Hockey Magazine Edmonton Spring 2010 by Suggitt Publishers

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Hockey Edmonton Magazine

President’s Message

30.

Publisher’s Message

32.

11.

Kerry Fraser: Wrapping it up After 30 Years by Rob Suggitt

15.

22.

34.

Mentally Preparing for Playoffs by Steffany Hanlen

37.

Coaching from the Kings by D.T. Baker

39.

Edmonton Oilers Hockey School

Hockey Impact by Jon Hagan

From Aspirations to Accomplishments by Shari Narine

by Leanne Laverick

24. 26. 28.

Arena Namesakes: Where Arenas Get Their Names by D.T. Baker

Gene Principe: Having Pun...uh, Fun by Jon Hagan

18.

The NHL: One Year You’re Up. The Next Year You’re Down.

41.

Wendy’s Arena Locator Map

42.

Sizing Up (in) The NHL

Playing .500 Hockey: Not the Way it Used to Be Theoren Fleury: The Road to Recovery by Jeremy Freeborn

Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Supports Inner City High by Kristi Hennessy

15 18

44.

Spotlight on an Official: Ben Morley by Rob Suggitt

22 28

11 Lockhart Makepeace is featured on our cover. Lockhart is ten years old and plays right wing for the Millwoods Atom Warriors. His favourite players are Patrick Marleau and Devon Setogouchi, and you can put him down as a Sharks fan! (He likes the Oilers too!)

Cover Photo Provided by Stephen Kathnelson

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE We come to the end of another season that has been full of highs and lows. I am sure you can all recall at least one moment across the season that will remain in your memories for a while. Maybe it is that awesome goal your child scored, the victory against a tough team, the way the team gave their all but still didn't win the game or maybe it was the new friendships you have formed or old ones strengthened. The season has not also been without the challenges: The closure of some arenas for repair The loss of valuable volunteers The ongoing need for more volunteers in order to lighten the work load The discipline issues The shortage of ice However, in spite of all this, with the positives far outweighing the challenges, this season saw an increase in teams and players, and a decline in suspensions. We can now look back on the season and examine the many highlights which have occurred. Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week was another huge success seeing 526 teams participating. Congratulations to all the winners and to all who participated. Our heartfelt gratitude to the countless volunteers that it takes to make Minor Hockey Week a huge success! The City of Edmonton in conjunction with EMHA has renamed an ice rink at Callingwood Arena for one of Edmonton’s “grandfathers of hockey.” Our very own Vern Davis received the honour at an event to preview Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week. Mr. Davis co-founded the annual tournament with three friends in 1963. The EMHA has also been involved in many changes this year which should enhance our program in the future. One of which is the tweaking of the Injury Prevention Respect Program, also known as the IPRP. It is a tremendous program that we feel is vital to the organization, but does need some improvements. We are also working closely with the Edmonton Oilers organization who are very excited to be assisting us with the development of our players. In closing, I would like to thank all the volunteers, coaches, managers, directors, administration, referees, executives, sponsors, 50/50 sellers, parents, and the list goes on....without you we could not continue to deliver this game to our participants and you have made 2009/2010 such a successful season. I wish you all a safe and fun summer, and look forward to seeing you at the rinks next season!

2009-2010 Executive and League Directors 10618 - 124 St., Edmonton, AB T5N 1S3 Ph: (780) 413-3498 • Fax: (780) 440-6475

www.emha.ca To contact any of the Executive or Standing Committees Send your email to: admin@emha.ca and it will be forwarded to the appropriate individual

President: Chris Hurley Past President: Lorne MacDonald First Vice President: Betty Chmilar Second Vice President: Ray Vigneau Treasurer: Terry Brown Junior Chairman: Fred Christiansen Federation Chairman: Darlene Hein AA Chairman: Jerry Rossiter Administrator (admin@emha.ca): Sharon Fleming Asst. Administrator (emha@telusplanet.net): Loree Dawson

Standing Committees Hockey Alberta Director(s): Paul Schmidt | Dick White Hockey Alberta Manager of Operations: Betty Chmilar EMHA Alumni President: Ed Buga Registrar: Nadine Shimizu Publicity: Brad Kurylyk Ice: Pat Elliott Discipline Chair: Marg Brownoff Minor Hockey Week Chair: Rod McMahon Development Manager: Chris Woodhouse Social: Vern Davis Canadian Oldtimers Rep: Orest Zaozirny Referee Representatives: Herman Costa (AA) | Duncan MacDougall (Federation)

City League Directors Federation Hockey Council League Directors Midget: Doug Bidewell Bantam: Michael Harkin Pee Wee: Crystal Feader and Colleen Smilley Atom: Judy/Kevin Nitz Novice: Kasey Kozicky Initiation: Selena Gora

AA Council League Directors Bantam AA: Russ Lukawesky Bantam AAA: Peter Claffey REM 15: Jerry Rossiter (Interim) Midget AA: Brian Backstrom Major Midget AAA: Bob Olynyk Minor Midget AAA: Greg Blais

Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week Committee

Sincerely, Chris Hurley President,

EMHA/Hockey Edmonton

Chairperson: Rod McMahon Past Chairpersons: Joan Kirillo and Terry Brown Vice Chairperson: Bill Renshaw Honorary Chairperson: Jim Glaister Committee: Vern Davis Treasurer: Deb Bykowski Secretary: Ana Bennett Marketing: Dean Heuman Central: Bill Ross Schedules: Ron Sollanych Discipline: Marg Brownoff Sponsorship: Marvin Babiuk

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

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PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE As things wrap up for the 2009-2010 season, we celebrate eight years of producing the Hockey Edmonton Magazine in partnership with the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association. As most of our regular readers know, one of our regular features is the Spotlight on an Official, and for this issue, our “Spotlight” is on 18-year-old Ben Morley, who has been a hockey official for five years. We also have a special feature interview with NHL veteran referee Kerry Fraser. Fraser is a recent inductee into the Ontario Minor Hockey Association’s “All Time Great Teams,” joining Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and eight other contributors to the game of hockey. He is a shoo-in to be selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, which should happen soon, as he wraps up his final season as an NHL referee. From a local standpoint, one of Edmonton’s great contributors to minor hockey is Vern Davis, a long-time volunteer with the EMHA. Davis has recently been honoured with having one of the two sheets of ice at Callingwood named after him. Another great contributor to our community is the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. Their support is widespread, and one of their biggest initiatives is their commitment to Inner City High. For more about the Oilers Community Foundation and Inner City High, be sure to check out our special feature article inside. The Oil Kings are big supporters of minor hockey, and this year, they invited Edmonton-area minor hockey teams to enter a draw to win a practice with the Oil Kings coaches. The Millwoods Atom Warriors were the lucky winners, and they had a blast learning the game from the pros, and at Rexall Place to boot! In wrapping up our season-ending issue, we have a neat feature on Sportsnet’s Gene Principe, one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet! Principe shares what it’s like to work behind the scenes and in front of the camera in his work as the official broadcaster for the Oilers. (Principe also did a stellar job at the 2010 Olympics for CTV.) As this season ends, we would like to wish all of the players, coaches, officials, parents, etc. a safe and wonderful off-season. We’re already looking forward to the 2010-2011 season!

Credits President and Publisher Rob Suggitt Vice President Stephen Kathnelson Art Director Christine Kucher Graphic Designers Terah Jans | Cole McKelvie

Contributing Writers D.T. Baker | Jon Hagan | Kristi Hennessey Leanne Laverick | Shari Narine | Rob Suggitt

Cover Photo Stephen Kathnelson

Copy Editing Shari Narine

Additional Photography Credits Steven Csorba | Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club: Andy Devlin Stephen Kathnelson | Shari Narine

Special Thanks To Jessica McPhee & The Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club

Advertising Sales Janice Nyvoll | Jon Hagan

Administration Amber Braithwaite Playhouse Publications Ltd. also publishes the Citadel Theatre Playbill, Signature Magazine (for the Winspear Centre and the E.S.O.), Edmonton Opera Playbill, Arden Theatre Playbill, Alberta Theatre Projects Playbill and the Hockey Calgary Magazine. #950, Bell Tower, 10104 - 103 Ave., Edmonton, AB T5J 0H8 Ph: 780-423-5834 • Fax: 780-413-6185

Sincerely, Rob Suggitt Publisher,

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

We would like to congratulate our men's and women's hockey teams for winning a Gold Medal at the Olympics! Local midget AAA hockey teams deserve an assist for the women's gold medal victory. The best midget hockey teams in the province helped prepare the women's national team with a series of games which took place prior to the Olympics.

The Hockey Edmonton Magazine is a product of Playhouse Publications Ltd., an affiliate of Suggitt Group Ltd.

President & CEO Thomas J. Suggitt President & CFO Robert G. Suggitt All rights reserved. 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

Way to go Canada!

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

In journalism, “-30-” means the end, so it’s only fitting that Kerry Fraser calls it quits after 30 years as an NHL referee. Fraser’s first NHL game took place on October 17, 1980, and it was Colorado vs. Minnesota. And not the current versions of these two NHL franchises. It was the Minnesota North Stars vs. the Colorado Rockies. Fraser has etched out an incredible NHL career, one which comes to an end this season. His final game takes place on April 11 in Philadelphia (Flyers vs. Rangers), where Fraser now makes his home with his wife and seven children. Fraser has called over 1,800 regular season games and 250 playoff games in his illustrious career, one for which he’s known for his diminutive size (he’s listed at 5’7”), and his hair, as much as his presence on the ice. He’s also known as one of the most consistent referees in the NHL, at least from the perspective of the players. In 2005, the Hockey News conducted a poll, asking 30 NHL players (one from each team) “who do you think is the most consistent referee in the NHL,” and Fraser came out on top! Eleven different referees were selected, but Fraser was chosen ten times, more than any other official. (Bill McCreary was selected five times and Don VanMassenhoven was selected four times.) Some of the players chose to make their selections anonymous, like the Maple Leaf player who remarked sarcastically that “he’s consistent all right. He hoses us all the time.” But with the exception of that one Maple Leaf player, the rest of the players treated the poll seriously, and here’s a sampling of responses: Todd Fedoruk: “He lets players play, and that’s why I like him.” Scott Gomez: “He’s consistent. He’s got the respect from players and he knows how to give it back.” Simon Gagne: “What I like about him, I can go talk to him if I need answers to some questions.” Anonymous player from Tampa Bay Lightning: “He really understands the game and what goes on out there. He has been around, has lots of experience and understands how the players think and act out there. If it’s a big game, I want to see Kerry Fraser as one of the referees.” So where did it all start with Fraser? Born around the time Gordie Howe and Rocket Richard were in their prime, Fraser grew up in Sarnia, Ontario, and played hockey up to the Junior A level. When asked about his aspirations as a player, Fraser said, “I was the captain with Sarnia of the Southern (Ontario) Junior A league. At that point, I was not drafted, because they were looking for big players in 1972 – the Broad Street Bullies, the big bad Bruins were the teams of the day.” Then a twist of fate occurred. Fraser’s Dad was a former pro player (Hilton Fraser), and one of his old teammates (Ted Garvin, who was in the Red

Wings organization) suggested that he consider becoming an official. As Fraser recollected, “Ted was coaching in the International League at the time, and he recommended to me then to get into officiating. I could play in the minor pro leagues and have somewhat of a career there, but the road to the top is pretty slim. So I went to referee school that summer, and was scouted by Frank Udvari of the NHL - Scotty Morrison’s assistant at the time. Frank saw me referee for 10 minutes, and he liked what he saw. I had no experience really – I’d done some industrial league games. My dad schooled me well - he was a little guy with a kinda Popeye mentality - he was also a boxer. I developed the (same) small man mentality which enabled me to compete with big guys, to never give in, never give an inch. So I took that attitude and learned very quickly that I needed to be part of the solution as opposed to (being) part of the problem. I had to learn that my best ally - aside from my knowledge of the game as a player, and my skating ability, was the ability to get players to play on my terms. And to develop respect and rapport. And it wasn’t by being a nice guy necessarily – it was by being fair and consistent.”

