When the summer skates in, it’s usually all about the stars and stripes. In the States we kick off the warmer months with Memorial Day, celebrate with Fourth of July and close it all out with Labor Day. That’s three holidays with the colors red, white and blue all locked up. Going with a casual style is perfect in warm weather, but we kicked this simple all American look up by adding some sparkle. Make the look your own, but we bet it’ll go off with a bang! 
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is taking the country by storm, all for a good cause, started by Pete Frates. With everyone being nominated, it was just a matter of time before someone tagged my name on Facebook and challenged me to participate. Yesterday it happened and today, less than 24 hours later, I delivered per the rules. But before I even received the nomination, I had already donated. Long before the Ice Bucket Challenge even began, I was familiar with ALS and will continue to donate for years to come. Why? Its simple. Before many people probably even knew the extent of the disease, my family watched a kind and amazing person, my aunt, suffer greatly and sadly pass away from it.
This disease deserves every ounce of recognition that it’s receiving, but please make sure you’re participating for the right reasons and not because it’s the cool thing to do, quite literally.
Just because you’re dumping a bucket of ice water on your head doesn’t mean you’ve helped the cause. Yes, you’ve heightened awareness — but at the end of the day, awareness isn’t going to fund the research to really strike out this debilitating disease. Don’t get me wrong, I love that people are participating and that a lesser known disease is getting the attention it deserves. But for me, if you’re going to participate, take the time to do the research and know what ALS is all about. The Ice Bucket Challenge shouldn’t be treated as a fad, whether you choose to dump ice water on yourself or not, be sure to dump any monetary amount you can, even if it’s $1 into finding a cure – ALS Foundation.
I’ve heard some people say they wish they could be nominated, if you’d like to participate, then participate… nominate yourself! But I’m extending the nomination to our writers and readers alike. We all like ice, why not experience it in a different way, for a good cause and donate, donate, donate.
Something is missing this summer. When I really think about it, I haven’t seen a game in a long time.
Some call it ‘road hockey’ or ‘street hockey.’
It has been a long time since I played in a good game of street hockey and longer since I saw a game.
I remember when my street was full of kids and adults playing on the road. The curb became the sidelines and the nets were placed just in front of the driveway of our neighbors. Oh boy, we did have fun!
We played on the asphalt. We were brave back then, we used no equipment. There was no reason too as we played for fun. We didn’t whack each other to much, no one ever bled. We stop for all cars. We had to as we played in the middle of the road. I remember someone always yelling ‘CAR.’ How we all laughed!
It was a great way of spending time just before dinner on a school day. In the summer months everyone got to play till the sun went down. We ran back and forth till we couldn’t see the net nor the puck any more. It was one of the games the kids on the street played that included the adults. It was one of the only times when we all saw our neighbors and friends. The game became a social part of the street.
Things have changed a lot since then. Kids don’t play outside anymore. A whole generation is missing a great part of life by staying indoors. People are more up- tight about things like a bit of blood oozing out of a body part, sweating, having lots of fun and smiling. Homework and chores are important but team work is also.
What was once a simple game of yelling ‘hockey game in 5 minutes,’ with no formal teams nor leagues has become a major sport. There are international tournaments and associations everywhere. Europe and Asia has their own associations but they follow North America’s rules. Canada has the Canadian Ball Hockey Association. The U.S. has the American Street Hockey Institute. Both play under the rules of the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (I.S.B.H.F.) This federation is a non-profit organization which started in 1993. They started to organize tournaments in 1995.
These games taught us a lot about others and ourselves. We grew into mature adults with the teachings and lessons we learned from the asphalt. I miss watching the game. It was always exciting, fast- paced and full of childhood laughter. I truly believe the children of today are missing out of something really special. I think our neighborhoods need to bring out the pucks more often. The community that plays together……..
I day I hope I can hear the famous yell once again. “CAR”
(Photo: chicago.cbs.com)
Being a sports fan came pretty naturally to me. I have three brothers and an athletic dad.
My love for hockey, and the Blackhawks, has just been a part of my life–even when it meant listening to games on the radio because former ownership wouldn’t televise them.
But, being a female sports fan has its challenges. We’re called jersey chasers. We’re forced to churn out stats to prove we’re actually fans of the sport itself and not just the men playing it.
While I’m a fan of many sports, my hockey/Blackhawks fanhood borders fanaticism. It’s an obsession. I can’t get enough. My heart races during games. I plan events around the schedule. My own father has had to tell me, “It’s only a game.”
I’m also defensive of my team and sport, sometimes to a fault.
