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State of the Union address – LNAH style

Sigh.

Where do I even begin with this one.

The Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey has been known in the past to be one of, if not THE, toughest league in North America. Hell, for all I know it still could be. However, that credibility is starting to slide.

Before I go any further, I want to state for the record that I am all for keeping fighting in hockey. The LNAH keeps an old school style play of hockey in which if one teams throws a deadly hit to a star player, you better be ready to respond and answer the call to that opposing team’s enforcer. I’m sure everyone would like every league in the world to adopt this mentality again but in this day and age and information we have on injuries and concussions, it’s just not going to happen.

I’m all for it. Staged fights is another article all together but for arguement sake, I can deal with it. What’s happening now though is that the fights in the LNAH are being levitated to a point where brawls are breaking out every game. That’s nonsense. It’s starting to turn into, dare I say it, sports entertainment. Of course fans are going to pay money to see grown men brawl each other on skates for 4 or 5 hours a night but it’s ruining the game. It’s sad to see. The fact that the damn league website has it’s own little tab for “Suspensions” should tell you enough.

Speaking of suspensions…

How does one warrant a two game suspension to a player for self defence after having a urine filled cup thrown at them by an unruly fan? Fan ended up falling into the player’s bench. Well my good friend, fans have no right to end up there, home or visitors. After your actions, you should have come prepared to get the piss taken out of you…no pun intended.

Another explanation please. How does one NOT warrant a suspension for leaving the bench? Players have gotten upwards to 10 games in the NHL leaving and jumping in a melee yet none of Thetford Mines last Sunday received any discipline after the WHOLE team left the bench.

And Angel with the “agressor” suspension? How about retaliation after getting a stick in the mouth.

Am I being biased because I’m from Cornwall? No, I’m not. I’ve been to the games and the referrees of the league seem to turn a blind eye to a lot of calls for both teams or let things get out of control. They have chances to stop it. They don’t. It’s disgraceful. However I can’t help but take notice that the stupid suspensions are towards an Ontario team but I digress.

The Bourret/fan incident got international exposure and not in a good way. I wish the masterminds who run the league will take notice and ownership of the players and the way they’re acting otherwise, this is just going to turn into a league for goons.

Blaze Challenge Cup chances downed as Erickson leaves

By Ed Kimberley
Coventry, England

The Coventry Blaze went crashing out of the Challenge Cup race on Wednesday following a 5-2 loss to the Hull Stingrays. It was a reverse of the score line that saw them down Hull in the league competition. Ryan Ginand scored twice in both games but it was Ashley Tait who was the star of Sundays meeting with a 5 point night.

Sundays game was also the last for Blaze Defenceman Sean Erickson who announced he would be leaving the club shortly after the game. In fairness to Erickson, who never looked totally settled in Coventry, he stuck with the team through their injury crisis which ravaged their defence. It was a shame that Erickson has left the club as his 3 point night and generally solid defensive play was indicative of what the American had done while playing in Tulsa of the CHL. However, likely because he was never entirely settled witht the Blaze, he didn’t live up to many fans expectations. Although the Blaze are searching for a replacement it has been stated on a BBC CWR interview that there wasn’t much out their suitable. This seemed an interesting comment as at the same time the Nottingham Panthers secured the signing of Finnish Defenceman Tuukka Makela. Erickson is heading back to the Central league with the Rapid City Rush.

Wednesdays game was won by the Stingrays largely thanks to their special teams. They went 3 for7 on the powerplay and they also tallied shorthanded through Jereme Tendler. Their performance on the penalty kill was terrific. They killed 6/7 powerplays and the Blaze lack of secondary scoring cost them; both goals came from Ryan Ginand, his 20^th+21^ST goals of the season.

Adam Henrich (Photo: coventryobserver.co.uk)

The Blaze 1^st line of Ginand, A. Henrich and Tait have combined for 90 points this year however secondary scoring, and production offensively from the Blueline has been sparse. There are rumours of further changes in the Blaze camp, many speculating that Erickson will not be the only player to leave in the coming weeks. Erickson’s replacement, in my mind needs to be a player in the mould of Mike Schutte, who iced for the Blaze last year (and went 12+46 in 57GP), an offensive defenceman who can make and finish plays. This would hopefully kick-start some secondary scoring for the Blaze.

Sean Pronger’s Journeyman, The Life of a 4th Liner

Unfortunately I’ve been a little under the weather lately and it doesn’t seem to be letting up; hence the lack of posts. However, while not being able to be feeling up to par to manage some interesting pieces, it’s given me the chance to do a lot of reading. So I figured hey, why not a book review.

I first heard of this book about 8 months ago. I had just gotten out of surgery and was bedridden for a long time with pretty much nothing to do. I had gotten into the habit of tuning into Jay Onrait and Dan O’toole’s weekly podcast and one week the “special” guest happened to be Sean Pronger.

