Author: MarchHockey

Owner/Editor Sports. Music. Nursing. Life. Twitter: @MarchHockey

SOCHI 2014: Team Czech Republic

Czech Mate!

6929Time to look at one of my personal favourites going into Sochi 2014, Team Czech Republic. The Czechs have been on the podium in the past 3 World Championships and are not going to go down without a fight. In Vancouver they finished a distant 7th but don’t count them out as the IIHF has them ranked 3rd in the world. That’s saying something.

2010 Winter Olympic GamesThey have a depth of talent on the forward front. Lead by veterans Jaromir Jagr and Patrick Elias, look for David Krejci, Jiri Hudler, Tomas Plekanec and Jakub Voracek to all earn their keep.

On the defensive side, Marek Zidlicky and possibly Tomas Kaberle could be your first lining pair. Along with Filip Kuba and Roman Hamrlik, these are two strong defensive pairings. Almost wall like. As long as Kuba doesn’t play like he did in Ottawa.

ondrej-pavelecGoaltending has a wealth of depth as well. Winnipeg’s Ondrej Pavelec will definitely start followed by Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth. All 3 have had plenty of experience under pressure situations and well be sure to be rock solid.

One thing’s for sure, don’t count out the Czechs.

Wild Card Wednesday: Upper Deck Be A Player Series

Remember in the 1990’s when the NHL and NHLPA ran it’s “Be A Player” promotion? I literally got sick of seeing it everywhere but I digress.

Anyway, Upper Deck decided to get in on the action and boy did they deliver some beauts. For whatever reason, the whole line decided to depict each hockey player off the ice. Not in uniform, not on skates, but off the ice. And they made everyone look so…..dashing?

2171154536_5ba19e91aeOh Stevie Y. More like OH STEVIE WHY?! This looks like it belongs somewhere in a Chippendales calender of something. Granted I am a woman and yes, Mr. Yzerman is pretty attractive in this card but hockey cards are called hockey cards for a reason. Not “I’m going to do my best Billy Ray Cyrus impression while promoting our beloved Players Association.” This just screams 1990’s though. So I’m giving it points for that. Ha.

 

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Ohhhh Dougie. Typical Toronto Maple Leaf player holding a bag of golf clubs. How fitting. You can tell Joey from Friends was all the rage with the hair. The hair plus the clothes and 1990’s amateur graphics sure do speak to me. Are we sure this series wasn’t directed towards women? Cause it’s starting to sure seem like it.

 

 

 

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Nnnnnnnnnnnope. Sorry Wendel but this is a failing grade. Is he sitting on a school desk while holding weights? Wendel Clark doesn’t need weights. He’s a man’s man. What a killer stache he’s got going on though. Guess he didn’t get the memo that it’s the 1990’s and it’s to do away with it. Oh well, who am I argue. The man could produce on the ice.

LNAH: Valleyfield Braves And Their Expansion Draft

The newest expansion team to come into the LNAH is the Valleyfield Braves who is sure to start a rivalry with their “down the 401” brothers in the Cornwall River Kings.

valleyfieldAt the LNAH expansion draft, the Braves aquired a total of 28 players from the 7 remaining teams. Here is who became property of Valleyfield and where they were taken from:

1. Cornwall River Kings: Karl Fournier, Shawn Collymore, Steve McJannett and Bryan Luker

2. Marquis de Jonquiere: David Masse, Pierre-Luc Emond, Maxime Daigneault, Eric Laplante

3. Riviere du Loup 3L: Jeremie Gouchie, Philippe Lauze, Pier-Olivier Pelletier, Drew Paris

4. Sorel Tracy HC Carvena: Alex Alepin, Bryan Main, Guillaume Monast, Mike Varhaug

5. St Georges Cool FM: Philippe Seguin, Cory Pecker, Vincent Grondin, Remi Royer

6. Thetford Mines Isothormic: Jean Charles Charette, Pierre Luc Lessard, Francis Lemieux, Eric Lecompte

7: Trois Rivieres Caron et Guay: Charles Fontaine, Michael Pregent, Anthony Mezzagno, David Rose

The Braves should be able to ice a fairly decent team from this collective amount of players. It’ll be interesting to see what happens on the ice in Cornwall this season.

Announcement: Newest Staff Writer for Eyes On Isles

Just a bit of an announcement folks. I have decided to leave my Blackout Dallas and Dallas Stars family for an oppourtunity to write with Eyes On Isles, a New York Islanders site.

I figured an Eastern Conference team would be easier on my schedule and better for my career. I hope all of the Islander fans out there welcome me with warm arms!

And with that, I urge you to go take a look at their site; I start up the week of July 8th.

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Q&A With Cornwall River King, Alex Bourret

Alex Bourret is a feisty right-winger who grew up in Quebec. Being drafted 16th overall in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft to the Atlanta Thrashers, Bourret  has played in many leagues both here and across the pond. Last season he started off with the Cornwall River Kings and then finished up in Russia. This season, he’s back in the River Kings line up for his second year.

March Hockey: How does the style of of play in Russia compare to that of North America like the LNAH or ECHL for example? What was it like with the language barrier?

WIth Brno Kometa of the Czech Republic.
WIth Brno Kometa of the Czech Republic.

Alex Bourret: I’ve played in Russia, South Korea, Czech Republic and the language barrier has always been hard (they don’t speak any English or they’re not willing to try). It’s a different game overseas, ice is bigger and it is less physical but they can play hockey that for sure.

MH: Wait a minute….South Korea?! What was THAT like?

AB: They treat you real good over there. Japan, China, nicest hotels and private jets; Everything! But hockey is another story…

MH: Are the fans/players/teams just us passionate as us Canadians are for the game?

