The re-emergence of the Florida Panthers

For a team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in only their third year of existence (way back in 1996), the Florida Panthers have been in a playoff drought ever since the 2000-01 season and no one has taken them seriously. That is until now. Having missed the post-season for ten consecutive years (the last time they were in the playoffs, the "Russian Rocket" Pavel Bure was leading the way for them with 58-goals and 36-year old Mike Vernon was in goal), which also included eight different head coaching changes during that span, the 2011-12 edition of the Florida Panthers are suddenly one of the top teams in the League and give all appearances that the years of being in the bottom-half of the Eastern Conference are finally over.



Kevin Dineen - Head Coach

 First year Panthers' head coach Kevin Dineen demands respect and accountability. It is in his nature, from the way that he played the game as a player himself, and continuing on into his role behind the bench. Dineen played parts of 19 seasons in the NHL, tallying 355-goals, 760-points and 2229 penalty-minutes in over 1100 regular season games. All in all, a very successful career as a tough, rugged player, which has continued on into his pursuits as a coach.

When his playing days ended in 2002, Dineen would eventually move onto being the head coach of the Portland Pirates in the American Hockey League in 2005 and quickly garnered accolades as a highly successful coach. In his first season alone as Portland's head coach, Dineen led the team to a 53-19-5-3 record, which is quite an accomplishment for a first year head coach. Dineen would continue to coach in Portland from 2005 through the end of the 2010-11 season, and would never once have a losing coaching record in any of those six seasons. During that time Dineen would also provide tuteledge to some of hockey's top young talent in the game today. Dustin Penner, Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Kent Huskins, Nathan Gerbe, Jhonas Enroth, Tyler Ennis and Luke Adam, among numerous others, all saw their careers advanced while playing under Dineen in Portland.

It would be no surprise that Kevin Dineen's coaching talents would become widely recognized and an NHL team would take note. Looking to make a break from their repeated years of coming up short and being lackluster, the Florida Panthers made a very wise move by naming Dineen their head coach in May of 2011. And since the start of the 2011-12 season, and Florida's almost miraculous accension in the NHL standings, it would appear that not only will the Panthers return to the playoffs but that Kevin Dineen is also an early favorite for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach.

Brian Campbell

With Dineen now at the helm, the Panthers are one of the best team's in the league this season. Here in early-mid December, the Panthers boast a record of 16-8-5 for 37-points, which is presently tied with Philadelphia for first overall in the Eastern Conference (although Philly is officially in first place by having more wins in less games) and first overall in the Southeast Division; at least six points ahead of all other teams in their division.

Perhaps even more important than Dineen's coaching success, Panthers' Executive Vice President and General Manager, Dale Tallon, has assembled a Panther's roster that is cohesive, experienced and remarkably talented. Remember, Tallon got his name on the Stanley Cup and was chiefly responsible for building the team that won the championship in Chicago with the Blackhawks in 2010. Since Tallon stepped into his present role with the Panthers after leaving Chicago in May 2010, he has acquired the main core of players that comprise the team, including Jose Theodore, Ed Jovanovski, Tomas Kopecky, Brian Campbell, Tomas Fleischmann, Scottie Upshall, Kris Versteeg, Sean Bergenheim, Marcel Goc and Matt Bradley, as well as drafting highly promising young star Erik Gudbranson. Three of those players, Campbell, Kopecky and Versteeg, won the Stanley Cup together in Chicago. The other players are a core of veterans that having been joined together, give all appearances that the Panthers are now in fact legit.

Stephen Weiss

The line of Fleischmann, Versteeg, along with ninth year Panther Stephen Weiss, are arguably the most productive line in the NHL right now. All three are averaging at least a point per game, and have combined together for 36-goals and 89-points in the 29-games that the Panthers have played so far this season. Combining these three on a forward line together with the fact that Florida has a highly offensive defense making them one of the most formidable teams in the NHL offensively. D-man Brian Campbell is presently second overall in the league for scoring amongst defensemen with 24-points in 29-games (2-goals, 22-assists). Another Florida blueliner, Jason Garrison, leads all NHL defensemen in goals scored as he has netted 9 of them already this season. Add in Dmitry Kulikov's 17-assists and 20-points in 28-games, and you also easily have a trio of the league's deadliest defense corps from the point.

Ed Jovanovski

Another marquee defenseman, but a familiar face in Florida, Ed Jovanski re-signed with the team during the past summer for a four-year term. Jovanovski was a 19-year old rookie with the Panthers in 1996 when they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they would eventually lose in four straight games to the Colorado Avalanche. The first overall draft pick by the Panthers in the 1994 draft, Jovanski played three-and-a-half seasons in the "Sunshine State" before he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks as part of the Pavel Bure deal during the 1998-99 season. Making his heralded return to the Panthers organization this season, Jovanski brings with him a resume that includes an Olympic Gold Medal in 2002 and NHL All-Star honours in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2008. And at 6'2" and 210lbs., Jovanovski has always been an intimidating presence in his own zone.

Tim Kennedy

Mix in role players such as Buffalo cast-off Tim Kennedy, long-time NHL veteran of over 900-games Marco Sturm, Mike Weaver, Jack Skille, Shawn Matthias, Evgenii Davydov, Mike Santorelli, and another Stanley Cup winner in Mikael Samuelsson, the Panthers seem to have all the parts needed on both forward and defense.

The other staple to any hockey team's success is who they have in net, and Florida's goaltending tandem is a couple of old reliables. At 35 and 34 years of age respectively, Jose Theodore and Scott Clemmenson have backstopped the Panthers to their success this season. Theodore, the 2002 Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's best goaltender and the Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the League's most valuable player that same season, has registered an 11-5-3 record between the pipes, while recording 2 shutouts, a 2.17 goals-against average, as well as a .929 save-percentage. Clemmenson, standing at a record of 3-0-1 has also notched a shutout this season and has numbers of 2.23 and .913. Obviously, both goaltenders are very steady and have been playing the game long enough that Florida can rely on them wholeheartedly to continue manning the nets and winning.

Jose Theodore

When examining each facet of the 2011-12 Florida Panthers, there is no doubt that they are strong on all ends. From the leadership at the very top that both Tallon and Dineen provide, all the way down through their bench and the character and talent of the players that they have on their roster, there is little to no doubt that they will in fact end their playoff drought this season. Dare I say it, there is even potential for a Cinderella-run to the Stanley Cup like they had back in 1996. It would seem most-fitting, almost storybook-like, that with Jovanovski back with the team for one more run that it could in fact be possible. Regardless of what playoff success they may earn this year, the Florida Panthers have re-emerged and are formidable.

Highlighting an unsung hero: Jiri Hrdina

Jiri Hrdina

Season after season goes by in the National Hockey League. As a decade or two passes, players that were once household names, at least casually, are often long forgotten when their playing days end and new favorites quickly take their places in the daily conversations of the hometown fans. Though most of these players are not within the Hall of Fame, may never have been on an All-Star team, nor do they hold any league or team records, their accomplishments during their careers may in fact hail them as unsung heroes. Players who made a difference with the way that they played hockey, but have been overshadowed by the game's truly great players. Still, as unsung as they may be, they did make a difference.

