Ottawa 3 – Kingston 2 : A Good Start

A quick summary of Ottawa’s first game of the year – a pre-season affair with the Kingston Frontenacs.

The lineups were:

Cowick, Couture, Voboryov
Martindale, Kiriakou, Nesbitt
Zamec, Lindsay, Toffoli
Sonnenburg, Latta, Schinkelshoek

Defensive Pairings:
Hartwick, Cuma
Demers, Zanetti
Birkhoff, Ryan

Courchaine and Perugini shared the goaltending jobs with Courchaine getting the first half and Perugini getting the second half of the game.

Scratches were Carnevale, Lahey, Paryzek, Anderson, and Hanes.

So, it was my first time to see some of the new faces on the team and I must admit it takes a while to get used to new players in jerseys that we expected others to be wearing – especially Jamie McGinn’s number 88.

Random thoughts:

• It may be my imagination but the team looks a tad tougher this year. Perhaps it’s still the eagerness of the kids who are still working for a position or they really are a more physical bunch.
  
  
• Some of the folks who watched camp commented on Couture’s confidence and it sure looked like it last night. He didn’t look like someone who had his bell rung three times last year. And, to serve notice that he is back, he scored the first goal of the season on the first shot on goal. I didn’t catch if there were any assists.
  
  
  
  
• The other Ottawa goals were scored by Cowick and Kiriakou.
  
  
• As for the goals against- one each on Courchaine and Perugini.
  
  
• From what I could see through the fog and my viewfinder, none of the new kids looked out of place. Toffoli was confident with the puck, Sonnenburg and Vorobyov were at the ready when the boys were looking to mix it up, Schinkelshoek was working hard, I didn’t notice Birkhof but I was having trouble keeping track of everyone. Corey Cowick was a standout – he was hitting anything that got in his way.
  
  
• I would say that Ottawa pretty much dominated most of the game although there were a couple of times when the intensity and coordination significantly flagged – most notably at the start of the second period – that was pretty awful. But they regrouped and took over again.
  
  
• Kingston was badly outshot – 49 – 26 and the score could have been a lot higher if a few players had their finishing touch working. But there were good set ups, players going for the net, and good defensive plays by most everyone. With so many new players, it would make sense that they will need time to figure out how to play together.
  
  
• Toffoli was given a chance at his first penalty shot in the OHL. Looking at the photo of the offense, it looks like a questionable call. But the fog at ice level might have made it harder for the official. In any event, Tyler didn’t score. I bet he’s saving it for when it really counts.
  
  
  
• Kingston’s Ben Pearson suffered what looked like a very serious injury. Although it happened right in front of me, I had my camera up and didn’t see the whole thing. It involved Zamec hitting him at the boards. Pearson was in audible pain, it looked like a leg injury (?) and he got a cut over the bridge of his nose. It took both Patafie and the Kingston trainer to assess the immediate damage and get the lad up. Very unfortunate to get a serious injury before the season actually starts.
  
  
• Kingston didn’t have player names on the jersey’s. Cost saving measure parading as motivation perhaps? I would think that it is more motivating for a player to have his name on the back of a jersey and worry about working hard to keep it there.
  
  
• ”Thunderdstruck” was played on the jumbotron during the first intermission. I understand that this was a favorite song of Buzz Kilpatrick. I hope they pay tribute to him. He was such a big supporter of Major Junior Hockey and of the 67s in particular. I miss him.
  
  
• Work has been done in the Civic Centre – probably in preparation for the World Junior Hockey Championships in December. It looks like the glass is new and higher, the ends of the benches have been enclosed, the press box area has been changed. There will likely be more.
  
  
• There was a pretty good crowd, but nowhere near the reported 6600+. I guess they count all the season tickets even if the seats are empty. But it was good to see so many folks out on a warm late summer Friday. Quite a few from Algonquin College I think.
  

That’s it for the first report of the season. It’s good to have hockey back again!

Here are some more pictures – enjoy!

The Game's Three Stars as Selected by the Team1200

Logan Couture 1st Star	Mavric Parks 2nd Star	Corey Cowick 3rd Star

Who Made The Cut?

The team hasn't made an official announcement but Don Brennan has some news in today's Ottawa Sun about who made it and who didn't.

In case you're too impatient to check out the link, here's what he had to say....


