Showdown in the West….

Well, it is going to be a rootin’ tootin’ dust up in the West this year.  The predictions will be fast and furious, with so many teams in the mix, it could be an injury to the wrong player, or some outperformers stepping it up.  Teams with lots of depth exceding expectations, or stars falling flat on their faces.  Here are my standings predictions….and a more.

1.  San Jose.  The best in the west is still the best in the west.  No Cheechoo, No Michalek, but bring on the Heatley.   Not only that, when you need a top grinding centre, Manny Malhotra drops from the sky and signs for $700K.  Maybe a little light on depth on the blueline, but enough to keep them atop the standings.

2. Chicago.  Patrick “20 cent” Kane and Toews are going to improve.  Hossa to come, solid defense.  If Huet is just average they are top 4 in the West.   Adding John Madden is going to help on the defensive side of the ice.

3.  Vancouver.  By virtue of Division leaders ranking,  these guys won’t have more points than Detroit, but they will win their division.  Solid blueline additions, with Ehrhoff,  Schneider…could be the best group of 6 in the entire league.  Shirikov is a darkhorse for Rookie of the Year.  If they can score some goals, with Luongo and that blueline, they might make some noise come May.

4.  Detroit.  Always too good to fall very far.  Top echelon offense and two way players, Lidstrom and solid support on the back end.  It didn’t matter that Osgood was pedestrian all year.

5.  Columbus.  My surprise to do something this year and continue to advance as a franchise.  With the return of Brassard, a solid but underapreciated defense, great goaltending, this team will win games with Hitch at the helm.

6.  Calgary.  The devil to the south has another edition of a solid team.  Playoffs with their defense corps is almost a certainty.  Adding Jaybo is huge, a full year of Jokinen will help the offense, and that goofy looking guy in net is generally not too bad.

7.  Anaheim.  Solid enough to make the dance.  Top line as good as any in the league.  Questionable blueline after Niedermayer.  Great goaltending duo.  Might have some trouble keeping the puck out of their net because they looking to have some defensive definciency up front…but Carlyle is a crackerjack coach.

8.  Edmonton.  Either one in or one out.  Don’t see it much finishing more either way.  Quinn and Renney are enough to add at least three wins to this team.  Bounce back years by Cogliano and Gagner, and having Visnovsky for the full year should equate to a playoff spot.

9. St. Louis.  Could easily usurp the Oil for eigth spot.  Erik Johnson healthy, great group of young forwards, and solid tending.

10.  Los Angeles.  This is going to be another good team.  Good group of forwards, great combination of offense, defense and toughness on the back end.  A little experience and this team is going to start to make some waves.

11.  Nashville.  Starting to see a big drop off in talent.  Offensively will struggle.  Great defense and goaltending will keep them in a lot of games.  Pekka Rinne is going to have a very good year.

12.  Minnesota.  Pretty average forward group.  Decent defense.  Great goaltending.  They need to start acquiring some skill up front.  New coach, but will take time to find their new system.

13.  Dallas.  If Turco doesn’t bounce back, it will be very ugly.  Their defense isn’t good.  Their forwards are ok, but not enough for them to win tons of games.

14.  Colorado.  Blueline looks decent, but forward group is a long way from the Sakic, Forsberg, Hejduk days of old.  Duchesne is my favourite for rookie of the year.  Goaltending improves a bit, but going to be a long year in Denver.

15.  Phoenix.  No owner, no coach, no chance.

Odd times…

Among the many things that I and many other bloggers have talked about besides Robbie Schremp (I might have been the only blogger not inclined to devote ANOTHER full blog to Sugartits), are the interesting times.  I wish I had tons of time to go over them all but these are the things that I have found strange this preseason.

Malhotra signing on the cheap.  A cup is nice but $1.8 million vs. $700K is nicer.

Moore and Betts still unsigned.  I expect Betts soon.

Skoula signing cheap in Pittsburgh after a good year, two other camps in Florida and Columbus.

Players you expected to make teams waived…and young ones too…Lashoff, Bourque, Cal O’Reilly, Al Montoya, and now Corey Crawford (Who I think is better than our back up in Edmonton).  Of course many more have been on waivers but some of these young players are a surprise.

As for the Oilers, Reddox goes, along with Schremp.  At some point we lose either Pisani or Nilsson to make cap.  MacIntyre is still on a team with two guys, Stortini and Jacques that can fight.  Gagner is on the fourth line, and we still don’t have a shutdown/faceoff/PK centre on this team.