Case in point is former Calgary Flame and Pittsburgh Penguin, Jiri Hrdina. During a time when only a handful of Czech-born players skated the NHL arenas of North-America, and certainly no Soviet-born players as of yet, Jiri Hrdina made his NHL debut at the age of 29 as one of the very few players in Western-hemisphere hockey to hail from the Eastern-bloc. This was still a short time before the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Dominik Hasek, Petr Nedved and a larger influx of players from Czechoslovakia (later to be separate countries of Czech Republic and Slovakia) would make their country a breeding ground for highly talented hockey superstars who would run rampant in the NHL on an ongoing basis. Jiri Hrdina would join the NHL and the Calgary Flames during the 1987-88 season.

Born in one of the World's most beautiful and most remarkable cities, Prague in the former Czechoslovakia, Hrdina's successes in the NHL in a relatively short career are remarkable in and of themselves. After debuting with the Flames for a mere nine games in '87-'88, in which he scored 2-goals and added 5-assists for 7-points (along with 1-playoff game that year as well), Hrdina would only play in four full NHL seasons from 1988 through 1992. In three of those four seasons though, Hrdina would win Stanley Cup Championships. There is likely no other player in NHL history with a better percentage of championships compared to the number of seasons played. Yet there is little to no mention of Hrdina's noteworthy accomplishment amongst hockey circles these days.

Hrdina was a very solid two-way player throughout his career. As a versatile centerman, Hrdina excelled in his own end of the ice and also contributed offensively against the opposition. Coming to the NHL at 29, Hrdina's best years were likely spent while still playing in his homeland and playing on the international stage. While with Team Czechoslovakia in 1984, Hrdina helped lead his team to a Silver Medal at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics. Likewise, Hrdina medaled with Team Czechoslovakia on five separate occasions at the World Championships of hockey, winning gold in 1985, a silver in 1982 and 1983, and bronze medals in 1987 and 1990. By the time Hrdina made the jump to North-America he was already a very well accomplished and decorated hockey player.

Hrdina playing with Calgary Flames
Alumni during the Heritage Classic.

With his track record of Stanley Cup championships, Hrdina's success with winning obviously continued throughout his career in the NHL. Hrdina's finest season came during the Calgary Flames' championship season of 1988-89. This would be Hrdina's first full season in the NHL and he registered 22-goals, 32-assists for 54-points in 70-regular season games; a fine performance for a first full season in the league. Though Hrdina was certainly instrumental in bringing the Stanley Cup to Calgary, his contributions are much in the backdrop when considering that Hockey Hall of Fame players Lanny McDonald, Doug Gilmour, Al MacInnis, Joe Mullen and Joe Nieuwendyk were members in the forefront of that championship team, along with all-star players Theoren Fleury, Brad McCrimmon, Gary Roberts, Gary Suter, Mike Vernon, Hakan Loob and Rob Ramage. With so many big names and so much talent on one hockey club, it is not really surprising that Hrdina's contributions to that championship team were overlooked.

The 1989-90 NHL season would be the one season in which Hrdina did not win a Stanley Cup in his NHL career. Statistically, it would be his second-best season though, notching 12-goals and 30-points in 64-regular season games. While this Calgary Flames team was mostly comprised of the same players and staff from their championship team of the season prior, they would fail to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions, losing in 6-games in the first-round of the playoffs to Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.

The next and final two seasons of Hrdina's career would bring him two more Stanley Cup championships, though this time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In December 1990, Hrdina would be traded from Calgary to Pittsburgh for tough-guy defenseman Jim Kyte. Considering Hrdina's skill and winning experience the deal was rather lopsided in more ways than one. In Pittsburgh Hrdina would find himself on the third or fourth line used mostly in a limited role, for like the Flames, the Penguins were laden with a vast array of talent including one of hockey's greatest players ever Mario Lemieux, along with an additional mix of Hall-of-Famers, future Hall-of-Famers, and other all-star players like Jaromir Jagr, Kevin Stevens, Tom Barrasso, Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier, Mark Recchi, Paul Coffey, Larry Murphy and former teammate Joe Mullen.



Jiri Hrdina with the Pittsburgh Penguins -
brought in to tutor fellow countryman and
18-year old Jaromir Jagr.



Again, it is not any real wonder that Hrdina would be forgotten amongst a group of this calibre. However, at least one person would not forget Hrdina's impact on the team, as fellow Czech and upcoming superstar Jaromir Jagr would greatly benefit from his fellow countryman's guidance and tutelage during his rookie season in the NHL. At the time, Jagr was only 18-years old, and Hrdina, having lived in and played in North-America for a few seasons longer and being over 10-years Jagr's senior, would prove to be quite instrumental for adjusting the young Czech superstar to the NHL-brand of hockey, life in North-America and adopting the English language. Hrdina and Jagr would be nicknamed the "Czechmates"and suffice it to say that at least some of Jagr's outstanding success in hockey both globally and in the NHL can be attributed to Hrdina and the mentoring he provided during their two seasons in Pittsburgh together. The Penguins would go on to defeat the Minnesota North Stars in six-games of the Stanley Cup Finals that first season in Pittsburgh. Hrdina saw limited action in the Finals, only appearing in Game-3, but he played in 14 of Pittsburgh's 24-playoff games that season, record 2-goals and 2-assists in that stretch. Jagr would play in all 24-playoff games, registering 3-goals and 10-assists.

The 1991-92 season would be Jiri Hrdina's last in the NHL and would also see the Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champions, this time defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in four straight games. Hrdina would get his name enscribed on the Stanley Cup for the third and final time. He would also appear in all 21-games of the Penguins playoff run that season, picking up 2-assists along the way. Meanwhile, his "student" Jagr would become the youngest player in NHL history to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals at 20-years old, finishing the playoffs with 24-points in the 21-playoff games, and well on his way to super-stardom in the NHL. Hrdina would retire in 1992 after this last championship.

These days Hrdina busies himself as an amateur scout with the Dallas Stars. Though his playing days may be behind him, there are few players more celebrated as a champion than Jiri Hrdina. And while he was greatly "unsung" as a player perhaps mainly due to the fact that he was buried by a long list of some of the greatest players to ever play the game who happened to be his teammates, attention must be paid to the fact that he became a champion so frequently across such a short period of time. For his achievements and perenial championships, Jiri Hrdina should not be forgotten.

Islanders are oldies but goodies

After voters in Nassau County nixed the so-called "Lighthouse Project" which proposed to provide the NewYork Islanders with a completely renovated, competitive hockey arena as devised by team owner Charles Wang, the future of the Islanders and their existence on Long Island remains very uncertain. Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is currently the second-oldest arena in the NHL and also the second-smallest; it has been home to the Isles ever since their inaugural season in 1972. To say that it has seen better days is a major understatement, and with such dank and dilapidated confines the Islanders are decades behind the rest of their NHL competition when it comes to adequate facilities for their players, staff, organization and especially their fans. And though there is no certainty of what shall become of one of hockey's most storied franchises when their lease is up in 2015, or whether there is enough bubblegum and patchwork in the meantime to keep the anciet arena together, the Islanders have endeavored to put a competitive hockey club together by becoming a haven for grizzled veterans who can impart knowledge into the Isles young stars before they finally do decide to call it quits on their playing careers.