Known for his fleet feet, Dylan Anderson sped by other 67's wannabes to make the team's 2008-09 roster over the weekend.

He was not the lone training camp surprise.

A Greely native and the only son of Danny and Judy Anderson, the 6-foot-1, 175-lb. centre-right wing was Ottawa's eighth-round pick in last June's OHL priority selection. If that doesn't speak enough to the digging done by the team's scouts, consider that left winger Riley Sonnenburg and defenceman Brian Birkhoff also survived final cuts, and they were 10th- and 11th-round picks in 2007.

All told, there were nine new faces at yesterday's practice, with some tinkering still to be done.

The one veteran to be given walking papers by 67's coach and GM Brian Kilrea was Tye McGinn, the younger brother of last year's captain, Jamie McGinn. The 6-foot-2, 195-lb. left winger had three goals and eight assists in 59 games for the 67's last season.

"That was a tough cut," said Kilrea. "Tye is a super kid who would do anything for the team. He took his lumps when he was benched and he never said a word. But we added Corey Cowick and he took his spot ... I just didn't think Tye was going to be a regular.

"Right now I have 15 forwards. I don't want 15, 13 is ideal, but that's the talent that showed up at camp."

Anderson scored 29 points with the CJHL's Orleans Blues last season.

"He has just great speed, he gets on defencemen in a hurry," said Kilrea. "That's why you have camp. To find out."

Had he not made the team, Anderson was headed back to the CJHL, where he would have been playing for Gloucester.

"I surprised myself," said Anderson. "Before camp I thought I had a shot at making the team, and when I found out I did I was really happy."

Among the 15 forwards is injury-plagued veteran Matt Lahey, who recently had his knee scoped and has been told to steer clear of body contact for a couple of weeks. On the bubble is European draft pick Yakov Vorobyov, who played for Kazakhstan in the world juniors last season.

While Vorobyov arrived last week, his skates did not. He's been borrowing a pair from assistant coach Chris Byrne.

"Poor kid, first his bag didn't show up, then he fell and really hit the side of his face," said Kilrea. "We've got to give him a little more time before we make a judgment. The one thing we know is he's got a quick release and good shot."

The 16-year-olds who solidified their spots are forwards Tyler Toffoli and Pieter Schinkelshoek, as well as defenceman Derek Hartwick.

Toffoli, who scored 68 goals as a midget last season, is currently skating on a line with Ryan Martindale and Mike Latta, the team's top two picks in 2007. He'll likely get a chance to play with star centre Logan Couture and Cowick at some point.

"From what I've seen in four days, he's going to be outstanding," Kilrea said of Toffoli. "He's got gifted hands and he sees the ice so well. He's the kind of guy who could play on any line and he'd be a star."

From today's Ottawa Sun.

********************

Given the enthusiasm expressed during the press conference this morning, we could be looking forward to a stronger year than the last couple. It's pretty honourable for Killer to keep a spot for Lahey but I we get a signal sooner rather than later on how long he might last. He may be good but he's been very unlucky with the injuries and the total time off certainly cannot have done much in terms of improving his skills as a hockey player. With an abundance of forwards something will have to give.

First pre-season game on Friday - hope to see you there (if our tickets arrive in time!).

Cheers!

Killer Calls it a Career...

So, the decision has finally been made. Brian Kilrea, the winningist coach in major junior hockey is calling it career as head coach at the end of this season. Bert O’Brien will also be retiring at the end of the season and Brian is looking forward to spending more time with his buddy scouting. Chris Byrne will take over as the coach and will always enjoy the support of Brian and Bert. Brian will remain as the GM.

The team also announced their leaders:

Logan Couture is the new captain with Thomas Kirakou, Julien Demers and Tyler Cuma as the official Assistant Captains and Corey Cowick as an unofficial assistant captain (given that there are only so many letters to go around). Brian went on to compliment Corey for what he has already brought to the team and will continue to bring to the team.

Brian is really looking forward to this year and is really pleased with how the draftees from last year and this year are already contributing and will contribute in the future. He noted both their ability and their attitude.

Logan mentioned that he was honoured to be chosen as for the last year of Killer being behind the bench.

