By the time the 1980 Winter Olympics rolled around, not only did I know a good deal more about Ice Hockey, but I was spending hours each week on the ice myself. Though still (very) young, I had decided as had so many other little girls in 1976, that I would be the next Dorothy Hamill. I sported the famous wedge haircut for years.

By 1980, I was still obsessed with all things ice and enjoyed my hours at the rink and the adopted “family” I had found there. Back then it was all spinning and twirling and fancy jumps for girls – I knew no hockey players personally, though I often saw them on the ice in their strange, speedy black skates.

My parents sat through (and videotaped) hours of ice skating competitions that 1980 Olympics. And I, in turn, watched hockey with Dad when the time came. At least they were on the ice.

An amazing victory by the USA kids over the warriors from the USSR buoyed the hearts and minds and hopes of an entire nation. I had no sense at the time how monumental the win was – only that the USA had won a game in which they weren’t supposed to have had a chance. We were big on rooting for the underdog as a regular practice, anyway.

Little might anyone have guessed how significant that single Miracle On Ice game would be in my life even 30 years later: Defining Brendan’s early years, fueling his love of the game and identifying him (hopefully always) as #80 on the ice. I can think of no better icon for my player to idolize than an entire team of gutsy, hard-working, passionate All-American boys.

So, here is the press release from the blog at Forgotten Miracle. Note, I believe that Buccigross quote came from my story in the New England Hockey Journal about the Boston showing of the movie. I will check back up on that and update you later.

Last night, Indiana Ice owner, Paul Skjodt and, the executive director of the Indiana/World Skating Academy, Pam Robinson announced a joint venture to build a 9 million dollar training facility for youth hockey players and members of the academy.

The youth players will be part of USA Hockey’s new American Development Model program. ADM is focused on player retention. USA Hockey believes that the 60% drop out rate before pee-wee level hockey is far too high. Essentially this program is a back to basics, love of the game concept. ADM encourages hockey players to play other sports to full develop as athletes and prevent kids from getting burnt out due to focus on a sole sport. This program will also encourage coaches to spend more time developing skills than focusing on schemes for the next game.

I believe both the building of this new rink and the ADM program are great things for hockey. ADM will bring youth hockey back to a “for the love of the game” approach, which is what should be the case for kids learning the game. Youth hockey should be about teaching the game and skills needed to play. Game tactics and heavy focus on winning can wait for higher, older levels of hockey.

Meanwhile, both Skjodt and Robinson should be applauded for their newest venture. Anybody who attempts to grow the game of hockey is a great person, and anyone who attempts to grow hockey in my hometown is a fantastic person. I hope this will help build a love for hockey in both the Circle City and across the state in general.

For more info on the new rink check out this article from the Indianapolis Star. Additional information on ADM can be found here.

Dallas 2, Phoenix 3

They keep saying they’re looking for consistency, but as Ryan Lambert, the Puck Daddy What We Learned guy, points out, win lose win lose win lose win lose is consistent. They need to start winning games when it’s their turn to lose one.

I’m almost expecting them to win against Detroit on Wednesday night. I never assume that, but this win-lose-win-lose thing might be more powerful than the usual pattern against Detroit of lose-lose-lose.

Phoenix is doing a lot better this year, of course, now that they have a decent coach. Yet, they’re not doing so well that the Stars can take them lightly. As we saw.

The habit of spotting every team two goals is getting pretty tiresome. At least the Coyotes only got one before we tied it up the first time. That was a great goal by Modano, by the way. Not many can do what he does with his backhand.

I’m sure Dave Tippett was pretty pleased with the win even though he tried to play it off as just another game. I’m glad he’s having some success in Phoenix, but I don’t want to see them win against the Stars again this season. We couldn’t even beat them last year, when Gretzky was throwing fits on the bench and they were losing everywhere else.

The Stars are playing down to their competition. They had a great game against the Sharks, when there was less of a chance they could win. Then against teams that aren’t that great, they come out flat and seem lazy. That’s not good. The percentages are going to get them because most teams aren’t that great. Those are the games where we need to get points. We’re not going to make the playoffs just winning against the good teams.

Let’s talk about Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro for a minute. Neither one of them is doing very well. Morrow looks frustrated and can’t seem to get anything to work. He’s trying, but passes bounce off his stick, people catch him and steal the puck, he just looks off somehow. I’m sure he’ll pull out of it, but he needs to do it now.

Ribeiro frustrates me no end. I actually really like Ribeiro. I love the crazy dipsy-doodling stuff and the highlight-reel goals and the unbelievable passes. But I do not like the poking along, the standing around, and the refusing to give up the puck to a teammate before he’s forced to give it to the opposition. I can take a little of that if I have more of the good stuff to cling to. But the percentages are way out of whack. Lately, I’m only seeing the stuff I don’t like.

James Neal was awarded the goal originally given to Matt Niskanen (poor Nisky), so that brings his point streak to nine games! Marty Turco had another pretty good game, despite the loss. So the whole thing wasn’t something to hate, just the lack of production from Ribs and Brenden and a general flat start that is way too common.

