A Mother's Day Weekend Reflection

It was a pretty hectic weekend here in Fargo since my parents and some of my former hockey and tennis players were in town.  It was great to see them all, but what was more moving was the reflection I had afterwards.

Friday after work I went over to take in some tennis.  The girls had played the day before in Jamestown, had two matches on Friday, and would be competing in a tournament on Saturday.  I went over to watch them and it didn't surprise me to see a number of parents there to watch their kids play.  It's a six hour drive from Williston and they were taking vacation time to be there.  Not to mention it was Mother's Day weekend.  The funny thing about it is I didn't think anything of it.  My parents made that exact same trip for five years straight when I was playing high school tennis and didn't think twice about it.  My mom's special day revolved around me (or my brothers when they were in sports) just like so many of these mothers that were here.

After the tennis match I went to have dinner with four of my former hockey players and one of their mothers whose turn it was to take them.  Not only did she devote her time and money to these players during season, but now she was devoting her time and money in the off-season to help them improve.  She inevitably spent her Mother's Day watching hockey and traveling six hours with four chatty Junior High girls.  Once again, I thought back to the days that we would be up in Canada where I was playing in some off-season tournament on my mom's special day.  Not once did my mother complain about this.  In fact, she was actually pretty good at acting like it was her idea of a Mother's Day vacation.

Since I'm retired from hockey and tennis now (playing anyways), this Mother's Day weekend was spent with sleeping in, pedicures, and brunch.  However, something struck me again on the way to brunch.  As I was driving past the softball fields I saw all of the fields occupied with what looked like 100 little leaguers and, you guessed it, 100 cheering mothers.  These women weren't getting breakfast in bed or spa days.  They were out in their lawn chairs cheering their kids on when winning and consoling when they didn't.

Sports always have a way of illustrating the big picture in life and this weekend was no different.  It showed me the incredible selflessness of a mother.  They have one day set aside for them and many of them refuse to take that one day off from being a mother, a coach, a fan, a chauffeur.  What's probably the most intriguing is that it's exactly how they want to spend it.  This is the unconditional love of a mother and something we should never take for granted.  Thank you to my own mother for all the sacrifices she made for my brothers and me growing up.  The rest of you, I hope your kids all come to the realization and appreciation of what you have done and continue to do for them.  Here's a special shout-out to you!

Why Ryan Suter Will Win the Norris

The Norris candidates have officially been announced.  Ryan Suter, PK Subban, and Kris Letang make up the hattrick of finalists.  As a Wild fan, I'm obviously biased and want Suter to win it.  Let's take a look at why that's a very real possibility.

 

In my opinion, Letang is going to be the number 3 man in this race.  He does have impressive offensive numbers (averaging a point per game) and led the NHL in assists by a defenseman despite missing 13 games.  It's not fair, but Letang is going to be handicapped by his shortened season.  People didn't get to see him quite as often as the other two.  He also benefits from an offensive team that strengthens his numbers a little bit.

 

Next up is PK Subban.  Is Subban deserving of a Norris this season?  Maybe.  Will he win it?  Doubtful.  Subban is a fantastic player, but he is also a disliked player.  From showing up late to camp becuase he was holding out for a better contract to his on-ice antics, Subban isn't the most liked or respected guy in the game.  While the Norris isn't a sportsmanship award (we've got the Lady Byng for that), the few voters that despise Subban may be what cost him the trophy in a tight race.

 

So has Suter's season justified a Norris trophy?  You have to look at the whole picture.  Production-wise, he is 2nd in assists and 3rd in points for defensemen.  What sets Suter apart is the circumstances and his impact, though.  He adjusted to a new defensive system, a new D-partner, and he did this without the benefit of a full training camp and full season.  He took nineteen year old Jonas Brodin under his wing to fill out the top pairing and he's played in all situations for the Wild.  He's been the anchor on a young and inexperienced blue line while averaging  over 27 minutes per game (most in the NHL).  The voters are going to have to look really hard to find a player that has done more for his team's success than Suter this season.  

It's a Great Day for Hockey

Well, they took the absolute hardest route possible, but for the first time in five years the Minnesota Wild will be playing playoff hockey tonight.  To celebrate the "bonus hockey" I thought I'd post a couple videos.  Enjoy!

This one is still too new to be on youtube, but check out the link.  You won't regret it!

Happy Birthday Katie!

 

 

 

 

I just wanted to do a very special shout-out today to my best friend and amazing editor on her birthday.  Happy quarter century to Beyond the Pond's Grammar God!



What Does the Gwozdecky Firing Mean for the Pioneers?

