The Vancouver Giants unveiled their White Spot Legends Night tribute jerseys today, which will be worn on Saturday, November 16 facing off against the Tri-City Americans at the Pacific Coliseum.
The jerseys honour the 1945-46 Vancouver White Spots of the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League. The White Spots were the first junior hockey team in Vancouver and were owned and coached by Nat Bailey, the founder of the iconic Western Canadian chain, White Spot Restaurants. For those who are unfamiliar with White Spot, imagine that one go-to spot your parents took you to for some comfort food. White Spot is it for a British Columbia native no doubt.
White Spot Legends Night is also a celebration of White Spot Restaurants’ 85th Anniversary. Vancouver Giants’ first-overall pick in the 2013 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft,Tyler Benson, is set to make his WHL debut on White Spot Legends Night.
(Photo: Dinur Blum)
For some, getting into the game is as simple as following in the skate strides of a loved one. But for San Francisco Bulls forward Jordan Morrison, a native of Uxbridge, Ontario — loving the game early on was more about being a part of a Canadian past time.
“As a Canadian kid, you have it all around you, it’s ingrained in the culture so that’s how I got into it. Older cousins, your father plays hockey, it’s a natural progression. When I was a young boy, I played with my friends in a small town, my Dad was a coach and that’s how it began.”
Growing up hockey can forge many memories in your mind, memories that stay with you fondly throughout the levels of play. For many a player, teammates find themselves evolving into life-long friendships both on and off the ice.
“It’s the memories of getting to go to school with your best buddies growing up, heading to away tournaments and playing hockey in the hallways; all those things go into making you love the sport. The friendships you made are what it’s about.”
Photo Misty Wichman
Of course learning from teammates and coaches on the ice are what helps to develop ones game, but spending countless hours watching NHL superstars at a young age, often helps drive the desire to become even more submerged in the game. For Morrison, it was a now legend that helped light the lamp on his hockey dreams.
“Pavel Bure was always my favorite player growing up, amazing to watch on the ice, great hand eye coordination. He’s called the ‘Russian Rocket’, he was a dynamic player in the NHL and I would have loved to skate a day with him.”
While Bure and friends held a piece of Morrison’s drive growing up, it was more importantly his family’s dedication to not only him, but his desire to play that is often at the forefront of his thoughts.
“A big part of anything you do is with your family in mind. Try to make your family proud, they put so much into it when you’re growing up and driving you to tournaments and getting you new skates every year, it’s not a cheap sport by any means. It always does well to make your family proud and do well for yourself. Think of it as a job, but do it for the right reasons.”
A solid sense of family and a strong work ethic are just a few components that have helped with Morrison’s success, it’s other things, simpler concepts that he’s mindful of.
“Try to be humble in whatever you do and work hard. You’re going to get out what you put into it. It probably sounds like a cliche but at the end of the day its true. I’ve been able to play pro hockey now for a few years. A lot of guys and friends back home say ‘I can’t believe you’re still doing it.’ I may not be in the NHL but I’m still getting paid to do something I love.”
Getting paid to play the game you love is a lofty goal for many, but those who succeed often find their start in the Ontario Hockey League. Similar to players both past and present, the OHL and the Peterborough Petes held a glove in the early stages of Morrisons’ career.
“It was the cornerstone for my development like it is for so many players that move on to play pro or go on to university hockey. You’re a sponge at that age, developing and growing into your body, learning your game. The four years I spent with them [Peterborough Petes] was a great time with a good coach and team. If you surround yourself with good players, you’ll grow.”
Of course, any player would love the opportunity to play forever. A long career on the ice is a dream that most hold, but the reality of the game is that it could all end tomorrow. The desire to succeed on the ice also translated to the classroom for the 27-year-old forward. Eventually a time will come when you must hang up the skates, and Morrison has a fall back degree in anthropology and international development studies.
Photo: Misty Wichman
“I graduated from Dalhousie, I went right after my 19-year-old year in junior. I decided not to sign a pro contract, I figured a degree is always something you should have in your back pocket. As far as my future goes, I’m hoping to finish my career off, maybe get some more schooling in before I retire. You can’t play hockey forever and you can’t foresee injuries, so I thought it was a smart idea to have a backup play when your body starts to fall apart from years of getting hit in the game.”
