may know, athletes need their sleep to perform at their highest level, so Nicholas needed to get his sleep. Before he knew it, Nicholas' dad was getting him out of bed and he hadn't slept a wink! What would happen to Nicholas? Would he be able to help his team win despite being completely exhausted?

The 32-page book is an excellent story about preparing for a big game, and it is a good example of why children need their sleep - a message that parents routinely tell their children when sending them to bed! The story is humourous, and will make children laugh and smile when they read about Nicholas' goaltending debut. The pictures are colourful and vivid, and they help in bringing this story to life.

This book is definitely for readers between the ages of three to eight years-old due to its easy-to-read writing, and would be a good start for any child who is breaking into reading. The Best Goalie Ever takes a message that parents are trying to instill in their children, and makes it fun while avoiding the "nagging" that children sometimes tune out. Because of this, The Best Goalie Ever certainly deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval, and comes highly recommended for all youngsters.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Neutering The Ferocious

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:46:00 +0000

I'm glad I have a red Florida Panthers jersey before it went extinct in this world. If you have a red Panthers jersey, kids, tuck it away because it is officially a collector's item at this point. I don't think you'll ever see the Florida Panthers go back to red after they unveiled their new alternate jersey tonight against the Penguins. You'd have a better chance of seeing a baby blue Panthers jersey than a red one at this point in the franchise's history. But I digress as we're here to ~~rip apart~~ examine their new threads. As the title of this article states, I was seriously underwhelmed by this effort. There are good elements in this jersey, but I think you'll come away like I did: disappointed, frustrated, and having more questions than satisfaction.

The Panthers, as you may be aware, already have a blue home jersey. There is something seriously wrong with NHL teams that create a third jersey in the same primary colour as one of their current jerseys. I'm thinking a distinct lack of imagination, but it could be other reasons. In any case, you can clearly see that yellow and red are accent colours for the Panthers, so there should be no mistaking what colours are in their scheme, right?

So I ask you, dear readers, where do they find the light blue?!? What is with the NHL's sudden obsession with light blue? Pittsburgh brought back their light blue alternates with great success. Atlanta decided to go light blue at home, and that design is still ridiculed throughout theleague. And then we had Colorado just a few weeks ago making their alternate jerseys into a celebration of baby blue. So, if you're the Panthers, why not follow the trend?

Here's a newsflash, Florida Panthers: YOU'RE NOT LIGHT BLUE.

Aside from the Penguins alternate jersey, the other two teams were oh-fer-two. You've now made it oh-fer-three, Florida Panthers, by joining the baby blue revolution. This is almost as bad as the teal influx into the league when San Jose joined as an expansion team. This had better be the last team to adopt baby blue as a "new" colour in their colour scheme, or I'm going to snap.

In terms of the design, there are a couple of things that I like. The new logo has been turned into an old-time logo by simplifying the panther's face and adding the circle around it. Yes, it bothers me that the whiskers are now gone, but the logo is admittedly a decent effort as a redesign. Could it have been more? Yes, definitely. You'd expect a more cartoonish logo on an AHL team, but the Panthers need to attract some new fans because the old ones are dressing like empty seats. And that's not good for the health of the franchise.

I'm not sure what effect that the new shoulder patch is supposed to be making, but perhaps they want to draw in the seniors and Canadian snowbirds with their TV morning show-like patch. Look, I get that these jerseys are supposed to be "new" and "different", but these seem half-assed right now, especially in light of what should have been.

The rear font moves away from their normal look, and throws in some useless Nashville Predators-esque lettering along with goofy block numbering. This is a weak effort, and it's going to be hell for jersey customization when considering names like "Clemmensen" or "McCabe".

Ok, so maybe I'm being a little too harsh. I mean, we haven't even seen them in action yet. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long as the Panthers took to the ice in Miami wearing their new jerseys.

The list of positives will be short. Again, we see a team break out the lace-up collar. I get that an old-time hockey jersey looks a little more vintage with the lace-up collar, but I'm starting to tire of it. It seems as though every team has at least one set of jerseys that have a lace-up collar.

Referee Kevin Pollack takes an up-close-and-personal look at Keith Ballard's new logo. While it would take some keen eyes to spot the whiskers missing at full speed, the new logo works on an elementary level. It looks clean and crisp despite being anatomically inaccurate. While I'm still not entirely sold on this logo, the fact that it looks like a panther while the players are moving means that it is doing its job.

That "Wake Up Florida" shoulder logo, however, doesn't even come close to their normal secondary logo. The palm tree-hockey stick logo actually makes one think of hockey in warm weather. If the Florida Panthers want to attract more youthful fans, they should stick with their classic logos, and stay away from the morning talk show logos. The new shoulder patch just looks dumb in game action. And to make matters worse, the Panthers are also wearing the logo on their breezers.

It still astounds me that the Panthers refused to go back to a red primary colour. This is exactly how I refer to the Panthers when I think of them, and it was helped by their Stanley Cup run in 1996. So how good would Tomas Vokoun look in a red jersey with his crimson red pads as opposed to the new alternate jersey? With Vokoun already wearing red pads this season in combination with his red-accented navy jersey, why can't anyone from the Panthers see how good that looks? There would be enough stripes on the alternate jersey if they used the same design that the monochrome look would be broken up. To me, a red alternate jersey would be a no-brainer in this case.

Also noticeable in this image is the single-colour lettering and numbering. Very clear white-on-navy blue font makes it easy to read. The Predators-style lettering isn't visible whatsoever, so it appears that they may be another useless addition.

I like the aesthetic that the socks create in terms of the dark over light look. It appears on a quick glance that the Panthers have their socks pulled up to the bottom of the knees. There's good striping on the socks as well, so everything is defined very clearly. Again, I'm not sold on the baby blue, though, so there is still some tweaking that could be done.

In saying this, there is little joy in Miami tonight. The Penguins defeated the Panthers 3-2 in overtime, and there is little to be excited about in terms of how the Panthers' new look. Sure, they scored a few points with their logo, their socks, and the legible font, but there are so many drawbacks to this alternate design.

All we are saying is give red a chance. It's part of your colour scheme, Florida, and you should be embracing it. The Panthers looked ferocious in red. They look tame in navy and light blues. And nothing is worse in a vicious catfight than cat with no moxie.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Best Jersey Per City

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:57:00 +0000

As you may know, this blog gets a lot of inspiration from around the Interwebs, particularly a little site known as Uni Watch Blog. Paul Lukas and Phil Hecken write phenomenal articles covering all sports, and they seem to have an appreciation for the aesthetics in the game of hockey. A commenter posted an interesting thought the other day, and I've decided that it might be something I can spin for this blog. We'll get to the comment in a second, but how many people have actually given thought to how many jerseys a particular city has seen? For example, the city of Denver, Colorado saw the Avalanche wear a number of different jerseys when one considers design changes and colour changes, but what about the Rockies? They wore some distinctive sweaters as well. That's what we'll focus on today: the best singular jersey per NHL city.

Now, the comment came from a gentleman named "Beardface", and it went as follows:

"You know what would be a fun project… Coming up with a list of the best possible uniform for each team in the NFL. Use any uniform in their past and choose the best one. now, of course, you’d have teams like Carolina where you have the default, but that would be a fun project, don’t you think?"

A fun project for sure, but I think it would be more interesting if we narrowed this down to NHL cities. With that knowledge, it will be far easier to include defunct teams that currently house NHL teams. Places like Denver and Minneapolis will have their former teams taken into consideration when examining those cities.

Essentially, what I'm doing is establishing an identity for that city based upon my own personal choices of what I like. There will be a few asterisks in this quick examination as well:

WHA franchises, although not recognized in NHL history, will be recognized here.
New York City and Long Island will be considered separate entities for the purpose of the examination. This relates back to the first asterisk in that the New York-based WHA team can and will be included in the potential choices.
NHL teams that lasted less than one full decade without having the NHL re-establish a team in that city will not be considered. My condolences to Kansas City, Cleveland, Hamilton, and Oakland as those cities never saw the NHL return after their first short era in the National Hockey League. This also removes the majority of the WHA teams where the NHL never set up shop.

Ok, let's get down to business here. Remember that these are my personal choices for the best jersey ever worn in that city by a professional hockey team. This is not scientific, nor is it objective. I'm ok if you want to agree or disagree, and I encourage you to post your thoughts in the comments. Here we go.

Anaheim: Say what you want, but I liked the eggplant jersey worn from 1993-06.
Atlanta: The Thrashers have dressed pretty poorly, so I'm going with the 1977-80 Atlanta Flames jersey featuring the player's name on the rear.
Boston: I wasn't around for the first time they wore the sweaters, but the 1993 throwback jerseys worn by the Bruins are still one of my favorite looks of all-time.
Buffalo: Seeing Pat Lafontaine flying down the ice with all those yellow stripes on that blue uniform that the Sabres wore from 1987-96 is a thing of beauty.
Calgary: Despite the Atlanta Flames and Calgary Flames looking identical, I still can see Theo Fleury pumping his fists as he slides across the ice in these jerseys that they wore from 1981-94.
Carolina (Raleigh): The red Hurricanes jersey used from 2000-07 had an awesome glitter effect in the silver. It's the only one I think of when I refer to the Hurricanes.
Chicago: I never get tired of the Blackhawks' red jerseys, but the jerseys worn from 1996-99 with the smaller, even hem stripes is a thing of beauty.
Colorado (Denver): The darker colours used by Starter from 1996-99 on the Avalanche jerseys is how I'll always remember them.
Columbus: I actually really like their current dark blue home uniforms. Classy and simple.
Dallas: Dallas always will be the star-patterned jersey that they used from 1998-2003. It just makes sense.
Detroit: The Big Red Machine always sticks out in my mind, but the 1986-2007 red jerseys were the symbol of hockey perfection.
Edmonton: Despite all the history they have in blue-and-orange and blue-and-copper, it's actually the Todd McFarlane-designed alternate jersey that they wore from 2001-07 that I really like. It was noticeable on the ice.
Florida (Miami): I really liked the red jerseys worn from 1998-2003. The vertically-arched name on the back and the deep red colour make this their best jersey to date.
Hartford: I'm gonna get slagged for this one, but the dark blue Whalers jersey worn from 1992-97 is still my favorite.
Los Angeles: The Wayne Gretzky era still ranks highly for me, so the 1992-95 silver-and-black jersey is my personal favorite.
Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul): No disrespect to the Wild's green jersey, but the North Stars' jersey worn from 1992-95 is still my favorite from that city. The stars down the side of the pants only make it even better.
Montreal: I grew up seeing the 1984-97 Habs jersey everyday, so it's been burned into my mind.
Nashville: The more I examined the legacy of the Predators, the more I realized that I didn't really like any of their designs due to some basic design stupidity. Letters that cross stripes and apron strings make it hard to appreciate how their jerseys look because it's such an eyesore. However, the white jerseys worn from 2005-07 without the captaincy designations are probably their best to date.
New Jersey (Newark/East Rutherford): Merry Christmas! The green-and-red jerseys from 1982-92 are how the Devils should look all the time.
New York (Long Island): I know you're all probably thinking that I'd choose this jersey, but I'm not. The 1978-84 road jersey represented the best times on the Island. I'm going with that one.
New York (NYC): As much as I wanted to choose the patriotic stars-and-stripes of the Brooklyn Americans, the home jersey worn from 1990-96 is entirely NYC. Winning the Stanley Cup in 1994 at MSG also helps burn that image into one's mind.
Ottawa: Senators fans probably won't agree with me, but sweaters worn in 1930-31 with the "O" in the middle were simply awesome. Thick stripes look so much better than thin stripes on a jersey.
Philadelphia: The little nuances of the 1984-97 road jersey make the Flyers look so much better. The little sleeve stripe, the small hem stripe, and the gigantic area of orange with the logo in the middle make this my favorite look for the big, bad Flyers.
Phoenix: Don't get me wrong in that I'm not saying I don't like the current red brick jerseys. I do. They're simple and classy. The problem is that I watched the Coyotes move into the desert with their southwest motif jerseys, so the 1997-2003 home jersey is what I remember best.
Pittsburgh: Two Stanley Cups and one of the most dominant teams of the early-1990s says "no contest" for the 1988-92 road jersey.
Quebec (Quebec City): Nothing is finer than the 1991-95 road jersey of the Nordiques. Simply one of the best looks of all-time.
St. Louis: The darker blue on the road jerseys worn from 1992-94 is still my favorite look for the St. Louis Blues. I almost went with the St. Louis Eagles here, but the Blues still do have that very iconic look.
San Jose: When the Sharks broke into the league, they were all about the teal. They essentially captured one colour, and used it to sell hundreds of thousands of jerseys. Why mess with a good thing? I still love the 1991-97 road jerseys.
Tampa: The 1993-94 home jerseys are still my favorite due to what's on the back. The italicized font was ahead of its time, and really gave Tampa Bay something unique. If only for one season.
Toronto: There is so much good about the blue road uniforms worn from 1992-97. The old-time Leafs shoulder logo, the throwback striping, and that vivid blue-and-white make this the jersey I refer to when thinking about the Leafs.
Vancouver: Vancouver hasn't been the same to me since they abandoned their original colour scheme. The old logo and yellow-and-red on the black road uniforms used from 1992-95 looked really sharp.
Washington: We're going to forget that period where the Capitals lost their minds and went away from the red-white-and-blue. The jerseys used from 1987-95 had so much right with them.
Winnipeg: When the Jets moved away from John Ferguson's New York Ranger-esque design, they instantly became a better looking team. From 1990-96, the blue Jets jerseys were the standard for all things related to the NHL in Winnipeg.

So there are my subjective picks as to how I fondly regard each team. Again, these are my choices and nothing more. I encourage you to debate and/or offer other suggestions in the comments. I'm not saying I'm right, and maybe there's a jersey I forgot that should take the place of one of my choices. Either way, let the debate begin as to what jersey you think should represent the city.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

AHL News Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:20:00 +0000

With the AHL schedule finally starting to balance out so that some teams haven't played a dozen more games than others, there are some impressive things happening in the minor professional ranks as AHL teams prepare their players for the Calder Cup Playoffs and, ultimately, a roster spot in the NHL. There are also a number of teams that have put up some impressive numbers thus far. Knowing this, let's take a look into the AHL this week.

While the Texas Stars have the most points in the AHL right now, the Rochester Americans are still steamrolling through their competition. The Amerks have an impressive 0.853 winning percentage, and have compiled a 14-2-1-0 record through 17 games thus far. After opening the season 1-1-1-0, the Amerks have gone 13-1 with that lone loss coming at the hands of the Portland Pirates.
How are the Amerks doing it? Balanced scoring, great goaltending, and solid defensive efforts. The Amerks have nine players in double-digits for scoring, and have six players with five goals or more. Czech goaltender Alexander Salak has been outstanding for Rochester, putting up a record of 11-1-0 this season, adding an outstanding 1.88 GAA and .938 save percentage to back up that record. After a sub-par season last season, Rochester is back with a vengeance this season.
One team who has turned their fortunes around is the Grand Rapids Griffins. After starting the season 1-4, the Griffins have gone 11-1-0-0 in their last ten games. With the least number of games played in the North Division, leap-frogging both the Abbotsford Heat and the Manitoba Moose shouldn't be a problem if the Griffins can continue their hot streak. Former Toronto Marlies Jeremy Williams and Kris Newbury are leading the Griffins in scoring, while goaltender Daniel Larsson is leading the charge with his 7-2-0 record.
The Manitoba Moose got some added firepower this week as the Anaheim Ducks sent forward Erik Christensen to Winnipeg for a reconditioning stint. That move was followed by the Vancouver Canucks reassigning forward Matt Pettinger to the Moose as well. All of a sudden, the Moose are flush with talented centermen. Christensen, wearing #17, scored in his Moose debut last night against the Hamilton Bulldogs, helping the Moose to a 5-3 win over their North Division rivals.
The Boston Bruins made a couple of moves to help bolster the Providence Bruins this week. First, they reassigned Brad Marchand to the P-Bruins, and they followed that move up by placing Trent Whitfield on waivers with the purpose of sending him to Providence as well. I'm not sure how Whitfield's stock has dropped since he was with St. Louis, but he clearly isn't fitting into Boston's plans.
Corey Locke of the Hartford Wolf Pack continues to lead the AHL in scoring, having posted 29 points in 19 games. Alexandre Giroux is on his heels as he has 24 points in 14 games. Brandon Bochenski of the Norfolk Admirals leads the AHL in goal-scoring with 12 goals in 21 games. Goaltender Brent Krahn of the Texas Stars has the best GAA at 1.20 this season. His 0.964 save percentage is also tops in the AHL.
The Hershey Bears are leading the AHL in attendance. The Bears are averaging 9097 fans per game in their seven home games thus far. The Manitoba Moose sit second with an average of 6885 fans per game, while the Grand Rapids Griffins sit third with 6412 fans per game. On the flip side, Lowell draws the least amount of fans with 2001 per game. Toronto is second with a mere 2695 fans showing up to watch the Marlies. It shocks me that a city that boasts how it can support a second NHL team won't even come out to watch the future Leafs play. Then again, Toronto doesn't support anyone unless they are named the "Maple Leafs".