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

“He has been around, has lots of experience and understands how the players think and act out there. If it’s a big game, I want to see Kerry Fraser as one of the referees.” Fraser’s first game in the NHL was quite the eye-opener. There was a new rule that year. “Anytime a fight took place, if players dropped their gloves, as they always did when pairing off, they would get misconduct penalties. They (the league) didn’t want the dancing and the length of the brawling, so everybody that dropped their gloves got a misconduct. Well, we had two fights in the first 10 minutes of the game, and everybody that dropped their gloves got misconducts. The crowd didn’t understand it, and the players instinctively did what they usually did, so the impression was ‘who is this young baby-faced kid ruining the game?’” Fraser’s initiation was not over. At the end of the game, a bunch of unruly fans were waiting for the officials to come out, and they were hurling insults (and a few other things) at the officials (mostly Fraser as the referee), and Glen Sharpley from the Minnesota North Stars was walking toward his team bus, and asked if the officials needed a hand. Fraser worked the game with two western linesmen - Jim Christiansen and Ryan Bozak, and Christiansen’s witty response was, “No thanks, I’ve seen you fight.” While Fraser’s first NHL game was memorable, it was the first time he stepped into Maple Leaf Gardens when he realized the impact of being an NHL official. Growing up in southern Ontario, he followed the Leafs and HNIC, watching the games every Saturday night. “The very first game I had at Maple Leaf Gardens, we came out ahead of the players as we do, and I’m going around the ice taking in this building which I’ve see so many times on television. All of sudden, the public address announcer spoke - and I froze. Everything stopped for me that instant and I went back in time to all those times I sat and watched the game growing up. It was almost like I was looking through the TV set, and I realized I’m on this hallowed ground. It was really a humbling experience. I don’t take things for granted - it was for me, not here I am, it was wow, this is such a special gift to be here.”

until finally the attendant at the Forum delivers the skates just as the anthem is about to be sung. I jam my foot in, and shaving cream oozes out. So I go on to the ice, just before the national anthem, and there’s Guy Lapointe standing on the blue line with a big smile on his face. When my feet hit the ice, my left skate went one way, and my right skate went the other way. (The attendant also doctored up my skates.) So I’m holding onto the boards during the national anthem, and afterwards, Lapointe comes over to me and says, ‘Hey rookie, how are your skates tonight?’ And I said, ‘Guy, they’re perfect, just the way I like them.’” “He laughed and I laughed,” and it was a reminder not to take yourself too seriously, and Fraser’s NHL career was off to a good start. Fraser has never taken himself too seriously, and when asked about his trademark bouffant hairstyle, he comfortably and in good humour went on to describe “the hair.” “I had the shaggy beatles cut when I first started,” but it was early in his career where his wife brought him to a salon for a makeover. “It was a real drastic change. I didn’t wear a helmet. If I had my preference, I STILL wouldn’t wear a helmet. I hate it, but I have to. My first game back (after the makeover), Pat Price, who was playing defense for the Islanders, did a double take. He didn’t recognize me, and he skated over to find out who it was, and saw it was me. And he said (laughingly), ‘Holy cow, Fraser, what did you do? Ride over in a convertible?’” “I remember having a playoff game in Buffalo one night, and Buffalo lost 1-0, and nothing of consequence occurred, or so I thought. As we came out of the dressing room, the crowd was right there - there was no security - so this woman standing 15 feet away shouted at me ‘Kerry I need to talk to you.’ And I’m thinking, Oh God, I don’t think there’s anything we did wrong in the game. So I walked over and set my bag down, and said ‘Yes ma’am, can I help you?’ She goes, ‘Yeah (kinda angrily) – I’ve got troubled hair, and your hair never moves when you’re flying up and down the ice. What’s your secret?’ So I told her it’s Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine, and she said, ‘Thank you very much – I’m going to go out and buy some.’ I picked my up my bag and walked away.

It takes a while to earn your stripes in the NHL as an official, especially as a referee, and especially back then when there was only one referee on the ice. It was in one of his first pre-season games, where Fraser felt he started to earn his stripes, and a bit of an initiation process took place. “It was my first year, and I wanted to let on that I was a veteran, that I belonged. It was a one-goal game with Toronto winning late in the third period. I missed a call or decided not to call something that Guy Lapointe thought was a penalty. So Guy came over to me complaining about (what he thought was a missed call). Wanting to let on Iike I knew who he was, I said relax Serge (probably thinking about Serge Savard who was on the ice at the same time). He looked at me and said ‘my name is Guy you bleep-ing rookie.’ And he stormed off. A couple of nights later I had to go to Montreal – I sent my skates in to get sharpened, and I’m waiting Photo provided by Stephen Kathnelson

Aside from changes in hair style, the game has changed over the years, and Fraser is quick to point out the changes. “In terms of the evolution of the game, the game has evolved, some subtle, some drastic. We expanded – unskilled players were brought into the game through need, and they, uh, they cheated. And we let them. Henceforth, we went through the obstruction clean-up. Under the guise of let the players decide the outcome of the game, which we always heard from Don Cherry, we were in fact, affecting the outcome of the game by not doing our job as we should have.” Fraser commented that “the two referee system really is a good opportunity to see the game at a much slower pace. When you’re the back referee, you have a different vision and visual perspective. Even though the play is approaching you, you still have to be very agile and mobile, and also moreso, backwards. Visually, the game slows down for you with two referees. That added perspective, gaining the best sight line. Usually the front view is much better than the back view, particularly on fouls. If someone’s going to hook somebody, and you’re behind them, you don’t know whether that was actually used as a tool, or whether or not it was in front of them, (or) if the player is embellishing it. Whereas if you have the front view, you see visually their face, you see the intent, and you see the action as well as the result.” Fraser doesn’t appreciate it when players dive to get a call. “I used to hate it when people would try to take advantage of me on a dive, and I go right back to 1981 when Wayne (Gretzky) was playing here. Phenomenal talent, no doubt the best I’ve ever seen, and a good person too. Our initial relationship - I was not wanting to be intimidated or tricked, and it seemed Wayne would fall down more in Edmonton probably exclusively in Edmonton - to try and draw the fans’ attention on the official, and that caused me to be more stubborn. That diving aspect, I never liked as part of the game. Players will do anything they can to win. I don’t blame them for trying.” Fighting has always been part of the NHL game, and Fraser acknowledged its relevancy and presence. “I think traditionally fighting has a place in the game. I’d rather see a player drop the gloves, square off, willing combatants, rather than use a stick, spearing. We saw in international hockey years ago, while they weren’t allowed to fight - it was brutal. I remember watching a world championship on TV, seeing the Russians and Czechs play, and they were literally kicking each other in the back of the legs with their skates. That was okay, but fighting wasn’t, while spearing and breaking sticks over each other was a fair outlet. Our game, the North American game – you drop your gloves and your stick, and we deal with it that way.”

“When you love what you do, it really isn’t a job. “ When asked about players who have earned his respect over the past 30 years, Wayne Gretzky is the first person who came to Fraser’s mind, which is interesting considering their shaky start. “We grew into a very respectful relationship. As a person or a player, Wayne demonstrated tremendous giving to charities and people, and all of his time. And in observing that from a distance, I see

players who are genuinely giving (and) it’s not an act. Doug Wilson (former Black Hawk and current Sharks GM) was one of the finest players I’ve ever met. Igor Larionov - tremendous person, and very respectful – very classy guy. Joe Sakic‘s another tremendous guy! Right up there with Doug Wilson as a class guy.” Fraser also pointed out a few current NHL players who stand out in terms of respect. “Even in confrontation – Shane Doan is a great kid! The young man Mike Fisher – a tremendous person. They play hard, they play with an edge sometimes, but there’s never a disrespect (to the officials), and even to other players.” When asked about coaches, Roger Neilson’s name came up right away. “While somewhat of an eccentric, and he would use whatever he could, you know the waving of the towels (in Vancouver during their Stanley Cup run in 1982), Roger was a spiritual individual, someone you could deal with.” When asked about Oilers coach Pat Quinn, Fraser was quick to offer his perspective. “Pat Quinn is a great coach. He’s had success (and) he’s a good hockey man. He was a loyal employer when he was a general manager, and he’s loyal to his players and to his staff. He has a lot of great qualities. But he’s a gruff guy, and we’ve had our moments in that regard. When I saw him here the other night (Fraser just worked in Edmonton), there was an icing call, and (with his) booming voice, started yelling at the linesmen, and I was the back referee, and I skated over to him, and I had a big smile on my face. I said ‘Pat, I have missed you, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you. It’s so

