More Negative Manitoba Hockey Headlines

I want to bring to light a very disturbing video that made headlines all over the news in Manitoba. Hockey, as I'm sure you're aware, is something about which Manitobans are very passionate. The fact that this made headlines on all of the newscasts in Winnipeg should tell you something about how high Manitobans hold the game. It may also show you an ugly side of the game that we need to be very open about when talking to the next generation of players.

I'll frame the game for you. It's a playoff series in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League between the Portage Terriers of Portage la Prairie and the Swan Valley Stampeders. The Terriers are leading the series by a 3-2 margin, and are up 4-1 late in Game Six. With about 16 seconds to play, we catch up with the video.

This is entirely what hockey needs to eliminate. Players like Jesse Enns, the Stampeder player who skated full-tilt into the corner, need to be removed entirely from the game.

I'm speechless, readers. Enns drilled Terriers' defender Tyler Harland into the boards head-first. It's an absolute miracle that Harland was able to skate off the ice under his own power. I'm stunned that he was even able to get up after a disgusting disregard for human life and safety shown by Enns.

I might be speaking emotionally here, but I feel that Enns should lose all privileges when it comes to playing the game. Ban him for life. Give the kid a lot of time to reflect on the absolute stupidity of his actions, the extremely poor decision he made when he took off from center ice and hurled himself into an unsuspecting player, and the opportunity to see the potential devastation he could have caused to another player, a family, and many lives. I see no other punishment that would fit the crime. And it's not the result that we're talking about here - I want the punishment to fit the crime committed.

MJHL Commissioner Kim Davis will undoubtedly be reviewing not only the hit by Enns on Harland, but the spontaneous fight involving the two coaches on the bench after the officials ended the game. Davis has been an advocate for cleaning up the game from his league's point of view, so I expect harsh penalties for all involved.

I love going to watch MJHL games when I get the opportunity, but this display left a bad taste in my mouth. And if Enns is let off the hook because Harland wasn't seriously hurt, I may just take to the streets and demand justice on this one.

What say you, readers?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Backstop From Behind The Bench

I've told the story of Lester Patrick's goaltending heroics for the New York Rangers on HBIC before, but it's still a story that deserves to be told a thousand times again simply for the amazing tale of a man who was the epitome of putting the team first. Thankfully, pictures are worth a thousand words, so I'm told, so I'm always grateful when great artists contact me with their works about hockey. Artist extraordinaire Rob Ullman sent me his newest comic strip about Lester Patrick's tale, and it is a fantastic representation of the hockey legend's tale when Patrick went from coach to goaltender for the New York Rangers. Here is Rob's latest work, The Backstop From Behind The Bench. Enjoy!

Part One of The Backstop From Behind The Bench. As always, you can click the image to blow it up larger for easier reading.

Part Two of The Backstop From Behind The Bench.

Part Three of The Backstop From Behind The Bench.

Rob outdid himself on this one as he really did a great job in capturing the story in both words and images. I can't say enough about how good Rob's work is, and you can find a ton of excellent stuff over on his site, Atom-Bomb Bikini. There is some excellent artwork over there, so make sure you stop by his store and score yourself something great!

If nothing else, check out Rob in the Ginger Classic wearing the old-school Quebec Nordiques jersey! He looks like a young Peter Stastny out there! Well done on your jersey choice, Rob! Congrats on your success in the tournament, and thanks for sending me over these great pieces of artwork!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Challenging The System

It seems to be an age-old problem that we can't get past in society: boys vs. girls. There is a serious misconception that girls cannot compete with boys on the same level in sports, and, therefore, should be banned from competitions that are for men. This issue made national headlines when a girl from Iowa qualified for the Iowa state wrestling tournament and faced a young man who decided that he couldn't engage the woman in "combat" on the mat due to religious beliefs. I'm not passing judgment on this young man's decision as I feel that everyone with any religious beliefs should be able to live by those beliefs, but why are we so against girls playing against boys in any competition if they have shown the ability to qualify for the competition?

There was a report published from the Times Colonist in Victoria, British Columbia on Saturday that showed a glaring problem with how this inequality has affected one man's livelihood. Rob Shaw wrote the article that talks about how one man went to bat for a girl's hockey team, and the result of his efforts.

The president of the Victoria Minor Hockey Association has been suspended indefinitely for contravening the wishes of Vancouver Island officials in a situation involving a peewee girls team's participation in provincial championships.

Andrew Holenchuk said he was stripped of his title as president, and barred from coaching or any official duties, by the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association, in what has become a bitter dispute over a team of 12- and 13- year-old girls.

Holenchuk said he was trying to give the girls a fair chance to play, after the Island association failed to create a team for the tournament.

But Island hockey president Mark Kenny said Holenchuk "worked around us in secret" to get provincial approval and must be punished for not following the rules.

The team at the centre of the dispute - Victoria peewee A, or Tier 1, girls team - won last year's provincial championships. The majority wanted to return to defend their title this month in Clearwater.

Kenny and the Island association rejected their request because it didn't fit into new rules that said female teams should only be organized by geographic "zone."

Under the new zoned format, no division A peewee girls teams were actually created. That meant none were destined for the provincial championships.

Holenchuk and his association did an end-run around the Island association, taking the request directly to the provincial organization, B.C. Hockey, which overruled the Island officials and sanctioned the girls team.

"At the end of the day you've got to do everything you can to give these kids opportunities and in my opinion they've been denied those opportunities," said Holenchuk.

Kenny briefly resigned as Island association president in protest, but ultimately rescinded his resignation.

He called a Feb. 19 executive meeting and indefinitely suspended Holenchuk.

"He acted contrary [to Island association rules] and the feeling of the executive committee was that some action had to be taken," said Kenny. "Unfortunately, Andrew was steering the ship so he had to be suspended."

Holenchuk, a Victoria area real estate agent, said the Island hockey association never publicly provided a reason for his discipline.

He is concerned that rumours and false interpretation of his indefinite suspension regarding a girls hockey team will damage his reputation in the community.

"I'm going to pursue this all the way," said Holenchuk. "It's crap what they did. It's a complete abuse of power."

It could be defamation of character if it goes the wrong way.

"I'm hoping this will open up a lot of eyes to Vancouver Island hockey executives' ... way of thinking. They've got to take politics and egos out of it and focus on what's best not only for the boys but for the girls."

B.C. Hockey, which oversees regional and district associations, said it doesn't have the jurisdiction to interfere with the suspension unless a formal appeal is filed.

"It's really a decision made at a district level," said executive director Barry Petrachenko.

"If the members of the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association felt this decision was a poor one, they in fact could go to their board and deal with that within their constitution and bylaws."

Holenchuk said he's already writing his appeal to B.C. Hockey. The girls team, meanwhile, remains cleared to play in the provincial championships.

There is only one reason that I can think of when it comes to the reasons why the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association would want to prevent the girls from participating: body-checking. Peewee hockey is the level that the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association has selected to begin body-checking, according to Hockey Canada, so there might be a push to help protect the girls from the physical aspect of the game.