Unrelatedly, I need to ask Mike Heika about all the 2-day beards the boys are growing. I have been noticing that quite a few of them that usually stay clean-shaven are sporting the look. Brad, Otter, Daley, Ribs, Morrow, Robi, and many more that don’t usually have beards. I would assume it’s the Mo-vember thing where teams are growing mustaches for cancer awareness, but it started at the beginning of the season.

I have a theory that it might be in honor of Mike Modano in what might be his last year. Or maybe in support of his bid for the U.S. Olympics team.

Yes. I know. It seems that for me, all things relate to literature in some way.   This week, I’m reminded of The Wizard of Oz and “Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my.”

Regarding Lions:

Our friend, Tara Wheeler, who joined us at the 2009 PCOI/Dave Fay Memorial is featured in this month’s issue of USA Hockey magazine.  A former Miss Virginia and the former goalie for the Nittany Lions, Tara recently shaved her head in support of the St. Baldrick’s foundation to raise funds in the fight against childhood cancer. Diminutive in frame, Tara Terrific (as the article is titled), is anything but small when it comes to heart and hope. And as I’ve said before, there’s nothing better than combining hockey and cancer fighting!

On Pigeons:

Mitch hit the Book Fair at school last Friday and selected what has become, in this house at least, an instant classic: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! Now, bear with me a moment, this takes a round-about trip… At first, I couldn’t imagine how a story about a Pigeon wanting a puppy could possibly be entertaining.  And a quick flip through the VERY sparse pages more or less confirmed my original suspicion. But. (Yes, BUT)… The PIGEON is hysterically funny. Brilliant writing even.  To convey that range of emotions with so few words is nothing short of brilliant.  The moral of the story is basically, “be careful what you wish for”. Obviously, I’m biased based on previous posts…  And for my fellow Washington Capitals bloggers, who last week suggested we “be careful what we wish for” in hoping to see more Aucoin and Alzner - so too is the case. You never really know the cost of your wishes until they’ve come true.  Get better soon Ovi, Green & Schultz too!

And now on to the Bears:

The BRIHA Bears hosted two home games this past weekend.  First came a non-league game against the Richmond Rage Saturday afternoon.  I love these non-league games – particularly those that are against teams outside of our division – because it gives our rookie and developmental players a chance to really get some game time. My hope is that we can close the gap between our best players and all the others so that come season-end, we have a much stronger, deeper bench that will serve us well in the playoffs. Our goalie wasn’t able to make the game, so coach threw his own son – our ‘big gun’ – in net and really gave the rest of the team an opportunity to play. I think both sides got something out of the day and we look forward to future matches as well!

On Sunday, the Metro Maple Leafs Lower A Squirt team came to town for the final of our three season games. Our Bears beat the Leafs in both games a few weeks ago in a double-header weekend at Metro. With our goalie, Reid, back in his normal stance in goal, the warm-up game from Saturday and the recent wins against the Leafs (not to mention the fact that they had to travel a few hours to get here!), we were feeling encouraged.

We outshot those Leafs 34-9. They had three penalties to our none! And, somehow — somehow — they beat us 3-2.

Lions and tigers and BEARS, oh MY!

The goalie question seems to be the biggest off-season chatter this year, not only for a lot of teams, but for USA hockey as well. Ryan Miller vs. Tim Thomas. Who would you pick?

The Mouse: Miller… hands down. Thomas got the benefit of the Brues D and a much different style of hockey than what he’d face in international play. Miller’s done more with less and his control and style might fit better because he plays angles and sees the ice really well. Thomas is old too, and if he falls apart it…
Bobby: Don’t go there… I’d take tim thomas.. I think he’s shows up better in big game situations rather than miller…
The LD: Miller’s style will fit very well on the international stage. He’s patient and plays angles well. On the big ice, that’s really important. He’s also athletic enough to roll with the close in net activity. Thomas, well, the Olympics aren’t in Beantown…

Photo by: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The NHL released its 2009-10 TV schedule on Thursday, allowing fans to find out which Red Wings’ games will be televised on the national stage. For a complete listing of all the nationally televised NHL games, visit the following websites for Versus, TSN, and NBC.

Versus will air nine Detroit contests throughout the season. The first of these games on Versus will include the Wings’ tilt in Sweden against St. Louis on Oct. 2. Puck Daddy compares the number of games shown on Versus by team to last year’s totals.

Here is the specific breakdown of the Red Wings’ games on national TV courtesy of Puck the Media:

NBC – 5
VERSUS – 9
CBC – 4
TSN/TSN2 – 14
Total – 22

Note: To see the list of games making up the 22 Red Wings’ contests scheduled for national TV, please click on the ‘read more’ link and view the list at the bottom of this post.

