Coyote Ugly Situation

I've had a number of people email me over these last few days as the situation surrounding the Phoenix Coyotes nears the boiling point. I've said it before and I'll say it again right here: I'm not going to comment on any team moving to any other city without seeing the moving trucks heading out of town. Could I make comments? Of course. However, it's far better to not let speculation, innuendo, and rumour whip people into a frenzy when nothing may come of it. Besides, I still have a team that I'm passionately following, and I think that the AHL's Manitoba Moose are perfect for a city of Winnipeg's size. So let's tone down the Phoenix-to-Winnipeg chatter for the next few weeks, and let's focus on some more important hockey news.

First, some great news out of Toronto where the efforts to raise funds for the Pat Burns Arena has now broken through the seven-figure mark! The Stanstead, Quebec arena should not only wear Burns' name as a tribute to the NHL coaching legend, but all that he embodied should be a part of that arena. There still is some work to be done, though, as the city of Stanstead has to raise the remaining $1.2 million to reach the goal needed to put this arena on the map. Good job in getting halfway there! You're almost there!

Next, I received an email with a very impressive link in it, and I want to give some credit to Mr. Mark Divver for his work in researching Alton White's career at Providence as a member of the AHL's Reds. As you may remember from my January 29 article last year, Alton White was the first black player to record a hat trick in professional hockey and the first black player to record a 20-goal season as part of the WHA! Mr. Divver has taken a small part of Mr. White's hockey career and expanded on it wonderfully in his article. Thank you, Mark, for sending me a link to your excellent work!

Lastly, there was a very scary hit in the NHL tonight, and one player looks like he may not return until next season. Let's go back to January 8, 2011 where Montreal's Max Pacioretty and Boston's Zdeno Chara appear to be developing quite the rivalry.

Pacioretty scores the overtime winner, appears to shove Chara, and then a fracas breaks out. Fast-forward to tonight's game, and it appears this rivalry just crossed the line.

Wow. Listen to what NESN's Andy Brickley says in his commentary on the play:

"You cannot finish your check. You gotta release him... when that puck is chipped by. Chara's gotta let him go there. And not only does he ride him into the boards, he puts him into that dangerous spot and that is a defenceless position for Pacioretty."

I fully agree with Brickley's assessment on this one. Pacioretty was trying to go wide, and Chara was trying to slow him up. That's a textbook case of interference, but the fact that he was destroyed by the stanchion only makes this look a lot worse.

The good news is that Pacioretty was awake when they finally got him off the ice on a stretcher, so that's positive. He did spend approximately five minutes on the ice, so there is certainly some concern as to his long-term health. It's a scary situation, but I'm not sure that anything can be done in this situation in regards to punishing Chara. This is the kind of hockey play that coaches teach everywhere.

Personally, I'd like to see a game or two for Chara just for the NHL to send a message to the players that this kind of play, while a normal hockey play 99 out of 100 times, needs to be controlled. Thoughts on this one, readers?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Charitable Donations: Dave Andreychuk Foundation

HBIC took on a project in the summer of 2008 where I profiled as many charitable organizations as possible. The key to each of these charities is that they are run or have heavy involvement from NHLPA members, and those members use their celebrity to bring recognition and donations to these charities. Today, HBIC is proud to look at another excellent charity that sports the name of a former NHL player and NHLPA member in Dave Andreychuk. The Dave Andreychuk Foundation actually has two branches in that there is a Canadian version of the charity as well as an American version. This will be explained below a little more, so read on about the mission, the work, and the reasons for starting the Dave Andreychuk Foundation.

Mission Statement: Directly from the Dave Andreychuk Foundation, their mission statement states that the Dave Andreychuk Foundation has three goals: "to assist children in need, to support causes for children and families enduring chronic and/or life-threatening illness, and to encourage the investment in youth and amateur sports". The funds raised in each country remain in that country to support the initiatives of the Dave Andreychuk Foundation in that country.

How did the Dave Andreychuk Foundation start?: As you may be aware, Mr. Andreychuk finished off a pretty solid career in Tampa Bay with a Stanley Cup Championship in 2004. While he would play to 2007, Dave Andreychuk became a vital part of the community in Tampa Bay, Florida as much as he was in Hamilton, Ontario.

From the Dave Andreychuk Foundation website, "After retiring from the National Hockey League in 2007, I decided to start the Dave Andreychuk Foundation to give back to the communities that are very important to my family and I.

"Although I refer to the Foundation as one entity, there are actually two. One is based in Canada and one in the United States. Having two Foundations allows me to raise funds for youth hockey in my home town of Hamilton, Ontario and for children and families in need in the Tampa, Florida area."

The Dave Andreychuk Foundation has already contributed to a number of projects and initiatives on both sides of the border over its short history thus far:

• Mr. Andreychuk was the special guest speaker at the 2008 Catholic Youth Organization Celebrity Dinner. You may not know this, but Dave was raised in a devout Catholic household under the watchful eyes of his parents, Julian and Roz Andreychuk.
• The Dave Andreychuk Foundation raised $5000 for the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital of Tampa, Florida in October 2008.
• The Dave Andreychuk Foundation raised $5260 for the McMaster Children's Hospital of Hamilton, Ontario in December 2008.
• The Dave Andreychuk Foundation has worked with the Moffitt Cancer Center on several occasions to help raise money for cancer research and cancer programs at the hospital. Most recently, Dave Andreychuk presented a cheque for $5000 to the Moffitt Cancer Center on December 21, 2010!
  
• December 5, 2010 saw Dave Andreychuk attend Hamilton Funfest for a fun-filled day at Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena and Skating Center in Hamilton, Ontario. Proceeds raised from the event went to the Hamilton Minor Hockey Association and the Tim Horton’s Children’s Foundation.

How Can I Help?: Just like the charitable organizations we've seen in the past, donations are certainly welcome and appreciated. However, you need to specify which country you're from so that the funds can be used in that country. If you're Canadian, click here to donate. If you're American, click here to donate. Again, any money donated will be used in the country of the donation you've chosen, so make sure you pick the country you wish to help!

Email is always a good way to get more information, and the Dave Andreychuk Foundation has two email addresses set up so that you can obtain information about the respective branches of the Dave Andreychuk Foundation. If you're in Canada and want some info, please send an email to InfoCanada-at-DaveAndreychukFoundation-dot-com. If you're in the US and want some info, please send an email to InfoUSA-at-DaveAndreychukFoundation-dot-com. If they have email addresses, they also have a place of operations, so you can always send the Dave Andreychuk Foundation some snail mail if that's more your pace. In Canada, send your mail to:

The Dave Andreychuk Foundation
2-558 Upper Gage Avenue
Suite #341
Hamilton, Ontario L8V4J6

If you're in the US, send your mail to:

The Dave Andreychuk Foundation
Dave Andreychuk Foundation Inc.
19046 Bruce B Downs Blvd. #71
Tampa FL 33647-2434

If they have an office, they also have some telephones. That means you can call the Dave Andreychuk Foundation for information if you so desire. You can reach the Canadian branch of the Dave Andreychuk Foundation by dialing (905)385-6783. The American branch of Dave Andreychuk Foundation can be reached by calling (813)301-2504.

They also have some merchandise you can pick up if you want something material in showing your support. The merchandise page has hats and shirts for both men and women, and they look pretty good. Do yourself and your community proud by picking up some Dave Andreychuk Foundation merchandise.

Lastly, there is an option for kids to contact Mr. Andreychuk as well! The Kids Contact page allows children to ask Mr. Andreychuk anything they like. All they have to do is fill out the fields, and they'll be able to send Mr. Andreychuk an email with their questions! How cool is that? You don't see many charitable organizations encouraging young fans to get involved on their sites, so I thought this was a great feature!