There are a few news stories coming from the AHL this week. More info coming up in Antler Banter this week, including a look at the two games against Hamilton this weekend. Get out and check out an AHL game, kids. It's great fun, and you get a chance to see all the next stars of the NHL before they make it big!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Friends In Incredible Places

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:48:00 +0000

I have spoken about my good friend, Michael, on a few occasions before. Michael and I worked together, we've played hockey together, and we're still friends to this day. Both of us have a burning passion for the game of hockey, and we try to get together when our schedules allow for some brews and hockey on the tube. Because we chat about hockey often, Mike and I routinely have great conversations about the game. Mike, however, writes an incredible music blog called Ear To The Sound because he also has an incredible passion for music and the music industry.

Without speaking too much about how Mike got knee-deep into music, I will tell you this: Michael is the Program Director for UMFM, the student-run radio station at the University of Manitoba. He hosts a weekly radio show on UMFM called Thank God It's Free Range, and he regularly has a solid lineup of musical talent and guests on his show. You can check out who is coming up on his show by hitting his show's blog - something entirely cool if you like independent music and awesome interviews.

And that's why I'm talking about him today. Michael asked me to submit a few questions for his most recent interview with Stephen Brunt, reporter for the Globe & Mail, and author of successful books like Searching For Bobby Orr and, most recently, Gretzky's Tears.

The interview itself is nearly 35 minutes long, and Michael asks a lot of questions about the book, the trade that sent Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, and everyone surrounding the most famous trade in NHL history. Mr. Brunt gives an excellent interview, and his insight into one of the more famous moments in hockey history is astounding. If you're interested in listening to it, you can hear it here on this nifty little audio player.

I have to thank Michael for sending me the audio of the interview. Michael, you're a true friend, and you're welcome on HBIC any time you like. Thanks for allowing me to send you a few questions, and thanks for taking the time to ask them to Mr. Brunt.

I also want to thank Mr. Brunt for answering my questions, and for a very informative interview. Gretzky's Tears is on the list of books that Teebz's Book Club will be acquiring shortly, and you've made the story sound all the more interesting. You have a guaranteed sale here, Mr. Brunt!

Lastly, I want to thank the readers who took the time to listen to Mr. Brunt's informative and insightful interview. I hope you gained a better perspective of what actually was going down during the time of "the trade", and I encourage you to check out Gretzky's Tears or one of Mr. Brunt's other books.

Just before I call it an evening, I do want to throw a shout out to Captain Canuck. He correctly answered the most questions right, and will be receiving the copy of Canadiens Legends: Montreal's Hockey Heroes along with a Montreal Canadiens keychain compliments of WholesaleKeychain.com. Congratulations, Captain Canuck!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Overseas Expansion

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:10:00 +0000

It's hard to believe that I'm here today talking about expansion with all the uncertainty in the world's economies today, but it seems that the second-best professional league in the world has its sight set on adding one, if not two, teams next season. The KHL announced today that AIK Hockey Club of Stockholm, Sweden has signed a letter of intent to join the KHL for the 2010-11 season. The Swedish club is currently playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the level just below the Swedish Elite League. They play against such opponents as IF Malmo Redhawks and Leksands IF, and are currently sitting in fourth-place in the standings, just four points behind Växjö Lakers HC for first overall. With their letter of intent, AIK jumps from Sweden's AHL to the spotlight as the KHL begins to form a European "super-league".

As stated in their release today, this "concept of a Swedish club joining the KHL is consistent with the vision of the Pan-European League project that was introduced by the KHL at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Congress in September". As the cities of the KHL dot the map across Russia and its former states, the Stockholm-based AIK will now be the KHL's western-most club. That means that a roadtrip to Amur Khabarovsk, the KHL's eastern-most club, will require travel of about 6700 kms... give or take a hundred kilometers.

Now, in comparison, the New York Rangers only travel about 4460 kms to get to Anaheim's Honda Center. Clearly, this additional travel will most likely take a toll on the bodies of the athletes that play for these teams. However, it seems that the KHL is more than willing to open its doors to any and all European teams if the interested teams meet the KHL's required criteria.

The 24-team KHL will now have a 25th team, and it sounds like the Swedes are excited about joining the KHL: "We are thrilled by the invitation of the KHL," stated Peter Mellqvist, Chairman of the Board of the AIK Hockey Club. "It creates new possibilities for AIK Hockey to participate in the KHL. It brings the club to a completely different platform and creates enormous potential for the future. AIK Hockey and its fans and members will have the opportunity to take part in the world’s best hockey played on big ice."

Now, with 25 teams, there appears that there might be a problem with scheduling and standings. However, it wasn't long ago that the KHL was already discussing expanding elsewhere. Lithuania hosted a KHL exhibition match between SKA St. Petersburg and Ak Bars Kazan in Vilnius on October 12th, and it was an overwhelming success. This prompted talk of a true expansion team in Vilnius, Lithuania for possibly the 2010-11 season.

The Vetra athletic club, a leading Lithuanian sports club, and several Lithuanian businesses expressed interest in joining the KHL by letter shortly after the KHL exhibition game. Further to this interest, the Lithuanian letter "revealed plans for the construction of a new ice arena that would be the home of the expansion team as well as serve as the hub of a development project that would include a multi-use sports complex, hotel and retail area in downtown Vilnius".

The KHL, not one to look a gift expansion fee in the mouth, responded with a letter that "outlined a list of specific criteria that would be necessary from operational, logistical and financial standpoints to create a team and develop the required infrastructure to support it".

Look, I'm all about expansion if expansion is done right. The fanbases in these new cities need to be told the truth: there will be some extreme growing pains within the first ten years of joining the KHL. Success will not happen overnight, and teams that stay the course in the expansion process usually see good results. The San Jose Sharks needed about a decade to develop and stock their farm teams, and they are now reaping the benefits. They are an elite team.

There is one benefit that AIK might see more than the other teams. If you were offered a chance to play in Stockholm, Sweden or Magnitogorsk, Russia, which option would you take? Stockholm is a fairly attractive city for players as it is a major European market as compared to such places as Magnitogorsk or Astana (Kazakhstan). Because of Stockholm's attractiveness for Canadian- and American-born players, they may have an easier time attracting big-name, free agent talent. However, the money that some of the Russian teams can throw around could speak volumes as to who signs where.

All in all, congratulations on the KHL for adding one team, and possibly another if the Lithuanian bid works out. There will be more to report on next season with the first Swedish team in the KHL, and this could be the first of many European teams looking to make the jump to the "big league" in Eurasia.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Antler Banter: Volume 3

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Hey, kids! We're back with another episode of Antler Banter! The Manitoba Moose returned home from their Texas roadtrip to rest up for a few days before battling their North Division rivals in the Toronto Marlies. We'll look at the two-game set between these teams. Last night saw the Moose hold their first ever "Super Skills" competition where the members of the Moose squared off in a high stakes skills competition to see who was the fastest skater, the most accurate shooter, the man with the cannon, and which goaltender would stand tall in breakaways. We'll go through all of that in this edition of Antler Banter. I'm going to hold off profiling anyone this week, however. As always, for all of your Manitoba Moose news and information, don't forget to check out the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. Without further adieu, let's get to the Hardcore Hockey!

"We Gonna Get It On..."

The Marlies rolled into MTS Centre on Friday night after dropping their last game. The Moose, suffering through one of their worst scoring droughts in history, were also licking their wounds after getting pummeled in Texas. After some of the fireworks we saw in last season's Calder Cup Playoffs between these two teams, you had to know that the fuse was already lit on this powderkeg.

Before the game even started, we had some unhappy players as Mark McCutcheon and Toronto's Jay Rosehill were sent to the penalty box with coincidental unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. With the open ice, the Moose used the extra room to draw first blood when Marty Murray banged home his fourth goal off an Eric Walsky rebound to give the home side some early breathing room. Ryan Hamilton responded with his sixth marker of the season for the Marlies at the midway point of the first period to draw the score at 1-1.

Just a mere 1:02 into the second period, Marco Rosa forced a Toronto turnover and made them pay by firing home his fifth goal through goaltender Joey MacDonald to restore Manitoba's one-goal lead. Darryl Bootland, playing in what is certainly his best game as a Moose thus far this season, made it a two-goal advantage when he scored his first of the year. Never one to shy away from a little tussle, Bootland immediately canceled the goal celebration and started throwing punches at Toronto's Jonas Frogren after he had taken Marco Rosa down in the corner. This bit of excitement seemed to jump-start the Moose offense as Sergei Shirokov netted his sixth goal of the season just 4:01 later on a gorgeous cross-ice feed from Travis Ramsey. 4-1 for the Moose after 40 minutes, and suddenly it appeared the floodgates were open.

While the third period saw five fights break out between these two teams, Neil Petruic also added his first of the season on a slapshot from just inside the blueline that eluded Joey MacDonald. With their largest offensive outburst of the season, the Moose send a message to the Marlies with a 5-1 win. The victory pushes the Moose back to .500 with a 9-9-2 record.

"... 'Cause We Don't Get Along!"

Saturday night's game was expected to be a knock-em-down, run-em-over kind of game after Friday night's fight night. If you wanted to see some old-time hockey, MTS Centre was the place to be.

It didn't take long for these two teams to renew the bloodsport from the night before. Tommy Maxwell hooked up with Toronto's Richard Greenop a mere 4:37 into the first period, and the rough stuff simply continued from there. Toronto's Jay Rosehill was whistled for boarding with just under four minutes to play, setting the Moose up for a chance to take the lead into the intermission. Except that Dusty Collin threw an elbow 1:17 later, and the teams were down to four-on-four. Tyler Bozek used the extra room in the slot to fire his second of the season past Cory Schneider to give Toronto the 1-0 lead.

Jay Rosehill and Nathan McIver renewed acquaintances when they decided to drop the gloves just past the 11-minute mark. With just over five minutes to play in the second period, the Moose responded. Eric Walsky fired a shot on goaltender James Reimer from the top of the faceoff circle that Reimer kicked out. The problem? Sergei Shirokov was standing right where Reimer kicked the puck. Shirokov potted his seventh of the season on the rebound, and the teams were squared at one goal apiece.

The third period was fairly quiet: no fisticuffs, no goals, no real trouble. With the game knotted at one goal apiece, overtime solved nothing as well. That meant we were off to a shootout. Cory Schneider, having already played an excellent game, shone in the shootout by stopping all four Toronto shooters. Mike Keane and Eric Walsky responded for the home side, and the hometown fans went home happy after a 2-1 shootout win. With the win, the Moose push their record to 10-9-2-0, and move back into third place in the North Division.

"Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee!"

The wins were exactly what the doctor ordered, and the Moose climbed back up to third place in the North Division standings. Toronto's 15 points now has them sitting in sixth in the North Division, five points back of Grand Rapids Griffins. They say that there are no more important wins than the ones within your own division. The Moose did themselves a huge favour by taking all four points from the Marlies last weekend.

Manitoba Moose Intensive Care Unit

Little has changed in the infirmary for the Moose.

Michael Funk - concussion. No return date set.
Lawrence Nycholat - foot and shoulder problems. December?
Matt Pope - high ankle sprain. Still off skates. December?
Pierre-Cedric Labrie - shoulder separation. Potentially this weekend.
Guillaume Desbiens - foot injury. December at least.
Michael Grabner - ankle injury. December?
Alex Bolduc - shoulder injury. December?
Matt Pettinger - still in Vancouver. Doing well.

Jannik Hansen did return to the Canucks lineup, though, so there might be some additional scoring help on the way once Vancouver begins erasing names off their injury list.

The Kid's A Natural

I have to throw out some credit to right winger Eric Walsky. Walsky was named as the Moose's fastest skater and most accurate shooter at last night's Super Skills Challenge, and he has really climbed up the stats chart for the Moose. The Anchorage, Alaska native hasn't quite dented the twine as often as he may like, but he has been a force defensively as he sits with a team-best +3 in the plus/minus department. Head coach Scott Arniel, always an admirer of solid two-way play, has responded by giving Walsky more offensive time on the top lines. Great job, Mr. Walsky, and congratulations on your two skills competition wins!

Moose Outlook

The Moose are up against a test again this weekend as another division rival stops in for two dates at MTS Centre. The second-place Hamilton Bulldogs bring their impressive 9-2-1-3 record into Winnipeg. The Bulldogs are 6-2-0-2 in their last ten games, so they have faltered slightly, but they also sit with six games in hand on the Moose. With that potential twelve-point spread sitting over their heads like a black cloud, the Moose could do a lot to help themselves by capturing all four points this upcoming weekend.

Ben Maxwell and Brock Trotter lead the team with identical scoring stats: three goals and eight assists for eleven points. Former Manitoba Moose goaltender Curtis Sanford comes into the weekend with a 5-2-2 record with two shutouts. He sports a sparkling 1.44 GAA and .947 save percentage, so all of the Moose's top offensive guns have to be firing.

Just two games coming up. Next Wednesday sees the Moose leave for a roadtrip, and we'll preview that in the upcoming Antler Banter.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Alpha Moose

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:15:00 +0000

Some people consider Bullwinkle as the most talented moose of all-time. Others consider Rutt and Tuke, the two moose from Disney's Brother Bear, to be a close second. Tonight, however, the most talented Moose was crowned on the ice at MTS Centre. The Manitoba Moose welcomed fans down to the arena for their first "Super Skills" competition - essentially, a team-based skills competition featuring all of the non-injured Moose. There were a ton of things for fans to do on the concourse, including accuracy shooting and finding out who had the hardest shot, but the competition on the ice was the main draw. Tonight, the Moose split up into two teams to compete in the fastest skater event, accuracy shooting event, hardest shot event, and the breakaway relay. With that being said, let's get to the first annual Manitoba Moose Super Skills Competiton!

Fastest Skater

Times will be listed per player as they skate one lap of the rink from the center ice line.

Team Black: Marco Rosa, Tommy Maxwell, Sergei Shirokov, and Mark McCutcheon.
Team White: Eric Walsky, Derek Leblanc, John Lammers, and Mario Bliznak.

Walsky - 13.46 seconds.
Rosa - 13.78 seconds.
Leblanc - 14.16 seconds.
Maxwell - 14.16 seconds, including a solid shoulder to a crossbar.
Lammers - 14.26 seconds.
Shirokov - 14.66 seconds after a false start.
Bliznak - 14.06 seconds.
McCutcheon - 14.50 seconds.

Team Black earns five points on Walsky's trail of fire around the rink.

Accuracy Shooting

Players will have their scores listed in the order that they shoot. There are five targets to hit: one in each corner of the net, and the ever-elusive five-hole. Scores will reflect the number of shots taken to hit the five targets. Players will line up directly between the faceoff circles in the slot for their shots.

Team Black: Darryl Bootland, Marty Murray, John Lammers, and Eric Walsky.
Team White: Mike Keane, Sergei Shirokov, Dusty Collins, and Marco Rosa.