So, when I feel a sense of condescension toward me, or, worse, sleaze, coming from the very community I pray (to two Lords–THE Lord, and Lord Stanley), weep, and swear for, I have to admit, it’s time for change.
That’s why I’m bothered when I go to Tweet something with “Puck” and these are the autofill options:
Why are “Puckbunny” (not so terrible) and “Puckslut” (seriously?!) the first two options?
Popular hockey and lacrosse brand Warrior is guilty as well.
They bashed Title IX, a federal Civil Rights law that forbids discrimination on the basis of sex. It allows for equality for school athletes, just as one example. After an outcry, they deleted the above Tweet.
But, try shopping for women’s gear on their site and you’ll find the following:
If you ask me, that kind of attitude isn’t wise to use toward 50 percent of the population, the majority of shoppers, and the ones who would be purchasing gear for not just themselves if it were available, but for their children of both sexes. My boyfriend (and I) will be wearing Bauer, Gongshow, Mission, or just about anything else, thank you very much.
Forgive me for having feelings, but when North American women take home gold and silver medals at the Winter Olympics, things like this make me want to crosscheck some sense into the ‘web.
For years now, I’ve rolled my eyes when it came to the “Shoot the Puck” portion of intermission at my beloved Blackhawks games. While I’m inclined often to defend them, this particular tradition is an annoying one. A child usually wearing a Hawks sweater, a celebrity also wearing a Hawks sweater, and an obvious “plant” of a bombshell woman not dressed at all for a hockey game or even Chicago, shoot the puck for chances at prizes.
While for one, I think the average female fan–variety is the spice of life, after all–would like to be included in this tradition, or at least see someone who looks like a fan out there (sporting some Blackhawks gear perhaps), I think an even bigger issue lies in the whole audio-visual setup.
Only, when it’s the beautiful woman’s turn, organist Frank Pellico plays the song “The Stripper.”
Today, August 7, it’s sparked a Twitter Trend “#BanTheStripper” with various people reaching out to the Blackhawks organization, asking them to stop the degradation.
Hey @NHLBlackhawks, #BanTheStripper because I want my daughter to support an organization that respects her as a fan.
— KGP (@tracy_keary) August 7, 2014
Fan and player Casey Rathunde originally brought it up to Blackhawks brass at the Blackhawks Convention in July.
Gonna go ask some pointed questions about ice girls and shoot the puck girls, if anyone wants to come be my backup. Wheeeee. — Casey (@Raedances) July 19, 2014
The panel she addressed, which included Blackhawks’ President and CEO John McDonough and Chairman Rocky Wirtz, according to various media accounts became very thirsty, all reaching for their water. Eventually, though, this answer came out:
The @NHLBlackhawks recognized the growing number of female fans. I hope they show us that they value who we are & what we bring. #diversity
— Leiram Rivera Soto (@CaptainMVP) July 19, 2014
This has inspired several opinion pieces calling for change, and now some online activism, as featured in this petition. The petition calls for the hashtag, as well as other forms of activism through social media and mail correspondence.
If you’d like to see some Shoot the Puck and Ice Crew changes, come check out my Blackhawks petition: https://t.co/4tQv4oDZ18 #Blackhawks — mapricity (@mapricity) August 7, 2014
Personally, I don’t have a problem with the Blackhawks’ Bud Light Ice Crew, at least, not until I hear they’re being mistreated in any way. They go through a rigorous tryout process. Many are hockey players or figure skaters, or were at one time.
The Ice Crew is more involved than cheerleaders–they wield shovels to help clear choppy ice during breaks, do photo ops with fans before the game, fundraise for Blackhawks charities, and attend various promotional and charity events, including those for youth hockey.
And, if they are comfortable with what they’re wearing, then I have no objections. Who am I to judge?
Others call it to question, though. Why do the male members of the Ice Crew wear pants and coats, while the women are in short skirts and crop tops? Is it fair to subject them to the cat calls of the men in crowd? Is that their real purpose?
So, I wonder, have they been asked whether they’re comfortable? Perhaps that could be addressed head-on by the Blackhawks organization.
Some teams’ Ice Crew members are happy in their roles, while others have complaints about their organization. In my following of Blackhawks Ice Crew members past and present, I’ve yet to witness displeasure. If and when I do, my opinion may change.
Yes, there are impressionable young girls at the game. They can be taught to play hockey and/or they can be taught to pursue a career and join an Ice Crew, which does work hard and participate in positive activities regardless of attire, if that’s what they wish.
