Snap Shots, Slap Shots and Funnies: What's New At GHL For 2009-10

We are finally on the eve of the puck drop on the 2009-2010 season!

It is an exciting time for all hockey fans, and an exciting time for Greatest Hockey Legends.com. I have several new features for the upcoming season.

Everyday I will feature a Classic Snap Shot, portraying a famous or interesting photo of hockey legends gone by.

I have well over 1000 legends profiled here on the site. Everyday I will feature a new biography. Weekdays I will do this through the familiar Shoebox Memories, featuring a classic hockey card at the same time. On weekends I will do this through the new Weekend Reading series, featuring a classic hockey book or magazine.

Also on weekends I will introduce Saturday Slap Shots, where I comment on any topic, past or present. I will occasionally include Slap Shots in posts during the week, too. Watch for the lighter side of hockey history to appear in Sunday Funnies.

Watch for great Olympic coverage, both in terms of history and current commentary.

And I have special continuing series planned for Wayne Gretzky's 50th birthday.

It's going to be a great season of hockey, and a great season of Greatest Hockey Legends.com

Gretzky Back To The Kings?

Kudos have to go out to the Los Angeles Kings for reaching out to Wayne Gretzky.

Gretzky, who lives near LA, is the most important player in team history. But ever since his departure in 1996, he has been basically estranged from the organization. Given Gretzky's reluctance to uproot his family at this stage in life, the partnership would seem like a great fit.

Gretzky likely would be wanting much more than some alumni role discussed by Kings GM Dean Lombardi. The Kings should be looking for much more, too.

Gretzky's name, battered as it is after the Phoenix debacle, could once again draw attention to the Kings. The team has a number of promising young players and will soon, finally, be on the rise, although they lack star power - a necessary ingredient in the entertainment marketplace in Hollywood. Enter Gretzky, the greatest star the Kings have ever seen.

For Gretzky, not only is it a way back into hockey without leaving his home, but it is a way back in with an organization about to emerge. It could be a great way to re-establish himself as a winner. He is very protective of his image, and can not be happy with his perceived failings in Phoenix. Joining a rising Kings team at just the perfect time could make that all but forgotten.

It's a potentially great story for The Great One, and for the L. A. Kings.

Slap Shots: Watch for ESPN's new documentary King's Ransom, as they look back on the Gretzky trade to LA. Puck Daddy has a good commentary on the interesting film.

2009-10 Milestones

At some point really early this season Nicklas Lidstrom will join Brian Leetch, Denis Potvin, Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Larry Murphy and Phil Housley as the only defensemen to have scored 1000 career points in the NHL.

Here's some other notable milestones within reach this coming season. The number in brackets is the player's current total:

Points:

1000
- Nicklas Lidstrom (997)
- Paul Kariya (946)
- Alexei Kovalev (941)
750
- Rob Blake (747)
- Marian Hossa (719)
- Patrik Elias (706)
500
- Darryl Sydor (499)
- Radek Bonk (497)
- Jere Lehtinen (497)
- Simon Gagne (484)
- Daniel Briere (473)
- Daniel Sedin (462)
- Henrik Sedin (460)
- JP Dumont (459)
- Bryan McCabe (457)

Goals
400
- Alexei Kovalev (394)
- Paul Kariya (384)
300
- Ilya Kovalchuk (297)
- Patrik Elias (295)
- Patrick Marleau (276)
- Dany Heatley (260)
250
- Daymond Langkow (245)
- Simon Gagne (242)
- Chris Drury (240)
- Martin St. Louis (238)
- Olli Jokinen (237)
- Marian Gaborik (219)
- Alexander Ovechkin (219)

Assists:

800
- Mike Modano (786)
- Mats Sundin (785)
- Nicklas Lidstrom (769)
500
- Slava Kozlov (479)
- Marc Savard (468)
- Chris Pronger (464)
- Jason Arnott (463)

Games Played:

1000
- Martin Brodeur (999)
- Ray Whitney (992)
- Donald Brashear (989)
- Bryan McCabe (986)
- Radek Bonk (969)
- Shane Doan (965)
- Jarome Iginla (942)
- Daymond Langkow (941)
- Daniel Alfredsson (932)
- Sergei Gonchar (929)

Shutouts:
103
- Martin Brodeur (101) - to equal Terry Sawchuk record
50
- Chris Osgood (49)
- Evgeni Nabokov (47)
- Roberto Luongo (47)
20
- Nicklas Backstrom (17)
15
- Tim Thomas (12)
- Ryan Miller (12)
- Cam Ward (12)
- Steve Mason (10)
- Pascal Leclaire (10)

Wins:

400
- Chris Osgood (389)
300
- Nikolai Khabibulin (299)
250
- Evgeni Nabokov (249)
- Marty Turco (240)
- Roberto Luongo (230)

Time For A Champions League?

This is a picture of ZSC Lions of Zurich. They look like they just won the Stanley Cup! In actuality, they just won the Victoria Cup, defeating the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.

This victory, plus Tappara Tampere's win over the Florida Panthers earlier this week, is great for hockey and hockey fans in Europe. Some fans will be now be asking for hockey's version of a Champions League, pitting the best European teams against the Stanley Cup champion.

It is an interesting idea, and I think the Victoria Cup is testing those waters.

But I just can't see the NHL representatives ever truly being interested. I watched part of the HC Davos - Chicago Blackhawks game with some curiosity. I was surprised how many prospects and minor leaguers were playing for Chicago, with the veterans going through the motions just like any other pre-season game.

For NHL players these games are nothing more than exhibition games to prepare for the long, long NHL season. For European club team players, taking on a NHL team is their biggest of the season. For many it is the biggest game of their lives.

Politics will probably prevent a Champions League from ever taking flight. The NHL has nothing to gain, and lots to lose. By participating with half-effort, the NHL is further legitimizing European teams and leagues, especially Russia's wealthy KHL. This could actually backfire on the NHL in the future when it comes to attracting the best talent in the world.

Congratulations go out to Zurich, enjoy your victory for all it is worth. Hopefully it will one day be worth even more.

Slap Shots: IIHF.com has a great profile on Zurich goalie Ari Sulander.

Top Ten Players In The Game Today

I tend to deal with the past, but here's a look at the top ten players in the game today:

Alex Ovechkin - The most explosive and entertaining player in the game

Evgeni Malkin - He has a Mario Lemieux like presence on the ice, something I have not seen from any player since the days of #66 himself.

Sidney Crosby - An amazing combination of skill and determination.

Pavel Datsyuk - The best two-way player in the game.

Roberto Luongo - The best goalie in hockey.

Zdeno Chara - Dominating, intimidating defenseman who can do it all.

Nicklas Lidstrom - The old man can still control a game like no one else.

Vincent Lecavalier - Injuries and franchise-implosion have hurt him, but he's still as skilled as anyone in the game.

Henrik Zetterberg - An all-around force who can do anything asked.

Jarome Iginla - The best power forward of his generation.

The Next Five - Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards, Eric Staal, Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise

It's Our Game!

Don't forget about Pepsi's Join The Cheer contest. They want to come up with the definitive cheer to urge on our men's, women's and sledge hockey teams at international tournaments such as the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and beyond. They want the fans to be as prepared as our athletes will be.

Me, I'm going with "It's Our Game!" Imagine the opening face off at the gold medal game at the 2010 Olympics, Canada vs. Russia. 18,000 fans at Canada Hockey Place chanting "It's Our Game! It's Our Game!"

Historic Win In Finland

From IIHF.com

The first European team to beat an NHL team in the post-Soviet era did it before any of Swiss teams at the Victoria Cup had the chance to do the same. Tappara Tampere edged the Florida Panthers in a 3-2 shoot-out victory.

Full Story

Septembers To Remember

Back on August 31st, 2004, I made my debut in The Hockey News. I wrote a piece called "Septembers to Remember" for their 2004 World Cup of Hockey preview special. In the article I looked back at some of the greatest hockey moments to occur in the unusual hockey month of September. It turns out some of the greatest moments in hockey history happened in September.

In honour of the anniversary of the conclusion of the 1972 Summit Series, here's the article:

Septembers to Remember
By Joe Pelletier

Hockey in September? How can a world-class tournament be held at such an unusual time of the year. The Canada Cup and World Cup have given us some Septembers to remember.

Here’s a look at the ten greatest games in Canada Cup/World Cup history:

Sept 9, 1976 - Czechoslovakia 1 – Canada 0 – This hockey classic is considered to be one of the greatest games ever played in the Montreal Forum and in Canada Cup history. It was a nearly technically perfect game featuring brilliant goaltending by Rogie Vachon and Vladimir Dzurilla. The atmosphere was simply electric until Milan Novy quieted the crowd by scoring the round robin game’s only goal late in the third period.

Sept 15, 1976 – Canada 5 Czechoslovakia 4 (OT) – After the classic round robin match, Canada blew out Czechoslovakia 6-0 in game one of the 1976 finals. Game 2 returned to classic status with a dramatic end of the third period and exciting overtime. Czechoslovakia came form a 2-1 deficit to take a stunning 4-3 lead late in the third period. Bill Barber was able to pounce on a misplayed puck to force the extra frame. In overtime Darryl Sittler scored one of the most famous goals in Canadian hockey history to capture the inaugural Canada Cup.

Sept 11, 1981 – USSR 4 – Czechoslovakia 1 – Everyone talks about the Cold War between Canada and the Soviets, but the rivalry between the Soviets and Czechoslovakians was always intense as well. The Czechoslovaks started the game with a blistering pace, and were cheered on by the Ottawa crowd. However Vladislav Tretiak turned in one of his greatest performances, stopping 26 of 27 high quality shots in an exciting game that saw the winner advance to the finals.

Sept 13, 1981 – USSR 8 – Canada 1 – The Soviets greatest victory over Canada ranks as Canada’s most humiliating defeat. To make matters worse, it came in Canada’s Cathedral of Hockey – the Montreal Forum. Sergei Shepelev scored three times and Vladimir Krutov made Guy Lafleur look foolish on another en route to the Canada Cup championship. The Soviets celebrated and were truly the most dominant force in hockey.

Sept 13, 1984 – Canada 3 – USSR 2 (OT) – Heralded as the greatest game ever played at the time, Canada dug down deep to upset the Soviets in the qualifying game for the finals. Outside of the 1980 Olympics, the Soviets had dominated the international scene since 1979, and included a convincing 6-3 round robin victory over Canada. But a gutsy effort saw Canada come from behind to force overtime. In overtime, Paul Coffey, of all players, came up with one of the biggest defensive plays in tournament history when he broke up a Mikhail Varnakov – Vladimir Kovin two–on–one and, with the relentless help of tournament MVP John Tonelli, turned the play into a Mike Bossy winning goal. Canada would go on to defeat Sweden in the anti-climatic Canada Cup finals.

Sept 13, 1987 – Canada 6 – USSR 5 (Double OT) – With Russia capturing game one of the best of three series, Canada needed a victory to force game 3. Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were teamed together full time for the first time in the tournament, and the result was pure magic. This game was so entertaining even the 17,000 plus fans in Hamilton left the game exhausted. Regulation time saw end-to-end rushes and dramatic action. Canada was clinging to 5-4 lead when Valeri Kamensky scored one of the most famous goals in tournament history to force overtime. The pace in overtime never slowed. Halfway through the second overtime Gretzky sets up Lemieux for the winner. It was Lemieux’s third goal of the night, and Gretzky’s fifth assist. Gretzky would call this game the greatest game he ever played.

Sept 15, 1987 – Canada 6 – USSR 5 – Game 3 of the 1987 Canada Cup will always be remembered for Wayne Gretzky’s and Mario Lemieux’s last minute heroics. The game itself was a notch below the entertainment standards of the game two days earlier, but the drama experienced by Hamilton fans was just as intense. The Soviets stunned Team Canada with a 3-0 lead by the eight-minute mark. But Canada, led by grinders like Brent Sutter, Rick Tocchet and Doug Gilmour clawed away at the Soviets’ lead with one of the gutsiest efforts in hockey history, and to set up the Gretzky-Lemieux dramatics.

Sept 7, 1991 – Canada 6 – Czechoslovakia 2 – The 1991 Canada Cup saw the emergence of the Finns and Americans, and downfall of Russians, and was anti-climatic if only because Canada was never really challenged. This game was one of the most interesting as Eric Lindros played in his first game in the province he refused to live in. Montreal fans booed the Team Canada teenager loudly, but Wayne Gretzky put on a show to put the political sideshow aside and help unite Team Canada. Gretzky scored 2 goals and 1 assist. Lindros left the crowd in silent amazement with a thunderous body check that put Martin Rucinsky out for the series.

Sept 7, 1996 – Canada 3 – Sweden 2 (Double OT) – The Canada – USA showdown in 1996 almost never happened, as Sweden put in an incredible effort against Canada in the qualifying game. Philadelphia fans witnessed Curtis Joseph and Tommy Salo engage in a class goaltending duel, which lasted 13 seconds shy of a full two overtime periods. Paul Coffey set up Theo Fleury to snap home the winning goal just seconds after Sweden had 4 tremendous opportunities to capture victory.

Sept 14, 1996 – USA 5 – Canada 2 – In the new political world Team USA emerged as the new hockey power and managed to dethrone Canada in game 3 of the thrilling finals of the first World Cup of Hockey. Montreal fans were disappointed to see a solid Canadian effort fall short against the Americans. MVP Mike Richter put in one of the greatest performances in tournament history, repeatedly stoning a barrage of Canadian scoring opportunities. Brett Hull, Derian Hatcher and Tony Amonte finished strong tournaments with strong performances to give USA hockey supremacy for the first time.

Brad Park's Tips For Andrew Ference

Given last week's headline's about Brad Park's advice for Andrew Ference and other members of the NHLPA, I had a good chuckle over this old book I found on eBay:

Interesting Interviews Coming Up This Season

Over at Hockey Book Reviews.com last week I interviewed hockey cartoonist Merv Magus. In the past I've interviewed authors Jim Hynes, and most famously Jack Falla.

This season I have interviews placed with Stephen Brunt, Mike Leonetti, Don Weekes, Sebastien Tremblay, Sheldon Kannegiesser, Todd Denault, and Brett Henning, and hopefully more.

Hockey Pool Primer: Home vs. Road

Here's 2008-09's top scorers at home and on the road:

Home

Player        GP   G   A   Pts
------------------------------
Ovechkin      39   34  25   59
Parise        41   22  36   58
Malkin        41   16  41   57
Crosby        39   17  37   54
Cammalleri    40   27  26   53
Datsyuk       41   14  39   53
J. Carter     41   29  22   51
Havlat        40   21  30   51
Iginla        41   17  33   50
Getzlaf       41   17  32   49
Savard        41   14  32   46

Road

Player        GP   G   A   Pts
------------------------------
Malkin        41   19  37   56
Ovechkin      40   22  29   51
Crosby        38   16  33   49
Kovalchuk     39   21  26   47
E. Staal      41   22  24   46
Datsyuk       40   18  26   44
Backstrom     41   10  34   44
Savard        41   11  31   42
H. Sedin      41   11  31   42
Getzlaf       40    8  34   42
Nashrd        40   23  18   41

Hockey Pool Primer: Top 25 Scorers Since All Star Break

Often a good indication of who will be hot this year will be players who were hot down the stretch the previous season. Here's a look at the top 25 scorers after the All Star Game last season.

Player        GP   G   A   Pts
------------------------------
Ovechkin      33   25  26   51
Crosby        30   16  27   43
Malkin        34   16  27   43
Kovalchuk     31   23  19   42
Datsyuk       35   13  28   41
E. Staal      34   20  20   40
M. Green      33   19  21   40
Havlat        36   14  26   40
Backstrom     34   10  30   40
Parise        35   17  22   39
Ribeiro       37   11  28   39
Cammalleri    36   17  21   38
Semin         32   16  22   38
H. Sedin      34   14  24   38
Ray Whitney   34    9  29   38
Connolly      35   13  24   37
R. Nash       35   21  15   36
Iginla        36   16  20   36
Spezza        38   14  22   36
Langenbrunner 35   21  14   35
Boyes         36   13  22   35
Getzlaf       33    8  27   35
Kesler        34   17  17   34
M. Richards   33   14  20   34
St. Louis     35   13  21   34

By the way, "lesser" players who strong down the stretch included

Ott           35   14  19   33
Weiss         36    7  26   33
Ponikarovsky  35    9  22   31
Eriksson      37   14  17   31
Burrows       34   18  11   29 
Backes        36   15  14   29
Booth         33   12  17   29

Hockey Pool Primer: Most Consistent Performers

When drafting players in a hockey pool, it is a wise idea to select players who historically are very consistent. They may not make you look like a genius, but you will be in the running for the cash. Here's a look at the most consistent performers from the past three seasons.

Goals:
167 - Alex Ovechkin
137 - Ilya Kovalchuk
130 - Dany Heatley
Full Leaderboard

Assists:
220 - Joe Thornton
202 - Sidney Crosby
200 - Marc Savard
Full Leaderboard

Points:
314 - Alex Ovechkin
304 - Evgeni Malkin
296 - Joe Thornton
Full Leaderboard

Games Played:
247 - Brian Campbell
246 - multiple
Full Leaderboard

Power Play Goals:
57 - Alex Ovechkin
54 - Thomas Vanek
48 - Teemu Selanne
Full Leaderboard

Even Strength Goals:
109 - Alex Ovechkin
89 - Ilya Kovalchuk
85 - Jarome Iginla
Full Leaderboard

What's Next For Gretzky?

What will Wayne Gretzky be doing with all this new found time on his hands? That is the big question everyone is asking now.

He won't be the one cooking up Grandma Gretzky's Perogies at Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant in Toronto. He won't be picking the grapes at the No. 99 Estates Winery. With some reports suggesting he stands to lose as much as $20 million in the Coyotes bankruptcy case, he likely will be signing a few more jerseys and pucks for sale at the Gretzky.com Online Store.

But he may not be very active in hockey, either.

Gretzky has close ties to California, but not with any of the three teams located there. Unless he opts to move, his direct hockey ties may be on hiatus for a while. And he very well may want that.

Will he take on an increased role with Team Canada for the 2010 Olympics now? He is already a special consultant to Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman, and I don't expect that to change. He may very well have more time to scout, if only from his television, and to talk with Yzerman and his staff, but Gretzky is too classy to take too public of a role and cast his shadow on the current regime.

Both Eric Duhatschek, who is close to Gretzky, and Darren Dreger suggest Gretzky wants to coach again. But if that is to happen, it will not be may time soon.

One thing is for sure - Gretzky will one day be back involved with hockey. It will be possibly as a coach or a management position, but it will not be in some token ambassador role.

Slap Shots: If there is one person who should be ecstatic about Gretzky's current plight it would be author Stephen Brunt. His newest book, Gretzky's Tears: Hockey, Canada, and the Day Everything Changed, is due out in early October. All of this headline news can only be good for book sales.

Coincidentally, I received my advance copy of the text for HockeyBookReviews.com. I've already devoured half of it, and I can assure you it is good. Very good.

Pre-Order: | Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com |

One Final Goodbye

Here's a look back who has left the NHL over the summer of 2009.

First, we will look the out-right retirements. I suspect we will see a few more announcements in the coming weeks as players give up on the possibility a NHL team may yet be interested. Here's a look at who has retired from the NHL:

Retired
------------
Bret Hedican
Teppo Numminen
David Tanabe
Scott Parker
Joe Sakic
Keith Carney
Bobby Holik
Mike Sillinger
Markus Naslund
Jason Smith
Derian Hatcher
Ken Klee
Philippe Boucher
Claude Lemieux
Jeremy Roenick
Gary Roberts
Olaf Kolzig
Patrice Brisebois

Slightly different than retiring, several players left the NHL to play in Europe, most likely to never come back. Here's that list:

Playing Overseas
------------------
P.J. Axelsson
Frantisek Kaberle
Jiri Novotny
Jiri Hudler
Sergei Zubov
Ville Peltonen
Richard Zednik
Radek Bonk
Niclas Havelid
Nikolai Zherdev
Dmitri Kalinin
J.S. Aubin
Ossi Vaananan
Sergei Fedorov
Viktor Kozlov

NHL veterans who have not yet found a team to play with, and may have played their last NHL game, include:

Unsigned Players
-----------------
Chris Chelios
Marek Malik
Mats Sundin
Miroslav Satan
Dean McAmmond
Greg De Vries
Marc-Andre Bergeron
Denis Gauthier
Chris Gratton
Michael Peca
Manny Fernandez
Dominic Moore
Rob Niedermayer
Rhett Warrener
Andre Roy
Anders Eriksson
Curtis Joseph
Darren McCarty
Marc Denis
Matt Pettinger

Let me know if you know of anyone else who should be on one of these lists.

Gretzky Resigns As Coach Of Phoenix Coyotes

The inevitable happened today, as Wayne Gretzky stepped down as the coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Here is Wayne Gretzky's resignation statement:

"This was a difficult decision that I've thought long and hard about. We all hoped there would be a resolution earlier this month to the Coyotes ownership situation, but the decision is taking longer than expected. Since both remaining bidders have made it clear that I don't fit into their future plans, I approached General Manger Don Maloney and suggested he begin looking for someone to replace me as coach. Don has worked hard and explored many options. I think he has made an excellent choice, and so now it's time for me to step aside.

"The Coyotes scouting staff has put together a great group of young and talented players who are going to improve tremendously over the next few years. I'm proud of the team we've assembled, the organization with which I've been associated and the thousands of dedicated fans who have never wavered in their support of this young team. I'm confident that the best is yet to come for hockey in Phoenix."

"I want to thank every staff member of the Phoenix Coyotes, past and present. It was a real pleasure to work with each and every one of you," the statement said. "I've always said that Phoenix is a great sports city and deserves nothing but the best. I still believe that. As a young boy, I learned to play hockey in Southern Ontario, and I know what great fans they have there. It's my hope they too will have an NHL franchise in the not too distant future.

"I often said it was the greatest honour and privilege I could imagine to be able to play in the National Hockey League. I feel the same way about being an NHL coach. I've loved the four years I spent coaching the Coyotes. Not a day went by when I took it for granted, and I will miss the competition of the NHL dearly. It was an honour to hold the position, and I will always consider myself especially fortunate to have had this opportunity."

What I'm not 100% clear about is Gretzky's other roles with the Coyotes. He resigned as coach, but it appears he remains, for the time being, with the Coyotes front office staff.

Olympics Make Stanley Cup Race Wide Open

There are high expectations in Vancouver this season. With the nucleus of the team signed long term (with the exception of Ryan Kesler), the thinking is now is the time for the Canucks to take the next step and become true Stanley Cup contenders.

The only problems with that are the Olympics and the NHL schedule.

The Canucks annually put on over 50,000 air miles each season, usually the most in the league. Making matters worse is the compressed season due to the Olympic break. With more stretches of 3 games in 4 nights this season than last, the fatigue factor will be hitting the Canucks hard.

Then the Canucks have to go on a 14 game road trip while GM Place is stripped of all corporate advertising and renamed Canada Hockey Place. Now true, it is actually two separate road trips, 8 and 6 games respectively, as the Olympic break interrupts the trip. Vancouver players will get to go home for a week and a half.

Yet nearly half of the Canucks roster will not be resting and relaxing. It is possible that the Canucks will send as many as 9 players to the Olympics, possibly the highest total in the league.

Roberto Luongo (Canada), Ryan Kesler (USA), Sami Salo (Finland), Pavol Dimetra (Slovakia), Christian Erhoff (Germany) and Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Mikael Sameulsson (Sweden) are all likely to play, with Alex Edler (Sweden) also having an outside chance to go.

The heart of the Canucks roster will get no rest at all. My thinking is this is not a good year to bet on the Canucks because come playoff time, they are going to be pooped.

Detroit, Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Calgary are looking at similar Olympic commitments.

Maybe this will be San Jose's big year, finally, as much of their roster will be resting. They are looking at 5 key players, although there had been some speculation that Joe Thornton has played his way off the Canadian Olympic team.

With the compressed schedule and all the travel, it would probably be a good year to bet on an Eastern team to win the Stanley Cup. How about Boston? While Zdeno Chara, Marco Sturm and Tim Thomas will be busy at the Olympics, the rest of the team, including star center Marc Savard and power forward Milan Lucic, will likely be at home resting.

San Jose vs. Boston in the finals? The bottom line is in any Olympic year the Stanley Cup race opens up wide and is subject to some surprise teams making some noise. Whoever is healthiest come April will be in a good position to go a long ways.

Corn Tribute For A-maze-ing Beliveau

A couple of weeks ago we mentioned the Detroit Red Wings corn maze.

This week Jean Beliveau is enshrined in corn.

The Business Of Wayne

Wayne Gretzky certainly has found himself in a bad spot in Phoenix. Despite drawing his $8 million salary he is currently not serving as head coach. This on the advice of his lawyers since he is also an owner with a vested interest in the Coyotes bankruptcy case.

The Teflon-coated patron saint of hockey has been open to criticism, particularly down in the US. Here in Canada, we are quite forgiving of his putting himself first.

That he has done so, as Stephen Brunt of The Globe and Mail suggests, should be no surprise. "Wayne Gretzky is in the Wayne Gretzky business, and has been since he was a teen."

Yet had anyone in hockey other than Gretzky put himself ahead of the team, we would never have been so forgiving. We treat Wayne different than anyone else. He is Canada's dream personified to the extreme. Not only is he the small town kid who became the best hockey player in the world, but he is also humble and kind and . . . perfect. He is who we all want to be, both on and off the ice.

We don't want to see him as a failed coach, which he is, let alone a soiled hero who dared to put himself first. We don't want to further examine his poor management track record, reeking with misguided cronyism. We want him to be the good guy who always wins.

He has always been shrewd in cashing in on his name and track record, but this Phoenix mess comes at a huge cost. Once he retired as a player we all wanted him to be hockey's guiding figure, hockey's conscience, a bigger version of Jean Beliveau.

But failure tarnishes his status just enough. He will always be The Great One, but he is no longer perfect.

Slap Shots: Back To The Future

Time to fire some pucks on the 'net:

• Montreal sure made drastic changes this summer, dumping the faces of the franchise in exchange for an all new look complete with a new top line. But as Mike Wyman of Inside Hockey tells us the Habs drastic actions are not unprecedented, and the last time they made such wholesale changes, 1940, things worked out very well for them.
  
  
• So the Phoenix Coyotes hired Dave King. It is a LONG over due move, as Wayne Gretzky not only should have had, but should have insisted on having, a great tactician as assistant coach. I believe Gretzky could be successful as an ace motivating head coach if surrounded by a structured, life long coach like King. As it stands now though, King is likely to soon be named head coach as Gretzky appears to be engaging his exit strategy.
  
  
• In an interview with Puck Daddy, Evgeni Malkin adds his name to the list of Russians who are declaring they will play at the 2014 Olympics, regardless if the NHL allows it or not. Puck Daddy later suggest that these threats should not be taken lightly.
  
  
• Here's a good look at the life of Bert Corbeau, a tough hockey player from the 1930s who died suddenly. And here's what former referee Rob Schick is up to nowadays.
  

Top Ten Pre-Season Goals

Now that the NHL pre-season is officially under way, here's a special video edition of Top Ten Tuesday, featuring the top ten goals scored in NHL pre-season history:



Nice, but they forgot this Wendel Clark beauty while over in England, of all places. I can't seem to find it on YouTube, either. So if you know where to find it, let me know!

North American Bias?

There has always been a general consensus that North American fans do not appreciate European players the same way they do Canadian and American players.

This summer we've seen lots of coverage on the retirement of Joe Sakic and Jeremy Roenick, and with good reason. In comparison, equal greats like Sergei Fedorov and Markus Naslund slipped away quietly.

A couple of years back Jaromir Jagr disappeared to Russia. He is arguably one of the 10 greatest offensive talents in the history of hockey. Did hockey fans truly appreciate him? Why was there no great send off for him? Why did we never warm to him quite like a few other players in NHL history. Would we have if he was from Kitchener instead of Kladno?

I'm not really sure how many European players have truly warmed the hearts of North American hockey fans, even when they were the best player on their team. Borje Salming in Toronto, yes. Alex Ovechkin in Washington yes. Fedorov in Detroit yes. Same with Lidstrom, although it took a long, long time for the rest of hockey to appreciate him. Saku Koivu in Montreal.

I'm sure there are a few more examples on the micro level, but Markus Naslund's story is by far the norm. He was a great Canuck captain for many years, but he was never adored like Trevor Linden, Stan Smyl or Roberto Luongo.

On the macro level Alex Ovechkin may be the only European player truly be adored throughout the whole NHL. Vladislav Tretiak may be the only other one to achieve such status, even though he never played in the NHL.

There is definitely a bias against European players. Why that is I am not completely sure. But it seems to me we as North American hockey fans are not truly appreciating some of the greatest players ever to play the game.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books of 2009

The new hockey books are already hitting store shelves, which means I will be very busy over at HockeyBookReviews.com over the next couple of months.

With the new book season here, let's countdown the top ten most anticipated titles of 2009.

#1. Gretzky's Tears: Hockey, Canada, and the Day Everything Changed is written by Stephen Brunt, the fine Globe & Mail columnist and author of the critically acclaimed 2007 release Searching for Bobby Orr. Brunt dissects the continuing aftermath of the biggest trade in NHL history, looking at the many angles the world of hockey changed after Wayne Gretzky was sold from Edmonton to Los Angeles.

#2 The Rocket: A Cultural History of Maurice Richard by Benoit Melancon was a huge hit when it was released in French back in 2006. The English version has been long awaited, and well worth the wait.

#2 Coast to Coast: Hockey in Canada to the Second World War by John Wong. None other than noted hockey author Kevin Shea has already trumpeted to me how good this book is. It is very academic reading, but fascinating. He looks at the ways Canadians consume hockey differently based on their socio-economic background, gender, ethnicity, and location, and how hockey's place in Canada has evolved and changed.

#4 Jacques Plante: The Man Who Changed the Face of Hockey - Todd Denault's first release promises to be a big hit. While we currently debate who's better, Brodeur or Roy, Denault will take a convincing look at the goaltender who I think may still out rank today's stars.

# 5 Playing With Fire by Theo Fleury. Fleury is busy trying to be the feel good story of the NHL this season. I suspect when his autobiography comes he will be revealing more interesting stories about his life.

#6 Leafs AbomiNation: The dismayed fans' handbook to why the Leafs stink and how they can rise again - Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange have an interesting book coming. It looks like it could almost be comical - the listed price: $19.67.

#7 From the Broadcast Booth: A Career in the World of Network Hockey - Brian McFarlane has put out more hockey books than anybody, and a lot of his stuff is regurgitated. But I'm really looking forward to this one. His best book, in my opinion, was 2001's Brian McFarlane's World of Hockey. He was open and a great story teller in the surprisingly entertaining book. I'm hoping for more of that in his October 2009 release.

#8 TSN's Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie releases his first book, Hockey Dad: True Confessions From a (Crazy) Hockey Parent, as early as late August 2009. His oldest son is now playing in US college while his other son was forced out of the game at age 14 due to concussions. McKenzie is a TV and print personality, but he is said to be open and candid in this highly personal look at the good and the bad of hockey.

#9 Canada's Game: Hockey and Identity by Andrew Holman. Another academic title where the author looks at hockey's important place in Canadian cultural life, and helps to explain why hockey is so important to so many Canadians.

#10 Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer by Bruce Boudreau. A life long minor leaguer/underdog who finally made it big as a NHL coach, the likeable Gabby will have many stories to share.

Saturday Slap Shots

Here's some random thoughts about the world of hockey in the past week:

• So in less than an hour Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama are able to resolve the charter flight problem that essentially only affected the six Canadian hockey teams. Yet we can't solve issues such as Afghanistan, trade, energy or the environment.
  
  Point being: Always tie every issue to the NHL, and things will get done real quick.
  
  
• The whole Paul Kelly firing by the NHLPA still confuses me. I suspect the hard liners who ousted him did not like the fact that he was on friendly terms with Gary Bettman and the NHL. In fact, I think Paul Kelly would have been great for hockey and for the fans. But the hard liners are only interested in money and power.
  
  The question now becomes - who in their right mind would take the job? Buzz Hargrove? Ian Penny? Eric Lindros? Andrew Ference? No one outside of the hard liners group would want to enter into a job where these hard liners call the shots or else. Unless they're hoping Bob Goodenow will come back.
  
  Now that would be bad for hockey.
  
  
• Maple Leaf Gardens may see hockey yet again.
  
  There are discussions going on between Ryerson University and current MLG owners Loblaws about a joint re-opening of the Gardens. The Ryerson Rams would play hockey at the Gardens, with Loblaws opening their grocery store on the second floor.
  
  Careful when dumping the puck into the zone. You may hit upset the fresh fruits display.
  
  
• I hate all these pre-season games. They are nothing more than money grabbing, AHL contests. Why don't they just start the season, spreading out all those regular season games some, especially in an Olympic year, to give the guys a bit more rest in the season and therefore a better product? Or at the very least, why not start the season now and just 5-10 games to the regular season? They can still have their pockets filled but at least the fans will see a NHL roster of players that may actually be interested in trying.
  
  
• Congratulations goes out to Mark Messier, Mike Richter and Jim Devellano for being named recipients of the 2009 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States.
  
  
• This week's three stars: 3) Theo Fleury 2) Gordie Howe, just because 1) Terrace, BC.
  

Training Camp Memories: Dinner With Gordie

NHL.com has a great story about Gerry Hart's rookie training camp with the Detroit Red Wings in 1968-69:

Gerry Hart was a pretty good player with the Flin Flon Bombers of the Western Canada Junior Hockey Association, so good that he was a WCJHA first-team defenseman in 1967-68. Flin Flon had a really good team that season—featuring Bobby Clarke, Reggie Leach and Hart. Still, Hart was small and even though he scored 22 goals and racked up 290 penalty minutes in his final junior season, that didn’t guarantee him anything.

Hart ended up in the Detroit Red Wings’ training camp in 1968 and found an unlikely friend.

Full Story - Helmet Tap to Kukla

Bobby Orr: Pinball Wizard

Check out this Chicago Black Hawks/Bobby Orr pinball machine from 1977:

That would be a pretty unique addition to your games room or hockey memorabilia room! I only have one question: why is Orr depicted as a right handed shot?!

Observing History

With my pre-scheduled features during my summer camping trips and then Hockeyville, I've been too busy to mention the great international hockey history content over at the new blog Hockey Observer.

Alex Nikandrov has been posting a series of fantastic old school photos and features of Mats Naslund, Helmut Balderis, Marcel Dionne, Vsevolod Bobrov, Nikolai Drozdetsky, Jean Beliveau, Anatoli Tarasov and Bobby Clarke.

Check it out. There are some pretty amazing photos.

Catching Up With The Past

"Given what's happening in the league at the moment, Quebec deserves to reclaim its place. Gary Bettman is sticking his thumb in his eye by continuing to ignore strong markets in Canada. I'm talking about Quebec, but you could say the same thing about Winnipeg or even Hamilton."

- Guy Lafleur, on the prospects of the NHL coming back to Quebec City.

Here's what else is going on in the world involving former hockey players:

• A former Canadian spy has written a book claiming Vladislav Tretiak recruited Russian spies.
  
• Montreal's old owners are almost the new owners once again, but the days of the Flying Frenchmen over.
• On the ice Jean Beliveau was out of this world. Now he's reaching out into space.
• Chris Mizzoni takes a look at Wildor Larochelle, John McCreedy, and Eddie Dorohoy.
  
• Former NHLer Mike Danton is out of jail, and dreaming of getting back on the ice. There seems to be some confusion over who was his intended victim.
• Trevor Linden was honoured to hold the Olympic torch. He also said fighting in the new video game EA Sports NHL 10 is a good tool for teaching children about fighting in hockey.
• Linden, who was front and center as NHLPA president during the 2004-05 labour war, also expressed his frustration about the Paul Kelly firing.
• Another veteran d-man is gone, as Bret Hedican is retiring.
  
• Craig MacTavish has joined TSN, while Guy Carbonneau, Kevin Weekes and, ugh, Glenn Healy join Hockey Night In Canada.
  
• Henri Richard isn't impressed with Georges Laraques' new diet.
• Rick Vaive is up on impaired driving charges.
  
• Risto Pakarinen tells us that Janne Niinimaa has found a new challenge.
• Former NHLer John MacMillan has high praise for the World Oldtimers Hockey Championships.
  
• Mikhail Vasiliev replaces the ill Vladimir Kryuchkov as the new Russian U18 national team coach.
• Stan Drulia was honoured by his home town.
  
• The Ottawa 67s are changing their jerseys, but not without controversy.
  

Line Of The Night

"What this game needs is 1000 people from Terrace."

- Canucks play by play man John Shorthouse on the quiet crowd in Anaheim on Thursday night

Shoebox Memories: Duncan MacPherson

This is Duncan MacPherson, courtesy of the 1983-84 Saskatoon Blades (WHL) police hockey card set. He was a first round pick of the New York Islanders back in 1984, but he never made it to the NHL. Yet his story still one of the most fascinating in hockey history, mostly because of his mysterious demise.

The interesting and new-to-me website Islanders Esoteric brought up his story back in August, publishing a translated version of a recent Austrian article about his disappearance at the age of 23. He was believed to be skiing on an Austrian glacier when he went missing, but it took 14 years to confirm his death on the glacier. There was even rumors he faked his own death to work with the CIA.

Finding his frozen body should have ended this tragic story, but for the MacPherson family it most certainly has not. 20 years later, they are still fighting for answers. The police are alleged to have really bungled the case, complete with "the apparent sloppiness at the recovery of the body, the faulty examination of death and the missing autopsy."

It is just an amazing story. Though the translation is a little rough in spots, this is one of the best features I've seen on Duncan MacPherson. Be sure to check it out.

Also, Wikipedia has a real solid listing of hockey players who died during their professional careers.

Early Hockey On Video

My old buddy Patrick Houda recently informed me of one of the most precious online resources of hockey history we've ever seen.

British Pathe bills itself as "the world's finest digital news archive." With over 3500 hours of vintage footage of the world's greatest events since the late 19th century, I tend to agree. You can watch Britain declare war in start World War II, the first moon landing, JFK's inauguration, and Marilyn Monroe's funeral. There is no shortage of history to explore.

Sports history, too. With lots of hockey history to watch - 257 videos in total. Here's some of the videos Houda specifically pointed out:

Harvard University-Exeter 1914

Oxford University in St.Moritz 1923 against Cambridge.

Sweden-Montreal Victorias 1927

Berliner SC-Oxford University 1927 (Spengler Cup)

HC Davos-Oxford University 1928

European All-Star Team-Canada (Manitoba University) 1931

Finland-Sweden 1935 (Womens bandy)

Canada-England WC 1938

Australia - Game from Sydney Glaciarium between two teams from
New South Wales 1946.

Czechoslovakia-Switzerland WC 1947 (8 min long clip)
Zabrodsky with # 10. Check out the big hit (dirty ?)
by Trousilek, regarded as Czechoslovakia's hardest hitter
in the 40's. Poor Otto Schubiger is dragged away...
(the hit 3:23 into the clip)

Czechoslovakia-USA WC 1947 (11 min long clip)

USA-Switzerland WC 1947 (11 min long clip)

Canadian soldiers playing in Korea in the 1950's

Soviet Union-Harringay Racers 1957

Krylya Sovetov-CSKA Moscow 1958

Soviet Union-USA 1958

Czechoslovakia-Canada 1964

Czechoslovakia-Canada WC 1967

Soviet Union-Canada WC 1967

Soviet Union-Czechoslovakia WC 1967

Soviet Union-Canada 1968

A History of Hockey Video Games

Yesterday was a pretty big day in the hockey video gaming world, as EA Sports NHL 10 and 2K Games NHL 2K10 were both released:



Buy NHL 10 by EA Sports:

Amazon.ca | Playstation 3 or Xbox 360|
Amazon.com | Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 |

Buy NHL 2K10 by 2K Games

Amazon.ca | Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii|
Amazon.com | Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii|

And that's not even why yesterday was such a big day in the history of hockey video games. The reason was because now we have a definitive history of hockey video games courtesy of PensBlog.

They even included my favorite game as a kid: Wayne Gretzky Hockey by Bethesda. PensBlog certainly was not very complimentary of it, calling it so "terrible" that they "want to kill ourselves." I really enjoyed that game, being able to switch from player to player and then demand a pass from the whoever has the puck. My breakout schemes would have made Scotty Bowman proud.