Yep…odd times.

And in defense….

Part two of the design of the Edmonton Oilers is almost a mirror image of the forwards, but there are zero jobs available on the blueline.  Sure, it is possible that Theo Peckham plays so well that the Oilers have no choice but to put Jason Strudwick on waivers.  Taylor Chorney, could, and I use that term loosely, could figure out all three zones and attempt to force management’s hand into keeping him with the big club. (Judging by last nights exhibition in Calgary, he still has work to do)
The chances are zero and zero.  The defensemen the Oilers have on one way contracts are…

Sheldon Souray

Lubomir Visnovsky

Tom Gilbert

Denis Grebeshkov

Ladislav Smid

Steve Staios

Jason Strudwick

Peckham is the first call up and I am sure that Chorney sees some games with the big club this year.  I believe that we might see some movement next year, figuring that Peckham takes a job next season, and if Chorney progresses quickly enough, we might see Grebeshkov in new digs next season.  Ideally, I think, one of Visnovsky or Souray are moved so that salary can assist our forward depth. (After this season, any savings are going to go to Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano)  This year is going to be a huge one for Chorney, because if he doesn’t start to step up, he can start looking over his shoulder at Jeff Petry or Alex Plante trying to steal his place on the depth chart.

So, sorry to those that think there might be some battle for jobs, there isn’t.  Which makes me a little annoyed at Steve Tambellini and his insinuation after signing Comrie that players are fighting for jobs.  Most of them are fait de complit.

Forwards – Too many bodies…who goes?

I remember watching Jani Rita, Tony Salmelainen and Todd Marchant skate together in camp, I believe it was 2002.  They were fast, skilled, and in general, since I watched as many public sessions of camp as I could, I believed they were the best line on the ice.  (If memory serves me correctly it was the same camp that Jason Smith beat the living snot out of Ryan Smyth.)

I was aghast at the play of Ethan Moreau, and even moreso, my whipping boy of the camp, Dan Cleary.  Cleary was slow, his puck skills were terrible, and he didn’t seem to do much of anything effectively.  Much to my own personal chagrin, when cuts were made, Jani Rita, who I thought made the team with his camp was disposed to the AHL.

Not much of a big deal to your average hockey fan, but to me, a disparage to a player good enough to be on the big club.  How could this be?  He was at the minimum….at the absolute worst better than two or three of the incumbents?  Why are we not playing our best players on the ice?  Who paid off the coach?

Whether it was some fluke or knowing to look in the right place, I soon figured out that you don’t really need much of a camp to decide on opening night roster.  Mostly you need to look on whose agent/or play has garnered a player a one way contract.  I know it may come as a shock to you, but when it comes to forwards, there is one spot available.

On one way contracts and shoo-ins for a spot on the big club for forwards….

Shawn Horcoff
Dustin Penner
Ales Hemsky
Patrick O’Sullivan
Fernando Pisani
Robert Nilsson
Ethan Moreau
Sam Gagner
Mike Comrie
Andrew Cogliano
Marc-Antoine Pouliot
Zack Stortini
Jean-Francois Jacques

All of these forwards have one way contracts.  The only spot that is available would be the one that presently has been suggested that might be occupied by Gilbert Brule.  Could the Oilers manufacture a trade?  Yes.  But not likely.  As much as we as fans think it is easy to call another GM up and move out your excess baggage, there are a scant few deals in the NHL.

I suppose this means one thing.  If Brule or Schremp gets the spot and the other goes on waivers, whoever draws the short straw leaves town.  Even worse…if the team decides that Steve MacIntyre is an important cog on the team, then they could conceivably both find themselves working in another jurisdiction.

I am sure this is disheartening to the Potulnys, Reddoxes and Stones of the world, but if I am looking at the pythagorean theorem, a + b doesn’t equal a job.

Could we? Should we?

Mike Comrie at $1.3 million.  That is the rumour.  Oilersnation.com first, then a non denial from Dan Tencer of Ched (Credit lowetide), and a Ritch Winter “no comment”.  Speculation that the Owner is involved in this potential move.  If you are asking me, this plan is half baked if I have ever seen it.  Unless…it is a precursor to something else.