Scarborough Research of New York says about 38 percent of the Blackhawks’ fan base is female. The Blackhawks have a season ticket waiting list. They don’t need to reach low to entice a fan base. It’s here. It’s solid. And, with 227 consecutive sold out games, plus all the accusations of bandwagonnery thrown about, I imagine it’s ever growing.
Last year, when ticket prices jumped 16 percent, Wirtz said:
“As the tickets are more valuable, our fan behavior is becoming better. When the tickets didn’t have the same value or they didn’t look at the team as much, many times it would be an element of people who wanted to come to the United Center just to cause trouble and get in fights. We don’t have that.”
Well, people are paying more and they expect better. So, the Blackhawks need to think about that large percentage of the fan base. Think about future fans. And, have Pellico play a different tune. It’s the least they could do.
This year has been a success for popular hockey bloggers. With the rise in importance of analytic usage in hockey, more teams are hiring bloggers to consult with them. This past offseason, many teams have realized how useful it is to consider what the sites are saying (and seeing) about their teams.
The most recent case of this is Tyler Dellow, the owner of the blog mc79hockey.com (which has been taken down since the announcement of his role on August 5th) has been asked to be a consultant for the Edmonton Oilers. The ex-lawyer was even the one to uncover questionable emails between then-league disciplinarian Colin Campbell and Stephen Walkom. The New Jersey Devils are also a recent team to add a blogger to their arsenal. Sunny Mehta, a blogger and ex-professional poker player has been chosen to help in analytics. Blogger and Analyst Eric Tulsky has been added to the roster of an unknown team to also examine.
This is a great thing for hockey bloggers recognition in the hockey world. This could open doors that directly link teams to the writers websites.
This is a huge breakthrough. It shows that teams really do care about what you have to say about them. They value what people see the teams doing right, and what they are doing wrong. Dellow specifically showed new ways of evaluating and comparing the players to the numbers that were being put up (by the team and the players). This could not only be a goal for the writer, but also the team. If a team can see their stats in a new light, then they can adjust how they need to.
Bloggers of all sorts can take not of this advance. This goes to show that you really don’t know who is seeing your stuff, and what opportunities that it could bring.
(Photo: Greg M. Cooper/USA Today Sports)
“‘Go to the mattresses.’ You’re at war. ‘It’s not personal, it’s business. It’s not personal it’s business.’ Recite that to yourself every time you feel you’re losing your nerve. I know you worry about being brave, this is your chance. Fight. Fight to the death.”
Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), owner of a thriving book conglomerate, gives this “Godfatherly” advice to his e-crush Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), unaware that she’s the owner of a small bookstore battling his chain to stay open in one of my favorite RomCom’s, “You’ve Got Mail.”
The Chicago Blackhawks, like every other NHL team, are at war. (Coincidentally, the team was named after original team owner Major Frederic McLaughlin’s World War I division, the Black Hawks–honoring the namesake Sauk Indian Chief.) They fight to the near death through a grueling, physical sport each year in hopes of hoisting the sporting world’s most glorious trophy.
So, though we may look at our team as family, we must also remember it’s a business. They play for their livelihood. And, a team is working within the parameters of a salary cap.
That means, sometimes, good people have to go. It’s not personal. It’s business.
The Blackhawks needed to extend contracts for Captain Jonathan Toews and forward Patrick Kane. Their $10.5 million, eight-year extensions were more than fair considering their combined accolades. There could be worse problems than having too many talented players on the roster.
For the Blackhawks, though, it’s meant saying goodbye to Michal Handzus, who was pivotal in last season’s playoff run, even if the team fell in Game Seven of the Western Conference Final to the eventual Stanley Cup winning Los Angeles Kings. At 37, a seasoned veteran in the league, Handzus isn’t ready to retire, and was hoping to stay in Chicago.
He had a big hand the Blackhawks’ 2013 Cup win, but had just four goals and 12 assists in 59 games with the Hawks last season. His second-line center spot was covered by Andrew Shaw as the season came to an end. He told Chicago media that being let go was “sad, but not a surprise.” “I want to play,” Handzus said. “I still have fun. It left a bad taste the way we lost in the playoffs and I didn’t play well. I still feel that I’m a better player than I showed. “Now I’m healthy for the offseason and I can work and get into shape and do what I need to do. I feel I can still help a team. We’ll see if the teams think that too. I know I’m an older guy and I don’t know what’s out there, but we’ll see.”