Upcoming star John Tavares is one of the Islanders'
many youngsters who will benefit from the presence of
so many veterans on the club's roster.

The 2011-12 New York Islanders have eight players who are 33-years of age or older. Even the Detroit Red Wings, who often regarded as having one of the largest collections of players past middle-age in hockey years do not have as many players that age and above. One could argue that the Islanders are merely trying to take the cheap way out by signing players who are on their last legs but have recognizable names and can be gotten at a bargain-price because their skills have diminished and they have lost a step or two over the years and do not really fit into another team's plans. Whether that is truly the case or not I cannot say for certain, but I recognize the fact that the Isles also have an array of young talent in the likes of 2009 first overall draft-pick and upcoming star John Tavares, 2011 Rookie of the Year finalist Michael Grabner, as well as other talented twentysomethings Matt Moulson, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, PA Parenteau and Andrew MacDonald. These youngsters are in fact the future of the Islanders, whatever may come of the team, and they can benefit immensely from players who have been around the block a few times.

Jay Pandolfo

Two of the Islanders veterans are former Stanley Cup champions. American-born Jay Pandolfo, 36-years old, is a rugged winger who has spent most of his career as a third or fourth-liner, a role player who has always been a solid penalty-killer. Pandolfo is the kind of player who doesn't draw a lot of attention but who works as hard as anybody and does the dirty-work in the corners and along the boards. Pandolfo won Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils in 2000 and 2003, and he has also been a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive-forward, as well as having served as an alternate captain while with the Devils on more than one occasion. In all, Jay Pandolfo is a veteran of over 800-games in his career and played an integral role with the great teams that the Devils had during the late-90s and early-2000s.

Brian Rolston

Similar to Pandolfo, another Islanders veteran, 38-year old Brian Rolston, was a Stanley Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils back in 1995. But unlike Pandolfo who has never possessed much of a scoring touch, Brian Rolston is one of those players who is a complete player in every way, shape and form. Rolston can play the power-play, he can penalty-kill, he puts the puck in the net, he forechecks, he backchecks, he is a leader and consumate teammate - he does it all. If there is one player who will most benefit the younger regime of the New York Islanders, it is Brian Rolston. Capable of playing all three forward positions, Rolston also possesses good size at 6'2" and 214lbs. Rolston has represented Team USA at three separate Olympics, winning the Silver Medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. And even at 38, Rolston can still contribute offensively having netted well over 300-goals in his career, including 33 shorthanded goals as well.

Evgeni Nabokov

Arguably the most talented New York Islander veteran was initially resistant to becoming an Islander in the first place. 36-year old two-time NHL All-Star goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov was not happy when the Islanders claimed him from the Detroit Red Wings off of waivers in January of 2011, and refused to report to the team. The Islanders would suspend Nabokov for the remainder of the 2010-11 season for his failure to report. Putting their initial differences aside, Nabokov would report to Islanders training camp in the Summer of 2011, and is the Islanders top netminder here in the early stages of the 2011-12 season. Like Rolston, Evgeni Nabokov is a former Olympian, having represented Team Russia for both the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. Nabokov also backstopped Team Russia for the World Championships of Hockey in 2008 and 2011, winning the Gold Medal in 2008. Prior to joining the Islanders, Evgeni Nabokov spent the entire 10-years of his NHL career with the San Jose Sharks, and holds practically all of the Sharks goaltending records, including most games played, wins and shutouts. In 2010, Nabokov became only the second goaltender to ever record three straight seasons of 40-wins or more in the NHL.

Mark Streit

The Islanders' top defenseman is also their team captain, 33-year old Swiss defenseman Mark Streit. Prior to the start of the 2011-12 season, Streit became the first ever Swiss hockey player to be named captain of an NHL team. Streit also has the dubious honor of being one of the most underrated players in all of hockey as he is a top-notch defenseman who could serve as a number one defenseman on any NHL team, but does not garner much attention likely because he plays for the New York Islanders. Streit is also a former Olympian, having played for Team Switzerland at both the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. Streit has hit double-digits in goals from the blueline in each of the past four seasons, and has registered seasons of 62, 56 and 49 points the past three years.

The other elder statesmen on the Island include 34-year old center Marty Reasoner, 38-year old Steve Staios who is capable of playing both forward or defense, and defensemen Mike Mottau and Mark Eaton who are 33 and 34 years old respectively. Each of whom are journeymen who have been around the league for a long time and have filled the role of a steadying and solidifying presence on any team that they have played for.

Perhaps Long Island has become a place for NHL veterans to be put out to pasture, but I doubt it. Each of these players still have something left in the tank (Mark Streit is at the top of his game and gives no signs of slowing down, while Nabokov has a solid .927 save-percentage in 4 games this season), and they can at least ensure that the New York Islanders will be competitive and given the respect that they deserve each night. And while the question still remains of what will eventually become of New York's future on the Island, they can rest assured that these veterans will impart to the younger generation knowledge and skills that they can carry with them either in the years ahead on Long Island, or wherever the franchise will eventually settle when the tired confines of Nassau Coliseum can longer be called home.

The need for Sean Avery

Sean Avery

The start of this still very early NHL season was a rollercoaster ride for one of the most despised players in hockey, Sean Avery of the New York Rangers. On October 4th, 2011, Avery had been waived by the Rangers, due mainly to his lack of offensive production during the preseason and for the fact that New York has an abundance of better talented and younger players than Sean Avery. Upon clearing waivers and not being picked by another team, Avery was subsequently assigned to the Rangers' AHL affiliate the Connecticut Whale. This demotion of Avery irked me at the time, but more on that later.

After an injury was sustained to Rangers tough-guy Mike Rupp, New York felt the need of Avery's services and thus called him back up from Connecticut to join the club. Similar to Rupp, though much less physically imposing, Sean Avery can play rough, in-your-face hockey. Avery was called-up on Halloween (October 31st), and after clearing re-entry waivers he would join New York in time for November 3rd game against the Anaheim Ducks (Avery ended up being a healthy-scratch for the game).

I make no excuses for Sean Avery's
ill-behavior.

I will clearly state that I for one am very happy that Sean Avery is back in the NHL. I am referring to Sean Avery the player not Sean Avery the person, though probably for many there really is no difference. The drama he has created at the expense of his teammates, his coaches, the NHL and the fans is inexcusable and of poor taste. The inappropriate derogatory comments he made about his former girlfriends, the poor remarks he directed towards French-Canadian players, his run-ins with the police, his unecessary behavior directed at fans, etc. - all of it is embarrassing, asinine and has no place in the game of hockey. I make no excuses for Sean Avery on this level and I try to disassociate this behavior with his play on the ice.