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

boring without you around. I heard, as a matter of fact, that you came back this year just in honour of it being my last season.’ Well he started to laugh, and it was that moment he forgot about the icing, and he forgot about whether it was or it wasn’t – and it was a good call by the way – he just wanted to be heard right off the bat.” With retirement looming, Fraser is relishing his last year on the ice, and comfortably and honestly reflects on his career, one which has seen its fair share of controversial calls. “When you love what you do, it really isn’t a job. From my perspective, from all of the tough calls I’ve had to make, I don’t think there’s anybody from an officiating perspective, refereeing perspective, that has had as many different controversial calls that have been highly publicized as I have, from the Michel Bergeron disallowed goal in game five of the Montreal-Quebec series (1987),” to the missed call on Gretzky’s inadvertent high stick on Doug Gilmour in the 1994 playoffs. When asked if he dwells on these past calls, Fraser is quick to respond. “No, no – it’s all (in the past). Like Tommy Webster throwing a stick at me in LA - unfortunately Tommy was on steroids for an inner ear infection – it altered his personality. He’s a wonderful guy – I love him. It’s a shame that it resulted in that event, which resulted in his suspension. Fortunately, it hit me in the foot and not in the head.” Once again, Fraser laughs as he thinks about a stick hitting his head, and what the follically attentive fans might think about that. It’s amazing to see this NHL figure talk about his 30-year career, and yet at 57 years old, he looks at least 10 years younger, and really, he could probably officiate another five to 10 years. “When I was 40, I said maybe five more years, and then at 45, I said, well, maybe two more years, and then it’s been two more years ever since I was 45, and now I’m 57.” Fraser’s retirement has been in the works for two years, and he asked the NHL for a few considerations. “I wanted to hit all 30 (NHL) cities. I wanted to do the outdoor game. I went to Europe last year, and took my wife to Prague – we opened the season there. I had some charity things I’m able to participate in. I’m taking in evey game, and not taking any of them for granted. I’m writing a book, probably a couple. Whatever we can give back, because it’s not all about take – it’s gotta be give. And at the end of it all, I hope that I’ve given a lot more than I’ve received. The game is everything – it is the most important thing. It’s more important than any of us (officials) – it’s more important than any one player. I love what I do – I love the game, and I want to have a positive affect on the game, and I believe I’ve done that. If I had stayed too long - if my skillsets were diminished, if I was doing damage to the game, I would leave on my own notice. To have the acknowledgement of the people who we deal with game in and game out – to be recognized by the players is really an honour. It tells me that I’m doing something that, number one I love, but secondly, the respect that I’ve developed over time is continuing - you can’t take it for granted.”

We probably haven’t seen or heard the last of Kerry Fraser. His book is due out in September (entitled “30 Chapters”), with each chapter about a different NHL team. In finishing up our interview, I asked if he ever thought about broadcasting. There are plenty of former players and coaches in the broadcast booth – why not a former official? Especially one as knowledgeable and articulate as Fraser. Fraser’s final comment in our interview was spoken with his usual good humour and self-deprecating style: “Some would say I never met a microphone that I didn’t like!”

By Jon Hagan Title photos provided by Stephen Kathnelson All other photos provided by Andy Devlin, Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club

It was just before noon and Rexall Place was already busy. But I wasn’t there to interview players or coaches. I was there that morning to interview an interviewer, the man that has arguably become the face of Oiler telecasts on Rogers Sportsnet, Gene Principe. “Gene will be here shortly,” says Louis DeBrusk, an affable bear of a man whose incisive commentary stands as a perfect foil to Principe’s more fun-loving ways. “He’s on Gene time,” he adds with a warmhearted laugh. Moments later, Gene walks in. He looks like he’s on a mission, and I guess, considering it’s game day, he is. He greets me with a smile and a handshake, and then invites me up to the stands to talk while the Oilers practice. Given the fact he’s on work time, at no point does he seem

distracted. In fact, minus the puns (more on that later), he’s much like the guy on the broadcast: well-prepared, enthusiastic, entertaining, and spontaneous. Principe got his start in the media business with a work placement in Kamloops, B.C. in early ’87, and with stops in Lethbridge, Winnipeg, and Toronto, before coming back home to Edmonton in 1998 to work for the A-Channel, has been going strong ever since. He’s been with Rogers Sportsnet since 2001. “I wanted to be a broadcaster since I was a kid,” he says. “Of course, I watched Ron MacLean growing up and always thought that was kind of neat.” He describes how his game preparations go from mid-morning to midafternoon and consist mainly of player interviews, compiling notes, and

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

“Sometimes things come up just prior to the game. But normally by the time I’m done the morning skates I have a pretty good idea of what can work, and what we can use visually to enhance the story.” mostly [although there are others], it’s almost carte blanche. Sometimes they’ll pull you back, and that’s good because I don’t want to go too far. But usually they’re good at saying what do you want to do? Let’s do it. We do some preplanning in the morning, and then when we get to a commercial break, Larry will say, ‘What [piece] do you want to do?’ and I’ll say [for example] let’s do the story on Marc Pouliot and how he has to warm up now because of sports hernia surgery, and then we’ll set it up during the break.” Production-wise, it sounds almost like they’re flying by the seat of their pants, and yet everything always seems to look so smooth. “Sometimes things come up just prior to the game,” says Principe. “But normally by the time I’m done the morning skates I have a pretty good idea of what can work, and what we can use visually to enhance the story.” And for viewers, that’s key, while each specific hockey game is the focal point, it’s not the whole story. Another part of the story consists of the athletes and coaches that comprise the team. And sometimes when the team isn’t doing so well, it helps to be light-hearted.

Gene interviewing Lubomir Visnovsky before a game

“People bleed copper and blue, so they struggle with the losses as much as anyone else,” he says. “So I think if I can inject some humour without going over the line - and I’m sure sometimes I do – I’ll try it.” Perhaps this is a perfect lead-in to Gene’s Principe trademark (oh, bad pun . . .), puns:

sending production content back to head office in Toronto, but by no means is it a short work day. “I’m normally out of the rink by 2:30 – 3,” he says. “I like to get home for my kids for an hour – hour and a half, and I try and shut off work for that time. Then at 5, or so, I’ll come back, and get ready for any last minute stuff: pregame interviews that sort of thing. Show time’s normally 7 or 7:30, then I’m back home about 10:30-11.” As far as production goes, he has mostly free reign in determining what he’ll do during the show, and he’s got the benefit of accommodating coworkers to boot. “Kevin Quinn and Louis DeBrusk are great at allowing me to have fun sometimes at their expense. With our producer Larry Isaac, who I work with

Gene interviewing Fernando Pisani between periods

Geneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top 5 Olympic Memories: 1. Crosby goal and celebration brought me to tears or close to it. 2. People just breaking out into O Canada anytime, anywhere on the streets of Vancouver. Gene alongside Louis Debrusk, Craig Simpson and Bob Stauffer â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just started doing it, and doing it, and doing it,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And then I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop,â&#x20AC;? he adds with a laugh. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It used to be that you just put a hockey game on and people would watch it, but I think that hockey games have now become an entertainment package and not just simply a hockey game. So whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s using different props or wearing stuff like on St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day or whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s puns, I just think that that adds to entertainment value.â&#x20AC;?

3. The fact I never saw snow except on tv. I couldn't believe that the 'Winter Olympics' were more like the 'Spring Olympics'. The grass was green and flowers were starting to bloom. 4. Having my family get to enjoy some of the Olympic experience with me as they went to the ladies gold medal game (couldn't afford men's tickets), and they also went to curling.

Gene just finished performing a similar job to the one he does day-today with the Oilers for the broadcast consortium at the Vancouver Olympics, and we wanted to ask him a question regarding his future and how it relates to something even more iconic in its Canadian context. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If Ron MacLean retired or quit would you consider working on Hockey Night in Canada?â&#x20AC;?

5. Nearly meeting Donald Sutherland.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say yeah, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to leave Sportsnet. I want to still work for them. I love the interaction I get with this particular team on a game to game basis. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HNIC, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m like the players in that I grew up watching it, but Sportsnet has been A1 with me, for me, and to me.â&#x20AC;? Now add â&#x20AC;&#x153;loyalâ&#x20AC;? to the list of adjectives that describe Gene Principe. UG U G *UHDW *U HDW <HDU <H HDU

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Hockey Edmonton Magazine

By D.T. Baker Photos by Stephen Kathnelson

Normally, it’s not easy to get an Atom-age hockey player up for a morning practice – especially on a day off from school. But this past Family Day was a little different, at least for the Millwoods Atom Warriors. Karsen Bauer, apparently, jumped out of bed the instant his father woke him up. Parker Zimmer, unbelievably, was already up and dressed. But that’s because this particular practice was with the coaches of the Edmonton Oil Kings, and the rink just happened to be Rexall Place.

In a project spearheaded by Home Depot, the Edmonton Oil Kings, for the first time ever, invited Edmonton-area minor league hockey teams to enter for a chance to win a practice with Oil Kings coaches on the ice at Rexall Place. Warriors hockey mom Corinne Hucul entered the draw, which wrapped up mid-December, and found out later that they had won. So bright and early on February 15, 14 wide-eyed nine and 10-year olds stepped out onto the same ice where so many of their heroes had made their mark. “This is so cool,” was a phrase heard early and often. And truth be told, entering the huge hallway under the stands at ice level, catching a glimpse of the Rexall ice so close by, actually was pretty cool. Even the dressing room was pretty lush, compared with some of the cramped spaces at many an Edmonton rink. With about 10 minutes to go

“fourteen wide-eyed nine and ten-year olds stepped out onto the same ice where so many of their heroes had made their mark.” before the practice started, the Warriors met Oil Kings head coach Steve Pleau, along with assistant coaches Rocky Thompson and Darryl Weinberger, and goalie coach Lyle Mast. They welcomed the Oil Kings-in-waiting, and led them out onto the smoothest ice surface any of the young players had ever skated on.

Team captain Justin Hucul, 10, said the coaches had them “skate hard,” adding that he learned, “to keep your eyes open and your head up when you’re passing.” He also thought it would be great if the Warriors could have this kind of practice every day.

But it wasn’t just the kids who were “...it would be great if the Warriors could impressed. “It was something that have this kind of practice every day.” the coaches were really excited and

Pleau and his staff put the Warriors through a series of drills, working mostly on passing and shooting while maintaining the right techniques. “I learned to keep space when I’m breaking out,” said defenceman Samantha Suitor, nine, describing the Oil Kings coaches as “very, very nice.”

really happy to be a part of, to be able to experience a practice like that with kids that age,” says Steven Rausch, Partnership Activation Specialist with the Edmonton Oilers and Oil Kings. “They felt like they took something away from that, to see the level of discipline the kids displayed, and their eagerness to

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

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FADEY ABDULGANY, BRADI BRUNO, SPENCER BRUNO, NICHOLAS CAVANAGH, ELLIOT CHOKKA, JACK EDWARDS, TYLER FRIESEN, MARK HILLIER, RYAN KACHUR, CODY MCDONALD-FIELD, COLIN MITCHELL, ERIC PELCHAT, DEVIN PRATT, NATHANIEL ROSS, JUSTIN RYKS, DUSTIN TRAVERS, BRETT WILLIAMSON Coaching Staff: Kevin Kachur, Jeff Rykes, Jim Williamson

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The Hockey Edmonton Magazine was supplied with the incorrect picture for the gold medal winning team in the Bantam Dermott division for 2009 Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week. We would like to apologize for this error.

