What do Croatia, Germany and Denmark hockey players all have in common?
They're all going to watch Olympic games on TV.
Robert Kristan standing firm for Slovenia against Denmark
Austria and Slovenia made an uproar and qualified to the Olympic hockey tournament in Socchi 2014! Beating "hockey" countries like Belarus, Ukraine and Denmark Slovenia qualified for the first time (since 1984 and OG in Sarajevo where they played as part of Yugoslavia), while Austria took a point from Germany with a goal in last minute to tie the score.
Slovenian team trying to hug their goalie all at once for stellar performance
at OGQ tournament. Photo by iihf.com
What do Austria and Slovenia have in common? Well, its a similarity at least. Almost all players from Austria play in the local/regional EBEL league, but almost all players from Slovenia play abroad. And they're mostly out of a single, and world-known, hockey school. A school where Anže Kopitar was made, on a sunny side of Alps in Jesenice.
So, in a league where Vanek stayed with his folks in a village in Austria (Graz) and scored like 15 points in 11 games. A bit less then he managed to do in his dozen or so games of a shortened NHL season. Yikes, EBEL is better league than NHL!
Btw. three countries with teams playing in EBEL are going to Olympic games. Only two countries with teams playing in NHL are going to Olympic games. Do the math! I know I did.
So, Sammy Gagner said congrats to his Austrian Eskimo brothers:
Big Congratulations to Austria on qualifying for Sochi 2014. Really enjoyed my time there and wish them all the best. Except vs Canada :)
— Sam Gagner (@89SGagner) February 10, 2013
Also, Andy Chiodo, his former teammate and two times draftee commented the same. He discovered twitter as well recently. Coincidence? I think not.
Congrats to the KAC boys and all of Austrian National Team on qualifying for 2014 Olympics . Great job !
— Andy chiodo (@ChicoChiodo31) February 10, 2013
Though, somehow I think Gagner's tweet went to a broader audience. But we're all praying that finally this is the year Oilers and Sammy go to playoffs. If not, he'll always have the Alps.
Anže Kopitar was also proud on his baby bro and his papy who pulled Slovenia to the first Olympic Games tournament in history. No one understood what he wrote though. Well, his teammates in Slo did. Maybe. Not sure.
He did say though that he's playing in Socchi 2014. Take that NHL.
"This is a miracle," Slovenia head coach Matjaz Kopitar, father of the Los Angeles Kings Anze Kopitar, was quoted as saying afterwards. "A great success, not only for our sport, but for our nation."
http://instagram.com/p/VmrMGWrOc1/ This picture sums it all up.
What else? Oh yeah, they have to brothers actually named Rodman. Cool right? And their brightest stars is a young trio that emerged from Jesenice school Sabolič - Tičar - Jeglič, twenty something kids playing in DEL and Allsvenskan. Going to Olympic games. Good luck boys!
Dustin Jeffrey is doing some graveyard shifts in NHL. And he was a star in Europe. Just like Muršak. Hope Jan gets better though and starts playing again like he knows he can.
Russians are coming
Ergo Arena in Gdansk
Or are they? Poland nominated Gdansk for KHL team. Their idea of a KHL team is a road show that'll be based in Gdansk but will tour around Poland in order to promote hockey.
Seriously? Who comes up with ideas like those?
In other news: Russians plan to have Milano in for 13/14 and by 14/15 another Swiss based team. That would sum up to 28 teams, with one spot open for either a Croatian team and Polish team, or someone else with money.
Two cups one league
But there's still playoffs to be played in EBEL league before Russians arrive (if?). EBEL has a really silly intermission round system worked in a way to give bottom teams a chance to qualify for playoffs while doing jack shit all season. Also gives chance to Red Bull Salzburg to dress a 28th foreign (transfer card) player this season. A frenchie. Yikes, seriously guys?
Vienna continues to dominate, and are now a team most would bet to win championship. Two cups one league? Yes, thats EBEL. Vienna will miss their star D-man, Dan Bjornlie who's out with a season ending concussion.
Trade deadline doesn't end by 15th so we'll see if they'll bring a substitute by then.
Bears from Zagreb, who are declining in this intermission round, got a new goal scorer, Roman Tomas from Slovakian team Poprad is supposed to arrive to Zagreb tomorrow and join the team for the away game in Vienna. Live video will be at www.medvescakizbliza.com under STREAM. Hopefully we'll have a good game to watch. Its about time.
Geoff Waugh might return to roster after a month long absence due to concussion.
Clayton Stoner still didn't reply to a few questions, but its okay, he's busy in NHL. Hopefully he'll do it soon and we'll have something to read about.
A new / second part of season, both in Europe and North America. Some life, and some emotion. Read all about it:
NHL is starting on 19th while most of European leagues are getting really close to Playoffs. Somehow I feel like we're in early September with all the fantasy drafts, trade rumors and talks about first, last seeds and possible underdogs. While NHL starts soon, Europe is nearing trade deadline (Feb 15th). What will it bring remains to be seen. Hopefully it will be fun couple of weeks!