In Other News

• Reaction to the Todd Bertuzzi signing keeps filing in from around the media and blogosphere. From the Rink, The Hockey News, Nightmare on Helm Street, Sports Illustrated, Abel to Yzerman, The Denver Post, Snapshots and Tom Benjamin’s NHL Blog offer up their thoughts on the Wings’ most recent signing. A writer at Examiner.com believes that this signing will help to revive the Wings-Avs rivalry.
• DetroitHockey.net notes that Bertuzzi will wear No. 44 and ponders the number choices for the Wings’ camp invitees.
• Justin Abdelkader participated in MSU’s Shoot for a Cure initiative, which the Red Wing started during his three-year stint in East Lansing. On Wednesday, fans paid $10 to ‘Skate with the Pros’ including Abdelkader and NHLer Drew Miller followed by an autograph session. The proceeds of the event went toward the Brandon’s Defense Foundation.
• The Calgary Herald writes about Steve Yzerman’s decision to invite Dany Heatley to Team Canada’s pre-Olympic camp. Jarome Iginla is one of the leading candidates to be named captain for the 2010 squad according to the National Post. Slapshot, the New York Times’ hockey blog, has a preliminary roster up for Team Canada.
• Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare notices that two more players were invited to the Wings’ training camp — Francis Lemieux and John Vigilante.
• ESPN.com has a roundup of USA Hockey’s Olympic orientation camp that took place in Woodridge, Ill., this week with a special look at the ‘Nasty Boys.’
• George Malik of Snapshots has a transcript of GM Ken Holland’s interview on Wednesday with Fan 590 in Toronto in addition to the actual audio clip.
• FoxSports.com takes a look at roster problems for each Western Conference team, including the Wings, here and here.
• The Detroit Examiner’s scouting reports continue with a look at Ville Leino.
• Darren Eliot of SI.com read Nine: A Salute to Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe this summer and recommends the book to his readers.

Once again, this list of Detroit’s games on national TV this season is courtesy of Puck the Media:

Oct. 2 – vs. St. Louis, 3:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN)
Oct. 13 – at Buffalo, 7:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN)
Oct. 29 – at Edmonton, 9:30 PM (TSN)
Oct. 31 – at Calgary, 10:00 PM (CBC)
Nov. 3 – vs. Boston, 7:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN)
Nov. 7 – at Toronto, 7:00 PM (CBC)
Nov. 21 – at Montreal, 7:00 PM (CBC)
Nov. 23 – at Nashville, 7:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN2)
Dec. 28 – at Columbus, 7:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN2)
Jan. 17 – vs. Chicago, 12:30 PM (NBC)
Jan. 26 – vs. Phoenix, 7:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN2)
Jan. 31 – at Pittsburgh, 12:30 PM (NBC)
Feb. 9 – at St. Louis, 8:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN)
Mar. 1 – at Colorado, 9:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN2)
Mar. 3 – vs. Vancouver, 7:30 PM (TSN)
Mar. 7 – at Chicago, 12:30 PM (NBC)
Mar. 15 – at Calgary, 9:30 PM (TSN)
Ma. 19 – at Edmonton, 9:30 PM (TSN)
Mar. 20 – at Vancouver, 10:00 PM (CBC)
Mar. 22 – vs. Pittsburgh, 7:00 PM (VERSUS/TSN)
Apr. 4 – at Philadelphia, 12:30 PM (NBC)
Apr. 11 – at Chicago, TBD (NBC/TSN2)

I sincerely hope that I’m not the only hockey fan anxiously awaiting the 2010 Winter Olympics.

I have decided to throw my support to Team USA (despite: the fact that I never have before, the presence of Patrick “20 Cent” Kane, and Chris Chelios’s mahogany finish tan).  And who doesn’t love those third jerseys?   Look familiar, don’t they?

That is why it kills me that Swedish websites put up these kinds of videos right after I make my decision to finally be patriotic:

http://tv4play.se/sport/hockeykanalen?videoId=1.1118036&renderingdepartment=2.41799

This was followed by a similar Lundqvist video, which proved even more debillitating to my decision to paint my nails with miniature American flags.

Of course, the US team has attempted to counterattack with a smattering of Zach Parise and Bobby Ryan press conferences…

*on a side note: did Patrik Berglund REALLY (REALLY) shave all of his hair off or have I just not had enough to eat today?

1. Shane McColgan-F-Kelowna Rockets-USA- 5-11 170

2. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-F-Red Deer Rebels-CAN- 6-0 155

3, Brandon Saad-F-USNTDP-USA- 6-2 195

4. Adam Larsson-D-Skellefteå AIK-SWE- 6-3 200

5. Michael St. Croix-F-Edmonton Oil Kings-CAN- 5-11 165

6. David Musil-D-HC Dukla Jihlava-CZE- 6-3 190

7. Sean Couturier-F-Drummondville Voltigeurs-CAN- 6-3 185

8. Matthew Nieto-F-USNTDP-USA- 5-11 170

9. Justin Sefton-D-Sudbury Wolves-CAN- 6-2 195

10. Scott Harrington-D-London Knights-CAN- 6-1 190

11. Seth Ambroz-F-Omaha Lancers-USA- 6-3 200

12. Vladislav Namestnikov-F-Khimik Voskresensk-RUS- 5-10 150

13. Nick Shore-F-USNTDP-USA- 6-0 185

14. Matt Puempel-F-Peterborough Petes-CAN- 6-1 185

15. Colin Jacobs-F-Seattle Thunderbirds-USA- 6-2 190

My boys are preparing to return to school soon. It seems we blinked and the summer was gone. They realized the days are quickly waning when they received their teacher assignments a few days ago. Last night, we were looking back on some of our most memorable moments from the summer and Brendan’s top 5 included 1)a trip to Disney World, 2)making the Washington All-Stars and travelling with them to 3)Boston and 4)Philly and 5) having foot surgery causing him to be “off ice” for nearly 3 weeks.