Here is the newly submitted correct gold medal team picture and roster. 780-495-3261

Name: Current Team: If your child won a gold medal at the 2010 Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week, we want to hear from you! Please complete the following questionnaire and send it in by June 30th, 2010. Your child could be featured in our 2010 - 2011 Yearbook edition of the Official Hockey Edmonton Magazine. Send completed entries along with a photograph (preferably in a hockey uniform) to: Hockey Edmonton Magazine c/o Playhouse Publications Ltd., Suite 950, Bell Tower, 10104 - 103 Ave., Edmonton, AB T5J 0H8 (If you enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope, we will gladly return your photo.) or E-Mail to: publisher@emhamagazine.com

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complete a lot of the drills – they were really impressed by how hightempo the kids were able to go as well.” The banners which hang proudly up near the roof of Rexall Place, attesting to past glories achieved by other hockey players, seem awfully far away when you’re standing on the ice surface. But perhaps the inspiration gained from an hour and change with professional coaches on such legendary ice means that, for a few of the 14 awed and enthusiastic players that day, that glory might just be a little more in reach. But it won’t make it any easier to wake them up for the next practice, will it?

“But it wasn’t just the kids who were impressed.”

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Hockey Edmonton Magazine

What do Mark Messier, Jarome Iginla, Cam Ward, Scott Neidermayer and Sheldon Souray have in common? Besides the fact that these players have produced exceptional NHL careers, they have also all grown up in the towns and cities of Oil Country. The area that spans the province of Alberta, north of Red Deer, has produced some of the finest talent the game of hockey has ever seen. Some say it’s what we put in the water, but we all know the truth: hockey is in our blood. The legacy of outstanding hockey talent in Oil Country will continue as St. Albert hosts the Edmonton Oilers Hockey School (EOHS). The Oilers have joined forces with one of the most highly reputable and longest running hockey schools in the world, the Okanagan Hockey School, to deliver a first-class developmental experience for students of all ages.

“We do unique things at Oilers Hockey School that we don’t do at any other location.” “The camp is all fundamentals-based and the kids who attend participate in programs that they can’t get anywhere else in the world,” said Blake Wesley, EOHS Camp Director. “We do unique things at Oilers Hockey School that we don’t do at any other location. I’m very proud of the way that the camp has grown and continues to fill up every year.” The partnership between the Okanagan Hockey School and the Edmonton Oilers is entering its fourth year and continues to give students access to over 60 years of NHL professional hockey experience. The continued success of the school comes from a combination of the overwhelming support from the Oilers organization and the on and off-ice training expertise that the Okanagan Hockey School offers to the young players. The EOHS is fortunate to be held at one of the best facilities in the world, from a hockey school perspective. Servus Place in St.Albert provides the EOHS with a venue that allows for both the on and office training and classroom sessions to run under one roof.

By Leanne Laverick When players arrive for camp at Servus Plus on the Sunday morning, they are given an authentic Oilers hockey jersey to wear throughout the camp. “This is very unique from any other hockey school that I have worked with,” said Wesley. “First impressions are lasting impressions and this just starts their entire experience off right.” The 2010 EOHS features a full day camp running from Sunday to Saturday. The program includes professional power skating instruction using leading edge equipment and methods, instruction in wrist, backhand, snap and slap shots and a video analysis of your skating and shooting. High-caliber coaches provide students with individual comprehensive evaluations that ensure their feedback translates into the development of the player as an athlete, but also as an individual. “The important things for the players to learn off the ice are how to be a good teammate, a good citizen and a good person,” said Andy Oakes, President of the OHS. “We really stress those in our off-ice lectures when we are talking about how to develop as a player on and off the ice.” The EOHS also includes an extensive off-ice program that focuses on the development of the student’s personal character. Through the course of the week, students will take part in sessions that focus on motivation, nutrition, and leadership. “There was a ton of stuff that happened last summer that was all situational-based,” said Coach Edwin Ewanchuk. “But we went through it, and it teaches kids lessons that help make them better people.” Hockey school allows students the chance to work-off their summer legs and get an edge as they head back into regular season. “The opportunities to skate in the summer are much less than in the winter,” said Oilers defenceman Tom Gilbert. “So if kids can just get out there and have coaches to help them work on stuff at a young age, it’s great for development.” Ultimately, the goal of hockey school is to improve your game; however, it’s often the friendships that develop that make the experience so memorable. Just ask Oilers left winger Robert Nilsson. “Back in Sweden, I went to hockey schools ever since I was five years old. It was all about having fun and meeting new friends,” said Nilsson.

“The important

things for the players to learn off the ice are how to be a good teammate, a good citizen and a good person.” “I met a lot of new friends,” said Nick Ewanchuk, 10-year old student from Photos provided by Andy Devlin, Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club the 2009 EOHS. “All of the instructors “At the Oilers hockey school you are guaranteed to have a great camp made it really fun to be there, it wasn’t just all about hard work. It was experience and develop under a proven structure,” said Oakes. “But work, but it was really fun work.” you also get the fun and excitement of meeting some of your heroes, Whatever level of player you are, hockey school offers programs for all the players that you aspire to be.” levels. The Elite Program is geared towards players who have reached a high-level of the basic skills for their age and are prepared to take From learning and improving basic skills to meeting on a more rigorous program. your NHL heroes, the Edmonton Oilers Hockey School A highlight of each camp and the participants’ favourite is the NHLstyle skills competition with electronic timing devices. Students can test their skills in skating analysis, on-ice shooting analysis, hardest shot and the breakaway challenge. Players can also look forward to some of their favourite Oilers stopping by to join the fun.

provides passionate players an once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn what it takes to be the best. Registration is now open for the 2010 Edmonton Oilers Hockey School. Visit edmontonoilers.com to register.

it’s often the friendships that

develop

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experience so memorable. Hockey Edmonton Magazine

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Hockey Edmonton Magazine

Alexander Ovechkin is best known for his amazing talent on the ice, but he’s also known for throwing his weight around on the ice – literally and figuratively. Ovechkin always ranks near the top in goals or points, but he ranks high in hits too! And while his numbers for hits are down this season – he ranked in the top 10 the last two NHL seasons – he still leads his team in this category (despite missing eight games earlier in the season). Ovechkin is an imposing figure on the ice! He’s officially listed at 6’2” and 233 pounds, but he actually weighs in at 237 pounds. According to his Body Mass Index (BMI), Alexander Ovechkin would be considered obese! If you calculate his BMI, it works out to 30.4 kg/m2, which officially puts him into the category of “obese.” Ovechkin obese? I hardly think so. The BMI calculation is a good guide for measuring obesity, but you can hardly use this measurement to assess the fitness level of professional athletes, especially hockey players! Ovechkin’s BMI is probably the highest in the NHL, which puts him in yet another category where he leads the league. Sean O’Donnell has the same two size dimensions as Ovechkin, and Keith Tkachuk is up there too at 6’ 2” and 235 lbs, which gives them both an “obese” BMI ranking. There are a number of “compact” players who rank up there as well, players dimunitive in height, but stocky in weight. Their BMI approaches 30, but none quite reach the “obese” category. (Accordingly to the BMI index, a rating of 30+ is considered “obese,” and a rating of between 25 - 30 puts you in the “overweight” category). None of the professional athletes listed below could be considered overweight.

Francis Bouillon (Nashville) Cal Clutterbuck (Minnesota) Darroll Powe (Philadelphia) Sean Bergenheim (N.Y. Islanders) Marc-Andre Bergeron (Montreal) Jordin Tootoo (Nashville) Brett Lebda (Detroit) Manny Legace (Carolina) Sergei Samsonov (Carolina) Nigel Dawes (Calgary) Sean Avery (N.Y. Rangers)

5’ 8” 5’11” 5’ 11” 5’ 10” 5’ 9” 5’ 9” 5’ 9” 5’ 10” 5’ 8” 5’ 9” 5’ 10”

198 lbs. 213 lbs. 212 lbs. 205 lbs. 198 lbs. 197 lbs. 195 lbs. 200 lbs. 188 lbs. 193 lbs. 195 lbs.

30.1 29.7 29.6 29.4 29.2 29.1 28.8 28.7 28.6 28.5 28.0

Cal Clutterbuck has one of the highest BMI’s in the NHL, and intrestingly, no one has more hits the past two NHL seasons than Clutterbuck. At 5’11” and 213 lbs., his low centre of gravity gives him an edge on the ice, and he uses it at every opportunity. The same can be said about Jordin Tootoo and Sean Avery – they often catch their opponents by surprise, especially with their sturdy compact build – they definitely play bigger than their size.

On the other side of the BMI scale, you have the talented young Artem Anisimov, who measures seven inches taller than Jordin Tootoo, but carries the same weight. Some of the below listed players are younger and bound to fill in a bit more (Anisimov and Brandon Sutter), but for now, they skate as tall trees, vulnerable to the Clutterbucks and Tootoos in the league.

Artem Anisimov (N.Y. Rangers) Dareen Krejci (Boston) Troy Bodie (Anaheim) Mike Rebeiro (Dallas) Wayne Simmonds (Los Angeles) Brandon Sutter (Carolina) Martin Biron (N.Y. Islanders) Devan Dubnyk (Edmonton) Erik Ersberg (Los Angeles) Tuukka Rask (Boston)

6’ 4” 6’ 0” 6’4” 6’ 0” 6’ 2” 6’ 3” 6’ 3” 6’ 6” 6’ 0” 6’ 3”

197 lbs. 177 lbs. 196 lbs. 173 lbs. 183 lbs. 183 lbs. 180 lbs. 194 lbs. 165 lbs. 169 lbs.

24.0 24.0 23.9 23.5 23.5 22.9 22.5 22.4 22.4 21.1

The lowest BMI’s belong to the goaltenders, and the four listed above are all back-ups! They are not only “fill-ins” for their respective teams, but one might say they also need to fill-in on their size, too. Finishing up with height and weight, Zdeno Chara reigns as the tallest player in the league at 6’ 9”, but Derek Boogaard and John Scott (both players from the Wild) are 6’ 8” each, and at 257 and 258 lbs, respectively, they edge out Chara (who is listed at 255 lbs.) as the heaviest players in the NHL. Dustin Byfuglien (Chicago Black Hawks) also ranks up there at 6’ 4” and 257 lbs. Nathan Gerbe, who has tallied two NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, is the smallest listed player at 5’6” (173 lbs.), but the smallest player overall (by height and weight standards), has to go to Stevie Sullivan of the Nashville Predators, who at 5’ 8” and 161 lbs. (he probably plays five to 10 pounds lighter), is the lightest player in the NHL. It makes quite a contrast when you see players like Sullivan coming up against giants like Chara, Boogaard, Byfuglien, but it doesn’t hurt to have Sullivan’s speed!

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Hockey Edmonton Magazine

By Kristi Hennessy

Photos provided by Andy Devlin, Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club

A few years ago, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation (EOCF) was searching for the perfect project to take under their wing: a project that would leave a lasting legacy for the City of Edmonton. Leading the re-development of a new revitalized Inner City High met the goals of the EOCF perfectly. “When you come down to the school there is a sense of optimism and a sense of encouragement," said executive director of the EOCF, Natalie Minckler. "If we can contribute to that in any way, we're happy to do so. “ Oilers captain Ethan Moreau personally volunteered to become the spokesperson for the Inner City High fundraising campaign. Ethan, who has a long history of community involvement, was awarded the King Clancy Award for 2008-09 for his tremendous involvement in Edmonton’s community. His main focus has been Inner City High. He has made numerous visits to the school and has become connected with the students. "I often hear our students say, ‘I never thought that the Oilers would care about people like us,’ said Joe Cloutier, principal/director at Inner City High School. “It means a lot to our students to have the Oilers so actively involved.” With Ethan taking the leadership role, the EOCF has committed to raising a projected $15 million for the legacy project to build this topquality facility. The biggest fundraiser for this project is the annual Winner’s Choice Lottery which featured a grand prize of a

stunning 4,400 sq. ft. home fully furnished or $2 million in cash. Construction of the new school facility is scheduled to begin in October of 2010 and the school is hoping to open its doors in September 2012. “Ethan is delighted to come down here and share any time that he has,” said Minckler. “He even comes down and shoots hoops with the kids. I think it means an awful lot to these kids to know that someone like that cares about them and can spend a little bit of time with them.” Inner City High currently operates out of a run-down community league building in Edmonton’s inner city. It opens its doors to troubled and at-risk youth to give them the chance to turn their lives around and graduate high school. They offer an academic and artsbased alternative to the traditional school setting. These students come from troubled backgrounds and are not only in need of education but also need help with accommodation, medical care, food and counseling services. The EOCF has connected with the YMCA and the City of Edmonton to create a new school that will bring the hopes and dreams of its students to life. The new facility will accommodate 150 students, which is more than double the students it currently holds. The EOCF will be leasing out 22 residences available only to Inner City High students for accomodations. There will be counseling services, health rooms, childcare and an elder’s room on site for the students. “The support from the Edmonton Oilers and the EOCF has been wonderful," said Cloutier. "They have allowed us to continue to provide a solid program which will allow the students to reach their optimum potential.” On December 16th, 2009, the entire Oilers team and the Oilers Ladies came to Inner City High to host the Annual Christmas Luncheon. They enjoyed a festive meal, handed out gifts and interacted with the school’s 75 students. "It's good to get the players down here and show our support and commitment to this school," said Moreau. "It's good to show them the impact our fundraising has directly on the people in the community.“ Last winter, Moreau graciously donated brand new winter jackets and movie passes to the students at Inner City High. For many, this was the first piece of new clothing that they had ever owned.

Left: Natalie Minckler EOCF Executive Director & Randall Gladue • Top Right: Randall Gladue running down St. Albert trail • Bottom Right: Randal Gladue & Aboriginal Torch Attendant Megan Big Snake

"Most of us in this province and this city live a very blessed life,” said Moreau. “We have everything we need and more. You don't realize how big of an impact you make when you give them something that they don’t have.” More recently, one of the current students, Randall Gladue, was chosen to carry the Olympic Torch for the beginning leg of Edmonton’s torch relay. On January 13, Gladue lit the torch and ran down St. Albert Trail. Principal Cloutier selected him for his leadership skills and his devotion to his schoolwork. “This is an amazing experience, I am so excited,” said Gladue. “I will look back and remember this experience for the rest of my life. I am doing this for my classmates and my school. The torch will stay at Inner City High so everyone can come and see it.” Randall is set to graduate in January of 2011. He says that he hopes to attend Grant MacEwan College once he has completed high school where he will study to become a social worker and work with kids. “We are so proud to be working with this school and working toward building these students a great facility,” said EOCF’s Minckler. “We are hoping to create awareness of these students who are turning their lives around and dedicated to finishing high school. They deserve this new school.” This project will leave a long lasting legacy for the City of Edmonton. This new school has the potential to support Edmonton’s inner city youth on so many levels. It will help guide these students to change their lives and fulfill their dreams of a better life. “The community gives to us and it’s absolutely critical that our organization gives back to the community,” said EOCF board member Doug Goss. “They embrace us, so it’s our chance to embrace them.”

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

It was just four years ago when the Oilers and Hurricanes were battling it out for the Stanley Cup. It was an Olympic year, and while the Oilers and Hurricanes were worthy of their success, it didn’t hurt that both teams had a minimal number of players competing in the 2006 Olympics that year. (The Canes had four, and the Oilers had three.)

standings. In the 2006-2007 season, things started to turn around for the Penguins, but the Capitals and Black Hawks were still near the bottom of the standings. But over the next two seasons, things changed for all three teams, and today, they are three of the best teams in the NHL.

Colorado and Detroit led the NHL with 10 players competing in the Olympics, while the Rangers had nine, and the Stars, Senators and Lightning each had six. And how did these teams fare in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Well – none of them made it past the second round, and in particular, the Wings and Rangers were bounced out in the first round. While the Oilers and Hurricanes deserve full credit for their success in 2006, some consideration must be given to the circumstances at the time. With so many players from the top teams competing in the Olympics (and their best players to boot), the physical and emotional toll was bound to have some impact, and especially with the Olympic games taking place overseas in Turin. Meanwhile, some teams were able to rest nearly their entire roster. Fast forward to four years later, and you have to wonder if the teams with the most players who competed in the Olympics will be affected by this? The Sharks led the league with eight Olympians, and the Ducks, Red Wings and Canucks tied for second with each team sending seven players to the Olympics. All four teams are in the Western Conference. And what happened to the Oilers and Hurricanes after their surprising Stanley Cup final series in 2006? Both teams missed the playoffs the following season, the first time in NHL history this happened. And they missed the playoffs the following season, too. This season, both teams are not only going to miss the playoffs, but at the time of this writing, they are battling it out for last place in the NHL. What happened to these two teams? If two of the top teams in the NHL can go from Stanley Cup finalists to the bottom of the league, can the reverse take place? Let’s take three of the best teams in the NHL and see. Well, Pittsburgh is definitely up there, especially as defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Chicago Black Hawks and Washington Capitals have been at or near the top of the overall standings for parts of this NHL season, and either team is a bonafide threat to win the Cup. Where were these teams four or five years ago? If you look at the standings just before the lock-out season, Washington, Chicago and Pittsburgh were the bottom three clubs in the NHL. They didn’t fare much better the year after the lock-out, with these three teams sharing three of the last four spots in the

So what does this all mean? It shows that you can be one of the worst teams in the NHL, but with some time and patience (and great draft selections, etc.), you can be one of the top teams in the NHL in just a matter of a few seasons. It’s noteworthy that the Capitals and Penguins were able to select franchise players like Ovechkin and Crosby, which makes the climb in the standings more likely. But one player alone does not explain a team’s assent. Chicago selected Patrick Kane in 2007, but their improvement in the standings cannot be expained by this one player selection. Jonathan Toews was a great selection (taken third overall in the 2006 draft), as was Brent Seabrook (14th pick overall in 2003) and Duncan Keith (54th pick overall in 2002), but they also built their team with trades (Patrick Sharp from Philadelphia) and free agent signings (Christopher Huet, Brian Campbell and Marian Hossa). Interestingly, when Chicago selected Patrick Kane as the first overall draft pick in 2007, they were not the last place team. They actually finished 26h place overall. They were tied with the Oilers for the fifth last position (71 points each), but since the Oilers had one more win than Chicago, the Hawks entered the weighted pool to determine who selected first overall, and despite only an 8.1 percent chance of getting the first place pick, Chicago got first pick. As the Oilers season winds down, they will probably finish in the bottom three, a place they’ve never been before. This does not guarantee them one of the top two picks, but they have a good chance of getting the first overall pick.

Here are the odds of selecting first overall, based on where a team finishes at the end of the 2009-2010 regular season.

Odds of Winning the First Overall Pick

48.1% - 30th Place team 18.8% - 29th place team 14.2% - 28th place team

10.7% - 27th place team 8.1% - 26th place team

While there’s no guarantee of getting the first overall pick by finishing last, the odds are still stacked more in the last place team’s favour. One thing for certain – the Oilers will have the opportunity to select one of the top players available, something they have been rarely able to do. Their highest selection was picking fourth in 1994, and with this pick, they selected Jason Bonsignore in 1994, and he was a major bust. The Oilers selected sixth overall in 1995 and 1996, taking

Steve Kelly and Boyd Devereaux. Picking sixth was three times the charm in 2007, with the Oilers taking Sam Gagner, which most people agree was a good selection. If they do happen to get the first overall pick, will they select highly touted junior Taylor Hall? And if so, is Taylor Hall a Crosby or Ovechkin, or is he more the calibre of a Patrick Kane or Steve Stamkos? All were first overall picks, but some draft years are better than others. In 2006, St. Louis picked Erik Johnson, and in1999, the Thrashers selected Stefan, both players not quite meeting the standard of a franchise player. Johnson is a very good defenseman for St.Louis, but Stefan was one of the worst first overall selections in NHL history. He tallied 64 goals in 455 NHL games, before heading off to Switzerland in 2007. And guess which players were selected 2nd and 3rd overall that year – the Sedin twins! When Johnson was selected first overall in 2006, the next fours picks were Jordan Staal (Pittsburgh), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), Nicklas Backstrom (Washington) and Phil Kessel (selected by Boston, but now playing with the Leafs), all pretty good players, but no franchise players in the bunch. The Oilers are bound to improve their team, but it will take time and patience. There is some good young talent on this team, and with players like Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson ready to make the step up to the NHL, the team will be improved. Add to this a top pick (or two) at the 2010 draft, a few good trades or free agent signings, and the Oilers can be a playoff contender next season. One thing for certain – the Oilers (and their fans) are not happy about the 2009-2010 season, their worst in franchise history, so next season is sure to be an improvement. It says here that the Oilers will be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender within the next five years!!

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

By D.T. Baker

Have you had to “translate” a rink name lately? You know, you’re getting your gear off after your beer league game, and mention that you have to get your daughter to practice at Russ Barnes the next day.

he points out, “and they have to look at what that name means, and what may be lost getting rid of that name.” And that means that after demonstrating that your nominated person merits the recognition, you then have a lot of vested interests to persuade to your cause.

“Russ Barnes?” your goalie blankly replies.

Take the George S. Hughes situation. The rink which now bears his name was not the one the committee that nominated him wanted for the honour, originally. “The folks that managed that arena, and the community leagues that used that arena didn’t want to lose the name of their arena,” Sousa explains. “So the committee continued their consultation with other communities, and that’s when they came to the South Side Arena. That’s more of a generic name, so we’re not losing any history here by losing that name or adding his name to this arena.” And even with that, the official name of the arena is now the George S. Hughes South Side Arena – not a name change, but an addition.

“Yeah, you know,” you translate for him, “Santa Rosa.” Don’t blame the old farts. The re-naming of city arenas is relatively new. Over the last few years, four arenas have been rechristened, and when the Callingwood rinks open again, one of the ice sheets will have its own name as well. It can take a while to catch up. There’s quite a process involved in re-naming city facilities like the rinks, and you might be surprised at how much back and forth goes on among the vested interests both for and against the very idea. The City of Edmonton actually has a Naming Committee, and Cory Sousa is a city planner with the committee. According to him, if you’re part of an organization that wants to rename an existing facility, you’ve got your work cut out for you. “The (committee) challenges the organization as to whether or not they looked at other options,” Sousa says. “Then they start the process of finding out if this person meets the criteria listed within the naming policy, and if they do, then they have their name added to what we call the names-reserved list.” And most of the people who are nominated for the honour do certainly deserve it, he’s quick to add. But being deserving isn’t enough by a long shot, Sousa states. “Renamings in general are the toughest item that the Naming Committee is faced with, because they’re replacing an existing name,”

Involved in hockey since 1938, George S. Hughes facilitated the construction of eight hockey arenas in the City of Edmonton, according to information supplied by the City of Edmonton. He also cultivated and supported a major cash donation to Hockey Alberta from Northlands, supporting the development of scholarships and bringing permanency to Hockey Alberta and the Hockey Alberta Foundation. In other words, he more than qualifies for the recognition the South Side Arena now bears. So does “Wild” Bill Hunter, of course, who had the Jasper Place Arena named for him. And while no one would argue about the worthiness of Russ Barnes, the re-naming of the Santa Rosa Arena was a little more complicated. In the early 1980s, a city project was undertaken, in which the city wanted the departments and agencies and community leagues to come together and agree on neighbourhood boundaries. A huge project, understandably, and during the process, the neighbourhood name of Santa Rosa was lost. It became part of what is now known as Mountrose. So the only facilities that continued with that name were the park, and the arena that lies within that park. “When the folks who wanted something named after Russ Barnes did their consultation and they came to the conclusion of let’s pursue this arena, the community said no, we value the name Santa Rosa, we’re losing our identity,” Sousa explains.

Nothing against Mr. Barnes, of course. For over 50 years, Barnes has been a volunteer coach, trainer, manager, administrator, and ambassador for hockey around the globe. Russ has always believed that every child should have the opportunity to play, which led him to be one of the founding members of Sports Central. Barnes also made significant contributions to the Maple Leaf Athletic Club and their alumni. “The names advisory committee had the information from the group that said no, and from the group that wanted to honour Russ Barnes, and the information from the Parks branch – and they also agreed with the community league,” continues Sousa. “And what ended up happening was that the park kept the name Santa Rosa, and the arena was renamed.” The case of the Michael Cameron Arena's namesake is much different. Michael Cameron was, by all accounts, a remarkable young man. Not only a promising hockey player, he was a dedicated volunteer. He put in hundreds of hours as volunteer at his local community league. He not only coached hockey and soccer, but helped run league bingos most weeks. On February 15, 1989, just 19 years old, Cameron died six days after being accidentally struck in the throat by a skate blade. The Fulton Place Arena was renamed for him. There is also a direct link between Michael’s untimely death and the fact that all EMHA hockey players are now required to wear throat guards.

For more information about the work of the naming committee, or how the process works, visit

http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/planning_develop ment/naming-committee.aspx. “There’s a lot of consultation,” Sousa insists, “and if there’s one voice that the committee really wants to hear the opinion of are the community leagues, especially the folks that use those arenas.”

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

MENTALLY PREPARING for playoffs

By Steffany Hanlen

Playoffs are a time where your skills, team play, fitness and motivation are challenged at a new level. Because the season can seem so long, playoffs give the sense of a fresh start. Preparing wisely can give a much needed mental boost. The regular season is over and regardless if you placed 1st or 8th you head in to playoffs with a renewed sense of optimism. It is as if one chapter closes and another begins. It is anyone’s game and the thought of having another chance to play and win is exciting. The hard work, stress, drama, politics of the regular season seems to slip away as players and teams ramp up their energy to engage for another level of intensity and exposure. When this happens many coaches and players tend to forget the steps that got them there. If a team makes it to playoffs, chances are there was a plan in place to do so. Good coaches can assist their team in executing a winning plan, period by period and game by game during playoffs exactly the same way.

are and what you are doing. All of your emotions and feelings are real and valid. If you start to feel nervous, then focus on your breathing. Take three deep breaths and say the words that make you calm down. Once you feel your nerves subside they may continue to come back in waves until the game starts. It may sound odd, but stay with the feeling. It helps keep you sharp and your attention activated. Don’t try to push the feelings of fear down or out of your body. Those kinds of feelings show up when there is something important or on the line in sport or life. Use this time to mentally focus your thoughts and draw strength and energy from it. I always say to my athlete clients, “Just put those butterflies in formation and use the fear as fuel to focus on what going on- right here, right now!” “W.I.N- What’s Important Now!”

COACHES:

Here are few tips for entering the playoff season that can help players, coaches and parents prepare.

Create a theme for the playoffs that your team can rally around. This is something you may see national or pro-teams doing when they have a variety of strong players that don’t know each other well. Play for something bigger than the win; let them come up with a mantra or an inspirational line that everyone can believe in. When players have a bigger purpose or a common motivator it can galvanize them as a unit quickly. A good team is made of many talented individuals (yes, coach, there is an ‘ I’ in team) but if you can find something they can all care about and can play FOR then the pressure to win becomes a true shared experience . This shift of focus is similar to what happens when players from different teams come together to play for their country. Together you can create a theme that matters to you. Make it relevant, powerful and motivating to them, for this time in their lives.

PLAYERS:

PARENTS: You are the key that can unlock or shut down the mental

Some coaches tend to change their plan when it comes to playoffs. Their strategies start changing depending on the type of series and team they meet in each round. This is a reactive pattern, not a winning pattern. Knowing your opponent is important but sticking to YOUR plan and playing YOUR game is what can link a successful regular season to a successful playoff run.

Focus on the process of how you get ready for each game. If you have a routine that works for you, stick to it. Focus on the things you can control like eating right, getting enough rest staying positive and being well organized pre-game. Don’t focus on the things you can’t control like winning or what other teams are thinking or doing. In reality you have absolutely no idea. It is a waste of time and energy trying to figure it out. Make a habit of not listening to others, the news or any other source about how or what your opponents are doing. It has nothing to do with you and becomes a distraction. If you concentrate your thoughts on beating someone else or HAVING to win it sets you up for a 50/50 chance of losing instead of looking at what you can control and setting yourself up for the 50/50 chance at winning. If you focus only on winning and then lose a game, you can experience disappointment. That deep feeling lingers and begins to build fear and doubt for the next game. By focusing on the process of what YOU need to do in order to win gives your mind something to focus on. For example, determine one or two action words or statements that you can repeat to yourself over and over. Words like, STRONG, CALM, FOCUSED, do your job, finish each shift strong, keep feet moving or whatever fits for you, in the moment. Take full responsibility for your environment, your energy, your equipment, your words and your actions. Be ready for any opportunity by being aware of where you

capacity of your player. You are a component of the team that the coach and teammates cannot influence or circumvent. You are extremely important to the mindset of your son or daughter. Not only are you their biggest fan, you are the chef, chauffeur, bank, and even third coach. What you do and say matters. Regardless if you have played pro hockey or are an armchair coach, this is not about you and what you know or even what you think. I have heard coaches call some parents ‘wildcards’. As players play on higher tiers, or get to more challenging levels of competition the role you take on makes a difference. Ask yourself, are you more passionate, more nervous or more concerned about the outcome of a game than your child, who is the one on the ice? If it seems so, then you may be in the way of allowing your child to have his or her own full experience and you then decrease their personal learning. This well-meaning interference can delay growth of positive self-esteem and hinder confidence. When you care so deeply that your child has a positive outcome, is on a winning team, has a good game and gets seen by the right people, it can take away the important intensity for them and places it directly on you, where it can do absolutely no good. I remember being on the ice with a pro team early in my NHL career and asking some of the players if they remembered or even heard their parents screaming in the stands when they were playing minor hockey. All

but one said no. The only one that said yes was a player whose father stood directly behind the opposing goaltender and screamed obscenities. This guy told me he was so embarrassed he almost quit the game he loved. Parental influence can take many forms. The most powerful tool is support. Not coaching in the van on the way to the rink, nor challenging coaches or nor comparing teammates. Support is listening, letting your child listen to their MP3 with headphones, or find their own zone as best they can. If they want to talk to you or do ask you for your advice, say, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;What do you thinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;How would you handle that?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sometimes they just need you to nod your head, and make the right sounds, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hmmmm , uh huhâ&#x20AC;Śahhhhâ&#x20AC;Ś. Good job, nice work, what did you learn?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Playoffs are a test of the preparation and a bonus to be enjoyed and should be entered as a challenge of character as well as skill. Working together, players, coaches and parents can share an experience that can build memories, values and qualities that crossover into life, business and, most of all, a successful hockey playing journey.

Thoughts from Steffany: Successful does not always mean winning every game. Success can take the form of personal growth, being better each shift, being coachable and exercising leadership and class on and off the ice. Changing strategies, team philosophies or shortening the bench is not always a good idea going into playoffs. Players become reliant on and trusting of a plan that works. They gain insights into each other and build a culture that can support them through making errors and putting in corrections. If all of a sudden a brand new plan or strategy gets tossed in the room, there is a loss of continuity and learning curves spike. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need NEW lessons during playoffs. Decide what worked during the season and do more of thatâ&#x20AC;Śbetter! Many teams begin the year with a Team Vision. The coaches and players sit down together and decide WHO they want to be as a team, WHAT they want to accomplish and HOW they are going to accomplish their goal. The successful teams also know WHY! Steffany Hanlen worked with the Edmonton Oilers from 1991-2000 and the St Louis Blues 2000-2005. In 2006 she was at the Winter Olympic Games as a fully accredited coach for our five time Canadian Champion Ice Dancers, Dubreuil/Lauzon. Hanlen is the creator of Quantum Speed High Performance Skating Systems and presents Performance Excellence Seminars across North America for Quantum Speed and also to Champion Athletes, successful business owners and entrepreneurs as well as parents, players and coaches in many sports. For more information on Quantum Speed please visit

www.quantumspeed.ca or call 780-489-4159

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Hockey Edmonton Magazine

High Performance Training + 4 v 4 League Play

HOCKEY IMPACT’S 4 v 4 Spring League Novice Atom Peewee Bantam Rep Recreational

D r a h . t r h.i.ts a m n i a tr Our HIT Professional instructor with

Junior/College or Pro Experience runs a professional warm-up with some high tempo skill development drills for 15 minutes. This warm-up leads into our 4 vs 4 league competition High tempo skill development drills and 45 min of 4 vs 4 pond hockey with players of equal strength and skill level

Players will improve game conditioning, high speed skill development, timing, read and react skills. Norm Lacombe and guest coaching staff from Pro and Junior playing/coaching experience Novice, Atom, PeeWee, and Bantam levels Rep and Rec. Divisions 10 – 12 players plus 1 goalie per team and a maximum 2 additional subs per team. Sign up as a full team at a team rate of $2,000 plus GST or,Sign up individually and be placed on a team of your caliber, for $180 plus GST. (These prices work out to $15 – $17 per game for each player)

Leduc Recreation Centre

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Value! Each player receives a free jersey, 50% off Fresh Gear equipment cleaning, a discounted price on 6x Jay Bouwmeester Sessions (which includes our skating treadmill and skill/strength training) and a 2 for 1 skate sharpening discount at the Hockey Impact Facility. Every team receives a 60min. RapidShot card to use at the Hockey Impact Facility. All games include a referee and score keeper and are played at the new state of the art Leduc Recreation Centre. The 4 v 4 style of hockey provides more ice, more touches with the puck and is still very game like. League starts April 5 and ends June 17 Sunday through Thursday evenings. All game start times are between 5:30 – 8:00 pm

By Jon Hagan

Photos by Steven Csorba

Ah, when June 21, 2010, arrives summer will officially be here. It’ll be time to relax and take a break from hockey, right? Well, not necessarily. If you’re passionate about the game and you have access to ice, summer is just an extension of the hockey season minus the snow outside. Just ask the team at Leduc’s Hockey Impact. These guys have the passion and the ice. This translates into a stable of pros like All-Stars Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, and Stanley Cup champ Cam Ward coming in year after year for effective off-season training. Hockey Impact Training is run by Stanley Cup champ Norm Lacombe and his business partner, former NHLer Nathan Dempsey. Norm and Nathan know what it takes to succeed: hard work and determination. They also know that these qualities aren’t unique to the pros. So whether you’re a novice, a seasoned junior or any level in between, if you’re ready to work hard and you’re determined to achieve your goals, they’ve got a program and the ice for you.

Got a player in your family that’s just starting out? Try HIT’s novice, atom and peewee prep camps, which run the weeks of August 16 to 27. Participants will train off and on-ice each day. Onice sessions will cover speed, agility, skating mechanics, skills, tactics, conditioning and four on four games. This is sure to get those legs warmed up for the upcoming season!

What about elite skills camps? Hockey Impact is offering a unique camp in July focusing on advanced power skating and other skills for elite players from Peewees to Pros. This camp runs eight one and half hour sessions every Tuesday and Thursday throughout July starting on July 6.

Want to keep it going through August? Go to www.hockeyimpact.com or call (780) 739 - 4625 (GOAL) for more information, and get ready to HIT the off-season hard! Hockey Impact Training – all the ice you need, anytime you need it.

Try HIT’s High Performance prep camps starting August 3 for bantam, midget, and junior players, and August 16 for atoms and peewee level players.

Like it intense? HIT yourself with a 12-week off-season Strength and Conditioning camp. Starting May 15 and running until August 15, this camp will run three, four, or five days a week depending on your level.

What about tightening up that defensive game? Sign up to train with former Maple Leaf and Los Angeles King defenseman Nathan Dempsey and get your defensive game down.

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

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Article and photos by Shari Narine

Jane Lagace’s (arguably) greatest accomplishment in the hockey world is commemorated by a trophy that is part of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s traveling exhibition. The trophy recognizes Lagace (at the time going by her married name of Robinson) as the first goal scorer in the first game of the first ever Women’s National Championship. It was 1982, Lagace’s first year playing hockey in Edmonton, where she was attending the University of Alberta. She played the season with the Capilano Cruisers, but was picked up by the Edmonton Chimos for the Women’s National Championship. The next year Lagace played with the Chimos and remained on the roster until 2004. In her grade 12 year, Lagace had a 10-minute experience that changed her life. Living in Wainwright. Lagace was influenced by her hockey-playing family and next door neighbour and strapped on the skates at nine years of age. She played with the boys’ team for two years and then joined the Wainwright women’s hockey team as one of the youngest players. The year she graduated from high school, the local Legion raised enough money to send the women’s team to Brampton for a tournament in which they played on the B-side. “I remember going to the A-side and watching the girls on that side and going ‘Omigosh, I want to be just like them one day.’ They were amazing skaters. Just seeing that little glimpse, for that five or 10 minutes I watched them, that was my goal,” recalled Lagace. By 1992,when Lagace was invited to try out for Team Canada , she was juggling a career as teacher and mother to two boys. She went through all the steps, which involved tryouts at the local, regional and provincial levels before finally making it to the national camp in Ontario – where she was cut. “I was pretty devastated because I put a lot of work into it,” she said. She took time off from teaching in Sherwood Park to train for the team.

She decided to back away from her goal of making Team Canada. She took a year off and did a lot of reading on sports psychology and worked through strategies to be better mentally prepared. The result was improved confidence which showed in her play and resulted in her landing a spot on Team Canada in 1994. At that time commitment to Team Canada involved a single tournament, the World Championship in Lake Placid, NY. Lake Placid, said Lagace, “was awesome. My biggest challenge was getting on the team. My focus for me was making sure I made the team and not necessarily what came after it.” But what came after was five games of strong playing. Lagace earned the title of second highest point getter with eight points (four goals and four assists) behind teammate and line mate Danielle Goyette. Her other winger was Nancy Drolet. Team Canada walked away with the gold medal.

“When hockey is over you do question where your values are. It took a lot of introspection for me.” At around this time, lobbying began for women’s hockey to be a trial sport in the Olympics for 1994. But the late push resulted in no available venues and it wasn’t until 1998, in Nagano, that women’s hockey was played in the Olympics. Lagace was invited to tryout for the Olympic team following her strong performance at the World Championships, but a variety of reasons led to her being an early cut in the process. After retiring from the Chimos, Lagace was assistant coach with the women’s hockey team at NAIT from 2004-2007. She also skates with the U of A’s Panda’s alumni team, although she never played for the Pandas. Life right after hockey was a challenge, said Lagace. She went from having her accomplishments cheered in the stands and receiving public accolades in the form of MVP and top scorer trophies almost all her life to having to learn to dig deep and find her self worth from within. “When hockey is over you do question where your values are. It took a lot of introspection for me. I’m not Jane the hockey player anymore and … it took time to regroup and look inward and see that I have other abilities in other areas,” said Lagace. With a Physical Education degree from the University of Alberta, Lagace earned her teaching certificate and now enjoys a rewarding career in the teaching field. She’s presently employed by Edmonton

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

Catholic Schools where for years now she’s been drawing not only on her strength of being a hockey player but on her strength as an athlete. This year, she signed on at Our Lady of Mount Carmel elementary and junior high school in Edmonton’s south as assistant principal and director of the new recreation academy. Previously, Lagace was involved with other hockey programs and sports academies with ECS. Lagace also has a Master’s degree in sports psychology and operates Mind Games, where she works directly with athletes to help them with mental preparation. Because any good athlete would tell you – and Lagace herself would point to her 1994 accomplishments – that much of the game is played out in your mind. Although her push to be part of Team Canada’s Olympic run was short lived, Lagace still keeps up with her former teammates through the media and celebrated along with everyone else when the women defeated the United States 2-0 to take the gold medal in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. She understands that the pressure to succeed for these players is greater now because of what came before. “Right now, it’s amazing to see the support female hockey gets,” said Lagace, noting that because of this success, she fully expects to see an increase in the number of girls in junior high hockey academies . “Anytime a young potential athlete gets to view … someone older than them participating in sport and having success in it and the excitement around it, if they have any inkling whatsoever of wanting to be a national athlete, that sets the stage for that. It gives them something to aspire to,” said Lagace. And Lagace knows what she’s talking about. Walking one rink over at the Brampton tournament put her on the path to a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame

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It’s been 10 years since the NHL introduced overtime (1999-2000 season), and with it, overtime bonus points for the losers of overtime games. In the 2005-2006 season shootouts started. Most people don’t have an issue of giving any team 2 points for an overtime victory, but the “loser point” has often been criticized by fans of the game who do not see the merit in giving the losing team any points at all. Some fans (and even the media) have not caught up to the fact that just because you have as many wins as losses (you see, overtime losses don’t count against you, and of course, you benefit when you win in overtime), you’re not really a .500 team. Sure, the standings seem to indicate so, but really, playing .500 in most sports means that you have just as many wins as losses, that you’re an average team in your league. Nothing could be further from the truth in the NHL though. In looking at the NHL standings before the Olympic break, there were 24 teams playing .500 hockey or better. Specifically, these 24 teams had at least a point per game in the standings. So where exactly is average then? If you’re in 24th place in the overall NHL standings, and playing “.500 hockey”, is this really an accurate portrayal? Maybe when the NHL decided to make this change, they knew the average fan would happily accept a lower level of mediocrity with the new description of playing .500 hockey? With 24 teams fitting the description of playing .500 hockey or better, everyone’s a winner! This puts 80 percent of the teams in the category of “average” or better. It’s kind of like giving everyone a participant ribbon, just so everyone thinks their team is a little better off than they really are.

Here’s how things looked as of the Olympic break, and you will see what we mean: 24 teams were over .500 6 teams were below .500 In reality, and if you take overtime losses into consideration (no different than counting overtime victories), things look quite different. Or taken another way, if you assess teams on how many wins they have compared to games played, this is how it breaks down: 14 teams were actually .500 16 teams were actually below .500 This makes the most sense, and is a true portrayal of how teams are doing. For example, one might think that the Boston Bruins are having a decent season, fighting for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With 65 points in 60 games, they appear to be better than a .500 club. However, they have 11 “loser” points, so if you take these points away, they would only have 54 points in 60 games, which is a more accurate portrayal of their season. With only 27 wins in 60 games, they are not a “.500” club or anywhere near an average team in the NHL. There were 21 teams with more wins at the Olympic break, so they were definitely not near average in their performance at the time. This assessment is not to challenge the current overtime set-up in the NHL, or how points are granted. Most fans like overtime, and most hockey fans seem to like the shoot-out. But one has to remind themselves not to get fooled by the point system in place. Playing “.500” hockey has a new meaning, so when fans or media make the statement that the team is playing “.500 hockey,” it ain’t what it used to be!

Postscript on shoot-outs: For more information on shootouts, check out www.nhlshootouts.com. You can see who leads the league in all time shoot-out goals, how many games go to shootout, and what percentage of games are decided by the shootout, etc.

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

By Jeremy Freeborn Photos provided by Colleen Clarke, Harper Collins

Discussing negative experiences from your past is difficult for anyone. But when you are in the public spotlight, it can be that much more awkward. This past fall, former NHL Superstar Theoren Fleury stated in his book “Playing With Fire” that he was sexually abused by his former junior hockey coach Graham James, while playing with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League in the early 1980’s.

Fleury claims it is necessary to speak out and address the issue of abuse as soon as possible. He directed me to page 312 of “Playing with Fire”. In the final paragraph, Fleury writes:

The story became very relevant for Hockey Edmonton Magazine. In the fall, former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy spoke to us about his Respect in Sport program. Kennedy, like Fleury, was abused by Graham James.

Bettering the lives of others is a major reason why Fleury decided to publish his book. In “Playing With Fire” he elaborates his experiences with alcohol, drugs and gambling.

The abuse Fleury endured led to a personal history of alcohol and drugs. He felt uncomfortable speaking out against James while he was still playing in the NHL. Fleury even invested in James’ idea of bringing a Western Hockey League to team to Calgary, a franchise where James was head coach and general manager. However, Fleury’s personal problems resulted in his suspension by the NHL. Now Fleury is making a valiant effort to turn things around and make a difference, especially for young athletes.

“When you’re drinking, it is important to be responsible and safe,” says Fleury. “It (Alcohol) doesn’t just affect hockey players. It affects construction workers, doctors, lawyers and teachers. Everybody has demons in their closet and in my book I just wanted to be brutally honest about my own demons and let everybody know you can get the help that you need. When you get help, and with recovery under your belt, you can help a lot of people through your own experience.”

From a minor hockey standpoint, the message Fleury is trying to get across to our youth, and the minor hockey community, (parents, coaches, administrators), is to take every precaution to prevent abusive situations. “It’s about awareness,” says Fleury. “There are predators out there who are looking to take advantage of small children, and it puts the onus on the parents to do their due diligence to make sure their kids are safe”. “It is paramount that parents be aware and know how to deal with the situation. These predators are very smart at picking out kids who come

from troubled homes and prey on kids who don’t have support. It is important to ask the right questions and spot these guys before they do the damage.”

So if you are a kid who is in the situation I was in, and somebody older is using you for sex, call for help. You can call the police or you can search for kids’ help lines on the Internet. Seriously, you are not alone. Pick up the phone.

In looking back at the ordeal, Fleury explains how relieved he was when the Moose Jaw Warriors fired Graham James as their head coach in 1984. The new General Manager, Barry Trapp, was a little suspicious of James’ relationships with some of his players. It allowed Fleury to concentrate on hockey more. “I know I was just grateful and thankful at the time that he would no longer be my coach, and I could get away from him and move on with my life.” For Fleury to make his story public, he needed substantial support from those closest to him. He is very appreciative of his wife, Jennifer for standing by him during this difficult situation. “She has supported me

100%”, says Fleury. “She has a big heart and we both realize and understand that we can help a lot of people by letting them know that no matter how far you have gone, you can always make it back.” Fleury has also been very appreciative of the strong support he has received from the entire hockey community. “There’s not too many people who realized the extent of what I was going through on a daily basis, and they have all called and said they were proud and extremely supportive. I’ve reached out and it’s been great.” Legal action against James is something that Fleury is presently exploring. From 1997-2000, James spent time in prison for abusing Sheldon Kennedy. “I have hired one of the best criminal lawyers in Canada. When it’s time, we will pursue what we need to pursue,” says Fleury. Today, Fleury is sober. In the fall he was reinstated by the National Hockey League, so he could retire on his own terms as a Calgary Flame. He attends many of their alumni events. Fleury is also volunteering with women’s hockey teams across the continent, and is in the early stages of developing his own foundation. The foundations mandate is to provide support and advocacy for the victims of childhood sexual abuse. We will focus our efforts on supporting community based, grassroots organizations working on the front lines with the victims. 1 in 6 males and 1 in 3 females are sexually abused, in a classroom of 30 that with 15 boys and 15 girls, 2 boys and 5 girls have been sexually abused. The foundation will also provide access to specialized training for those front line workers. After trying to cope with the trauma and damage of sexual abuse for so long, on his own, Theoren Fleury now has everyone in the hockey community, plus fans and many more, compassionately interested in his compelling story.

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By Rob Suggitt Photos provided by Stephen Kathnelson

For this issue of the magazine, we met up with Ben Morley, who was just getting ready to officiate a pee wee hockey game at the George S. Hughes Arena. Ben started officiating hockey games at13 years old, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been doing it for about five years now. (Ben turned 18 on March 12th.) Ben also plays hockey. He started playing in atom, and after playing a variety of positions the first few years, he made the move to goaltender in pee wee, a position he still plays today, and for the SWZ Midget Tier 1 Club. Ben also enjoys swimming, and for non-water related activities, he enjoys playing xbox or fooling around on his computer.

How many games did you officiate last season? This season? Last season I officiated about 50 games. This season I have officiated a bit less, about 32 so far.

What level of hockey are you currently officiating? I am a linesman for hockey all the way up to bantam. I rarely do hockey lower then peewee.

Do you have any highlights related to big games or tournaments to pass along? Any awards or achievements? I have refereed in some interesting atom 1 Minor Hockey Week finals that have gone to overtime. It gets pretty exciting.

What do you enjoy most about officiating hockey games? I like to watch hockey, and when I referee I feel more involved in the game than if I were to just watch from the stands.

How does your experience as a hockey player help you as an official? It helps when you can relate to the kids playing the game. Just knowing what it’s like to be one of the kids on the ice helps when deciding on penalties and most controversial plays.

What kind of training were you provided?

“I like to watch hockey, and when I referee I feel more involved in the game than if I were to just watch from the stands. ”

I have been supervised by experienced referees on several occasions. I have been to a Midget AAA game with some other officials both experienced and novice. Watching a good hockey game with other official allows us to talk among each other and spread our knowledge of rules and ideas towards how to call a good game.

Do you have a role model or mentor who has helped you along the way? As a younger referee, I had a few referees on my own hockey team, as well as a coach who was a former referee. He has now gone back to refereeing since his son, a teammate of mine, also started to referee.

How have you improved your skills as an official? By talking and watching other referees I have learned more about the rules and on-ice positioning.

What is the toughest part about being a referee? Dealing with fans or parents or coaches that think their kid is going to be an NHL superstar. Not all parents or fans or coaches are like this, but the ones that are, are tough to deal with.

How do you handle criticism on the ice? From the stands, I ignore it. The parents are separated from us by the boards so I don’t worry about what they are thinking or saying. From the coaches, it’s ignored until they get the kids started. Players usually don’t argue much unless their coaches are. But overall, most criticism is ignored.

What are your future plans? Would you like to continue as a hockey official? I plan to keep officiating until I stop having fun. Once the fun is gone there is no reason for me to referee, instead it should be left to someone who is still enjoying what they do. As for a future as a referee, I would be willing to pursue one as long as I am still having fun.

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

In each edition of Hockey Calgary Magazine, we will answer a question about hockey as submitted by one of our readers. For this issue of the magazine, we have a question about the Gordie Howe Hat Trick. How many “Gordie Howe Hat Tricks” did Gordie Howe get, and who has the most GHHT’s of all time?

For those fans who do not know what a Gordie Howe Hat Trick is – it’s when a player gets a goal, an assist, and gets in a fight, all in the same game. The NHL does not keep official statistics for a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. According to Wikipedia, The Hockey News has kept statistics on this feat only since the 1996-97 season. The first known Gordie Howe Hat Trick took place on Dec. 26, 1917 (Harrmy Cameron of the Toronto Arena’s). And for Gordie Howe – he only registered two Gordie Howe Hat Tricks in his lengthy and illustrious career.

Recently retired Brendan Shanahan is cited as having the most Gordie Howe Hat Tricks in his NHL career – 17 which puts him way ahead of the player for which this feat is named. Once again, there are no official statistics for the GHHT, but speculation is that either Rick Tocchet or Jarome Iginla are second or third, with somewhere between 6 and 8 GHHTS. While it’s unlikely that Iginla is striving to break Shanahan’s unofficial record, he has a good chance to do so. At 32 years of age, Iginla has many years in the NHL ahead of him. However, players usually fight less the older they get. There’s less to prove, and age usually brings wisdom, with the knowledge that fighting does not translate into winning hockey games. Interestingly, and very surprisingly, Wayne Gretzky had one Gordie Howe Hat Trick. With only three recorded fights (Doug Lecuyer in 1980; Neil Broten in 1982; Bob Murray in 1984), Gretzky got his GHHT in an 8-2 victory over the Minnesota North Stars on December 22, 1982. That puts him only one behind Gordie Howe!

Hockey Edmonton Magazine

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