In Zagreb there's just one difference. There's like 60 cm of snow so far. And its fun. Except for guys. After a loss (and not important at all for 2nd seeded team in EBEL) in "big" Arena on Sunday to last (and worst) team of league they were sent shoveling:
Everyday I'm shoveling: Brandon Buck, Arena employee, Dennis Bozic, Ivan Šijan and Gal Koren. Working hard.
Sam Gagner and Andy Chiodo (Edmonton / EC KAC) both rediscovered twitter. It's something of a "get a room you two" conversation. Oh boy.
Then I stumbled upon an interview by NHL network with Dustin Jeffrey.
I guess he really liked playing here. Good thing we're all basically literate and can speak English to some degree. Just like any proper country. Right guys?
I've talked to Mike Danton and Ned Lukačević.
These two guys were extremly nice, and happy to respond to few of my questions. Danton, 5th round draft pick for NJ Devils in 2000, and Lukačević, a 4th round pick for LA Kings in 2004 have something in common. Both are currently playing in Banska Bystrica of Slovakian Elite league.
Mike Danton in a practice jersey of HC '05 (Banska Bystrica, Slovakia)
Q: Mike, from making to the big league, NHL, to Canadian CIS league. From Sweden to Czech (Austrian EBEL) and back, and now in Slovakia. Quite a trip so far. What are your expectation of this season?
Mike: My expectations for this season are simple: be successful. This year was a little different for me because I became a father in the off-season. So, my priorities for the season were centered around my son. We felt it important to be in a similar culture to Canada for the upbringing of our son. That is why I intended on playing for the Coventry Blaze this season in the UK. However, my criminal background interjected once again and the UK border agency denied me access after two attempts. At that point, I just wanted to play hockey in a country that I was familiar with. So, I signed in Sweden. I played well there and got an opportunity to play here in Banska and it has been great so far. Hopefully, with the talent and speed that we have, we can make a strong push in the home stretch and go as far as possible.
Q: As player vast life and hockey experience, you are regarded by your teammates as a natural leader and something of a "life coach" in every team you play in. Do you consider yourself a changed man?
Mike: Yes, I consider myself changed, but not entirely. I am the same charismatic and entertaining guy that I have always been. That will never change. However, I have matured in life and mentality. I have been through so much in my life that I have a wealth of knowledge in so many areas. I hav eben up and down so much in my life that I have learned from all of those scenarios and can help guide younger players when I recognize similar situations they are going through. That is also a new aspect of my life that I enjoy. I do not mind it at all.
I've talked to Ned as well about Mike, and about having many lockout players this season on team. He talked quite a bit. Ned just loves to talk.
Q: Your team (Banska Bystrica) had quite a few lockout players on roster. Now that they're gone, how does the team feel?
Ned: Having the NHL lock out players here was great for our club, and also great for the city. The city had a lot of buzz and it was really nice playing along side Micheal Handzus in particular for myself, he helped me really establish my game in the Extraliga. We have been struggling as of late to string together some wins, but the great thing is we're still in a playoff spot, and we feel good about the team we have in front of us.
Q: Your newest teammate is Mike Danton, a guy with huge history and obviously skill. Do you think you can learn a lot by playing with guys like Mike and Handzuš?
Mike Handzus and Ned Lukačević during a game for Banska Bystrica
Ned: Meeting Mike (Danton) for the first time, was a great experience for me and something I'll always remember. Mike has always been judged on his past, and the mistake he made... But just like anyone he deserves a second chance, I'm glad to say he is getting it, in life and in hockey. He (Mike) is a good person with a good heart. On the hockey side of things, he can still play- it's really interesting that someone who was locked up for 7 years is still as good as he is. It just shows why he was where he once was.
Q: You're a student of criminology. Does the understanding of human nature and psychology help you in hockey games?
Mike: Actually, I am a student in Psychology and Criminology with my focus being in sports psychology. In saying that, my education definitely plays a positive role in my hockey career. It is amazing to learn how significant the mind is when it comes to playing sports. I wish I was schooled in this field when I was playing in the NHL. One of the main concepts that I have really focused on the last two years in confidence and self-motivation. It is true: without belief, you really have nothing. Proper self-motivation and confidence can become your best friend or worst enemy in sports.
Q: You played a good season in Czech, and your former colleague at Saint Mary's Univ Kyle Wharton came to the club this season. Why didn't you stay? Can you compare the league to other top leagues you played in?
Mike: Znojmo was a great experience for me. I played well, and the fans were absolutely amazing. However, hockey is business and most of the time emotions do not make the best judgements for contractual agreements. Like I said earlier, we found it important to play in a similar culture to Canada this season because of the birth of our son. Playing in a country where English was not spoken too often would have hindered our situation if something were to happen to our son and daily errands that would have needed to be completed. The EBEL is a very good league. It is fast, skilled and tough like North America. There are many North Americans playing in that league which bring an element of physical hockey to their teams.