It is telling that Disney is the only thing outside of hockey that made his list. Forget the trips to the water park, the Discovery Museum, hiking, family reunions and the like – Brendan’s world revolves around hockey.

Before an impromptu practice Thursday night, Brendan was preparing by reading a back-issue of USA Hockey magazine. Upon arrival at the rink, he promptly approached Coach to offer him some suggestions regarding warming up the team and offered to help out/lead the effort. The kid is 8.

As a lover of language, I find myself collecting quotes the way some people I know collect hockey cards. I came across this one recently and it struck me as something I would likely hear my Brendan saying to me:

I’d rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate.  – George Burns

Certainly not that it would constitute failure, but I have no doubt that based on his drive, determination and sound reasoning, Brendan will end up with a career in hockey – whether it be on the ice or off. The Caps might need a new GM by then…  And heck, if he does end up playing in the NHL as he hopes, he’ll already have a great lead in for a Disney commercial when he wins the Stanley Cup: 

Announcer:  ”You just won the Stanley Cup.  What are you going to do now?”

Brendan:  “I’m going to Disney World!”

Early Top 60 2010 NHL Draft Prospects

1. Cam Fowler-D-Windsor Spitfires-USA- 6-2 190
2. Kirill Kabanov-F-Spartak Moscow-RUS- 6-2 175
3. Taylor Hall-F-Windsor Spitfires-CAN- 6-0 180
4. Erik Gundbranson-D-Kingston Frontenacs-CAN- 6-3 195
5. Teemu Pulkkinen-F-Jokerit Helsinki-FIN- 5-11 185
6. Jon Merrill-D-USNTDP-USA- 6-4 185
7. John McFarland-F-Sudbury Wolves-CAN- 6-0 190
8. Stanislav Galiev-F-Indiana Ice-RUS- 6-1 175
9. Austin Watson-F-Windsor Spitfires-USA- 6-3 170
10. Jared Knight-F-London Knights-USA- 5-11 180
11. Brandon Gormley-D-Moncton Wildcats-CAN- 6-1 175
12. Brett Connolly-F-Prince George Cougars-CAN- 6-1 160
13. Tyler Sequin-F-Plymouth Whalers-CAN- 6-0 170
14. Tyler Toffoli-F-Ottawa 67’s-CAN- 6-0 180
15. Mikael Granlund-F-Karpat Oulu-FIN- 5-10 170
16. Nick Mattson-D-USNTDP-USA- 6-0 175
17. Jack Campbell-G-USNTDP-USA- 6-1 170
18. Joey Hishon-F-Owen Sound Attack-CAN- 5-10 165
19. Mark Pysyk-D-Edmonton Oil Kings-CAN- 6-1 175
20. Nino Niederreiter-F-HC Davos-SUI- 6-1 200
21. Jarred Tinordi-D-USNTDP-USA- 6-4 190
22. Emerson Etem-F-Medicine Hat Tigers-USA- 5-11 185
23. Jeff Skinner-F-Kitchener Rangers-CAN- 5-10 180
24. Victor Öhman-F-Malmö Redhawks-SWE- 6-1 185
25. Vladimir Tarasenko-F-Novosibirsk Siber-RUS- 5-10 170
26. Luke Moffatt-F-USNTDP-USA- 5-11 185
27. Ryan Spooner-F-Peterborough Petes-CAN- 5-9 160
28. Evgeny Kuznetsov-F-Pervaya Liga-RUS- 6-0 175
29. Mark Stone-F-Brandon Wheat Kings-CAN- 6-2 180
30. Johan Gustafsson-G-Farjestads BK Karlstad-SWE- 6-2 200
31 Stephen Silas-D-Belleville Bulls-CAN- 6-0 180
32 Stephen Johns-D-USNTDP-USA- 6-3 185
33 Curtis Hamilton-F-Saskatoon Blades-CAN- 6-3 200
34 Ben Duffy-F-Prince Edward Island Rockets-CAN- 5-10 180
35 Jordan Weal-F-Regina Pats-CAN- 5-8 160
36 Guillaume Asselin-F-Montreal Juniors-CAN- 5-10 170
37 Adam Pettersson-F-Skellefteå AIK-SWE- 6-0 175
38 JP Anderson-G-Mississauga Majors-CAN- 5-10 175
39 Kevin Sundher-F-Chilliwack Bruins-CAN- 5-11 180
40 Troy Rutkowski-D-Portland Winter Hawks-CAN- 6-1 200
41 Ryan Martindale-F-Ottawa 67’s-CAN- 6-3 190
42 Calle Jarnkrok-F-Brynas-SWE- 5-10 155
43 Derek Forbort-D-USNTDP-USA- 6-4 190
44 Jason Zucker-F-USNTDP-USA- 5-10 170
45 Jacob Berglund-F-Malmö Redhawks-SWE- 6-1 200
46 Devante Smith-Pelly-F-Mississauga Majors-CAN- 5-11 180
47 Charles Inglis-F-Saskatoon Blades-CAN- 5-11 180
48 Andrew Yogan-F-Erie Otters-USA- 6-3 200
49 Quinton Howden-F-Moose Jaw Wariors-CAN- 6-2 175
50 Michael Sgarbossa-F-Barrie Colts-CAN- 5-11 165
51 Ryan O’Connor-D-Barrie Colts-CAN- 5-8 175
52 Steven Shipley-F-Owen Sound Attack-CAN- 6-2 200
53 Calvin Pickard-G-Seattle Thunderbirds-CAN- 6-1 210
54 Greg McKegg-F-Erie Otters-CAN- 6-0 185
55 Riley Sheahan-F-St.Catherines Falcons-CAN- 6-2 195
56 Joe Rogalski-D-Sarnia Sting-USA- 6-2 185
57 John Parker-F-Indiana Ice-USA- 5-11 180
58 Jonathan Parker-F-Seattle Thunderbirds-USA- 5-11 180
59 Ricard Blidstrand-D-Djurgården-SWE- 6-3 195
60 Antonin Honejsek-F-HC Zlin-CZE- 6-0 185