I would’ve liked to see ‘Zus retire a Blackhawk, but he didn’t fit in the pocketbook. With a $2.5 million cap hit, Hawks’ brass decided to part ways with the player. Though he was let go in June, he’s yet to be picked up by another team.
Someone has to want that flow, though.
(photo: Chicagonow.com)
Budgeting also meant saying goodbye to Brandon Bollig.
‘‘It’s always tough when you trade a player who has been a regular player for you,’’ General Manager Stan Bowman said. ‘‘You have to make tough decisions these days. We’re not the only team that will go through that.’’
The 2013-2014 season was statistically his best, with seven goals and seven assists, in the 82 regular season games, and one assist in 15 playoff games. He showed he could be more than an enforcer compared to his previous seasons.
I must confess I wasn’t devastated by this move. I like Bollig, but have been disappointed in his recent play. His dedicated progress toward a skilled all-around player (versus hockeyfights.com star) seemed to dwindle after a March 30 hit from the Penguins’ Brooks Orpik left Toews with a shoulder injury.
Many questioned the smart choice not to retaliate in a game where the team needed to focus on a win. Apparently, he didn’t take kindly to the criticism.
On April 3, Bollig targeted the Wild’s Zach Parise seemingly without cause.
And, during the crunch time of playoffs, he delivered a hit on the Wild’s Keith Ballard that landed him a two-game suspension.
He racked up 203 hits, went to fisticuffs six times, and served 92 penalty minutes last season. He was a healthy scratch for four playoff games.
The Blackhawks extended his contract, $1.25 million for three years, in March and Bollig purchased a condo in Chicago’s upscale River North neighborhood. Then, June 28, he was dealt to Calgary for the 83rd-overall draft pick.
Flames General Manager Brad Treliving said he liked the idea of adding Bollig’s toughness and Stanley Cup experience to his young roster.
Bollig is expected to get more than his approximately 10 minutes of ice time per game with the move to the Flames.
“The more you play, the better you feel, I think,” Bollig told media when his trade was announced late June. “I loved my role here in Chicago, but when you change teams, you get the new look and new coaches think different things about certain roles and certain players.
“I’m excited to see where this takes me, and, hopefully expand my role and have a good, exciting season up in Calgary. My time here in Chicago was amazing and I’ll never forget it; but it’s going to be fun to help rebuild that organization.”
I think the St. Charles, Missouri, native’s time in Chicago helped make him a better player and he will be able to utilize that on the ice with the Flames.
Yes, the Blackhawks are lacking in the brute department. But, I prefer finesse to physicality on the ice–something that has paid off in the form of Stanley Cups in 2010 and 2013. Chicago is left with the size of Bryan Bickell and the scrappy nature of Andrew Shaw if they need someone to stand up to bullies.
Bowman said Rockford IceHogs center Brandon Mashinter, at 6-feet, 4-inches and 220 pounds and with 23 NHL games experience, may be able to step in.
What fans will miss are his character, like when he used this:
as an answer to this:
And, of course, images like this one:
(photo: Twitter)
Goaltender Nickolai Khabibulin won’t be returning, either, but that’s to be expected. I was astonished the Blackhawks even signed him last season to his one-year $2 million contract. He was an excellent goaltender in his prime, but as a backup to Corey Crawford, and at 40 years old, the “‘Bulin Wall” showed signs of crumbling early in the season. After a groin injury Nov. 16, Khabibulin didn’t return to the roster. He was replaced by Antti Raanta, who was pretty solid as Crawford’s backup. Raanta had a .897 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average with 13 wins and five losses in 25 games played.
Khabibulin had a .811 save percentage and 5.00 goals against average in four games–11 seasons after taking the Vezina and Hart trophies and serving as an All-Star goalie with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Blackhawks are yet to re-sign Sheldon Brookbank, a young and strong defenseman I would love to keep in the red sweater next year. He was a plus-two with two goals and five assists in 48 games with the Blackhawks last year. Brookbank meant a $1.25 million cap hit, according to capgeek.com, last season.
With talent like this, I’d like to see his return:
While players like Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp have been publicly addressed as protected parts of the team (both for good reason, including their talent on the ice and Sharp’s marketability), Brookbank’s status hasn’t been addressed.
If it came down to budgetary reasons, I’ll take the controversial route and admit I’d put Brent Seabrook on a trade block before giving up Saad, Sharp, Brookbank, Jonny Oduya, or Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Why? Well, he’s coming off a great year stats-wise, so he looks great on paper for trade-bait. In 98 games last season, he had 10 goals and 46 assists. He was a plus-23 for the regular season. (Sure, this is also a reason to keep him on the team. He’s one of the few guys who will take a shot from the blue line instead of playing hot potato with the puck.) But, he also carries a $5.8 million cap hit according to capgeek.com, and has a tendency for taking misguided penalties (and suspensions) like the one against David Backes at a pivotal point of the postseason. Seabrook is signed through next year.