Q: What are your plans for this season and future? Do you see yourself working in hockey after you end your player career one day?
Mike: My plans for this season are simple: be as successful as possible. I want to perform as well as I can and help the team win as many games as possible. In the future, I want to play hockey for as long as I can, but I realize that might not be able to happen. Whenever children enter the picture, priorities seem to change. Whatever is best for my son and family is what I will decide to do. I would love to stay in hockey to some degree after my career whether that be coaching or in some type of psychological setting. I guess we will see.
Big thanks to Mike Danton for this great opportunity to talk to him. After I've finished with Mike, I went back head to head with Ned. While he loves to talk (did I mention that?) his second passion is hockey, and third probably poker. For next interview I might call him to play some heads up.
Q: So Ned, you're in Slovakia for a while now. This is your second stint in Europe. How do you like it so far? Have you been to any of the great cities?
Ned: It's been a great start to my European career. Obviously with my brief stint in the Allsvenskan (Swedish 2nd league) last year, this is my first real taste at European hockey fully. It's a great pace, great life style, and hockey has become fun again. My favorite city I have visited so far has definitely got to be Vienna.
Q: You played a few games in Sweeden (Allsvenskan) and some in Slovakia now. How do you compare those leagues? How do they compare to AHL and ECHL?
Ned: I think the difference between Allsvenskan and Slovakia is a few things. The conditions are a lot more modern in Sweden, rinks wise. Facilities are a little newer, but the fans in Slovakia are real passionate about hockey and are very loyal. Both leagues were up pace and real up tempo. On paper Allsvenskan is probably touted by general managers as better but I think the top teams here would be good teams in Allsvenskan as well.
Ned Lukačević during 2008. Flyer's camp sporting a jailhouse jersey
Q: You've been regarded in past as top prospect by LA King's organisation and you eventually decided to play in Europe. Was it a hard decision? What do you miss the most?
Ned Lukačević while playing with Adam Miller (Medveščak Zagreb)
Ned: Obviously everyone's goal playing pro is to play in the NHL some day. At some point you either have to realize you may not make it, for whatever reason. It may be politics, luck, or just not being good enough. You just have to do what's best for your career at that moment, and at the same time enjoy the game of life because at the end of the day hockey is just a game.
Q: Being born in Podgorica, MON, and you speak fluently the language. Did you find it hard to adapt to Slovakian?
Ned:Being originally from (and born in) Montenegro , I can pick up bits and pieces of the Slovak language. It is still much different and hard though. It's nice to be close to my heritage as well, and hopefully even closer next year with a possibility of joining the bears (in Zagreb).
Thanks to both Mike Danton and Ned Lukačević for this opportunity. I wish you guys all the best in upcoming games this weekend and hopefully playoffs.
We got ourselves a season. Europe is feeling better, KHL is still crying over Ovi, Malkin and not sure about Kovi. But hey, its not first time best and brightest are running out of USSR
Also, USA beat Canada. Then Canada got mad. And Don Cherry almost got a heart attack. Poor man, getting so excited over nothing. Lets pretend we cared and lets go on.
So, as we wait for hockey for another week or so, lets preview what happened so far in #Europe
1. Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL in Austria and surrounding countries) had its share of linking and popularity thanks to a nice guy playing for Olimpija Ljubljana, Mike Ratchuk. Over a million views total, not bad man, and nice goal. Feel poor for the kid goalie.
2. Then Patrick Kane went to dangle a bit around Corey Schneider in Swiss. Showoff mostly, and a battle of nerves. Kane won. Woooot.
3. And finally it was time for good old Pavel Datsyuk to teach these kids a lesson. In a KHL game shootout he decided to add a new move. Check out this:
4. But nothing can top Ilya Kovalchuk. I'm sure there are lots of guys on Devils' team that are sweating and swearing just watching this pure art. Спасибо Илье
What can you say? I'm sure lots of these Locked-out guys had fun in Europe. In USA and Canada its all just work. Most of these guys have had first Xmas off since way before they were even drafted. Most of them worked out, enjoyed the Europe for first time.
Dustin Jeffrey selling Xmas cards for Medvescak partner UNICEF
Just think of guys like Dustin Jeffrey, who worked hard to get into a star filled Pens roster. And had first Christmas off. He decided to spend it with his family and friends in Canada.
Michael Grabner got a chance to play for his childhood team, EC VSV in same league as Jeffrey. Guys made him such a sweet video, wonder if he got a mix tape as well? Villach is so cute I just cuddle them all together. Also you can see how awesome Grabner's beard got over time.
Rumours are Grabner's beard got sentient and he had to remove it upon landing on US soil. Or something like that.