A degree is an accomplishment in and of itself, but it’s what Morrison has interest in doing with it that shines even brighter.
“At the end of the day, I’d like to get into something like the organization Right to Play, they use sports as a tool for development and that’s kind of where anthropology and international development intersect. Just to get involved in an organization, I’ve played sports for so long, so if I can do that to help people better their lives as well, that’s something that I’d be interested in doing after hockey.”
For now, the success is hockey based and a few of his greatest memories stem from the earliest part of his career.
“There’s always little accomplishments along the way, first you get drafted to the OHL, drafted to the NHL. I won a championship in Peterborough. A great group of guys there and it always impacts your life when you have a successful year, I keep in touch with that group of guys. Your first pro game, I think my most memorable time would be that year in Peterborough.”
Bulls fans have grown to love Morrison both on and off the ice and while playing for the organization had been a positive one, Morrison opted to try a different league before the ECHL season started. Taking an adventure to Kazakhstan, with friend and fellow player Dean Ouellet was a short lived experience.
“It was a different experience in Kazakhstan, I went over there with a good buddy of mine, Dean Ouellet. We got an offer we couldn’t refuse and decided to give it a go, and try it together. We knew if it didn’t work out, we could always come back here to North America. We went over there, it wasn’t our cup of tea. We didn’t see eye to eye on some things, plain and simple. San Francisco is a great place to play hockey and a great place to live. We liked our time here last year, we have a good team going into this year and we’re looking to expand on that. That’s what drove me back here. It’s a great city, great fans, there are so many positive factors here that make San Fran the best.”
Photo: Dinur Blum
With the season already underway, building on the successful components from years prior to fight for playoff contention is first and foremost.
“We have a fast skilled team with good puck moving defensemen, we are looking to make the team better from last year. The goal is to make it to the finals, but take it week by week and do the little things right everyday to get ourselves there to that ultimate goal.”
A hectic travel schedule is a common occurrence at the professional levels of play, days off are few and far between but when they present themselves Morrison easily finds ways to rest and refuel.
“Days off are all about letting the body rest, learning about the city, just basic things, grabbing a good meal.”
It’s easy to see the type of personality reflected on the ice, off of it is a side that many aren’t able to see.
“I’m an easy going guy, I like to keep to myself but I enjoy keeping things light.”
Keeping it light off the ice and turning up the heat on it has Morrison looking to build on the success he’s found thus far. With two goals and an assist to start the season, fans will hope to see this Canadian boy take no bull and help his team skate towards a chance at the Kelly Cup as the season progresses.
During Tuesdays game in Buffalo against the Sabers, Kings 2012 Conn Smythe goalie Jonathan Quick left the game with 1:20 left in overtime with an undisclosed injury that most speculated to be hamstring or groin related. Backup goaltender Ben Scrivens replaced Quick for the remainder of OT and succeeding shootout, which unfortunately for Kings fans did not turn out in their favor, losing to the Sabers 3-2.
After returning back to LA, Kings Insider Jon Rosen tweeted the official diagnosis of Quicks injury, a grade two groin strain. Groin strains are graded from levels one through three with three being the most severe. Quick being diagnosed with a grade 2 strain means there is some partial tearing and recovery times vary based on many factors. The Kings did not list a time frame for Quicks return but due to the nature of his injury a ballpark average can range anywhere from three to six weeks. Quick has a .905 save percentage in 16 games this season.
Backup goaltender 27-year-old Ben Scrivens will get his fair share in net for the Kings while Quick recovers. Scrivens has appeared in five games this season, starting two, and has a record of 1-1-1 with a 1.89 goals against average, a .924 save percentage stopping 61 of 66 shots, and a shutout. 
With the news that Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos’ surgery was successful on Tuesday and that he would be returning to Tampa on Thursday, the hockey community can let out some of the air it has been holding. While there were a few insensitive people making comments after the horrific accident that took place during Monday’s Boston Bruins game against the Lightning, the true fans of the sport all felt horrible. Any serious injury such as that experienced by Stamkos transcends team rivalries. The hockey family as a whole feels awful.
And now that Stamkos has taken his first step toward recovery, and many players have expressed their concerns for him, it does not seem insensitive to ponder how the teams that were playing at the time of the accident get back into the game; which they must do.
