Hockey Edmonton Mag - Spring 2014 by Suggitt Publishers

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

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TABLE OF

CONTENTS Credits

President and Publisher Rob Suggitt Art Director Christine Kucher Graphic Designers Cailey Buxton Cole McKelvie

Contributing Writers Shari Narine | Rob Suggitt | Lorna Schultz-Nicholson Cover Photo Provided by Epic Photography

Copy Editing Shari Narine

Photography Credits Andy Devlin - Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club © Marko Ditkun - Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club © Elena Kolpakova | Getty Images Epic Photography Katelyn Suggitt Administration Suzanne Peacock Playhouse Publications Ltd. also publishes the Citadel Theatre Playbill, Edmonton Opera Playbill, Arden Theatre Playbill, Fringe Theatre Adventures Arts at the Barns Magazine and the Calgary Opera Program

President’s Message

Publisher’s Message

Edmonton NW To The Olympics By Shari Narine

12. NHL Referee Brad Watson By Rob Suggitt 16. Shoot For Food By Shari Narine 20. Double Gold: Quantity and Quality By Lorna Schultz-Nicholson 25. HockeyShot Tip of the Month

10177 - 105 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E2 Ph: 780-423-5834 • Fax: 780-413-6185 The Hockey Edmonton Magazine is a product of Playhouse Publications Ltd., an affiliate of Suggitt Group Ltd.

President & CEO Tom Suggitt President & CFO Rob Suggitt All rights reserved. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed within do not necessarily represent the opinions of the publisher or Hockey Edmonton. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. www.Suggitt.com Printed by: R.R. Donnelley

27. Arena Locator Map 28. Memories of 2014 Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

MESSAGE FROM HOCKEY EDMONTON Congratulations to the 2014 Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week Champions, it’s an accomplishment and memory that you’ll treasure for decades. Also, congratulations to the organizing committee for another successful event. The electronic scheduling and updates on the website made this event even better. Thank you to Denshel and especially Ray Vigneau for your diligence in getting this done. The Wayne Gretzky Scholarships were awarded to three extremely worthy recipients: Zach Turner, Knights of Columbus Shamrocks; Lukian Kruhlak, SE508 Midget; and Taylor Lashyn, North Edmonton Red Wings. On behalf of our coaches and the hockey players they work with, our thanks are extended to the Edmonton Oilers and especially the Edmonton Oil Kings for their leadership and continued support of amateur hockey through fundraising initiatives like the 50-50 programs and, even more so, the hosting and involvement of so many of our teams on a nightly basis. The in-game experiences contribute greatly to our teams’ development and, no doubt, are memorable for all. Hockey Edmonton and ENMAX Corporation recently announced that ENMAX will be the first official sponsor of the 2014 ENMAX Hockey Edmonton City Championships. This is the first time Hockey Edmonton has secured a major sponsor for the Championships, which will run from March 1 - 20, 2014 and features 527 participating teams from Edmonton and surrounding communities. The Fourth Annual Stollery Family Day Classic was even more outstanding than the first three. Thanks to Steve Serdachny, the SFDC committee, all the SFDC volunteers as well as the Stollery Children’s Hospital staff and volunteers who helped to make this event so successful and contribute to our community in so many ways. We appreciate the opportunity to partner in an event that is completely focused on children, families, active living and good health; and promotes awareness and support for the Stollery Children’s hospital among our youth and community at large. Portions of the event proceeds support the Hockey Edmonton SFour Individual Skills Development Program. Thanks to all the dedicated instructors who provide excellent instruction at these sessions. The month of March will be busy for Hockey Edmonton. As we wrap up the season with the traditional playoffs, we’re also getting ready to host the annual Timbits Jamboree at TCRC on March 15-17. This year’s Jamboree features upwards of 118 teams. Thanks to Tim Hortons and the organizing committee for your assistance with another of our flagship events. Hockey Edmonton is heavily vested in the 2014 Investors Group Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships this season – hosting Female Peewee A (March 20-23 at Castledowns Arena); Bantam AA Major (March 13-16 at Castledowns Arena) and Midget AA Minor (March 20-23 at Callingwood Arena). As well our Peewee Tiers 1 & 2, Bantam Tiers 1 & 2, and Midget Tier 2 teams male and female will be competing in championships across the province. Come out and join us! To the participants good luck and have fun! Hockey Edmonton and Hockey Alberta have partnered to bring forward the first Try Hockey program.This is a six-week program offered to kids who want to try hockey. It has proved to be a big hit and the program is full with 42 participants. It is a goal of Hockey Edmonton to do more of these events next season. As we near the end of the season and start planning for 2014-2015 our executive committee and board of directors continue to work on key initiatives identified in our strategic plan. Our ice committee, development team, and boundary review committee are working diligently on new standards and incorporating LTAD philosophies that will allow us to better shape and deliver our various hockey programs and initiatives. Hockey Edmonton will continue to be active in this area; from facilitation of educational sessions, through program review and inclusion of LTAD principles in new standards of play. These LTAD principles are core to all current and future Hockey Edmonton program decisions. Thanks to all the volunteers that have been involved in one or more of these processes. We aim to create quality programs that teach the fundamentals and techniques of hockey, while promoting and upholding the principles of good sportsmanship and fair play. We do this with the selfless dedication of thousands of volunteers. Thank you to all coaches, managers, referees, volunteers and parents for another great year of hockey. Your contributions, have been invaluable.