If this is a move by itself in a vacuum, I hate it.  We have a “number 1″ centre in Horcoff.  We have TWO number two centres in Gagner and Cogliano.  We have two number four centres in Pouliot and Brule.  We have small centres….out the ass.  We have small forwards, soft forwards, all over the place.  Comrie isn’t the second coming of Theoren Fleury. (Well apparently Theoren Fleury is the second coming of Theoren Fleury…but that is another blog.)

So what could the motivation be to add a small 2nd line centre?  Someone else moving?  Suggesting this is a precursor to Heatley is marginal at best.  There are no signs that there is a heartbeat in this deal laying on the operating table.  It looks dead.  Someone other than Heatley?  Well, rumours did kick around about Kessel (But my foggy memory thinks that might have been on Eklund so my comfort with its validity is not that great.) but even if that was true, adding TWO small centres isn’t exactly what the doctor ordered.
If we were talking Manny Malhotra, we would all be doing a bit of a happy dance.  Blair Betts?  Nice to get some help on the PK.  But Mike Comrie?  Unless this has something else to it, it sucks as a move.  Period.

Of Mice and Men

Just a quick post about Dany Heatley, the biggest villain in Ottawa and Edmonton on this side of the blueline.

Ultimately as I have posted on HFBoards.com Dany Heatley is exactly what everyone thought he was.  Selfish and consumed.  That doesn’t make him a villain.

He wants to work elsewhere.  That is fine, but the Senators selling him out by making his demands public, then leaking the players in the Oilers deal, or even the fact there was one, is the reason everyone hates Heatley.

If they would have just kept their mouths closed and dealt him, they would be in a far better spot right now.  Same goes for the Oilers that not only looked pretty desperate in trying to acquire him, also have to deal with their young players Smid, Cogliano and Penner whose psyche are damaged kn0wing they were no the boat out of town.

As some in the  media have mentioned, even the petulant Don Brennan who Dan Barnes roasted on Team 1260 on Friday, that Heatley probably just wants out of the microscope.   He wants to be a leader on the ice, but anonymous after the game when having a couple beer.

With his past, I don’t really blame him, and even at that, I wonder if there was a better way for him to handle it.  I am not sure there was.

First annual first round rankings/mock draft

My First Official Mock Draft/Rankings

As I was watching Pierre Maguire and Craig Button on TSN, and ultimately have thought long and hard about the first round of every draft….well, since I can remember. In my blog I have looked at previous drafts, who I like and who I don’t like, who I would shy away from. In this draft, from an Oiler perspective, trading up would be nice, but ultimately cost prohibitive.

Drafting at 10 is a really nice spot, because you can look at your draft board, see three or four guys you really like and trade down 3 and get a great asset.

So over the course of a few lunch hours….here is what I see in 2009.

My Rankings:

1. Victor Hedman
2. John Tavares
3. Matt Duchene
4. Evander Kane
5. Brayden Schenn
6. Magnus Pajarvi Svensson
7. Jared Cowan
8. Dmitri Kulikov
9. Nazim Kadri
10. Scott Glennie
11. John Moore
12. Oliver Ekman Larsson
13. Jordan Schroeder
14. Ryan Ellis
15. David Rundblad
16. Tim Erixon
17. Nick Leddy
18. Carter Ashton
19. Chris Krieder
20. Louis Leblanc
21. Zack Kassian
22. Calvin De Haan
23. Jacob Josefsson
24. Jordan Caron
25. Peter Holland
26. Kyle Palmieri
27. Landon Ferraro
28. Drew Shore
29. Dylan Olsen
30. Jeremy Morin

Personal favourites not in my top 30….Jerry D’Amigo, Ben Hankowski, Anton Lander, Alexander Avtsyn

1. New York Islanders: John Tavares, C, London (OHL)

It is the best kept secret in hockey, but not to anyone with some common sense. On the NHL XM channel, they suggested that Tavares could me an added 2000 season tickets to the Islanders, while Hedman would be a push. All things considered equal with the two players, all other factors point to taking the forward.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman, D, Modo (SEL)

If Bob Barker had consolation prizes this good, he wouldn’t have needed Beautys. This is as slam dunk as it gets. When you watch Hedman, he has the same skating and body structure as Pronger, and oddly enough, mea culpa Mr. Cherry, Hedman also has a bit of sandpaper to his game. We may even see him in the NHL this fall.

3. Colorado Avalanche: Matt Duchene, C, Brampton (OHL)

No one expected it to be a three horse race. When late in the year, Matt Duchene started being mentioned with the top two, it was a surprise….and Colorado won’t be surprised when they pick this solid player.

