M E LT I N G
THIS
SUMMER?
TRY IMPROVING!
PAGE 43
Issue 02 | Summer 2012
“
DEVELOPING
FREE
DEVELOPMENT What's wrong with youth hockey in North America?
Summer Hockey Camps, Clinics & Tournaments
THE BATTLE OF THE GOLD COAST Locust ValleyNorth Shore vs. Jericho
GERM WARFARE That "Hockey Smell" is Alive
13
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A Letter From the Editor Dear Readers,
Editor In Chief
We are very excited about the response we received from our readers for our May Edition of Hockey Town Magazine. We hope that Hockey Town Magazine will become an essential part of your hockey life, a resource that you depend on to keep up with the fast pace of amateur hockey on Long Island. We will continue to bring you a steady supply of high-quality content with each issue through original work from both our writing staff and contributors from around the hockey globe! Our goal is to maintain an approach that is educational, exciting and fun for our readers! Thank you and hope to see you soon in your Hockey Town! Victor M. Rodriguez
Victor Michael Rodriguez Executive Editor Benjamin Horney Art Director Catalin Ciolca Senior Designer Gabriela Tache Director of Photography Dana L. Harris III VP Sales & Marketing Kevin McCrone Staff Writer Victor Emanuel
Our Summer Issue 6
32
INSIDE THE IGLOO
DEVELOPING DEVELOPMENT
The Battle of the Gold Coast
What’s wrong with the youth hockey in North America?
9
POWER PLAYERS STARS OF THE MONTH
36
Jonathan Mosenson
10
INSIDE THE IGLOO
AROUND HOCKEY TOWN
The New York Rangers
Suffolk Country Police Department Defeats Nassau County Police Department
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20
The importance of being ga student of a game
22
ROAD MAP
37
POWER PLAYERS STARS OF THE MONTH
39
AR AROUND HOCKEY TOWN TO
THIS
SUMMER?
TRY IMPROVING!
PAGE 43
DEVELOPING
FREE
DEVELOPMENT
What's wrong with youth hockey in North America?
Summer Hockey Camps, Clinics & Tournaments
THE BATTLE OF THE GOLD COAST
L. Kings win their L.A. 1st Stanley Cup 1s
43 4
26
To improve your hockey skills over the ho summer su
That “Hockey smell” is alive
For Inquires, please contact our offices at Contact@HockeyTownMag.com Or Call: 516-362-1975 www.hockeytownmagazine.com
M E LT I N G
Bobby Nystrom
GERM WARFARE ARE E
Published by J3 Media, LLC, Long Island, New York
Issue 02 | Summer 2012
Corey Hoffman
FERRARO BROTHERS THERS COACHES CLIPBOARD PBOARD
Hockey Town Magazine, LLC Editorial Offices Hicksville, New York
Copyright 2012 Hockey Town Magazine, LLC
HELPFUL TIPS
My 13 simple rules for hockey parents everywhere
Staff Writer Carolyn Lhotta
THE 6 WAYS
Locust ValleyNorth Shore vs. Jericho
GERM WARFARE That "Hockey Smell" is Alive
13
Simple
Rules
For
Hockey
Parents
Everywhere
On cover: Paul Chirichella, Photo by: Vic Rodriguez
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The Battle of the Gold Coast By: Vic Rodriguez
A
ccording to its bylaws, the High School Hockey League of Nassau County is open to all high school club teams in Nassau County, regardless of funding or recognition by the school or school district. This past regular season, which generally runs from September through March, the league fielded 14 Varsity Teams, 7 Junior Varsity Teams and 12 Middle School Hockey Teams. That’s 33 ice hockey teams in a county that has had a difficult
time convincing the majority of public school boards that there is a need for school funded programs. But league President, Steve Rupp has seen 5 schools fund Varsity level ice hockey programs since his tenure began. And just last month, Hockey Town Magazine covered the State Championship which was won by one of these schools; Massapequa. The league and its players both hope this trend continue and that more public school
boards realize that Long Island is made up of Hockey Towns. This month, we decided to follow the action of the Middle School spring program, where Locust Valley-North Shore took on Jericho in the Battle of the Gold Coast at the Town of Oyster Bay, Bethpage Skating Center. A lifelong hockey player himself, Locust Valley-North Shore coach Mike Sullivan is in his first year coaching this team. His
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We are not sure what the Jericho coach said to the team during the intermission but it definitely worked.
son Patrick is in 5th Grade, a diehard NY Islanders fan and currently entering his first year of eligibility for the league this fall. “It’s great to be a part of this and to be doing it together with my son”, the coach says. Sullivan has 3 year coaching veteran Lilah Dima, working the bench with him. Dima is a figure and hockey skating coach at Port Washington Skating Center and also has a daughter on the team. Grace Dima is one of the 3 girls on this Gold Coast team. Joining her are Cassie Pavolich and her sister, Grace Pavolich. Cassie is in 5th
Jericho soon took control and just over four minutes in they scored to take a 1-0 lead. For the next three minutes the two teams battled hard for the puck. Neither was giving too much and the puck seemed to go back and forth like a volleyball. That all changed when 5th grader and Long Island Edge Forward Owen Rowell dropped one on net and in! The assist went to fellow Long Island Edge teammate and 5th grader Matthew Lipera. But Locust Valley-North Shore wasn’t done yet. A little more than 30 seconds later, Grace
This matchup may go down in more dramatic fashion than a Nelson DeMille novel. Let the Battle of the Gold Coast begin! grade this year but the league allows 5th graders to play in the spring program to help them prepare for the regular season in the fall, where they will be in 6th grade middle school. All three girls are also teammates on the Long Island Gulls PeeWee A travel team. On the other side of the bench, Jericho leads their charge with the “Snipers”; James Venezia and Jared Schwalbe. This duo, with a combined age of not even 25, both play defense but are superb offensive threats as well. 11 year old netminder and 8 year hockey veteran Matt Walsh expects his Jericho team to keep the puck out of the zone and pressing their offense from the points.
Dima made the perfect pass to Lipera who dumped one in himself to give his team a 2-1 lead. Two minutes later, 7th grader Christian Flory, who plays on the team with his twin brother Rob, scored to give Locust ValleyNorth Shore a 3-1 lead going into the first intermission.
Let the Battle of the Gold Coast begin! The teams came out skating fast and looked very even to start the game. But
Locust Valley-North Shore would go on to score 3 more goals, including ones by Patrick Sullivan and Christian Florys’ 2nd of
We are not sure what the Jericho coach said to the team during the intermission but it definitely worked. Less than 30 seconds into the period, Schwalbe scored an unassisted goal. Shortly after, he recorded the hat trick when he scored again on an assist from right winger Justin Podel. Podel has been playing since he’s young but took the last two years off to explore other opportunities. With just under 6 minutes to play, Jericho has now cut their deficit to 7-5. But they wouldn’t get any closer. Despite numerous trips into the offensive zone and controlling the puck late in the game, Jericho still needed to pull their goalie in an effort to keep their Gold Coast foes on their heels. But this push backfired when Lipera recorded his 2nd goal of the game, with 31 seconds left, on the empty net. They would score once more with 4 seconds left to leave Bethpage Skating Center and the victors in the Battle of the Gold Coast.
Photos by: Vic Rodriguez
This matchup may go down in more dramatic fashion than a Nelson DeMille novel.
With Locust Valley-North Shore down a man, it was time for the “Snipers” to do what they do best. Less than 3 minutes into the period, Jared Schwalbe scored on a pass from, none other than his sniper counterpart; James Venezia. This cut the Jericho deficit to 3-2. But, it wouldn’t take long for Locust valley-North Shore to answer. Less than 30 seconds later, 7th grader and NY Islanders fan Justin Durka scored on the second assist of the game for Rob Flury.
the game. Assists on these goals went to Lipera for his 2nd, Cassie Pavlovich (who had 2), and 5th grade Nassau County House League star Cullen O’Hara. Ending the 2nd period with a 7-2, Locust ValleyNorth Shore headed to the locker room very confident.
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Jonathan MOSENSON Age: 26 Hometown: Bethpage, NY Team USA Defenseman Jonathan Mosenson is a 4-time Men’s World Champion, 3-time Junior World Champion and a World Games Gold Medalist. In 2005 he scored the game-winning goal in the finals at the Pan Am trials in Argentina against Canada. In 2010 he scored the game-winning goal against Switzerland in the World Championships. He is a member of the 2012 Team USA Men’s Inline Hockey World Team and will represent the U.S. this summer in Bucaramanga, Colombia, at the FIRS CIRILH Inline Hockey World Championships, June 30 – July 14, 2012.
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Suffolk County Police Department Defeats Nassau County Police Department By: Benjamin Horney
N
early 400 fans packed Dix Hills Skating Rink on May 5 during a charity game between the Suffolk County and Nassau County Police Departments’ hockey teams. Suffolk defeated Nassau by a score of 6 to 4.
“At the end of the game it got real chippy,” said Suffolk County Police Officer and team Assistant Captain Salvatore Gigante. Nassau jumped out to a quick, two-goal
Photos by: Arthur Larocca
Over $2,500 was raised for Long Island’s 9/11 Veterans during the game. Included among those in attendance were Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke and Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning.
Don’t get the wrong idea – while the game was played for a good cause, it was still a real deal hockey game, featuring some of the best hockey players in the police department. It was a back-and-forth, competitive showdown with plenty of penalties, hits and punches to go around.
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lead early on, forcing Suffolk into battleback mode. After the teams traded goals, Nassau found itself clinging to a 3-1 lead. As the game went on, the competition between the two teams became fierce. “No gloves dropped,” said Gigante, who played college hockey at Stony Brook as well as Junior Hockey for the New York Bobcats, “but there were a couple of punches in front of the net, stuff here and there.” In the end, Suffolk overcame their early deficit and earned the 6 to 4 victory. Team Captain, Officer Arthur Martrano of the 3rd precinct, scored 3 goals for Suffolk. Officer Gerard Heinz, a defenseman, added two, with Gigante, a right-winger, rounding out Suffolk’s 6 goals with one of his own. Despite the intense, sometimes slightly vi-
The teams actually play each other between 20 and 25 times each year, and all of the money they raise goes to various charities. cious atmosphere of the game, the players left their ferocity on the ice. When all was said and done, money had been raised, fun was had, and everyone was able to go back to being buddies. “It’s all friendly, “Gigante said. “After the game we’re all at Lily Flanagan’s in Babylon shaking hands and having beers together. That’s the good thing about playing men’s league hockey.” The teams actually play each other between 20 and 25 times each year, and
all of the money they raise goes to various charities. “It’s a great experience,” Peter Dykeman, a Probation Officer and one of the team’s general managers, said. Dykeman is a defenseman, and along with Officer Joe Mucha (a goalie) of the 5th Precinct, is in charge of various, off-ice duties, such as coordinating day-to-day operations, scheduling practices and games and getting jerseys. Dykeman has been playing hockey on Long Island for 35 years. He played for Stony Brook when they were still just a small club team, and was actually on the team as they transitioned into the American College Hockey Association. “I’ve seen the transformation of the popularity of hockey on Long Island,” he said. “It’s very exciting.”
Photos by: Arthur Larocca
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13
MY
simple rules for hockey parents everywhere
By: John Buccigross
W
omen and men used to gaze up at the stars, awed at the sight and size of the universe, much like Detroit Red Wings fitness trainers used to be in awe at the sight and size of Brett Hull’s butt during his final Motor City days. My understanding of the sky’s map is limited to the Big Dipper (good nickname for
Buffalo’s Tyler Myers, by the way) and the constellation Orion. Orion is located on the celestial equator and can been seen across the world, much like Pat Quinn’s head. Its name, Orion, refers to a hunter in Greek mythology. Since my late teenage years, whether I am in Mingo Junction, Ohio, or Vancouver, British Columbia, I always look up and
locate Orion. It’s my satellite to home and youth. I first became aware of Orion from the now bankrupt movie production company Orion Pictures Corporation, which made movies from 1978-1998. I remember the company’s animated intro prior to the start of a movie: stars from the constellation 13 SUMMER 2012
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would twirl into the letter “O” before the entire word “Orion” was spelled out. It seemed as if 46 percent of movies produced in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, my HBO sweet spot years, were produced by Orion. I am sure this number is probably much lower. “Back to School,” “10,” “Hoosiers,” “Platoon,” “No Way Out” and others all began with the animated Orion logo. I would like to publicly thank the now defunct movie company and HBO for my astronomy acumen and the indelible image of Bo Derek jogging on the beach with wet, braided hair. (“Before the Internet, there was HBO.” Now there is a slogan to believe in.) Today, kids, teenagers, adults and Sean Avery don’t so much stare up to the trees, clouds, airplanes, stars and 6-foot-9 NHL linesman Mike Cvik as much as they used to; now, most stare down at their cell phones and personal digital assistants (Jim Balsillie’s PDA BlackBerry, yo). As a result of all this “looking down,” we miss so much up in the heavens. We even look down at these things during dinner, hockey games and Heisman Trophy presentations. People even look down at their PDAs while they drive. Who needs a moon roof on a clear summer night when I can play Tetris on I-95 while I soar through the E-ZPASS lane? This is my gigantic preamble to why you should one day sign up your young son or daughter to play youth hockey at a local rink near you. If nothing else, it gets them away from electronics and teaches them a small slice of humanity that they can take forward through life, a life with more heart and less battery power. The rink’s cold robs electronics of their battery power and signal reception, anyway. So, if you are a first-time hockey parent, or dream of one day spending more than $10,000 and sacrificing weekends for a decade of glamorous youth or “minor” hockey, here are 13 important things you need to know about the youth hockey universe -- and hockey in general -- to help speed up the assimilation process in joining the “Congregation of Independent Insane in the Membrane Hockey Community Union” or COIIITMHCU. If you move those letters around you eventually get Chicoutimi. A miracle from the star-filled heavens above. (I’m sure my fellow COIIITMHCU members will offer even more, and we can post next week.) 14 SUMMER 2012
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1
Under no circumstances will hockey practice ever be cancelled. Ever. Even on days when school is cancelled, practice is still on. A game may be cancelled due to inclement weather because of travel concerns for the visiting team, but it would have to rain razor blades and bocce balls to cancel hockey practice at your local rink. It’s good karma to respect the game.
Hockey is a very, very, very, very difficult game to play. You are probably terrible at it. It takes high skill and lots of courage, so lay off your kid. Don’t berate them. Be patient and encourage them to play. Some kids need more time to learn how to ride the bike, but, in the end, everyone rides a bike about the same way. Your kids are probably anywhere from age 4-8 when they first take up hockey. They will not get a call from Boston University coach Jack Parker or receive Christmas cards from the Colorado Avalanche’s director of scouting. Don’t berate them. Demand punctuality and unselfishness for practice and games. That’s it. Passion is in someone, or it isn’t. One can’t implant passion in their child. My primary motive in letting my kids play hockey is exercise, physical fitness and the development of lower-body and core strength that will one day land them on a VH1 reality show that will pay off their student loans or my second mortgage.
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Hockey is an emotional game and your child has the attention span of a chipmunk on NyQuil. The hockey coach will yell a bit during practice; he might even yell at your precious little Sparky. As long as there is teaching involved and not humiliation, it will be good for your child to be taught the right way, with emphasis.
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Actually, I do demand two things from my 10-year-old Squirt, Jackson. Prior to every practice or game, as he turns down AC/ DC’s “Big Jack,” gets out of the car and makes his way to the trunk to haul his hockey bag inside a cold, Connecticut rink, I say, “Jack, be the hardest, most creative and grittiest worker ... and be the one having the most fun.” That might be four things, but you know what I mean.
5 Your kids should be dressing themselves and tying their own skates by their second year of Squirt. Jack is 67 pounds with 0 percent body fat and arms of linguini, and he can put on, take off and tie his own skates. If he can, anyone can. I don’t go in the locker room anymore. Thank goodness; it stinks in there.
Do not fret over penalties not called during games and don’t waste long-term heart power screaming at the referees. My observational research reveals the power-play percentage for every Mite hockey game ever played is .0000089 percent; for Squirts, .071 percent. I prefer referees to call zero penalties.
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Photo by: Vic Rodriguez
Whenever possible, trade in your kids’ ice skates and buy used skates, especially during those growing years and even if you can afford to buy new skates every six months. Your kids don’t need $180 skates and a $100 stick no matter what your tax bracket is. They will not make them better players.
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Yell like crazy during the game. Say whatever you want. Scream every kind of inane instruction you want to your kids. They can’t hear you. In the car ride home, ask them if they had fun and gently promote creativity and competiveness, but only after you take them to Denny’s for a Junior Grand Slam breakfast or 7-Eleven for a Slurpee. Having a warm breakfast after an early morning weekend game will become one of your most syrupy sweet memories.
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Missing practice (like we stated above) or games is akin to an Irish Catholic missing Mass in 1942. We take attendance at hockey games very seriously. Last week, the Islanders’ Brendan Witt was hit by an SUV in Philadelphia. Witt got up off the pavement and walked to Starbucks for a coffee, and then later played against the Flyers that night. Let me repeat that: BRENDAN WITT WAS HIT BY AN SUV ... AND PLAYED THAT NIGHT! Re-read that sentence 56 times a night to your child when they have a case of the sniffles and want to stay home to watch an “iCarly” marathon. By, the way Philadelphia police cited Witt for two minutes in jail for obstruction. Witt will appeal.
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Photo by: Vic Rodriguez
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Teach your kids not to celebrate too much after a goal if your team is winning or losing by a lot. And by all means, tell them celebrate with the team. After they score, tell them not to skate away from their teammates like soccer players. Find the person who passed you the puck and tell him or her, “Great pass.” We have immediate group hugs in hockey following a short, instinctive reaction from the goal scorer. I am proud of my boy for a lot of things, but I am most proud at how excited he gets when a teammate scores a goal. He is Alex Ovechkin in this regard.
Unless their femur is broken in 16 places, Mites or Squirts should not lie on the ice after a fall on the ice or against the boards. Attempt to get up as quickly as one can and slowly skate to the bench.
There is no such thing as running up the score in hockey. This is understood at every level. It’s very difficult to score goals and unexplainably exhilarating when one does. Now, if we get to 14-1, we may want to take our foot off the gas a tad.
Enjoy the rink. Keep it fun, keep it in perspective and enjoy the madness. In this digital world of electronics, you may find hockey to be the most human endeavor you partake in. Cell phones run on batteries. Hockey players run on blood. Blood is warmer.
13 Do not offer cash for goals. This has no upside. Passion and love and drive cannot be taught or bought. I do believe a certain measure of toughness and grit can be slowly encouraged and eventually taught. Encourage your kid to block shots and to battle hard in the corners. It will serve them well in life.
John Buccigross serves as co-host of SportsCenter on ESPN each weekday afternoon but will be moving to the 11pm timeslot this summer. He was also the primary host of NHL 2Night, ESPN2’s 30-minute program dedicated to hockey highlights and news from 1998-2004. Since 2001, he has also been a weekly ESPN.com columnist.
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H
ockey fans likely would assume that body-checking—intentionally slamming an opponent against the boards—causes the most injuries in youth ice hockey. But they would be wrong. Findings from a new study, the largest and most comprehensive analysis to date of young hockey players, show that 66 percent of overall injuries were caused by accidentally hitting the boards or goal posts, colliding with teammates or being hit by a puck. Only 34 percent of the injuries were caused by checking. Moreover, the accidental injuries were more severe than those from body checks. These results, which appeared in the June issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, were a surprise to many, including the UB researchers who conducted the five-year study. “There is an image of body checking as
Checking NOT the cause of most youth hockey injuries,
UB study shows By: Lois Baker
overall for the three levels of competition: “house leagues,” where there is no body checking; “select,” in which checking is allowed at age 11 and older; and “representative,” for the most skilled players, which allows checking in all divisions at age 9 and above. They also examined injury rates as level of competition and players’ age increased, and how injury rates varied
them—of not playing “heads-up,” which coaches try to instill at all levels. The “select” level tallied the least injuries (28), with more than half intentional as players first experience checking. In the most experienced league, however, 59 percent of the 96 injuries were unintentional, but the number of intentional injuries (39) was the highest of all the categories, as competition level increases. As the researchers predicted, as the level of competition and players’ age increases, so did injuries. “Game injuries were much more frequent among the highly skilled players on rep teams,” says Willer. Rates during practice were low across all age groups and divisions.
Photo by: ajfi / Shutterstock.com
Willer notes that this study doesn’t answer two important questions: At what age should body checking be allowed in youth hockey, or should it be allowed at all? “The study does suggest,” says Willer, “that, regardless of whether young players are allowed to body check, unintentional contact with the board, the ice or other players are important sources of serious unintended injury. To avoid these accidents, hockey coaches must teach players to keep their heads up, rather than looking down at the puck.” a form of violence that is condoned by the game of hockey,” says Barry Willer, professor of psychiatry and rehabilitation sciences and senior author on the study. “However, this study found that body checking did not account for a large proportion of injuries. Perhaps as important, body checking did not lead to a rise in intentional injuries.” The youth ice hockey program in Burlington, Ontario, was the base of the study. The researchers compared injury rates
in games versus practices. The data covered 3,000 boys ages 4 to 18 for a total of 13,292 player years. Only injuries that kept a player off the ice for at least 24 hours were included. The analysis of the data shows that there were three times more accidental injuries than body-checking injuries in the house leagues—92 versus 30. Willer says accidents at this level of competition primarily are caused by players watching the puck instead of what’s in front of
Scott Darling, a primary care sports medicine specialist in the UB Department of Orthopaedics, is first author on the study. Additional UB contributors to the study are John G. Baker, assistant professor of clinical rehabilitation; John J. Leddy, associate professor of orthopaedics and codirector of UB’s Sports Medicine Institute; and Leslie J. Bisson, associate professor of orthopaedics and head team physician for the Buffalo Sabres. Douglas E. Schaubel from the University of Michigan also contributed to the study. 19 SUMMER 2012
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THE IMPORTANCE of being
A STUDENT OF A GAME L
ast month at the Coaches Clipboard, we brought you a set of specific instructions for your game day routine. This month, our focus is on the importance of being a student of the game. It’s a little more abstract; but while it’s not as simply stated as last month’s schedule, it is just as, if not more, important.
to reading and reacting to teammates. It sounds like instinctual stuff, but fear not:
do social studies. You have to break it up that way and focus on specific areas.”
The Ferraro’s are here to help. Being a student of the game, Chris says, isn’t so different from being a student in school:
The Ferraro’s are striving to help youth hockey players become better students of the game through their camps and clinics. And just like regular, Monday to Friday school, Chris says, it’s all about education:
Being a student of the game is about learning and understanding the intricacies of the sport, from knowing where to be when you’re on the ice at any given time,
“In elementary school you go to math class, and math is math. English is English, science is science, etc. You focus on those certain areas. You’re not going to math to
“Education helps form all the right habits and eliminates the bad habits,” he says. “A team is not compiled of 25 one-man units. When you’re out there, everyone is
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working in sync with each other. It’s not enough to just be great skill-wise. You need to know where to be and where to go.” The list goes on. And while it seems like a
lot, it’s important not to get overwhelmed. You must take it slowly, one step at a time, starting with the basics. And, as with trying to develop any skill, it takes a lot of time, dedication and effort. According to Chris, all of the following are ways to help you in
SOME OF THE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF BEING A STUDENT OF THE GAME Knowing where to be at all times, on any given play, both defensively and offensively.
the defensive, neutral and offensive zones.
Reading and reacting to teammates and opponents.
Where your stick should be at any given time. Should it be down on the ice?
Knowing what to do and where to be, both with and without the puck, on both offense and defense.
How you should be playing your opponent - Should you be fronting him?
Knowing the rules and what your positioning should be at all times in
How your body should be positioned at any given time.
your pursuit to become a better student of the game:
Repetition of drills in slow motion Walking through drills and plays Video analysis and breakdown “It’s just a matter of spending time and really emphasizing and learning it,” Chris says. “The sooner they have a clear understanding of the education behind the game the quicker they’ll advance.” Through their camps and clinics, the Ferraro’s have seen that some of the most basic and most crucial fundamentals can be lacking in youth players, so they are incorporating all of the above techniques in order to help allow Long Islanders to truly reach their hockey goals and dreams. “In the grand scheme of things it’s simple,” Chris says, “keep the puck out of your net and score as many as you can in the other. But it takes a lot to get to that point.”
Chris & Peter Ferraro
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Bobby
Nystrom
By: Benjamin Horney
M
ay 24, 1980: Game 6 of the Stanley Cup between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers. Jim Robson made the call: “Tonelli, to Nystrom! He scores!! Bob Nystrom scores the goal! The Islanders win the Stanley Cup!!”
32 years to the day, Bobby Nystrom - aka “Mr. Islander” - is up in Canada visiting his mother and sister. Over the phone he calmly describes the moment that will forever be a part of Long Island lore. “Oh my god,” he says. “When I saw that goal go in - I was relieved more than
anything because it’s so grueling. To finally achieve that - to win a Stanley Cup, and to be the person that scored the goal to win the cup - It was a dream come true for me.” A true storybook moment. But behind every storybook moment lies a story:
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Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Nystrom moved to Alberta, Canada before he was five years old, where he almost immediately began playing ice hockey - both in a youth league and for fun. “I had the good fortune of growing up in an area where hockey was so ingrained in everybody,” he says. “It was the perfect hockey setting.” The perfect hockey setting included a town full of hockey crazed kids and regular access to ice rinks, as well as countless frozen ponds and streams
I had the good fortune of growing up in an area where hockey was so ingrained in everybody. where Nystrom learned the skills he would eventually hone on the world’s biggest stage. “Pretty much everything froze over,” he says, “so we played all winter.” In Alberta, Nystrom and his friends played solely for the love of the game, and, much like all young hockey fans, fantasized about one day playing in the NHL. “I always dreamed about being in the NHL,” he says. “I watched it every Saturday, and the fact is that I constantly thought about it. It was never serious though, I just enjoyed playing.” Whereas today’s young hockey prospects often exclusively focus on hockey for their training, Nystrom always felt it was important to keep his entire body fit - not just the hockey muscles. And with hockey being relegated to merely a winter sport, Nystrom found himself swimming, biking and running cross-country to stay in shape throughout the year. “You can’t just play hockey,” he says, “you have to do other things too. You have to develop your entire body.” As the years passed in Alberta, Nystrom resigned himself to the fact that playing hockey professionally was purely a pipe dream. “It never occurred to me that I could possibly actually make it,” he says. Until he turned 15, that is, and was invited to try out for the British Columbia Hockey League’s Kamloops Rockets junior hockey team. “That’s when I started to really think about it a bit,” he remembers. But the Rocket’s Coach, Joe Tennant, didn’t share Nystrom’s youthful optimism. According to Tennant, Nystrom wasn’t a strong enough skater, and didn’t have the fighting edge he needed to rise through the ranks. “Coach told me a thousand times I would never make it,” Nystrom says. “I think that motivated me. It certainly aggravated me.” Nystrom rose to the occasion, scoring 16 goals
and adding 17 assists to total 33 points in his first and only season with the Rockets. The next year he was called up to the Calgary Centennials of the Western Canada Hockey League, which is where most NHL players were drafted from in those days. “The competition was really intense,” Nystrom recalls. He played two seasons with the Centennials, and amassed 83 total points in his continuing his attempt to prove coach Tennant wrong. Despite his improving play, Nystrom had no idea whether what he had achieved was enough to earn him a spot on an NHL team going into his 1972 draft year. ESPN, mind you, wouldn’t launch for another seven years - let alone today’s age of 24/7 access to hockey on both television and the Internet. “You never really knew where you stood in those days,” Nystrom says. “Coach had told me I’d never get drafted, so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.”
Photo provided by: Bobby Nystrom
Unlike today, where up-and-coming hockey prospects have their entire lives dedicated to the sport from a young age, Nystrom had worked other jobs throughout his time as a hockey player. He was even fully prepared for the letdown of having to pursue a non-hockey related career. “There’s plenty of players you think are great that don’t get drafted,” he says. “I would have gone
On draft day, Nystrom and a friend were having a beer after work, when Nystrom’s father paged him over the intercom system. “He told me I was drafted by the Islanders,” Nystrom says. Drafted 33rd overall, Nystrom still had a ways to go to arrive at his dream destination. When he went down to New York to sign his first contract he was once again reminded of his faults. They said his sub par skating would hold him back. And so Nystrom was relegated to playing for the New Haven Knighthawks, the Islanders’ minor league team. Nystrom, so close to his dream, enlisted the help of power skating instructor Laura Stamm. “She helped me a lot,” he says. “With skating, with balance. She was great.” But even though he was focused on improving and determined to make the Islanders soon, being left to the minors at all was disheartening. “I had a tough go the first little while,” he says. “I was disappointed that I hadn’t made the Islanders, and I had a hard time adjusting. I started off slow.” Finally, around Christmas-time, Nystrom was called up to a woeful Islanders squad that would go on to lose 60 games that season. Nystrom’s first taste of NHL ice came against the Chicago Blackhawks. “It was a thrill,” he remembers. “I was actually worried, because Chicago had a pretty good team and I was supposed to check Dennis Hull. It was nerve-wracking, but I honestly really enjoyed it.” He played 11 games that year, finally netting his first pro goal in the final game of the season. The first of 235 goals in 900 overall career games, in addition to four Stanley Cup Championships, the first of which featured his storybook ending that was really just another beginning. (Maybe a line break here to show that the next two paragraphs are the “new beginning”?) Nystrom retired in 1986 and has worked as an Insurance Broker for Kinloch Consulting for 23 years - he was never paid quite as handsomely as many of the superstars of today (“It was a lot different in those days,” he says, “I worked during the summers for heaven’s sakes!”) Each year since 1991, the Islanders have handed out the “Bob Nystrom Award” to the player on the team “who best exemplifies leadership, hustle and dedication.” They retired Nystrom’s jersey in 1995. Even though Bobby has been retired for 26 years, the Nystrom legend continues to grow in the
Each year since 1991, the Islanders have handed out the “Bob Nystrom Award” to the player on the team “who best exemplifies leadership, hustle and dedication”. back to school and become a physical education teacher maybe, or ended up working in the pulp mill or something like that.” He spent the summer of 1972 framing houses.
NHL. His son, Eric - who was born and raised on Long Island, by the way, was drafted 10th overall in 2002 by the Calgary Flames, and currently plays left wing for the Dallas Stars. 23 SUMMER 2012
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Photo by: Vic Rodriguez
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GERM WARFARE By: Hugh Adami
M
any hockey players, such as reporter Randy Boswell, are skating biohazards. With bacteria growing on their equipment at up to 3,440 times higher than acceptable levels, they can be a danger to themselves and others, reports Hugh Adami. ‘This is very bad,” he said quietly, with a wary look that would make most wonder what horror they were about to be told. Felix Skora unfolded the sheet of paper and slid it across the desk for his guest to see. The information was numbing. Germ warfare. That’s what Skora’s Gatineau laboratory, Micro B, found in Randy Boswell’s hockey bag after we took it there to see if the CanWest News reporter’s soppy, rank equipment posed a hazard to his health and to those around him when
he’s on the ice trying, as he says, to be “an amalgam” of Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky. Skora has no idea if Orr and Gretzky had as much disregard for the care of their equipment as Boswell does for his, but suggested some fast action be taken in the laundry room. “ There is a need to disinfect this equipment,” Skora said. “Possibly with chlorine, alcohol and perhaps washed at a high temperature. Then, you should be able to eliminate the bacteria, the yeast, the mould.” What Micro B found lurking about Boswell’s equipment was a cesspool of bacterial growth. “Very high concentrations,” Skora explained. Dr. Barry Dworkin, who writes a health column for the Citizen, said the bacteria
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could include numerous types of pathogenic germs, viruses and fungal substances, which can lead to a variety of illnesses and skin infections, some of which he has treated. Sounds good so far, eh? The lab didn’t test for moulds and yeast, but Skora said the high bacterial concentrations would virtually guarantee their presence. In fact, said Dr. Dworkin, heat and humidity stimulate growth of fungal matter. Dr. Dworkin also said that in extreme cases, dirty hockey equipment can be a habitat for the hepatitis B virus, which causes very high fever, weakness and jaundice. The virus is found in infected blood and other bodily fluids, such as sweat and saliva. “ It’s disgusting,” Dr. Dworkin said of what can lurk in a stinky hockey bag. Having dirty sports equipment, he said, “is no different than not following routine hygiene like changing your socks and
Professional hockey players, who are covered from head to toe in protective padding and sweat profusely during play, can be very susceptible to infection because many, for superstitious reasons, refuse to update their equipment. ered from head to toe in protective padding and sweat profusely during play, can be very susceptible to infection because many, for superstitious reasons, refuse to update their equipment. But at least professionals, and players through the junior and university ranks, have training staffs responsible for the maintenance of equipment. It’s those who play at the minor levels, children and beerleaguers, who may have the most to worry about if they just leave their wet equipment in their hockey bags until it’s time to play again.
used in its construction. For example, bacteria can get trapped in crevices and pores of the materials and, if equipment isn’t dried or cleaned properly, the germs can flourish, multiplying en masse. It is highly recommended that players do not share any piece of equipment. Health issues are not the only problem with dirty equipment. “ What (damages) equipment is bacteria and mould buildup,” said Darren McCready, co-owner of a local company that specializes in cleaning sports gear in what basically is a huge washing and drying
underwear.” Bacteria- and viral-contaminated equipment is a very easy means of transmitting infection. People who play sports are particularly susceptible to infections for various reasons: Germs grow when athletic equipment gets warm and moist; sweating softens the
Not hanging up wet, smelly equipment to dry is a major reason for severe bacterial contamination. While some may wash their jerseys, hockey socks and undergarments before the next game, leaving the rest of the stuff in the bag, like Boswell does, is not uncommon. There doesn’t seem to be a reasonable explanation from those who let their equipment rot, other than offering the frequent refrain, “It’s kind of a guy thing.” Allowing equipment to dry kills a lot of bacteria, although Dr. Dworkin suggested that cleaning equipment with disinfectants should also be part of the process, to make sure you’re getting more bacteria and any spores left by dead germs. Because they’re reproductive cells, spores can be activated by sweat or other moist conditions, which leads back to bacterial growth. Athletic equipment is a very good host for germs because of the plastics and foam
machine that uses special detergents and sanitizers. “(Dirty equipment) eventually rots and falls apart. Equipment is expensive. By keeping it clean, you’re protecting your investment.” Skora’s lab, which primarily conducts microbiological tests for bacteria in wells, air, restaurants and food-processing plants, took bacteria samples from five-by-fivecentimetre surfaces of eight pieces of Boswell’s equipment -- helmet, shoulder pads, pants, skates, elbow pads, athletic support, gloves and shin pads. A count of 25 or less of bacteria on hard surfaces (such as a restaurant counter) is considered acceptable under Quebec provincial guidelines. Anything above is considered a potential health hazard and disinfection is recommended. There are no guidelines to bacteria levels in hockey equipment, although Skora said the levels in Boswell’s equipment were simply too high to ignore out of concern for infection.
In extreme cases, dirty hockey equipment can be a habitat for the hepatitis B virus, which causes very high fever, weakness and jaundice. skin’s main barrier, the stratum corneum, to the body; and germs enter the body from scrapes, cuts and bruises. Professional hockey players, who are cov28 SUMMER 2012
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Here’s what the lab results show: 1. Shoulder pads: 480 bacteria that were reproducing on that equipment as we spoke. A concentration of 19 times higher than the acceptable quota under the provincial guidelines. 2. Helmet: 750 (30 times higher) 3. Skates: 2,800 (112 times higher) 4. Pants: 4,500 (180 times higher) 5. Elbow pads: 6,200 (248 times higher) 6. Athletic support: 9,400 (376 times higher) 7. Gloves: 79,000 (3,160 times higher) 8. Shins pads: 86,000 (3,440 times higher) In other words, in Boswell’s equipment, the lab found 188,650 living, reproducing bacteria on just eight samples, measuring 25 square centimeters each. How many more were there? Three, four million? Boswell’s equipment has since been cleaned.
While your skin is already a host to some of the bacteria found in the contents of a hockey bag, and some of that bacteria on your skin is considered “good” because it kills harmful germs, Dr. Dworkin said the “bacterial load on dirty hockey equipment is greater than what your body is used to.” Thus, bacteria and viruses that get into
Bacterial load on dirty hockey equipment is greater than what your body is used to. your system, or that of the player you just made contact with, can make either one of you as sick as a dog or cause some excruciating pain. Dr. Dworkin explained there are numerous ways for players to suffer or pass ailments caused by the bacteria and viruses. Most of it, he said, is through hand-to-hand contact. One example is a player who adjusts a piece of equipment, such as his shoulder pads or athletic support, and then grabs a drink from a water bottle. Another player touches the same water bottle, either to move it or take a drink, and then adjusts
Micro B tested the equipment afterward, and Skora says the results were amazing compared with the first tests. Every sample taken showed counts of bacteria to be within the standard set by Quebec’s environment ministry for hard surfaces -- 25 or less. There was no sample taken in the second test of Boswell’s skates: he didn’t want them cleaned for fear that the slightest change after being washed might throw off his game.
Here are the result from the second lab test: 1. Shoulder pads: 18 2. Helmet: 22 3. Skates: No sample taken. 4. Pants: 24 5. Elbow pads: 14 6. Athletic support: 8 7. Gloves: 16 8. Shin pads: 12 his mouth-guard, allowing the bacteria he picked up from the bottle to mix with his saliva, which carries it into his body. Players colliding on the ice can send contaminated sweat showering into the air, and into the nasal or oral passages. Skin infections occur as bacteria find their way under the skin through cuts, abrasions and bruises. Germs also get under the skin as it gets soft and prune-like from the body’s heat and sweat. Fungal infections such as athlete’s foot also require heat and moisture to be stimulated. Dr. Dworkin said various micro-organisms can cause problems once they get through the skin because they multiply rapidly in warm and wet cells. Nasty illnesses that bacteria and viruses found in hockey equipment can cause include: Gastroenteritis (commonly know as stomach flu, which results in diarrhea and nausea); Other viral illnesses such as influenza, colds, pneumonia and chicken pox; Various skin infections, including impetigo, caused by either the streptococcus (strep) or staphylococcus (staph) germs; Diarrhea, bleeding and cramping, caused by a strain of E. coli, found in fecal matter and often ending up in the athletic support.
The streptococcus and staphylococcus families of bacteria can be extremely dangerous and are spread through broken skin. Staphylococcus aureas, or MRSA, is one that is particularly feared because it is resistant to certain antibiotics, can poison blood and even kill you. Sometimes, though, it causes no more than a mildly painful blister. Recent cases of MRSA, considered a “superbug,” have involved U.S. high school and university football players who developed infections through razor nicks from cosmetic body shaving. The infections spread through body contact. In 2003, several members of the NFL’s Houston Texans developed MRSA infections and needed intravenous antibiotics. Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward
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Photo by: Vic Rodriguez
Mikael Renberg had a run-in with group-A strep and nearly lost a hand as a result. While tying his skates for a practice in late December 2002, a lace opened a blister on his left hand. The hand became so
Boston Bruins star Joe Thornton was put on intravenous antibiotics in January 2003, after he fell and bruised his left elbow during practice and developed an infection a few days later. It was believed that the
Staphylococcus aureas, or MRSA, is one that is particularly feared because it is resistant to certain antibiotics, can poison blood and even kill you. infected the next day that he developed a 104-degree fever and ended up in a Vancouver hospital, where doctors considered amputation over fears that the infection could spread and kill him.
infection came from bacteria in his elbow pad or from bacteria in his hand, which he transmitted by rubbing the bruise. Some other NHL players who suffered bad infections in recent years include Detroit
Red Wings forward Darren McCarty (elbow), Leafs goalie Eddie Belfour (hand) and former San Jose Sharks defenceman Gary Suter (shoulder). Suter’s infection ate a large part of one of the triceps muscle in his upper arm. In September 2003, Tampa Bay Lightning Vincent Lecavalier was prescribed antibiotics after his right ankle became infected through scar tissue as he was breaking in a pair of skates. Boswell? He claims he is as “healthy as a horse” and doubts he has ever suffered an illness related to his equipment. This article has been re-printed from the Ottawa Citizen with the permission of Ottawa Citizen Sports Editor, James Gordon. 31 SUMMER 2012
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DEVELOPING
DEVELOPMENT By: Lyle Phair
Almost like clockwork at this time of year, right around the NHL all-star game, the topic of player development comes up. This past week there was an interesting article in The Puck, the Thursday hockey insert in the Detroit Free Press, on how Europeans are taking over the game at the higher levels.
T
he article began by noting that the 12 NHL all-star game starters consisted of six Europeans, three Americans and three Canadians, and that the percentage of Canadian players has dwindled from 82.5% twenty years ago to 53.6% today, while the European contribution has grown at a consistent pace to 22.2% this year. Currently, 13% of NHL players are Americans, a number that has declined at a minimal rate, while at the same time that the game has enjoyed record growth in terms of numbers of players playing in this country. So, why are NHL general managers and their scouting staffs spending more time in Europe? And what should we be doing in North America? There are a few schools of thought: Florida Panthers’ general manager Rick Dudley told the Free Press the reason is very simple, “They develop better players.”
That seems to be fairly apparent, so the next question would be why? Corey McNabb, a manager of player development for the Canadian Hockey Association says that “we don’t practice enough and we place too much emphasis on winning.” Panther’s assistant coach George Kingston has coached at the youth, college and pro levels in both Canada and the U.S. and national team in Germany and Norway, and has spent years studying the Russian system. He says our “games model” is the root of all of the problems. “We produce wonderful game players,” he said in the same article. “However, we don’t have the skills to play the games. In Europe they practice four, five, six times for every game played. In North America, it is absolutely the reverse.” Collegiate coach John Harrington, member
of the U.S. 1980 gold medal winning Olympic team, concluded that in North America “players are coached not to lose and that is a big difference from playing to win. When you are afraid to lose you do things as simply as possible. All you learn is not to screw up.” But by far, the most astute statement that I have heard regarding player development was from Vancouver Canucks’ general manager Brian Burke, a Minnesota native, who had this to say a couple of summers ago while addressing the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association: “No one in minor hockey should think they are developing players for us,” Burke said. “The odds are very significant that most coaches who coach minor hockey in B.C. will never coach a player who plays for me. So don’t gear the programs for the elite kids. The elite kids will get there “to the
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NHL” regardless. We want as many boys and girls playing hockey as possible.” Are those mixed messages? Are you a little confused?” While many hockey minds are saying we need to change our methods, Burke seems to be saying we need to change our focus. And I believe he is right on the money. The word “development” is without a doubt the most overused and misunderstood word in the English language, at least in how it is used in youth hockey circles. The notion that the youth hockey system is “developing” NHL hockey players is absurd. The only development that should be focused on in youth hockey for players under the age of 13 is first, that they develop a passion for the game so that they want to continue playing it and second
that they develop some basic skills and solid hockey habits.
The word “development” is without a doubt most overused and misunderstood word in the English language, at least in how it is used in youth hockey circle. Coincidentally, there is an excellent article in the latest issue of American Hockey Magazine by University of AlaskaFairbanks Nanooks head coach Guy Gadowsky on Youth Hockey Development
Habits that should serve as a blueprint for any youth coach. The USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor for the to 17 and 18 year old players in the country is appropriately named. At that age, those players (as well as others across the country in that age group) are the ones that have the potential to be selected and “developed” into possible NHL players. Do youth hockey teams in North America have too few practices, play too many games and place too much of an emphasis on winning and does that structure hinder the development of elite players? Absolutely they do and absolutely it does. The proof is in the numbers. But can that be changed? The face of the game has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, especially here in the richest country in the world. Players and parents not only 33 SUMMER 2012
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expect instant gratification. They demand it. And what is that instant gratification? It’s being the “best” and being it now. Selecting the best players to create “elite” teams, playing as many games as possible, traveling far and wide to test their worth and see how they measure up against the other “elite” teams. Ironically, the one reason most often cited in support of this system is “development”. The concept of “creep” is a phenomenon that has engulfed the youth sports culture as a result of our need for instant gratification. A competitive structure that was once reserved for high school age athletes and above has now worked its way down to the youngest age groups. The theory being that if that model works at that age group, it can work at younger age groups as well. But is doesn’t. And it can’t. And the reason is that those players are not yet to the point where they should be segregated, the “elite” separated from the pack and developed more seriously than the nonelite. Unfortunately, we do not allow them to mature to the point where that should happen. It’s a lot like planting a garden in the spring and once some of the plants have started to sprout earlier than the others,
digging up the others, and only allowing the early bloomers the opportunity to grow.
Photo by: Alexey Stiop
It’s a lot like planting a garden in the spring and once some of the plants have started to sprout earlier than the others, digging up the others, and only allowing the early bloomers the opportunity to grow.
As Burke suggested, the real purpose of any youth sport is not to develop players for advanced levels of competition. But a good system will produce high quality players as a byproduct, not as its focus. We just need to be more patient gardeners. Lyle Phair is currently the Executive Director of Suburban Sports Group and has a wealth of experience as a former player and coach. He played NCAA Division I hockey at Michigan State from 1981-85. Lyle then played in the NHL for 5 seasons with the L.A. Kings. He currently writes the popular “State of the Game” column for Michigan Hockey. 34 SUMMER 2012
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THE NEW YORK By: Benjamin Horney
RANGERS
G
oing into the 2011-2012 season, the New York Rangers had reason to be optimistic. A year removed from the 8th seed and a first round exit, they addressed their biggest weakness - an anemic offense - with the free agent acquisition of forward Brad Richards. While their defense appeared a little suspect, they still had Goalie slash King Henrik Lundqvist, whose career save percentage is above .900, and who ranked 4th among all goalies last season in save percentage and 5th in overall saves. There was no question that the
Photo by: Daniel M. Silva / Shutterstock.com
Rangers were expected to land a higher seed, and a deeper playoff run was the goal. Because of their youth, they were still widely considered a year or two away from a serious run at the championship. But expectations quickly changed. After beginning the season in Europe with three consecutive losses, the Rangers came home and picked it up. They went on to win 51 regular season games, earning them the top seed in the East. Suddenly, Lord Stanley’s Cup was in their, and the fans’, sights.
But the transformation into a true contender didn’t actually go according to plan. Their alleged new and improved offense was less than stellar - the Rangers ranked a middle-of-the-pack 11th in goals scored during the regular season. Neither Marian Gaborik (41 goals, 76 points) nor Richards (25 and 66) had star caliber years. Meanwhile, it was their supposedly subpar defense that went to work. While they had an obvious defensive backbone in Lundqvist, the rest of the bones seemed rather creaky. But through a combination of grit, determination and mettle among other various adjectives, the Rangers defense thrived, allowing just 182 goals during the regular season, third best in the league. As the playoffs arrived, Blue Shirt nation oozed confidence. But the playoffs didn’t turn out to be the delicious picnic that fans had been salivating over. Each of the first two series - against the Ottawa Senators and the Washington Capitals respectively - went the distance, leaving an exhausted Rangers squad to face their Tri-State nemeses, The New Jersey Devils, in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Rangers’ offense went missing, Lundqvist wasn’t quite perfect, and the Rangers fell to the Devils in 6 games. Losing is never fun, but Rangers’ fans must remember that they actually overachieved this season. They were expected to reach the playoffs as a lower seed and get bounced out in either the first or second round of the playoffs. Instead, they ended with the best record in the East and reached game 6 of the Conference Finals. Not too bad. Looking forward, the Rangers could use another forward. They have a nice set of offensive weapons: Gaborik, Richards, Ryan Callahan, Carl Hagelin (going into his sophomore season) and Chris Kreider (who was brought up from the AHL for the playoffs and has yet to play a regular season game in the NHL). But they lack a true offensive star. They may look to fill that void with unrestricted free agent Zach Parise (currently on those darned Devils), or Columbus Blue Jacket Rick Nash (who they tried to trade for mid-season). While defense was the main concern going into the season, the Rangers appear to have a solid group for years to come, with Dan Girardi, Marc Stall, Michael Del Zotto and breakout star Ryan McDonagh. All things considered, the days of the Rangers overachieving are over. Next season they will be fully expected to have similar regular season success and ultimately win the elusive Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994.
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Corey HOFFMAN
Age: 16 Syosset Braves Long Island Gulls Corey Hoffman was a member of the ‘96 Gulls National team that went to Nationals and made it to the semi finals. He has made the NYS USA Hockey development camp all 4 years and made the National camp this year. He was drafted in the 5th round of the USHL’s Futures draft by Sioux City. Corey also led the Varsity division in scoring as a 9th grader for the Syosset Braves with 63 points. His stats for this past season at High School, was 44 Goals 57 Assists for 101 points.
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L.A. KINGS WIN THEIR 1st By: Benjamin Horney
STANLEY CUP
F
or the first time in their 45-year history as an NHL franchise, the Los Angeles Kings are Stanley Cup champions. Normally, being crowned world champions is an exciting enough story - but here, it’s just the endnote of an unprecedented tale that led to the Kings finally becoming, well, Kings - in a season that literally defined the word “whirlwind.”
Flames Head Coach and General Manager Darryl Sutter. The Kings struggled through February, eventually making a controversial deal for Columbus Blue Jacket Right Winger Jeff Carter. After the trade, the Kings remem-
record and had made the Stanley Cup Finals last year. The Kings immediately set out to prove to the league that they were no joke, going up 3-0 on the Canucks, and disposing of the top seed in just five games. Then they swept the St. Louis Blues. After the Phoenix Coyotes managed just one win against the them in the conference finals, the Kings had just one more opponent standing between them and the franchises first ever Stanley Cup: The New Jersey Devils.
whirl·wind /ˈ(h)wərlˌwind /
For the first time in their 45-year history as an NHL franchise, the Los Angeles Kings are Stanley Cup champions.
1. Noun: A column of air moving rapidly around and around in a cylindrical or funnel shape. 2. Coming off last season’s quarter finals elimination, the Kings made a few significant moves in an attempt to upgrade their squad - such as the acquisitions of center Mike Richards and left winger Simon Gagne - so needless to say, expectations were high. Need further proof? Both Sports Illustrated and The Hockey News had the Kings as a top-four team in the Western Conference in their pre-season rankings.
bered how to score some goals, and marched through March with a 10-4-1 record, including a season-high stretch of six consecutive victories. The rest of the season was nail biting, to put it mildly.
However, the Kings quickly turned into the Jesters of the league. Despite their supposed offseason upgrades on offense, 29 games into the season the Kings were last in the league in goals scored per game, with a record of 13-12-4, sitting at 12th place in the 15-team Western Conference. In a desperate attempt to turn things around, they fired Head Coach Terry Murray, replacing him on an interim basis with Assistant Coach John Stevens. After a few games, there was officially a new sheriff in town - the former San Jose Sharks and Calgary
Each day, each win, each loss, brought the Kings either just into the playoff picture of just out of it. With back-to-back losses to the Sharks to end the season, the Kings slipped from the 7th seed to the 8th, barely clinging to that final spot. But when all was said and done, they had made the playoffs. And you know what they say about the playoffs: it’s a whole new season. They drew the Vancouver Canucks, who had the league’s best regular season
As with each series up to that point, the Kings jumped out to an early lead, winning the first three games, and the Stanley Cup seemed all but theirs. But the Devils punched back in game four with a 3-1 victory, and then in game five, winning 2-1. With the pressure back on the Kings, still up 3-2 in the series, it was time for game six in Los Angeles. The hype ended up being for naught. The game was no contest. With a 6-1 blowout, the Kings ended their championship drought and put the cap on a wild season – a season that started with promise, which turned into despair, yet somehow ended with the raising of the Stanley Cup. So there you have it, the definition of the word whirlwind. On second thought, maybe that second definition is a little long. 39 SUMMER 2012
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6
THE
WAYS
TO IMPROVE YOUR HOCKEY SKILLS OVER THE SUMMER By: Jeremy Rupke
H
ow great would it be to step onto the ice next season and be BETTER than the last time you played?
Well it is quite possible and the summer time is a great time to sharpen some of your skills. The only thing that is coming in
Off-Ice Shooting • You don’t need ice-time to work on your shot, in fact last summer I improved my slapshot by 20 MPH (yeah it was terrible before) by simply training with a radar gun and making note of what improved my power and what didn’t. What was the trick? There was no trick, I just got a radar gun and made a commitment to shoot 100 pucks a day (taking some days off of course). While shooting my muscles naturally became better, stronger and more effecient at performing the slapshot. I was training them while shooting over and over, and the radar gun helped me notice my improvements and motivated me to keep shooting. • For this skill I recommend a shooting pad and a radar gun
between you improving over the summer is yourself! Below I have made a list of 6 ways you can improve.
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Off-Ice Stickhandling
• Stickhandling is easy to practice at home as long as you have something smooth to stickhandle on. • Quick stickhandling tips (for the lazy) o Practice “quick hands”or dribbling, moving the puck from forehand to backhand as quickly as possible. This keeps the puck moving and the other players thinking. o Practice moving the puck around your entire body • Practice moving the puck quickly from one area of your body to the next (front to back, side to side, front to side, etc) • For off-ice stickhandling I recommend a few hockey pucks, the Green Biscuit and a shooting pad. Stickhandling balls are also a lot of fun
Leg Training
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Play Other Sports
Playing sports that keep your muscles working will help you maintain fast reflexes and good overall strength and speed. Some sports like lacrosse and ball hockey or roller hockey have skills that carry over to hockey. Even something simple like tennis, squash, or soccer can help because they require fast movements, rapid change in direction and hand eye coordination. Unfortunately I don’t think golf will help much.
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Go to a hockey Camp!
Hockey camp is a great way for kids and adults to learn a few new skills and work on sharpening the skills they already have. If you are an adult there are lots of great hockey camps out there too.
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It is not too easy to improve your skating technique during the summer (unless you can get ice time) however it is easy to improve your leg power and acceleration. This is a great way to come back next year as a faster hockey player, I think acceleration is a very important skill to have if you want to get more scoring chances so this is a big one to work on. If you want to improve your hockey speed, you have to train your muscles to work in the same way they work on the ice. Short bursts of speed and explosive movements will help improve your leg strength and speed. Wind sprints are a good way to improve your explosive speed too.
I know that for some people this might be very hard, but even if you can’t play an organized game of hockey, get to a public session or puck shoot; something!!! Just try your best to get on the ice at some point this summer.
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Get some Ice Time
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Jeremy Rupke runs the website HowToHockey.com. The website is filled with helpful articles and videos that were created to help hockey players improve their skills and learn more about the great game of Hockey. Jeremy has been playing hockey since he could walk and will continue to play until he can barely walk. He is a passionate student (and teacher) of the game. 45 SUMMER 2012
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