Killer’s considerations for making this decision and announcing it now included finally ending the on-going questions he gets all the time about when, letting current players and prospects know that there will be a new and younger coach next year, and, perhaps more importantly, letting Chris know what is in store for him. Chris will likely be taking more and more responsibility behind the bench as part of the transition over this season.

Killer noted that Chris is already respected by the players and he expects the transition to head coach will go well. Chris mentioned that it was his dream to become a major junior coach and to do so in Ottawa (home town for him and his wife) for this team and this club is pretty darn awesome (my words). It has been great learning from Brian and Bert and looks forward to learning more moving ahead. He is also high on the team so far and the players who have been selected as leaders.

Brian's hopes for the year is that the year concludes with the team still being respected and that everyone leaves knowing that they did the best that they could.

He also wished Logan, Tyler and Corey best of luck at their upcoming NHL camps (San Jose, Minnesota and Pittsburgh respectively). The club will be very proud if they land jobs in the big league but will also be very strong should any or all of them return.

And so begins (another) farewell tour for Brian Kilrea. It should be some year both on the road and at home – especially as the year winds down – however it winds down. I expect (and hope) that the players do their best to make it an outstanding year for him. It sounds like all he wants is for the players to work as hard as possible to be the best team and players they possibly can be.

There certainly will be more news in the days, weeks and months ahead. I will do my best to keep you all posted.

Photos courtesy of Mike Carroccetto (613-266-8505)

Links to articles:
From the Ottawa Sun site.
From the Ottawa 67s site.
From TSN.ca
From the Ontario Hockey League site.

Cheers!

This 'n That

With a bit of time to kill on a Monday night, I decided to cruise the internet for Ottawa 67s tidbits. Training camp starts this week and it's time to looking forward to the season ahead. Right now most of the news is related to NHL teams. Stories with an Ottawa connection:

Sharks' talent pipeline keeps flowing
John Kreiser | NHL.com Columnist
Aug 22, 2008, 9:00 AM EDT

The San Jose Sharks have done a superb job finding talent at all stages of the Entry Draft and developing those picks into legitimate players. Most of the team's roster is home-grown -- on average, 17 of 23 players with the team last season were drafted by San Jose.

See the rest of the article here. Ottawa 67s figure prominently in the Sharks future.

Jason Bailey is first (alphabetically anyway) among Ducks prospects (I guess we can forgive him for being drafted by the dirty ducks). The Duck rookies will play the Sharks rookies in Vegas in September. Here's that article from the Duck's site. It will be familiar faces but in different jerseys!

And, as reported on the Ottawa 67s site, Corey Cowick (who hasn't even reported to the club yet) got some good news from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was signed to an Amateur Try Out (ATO).

That's it for now. Hope to see you soon around the rink.

Training Camp

Courtesy of a poster on the 67s Fan Forum:

The on ice schedule for training camp is as follows. All ice times are at the Ottawa Civic Centre.

Thursday August 28th Practice - 9:00 am to 11:00 am Game – 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Friday August 29th Game - 9:00 am to 11:00 am Game – 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Saturday August 30th Game - 9:00 am to 11:00 am Game – 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Sunday August 31st Game – 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

The Ottawa 67's 2008-2009 Training Camp Roster:



# Player
1 Adam Courchaine
4 Jon Carnevale
5 Riley Sonnenburg
6 Marc-Anthony Zanetti
8 Matt Lahey
9 Thomas Nesbitt
10 Jonathan Demme
12 Pieter Schinkelshoek
13 Thomas Kiriakou
16 Tyler Toffoli
17 Christopher Lane
19 Sean Ryan
20 Yakov Vorobyov
21 Cameron McLean
22 Michael Rowbotham
23 Martin Paryzek
24 Julien Demers
25 Adam Zamec
26 Steve MacDonald
27 Cory Cowick
28 Jordan Ruby
29 Darnell Koosees
30 Chris Perugini
32 Blake Barbieri
32 Cody Lindsay
33 Tye McGinn
36 Joseph Quattrocchi
37 Devon Rice
38 Dylan Hutton
39 Michael Latta
40 Brian Birkhoff
41 Joseph Jackson
42 James Watson
44 Dylan Anderson
45 Chris Williams
46 Mathew MacDougall
47 Rene Lamoureux
50 Chris Fraser
55 Dalton Smith
61 Tyler Cuma
71 Elliott Burlon
77 Ryan Martindale
84 Dustin Walsh
85 Michael Hartwigg
88 Derek Hartwick
89 Logan Couture
91 Ryan Hanes

Jamie McGinn's jersey has been reassigned so that's a pretty good sign that he will not be returning to major junior this year. I thought he might show up at least to start skating. Perhaps he already has pre-Sharks camp plans in place.

