August 2013 – Page 3

Fan Voice: George Royle and the Swindon Wildcats, Dallas Stars

George Royle is a fellow hockey writer and a friend of mine who I met while writing at Blackout Dallas. A die hard hockey fan and native of the United Kingdom, George gives me his look at how he got into the hockey world and a look at the upcoming season for the Swindon Wildcats and the major changes that were made in Texas with the Stars.

March Hockey: Where are you located and how did you get into hockey?

I live in a county called Wiltshire, which is located in the South West of England and about 80 miles West of London. I got into hockey about 13 years ago when my dad took me to watch my local team play live. A short time after, I caught my first NHL game which was aired on television over here, and since then I haven’t looked back. Up to this day, hockey is my favourite sport and I play/watch the game as much as possible.

MH: What makes you a passionate fan of the Swindon Wildcats?

GR: With the Swindon Wildcats being just a 20 minute journey away, they are the closest (semi) professional ice hockey team to me. They play in the EPIHL which is a league I thoroughly enjoy watching. Any team has the capability of beating anyone, which makes the majority of games entertaining and competitive.

I watch all of the regular season home games every campaign as well as catching the odd road game now and again. With all of the games being played at the weekend, my weeks during the winter are spent looking forward to going to watch the Cats play!

MH: Who’s a player on the team that stands out the most in your eyes?

GR: Without a doubt it is the Swedish import, Jonas Hoog! This guy has a lot of talent and should undoubtedly be playing at a lot higher standard, but his loyalty to the Wildcats has been pretty admirable.

Last season he bagged 120 points in just 54 games. Jonas isn’t afraid to pull some tricks out of the bag and he always plays the game with a smile on his face. With his favourable surname, whenever he touches the puck the crowd all cheer an elongated “hoooooooooooooooooog”!! Continue reading “Fan Voice: George Royle and the Swindon Wildcats, Dallas Stars”

Cornwall River Kings trade tough guy Mario Joly to newly formed Valleyfield Braves

While this summer has been relatively quiet on the River Kings front, today was handed a piece of news in the form of a shocker. Tough guy and fan favourite Mario Joly has been traded up highway 401 to the Valleyfield Braves.

Although no official statement has come from the team yet, it was Joly himself who announced his being traded on the Cornwall River Kings facebook fan page.

Joly is no stranger to LNAH rinks having spent the past four years in the league with stops in Saguenay, Windsor, Cornwall and now Valleyfield. Starting his hockey career off with the Hull Olympiques in the QMJHL, hockey has brought Joly all over North America including an amazing 2 year run with the Odessa Jakalopes of the Central Hockey League.

In his one year he spend with the Cornwall River Kings, Joly notched 16 points in 31 games. However, he was more known for his fists as he wracked up 110 penalty minutes. It will be interesting to see who, if anything, Cornwall gets in return.

Just this week the city has agreed to keep the River Kings in Cornwall for another two years. Sharing rink time and space with the Junior A Cornwall Colts, Cornwall hockey fans should be delighted that they have two teams competing for them.

Training camp opens up for the River Kings on September 14th and 15th followed by four exhibition games at the end of September and beginning of October. Hold on to your hats Cornwall, it’s going to be a wild ride!

Sochi 2014: Team Latvia

Another surprise entry into the 2014 Sochi Olympics is Team Latvia who qualified at the beginning of this year.

The majority of the team is made up of players from Dinamo Riga of the KHL. Lone NHLer Arturs Kulda of the Winnipeg Jets could easily make an impact on the blue line with being paired up with Georgijs Pujacs or Kristaps Sotnieks from Riga.

From the forwards perspective, Latvia has sharpshooter Zemgus Girgensons who spent last season in the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans. He was drafted 14th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2012 and hasn’t looked back at his homeland since.

Jānis Sprukts is another powerful forward who spent some of his junior years with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He’s also had stints with Rochester Americans, Florida Panthers, Dinamo Riga and is currently playing for CSKA Moscow in the KHL.

Team Latvia is actually head manned by Canadian Ted Nolan for the past two years. Nolan has had a bit of a controversial NHL career but a success coaching one. The Latvians must have seen something in Nolan as he’s been their bench boss since 2011.

Of course we can’t go without mentioning one of my favourite hockey Latvians, Arthurs Irbe. Although he’s retired, I’m sure he will be apart of the Olympic program in some way, shape or form. Goalie coach? We can only hope.

Fan Voice: Trevor Burrell and the Kitchener Rangers

Trevor Burrell is a die hard sports fan who cheers on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Blue Jays and the University of Michigan when he’s not busy cheering on the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.

March Hockey: Where are you located and how did you get into hockey?

Trevor Burrell: I live in Waterloo ON. Had a backyard rink when I was 3-4 years old and have played and been a fan ever since.