By the way, this Odyssey image to the right is believed to be the first hockey video game.

Check out PensBlog's history of hockey video games today.

HHOF Has New Research Facility

I think I found a reason to travel to Toronto sometime soon.

The Hockey Hall of Fame unveiled the new state-of-the-art "D.K. (Doc) Seaman Hockey Resource Centre" earlier this month.

The 18,000 square foot facility is now the new home of the Hockey Hall of Fame's vast artifact and archival collections and will serve as the focal point for research into the history of Canada's great game and cultural export.

It is also hosting Hockey Canada's regional offices. It also has 4 sheets of ice and will serve as a practice facility for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Here's the full press release.

When Worlds Collide: Poker Meets Hockey

Joining the ranks of Orel Hershiser, professional baseball player, and Boris Becker, professional tennis player, Swedish hockey legend Mats Sundin is now a celebrity ambassador of PokerStars, the world-famous online poker site. But his face on a poker site doesn’t mean his playing days are over. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound player may be a 38-year-old free agent, but he still aspires to play hockey after rediscovering his passion last year.

Before suiting up with the Vancouver Canucks for the 08-09 season, Sundin rose to fame as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain. He began his stint with the Leafs after being traded from the Quebec Nordiques in 1994. It took a few years to excel as the Maple Leafs’ centre, but in 1999, Mats proved his worth by leading Toronto into the playoffs as the four seed. They were defeated in five games against the Buffalo Sabres, but an undeterred Sundin and the Leafs pressed on and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001-02, only to lose to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Of his 13 years as a Toronto Maple Leaf, Sundin led the team in scoring 12 times. They never won a Stanley Cup, and after looking toward the future, the Leafs let Sundin’s contract expire and he was picked up as a free agent by the Canucks in 2008. Mats was the first-ever European player drafted by the NHL, and although he’s never been to the Promised Land, he has still had an impressive career, scoring 564 goals, 1349 points, and registering 785 assists.

Mats’ life is much different now. Even though hockey isn’t ruled out, the Canucks have expressed no plans to resign him. The aging hockey star, thought by many to be over the hill, is going into his second year as a PokerStars ambassador. And with any luck, Sundin may win the big tournament (WSOP) for the PokerStars team. As an ambassador to an internet gambling site, Sundin is no longer inspiring people to play hockey, but rather inspiring people to play video poker and ante up in online tournaments. You can play against Sundin at PokerStars. He goes by the name of “MatsSundin” on the site and is always participating in PokerStars-sponsored events on the EPT.

Join The Cheer

One of the great memories I will always have of Hockeyville was the final 30 seconds of the game. With the world watching on televisions and computers everywhere, the Canucks are trying to hang on to their 2-1 lead while the whole crowd erupts into one final send off:

"Terrace is Hockeyville! Terrace is Hockeyville!" Over and over, "Terrace is Hockeyville!"

It reminded me a lot of 2002 in the final minute of play of the Olympic gold medal game. With Canada mere seconds away from the gold medal, the large contingent of Canadian fans burst into a spontaneous (and never better) rendition of "O' Canada."

We have anthems. Many teams have a definitive song they play at certain times. Montreal fans like to sing Ole. But there is no definitive cheer in hockey, certainly not at the national level.

Which leads me to mentioning Pepsi's new Join The Cheer contest. They want to come up with the definitive cheer to urge on our men's, women's and sledge hockey teams at international tournaments such as the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and beyond. They want the fans to be as prepared as our athletes will be.

How about - "We want gold! We want gold!" Or maybe - "It's Our Game! It's Our Game!"

I'm sure you can do better than me. If you agree, be sure to enter your cheer at http://pepsi.ca/jointhecheer. If you win, you can lead the cheers at the 2010 World Juniors in Saskatoon and the 2010 Men's World Championships in Germany.

That's right. Pepsi's paying the bills. I'll drink to that!

Hockeyville: My THN Article

I was lucky enough to have media credentials for Hockeyville, thanks to Edward Fraser, Jason Kay and The Hockey News. My article has just gone live - I hope you enjoy it and give me some feedback.

It was a surreal experience. We all had assigned seats at tables. The local papers and tv/radio people were all in the back and given their game program. Because I was with The Hockey News, I got a prime table complete with all the computer hook ups and telephone lines you could imagine. I was right beside NHL.com and Getty Images, with the Vancouver papers at the table next to me.

I really have to thank The Hockey News. The NHL did not approve new media-extraordinaire Sean Zandberg from Nucks Misconduct. Why? Almost certainly because he is "a blogger." I suspect that without THN's rubber stamp, I would not have gotten in with press credential either, despite authoring two books and writing freelance for major magazines and news outlets. The bias against the new media continues.

By the way, I gave permission to NHLpro out of Czech Republic to translate my articles and promote Hockeyville all the way over there. Here's an example.

Hockeyville Photo Exclusives

I was not allowed to take photos of the game itself, but super fan Charmaine Anderson was lucky enough to have won a ticket to the game and donated me her photos.

So far I have the Facebook page the two Flickr links ( one and two) updated with her game shots.

Interview With Ken Morrow

I had a chance to talk briefly with Ken Morrow at the Hockeyville game. Here's the conversation.

Joe: Ken, nice to meet you, glad you could make it to Hockeyville.

Ken: Thank you, it is a great experience. It's a real good show.

Joe: I feel silly standing here, making notes on these players, when I'm standing beside you, a NHL scout for 17 years, a real expert!

Ken: I don't know about an expert, but I do make notes.

Joe: What are you looking for out there tonight?

Ken: Nothing really. It is far too early in training camp to really judge the players right now, regardless if they play great or poorly. I've seen all but two of these guys before and I'm just trying to get a feel for where these guys are at right now. We don't take too much stock in to how the play in the first game of pre-season.

Joe: How many of these players on the ice tonight do you think will stick in the NHL this season.

Ken: We're definitely hoping a few of these guys can make an impact this season. If they can, they'll make me look a lot better!

Hockeyville Slap Shots: Ice Shavings

When The Hockey News posts my report online I will be sure to share the story. In the meantime, here's some random notes I made during the game:

Here are the set line combinations used in the game:

New York Islanders

Forwards
15 Jeff Tambellini – 12 Josh Bailey – 57 Blake Comeau
77 Trevor Smith – 27 Greg Moore – 17 Jeremy Reich
26 Matt Moulson – 62 Greg Mauldin – 16 Jon Sim
67 Sean Bentivoglio – 11 Nate Thompson – 28 Tim Jackman

Defensemen
25 Andy Sutton – 44 Freddy Meyer
38 Jack Hillen – 47 Andrew MacDonald
52 Dustin Kohn – 4 Mark Flood

Goalies
33 Scott Munroe
52 Nathan Lawson

Vancouver Canucks

Forwards
40 Michael Grabner – 42 Kyle Wellwood – 57 Guillaume Desbiens
49 Alexandre Bolduc – 37 Rick Rypien – 36 Jannik Hansen
63 Pierre-Cedric Labrie – 62 Mario Bliznak – 50 Eric Walsky
Sergei Shirikov – Ronald Petrovicky

Defensemen
34 Brad Lukowich – 44 Nolan Baumgartner
29 Aaron Rome – 47 Yann Sauve
55 Shane O’Brien – 64 Evan Oberg

Goalies
30 Andrew Raycroft
35 Cory Schneider

Random Musings: Islanders

As chief scout Ken Morrow said in my interview, you can not really take too much stock into the performance of players in just the first game of the pre-season. That being said, Matt Moulson impressed me tonight. The top line of Comeau, Tambellini and Bailey were also strong as the game went on.