If this is the case, this needs to be stated up front by the VIAHA. But it wasn't, and now it appears that the VIAHA has some sort of grudge against the girls based upon their gender alone. That, readers, is what we call "discrimination", and the VIAHA knows this. The only course of action they could take without being labeled as "discriminatory" would be to suspend the advocate for the girls. That advocate was Mr. Andrew Holenchuk, Victoria area real estate agent by day, and president of the Victoria Minor Hockey Association in his spare time.

He was needed for a Victoria peewee A girls team as they had no competition to play against thanks to new rules. So the girls asked Mr. Holenchuk to see if there was anything he could do. He did exactly what anyone in his position would do - he took the girls' case to BC Hockey, the governing body of hockey in British Columbia. They approved the girls' application for the tournament, and all was ready to go. Or so it seemed.

If the VIAHA was worried about safety, that's all they had to say, and I would have been ok with them preventing the girls from participating. I'm not saying I'd fully agree, but at least there's a reasonable explanation for the decision.

However, trying to prevent these talented girls from playing because of geographical rules and their gender is not only petty, but it's absolutely pathetic. And suspending the president of the hockey association is not only asinine, it reeks of desperation for vengeance in having their "rules" overruled by hockey's governing body.

Let the kids play regardless of their genders or location. The more players you include, the better the chances of developing top-flight hockey players.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Another Brick Upside The Head

I'm not sure what it is about the stripes that hockey officials wear, but it seems to turn some minor-hockey coaches and parents into lunatics towards the men and women in stripes. While it seems that there are a few bad apples that spoil the bunch in terms of coaches, players, and parents, the few that are being completely unprofessional commit anywhere to from 80-95% of the acts of aggression towards the officials. Why is this? Why can't the officials do their jobs without the threat of verbal or, in some cases, physical abuse? Are we, as a society, really this depraved?

The majority of officials in minor-hockey are as young as some of the players they are officiating. That means that they routinely are near the same age of the players or, in most cases, slightly older than the kids on the ice. When a player yells at an official, it's normally in the throes of the game where passion, emotions, and adrenaline are all on extreme highs for the player. I don't condone yelling at an official, but sometimes it happens.

Where it seems that people lose their minds is in the stands or on the bench. Far too often, young kids who are trying to hone their officiating skills are forever put off the game by some blowhard who decides that a mistake by a 16 year-old referee or linesman has now cost his team of 13 year-old children all chances of ever winning the Stanley Cup. Never mind the fact that the 13 year-old kids are hearing all sorts of words that are normally bleeped out on television, but they are also learning that that type of behavior is acceptable.

Do officials make mistakes? Absolutely. They are just as human as you or I. Do they scream obscenities and threaten your health and safety when you screw up? I have heard, in my time spent at rinks, far too many death threats, obscenities, and other incredibly rude comments made towards the officials from the people around me in the stands or from across the rink from a coach. And that, readers, is ridiculous.

The reason this has come to light is because there is an alarming rate of official abuse being seen in Winnipeg's minor-hockey system. Russ Romaniuk of the Winnipeg Sun wrote a very good article on this topic Friday, and it really needs to be read.

Winnipeg minor hockey on-ice officials are increasingly facing physical and verbal attacks from players and coaches, as the abuse reaches what a local organizer calls an “epidemic.”

Hockey Winnipeg president Don McIntosh told league directors, co-ordinators and other organizers by e-mail this week that something must be done to stop attacks on the officials, who can be as young as 13.

"This is reaching epidemic status," he says in the e-mail, which was sent Wednesday and obtained by the Winnipeg Sun.

In the memo, he cites three Hockey Manitoba disciplinary hearings held within the past two weeks into physical abuse of referees or linesmen — two involving players and the other involving a coach of a team of seven- and eight-year-olds.

"There have been other hearings at Hockey Manitoba this year and three hearings pending from very recent incidents," McIntosh says in the e-mail, adding "the verbal and physical abuse of referees has to stop."

Glenn Asselstine, vice-president of officials with Hockey Winnipeg, told the Sun that 16 incidents of such abuse have been reported since early January — a sharp increase from what is usually seen in that period of time.

"Physical abuse of officials has jumped probably threefold in the last month and a half," he said. "It is very scary for us right now."

Incidents of physical attacks on officials generally lead to hearings held by Hockey Manitoba, the province's governing body for the sport. Suspensions can and do occur.

When contacted by the Sun, McIntosh didn't reveal specific details of the incidents.

He confirmed, however, that the increasing frequency of the problems has spurred his call to community centre directors and hockey sub-association presidents and co-ordinators to "talk to the coaches" to bring more awareness to the dilemma, which has prompted an undetermined number of refs and linesmen to leave their positions during the past few years.

"I’m told that referees are quitting because of abuse. Senior or management referees who we have in our system will tell you that," McIntosh said, adding he doesn’t know the number of such resignations.

"Referees are a very valuable and important part of our game. Our game couldn’t go without them."

McIntosh said abusive behaviour toward officials appears to be mostly in players aged 17 to 14, "who quite frankly, don’t give a damn on the ice, maybe, and don’t give a damn at school. It's a societal change that we're seeing on the ice, to some degree, I think. They’re just not as concerned about consequences as they once were."

The fact that there was an incident of physical abuse towards an official "involving a coach of a team of seven- and eight-year-olds" is downright pathetic. These are the people we are entrusting our kids to learn from both on the ice and in the dressing room, and this is what the coach is teaching our next generation of hockey stars?

Here are the stats that Romaniuk dug up in his story:

• 16 - number of on-ice incidents since January 4 involving officials.
• 10 - number of those 16 incidents that went to disciplinary hearings.
• $16 - lowest wage earned by an on-ice Hockey Winnipeg official.
• $51 - highest wage earned by a Hockey Winnipeg referees.
• $41 - highest wage earned by a Hockey Winnipeg linesman.
• 13 - lowest age for on-ice Hockey Winnipeg officials.
• 450 - number of on-ice Hockey Winnipeg officials today.
  

I'm not sure about you, but I have taken my fair share of abuse as a fan for telling parents of the teams I'm watching to give it a rest. I don't feel bad about telling them to shut their traps, and I'd rather they tell me off than to take it out on some teenager wearing an official's sweater. Personally, I can deal with that problem a lot easier than an intimidated 13 year-old teenager can. Yet here we are discussing these problems.

Readers, I encourage you to have some respect for the officials working games in minor-hockey leagues. If you see someone running his or her mouth, ask him or her politely to stop. For most kids, playing hockey is all about fun. Learning the lessons that come along with winning and losing is important, but kids will stop playing the game if it is no fun.

It reminds me of the Pink Floyd song: "Coaches leave them refs alone. Hey! Parents! Leave them refs alone! All in all, you're just another brick in the wall."