That leaves the question of who will wear the "C" this year. My vote is for Thomas Kiriakou. I know that Couture is a favorite of many and I don't have any particular issue with that but I think Thomas is the better candidate.

It will be interesting to see if Matt Lahey sticks this year. He has had such a rough time with his shoulder.

Not that I want our short summer to end but I sure am looking forward to the start of the hockey season.

Cheers!

Development Camp – Game 1: Red 4 – White 1

This will be the only development camp event I can see. Here’s a really quick summary of the game. First, the lineups:

Team Red:
Tyler Ennis, Eric O’Dell, Jamie Benn
Colten Gillies, Brandon Sutter, Chris Didomenico
Nazem Kadri, Cody Hodgson, Riley Nash
Maxime Suave, Chris Terry, Corey Trivino

Alex Grant, Luke Schenn
PK Subban, Travis Hamonic
Yann Sauve, Jared Spurgeon
Mark Katic, Tyler Myers

Jake Allen
Dustin Tokarski

Team White:
Louis Caporusso, Kyle Turris, John Tavares
Dana Tyrell, Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle
Nicholas Deschamps, Logan Couture, Greg Nemisz
Paul Byron, Patrice Cormier, Kelsey Tessier

Tyler Cuma, Drew Doughty
Brendan Smith, Colten Teubert
Kevin Marshall, Nick Ross
Keith Aulie, Alex Pietrangelo

Chet Pickard
Tyson Sexsmith


Here’s the game summary from Hockey Canada.

It was pretty much as I had expected. Clearly these are skilled players but they haven’t played together so their timing was way off and their positioning a tad scrambled at times. The first period was pretty much all Team White as Team Red couldn’t get anything much going. But for all that Team White came out with only one goal – on a penalty shot. Instead of serving penalties, the “offended” player gets the puck at the blue line and everyone else lines up behind the red line. When the whistle blows, everyone can go for it. Team White had 4 chances in the first but only scored on the first one.

The play was pretty even in the second period. Logan had a terrible shift where he was on his butt at least twice and was then called for looking. The hooking call led to the game winning goal (although it isn’t noted as a penalty shot on the score sheet).

I would give the third period to Team Red. They found some rhythm as a team and popped in a couple of goals to make it 4 – 1. Logan prevented the 5th goal with a great backcheck.

The play was pretty speedy for the most part although it flagged now and again. There were some hits and some shoving – the guys showing some intensity but perhaps also mindful that no one wants to get hurt.

A reasonably sized crowd. I heard that the maximum tickets available were 814. I would guess that there were close to 500 people there.

I can’t tell who was playing well and who wasn’t; my knowledge of the game isn’t good enough. It all looked pretty disorganized to me. I concentrated on Team White as Logan and Tyler were on that team. Will they make the squad? It’s hard to say. There are many good players in camp.

Hope the rest of camp is good for them.

Some pictures (taken from my seat and through the glass - sorry for the quality):


The goal that Logan prevented.




Tyler pasted up against the glass.

Team1200 Host "Buzz" dead at 41

The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, July 26, 2008

Local sports-radio personality Tim "Buzz" Kilpatrick succumbed to complications from a lung infection yesterday.

He was 41.


Kilpatrick, who began working for the TEAM 1200 in 2002, was admitted to the General campus of the Ottawa Hospital last week, suffering from shortness of breath. Kilpatrick was diagnosed as having an infection in his lungs, and his condition quickly deteriorated. He died at about 10 a.m. yesterday.

Kilpatrick, raised in London, Ont., began working as a radio sports reporter in his home town before moving to Calgary in the early 1990s to work in radio there. He first worked at KICK-FM, again in sports, before moving to the station's morning show. He eventually joined another Calgary radio station, KISS-FM, where he also worked on the morning show.

Kilpatrick returned to London in the late 1990s to work at radio station CFPL. He came to Ottawa when he was hired by the TEAM 1200 six years ago. He was a co-host on the afternoon drive-home program with Don "The Dandyman" Romani before moving to the Three Guys on the Radio morning show.