Last week we saw one of the best coaches in college hockey, George Gwozdecky, relieved of his coaching duties.  Some people like this guy, some don’t.  Some get sick of his antics and some, like me, love the comic relief he often brings to a game (storming across the ice, doing the dasher dance).  Personal feelings about Gwozdecky aside, not many will attempt to make the argument that he was ineffective as the head coach of the Denver Pioneers.  That’s why many were stunned by the firing, forced resignation (or whatever spin the Denver administration wants to put on it).  Heading into a new conference next season, finding a replacement head coach of Gwoz’s ability over the summer is not a task most schools would like to attempt.  So let’s take a look at what has happened since the announcement.

·         Scott Mayfield (Sophomore Defenseman) signed a contract with the New York Islanders

·         Juho Olkinuora (Sophomore Goalie) signed a contract with the Winnipeg Jets

·         Highly anticipated recruit Gage Ausmus (NTDP) withdrew his commitment

Mayfield hurts.  He is a fantastic stay-at-home defenseman that compliments Joey Laleggia’s offensive mentality perfectly.  I’m going to go out on a limb (or maybe not so much) and say Laleggia may not be far behind.  I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if he decided to sign over the offseason as well.  The Olkinuora signing is unexpected and could be crippling to the program.  Not only was he a 2-time All-WCHA selection, but this leaves Denver with one goalie for next season.  Zach Hope is graduating and Denver doesn’t have a goalie committed for next season.  They better hope they can find someone fast and/or Sam Brittain can play a full season in the challenging NCHC league.  To make matters worse, who is going to go find a new goalie when they currently don’t have a Head Coach?!

Unfortunately for Denver, I don’t think these three will be the last to leave.  Like I said before, I could see Laleggia panicking with the Olkinuora and Mayfield signings and the uncertainty of a new coach.  If he decides to sign, the defensive corp could really be hurting come October.  I could also see Nick Shore signing.  If he does, I don’t think his little brother Quentin will be far behind.  There were rumors of Quentin bolting for the WHL this year. If his older brother and coach are gone, I don’t see him sticking around.

No one on the outside really knows what happened, or why Coach Gwozdecky was let go.  All we really know is it seems to have caused a little bit of panic among the current and future Pioneer players.  Time will tell how it will all play out, but this could end up being one of the biggest mistakes the Denver administration has ever made.

My Evaluation of the Wild trade



Well, I had to take a break from writing after UND lost out of the tournament to Yale. I just didn’t have the heart to think or write about hockey.  However, things changed fast when the Wild completed a blockbuster trade right at the deadline bringing Buffalo Sabres captain Jason Pominville to the State of Hockey in exchange for two quality prospects and draft picks.  Here’s the article.

What I like about the trade:

Above all, I like that Fletcher is putting his confidence in this team and trading to make them a contender right now.  Being a Minnesota sports fan, I’m so used to seeing the reverse role…watching a prospect develop into a stud just to see him traded for more prospects (Twins).  Fletcher made a bold move trading some quality prospects to bring in a guy that is in his prime right now to help the Wild win right now.  Besides what it symbolizes, Pominville brings a lot to the table.  He can play point on the power play, he can score, he can grind it out, he can kill penalties, and he’s a leader in the locker room.  He’s also a right handed shot which makes me think he’ll fit in very nicely with Z-Par and Koivu on that top line.  Also, we all have to wonder whether his buddy and linemate, Thomas Vanek (former Gopher), will consider returning to Minnesota to join him when he becomes a free agent next season.

What I don’t like about the trade:

If the Wild were going to give up some quality prospects to add a stud veteran player, I was hoping it would be a defenseman.  Their offensive line-up is starting to look pretty lethal, but can the Wild D-Corp take them deep in the playoffs?  Suter and Brodin are fantastic and Spurgeon and Gilbert have been playing fine, but it really drops off after that.  Hopefully the addition of Brett Clarke will prove to solidify the blue line.  As far as what they gave up, Larsson is the only one that I struggle with.  Kuemper has looked better in net than Hackett and with the Wild making a playoff push they aren’t going to have a very high first round pick anyway this year.  Larsson is a great two-way player with natural leadership and insane competitiveness.  If it weren’t for Coyle, Zucker, and Granlund I would have questioned this move, but it was starting to look like Larsson’s ceiling with the wild was as a third line center anyway.  He will be a big player for the Sabres and I wish him the best of luck.

What’s next for the Wild?

With the addition of Pominville and the way Coyle and Zucker are developing, it’s safe to say a few players that are in the Wild line-up won’t be next season.  I was hoping they would trade Pierre-Marc Bouchard for something (picks) because the odds of them resigning him are not much above 0%.  They didn’t get that done so he will walk away for nothing, but he’s one that I assume won’t be here next season.  I will also be surprised if Heatley is still here next year.  With the addition of Pominville and the play of Zucker and Coyle with the big club, I don’t see Heatley being a top 2 line player again.  If he’s not on a top line, I have to think they will deal him. Finally, they have to trade for or sign a free agent defenseman to solidify that group.  I look for Fletcher to do this in the off-season.