4. Atlanta Thrashers: Evander Kane, C, Vancouver (WHL)

A great all around player, he has skills, grit, and hockey IQ.

5. Los Angeles Kings: Brayden Schenn, C, Brandon (WHL)

Sorry Burkie, you can’t always get what you want. I don’t think he drops to 7. If Burke will spend the assets, he might get the brothers in tandem, but if not, Schenn plies his trade in Hollywood.

6. Phoenix Coyotes: Jared Cowen, D, Spokane (WHL)

The Yotes have Turris, Mueller, Tikhonov, Boedekker on offense, and although Cowen might have some competition for BPA right here, the Phoenix/Hamilton/Winnipeg franchise needs an anchor on the back end, and this guy fits the bill.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, Leksand (Allsvenskan)

Unless you can wrap your mind around Burkie trading down, or going a little off the board and taking Kassian, you have to figure he is going to take a blueliner here. Burkie wants either Cowen or Schenn, and as Oiler fans it would be nice to see our beloved blowhard stiffed. Too bad he still ends up with a great player.

8. Dallas Stars: Dmitry Kulikov, D, Drummondville (QMJHL)

I can’t see Kulikov continuing to slide. In my mind he is as good a two way blueliner as you will find in the draft. This reminds me of when it was Phaneuf, Coburn, Suter. This time it is Cowen, Larsson, Kulikov. It just depends on what a team feels is their BPA.

9. Ottawa Senators: Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, LW, Timra (SEL)

Craig Button said he reminded him of John Tonelli. Pierre Maguire said he was like Jere Lehtinen. Some compare him to Forsberg and Sundin, others to Markus Naslund. I now am left to think….what type of player is MPS? I would suggest that Naslund is a pretty fair comparison….Maguire is nuts….the knock on MPS was always his defensive play. It is better than it was a couple years ago, but I wouldn’t go all Selke on him.

10. Edmonton Oilers: Scott Glennie C Brandon (WHL)

If I am the GM of the Oilers, which I am not, I have three players that I think I have a shot at with this pick. Dmitri Kulikov, Scott Glennie, and John Moore are the three players I want considered. It is very possible that someone likes Kadri, Ellis, Josefsson before 10. I believe the Oilers are well stocked with defensive depth, and their forward scoring has and continues to be a problem.

11. Nashville Predators: Nazem Kadri, C, London (OHL)

Offensive skill, slick moves, speed. Preds are happy with Kadri at this spot.

12. Minnesota Wild Zack Kassian RW Peterborough (OHL)

Best fighter in the draft. Toughest guy. Top rated power forward type. A good fit with the Wild.

13. Buffalo Sabres John Moore, D, Chicago (USHL)

To me, this guy could be the steal of the draft. Who could possibly be disappointed with a guy that skates like the wind, great shot, hockey sense, good defensively.

14. Florida Panthers: Jordan Schroeder RW USA U-18

Offensively dynamic, playing against stiff competition in NCAA and putting up impressive numbers. About the same size as Patrick Kane, needs to add some bulk, but the skill set, skating and hockey sense all project to be a good NHLer.

15. Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Ellis, D, Windsor (OHL)

The Ducks will over the next few seasons be looking to address voids left by Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. With two more inches and 25 pounds, Ellis is an all star in the NHL. He has offensive tools ad nauseum, shot, smarts, and is a good leader. It must be a good draft if every player taken looks like a steal.

16. Columbus Blue Jackets: David Rundblad, D, Skelleftea (SEL)

Rundblad is a solid two way defender with good size. Good skater, and has the ever elusive right shot. He likes to rush and move the puck quickly. Will look good on the Jackets back end.

17. St. Louis Blues: Tim Erixon, D Skelleftea AIK (SEL)

Blues will be excited to see Erixon fall to 17th. Losing out to his buddy Rundblad as to who was going to be taken first, he is projected to be a little less offensive than Rundblad but more physical and better defensively.

18. Montreal Canadiens: Chris Krieder C Andover (MA – HS)

Great wheels in a power forward body. Someone to compliment their smallish skilled forwards. After a couple years in Boston College, Krieder will head to the Bleu Blanc et Rouge

19. New York Rangers Jacob Josefson, C, Djurgarden (SEL)

A little smaller than some of the other forwards available, he has some good wheels, and great hockey sense.