Kilpatrick, who on the afternoon show played the straight shooter with the unpredictable Romani, was a bit of a fall guy on Three Guys on the Radio. The show's co-hosts, Steve Warne and "Stuntman Stu" Schwartz, and a former co-host, "Jungle" Jim Jerome, would often tease Kilpatrick about his taste in music, his penchant for younger girlfriends and his favourite hockey team -- the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kilpatrick was also host of The Buzz on Junior Hockey.

Kilpatrick was on holidays when the illness struck. He had just returned to Ottawa from New York where he had gone to watch the Yankees play. Kilpatrick was a big fan of the baseball club.

TEAM 1200 program director Dave Mitchell said a tribute to Kilpatrick is planned on Monday's Three Guys on the Radio. As well, management will meet with staff following the program to talk about Kilpatrick's sudden passing.

Funeral arrangements were still being made yesterday.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

****************************************

I am a regular listener to TGOR although I can only listen for about an hour each morning as I get ready for work and drive to the office. While I enjoyed his contribution to the program, I was a bigger fan of his work with the Ottawa 67s and his discussions on major junior hockey. Friday pre-games won't be the same without the Buzz on Junior Hockey nor will listening to 67s games on TEAM1200.

Rest in Peace Buzz - you will be missed.

Summer Camp

Here's some more news about Ottawa 67s at their NHL development camps:

San Jose's camp started today. Find today's news release here. They didn't post their camp roster but Couture is there as should be McGinn, Demers, and perhaps Kaspar and Joslin.

Boston's camp was last week. Get the news here. Adam Courchaine was in camp.

No word on the Ducks camp (Bailey).

Here's to some happy campers. Hope this is a good warm-up for Logan for the WJHC camp that will start in Ottawa next week.

Alumni News and Other Noteworthy Tidbits

Some movement of former Ottawa 67s around the NHL. As anyone who has been paying any attention should know by now, former Ottawa 67s Brian Campbell is now a Chicago Blackhawk.

Cory Locke, whose major junior hockey career hasn't yet translated into a steady NHL gig has been traded by the Montreal Canadians to the Minnesota Wild.

Speaking of the Wild, Tyler Cuma is (was?) at development camp. Here's a video clip. But it appears that he has suffered a bit of a set-back. Apparently he had to leave the ice early one day after getting a stick in the eye and then camp ended with a knee injury. Read the club's view on this here. With the World Junior Prospect Camp starting up here in Ottawa shortly, this has to be a major disappointment. It is highly probable that this will keep him off the ice - but you never know. Here's another article that appeared on NHL.com today.

Former Ottawa 67s Brendon Bell has been signed by the Ottawa Senators.

And finally, Zenon Konopka was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.

Ottawa 67s and National Teams

Tyler Cuma and Logan Couture have been invited to the National Junior Team Development Camp here in Ottawa. More here from Hockey Canada. The roster is here. The coach this year is Benoit Groulx of the Gatineau Olympiques. Read that announcement here.

And Michael Latta has been invited to the selection camp for the Men's Under-18 Team that will compete in the Ivan Hlinka tournament in . See the roster here. The press release is here.

Best of luck to all of you!! (and please stay healthy!!)

NHL Entry Draft

Sorry it’s taken so long to get around to this update.

As you know by now, our Tyler Cuma was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft (23rd overall) here in Ottawa last Friday. We were at the event but the spousal-unit was dead bored by 9:30 and we left so I don’t have any pictures of him. We certainly didn't go the second day so we missed Julien Demers getting drafted by the San Jose Sharks (or Ottawa West as we call it now).

We got in the door just as Cuma was picked and it was really great to see. The Minnesota Wild have a lot of articles on their draft picks; here are the links for your reading pleasure. And here is a link to the San Jose site and their draft coverage.

As for my experience at the draft, it was a slow moving affair but it was interesting to watch. The 200 and 300 bowls were pretty much full which was great to see. Lots of fans wearing jerseys from across the NHL and CHL. Some Sting fans were right behind us and were proudly cheering for Stamkos.

The crown jewels of the NHL were there but I only got a picture of (and with) Stanley.