Supposedly John Tavares did not make the trip because he has the flu. Katie Strang of Newsday confirms.

Good on the Islanders. They donated 30 sets of equipment to Terrace minor hockey.

Kudos also goes out to Jeff Tambellini and Tim Jackman for visiting local schools, as did Willie Mitchell of the Canucks.

Talk about a tough road to haul. Apparently the Islanders are flying out right after the game and are expected to pull into the hotel in Saskatoon at 4:30 a.m. (ET). All players from tonight’s game are to be on the ice in the morning again at 11 a.m. (ET).

Random Musings: Canucks

Sergei Shirokov's debut was impressive. He showed good speed, quick puck handling, composure underpressure and some physical gumption in game one, and was clearly the game's first star. He tended to be the last back into the defensive zone, but I suspect he will be in Vancouver when the season starts in October.

Rick Rypien - does this guy ever take a night off? Two more fights, much to the crowd's enjoyment.

Andrew Raycroft looked really solid in his half of the game, finding pucks through heavy traffic and showing off his quick reflexes, especially in robbing Tambellini. He did have a couple of dangerous rebounds in the slot, but all in all a reassuring first effort from Raycroft.

Corey Schneider did a yeoman's job coming in cold and finishing the game clean. That's what you want from either Raycroft or Schneider, because whoever wins the back up job sure will not play much with Roberto Luongo around.

I watched Evan Oberg with some curiosity. He's an interesting project given that he is small, but you can tell he has a good head for the game, making good reads and anticipations. Maybe it was just first game jitters, but he seemed like the game was just a second or two too fast for him right now. He's got time to develop, as he is heading to Manitoba for sure.

Lukowich looked solid. He will be a nice addition to the Canucks blue line.

Coach's Corner From Terrace, BC

Special thanks to Merv Ritchie for this:

Coaches Corner in Terrace @ Yahoo! Video

Hockeyville Photo Exclusive Update

I've gotten so many photos I've had to open a second Flickr account for the arrivals and practice sessions today. So check out my Flickr pages one and two, and of course the Facebook page.

Just a note - only NHL media rights holders are allowed to take photos of the game. But I will have post game thoughts and analysis.

The game is broadcasted on Sportsnet in Canada and NHL Network throughout North America. Online streaming options are available at the Canucks. Also check Nucks Misconduct and Lighthouse Hockey for more information and analysis.

Terrace Is Hockeyville!

I'm off to the big day of events, hoping to catch Don Cherry now that he has arrived in Terrace.

I hope to have game day skate photos up on the site before the game. Here are the rosters, in case you missed it: Canucks - Islanders.

With the West Coast time zone the game will still be going while most of you are in bed. Check back in the morning as I will be staying up all night writing for The Hockey News and of course GHL.

1000s Greet Stanley Cup

Here's a picture of me and two of my girls with the greatest trophy in the history of hockey.

"Several thousand" people gathered in George Little Memorial Park for the photo op, as well as to meet with Bryan Trottier, Ken Morrow, Cliff Ronning, Dave Babych and of course Fin!

I have full photo exclusives on Flickr and Facebook, including photos with Sean from NucksMisconduct.com.

Canucks Partial Roster Announced

I don't have the Canucks full Hockeyville roster, but the Vancouver Sun has the list of veterans who are making the trip:

Willie Mitchell, Kyle Wellwood, Rick Rypien, Kevin Bieksa, Brad Lukowich, Shane O'Brien and goalies Andrew Raycroft and Cory Schneider are all coming to Hockeyville!

Islanders Roster Released

According to Katie Strang at Newsday, here's who the Islanders are bringing to Hockeyville:

Forwards: Jon Sim, Tim Jackman, Jeff Tambellini, Nate Thompson, Blake Comeau, Josh Bailey, Sean Bentivoglio, Matt Moulson, Greg Moore, Greg Mauldin, Trevor Smith, Jeremy Reich

Defenseman: Andy Sutton, Jack Hillen, Mark Flood, Andrew MacDonald, Dustin Kohn, Freddy Meyer

Goalies- Scott Munroe, Nathan Lawson

Welcome to Hockeyville

This is Hockeyville. Terrace, British Columbia. My hometown.

We live along the mighty Skeena river, one of many notable tributaries in the area. We are one of the most famous sport fishing spots on the globe, luring anglers from all over North America and Europe.

As you can see we are nestled in amongst the many mighty mountains, with the Kitimat, Coastal and Hazelton ranges towering nearby. The mountains make for unforgettable scenery, unparalleled heli-skiing and world-class hiking, camping and mountain biking.

There's a pretty good chance you'll see some bears around our neck of the woods. If you are really lucky you will catch a rare peek at the Kermode Bear, a black bear with a white coat. Northwest BC is the only spot in the world where this endangered bear still survives.

If you are real lucky maybe you will even catch a glimpse of those amazing Northern Lights.

Native culture reigns supreme here. The rest of the world is enthralled with the art and culture and of course the totem poles. Museums around the world are constructing displays to recreate it. This is the real thing.

Terrace is the service center of northwestern BC. We have an approximate official population 12,000 people, with that number inflating to about 20,000 including the nearby smaller and native villages. Pretty much the entire region could fit inside GM Place or Nassau Coliseum.

Those numbers are down pretty significantly from a decade ago or more now. Logging was easily the number one industry in town, but in the past decade one mill has been dismantled while the other is used periodically at best. Not surprisingly, many people have had to leave town.

Losing the number one industry in town has meant the rest of town has suffered, too. There have not been too many industries to thrive in the decade-long down turn. These have been very lean years, indeed.

What keeps this community going is an undeterred spirit. It is that spirit that has brought the National Hockey League, the Vancouver Canucks and the New York Islanders to town this Monday.

Against long odds Terrace banded together like never before to embrace the Hockeyville contest for the first time. Hockey is very much a big part of our lives. The arena is our community hall.

We rallied together in a love for hockey and a bigger love for Terrace. We successfully brought the NHL and the hockey world home.

Home. . . to the game's grassroots.

Home . . . to Hockeyville.



GHL Hockeyville coverage sponsored by Skeena River Fishing Lodge: