I can almost hear my dad clapping!

There was a dust up in the corner exit where the other high school team was exiting the ice. The two hockey teams converged at the corner where several players – with skates on – were engaged in shoving matches with high school fans who had jumped down from the stands into the floor surrounding the rink.

As I fought my way through to the glass I could see the two combatants – both friends of mine. One, a wild kid on the other team with whom I had played a couple years earlier and our team trainer – my friend Dave who just happened to be the Center for our football team. He in  regular footwear – the other in skates but with a hockey stick as an equalizer.

As the opposing high school student body teemed from the stands in droves I could see two dads – both 6’4″- grabbing kids and pushing them away from each. One a father of a kid on our team………and the other a father on the other team…….who just happened to be my coach the year before. He was the best hockey coach I ever had. His name was Sam Johnston. His son and I were on the ice wide-eyed and bewildered to what had just happened…..two former line mates now on either side of a crazy brawl.

The next day the team was summoned to the Principal’s office – or should I say ‘boardroom’ – where we were read the ‘riot act’ – and told that we were lucky to have a ‘next’ game – and that no students would be allowed at the game. And despite my protestations that ‘I knew the other player and he once stared a post-game brawl in after another game we were told that it would be “parents only”.

So I remember the next game in a 1,500 seat arena – the size of our local Sungod Arena – hearing my dad clap as I scored a goal. Previously when a goal was scored the place went 3/4’s nuts (their side) and a 1/4 nuts (our side)

If you ever want to understand what they mean when they say they are ‘going to the show’ – ie; called up to play in the NHL – never underestimate that it truly is an entertainment endeavor. The actual game is only half the show!

Yes – I loved to hear my dad clapping – but it just wasn’t the same as the big celebrations that occurred when you scored and made a big hit.

Today, at Camden Yards in a game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox, there will be no fans allowed due to the ongoing riots and civil unrest in Baltimore.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/an-empty-stadium-in-baltimore/391736/

And not even my dad will be there.

Oilers Release New Theme Song

Basking in the glow of watching the two future stars of the Edmonton Oilers go ‘toe to toe’ playing in the OHL finals – Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters and Darnell Nurse of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

The hiring of Peter Chiarelli and the revamping of their hockey operations.

And finally ………..a new Downtown Arena.

Here it is………enjoy it……..

The Total Athlete needs Total Coaching

The science shows that early stage specialization in a sport is not healthy for children – not healthy mentally, emotionally, and physically.

http://truesport.org/resources/publications/reports/psychological-and-social-benefits-of-playing-true-sport/

The article outlines the 5 C’s of minor sports

“Confidence, Competence, Connections, Character and Caring”

I attended the BC Baseball clinic for coach certification and it was enjoyable to meet some other coaches and to get some specific training on baseball skills and tactics.

Breaking down a skill into its constituent elements ……….and then building it back up against by stringing together each element that has been mastered……..is the essence of improvement.  It was interesting for me to see this in the baseball context and compare and contrast that to the hockey context.

I know that in learning new coaching techniques and elements in one sport I can lend some insight from one sight to the other. The other joy in this endeavour is the ability to connect with some of the kids who play both baseball and hockey.

I watched Brendan Gallagher’s goal again last night. EA Sports should program the entire sequence of his body and the agility and coordination shown  in that goal. If it had appeared in a video game first people would not have believed it.

I just have to think that Brendan has played some baseball along the way in his life.

Johnny Hockey defeats Johnny Canuck

‘Hiller defeats Miller in a Thriller’

The Canucks just couldn’t hold on to a 3-0 lead and became a casualty of the famed Flame resilience.

A team with 9 thirty + years old simply cannot beat a team with a bunch of kids who just don’t know better – in today’s NHL.

Years ago Globe Sports columnist, William Houston, had a great feature ‘By the Numbers’  in which he just looked at ‘the numbers’ in sports – and proceeded to dispel some of the myths of sports, and accentuate and affirm other common beliefs.

This was a pre-cursor to today’s analytics – before Billy Ball.

The one I remember of course is this one.

Strictly by the numbers – the most productive years of an NHL player is between the ages of 24-27.  This was an analysis done some twenty years ago so I would suggest that through science and improvements in the game at the junior and minor levels, that it would have pushed down to between 23-26 years old. I will accept that the limitation on the ‘numbers’ – goals and assists  – doesn’t adequately reflect defenseman and goalies and I bet they would skew up from this age range to say   26-30 years of age. But this age range basically says

‘Experienced enough to know what to do – young enough to do it through 4 rounds of the playoffs’

The Canucks will soon have 12 players over the age of 30. They are living on borrowed time as a group. They were experienced ‘yes’……….but resilent? Did anyone think they had the emotional firepower to beat the Flames. Their often laconic and clumsy play showed they were tired and couldn’t summon up the necessary emotional energy.

In this series one team ‘thought’ they could win it. The other team ‘felt’ they could win it.

You decide which was which.

Tough to see Two Canadian teams go down

It was tough to see both Winnipeg and Ottawa bumped from the first round of the playoffs – especially the play-off starved Jet fans.

With Winnipeg any place where they can still play hockey on outdoor rinks, you know that hockey has to be in their soul. They are also a very interesting group with a sense of humour – with their chants of “Ka-ty Per-ry” to Corey Perry. I am going to have to check into some of the other things they ‘chanted’ during the season.

All and all, they just ran into a very, very good Ducks team. Three hammer Centremen who can control and change the momentum of a game on any particular shift. (Please HNIC, please, please….focus on some other positions that impact the game other than goaltending!)

I was also sad to see Ottawa dispensed from their series. My heart said Ottawa if only to do it in memory of their Assistant coach Mark Reade who passed from cancer just before the playoffs began, and in support of their often irascible, but resilient GM, Bryan Murray who is battling Stage 4 colon cancer.  I think Ottawa outplayed Montreal for much of the series – just look at the shot totals from last night’s game.  The rise of Andrew Hammond (of ‘Alred E. Neuman’ “What me Worry?” fame……..mistaken for the Hamburglar …….but he just went with it anyway!) was a great story as well.

But my head and some of my heart was with Montreal…….long my favorite NHL team when the Oilers were in the WHA. My head because they have the goalie and the depth to go to the finals and possibly win it – a first Stanley Cup for a Canadian team and a Canadien team since 1993 .

They won this series not playing their best hockey………but great teams do get a way with this. Some of my heart too – because you have to cheer for the hometown South Delta Hockey boy, Brendan Gallagher.

If anyone ever has a question that you need to be a great athlete to play hockey it was all in evidence on his game winning and series winning goal. The balance to keep upright with a defenders stick wedged between the boot and blade of his skate, the courage to face the incoming slapshot  (only 90+ miles per hour), reflexes to take the puck on the body and not his face, the agility to twist and turn to find the puck, and the hand-eye coordination to bat the puck out of the air into the open net.

They should analyze it and make it a training video for all young hockey players.

I thought the Rangers only got Yandle at the Trade Deadline?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/nyregion/police-capture-a-coyote-in-manhattans-battery-park-city.html?_r=0

What a Coach might say when you are down 3-1 in a hockey series

When I look at all the hockey series you wonder what a coach can grab on to in order to motivate the team.

It’s often difficult to do but in the ‘innards’ of the game there is a lot to grab on to even when the scoreboard is showing a bad situation.

It was good to see the Canucks respond last night with a win but I doubt their chances back in a crazy, seething, play-off starving Saddledome. They are going to feel the full weight of over-mortgaged oil executives on Thursday night.

Nashville is in tough without Shea Weber going back to Chicago. But they pulled out a game last night in their home rink.

Pittsburgh just won’t have it against New York.

But I do wonder about Ottawa’s situation versus Montreal. The fact is that they were down 3-0 and could have given up …but they didn’t.

Here is what the coach could say.

‘This series could have easily been 2-2, and more likely 3-1 for us. Except for some mistakes we made in game 1 that we made we would have won because we took it to them and took Montreal off their game.

We lost one in overtime.

We won 18 of our last 20 games to get in these playoffs.

In order to win the Stanley Cup you have to win 16 games. During that run we won over 16 games and we won at least 3 games 4 times in a row.

We have done it before……..we can do it again’

Let’s see what it looks like tonight………you never know.

McEdmonton Oilers Announce New Theme Song Today

Ooh, my little Boston one, my Boston one

When you gonna get us the Cup Chiarelli

Ooh, you make our motor oil run, an Oil run

When you gonna get us the Cup Chiarelli

Never gonna stop, or give it up, on a playoff run

Who you giving up, for the touch of that goalie kind

My, my, my , aye-ay – goal!

M-m-m-m-y Chiarelli!

Sad to see the Jets Go

Great to see a playoff game in Winnipeg again.

This was an aggressive and high energy team that just couldn’t keep up with a Ducks team with a powerhouse of Centres – Getzlaf, Kesler and Cogliano, with a strong supporting cast and a goaltender playing above his head.

The Jets and the Jets’ fans did themselves proud this year but the ability to score and make the difference in clutch situations pretty well is the differentiator between Stanley Cup winning teams and good teams.

Still would have liked to see the Jets win at least one though.

NyetFlix Announces Line up of Summer Shows

Pucksense reporter Victor Polosemenko files this report again from our Moscow bureau.

——————-

Here is line up spring shows on Retro-Sovieto, channel 2 on the 2 channel Soviet cable universe

Molotov – Much More than a Cocktail

Here we learn about Vyacheslav Molotov and his diplomatic journeys. See him play canasta with Eisenhower and try to keep up to Winston Churchill in a drinking game. (Is actually where name of Molotov cocktail comes from)

Hey – I can see Palin’s House From Here!

Is comedy set in the far reaches of Eastern Russia. Two crazy goat farmers see if they can spot hot American chick sunbathing in backyard.

Just for Laughs: Gulags

This show has no sound. Just you see the pictures. But it shows enslaved prisoners and guards playing tricks on one another. Is all set up.

Just Shoot Me – Not Hypothetical

Is about young guy working at Pravda newspaper as he learns the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of reporting with a crazy editor and publisher.  Sort of like David Spade with a spade to dig his own grave.

Those Nutty Nazis

Is sequel to Hogan’s Heroes where Klink and Schultz get sent to Russian front just outside Leningrad. Crazy, crazy antics but does not have Hogan in it …….cause he went back home to America to make great movies.

The Real Housewives of Collective Farm 12

Is Reality show in which we track the lives of 5 babuchkas working to keep the 120 people going on collective farm…includes laundry, cooking and skinning cows.

Pavlov – Saved by the Bell

The critics are salivating about this one. Is all about a dog who goes to school and attends classes. Is a kid’s show – adults won’t believe it.

That’s all.