Glad I went but not sure I would travel to one; I think the total entertainment package on TV would be better as there is lots of “dead air time” in the arena as teams take their time to announce their picks or negotiate trades. If you do go to one, but sure the person you go with is as big a fan as you or incredibly patient.

Here are some pictures from the draft:


The Stage




The TSN Crew




Two hockey icons: Yzerman and Bowman




If you ignore them maybe they will go away...




Burke and Sutter cooking up the deal.




The Great One reacting to his reception from the fans.




What it's all about!!

2008-2009 Schedule Announced

From the OHL Site:

Created: Jun 13, 2008
The Ontario Hockey League today announced the schedule of games for the 2008-09 season.

The 2008-09 season kicks off on Wednesday September 17 in Saginaw where the Spirit
will host the London Knights. The 680 game regular season concludes 179 days later
on March 15.

The Kitchener Rangers begin defence of their title at home against the Plymouth Whalers on September 19. They meet the Belleville Bulls at home on October 17 in a rematch of last May's Rogers OHL Championship Series, which the Rangers won in seven games.

The 2009 OHL Playoffs will open on March 19 and the 2009 OHL Champions, along with the champions from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League, will join the Rimouski Oceanic in the 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Rimouski, PQ from May 15-24.

The Ontario Hockey League continues the tradition of being primarily a weekend league in order to accommodate the student athlete with 89% of games scheduled between Thursday and Sunday. Friday is the busiest night during the season with 216 games scheduled.

Day - No. of Games (Percentage)

Monday - 12 (1.8%)
Tuesday - 11 (1.6%)
Wednesday - 53 (7.8%)
Thursday - 93 (13.7%)
Friday - 216 (31.7%)
Saturday - 170 (25.0%)
Sunday - 125 (18.4%)

Total - 680

Here are the Ottawa 67s Games (I may have committed fat finger errors while formatting):

Fri. Sep. 19	Ottawa	at	Brampton	7:30
Sat Sep. 20	Ottawa	at	Niagara	7:00
Fri. Sep. 26	Belleville	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat Sep. 27	Ottawa	at	Belleville	7:15
Sun. Sep. 28	Ottawa	at	Oshawa	6:05
Fri. Oct. 3	Peterborough	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Oct. 5	Guelph	at	Ottawa	2:00
Wed. Oct. 8	Ottawa	at	Kingston	7:00
Fri. Oct. 10	Belleville	at	Ottawa	7:30
Mon. Oct. 13	Ottawa	at	Belleville	2:00
Fri. Oct. 17	Windsor	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Oct. 19	S.S.Marie	at	Ottawa	2:00
Fri. Oct. 24	Sarnia	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat Oct. 25	Ottawa	at	Barrie	7:30
Sun. Oct. 26	Ottawa	at	Mississauga	2:00
Thu. Oct. 30	Ottawa	at	Peterborough	7:00
Fri. Oct. 31	Mississauga	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Nov. 2	Owen Sound	at	Ottawa	2:00
Thu. Nov. 6	Ottawa	at	Windsor	7:05
Fri. Nov. 7	Ottawa	at	Saginaw	7:11
Sat Nov. 8	Ottawa	at	Plymouth	7:05
Fri. Nov. 14	Belleville	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat Nov. 15	Ottawa	at	Belleville	7:15
Sun. Nov. 16	Ottawa	at	Brampton	2:00
Fri. Nov. 21	Brampton	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Nov. 23	Ottawa	at	Oshawa	2:05
Fri. Nov. 28	Oshawa	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat. Nov. 29	Kingston	at	Ottawa	2:00
Sun. Nov. 30	Ottawa	at	Kingston	2:00
Fri. Dec. 5	Barrie	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Dec. 7	Kingston	at	Ottawa	2:00
Fri. Dec. 12	Oshawa	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat. Dec. 13	Ottawa	at	Sudbury	7:00
Sun. Dec. 14	Ottawa	at	S.S.Marie	2:00
Fri. Dec. 19	Peterborough	at	Ottawa	7:30
Tue. Dec. 30	Ottawa	at	Kingston	7:00
Fri. Jan. 2	Ottawa	at	Kitchener	7:30
Sat. Jan. 3	Ottawa	at	Sarnia	7:30
Sun. Jan. 4	Ottawa	at	London	2:00
Fri. Jan. 9	Niagara	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat Jan. 10	Mississauga	at	Ottawa	2:00
Sun. Jan. 11	Plymouth	at	Ottawa	2:00
Fri. Jan. 16	Saginaw	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat Jan. 17	Ottawa	at	Peterborough	7:00
Sun. Jan. 18	Ottawa	at	Mississauga	2:00
Wed. Jan. 21	Ottawa	at	Belleville	7:15
Fri. Jan. 23	Oshawa	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Jan. 25	Erie	at	Ottawa	2:00
Wed. Jan. 28	Ottawa	at	Kingston	7:00
Fri. Jan. 30	Belleville	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Feb. 1	London	at	Ottawa	2:00
Fri. Feb. 6	Brampton	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat Feb. 7	Ottawa	at	Oshawa	2:05
Sun. Feb. 8	Kingston	at	Ottawa	2:00
Fri. Feb. 13	Peterborough	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sat Feb. 14	Ottawa	at	Barrie	7:30
Sun. Feb. 15	Ottawa	at	Owen Sound	2:00
Thu. Feb. 19	Ottawa	at	Peterborough	7:00
Fri. Feb. 20	Kitchener	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Feb. 22	Niagara	at	Ottawa	2:00
Fri. Feb. 27	Ottawa	at	Guelph	7:30
Sat Feb. 28	Ottawa	at	Erie	7:00
Sun. Mar. 1	Ottawa	at	Niagara	2:00
Thu. Mar. 5	Ottawa	at	Peterborough	7:00
Fri. Mar. 6	Barrie	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Mar. 8	Sudbury	at	Ottawa	2:00
Fri. Mar. 13	Peterborough	at	Ottawa	7:30
Sun. Mar. 15	Kingston	at	Ottawa	2:00