Keane - 5/8 in 13.91 seconds.
Bootland - 5/8 in 13.90 seconds.
Shirokov - 5/9 in 15.08 seconds.
Murray - 5/10 in 15.80 seconds.
Collins - 5/10 in 17.57 seconds.
Lammers - 2/12 with a time-out, but five posts counted.
Rosa - 5/9 in 18.41 seconds.
Walsky - 5/7 in 11.96 seconds, and two posts.

Walsky earns another five points for Team Black with his laser-sighted shot! From the way it appeared, the bottom two corners looked like they were the hardest for the players to hit. Walsky, however, made it look easy as he missed the top-left corner twice on his two post-ringing shots.

Hardest Shot

Players will have their shots clocked in the order that they shoot. Players will tee off from high slot area just between the top of the faceoff circles. Each player will have two attempts to blow away the radar gun.

Team Black: Nolan Baumgartner, Evan Oberg, Derek Leblanc, and Geoff Waugh.
Team White:Brian Salcido, Travis Ramsey, Neil Petruic, and Mark McCutcheon.

Baumgartner - 85 mph followed by 85 mph.
Salcido - 96 mph followed by 94 mph.
Oberg - 92 mph followed by 89 mph.
Ramsey - 95 mph followed by 97 mph.
Leblanc - 88 mph followed by 90 mph.
Petruic - 92 mph followed by 91 mph.
Waugh - 87 mph followed by 83 mph.
McIver - 83 mph followed by 88 mph.

Team White earns five points on Ramsey's cannon-like blast. Some quick notes on this competition saw two misreadings by the radar gun. Evan Oberg's first shot registered as 13 mph, while Geoff Waugh's second shot saw him record a 14 mph shot. Neither men dribbled the puck into the net, I assure you. There was a break in the competition, though, as Travis Ramsey literally blew away the radar gun. Ramsey's second shot was a laser to the center post in the net, and the radar gun flew off the back of the net. After a quick reset, Ramsey's third shot of 97 mph was your winner.

Breakaway Relay

Players will be listed in terms of their appearance, and whether or not they scored. An X will be used for an unsuccessful shot, while an O will represent a goal. Goaltenders will have their total saves and save percentage shown at the bottom of the shooter list.

Team Black: Nolan Baumgartner, Geoff Waugh, Evan Oberg, Derek Leblanc, John Lammers, Mario Bliznak, Marty Murray, Darryl Bootland, and Eric Walsky.
Team White: Brian Salcido, Travis Ramsey, Neil Petruic, Nathan McIver, Tommy Maxwell, Mark McCutcheon, Marco Rosa, Sergei Shirokov, and Mike Keane.

Team Black Goaltender: Daren Machesney.
Team White Goaltender: Cory Schneider.

Baumgartner - X
Salcido - X
Waugh - O, on a backhander past Schneider.
Ramsey - X
Oberg - X
Petruic - O, forehand to backhand to the top of the net.
Leblanc - X
McIver - X
Lammers - X
Maxwell - X
Bliznak - O, as the backhand slides five-hole.
McCutcheon - X
Murray - X
Rosa - O, top-shelf on a gorgeous wrist shot past Machesney.
Bootland - O, crushing a slapshot past a sprawling Schneider.
Shirokov - X
Walsky - X
Keane - X

Machesney - 7/9 = 0.778 save percentage
Schneider - 6/9 = 0.667 save percentage

Team Black defeats Team White in the shootout by a 3-2 score. Each goal counts towards the team total as well, so Team Black picks up eight points to Team White's two points.

Team Totals

Team Black: 18 points.
Team White: 7 points.

Team Black is your winning Moose squad tonight! Congratulations go out to Nolan Baumgartner, Geoff Waugh, Evan Oberg, Derek Leblanc, John Lammers, Mario Bliznak, Marty Murray, Darryl Bootland, Eric Walsky, and goaltender Daren Machesney!

Honestly, this was a great night of fun hosted by the Manitoba Moose. Lots of prizes were given away, and a great crowd turned out to see the event. While the official attendance totals was announced at 3727, if felt like there had to be 4500-5000 people in the building tonight.

The glass was down in all non-essential places, and fans got to high five their favorite hometown hockey stars as they skated by. Moose players were available for autographs all night long, and, at $5 per ticket, this is exactly the kind of event that can go a long way in helping the Moose generate fans for generations. There were children everywhere in the crowd, proving that the Moose's efforts in being a part of the community are going a long, long way.

Perhaps one of the coolest things about having no glass up is that all the players were chatting with the fans all night long. It's that kind of interaction that makes this type of event a lot of fun, and it really is a memorable experience for all involved. Especially for the fans. The players poked fun at one another all night, and they really seemed to be having as much of a good time as the fans were.

Well done, Manitoba Moose, on starting an annual event that is fun, affordable, and a great time for all in attendance! Tonight, everyone was a winner!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I'm Glad It's Over

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:19:00 +0000

"Hey now, hey now. Don't dream. It's over". As rare as it is that I start a blog with lyrics from a Crowded House song, the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes are over before they begin. According to Vancouver GM Mike Gillis, Forsberg has decided to remain with Modo of the Swedish Elite League, ending the veritable lottery for his services in the NHL. While there are a pile of options for Forsberg to still explore this season - including being in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics - he will not be suiting up in the NHL this season. And for this, I am glad.

Don't get me wrong: the guy is still a world-class talent, even on one leg. The problem that I have is that he demands a king's ransom for his services in the NHL despite him only having one good leg to skate on. Sounds a lot like one of his fellow countrymen, doesn't it?

I don't know if it was common sense, maybe his sense of pride, or a combination of them both, but Forsberg has elected to stay with Modo. Frankly, it might be the best move he's made his entire career. Does anyone think that he would be the dominant player he once was after playing a mere twelve professional games in the last two years?

TSN's Bob McKenzie feels that there is a pretty good shot that Forsberg could suit up for Sweden at the Winter Olympics if his foot holds up while playing with Modo. He's trying to convince Sweden's coaches that his foot can and will stand up to the abuse that a short tournament puts players' bodies through. I, for one, would have no issue if Forsberg suits up for Sweden. After all, it is the greatest honour to represent one's country, and the Swedes do have a gold medal to defend.

After the season ends for Modo, I personally believe that Forsberg should hang the skates up. While I don't believe his passion for the game has decreased in any way, his body is simply telling him that it cannot handle the everyday abuse that an NHL hockey season is placed on it. And, really, what else does he have to prove?

1995 Calder Trophy winner as Rookie of the Year in the NHL.
2003 Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP in the NHL.
2003 Art Ross Trophy winner as the top scorer in the NHL.
Three-time NHL First Team All-Star.
Two-time Stanley Cup winner in 1996 and 2001.
1993 IIHF World Junior Championship top forward and all-star.
1998 IIHF World Championship top forward and all-star.
Set the all-time points record at the 1993 WJC with 31 points in seven games.
Holds the all-time WJC point total rcord with 41 points.
885 NHL points in 706 games.
171 NHL Playoff points in 151 games.
Two-time Winter Olympic gold medallist in 1994 and 2006.
Two-time World Championship gold medallist in 1992 and 1998.

As great as it would be to have Forsberg back in the NHL, don't dream. It's over. It's time that his health rank ahead of the game, and the NHL won't allow for his health to get better. If he continues to play in Modo, that's ok with me. Holding teams hostage while he decides whether or not his NHL dream will continue is just downright selfish.

For a guy with 636 career NHL assists, he hardly seems selfish.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Where's My Hockey Sweater?

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:41:00 +0000

Teebz's Book Club is working to expand its children section in the effort that kids pick up a love for hockey through reading, and vice versa. There are a number of excellent books that advanced and adult readers should pick up for themselves or other hockey fans, so I want to encourage kids to start reading early. Today, TBC is proud to present Where's My Hockey Sweater?, written by Gilles Tibo, illustrated by Bruno St-Aubin, and published by Scholastic. This book is geared towards readers who are aged three to eight, and it has some very good illustrations throughout the book to make the story more visual. This book is a great way to start your little hockey fan or player down the road of reading.

Gilles Tibo has written and illustrated over one hundred books. He is an award-winning writer, earning such prestigious accolades as two Governor General's Awards and two Mr. Christie's Book Awards. Born in Nicolet, Quebec in 1951, Mr. Tibo got his start working as a freelance illustrator designing flyers and album covers. He also drew a large portion of the French-Canadian comic strips that appeared in newspapers. Thanks to his work as an artist, Mr. Tibo translated that success into illustrating books. More recently, he has begun to write books as well, and his success has resulted in worldwide accolades for his work. Mr. Tibo resides in Montreal, Quebec with his family.

Bruno St-Aubin began his career at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. After receiving a scholarship, he began work at Metamorphosis magazine. After returning to Canada, he enrolled at Concordia University in their animation courses. Since 1988, Mr. St-Aubin has illustrated over 50 children's books. Mr. St-Aubin resides in Quebec with his family.

The story of Where's My Hockey Sweater? is about a young boy named Nicholas. Nicholas is tucked into bed snugly, dreaming of his first hockey practice on Saturday morning. The problem? It already was Saturday morning, and an hour before practice starts!

Nicholas' room is quite the mess, and he needs to find all his hockey equipment, including his championship sweater! With the help of his mom and dad, Nicholas begins locating the various pieces of his equipment: shoulder pads, skates, helmet, and stick. But where is his hockey sweater? Nicholas must find his hockey sweater!

The 32-page book is an excellent story about keeping one's room clean so that things can be found when needed - a message that every child can relate to as parents routinely remind children to keep their rooms tidy. The story ends with some humour that kids will appreciate, and the illustrations are large and vivid in their colour. The details in the pictures are quite good as kids will notice all sorts of things spread out over Nicholas' room.

This book is definitely not for readers any older than eight due to its easy-to-read writing, but it will be a good start for any child who is breaking into reading. Where's My Hockey Sweater? takes a lesson that parents constantly remind their children of, and makes it fun. Because of this, Where's My Hockey Sweater? certainly deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval, and comes highly recommended for all youngsters.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

News From Across The Land

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:05:00 +0000

How many of you remember that image from the front of the old NES cartridge way back in the 1980s? Seems like eons ago, doesn't it? The wonky graphics, the brutal 8-bit sound, the two-button controllers... we're talking a relic here, kids. And I was playing it today. I was doing some retro gaming today: Blades of Steel, Super Mario Brothers 3, and Ice Hockey were my games of choice today, but Paperboy had a few cyclists killed by cars pulling out of driveways. Now you're probably asking yourself what this has to do with hockey, right? Nothing. Except that the paperboy delivers the news, and that's what I'm doing today. Just don't pull your car out in front of me, ok?

It appears that the Carolina Hurricanes are about to start planning their draft party. After losing their fourteenth straight game, rumours are flying that GM Jim Rutherford is looking at putting a number of non-contributing veterans on the waiver wire in the hope that the young kids from Albany can step in and grow. It should be interesting to see how far and deep the cuts go if the Hurricanes continue to plummet.
Not surprisingly, Hurricanes centerman Rod Brind'Amour has a team worst -14 thus far. Rutherford should be leaning on "Rod the bod" to call it a career. He's doing no one any help by being slower than everyone on the ice, and his hands just aren't what they were. In the last 98 games with the Hurricanes, Brind'Amour is -37. That's brutal defensive play for a player known for his two-way play.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, after starting the season on fire, are making Pittsburgh doctors happy. While Evgeni Malkin returned tonight, the Penguins have a number of regulars in the injury wing right now. Sergei Gonchar is out with a broken wrist, Kris Letang is sitting with a shoulder problem, Brooks Orpik is has a lower body injury, Maxime Talbot is still out with shoulder and foot issues, Tyler Kennedy is nursing a tender groin, and now Chris Kunitz is out for at least two weeks because of a lower body injury. If a champion's mettle is to be tested through adversity, the Penguins are getting a healthy dose of adversity early on this season.
Speaking about champions, I have to give credit to the Detroit Red Wings for overcoming their injury woes early on. After starting the season 0-2, the Red Wings have gone 9-3-3 since, and have closed the gap between them and the division-leading Blackhawks. Full credit goes to GM Ken Holland and head coach Mike Babcock for staying the course and not letting the Red Wings get off track.
Does it scare anyone that all five teams from the Atlantic Division are in playoff spots right now? The Devils lead the Eastern Conference with 24 points, but the Penguins, Flyers, Rangers, and Islanders sit fourth through seventh right now. This might be the scariest division in all of hockey right now.
Does it concern anyone that only one Northeast Division team is in the playoffs? The Buffalo Sabres get the third spot in the conference due to leading their division, but Ottawa, Boston, and Montreal are all struggling. And Toronto is still brutal.
The AHL's Manitoba Moose posted their best offensive night of the season as they defeated the Toronto Marlies by a 5-1 score last night. In a fight-filled game between these two bitter rivals, Marco Rosa, Marty Murray, Sergei Shirokov, Neil Petruic, and Darryl Bootland notched tallies for the Moose. Bootland was an assist away from the "Gordie Howe hat trick", and really was a thorn in Toronto's side all night long. More on this game and tonight's rematch in the upcoming Antler Banter this week.
P.A. Parenteau, the AHL's leading goal scorer with 10, was recalled by the New York Rangers today, and he made a huge contribution in the 2-1 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators. Parenteau, in front of friends and family, scored the shootout winner in the seventh round. The AHL sniper looked good in the game today, and might push for a roster spot if he continues to show the same heart he showed today.
Keith Primeau's first time standing behind the bench in a professional coaching role resulted in him earning the win! Primeau was behind the bench as a temporary assistant coach for the Las Vegas Wranglers, and they went on to defeat the Utah Grizzlies by a 4-0 score. Ok, Primeau can't take all the credit, but good on Keith for taking his extensive knowledge and helping the kids in Las Vegas.
Lastly, I'm not sure how this got past everyone in the hockey world, but this is gigantic news if you're an Ottawa Senators fan. Carrie Underwood, the country music star, is moving in with Mike Fisher into his Ottawa home. Fisher, in his first game today since the news broke, played like a man possessed against the Rangers, and nearly had a handful of goals if not for goalie Henrik Lundqvist. They say behind every good man is a better woman. Perhaps Miss Underwood is the catalyst that Mike Fisher needed?

That's all for today, kids. I'm off to hockey for a game in about 45 minutes. Take care, and check out the contests from yesterday to win some great stuff!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I Must Contest Thee!

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Hockey Blog In Canada is all about helping people get free stuff when it comes to the contests featured on this blog. I'm happy to help others, and the prizes are usually pretty awesome. At least they are in my opinion. Sure, they don't usually come with a pile of the greenbacks like you see to the left, but they are all worth something. In some cases, they could be worth a lot more than what I offer, but those contests are being run by multi-national conglomerates. And they have a much better marketing and PR payroll than I do. With that knowledge under your arm, let's wander into some of the contest updates.

Guinness "Be Remarkable" Contest

A young lady by the name of Amy won the opportunity to "be remarkable". She wanted to travel Canada and see Canada's Natural Wonders. That sounds pretty cool, and I'm sure the trip will be great. However, there's just one little problem.

What are Canada's Natural Wonders?

If you're on Facebook, you can vote for where Amy should visit. You can also meet the lucky Amy right here. I'm not on Facebook, so I cannot tell you anything about Amy or which destinations are up for the vote, but let's help her out.

Congratulations, Amy, and good luck in your travels!

Pepsi Cheer Contest

The voting is over, and Joan Buma's cheer was voted as the winner! You can hear the new cheer here. Oh, and while you're there, why don't you sign up for an opportunity to head over to Germany to catch the 2010 IIHF Men's World Hockey Championships? That would be one awesome contest win!

Again, this contest is open to Canadians only that are age 13 or older, so I apologize to my American readers. We'll have something you can enter down below.

Hockey Canada "Design-A-Mask" Contest

I'm a little late on this one, kids. And this one is for the kids.