20. Calgary Flames: Nick Leddy, D, Eden Prairie (USHS)

Smart, smart player with tons of skill, but playing in a lower level. Scouting report looks eerily similar to John Moore (Skill, skating ability, good hockey sense), but Leddy also needs to bulk up.

21. Philadelphia Flyers: Carter Ashton LW Wethbridge (WHL)

A pick based on projection. Good skill in a power forward’s body. Just what Philly likes.

22. Vancouver Canucks: Stefan Elliott, D, Saskatoon (WHL)

Has been compared to Brent Seabrook. If you can pick him up at 22nd overall, then he is going to pay some dividends.

23. New Jersey Devils: Kyle Palmieri, RW, USNTDP

Character, grit, good skill, in the mould of a Chris Drury. Lou likes guys that are committed to winning. Also has good vision and a great shot.

24. Washington Capitals: Jeremy Morin, LW, USNTDP

An all around forward with good hands.

25. Boston Bruins: Anton Lander D Tirma (SEL)

Being loaded up front, the Bruins choose to put some stock back in the blueline with Lander.

26. New York Islanders (via San Jose): Calvin de Haan, D, Oshawa

After taking Tavares with their first pick, the Isles grab de Haan to bolster the back end.

27. Carolina Hurricanes: Louis Leblanc, C, (USHL)

Leblanc has very good hands, and along with good hockey sense, he is a tireless worker.

28. Chicago Blackhawks: Peter Holland, C, Guelph (OHL)

Holland to me was at one point a top 15 pick, but seems to lack some motivation. Maybe the Hawks can kick him into gear.

29. Detroit Red Wings: Markus Johansson, C, Farjestad (SEL)

If my projections are close, then the Wings will be disappointed that a blueliner to their liking doesn’t fall. I am sure they would have been happy to see Erixon, Rundblad, Elliot or any of the ilk fall to them at 29. I wouldn’t be surprised if they like someone enough to move up. If not, a solid two way centre like Johansson is just what the doctor ordered.

30. Pittsburgh Penguins: Ryan Button D, Prince Albert (WHL)

Button is a solid two way defender that uses his smarts to keep him ahead of the competition. Pens take the BPA at this point.

And there you have it…cheers.

The morning after…

I heard MacT talk about a four bad minutes in the 2nd period cost them this game.  The Coyotes had them hemmed in and got 3-4 chances a couple times and that sunk his team.  Maybe we should wonder why they didn’t come out like a house on fire in the first.  I don’t know what team that our coach watches, but that wasn’t a desperate effort.  Not even close.

In a must win game against a non playoff team, the Oilers were flat.  Either the coach has an inability to get these guys fired up, or they are playing to get him fired.  One of the two.

Hopefully tonight, they are fired up on their own, because I don’t think our coach can get any more out of them than he already has.

Style points….zero.

With my Novice team in the finals, I didn’t get to watch all of the game.  I predicted an Oiler 3-2 final, although expecting victory, I was not surprised.  Apparently, reading over at Lowetide in the comments of the game section, Dennis pointed out that Gagner took the late draw that caused a goal.

I know I am only a first year Novice head coach, but with a few minutes left, if I am in my own zone, I do not put my weakest players out there in a game where I am either struggling to hang on, or fighting to win.

Sam Gagner has a 43.3 face-off win percentage on the year.  Both Brodziak and Horcoff are substantially better.  Since I didn’t see the game, I don’t know what the shifts leading up to the faceoff was, nor do I know for sure whether it came off an icing and Gagner had to take the draw.  Either way, this team plays a passive game.  A very passive game.

Take a look at these stats.

PP: 22nd

PK: 27th

Shots for: 29th

Shots against: 25th

Win% trailing after 1st: 24th

Not only that, but our face offs are 26th in the league.  We don’t have the puck, we don’t pursue the puck, we don’t win the puck, we don’t carry the puck.  We don’t play an offensive style, we don’t aggressively play the game when we are ahead, we fight for a tie and a late winning goal, or to get to OT and get a loser point or fortunate win.

Hopefully the system changes.  The playing personnel changes, but the coaches seem to consistently coach them into a grinding style, which must be tiring after a while.  Ask Hemsky.

I hate hockey, I love hockey, I am not sure…

This is a hard post to write.   I was ready to call it a day.  All I could think about was how my pass time, my passion (Outside my work and family) had been bastardized to the point where the mere thought of it (Hockey itself) disgusted me.

I suppose I will have to paint a picture.  I was a smoker, out of shape, but at 32 decided to give up the habit, get in shape.  What better way to do that then to join a recreational hockey team and get back to my roots.  (I grew up on the ice at the outdoor rink my Dad managed)  So I joined a league, and it didn’t work out, but a couple years later, I joined a pretty good hockey team. (Called the Xtreme Hockey Club…go figure)

We played together for 8 seasons summer and winter, and won the title every season that we were together.  But the seasons took their toll, and with more young bucks coming in, I was feeling like my age and slow down meant that I just didn’t have the “jam” to continue as a player.  I retired from playing for the time being.

But, I couldn’t just not be involved in hockey, I still needed to be in shape.  The league had been advertising for referees for a couple seasons.  I thought..hey, skating, a few bucks, what the heck, it could be fun.  Not only that, my 7 year old was starting hockey, and I could coach and juggle the two.  Was going to be a fun winter.

A funny thing happened on the way to the fun winter…hockey players.  Men’s recreational hockey players.

Don’t get me wrong, I met a lot of great people playing rec hockey.  I met my best man playing rec hockey.  Until you ref recreational hockey, you have no idea what kind of animal they are.  I started reffing in October, and the amount of abuse that hockey players put on officials, is unreal.  Some real examples…

-Puck takes funny bounce off boards and hits my skate and player calls me a ****ing idiot.

-My partner waves off an icing and a player goes on a tirade how I am a ****ing moron.

-After a game giving a player three penalties, he suggest I keep my head up because he will take my teeth out next game. (And made it a point to say he was serious.)

-I wave an icing (100% sure it was the correct call) and the resulting breakaway scores.  The next face off,  losing player gets the puck, looks at me, down at the puck, back at me and takes a full slapshot that hits me in the leg.

Obviously I can penalize the infractions, but why does someone want this job?  I see why they have to advertise for referees…

After the last incident,  I had had enough.  This game sucks.  The players suck, and as far as I am concerned, I will only ref this year, and never again.  I don’t want to play it, I don’t even want to watch it on TV, or highlights.  I am disgusted at this game and the players that play it.  I couldn’t care a less if the NHL folded and all ‘Nucks, ‘Oil, ‘Habs, ‘Sens fans could cry in their beers and it wouldn’t matter to me.  TSN.ca is off my bookmarks.  I didn’t check a score for a week.  I left some of my fantasy leagues…  I will ref until the end of the season, but every drive to the rink is tempered with a lack of enthusiasm.  Not only is it just a job, it is now hard work.

But, I still have committments.  I am the head coach of my son’s Novice team.  We still have a season to finish.

It was actually quite funny, the coaching thing.  I intended to be an assistant coach.  I am a busy guy.  When the director phoned and asked me to be the Head coach, although I liked the idea, I travel with business, I have 5 kids, it is quite a committment.  Obviously I didn’t think that there was another candidate by what the director said because I took the job.  He even asked me to help with evaluations.

When my son went to the evaluation, he could barely stand up on his skates. (So did many others)  We went through the process, and my son ended up on a team in one of the lower Novice divisions.  When I got the team, 80% could barely skate, and maybe one had played organized hockey.  I didn’t even know if I could coach them.  I am probably better off suggesting when Staios loses his man and causes a goal than how to stop with two feet.   Could I take my hockey knowledge and break it right down to the basics?  I don’t generally think basically.

Well, we start working on it, lose our first two, then we get hammered in our third game 10-1.  It could be a long season.  But the kids are willing, and I am committed…so we work, and we work hard.  Last place team in the first round of Novice in our division at 2-6-0.  There is improvement, because the two wins are at the end of the round and the kids are starting to get it.  Best players start playing like best players, goalie settles down and because solid.  In the second round, they turn it up a notch, and go 5-1-0.  We might just have something here.

I get the call that we have been moved up a division.  “What the ****?”  We had one good win and all the rest were one or two goal victories.  Our goal differential was 11?  There is a team above us that didn’t move up that had no losses and a better goal differential.  Minor hockey is stupid, the directors are stupid….they are all stupid.  Hockey is stupid.  I call whoever I can, this is nuts.  Sadly, every avenue is shut down.  No one cares, that is just the way it is.  I am pissed, the parents are pissed.  Well, be a good soldier and suck it up.