Stating that, I think that the New York Rangers, or any NHL team for that matter, need Sean Avery, or "a Sean Avery". There is no questioning the effectiveness of Avery's style of play. Avery is likely the most effective pest and agitator in the game today, and arguably one of the best ever. He gets under the opponents skin with the greatest of ease, and gets their minds out of the game and on Avery instead.

Prime example: Sean Avery's shadowing of superstar Ilya Kovalchuk during the 2007 NHL playoffs when Kovalchuk was still with the Atlanta Thrashers and Avery joined the Rangers in February of that season after a trade from Los Angeles. Kovalchuk, maybe the best pure goal-scorer in the game right now, notched 42-goals that season for Atlanta, but saw himself and the Thrashers eliminated in 4 straight games against the Rangers in the 1st-round of the playoffs. In that series, Kovalchuk was limited to just 1-goal and 1-assist in the 4 games, but registered 19-minutes in penalties; most of which included time in the box for going after Avery who was a thorn in Kovalchuk's side all series long. Sean Avery had shutdown one of the best players in the world and took him completely off of his game. To this day there is still no love lost between Avery and Kovalchuk.

And history has proven time and time again that pests and agitators like Sean Avery can help win Stanley Cups. Perhaps the most prolific champion of all-time amongst pests and agitators is Esa Tikkanen who won five Stanley Cups in his career, four with the Edmonton Oilers and one with the New York Rangers. Tikkanen was notorious for getting under opponents' skin while using his insesent "Tikkanese" talk, Tikkanen's own wild combination of Finnish and English, which was enough to madden the opposition. When another team's player took exception to Tikkanen's play and antics, he would torment them further with the question, "How many Cups you got?", referring to all of the championships he had won while the other player likely had not won any.

Another prime example is the first player to garner the title "The Rat", Kenny Linseman. Since Linseman retired in the early-1990s, that nickname has been used too generously with other pestering players (i.e. Matthew Barnaby) but for longtime hockey enthusiasts Ken Linseman will always be the true "Rat". Linseman also won a Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984 and appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals on three other separate occasions (1980, 1983, 1988).

Sean Avery has a official rule
nicknamed after him.

And as Tikkanen's and Linseman's names will forever be enscribed upon Lord Stanley's Cup, Avery in his own bizarre way will forever being embedded into the NHL records and annals, particularly the NHL rule book. During the 2008 NHL playoffs when Avery's Rangers squared-off against crosstown rivals the New Jersey Devils, Avery did everything amongst his vast array of annoyances to pester and agitate the Devils players, but especially future hall of fame goaltender, Martin Brodeur. During one contest in the series while the Rangers were on the power play with a two-advantage, Avery, who was already in front of the Devils net screening Brodeur, intentionally turned his back on the play and began to wave his hands and stick in front of Brodeur's face in an effort to distract and exasperate the nerminder. Avery would eventually be the one to score the power-play goal against the Devils later during the sequence. Many felt that Avery's antics were unsportsmanlike and uncalled for. But no one could question their effectiveness, as the Rangers would go onto win the series 4 games to 1. During the traditional handshake between the two teams at the end of the series, Martin Brodeur actually refused to shake Sean Avery's hand.

Though at the time when Avery employed this particular tactic there was not any explicit violation of the rules, many hockey experts still felt that Avery's method of screening was in fact unsportsmanlike and should not be allowed. The day following the game when this took place, the NHL issued an interpretation of the unsportmanlike conduct rules which stated that it was an illegal play for a player to intentionally turn his back on the play while screening a goaltender, and that the player's focus must be directed towards the play at all times. This interpretation of the rules was dubbed "The Sean Avery Rule".

Make no mistake, Avery does possess other talents that coincide with his knack for antagonism. Avery is actually fairly accomplished in winning face-offs. And though his offensive skills have diminished with age, Avery has hit double-digits in goals on four separate occasions, including his highest output of 18-goals during the 2006-07 season, all the while racking up over 1500-penalty-minutes. Sean Avery also has on his career 15-points in 28 playoff games, which is not too shabby for a player who has spent most of his time on the third or fourth-lines. During the same 2008 playoffs aforementioned, Avery registered 7-points in only 8 games. Avery brings more to the table than just spunk and diarrhea of the mouth.

The New York Rangers of 2011-12 are a team leiden with talent. And suffice it to say that perennial pests can play integral roles in highly talented hockey teams becoming champions, as Tikkanen and Linseman did. While already possessing the likes of top-notch talent in Marian Gaborik, Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan, Michael Del Zotto, and the offseason blockbuster acquisition of Brad Richards, the New York Rangers need to blend in various role players that can them a unique advantage over the opposition, the way that agitators and enforcers able to do. There is perhaps no other player in the League more unique than Sean Avery, and he has the capability of playing a role that can change the outcome of a hockey game or series and help his team to win.

An end for Ivanans(?), and the dangers of concussions from fighting.

Raitis Ivanans of the Calgary Flames

Tying into some of my earlier thoughts on the mental and emotional effect on hockey players that concussions cause and exacerbate, I would like to delve a little further into that subject with a particular case that is very current but seems to have drawn little to no attention. The case regards of one of my favorite NHL enforcers, Calgary Flames forward, Raitis Ivanans.

Fighting in hockey. I have seen the pros and cons of it for many years, but I have always considered myself "Pro-Fighting" when it comes to fisticuffs being allowed in the game. I agree with the moniker; "Let the players police the game and themselves". Fighting holds would-be cheap-shot artists accountable for their actions. If you are going to deliver an elbow to the head, or decide to be an idiot and go for a knee-to-knee hit on an opposing player, then you SHOULD have to receive your comeuppance and pay a price for your actions. Hockey can quite often be a game of karma; what goes around comes around. And oftentimes, it does not always seem that time in the penalty-box or a temporary suspension without pay can make up for an underhanded act performed on a player that could forever be a detriment to both their career and their livelihood.

Raitis Ivanans, while with the Los Angeles Kings,
delivering a punch to Aaron Johnson of Calgary

There is the much argued and much maligned fighting instigator-rule. Ennacted in 1992, the rule used to dissuade fighting gives the player who starts the fight an additional 2-minute penalty for instigating, thus potentially putting his team shorthanded.  If the instigator-rule were to be abolished it would ensure that a player, likely a team's enforcer, could exact retribution on the opposing player who committed an offense without the fear of putting his team at a disadvantage for his actions. The guilty party would receive what is coming to him and would likely refrain from committing any further offenses. This would mean that players like Matt Cooke, Patrick Kaleta, Jarkko Ruutu, Sean Avery and Steve Downie, all of whom are widely considered "dirty" players would be held accountable for their actions. Knowing that they would have to tangle with the likes of imposing giants such as George Parros, John Scott, Jody Shelley, Brian McGrattan and Raitis Ivanans would act as a major deterrent for these "dirty" players when having to pay the price for their actions. And in theory, the game would be much "cleaner" and there would be far less instances of long-term and/or career-threatening injuries taking place due to one player intending to do harm to another. Less hits from behind, less overzealous stickwork, less instances intended bodily harm. The players police themselves and keep anyone from getting badly hurt by a cheapshot. Fighting serves a necessary purpose.