Tyler Myers as a farewell gift got a pounding by Nathan Perkovich. 203cm vs 196cm and 10s fight. But was nice. Notice the screams in the arena. Hi Becky.
And another POV with a camera guy having a great feeling of the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80LNkJ6o-50
Damn he must be proud.
Anyways, thats it guys. Lockout is over, tears over new fan favorites have been shed, and we're off to see another, very short, NHL season. Go draft your fantasy teams, set up your leagues and we're off to go.
And Gagner's team is doing great since he left. They might even get to playoffs now. Which is unlikely for Edmonton Oilers.
NHL got cancelled until 30th of December. Is it the last milestone until cancellation of the whole season? Could be, previous were October games, then Winter Classic, then All Star game, and is this the last step before NHLPA and NHL refuse to kiss and make up?
Please do, or we're going to have many more players come overseas and face the cultural shock when they do come.
There and back again
There are few traditional migrations of players between Europe and North America. One happens with young talent that goes from Europe to try in various junior leagues all over NA and in case of older boys to collegiate hockey, where mostly they stick to studying and play some hockey until their talent gets recognized or more often, until they finish school and return home.
The other "natural" migration is of talented hockey players moving to top European leagues in search of their dream, and seasoned vets and players to less prominent leagues and clubs looking for jobs. "Kids" often find it strange when they come over from big hockey towns with newer facilities, different ownership status and different lifestyle to a more traditional, sedentary way of life.
Most of these countries have lots of "history" as they put it, and lots of, behind the scenes work, issues players just don't understand at first glance. From mostly English (or French) speaking countries, players venture to Swedish, Finnish, German, Czech, Slovakian, in some cases Italian and in best of those to English (UK) and French speaking countries. Lots of languages, players from all over world and from dozens of different cultural styles often meet. And then you start talking about hockey. If they're lucky they land in a place where there are a few NA players already or at least a coach to help them sort it out.
Crimmitschau ice hall - open to the side and woods on the right
Now, imagine to land in a small city (eg. Crimmitschau - signed Simmonds, Stewart and MacArthur), some 250 km south of Berlin on border with Czech republic. Folks are mostly German with some Czech mixed in between, players are almost all German, with few imports from East. And you're a Canadian guy that doesn't speak German. Your coach knows some words but that's it. And in between facility is 3 parts closed and one part open towards the woods. And You haven't played outdoors since you were a kid.
Its kind of hard to get there and into the game isn't it? Now instead of German town put in a Czech city, a Hungarian metalworking town, or any other place. If you're lucky you end up in bigger cities or, in places where many people know your language. Otherwise you adapt, start learning the local language or in some, you just don't bother.
Wayne Simmonds in Europe during NHL lockout
Now imagine that with all those cultural and language barriers you head into a bunch of provocative and drunk fans that start throwing racial slurs. Wayne Simmonds is a hell of a player and he felt that. Lots of ink has been spilled over chants calling him a monkey in Czech republic so I wont cover it all again. It was just a really ugly game, that shed some really bad light on European hockey and its great and loud fans. Hope it won't happen ever again. Good luck back home practicing with great guys at "Beyond the next level" facility in Toronto by @DeejBTNL
Players that head into bigger cities like Vienna, Berlin, great organisations like Red Bull Salzburg (just added Boychuck, Dorsett, Mike Duco etc.), Milano get it easy as they can feel the spirit of Europe just by poking their heads out.
Dustin Jeffrey (Medvescak Zagreb) - photo by Igor Šoban
Dustin Jeffrey (Pittsburgh Penguins) went to Venice on his first day off, then went to Budapest. All in a driving distance from Zagreb, Croatia, where he currently plays and makes fans love him with his every move day in and out. He will get to visit one of the great cities of the world, Dubrovnik, and many more just by having an NHL lockout.
Many others, including guys in Swiss, Germany and other countries like Briere, Giroux, Tavares, Ty Seguin and many more have great time playing abroad. Of course they mostly play for pocket money and insurance, but they do what they love. They play hockey. They give their best each day, each practice and aren't spared on the ice.
Sam Gagner happily chewing on a mouthpiece. He's the one
in white red jersey. #97 in case you missed it. (P: Igor Šoban)
EBEL league has its stars too. Sam Gagner just can't believe how beautiful the Austria (and 4 other countries he plays in while on the roster for EC KAC).
And then he proceeded to demolish Innsbruck with a few goals justl like his teammates Alex Cogilano and Tyler Myers (currently on IR list with a knee injury but expected to be on roster by weekend). Or was it an ankle injury? I'm sure someone cares about it, but its not me.
Free summer with additional free fall?
And it looks like the NHL season is in indeed a free fall. Another batch of games up to Dec. 30th have been cancelled. Xmas is right on the corner and owners (and players according to HRR) are going to lose bunch of money by not selling games and merch during the games. All that TV coverage, and overall hockey related revenue is basically as good as gone.