It gets worse though.  Early in the season, one of my players moves to Ontario.  I am down to 12 kids.  Over Christmas, I play several games with less than 10 skaters.  I call the director.  “Sorry, we can’t help you.  You don’t get any affiliates.”  We fight against better teams, somehow we compete with what we have….some games I look at the kids who are tired and tell them they have to stay on the ice and feel genuine regret.

They still fight, and not too bad, after the third round, 3-5-0 against stiffer competition.  Pretty good I think.  But then, it gets worse.  One of my kids has arthritic knees and doctors say she is going to have to quit sports.  One of my kids goes to Mexico on holidays.  The playoffs are almost here.  What the heck are we going to do?  The best we can do is six forwards and three defensemen.  The league has to see it my way.  I call around for help, but no one is listening.  “I know it is frustrating, but you have to get by.”

Game one of the playoffs (A two loss and out playoff system) didn’t go well.  A team we just lost to 5-1 near the end of the year is going to be tough to beat.  And they were better.  A 6-1 loss was on the table and looking like an end to the season might be soon in the cards.

Interesting what happens though.  I see the next team we play happens to be lower in the standings.  I don’t know how they organize it, but getting one little win before bowing out would be a moral victory.   I don’t really want to see them lose like this.  The next game before the game,  I talk all about effort and compete and go over with the kids what they have learned all year.  I ask each player one by one to tell me one thing they are going to do to be successful.  The start regurgitating everything they have been taught all year.  “Use the boards.”, “Be aggressive.”, “Play your positions.”, “Pass the puck.”

Oddly they don’t really play all that well compared to some games.  Maybe they feel defeated.  I already am pretty disallusioned at hockey, so if they did end up losing, the bright lining is that I am done with it.  But they do play well enough to win 4-1.  After every game, I always call the kids to the bench for three cheers and congratulate them win or lose.  But I call, and none of them come.  They all skate over to mob our little goalie.  I shrug and smile, because they are happy.

So we lose Sunday, but win Thursday, and so on to Saturday.  I look at the schedule again.  The team right above us in the standings.  Well, I don’t care how it got there, but that works for me, we should be in it.  Not only that, our player that is injured wants to sit on the bench with us.  For sure.

I think we should be competitive.  And we are.  A hard fought two two game goes into the final 3 minutes, and one of our best players goes and finds a way to slip one past the goalie.  We find a way to hang on to a slim victory.  The kids jump all over the goalie again.  Now we are looking at superstitions.  Little number 6 wears the same clothes to every game, we do the same speeches, and same lines.  Win Saturday, play Sunday.

Well, it looks as though nice while it lasted.  The team we lost 5-1 and 6-1 is our opponent next.  The speech is a little more animated.  It has to be about the fight in the dog, not the dog in the fight.  We aren’t the best or most talented team, but there are kids that couldn’t skate 6 months ago fighting their hardest along the boards to win it.

A lot of it is confidence, and they seem to have some now.  Close game, up one, tied, up one, and the late goal to clinch it against the team that beat us.  Our goalie decided he was going to stand on his little head and some timely goals brings these kids to the point of eruption.  Another great celebration against a team they were thinking they would lose to.  Win Sunday, play Monday.

I look again and somehow we have avoided the top two teams thus far, and we play the fourth place team.  A team we played well in the regular season.  After the first period, it looks like we are spent.  Down 2-0 and a lot of kids standing around.  We coaches chatter on the bench about they are skating harder than us, that we need a big play.  One of our players needs to make a big play.  We get the big play.  Our number 6 steals the puck and shoots it off the post and in.  After that goal the energy boost to the team is evident.   Another goal comes quickly and we own the play for the rest of the game.  We score two waved off goals.  One at the 2nd period buzzer, and one on a bad whistle.  They hold on to overtime.

In overtime for minor hockey it starts 5 on 5, then each minute you reduce one player per side all the way to 1 on 1 if necessary.  I try to match my players as best I can, giving them rest and working it so we aren’t deficient anywhere.  I arrange it so that when we are down to 2 on 2, our two best players (One is my boy.) are on the ice.  We play the first three to a draw, a couple close calls at either end.  But my line matching works so that my 2 on 2 line up is fairly rested and ready to go.  I only takes 30 seconds and my son dekes both players and puts a high shot in over the goalie.  The place erupts.  My assistant coach goes on the ice and throws my son in the air a few times with hugs, the kids mob the goalie.  I grab all the kids at centre and tell them to wave and point at their parents who are so proud, the parent roar in approval.

I love the game…for today anyways.