It should also be noted, though, that without two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith in his defensive pairing, Seabrook, in my humble opinion, would not be quite the esteemed player he is. Keith will take shots from the blue line as well, and in 98 games had 10 goals and 62 assists. He was a plus-22 in the regular season and plus-7 in the playoffs. Keith, fortunately, is signed at $5.5 million until 2023.
Keith and Hjalmarsson were the go-to duo when Seabrook seemed to lack passion against the Kings at crunch time in the Western Conference Final and, even without a voice (Hjalmarsson stops pucks with his throat and stays in the playoffs) the pair meshed pretty well.
Even Nick Leddy will shoot from the blue line and put his body in front of shot pucks, at half the cap hit of Seabrook.
This doesn’t account for all of the prospects in the mix.
As for what will happen… only time will tell.
(Photo: NHL)
Last season, the NHL expanded the outdoor games with the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. The four games of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series all played in front of sold out stadiums. The NHL hopes that the 2015 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series will be no different.
The 2015 series will see another outdoor game in California but this time it will be a battle between northern and southern California. The San Jose Sharks will host the LA Kings at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Levi’s Stadium, which only opened last month, will play host to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. The teams will face-off on Saturday, February 21st at 7pm PT/10pm ET. The Sharks cited sight lines as the reason for choosing Levi’s Stadium instead of AT&T Park, where the San Francisco Giants play.
“The Coors Light NHL Stadium Series has been a huge hit with fans, of course, but also with our retailers, distributors, and employees,” said Adam Dettman, director, sports and entertainment marketing at MillerCoors. “The beer that is committed to delivering cold refreshment is the perfect fit for hockey, a sport that’s embracing the cold with these outdoor games. For Coors Light, we now can build great momentum as the NHL season moves from the NHL Winter Classic®, to the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series, to the Stanley Cup® Playoffs.”
The Sharks-Kings rivalry has only gotten stronger lately, after the two teams met in the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In a series Sharks fans are still trying to forget, San Jose jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, only to lose the series to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion LA Kings.
“California has become known for outstanding NHL hockey, which will be on display in February when the San Jose Sharks host the Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings outside at the new Levi’s® Stadium,” said Don Fehr, NHLPA Executive Director. “It will be a memorable game, given the ultra-competitive rivalry between the Sharks and the Kings and the spectacular setting and facility in which it will take place. The players are already looking forward to it.”
Since the start of the 2010-2011 season, the Kings and Sharks have met 41 times between the regular season and playoffs. This is more than any other two teams during that span, contributing more to the rivalry.
This will be the first time in franchise history that the San Jose Sharks have ever taken a game outside. They have played 1738 NHL games so far, all with a roof over their heads. On the other end, the Kings will be playing outside for the second straight season. Last year, they hosted the Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium.
Both teams seem excited to participate in the outdoor game. Even some of the players have been weighing in and all seem to be looking forward to playing outside. It takes it back to how many players started. Many players have good memories of playing outside with family when they were younger. In this case, Levi’s Stadium is reported to have an expandable capacity of 75,000.
On Wednesday, August 6, USA Hockey announced the Class of 2014 inductees into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame: Karyn Bye-Dietz, Brian Rafalski, Jeff Sauer, and Lou Vairo. The group will be formally inducted on December 4 in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Additional information will be released over the next few weeks at USHockeyHallofFame.com.
When opening the media teleconference after the announcement, Dave Fischer, USA Hockey’s Senior Director of Communications stated that this was one of USA Hockey’s most favorite days of the year. And the 42nd class represents connections to some of hockey’s most memorable and historic individuals and events. Each of this year’s inductees has actively contributed to the growth of hockey in every level of the sport and with every group.
Perhaps not surprising, when introduced, the inductees all mentioned how humble they were, well, all but coach Sauer, who candidly stated that he was “stunned more than humbled.” He never expected to be considered as an inductee, but he then went on to give his fellow inductees perhaps the highest compliment that someone involved in hockey can receive when called them great teammates.
Lou Vairo
Consider for a moment that Vairo studied under Anatoli Tarasov, considered “the father of Russian hockey.” Born in Brooklyn, Vairo recalled how Tarasov came to the United States, when Vairo asked, to assist in some dry land training events that were held in 18 cities.
“[Tarasov] was a genius in hockey,” Vairo said.
He also recalled growing up in Brooklyn and remembering always finding a way to play hockey. Sometimes it was street hockey and at others it was because the Monsignor flooded a field. The pride he has in coming from Brooklyn is clear, but it is a healthy pride—not a chest thumping, just a realization of how his origins have helped him along the way.
Karyn Bye-Dietz
When Bye-Dietz’s name is mentioned, hockey fans are transported back to the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano when the inaugural United States Women’s Hockey Team won gold. Bye-Dietz was the alternate captain that year. And it was after this impressive victory that there was a increase of interest in women’s hockey. And as high as the emotions could have been for her and her teammates that year, she has also experienced the heartbreak of losing to the Canadians. In her second Olympics, having already beat the Canadians eight consecutive times, the team fell to the Canadians on home ice at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Bye-Dietz was asked if the Miracle Team of 1980 had influenced her. She recalled being glued to the television, at the age of 8, and said it was a huge boost for her.
“I want to do that some day,” she told her parents at that very young age.
And she did. She began by playing on a boy’s youth hockey Mites team. Her jersey listed her as “K.L. Bye.”
In 1998 she was one of the featured Olympians on a Wheaties’ box. And in 2011 she was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Hall of Fame. And since being mesmerized by those plucky college kids who believed in themselves and in the work they had invested before mesmerizing a world, she has since been able to talk to some of those players and considers them friends today. So perhaps this story has come full circle. It seems fitting that from their playing on TV that she should be motivated, and from that motivation—not to mention her commitment and hard work—her team’s win in 1998 helped motivate a new generation of players. And not just a new generation of hockey players, but also her involvement in hockey helped inspired girls to realize they too could become a miracle on the ice.
Jeff Sauer
After playing for three years on an athletic scholarship at Colorado College, Sauer would go on to serve as an assistant coach there the year after he graduated. From there he took an assistant’s position with the Wisconsin Badgers. He returned to Colorado in 1971 as head coach until 1982 when he went back to Wisconsin. He would serve there as head coach for twenty years. Sauer is seventh in all-time wins in college coaching. In 1980 he served as a scout under Herb Brooks and then went on to serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team in 1985 and 1992. His most recent head coaching positions have earned his team and the United States gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Paralympics in sled hockey. In addition, Sauer serves as president of the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association. He’s helped select the last five U.S. Deaflympic Ice Hockey Teams and led the team as head coach in the last three Winter Deaflympics—which included the gold medal winning team at the 2007 Deaflympics in Salt Lake City.
Sauer’s time as a coach means he coached many players, which included his fellow inductee, Rafalski, who played for the Badgers before going on to play in the NHL. However, Sauer considers the gold medal that the U.S. Sled Hockey team won in Sochi at the 2014 Paralympics, combined with the chemistry of that team, as the pinnacle of his career to date. Considering all his accomplishments, that speaks volumes.
In recalling his time in Sochi, Sauer said it was a tremendous honor. He pointed out that given how the Russian people view the handicapped that it was a great showcase for handicapped people and he talked about how powerful the atmosphere was at the arena.
And while team chemistry sounds simple, when you look at the vast age range of his sled hockey team, from a 16-year-old to a 33-year-old, the chemistry of that team was as much to do with his leadership as with the players themselves.
Brian Rafalski
Rafalski played for the Badgers and went on to play on NHL teams with which he won three Stanley Cups (two of them with the New Jersey Devils in 2000 and 2003, and once with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008) and he also played in three Olympics—2002, 2006 and 2010—earning two silver medals. He mentioned receiving a letter in the summer in preparation for the 2002 Olympics—coached by Herb Brooks of the 1980’s Miracle Team that included some exercises to do. And in the letter was perhaps the best known Herbism—The legs feed the wolf.
Throughout his 15-season career in professional hockey where he earned 515 career points, he ranks as 10th-best among American defensemen. And while he signed with the ECHL Florida Everblades on January 3, 2014, he was released 18 days later citing back issues.
He spends the bulk of his time in the Fort Myers area of Florida, where he serves as a chaplain. During the teleconference he mentioned his ten-year-old son and the other class of 2004 players who play together in Florida. His excitement at the growth of hockey in Florida was clear.
All of the inductees were asked about the best advice they got and who gave it to them. And it was clear from the advice shared by each that they had taken that guidance to heart.
“You should always remember you are there to serve the players,” Vairo said Tarasov had told him. “The players are not there to serve you.”