Hockey Canada wants children and teens to submit their designs for a goalie mask that will be worn at this year's World Junior Championships by one of Team Canada's goaltenders. The categories are split into two: 12-and-under, and 13-to-18 years of age. The contest is only open until November 20, so I apologize for the tight timelines on this one.

Past winners have seen their masks worn by the likes of NHL first-overall selection Marc-André Fleury and gold-medal-winning netminders Jeff Glass, Justin Pogge, Steve Mason, and Dustin Tokarski.

As a bonus, if your child or teen submits an entry, please send it to me, and I'll post it on HBIC as well to get your child some artistic exposure. No design will be rejected - send them through to me and we'll check out Canada's up-and-coming mask artists!

Montreal Canadiens 100th Anniversary Contest

This one is all HBIC. With the 100th Anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens just around the corner, I want to give someone the opportunity to read a little bit about the NHL's most storied franchise by offering up a copy of Mike Leonetti's Canadiens Legends.

This book is a treasure trove of info on players from all of the eras in the Canadiens' history, and will surely be a favorite for the info as we approach the historic game. I'll even throw in a Montreal Canadiens keychain for the winner, compliments of the good people at WholesaleKeychain.com. Check them out for some solid stocking stuffers this Christmas!

Ok, to the contest. 10 questions. You need to answer them. The most right will get you the book and the keychain. If there is a tie, the prize will go to whoever sent in the most right answers first. That means speed and accuracy are paramount. So without further delay, here are your ten questions on the Canadiens.

Goaltender George Hainsworth joined the Canadiens in 1926 at the age of 30. However, he wasn't assigned the normal goaltending number of #1 when he joined the team. What two numbers did Hainsworth wear prior to being given Georges Vezina's #1?
Who were the first father-and-son to suit up for the Canadiens in their history?
Who are the only two men to be the head coaches of both the Canadiens and their arch-rival Maple Leafs?
Maurice "The Rocket" Richard didn't wear #9 when he first joined the Canadiens. What prompted him to change his number to #9, and what number did he previously wear?
In the 1963-64 season, defenceman Jacques Laperriere won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. Which Canadiens teammate came second in voting?
Frank Mahovlich is best known for wearing #27. However, he joined the Canadiens in the midst of a roadtrip and was given another number for one game. What other number did Mahovlich wear in 1971?
Henri Richard won 11 Stanley Cups in his career. He scored in his very first game in a Canadiens sweater as the Habs won 4-1. Who did they beat, and who gave up Richard's first NHL goal?
Only one NHL player scored five goals in one game in the 1960s, and he was a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Who was the player, and what team and goaltender did he victimize?
Guy Lafleur was always proud to be a Montreal Canadien, and he retired after the 1991 season. He scored his last goal in the NHL on March 30, 1991. What team did he victimize, and who was the goaltender to allow his 560th NHL goal?
February 3, 1973 was a big game for Larry Robinson as Robinson scored his first NHL goal. What team was it against, and what former Canadien was the goalie to allow the goal?

There are your questions. They may be tough, but when you're looking at $50 worth of pictures and words, I expect some effort to be put forth. Nothing is free in this world, and I'm hoping you learn a little bit about the Canadiens before learning a lot more from Mike Leonetti's book.

Send your answers directly to me with the subject line of "Canadiens Quiz". If the subject line does not read as such, you will be disqualified without prejudice. Why? I'm not searching through emails for answers. The contest closes on Wednesday, November 18 at 11:59pm.

The person who has the most right in the fastest time will win themselves the book and the keychain. Everyone else will have to wait for the next contest.

That's all for today, kids! Get your entries in for all these awesome contests!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Three Strikes For Colorado

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:08:00 +0000

I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the new uniforms that the Avalanche rolled out when they switched to the Rbk EDGE material. I did reserve hope for an alternate jersey that brought back some respectability to the franchise in terms of their look. When the Avalanche announced that they were indeed creating an alternate jersey to be used in the 2009-10 season, I held my breath for something that would represent the power and destruction of a real avalanche unlike their normal home and road uniforms. After all, they are one of nature's most powerful events, and they usually leave a swath of destruction for miles. Kind of like this year's version of the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche wore an alternate from 2001 until 2007 that had a number of people slightly disappointed in that the Avalanche weren't more creative. After all, they had a fairly unique secondary logo, and some would have liked to see it used more prominently in their schemes. Or at least built upon in terms of being included in the Avalanche's look.

It was announced some time ago that the Avalanche would be unveiling their new jerseys on November 12, so I was literally counting down the days. They announced that they would take to the ice in their new threads on Saturday, November 14 when the Vancouver Canucks rolled into town. Again, I waited with the hope that the Avalanche would eliminate the apron strings on these new jerseys while restoring the pride and respect that they had built and earned throughout the 1990s with their bold burgandy jerseys.

Today, the Avalanche had this image as their splash page on their website. Let me just say that this is one of the most unoriginal efforts yet in the alternate world. And that's me being nice. Just before we continue, I want to credit Michael Martin for all the photos from here on.

Sure, there are no apron strings. That's a bonus, and I can't fault the Avalanche for getting rid of something that looked dumb. Or even worse when your captain's "C" is sewn over top of the piping.

I'm also a fan of the lace-up collar, but that trend is pretty much dead now. Almost every team has a lace-up collar, so it's time to look at something else to make your look unique. There are other design elements that teams can look to in terms of both historical and effective collar designs.

The only other thing that I can effectively say that I like is the font consistency. The rear lettering and numbering are consistent through the three sets of uniforms worn by the Avalanche, so there should be no additional costs for people who may buy this new alternate uniform and have it customized. I can't say that with any certainty, but it seems reasonable, right?

What seems unreasonable is that the Avalanche will wear these jerseys as a professional hockey team in the NHL.

What is with the light blue jerseys? The Thrashers look ridiculous in their blue jerseys, and now the Avalanche are trying to score with that colour. The only light blue jersey that has worked thus far is the Penguins' alternates. But they have history with that jersey, so it's not surprising that it was and is a hot seller. I have no idea why other teams think that this powder blue colour is an effective colour to use. It fails here.

It's not like the Avalanche did anything new, either. Here is a comparison between the old alternate jersey and the new alternate jersey. Aside from a change in colours, the addition of a shoulder yoke, and the removal of the bottom hem stripes - some significant changes at first glance, I admit - what is really different between the two jerseys? Both have the lace-up collar. Both sport the Avalanche's primary logo on the shoulder. Both have the state's name running diagonally across the chest. Both have the elbow stripes. It's not a "new" alternate as much as it is simply a redesigned alternate. It's an alternate alternate jersey. And that, to me, is entirely disappointing.

Is it a different look than what we're used to seeing from the Avalanche? Absolutely. Without doubt. But when it comes to the aesthetics of the uniform, I see them as a fail. Kyle Quincey may disagree with me, but these will rank quite low on my "must-have" jersey list.

Again, I will stress this: sometimes less is more. Less light blue and more creativity would result in me liking these jerseys a lot more. After all, "it's all about commitment" in Denver. I just wish someone would commit to common sense.

And just before we break away from a look at new jerseys, the Florida Panthers are gearing up for their new alternate jerseys as well. Later this month, the Panthers are to reveal their newest threads, but they may have jumped the gun with a small preview in a flash video.

I see more light blue which I don't understand, but I do like the old-time logo if that is truly the new alternate jersey. There is a distinct absence of red on this previewed jersey, but that is probably a good thing since they already have one navy blue jersey. More on these as we get closer to their unveiling.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Antler Banter: Volume 2

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:30:00 +0000

We're back today for another round-table discussion known as Antler Banter! Happy Remembrance Day to all the Canadian readers out there, and Happy Veterans Day to all the American readers. Please don't forget about the men and women in the Armed Forces today. They deserve all of our respect for the job they did and the jobs they are doing. They are the bravest men and women on the planet. On the hockey front, the Moose spent some time down in the "Lone Star State" as they battled the Houston Aeros and Texas Stars, and we'll look back at those games. There have been a few player moves, and we'll go in-depth on one Moose forward today as we profile Tommy Maxwell. As always, for all of your Manitoba Moose news and information, don't forget to check out the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. Without further adieu, let's get to the Hardcore Hockey!

Aeros Bomb Moose

The Moose rolled into Houston, Texas on a two-game losing streak, having dropped both games to the Eastern Conference's Norfolk Admirals by identical 3-1 scores. Houston entered the game sitting in third place in the West Division, and had split two previous meetings with the Moose way back on October 2 and 3.

I'm not about to suggest that the Moose were tired or simply didn't give a solid effort in any of the three games. They are clearly skating hard and making good hockey plays, but everything seems to be an uphill battle at this point in the season. If one is to make their own breaks, the Moose are owed at least a couple because the effort is there. The results, however, are not.

Danny Irmen scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season for Houston while teammate Maxime Noreau scored his first two of the season. Marco Rosa's fourth goal of the season broke a ten-game scoreless streak for the speedy Moose forward, but it was all the scoring that the Moose could muster in a 4-1 loss to the Aeros.

Anton Khudobin, goaltender for the Aeros, looked as impressive as he did during last season's Calder Cup Playoffs, but was simply not tested enough during the game as the Moose were outshot 34-15. When a team is being doubled in shots, there's almost no chance of winning the game.

Case in point? A 4-1 Houston victory pushed the Moose's record to 8-7-2-0.

Stars Shine Brightly

The first meeting of the season between the expansion Texas Stars and the Manitoba Moose appeared to be a mismatch as the Stars are on the rise in the West Division while Manitoba was struggling through a three-game losing streak in which the Moose only managed a paltry three goals. Would David slay Goliath on Friday night?

In a word: no.

Goaltender Rejean Beauchemin made his debut with the Moose, and he spent most of the night scrambling as the Stars buzzed the Moose zone. Ivan Vishnevskiy's third goal of the season opened the scoring for the Stars just past the midway point of the first period. The second period saw Texas add to their lead as Perttu Lindgren scored his fourth goal of the season, and Aaron Gagnon added his third of the season as Texas took a 3-0 lead into the second intermission. Just to add a little salt to the wound, former Manitoba Moose forward Greg Rallo fired his team-leading sixth goal of the season past Beauchemin on one that Beauchemin probably would like a do-over on.

The Stars played suffocating defense all night, and shut the Moose down at every opportunity as Matt Climie earned the shutout with a 4-0 victory. The good news? The Moose managed to throw a pile of additional shots on Climie as compared to Khudobin the night before, but were still outshot 26-24. With the loss, Manitoba dropped to .500 with a 8-8-2-0 record.

Get The Heck Out Of Dodge

The Saturday night rematch saw Daren Machesney return to the Manitoba net. The Moose, having been outscored 14-3 on their four-game losing streak, shuffled lines and looked to generate a spark to salvage at least one point from this Texas road trip.

This game was a fight-filled affair in the first period. However, just like the previous two games, the Moose found themselves down a goal midway through the first period as Aaron Gagnon's powerplay marker found the back of the net. The Moose pulled even midway through the second period as Marty Murray buried his third goal of the season past Stars goalie Brent Krahn on rebound off a Nolan Baumgartner shot. Unfortunately, the Stars regained the lead late in the second period. With what appeared to be a football huddle taking place in Machesney's crease, Sergei Korostin backhanded home his sixth goal of the season to restore Texas' one-goal lead. Perttu Lindgren netted his fifth goal of the season just past the five-minute mark of the third period as he roofed the puck from just outside Machesney's crease. With a two-goal cushion against an offensively-challenged Moose club, Texas simply let the clock run out, earning the 3-1 win.

With the loss, the Moose drop to 8-9-2-0 and sit fourth in the North Division, one point back of the Abbotsford Heat. The Heat, however, have three games in hand on the Moose, so that lead could become a huge chasm over the next few days.

Into The Sunset

I'm going to be honest here: this team is suffering mightily with all of their top offensive players being in Vancouver or on the injury list. The Moose, despite sitting in fourth in the North Division, have been outscored 36-51 on the season, a goal differential of -15. There is no way an elite team has a negative goal differential, let alone a league-high total in goals-against.

This Moose team needs its scoring threats, defensive presences, and star goaltender back. Right now, the Moose's strategy - as much as this pains me to say this - should be to trap as much as they can. The only way they are going to defeat some of the better AHL teams is to trap them to death, and wait for mistakes to occur. Until their top offensive stars return, there's no point in going into a gunfight with a water pistol. Trap, trap, and trap some more. With limited scoring ability, this is the Moose's best chance at ending this five-game losing streak.

Player Moves

The Moose, in an effort to find veteran players with some AHL experience, continued signing players to professional tryout (PTO) contracts. Former Moose forward Darryl Bootland was brought back into the fold after playing the majority of last season in Salzburg, Austria. His excellent reputation with the team and fans prompted GM Craig Heisinger to bring the fiesty forward back.

Mario Bliznak was returned to the Moose by the Vancouver Canucks last Wednesday. Bliznak's speed and bursts of scoring will be a welcomed addition to the Moose attack.

Another Darryl was signed as well. Darryl Smith was brought in from the CHL's Laredo Bucks on a PTO to help the Moose out. However, he lasted one game, and was released from his PTO without recording a point in his one appearance after Bliznak was returned to the Moose.

As seen above, goaltender Rejean Beauchemin has been recalled from the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads, singing a PTO with the Moose. The Winnipegger had been in training camp with the Moose over the past two years, but has not been able to stick. He's hoping to make an impression with this second chance.

And as of Tuesday afternoon, goaltender Cory Schneider was on his way back to Manitoba as Vancouver's Roberto Luongo has recovered from a cracked rib. Getting Schneider back should help defensively as he was a wall in the net most nights last season. With the return of Schneider, Beauchemin was released from his PTO.

Manitoba Moose Intensive Care Unit

The Moose will be without a few key players as they take on the Toronto Marlies this weekend. Again, injuries and call-ups to the Canucks have significantly handicapped this team at this point in the season. Hopefully, some of these players will be back on skates soon.

Michael Funk, the leading scorer amongst defensemen on the Moose, is out for at least seven days after suffering his third concussion within the last year. Funk had concussion problems last season that limited him to just 13 games, so the Moose are proceeding very carefully with Funk before allowing him to even think about lacing up the skates. I commend the Moose for this decision as Funk's health is a lot more important than a few games against the Marlies.

Defenseman Lawrence Nycholat is still nursing shoulder and knee injuries after behind hit from behind by Chicago's Brett Sterling in the third game of the season. His progress hasn't seen much improvement and still isn't on skates at this point. There's no timetable for his return, but his presence on the blueline is missed. The Moose are hoping he'll be able to suit up on their late-November road trip.

Forward Matt Pope is watching from the press box as he nurses a high ankle sprain. Pope's wonky ankle is keeping him off skates as well, and there hasn't been a return date set yet.

Forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie is still recovering from a shoulder separation, and is looking at a possible return against the Hamilton Bulldogs on November 20 at best. At worst, Labrie should be back for the Moose's road trip that begins on November 25.

Forward Guillaume Desbiens will be out for at least another month as his broken foot heals. Desbiens suffered the injury against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on October 30, and won't be back on skates for at least another four weeks.

Forward Michael Grabner was injured in his call-up to Vancouver, and his ankle injury has him listed as day-to-day. There is no word on the severity of the injury that is keeping him out of the Canucks line-up, but he's in the press box as it stands. The Moose would love to get Grabner back as soon as possible.

Forward Alex Bolduc is in the same predicament with the Canucks as he's listed day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Much like Grabner, the Moose could use Bolduc's grit and goal-scoring sooner than later.

Forward Jannik Hansen, a possible returnee to the Moose once he's healthy, has a broken hand that will keep him out of any lineup until the beginning of December. Hansen's abilities would be a blessing to the Moose right now.

Forward Matt Pettinger is enjoying his time with the Canucks as a call-up right now. Pettinger has a goal in four games and is a respectable +1, showing that he isn't a defensive liability on the ice. Again, the Moose would love to have Pettinger back.

Stats Scrum

Thanks to their recent scoring drought, there's little change in the stats department this week.