MH: What makes you a passionate fan of the Kitchener Rangers?

TB: Went to my first Ranger game as a young kid and looked at the players as heroes. Would go with my dad, sister and friend every Friday night, wait for autographs and would play mini sticks between periods in the basement by the old souvenir store. As I got older 13-14 I was on my own to go with friends to games and would rarely miss any home games. I bought my season tickets for the first time in 1996 season and have had them ever since. As my age got older I got a car and have been to almost all of the rinks in the OHL following the team.

MH: What’s your favourite Rangers moment?

TB: Best Ranger moment was being in Quebec City to see the team with the Memorial Cup and the post game celebrations. Continue reading “Fan Voice: Trevor Burrell and the Kitchener Rangers”

25 Years of Owen Sound Attack hockey

This upcoming season marks the 25^th anniversary of the Owen Sound hockey being part of the OHL. Originating in 1989, the Attack play their home games out of J.D. McArthur Arena which is inside the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.

The Holdy family owned former OHL team, the Guelph Platers and decided to move them down south to Owen Sound for the 1989-90 season. Owen Sound kept the Platers name up until the year 2000. At that point the Holdy family decided to sell the franchise to any buyer across Ontario. If it wasn’t for a group of local business men, the Owen Sound Platers was nearly the Cornwall Platers out of Cornwall, Ontario. However, as history shows, everyone banded together to keep the Platers in Owen Sound. A name change was held to form the modern sounding Owen Sound Attack. They won their first J. Ross Robinson Cup in 2011 to become Ontario Hockey League champions.

Owen Sound has a few notable NHL alumni that has gone through their ranks. A notable one is Dan Snyder, a former Attack captain who had his number 14 retired by the team after Snyder died from injuries suffered in a car accident in 2003 while he was just beginning his NHL career with the Atlanta Thrashers. In case you’ve lived under a rock for the past little while, current NHLer Dany Heatley was at the wheel.

Other Attack NHL alumni include Sean Avery, Kevin Weekes, Paul Bissonnette, Bobby Ryan and Wayne Simmonds just to name a few. Their current roster include World Junior Team Canada goaltender Jordan Binnington and former Ottawa 67 Cody Ceci.

Here’s to another 25 years of Owen Sound hockey.

Stage is set for NZIHL Grand Final

And what a final it will be.

After a season filled with ups and downs, highs and lows and a tight race to the finish line, the NZIHL Grand Final will be between the Canterbury Red Devils and the Dunedin Thunder.

The Canterbury Red Devils come into the final as TKRT champs and with a second place record in the standings. They are also the current reigning league champs looking to make back to back trips to the podium. Host team Dunedin Thunder finished in first and captured their first Minor Premier trophy.With their back to back wins over the West Auckland Admirals last weekend, Dunedin secured their home ice advantage for the final.

For a more in depth look at the Grand Final match up, head on over to OnTheFlyHockey.com and give this article a read.

The NZIHL Grand Final will take place on August 24th. Get down to the Dunedin Ice Stadium and grab your tickets now. For all my Canadian fans and readers, you can check out the action at http://www.nzihl.tv. The action will start around 1:00 am EST.

Fan Voice: Matt Freedman and the Manchester Phoenix

The Manchester Phoenix were originally apart of the EIHL before moving over to the EPIHL. Matt Freedman is a die hard Phoenix fan who volunteers his time on game nights and tries his best to promote the game of hockey and recruit new fans.

March Hockey: Where are you located and how did you get into hockey?

Matt Freedman: I live in Manchester and got in to hockey as a result of playing hockey games on my old mega-drive (we all know which game I mean!). I decided I had to see this sport and went down to the old ice rink with my brother to watch the Trafford Metros, who were in the BD1 league back in 1993. I was blown away by the whole thing, and became hooked instantly. I fell out of love with the sport when the team became the Manchester Storm and moved to the arena. This may sound strange but I’d got so used to being really close to the action, and being around people who knew their hockey. The Storm just didn’t feel that way and I stopped going regularly.

MH: What makes you a passionate fan of the Manchester Phoenix?

MF: The same as makes any fan passionate I think. It’s a great sport played by proper sportsmen who know how to behave off the ice. The club has a great fan base, management team, product and atmosphere and I look forward to each game of the season like a kid on Christmas Eve! I volunteer on match nights and try to make the match night a great experience for all the newbies. It’s very satisfying to see a family come down time after time when you were part of their first game night. Continue reading “Fan Voice: Matt Freedman and the Manchester Phoenix”

Central Hockey League’s newest addition, the Brampton Beast

At long last I finally have a Central Hockey League I can call my own and cheer for! Let me introduce to you the newest squad to join the CHL, the Brampton Beast.

The CHL has finally found it’s way into the Canadian market with it’s expansion Beast. After consistently having financial trouble and struggling to put fans in the seats, the city’s OHL team, the Brampton Battalion, jumped shipped and moved to North Bay. Leaving the Powerade Center team less, the former owner of the Kingston Voyageurs and current president of KIMCO Steel in K-town, Gregg Rosen, immediately jumped on board with finding a way to bring a new franchise into Brampton.

Both the city and the CHL immediately gave their stamp of approval and the expansion team was born. Brampton held a name the team event with the two finalists being Bandits and the clear winner, Beast. Their roster is starting to take shape with already announcing 3 signing in the form of 3 Canadians, Brett Smith, Jason Pitton and Calin Wild. Smith was a former alternate captain with the Fort Wayne Komets and brings plenty of experience to the group. Pitton was a former draft pick of the New York Islanders and spent the majority of his career in the AHL.

The Beast are currently holding a guessing game through their Facebook and Twitter pages which allows fans to ask questions to guess who will be their AHL and NHL affiliates. Exciting times for the world of hockey in Brampton as they get a step up from the OHL.

Fan Voice: Anthony Russell and the Basingstoke Bison, Third Tier German Hockey

Anthony Russell is a passionate hockey fan with incredible hockey knowledge. We all know my obsession with Germany (if you don’t, now you do and don’t ask why.) and I jumped at the chance to learn more about the game there when Anthony asked to lend me a hand. Even if it is third tier, it’s a good look at seeing where hockey fits in Deutschland.

Along with giving me a great look at another EPIHL team, the Basingstoke Bison, Anthony runs his own blog covering the team and league itself. You can find that here.
March Hockey: Where are you located and how did you get into hockey?

Anthony Russell: I’ll take the second part of that first; I studied German at university which necessitated living there for a bit and I moved over in 2004. I lived in Rostock which is a town on the coast of the Baltic Sea and used to be part of communist East Germany. I walked to the end of the road and saw a poster that said “Neue Futterzeit, Sonntag 19 Uhr, REC Piranhas, Eishalle Schillingallee”. I went along, fell in love with Rostock Piranhas (and I still am) and it’s a love affair that’s lasted 10 years. When I left Germany to come back and finish my degree I realised I wanted to keep watching ice hockey. I had two choices; either get a bus to a train to a boat to go to the Isle of Wight and watch the Wightlink Raiders or get on a train to Basingstoke to see the Bison. That was November 2005 and I’ve been a mutual Piranhas and Bison fan ever since.

MH: What makes you a passionate fan of the Bison and of Rostock?

AR: I’m a sucker for punishment? In all seriousness I’m passionate about both teams for different reasons. I’m passionate about Rostock because they were my first connection to the sport. I fell into that and this weird English speaking dude has been embraced by people and the club. Basingstoke was my choice. I had a choice of a couple of places and that was the one I chose, albeit for convenience because I was a poor university student at the time but I chose them and stuck with it. We have won a sum total of zero trophies (sorry folks, the Oliverra 4on4 tournament doesn’t count) been in 2 cup finals that we lost, been to one finals weekend where we got knocked out in the semi final on sudden death penalties, nearly been bust twice but I keep going back. The sport and this club and the people I’ve met keep me going back. Continue reading “Fan Voice: Anthony Russell and the Basingstoke Bison, Third Tier German Hockey”

Commentary on Acadie-Bathurst Titan prospect, Jordan Boyd’s Death

Yesterday afternoon, Jordan Boyd said goodbye to his family and friends and left for his first QMJHL training camp in Bathurst, New Brunswick. Little did they know they would be seeing him for the last time. Boyd collapsed on the ice after complaining of stomach discomfort and paramedics tried to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the nearby hospital.

I realize that teams are building themselves to win. I realize that the game has changed tremendously since the 70’s and 80’s, hell even the early 2000s. My point is when will a young body be able to keep up with rigorous training schedules that all these players are forced into?

While I agree that a 24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year training schedule produces some top talent, it takes a tremendous toll on the body. Especially at Jordan’s age. The body needs rest. Don’t get me wrong, I know it was his first day and that doctors had cleared him to play but something was clearly overlooked. The body needs proper downtime, the right nutrition and the right to have some fun.

At the same time, these rigorous training schedules are forcing thousands of potential players their careers. Some could be talented beyond their years but if they can’t hack the training, guess what, you’re out and demoted. It could also very well shorten your career just from the aches and pains the body takes.

It’s clear to see the influence that European hockey has had on the North American game. No, I’m not Don Cherry, I’m not bashing it at all. The focus is all about stick handling and what to do with the puck rather then a physical aspect of years past and that, at times is okay.

It might be time to recoil a little bit and bring the game back to basics. Pond hockey, outdoor rinks, players perfecting their skills by having fun. Not through an intense training regimen. At least tone it down if need be.

Anyway, just felt the need to comment and put my two cents in.