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Champions Of Character

I was leaving school on Friday when I happened by a newspaper machine that was running a headline about local high school hockey. I appreciate the hard work that goes into high school hockey as kids juggle their school responsibilities with the demands and rigors of a hockey schedule and practices. Of course, being that the headline was about hockey, I stopped for a closer look. What I read left in a state that only the title of this article can describe. I want to give you my take on this story, and why I found the light at the end of the tunnel once I gave this story some thought.

There is an important quotation from Knute Rockne that needs to be prefaced here: "Win or lose, do it fairly". This is a very important quotation that I want you to keep in mind as I bring you this story about high school hockey from The Canadian Press. My comments will follow. Just as an aside, note that the two teams in this story are the Westwood Collegiate Warriors and the College Jeanne Sauvé Olympiens.

WINNIPEG - The coaches of a Winnipeg high school hockey team have been suspended after they pulled their goalie to throw a playoff game to eliminate a rival from championship contention.

"High school athletics are about the spirit of the game," said Winnipeg High School Hockey League president Mike Wake, who is also the principal of the offending school, Westwood Collegiate.

Wake planned to be on Westwood's bench Friday afternoon for a tie-breaker against the team it tried to bump from the semifinals, the Oak Park Raiders.

Yes, there's a conflict of interest, but I had to act," he said Friday.

The offending game happened Thursday.

There was a fair amount of consternation in the stands as parents, players and other coaches watched Westwood, ahead 3-2 in a game against College Jeanne Sauve, pull its goalie as time wound down.

Jean Sauve then scored the tying and winning goals and, with their relative positions in the standings, regular-season champion Oak Park was bumped from the A-Division series.

The Jean Sauve win ensured a rematch with Westwood in the semifinals, rather than Westwood having to take on Oak Park to move on to the championship.

Wake decided to let Jeanne Sauve retain the win and a spot in Saturday's semifinal and then have Westwood and Oak Park face off to decide the opponent. He said other schools in the 31-team league were consulted and agreed with his decision.

Westwood's volunteer coaches have been suspended for the rest of the season. None could be reached for comment.

Wake said no decisions have been made beyond that.

"Right now, I'm just trying to get through today."

He said credit goes to Westwood's players, who didn't like to see the game thrown and wanted to play the tie-breaker.

"These kids are winners already because they've stepped up and, as a principal, I'm very proud of them ... Unfortunately some adults got in the way of the kids.

"In the National Hockey League or the NBA or major league (baseball), if you've got a pennant clinched or a series wrapped up, yeah, maybe you don't put in your starting pitcher or starting quarterback," said Wake.

"Teams do do that. But to pull a goalie was just in total contradiction of what high school athletics stand for and what we stand for as a school."

Wow. This is a situation that's almost too bizarre to describe, and I'm shocked that it would happen in high school hockey game. But after reading and re-reading this story, there is definitely something I want to point out.

We've always looked at school as an institution where kids learn important lessons. The foundation of higher education and tomorrow's leaders is built on lessons learned in math, English, and history classes, but one of the most important things that children develop at school is character. Character isn't something taught specifically in any one class, but somewhere along the way there's always some sort of character that develops in students.

What is taught in high school sports is no different than what is taught in a classroom. Lessons are learned through winning, losing, and various experiences found between those two extremes. Children are constantly learning skills and behaviours that will help them in their future. They are, in some ways, just as important, and occasionally more important, in teaching children important life lessons and new skills.

"High school sports in general, we're an extension of the classroom," Westwood Collegiate Principal Mike Wake stated. "We really are and we promote that."

English philosopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer stated, "Education has for its object the formation of character", and the Westwood Collegiate hockey team deserves some credit for showing their character. I truly believe that there was some excellent character shown by the Westwood Collegiate hockey players in calling out their coaches for their decisions in this game. What the coaches did as mentors and teachers of these players is downright despicable.

In any sporting event, the spirit of competition along with good sportsmanship should be stressed when dealing with amateur athletics. There is no winner when someone does something so abhorrent as throwing a game in order to screw over another team, let alone a fierce rival. But to have a high school team - a team of students - instructed by their coaches to lose a game on purpose is the very definition of poor sportsmanship, terrible ethics, and a lack of respect for the game, its players, and the other teams in their league.

Principal Mike Wake stated that it was the players who called out their coaches over this ridiculous act, and I'm proud of them for it. It takes a lot of moxie to stand up to the men who are supposed to be teaching you how to play the game the right way, and it shows that the Westwood Collegiate hockey team is a team made up of students that have outstanding quantities of character, integrity, and principle. Now that's the kind of team with which I'd want to be associated. And a few volunteer coaches decided that those qualities - qualities that the institution of school is supposed to instill in children - were unimportant once the students laced up their skates.

That, to me, is absolutely disgusting.

Now, I do want to say that I think that coaches Ryan Butterfield and Jim West made a huge error in judgment. I don't think that they should be crucified or anything, and they have been suspended. I think that they saw an opportunity to better the school by having them play for a championship, and that opportunity overrode their commitment to the game. It's a mistake, and, like the students they were coaching, they will undoubtedly learn from their mistake. Unfortunately, the consequences of their decision will have ramifications for a long time for these two men.

As I read this story, it brought back memories of a movie that has had a great amount of influence on me in terms of moral and ethical challenges. I want to present a small clip of that movie in honour of the men who proudly wear the Westwood Collegiate hockey jersey. Listen to the words spoken by Academy Award-winner Al Pacino. The Westwood Collegiate men represent everything spoken in this clip.

The boys on Westwood Collegiate's hockey team have shown everything that Pacino said was important in our future leaders: integrity, courage, principle, and character. These are the things that, he stated, will make us proud one day as these young men head out into the world.

I'll tell you this: I'm already proud of them for making things right. They recognized that the spirit of the game was not being honoured, and they did something about it. What they did was the right thing, and it goes as a credit to their families, their teachers, their friends, and themselves for showing that they are excellent examples of a shining future.

Westwood Collegiate should be proud of these young men. I know I am. Win or lose against Oak Park, these young men are already champions.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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The Trip Of A Lifetime

I was contacted a few weeks back by a lady who had been on the trip of a lifetime with a hockey team that worked their butts off to make it happen. I'm talking about the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Bantam "A" Flyers from New Brunswick who were featured on Hockey Day In Canada on CBC! Miss Michelle Nott wrote me with her story of the trip to Whitehorse that the Flyers experienced, and she also detailed all the cool stuff they did while in Whitehorse! Let me just say that I am jealous of the fun they had! Here is Michelle with the recap of everything that happened on Hockey Day In Canada!

4:30am. Thursday February 10th 2011. It’s finally here. The day I’ve been waiting for since December 7th when I was told I had won the Scotiabank "Big Save Contest". As I walk into the airport, I am greeted by 49 people who are also making the big trip to Whitehorse, Yukon. There are 19 players, 4 coaches, and 27 parents. The energy in the airport is amazing! Everyone is so excited.