Season 2004. - 2005. is likely going to be repeated, and no one is going to profit from that. Well mostly no one, Europe will love it. Some guys will come over, enjoy the opportunity, possibly for the first time ever in their schedule driven life to enjoy hockey and play abroad. From midget, to AAA to collegiate/pro hockey most of them never had a "free" summer followed by a free fall/winter. Without having to worry about getting through the camps, being sent up/down or traded on a whim of the owners and coaches, players have a chance to do what they're best. Enjoy hockey without a capitalistic driven North American society.
Enjoy it while you can, soon you'll be flying franchise jets, living a fake dream and enjoying bloated contracts that block negotiations more firmly than any other points Bettman and Fehr are trying to battle around.
Third month of 2012/13 NHL owner imposed player lockout is looming. Both parties have presented proposals, counter proposals, withdrew proposals and refused to move from their positions. Both parties wish to bring the public and fans on their side. But fans, media and public do have a single standpoint in common: they want to see the game played at the highest level.
RIP David Courtney
But with all these big players, team owners, managers and agents either arguing or looking for job for their clients overseas, fans pay the ultimate price. Without fans the League is nothing. Just like Phoenix. But these guys are not the only ones at loss now.
Recently deceased 22 season long LA Kings PA announcer David Courtney had a job regardless of Lockout. He was the voice of LA Clippers, Angels and Kings so he still had a job when NHL decided they won't play any games yet.
Many other arena and facility workers are now without work. No games, no announcements, no facility maintenance, some places don't even have ice on. Garry Bettman, you didn't just lockout players, you lost a lot of people their livelihood. Get it rolling and take some cuts, be a man in this sport. Its a game of men and honour. Tge greatest game on planet.
While Gary, Don, mediators or not, stop playing. We want to watch hockey, not lawyers and managers fighting over money fans and sponsors throw at your face. For a reason. To watch hockey.
And here is the Class of 12/13 NHL Lockout:
Phil Kessel (@BTNL) doing interview for Sportsnet
Hiding in a world class gym and ice rink the Class of 12/13 Lockout spends their days working out, getting ready and pleasing the not-so-small crowd that gathers at every practice. Beyond the next level training facility is run by a guy living the dream. With big players working hard in the great facility under professional care Mr. BTNL (Dan Ninkovich @DeejBTNL) is doing a real work during the days of Lockout.
It all started with a few players reporting in at the start of lockout for a regular gym sessions, some skating time and dangling the puck while the few days the lockout was supposed to last pass.
These days you can see running around the gym PK Subban, Kessel, Kaberle, Clarkson, Mason, Winnick,
many other younger prospects, and many, many fans enjoying a beer while watching their stars skate, play a dummy game or just work out.
Dan, you're doing the job NHL can't. You're making the players stay fit and ready for fans. Keep up the work and lets see you play some shiny with the boys! We're watching.
What else to do when there's no games?
Many players have headed over the seas. Some are in Europe, some in Russia, some are still at home working out. Over the past weeks I've written about numerous players in my "home" league, and since last update there were a few more additions. After Boychuk in Red Bull, the bulls signed Rob Schremp. Why you ask?
I think this is a good enough answer. Then they signed an NHL duo Derick Brassard and Derek Dorsett. And in their first game, they won! Atta boys! Schrimp boy added 4 assists, Brassard scored and assisted, while Boy-chuk was there too. So happy.
From left to right three guys making a living in Salzburg after Gary fucked up NHL season (Brassard, Schremp, Dorsett)
Rest of the guys aren't noteworthy so far. Gagner is skating in Klagenfurt, Myers is there for company and with roughly 35 TOI, while Bickell can't get his team on a winning track in Znojmo, Czech. Muršak scored tonight a decisive penalty for his team to finally take two points from another away team except Zagreb.
Grabner is skating around, and Nodl is enjoying sweet alpine air. His team did take 5 points in three games but who cares anyways.
The guy who I like in Vienna (one of few) is this guy:
Philip Pinter. Nice guy, nice mustache and great twitter feed. Follow him @85fipo. And he owns twitter feed of Caps. A real spirit of the team.
What else? Ljubljana did a Teddy bear toss. Barely scored a goal. Did throw roughly 7,5k stuffed animals on the ice, almost two per person at the game.
Dustin Jeffrey (Pittsburgh Penguins/Medvescak) scored a goal and started a Toss in Zagreb
Two days laters Bears did the Teddy bear toss. Barely scored a late game goal. 5 thousand something stuffed animals hit the ice, which means less than one per peson in the hall that day. Maybe it'll get better. Or the guys will do some more original activities. But it looked cool though. Really cool.
And now... the conclusion
I've started this post with a thought about players I've been wanting to see on ice in Zagreb for past four years. There are few I've had luck of seeing, and some a luck of calling friends and working with them for a while.
The list would become a standalone club if all the guys came over. Few of them are "wet dream" of every Zagreb fan, yet, we've seen a few of them ending careers instead of coming over. One of these guys is Victor Oreskovic.