AB: Yes they are!! Some don’t know much about hockey; It’s more a big party for them but when you hear 15 000 people  screaming for 2 hours,  it’s great. Gives you a lot of energy.

MH: Growing up who was your biggest influence on your style of play??

AB: I always compare myself to guys like Sean Avery and Darcy Tucker. I like the way they play and they are not the biggest guys either.

MH: You’re a bit of a fighter, who’s the toughest player to go toe to toe with you?

With the San Antonio Rampage of the Central Hockey League
With the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.

AB: I remember one night in junior playing in Rimouski against Sidney Crosby. I was all over him and at one point Eric Nelson, (one of the tough guys at the time), asked me to go. Probably to scare me, I told him “Let’s go big guy!” with a BIG smile. I did pretty good on that one.

MH: And finally, if you could play with any player past or present, who would it be and why?

AB: Probably Thomas Beauregard. He was my linemate with the Wichita Thunder a year ago and we did good together. He is a sniper and I’m more of a hard-working forward.

2013 NHL Draft: Taking A Look At The Top 5

The draft is finally over and everyone can finally sleep a little bit better at night. At least until Free Agency starts up. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here though. We’re going to take a look at the top 5 picks who got selected in this years draft.

1. Colorado Avalanche – Nathan MacKinnon

Nathan MacKinnon (Photo: puckingopinion.flickr)
Nathan MacKinnon (Photo: puckingopinion.flickr)

Of course to no one’s surprise MacKinnon went first overall. Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy had been saying for weeks that they weren’t going to draft defensemen Seth Jones. That led for lots of speculation of “will they” or “won’t they”. Well, as we can see they weren’t bluffing. Mackinnon was the first player from the QMJHL to be drafted first overall since Sidney Crosby in 2005. After putting up outstanding numbers with the Halifax Mooseheads and capturing a Memorial Cup championship title, MacKinnon will be a no brainer in training camp and should make the cut. See him on the first line with Landeskog and O’Reilly but no lower than the second where Matt Duchesne could offer great veteran support.

2. Florida Panthers – Alexander Barkov

aleksander-barkov-finlandWith the first shocker of the draft, the Florida Panthers also declined to pick up Seth Jones and went with Finnish-Russian powerhouse Alexander Barkov. Coming out of SM-Liga with Tappara in Finland, Barkov collected 48 points in 53 games. A massive man at 6’2, Barkov shows a great amount of hockey sense and should add depth to the Panthers squad.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning – Jonathan Drouin

Halifax Mooseheads v Shawinigan CataractesAs expected, Steve Yzerman and company selected MacKinnon’s Halifax teammate Jonathan Drouin. Fast feet and good hands, Drouin is a great pick to fill in the void that was left with Vincent Lecavalier’s buyout. Drouin seems to know what’s going on around him on the ice at all times. He was an integral part of Halifax’s Memorial Cup win.

4. Nashville Predators – Seth Jones
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What a steal for the Nashville Predators! American defencemen Seth Jones was choosen 4th overall and could not have gone to a better team. Imagine him and Shea Weber on your blue line. This year with Portland, Jones racked up 56 points in the 61 games he played. Should be interesting to see how his career first starts out.

5. Carolina Hurricanes – Elias Lindholm

Elias-LindholmA jack of all trades, Lindholm is a great addition for the Hurricanes and the Stall brothers. A stick handler with lots of leadership skills in him, Lindholm could go a long way in the Carolina system. Providing he doesn’t head back to Europe, he’s a rising star on the east coast.

Q&A With Canterbury, New Zealand Red Devils Goaltender Justin Findlay

Last week we saw how hockey has taken off in Wales, United Kingdom with our Q&A with Matt Richards of the Cardiff Bay Lightning. This week we head down under.

RED_DEVILSJustin Findlay is a 25 year old Canadian playing goaltender for the Canterbury Red Devils of the New Zealand Ice Hockey League. Most people don’t even think of hockey when they hear of that country. Here’s what Justin had to tell me about the ever growing game in Kiwi land.

March Hockey: How did you end up in New Zealand, let alone playing hockey there?

Justin Findlay: I was originally born in Sudbury, Ontario. My father is an air traffic controller and with his job he moves around a lot. I moved here when I was 4/5 years old and started playing inline hockey at age 10. I then transitioned to ice hockey at 12 and continued to play both until 17 years old when I switched to ice permanently.

MH: How is the hockey there compared to that of European leagues or back home in North America? Are fans just as passionate?

971646_10151901929437345_1204126200_nJF: The league is growing in skill level and fans every season, we have a very passionate support base and I firmly believe the Southern Stampede have the most passionate fans in the NZIHL. I would compare our league to a Canadian major junior league in terms of skill level, although as I said earlier it improves every season.

MH: Is there a lot of support for hockey in New Zealand? Or even Australia?

JF: There is a great, loyal fan base down under, in both countries! New Zealanders really enjoy the sport but the problem is getting them down to their first game. We find that once people have seen one game it is quite hard to keep them away!

MH: Growing up, who was your biggest influence as a goaltender?? What is your style of play like?

296281_10151873877787345_143077362_nJF: Growing up I was heavily influenced by Dominik Hasek, Terry Sawchuck, Curtis Joseph, Johnny Bower, Patrick Roy and ‘Battlin’ Billy Smith. I play a hybrid-butterfly style of goal-tending and I love to challenge shooters and come quite far out of my net. I am confident in my puck handling, although my team members may not be as confident!

MH: And finally, if you could play with any player, past or present, who would it be and why??

JF: If I could play with ANY player ever it would have to be Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils. I know he would protect me in net and would give me some huge hits to fawn over on the ice.

Head on over to http://www.reddevils.co.nz for more info on the team and the NZIHL!