Leading Moose scorer: Sergei Shirokov - 5G + 6A = 11pts.
Leading Moose goal-scorer: Sergei Shirokov - 5 goals.
Leading Moose setup man: Shirokov/Michael Funk - 6 assists each.
Leading Moose plus/minus guy: Grabner/Pettinger at +2 each.
Leading Moose sin bin resident: Tom Maxwell - 55 PIMs.
Leading Moose power player: Sergei Shirokov - 3 PPGs.
Leading Moose shortie: Keane/Bliznak - 1 SHG each.
Leading Moose shooter: Marco Rosa - 57 SOG.
Leading Moose blueliner: Michael Funk - 1G + 6A = 7pts.

AHL Notes

The league-leading Rochester Americans continue to tear through the AHL schedule. The Amerks are 11-1-1-0, and have six games in hand on the Manitoba Moose! They have rattled off eleven straight wins since starting the season 1-1-1, and show no signs of slowing down. Their eleven-game streak ties their 54-year-old franchise record, and they can break it in their next game against the Portland Pirates tomorrow night!
Manny Legace's time with the Chicago Wolves came to an abrupt end when Carolina Hurricanes' goaltender Cam Ward was sliced open by a skate blade. The free agent goaltender signed a two-way deal with the 'Canes for a reported $500,000 NHL salary. AHL fans will most likely see him with the Albany River Rats once Ward returns from his injury, but Michael Leighton should feel some heat from the 36 year-old in regards to his backup job.
Corey Locke of the Hartford Wolf Pack continues to lead the league in scoring with 21 points. He's also tied for the league lead in goals with Chris Minard of the Springfield Falcons and teammate Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau. All three players have nine goals apiece.
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are your new leaders for team PIMs. They have amassed 528 PIMs in the sin bin over 17 games - an average of 31.06 PIMs per game! Pascal Morency is a large reason for Bridgeport's increase. Morency already has piled up 97 PIMs by himself! In comparison, the Milwaukee Admirals have a league-low 157 PIMs in 12 games.
Hamilton's streak of no losses in regulation time came to an end at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Friday night. The Binghamton Senators tangled with the Bulldogs in Montreal, and the Senators came away with a 2-1 win in regulation time.

Know Your Moose

Today, I want to introduce one Moose player who I mistakenly identified as "lumbering" in a comment on my blog last week. This Moose player did a ton of off-season work to get himself into excellent shape, and I want to apologize for my misleading comments. Today, we're going to take a look at Moose left winger #44 Tom Maxwell.

Maxwell was acquired in a trade with the Hershey Bears on January 7, 2008, and played his first game in a Moose uniform against the Iowa Chops on January 9. After four season with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL, Maxwell became a free agent after going undrafted. He signed on with the ECHL's Phoenix Roadrunners in 2006-07, appearing in 53 games while scoring five goals and adding eight helpers. Where Maxwell shone was in the pugilism department as he racked up 213 PIMs.

In 2007-08, Maxwell signed on with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. He only appeared in nine games for the Stingrays that season, but also saw action with the AHL's Hershey Bears. It was in Hershey that he recorded his first AHL point - an assist against the Bimghamton Senators.

After starting last season with the Stingrays, the Moose, needing a little more toughness to compete in the Western Conference, swung a deal for Maxwell. In 36 games with the Moose, Maxwell only scored one goal and added four assists, but his 72 PIMs showed he wasn't afraid to mix it up. However, one of Maxwell's noticeable issues last year was his penchant to take bad penalties. Because of this, head coach Scott Arniel sat him in the press box for all but one game of the entire Calder Cup Playoffs last season.

"The toughest thing about the guys that play that physical role, that guys who you need to be a big part of your regular season, well, the coaches, the way you play, we didn't want to get caught up in the fighting side of things," Moose coach Scott Arniel told Tim Campbell during training camp this season. "We wanted to be the ones on the power play. It was especially against Toronto last year.

"Now, you ask these guys to stop doing that. We took him right out of the lineup at times. No slight on Tom, but we wanted more skill in there. He still has to learn a lot about the game. He's gotten better. I like how he's come in here this camp and recognized that nothing's guaranteed, that he's got to work for a spot."

And he has been noticed by this writer. Maxwell is clearly one of the better skaters that the Moose have this season, and, while his old habits are dying hard, he has been a better offensive presence this season. Maxwell still leads the Moose with 55 PIMs, but he's clearly faster and stronger than he was last season. I credit his change to his professionalism when head coach Scott Arniel suggested that he change his game.

The other major change that I've noticed? Maxwell is clearly more aware of his defensive responsibilities, and that speaks volumes to his improved play. While he sits with a -3 on the season, Maxwell rarely takes a shift off and always seems to be shadowing his man during the play. Thanks to his off-season work, he also has enough speed to break away from his check now on the transition from defense to offense. Last season? That wasn't the case, and he couldn't keep up to faster forwards that he was checking, resulting in Maxwell spending a lot of time in the penalty box. When you average one minor penalty per game, that's not what coaches want to see.

Tommy Maxwell is an effective checking presence out on the ice this season, and he's doing all that he's been asked to do this season. While he is still in the middle-weight enforcer role, he's no longer just filling that role. Instead, coach Arniel can now feel comfortable putting his out against the opposition's better players in a checking role.

Look for #44 Tom Maxwell at your next Moose game! As a little trivia on Maxwell, the 23 year-old turns 24 next Thursday, November 19!

Moose Outlook

The Moose welcome the Toronto Marlies to the MTS Centre this week on Friday and Saturday for a two-game affair. The Moose come into these games on a five-game losing streak and in the midst of one of the worst goal-scoring droughts that I can remember. They'll need to be sharper defensively to try to and help both Schneider and Machesney while waiting for Toronto to make a mistake or two.

The Marlies sit sixth in the North Division, four points back of the Moose with an amazing seven games in hand. If the Marlies can win even one game in Winnipeg, they will put significant pressure on the Moose in the future. They lost their last game, so they will be looking to rebound. Christian Hanson and Mike Zigomanis lead the team with 13 points each. All of Zigomanis' 13 points have been assists thus far. Goaltender Joey MacDonald returns to the MTS Centre to battle the Moose.

The only other action that the Moose see before next Wednesday is the Moose Super Skills Challenge. Moose players will take to the ice in a series of competitions that will determine which Moose player has the hardest shot, who is the fastest skater, who has the most accurate shot, and which player is the Moose shootout specialist. This should be a fun night as Moose players will be available for autographs throughout the evening, and sections of glass will be removed so that fans can interact with the players as they compete. Come on down to the MTS Centre for this fun-filled night, and see which Moose player wins the events!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: The Rocket

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:11:00 +0000

Teebz's Book Club is proud to present another book aimed at the younger readers today. With the Montreal Canadiens wearing their 1910-11 uniforms tonight, it seems entirely appropriate to take a look at a book that touches upon one of the Canadiens' most loved players. TBC is honoured to have the chance to review The Rocket, written by Mike Leonetti, illustrated by Greg Banning, and published by Scholastic under their North Winds Press division. The Canadiens will be celebrating their 100th anniversary game on December 4, so I felt that it would be good to get this book out there for the younger hockey fans reading this site.

Mike Leonetti has written a number of hockey-centric books, including Canadiens Legends which was reviewed right here on Hockey Blog In Canada. When Mr. Leonetti isn't writing, he produces a calendar called Hockey Year Calendar that features amazing hockey photography. Mr. Leonetti lives in Woodbridge, Ontario, with his wife, Maria, and their son, David.

From his bio on his website, Greg Banning "is sought after by major advertising agencies in Canada and the USA and he has now worked with clients in the UK. One of Greg’s most notable illustrations was his re-imaging of the iconic 'Brawny Man' for Brawny Paper Towels". Mr. Banning has worked as an illustrator with a number of publishing companies, and has illustrated four of Mr. Leonetti's books including the one we're reviewing today. He's currently working on a book in New York with Harper Collins. For more information on Mr. Banning and his work, please check out his website here.

The story of The Rocket revolves around Andre, a youngster from Montreal in the early-1940s. Andre is a pretty good hockey player, but he is constantly being compared to his older brother, Marcel, in terms of his hockey ability. This frustrates young Andre as he wants to be seen as a great player on his own merits.

Andre's team meets up with another school team in St. Francois early in the book. It's there where he hears the comments from parents and fans about being more like his brother. Again, it frustrates him, but Andre presses on. He notices, however, the a smaller player from the St. Francois team is also hearing the same comparisons made in regards to that player's older brother. The smooth skating youngster didn't seem to let the comments bother him, and Andre noted that the puck seemed to be on his stick the whole game.

During this time, a young 22 year-old phenom was gaining notoriety with the Montreal Canadiens. The young Maruice Richard was a sniper like no one had seen, and his nickname of "The Rocket" only scratched the surface in terms of how explosive of a player he was. With World War II going on, celebrating what the Montreal Canadiens were doing on the ice helped to distract everyone from the major story at the time.

Because of the number of men dispatched to Europe for the war, Maurice Richard accepted a day job in a factory where Andre's father worked! According to Andre's dad, Maurice Richard was modest and polite, and rarely spoke about hockey. He did, however, get Andre and his father a pair of tickets to a Montreal Canadiens playoff game against the Toronto Maple Leafs! Having seen his team eliminated in the playoffs by St. Francois and the other boy who drew comparisons to his brother, Andre was excited to see his first NHL game where the stakes were the highest!

When Andre and his father arrive at the Montreal Forum, Andre was surprised to be seated next to the boy from St. Francois! The two of them spoke kindly throughout the game to another about hockey and Maurice Richard. Richard was the story of the game. He scored all five goals in a 5-1 win! It was here that we learned the true story about the youngster from St. Francois, and why he was so good. I'm not going to reveal his secret here, but Mr. Leonetti's ending is excellent!

Honestly, this book has a great moral story behind it. Mr. Leonetti speaks about younger siblings living in the shadow of their older siblings, and the way he portrays this relationship between brothers is approached honestly, respectfully, and without downplaying the message. His book does a lot to reinforce the notion that younger siblings shouldn't always be compared on ability to their older siblings as the two individuals could be entirely opposite in the way they play the game. Having a younger brother myself, I know that this is entirely true.

Mr. Banning's illustrations throughout the book are vivid and beautiful. Owning this book for the images only would make sense since all of them could be in an art gallery. Mr. Leonetti's story is entirely complemented by Mr. Banning's illustrations, and the reverse also holds true. Mr. Banning is an impressive artist, and his work should be celebrated in this book.

Overall, The Rocket is an excellent book with a great lesson written into it. Kids, especially those who are younger siblings in a household, will appreciate this book in that it speaks directly to their situations in everyday life. For the eldest children, it will discuss how to manage the comparisons made to them, and should help to forge a tighter bond between the children if the lesson is retained. Mr. Leonetti's hockey knowledge is not lost in the book either, and his focus on the Canadiens helps to tell this wonderful story. Because of these reasons, The Rocket most definitely deserves Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Getting Ready For Vancouver?

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Are you getting excited for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games yet? We're 94 days away, and that means sponsors and athletes are in the final stretch for getting their name on the programs. Of course, HBIC will be following the men's and women's ice hockey action and the sledge hockey action daily, but that's not why we're here today. With the Vancouver Olympiad getting closer and closer, I've received a few emails regarding the Winter Olympics, so I want to take some time to answer a few questions.

"Hey Teebz. Are you going to the Vancouver Olympics? Are they allowing bloggers to cover the action? Thanks in advance." - Tim B.

Great question, Tim. I won't be in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics. I'd love to go, but I simply can't find the vacation time at work nor can I afford the stupid ticket prices on my current blogging salary. In terms of being credentialed, the Olympics are normally one the biggest press events every four years, especially when you consider all the countries that attend. Being that it's in Canada, I'm sure there will be coverage of every sport right down to what colour underwear the athletes are wearing. Non-credentialed bloggers, like myself, apparently need not apply in terms of covering the event.

"Teebz, do you think that Cam Ward or Eric Staal should be on the radar for Team Canada with as bad as Carolina has been so far? Who would be your starting goaltender?" - Steven L.

I always like these questions. No matter how well one puts together the reasons for a player to be included or not included, someone else always has a differing opinion. That's why these types of questions are great: it promotes some real thought about the game.

Back to your question, Steven. Cam Ward is simply not going to make it. With Marc-Andre Fleury playing as well as he has thus far in the season, he would be the guy I would have on the bench behind Martin Brodeur. Yes, that's right: I would start Brodeur based upon international experience. That leaves Roberto Luongo as the odd-man out. I know Vancouver-ites won't like this, but he's hurt and he hasn't played all that well yet this season.

As for Eric Staal, I don't think you can count out his presence, but I'd have him on the taxi squad, replaced by San Jose's Patrick Marleau. Marleau didn't handle the captaincy in San Jose very well, but he scores when there is no pressure on him. Putting him with Joe Thornton would take some of the pressure off, and he has the wheels to make Canada significantly faster down the wing. So, in short, Staal will be there, but he and Luongo will be sharing popcorn in the press box based on their play so far.

I received an email from Alexandru M. who wanted to know if I could post a couple of videos on my blog. Now, I'm not being paid or sponsored or anything by Alexandru or Samsung, but they are offering a contest for someone to attend the Vancouver Olympics! If there's one thing that this blog promotes, contests with awesome prizes are something I can get behind.

First, let's check out these videos. Nothing says Canada like hockey and curling. So what happens when these two sports combine?

Whoa. That's a heavy shot.

Secondly, I'm always amazed that figure skaters can skate without killing themselves after performing a scratch spin while accelerating in the spin. Personally, I'd be dizzier than a drunk with vertigo. So what happens when a skater one-ups another skater's spin?

Drilling for fish, anyone?

While these two videos are obviously made with a little help from some editing, they are pretty good. The hockey one is especially good with the shattering glass and the destroyed canteen. Wouldn't it be cool to see something like in Vancouver?

Well, maybe you can. You see, Samsung is offering up a prize for their "Samsung Mobile Explorers" contest. That prize is a trip for two to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Your responsibility there will be to film all sorts of "Wow" moments. How cool is that? You and your partner-in-crime in your Mobile Explorer video will have an opportunity to go to the Winter Olympic Games and film some incredible moments. Like when Team Canada captures a gold medal in the men's and women's ice hockey events. Because that would be a "wow" moment for me. The only catch? You have to be a Canadian resident to participate.

Get in their site and start seeing how you can win this opportunity!

Now, for my American readers, I can't give you the same opportunity. It appears that Samsung is not offering the contest to Americans through their website. I apologize for this, but there will be an HBIC contest coming up later this week. Stay tuned for that one so I can get you something good. It won't be a trip to the Olympics, but HBIC is one place where you can truly get something for nothing. Well, almost nothing. You just have to read.

94 days, kids, and the Olympics will be on us. And two of you could be attending!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

One More Reason I'm Not Tweeting

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:24:00 +0000

I still don't understand this Twitter craze that is sweeping the nation. I understand what it does, I just don't see the purpose. And with all of the sports stars getting in trouble from their respective teams and leagues for tweeting at inappropriate times during games, it makes little sense for me to even pay attention to it. So while Shaquille O'Neal is the most followed person on the Twitter site, I will not be one of those hanging on every word he publishes to the site. With that being said, it comes as no surprise that Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak is caught in some serious controversy thanks to his agent's Twitter feed.

Allan Walsh tweeted the following on Saturday night following the Canadiens' 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning: "Interesting stat of the night....Price is 10W, 32L in last 42 starts. Hmm."

As some of you in the greater Montreal area might be aware, there is a serious goaltending controversy brewing in La Belle Province as Jaroslav Halak's success is being swept under the rug as head coach Jacques Martin opts to play the statistically-inferior Carey Price over Halak.

While Walsh downplays the comments by claiming he was simply joking around, the truth of the matter is that it is his job to find Halak a place to ply his trade. Whether that be in Montreal or elsewhere, Walsh is doing his job by tweeting about Carey Price's woeful win-loss record. It is the same thing he would do in a face-to-face meeting with GM Bob Gainey: tout his client's stats as a bargaining chip in the negotiations.