Victor Oreskovich during glroy days
Vic already had a break in 05/06 and 06/07 after not reporting to AHL camp. This fall he considered going to KHL, hoped of playing a role other than checker and gritty boy in NHL, thought about big money and finally decided to sell insurance. Wow Vic, thats a promising career. From an NHL player (even though you're a 4th liner) to a insurance guy. Hope you like it, but the world is really big and I'm sure a step across the pond (you see what I did there?) would be the right one. Good luck.
Daniel Vukovic
Then there are many other players who fans would like to see over. Phil Oreskovic (without H) is playing in East Coast this season. He would be an okay addition but D part of the club is really strong this season. Also, Mark Popovic is the guy to look out for in Langnau (NLA), Mark Katic (Berlin), Travis Hamonic (NYI - a real wet dream of a few guys I know), Daniel Vukovic, all on D. With these guys Medvescak could take a shot on KHL though. That would be a fun team to watch. And listen to curse.
Maybe its time to get some lottery money and start a team. Should work like a charm. Or does anyone got a rich uncle?
Until next time, stay fit, watch hockey, keep your feet moving and head up high.
Around this time of year in many of the leagues serious contenders for playoffs are profiled. First third is already down, most teams know their ups and downs and first changes are being made. Weakest links and all that business.
EC KAC is a team with tradition, history and passionate fans. They do lean towards the right a bit too much, but as long as there is beer and food there is no problem in Klagenfurt. However... the title keeps eluding their grasps for a few years now despite big names and players coming to play in Corinthian club. Four seasons without the title makes KAC a place with lot of pressure both on players and management. Last year's "shock" therapy with removing Manny Viveiros from the head coach bench has proven to be a "minor improvement" and then managed to get to the finals for the second year in a row just to get demolished by EHC Black Wings Linz. Now they tried to shock the team back on track again.
Andy Chiodo (EC KAC) doing a crazy dance in front of Adam Miller (Medveščak)
On Sunday KAC lost to Vienna with 1:0, and then a change happened. Weber took some time off to be with his wife, and Manny Viveiros managed to hustle his way back on the bench. 11 injured players and a new import Andrew Cogliano. Cogliano is friend of an NHL Lockout player on a stint in Klagenfurt, Sam Gagner. While KAC is steering towards utter fail, signing of Gagner and Cogliano isn't helping. Two "good" players have between them a total of zero pro seasons when they played in playoffs. Is time for them to try the taste of it finally? Only time and Bettman will tell.
Sam Gagner chewing his moutpiece while Bears own his a$$ (photo: Igor Šoban)
Sam Gagner fires a shot from a blue line.
Sam Gagner appeared (sorry for the pun) in 11 games so far for EC KAC and got 14 points on his sheet. Not bad though, but he's also +- 1. KAC is still looking for a home win in November, and Head coach change wont help with it. On the road they're terrible, five losses in a row.
Sammy said he's all alone there and he needs a friend from americas. So the management went to ask Cogliano whether he's bored over there. Lucky for them he came over and in one game added a single assists so far. Oh boy. So good.
Another Bull in Salzburg - Johnny Boychuk
Red Bull Salzburg on the other hand is slightly worse than Klagenfurt. With 20 points in 23 games RBS is firmly holding 10th place. Bernd Bruckler is injured, terrible Alex Auld holds one win for the team, while Gračnar, a terrific young goalie is out for next one to two weeks. Clarkson and Enstrom left the team few weeks ago, while the Bulls added Johnny Boychuck to the roster.
PAN Arena Ice Fever (photo: Igor Šoban)
After suffering a defeat in front of 15.200 fans in Arena Zagreb, with brave youngster Gračnar between the pipes, Bulls had no choice but to have Auld in goal on Tuesday. NHL veteran goalie had a stunning 83% SVS% and they managed to lose against their arch nemesis Szekesfehervar devils with 4:5.
Also check out this gnarly interview that an NHL player gave. He did lose but still, that's one poor loser. You can hear everything under the dub that Croatian commentator did live. Good job Tyler Myers, you're a complete twat.
Are NHL players really worth it regardless of teams they play in? Vanek certainly wasn't. Ever since he left Graz 99ers are on the roll, last five games they won clearly. VSV is slowly dropping and now they're third with 4 points behind leaders, while Andreas Nodl is not to be mentioned ever again. Clearly one of the best additions to the league currently is Jan Muršak in Olimpija who in 18 games has sky high 33 points (12 goals).
Medveščak just finished their first series of Arena games with two wins and one loss in 5 days. Rougly 40 000 fans saw Medveščak playing against Olimpija, Salzburg and Klagenfurt and quite few NHL players: Sam Gagner, Tyler Myers, Alex Auld, Dustin Jeffrey and Jan Muršak. A game on Sunday, 18th of November, had a special meaning to all Croatians, as it was the day when 21 years ago Vukovar fell. In honor of that heroic city there was a minute of silence for all victims of the war horrors. And it was quite the picture.