On October 12, 2013, while the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints were playing a regular season game in Cedar Rapids, Iowa against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, a mild fisticuff resulted in the Saints’ Dylan Chanter falling, sans helmet, and hitting his head on the ice. While it was clear that he was unconscious, he suddenly exhibited signs of a seizure. After medical personnel attended to, and removed, Chanter so that he could be taken to the hospital, it was decided by the USHL to postpone the remainder of the game, which was finally completed on November 12, 2013. It was felt that the scene that had been witnessed by the players and the overall lingering emotions of the event merited the postponement of the game.
When it came to the Bruins/Lightning game, that was not an option. After Stamkos was taken off the ice by stretcher the game continued. However the change in the energy, not only among the players but also among the fans in attendance, was palpable.
During the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals game three, when the Vancouver Canucks were in Boston, everyone watched as Canucks Aaron Rome’s hit knocked Bruins Nathan Horton unconscious. After Horton had been taken off the ice, the Bruins went on a five-minute major power play. While the Bruins power play that season had been less than stellar, it was evident that in that case they were simply having difficulty focusing. It was obvious that their thoughts were more on their fallen teammate than on the game at that moment. However, when the Bruins took the ice for the start of the second period, they had clearly found the focus and resolve necessary to put eight pucks in the net to not only finish, but win the game.
After horrific injuries, the team with the injured player often uses that as motivation to take control of the game, decimating the opposition in the process. Such was not to be the case during the Bruins tilt with the Lightning.
When play resumed, it appeared that both teams required a couple of shifts to settle themselves. However, it was the Bruins who somehow refocused their energy on the game at hand. Patrice Bergeron managed to get a wrist shot past Lightning goalie Anders Lindback, assisted by Loui Eriksson and Torey Krug. This got the fans back into the game — though a couple of valiant fans had tried to get the “Let’s go Bruins!” chant going some time after the game resumed.
Bruins head coach Claude Julien then sent out his fourth line — the Merlot Line, as they are often referred — of Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell, and Daniel Paille. Just 20 seconds after Bergeron’s goal, Paille found the back of the net.
“That’s the type of role we accept as a line.” — Paille
During post-game interviews, Paille was asked if he appreciated Julien’s show of confidence in putting them out on the first shift after the goal. “Definitely, and that’s the type of role we accept as a line, and it’s a big bonus that a goal came right out of it,” he answered. “For us, we’re going to do everything we can to score some goals and create that energy like we do every game.”
For Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who was right there when it happened, it would be understandable if he had a little trouble re-focusing on the game.
It was while Stamkos was back checking Hamilton that the terrible spill took place. Hamilton explained, “I was just trying to drive the net and he was too fast for me so he caught me and I guess we both just went to the net. He fell and then hit the post pretty hard,”
One of Stamkos’ teammates headed toward Hamilton to dish out some on-ice retribution, but the Bruins own policeman, Thornton, stepped in to calm the situation. That player wasn’t the only one who believed that Hamilton had made a dirty hit, so did the Lightning’s on-air announcers. The replays would show it was just an unfortunate accident probably made slightly less severe by the breakaway goal pegs.
When asked about getting refocused, Hamilton replied, “Yeah it sticks in your head. I think obviously at any time in the game you can get hurt and you’ve got to be aware of that.”
But hockey is a game of big bodies traveling at high speeds. The players cannot dwell on such events or it is likely they would no longer be able to play at the speed and with the force required at the NHL level. As Hamilton concluded, “You feel bad for [Stamkos], so I think [you] just try to… refocus and get back into playing.”
Hamilton did admit that watching Stamkos crash into the net did scare him. Hopefully, as callous as it may sound, he and the others who watched the accident unfold can put it in some part of their brain where they can lock it up tight. Otherwise it is unlikely they could continue to do what they do during each game, or more specifically do what they must in each game.
Er, technically, they’ve already arrived. Tanner Pearson and Martin Jones are the latest prospects to get the call up since an apparent Higher Being/Deity/deities (if you believe in that sort of stuff) has struck down another Kings player. 