Pronger, (the lesser known Pronger at that), was promoting his new book, “Journeyman – The Guy Who’s Seen Everything In Hockey“. He was recalling a couple of stories in it; how he was traded to the New York Rangers and got to be on a line with Gretzky during his last year. (There’s a huge and hilarious story behind it. It’s not on a line you would think.) and how Ray Ferraro thought Steve Duschesne was everything that was wrong with the Los Angeles Kings in the late 1990’s.

So motivatied with this information, I finally got around to picking it up last week. Now, I do a lot of reading, no joke. Most of it is either biographies or serial killer dramas and most biographies are hockey related. I must say that this is one of the BEST hockey books I have read in such a long time.

Of course it’s about Pronger’s life of being the dreaded 4th liner and journeyman of the NHL. For those of you who don’t know what a journeyman is, it’s constantly being sent up and down between leagues, being traded (he played 29 games in an NHL season between 3 team. Yeah.) and all the ins and outs and frustrations tied with it.

Nobody ever thinks of the 4th line. What’s always going through their minds. Are they gonna be sent down today? Will do good enough to get a promotion on the squad? Will they be considered a healthy scratch? Should they start packing their bags? Everything that runs through a player’s head in these circumstances are covered in this book and that’s what makes it great to read. It’s about the other guys.

Pronger is very humourous and pokes a lot of fun at himself which makes it very great to read. The book flows at an even pace but after every chapter, you’re always captivated to read more and find out which team (or league….shoutout East Coast…) he got sent to next.

If you’re not a reader but at least a hockey fan, do yourself a favour and pick this up. It gives you a lot more respect for the grinders on our favourite teams.

An apology from a disgruntled Philadelphia Flyers fan

For some of you that know me, you will know that I’ve grown up a die hard and faithful fan of the black and orange, my beloved Philadelphia Flyers.

While I’m not old enough to remember the magic of winning back to back Stanley Cups, the days of the Broadstreet Bullies or the dreaded Cooperalls, I am old enough to have witnessed the glory days of Ron Hextall, the “Legion of Doom” line, Roger Nielson leading the team from behind the bench and many more exciting and amazing memories.

However, what happened last night has left me disgusted and embarrassed for the first time for being a fan of my team.

Granted the year is not playing out like we have hoped. A couple of bone head moves made by Paul Holmgren and company can leave the team deflated. I’m sure the tension throughout the entire organization is not something I’d like to endure but this is hockey and in times of rebuilding, these things happen.

I miss Ilya Bryzgalov. (Photo: Jai Agnish. Flickr)

Tension, frustration, the pressure from the ridiculous Philly media and fans came to an abrupt halt in last night’s game against the Washington Capitals. While I commend Wayne Simmonds for trying to spark some life into the arena and his team, I don’t think it was warranted when your team is already down by 7(!?). Should’ve tried a little earlier Wayner. All jokes aside, I have nothing bad to say about your actions.

What happened next was appalling and I KNEW something like this was going to happen when we announced the signing of Ray Emery. Did nobody remember him attacking a trainer in the KHL? Guess not.

For those of you who don’t know what happened or don’t follow hockey, Emery is a goaltender who skated the length of the ice to fight the opposing Capitals goaltender, Brayden Holtby. Holtby did not want anything to do with this and tried backing away. Instinctively, Emery grabbed him and started a 2 minute assault by pounding fists into the back of his head. The referee stopped players from jumping in to aide Holtby. What’s even more disgusting is that Emery gave up 4 goals, earned 29 penalty minutes, beat the shit out of Holtby and the Philadelphia media gave him third star of the game. Ridiculous.

Brian McGratton once said that Ray Emery would be a top 5 fighter if he wasn’t a goaltender. The man is a boxer on skates with a screw loose. This is just the sort of thing that is going to get people to jump on the “fighting should be banned from hockey” bandwagon.

I cover a lot of the LNAH which is a league known for its fights, whether staged or not. I am disgusted to think that guys like Emery and Jon Scott will most likely ended up in this league based on that reason alone.

How do you fix this mess? I’m not sure. With Ed Snider around, I’m not sure if Paul Holmgren will be leaving anytime soon. Homer, take a page out of Bobby Clarke’s book and maybe step down. A whole overhaul needs to take place.

In closing, on behalf of this Flyers fan to the rest of hockey fans across the globe, I apologize for the stupid actions in last night’s game. I will be sitting with a paperbag over my head for the rest of the season.

One on One with Grant McPherson of the Milton Keynes Lightning

Grant McPherson is a talented forward for the Milton Keynes Lightning who comes from a country that is not especially noted for it’s hockey prowess: Scotland. The 26 year-old Scot has entered his 8th season with the Lightning and caught up with me to give me some insight on the EPL and growing up loving hockey in Scotland.

March Hockey: First things first, being a native of Scotland which isn’t really known for their hockey, how did you get into the game and who influenced your play growing up?

Grant McPherson: It all started when I was on a family vacation in Washington DC with the family. It was the night we arrived and my mom, dad & I went straight to sleep but my brother was wide awake so he turned on the TV. It just so happened that it was a Pittsburgh Penguins game that came on and he couldn’t turn it off. In the morning, he told us what he watched. We didn’t even know if it existed back home but my dad said he would have a look into it. From there we started going to watch the Fife Flyers and I started playing at the age of 8. Growing up, I guess it was Fife players like Doug Smail, Frank Morris and Mark Morrison I looked up to but Jaromir Jagr was my all time favourite player.

MH: What’s it like being given the promotion of “Alternate Captain”?

GM: It was a massive honour. All throughout juniors I was a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ so I knew I had leadership qualities in me. With this being my 8th season with the Milton Keynes Lightning, I feel like I am now one of the more experienced players in the team and I want to help the younger guys improve as much as I can. It was a proud day when I got that call from my coach Nick Poole. Continue reading “One on One with Grant McPherson of the Milton Keynes Lightning”

Despite the loss, River Kings entertain with home opener

After a few first regular season games on the road, the Cornwall River Kings finally returned to their own barn Saturday night. In front of a crowd 2,453, all the hard work put into the last 6 weeks to keep the team in Cornwall finally started paying off.

Although, not in the way they had hoped.

The Marquis de Jonquiere showed just why they are the defending champions. A tough, fast and physical team, the Marquis came away with a 5-2 win. Francis Charette was the best player on the ice for both teams. His hockey sense is something to be in awe of, scoring 2 of the 5 goals on the night. Former River Kings back up Frederic Piche picked up the win.

Francis Lessard waits for a play in front of Frederic Piche. (Photo: Alison Papineau)

However, the River Kings held their own and showed that they can hang with the big boys.

Remember, the Cornwall River Kings have only been together a few weeks and really need a chance to gel. Which no doubt, will happen with time. After coming off a loss the night before in St. Georges, Alex Bourret played an amazing fast-paced and physical game; notched the first goal for the Kings on a beauty shorthanded breakaway and earned himself second star of the game.

Another show of dedication came from Brennan Barker as he stood up to Gaby Roch who threw an elbow to the head to one of the River Kings. Although Barker seemed to take the punches, there is no denying the strength of sticking up for your teammate.

Heavyweights Francis Lessard and Chris Clouthier also dropped the mitts in a few fisticuffs. With time the River Kings will not be pushed around in their barn. Once the players start to get used of one another on the ice, hell folks, it’s nothing but up from here. Bow down to the Kings.

Next home game is Sunday, October 3rd when big Jon “Nasty”Mirasty and Sorel come to town. Puck drop is 3p.m. You won’t want to miss this one.

Braehead Clan add to their arsenal

By Ed Kimberley
Coventry, England

It’s been an active fortnight in the EIHL in regards to transfers with Braehead being at the centre of action.

Last week they brought in Neil Trimm, a versatile Canadian forward who had a career year last season in terms of goals with the Wichita Thunder of the Central Hockey League. This week they have added a pair of players in Dan Nycholat who will help shore up the understrength Clan blueline, who are without Kenton Smith and Ray Macais for the time being.

The other addition is a very exciting one bringing in Joe Cullen who can play on the wing but also has been used as a centre, giving Ryan Finnerty many options going forward. Cullen is quite the capture, having spent come to the Clan following some successful years in the Italian Serie A winning the Italian Cup and the SuperCup. He has comparable numbers to Sirianni and DiCasmirro in Italy. The pair who recently signed for Sheffield have had a massive positive impact in the ‘House of Steel.’ Cullen has strong hockey lineage, his brother Matt is a career NHLer, currently with Nashville and won a Stanley Cup back in 05-06 with Carolina. His lineage goes back further, his Grandpa played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and his Uncle John was a two time NHL Allstar and Masterson Trophy winner.

The Clan and Ryan Finnerty are under pressure. They are behind their conference rivals the Dundee Stars who were quick out of the blocks however have 4 games-in-hand while being 6 points behind, adding Nycholat and Cullen will go a long way towards closing the gap. Winning all the games in hand will help Braehead leapfrog the Stars to the top of the conference and lofty heights in the EIHL league table.

This weekend the two teams will duke it out on Sunday, a game that will set the tone between the two rivals going forward, with Cullen and Nycholat in the side, it looks like Braehead will be ready for the toe to toe battle that will ensue.

A look at the OHL’s current top 10 scorers

The 2013-2014 Ontario Hockey League season has barely just started but out of the gate we have a few surprises popping out in terms of point leaders. The Erie Otters, Niagara IceDogs, Guelph Storm and Kingston Frontenacs keep their fire power ahead of the rest of the league and notched into the top 10. This top 10 list is up to date as of October 24th.

1. Connor Brown, Erie Otters – 29 points in 13 games. (11 goals and 18 assists)

A right winger out of Toronto, Ontario, Brown was selected in the 6th round of the 2012 entry draft by his hometown Maple Leafs. He’s currently in his third OHL season with Erie and is looking to be on pace to be a point a game player. His strong hockey sense keeps him in the loop to set up teammates on promising plays. One more year in junior should help him tremendously as he’ll most likely turn pro next year.

2. Brendan Perlini, Niagara IceDogs – 26 points in 12 games. (12 goals and 14 assists)

A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, but born in Guilford, England, this left winger will be eligible for next year’s NHL draft. Currently in his third OHL season, (second with Niagara, first OHL season with Barrie.) he actually spent some of his early junior career in England with the Guilford Flames of the EPL. He was cut from this year’s Team Canada squad at the Ivan Hlinka tournament but don’t count him out. A hard shot keeps him on the scouts radar. I see him being selected in at least the top 20 at the draft.

3. Carter Verhaeghe, Niagara IceDogs – 25 points in 12 games. (10 goals and 15 assists)

Sitting one point below his fellow teammate Perlini, Veraeghe is in his third season with the IceDogs and was drafted in the third round by Toronto last year. (Catch the pattern here? Toronto is deep with prospects. Could end up scary.) Veraeghe ended up being fourth in points with the IceDogs last season and stuck a gold medal under his belt with Team Canada’s Under 18’s. An even better year this year could do tremendous things for his professional career. His stock keeps rising and Toronto could possibly have a secret weapon on their hands. Continue reading “A look at the OHL’s current top 10 scorers”

Cornwall River Kings ready for home opener; add Brett Angel

Media Release

After opening the LNAH regular season with three consecutive games on the road, the River Kings are finally set to host their home opener on Saturday night.

And a spectacular evening is planned for Cornwall fans.

The River Kings host the defending champion Jonquiere Marquis at the Ed Lumley Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

There will be plenty of new faces in the lineup for Cornwall, including newly signed towering defenceman Brett Angel. The 6-foot-6, 248 lb. native of Kingston will add plenty of size and toughness to the Cornwall blueline. The River Kings, after a hectic off-season, will also welcome back core veterans such as Loic Lacasse, Pierre-Luc Faubert, Nicolas Corbeil, among many others.

There will also be a special presentation before the game as the River Kings honour local hero Andrew Vink. Last month at training camp, Vink came to the rescue when young fan Clayton Cadieux was choking on loonies. After several frantic seconds, Vink was able to successfully perform the Heimlich manoeuver on Clayton, who began breathing once again.

After a trip to CHEO in Ottawa, Clayton has fully recovered.

Vink and the Cadieux family will be reunited at centre ice on Saturday night to drop the ceremonial puck.

Single-game adult tickets are $14, seniors/students are $10 and children under the age of 12 are $5. Also, children attending Saturday’s game wearing a Halloween costume will receive a free ticket to Cornwall’s next home game.

The River Kings (1-0-1) visit Saint-Georges on Friday night.

One on One with Braehead Clan’s Chris Frank

By Ed Kimberley
Coventry, England

(Photo: www.sheffieldsteelers.co.uk) — (Photo: http://www.sheffieldsteelers.co.uk)

EIHL fans first saw Chris Frank during the 2011-2012 season when he joined the Cardiff Devils. Frank has a reputation as a hard hitting, no nonsense defenceman and a fierce competitor. Chris is also an ambassador for “Hockey Players Assemble” and he is currently hosting a ‘Movember’ event for the charity, more details are available by following the link: http://www.thehpassemble.org/projects/movember/. Chris took the time to catch up with me and chat about his hockey career thus far.

Ed Kimberley: You’re known as a physical defenceman. What was it like playing in the NCAA where there is traditionally less hitting than the CHL and Junior leagues?

Chris Frank: Playing NCAA hockey was great. It gave me four extra years to develop and and mature before I headed off to play professionally. While the NCAA doesn’t have any fighting the league is known for their huge hits. We had to wear cages and without fighting people just ran around 100 mph trying to crush people; because there was no repercussions.

EK: You were made Captain of Western Michigan University, how did the leadership role affect your game?

CF: I was honored to be a captain of WMU. I met so many great people through that organization, many of which I am still great friends with. Over the past few seasons the program has seen some real success and I’m proud to say I was at one point part of that top caliber program. Playing wise, my game stayed the same. Off the ice I had a lot more responsibility. Continue reading “One on One with Braehead Clan’s Chris Frank”