Monday, September 17, 2007


Can't Beat Junior Hockey

I spent the weekend flying to and from Fort McMurray to call a game between the hometown Oil Barons and visiting Okotoks Oilers.

It had been three seasons since I called an Alberta Junior Hockey League game and it didn't take long for me to remember why I spent a year and half driving from small town to small town broadcasting hockey games, or why I spend most of my free time working with Hockey's Future Radio.

I had spent the past couple of seasons working on the Lethbridge Hurricanes radio broadcasts and I'm pretty sure I lost my appreciation for the junior hockey game...or I guess I should say the junior hockey atmosphere.

On Saturday night in Fort Mac, Thickwood Heights Arena was simply packed...capacity is listed at 2300 but there must have been atleast 2500 fans stacked to the rafters, anxious for the boys in Blue and Gold to drop the puck on the home portion of their 07-08 sked.

I would much rather be stuck in the corner of an arena calling a game where I have to lean over to see the far end of the ice when I know that everyone at the game is there because they care for the club and the community, not just because it's something to do.

The atmosphere in Fort McMurray is similiar to that in Moose Jaw or Swift Current where the team is actually the "town's team". I don't think I could ask for much more and I'm stoked to be moving to a city where both the players and more importantly the fans show passion for the game.

One man who probably understands what I'm talking about is Swift play-by-play man Jon Keen. He's got a blog on the go now and it's defintely worth checking out, he's been on HF Radio in the past and will surely be on the show once again when we re-launch in October. But for real...check out his blog.... http://www.jonkeen.blogspot.com/

And if you are ever in Fort McMurray swing up to the broadcast booth at Thickwood Heights Arena....I'll be there with my stats, my equipment and most importantly my heart...because when you love hockey....there is nothing better then a junior game in an arena that is clearly over the max capacity limit and people are worried that the Fire Chief will come in and shut the place down...ofcourse he's a season ticket holder in row 1....so you don't have to worry.

Take it easy!



Thursday, September 13, 2007


HF Radio: Projected All-Rookie Team




Yes over the next week I will also post my Top Ten Calder Candidates but I thought I would start things off with a look at what I believe will be your All-Rookie team for the upcoming season.


We will start in goal and his name is not Carey Price, it's Karri Ramo.


All-Rookie Team 07-08




G - Karri Ramo - Tampa Bay


Being a big fan of the Montreal Canadiens I would love to put Carey Price in this spot but I really think less stands in the way of Karri Ramo. Ramo will be the Finnish goaltender that makes an impact in the NHL this season, next year it will be Tuuka Rask. Ramo should be able to atleast earn the backup spot with Tampa Bay to start the season and once given an opportunity I'm a big believe that he will outplay Holmqvist and take over the starters job in T.B.


D - Erik Johnson - St. Louis

Not only is he big and talented, he will also be given a chance to be a top three blueliner with the Blues. Johnson will most likely be looked up to provide offense from the backend for the Blues and unless Eric Brewer picks up his game Johnson will lead this crew of d-men in scoring.


D - Kris Letang - Pittsburgh

Many people may expect to slide Jack Johnson into this role but I really think Kris Letang is going to be given the opportunity to see alot of ice-time on the Penguins and alot of ice-time on the Pens means alot of points.


C - Nicklas Backstrom - Washington

Choosing a center for the All-Rookie team is tough and it may even be harder at the end of the season. Backstrom along with Jonathan Toews and Peter Mueller will all be looked upon to play top six minutes on their respective clubs this year. I just see Backstrom doing better with Ovechkin or Semin then Toews will with Havalt or Mueller will with....poor Mueller.


LW - Clark MacArthur - Buffalo

While this years rookie is class is very deep on both the blueline and down the middle it's a little weak on the wings. The LW position could come down to MacArthur or Habs 25-year old winger Janne Lahti. It would also be interesting if the Oilers opted to keep Sam Gagner with the big club, could he possibly play the wing a bit? When all is said and done I opted to place the former Medicine Hat Tiger MacArthur in this spot after a very good AHL season last year.


RW - Igor Grigorenko - Detroit

Grigorenko's permanent arrival is Detroit is long overdue. Many people think he may need some seasoning in the AHL but I'm thinking he sticks with the club from day one and doesn't look back. With some of the fellow talented euro's in Detroit I would be surprised if Grigorenko hit the 40 assist plateau.


Take it easy!

Monday, September 10, 2007


The Not So Super Series Finally Put To Bed


The 2007 Canada-Russia Super Series was a very intriguing event, for about 9 minutes. When the Russians jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in Game number one I found myself wide awake, yes it was around 7:30 AM mountain time and usually I don't work till 10:00 AM so I pulled myself out of bed, actually just a move to the couch, but still the early jump from the Russians was an eye opener. The key moment in this series, well I guess there were a couple, but the big one early was a 5 on 3 advantage for the Russians while they were leading 2-0 in Game 1. If the Russians managed to take a 3-0 lead they very likely would have gone on to win Game 1 and gain some much needed confidence. Instead the Canadians penalty kill gave us a preview of what to expect in the series and then bang, bang, bang and it's 3-2 Canada....the rest is now history.

There were moments and players that will always stick out in my mind from this series, here are my top five reasons to remember the 2007 Super Series.
#5. Brandon Sutter hit on Alex Cherepanov
I will admit that I'm not near as big of fan of Sutter as Pierre Maquire but the open ice check he laid out on Alex Cherepanov truly did set the physical tone of the series.

#4. Zach Boychuk
I mentioned on HF Radio prior to the series that Zach Boychuk is a kid that many people should watch out for. He started the series as a role player on the fourth line and by the time the slaughtering came to a close Boychuk finished third on the Canadian squad with 4 goals and argulably the prettiest of the series. If fans did not know what to expect from Boychuk they defintely do now. He'll be a top 15 pick in 2008, he has to be, to much skill to pass up.

#3. John Tavares, Mixed Thoughts
Yes I know he finished second in scoring with 1 goal and 9 assists, but in the end he left me confused. There was not one point in the series where I found Tavares to be an "exceptional" player. For a guy who scored 72 goals in the OHL he sure had troubles finding the back of the net. After seeing his play I can see the one glaring area he needs to work on is his speed. That being said I hope he buries 80 in the OHL this year, that would be a great story.
#2. Drew Doughty
Up until this point I had only heard great things about him, now I've witnessed them. The fact that he is only draft eligible this year is a scary thought. Is anyone else blown away by the fact that he could possibly hit 90 points on the blueline in the OHL this year, very impressive. Big and can wheel, what's not to remember?

#1. Sergei Bobrovsky = Surprise of Series
Yes I know it might be silly to put the worst goalie of the tournament (statistically speaking) as my number one memory of the Super Series but I am. A goals against average above 5.00 and a save percentage below 8.60...who cares? At times this guy was absolutely remarkable. When you ask me about this Super Series in 5 years the first thing I will say is "Ya that was kind of a waste of time for the Russians".....second thing I'll say is "Sergei Bobrovsky".

Oh and an honourable mention to Sam Gagner. The kid was amazing, but I was kind of expecting him to lead the way and he did just that.


Take it easy!