I was watching World Cup Hockey from 1996 on the great NHL Network, and it was pretty eye-opening.

The NHL Network was very nice to show an American triumph plus lots of American stats on the crawl at the bottom of the screen all day on the 4th of July. I think they also had a special about the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame right after Game 3.

Now, 1996 is way before my time, but not so far back that I didn’t know anybody. Modano, Hull, Guerin, Hatcher, Weight, Tkachuk were there, and more that I had heard of but forgotten about. The Canadian side seemed to have more players that I know less. Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman were about the only ones I have gotten to know. They had Gretzky and Fleury and Lindros and Odelein…guys like that.

Weight was being his old self, punching a guy in the head after the whistle (for a guy everybody says is “not that kind of player,” he sure acts like it a lot). Keith Tkachuk almost got his head whacked off when Lindros two-handed him over the back of the head with his stick. Then Tkachuk himself was kicked out of the game for whacking somebody else. Gretzky didn’t seem to be much of a factor.

I just have a couple of observations about that series and about what hockey must have been like in 1996 in general.

First of all, the NHL would be perfectly justified in telling me they told me so. I was beside myself with misery over the new Reebok uniforms when they came to town in the 2007-2008 season. I always liked the Stars designs, but I did not expect to like the cut and the fabric and the socks. They took some bug-fixing, but they’ve grown on me quite a bit since then, and I really hardly ever think about it any more.

So, seeing those jerseys in the World Cup was pretty jarring. They look like muumuus! Sweaty, disgusting muumuus. Gretzky’s just about reached his knees.

My conversion to the new uniform style is now complete. (Although I still am not sold on the material they use for the socks.)

Speaking of jarring, there was SO MUCH OBSTRUCTION! And nobody even complained! The backchecker basically wedged his stick under the forchecker’s arms, then let himself be towed like a water-skier into the zone. Defenders pulled forwards around by their shirt when the puck wasn’t even near them. Sticks kicked out skates and elbows crushed heads and nobody expected any help from the refs and didn’t get any. It was a mess. I didn’t like it.

It’s so much better now since they cracked down on the obstruction coming out of the lockout. There was so much bitching going on in the first couple of seasons about all the penalties, but I’m glad the League fought through it and kept it up. The game is much less slogging than what I see in those classic games. And you don’t have to go back all the way to 1996 to see the difference.

I’m telling you, the NHL Network is a wealth of information about past eras. Just watch any “Vintage Game” or “Classic Series” and see if that’s the kind of hockey you’d rather have.

I swear I never hear anything nice about hockey these days, even from hockey fans, but it really is better now than it’s ever been. We should enjoy it.

Download the PDF.

USA Hockey and Hockey Canada have a lot in common as the quintessential overseers of all things hockey in North America, but they also have very different roles.

USA Hockey president Ron DeGregorio sees his organization focused on four sectors: high performance, recreational, developmental, and competitive activities.

“The high performance is the one that’s most visible. The competitive is probably our core unit where you have the recreation hockey programs traveling around playing their games. Our highest growing segment is adult hockey.”

USA Hockey’s biggest job is getting more people involved in the sport. The OneGoal Program provides equipment lend-lease options to get people to try hockey without having to invest a lot of up-front dollars on equipment.