Respectfully, Betty Chmilar President, Hockey Edmonton

2013-2014 Executive and League Directors 10618 - 124 St., Edmonton, AB T5N 1S3 Ph: (780) 413-3498 • Fax: (780) 440-6475

www.hockeyedmonton.ca To contact any of the Executive or Standing Committees please visit our website

President: Betty Chmilar Past President: Lorne MacDonald VP Admin: Mark Doram VP Operations: Vacant VP Development: Chris Hurley, Stephen Anderson Treasurer: Barry Bentz Junior Chairman: George Metez Federation Chairman: Kasey Kozicky AA Chairman: Will Jang General Manager: Dean Hengel Administrator: Loree Dawson Finance: Sharon Fleming

Standing Committees Hockey Alberta Director(s): Paul Schmidt | Lorne MacDonald Hockey Alberta Manager of Operations: Betty Chmilar Hockey Edmonton Alumni President: Orest Zaozirny Registrar: Nadine Shimizu Ice: Bernie Coderre Discipline & Sanctioning: Marg Brownoff Minor Hockey Week: Marvin Babiuk School Hockey: Jason Stewart Recreational Hockey League: Murray McKinnon Referee Representatives: Herman Costa (AA) | Duncan MacDougall (Federation)

League Directors

Federation Hockey Council Midget: Terry Fulmer Bantam: Art Wilson Pee Wee: Crystal Feader Atom: David Onyschuk Novice: Lil Kordic Initiation: TBA

AA Council Bantam AAA: Ed Croken Bantam AA: Russ Lukawesky Major Midget AAA: Bob Olynyk Minor Midget AAA: Mike Grekul Midget AA: Stephan Anderson Rem 15 Midget AA: Mike Hennessey

Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week Committee Chair: Marvin Babiuk Past Chairpersons: Joan Kirillo | Rod McMahon | Terry Brown Vice Chairperson: Bill Renshaw Treasurer: Deb Bykowski Secretary: Ana Bennett Website: Doug Kirillo Central: Bill Ross Schedules: Darrell Davis Sponsorship & Marketing: Marvin Babiuk

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

“Our championships have grown over the years and we felt that a partnership with a respected company like ENMAX would enhance our event and assist teams to reduce their overall operating costs,” said Betty Chmilar, president of Hockey Edmonton. With ENMAX already sponsoring other Alberta minor hockey initiatives, it was the perfect connection for Hockey Edmonton, Chmilar added. ENMAX ‘s contribution to Hockey Edmonton includes hoodies for all novice players to wear during the season, championships and beyond; additional dollars for each novice team to reduce the cost of hockey, augment team operations, or use towards upcoming tournaments; funds to help cover additional ice time for Hockey Edmonton teams; and sponsorship funds for the 2014 ENMAX Hockey Edmonton City Championships. “We look forward to this exciting partnership with Hockey Edmonton to support players in their quest to be the best on the ice,” said ENMAX President and CEO Gianna Manes. ENMAX has supported minor hockey across Alberta for the past 14 years.

For the first time ever, the Hockey Edmonton City Championships have a major sponsor. ENMAX Corporation has given funding and its name to the championships, which will run from March 1 - 20, 2014, and feature 527 participating teams from Edmonton and surrounding communities.

That support has included Pond Hockey, a program for atom level hockey players where local atom teams and their local NHL/WHL hockey team come out for a night of drills, skills and shinny. “It’s an opportunity for kids throughout the province to play exciting games with their WHL and NHL heroes,” said Manes. ENMAX is supporting 211 minor hockey teams in 13 different Alberta locations this year. Of these, 118 novice teams are participating in the ENMAX Hockey Edmonton City Championships.