It was another busy day for the Kings’ front office as they continue to compensate for extensive injuries throughout the roster. Los Angeles managed to escape the first month of the season relatively unscathed. Then the calendar changed and so did the injury status of their roster. First Jeff Carter was put on IR, retroactive to October 30th, then Stoll went out with an upper-body injury along with Matt Greene who has some kind of mysterious, undisclosed injury. All three of them went out pretty much around the same time. While you obviously hate to see anyone get hurt, it did open the door for call ups Tyler Toffoli and Linden Vey, who have both done an admirable job in stepping in and adapting to the speed and skill of the NHL. Both have shown tremendous on-ice awareness and great composure with the puck, with Vey earning his first NHL point in only his second game along with a myriad of puns from delighted fans. However, now it seems the Kings’ good fortune from the first month has come back to haunt them — with interest. Jeff Carter remains on IR due to a broken foot sustained during a 4v3 PP against the San Jose Sharks on October 30th. Per Lisa Dillman, he will be re-evaluated at the end of the week to gauge his progress. Matt Greene was placed on Long Term Injured Reserve retroactive to November 2 with what was finally revealed as an “upper body injury.” Previously, Darryl Sutter had told reporters it was like “a Mystery Valley for me.” Kyle Clifford was also placed on Injured Reserve Wednesday after he “got his bell rung” in the first period last Saturday against the Canucks. With Matt Greene’s injury, the Kings are now down to six healthy defensemen, so a possible move to call up a defenseman from Manchester is likely in the near future. There is some good news on the injury front: Jarret Stoll did partake in Monday’s on ice practice, although he did not participate in morning rushes prior to Tuesday’s game against the Sabres. He participated in Wednesday’s practice, but did not partake in line rushes. Sutter says Stoll feels close, but Sutter is not yet comfortable putting him back in game action. Unfortunately, on the heels of such positive news comes a huge blow for the Kings: Jonathan Quick appeared to suffer some kind of a lower body injury during overtime while making a save. Quick returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday since Sutter preferred not to have him evaluated on the road. Jewels From the Crown has a brief video of the play that caused the injury. Kings trainers told GM Dean Lombardi after the game that it is either a hamstring or a groin issue. He is scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday. Up next for Los Angeles: the Kings are on Long Island visiting their old friend Thomas Hickey (a former defense prospect who was claimed off waivers at the start of the 2012-2013 season). On Friday, they will be in New Jersey to finally face off against former Stanley Cup Final opponent, the Devils. The Kings will close out their road trip on Sunday against Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers and look to win back the 2 points they gave up during the home opener. The Kings now look to Ben Scrivens to bear the weight of Jonathan Quick’s starting duties until he returns. Prospects Martin Jones (goalie) and Tanner Pearson (LW) arrived at the team’s Long Island hotel Wednesday evening. They are both expected to participate in Thursday’s morning skate, though it is unclear if/when they will see game action (particularly questionable for Jones, given Sutter’s history indicates that he prefers to ride his starting goalies hard, even in back-to-back game situations). Los Angeles’ depth is being tested as the injuries keep piling up for the team. The Kings are missing a total of five starting players and are now relying heavily on their call ups from the AHL to help them through this tough period. While it is still early in the season, player after player going down is a bit disconcerting and feels a bit ominous for many Kings fans. Hopefully the Hockey Gods (should you believe in them) will be a bit kinder to this team in the future and stop taking out so many players — at least all at once.
Side Note
This has nothing to do with the above article, but it is something that came up on during the Sabres-Kings game on Tuesday night. Last season, while playing the Colorado Avalanche, Kings fans were involved in a bit of a “controversial” story. They were accused of booing injured rookie goalie Sami Aittokallio, who had suddenly gone down in the crease. At the time that trainers were tending to him, former Ducks goalie J.S. Giguere was stretching in front of the team’s bench. Some fans accused the goalie of faking an injury to buy his team more rest time (even though the Avs were on a PP at the time). It was “controversial” because many fans claimed that they were booing Giguere, but the booing of the injured rookie goalie had taken twitter by storm. During Tuesday night’s game against the Sabres, fans in attendance began to boo Jonathan Quick as he was taking his time to stretch after injuring himself. Boos continued to rain down, despite a Los Angeles trainer coming out on to the ice and speaking with Quick. As a Kings fan, some might accuse me of bias and they’d be right. However, I write this from the perspective of a general hockey fan. I’m sure we’ve all had enough of people accusing others of being uncool/classless/jerks/etc. If the next time you’re at a sporting event (any sport, it doesn’t matter), you could please try to remember that these are human beings and not robots, that’d be great. Sure, we all pay a lot of money to attend these events and we want to be entertained. But let’s try to remember that these are actual people who are putting their actual bodies on the line and sacrificing their blood, sweat and tears partly for our entertainment (yes, yes, they do it also because they love the game. That’s not the point). To give you an example, Steven Stamkos really did break his leg; it was not a plot point on a TV show. It was a horrific result of something that had happened on the ice. Steven Stamkos is a real person, not just some abstract character on the Tampa Bay Lightning Show. Boston fans at the Garden were fantastic by cheering for him as he left the ice on a stretcher. I’m not saying that you have to cheer for a player when he gets back up after he goes down, but just try not to boo. So, classiness aside, let’s all try to remember that it isn’t easy for them to do their jobs and that those figures out there are, in fact, other human beings.