Bottom line, DeGregorio admits USA Hockey is not just about player development; it’s involved in participation development.

“We see USA Hockey as a membership services organization that helps those who have an interest or stake in the game be able to get the most out of the game and grow as much as they can.”

Getting media interested certainly helps USA Hockey create growth, but so far, the interest is mainly regional, such as in the strong hockey markets of Minnesota, Michigan, and Massachusetts.

DeGregorio thinks hockey has a very powerful niche. “In concentrated areas, we have many views. Now with the new media – the Internet and electronic publications – we can impact that group. That’s part of our business plan – to impact that group and give them the hockey fix that they want.”

In Canada, raising the profile of the game is not an issue. Hockey is entrenched in Canadian culture. Even so, Hockey Canada knows it can’t be complacent about its role.

“We’ve really grown,” says Johnny Misley, Hockey Canada’s Executive Vice President, Hockey Operations, “but we often think we’re a third of where we’d like to be as an organization.”

Hockey Canada’s staff has grown at least 300 percent since 1994-95.

Misley admits, “While that’s great in a sense that it shows a service to the game; it also creates some obstacles. The building we’re in right now is small. We need to upgrade the training facilities that we have.”

President Bob Nicholson adds, “We’d love to have a training facility for all Olympic athletes, national team athletes for all sports, and a place that all Canadians can come and say, wow, this is the way you should prepare athletes for world championships. I’d love to see hockey become the leader in that.”

Meanwhile, USA Hockey started the STAR program (Serving The American Rinks) to provide education and resources to rink professionals to ultimately improve the quality of the existing rinks.

Every year both organizations review its programs and services to make the game better, and when budgets allow, add to what they have.

Both look at what works and doesn’t work in other leagues, review their own governance, get current and former NHL players involved in their programs, and rely heavily on volunteers.

Both USA Hockey and Hockey Canada agree that it is a great game to grow. “We’ve got a lot of opportunities,” says DeGregorio. “As long as we stay true to the game, true to the core values of the game, then the distribution of that is so much easier because of the technology of today.”

My son completed his first AAA tournament this Memorial Day weekend with his summer travel league.  By all accounts, the boys (who have only practiced as a team a whopping 4 times — or 6 hours total) performed exceptionally well. Though they didn’t make the semi-final round, the coach was pleased with their effort.

But. (Isn’t there always a “but”…?) The experience made me question, once again, the role of the referee.  For, in two of the three games our team played, they had one adult referee and one youth, approximately 11 or 12 years of age. Now, I realize that getting referees, at any level is a challenge and perhaps even more so during the summer months for youth hockey. And as a recent USA Hockey Magazine article explained, “Besides dealing with upset players, irate coaches and rabid fans, officials are scrutinized by evaluators in a way that makes an IRS audit seem like a carnival ride.”

As I said in an earlier post, I realize refs are only human.  However, this was an extremely odd situation to me.  I’m all for training young fans and players to be refs. I’m NOT for having 12 year olds referee AAA tournament games for their near-peers. It seems to me that perhaps they need a bit more experience at the rec or house level first. But. Worse than that was the fact that the adult ref seemed to completely disrespect his younger colleague by overruling his calls a number of times. Bad enough to have done on the professional level when they can say instant replay determined a different result. But to expect a 12 year old to stand up to an adult referee – much less in a tournament game – seems a bit much to me.

Fortunately, in both the NHL and youth hockey – and everywhere in between –  in the end the results are always black and white – a winner and a loser – in large part based on the calls of those wearing the black and white. Unfortunately, there’s often a lot of yucky grey-muck that has to be waded through to get there.

So, as you my or may not have heard, Avs heartthrob John Michael Liles played for Team USA at the 2009 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland. It’s surprising how little attention this tournament gets, and I’m not talking about ESPN, I’m talking about in just general hockey circles. I guess its just tough to keep up with it while the first round of the NHL playoffs and its eight series are going on. Anyway…

Who won?
Gold medal game between Canada and Russia is on Sunday.

So how did Team USA do?
They finished 4th, not bad. The lost in the bronze medal game to Sweden 4-2.

April 25 Latvia W, 4-2
April 27 Austria W, 6-1
April 29 Sweden L, 5-6 OT
May 1 France (qualification) W, 6-2
May 2 Russia (qualification) L, 1-4
May 4 Switzerland (qualification) L, 3-4 OT
May 6-7 Finland (Quarterfinals) W, 3-2
May 8 Russia (Semifinals) L, 2-3
May 10 Sweden (Bronze Medal) L, 2-4

Ok, so how was Liles?
Let me preface this analysis with that I watched a grand total of zero minutes of this tournament, but the numbers say he was pretty good. He played in all 9 games, and averaged a point a game. He finished with 1 PPG and 8 assists. He was a plus 3, only Jason Blake was better (+5). He wore number 15. He was not voted by coaches has one of Team USA’s three best players.