Rafalski remembered guidance from Mike Kemp, who spent fourteen years as assistant and head recruiter at Wisconsin. “Every day you have a choice to get better or to get worse.”
“Don’t blink,” Bye-Dietz said, referring to advice from her Olympic Coach Ben Smith during the 1998 Olympics. “You’re gonna wake up in March and this will be done.”
He was stressing that while they needed to work hard he also wanted them to have fun so that when they looked back they had great memories of the entire time.
“The best group of kids to coach are orphans,” Sauer said facetiously of his dad’s advice. “Because you don’t have to deal with parents.”
However, he went on to stress that the best advice he got was to remember that he was only as good as the guys who were in front of him. Those were the people who did the work that allowed him to come along.
The 42nd class of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame could be a group of people puffed up with pride when you consider all their accomplishments and the hockey greats they have known. But perhaps that is the crowning aspect of why they are a great group—each one of them was truly humbled by the nomination.
And amongst all the stories and advice that was shared by these hockey greats, perhaps a fitting closer to this piece is the advice shared by Vairo that can apply to everyone regardless of what they want to do.
“If you really want to do something. If you believe and persevere,” he said with true emotion. “You can achieve anything, if you stick with it and don’t take no for an answer.”
Photo Credit: Kevin Hoffman/USA Today Sports
The Philadelphia Flyers and defenseman Michael Del Zotto have agreed to a one-year contract that is reportedly worth $1.3 million.
The Flyers were forced to make a move after the team announced that defenseman, Kimmo Timonen, is being treated for blood clots in his lower right leg and both lungs. The team is unsure if and when Timonen will return to the linep. The signing put the Flyers over the salary cap, but they will put Chris Pronger on the long-term injury reserve, or LTIR, to free up cap space. They could potentially put Timonen on the LTIR too, which would free up another $2 million.
Del Zotto is coming off of a disappointing season which he split between the New York Rangers and the Nashville Predators. The Predators decided not to give him a qualifying offer so he became an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The defenseman score three goals, had 13 assists for 16 points in 67 games played last season while averaging 17:12 in ice time per game. In 25 games with the Predators, he had only one goal, four assists, five points and was a minus four. Del Zotto is only 24 years old and was drafted in 2008 by the Rangers, but was traded last season to the Predators in exchange for defenseman Kevin Kline after not being able to live up to expectation set by the team.
Del Zotto won’t throw his body around a lot, but he can skate as well as play the point on the power play. He averaged 1:19 of power play time per game last season. Mark Streit will likely be the defenseman on the point for the first power play unit, but Del Zotto could potentially quarterback the second unit. He can score, but has to work on his defensive zone coverage and be more careful when he has the puck.
The defenseman has 27 goals. 99 assists, 126 points and is a minus eight in 317 career games played while averaging 20:07 of ice time per game. He has played in 32 career playoff games where he has three goals, nine assists, 12 points and is a minus seven and averaged 21:28 of ice time per game.
The signing is low risk for the Flyers since the cap hit is reportedly only $1.3 million, but has the potential to have high reward. Del Zotto is coming off of a bad season and has something to prove, which could be a good thing for the Flyers.
Just when you thought the EA Sports NHL series couldn’t get any better, NHL 15 happened. With the new consoles (Xbox One, PS3) out and thriving, head producer Sean Ramjagsingh and his team of technicians were able to take their off-season advancements to a whole new level. Using the power of the new gaming format to revamp both game-play and presentation, NHL 15 is shaping up to be the best hockey game of all time. The E3 Game Critics Award winner in the Best Sports Category (for the second straight year)- beating out the likes of other EA favorites in Fifa 15 and Madden 15- NHL 15 looks like a champion of Stanley Cup proportions. In anticipation of this year’s release, I had the pleasure of interviewing head producer Sean Ramjagsingh to get an inside look at this year’s game.
The Pink Puck: What are the most noticeable game-play differences between NHL 14 and 15?
Sean Ramjagsingh: For us, it’s really exciting to be on the new consoles for the first time. The power of the consoles has allowed us to literally change everything with our game-play and presentation. With game-play specifically, one of the things you’ll notice right away is the new physics in the game. We’ve literally rebuilt our player model from the ground up–modeling the body, modeling the equipment and then modeling the jersey the cloth of the jersey on top of that–so we have dynamic cloth in the game.
Sean Ramjagsingh: We also redid our puck physics from the ground up. We had a professional come in and work on our puck physics. He modeled what happened in the real world with the puck and dropped that into our virtual world. So now when you’re seeing the puck, you’re seeing realistic bounces off the different tills of the game–whether it be the goalie pads, chest protector–you’re seeing the puck go places it hasn’t gone before because it can squeak through places it couldn’t squeak through before. You, as a player who’s played our previous versions of it, you’re going see the puck going places it hasn’t gone before and goalies making saves they haven’t had to make before because the puck is just going to all these new places because of the new physics.
The Pink Puck: There were changes made to the collision physics too, yes?
Sean Ramjagsingh: With the new physics, we can now go from two players being in physics at any one time, to have the ability for all twelve players to be in physics. Again, this is leveraging the power of the new console, you can imagine how much math goes into having proper physics in our game and having physics run all the players at the same time, that’s another real game changer for us.
Now you’ll see a guy like Zdeno Chara be able hit one person, or sometimes even two people over at the same time. Or you could see Chara get hit, stumble but not fall over because he was hit by a smaller player, but then you’ll have another guy come over and hit him while he’s in physics, knocking him over to finish the check. Or you’ll see pileups in front of the net where there’s multiple hits happening, and guys piling up- three, four, five guys piling up in front of the net from multiple collisions like we’ve seen in the playoffs where it’s all desperation hockey. So it’s really primary collisions, multiplayer collisions, secondary collisions happening, and just really more natural behavior from all the hits in our game.
It better replicates the real world of hockey and the authenticity. Our additional vision for what we wanted from the physics was that playoff desperation, goalmouth scrambles, guys on the ice doing everything they can to get the puck in the net. That’s the type of situations that you’ll see in our game this year. The great thing about physics is you never really know what’s going to happen because it’s just physics doing what it’s going to do, it basically evolves based on the situation and what happens in the game based on how the users play.
The Pink Puck: What can we expect from the new Superstar Skill Stick?
Sean Ramjagsingh: With our superstar skill stick, we really focused on giving you more control than you’ve ever had before. Upper and lower body separation, you can hold the puck out, you can steer your character, and you can do moves while you hold the puck out. You can be in a protect puck position, see the defenseman over-commit and pull to the middle, so it’s really to give more and more tools to the user to create these many situations and get to places they couldn’t get to before.
The Pink Puck: How is the Vision A.I. being improved?
Sean Ramjagsingh: We went back to the drawing board with our Vision AI, and this is sort of a new foundation we’ve built, that will take us through this generation of consoles. We really started looking at formations in the offensive zone and the neutral zone, understanding movement, proper puck support, proper teammate support. You’ll see when you play the game this year, just more authentic, realistic behavior, better support from your teammates with guys getting open for you and reading the play for you. They’ll understanding where passing lanes are when the lanes are being taken away by defenders, situations where guys adjust on the fly as well. The results that we’ve seen so far with our Vision AI have been fantastic, and it’s something we’ll continue to build on for years to come.
The Pink Puck: What are the biggest visual differences we will experience on the new format?
Sean Ramjagsingh: The new format allows us to do more. More of everything. When it comes to the visuals, we can have higher resolution textures and do more of their lighting to make everything look better. We can run more physics and do more math under the hood, so that we can have up to 12 players in physics and have the puck always being in physics and following the laws of physics. You’ll literally see the puck this year get dumped down the ice, then get on its end sometimes and start rolling, and then take that kinda curb roll that you’ll see a rolling puck do. So really dynamic behaviors, the consoles just really allow us to do more.
They allow us to raise the resolution of all the visuals in our game. We’ve overhauled every single detail from our ice, to the boards, to modeling the authentic arenas for every team in the game. Nine-thousand new crowd models in each arena, so essentially every single person in the lower bowl is an authentic person. We have the home-team super fans, away-team super fans, we got the venders walking up and down, security guards, we’ve got families taking pictures, beer guys- lot’s of variation and variety to really bring those arenas to life and bring the atmosphere to a whole new level.
The Pink Puck: New broadcast team?
Sean Ramjagsingh: So this year what you see on NBC Sports Network is what you’re gonna see in our game- brand new presentation package and commentators. Doc Emrick and Eddy Olzcyk as the top two commentators for NBC, and having Ray Ferraro as a third man in complimenting those two guys. We have over thirty-five thousand lines of new speech in the game which is something that’s really exciting for us and our fans.
The Pink Puck is very appreciative of Sean Ramjagsingh for doing this interview with us, and the rest of the EA staff for their hard, impressive work. NHL 15 hits the stores on September 9, 2014 and is a cant miss purchase for hockey fans worldwide.
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