Where the story goes off the tracks is that by doing this over Twitter shows that Walsh may have a small issue with ethics. It is slightly unethical for an agent to run down a player who is competing with his client for playing time. It is worse when he cannot bring his client's complaints to management for some unknown reason. It is entirely inexcusable, in my view, to then try to dismiss the slight to his client's competitor as "a tongue in cheek comment not meant to be taken seriously".

While I'm not suggesting that Walsh should be dismissed by Halak at this point, I am suggesting that Halak give his representative strict rules on what he can tweet about when it comes to team solidarity. After all, no matter how well Halak plays, the teams sinks or swims based upon the efforts of the other 21 men as well. If Montreal's players don't trust one another, this will be another season of heartbreak and dismay as the Canadiens struggle. With agent's undercutting other players on the team, Bob Gainey may also want to meet with Mr. Walsh and explain the nuances of good taste.

This isn't a phenomenon limited to just Twitter, though. People always seem to have a little more courage to say things they wouldn't normally say in everyday life when it comes to writing it down on a website. Chatrooms are full of alpha males who think that they are smarter and better than others because they can say things they would never dream of saying if those people were face-to-face. Twitter is no different. And with every tweet made, even those that are made in jest normally contain some amount of truth to them.

And to be honest, why is he speaking about this to thousands of people who can do little to change the situation? Does he think the fans will rally together and force head coach Jacques Martin to play Halak because he through out some meaningless stats? Chances are that he's done more to limit Halak's playing time than helping him get more. No coach or GM likes to be called out by an agent. And Bob Gainey won't stand for it.

Again, what Walsh wrote is true. Carey Price's stats in Walsh's tweet? Entirely accurate. However, the appropriateness of Walsh's tweet in helping his client get more playing time is nil. Especially when you consider he is most likely welcome to speak to Mr. Gainey at any time he feels necessary.

If I'm an athlete competing for playing time, that's the kind of agent I'd want. Someone who is outspoken and not afraid to take the fight to a neutral area where embarrassment always is countered with swift retribution. Because that's a smart career move for both him and myself. Excuse my sarcasm in this paragraph.

Next time, Mr. Walsh, use your head for more than a hat rack.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

You're Wearing That: Last of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:28:00 +0000

It has been a while since I had enough material for another "You're Wearing That" article, but it's time we review some of the questionable uniform choices made by hockey teams across the planet. For all the good uniforms out there, it just takes one bad egg to remind us why some promotions and uniform designs go too far. See that segue? That's right: I tied the picture and the article together. Maybe my writing skills will be featured in a "How Not To Write" article one day. That would be interesting. But let's take a look at some of the funny, scary, and downright embarrassing uniforms from the world of hockey once more. Some of these will be new, while others are from our Seven Days of Scary. All of them deserve a look, and maybe a second look.

The AHL's San Antonio Rampage held a promotional night last season on April 4 honouring Boy Scouts of America. I'm all for professional hockey teams helping out various causes and charities as it really shows that they are part of the community. However, when you want to honour someone, you probably want to have that cause highlighted more than a couple of words on the edge of the logo. As I stated before, these look like beer league versions of Quebec Nordiques jerseys. Why can't they get a jersey that looks like a boy scout's uniform?

I've made mention of this before, but the trend of the Blackhawks wearing their socks wrong is really starting to bother me this season. The stripes are supposed to be slightly below the knee, not around the ankle. For a professional team, the Blackhawks sure look bush league with their mismatched socks.

The ECHL's Bakersfield Condors will make a number of appearances on this list today, but their "Hockey-thon" jerseys from last season are fairly decent. Sure, there are a number of ribbons all over the jerseys, but the cause they support and the awareness they raise are evident. While I'm not convinced pink jerseys should fly n professional hockey, these jerseys get a thumbs-up from me as they go to support great causes.

Bakersfield decided to get in on Halloween and a memorial tribute in one swoop this season when they hosted their "King of Pop" night. The tribute was held on October 30, and the uniforms they sported that night were tributes to Michael Jackson. To top it all off, the players wore one white glove on one hand, and their normal black glove on the other - a direct tribute to Michael Jackson's sequined hand. I'll give Bakersfield a pass for this promotion because they did it tastefully, but I'm not sure that honouring people who have passed on with a promotional jersey is a move that should be duplicated.

Last season, Bakersfield played a Country Music night last season, and wore these jerseys for the occasion. I wasn't aware at the time because I simply have no appreciation for country music, but the "Bakersfield Sound" movement in country music originated in Bakersfield, California around the 1950s where the music is extremely popular. Musicians such as Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam had fairly successful careers using this sound, and Bakersfield honoured last season with a promotional night.

The ECHL's Alaska Aces spent Halloween this season in some fairly traditional Halloween costumes. Spiders, spider webs, and some orange-and-black font make for a solid Halloween jersey. The names and numbers are very legible on this jersey as well, so this one gets a pass. Not too busy, but enough detail to be completely obvious as to the promotion.

The ECHL's Wheeling Nailers went purple last season for their Relay For Life promotional jerseys. Honestly, this jersey doesn't bother me in terms of the amount of purple they are wearing. The Nailers auctioned off the jerseys after their game, and raised a considerable amount of money for cancer research. That is exactly why these types of jerseys are important for minor-pro teams: they provide a memorable souvenir for a fan while helping to raise money for other people who are battling diseases.

The ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers - a team that always appears on these lists - honoured the men and women of the US Military on October 23 and 24 with a special camouflage jersey. The one pictured is Keith Primeau's jersey. Primeau is the special assistant to the General Manager in Las Vegas, and it is currently up for auction if you're interested in owning something rather unique. The jerseys looked good in the games that the Wranglers played, and any tribute that goes out to the bravest men and women on the planet gets a thumbs-up from me.

In sticking with the southwest corner of North America, the Anaheim Ducks also honoured the men and women of the US Military by donning camouflage jerseys during the warm-up of their recent NHL games. Parros is intimidating enough with that mustache, but the camouflage jerseys are a great way to honour the men and women of the Armed Forces.

The New York Islanders, having played horrifyingly scary hockey for the last few seasons, decided to put that idea into action by wearing Halloween-themed practice jerseys for the October observance. There have been other warm-up jerseys worn in the past by NHL teams that have included observances, and it's nice to see the Islanders helping out. All the jerseys, including Tavares' practice jersey, went up for auction, and the Islanders raised a pile of cash for the New York Islanders Children’s Foundation, a non-profit children's charity that works to improve children's lives in the areas of education, youth hockey development, and health. Well done, Isles!

I also want to point out that Zdeno Chara is the largest Fisherman I've ever seen. The 6'9" behemoth on defence never got the opportunity to develop into his massive frame on Long Island, but he looks pretty good in that Fisherman Islanders jersey. Then again, I'm a little biased.

ECH Munich of the German Elite League went all out for Oktoberfest. Beer and hockey go together, but lederhosen? What's even more scary is that the bench of players looks more like a scene from Broken Lizard's Beerfest on ice. Jemand bringt mir ein bayerisches Bier!

From the German Elite League, we jump to the Serie-A Italian League where Associazione Sportiva Asiago Hockey is certainly making hockey look interesting. Especially if you're an advertiser. How many advertisements can be crammed on to one jersey? With as bad as the yellow jersey is, the red jersey only does more to highlight the white advertisements. I barely even noticed the player's name on the back. There's corporate support for your team, and then there's overkill. I'm pretty sure you know what category these jerseys fall under. The only saving grace for Asiago's hockey team is that every single team in the Serie-A Italian League is covered in advertisements. An example? Here's Matt Kelly of the Red Orange Val Pusteria Wolves wearing 14 different advertisements on the front of jersey and helmet alone! Maybe it's not a "saving grace" after all.

When you think of Canada, what comes to mind first? This? Maybe this? A combination of the two? In all seriousness, most people think of hockey when they hear the word "Canada" mentioned. However, I think Hockey Canada's idea of "honouring" the Saskatchewan prairies with a green alternate jersey for the 2010 World Junior Championships is way off-base. Personally, the rest of the country hates the Saskatchewan Roughriders, so this effort doesn't win Hockey Canada any points. I wasn't fond of the black Canadian jersey, but I certainly hate it less than a green Canadian jersey.

The OHL's Kingston Frontenacs honoured the men and women of the Canadian Military with a jersey tribute, but not just any tribute. Kingston's own Don Cherry, a major supporter of the Canadian and US troops of Armed Forces, routinely honours the fallen men and women with tributes on Coach's Corner, and often speaks directly to them on his segment regarding their unwavering courage. Because of this, he was the guest of honour during the military tribute, and the Frontenacs wore jerseys that resembled Grapes' famous suits. This was a great way to honour one great man who supports the troops every time they are called upon, and the very men and women that are sent to faraway lands to keep the peace.

This next piece isn't a focused on the jersey, but rather the player inside the jersey. The WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings have a young lad playing for them this season by the name of Wheaton King. You read that correctly: Wheaton King is a Wheat King. The 17 year-old Brandon native is a forward for the WHL club this season, and has recorded one goal thus far in nine games. The name coincidence is pretty cool in my books. It would be like a player named Sylvio Vertips playing for the WHL's Everett Silvertips. Ok, that was a much lamer example, but congrats to Mr. King on making the Wheat Kings this season!

You wanna know something else that has begun to bother me? Virtual ads on the glass while the play is going on. It completely distracts viewers away from the play by being obtrusive. And I get that the point of an advertisement is to draw viewers in, but not while the play is happening. It bothers me greatly that the advertisement is more important than the play that is happening on the ice.

That's all for this Saturday, kids. I have a hockey game to play tonight, so I need to start preparing for that. Don't forget about the Pepsi Cheer Contest going on right now! You have a chance to win some non-green Canadian hockey jerseys and other great prizes from Pepsi!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Walking With Legends

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:19:00 +0000

Some people tell stories based on what they have heard. And that's a fine way of recalling the events of certain situations. However, I have a respect for those people who tell the story from a first-hand perspective simply because they lived and breathed those situations. Teebz's Book Club is proud to present a collection of stories from one of those people who tell it as he saw it in Walking with Legends, written by Ralph Mellanby and published by HB Fenn and Company in 2007. Mr. Mellanby spent a long time in television, most notably producing and directing Hockey Night in Canada, and through his job he has collected a myriad of stories about about a number of influential people in the world of hockey. Walking with Legends is an autobiographical account of Mr. Mellanby's interactions with these legends of hockey.

Ralph Mellanby was born on August 22, 1934 in Hamilton, Ontario, and grew up in Essex County in the Windsor, Ontario area. Being that the area was settled by French colonists, Mellanby grew up as a Montreal Canadiens fan rather than a Detroit Red Wings fan. However, his schooling took him to Wayne State in Detroit where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 1958. Ralph had worked as a prop boy in Windsor, and, once he had his degree, a stagehand, a cameraman, and a floor director in Detroit. This opened new doors, and he landed in Chicago with WGN early 1960 where he started directing baseball and football telecasts.

Bud Hayward, President of newly-licensed CFCF-TV in Montreal, was tipped off to hire the up-and-coming Canadian director. Hayward hired Ralph, and Mr. Mellanby directed everything from CFL football broadcasts to variety shows. When CTV began airing Wednesday night NHL games in the mid-1960s, Mellanby got his first taste of NHL action - an association that would remain intact for the next two decades. Because of his "showbiz" background, Hockey Night in Canada would see unparalleled success right through to the new millenium, and Mr. Mellanby would earn several Emmy awards for his work with American networks on their Olympic broadcasts.

Ralph Mellanby is married to a wonderful woman named Janet, and they have two children: a fairly well-known son named Scott, and a daughter named Laura, following in dad's TV footsteps, who is now the director of pay-per-view programming with DirecTV.

As stated above, Walking with Legends is a collection of stories about the men and players who essentially formed the history of Hockey Night in Canada. Mellanby speaks about all of the biggest names in hockey broadcasting: Foster Hewitt, Bill Hewitt, Brian McFarlane, Dick Irvin, Danny Gallivan, Howie Meeker, Bob Cole, Harry Neale, Ron MacLean, Don Cherry, Don Wittman, and a pile of other men who have worked under the Hockey Night in Canada name. This book might be one of the best looks at the men behind the world's premiere hockey broadcast, Mellanby brings it all together by presenting it in a first-person, tell-it-as-it-happened format.

You can honestly feel that Mellanby has a deep respect for the men he put in front of the camera every game, and that all of them together as a team were better than they were as individuals. That collection of skills is a credit to Mellanby's leadership, and I cannot stress that enough.

From the Hewitts' distinct calls to McFarlane's warm welcome on each broadcast to Howie Meeker's telestrator work to Dave Hodge's intellectual conversations with players, all of it is covered in this book. Mr. Mellanby also speaks about the players he hired as analysts, and he has a fondness for all of those NHL players who moved from the ice to the broadcast booth. Even those that didn't work as well as they should have in the analyst role. The stories are warm and respectful, and Mr. Mellanby highlights the highs and lows of the relationships and friendships forged over hockey.

A quotation from Malcolm G. Kelly's book, Hanging It Out on Camera 3, is featured in Mike Brophy's introduction, and I think it goes to show exactly how important Ralph Mellanby was and is to hockey broadcasting. From the following quote, it appears that today's hockey telecasts are the result of Mr. Mellanby's involvement with the game of hockey:

"You know those dramatic openings that are a regular feature of Hockey Night and most other sports shows these days? The shots of scalpers and chestnut salesmen outside the arena, the wide look at the skyline, the people coming in through the turnstiles while a sonorous voice imparts to the television audience expository wisdom about the battle to come?

"That's Ralph Mellanby.

"How about the sound of bone-crunching hits along the boards, or the puck dinging off the goalpost?

"That's Ralph Mellanby."

Without a doubt, Mr. Mellanby's book is an excellent resource about all of hockey's non-ice personalities and innovations introduced to hockey, and he does an excellent job in relating the stories with humour and respect about the men (and one woman) who appeared on Hockey Night in Canada. The Dave Hodge chapter is particularly interesting, especially when it comes to Hodge's dismissal from the program, and I commend Mr. Mellanby for handling it as well as he did in his retelling of that story.

While there is some PG-language in the book, I fully recommend Walking with Legends to all readers as it really brings a personal perspective to Hockey Night in Canada, and the stories told by Mr. Mellanby makes these larger-than-life on-air personalities a lot more real. Walking with Legends is recommended by Teebz's Book Club, and is certainly worthy of Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval.

Just before I sign off on this entry, here is a look at 50 years of Hockey Night in Canada personalities. As you're watching this, remember that the men seen on the video wearing the powder blue HNIC jackets were hired by Mr. Mellanby, and a very large number of them have gone on to impressive careers after their time on the program. All of the men featured in this video, however, are associated with Mr. Mellanby's time in television. Enjoy!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Done In The OHL

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:45:00 +0000

Michael Liambas, pictured to the left, is now a former player for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. I say "former" because OHL Commissioner David Branch came down hard on Liambas for his hit on Kitchener Rangers rookie Ben Fanelli. Liambas was suspended for the remainder of the season and for the entire playoffs for his hit on Fanelli on October 30 that sent the 16 year-old to the hospital with skull and facial fractures. The 20 year-old Liambas, being an over-aged player already, has had his career ended on a play that was unnecessary unless you're a big fan of late hits. The reason for his shortened season, according to David Branch, was due to his lack of respect for Fanelli and the distance he traveled to throw the hit.

"Players must understand they shall be held accountable for their actions," OHL commissioner David Branch said in a statement. "We must all work towards improving the level of respect players have towards opposing players and the game in general."

This is what I was speaking about on Monday when I suggested that we, the fans, might be a large part of the problem. David Branch recognizes that players in these developmental leagues need a chance to make it to the next level, and that there is a respect factor involved when it comes to everyone helping each other be better.

The end result of that hit was that Fanelli's visor was cracked, and his helmet - Branch was told by Kitchener staff that Fanelli had it securely fastened - popped off his head. The impact with the boards and ice were major factors in the skull and facial fractures that have lead to Fanelli's extended hospital stay. As it stands right now, his season is over as he remains in hospital in serious but stable condition.

Branch, in his statement, suggested that Liambas' character was not to blame in this situation, and I really believe that Liambas was only doing what he was told to do by his coaches, most notably head coach Robbie Ftorek: create some energy, and finish your checks.

"Michael is a bright and articulate man and he certainly represented himself very well," Branch said of Liambas. "But any issues that Michael is facing pale in comparison to what, unfortunately, Ben and his family are going through."

He continued, "In our minds, the most concerning thing about the hit was the distance travelled and the speed. It then resulted in injury... and the injury was the most concerning, no question."

And there's the key: Branch has become less of an administrator in times like this, and more like a parent looking out for all his kids playing in the OHL. That is exactly the kind of sentiment I would hope to hear from all presidents and commissioners of all developmental leagues when it comes to offering the best chance to move to the next level of hockey.

Player safety and security are the most paramount thing in David Branch's mind. It's the reason why visors and neck guards are mandatory in the OHL. It's the reason why head checks are penalized in the OHL. It's the reason why hits from behind are severely punished in the OHL. Branch ensures that every player who steps on a sheet of ice in the OHL has the best chance possible of becoming a hockey player at the next level of hockey.

Was the decision to suspend Michael Liambas extremely harsh? Yes, it was. Some will say that the hit was clean, and that Fanelli's injuries are the result of unfortunate circumstances. Some will say that discouraging hits like these - legal by the definition of hitting, but borderline in good judgment - takes away from the excitement of the game and makes it more into figure skating or women's hockey. Others will simply say that sometimes bad things happen to good players, and that by punishing Liambas for a "hockey play" that happens hundreds of times per game will ruin the game of hockey.

Where David Branch sees the problem is that Liambas skated in from the blueline, gaining speed while traveling, and threw a bodycheck on a vulnerable Fanelli while he didn't have the puck and was off the boards. This charging-boarding play committed by Liambas that caused significant injury to the young Fanelli is the entire reason why David Branch is ensuring that he'll be watching from the stands for the rest of the season.

It may appear that Branch is trying to remove hitting from his league by cracking down hard on Liambas. I think he's simply trying to make players respect one another on the ice in a world where violence and speed often are endorsed. Speed has been increased thanks to the rule changes coming out of the work stoppage in 2005, and defensive players are no longer allowed to slow up on-coming forecheckers as they press into the zone. Liambas would be one of those forecheckers, and he did what he has been taught: finish your check, create a turnover.

Bobby Clarke, a man known for his tenacity on the ice, said on TSN's Off The Record that he wouldn't want to play the game today with the way that players are flying into one another. He called today's game "too dangerous". For the leader of the Broad Street Bullies to make that claim, you know that there has to be something wrong with how hockey is being played today.

Was the suspension too harsh? Most will say "yes". Most will say that 20 or 25 games would send the message that this kind of hit is not going to be tolerated. When asked at the media scrum after the statement was made why a 25-game suspension wasn't handed down, Branch responded, "How does 25 games line up with Ben Fanelli not playing again this year?"

If there is anything that David Branch is, he is the most consistent Commissioner in hockey today when it comes to handing out punishment for what he considers to be unsafe play. When he says that his league will not tolerate something, he makes sure that everyone realizes that he's serious about this belief.

When Branch says that he wants to ensure that every single player in the OHL has a shot at making the NHL, he's not just talking about skill sets and hockey fundamentals. He's talking about providing a safe environment where kids can get better at the game of hockey without fearing for their lives. This is the same belief we have about our school systems: a safe environment where children can maximize their potential before moving on to bigger stages in life. This speaks volumes to the "respect factor" that I have been pounding the drum on.

As an administrator, isn't David Branch the kind of guy you want when sending your child to his school? Isn't this the kind of guy you want preparing your kids for the next stage of their lives?

"I would say without question the injury played a factor," Branch told Mike Brophy of Sportsnet.ca. "Without question. The two driving points from our perspective is, players must understand they will be held accountable for their actions. A lot of them play the game on the edge, as they say. As well, we all must work together to improve the level of respect that we have in our game."

I feel bad for Liambas in all this because he was doing what he was told. Sometimes, though, what's right is not always popular. David Branch knows this, and he's telling everyone in the OHL this same message. Anyone can throw a massive bodycheck on a vulnerable player, but it takes a smarter, better player to realize when and how to throw that check safely. And it certainly takes more respect for your opponent.

"I tried to draw an analogy with Michael Liambas at the hearing yesterday," Branch explained to Mike Brophy of Sportsnet, "that you can drive down a side street at 60 kilometers per hour in a speed of 60 kilometers per hour and if a youngster runs out in front of your vehicle and you hit that child, chances are people will say the child didn't look both ways. But if you're driving down that street at 90 or 100 kilometers per hour chances are you are at fault. We have got to get a perspective. In the purest sense nobody is saying the hit was illegal, but it is our opinion the distance he traveled and the speed at which he chose to travel at did not demonstrate sufficient respect. If there is an injury then you are going to be held accountable."

Isn't that the most important lesson about checking? Good coaches tell you that a well-timed, clean check can significantly alter the momentum of the game. Scott Stevens knew this. Larry Robinson knew this. Denis Potvin knew this. All three men were highly respectful of other players in that they never once were penalized for a check from behind. Stevens, the most feared hitter of this generation, finished his career with only four elbowing penalties. These men were all about respecting their opponents.

David Branch is also all about respecting your opponent, and he's working to teach the OHL players about this respect. Even if it means some players have to be removed from the classroom setting. After all, what's popular isn't always right, and what's right isn't always popular. In my view, David Branch lives and breathes the latter part of that statement.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Antler Banter: Volume 1

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Welcome to the very first "Antler Banter"! As you are probably aware, today is November 4. The Manitoba Moose started their season on October 2. Because of this, we have a little backtracking to do in order to get everyone caught up. We'll get that out of the way first before focusing on what the Moose have in store for the upcoming week. The Norfolk Admirals were in town last night, and we'll update everything to that point. For all of your Manitoba Moose news and information, don't forget to check out the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. I also produced a season preview for the Moose earlier in September that should help you out with some preliminary information about the team. Without further adieu, let's get to the Hardcore Hockey!

October Notes

The Manitoba Moose opened the 2009-10 AHL season as one of the busiest teams, playing a total of 14 games in the month of October. Games at home saw the Houston Aeros, Chicago Wolves, Abbotsford Heat, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins pass through the MTS Centre, while the Moose visited Cleveland, Hamilton, Chicago, and Milwaukee for dates with those clubs in their buildings.

The Moose started the season with a split as the Houston Aeros visited the Moose on October 2 and 3. Former Aero and current Moose forward Marco Rosa has a big debut weekend as he had a pair of goals against his former club. Captain Mike Keane also notched a pair in the two games against Houston. Manitoba won the Friday night affair by a 4-3 margin before Houston responded on Saturday with a 4-2 victory. This left the Moose with a 1-1-0-0 record to start the season.

The Chicago Wolves visited Winnipeg on October 9 and 10. Former Moose Drew McIntyre and Jason Krog were welcomed back to the MTS Centre in different ways: McIntyre drew cheers, while the boos rained down on Krog. The Moose saw a couple of new players hit the scoresheet as Michael Funk and Russian prospect Sergei Shirokov dented the twine with their firsts of the season on Friday night. The Moose skated to a 4-1 victory. On Saturday, the Moose saw Mike Keane add his third of the season as Drew McIntyre misplayed the puck, and the Moose recorded a 2-1 victory on Michael Grabner's game-winner in the second period. Goaltender Daren Machesney recorded his first win as a member of the Moose with the 2-1 victory as well. With the two wins, the Moose improved to 3-1-0-0 this season.

The Moose had a couple of days off before the Abbotsford Heat invaded the MTS Centre on October 13 and 14. Jason Jaffray returned to the MTS Centre after signing with Calgary in the off-season, and the long-time Moose sniper was greeted with a loud ovation. Mikael Grabner scored his fourth goal of the season, but Abbotsford's Jason Jaffray scored the game-winning goal late in the second period as Abbotsford took the first of two games by a 4-2 score. Marco Rosa scored his third goal of season on Wedenesday night, and Jaffray added his second against his former team as the two clubs battled through regulation to a 4-4 draw. Guillaume Desbiens scored the shootout winner for the Moose as they split with Abbotford on a 5-4 shootout win. The Moose's record stood at 4-2-0-0 after six games.

The Moose spent the next six games away from home, stopping in Cleveland, Ohio on October 16 and 17 for a couple of games with the Lake Erie Monsters. Mike Keane's fourth goal of the season midway through the second period stood as the winner as the Moose took the first of two games by a 3-2 score. Lake Erie stormed out of the gates on Saturday night, doubling up the Moose in the first two periods to take a 4-2 lead into the third. Darren Haydar added a single in the third to give Lake Erie the split in the two games. The Moose's record after eight games stood at 5-3-0-0.

No rest for the wicked as Manitoba spent the next day traveling for two games against the Hamilton Bulldogs on October 19 and 20. The Moose faced off against former teammate Curtis Sanford as he manned the net for the Bulldogs. Both he and Cory Schneider played extremely well in the opening game of this two-game set. Sergei Shirokov scored his third of the season for the Moose. Ryan Russell tied things up, sending this game to overtime. In OT, Nolan Baumgartner's first of the season gave the Moose the 2-1 victory. On Tuesday night, Mathieu Darche had his third and fourth goals of the season, and the Moose were not able to recover from the Bulldogs' press all night as they fell 4-1. Matt Pettinger did notch his third of the season for the Moose in the loss. With the split, the Moose moved to 6-4-0-0.

On Friday, October 23, the Moose arrived in Chicago for a date with the Wolves - the third time in two weeks that these two teams have tangled. Former Moose goaltender Manny Legace got the start for the Wolves against Cory Schneider, and these two men put on a goaltending clinic. Manitoba peppered Legace with 31 shots through regulation time, but none found the back of the net. Chicago threw 24 shots at Cory Schneider, but they also couldn't find the back of the net. With a scoreless draw through 65 minutes, a shootout would decide this game. Mike Keane scored for the Moose, but Tim Stapleton tied it up on the next shot. Matt Pettinger would give Manitoba the win with his shootout goal as the Moose prevail with a 1-0 victory. This moved the Moose's record to 7-4-0-0 in October.

No rest for the wicked, however, as Saturday, October 24 saw Manitoba travel to Milwaukee for a game against the Admirals. The road weary Moose played hard as they battled to a 2-2 through 60 minutes. Sergei Shirokov netted his fourth of the season while Anaheim prospect Brian Salcido scored his first on the powerplay. However, Ben Guite's powerplay goal in overtime with Brian Salcido sitting in the penalty box proved decisive as the Moose recorded the 3-2 overtime loss. After twelve games, the Moose had a record of 7-4-1-0.

The first Eastern Conference team to visit the MTS Centre this season were the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on October 29 and 30. Daren Machesney matched up with John Curry, and the two goaltenders matched each other save for save through sixty minutes. 39 seconds into overtime, however, former Moose forward Ryan Bayda slipped a puck past Machesney to give the WBS Penguins the 1-0 win in overtime. Friday night's game saw a little more scoring. Sergei Shirokov had his team-leading fifth goal. However, a penalty shot goal by Dustin Jeffrey equalized the score for the Penguins at 1-1. Machesney and Curry matched each other again after the goals, and this game would be decided in shootout. Shirokov was the only player to net a goal in the shootout, giving the Moose a 2-1 win. The Moose closed out October with a record of 8-4-2-0 record for a total of 18 points.

With their 18 points, the Moose sat in second place in the North Division, but had played the most games. This doesn't bode well if the other teams can take advantage of their games-in-hand, but the Moose are certainly performing well over the first month.

One obvious issue plaguing the Moose right now are injuries. More specifically, injuries to players in Vancouver. Mikael Grabner is day-to-day with an ankle injury, and has missed two games in Vancouver since being recalled. Alexandre Bolduc is day-to-day with a shoulder injury, and has missed three games in Vancouver since being recalled. Roberto Luongo is day-to-day with a rib injury, meaning Cory Schneider has been in Vancouver since October 24. Players that should be in Manitoba right now - Matt Pettinger, Mario Bliznak, and Cory Schneider - are filling roles in Vancouver due to their injury problems. Defenceman Lawrence Nycholat is currently in Manitoba's sick bay nursing shoulder and knee injuries, while Guillaume Desbiens is out for four-to-six weeks after blocking a shot with his foot in the Friday game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

While this is an issue for all AHL teams, Manitoba's best players are now in Vancouver, and the Moose look like they may struggle over the short-term. Once the injury bay for the Canucks begins to clear out, scorers like Grabner, Bolduc, and Bliznak will most likely be returned to the Moose. Until then, it's all hands on deck for the Moose as they look to piece together a top-flight scoring unit.

November Notes

November 2 and 3 saw the second Eastern Conference team visit the MTS Centre as the Norfolk Admirals spent two nights in Winnipeg. These two teams have never played a regular-season game against each other in the AHL, so the Monday night tilt was a historic one.

Enforcer Matt McCue scored his first goal for the Moose on Monday night, but, as stated above, scoring is as abundant as water in the desert right now for the Moose. I'll take nothing away from the hometown boys: they still play hard, they are still tenacious on defence, and they still run the systems as best as they can. But like any team missing four of its top six forwards, the snipers are clearly missed. The Moose deserve an A for effort as they outshot Norfolk, but the Admirals put three behind Machesney to win the Monday night game by a 3-1 score. Brandon Bochenski scored his seventh of the season as the game-winner for Norfolk.

Tuesday night's battle saw Tommy Maxwell score his first goal of the season as the Moose paced themselves to a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. Paul Szczechura of the Admirals tied the game midway through the second period as be banged in a rebound past Machesney for his fourth of the season. With 2:22 remaining in the frame, Martins Karsums went top-shelf on Machesney as he drove the net, and the Admirals had the lead at 2-1 after 40 minutes. Adam Hall unintentionally elbowed a puck into the net in the third period to ice the game for the Admirals, giving them the sweep in the first meetings between these two teams after a second 3-1 victory. With the two losses, the Moose drop to 8-6-2-0 on the season after 16 games.

It's clear that the Moose need some help with the call-ups to Vancouver becoming more and more frequent, and they are doing everything at this point to find someone who can score goals. Jokes were made with Moose head coach Scott Arniel that "Help Wanted" signs might need to be posted outside the MTS Centre.

"I'll take anything right now with two legs and can handle a stick," Arniel joked as he spoke to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. "Certainly we want someone who can fit into the mould here. We're trying. Hopefully, through the middle of the week here we'll get some help from somewhere else."

Winger Olivier Latendresse was brought back from the ECHL's Victoria Salmon Kings, while forward Mark McCutcheon was signed to a professional tryout contract in an attempt to alleviate some of these injury and call-up concerns. Latendresse was the leading scorer for the Salmon Kings at the time of his recall to the Moose, while McCutcheon played 65 games with the Lake Erie Monsters last season, recording six goals and 11 assists.

These two won't solve all of the Moose's scoring woes, but it's a start. At this point, they're better than not having anyone in those roster spots. And if they catch fire playing here in Manitoba, that's all the better for both them and the Moose.

Stats Scrum

Leading Moose scorer: Sergei Shirokov - 5G + 6A = 11pts.
Leading Moose goal-scorer: Sergei Shirokov - 5 goals.
Leading Moose setup man: Shirokov/Michael Funk - 6 assists each.
Leading Moose plus/minus guy: three players at +2.
Leading Moose sin bin resident: Tom Maxwell - 41 PIMs.
Leading Moose power player: Sergei Shirokov - 3 PPGs.
Leading Moose shortie: Keane/Bliznak - 1 SHG each.
Leading Moose shooter: Marco Rosa - 51 SOG.
Leading Moose blueliner: Michael Funk - 1G + 6A = 7pts.