Per Russo,

Goalie Niklas Backstrom will indeed have left hip surgery Friday in Vail. Brian Stensaas was on a conference call with acting GM Tom Lynn. He reports he has two cysts on the bony part of his hip.

Lynn says they won’t know how long he’ll be out until they operate. Worst case scenario, Stensaas says, could be four to six months!

But Lynn said the doctor cautions they can’t give a timetable yet. More from Stensaas in Wednesday’s paper.

Also, I hear Brent Burns is having shoulder surgery probably on Thursday.

This is in addition to Andrew Brunette having reconstructive knee surgery this off season and Derek Boogaard having shoulder surgery.

So what does this mean for the Wild?  Well, if the prognosis for Backstrom truly is 4-6 months, that puts Backstrom back at the earliest, August 24th and at the latest October 24th.  Knowing Backstrom, he will work his hardest to rehab and be back sooner, but this essentially makes the top priority for the new GM hammering out a deal for back up goalie Josh Harding.

If this is indeed the case, you can take Harding off of the table as a bargaining chip.  That is, unless the new GM is suddenly stricken by Barry Brust-mania and believes that Brust can shoulder the load as an NHL starter.  What this could do, however, is drive Harding’s stock through the roof.  If Harding can perform like Backstrom did when he wrested the starting job away from Manny Fernandez a few years back, Harding could easily become a hot commodity among NHL teams.

The Search Begins
After being denied permission by Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs to speak with Dave Nonis, Wild owner Craig Leipold recieved permission from the Nashville Predators to speak with a couple of his old employees; Director of Hockey Operations Mike Santos and assistant GM Paul Fenton.

From Russo,

Leipold declined comment on them, ”just like I won’t comment on any of the other candidates.” 

There are lots of candidates that have surfaced. These are just two that so far I know he’ll be allowed to talk with. I’m sure there are others. I’m working the phones.

Santos is in his third year in Nashville and is responsible in negotiating player contracts and preparing for salary arbitrations. He served as assistant GM for the New York Islanders from 1997-2002 and director of hockey operations for the Florida Panthers from 2002-03.

He was Commissioner and President of the North American Hockey League from 2003-06. He’s worked for USA Hockey and the NHL.

Fenton is in his third year as Nashville’s assistant GM after eight as the director of player personnel. He oversees the Predators’ amateur player development and managers the team’s pro and amateur scouting staffs. He’s also GM of the AHL Milwaukee Admirals.

Fenton, who played eight years in the NHL for seven teams and was a former Boston University standout, also spent five seasons working for the Anaheim Ducks. 

It hasn’t happened yet, but another person I’d assume Leipold would request permission to speak with his Pittsburgh assistant GM Chuck Fletcher. He’s 41 with 16 years of experience. He’s immensely respected after years in Florida, Anaheim and Pittsburgh.

Remember, Leipold has a fabulous relationship with Penguins GM Ray Shero, who used to be assistant GM in Nashville.

In addition, the Wild have been denied permission to speak with Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill.  Nill is under contract until 2010-11 and has a commitment in his contract to stay in Detroit.  In fact, this quote was run in the Windsor Star when Toronto was inquiring about Nill’s availability.

The way we do things here, I’ve already got most of the responsibilities and input that a general manager would have. Ken [Holland] and I work really well together.

I’m comfortable, I’m well-compensated and I like the organization. I know which side my bread is buttered on.

Risebrough Presser
You’ve got to love hockey guys.  Doug Risebrough held his “exit presser” yesterday and held it at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub.  Gotta love it.

Anyway, Russo had some snippets in his blog regarding the players and it just shows how well respected Risebrough was by his own players.  Derek Boogaard had his fiancee drive to the pub after he literally just woke up from having shoulder surgery, just so that he could thank Risebrough for the opportunity and have a chance to say goodbye.  Risebrough also spent some quality time with Marian Gaborik at the arena and went to Brent Burns’ home to meet with the youngster after the new broke regarding his concussion problems.

Again, on a personal level, I’m sad to see Risebrough go.  He was a great guy, probably the nicest associated with the NHL that I’ve had the pleasure to meet.  Part of me feels that he deserved a bit better treatment than he received from Leipold; however, that’s also Leipold’s perogative as the owner.  It’s his team and he can run it as he sees fit.

On a business level, however, it was time for a change.  Risebrough had become increasingly defensive about his decisions over the past few seasons and it seemed as if fans, management and players alike were all growing tired of his smug, “I know best” attitude.  As disappointed as I am that it had to end like this, it certainly had to end.

In the transcript of the presser, however, there was one quote from Risebrough that really rings true to me.

I think the club, I believe the club is in really good shape, and I’ll tell you why. I think it’s got a good core of players. It’s got good youth. I think it’s got great flexibility in terms of the salary cap. It’s got lots of room this year, it’s got lots of room next year. So whether that means what do you want to do immediate signings or future signings, it’s all there. It’s got a great fan base that’s still in love with this team. So it’s going to be energized. I believe players that had poor years will rebound. I’m pretty comfortable to say the injuries aren’t going to be the same magnitude. So I think it’s a great opportunity for a manager and I think it’s a great opportunity for a coach. And I feel good about that. I made decisions on a regular basis for the right  reasons, and the right reasons never included me. They never included me, they were always for the franchise. Now I can say, I didn’t always make the right decisions, but I did them for the right reasons. And I feel good about that.