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PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE Welcome to our final edition of the Hockey Edmonton Magazine for the 2013-2014 season. This is our Yearbook Edition of the magazine, which features the gold medal winning teams from 2014 Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week. Additionally, we have included a few “spotlights” on players who won gold medals during this event. And speaking of gold, Lorna Schultz-Nicholson has provided an excellent “inside” report featuring the Canadian men’s and women’s hockey teams’ success at the Sochi Olympics. Local players played a key role in winning gold for Canada, including Jay Bouwmeester on the men’s team, and Shannon Szabados and Meaghan Mikkelson on the women’s team. (Edmonton-born Ken Hitchcock was part of the coaching staff, and Kevin Lowe from the Oilers was part of the management group.) On the officiating side of things, local linesman Chris Carlson joined the top officials in the world in Sochi (a number who officiate full time in the NHL), and was chosen to do the lines for the bronze medal game in Sochi. In wrapping up this issue, we also have a feature interview with one of the NHL’s top referees – Brad Watson. Watson has officiated the last two NHL playoffs, which is a testament to his stature as an NHL referee. I met up with Brad in Red Deer, as he was making his way from Calgary to Edmonton between games. Originally, our interview was going to take place in Calgary or Edmonton, but when Brad found out that I was “stuck” in Red Deer coaching in a tournament there, he took time out of his busy schedule to accommodate the interview at this midpoint location. Very courteous and classy move by one of the top officials in the game! It’s a “gold medal” issue of the Hockey Edmonton Magazine! From minor hockey players who play for gold in Minor Hockey Week to our Olympic teams who played (and won gold) on the world stage! Hope you enjoy!

Sincerely, Rob Suggitt Publisher, Hockey Edmonton Magazine

DO YOU

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MINOR

HOCKEY

STORY

We are always open to suggestions for articles and stories, and in particular, at the minor hockey level. If you have a suggestion for a story, please pass it along to publisher@hockeymagazine.net.

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“I think it speaks very highly of the calibre of the hockey officiating program in Edmonton,” said Duncan MacDougall, who has been referee coordinator for the North West Zone Hockey Association since 1981. Carlson follows in the footsteps of two other Edmonton officials, George McCorry in Albertville, France (1992) and Kevin Acheson in Salt Lake City (2002). Carlson has been a linesman for the Western Hockey League since 2002. He also holds down a full time job as an employee for Yellow Pages. The most challenging part on being on the ice in the Olympics with primarily NHL-players was the speed and skill of the game, says Carlson. Each game, like in the NHL, had two referees and two linesmen.

When the 2014 Winter Olympics began, Chris Carlson was sitting in the comfort of his own living room in Edmonton watching the opening ceremonies. But before those ended, he was on his way to the airport and then, 35 hours and a few flight connections later, on Feb. 9 Carlson was in the heart of it all in Sochi, Russia. By the time the Olympics were finished, Carlson had served as linesman for the bronze medal game for men’s hockey between the United States and Finland. He had also done lines for the Finland and Sweden quarter final match-up. It is a long way for a boy, who started officiating in 1994 in the North West Zone of the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association when he was 13 to have traveled! At the end of November 2013, Carlson learned he had been selected as a linesman for hockey action in the Olympics. “It was a very proud moment for me in officiating. I have worked hard to get to this point and couldn’t have done it without the support of my family. The selection was the culmination of the hard work and sacrifice over the years,” he said. It was also a proud moment for Edmonton officials.

“With the best players in the world on the ice at the same time you have to be mentally sharp all game and can’t take your focus off what is going on in the game,” he said. Carlson’s name was put forward by Hockey Canada. Last August, he and three other Canadians made the trip to Switzerland to attend a tryout camp, which was put on by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The camp was geared to prospective Olympic officials from the ranks of amateur hockey. Carlson and a linesman from Ontario were the Canadians who made the 2014 Sochi Olympic cut. “All of these candidates are considered to be top officials in their respective club leagues,” said IIHF officiating manager Konstantin Komissarov in a statement. “We made our decisions on three main criteria: physical conditioning, performance in their respective national championships, and their ability to work in a team.” For Carlson, it is a natural progression as he has been part of Hockey Canada Officiating Program of Excellence development program. “I definitely wouldn’t be (at the Olympics) if it wasn’t for the commitment to developing officials in the EMHA. I am thankful for all that the program has done for me in getting my start in officiating,” said Carlson. Carlson officiated his first IIHF event in 2008, working the Under 18 Division 3 in Mexico City. In 2010 he worked the Under 18s in

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

Belarus; then it was on to the World Championship in Slovakia in 2011; in 2012, he traveled between Calgary and Edmonton for the World Juniors; and last year, he officiated at the World Championship in Sweden. “Those tournaments were all very special to be a part of and were all big parts of my development in being selected to work the Olympics. Here in Sochi, this is for sure the pinnacle of my international experience,” said Carlson. Carlson stayed with other officials and representatives from every sport at the Hotel Bogatyr inside the Olympic grounds. “The most rewarding part has been being part of the team of officials we have here at the games. We’re together all day for two weeks so there are definitely memories that I will have for my whole life both on and off the ice,” he said. Carlson flew home on Feb. 24. What will follow this Olympic experience is unclear for Carlson. “This assignment means a lot to me to be part of the Olympic Games and the experience will help in my development as an official. Wherever it takes me is not in my control but it is for sure an honour to be here representing the strong officiating program that we have in Canada,” he said. As far as MacDougall is concerned, “I would say that Chris’ selection ranks him at the top of the amateur hockey linesmen in Canada.”

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

If you asked hockey fans who the top NHL referees were, most would have a hard time coming up with a name. Conversely, if you asked hockey fans which NHL referees they disliked, they would probably give you the name (or names) of the officials who last officiated their “home” team’s most recent loss. But if you’re looking for the top NHL officials (just like the teams), you should check which referees made it to the Stanley Cup Final. And if you do, you will find Brad Watson’s name at the top of the list. Officials are chosen on merit, with only the top 20 NHL referees making it to the playoffs. Each round whittles down the number, until the Stanley Cup playoffs, for which only four linesmen and four referees are selected for this honour. (And extra pay as each round of playoffs earns NHL officials extra money.) Since 2003, Watson has officiated seven Stanley Cup finals, including five of the last eight, and most recently, the finals in 2012 and 2013. That’s impressive! Watson is one of the NHL’s most senior referees, starting his professional career nearly 20 years ago. He began in the AHL, and then, in 1999, was called up to work full time in the NHL. Not unlike other top officials in the game, Watson played minor hockey before making the switch. He played in Regina up to juvenile and then a friend got him officiating at 16 years old. He worked his way through the Regina minor ranks before starting to do lines in the Western Hockey League in 1984. He was three years as a linesman in the WHL and six years as a referee.

“Some of that was a crossover as a trainee in the AHL program, and in ‘93, I got offered a contract from the NHL,” recalled Watson. He made the decision to be a referee after the ’86 Memorial Cup, which he worked as a linesman. He was passed up for a camp, which Mike Cvik, Shane Heyer and Brad Lazarowich, also linesman at the Memorial Cup, were chosen to attend. “They all got picked, and they were big guys. I wasn’t that big,” said Watson. “I said, “You know what – I’m going to try refereeing.” And I enjoyed it – it was just a natural progression. I started in the Saskatchewan Junior League. I got my Level Six in 1988 (in the CHA), and then I was doing the Western League.” Watson remembers his call-up to do his first NHL game, which isn’t officially recognized as his first NHL game. It was a standby assignment in Ottawa, with Rob Schick working and John D’Amico as supervisor.

“Schick ended up getting hurt in the second period, so D’Amico told me to get ready. After the second period, the injured Schick asked me if I could finish the game for him, and I said ‘I’d love to,’ so I went out and did the third period, but I never got credit for it,” said Watson, laughing. Watson’s first assigned and official NHL game was in Pittsburgh with the Penguins taking on the Ottawa Senators. “I remember the Penguins were on a five-on-three power play with Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis up front, and they were passing around the puck like a tennis ball. I was mesmerized (for a moment), and then I said to myself you have to get back in this game. I was in awe with the talent on the ice,” he said.

If the game were called then like it is today, Watson says about Lemieux’s tally, “You have to think he would be in the 200 point range the way we call the game today. In the past, you could have a third line centre or a third or fourth line checker, and they could neutralize a first line player. I remember how Tikannen used to go up to Gretzky (when they played on different teams), and just stick his stick between the legs of Gretzky, and Gretzky would try to get away, and he had to hop and skip to get away, and you know what – we’ve cleaned that up so much, and rightfully so.” The big difference in the game today is in the defensive zone, said Watson, with better defensive systems and better goaltending equipment. Another big change in the game was the introduction of the two-man referee system, which turned out to be a great opportunity for Watson. “When I got hired full time (in 1999), they brought in eight of us to do the two-man system. I didn’t get hired until I was 37, and before that, I thought I might be lucky to work until I was about 45. When the two-referee system came in, it created more opportunity to work longer.” The removal of the red line has necessitated a change to the two-man referee system. “It just added to the speed (of the game), because the red line slowed guys down. But now, it really speeds things up, and generates a lot of offense and excitement. “ Watson credits Andy Van Hellemond with providing him with the opportunity to work the playoffs early in his career. “I think I was in the league four years and I got the opportunity to work the 2003 finals, and I took advantage of it. It was New Jersey versus Anaheim, and it went seven games. This was the series when Kariya got smoked by Stevens. I was about 10 feet away from the hit, and at the time, it was ‘keep your head up guy’ and that’s an example of how the game’s changed.” As the game has changed so has Watson

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

How has physical training changed for officials? I think from when I started (20 years ago), it’s changed quite a bit. Dave Smith is our fitness guy and he gives us a program to follow. And he says I’m not trying to bug you guys, I’m trying to prolong your career, and that’s always stuck with me. Everyone tries to watch what they eat. Travel’s hard. In the summer I train harder than I ever have. If you can stay in shape, if you can stay out there with these guys, who are so young and so fast, it’s a challenge. I try to work harder than I ever did to prove I belong out there still.