The Dave Andreychuk Foundation, the NHLPA, and the foundation's namesake, Mr. Dave Andreychuk, are helping the communities they live in. It's time for us to help them as well.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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First Of His Kind

Once you have hoisted the Stanley Cup after an exhausting 82-game season plus sixteen more wins in the playoffs, is there anything that compares in terms of the magnitude of that win? I'm going to say that there aren't a lot of experiences similar for a hockey player, but former Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk received an extremely high honour last week when it was announced that he will be the first hockey player inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. There are a vast number of sports icons already in the Flordia Sports Hall of Fame, but Andreychuk is the first hockey player to be inducted - a pretty big accomplishment considering that NHL hockey has been in the state since 1992.

Andreychuk won't be the only athlete inducted this year, though. Joining him will be former MLB outfielder Vince Coleman, former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Tony Boselli, Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, former MLB slugger Fred McGriff, former NCAA quarterback Gino Torretta, surfer Kelly Slater, and University of Florida women’s volleyball coach Mary Wise. That's some pretty elite company!

The induction ceremony happened last Wednesday, and Andreychuk was honoured to be among such an elite class of athletes.

"It came as a surprise really when I received the call and was told I was going to be inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame," Andreychuk told Peter Pupello. "No one would ever quite connect Florida and the sport of hockey together, so for me, it’s quite an honor."

While Andreychuk wasn't the Lightning's most prolific scorer in his four seasons with the club, he did leave his mark on the Lightning. In 278 games, he scored 68 goals, added 61 assists, and was the captain of an emerging young team. During the playoff run to the Stanley Cup championship, Andreychuk scored one goal but had 13 assists in helping the Lightning to the pinnacle of hockey greatness in 2004.

Contributing to his success was his work the the community. Mr. Andreychuk founded the Dave Andreychuk Foundation in 2007, and the organization works to help underprivileged and sick kids realize their goals and dreams. To date, the Dave Andreychuk Foundation has supported St. Joseph's Children's Hospital and the Moffitt Cancer Center in the US and McMaster Children's Hospital and the Hamilton Minor Hockey Council in Canada. Mr. Andreychuk's community work will be featured in an upcoming article as well, so stay tuned!

"Dave made a significant contribution bringing Florida its first and only Stanley Cup and putting hockey on the map in the state," Florida Sports Hall of Fame president Rick Dantzler said. "He has done enormous things within his community and who he is off the ice certainly fit the character component of the selection process."

Clearly, Mr. Andreychuk is deserving of this award as he captained the only Florida-based NHL team to a championship and had graciously given his time and support to various organizations throughout Florida to help children. Mr. Andreychuk's work in the community didn't end when his career ended, though, and his commitment to children's charities across North America is a great indication of the kind of man he is.

Congratulations to Mr. Dave Andreychuk, the first hockey player to be inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame ever!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Quietly Carving Out A Niche

I was at school the other day, and someone asked me if I had ever heard of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. I have, in fact, heard of the league as I had done a story on the draft that took place to get the inaugural five teams up and running. It was then that I realized that I have seriously neglected the highest professional hockey league that women can compete in against other women. Because of this oversight, today is all about the Canadian Women's Hockey League, how each team is doing, what they are wearing, and where you can catch a game or two if you're interested.

I want to preface this article with this statement: if you spend the time telling me that no one cares about women's hockey through comments or email, your comments will not only be denied entry on to this article, but I'll categorically go back and delete any and all comments you have ever made. And any future comments will be denied entry as well. I'm tired of hearing "hockey fans" crap all over women's hockey like it means nothing. If that's the case, your kid's Timbits hockey or any minor hockey in general is just as meaningless. As a true hockey fan, this won't fly with me. Capisce?

First off, there are a lot of recognizable names playing on the five teams in the CWHL. The five teams are based out of Brampton, Burlington, Toronto, Montreal, and the lone American-based team in Boston. These teams were assembled through a draft that happened in early August of 2010, and the teams have been battling since the season started.

If you're a fan of Burlington Barracudas, you want to keep your eyes on Danijela Rundqvist, Becky Kellar, Ashley Riggs, and Shannon Moulson. Burlington has had a rough start in the inaugural CWHL season. They currently sit fifth out of five teams with a 4-17-1 record, including being 1-11-1 away from the friendly confines of the Appleby Ice Centre.

If you cheer for the Brampton Canadettes-Thunder, Jayna Hefford, Gillian Apps, Cherie Piper, and Lori Dupuis are probably household names. Brampton has been on a major tear recently having won eleven straight games, and this streak has propelled them into second-place in the CWHL with a 17-6-0 record! Brampton is pretty consistent when it comes to their play as they are 9-3-0 at the Cassie Campbell Comnmunity Centre and 8-3-0 away from home. Hefford is the CWHL's all-time leading scorer in the previous incarnation of the CWHL, so there's some history there too!

The Toronto Aeros are sitting in fourth-place in the five team CWHL, but trail third-place by only two points at the time of writing. Their 8-12-3 record sees them playing well at home where they are 5-3-0, but Toronto needs to be better on the road with their brutal 3-9-3 record. Jennifer Botterill leads the team in scoring, and she's joined by familiar faces Tessa Bonhomme and Sami Jo Small. The Toronto club is stocked with former NCAA players, so this young squad is coming along nicely as they mature through this season.

The Montreal Stars are the class of the league at this point, leading in wins and points in posting a record of 18-2-2. Caroline Ouellette is dominating the league with 58 points in just 22 games. Joining her on the Montreal squad are Emmanuelle Blais, Julie Chu, Sarah Vaillancourt, and Kim St-Pierre. Montreal is 11-2-1 on home ice at Aréna Étienne-Desarteau, but has yet to lose in regulation on the road with a 7-0-1 record.

The lone American-based team is the Boston Blades, and they currently sit in third-place in the CWHL. Boston is 10-13-1 through 24 games thus far, but are significantly better on American soil. The Blades have a 7-6-1 record at the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center Arena, but have struggled to a 3-7-0 record while traveling through Canada. Led by Angela Ruggiero, Caitlyn Cahow, Erika Lawler, and Kacey Bellamy, the American-based team recently put an end to Montreal's undefeated season thanks in large part to a 74-save effort by by goaltender Mandy Cronin!

Just so you're aware, the Blades will play 16 of their 26 games at “home” – six apiece at Harvard and UNH, and single games at Providence College, Kennedy Memorial Rink in Hyannis and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Essentially, the "New England" Blades are making the tour through the NCAA circuit!

As you can see, some of the best women to ever lace up the skates are playing regularly in the CWHL. This will, of course, make the women's game much better as the women will regularly get to play at a high-level, and I commend the CWHL for its commitment to the teams, cities, and women who are putting their best game forward day in and day out.

In terms of recognizing the teams, there are some clear similarities between the CWHL and a few NHL teams. The first jerseys put forth were clearly designed from NHL templates. As you can see, the Aeros look like the Maple Leafs, the Stars look like the Canadiens, the Thunder are wearing the colours of the Ottawa Senators, and the Barracudas are shown in the colours of the Buffalo Sabres. All of them have the Dallas Stars' treatment on the front in this image.

Well, there were a few teams that stuck with those similarities, but one team decided to stick with their original colours and their original logo that they wore in a previous league. I have to say that there are very few images of CWHL players in comparison to other leagues. In saying that, here are how the teams look today.

Toronto is definitely blue at home and white on the road. The roster photos shown on their roster page have the players in this mock-up, but I have not seen this uniform used in any picture where the players are playing. I also have yet to see the alternate uniform proposed above, so I'm on the hunt for some of those images still.

Montreal proudly wears red at home and white on the road. Again, no sign of the alternate uniform, and I'm thinking this may be a cost-saving measure. Why create a third uniform in your first year of existence? Or when your uniforms look extremely sharp already?

Montreal should go down in the CWHL as the first team to wear a promotional jersey as well as the team wore pink jerseys on February 1 to help promote breast cancer awareness and to raise funds for the Fondation du cancer du sein du Québec to battle the disease. After the game, the Stars and their moms took to the ice for a photo! The Stars raised over $5000 for the charity on the night! Good on the Stars for helping this charity, especially since it hits close to home for a number of women playing in the game!