That right there, to me, says it all.  Whoever it is has a good base, but also has his work cut out for him.  This is a solid team in need of a few key components to become a serious contender.  I don’t think this team needs to be blown up and start from scratch again, but at the same time I don’t think that this team is ready to contend next season after all of this going on this off season.  One thing’s for sure, though.  It’s still an exciting time to be a Wild fan!

EL SEGUNDO, CA — On April 15, the Los Angeles Kings and USA Hockey announced that right wing Dustin Brown and defensemen Jack Johnson and Peter Harrold will represent the United States at the 2009 IIHF World Championships, scheduled for April 24 – May 10 in Switzerland.

Brown, 24, scored 24 goals and contributed 29 assists for 53 points in 80 games while ranking third in the National Hockey League with 285 hits. The native of Ithaca, New York was also named the team’s most valuable player for the 2008-09 season.

Brown also played for Team USA at the 2008 World Championships. He also represented the United States in the World Championships in 2006 and 2004 (won the bronze medal) and at the 2003 and 2002 World Junior Championships.

Johnson, 22, scored six goals and added five assists for eleven points in 41 games with the Kings this season after missing 41 games after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder early in the season.

Johnson, who hails from Indianapolis, Indiana, also represented the United States at the 2007 World Championships, the 2007 World Junior Championships (won the bronze medal), the 2006 World Junior Championships (named to the All-Tournament team), the 2005 World Junior Under-18 championships (won the gold medal), the 2005 Five Nations Tournament (U.S. Under-18 Team; won the gold medal, the 2004 World Junior Under-18 championships (won the silver medal), the Compuware Four Nations Cups (won the gold medal and at the 2004 World Junior Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Harrold, 25, scored four goals and added eight assists for twelve points in 69 games with the Kings this season. The native of Kirtland Hills, Ohio has never played for Team USA.

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This is a great story!

Step aside, guys. It’s the ladies’ turn to hit the ice.

The Triangle-based Carolina Black Widows is the only USA Hockey-affiliated team in North Carolina for women more than 30 years old.

“I started at (age) 44,” said hockey player Nancy Difede.

“We’re the old nags,” her teammate Sue Mitran chimed in.

The hockey players come from a variety of backgrounds: Mitran is a bookkeeper, Gloria Cabada-Leman is a lawyer, and Jaden Taylor is a research scientist with Wyeth Vaccines.

That diverse experience comes in handy for the team, hockey player Wendy Bard joked.

“When somebody’s injured on the ice, you make sure you put your doctor on the ice. You take your lawyer with you if you have a physiotherapist,” Bard said. “You’ve got to have somebody from every walk of life.”

The hockey moms and career-driven women said playing on the side is great fun.

“It’s a wonderful escape from reality. We have a lot of fun and get along really well,” Cabada-Leman said.

Some of the players are Canadians who relocated to the Triangle. Others are women who had never before touched a hockey stick in their lives.

“More women play because they see us out here,” Mitran said.

But for amateurs, the Black Widows have their fair share of talent: They went 13-2 in the 2009-2009 season. This weekend, they’re competing in a USA Hockey national tournament. On Friday, they won one game and lost one.

Team members, though, said that winning’s not their goal.

“We get out there and skate hard and have fun. That’s basically what it’s all about,” Mitran said.

Watch this story: Women’s ice hockey team hits the rink

Word is the United States Hockey League is considering adding USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for next season. The last time the U-18 team played in the league was the 2000-01 season. It is playing a combined collegiate, international, North American Hockey League schedule this season.

A once frosty relationship between the USNTDP and USHL has apparently warmed in the last couple of years. The groups recruit many of the same kids, which has led to past animosity.  The USHL sees adding the USNTDP as an opportunity to get its players more heavily scouted by the NHL and Division I colleges.

First-year USHL Commissioner Ellis “Skip” Prince told the Lincoln Journal-Star last week that his eventual goal is an 18-team league. It now has 12 teams.

“There could be at least one team as early as next year,” Prince told the Journal-Star. ”Obviously, I can’t talk about it at this time, but we have a board of directors meeting at the all-star game where that will be discussed. There are several teams and groups that have applied for participation as early as next year.”

Here’s USA Hockey’s Web site:

http://www.usahockey.com/USANTDP/default.aspx?NAV=AF&ID=

By the way, Michigan State player Corey Tropp has decided not to join the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede and will return to East Lansing. He and MSU teammate Andrew Conboy were suspended for the rest of the season after an ugly on-ice incident in which Michigan’s Steve Kampfer (a former USHLer, like Tropp and Conboy) was injured.

Tropp swung his stick at Kampfer as he lay on the ice, hitting him in the neck.

Here’s video: