As early as ever the NHL has unveiled a “who’s who” of who to watch for in next year’s draft. 20 players have been selected from the OHL including three from my beloved Kingston Frontenacs.
The QMJHL and WHL also have their fair share of players as well. Take a look at this VERY EARLY prediction. Just click on this year’s first overall pick, Nathan MacKinnon.
The 90’s were one of the best decades ever. Especially the early 90’s. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing some kind of euro-dance music or Jock Jams and our faithful Grapes decided to dabble into the fad a bit.
The video was apart of one of Don Cherry’s Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em hockey tapes that he still releasing up to this every day. It usually features the best plays and hits in the season that had just past. This one featured Don Cherry attempting to rap.
“Listen listen, never turtle. If you do that, they’ll call you Myrtle!!”
You’ve been warned. LET’S GO!
The Dunedin Thunder will be looking to keep the ball rolling and remain in top spot as they visit the Botany Paradice and take on the Swarm.
In their last weekend set before the bye week, the Thunder earned two wins against the Canterbury Red Devils and reclaimed their top spot. Both games were tight until the end while the Sunday match was a close one as the game headed to overtime. It only took 18 seconds before Mathew Enright scored on an assist from Matt Canaday. (Check out more of Dunedin’s import talent.)
The Botany Swarm are currently in a three way tie for second place. That will all change this weekend however depending on the outcome of the games. The Swarm split their last weekend set to the Southern Stampede. League points leader Brandon Contratto will be in the lineup looking to add to more to his impressive stats.
The Swarm are eager to knock off the first place Dunedin Thunder. Will Contratto and the gang be enough to do it? Find out this weekend at the Botany ParadIce.
Growing up, the Cornwall Aces were a staple for me and many of my friends. Plenty of nights and Sunday afternoons were spent inside the Ed Lumley Arena cheering on such beloved names as Mike Hurlbut, Josef Marha, Jon Klemm and Aaron Miller just to name a few. A friend and I used to heckle the opposing teams but we learned our lesson when one player shot a puck into the crowd and hit a girl in front of us. We zipped our mouths after that.
Affiliated with the Quebec Nordiques and later the Colorado Avalanche, the Aces were a powerhouse team capturing two division titles in their 3 year history. I’d also like to say they had a hand in molding future Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Champion Stephane Yelle as well.
There are quite a few former Aces who have gone on and thrived in the NHL. Jocelyn Thibault, Todd Warriner, Janne Laukkanen and current GM of the New York Islanders, Garth Snow just to name a few. Former goaltender Jean Francois Labbe has actually returned to Cornwall to head coach the Cornwall River Kings of the LNAH.
With mascots Wild Thing, and Half-A-Deck, the Aces provided a fun environment for families to take in a game and spend the night. Prizes and memorabilia were given out at every game and I wish I still had my Wild Thing T-shirt.
It’s sad when a team leaves town. The Aces became dormant after they left but were brought back to life in the form of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. At least the two banners that hang from inside of the Ed Lumley Arena will keep them alive.
Welcome back, and thank you for checking out the second part of my Draft and Free Agency recap! Last time, we looked at the Eastern Conference; today, we’re going to have a gander at the West. So, same as last time, all recaps will be in this format:
Team Name,Winner/Loser/Lateral
Notable Ins: Player name, N/A
Notable Outs: Player name, N/A
In Limbo: Player name, N/A
Without further ado:
Anaheim Ducks, Lateral
In: Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen
Out: Bobby Ryan
Limbo: Teemu Selanne, Radek Dvorak, Toni Lydman, Dave Steckel, Matthew Lombardi
After 2 years of being pestered about his name in trade rumors, former 30-goal scorer and 2005 2nd overall draft pick Bobby Ryan was finally dealt by the Anaheim Ducks. The flashy, American winger was traded to the Ottawa Senators just hours after the free agent window opened last Friday. In exchange, the Ducks received Swedish rookie Jakob Silfverberg, prospect Stefan Noesen and Ottawa’s first-round pick in the 2014 entry draft. Silfverberg is coming off a season in which he scored 10 goals in 48 games for the Senators. Over an 82-game season, that works out to 17 goals. Not awful for a rookie who is still trying to adapt to the North American style of play. Noesen was Ottawa’s first-round pick (21st overall) in 2011 and is a high-scoring prospect who has been tearing up the OHL in recent years. In the last 3 seasons, Noesen has played 182 games, scoring 97 goals and 135 assists for 232 points and should turn out to be a difference maker for the Ducks within the next 5 years. Teemu Selanne has yet to decide if he will return for another season and showed signs of slowing down last year. If he comes back, I doubt it will be with any team besides Anaheim.
Calgary Flames, Lateral
In: Kari Ramo, Sean Monahan, Kris Russell, TJ Galiardi, David Jones, Shane O’Brien
Out:Miikka Kipprusoff, Anton Babchuk, Alex Tanguay, Cory Sarich Limbo: N/A
I put the Flames down as a lateral movement, but they easily could be classified as losers if it weren’t for Sean Monahan and Kari Ramo. Leading up to last season, Calgary had 3 things going good for them: Jarome Iginla, Jay Bouwmeester and Miikka Kiprusoff. However, Iginla and Bouwmeester were given away at the dead line, and Kipprusoff has expressed his intent to retire. Now, GM Jay “What the hell is going on in Calgary” Feaster has done his best to replace those departed players with younger, core players like Ramo and Monahan. There are a few issues with this plan. Problems A and B are that Ramo has had a hard time finding work in the NHL And will never be Kipprusoff, and Monahan is still a year or 2 away from being an impact player in the NHL. Problem C is that Bouwmeester was dealt and Babchuk was allowed to walk without any real replacements. Kris Russell is a lateral swap for Anton Babchuk with a slight offensive upside but won’t put up Bouwmeester’s minutes and Shane O’Brien is a younger, cheaper version of Cory Sarich. Having 3 first overall picks should have been Feaster’s opportunity to jump on a top defensive prospect like Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Zadorov or Josh Morissey, but instead he elected to take 3 forwards. I’m a fan of Monahan but the decision to, yet again, go off the board and select Emile Poirier is a decision not too many Flames fans were fond of, especially with Hunter Shinkaruk dropping so far. Either way, unless there are some big surprises coming from Calgary, it seems as though it will be another long season at the Saddledome.
Chicago Blackhawks, Losers
In: Nikolai Khabibulin
Out: Ray Emery, Dave Bolland, Viktor Stalberg, Michael Frolik, Rostislav Olesz, Steve Montador
Limbo: N/A
Once again, the post-Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks had a little bit of dismantling to do to their core. The last time the Hawks won the cup, numerous players such as Brian Campbell, Antti Niemi, Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg and Tomas Kopecky, among others, were either traded or allowed to sign elsewhere due to cap constraints and player bonuses. This time around, the players that were sent packing were Ray Emery (Philadelphia), Michael Frolik (Winnipeg), Viktor Stalberg (Nashville) and Dave Bolland (Toronto). Other depth players are still un-signed but it is unlikely the Hawks will bring them back since they are already right up against the cap. With these players gone and no cap space, Chicago will have to continue to explore the trade market or fill their roster from within the organization.
Colorado Avalanche, Winners
In: Nathan MacKinnon, Cory Sarich, Alex Tanguay
Out: David Jones, Shane O’Brien, Milan Hejduk Limbo: N/A
As sad as it is to see the Avalanche walk away from Milan Hejduk, you can’t help but be excited for the future in Colorado. Adding Nathan MacKinnon to an already talented group of young forwards including Matt Duchene, captain Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly, makes September seem a lot more than 2 months away. Although the depth at centre is nice, one has to wonder whether they will all still be playing in Denver next season. Ryan O’Reilly struggled to find his game after a contract dispute last season and has already been involved in trade discussions, so he could be expendable if he starts the season slowly. The Avs could use some help on D so it would make sense to deal O’Reilly to fill that need. If not, you can bet on seeing some high-scoring games involving Colorado next year.
Dallas Stars, Winners
In: Tyler Seguin, Shawn Horcoff, Rich Peverley, Valeri Nichushkin, Dan Ellis
Out: Loui Eriksson, Richard Bachman, Eric Nystrom 
The Dallas Stars have failed to make the post-season 5 straight years now, and it appears as though GM Jim Nill and owner Tom Gaglardi have had just about enough of that trend. Knowing full well that changes needed to be made, Nill made arguably the biggest trade of the offseason, acquiring Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley and Ryan Button from the Boston Bruins for Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow, Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser. He also brought in Shawn Horcoff from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade and signed G Dan Ellis and 10th overall draft pick Valeri Nichushkin. Signing Nichushkin means that Stars brass has faith that the kid will be able to crack the lineup at some point next season and provide offensively. Seeing Nichushkin on a line with Seguin and Jamie Benn gives me goosebumps. With Kari Lehtonen and Dan Ellis between the pipes, the defense core already in place (Goligoski, Daley, Robidas) and young guns Jordie Benn, Kevin Connauton and recently acquired Ryan Button waiting patiently for their shot, the Stars seem primed to be a playoff contender once again.
Edmonton Oilers, Lateral
In: Andrew Ference, Boyd Gordon, Jason LaBarbera, Jesse Joensuu, Richard Bachman, Darnell Nurse, David Perron
Out: Shawn Horcoff, Nikolai Khabibulin, Eric Belanger, Magnus Paajarvi Limbo: Theo Peckham, Colton Teubert, Ryan Whitney
Defence!! Finally, an Oilers GM who understands the importance of the defence position. After drafting nothing but forwards the last 4 or 5 years, Craig MacTavish selected Darnell Nurse with the 5th overall pick in hopes that he can step in next season or in 2014-15 and make a difference. Nurse is a nimble skater and makes a great first pass which is sure to help Edmonton’s speedy snipers find the twine. In addition to Nurse, MacT signed former Bruins defender Andrew Ference to a 4 year, $13 million contract hoping that he can finally bring some defensive stability to the Oilers’ blueline. Ference is a strong, mean defensive defenceman that will make it difficult for opposing threats like the Sedins or any one of the Colorado Avalanche centremen to make it to the net. Having Nathan MacKinnon added to their conference must have had something to do with the decision to bring in Ference. Additionally, MacTavish made a big splash in the hockey world by dealing under-achieving forward Magnus Paajarvi and a second round puck to the St. Louis Blues for winger David Perron. Perron immediately brings 20-25 goals to the 2nd line and is a great player to bring in to help continue development on young superstars Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle and Yakupov. Goaltending is a bit of a question mark, as Devan Dubnyk has yet to prove he has what it takes to be a number one goalie in the NHL. It is believed that the Oilers are trying to complete a deal for Sabres’ goalie Ryan Miller, but if that doesn’t happen, it will be up to Dubnyk to try to carry this team into the playoffs.
Los Angeles Kings, Lateral
In: Jeff Schultz
Out: Rob Scuderi, Luke Richardson
Limbo: Dustin Penner
After bowing out in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual Cup winners in Chicago, the Kings seemed satisfied with their roster, opting to make minimal moves. Their only signing from the free agent market comes in the form of Jeff Schultz, who is older, but will do essentially the same thing Rob Scuderi did, for less coin. After re-signing defensemen Slava Voynov and Keaton Ellerbu, GM Dean Lombardi finally made Jonathan Bernier‘s request come to fruition by dealing him to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Matt Frattin, Ben Scrivens and a second round pick in either 2014 or 2015. Frattin will be a solid 3rd line scorer and is a nice depth addition; however, with Bernier gone in favor of Scrivens, the pressure is on Jonathan Quick to maintain his elite status and deal with the possibility of playing even more games.
Minnesota Wild, Losers
In: Matt Cooke, Nino Neiderreiter, Keith Ballard
Out: Devin Setoguchi, Matt Cullen, Justin Falk, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Call Cluttebuck, Tom Gilbert
Limbo: N/A
Last season the Minnesota Wild were the talk of the offseason, signing the 2 biggest names on the free agent market in Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. This time around, not so much. The Wild either lost or traded some quality pieces from their club, and the replacements they brought in are not of the same caliber. First, GM Chuck Fletcher traded Cal Clutterbuck and a third round pick to the Islanders for prospect Nino Neiderreiter. Nino is a very skilled player with a ridiculous offensive upside, but never felt as though he was valued or would ever get a shot with the Isles. For that reason, he was obtained relatively inexpensively, but Clutterbuck plays a style that you can’t just replace with anybody. Just wait until you watch Matt Cooke’s first game in St. Paul. Cooke claims to have changed his ways from the guy who “accidentally” cut Erik Karlsson‘s Achilles tendon and nearly decapitated Marc Savard a few years back, effectively ending his career. Cooke has been suspended by the NHL 5 times and still, teams are paying this guy. Until he proves he can do something other than hurt people, Wild fans must be throwing up in their mouths a little knowing Matt Cooke will be on their teams starting roster. Also out are Justin Falk and Tom Gilbert. Now I’m not saying these guys are defensive stalwarts who should never be let go, but between the 2 of them, they’re better than Keith Ballard. There’s a reason he was bought out by a team lacking defense. After acquiring Niederreiter from New York, Fletcher then decided he had no more use for Devin Setoguchi, so he was shipped to Winnipeg for a second round draft pick. Really? A second round pick? He has had injury problems in the past, but this is a player who once scored 31 goals and 65 points. On top of that, he had two 20-plus goal seasons without even playing that whole season. And he was got for a second rounder. Well done Kevin Chevaldayoff.
Nashville Predators, Winners
In: Seth Jones, Viktor Stalberg, Matt Cullen, Eric Nystrom, Matt Hendricks Out: Sergei Kostitsyn, Hal Gill
Limbo: Jonathon Blum
If there was a trophy for the best offseason, my vote would be for the Nashville Predators this year. GM David Poile was active at the draft and throughout free agency solidifying his roster, starting with Seth Jones. Poile didn’t have much to do with Jones slipping to fourth overall, but he is definitely not complaining. Expected to go first or, at very least, second overall to teams who need defense, Jones was snubbed not twice, but 3 times as Colorado selected MacKinnon, Florida selected Barkov and Tampa Bay chose Jonathan Drouin. Jones is a huge addition to an already stable Predators blueline, and is expected to make the team out of training camp. If he does and plays with Shea Weber, the chances of the puck ever going into Nashville’s net again are slim to none because if opposing teams can manage to get past Jones, Weber, Kevin Klein, Ryan Ellis or any other Preds’ d-men for that matter, they still have the near-impossible task of beating Pekka Rinne. On the offensive side of things, Poile’s biggest addition was recent cup-winner Viktor Stalberg. This is a great move for both player and team since Nashville is desperate for scoring and Stalberg, who is a natural scorer, was stifled in Chicago because of their offensive depth. Additionally, Matt Cullen will provide some offense and win a few draws, and Matt Hendricks will put his heart on the ice every shift. One interesting note is unsigned RFA D Jonathon Blum. At one point, Blum was expected to be a pivot in Nashville’s top 4 but now he won’t even be receiving a qualifying offer from the team. The kid is only 24 years old and still hasn’t had a chance to make a name for himself. Any team who can get Blum for a reasonable price will be making a huge steal.
Phoenix Coyotes, Winners
In: Mike Ribeiro, Thomas Greiss, Max Domi
Out: Boyd Gordon
Limbo: N/A 
The Phoenix Coyotes are one of the teams who won by being relatively idle throughout the offseason so far. Their biggest accomplishment comes off the ice as there has been a deal put in place that will keep the Coyotes in Glendale for at least another 15 years. What this means is that the team, from the players to the ownership group, Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, can go forward focusing on solely their on-ice product. It’s about hockey in the desert now, and with ownership in place it gives the players the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and win some games. To start the new era of the Coyotes (soon to be re-named the Arizona Coyotes), GM Don Maloney drafted former Toronto Maple Leaf Tie Domi‘s son, Max, and signed free agent forward, Mike Ribeiro to a 4 year, $22 million deal. Even before being drafted, Max Domi had stated many times that his style of play is nothing like his father’s. Possessing great hockey smarts and incredible vision, Max has smooth hands and can put the puck on your tape in almost any situation. He should be ready to step in and help within 1-2 years. Having drafted a guy to get pucks in the opposition’s net, the next step was to keep them out of their own net. With the market for goaltenders drying up relatively quickly after Jon Bernier and Cory Schneider were traded, Maloney didn’t hesitate to throw cash at incumbent starter Mike Smith before another team had a chance to pounce. The deal is worth $34 million and will keep Smith in Arizona until 2019-2020.
San Jose Sharks, Lateral
In: Tyler Kennedy
Out: Thomas Greiss, Scott Gomez
Limbo: N/A
The Sharks were another Western team who were relatively inactive this summer, their 2 moves being rather minor ones. The first was a deal to bring in Tyler Kennedy from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2nd round pick. The second was sending TJ Galiardi to his hometown Calgary Flames for a fourth round pick. Kennedy is a slight upgrade from Galiardi and should provide decent secondary scoring.
St. Louis Blues,Lateral
In: Derek Roy, Magnus Paajarvi, Maxim Lapierre, Keith Aucoin
Out: David Perron, Kris Russell, Andy McDonald, Jamie Langenbrunner Limbo: N/A
Initially, I had the Blues down as winners; that was until the Perron for Paajarvi trade was announced. If I’m GM Doug Armstrong, I can understand why you would need to trade Perron, since the Blues are mighty close to the salary cap; however, I personally don’t see Magnus Paajarvi and a second round pick as fair compensation. Paajarvi has struggled in Edmonton and has been back and forth between the Oilers and their AHL affiliate, the Okalahoma City Barons ever since being drafted. While he is definitely a talented and skilled player, until he can show that he can put those talents and skills to good use, I think Edmonton wins this trade. One move I thought was smart was to bring in C Derek Roy. Roy is a 10-year NHL veteran with playoff experience who can shoot, pass, skate and lead by example. He is a great guy to have in your dressing room and will be a great help bringing along youngsters like Vladimir Tarasenko, TJ Oshie and Patrick Berglund. The Blues have somewhat of a traffic jam in their crease, so expect a goaltender to be moved before the season starts as well. Jaroslav Halak has expressed his displeasure with coach Ken Hitchcock, so it is not unreasonable to believe he will be donning a new sweater come October.
Vancouver Canucks,Losers
In: Luke Richardson, Yannick Weber
Out: Keith Ballard, Max Lapierre, Cory Schneider, Cam Barker
Limbo: Mason Raymond 
Oh boy.. If I am the only who thinks the Canucks are heading in the wrong direction, please let me know. After 2 and a half years of drama, controversy and “sucky contract” talks surrounding Roberto Luongo, GM Mike Gillis made the genius decision of trading Cory Schneider instead, to New Jersey for the 9th overall pick in this year’s draft. They then chose Bo Horvat with that selection. So, Schneider straight up for Horvat. Wow. Now, I’m not knocking Horvat; he’s a talented kid and should score a few goals for the Canucks in the future, but one can’t help but think that the return could have been much larger had Gillis jumped on the deal the Maple Leafs had offered. At least that deal included roster players. However, hindsight is always 20/20, and what’s done has been done. Now, Luongo has to deal with the fact the he may very well have to play out the next 8 years of his wonderful contract in Vancouver. Hey, at least he’s starting again…. right? Furthermore, since someone decided David Booth and Alex Burrows are worth $4.25 million and $4.5 million, respectively, the team has little cap room to work with, leaving Mason Raymond without a job. Personally, I love Mason Raymond. I’m the furthest thing from a Canucks fan (despite living in Vancouver), but Raymond is a gritty forward who has hands and loves to to the net. The guy can shoot and has potential, but has always had to fight for a job with Daniel Sedin, David Booth and Chris Higgins ahead of him on the ‘Nucks depth chart. I’m perplexed at how he is still unemployed and will be had at a steal for any team willing to take a chance on him. Defensively, the Canucks are so clogged they are basically sending out flyers and coupons for every one of their blueliners not named Chris Tanev or Jason Garrison. Alex Edler carries a $5 million cap hit, and Kevin Bieksa‘s is $4.6 million so those 2 names are being actively shopped, assumedly for draft picks and prospects, since Vancouver can not really afford to take back any salary. So that’s a wrap on the Western Conference offseason recap. I want to know what you guys think, so leave a comment in the box below and let me know where I went wrong! Thanks for reading, come back soon, and don’t forget to follow me on twitter @younggunshockey!
In a somewhat boring news week for the NHL, it was awoken from its slumber in the form of New Jersey Devils superstar Ilya Kovalchuk announcing his retirement from the NHL.
I first saw the announcement from New Jersey Devils beat writer Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice). When he followed up the announcement with “this is not a joke”, I knew it was for real. I then contacted my Devils source and sure enough, it was true.
Kovalchuk has indeed released a statement:
“This decision was something I have thought about for a long time going back to the lockout and spending the year in Russia. Though I decided to return this past season, Lou was aware of my desire to go back home and have my family there with me. The most difficult thing for me is to leave the New Jersey Devils, a great organization that I have a lot of respect for and our fans that have been great to me.”
Ilya Kovalchuk was drafted 1st overall in the 2001 entry draft (the first time for a Russian) to the Atlanta Trashers and remained a franchise player and superstar since the beginning of his NHL career. In his rookie season, he finished second in voting for the Calder Trophy, the NHL’s top prize for Rookie Of The Year. His second year saw him capture the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the league in goals after tying with Jarome Iginla and Rick Nash. He also was tied for second in points with Joe Sakic.
During the 2005 lockout, Kovalchuk went home to Russia and suited up for both Ak Bars Kazan and Khimik Moscow Oblast. After finishing his contract with the Trashers, Kovalchuk was traded to the New Jersey Devils on February 4th, 2010 where he shined. On March 20th of 2012, he became the 87th player in NHL history to score 400 goals. Despite signing with SKA St. Petersburg during this past lockout, Kovalchuk remained with the Devils to finish out his career.
In 816 NHL games played, Kovalchuk has amassed an ASTONISHING 816 points. That’s right folks, a point a game. The NHL is losing one of it’s best players and one of the best Russian players to ever play the game. Along with that shining statistic, he owns an Olympic bronze medal, numerous gold, silver and bronze medals from World Championships and a gold and silver from his U18 days.
As for what this does to the Devils’ salary cap? Fact is, not much. His contract is void whenever the ink on his retirement papers dries. The Devils do not have to pay him although they will be forced to pay $250,000 vs the cap as a cap recapture penalty.
Kovalchuk is reporting that he is going back home to Russia. Could he suit up for a KHL team? It’s possible and only time will tell what his real motives are but for now, it’s time to mourn the loss of a great player.
The Canterbury Red Devils are hoping to jump into second place as they face the West Auckland Admirals in a two game set at home in Christchurch.
The Alpine Ice rink will be lined in a sea of red of support as the Devils came off their last weekend set with losing both games to the now first place Dunedin Thunder. Scoring leader Chris Eaden will still be out with an upper body injury and there’s no word yet on strong defenceman Terry Watt’s return as he is still injured from a concussion. (EDIT: I have heard from the man himself, Watt will be in the lineup this weekend!)
The West Auckland Admirals are also coming off a 2 game loss to the Dunedin Thunder from their last weekend set on June 22. Jani Lehtinen scored twice to keep the Admirals close but it wasn’t enough as the Thunder rallied back and capped it off. (Check out some of the imported talent the Dunedin Thunder has on their roster)
Both teams are coming off of a bye week and should be well rested and ready to play. The Admirals however haven’t played since the weekend of June 23rd. Will they be top notch heading into Christchurch? They better be as the Red Devils are defending their Toa Kauhanga Riri Tio trophy on Sunday.
Only time will tell this weekend.
The class of 2013 has been unveiled and being inducted are some of hockey’s greatest players.
Currently the Executive Advisor to Wings GM Ken Holland, Chelios had an incredible storied career.
Chelios is a 3 time Stanley Cup champion and has made numerous All Star game and Team USA appearances. In his 1651 games split between the Wings, Blackhawks, Canadiens and Thrashers, Chelios amassed an astonishing 948 points. 763 of those were assists. His three Norris Trophy captures have put him among one of the greatest NHL defencemen of all time and personally, of my generation. It was a no brainer for his induction.
Even if you young kids never saw him play, you know the name. Brendan Shanahan is currently the Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and Director of Player Safety. The guy who hands down the suspensions.
Shanahan is a member of hockey’s “Triple Gold Club”. A winner of an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medeal and the Stanley Cup. Shanahan is also a 3 time Stanley Cup champion; all with Detroit.
In 1534 career NHL games, Shanahan has collected 1354 points ranking him as one of the elite of all time.
Niedermayer is currently an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks. Another member of the “Triple Gold Club”, Niedermayer is one of slickest defencemen to ever play the game.
Niedermayer has made 5 All Star game appearances and receiver both the Norris and Conn Smythe trophies in respective years. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and with 740 in 1263 games, he joins the Hockey Hall of Fame in this year’s class.
Also being inducted is Geraldine Heaney, a defencemen for the Canadian National Team and one of the greatest female players of all time. She is the third female to enter the Hall. And last but certainly not least, the man who coached the Philadelphia Flyers to two back to back Stanley Cups, Fred Shero, is finally getting his due.
Once known as the Battalion from Brampton, the troop relocates this season to their new barracks in North Bay. I absolutely am in love with this logo and jersey. Mainly because I have a stupid obsession with war history but I digress.
The logo just screams like an army sergeant and hell, sometimes the players even skate out of an inflatable tank! The jersey itself is made to look like army gear with the stripes along the side. The only downfall to this is the terrible green colour but I guess you got to win some to lose some.
Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchense got their start with the Battalion and put up some pretty decent numbers. I’m glad they decided to keep the name and not start over with something brand new in North Bay. Hopefully the fans will take to them just as faithfully as the ones in Brampton did. I’ll be looking forward to the start of the OHL season to see if there will be any changes made to the logo or jersey.
So I’m working on my Western Conference offseason recap, but I wanted to take a break from that to touch on a controversial topic that has surfaced in the sports world recently. That topic is the respect of the team logo on the dressing room floor.
I read an article by Justin Bourne on The Score that said (rough summation) the members of the media are slightly outraged at the flak that Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has received for planting his dirty boots on the sacred Indian head of the Chicago Blackhawks whilst photographing the Stanley Cup. (View the disgrace for yourself here.) All I could think of when I first read that was, “Are you kidding me?”
First off, I wouldn’t be letting the Biebs anywhere near an Original Six dressing room, let alone the most beautiful trophy in all of sports. There really is no excuse for stepping on the logo; either you’re too ignorant to know you can’t or you just don’t care, and quite frankly, if either are true, you don’t deserve to be in the dressing room in the first place.
Secondly, where do these media members get off thinking they can complain and get to do what they want? Did these people seriously put all that time and effort into becoming a sports writer so they could take a sh*t on teams’ rules and traditions? The reason these people even have something to write about is because this league and its teams exist. The last thing they should be doing is irking the people who essentially make them their earnings.
Hockey, and the sporting world in general, is full of superstition, tradition and strange routine. Take a look at one of the greatest goaltenders to ever play the game and my personal childhood hero, Patrick Roy. The guy was a hot-head and nearly nuts with superstition, but nobody gave him any grief about tapping each post 3 times before every play, not skating over any lines on the ice and writing his kids’ names on his sticks.
Watch every goalie in the league after they get scored on. Every single one of them has their own unique way of shaking it off. Some skate to the side boards and back, others go straight for their water bottles. Some guys shake their heads around like 12 year old girls listening to, well, Justin Bieber. So why are the media making such a big deal out of having to take 3 steps sideways/frontwards/backwards? I have never been in a dressing room full of media and players/staff, but I fully understand that it gets very crowded and difficult to maneuver around; however, the logo is what, 5 feet by 5 feet? How hard can it be to stay away from that 25 square feet of dressing room floor.
The point I’m trying to make is this: Myself, I am a huge fan of this game and being allowed into the dressing room to conduct interviews and get material for articles sounds a lot like a privilege to me. The trust that these NHL organizations is instilling in people should be responded to with respect for their rules and regulations, whether one guy thinks they’re ridiculous or not.
That’s my rant, so thanks for reading and please, let me know what you think in the comment section below and don’t forget to check back soon for the Western Conference Offseason Recap!
Cheers!
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