It had been 2 months since we first found out that we had won the Scotiabank "Big Save Contest". None other than Ron MacLean had sent us a DVD that was played in our arena, announcing to the boys (and 1 girl) that they would be taking a trip all the way up to northern Canada to celebrate Hockey's birthday in Whitehorse, Yukon. We had been preparing for this day ever since.

Our flight left Moncton at 6am, and we traveled to Toronto, then on to Edmonton. Finally, we landed in Vancouver for the night. It was a ten-hour day, and we still had to travel another four hours on Friday to get to Whitehorse, Yukon.

Friday February 11th, 2011. We left the hotel in Vancouver at 7am to go to the airport. There was a lounge set up for us by Scotiabank for breakfast. Shortly after we finished breakfast, the Vancouver Giants (a WHL team) arrived in the lounge to join us. It was so amazing for the kids to be in the same room as pro hockey players who were not too much older then they were. While we were having that awe-inspiring moment, in walked Pat Quinn (former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach). When the kids noticed him, their jaws dropped. They were so excited and overjoyed and couldn't wait get near him. Mr. Quinn was very generous and gracious, posing so the parents could take pictures of him with each one of our kids. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a smile that has just lit up the room. It is OUR head coach Randy, who is beaming from ear to ear.

The whole time leading up to this trip, all I could think about was what an unparalleled experience this was going to be for our kids. It never dawned on me how incredible this was going to be for our coaches as well. Most of the hockey legends that we were going to be meeting over the weekend, were stars in the days that our coaches were teenagers. This just made me even more excited, realizing that this trip was going to mean at least as much to the coaches as the kids, if not more.

We boarded our Air North charter flight with the Vancouver Giants and Pat Quinn. We made a stop in Kamloops to pick up the Kamloops Blazers (another WHL team) who would be playing on Saturday evening against the Giants. So there we were, onboard a flight with 2 WHL teams and Pat Quinn! How cool is that??

We landed in Whitehorse around 12:30pm and were immediately whisked off to a private reception with both WHL teams, the mayor of Whitehorse, other dignitaries, media, and the Whitehorse Bantam B Mustangs(the team we would be playing on Hockey Day in Canada). From there, we were bused over to the Canada Games Center for a practice. The Flyers and the Whitehorse Mustangs would be practicing together that day.

When the kids got on the ice, they were so excited to see that they were going to be coached by none other than Wendel Clark. I’m sure that all they really wanted to do was just enjoy the absolute glory of the moment.

Just when you think that the practice can’t possibly get any better, Wendel Clark calls all the boys in (from both teams) to gather at center ice. A man with white gloves takes out the Stanley Cup, and proceeds to carry it onto the ice, placing it right in front of the boys. The look on their faces and amazement in their eyes at that moment was indescribable. Here is a piece of hockey history, sitting just a few feet in front of them! The cameras were flashing all around and before long, the man with the white gloves was ready to return Stanley to his safe and cushy box, but not before my two sons & I were asked to go over and have a picture taken with it. I kept nudging my oldest (who is a goalie) to touch it. He kept looking at me with this puzzled look. Not being sure if it was a good idea or not, he reluctantly touched the cup, and then a look of pride came over him. He whispers to me "that was so cool". If only he could understand how cool all of this was for me. I had won the contest, so for me, this was even more amazing. I was getting to see 19 kids’ faces, 4 coaches, 27 parents, and their reactions to how unbelievable this really all was.

After our practice, we were taken upstairs for a pizza party. The Mustangs and their parents joined us. It was a nice way for everyone to get to know the other players and parents, before the game the next day. Pat Quinn even came up to chat with everyone. He signed more autographs and had more pictures taken. What a great guy he is! Once the pizza party was done, the kids were able to go swimming in the Aquatic Center downstairs. They all had a great time just being kids and having fun. At around 8pm, we left on the bus to go to our hotel to finally check in. Since we had traveled all the way across the country in the last 2 days and were anticipating Saturday would be a very busy and full day, we all turned in rather early that evening.

Hockey Day in Canada - Saturday morning. 7am came rather quickly. We all met down in the lobby and walked over to the Catholic church for a pancake breakfast. We were greeted at the door by the mayor of Whitehorse, Honorable Douglas Phillips, and many locals who were very excited to meet us and welcome us to their beautiful city. We were just starting to eat when it was announced that His Excellency, Governor General David Johnston, was arriving to join us for breakfast. He took the time to meet all of us and talk with us before sneaking off with an apron to help flip pancakes in the kitchen.

It was about 9am when we headed back to the hotel to go sightseeing. Because of our large group, we had 2 buses to transport us to wherever we needed to go. Our bus driver was extremely knowledgeable and took us to see all the great sights in Whitehorse. We stopped at Shipyards Park, roasted some marshmallows, and chatted with the locals. Then we went to see Whitehorse’s pride and joy, the SS Klondike. It is a huge sternwheeler that was used to run freight between Whitehorse and Dawson City along the Yukon river between 1921-1950. The ship is not normally open to the public, but we were given an exclusive tour inside the ship by a man who works for Parks and Recreation. Our bus driver told us some great old stories about the area, and took us to a lookout point, where we could see the gorgeous city in all its glory. We only had a little bit of free time for sightseeing, but what we saw, we loved. It was, of course, Hockey Day in Canada. It was going to be a big day for all of us.

At noon, we all headed over to the Canada Games Center to get ready for the big game: the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Flyers vs. the Whitehorse Mustangs. While they were in the dressing room, they received a few special visitors: Lanny MacDonald and Mark Napier, 2 NHL alumni. I was later told by Mark Napier himself that he was very impressed by our boys (and girl). He said they were very polite, friendly, and intelligent kids. He stayed to watch the whole game.

Puck drop was at 1pm. As the kids took to the ice, the carpet was rolled out for a very special someone to come on the ice to drop the puck. It was none other than Governor General David Johnston. Once the ceremonial puck drop was complete, he took a seat up in the stands and watched the entire 2hr game, cheering the kids on, and getting to know the parents of those kids. Our team had our coaches on the bench, and they were told that Wendel Clark would be helping coach the game. The Mustangs were going to be coached by Trevor Linden. Later on, it dawned on me that for the coaches, it would have been a true honor to have such accomplished professional hockey players helping them coach the kids. It must have been a very surreal experience for them, a dream come true. Not just anyone can say they’ve coached a hockey game WITH Wendel Clark or Trevor Linden!

Although Ron MacLean reported on TV that day that we were losing the game at one point by 3-1, we were in fact winning the game and won it 5-1. The class, the composure, the dignity and the sportsmanship that our Flyers displayed during that game filled us all up with such pride! They played a true good hockey game, and would have made every New Brunswicker extremely proud. When I saw our coach, Randy, I was busting at the seams. I asked him, "Are you as proud of the kids as I am? Weren’t they amazing?" Answering me with a huge lump in his throat (from pride), he said: "They were great. They were all so great." The kids had classroom sessions for about 7 weeks, where our coach (Norm) taught and stressed to them that they were all ambassadors for New Brunswick, Petitcodiac and Salisbury, and they needed to represent themselves with class, dignity, and distinction. This was a friendship game. Thank you Norm, you taught them well. They were excellent ambassadors, and each and every one of us could not have been more proud.