The Boston Blades look very familiar as they wear black with yellow at home and white on the road. Much like the Stars and Aeros, I have yet to see a third yellow jersey being worn by Boston, but I am still looking.

The Brampton Canadettes-Thunder have gone opposite to the norm, adopting the black third jersey as their home jersey while wearing white on the road. Instead of going red like the Senators do, the Canadettes-Thunder are wearing black. For a five-team league, you would think that Brampton could choose a different colour, but I'm not going to rain on their parade.

Burlington is the wild card in this five-team league as they decided to go with the template of the New York Islanders instead of the Buffalo Sabres. This may have been due to the fact that they wore orange and navy blue in their previous seasons, so this keeps their colour scheme intact. As you can see, the Barracudas wear white on the road while going navy at home. As you can see, Burlington has opted to keep their logo as they display it proudly across the front of their jerseys.

So there's your introduction to the Canadian Women's Hockey League. I'll be following these teams and players as the season progresses, and we'll have a full run-down of how well each team did at the end of the regular season along with a synopsis of how the players did in the race to win the scoring title!

I'd just like to point out that some of these amazing photographs were taken by Pasquale Stalteri and used with his permission. Please respect the copyright this amazing photographer has done, and I encourage you to check out his website or his blog where all of his amazing photography can be seen. I am truly thankful for the work Monsieur Stalteri has done with the CWHL, and for his generosity in allowing me to use some of his fantastic photography! A link to his site can be found on the menu to the right!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Rosters Are Set

There was some pretty good buzz about the team selection in the old schoolyard known as the NHL. The 2011 NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft, presented by Cisco because you can't undersell yourself, was held, and Team Staal and Team Lidstrom began to assemble as the two captains and their alternate captains went back and forth picking teammates. There were many big questions - who would go first, who would be selected last, would there be teammate versus teammate situations, will the Sedins be broken up for the first time in their careers - and each one would have an answer at the conclusion of the Fantasy Draft. So without further adieu, let's look at the rosters for both Team Staal and Team Lidstrom.

Team Staal

Team Staal, led by captain Eric Staal and alternate captains Ryan Kesler and Mike Green, were given the right to draft first in the Fantasy Draft. With names like Ovechkin, Nash, Toews, and Stamkos available, Eric Staal had a number of superstars to choose. With the first overall pick, Team Staal chose... Cam Ward? Alright, I get it - a little nepotism here as the Carolina Hurricanes superstar chose the Carolina Hurricanes goaltender for the hometown fans. No complaints there, I suppose.

Team Staal continued the nepotism theme as alternate captain Mike Green chose teammate Alexander Ovechkin with the third pick. And Ryan Kesler got in on the action as he chose teammate Daniel Sedin with the fifth pick of the draft. It appeared Team Staal was all about teammates early on, but the seventh pick was one made purely on talent. Zdeno Chara was added to Team Staal, and the ninth pick was another smart one as they added Rick Nash to the team.

Teammates and family played a role in the next two picks as goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was chosen with the 11th pick. Following him was another New York Ranger as Eric Staal chose brother Marc Staal with the 13th pick. Patrick Sharp, Dan Boyle, and Carey Price were selected next by Team Staal before Eric went back to the Hurricanes' roster by selecting teammate Jeff Skinner with the 21st pick in the draft.

Team Staal rounded out their roster with Kris Letang, Claude Giroux, Erik Karlsson, Corey Perry, Patrik Elias, David Backes, and Paul Stastny. If you're keeping tabs on repeat player numbers, Team Staal should have two instances of #10 (Sharp and Perry), two instances of #22 (Sedin and Boyle), and two instances of #30 (Ward and Lundqvist).

Team Lidstrom

Niklas Lidstrom was joined on stage with his alternate captains Patrick Kane and Martin St. Louis as they had the second overall pick in the NHL Fantasy Draft. With Cam Ward already off the board, that left a myriad of NHL superstars to choose from, and Lidstrom jumped at one of the league's best goal scorers in choosing Steven Stamkos with his first pick.

Lidstrom, like Team Staal, decided to use a little nepotism as alternate captain Patrick Kane chose defenceman Duncan Keith with Team Lidstrom's second pick. Martin St. Louis threw a little controversy into the 2011 NHL All-Star Game with his selection of Henrik Sedin at the sixth overall pick. That, of course, means that the Sedins will be playing against one another tomorrow afternoon.

From there, it was all about talent on Team Lidstrom. Shea Weber, Tim Thomas, and Daniel Briere were chosen with the next three picks before Patrick Kane had some say on the 14th and 16th overall picks. Team Lidstrom selected former Blackhawk and current high-scoring Thrashers defenceman Dustin Byfuglien at 14, and then added Blackhawk Jonathan Toews at 16. Team Lidstrom rounded out their goaltenders with the next two picks as Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonas Hiller were selected.

Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos got to bring back one of the Lightning alumni with the 22nd overall pick as Brad Richards joined Team Lidstrom. Keith Yandle and Brent Burns rounded out Team Lidstrom's blueline with the next two picks. Burns' teammate and Kane's former teammate Martin Havlat was chosen at 28th overall, and he was followed by Anze Kopitar, Matt Duchene, and Richards' Dallas Stars teammate Loui Eriksson. So who was the last man chosen?

Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs. For his wait, Kessel received a Honda CR-Z car and $20,000 to donate to a charity of his choice - not too bad for being the last man chosen. Kessel stated that he will donate the money to a cancer charity after having beaten testicular cancer in 2006. As for being chosen last, what did Kessel think of that honour?

"I don't care one bit at all," said Kessel of being chosen last to The Canadian Press. "When I was a kid, I would never have dreamed of being here. Hopefully the fans in Toronto are happy to see me in the game. I'll play well in the game for them."

If you're keeping track of those players with repeat numbers, Team Lidstrom will have two sets of numbers that will appear twice: #91 (Stamkos and Richards) and #33 (Sedin and Byfuglien).

Just as an added note, Jeff Skinner will officially become the youngest player in any of the four major sports to appear in an all-star game. Skinner is 18 years, 259 days. He officially knocks off Steve Yzerman's 1984 All-Star Game debut by eight days under the current format of the All-Star Game. When the NHL Stanley Cup champions earned the right to play the NHL All-Stars, there are two players who would be younger than Skinner: Toronto's Fleming Mackell in 1947 (18 years, 166 days) and Detroit's Larry Hillman in 1955 (18 years, 239 days).

Teammates that will face one another include Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler against Henrik Sedin; Zdeno Chara against Tim Thomas; Kris Letang against Marc-Andre Fleury; Claude Giroux against Daniel Briere; Corey Perry against Jonas Hiller; and, Patrick Sharp against Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Jonathan Toews.

The NHL Skills Competition gets underway later today, so get ready for some fun and excitement as your 2011 NHL All-Stars show off their stuff!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Charity Effort Hits Home

The AHL's Chicago Wolves have been one of the community's most active partners since they played their first game in 1994 as part of the International Hockey League. They were always a model franchise on the ice, and they prided themselves on the work they did in the community. In 2001, they were included in the merger between the IHL and the AHL, and they have yet to look back. In the 17 years they have been playing, they have won two IHL Turner Cups, two AHL Calder Cups, and the hearts of thousands of fans in the greater Chicago area. It is this last item - the winning the hearts of fans - that has made the Wolves a good corporate neighbour and a contributor to many charities. This weekend sees the Wolves contributing to another major charity, and this one should hit home for one player on the Wolves.

The Wolves will use a variety of means to raise money for cancer-related charities as they continue the "Fight Against Cancer". Proceeds from the three-game home-stand this weekend will benefit Little Heroes Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Chicago Wolves Charities and other cancer-related causes.