Hobey Baker Top 10 Prediction

The Hobey Baker top 10 is set to be released tonight at 5:00, so I thought I would take a stab at who I feel will be making the cut.  I will willingly admit I have a WCHA bias (as I don’t get to see many of the other teams play) and it will be apparent that I have a forward bias as well.  There just isn’t a good stat to measure defensemen and I don’t see a defenseman this year that has put up the jaw-dropping numbers to push them into the mix.  These are in no particular order.

Ryan Walters (University of Nebraska – Omaha)

Walters leads the nation in points with 52.  The fact that Omaha wasn’t able to extend their season into the Final 5 will probably prevent him from making the Hobey Hattrick in such a wide-open race, but it’s tough to leave the nation’s point leader out of the top 10. 

Danny Kristo (University of North Dakota): 
Kristo has been so good in every situation this year.  He’s great at even strength, pesky on the penalty kill, and he’s what makes the North Dakota power play run.  He also has a reputation for scoring big goals.  He has 24 goals on the season and is playing on a team that is poised to make another playoff run.  I doubt Kristo will make the Hobey Hattrick because of his off-ice incidents, but his on-ice play makes it nearly impossible to be left out of the top 10.

Corban Knight (University of North Dakota): 

Kristo’s linemate on the top line at UND will surely make a push at the top 10 and maybe even the Hobey Hattrick.  He has 48 points (7^th in the nation), the highest face-off percentage in the nation, and is one of the most reliable 2-way players in the game.  He also is a great student and a character guy.  While I predicted Kristo to be higher than Knight in the WCHA awards, I believe if a UND forward advances to the Hobey Hattrick, it will be Knight.

Drew Leblanc (St. Cloud):
To start the year, I had St. Cloud’s Ben Hanowski in my preseason Hobey picks but Leblanc has asserted himself as the clear favorite.  He was named the WCHA Player of the year and WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year- the first time in history that the same player has brought home both awards.  Above all, he led his St. Cloud State Huskies to the McNaughton Cup with his 50 points this season.  I have to think he’s a Top 10 lock and could make a run at the Hobey Hattrick.

Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College):

At the midway point of the season, I thought Johnny Hockey (as the Eagle faithful affectionately calls him) would run away with this award.  His production did slow down enough to let some others in the race, but I still think this award is his to lose.  He’s an electrifying player that led the nation in points per game.  If the Eagles are able to make a good post-season run, which they usually do under Jerry York’s tenure, Gaudreau will be in the Hobey Hattrick.

Eric Hartzell (Quinnipiac):

My only non-forward that made this list.  Hobey loves goals, but it’s tough to leave a guy like Hartzell off this list.  For those of you that haven’t looked at the polls lately, Quinnipiac had been number one in the nation until this week when they dropped to number 2.  Hartzell is a huge reason for this.  He has a .935 Save Percentage, a 1.4978 GAA, and has played 36 games.  The fact that the Bobcats are number 1 in the pairwise is going to draw attention and Hartzell looks to be the candidate that reaps the benefits of it.

Eric Haula (University of Minnesota):

With the Gophers being in and out of the national number 1 spot, I have a hard time believing they won’t have a Top 10 finalist.  As much as I love Nate Schmidt, I don’t think he’ll be in because defensemen rarely make it unless they have numbers that you simply can’t ignore.  Bjugstad didn’t have the year he was expected to and Rau hasn’t done as much as Haula.  Haula is tied for 5^th in the nation in points with 49 and and was named to the All-WCHA 2^nd team.  I don’t think his season warrants a Hobey Hattrick spot, but I do think he will crack the top 10.

Steven Whitney (Boston College):

Whitney is not as flashy (or as flashy of a name) as his linemate Johnny Hockey.  He does, however, have the points and the resume to warrant a top 10 pick.  He has 43 points with an impressive 25 goals.  He also just received the Walter Brown award given to the best American born hockey player in New England. 

Greg Carey (St. Lawrence):

Carey’s chance at the Hobey Hattrick may have ended with his team’s season last week at the hands of Yale.  However, the kid had a nation leading 28 goals this season.  Even with the season ending earlier than some of the other finalists, I don’t see him being left off the top 10 list.

Kevin Goumas (University of New Hampshire):

I may be going off the chart a little on this pick, but New Hampshire’s strong season and strong likelihood of making the national tournament are tough to ignore. Goumas is a huge reason for their success.  He only had 10 goals this season, but had an impressive 32 assists.  I could see another goalie (Hjelle or Gillies) or a defenseman sneak into the mix, but I’m going with Goumas to round out the top 10 picks.