Ron MacLean was just outside the Canada Games Center broadcasting live all afternoon. Although the boys had hoped he might pop in and catch some of their game, he did not. This was a huge disappointment for our kids, seeing as they all thought they would get to meet him. Especially since it was Ron MacLean himself who had announced to them in the first place that they were going to be coming to Whitehorse.

Once the kids were finished the game, they made a mad dash to get dressed and we all went over to the Tikhini arena to watch the WHL matchup between the Vancouver Giants and the Kamloops Blazers. When we arrived, we noticed our seats were already cornered off for us to sit and enjoy. A huge carpet was rolled out on the ice and both the Blazers and the Giants were all lined up. It was obvious someone pretty special was going to be coming in on that ice. Moments later, Don Cherry himself entered the rink, and went on the ice for the puck drop. Don Cherry and Ron MacLean then walked off the ice to head to their booth where they would be broadcasting Coaches Corner that evening.

A few minutes into the game, the first fight of the night happened. I watched an entire section of kids (our kids) all stand up with their cell phones, each one trying to take pictures of the big fight. The mom in me was thinking, "Oh yeah, this is just great for them to see after the outstanding game they had played half an hour earlier." Just then, an overwhelming feeling came over me of "We’re Here! We’re in Whitehorse, Yukon!!!" How cool is that?!?

During the first intermission, 4 of our boys, our girl, plus 5 Mustang hockey players took to the ice for a shootout competition. That was very exciting for them. During the second intermission, the mascots took to the ice. There was Carlton the Bear, Harvey the Hound, Peter Puck, and the Scotiabank Bear and they put on the funniest show ever. They were, by far, the best entertainment you could have asked for, especially Harvey the Hound.

The game was a great game to watch. We heard that the Giants were 1st in the division, and the Blazers were last. The Blazers came out strong and hard, and it was a very close game, going from 1-1 to 2-2 with the Giants getting the very important final goal to win the game 3-2.

When the game was over, we all piled onto the buses, and headed out for a quick bite to eat. The boys (and girl) were going to head back over to the Canada Games Center for a family skate with NHL alumni for a couple of hours. They were a bit disappointed that no NHL alumni actually showed up for the skate, but they soon found their own fun by playing hockey on the outdoor pond at the arena. It was the perfect setting. It was dark. The spotlights were on the rink and the snow was lightly falling. It was chilly, and with the absolutely breathtaking scenery that is Whitehorse, it looked like the perfect way to end a perfect, amazing and unbelievable Hockey Day in Canada: playing hockey.

We left Whitehorse the next day. We flew all the way back across the country to get home.

Looking back on the experience, there are no better words to describe our trip other than to say it truly was The Trip Of A Lifetime. Whitehorse is a beautiful city, filled with wonderful, warm, hospitable and generous people. You could not ask for a more beautiful city to host Hockey Day in Canada. In fact, it is so incredible there, that I personally believe Hockey Day in Canada should be held there every year. To me, Whitehorse represents the perfect setting for Hockey Day In Canada. It’s snowy and cold, yet so cozy and warm. Our trip was too short, and I most definitely hope to get back there as soon as possible so I can have the time to explore it more. We were so busy when we were there that I didn’t get to see even close to everything I had wanted to see. For me, the Yukon is one of the most beautiful, yet under-acknowledged, parts of Canada. It is a breathtaking city with a marvelous vista of lakes and mountains. It is majestic. A true hidden gem with so much to discover. Such an extraordinary place just waiting for you to have extraordinary experiences. I would suggest to anyone reading this to make a point to visit the Yukon. Especially Whitehorse. I promise it will be even more then you can imagine.

Thank you, Scotiabank, for everything. It was truly was amazing. The warmth, hospitality, and attention that was given to us by every employee that represents you was outstanding. Thank you for The Trip of a Lifetime. It was all that, and so much more.

WOW! Thank you, Michelle, for this incredible recap on all the stuff that you and the kids and the coaches and the parents did while in Whitehorse! This is simply amazing! And thank you for the pictures as well!

I admit it: I am very jealous, and I really want to visit Whitehorse now that I've read all that you did and how great the city and people sound. While the weather might be cold, I believe you accurately captured the true warmth of the people of Whitehorse and northern Canada perfectly, and this is one of the major reasons I'm planning on visiting there in the future!

Thank you to Scotiabank for running this contest as well! There wouldn't be a great story like Michelle's story had it not been for Scotiabank running their contest! Thank you, Scotiabank, for allowing this story to be written through your generous contest!

This is a fabulous story, and I, Teebz, am very jealous that these kids got to do something as cool as this. I'm quite certain that each and every member of the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Bantam "A" Flyers will never forget this experience. So allow me to say it: HOW COOL IS THAT?!?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

***All images, unless otherwise noted, as property of Michelle Nott and used with permission by HBIC. Please do not copy or use these photos without the consent of Michelle Nott. Thank you!***

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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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Two-A-Days On HBIC

If you've been reading along over the last few days, you've probably noticed that HBIC is now only a few days behind the current date. I've pledged to have this blog back up-to-date by the time my exams hit on Monday, and I'm steadily making progress in that regard. Because it's Monday, I've decided that I need a "clean-up" day where I let everyone know what's happening, what's been going on, and where I'm eventually going to find myself in the future if everything works out as I've planned. Call this a "road map to Teebz's life" if you like. This article will certainly let everyone know why I fell behind and why I'm working my tail off to get caught up.

First off, I want to say that I've been tardy with some mail that I was to send out. If your name is neither Jeff B. or James H., you're more than welcome to skip past this part. If your name is one of those options and I've contacted you about mailing you something, keep reading.

I'll start with James. James, I know you've been awaiting a package. I used the trace, and apparently the package went missing somewhere between Toronto and Chicago. Canada Post finally got me some cash for the insurance amount of the package, and I've finally put something together for you again. It went into the mail today, so you should have it by next week.

Jeff, I also mailed your package on Monday. I was waiting to see if I could get an another book for you in addition to the Beyond The Crease, but I could not. So you should be receiving Martin Brodeur's biography sometime next week as well.

I apologize to both of you for the tardiness in getting you these packages, but you'll see why I've been focused elsewhere.

I have been earning pretty decent marks thus far in school. I like the courses I'm taking, and I'm understanding the material quite well. This has taken some maintenance in that I need to stay on top of the course material to ensure that I understand things, but it's been going pretty well.

However, Java is a different cat. I understand the importance of Java in the real world, and I see the need for a portable programming language in today's world of desktop, laptop, and mobile phone operating systems. Having one language that works across all of them is nothing short of awesome in that a program written in Java can work on Windows PCs, Mac OS computers, Blackberry phones, iPhone, and Android phones.

The logic behind the language, though, is something that seems to escape me on occasion. I can't seem to grasp how the language is written despite me getting very good marks in the course. Therefore I'll be honest: you can find me simply by following the horseshoes in this course.

I've spent a large amount of time trying to learn this language and I'm confident when it comes to pieces of writing Java code, but I still don't feel confident enough to say that I can write a simple program with two or more arguments. Thus, I've been hitting the books as often as I can in this course. Combine that with the multiple assignments and group projects that have been assigned in the other courses, and things have been busy on the homework front.

Work and sleep have also played a role in my not posting as often. Work is eating up approximately 20 hours per week as I continue to serve my new employer loyally. I love my job and I really enjoy the work I do, so I want to maintain this position at my job while I wade through school. As for sleep, it's the X-factor right now in terms of how much I get per evening based upon school's and work's respective demands.

What this boils down to is that I may fall behind on here, but I certainly have not forgotten this blog, my readers, or anyone who has emailed me. I may not respond immediately, but know that I still hear you and will respond... eventually. Stick with me on this one, readers, because once I master this Java stuff, I could be looking at some very cool additions to this blog.

Thanks for your readership and patience, everyone. I really appreciate it in during this new adventure, and know that while you may stop by and see the same thing as the day before, I work in the background to bring you new and exciting stories and features.

Thank you, readers. And now I'm off to study as midterms approach next week.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Hockey Day In America

It's a big Saturday south of the border as the United States of America embraces hockey for one entire day! While I wouldn't quite say that hockey has established itself in the lower 48 states at this point, the fact that NBC is devoting a pile of airtime for hockey and hockey-related stories is quite amazing. Combine that with the Heritage Classic from Calgary, Alberta tonight, and we've got ourselves a pretty solid hockey Sunday! I think what should be kept in mind as you read through this article is that hockey, no matter what people say, is becoming more mainstream again. With the expected lockouts/strikes coming up in both the NBA and NFL, hockey on NBC could be a regular Saturday broadcast over the next calendar year.

We'll start first with the line-up for Hockey Day In America. Thanks to NBC Sports and Versus combining their collective talents, games that NBC was once blocked from carrying thanks to Versus' buy-in for NHL rights are no longer a concern. NBC Sports can now carry those games as part of their line-up, and this will allow more games to reach more people through basic cable. Hockey can now be found on both your regular channels in the US as well as specialty cable channels. Exposure is good.

The early regional games see Washington at Buffalo, Philadelphia at the New York Rangers, and Detroit at Minnesota. The Washington-Buffalo game has Jeff Jackson doing play-by-play. Fomer NHL player Ray Ferraro will be between the benches doing analysis and color commentary. Philadelphia-New York will feature Ken Daniels and Joe Micheletti in the booth. Detroit-Minnesota sees Pat Foley and Darren Pang doing the broadcast. All six men are highly knowledgeable about the sport, and should provide great commentary throughout the early games.

The nationally televised game will be seen after the regional games, so there will be back-to-back hockey on NBC today. The Pittsburgh Penguins will be visiting the Chicago Blackhawks, and the "big guns" from NBC's hockey team will be on-hand. Doc Emrick, Ed Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire will handle the calling of the game and the color commentary while Mike Milbury and Liam McHugh handle the in-studio responsibilities.

Once that game is done, NBC will throw the gauntlet to Versus where they will broadcast the 2011 Heritage Classic featuring the Montreal Canadiens visiting the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium. Bill Patrick, Keith Jones, and Jeremy Roenick should make for an interesting studio analysis team while Dave Strader, Andy Brickley and Brian Engblom will in the booth for the play-by-play and color commentary.

I'm not going to say that this is a first on American television airwaves, but this is certainly the first time in a long time that hockey has dominated the telelvision landscape for one network. Not since the NHL playoffs on ESPN a number of years ago has hockey been featured so prominently on one network.

What may be the best part of Hockey Day In America are the features that NBC is working on as part of the broadcast. Some of the stories include:

• Neal Henderson's story. Mr. Henderson "founded the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey program in inner-city Washington, D.C. in 1978 and has helped make a difference in the lives of countless children and young adults ever since".
• A feature on the US Pond Hockey Championships from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was lucky enough to see this event first-hand last year, and it is an amazing time for both players and spectators.
• A feature on "celebrity hockey" played in Los Angeles where Hollywood folks such as directors, producers, and actors take to the ice to play the game that they love.
• A feature on the Boston Blades, the lone American CWHL team, that will highlight the challenges and rewards that the professional women hockey players face. For more info on the CWHL, check out this article.

Overall, I'm excited for today's events, and I really want to see NBC do well in the ratings with this kind of commitment to hockey. While I can't say that they'll post American Idol numbers or Super Bowl numbers all day, I'm pretty sure that they'll attract a few people who want to see what this fuss over hockey is all about. And those are just the people that we welcome with open arms to the game of hockey.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Another CBC Gem

If you happen to live close enough to Canada, you might be lucky enough to get a television signal from CBC. If you do, you might have been lucky enough to catch an episode of Dragon's Den, a television program where entrepreneurs get a chance to throw their business ideas at five investors who are looking for new business ideas in which to invest. The catch is that the five investors - Jim Treliving, Kevin O'Leary, Arlene Dickinson, W. Brett Wilson, and Robert Herjavec - don't just give away their money to anyone on this show. Instead, they only invest their money in ideas that make themselves potentially richer!

I'll be honest: there are some incredibly unique ideas that have the potential to make millions of dollars on the market if they are realized. And the Dragons certainly recognize opportunity when it knocks in most cases as they help aspiring entrepreneurs pursue these dreams while taking a little off the top as they guide the men and women who appear in the Dragon's Den studio to success. In short, the Dragons get paid to help people get rich.

Season Five of Dragon's Den brought an interesting pitch from an small company as Episode Five saw Side Splitting Productions gear up for their encounter with the Dragons. Let's take a look at they get themselves ready to step into the Dragon's Den.

Yes, you saw that correctly: Clark Robertson becomes Don Cherry as Clark and Darlene Robertson from Calgary, Alberta prepare to enter the Dragon's Den as Side Splitting Productions to ask the Dragons for some capital in their business. The star of HNIC's Coach's Corner get parodied on CBC's Dragon's Den in this episode! While this primer may have had a few spoilers as to what happened in the actual episode, let's take a look at the fire felt by Clark and Darlene as they stared down the Dragons.

I gotta say that Clark Robertson does a pretty good job in portraying Don Cherry in these videos as he sold W. Brett Wilson in his pitch! He's got the look, he's got the voice, he's got the mannerisms... he could be Grapes if Mr. Cherry ever decided to retire!