To celebrate the effort, the Wolves will be wearing these charity-related jerseys over the weekend. While I'm not really a fan of the black jerseys, they are for a good cause as the Wolves will be giving them to fans throughout the weekend via raffles and silent auction. For one player, though, this weekend has a much deeper meaning. Darren Haydar will be wearing three different jerseys: one for the silent auction, one for an auction at chicagowolves.com, and one for a raffle at the games. The reason this matters so much to Haydar is that his finacée, Sara Schuster, has recently recovered from a battle with throat cancer.

Sara was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx at the Mayo Clinic in April 2008, and had to undergo twenty surgeries and twelve rounds of radiation to finally beat the disease. Unfortunately, her voice box and vocal chords had to be removed as part of the battle to defeat the cancer, but the beautiful 27 year-old is now doing well, having been cancer-free since April 2009. While she will have to speak through an electronic voice box implanted at the front base of her throat for the rest of her life and undergo surgery every twelve weeks to have scar tissue removed so she can breathe, the fact is that she beat Stage-4 throat cancer. Not many people have been as lucky.

"I'm very proud to be a part of this Wolves charity event, being a cancer patient myself," Schuster told chicagowolves.com. "Every event that raises money for research towards a cure means so much to the people affected by this terrible disease, and this is a wonderful way to donate to an important cause. When you buy these jerseys, you won’t only be wearing your favorite player's sweater, you’re wearing your support for a cure for cancer."

The jerseys themselves look pretty good despite being black. There's nothing gaudy or tacky on them, and there are no major distractions or flair that ruin the aesthetics. That being said, I would have liked to see something more in relation to the cause the Wolves are supporting in these jerseys, but they're a good charity jersey as they are. Well done, Wolves! I'm not going to be critical of a jersey that's going to help thousands of cancer patients in Illinois, that's for sure.

As for Haydar, he's been an active part of Sara's battle since she was diagnosed.

"I’m going to continue to stick by her side and do whatever I can to help her beat this terrible disease," he told Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times. To be as strong as she is and to fight as hard as she has is something I really admire about her."

After defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins four-games-to-two in the AHL Calder Cup Final in 2008, the Wolves presented Sara with the game puck from the sixth game of the Calder Cup Finals to show their support in her fight. After their hard fight through four rounds of intense playoff hockey, the presentation of the puck to Miss Schuster moved several players and Sara to tears.

"I’m happy to be alive and I refuse to give up," Schuster said to the Chicago Sun-Times. "I am blessed to have the support of Darren, relatives, friends and the support of the Wolves’ organization has been super."

Count me in as a supporter of this excellent weekend in the fight against cancer. I think that what the Wolves are doing is top-notch in terms of being a good corporate citizen, and the impact will be felt by many people and fans in Illinois. As for Sara, I wish her nothing but the best as she continues to get treatment after her battle with this disease, and I'm very happy she was victorious!

If you'd like to support the Wolves in their battle against cancer, the charity auction for Darren Haydar's jersey has been posted and is running! Click here to go to the auction page! The current bid is $275, and all the money is going back to cancer-related charities for research into defeating this disease!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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TOE = Tuesday's Odds And Ends

The foot to the left has five toes on it, but today's article brings you only this TOE: Tuesday's Odd and Ends. These are more images and stories that have been sitting on my desktop that need their stories told, and we'll do that today. It's an eclectic mix of things from several leagues, so we'll work through these as orderly and quickly as possible. Some of the images are interesting while some are strange, but they are all entertaining in their own right. Needless to say, this little piggy had better get to market and write this article before Christmas gets here! Here are some random things from the world of hockey. Enjoy!

• I was looking through the New York Islanders' website on Sunday evening for some information on the fans from Quebec City who had made the pilgrimage to Nassau Memorial Coliseum. I didn't find very much information, but I did find that the Islanders' photo gallery page is actually a time-travel portal! Yes, that gallery is dated for January 1, 2011. And just like the product they roll out onto the ice, the quality control people still have that date on the website at the time of writing this article!
• Huge kudos go out to everyone who attended The Big Chill at The Big House on Saturday! A Guinness record-setting 113,411 people were at the game, and they got to see the Michigan Wolverines knock off the Michigan State Spartans by a score of 5-0. John Merrill was named as the game's first star as he scored two of Michigan's goals. I am definitely impressed with the fans in Michigan who showed up for this game, and you certainly deserve a spot on Guinness' lists with that effort! Well done, fans!
• The AHL decided to roll out their newest All-Star Game uniforms in conjunction with the Hershey Bears. The Bears, as you may know, are hosting the game this season, and I expected something quite traditional with the AHL celebrating its 75th anniversary. Well, we got traditional as the AHL unveiled their home Eastern Conference uniforms and road Western Conference uniforms for this year's game. I do like the look of them, but I immediately thought of these past NHL All-Star Game uniforms. They seem pretty similar, no? Does anyone in hockey have any creativity left?
• Great article from Brett Zarda of The New York Times about a small Canadian town that has solved the issue of springtime ice in their arena without a refrigeration system. Fort Chipewyan, a tiny outpost on Lake Athabasca in northeastern Alberta, has invested $559,000 into synthetic ice for their arena over the summer. The cost of a refrigeration system in the arena would have been into the $2 million range plus annual maintenance costs. The synthetic ice is no different than regular ice: players still use their regular skates on the synthetic ice, only there is far less maintenance involved with the synthetic ice. If you're interested in reading more about this, click the linked article above or click here to visit the Global Synthetic Ice website. It's a very cool product!
• I had never seen this before, but a friend sent me a picture of a patch that the Vancouver Canucks wore in 1986-87. The "Rick Hansen - Man In Motion World Tour" was started in 1985 from the Oakridge Mall in Vancouver, and eventually saw Mr. Hansen travel more than 40,000kms on his trip while confined to his wheelchair before finishing on May 22, 1987 at BC Place. While support was slow at the start, Hansen eventually raised over $26 million for for spinal cord research and quality of life initiatives. The Vancouver Canucks supported Mr. Hansen in his efforts, and wore a patch to help bring his work to light. A very cool patch for a great cause!
• Last, but certainly not least, is a friendly holiday greeting from the 1941-42 Chicago Blackhawks! I'm not sure how many teams would actually send a team photo to fans in this day and age, but I was tickled pink when I saw this holiday message from the Blackhawks! Bill Thoms, second from the right at the top of the card, would lead the team in scoring that season with 45 points (15G, 30A) in 47 games. Two brothers, Robert and William Carse, can be seen on the bottom row while Doug Bentley stands beside Robert Carse. Earl Siebert can be seen at the top-left as well. Missing from that team photo are Max Bentley and Billy Mosienko - two very important players in Blackhawks history!

There are a few of the odds and ends that I've had kicking around my desktop the past few weeks. I'll begin collecting some new ones as time progresses, and I'm sure we'll have another edition of TOE. Or maybe WOE if it happens on a Wednesday. Or Foe if it's a Friday. In any case, I'll see what else I can find for another episode of Odds and Ends!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Some Tuesday Thoughts

As I work through another week here at HBIC headquarters, I'm proud to say that the upgrades went wonderfully yesterday. There were no hiccups to report, and everything is working much better with the increased amount of RAM I installed to give the old box o' chips a much-needed speed infusion. Because I really wasn't watching any hockey on a very quiet Monday in the hockey world, I do have some thoughts that occurred to me while working on my computer last night. Some of these will certainly come with pictures, but others will simply be questions with potential answers. All in all, I have some thoughts I want to get down, and this is the place to do it. Let's go!