18.11.2012. PAN Arena Ice Fever KHL Medveščak Zagreb - EC KAC 4:1 (photo: Mirko Janković)
Three home games in a row meant that its time for Bears to hit the road. First stop was again a game against Klagenfurt, just this time Red-White had Cogliano to back up their battered roster. It wasn't enough once again regardless of 3 point game by Sammy Gagner.
Dustin Jeffrey (Pittsburgh Penguins) scores a decisive penalty shot for the victory.
Yeah, no chance for Andy Chiodo there...
Last week I also met some guys, so shutout to Barbara Kavčič, Matej Grošelj from Ljubljana and Hannes Biederman from Vienna. You all owe me beers now. Officially. Only Rok Županc gets a free pass but he's EBYSL Team Manager now. Lucky guy!
Hopefully next update will be soon, so spread the love, we're back!
P.S. Simmonds and Stewart broke up and Stewart ran back to East Germany to cry manly tears. Simmonds decided not to return to Germany, had a family issue and returned to Toronto area. Hopefully guys will get back together in NA or somewhere else if Lockout lasts. I would hate to miss all this love and energy.
P.P.S. A friend of mine, Ned Lukacevic also left Crimmitschau but went to Slovakia and Banska Bystrica. So far in 4 games Neddie has 2 goals and 4 assist. Not bad buddy, by Xmas I want atleast 2ppg or we're not going to Adriatic this summer.
Hockey brawls are common. They're a reason why we love hockey as well. An occasional one on one can turn the tide, change a loss to a victory, energize players and fans. But when does the game of hockey turn into a massive brawl? Are fights inevitable when the refs show their incompetence and annoy the players and fans alike?
Tensions rise, one bad foul leads to another bad call, and then all hell breaks loose. This is a story of such a game.
Adam Naglich (Medvescak) vs Kevin Moderer (Graz 99ers)
Have you ever seen a game with 295 PIM? If not go to the official highlights and check it out. There is big rivalry between the teams of KHL Medvescak Zagreb and Medical Moser Graz99ers dating to season 09/10. Back then the last seeded underdog Medvescak kicked Graz 99ers in the nuts and made a miracle on ice. G99ers were first seeded team before playoffs.
Naglich and Moderer flashing the fists
Dennis Bozic (Photo: Sanja Berend)
Sundays' game started with lots of penalties and a dance
between Croatian/Swedish youngster Dennis Bozic and G99ers' tough guy Gill Lefebvre. Former Flyers prospect proceeded to teach Dennis a lesson. He learned later its not nice to pick on younger guys.
38 PIM in first period and no goals led to an even wilder second period. Curtis Fraser took on himself to dance with Lefebvre but was knocked down in the process. However Lefebvre recieved a GM and was sent off.
Three goals later, at 2:1 for Graz, Dario Kostovic used his extensive knowledge of swearing in Croatian and translated it to German while trying to say to refs what they've done wrong and where should they stick it. He was awarded with a complementary shower.
Dario Kostovic scored 4 goals in 4 victories. So far when he scores his team wins (Photo: Sanja Berend)
Vanek tallied his first goal of the night and probably thought he will leave Graz with a nice win to seal the one month vacation in Austria. But refs and Van Ballegooie decided otherwise. Ganahl decided it was time to settle the score with MacAulay and Van B. jumped in to help his buddy. Meanwhile Naglich went on to beat Moderer into a pulp. Few minutes later and 130PIM later (Match penalty for VanB) refs returned Greentree who was sent of instead of MacAulay and sent Kenny to shower early.
You can see the video of the brawl below:
And here:
Second period ended with 3 PP goals by the Bears. Brandon Buck, David Brine and Tomislav Zanoski decided to score and turn the game around.
Halfway through the third period Ouzas got injured in the net (upper leg muscle, up to two weeks off the ice) and refused to get out of the net. Vanek took it really nice and awarded Ouzie's dedication to the team with a wrap-around for the tie. He left the crease and got changed by Robert Kristan in the net.
Vanek scored a brace in his last game of Euro trip
However, 99ers didnt laugh for long. After apparently a big mistake by former Flyers and Medvescak defensman Andy Delmore (my dear friend, hi Peter!), Nathan Perkovich scored for the lead. Two minutes later, Andy Sertich added a 6th goal of the night for the Bears. With two minutes to go Coleman Rodney Jarrett scored for 99ers, who pulled their goalie for another attacker but the Bears held firm. 92% of PK in 18 games for Bears and excellent defense (best SV/SA ratio in league) were enough for them to take a 9th win in a row and continue a streak of wins since Jeffrey joined the team.
Vanek and Brady bunch didn't laugh at the end of the game,
and David returns to Buffalo with a memory he'd soon like to forget.