I have long agreed with that philosophy, and I know that the players in the game who are inclined to drop the gloves realize the risk involved. They are grown men, they are "big boys", and they know that there is always a chance of serious injury. But when that serious injury actually takes place, and that player not only misses playing time but is also out of work on a long-term basis and has ongoing major health-issues after the initial injury, the question that has to be asked is "was it really worth it?". Was it worth it to go toe-to-toe in order to avenge a violation of the sacred "code of conduct" in a hockey game? So a agitator slashed one of our finesse players - is the act of retribution worth the same price as a concussion that may prevent a player from ever playing the game again? When I look at Raitis Ivanans of the Calgary Flames, I do not know if I can truly justify fighting anymore, at least not to myself.

Strong arms of Raitis Ivanans

Raitis Ivanans is a giant and one of the fiercest and most intimidating enforcers there is. The most recent statistics that I saw on him listed him at 6'4" and weighing 240lbs. He has trimmed down a bit if that is the case, for I remember early in his career he weighed in at 265lbs., and was the heaviest player in the NHL; even heavier than the largest player in the League, Zdeno Chara. Ivanans has arms the size of Redwood tree trunks that look as if he could crush someone's skull with a single squeeze. The sight of him alone would be a major deterrent for most to stay away from doing harm to any one of his teammates. Ivanans is also one of the very few players to ever make it the NHL from the small country of Latvia.

After going undrafted, Ivanans was signed by the Montreal Canadiens where he played but 4-games, perhaps largely due to an injury during the 2005-06 season. In Raitis' very first NHL game, he fought fellow giant Zdeno Chara while Chara was still playing for the Ottawa Senators, and sustained a broken orbital bone after Chara threw a late punch once Ivanans was down. That summer, Ivanans would sign on with the Los Angeles Kings where he has played the bulk of his career. In all, Raitis Ivanans played four full seasons with the Kings, appearing in over 270-games while recording well over 500-penalty-minutes. Ivanans garnered (though it would not be that difficult for him to do so, due to size alone) a reputation as one of the most feared enforcers in the NHL.

Ivanans fighting Steve MacIntyre.
This is the fight that gave him
a severe concussion.

In the summer of 2010, Ivanans would leave Los Angeles for the Western Conference rival Calgary Flames, after signing a new 2-year contract. To this day, Ivanans has only played one single game as a Flame. I remember watching that very game and have not forgotten it. My wife and I were on honeymoon in Montreal in early October 2010, right at the start of hockey season. After a day of sightseeing, we returned to the hotel and I put a hockey game on the television. The game happened to be another "Battle of Alberta", as provincial rivals the Edmonton Oilers and Ivanans' Calgary Flames were playing each other. In the third-period, Ivanans squared-off with the Oilers' giant, Steve MacIntyre, who is listed even somewhat larger than Ivanans, at 6'5" and 250lbs. I was actually quite excited to see these two heavyweights drop the gloves. That was until the fight got underway. MacIntyre certainly got the better of the fight by landing about seven straight shots to the left-side Ivanans' face, while Raitis got only a few shots in. Seven hard shots to the face may have done a fair amount of damage in and of themselves, but it was the eighth punch that was the most damaging and most horrific to see. When MacIntyre caught him with that eighth and final haymaker, Ivanans slumped to the ice immediately. The first thought through my mind was, "Oh no, this is bad. He is in trouble". I think that everyone watching the game realized it as well, and the announcers duly noted it too, as medical training personnel hurried to assist Ivanans on the ice. Ivanans was practically knocked cold and badly concussed.

That was the last game that Ivanans has played in the NHL, as he has been out for over a year making efforts to recover from a debilitating concussion which was a direct result of the fight with MacIntyre. At 32-years of age, Ivanans isn't getting any younger, and he hasn't played for more than half of his 2-year contract with the Flames which is scheduled to run out at the end of this season. I can only imagine the large amount of frustration and stress that a longterm injury such as this must be putting on Ivanans. Recovering from a concussion is a lengthy process that has no definitive end of recovery time. There are good days and bad days of the symptoms involved (i.e. sensitivity to light, depression, irritability, headaches, etc.), not to mention the sense of not being able to work and competing with your teammates. It is my fear that Ivanans could never fully return from this injury in being the same player that he once was, and even a worse fear should he fall into the same struggles that afflicted fellow tough-guys Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak and Rick Rypien.

Raitis Ivanans

However, there is some very bright news which came about just recently on 10/20, as it was announced that Calgary had assigned Ivanans to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. Even better was the fact that Ivanans was able to play in his first hockey in over a year and already has a couple of games under his belt with the Heat, after a long, long recovery from his concussion. Regardless of this excellent news, who is to say that Ivanans' playing career and life will ever truly be the same, and whether or not he will ever make it back into the NHL. One concussion, especially a serious one, usually makes a player more prone to additional concussions down the road. And not being a skilled player makes Ivanans' role with a hockey club extremely limited. It is inspiring to see that Ivanans is moving forward and returning to the game, but has the concussion gotten the better of him and has it already made a lasting imprint and done its damage? For Raitis Ivanans sake, it is my sincere hope that with all of the recent attention to concussions and the emotional and mental strain that they can cause, that he will have all of the assistance and support he needs in returning to hockey permanently.

The tragedy of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

I haven't blogged in a while, and I wanted this to be my first entry now that I am writing again. It took me quite a while to gather my thoughts and to find a way to make a personal response regarding the horrible tragedy of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash that took place on September 7th, 2011. Over a month later and having had ample time to reflect, I think I can now put my thoughts into the most appropriate words for understanding the gravity of situation and its impact on hockey and on myself.

Brad McCrimmon

The crash claimed the lives of the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team.  Nine members of the team I had once watched play in the NHL and had collected their hockey cards over the years; a few of whom since my boyhood. Coach Brad McCrimmon, assistant coaches Alexander Karpovtsev and Igor Korolev had been players that I had grown up watching when they starred in the NHL. At 9-years of age, I fondly remember Brad McCrimmon being instrumental for the 1989 Calgary Flames when they won their first and only Stanley Cup. I have McCrimmon's rookie card in a plastic sleeve set aside in a special box with many of my other cards that I treasure. I even remember seeing him play in person towards the end of his career with the Hartford Whalers during a game against the Buffalo Sabres in the old Memorial Auditorium.

Alexander Karpovtsev

Alexander Karpotsev was always one of my most favorite defensemen. He was openly criticized for laziness and being a soft player by some, who also acknowledged his immense talent when he put the effort in. I cannot help but wonder how some of Karpovtsev's most ardent critics must feel, what thoughts went through their minds when they learned that he had perished in this plane crash. I do not intend to sound morbid by posing this question. Rather, I am highly sympathetic. I would not know how to cope with openly criticizing someone and then learning that they had lost their life in such a horrific accident. I think of Karpovtsev in a much more positive light, though. I can still recall watching on television as Karpovtsev raised the Stanley Cup above his head in 1994 with the New York Rangers. He was a healthy-scratch that night and lifted the Cup over his held while wearing a shirt and tie and screaming a triumphant victory cry. Karpovtsev was one of the last Rangers to lift the Cup on the ice that night before the team went to celebrate inside the locker room. But he became one of the first four Russians ever to have his name enscribed on the Stanley Cup, along with teammates Sergei Zubov, Sergei Nemchinov and Alexei Kovalev.

Igor Korolev

Igor Korolev played in nearly 800 NHL games beginning in the early 1990s and then into the 2000s. I remember that when Korolev first broke into the NHL with the St. Louis Blues in 1992, he was part of the short-lived "Moscow Express Line" with teammates Vitali Karamnov and Vitali Prokhorov. Korolev would have much more longevity in the league than his two counterparts, moving on to play with the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks for many more years following his days in St. Louis. But what impressed me most about Igor Korolev was the way he was portrayed in Dave King's 2007 book "King of Russia: A Year in the Russian Super League". King documents his time as head coach of the Metallurg Magnitogorsk hockey club in the Russian Super League. The book discussed King's adjustments to life and coaching hockey in Russia, as he became the first Canadian coach to do so. Korolev, one of King's players for Magnitogorsk that year, was one of the few players on the team who had played in the NHL before and could also speak English. Reading the book, King talks in such high regard of Igor Korolev for how hard he worked on the ice during games, how much of a leader and inspiration he was to the younger players on the squad, and how integral a part he was for the success of the team. I was always impressed by Igor Korolev after reading that book.

Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins, Karel Rachunek, Alexander Vasyunov and Josef Vasicek were all players whom I had seen play throughout the years as well. I respect all of them for what they were able to accomplish as players. Perhaps I still cannot fully comprehend the loss of so many players that I had watched and admired who were taken from the world in an instant. It is too difficult to fathom and to grasp, though I am trying.

I also believe that I was touched in ways by this tragedy that others were not and could not fully understand unless they were in my shoes. Many, many more people were impacted on a far deeper level than I, and I am certainly not attempting to say my grief is greater than others or to make some type of comparision. But I think that my experience with this tragedy is unique in many ways.

I have traveled somewhat extensively in Russia. I have visited the country on five separate occasions. I have been in the cities of Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Ulyanovsk, Samara and Dimitrovgrad. I have taken flights on numerous occasions and made connections in the Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Samara airports. Samara's airport is highly outdated, especially on arrival. You land in the middle of an open runway and gather your luggage in an old dilapidated "barn", for lack of a better word. I have studied the Russian language and can speak it fairly well, though I am getting rusty. I have known and have been very close with many Russians and have numerous Russian friends. I think that maybe I have an insight into how the Russian people may have felt when this tragedy took place.

Yury Urychev

During the weeks surrounding Christmas 2010 and New Year's 2011, I had the rare privilege of being able to work the World Junior Hockey Championships of 2011 when they came to Buffalo, New York. I worked 10 of the games that were hosted at Dwyer Arena at Niagara University. During that time I befriended members of the Russian contigent and Team Russia, some of whom I still remain in touch with. Team Russia was one of the four teams that were hosted at Dwyer Arena. I was in their locker room, I watched their practices and saw all of their games that were hosted at our arena. Team Russia would win the Gold Medal of the tournament by defeating Team Canada in the stunning Gold Medal game in Downtown Buffalo. Yuri Urychev and Daniil Sobchenko were both members of the Yaroslavl hockey club who I had seen play and practice during this tournament. The friends whom I had met during the 2011 World Juniors from the Russian contigent were all heartbroken and devasted by the loss of these two young men. Day after day following the plane crash, I read their posts on Facebook and saw how they grieved. I sent consoling messages to them, with the hope that at the very least they would know that the loss that they were experiencing was recognized and that they were being thought of during their time of grief.

Alexander Galimov

In the brief time following the plane crash, I prayed daily that Alexander Galimov, originally the lone surviving member of the Yaroslavl hockey club, would live and be able to recover from his horrific injuries. He was the one ray of hope that at least one member of the team would live on. That at least one player could survive would provide consolation to all of the grief-stricken hearts. But that was not to be, as Galimov would eventually succumb to the burns he sustained in the crash on September 12th. Perhaps comfort can be taken in knowing that Galimov would no longer be suffering from the excruciating pain of injuries such as these and he would not need to face that endless road ahead of trying to recover. He is at peace now with the rest of his teammates.

By putting my thoughts together here, I will move forward from this tragedy and find my own closure with it. May all the members of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl rest in peace. They will never be forgotten and they will continue to live on in the hearts of the people who knew them personally as well as those that had the honor of seeing them play.

Yet another loss - the passing of Wade Belak



Wade Belak

 It seems rather surreal that the hockey world could lose yet another of its most beloved members in such a short period of time. August 31st, 2011 marked the passing of one of the NHL's most colorful and most charismatic former players; recently retired defenseman Wade Belak. After parts of 15-seasons in the NHL, Belak had just retired from the game as a member of the Nashville Predators on March 8th and had moved onto television work with the intention of remaining with Nashville in an organizational role. The sad irony of Belak's passing is that within a matter of a four month timespan, he was the third of three toughguy enforcers to have died; the first being New York Rangers' enforcer Derek Boogaard and the second being Winnipeg Jets' scrapper Rick Rypien. In each of the three instances there appears to be concern that depression or misuse of substances (albeit accidental) played a factor in each players' demise.

As stated in my August 21st entry Mental health of players, both during and after their careers, I touched upon the idea that the NHL ought to look into providing services for retired players that help to promote mental health awareness and positive decision making skills. There is always a difficulty in having to let go of something, especially when that something has been both your career and your life. In letting go of the game of hockey and moving onto other roles in life following retirement, some players are able to adjust and handle the changes better than others. The instances are numerous of players who have suffered from depression and/or fell victim to substance abuse after they have retired from their professional hockey careers. More needs to be done to help assimilate retired players into life post-hockey, and the mental health concerns of retired players need to be studied as well in order to prevent any further tragic deaths. There has to be some type of outreach or program to help former players who are in trouble and give them the support that they need.

Outwardly, Belak had so much going for him. Not only was he widely respected by fans, former teammates and opponents, and the hockey world in general, but Belak had found success in other avenues of life. Married with two young daughters, preparing to take part in the upcoming third season of the reality show Battle of the Blades, working in Nashville's broadcasting booth providing color-commentary all seem like such wonderful things. But were they enough to outweigh the loss of retiring and leaving at least the playing-portion of the game behind? According to Belak's mother, Lorraine Belak, he was suffering from depression in the recent times preceeding his death and it was something that he was endeavoring to take control of. Sadly, it appears that Wade Belak was unable to control his bouts with depression which may have in turn led to his untimely death.

Many are left to ponder - is there any significance to the fact that the three players to lose their lives were all enforcers and were all frequenters of dropping the gloves to fight? Some speculate that the repeated blows to the head that these players endured may have damaged their brains in a way that may have caused these players to suffer from depression. In Boogaard's case, his family has decided to donate his brain to the Boston University Medical School, where it can be studied and perhaps shed insight on the effects on the brains of athletes who partake in high-contact sports, especially in regards to the degenerative brain condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The symptoms of this brain condition are somewhat similar to dementia, and include memory loss, aggression, confusion and, perhaps most significantly in these particular instances, depression. Could brain injuries be at least partly responsible for the deaths of these three players?

Regardless of what the underlying reason is in the deaths of Belak, Rypien and Boogaard, the solution is the same - something must be done not only to help players that are presently active in their careers, but also give them the support that they need and provide helpful services to them after they retire. Maybe some form of post-traumatic stress disorder treatments or programs should be offered to retired hockey players. I pride NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on his adamant statement that the League will be reviewing their programs for players dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues, but I firmly believe that the same must be done for players once their playing days are over, and perhaps most crucially during the time frame when they have recently retired from the sport. There has to be a support network for past and present athletes of the game in order to prevent any further tragedies.

Houda gets his name on the Cup

Doug Houda played his first NHL game as a young defenseman way back during the 1985-86 season with the Detroit Red Wings. He was a journeyman who played with seven different NHL teams during his 18-year professional career, including two separate stints with both the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres. Known for his rugged physical play and willingness to drop the gloves, Houda spent the last five years of his career playing mostly in the American Hockey League with an occasional call up to a parent-club when injuries gave him the opportunity to crack an NHL roster.

I remember Doug Houda mostly from his days with the Buffalo Sabres and also from the Hartford Whalers when they waged epic battles against Buffalo. Houda was always one of the tough guys; never hesitating to go toe-to-toe against an opposing enforcer in an effort to stand-up for a teammate, gain momentum for his team, or rectify an injustice done to his goaltender. Doug Houda was a follower of "The Code"; the unspoken code of conduct for fighting in the game of hockey, allowing the players to police themselves and making certain that each player is held responsible for his own actions. During his career, Houda squared-off with the likes of Tie Domi, Rob Ray, Ken Baumgartner, Brad May, Jeff Odgers, Shawn Antoski and many more.

Following Houda's retirement as an active player in 2003, he stepped into the role of assistant coach with the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Houda had already served as the Amerks captain during his final season of professional hockey, and was already the respected leader of the team (he played in 77-games that year with the team at the age of 36 and racked-up 191-penalty minutes). It is clear that the respect that Houda garnered during his playing career immediately carried on into the coaching life afterward. At that late age in his career and playing on a team of teenagers and twentysomethings, it was the perfect decision to bring him onboard as a coach for the team upon his retirement.

Success and recognition for his abilities continued to carry Houda back onto the "big stage" in the NHL only a short time later. In the summer of 2006, Houda was hired as an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins. Since that time time, Boston has been known for possessing one of the most intimidating and effective defenses in the game today. The 2006-07 season would also mark the first season that Bruins' captain, all-star defenseman and eventual Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara would join the team, and the success of the Bruins and their defense would just continue from there. Minus the scoring touch, Houda personified during his playing career the style of play that Chara brings to the table; tough, rugged, no-nonsense hockey. With Chara merely being the biggest name on the Bruins backend, Boston, with help from Houda's coaching, have developed some of the NHL's more highly touted defensemen like Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid.

Hard-work, determination and overcoming from previous seasons of heartache and failure would pay off this past spring, as the Boston Bruins hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972. Becoming champions is a developmental process, and with their team captain and premier defenseman Chara and assistant coach Houda both arriving at the same time, the Bruins were able to ensure that the key members for growing their defense were all on the same page and that this defense was fostered into becoming the corps needed to win the Stanley Cup. The integral role that Houda played in helping to orchestrate last season's championship run can be seen on the faces of each of the Bruins defensemen, most notably their captain as he received and hoisted the Cup for the first time.

There is no question that the tenacity and leadership that Houda displayed during his career enabled him to become a great teacher of the game for young players and have shown that he has always maintained a desire to win and compete, which he can impart to others. Finally, after many years of playing the game, and at times literally fighting to win and rally his team, and then now after continued success each season with coaching, Doug Houda is able to raise Lord Stanley's Cup himself and have his named inscribed upon hockey's most prestigious trophy where it shall remain forever. After 18-years as a player, 561-games in the NHL (plus 18 more in the playoffs), along with 1104 penalty-minutes, it is nice to see that hard work has more than paid off for Doug Houda. I am certain that he and the Bruins shall have continued success, and that Houda especially will contine to blossom in his coaching career that will likely land him a head coaching job someday in the NHL.

Coffee with "The Crow"

A few years back while having morning coffee with my future wife, while sitting at the nearby Tim Horton's restaurant in the suburbs of Buffalo, I recognized a familiar face making his way through the doorway. I had never met the man before, but any true long-time Sabres fan would have recognized him. Our eyes met and he smiled and nodded to me. I kind of beamed from his acknowledgement to me, and said "Hi Joe! How are you?". He proceeded to move in line to grab his morning coffee and a box of Timbits. It was former Sabres coach, Joe Crozier; "The Crow".

I probably would have thought nothing more about it, other than perhaps to say to people, "Hey, I saw Joe Crozier this morning at Tim Horton's", but Joe actually proceeded to come over and sit with us once he had gotten his order. I won't ever forget that. He really did not have to. He didn't know me or my girlfriend. He is an older gentleman who is not in the best of health, and I am sure that he is also very busy in his personal life. I can certainly see how this man, a great hockey coach in his own right and highly respected in various hockey circles, had heavily endeared himself both to the players that he coached and to those of the community.

Mr. Crozier stayed with us a good 15-minutes, drinking coffee, updating us on his health and what he was doing these days, signed an autograph for the girl I would eventually marry, shook my hand and said goodbye as he was leaving to make his way up to Tim Horton's "Camp Days" over the border in Welland, Ontario. Again, he did not need to stop and spend a portion of his morning with us. I won't ever forget how he extended that courtesy to us of his own accord.

Joe Crozier was the first head-coach to lead the Buffalo Sabres into the playoffs when he did so during the 1972-73 season; only their third season of existence. This was also the first full season that the newly united "French Connection" line of Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert was assembled. There were a few rookies on that team as well and also a group of younger players in their early-mid 20s that were trying to make names for themselves and land permanent jobs in the NHL. Don Luce, Craig Ramsay, Jim Schoenfeld, Larry Mickey, Mike Robitaille, Larry Carriere, Paul Terbenche, Dave Dryden, captain Gerry Meehan, Steve Atkinson and others all saw their game improve from the guidance and knowledge that Crozier imparted to them. And though for the most part that Sabres team was very young, Crozier and general manager Punch Imlach blended in a nice mix of veterans as well with the likes of 35-year old and multiple Stanley Cup champion Larry Hillman, the acrobatic netminder and former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Roger Crozier, and the late, great Tim Horton who also was a multi Stanley Champion and an eventual Hockey Hall of Famer.

Regardless of experience and talent level of those players that Joe Crozier coached that year for the first time playoff run, one thing that they all say in interviews and in storytelling is that Crozier taught them to be closely knit and to have fun. They were a team that loved playing together and believed in where Crozier was leading them. I am certain that all of those players have been able to look back upon how positively Joe Crozier effected their playing careers and their lives.

When I think of how Joe Crozier took some time out of his day to spend it with me for just cup of coffee and small talk, it is no wonder that his former players hold him in such high-regard as not only a coach but as a person as well. You get a sense that Crozier can see the importance of everyone whom he meets and the role that they play either on the ice or in life. When a coach is able to recognize the significance of each individual and make them feel that their particular job matters and is vital, that coach is then able to orchestrate a true team that can succeed by believing in each other and counting on each other. I suppose that it is the same way in everyday life as well. Maybe some people, like Joe Crozier, realize that more than others and that has what has made them successful and respectable in life.

Getting your name on the Cup



Shane Hnidy



With the Boston Bruins in the midst of their summer long celebration with Lord Stanley's Cup, I am curious as to whether any of the Boston players who did NOT qualify to have their names inscribed on the Cup will in fact end up having that honor of being forever engraved. Today, and since the late 1970s, in order for a player to qualify for having his named inscribed on the Cup that player must have played at least 41-regular season games (which equates to exactly half of the regular season games in an NHL season) or has to have appeared in at least one game in the Stanley Cup Finals. Championship teams are able to lobby for players who don't meet the criteria, but whom they still want included on the Cup-engraving for the team by petitioning the League for their inclusion. Usually a team will argue that the player was unable to meet the requirements due to injury or some other extenuating circumstances that limited the number of games that they played.

I always hope that the winning team will petition to have that long-time veteran who has typically been around the game for years but tends to teeter between being in the "Big League" and the minors. That player on the cusp who works hard day-in and day-out but who doesn't quite have the talent to solidify himself a permanent spot on the active roster. With the Bruins having won the 2011 Stanley Cup, I have to route for veteran defenseman Shane Hnidy to have his name included with the rest of his teammates. Hnidy only played 3-regular season games and 3-playoff games in Boston's run to the Cup, after being signed in February '11 as a free agent to be used as a depth defenseman. But here is a guy who is 35-years old, is a veteran of 590 NHL games (regular season and playoffs combined) and is an all-around hard-working, rugged player. I think it would be rather unfair that after all his years of playing the game that Hnidy would not be included in the name engraving. Let's hope that Boston does go ahead and acknowledge his efforts, and that the League approves of Hnidy's inclusion.



Stanislav Neckar



It seems to me that sometimes the NHL is a little more laid back some seasons more than others when it comes to being accepting of championship team petitions. For example, I remember being ecstatic in 2004 when the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Cup and that veterans Darren Rumble (a guy who had spent most of his professional career in the AHL) and Stanislav Neckar had their names included on the Cup despite not even coming close to meeting the requirements for name engraving. Rumble, who had bounced in and out of the NHL for years and years, never quite being able to land a permanent spot in Philaldelphia, Ottawa, St. Louis or Tampa Bay, played a mere 5-games the season that the Lightning became champions. Stan Neckar played even less; only 2-games in the Semi-Finals and not a single regular season game for the team (he did in fact play ONE regular season game with Nashville that year before being acquired by Tampa later that season). I readily admit that I had always been a fan of both Rumble and Neckar (I have their autographed photos hanging on the wall in one of our rooms at home). I remember e-mailing the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Hockey Hall of Fame that summer after the Lightning won the Cup to find out if their names would in fact be included on the Cup. The Hockey Hall of Fame eventually e-mailed me back and stated that both Rumble and Neckar would in fact be included, along with rookie Eric Perrin, who as well only played 4-regular season games plus 12 more in the playoffs. I also remember coach John Tortorella (the Lightning's coach for that championship run) stating adamantly to the NHL that Neckar's, Rumble's and Perrin's names MUST be included because they were each a part of that team and they were there for the practices and traveling with the team even if they did not play in all of the games that season. The league seemed to be relatively relaxed and allowed for them to be included on the Cup.



Eddie Olczyk



However, when the New York Rangers won the Cup in 1994, ending a 54-year drought, they really had to fight hard to make sure that both veterans Eddie Olczyk and Mike Hartman would have their names engraved with their teammates despite neither playing enough games (Olczyk played in 37-games that season and 1-playoff game; Hartman played in 35-games, but none in the playoffs). The NHL relented, but took their time in deciding as both Olczyk's and Hartman's names were added after the engraving had already been completed; they were tacked on at the end. The League eventually accepted the fact that both Olczyk and Hartman WOULD have played in more games that season and met the requirements if it were not for injuries.



Kim Johnsson

 And while some teams really seem to go to bat for their players to have them included, others do not really seem too concerned about the sentiments of their veterans. When the Chicago Blackhawks won the Cup in 2010, they picked up long time veteran defenseman Kim Johnsson from the Minnesota Wild to be used as an additional experienced player on their blueline. Johnsson, who had well over 700-NHL regular season games to his credit and had also played 52-games that season with Minnesota prior to being traded to Chicago, was NOT(!) included on the engraving as he had only played 8-regular season games with the Blackhawks after the trade. Chicago did not even request to have his name on the Cup, despite the fact that they could have argued that Johnsson had missed games from a concussion and even the fact that he had played 52-regular season games that year, albeit with another team. At the very least, you would think that Chicago would have asked for Johnsson's inclusion for sentimental reasons because he had played for so long in the NHL. But alas, the Cup is engraved with the Chicago Blackhawks championship players from that season, minus Johnsson.



Ivan Boldirev

 And some Stanley Cup engravings don't make any sense whatsoever. Look at Ivan Boldirev. When the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup during the 1969-70 season, Boldirev's name was engraved on the Cup with the rest of the Bruins despite the fact that Boldirev had not even played a single NHL game at that point! Boldirev had been called up as a spare player for the playoffs that season and despite not playing a single game still was able to get his name on the Cup. Boldirev would eventually play his first two NHL games with Boston the next season, and would go on to over 1,000 games total and record nearly as many points (866-points in 1,052-regular season games). But still - to have his name included on the Stanley Cup when he had never played an NHL game at that point is just absurd!



Marc Savard



Considering at how lax the NHL can be with name engravings, I truly hope that Shane Hnidy will end up having his name engraved on the Cup. And for that matter, talented veteran Marc Savard too. I see no reason why Savard, who only managed 25-games with Boston last season due to numerous problems from concussions, should not be included on the Cup. Due to his serious and career-threatening injuries, it should be a no-brainer that the NHL would grant that Marc Savard's name be included on the Cup. I do know that fortunately Boston's general manager Peter Chiarelli has stated that he will petition for Savard's name to be included.