• Just an update from that story from Sunday about Miami University (Ohio) defenceman Will Weber. If you missed the info, Weber's neck was cut inadvertently byu a skate. Weber has been released from hospital, and apparently is doing well. The only thing that's hard to take? That wound that required 15 staples and 100 stitches to close. I'd never wish that kind of injury on anyone, but Weber is truly ready for Halloween. Stay strong and get well, Will!
• Speaking of Halloween, the San Jose Sharks are continuing a good NHL tradition of jerseys and charity. The Sharks wore Halloween-themed jerseys for practice once again, much in the similar vein as they did two years ago. All of the practice jerseys will be sold during an auction on two nights: October 27 vs. the New Jersey Devils and October 30 vs. the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks will also offer up one Halloween jersey via the NHL Auctions page, and Ryan Clowe's jersey is up for grabs. The online auction ends November 3. All proceeds will benefit the Sharks Foundation in assisting local non-profit organizations in the San Jose area. Good cause, great font, love the execution of this idea.
• In keeping with Halloween, it was nice to see Mike Bossy honored by the New York Islanders last season. The only problem is that Satan was honoring him! That's Miroslav Satan in the Bossy vintage jersey, and I really think the Islanders should do more of these kinds of events to bring back the former Islanders fans who may have moved on.
• It has long been stated that the reason for the broken center red line was for black-and-white television to ensure that viewers could differentiate between the blue lines and red lines on the ice. But what about teams that weren't televised on the old Hockey Night broadcasts? The Quebec Aces prove that solid red lines can be used for non-televised hockey teams, despite the blue lines in the background looking somewhat similar. So television really may be the reason for the center line to have a pattern. I still love that old Aces logo, though.
• I've got nothing but praise for Steven Stamkos this season as he is truly proving he is a bonafide NHL scoring machine in leading the NHL in scoring, but he's really abused one team in his division: the Atlanta Thrashers. He has 12 goals and nine assists in 14 career games against Atlanta, and doesn't appear to be slowing down after picking up four points in his most recent game against the Thrashers. Perhaps the Thrashers should be a little more aware of Stamkos when he's on the ice, and get under his skin a little to get him off his scoring streak.
• After losing his starting job last season to Tuukka Rask, there were rumours all summer about Tim Thomas being traded to various teams. The 2009 Vezina Trophy winner has shown that he's back to his dominant form, and really looks like the man he was two years ago. Thomas is 4-0-0, and is playing some of the best hockey in the early-going that I have seen in some time.

There are some photos and thoughts on Tuesday. Antler Banter is back tomorrow as I take a look at the Moose through three weeks, and we'll see if they can get back on the winning track against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Antler Banter: Promotional Schedule

It's been a while since I had an opportunity to write an Antler Banter column, but you know hockey is right around the corner when you see the weekly AHL column go up about the Moose. While I don't have any sort of preview at this time - that will appear next week - we do have some scheduling notes for you to peruse if you happen to live in or near the Winnipeg area. Some of these promotional nights sound like they will be extremely enjoyable, and you know I'll be buying tickets to these games. You should be looking to bring the kids, your friends, your neighbours, your in-laws, and anyone else down to MTS Centre for some great hockey and free stuff. As always, all of your current Manitoba Moose news and information is avaliable on the Moose website. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. Let's take a look at what the Moose have planned for another season of Hardcore Hockey!

From the Moose press release, the Moose have released their promotional schedule in accordance with their AHL schedule. Within it, "their 15th anniversary season which will include celebrity appearances, three games where the team will wear commemorative jerseys, as well as unique collectibles such as a Nolan Baumgartner Bobblehead". Let's take a look at those dates.

• October 15 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins: home opener. Fans will receive Moose Fridge Magnet Schedules, and all fans will be entered into a draw for one of three Hardcore Hockey bar fridges!
• October 22 vs. Hamilton Bulldogs: Ladies' Night. Ladies' Night sees the Moose working to support local charitable organization Keeping Abreast. Thumbs-up to this night!
• November 12 vs. Rochester Americans: Heritage Night. The Moose will take to the ice in special third jerseys to commemorate both the AHL's 75th anniversary and the Moose's 15th anniversary. All fans in attendance will receive a 15th anniversary lithograph as well! More on the lithograph below.
• November 13 vs. Rochester Americans: Santa Claus Parade. Doesn't this seem to get earlier and earlier every year? Christmas is still six weeks away at this point!
• November 19 vs. Rockford IceHogs: Celebrity Night. Fans are invited to come down to the rink to meet Nathan Kress who plays "Freddie" on Nickelodeon's iCarly.
• December 17 vs. Houston Aeros: Annual Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal to the rink to toss on the ice during the Teddy Bear Toss in support of the Christmas Cheer Board. Another excellent charitable evening!
• December 31 vs. Chicago Wolves: New Year's Eve game. Fans are encouraged to wear their party gear as the annual New Year's Eve game takes place in the afternoon. Fans will also receive a Moose souvenir collector cup!
• January 15 vs. Milwaukee Admirals: Fleece Blanket giveaway. All fans in attendance will receive a Moose fleece blanket.
• January 23 vs. Abbotsford Heat: Nolan Baumgartner bobblehead night. All fans in attendance will receive a Nolan Baumgartner bobblehead as part of the continuing annual Moose tradition of producing one player bobblehead per season. This game will also be aired live on CBC as part of the "AHL on CBC" schedule! This game is a 12pm start - note the time!
• February 19 vs. Lake Erie Monsters: Hockey Night in Manitoba. The Manitoba Moose will don the jerseys of the Gateway Flyers, a minor hockey team in Winnipeg, who won the 2009-10 Manitoba Moose Community Jersey program contest. This is always a great night of hockey, and I encourage everyone to come out for this event!
• March 18 vs. Texas Stars: Military Night. The Moose continue their annual tradition of honouring the men and women of Canada's Armed Forces by donning special jerseys in honour of their services. Another "must-attend" night on the Moose schedule!
• March 20 vs. Texas Stars: Family Day. Families are welcomed to MTS Centre as the Moose put on a number of kid-friendly contests and activities throughout the day. Not only do they kids have fun, but they can also meet Batman as the Dark Knight will make a trip up from Gotham to meet the kids from Winnipeg!
• March 25 vs. Abbotsford Heat: Folklorama Night. There will be many giveaways throughout the night to go along with the multicultural night that the Moose will host.
• March 27 vs. Abbotsford Heat: AHL on CBC. This is the second of the two home games the Moose will play on CBC television. Again, this is a 12pm start time! After the game, have your jerseys, banners, and hockey cards ready as the entire Moose team will be available for autographs down Autograph Alley!
• April 9 vs. Hamilton Bulldogs: Fan Appreciation Night. The Moose conclude their home promotional schedule with a night of many giveaways, and their annual "Shirt Off Their Backs" promotion where lucky fans will walk out with a game-worn jersey!

The lithograph that was mentioned above is actually one of the better giveaways that the Moose do. They published a lithograph of the six captains that the Manitoba Moose have had on their roster since they began play in the IHL, and it looks great! I'm excited to see what this year's lithograph theme is, and I encourage you to pick one up as well.

I'm looking forward to Manitoba Moose hockey this season, and this year's promotional schedule is the icing on the cake! There is a lot of fun and a lot of free stuff available to fans, so get down to the ticket booth and get your tickets before these games are sold out!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Games In Faraway Places

We've talked a lot about outdoor games this year already, and the season isn't even underway yet. Spokane, Washington will host a game, Calgary, Alberta will host a game, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will host a game. The strange thing is that no one has opted for a neutral site game outside of the preseason, and it might be something that one of the smaller leagues should look at when considering expansion and growth of the game. With all of the outdoor games in the WHL this season, it seems almost automatic that they would move a regular season game to a neutral site to help grow the game in the major junior hockey ranks. Thanks to some planning and foresight, the WHL will play one regular season game in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in 2011.

According to a QMI report, the capital city of the Yukon will play host to the first junior game in that province's history. The WHL game between the Vancouver Giants and Kamloops Blazers will take place on February 12, 2011 at the Canada Games Complex in Whitehorse in conjunction with the CBC's Hockey Day In Canada celebration. The Kamloops Blazers will be the designated home team for the event.

