MC games reflect trend
The Memorial Cup hockey tournament in Kelowna has become a national stage for what is wrong with hockey.
There was hope the Cup would return life to junior hockey with the Western Hockey League’s top scoring team making the field that includes the host team and the champions from the Ontario and always high-scoring Quebec leagues.
Instead, the junior hockey showcase is just a continuation of what Spokane Chiefs and WHL fans watched all season — offensively challenged hockey teams mimicking the clutch-and-grab National Hockey League.
Kelowna beat Guelph (Ontario) 1-0 in the opener with an early power play goal. Gatineau (Quebec) beat Medicine Hat 3-1 in the second game, with a late goal and an empty netter. Kelowna knocked off Gatineau 4-1 with all five goals coming on power plays. And MH stayed alive with a 2-1 win over Guelph on Tuesday, each team scoring late.
Kelowna and Medicine Hat play tonight for a spot in Sunday’s championship. Maybe the fans in Kelowna will get lucky and see a 3-2 shootout before the week is out.
Brandon’s Ray Ferraro scored 108 goals 20 years ago when there were 14 teams in the WHL. Kelowna gave up 125 goals in this 72-game season as overage goalie Kelly Guard, who was never drafted by a NHL team (but signed a free-agent contract with the Ottawa Senators last week), set a bushel of records.
Among Guard’s records were 13 shutouts, part of the 107 in the league, a record by more than 40. And scoring was down more than a goal from its previous lowest at 5.5 a game.
There are calls for bigger goals, smaller goalie pads, no center line, more room behind the net, anything to breath more life into the game.
None of that will really matter unless there is a complete change of philosophy.
Lockdown, trapping, defensive-minded, offense-be-damned hockey is winning and with the pressure to win, that’s what every coach is going to do if that’s what it takes to survive.
Even if the WHL is, in theory, a developmental league, and even if 20 teams — four more than 10 years ago — means the talent is diluted, coaches are expected to win.
Since the start of the 2003-04 WHL season, 11 teams have changed coaches. That doesn’t count Kelowna’s Marc Habscheid, who would appear to be a likely candidate for a promotion to the pro ranks if the NHL wasn’t expected to get into some bitter labor negotiations once the Stanley Cup playoffs end.
So until further notice, fans can only hope their entertainment dollar is being spent to watch a winning team because it’s not going to go to entertaining hockey.
Unemployment line
Calgary moved general manager Kelly Kisio behind the bench on Tuesday and named recently fired Vancouver coach Dean Evason associated coach.
Six teams still don’t have a coach, although rumor has it Saskatoon could name a coach on Friday. The name most often mentioned is Curtis Hunt, who left Moose Jaw after the Warriors were eliminated from the playoffs. However, one name dropped was Bob Strumm, former general manager of the Chiefs.
Overall, the time line of the coaching changes, courtesy of James Shewaga of the Brandon Sun:
“The Saskatoon Blades and Prince George Cougars wasted little time in beginning the firing frenzy early in the season, dumping Kevin Dickie and Ed Dempsey respectively, while the Lethbridge Hurricanes handed the pink slip to Mikko Makela at the Christmas break.
The Brandon Wheat Kings became the fourth team to make a coaching change (in season) when Brandon general manager Kelly McCrimmon relieved Mike Kelly of his duties and stepped behind the bench himself just prior to the start of the playoffs.
Since the end of the WHL season, the Calgary Hitmen (Richard Kromm), Moose Jaw Warriors (Hunt), Regina Pats (Bob Lowes), Seattle Thunderbirds (Dean Chynoweth), Swift Current Broncos (Randy Smith), Vancouver Giants (Evason) and the Blades (interim coach Jamie Reeve) all joined the Wheat Kings in looking for a new bench boss.”
Ice chips
The Tri-City Americans signed a one-year lease for the Coliseum last week that will allow the team to have a better chance to be successful financially and the fans a chance to park for free. … Red Deer GM/coach Brent Sutter is considered the front runner to coach the Canadian team for the 2005 world junior championships. … Some WHL executives pooh-poohed the idea that teams could have more than three over-age players next year but an increase to four is being discussed. Also there is thought about limiting teams to one 16-year old and one import and Canadian teams to two Americans.