In other news
Grabner decided to puncture young Red Bull goalie Luka Gračnar, Slovenian prospect and a GK with future with yet another trademark shorthander.
Grabner grew a lockout beard. Will it last until playoffs? Whats he implying with his hand gesture?
Gračnar didn't manage to get a 3rd win in a row and took 4 pucks out of his goal but still keeps team best 92.4% SVS and 2.34GAA. Not bad for a 1993. born kid.
Sammy Gagner is on fire. 5 goals and 3 assists in 7 games are kinda okay I guess. His team is so good it wins even with him sitting out.
Sam Gagner resting during the game against HDD Telemach Olimpija (1G 1A)
So far, with 16 points in 9 games for Medvescak, Dustin Jeffrey (or Justin) is the best NHL lockout player in the league. 9 games, 9 wins and 6 goals. Nice signing by the team. Sutter, be scared. Be really really scared.
Photo bombing Jeffrey's moment by the Author (photo: Igor Šoban)
The league goes to a break now, some of the players will be joining their National teams for a take on last 3 spots for 2014 Olympic games in Sochi, including Grabner, Nodl, Vanek (?), Kopitar, Muršak and few other "normal" players of EBEL.
League resumes in 10 days with and Medvescak is going for another venue change, 3rd of the season. Games on 14th, 16th and 18th of November are being played in 15,200 seat Arena Zagreb. HDD Telemach Olimpija, EC KAC and EC Red Bull Salzburg will be playing once again in the "big Arena" during a 3 game streak "PAN Arena Ice Fever".
Arena Ice Fever 2012 (Photo: Igor Šoban)
7 NHL lockout players will be playing during those 3 games, three (or four if Alex Auld stays) for RBS, two for EC KAC and one for Olimpija and Medvescak. It could be a record high fan attendance for all of them this season if the talks don't conclude something soon.
NHLPA and NHL had some talks on Sunday, and NHLPA continued this with a conf call earlier on Monday. This might be progress. But who cares, we got to see real class players in Europe this season so I hope Lockout lasts for a while more.
Biggest losers so far are NHL and hockey fans in North America and all over the world. Last punch they got was a confirmation that Winter Classic is cancelled.
Lost boys
are still talking about the incident when fans yelled "Opice, opice, opice" (Opice=monkey in Czech) to Simmonds. Looks like a day later he still didn't know what happened, and he found out next morning from the Internets. You can read a full article on it here on Puck Daddy.
As we wrote earlier, Simmonds and Stewart started their bromance road trip in Crimmitschau and here's a story from the road (also by Puck Daddy author Nicholas J. Cotsonika):
They ended up in Crimmitschau, Germany, a town of only 20,000 people with a team in the German league's second division. They signed one-month contracts, hoping to find a higher level of competition later. They made no money. Though the team covered hotel rooms, hotel meals and cars, their salaries covered only the insurance on their NHL contracts. Off the ice, it was quiet. Everything closed at 8 p.m. and stayed closed on the weekends, so they bought a TV and an Xbox to entertain themselves. On the ice, it was an adjustment. The NHL is so structured that Simmonds said "it's almost like you're programmed a certain way." This league was so unstructured that Simmonds didn't know where to be. He'd go to check his point man, and all five guys would be down low. "I had to completely change my game," Simmonds said. "You can't do that, or else you're not going to be a good player in European hockey. You've kind of got to go with the flow of things." But some of those things, they'll never forget. One end of their home arena was open to the air. You could see the woods. It could be cold. "If it was warm outside, you'd have the fog roll in," Simmonds said. It was packed with about 6,000 fans, who would go nuts and throw things on the ice, like cups and a chicken. Yes, a chicken. Ready to cook. "A [bleeping] chicken?" Stewart said with a laugh. "I was like, 'Whoa. Don't piss these fans off, man. They're throwing a chicken on the ice in Crimmitschau, they're no joke.' " One game, Stewart scored two goals, and Simmonds assisted on both. In the NHL, they announce the three stars, and the guys take a little twirl, raise their sticks and disappear. In Crimmitschau, the fans would chant the players' names. The players would come out and dance. Yes, dance. On the ice. "They called him out first," Simmonds said. "The whole team is in a semicircle. He goes and does a dance, and then I had to go do a dance in front of the fans." "Then literally you skate around the ice," Stewart said. "It's like a Stanley Cup party. I'm like, 'Is this every game?' " That is the stuff Simmonds will remember most. "The fan situation in Germany," he said, "that was probably the best part I think of my trip so far."
Wayne Simmonds plays with his bro Chris Stewart for White Tigers of Liberec
Lockout lasts, and great stories are written all over Europe. I do hope it lasts a while longer. It could get pretty cool soon when even more players come over for insurance and allowance money.
Until next time, K.
P.S. for all of you who wonder what happened to Andy Nodl in this post.. well nothing. Just like his scoring, there's nothing to report on. He did get some flu or something in Innsbruck though. Get better Andy <3
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