Congratulations to Clark and Darlene as Mr. Wilson invests $30,000 in their production company! You can find more of Clark Robertson performing on their website, and you can follow the Robertsons via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! You've got a fan in Teebz and HBIC!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Antler Banter: Volume 19

Antler Banter is back this week as the Moose return home for a battle two teams as they welcome the San Antonio Rampage and the Toronto Marlies to MTS Centre this week. The Moose have seen their blueline depleted as the Vancouver Canucks are keeping Vancouver's hospitals in business, so the Moose need to roll up their sleeves and apply a little elbow grease in their own zone. We'll take a look at how the Herd did in the three games thus far this week. Don't forget to visit the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. The Moose push forward in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

All Hooves And Horns

The Moose welcomed the San Antonio Rampage to MTS Centre this weekend as they began a six-game homestand. With all of the roster changes happening in the Moose locker room right now, it will be interesting to see how the Herd responds, especially with their defence corps being depleted due to the NHL's Canucks. Tyler Weiman got the call for the Moose at home on Friday while San Antonio sent Matt Climie out to the nets.

Nothing says impact like scoring in your first game after being out with an injury, and Tommy Maxwell made that impact tonight. Having been out since the middle of January, the pugilistic Moose winger took a pass from Shawn Weller in the right face-off circle and snapped a puck past under Climie's glove. Maxwell's fourth of the season showed that any effects from that hand injury are non-existent.

The Moose penalty killing units, now ranked second in the AHL, are looking to regain their spot atop the AHL statistics board as they went 3-for-3 in killing off penalties tonight. The Moose have been playing some excellent hockey while down a man for nearly two months, and the penalty kill will be an important factor down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Moose must keep this going as this could be the difference in a playoff round or two.

Juts as we've seen over the last week, it's feast or famine for the Moose as they were unable to build on Tommy Maxwell's first period goal. While Tyler Weiman stopped 27 of 29 shots sent his way, it wasn't enough to push the Moose to a victory as they drop the first of two games against the Rampage by a 2-1 score. With the loss, the Moose fall to 28-17-6 on the season.

Moose "Keane" To Grab Bull By Horns

It was a big night on Saturday as the Manitoba Moose looked to hang their first jersey from the rafters in a retirement ceremony as hometown hero and fan favorite Mike Keane was being honoured not only for his work in a Moose uniform, but for his overall hockey career. The former Moose captain remained at MTS Centre to catch the second half of the Moose-Rampage series as Eddie Lack donned the mask and pads for the Moose. Matt Climie would start this game, but Joe Fallon would close this one out.

Moose all-star Sergei Shirokov was the set-up man all night as the Moose sniper showed off his vision in collecting four assists in the game. Shirokov looked dangerous all night, ending the evening with four assists, four shots, and a +2 rating. While some may say that all four assists of Shirokov's assists were second assists, I say you still need a good first pass to get the play going. Shirokov possessed that talent tonight.

I was very impressed with the Moose blueliners on this night. All evening, the rearguards were active in the play, and they were very physical in their own zone without going over the line. If the Moose can get some continuity on their blueline with these men, they could be a very dangerous combination of offensive talent and pure physicality. The six defencemen finished the night with one goal, four assists, 12 shots, and a +4 rating - pretty darn good night for the men defending the goal!

Overall, the Moose hammered everything and everyone they could on this night, bringing the same work ethic to the ice that Mike Keane brought each time he laced up the skates. Efforts like this are entirely why hard work beats talent almost every time out, and the Moose put their hard hats on and brought their lunchpails to work on this night. Eddie Lack picks up the 5-0 shutout over the Rampage, and the Moose improve their record to 29-17-6 on the season with the victory!

More Marlies, Different Result

The Toronto Marlies came back to town less than a month after dropping the first three games to the Moose by a combined score of 12-4. The Marlies desperately need to beat some of the teams ahead of them in the North Division standings if they want to have a shot hosting a playoff series. The Moose went back to Eddie Lack on this night while the Marlies turned to Ben Scrivens to tend their nets.

The Moose penalty killing unit is really starting to become the best part of their special teams. The Moose PK unit scored a big first period goal with Kevin Connauton sitting in the sin bin. Again, the hard work put in by the PK teams is paying dividends, and may be the reason that the Moose win a round or two in the playoffs. Keep it up, Moose penalty killers!

The Herd as a team really need to see if they can break out of this funk that they have found themselves in. 35 shots against the Marlies resulted in only one goal on the evening - not the kind of firepower that an elite team should show. If the Moose can't fill the net with any sort of regularity, it will be a difficult battle down the stretch. Losing to teams that are behind you in the standings certainly won't help in the long run either.

The Moose found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger again on this night as the Marlies held on for a 2-1 victory over the Herd. The feast or famine continues as the Moose juggle their lineup once again, but the Moose can't find the chemistry to pick up a win over a division rival. With the loss, the Moose fall to 29-18-6 on the season.

Up Next - More Beatable Teams

The Moose have to respond against the Marlies tonight. Losing a second game to the Marlies is a four-point swing as the Marlies gain on the Moose. After firing blanks at the Marlies last night, a wake-up call is needed. The only way that the Moose are going to break out of this is to work hard, dig deep, and pump a few goals past the Marlies' goalkeepers.

The weekend sees the Moose welcome the Lake Erie Monsters to town for a pair of games. Saturday should be a big game as the Moose don the jerseys of the Gateway Flyers as the Flyers won the Community Jersey Program this past season! This should be a great night where the Moose will take on the look of the Philadelphia Flyers in the second game of the set with the Monsters.

Lake Erie comes into the game riding a hot streak as they have shot up through the North Division standings to sit tied with the Moose. They enter the weekend on a 7-2-1 tear, knocking off Hamilton twice and Texas twice through the last ten games. Goaltender Jason Bacashihua has turned his season around, playing very well through the last ten games, and the Monsters are getting balanced scoring as they have five players with 30+ points on the season. Manitoba will have to play extremely well if they hope to grab four points off these divisional foes.

We'll be back with more next week, but here's hoping the Moose can sort out their scoring woes before the weekend or they may find themselves in third-place in the North Division by Monday!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Hockey Day In Canada

I'm not sure where these two had this picture taken, but today is a very big day for Whitehorse, Yukon as CBC sets up shop there for the 2011 version of Hockey Day In Canada! Of course, the two men in that image are Ron MacLean and Don Cherry, Canada's Abbott and Costello from Hockey Night In Canada's "Coach's Corner". It's also a big day for some lucky kids as well as they made the trek from New Brunswick to Whitehorse to take part in Hockey Day In Canada!

First off, a big congratulations goes out once more to the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Bantam "A" Flyers from New Brunswick who won the right to be the featured team on Scotiabank's Hockey Day In Canada. The 17 players and their "entourage" of coaches and parents will be treated to a great week of hockey and fun as the city of Whitehorse welcomes them to town!

This is such a great contest, and I'm glad that Scotiabank is helping young kids save money while promoting sports in Canada. I am truly envious of the players on the Flyers, and I wish them nothing but the best on Hockey Day In Canada!

As for Whitehorse, this glimpse into life in a northern town should show the sparkle about which many already know. I, for one, have always wanted to visit this city, and CBC has given us a quick look through a video. Check it out.

Not bad, right? I'd like to visit there. Sure, it's a little cold, but where is it NOT cold in the winter in Canada?

There are three games on today, and all of them feature Canadian teams squaring off. The early game at 2PM ET has Ottawa visiting Edmonton in a battle of non-playoff teams. The second game at 7PM ET has Toronto visiting "la belle province" as the Maple Leafs battle against the Montreal Canadiens. The late game at 10PM ET features the surging Calgary Flames heading west to Vancouver to battle the division-leading Canucks.

The best part of this entire day is that you don't need to be a CBC viewer or a Canadian to get the full schedule of hockey today. NBC Sports' ProHockeyTalk has a full line-up of the day's activities for American viewers and how to view the action! How cool is that?

Get your hockey fix on today, kids. There's approximately ten hours of hockey goodness for you to bask in!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Changing Their Course

Rarely are NHL fans treated to a new look midway through the NHL season. Rarely are we treated to a shift in the values, vision, and direction of a franchise so thoroughly with half the season still to be played. And it is the rarest of cases that a franchise will debut new uniforms midway through a season while still wearing their old uniforms. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning have decided to break the trend of waiting until the off-season to debut their new uniforms by unveiling them today. Of course, I have my take on these new threads, so we'll take a look at the good, bad, and indifferent about these new uniforms, and we'll have an overall grade of the new look debuted by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

We've seen a monumental shift in how the Lightning does business since Steve Yzerman took the reins as general manager of the Floridian franchise. The Lightning have definitely changed from an outside point-of-view, extolling the virtues of honour, tradition, respect, and doing things the "right way" as values of their franchise. So it comes as no surprise that the Tampa Bay Lightning published a new set of core values on which the team will build.

If you read that vision statement correctly, the Lightning represent three major keys: the Tampa Bay community, a championship team, and hallmark events. These are the cornerstones of the Lightning franchise in that they will represent and be part of the Tampa Bay community as both corporate citizens and icons within the community; they will be a championship-calibre team so that the metropolitan area of Tampa and St. Petersburg can be proud of their hockey franchise, and proudly stand behind and support their NHL club; and, the Lightning will host hallmark events in which the people of the Tampa Bay area can take part and of which they can be proud. Essentially, the Tampa Bay Lightning are redefining themselves in the market they play in, and I think this is an excellent idea.

Not only are the Lightning pledging to be more visual and more active in the community, but they are committing themselves to the community of Tampa Bay as partners and citizens. But it's not like this vision just suddenly appeared as some apparition to the men who run the Lightning. Instead, this is the basis that the vast majority of northern NHL markets run their businesses. Franchises like Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Minnesota, and Detroit send their players out into the community to interact with fans all the time at various community events. It's no secret that Steve Yzerman, a long-time Detroit Red Wing, is putting this vision forward as a way for the Lightning to become more visible in their own yard. This, readers, is how you generate buzz about your team. For a team that's deep in the sunbelt, this is nothing but a good idea. GOOD.

While the vision statement is something brand-new for this franchise that now puts an onus on the club in being a good corporate citizen, I have to admit that I'm shocked that the Lightning took a step back in their branding of themselves. The new logos, while fairly clear, are also still regressing backwards from their previous iterations. While we saw this work in the case of the Vancouver Canucks as they moved to new uniforms, the Lightning, to me, should be a little more bold. After all, lightning is a pretty awesome force in nature. So while the overall aesthetic of the Lightning hasn't been lost, it does seem a little underwhelming just being one colour. PUSH.

The new uniforms are different, and normally I believe that different is good if it leads to something better. The Lightning have essentially turned a once-bold look into a very subdued look. While I'm not totally against the idea of simplifying anyone's look, we go back to the Lightning being a name that exudes energy and boldness. Had the Minnesota Wild come up with a logo like this, the brand simply doesn't fit the identity. I feel that the home jersey's brand doesn't have the same effect without the black and silver that it once does, and the Lightning are worse off for it. STUPID.

However, I do like the blue colour that the Lightning have decided on for the home jerseys. I was always a fan of the alternate jersey that the Lightning wore in the late-1990s, and the "electric blue" that they wear on their current alternate jerseys stands out. While the Lightning certainly could use some black and silver highlights, the home jersey would essentially look a lot like their current alternate jerseys... making them Dallas East. Kudos for the Lightning in opting for the blue background for their home jerseys, and for not selecting navy blue as their primary colour. GOOD.

The new white road jersey is even more sterile than their current road jersey. Again, the jersey could certainly use some black and/or silver highlights to make the jersey "pop" a little more. After all, we're talking about "the Lightning". And I'm not a fan of the "Tampa Bay" written across this jersey. As you know, I seriously think that NHL teams need to live and die by their logos and branding and not the city name. While the city name is vitally important to the identity of the team, when you read "Chicago hockey", the Blackhawks logo probably comes to mind. Lose the name, grab some jersey accents for this road jersey. STUPID.

The new shoulder patch being sported by the Lightning is magnificent. Honestly, I love the retro look of this new patch, and I think that this design has a lot of opportunity to be a very good logo for branding. First, circular logos are automatically pleasing to the eye in their nature. Don't believe me? Think about these logos - Target, Apple, Disney, Mercedes-Benz, the Olympic Rings, AT&T, Shell Petroleum. What do they all have in common? They are round or have large portions of their logos in a round shape. And I guarantee that most of you can picture each of those logos in your head.

Secondly, the patch is very simplistic in its design. Less is definitely more in this case, and I think the Lightning should be very happy with this design. I, for one, think it could almost be their primary logo. GOOD.

I apologize for the size of the picture, but the Lightning have gone to single-colour names and numbers on the back of the jerseys. I'm certainly not complaining because you can read the names and numbers quite easily in that small picture, and it is much better than some of their previous font choices. The font is clean and simple, and that's perfect. GOOD.

Overall, the look of these new jerseys leaves me wanting more from the Lightning. It's not to say that they're bad or that I won't get used to them, but in comparison to today's look and yesterday's look, the Lightning just seem less aggressive in their new duds. Having the legends show up and wear the new uniforms, including Phil Esposito who never played for the Lightning, was a little much in terms of presentation.

The Lightning also announced that their recently-introduced alternate jerseys would move forward with the new uniforms to remain as the alternate jersey. So while the "Victory Stripes" may be gone from the home and road jerseys, fans of the Lightning will still get to see them when the Lightning play games in their alternate uniforms. As much as I like to make fun of the armpit stripes, they are unique to the Lightning, so I'm glad to see the stripes remain. However, I'm still not sold on "Bolts". PUSH.

So there are the new-look Tampa Bay Lightning in all of their uniform glory. Personally, I think the look will grow on me, so I'm going to give these jerseys a thumbs-up as they went 4-2-2 in the GOOD-STUPID-PUSH record. Time will tell how the Lightning fare in their traditional design, but at least Steve Yzerman didn't resort to bringing Manon Rhéaume in to back up Dwayne Roloson.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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