There is a rich history of hockey in the Yukon Territory as Dawson City sent a team called the "Nuggets" to Ottawa in 1905 to challenge the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup. The story of how the men arrived for the game is the stuff of legends as they were forced to endure dog sled, ship, and train over the course of a month to arrive in Ottawa.

Needless to say, their travels took quite a bit out of the players, and they were destroyed by Ottawa 9-2 and 23-2 in the two-game affair. In the second game, Silver Seven star Frank McGee set a record for most goals in one Stanley Cup game with fourteen!

In 1997, there was a re-enactment of the trials and tribulations that the Nuggets went through when a Dawson City team traveled to Ottawa to play the Ottawa Senators' alumni in a game at the Corel Centre. While the Dawson City team was crushed 18-0 in the fun-spirited game, the Senators' alumni donated 45% of the gate receipts to the Heart Institute, the Dawson City team donated the cash equivalent of twenty-five ounces of gold to Yukon Special Olympics, and the remaining 10% went to Yukon Minor Hockey.

I think this game between the Giants and Blazers will serve to further the game of hockey in Canada's north. We've seen great players come from faraway places - Jordin Tootoo and Jonathan Cheechoo, as two examples - and this kind of growth will only result in positives for the Whitehorse community.

And all growth for this game is important for its survival! Who knows... maybe Whitehorse will one day have a WHL team to call its own? Only time will tell, but this is an excellent start to that era.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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WHA Reunion

The greatest line arguably in Winnipeg Jets history is pictured to the left. Bobby Hull was the superstar, but the two European talents made him that much better. Hull, Anders Hedberg, and Kent Nilsson took the WHA by storm as they shot the lights out, and their signings put Winnipeg on the hockey map. These three men racked up an amazing 1310 points between them during their reign of terror on the WHA, and the three men reunited in Winnipeg today for the first time since the 1978-79 season.

“The coach said, ‘Bobby, go with the Swedes,’” Hull told Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun, choking up at the memory. “I never saw two kids come out of the corner like they were shot out of a cannon like these two guys. And we went up the ice and, bing-bang-bing, it was in the net.”

Hull was the first major NHL superstar to jump ship to the WHA when the rebel league began. He joined the Winnipeg Jets in 1972, and promptly scored 51 goals and added 52 helpers in a mere 63 games for the upstart Jets. Two seasons later, Hull would record an astounding 77 goals and 65 assists in 78 WHA games.

Hedberg's first professional hockey game came in 1974-75 with the Jets. While he was a relative unknown as a Swedish player, his talents on the ice soon made him a household name. In his rookie season with the Jets, Hedberg recorded 53 goals and 47 assists in 63 games. Two seasons after recording 100 points as a rookie, Hedberg put up his highest point total of his career when he notched 70 goals and 61 assists in 1976-77 in just 68 games.

Nilsson was the last to join the Jets out of the three superstars, and came over to Winnipeg with Hedberg after having drafted by the Toronto Toros. Nilsson was a solid, consistent scoring threat for the Jets as he posted two straight seasons of 107 points. Nilsson would go on to play in the NHL, most notably for the Calgary Flames, but would never experience the same success as he had as a member of the "Hot Line" in Winnipeg.

"It’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my lifetime, to come with Anders and be able to play with Bobby," Nilsson said to Friesen. "It was unbelievable to step on the ice with this old man."

It's not uncommon to see players getting together after their careers are over to reminisce about the "good ol' days", but the reunion of these three men is long overdue in the city where they played their greatest games. This reunion, however, was the result of some hard work by film director Tim Gassen.

Gassen is an Indianapolis, Indiana native who followed the WHA as a kid. His newest film is a documentary about the WHA which features the Winnipeg Jets. For Gassen, this reunion was enough of a reward for his new film which debuts Friday in Winnipeg.

"It was a surreal moment," Gassen told Friesen. "I’m not from Winnipeg. But I felt this incredible swell of pride for the people of Winnipeg. They’re here. They are so excited to be here. We could have done this in Toronto or a couple of other places. But they wanted to do it here."

"Being together means so much," Hull added. "I don’t think it matters where we are. You saw how emotional I got. And I don’t do that very often. I’m 71 years old. And I’m on the back nine. I’m not going to get many chances to be with three guys that made my life worth living back in 1974."

If it means anything to Mr. Hull, I, as a hockey fan, appreciate these three men getting back together after such a long period of being apart. And hockey fans in Winnipeg should appreciate the work these men did for their great city!

If you're in Winnipeg and are interested in going to the film premiere on Friday, please call the Amadeus Steen Foundation for more information at (204) 475-4744.

The WHA era in Winnipeg might be the greatest era of hockey in the city's history, and it's nice to see the men that made the Jets what they were back in each other's company in the city that loved them so dearly.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Zebra Chicks Care Too

This article isn't about any African hoofed animals, but there is a strong correlation to stripes and those that go about earning them. While I've talked a lot about the NHLPA charitable organizations, there's no doubt that there are other people that give their time and their efforts selflessly, and these people should also be highlighted for the efforts they are putting forth. The NHL Officials also do a phenomenal job in their charitable work, but it doesn't just end with the men that wear the stripes. Instead, the wives of NHL Officials have decided to raise a ton of money for a very good cause this summer.

If you wander over to the NHLOA website, you can find a great article written by Amy Watson, wife of NHL referee Brad Watson. In her article, you learn that Chris Van Massenhoven, Christa Cherrey, Kristen Ciamaga, Katie Line-Courcy Joannette, Tamara Devorski, Rhonda Galoway, Mary Imrie, Alaine Kowal, Kathy McConville Racicot, Natalie Miller, Natalie Miller-Kovachik and Michelle O’Halloran are all participating in the Shopper’s Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers, taking place September 10 – 11 in Toronto. It's a great event, and they can use your help.

The ladies were inspired by Chris Van Massenhoven's fight against Stage Three breast cancer. Chris found out that she was afflicted with the disease in April 2009. After six months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and lymph node removal, she finally finished her radiation therapy in February 2010. Chris decided to participate in the Weekend to End Women’s Cancers after defeating cancer.

When word of Chris' successful battle and charitable undertaking got around amongst the wives of the NHL officials, it became a no-brainer for the ladies to rally around Chris and her cause. After all, nearly everyone who is participating has been touched by cancer or knows someone who has been afflicted with cancer, so it's a cause that hits close to home.

"Together, I believe we can all make a difference," says Christa Cherrey, wife of NHL linesman Scott Cherrey. "I will walk for all the amazing survivors, those in my life who lost their fight too soon and for my daughter and nieces, in hopes that they will never be concerned about this."

And so it began: the "Zebra Chicks", named for their husbands' chosen field of work, decided to walk with Chris to show their support and raise money to help all women in their fight against cancer.

"Each member of this extended family is bringing a unique talent to the Zebra Chicks. Chris describes the Natalies as the organizers and Katie Joannette as the team recruiter. Kathy Racicot is the t-shirt designer and head cheerleader; Michelle O’Halloran is the pajama pre-party host; Christa Cherrey is the fundraising inspiration, and Alaine Kowal is the one with brilliant ideas. Tamara Devorski is the you-can-do-it girl and Rhonda Galloway is the motivational walker."

Now, I know Mrs. Galloway quite well, and I'm very proud of her in taking on this kind of challenge. She really is passionate about these kinds of events, and I'm quite certain that she's more than just a "motivational walker" in this group. Her energy and enthusiasm will not be lost on any of the women, and this outlook in life that she brings to everything will help to inspire everyone.

That's what I'm hoping to do today: inspire everyone. I'm pledging to donate $50 to Rhonda's total today, and I want to see the Zebra Chicks meet their goal of $26,400. I'm not soliciting donations, but I would hope that both Chris' story and the story of the Zebra Chicks would motivate you to add some money to their total. $10, $20, a nickel... anything to help them on their path to defeating cancer.