This picture of Stamkos grabbing onto Sami Salo’s hand has become famous around the hockey world, showing that even the toughest men will sometimes just need a hand to hold, and someone to squeeze back.
Stamkos Update!
Steven Stamkos had surgery in Boston on Tuesday to fix his right tibia, that he broke in the Monday matinee game in Boston. He will return home on Thursday to recover with his family and friends.
Fans attending Thursday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks are asked to stop by the 620WDAE tend on the Plaza to sign a giant card to be presented to Steven. Well wishes from non-local fans can be sent to his twitter @RealStamkos91.
Chicago Blackhawk Marian Hossa is a dad again.
His wife, Jana Ferova Hossa, gave birth to their second daughter, Zoja (ZOY-ah), on Tuesday–11/12/13.
Their first daughter, Mia, was born in September, 2011, in their native Slovakia.
Until a photo of the growing family is released, here’s Marian, Jana, and Mia at the Blackhawks’ celebration of Hossa’s 1,000th game.
After all the ranting and and complaining about a how horrible the Buffalo Sabres have been so far this year, management decided to do something about it, finally! As a longtime Buffalo fan, I have been around long enough to know that change needs to occur with this team more often that every 15 years. When Terry Pegula bought this team, he said we would win a Stanley Cup and that was his number one goal. Since then, we have gone downhill and lost more players than any other team in the league. He would not give up on his general manager and the only person he blamed was the coach. Well, goodbye Lindy Ruff and hello no name coach, Ron Rolston. It seems that was a bust too, but we are finally starting to get back on track.
Pegula decided it was time, hopefully listened to his fans, and fired GM Darcy Reiger, long overdue, and head coach Rolston. Coming in, and back to Buffalo, was once Buffalo player Pat LaFontaine and previous Buffalo coach Ted Nolan. Both were still involved in activities in Buffalo, still had homes here, and loved this community. They are now going to be able to help this team get back in order and at least try and make a better season happen.
Throughout all the commotion of the news this morning, stories of irony are appearing. One of the most ironic so far was that LaFontaine was brought to Buffalo by Regier in his first year as GM and Nolan was offered a contract extension by Reiger, but ultimately turned him down. Both are now back and ready to make changes, get better play out of our current players, and save this season.
It’s a great day in Buffalo, NY and people can’t be any more excited about the changes! Our first game with the new staff will be a tough one against out rivals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and that will be a true test.
Following in the paw and foot prints of other teams across the league, select members of the Boston Bruins will be featured in a special 2014 Pucks and Pups calendar. Retailing at $20, proceeds will benefit the MSPCA Angell and Boston Bruins Foundation.
The calendars will be available at the Bruins Pro Shop, home games and online at www.bostonbruins.com/pucksandpaws beginning Friday.
“Players featured in the calendar include Johnny Boychuk, Gregory Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Jarome Iginla, Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Daniel Paille, Tuukka Rask, Dennis Seidenberg, and Shawn Thornton. Bruins Principal Charlie Jacobs, President Cam Neely, General Manager Peter Chiarelli and Head Coach Claude Julien also participated in the project. The calendar features the B’s with their family pets or new friends waiting for homes at the MSPCA. The photos were taken at the TD Garden as well as outside in some of Boston’s landmark neighborhoods.”
A creative way to bring awareness to animal causes, with a major “awww” factor!
Click here for a behind the scenes video from the ‘pawsome’ shoot.
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