What advice would you give to young minor hockey officials?

as is evidenced by the call to work the two Stanley Cup finals before the 2004-2005 lockout and then the next three cup finals following the lockout, with the new enforcement of the rules - no more clutching, grabbing, etc. - in place. The toughest part of the job, said Watson, is “probably the travel – the constant waiting in line – airports, hotels – it’s boring. Being away from your family – you’re not home much.” But he does enjoy the cities and having grown up in Regina, appreciates returning to Western Canada. “This is hockey country – Edmonton, Calgary – so I don’t mind coming up for 10 days if I have to. If it’s cold – big deal!” As Watson is quick to point out, being an NHL referee is a tremendous job. “I love it. The games themselves – it’s great! Every night is a different challenge in this business. That’s the beauty of this job. Everyone goes ‘well it’s an easy game, or a routine game.’ I go ‘you know what – every night something different can happen, so you have to be ready.’”

For younger guys, I can appreciate what they do, especially when I’m back watching minor hockey and see how some of the parents act. You have to enjoy it. But you have to give effort, be prepared. When I was a young kid working in Regina and I used to work like a bantam game or a midget game, and that was like the highest level I worked, that used to by my Stanley Cup. I worked hard and I believed in showing effort, and when you give effort usually people will work with you (rather than complain) because they see you working hard. Hey– I’ve made a lot of mistakes and that’s the nature of this business. You get further ahead by respecting the game, and working your hardest. And kids need to be open-minded and learn from their mistakes. And you’re going out there to enjoy it. That’s the best thing I got out of the job when I was working the juniors. I never got to play at that level – when I was 17, I was like 5’2,” so my hockey (playing) career never took off. And I’m not saying it ever would have, but I enjoyed the sport so much. I learned so much when I was doing junior hockey. I learned how the game was played and being around some good coaching and having some good mentors in the officiating business, I became a student of the game. And I love it. I go into work tomorrow (Edmonton) and I’m looking forward to it. I love seeing some of these kids play, because they’re so good. It’s a great sport. There’s a rush to it.

What was it like officiating your 1,000th game? It was awesome! There was a pregame ceremony which included my wife Amy, daughter Genabeth and son Reid. My son skated with me on the ice and dressed in a #23 referee jersey just like his dad. We joined my wife and daughter on a red carpet where NHL Director of Officiating Stephen Walkom presented me with a crystal from the league. Team captains from Toronto and Colorado presented me with team signed sticks. It was very nicely done. It was great having my family on the ice for the presentation. After all, it’s them that sacrifice so much over the years with the amount I travel. So this was as much for them as it was for me. My dad, two sisters and brother (along with their spouses) flew in for the game, as did a few friends from out of town. My wife brought 15 of my jerseys and there was an entire row of referees in the crowd. It looked great from the ice. I really enjoyed the game and feel proud that I reached 1,000 games. We celebrated the milestone with friends and family. All in all it was three days of laughter and memories. I worked with referee #3 Mike Leggo, linesmen #56 Mark Wheler and #74 Lonnie Cameron. We all worked junior hockey together in the WHL, so I felt it would be fitting to have them work my 1,000th game together. (And the NHL made it happen.) It meant a lot having close friends work a special game.

What was it like officiating the outdoor game which took place at Dodger Stadium in January? It was a wonderful experience! The warm weather made the event so enjoyable. The best part for my family (my wife and kids joined me for this trip) was the family skate the night before the game. Everyone enjoyed touring Dodger Stadium and skating on the rink. The night of the game was outstanding. When I skated on the ice and looked around at all the fans, it was truly unique. The rink seemed so small when you looked at the rows of seats that are set a fair distance from the boards. The ice was very good, as it’s always a concern in games played outdoors. There was a lot of pregame excitement. It was good once the puck dropped for the opening faceoff and we had a hockey game. There were so many distractions prior to the game, but it was nice to have it start. The game itself was a typical season game between two rivals. The teams played hard and you knew right away this wasn’t an exhibition game. There were times when you would catch yourself gazing around at the surroundings during a stoppage of play. I wanted to take it all in – it was an awesome setting from the ice level. All in all the entire experience is something that my family and I will never forget.

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

Mark Doram can’t say enough about the young hockey players who gave their time – both on the ice and off – to help out the local food bank. “We really want to thank Millwoods and North Seera for all their hard work,” said Doram, who is director of operations for the Edmonton Food Bank. Doram was at the fifth annual Shoot for Food game which took place Feb. 19 in a packed Millwoods arena between atom teams from both associations. The game raised $3,300 and 380 kg of goods for the food bank. Proceeds from the 50/50 and raffle still have to come in. Mark Brown, president of the Millwoods Hockey Association, started the venture five years ago when his daughter’s Millwoods hockey team hit the same neighbourhood twice in one season to raise funds. “We were doing a lot of fundraising for tournaments and I thought maybe it was time we saw what we could do to give back to the community,” said Brown. He spoke to then MHA president Doug Brown, who supported the idea and helped get it off the ground. The first three years involved teams from MHA only. Last year, Brown reached out to his counterpart in North Seera and Brian Petkau jumped on board with the project. This is the second year the two associations have been on the ice together and the second season their players have hit the streets in the southeast part of the city collecting donations and goods for the food bank. Each year the giving has increased.

It is something the food bank appreciates as Doram notes there is a long time between the Christmas giving, which is always generous, and the food bank’s next main fundraiser, Heritage Days in August.

it’s important for them to appreciate what the community does for them,” he said. Prior to the game, Brown says discussions are held in the dressing rooms with the players about the cause they are skating for. “If we can instill the value in the kids at this young age, I guess they can appreciate it going forward,” said Brown. “It’s a pay it forward from a kids’ perspective.” Doram is in full agreement, saying, “Something like this really starts their road on to philanthropy and realizing there are people out there who aren’t as fortunate as they are.” Doram also praises the organizers, parents and community for putting in all the time that is needed to make Shoot for Food a success. For Brown, it is a family event. Daughters Kaitlynn, 13, helped throughout while Gracie, 7, walked with Oil Kings’ mascot Louie the Lion and handed out candy. Wife Terri sold raffle tickets. Ice time at the Millwoods arena was paid for by MHA and the referees didn’t charge to officiate.

“The shelves start to get a little thin around May, June and hunger just doesn’t happen at Christmas time. It’s happening throughout the year,” he said. Each month the Edmonton Food Bank serves 13,000 plus people in the city and area and 40 per cent of those are children.

Brown’s dream is to have Shoot for Food become an annual event for all Hockey Edmonton teams.

“Those 40 per cent could never probably dream of playing hockey. They’re just hoping there’s going to be a meal put on the table,” said Doram.

“Ideally it would be a Hockey Night in Canada Shoot for Food night. It would be just fabulous,” he said. For Doram, it would be just one more good thing minor hockey has done.

Brown says having the young hockey players involved in helping out the food bank teaches them value.

“Sometimes hockey gets a bad rap with things that happen and here’s a case where these kids have gone out and really helped the community,” he said.

“They need to appreciate that not only their parents sacrifice for them, because it’s a big financial burden to put kids through sports, especially hockey, but we’re always calling on the community. I think

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Hockey Edmonton Magazine

If you want to get a groan of complaint out of young hockey players, simply pull the pylons out of the equipment bag. They’ve been around since the days when Eaton’s catalogues substituted for shin pads. They serve a purpose, of course. But skating and passing drills are tedious, with or without pylons. Inventor, hockey coach and parent Joe Quinn knows as well as anyone that hockey practice can be a bore. Kids, after all, want to play, not work on the fundamentals. Knowing that were had to be a better way to do elite level training that didn’t involve pylons and tires and sticks lying on the ice , Quinn invested 10 years of on-ice trial and innovative sessions to come up with something entirely different — the Power Edge Pro System. (PEP).

opponents that create resistance to challenge players to elevate puck control and edge control over, under and around the PEP devices in quick succession. “You can forever change the apparatus,” says Quinn. “It’s never the same thing twice. Every kid challenges themselves against that piece of equipment.” The key to the PEP program is that the kids progressively challenge themselves, just as they would if they were playing a video game where they complete one level, and go onto the next.

“Using on-ice apparatus that only PEP has, PEP is a progressive training system with unique skating patterns that produce results in such skills as speed, acceleration, balance, agility and quickness. “

With the assistance of Don MacAdam, who has coached in Europe, Asia, the NHL with a Stanley Cup winner — and who has co-authored six books on hockey conditioning — PEP has grown steadily and has gained thousands of fans on the ice and in the stands. MacAdam and Quinn knew that kids want to have fun and be challenged, that coaches want to train at an elite level, and parents want maximum value for their hard-earned hockey dollars. The Power Edge Pro System accomplishes all those goals. The skating patterns and training methods are exclusive to Power Edge Pro, using a patent-pending training system that can be found only through Power Edge Pro. Key to the success of PEP is the fact that the players have the puck on their sticks through the entire training session, which helps develop elite skating and superior stick and puck control. Using on-ice apparatus that only PEP has, PEP is a progressive training system with unique skating patterns that produce results in such skills as speed, acceleration, balance, agility and quickness. Scott Smith is the Edmonton-area trainer of the Power Edge Pro system. He says most coaches don’t have the time or the ability to teach the skills, as so much of precious practice time is taken up on practicing game skills. This is where PEP comes in, with its unique equipment. In the PEP system, multiple PEP training apparatus are placed on the ice in a variety of different positions, depending on the skill being taught. Players work on challenging skills patterns to stimulate decision-making and creativity. The PEP tools are like imaginary

“You can just see it in their eyes,” he says. “If they make a mistake, they say ‘no, just one more’.” While Smith says most kids hate power skating lessons, the PEP system incorporates elements of power skating, but in a fun way.

“There are some drills where kids have to jump and if they don’t land on their proper edges, they fall. In time, they subliminally learn the correct way to land. It’s more fun for them, and more challenging.” Stick handling, puck control, edge control and conditioning are all part and parcel of the PEP sessions. And it’s a workout — kids are exhausted, but happy, by the end o a session, Smith says. Over the years of coaching, he’s heard countless times from kids complaining about practice and asking when it’s going to end — after 10 minutes! But with Power Edge Pro, Smith says the kids just want to keep going. There’s the element of challenge and progression in every drill that keeps the kids interested. “It’s kind of like a video game, where they’re trying to get to the next level.” How much do kids love the Power Edge Pro System? Smith offers up a letter from a parent who attended one of his camps in August: “He absolutely loved it!!! He asked me last night if you are running camps in the fall, he even offered to pay for it himself from his savings. He said it was challenging, but fun and encouraging, because he noticed improvements with each session. As parents and spectators, we noticed his improvements in his skating, puck handling and confidence in the game.”

Players who hope to take their game to the next level should also be aware that the International Scouting Service is using Power Edge Pro techniques for its on-ice development. “The program will play a huge roll as kids approaching their bantam draft years will find this development beneficial,” says Smith. “PEP will be used in future combines coming to Edmonton and throughout Canada as the on-ice technical portion of the combines for the evaluations of the prospects.”

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

To win two gold medals in hockey at one Olympics is hard enough, but Canada has done this impressive feat in three out of four Olympics (2002, 2010 and 2014). I was there for all three of those Olympics and most recently in Sochi, Russia. Heading into the 2014 Olympics there were question marks. Could the women pull it off after losing over and over to the USA in pre-Olympic play? Did Canada have the right players for the men’s team to beat power-house teams like Russia, Sweden, Finland and USA? Canada had weak goaltending. Or so they said. I arrived in Sochi to find a totally different Olympics than the gloom I had expected. The beautiful grounds reminded me of Disneyland and the arenas were magnificent buildings. I couldn’t wait for the hockey to begin. The women started and finished first. Wow, is all I can say about our Canadian/US women’s gold medal game. Okay, let’s also add crazy, insane and unbelievable. Oh, and totally Canadian. Being in that arena for their final game is a forever memory. Going into the third down by a 1-0 score is okay, not great, but still doable. Canadian family and friends chatted in between the period. We just need one, we said. When the US scored early in the third on a power play, we groaned. We were supposed to score after the puck dropped! The energy in the arena plummeted and we sat like stiff sticks, watching, waiting for that all-important first goal. I said to Coach Kevin Dineen’s wife, “If we score one, we could get two.” She nodded nervously.

Time ticked by. It looked bleak.Then with 3:26 left in the game Brianne Jenner rifled a shot that made the red light glow. The crowd hugged and we yelled. Go Canada Go bounced off the rafters. We screamed as if Canada had tied the game. Still down by one, Coach Dineen took a risk and pulled Shannon Szabados with 1:38 left on the clock. Please, I muttered, don’t get an empty-netter. When the lineswoman got in the way on the blue line, and the puck careened toward our net, the arena hushed. It hit the post and we gasped. What if it had gone in? Disastrous ending. Team Canada refused to lose that way or any way. With just 56.4 seconds left Marie-Philip Poulin slapped the puck in the net. We were on our feet, arms in the air! The Zamboni took to the ice for the overtime period and we were jittery, our hearts racing. We shook our heads. My friend Sam checked his heart rate with some app on his phone. The period started and the play was frantic. Canada got a penalty. US got a penalty. Then Hayley Wickenheiser was on a breakaway. Could this veteran player score? Yanked down by the US, Wickenheiser didn’t get the chance but she drew a penalty. Skilled Poulin found the net again. The girls went crazy! And so did the fans! In the box where the men’s team was sitting, Marty St. Louis ran around high-fiving everyone. Post-game, I chatted with Coach Dineen. He said when he looked down his bench with five minutes left, the girls said, “Don’t worry Coach, we got this.” They never gave up he said. They believed. This team had been through so much adversity leading up to the Olympics. In December, just months before the Olympics, their coach resigned. Dineen (a former NHL player/captain and coach) happened to be in the right place at the right time. He took less than 24 hours to say yes to coaching women, something he had never done. After the gold medal game, he said, “It was the best day of my hockey career. What a quality group of women.”

ended tied 1-1 many of us were worried. We nattered that if we lost in overtime, we would play Russia in the quarter-finals. Dangerous. I’ve been to many international tournaments and the quarters are deadly and there’s always an upset. You win you stay; you lose you go home. When Drew Doughty scored his second goal to win the game in OT, coaches, managers and family members (who had flown a long way), breathed a sigh of relief. After the game, over drinks, people wrote on scraps of paper trying to figure out the next set of games and who Canada could end up playing in quarters. We’d escaped the qualification round. I’m sure, back home in Canada the sports shows were doing the same thing and also hashing and rehashing. Word trickled; we would play the winner of Swiss-Latvia. The defensive Swiss team could be a challenge. Latvia might be easier but the Swiss would probably take them. The first upset happened. Latvia beat the Swiss. Had Canada drawn an easy card? Think again. The NHL players had flown over on chartered flights and one plane was leaving Sochi the morning after the quarters. Family members received the memo under the door before the game that included instructions on where to drop bags in case of a loss. No one wanted to be on that plane. The game started and I think many of us were shocked. Latvia came out fighting. They held our guys along the boards, tugged at jerseys and smothered Canada. The Canadian players tried to make space to move. When Patrick Sharp scored, I breathed. Would we run away with the game? But then Latvia scored. The Russian fans (Russia had lost earlier to Finland) cheered loudly for Latvia! Now the game could be won or lost on a bad bounce. Marie-Philip Poulin is now the female Paul Henderson. Will this game become that “talked” about women’s game? Hope so! Now, let’s move on to our men. Canada’s first game was against Norway. We all thought Canada would thump them. But Norway played tough along the boards and physical. They hustled and buzzed and kept Canada from running up the score. In the end a win is a win. Next up was Austria and that proved to be a much easier game with a 6-0 win. Still, everyone was thinking that we hadn’t had much competition yet. Canada’s third and final round-robin game was against Finland. I sat in the stands knowing this was their first big test. Canada took to the ice with confidence. But the Fins played strategic hockey and didn’t give Canada many scoring opportunities. We scored first. Then they scored to tie it up. I kept waiting for more. When the game

The second period was scoreless. Family and friends were worried. Over halfway through the period Shea Weber scored on a power play. The game ended 2-1. I ran into Jonathon Toews’ mother after the game and she said if we had of lost to the 11th ranked Latvia she was going directly to her cottage. She didn’t want to hear negative comments about her son and the team. Canada’s coaches, however, said the Canadian bench wasn’t nervous. For them, another goal was just a matter of time. The situation is always different from the stands. Team Canada was now heading into the semi-final against the US as the underdogs. This game was a spectacular show. The pace was fast, the skill unbelievable, and the goaltending outstanding. To see this game played live, with such precision, was mesmerizing. Canada clearly dominated and played an almost flawless game. With a 1-0 victory Canada was in the gold medal game.

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

Okay, I want to add a few things here. After the OT Finland game Sidney Crosby was randomly selected to drug test. Because of this he was late to leave. We gave him a ride to the hotel so he could quickly meet up with his family. When he got in the van, wearing his Canada hat and sweats, he talked a little about the game. “We’ll be all right,” he said with confidence. Then the conversation veered to his mother’s recent arrival. He was excited to see her. At our destination, he got out of the van and apologized for the wait and thanked us for the ride. Really? No need to apologize. So polite. Team Canada’s staff said that this team was an amazing group of quality guys who were appreciative and supportive and that the leadership in the dressing room was special. Winning takes a team effort. As you already know, they did win. They beat Sweden 3-0 with brilliant execution. Oh, and Canada only let in three goals all tournament; so much for goaltending being a weakness. There was quantity in medals and quality in character. The Gold medals make Canadians proud. And they mean more than we think.

(Freelance writer and author Lorna Schultz-Nicholson accompanied husband Bob Nicholson to the Olympics. Bob is president and CEO of Hockey Canada.)

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

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Hockey Edmonton Magazine

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