Here's how you can add some money if you so feel like donating:

1. Click on this link to get you to the endcancer.ca website.
2. Click on "Toronto" where the ladies will be walking.
3. In the top right, click on the "Donate" button.
4. Change the radio button to "Search for team", and enter "Zebra Chicks" in the search field.
5. When the search returns the Zebra Chicks team, click on their name.
6. You should arrive at this page where you get info on their progress.
7. Click on any of the ladies' names, and make a donation to aid their progress.

I'm proud to mention this effort by the NHL Officials' wives as they help both a friend and colleague in Chris Van Massenhoven, as well as helping daughters, wives, aunts, grandmothers, and mothers across the country.

While their husbands are wearing the stripes, these ladies have certainly earned them. But they still have a ways to go in achieving their ultimate goal - defeating cancer for good!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Charitable Donations: Wayne Gretzky Foundation

HBIC is proud of the work that former and current players do in terms of their charitable work. True heroes are people who have the ability to give and help those in need without asking for anything in return. There are a large number of hockey players who have started their own foundations and charitable organizations to assist people in need. Some of the greatest players to ever lace up the skates and pull on a sweater are involved in a charitable organization, and the greatest player to ever appear in an NHL game is also a major player in charitable work. HBIC is proud to profile and examine the work done by Wayne Gretzky as a part of the Wayne Gretzky Foundation.

Mission Statement: Directly from the Foundation's website, the mission statement set out by the WGF is more of a set of ideals. These ideals are actually pretty simple in their premise, but they speak volumes as to what the Wayne Greztky Foundation is all about. And perhaps more importantly, they speak volumes as to what Wayne Gretzky, the person, believe in when it comes to the sport of hockey.

"Perhaps the most famous coaching advice in all of hockey came from Walter Gretzky. He told his son not to focus on where the puck is, but where the puck is going.

"That's good advice for life, too. The puck is going to our kids.
Our future.

"Hockey is our game. It promotes fitness and personal development. That's why the Wayne Gretzky Foundation is focused on putting hockey and well being within every kid's reach.

"It's not just about equipping kids for hockey. It's about equipping kids for life.

"You're guaranteed to miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take. Every kid deserves a shot.

"Let's put every kid in the game."

How Did The Wayne Gretzky Foundation Start?: Well, there isn't a lot of information on exactly how the Wayne Gretzky Foundation was started, but I do know that Mr. Gretzky is passionate about getting more kids involved in the game he loves.

"Founded in 2002, the Wayne Gretzky Foundation’s mission is to provide less fortunate youth with the opportunity to experience the sport of hockey. This goal will be accomplished through the donation of hockey equipment and ice time, as well as providing the opportunity for young people to attend professional hockey games. The Wayne Gretzky Foundation believes that hockey instills many positive life skills and contributes to the physical, emotional and social growth of young people."

In knowing this, the Wayne Gretzky Foundation is involved in a number of great initiatives and causes that go towards helping children play more hockey. Some of the initiatives are discussed briefly on the above link, but the WGF has done some incredible work. In just looking at the "Future Team Canada Program" run in association with Hockey Canada, the WGF has provided 13 minor hockey teams in 2010 with:

• Team Canada jerseys and hockey bags bearing the Wayne Gretzky Foundation logo.
• Brand new hockey sticks for each member of the team.
• $1,999 to be used for team development activities. This can be anything from booking more ice time to bringing in coaches to sending players to hockey camps to helping out other less fortunate hockey programs.
• Coaching Volunteer Recognition Package (stick, bag, Coaching Club membership, development DVDs and more). That's a pretty nice package right there.

The WGF also worked with Ford Canada dealerships to help collect hockey equipment that could be donated to less fortunate children. The efforts of Ford and the WGF produced "over 850 pairs of skates, 580 pairs of gloves, 450 helmets and countless pads, sticks, pucks, bags and other miscellaneous pieces of clothing and equipment" that were cleaned, repaired, and donated to young athletes across Canada. That's a pretty significant number of athletes that were given the chance to continue playing. And that's awesome.

The WGF also helped the community of Iqaluit by giving the community enough equipment to outfit the minor hockey players in their community. Iqaluit is a city of 6100 people on the south coast of Baffin Island in northern Canada, and access to acquiring hockey equipment is difficult at best. Initiatives like this to include minority groups serve to grow the game of hockey - something Mr. Gretzky is extremely passionate about. Players such as Jonathan Cheechoo and Jordin Tootoo are great role models for the aboriginal and Inuit communities, and it's encouraging to see the WGF providing opportunities to develop more excellent hockey players from these communities.

The Wayne Gretzky Foundation also partners with other charitable organizations to assist in their causes as well. The WGF has worked in conjunction with Right To Play, the CNIB, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Ronald McDonald House of Canada. These organizations are excellent charities, and they can use any and all help they receive. In fact, Wayne Gretzky has been helping the CNIB since 1990! The launch of Wayne Gretzky’s autobiography in September 1990 "marked the first time in the world that a major publication was published simultaneously in print and braille"! A portion of the sales from Gretzky's autobiography was donated to CNIB! How cool is that?

Clearly, the Wayne Gretzky Foundation is working on a number of excellent initiatives to grow the game of hockey, and their efforts will be realized sooner than later thanks to the efforts of these initiatives.

How Can I Help?: Like the other charities that have been profiled on HBIC, there's always a need when it comes to helping these excellent organizations. The Wayne Gretzky Foundation, though, is slightly different in that they don't actually accept donations through the website.

Wayne Gretzky produces a line of wine under the No. 99 Estates Winery name. With each purchase, a portion of the sale goes back into funding the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. The best part of this option is that the wines are very reasonably priced, and they are very tasty! I highly recommend this option if you're looking for a little variety in your donation options! Personally, the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite, but I do recommend any of the wines!

You can also do a little volunteer work if you like, or get tickets to see the Ford Wayne Gretzky Golf Classic presented by Samsung. Despite all the corporate naming rights, this event offers up some amazing golf and celebrity appearances while making a ton of money for the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. There are opportunities to volunteer at the event, and you can buy tickets to sit in the gallery and watch #99 putt for show!

If wine and golf just aren't your thing, and you're looking to head to training camp alongside some of the best hockey players to ever lace up the skates, the Wayne Gretzky Fantasy Camp might be your thing. It's pricey, but you may get a chance to skate with NHL legends like Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch, Denis Savard, Larry Robinson, and Marty McSorley. The camp runs in March, so start saving your pennies!

If you have any questions or would like more information, I highly recommend contacting the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. They have a great online form where you can submit your question. They can also be reached by phone at (519) 752-7199. And there's always snail mail. You can write to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation at:

245 King George Road - Suite 302
Brantford, Ontario
N3R 7N7

The Wayne Gretzky Foundation and Wayne Gretzky himself are helping the communities they live in. It's time for us to help them as well.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Wednesday Before The Storm

The biggest shopping day each year comes on July 1 for thirty men with deep pockets. The NHL Free Agency Market opens tomorrow, and there will be general managers across the league looking to fill holes, change directions, and stock the cupboards as contracts are offered to players. Some players are of the "game-changing" nature: Kovalchuk, Gonchar, Hamhuis, and Volchenkov. These players, it seems, will attract the richest offers, and several teams have the salary cap to make those offers. But before any new players can be brought in, teams must first get their houses in order. HBIC is no different, and tonight I want to do a little clean up on the blog before the storm of free agency hits. There will be a number of items covered, so let's get to the organizing and cleaning.

• The first of two major summer projects will run on Saturdays throughout the summer. The Saturday Funnies will literally be a page of hockey-related comic strips that runs weekly on, as its name suggests, Saturday. I have begun contacting several authors of some of the better comic strips I've read that deal in hockey matters, and I'm hoping they'll climb aboard for some free advertising compliments of HBIC. If, for whatever reason, the authors decline and there are not enough strips to make it worth the effort, I'll announce a change in this project. The Funnies page will make its debut by next Saturday at the latest.
• The second summer project, as suggested by Ben, will be a look at advertising around the boards in NHL arenas. As you may know, there are a lot of advertisements pasted on the boards in NHL rinks, but they have changed throughout the years from more local advertising to league-wide advertising. I plan on featuring at least a few rinks per week throughout the summer as I embark on a very ambitious project. If you have any images of your local rink, please send them to me and I'll get them in order. I plan on having the first rink posted by next week.
• There was lots of coverage of the passing of one of the most dedicated men I've ever read about a couple of weeks ago. Manute Bol, former NBA player, passed away at the age of 47, and his work to help the people of Sudan was incredible. His charitable work alone would be reason enough for me to pay my respects to him, but it was his one night as a member of the Indianapolis Ice of the CHL that many in the hockey community will remember of the seven-foot-seven gentle giant. Rest in peace for eternity, Mr. Bol. I'll always look up to you for your amazing humanitarian efforts.
• There have been a number of trades as teams prepare for the free agent blitz tomorrow, but the Blackhawks were shedding salary again today. This time, they dealt Kris Versteeg and Bill Sweatt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Viktor Stalberg, Philippe Paradis, and Chris DiDomenico. Getting Versteeg is not exactly the first-line centerman that GM Brian Burke may be after, but he's the kind of gritty player that Burke likes. With another salary off the books, it appears that the Blackhawks are serious about signing Antti Niemi and Andrew Ladd in the coming days.
• For all of your off-season trades thus far, check out the TSN Trade Tracker.
• Lastly, I am pushing forward with the HBIC prizes. I'm not waiting days for people to respond anymore. Jim W. and Tom O. should contact me ASAP in order to get in on the prize action. I'm moving on starting tomorrow, and everyone on the prize list is now being notified that they have 24 hours to respond. No exceptions will be made.
  

I'll be back tomorrow with the rundown of all the Free Agency moves by each team. I'm almost certain that there will be a few teams who avoid the blitz on July 1, but you never know what may happen on the biggest shopping day in the NHL.

Until tomorrow, keep your sticks on the ice!

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TBC: A Loonie For Luck

The 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was a special time in Canadian hockey history. Following eight straight losses to the American women, the Canadian women captured the Olympic gold medal by defeating their long-time rivals. The Canadian men, led by Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, and Steve Yzerman, started poorly, but rallied to defeat the American men by a 5-2 score to capture their first gold medal in 50 years! There were a lot of hockey storylines at the Olympics that various people followed - Gretzky's rant against the world following Canada's 3-3 tie against the Czech Republic, Belarus' unbelievable upset of the vastly superior Swedes in the quarter-finals, the kissing of center ice by the Canadian women - but the one that author Roy MacGregor followed was the story of Trent Evans. The result? A Loonie for Luck, written by MacGregor, illustrated by Bill Slavin, and published by McClelland and Stewart, which tells the story of how the loonie got into the ice, and how Trent Evans became a legend in the hockey community for his superstitious decision.

Roy MacGregor has written some of Canada's best hockey books in his lifetime. He penned best-selling book Home Game with Ken Dryden, and is a best-selling author for his hockey-based mystery books for children in the Screech Owls series. Born in Whitby, Ontatio in 1948, Mr. MacGregor has written for The Globe and Mail, The National Post, MacLean's magazine, the Toronto Star, and The Canadian magazine. Due to his works, he has won two National Newspaper Awards, several National Magazine Awards, and two ACTRA Awards as the best television drama writer in the country. In 2005, Roy MacGregor was named an officer in the Order of Canada. He and his wife, Ellen, live in Kanata, Ontario with their four children.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the "lucky loonie" once the word got out about the coin being placed in the ice at Salt Lake City's E Center, but it started off as something that Trent Evans would never have thought twice about: pocket change.

While getting a coffee during his normal morning routine at the Tim Hortons on Sherwood Park, Alberta's Main Boulevard, Mr. Evans received change from the five-dollar bill he gave to the server. Amongst the change, he pocketed a loonie, Canada's one-dollar coin minted in 1987 in Winnipeg, that would become a part of the Hockey Hall of Fame three weeks later. With the change in his pocket, he headed to the airport in Edmonton for his flight to Salt Lake City.

So who is this Trent Evans guy?

Trent Evans is an employee of the Edmonton Oilers. His job? Ice technician for at Rexall Place where the Oilers play. His former boss, Dan Craig, was one of the officials in charge of preparing the hockey venues in Utah, and he recommended Trent as one of the official ice-makers for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Trent took the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity after consulting with his family, and he and the loonie were off to Salt Lake City.

The problem he discovered when he arrived at the E Center was that there was no center ice plug on the floor that ice-makers use to measure out all the dimensions on the ice. Every single NHL rink has this plug, but the E Center did not as it only housed the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies. In order to mark the center point after making a number of measurements to find it, Evans used a dime after consulting with Dan Craig as to how he should mark the center ice spot. However, it was something that Craig said that turned Evans onto the idea of using the loonie.

"Craig was checking the ice in one of the two practice rinks.
"'How did they mark it there?' Trent asked.
"'We used a splotch of yellow paint,' Craig answered.
"'How big?'
"'I don't know,' Craig's voice crackled through the static. 'Not big. About the size of a loonie.'"

From that point on, the loonie marked the center ice location at the E Center. Once the ice was finished and the loonie had been buried beneath five-eighths of an inch of ice, the legend of the "lucky loonie" began to grow and circulate amongst the Olympic village. Evans knew that his "secret" was no longer a secret. Sure enough, Dan Craig called to deliver the news: "Take it out."

Evans reluctantly went to the E Center to remove the loonie buried beneath the ice, but he noticed that no one was paying attention to what he was doing on the ice. He drilled the hole and pretended to scoop the loonie up, and no one thought twice about it. And this time, Evans swore, he'd keep it a secret.

Of course, the lucky loonie saw both the Canadian men's and women's hockey teams capture the gold medal in hockey in 2002. It's final resting place, including the three dents that it picked up over the course of the Olympics, is now the Hockey Hall of Fame where fans from all over the world can gaze upon the coin that inspired a nation. Even this guy.

In regards to A Loonie for Luck, Mr. MacGregor has written an excellent story about how the loonie made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but has also included some incredible historical notes. There's a short piece on how the loonie was hated by Canadians when it was first introduced. There's a phenomenal chapter on a number of the superstitions that players have had in the NHL, and how it carries over to coaches and staff of NHL and hockey teams.

"When you’ve got both Roy MacGregor and Wayne Gretzky involved in a project, it’s pretty much a lead pipe cinch to be good. And this little book doesn’t disappoint.…The quality of the writing and the compelling nature of the story, not to mention the fact that a portion of the proceeds will go to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation to help under-privileged kids buy hockey gear, make this a great book to buy the hockey fan, including yourself." - Oldtimers Hockey News

The main story about Trent Evans and the lucky loonie is definitely the draw to this book, though. There's a great foreword written by Wayne Gretzky that talks about his experience with Trent over the years and the Olympic experience. Trent's story, told on the 96 pages of the book, is an excellent read, and Mr. MacGregor's writing made it interesting and appealing. I could not stop reading this book. The best part is that it is appropriate for children of all ages, and is suitable for readers aged nine and older.

Because of Mr. MacGregor's excellent work, A Loonie for Luck definitely deserves Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval, and is recommended for all readers! If you'd like to hear Mr. MacGregor and Mr. Evans speak about their collaboration on this book, please click here for a radio interview. The information they give about the lucky loonie is pretty incredible!

Just before we part, there's a charitable aspect included in this book. With the sale of each copy of A Loonie for Luck, a large portion of the royalties will be donated to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation. The Gretzky Foundation helps underprivileged North American children get hockey equipment and join minor hockey teams in their areas in order to get them into sports. The book is reasonably priced, and I'm proud to have helped such a worthy charity!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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