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.

The ever important steadying veteran defenseman

Summer usually signifies the time of rampant free-agency in the NHL, and I am always curious to see which teams will land a veteran defenseman to help bolster their blueline and provide ample tutelage to their younger players. I guess that I have always been impressed by the impact that a 10-year plus veteran is able to have upon a younger kid who is maybe only in his first couple of years in the League.

My favorite example of that presence that a steadying veteran defenseman is able to provide would be the late, great Tim Horton and the time that he spent with the Buffalo Sabres. When Horton first arrived in Buffalo for the 1972-73 season he was 42-years old and had already been a stalwart defenseman in the League since 1950. By that time he had already won four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was regarded as one of the greatest defensemen of all-time, not to mention one of the most imposing as well (though not abundantly big in size by today's standards, Horton is still regarded by many as the strongest player to ever play the game). At the time, the Sabres were laden with youngster defensemen; rookies Jim Schoenfeld and Larry "The Hawk" Carriere were both just 20-years of age, Mike Robitaille was 24, and Paul Terbenche was 26. To sum it up, Tim Horton was the same age as Carriere's father during their first season together in Buffalo. Not only did Horton provide priceless tutelage to these youngsters that they would carry with them for the rest of their careers (and lives), but he helped to garner a solid defense-corps that would lead Buffalo into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the very first time in only their third year of existence. The work ethic and character on and off the ice that Horton exuded rubbed off on all of these youngsters and taught them to become both better players and better people.

Looking at the free-agent signings throughout the summer of 2011 I can see a number of movements that teams have made that echo the same impact that Horton had in Buffalo. Take for instance 33-year old Colin White being signed to a 1-year contract by the San Jose Sharks after 11-years with the New Jersey Devils. Not only does White bring 743 regular season games of NHL experience, plus 111 more in the playoffs, but he has two Stanley Cup championships to his credit that he won with the New Jersey ('00 and '03). Though the Sharks are perennially one of the most powerful teams in the Western Conference and are routine Stanley Cup contenders, they have had a habit of falling short over and over again in the playoffs. By signing a defenseman like Colin White who knows what it takes to win and become a champion, the Sharks have brought in a player who can impart that experience and that knowledge to younger players who have not reached that apex. Despite already having savvy veterans like Dan Boyle and Douglas Murray, White helps round-out the top-six defensemen for the Sharks and personifies the "lunch-pail" mentality; he shows up, does his job and each night strives to win despite not being known as a talented defenseman. White makes up for any lack of skill with hard-work and effort. The Sharks' young blueliners Jason Demers (23-years old), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (24), Brent Burns (26) and Justin Braun (24) will only benefit from what Colin White brings to the table.

I also look at the Columbus Blue Jackets signing 10-year veteran defenseman Radek Martinek to a one-year contract. Martinek is 34-years old and had spent his entire career with the New York Islanders before being signed by the Blue Jackets. After making the playoffs only once(!) during their 10-seasons of existence in the NHL, the Blue Jackets are desperate to get back into the post season and anything short of making the playoffs this season will be deemed a failure. Columbus hopes that the veteran Martinek will be an addition that can help them solidify a playoff position. Columbus, not known as a hockey hot-bed, possesses a relatively unknown group on defense. Grant Clitsome, Kris Russell, and Marc Methot aren't necessarily household names outside of Columbus and well-learned hockey fans. Martinek is presently their only blueliner over the age of 30. The Blue Jackets are hoping that by adding that same "steadying presence" with Radek Martinek that they will be able to be a contender this season and will no longer be on the outside looking in come the month of May.

The Washington Capitals, who are likely as frustrated as the San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks for having such outstanding regular seasons and yet not being able to keep it together once the playoffs begin, sought out long-time NHL veteran Roman Hamrlik. The Capitals, arguably the team in the NHL with the most amount of talent and firepower when you look at the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Mike Green, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Knuble, Brooks Laich, All-Star netminder Tomas Vokoun and newcomer Joel Ward have suffered disappointing playoff exits in each of the past four seasons. One way that the Caps are endeavoring to turn that tale around is by bringing in the 37-year old Hamrlik, who played his first NHL game way back in 1992 as an 18-year old. Hamrlik , who was with Montreal last season, brings along 1,311 regular season games to his name, and with 624-points during his career he still has some offensive touch at his age and can help out on the powerplay which is normally quaterbacked by Mike Green. Perhaps Harmlik's skill and experience-level are just what Washington needs to go the distance in the playoffs.

Garnet Exelby (Detroit), Kent Huskins (St. Louis), Ian White (Detroit), Jim Vandermeer (San Jose), Sheldon Souray (Dallas) and 2011 Stanley Cup champion Tomas Kaberle (Carolina), who was maybe the most lucrative player of the bunch are all veteran defensemen who found a new home this upcoming season with teams looking to strengthen and solidify their bluelines. And with still some time left before the 2011-12 regular season begins, we may in fact see other teams snatch up a veteran defenseman such as the likes of Bryan McCabe, Steve Staios, Nick Boynton or Paul Mara.