AHL Notes

The Hamilton Bulldogs, one of the teams that the Moose are now chasing in the North Division, have yet to lose a game in regulation. They have a record of 7-0-1-3 thus far this season, and are the only team to have yet to lose in regulation time.
The Rochester Americans, another team that the Moose are chasing in the North Division, have the best record in the AHL right now with a 9-1-1-1 mark. Their .864 winning percentage has them ranked first overall in the AHL.
The Abbotsford Heat are the most penalized team thus far this season. To date, the Heat have racked up an astounding 432 PIMs through 14 games, an average of 30.9 minutes of sin bin time per game!
Corey Locke of the Hartford Wolf Pack leads the league in scoring with 17 points. Chris Minard of the Springfield Falcons leads the AHL with nine goals.

Moose Outlook

Thursday night sees the Moose travel to Houston for a game against the Aeros. The Aeros are currently third in the West Division with a 6-7-0-0 record. Robbie Earl and Jean-Michel Daoust lead the Aeros in points with six points each. The Moose will have to battle hard, but they should be able to squeeze at least one point out of this game.

Friday and Saturday night see the Moose move to Austin, Texas where the Moose will match-up with the Texas Stars for the first time in the regular season. The Stars are 8-2-0-2 and first in the West Division. They feature a number of former Moose players, and this should be a test for the shorthanded Moose. Colton Sceviour leads the team with eight points, while former Moose forward Greg Rallo has seven points. Any sort of split with the Stars should be considered a victory for the Moose.

After those three games, the Moose are off until the following weekend when the Toronto Marlies come to Winnipeg for a two-game set on November 13 and 14. We'll preview those games next week.

That's all for Antler Banter today, kids. If there's anything you wish to see featured on Antler Banter, please let me know through the comments or via email. I'm open to suggestions on things you want to see, so please let me know. Just as an aside, the next issue of Antler Banter will be markedly shorter as there will be no recap for the previous month. I will, however, add an additional section profiling a Moose player for that week. Again, if you want to see something added or changed, please let me know!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Wednesdays Are Changing

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:59:00 +0000

If you read the title correctly, you already know that tomorrow will feature a major change on HBIC's little area on the WorldWideWeb. I don't want to alarm anyone, though, so I'm not going to make this a wait-and-see thing. Essentially, Hockey Blog In Canada will now be working with the AHL's Manitoba Moose in providing blog content to them. Being that they are providing me with an opportunity, I also wanted to provide them with an opportunity on this forum. There's your change.

Starting tomorrow, Wednesdays will now be strictly Manitoba Moose content with a dash of AHL news thrown in. This will include game previews, player moves, game recaps, highlights, and anything else I can mix into the equation. There will most likely be additional entries to go along with the Wednesday articles, but you will now be guaranteed one Manitoba Moose article per week as per my agreement with the team.

While I understand that my working with one team in particular may prompt some to say that my agreement will change the course of this blog, I will be honest when I tell you that that will not happen. My objective when I started this blog was to be honest and open about the game, and, while I strive to be objective, my personal views on some of the topics I tackle will still shine through. This will not change. I aim to be the same person in this new endeavour as I am with all the work I put into HBIC. I owe it to you, the reader, and to the Moose fans to give it everything I have. Anything less is simply unacceptable to me, and I know both you and the Moose fans demand more. And I intend to deliver.

Because of this agreement, I want to thank a few people who helped me along the way. Dorian, Eric, Kyle, and Lee of True North Sports were instrumental in this happening, and I cannot thank them enough for this. Without their support and commitment to seeing this through, I may not have this opportunity. Thank you, gentlemen!

Starting tomorrow, "Antler Banter" will begin on Hockey Blog In Canada!

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

Maybe We're The Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:50:00 +0000

This is probably a scene that everyone vividly remembers. Eric Lindros, one of the premiere power forwards at the time, was left lying crumpled on the ice after a huge hit by Scott Stevens as he crossed into the Devils' zone. Lindros was never the same after that hit, and the concussion he suffered affected him for years later. He didn't have the same drive to the net, he didn't have the same reckless abandon when crossing into the offensive zone, and he certainly didn't look like the leader of the Flyers after that hit. Hits like these ones are becoming more and more frequent in today's game. While I appreciate a big hit as much as the next fan, there needs to be a line drawn in the sand when it comes to vicious hits to the head. I'm not sure exactly who will draw the line in the NHL, but I want to re-open this debate with the recent explosion of hits we've seen over the last couple of weeks.

"You can go on changing the outer for lives and you will never be satisfied; something or other will remain to be changed. Unless the inner changes, the outer can never be perfect." - Osho

Those words should resonate with everyone involved in making rules at every hockey level. Rather than not making a stand to protect players in their respective leagues, presidents and commissioners of hockey leagues need to start looking at changing the culture of hockey in order for the players to start respecting one another on the ice.

If you haven't seen the video yet, here is the footage from the recent Kitchener Rangers-Erie Otters game on October 30. 16 year-old rookie Ben Fanelli heads behind his net to pick up the loose puck, and moves it off to his right. As he turns behind the net, Otters forward Michael Liambas throws a heavy check, and the results aren't good.

Fanelli remains in a Hamilton hospital as you read this in critical but stable condition with skull and facial fractures, including a broken orbital bone. Liambas was given a match penalty for boarding, but does that punishment fit the crime? As Fanelli's career hangs in limbo, Liambas, who was reportedly shaken up by the incident, is under indefinite suspension until he meets with OHL Commissioner David Branch. While I'm not blaming Liambas for throwing the hit, I am blaming the coaches who would have blasted him once he got back to the bench for "playing soft".

What does that mean? How does one "play soft"? I understand that finishing your checks is important, but why does it mean that a player has to deliver a potentially devastating hit on an opponent? Is respect for others simply not part of the game any longer? Do players take the new equipment for granted in terms of how much it protects them from harm? Why do players feel the need to throw a hit on a vulnerable opponent whenever they get a chance?

The hits have been a-plenty since the start of the season. Anaheim's James Wisniewski delivers a forearm to Phoenix's Shane Doan's head. Philly's Mike Richards nearly decapitates Florida's David Booth. Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu faceplants Colorado's Darcy Tucker into the glass. Vancouver's Willie Mitchell smokes Chicago's Jonathan Toews. The key in all of these hits? The hitter makes contact with the head of the victim.

Maybe we're a violent society. Sure, we claim to be peaceful, law-abiding citizens, but maybe we're not so different than some of the people of the past when it comes to our lust of violence and blood.

We look at the Romans and wonder how they built structures of death like the Coloseum where gladiators would battle to the death. Yet we sit in modern versions of the Coloseum and watch our favorite sports: hockey, football, rugby, boxing, and mixed martial arts. We cheer our gladiators when they deliver the deathblow to an opponent, and applaud the carnage that unfolds before our eyes. We cringe when we see something gruesome, but, like a car accident, you cannot look away.

Instead, we're drawn to it. We want to see the blood. Sports highlight packages replay these incidents over and over and over ad nauseum, and we watch them again and again and again. In football, fans go wild when a defensive player "pops" an offensive player, planting him on the ground. In hockey, everyone loves a big hit as well, but why are head checks still legal? Why can no one admit that concussions - no matter how small or insignificant - are dangerous in both the short-term and long-term? And why do we cheer these devastating hits, especially when the player doesn't get up?

Look, I can't come up with an answer here. I don't know why professional hockey leagues haven't made strides to protect a player's head, let alone their livelihood. There are a number of leagues that are now adding clauses to their rulebook in order to bring about a change in the culture. From the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League's Rulebook:

"Deliberate checks to the head remain to be a major problem in today's game. Concussions not only deprive players of playing time, they end players' careers and can have long term effects.

"Checks to the Head demonstrate a lack of respect and fair play and must be penalized. Any moderate or severe blow to the head must be penalized with a Minor Penalty and a Misconduct or a Major penalty and a Game Misconduct for Checking to the Head as concussions and other head injuries are having a major impact on the game. A Match penalty could also be assessed under this rule. These are aggressive fouls and must be called at ALL occurrences during the hockey game, including shorthanded situations.

"Whether it is elbowing, high sticking, roughing or cross-checking, hits to the head are an intentional act of violence and must be treated with zero tolerance on the part of the official at all times."

It makes me happy to see that the developmental leagues are stressing the importance of protecting a player's head. These are the players who may be the next wave of NHL, AHL, ECHL, and CHL players, but they may not continue in hockey at all. They could be teachers, doctors, lawyers, or any number of occupations, and all require an alert, functional brain to do their jobs well.

Puck Daddy had an excellent piece on the impact of penalizing head checks in the NHL last season (almost to the day), and I can honestly say that not only would players learn to throw a proper bodycheck once again, but the level of respect for other players would increase exponentially in terms of respecting the head area.

I'm not saying that I want hitting taken out the game or reduced in any way. That would be the exact opposite of what I want to see, in fact. What I am proposing is that all professional leagues should take a look at the OHL's rules. Sure, there probably are exceptions to the rule, but the OHL isn't concerned with exceptions. They are asking the officials to determine the severity of the contact with the head, and to penalize it appropriately based upon the impact made with the head of the player.

That, to me, makes total sense.

While our thirst for blood as fans will probably never be quenched, it would be a far better place if some of the best players to ever step foot on the ice were still able to participate in the game. Guys like Jeff Beukeboom, Pat Lafontaine, Eric Lindros, and Brett Lindros might still be playing. When medical professionals are telling everyone that brain injuries are causing massive psychological and emotional damage to athletes, you would think that people would listen.

Except that the NHL isn't. It only hears the cheering and applause for another bone-rattling hit. Maybe if we stop cheering for these hits, they'll take notice. Maybe if we demand more for the gladiators on the ice, they'll hear us.

Maybe we, the fans, have been the problem for too long. If you're part of the problem, you can also be part of the solution. It's time for us to help professional hockey players. Let's come up with a solution for them.

And for us while we're at it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

How Plante Changed The World

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:23:00 +0000

50 years ago today, kids, was the first time that Jacques Plante broke out his infamous mask and wore it in a game. November 1, 1959 changed the way that fans and opposing players saw the game forever. Rangers' legend Andy Bathgate fired a high backhand on net that caught Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender Jacques Plante in the face. The resulting cut on Plante’s face sent him to the trainer’s room, causing a 45 minutes delay in the game. When he returned from getting stitched up, his face was dramatically different – he was wearing a mask! Because of Plante's injuries and his resulting decision to wear a mask, goaltenders today have reached new heights with their masks. Not only do the serve as protection, but many of them make statements about the goaltenders themselves.

Today is nothing more than a gallery of photos of some of the best masks that have been worn in hockey. All of these are based entirely on my opinion, and not some scientific process. That means all of these choices are up for debate. Please feel free to discuss my choices in the comments below if you feel I've made a bad choice.

Gary Bromley's skull mask is still one of the most intimidating masks in NHL history in my opinion. Warren Skorodenski of the Blackhawks also went with the skull imagery.
Speaking of Blackhawks, I absolutely love Tony Esposito's modified mask. The reason? More protection around the eyes. It's just a very unique mask.
More Blackhawks: Murray Bannerman's "war paint" mask is still one of the finest paint jobs in NHL history. Bannerman was the first goaltender to change the logo on his chest into a full facemask without using the logo. This mask design is replicated more often than any other for collectors.
The Bruins have had a number of good masks, but Gerry Cheevers' mask is still the most recognized mask today. The reason for the stitches? Every puck mark on his mask would have been a stitch in his face, so the equipment guys simply painted a new stitch for every new mark on his mask. Steve Shields, while playing for Boston, used his mask as a tribute to Gerry Cheevers' iconic look.
Hannu Toivonen's mask in Boston was a tribute to one of Hollywood's greatest masks in Denis Lemieux. Denis Lemieux was, of course, the goaltender in Slap Shot. I love the addition of the ears and hair in the paint job.
I still think Roberto Luongo's throwback mask is one of the best. Simple and a great design.
While his "Marvin the Martian" theme has made him instantly recognizable, I am still a fan of Patrick Lalime's first mask with Pittsburgh. The little Penguin peering out from the igloo is innocent enough, but Lalime's record to start his career of 15-0-1 certainly spoke differently.

There are a few of my favorite masks. I'm sure you have yours, and I want to hear about them in the comments. It's hard to believe that only 50 years ago today, Jacques Plante donned what is now considered mandatory protection for goaltenders. And it may not even had happened if it wasn't for an Andy Bathgate backhander.

Let me hear about your favorite masks in the comments!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

TBC: Just One Goal!

noreply@blogger.com (Teebz) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:33:00 +0000

Teebz's Book Club has seen a number of excellent books in its time since I started reviewing them. And I'm proud to say that after twenty-seven book reviews, I have only received one email on how to fix TBC. It wasn't actually a complaint email, but, instead, a suggestion email. The suggestion was to feature a few children's books on the list so that parents could start having their children read books on the subject of hockey at an earlier age than adolescence. I gave it some thought, and TBC is proud to present the first of what I hope to be many children's books on hockey for your children to enjoy. Today, Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Just One Goal!, written by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko, and published by Scholastic.

The man to left who appears to be extremely scared - appropriate for a Halloween entry no less - is Robert Munsch. Mr. Munsch has written over fifty books for children in his time, including such favorites as Love You Forever, Murmel Murmel Murmel, and The Paper Bag Princess. Here is his full bio, but I'm just going to run down some highlights. Born on June 11, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mr. Munsch worked as a Jesuit priest in a daycare and an orphanage where he told his stories about his crazy characters to the children. After moving to Canada with his wife because the daycare lost its funding, Mr. and Mrs. Munsch worked at a lab preschool at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. It was here that Mr. Munsch's boss convinced Robert to publish his stories, and Mud Puddle became Robert's first publication. Since that time, Robert lost his American citizenship, gained Canadian citizenship, and has become Canada's best-selling author. In 1988, Love You Forever was the best-selling children's book in both Canada and the USA, and is currently the best-selling children's book of all-time according to the New York Times. He and his wife still live in Guelph, Ontario today.

Michael Martchenko is one of Canada's premiere illustrators of children's books, and has worked extensively with Mr. Munsch. Mr. Martchenko was the art director at an advertising agency when he decided to go into illustrating books. From his home studio in Toronto, Ontario, Mr. Martchenko has worked with Mr. Munsch on such titles as The Paper Bag Princess, Andrew's Loose Tooth, and Alligator Baby. He has also written and illustrated his own books, including the largely popular Oonga Boonga. The one thing that makes Mr. Martchenko's illustrations so fun is that he routinely includes visual jokes in his works. If you read More Pies, look for Mr. Munsch and Mr. Martchenko at the bus stop!

Just One Goal! is the story of Ciara, a character based on Ciara Mapes. Miss Mapes is a young lady that Mr. Munsch met while spending time in Hay River, Northwest Territories. Our story starts with Ciara wanting to build a rink in her backyard rather than hauling all of her hockey gear across town to the local hockey rink. Unfortunately, nobody wants to help her build one on the river behind the house. Instead, she does what any resourceful young girl would do: she builds her own.

Due to her efforts, she gets a lot of help in building her rink, and it finally takes shape. Ciara allows all the kids from the neighbourhood to come to her rink to play, but she begins to realize that the team she is playing on never wins.

There are a number of humourous incidents in the book: a moose interrupts the game, a bear interrupts the game, and teenagers interrupt the game. With all the effort of making the rink and all the games that are played on the rink, the inevitable happens: spring arrives! Will Ciara ever win a game?

This 28-page book is perfect for children of any age, and is extremely easy to read with its large font and colourful illustrations. The story flows along very well, and should allow readers at the beginner's level to improve their reading skills as well. Ciara's story is heartwarming and charming, and Mr. Munsch's story will bring a smile to the face of both readers and audience alike. Just One Goal! is recommended for all youth readers, and deserves Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval for its fun story.

Until next time, Happy Halloween, and keep your sticks on the ice!