Memorial Cup - Wrap-Up

Well, I wasn’t able to blog as much as I had hoped to. Not having easy access to the internet was the major issue. The fact that the spousal unit wanted to play golf rather than watch me work away at some internet hotspot complicated it a bit too (not that I blame him – he was a really good sport about the times that I did take to update).

By now everyone knows the results, the highlights, the mishaps so there’s no point in going over all of that at this late date. So I will wrap-up with some Random Thoughts about the whole event.

• Chatted with a lot of really friendly people: Frank and his daughters (I forget their names), Spiderman (aka Walter), Rob Faulds from TSN, Jorg from Vaughn sports, Mr. Jig from The Noof, Admiral the dog and his handler, our usher, the guy who wore the Penguins jersey, linesman 61, the Team Host for the Spokane Chiefs, McGinn fan and others I can’t remember. Did not run into a single unpleasant person at the Aud.
  
• Well, maybe one unpleasant person – the security guy who said I couldn’t take pictures with my camera gear. I guess he was doing his job. The CHL only wanted accredited photographers taking pictures. The two photographer positions in front of us were unused for the rest of the game I was busted at (Tuesday?) until the final. Sorry to the Spokane fans who were hoping to see more pictures of their team.
  
• It was interesting to watch a bunch of hockey where I really wasn’t emotionally committed to the outcome. One on the one hand, it was less nerve-wracking. On the other hand, it was hard to get all worked up and I realize that that’s a big part of what I like about watching hockey (which is largely why it’s easy to be distracted during the SCF right now – I don’t really care who wins).
  
• It was LOUD in the Aud for the semi-final and the final.
  
• Mike Murphy was lights-out during the round robin game against Kitchener. Our host, Larry, thought it was a bad move on the part of the Bulls to play him in that game. He thought it was highly unlikely that Murphy would be able to repeat that performance in the semi-final. He was right.
  
• About that semi-final….after about the 8th goal, several of us noticed Beleskey and Pepe chatting as they skated to their respective benches. Pepe gave Beleskey a tap with his stick in a “man I know this must suck” kind of gesture.
  
• in the “what goes around maybe comes around” category…after their 9-0 blowout over the Bulls, we wondered if Kitchener had used up all their goals. Apparently so.
  
• Spokane was good. Calm, purposeful, committed to the system. Tokarski wasn’t half bad either in the third period.
  
• As I mentioned earlier, for a region that can organize Oktoberfest, they really didn’t put much together for the fans. We were chatting with a fellow for whom this is his 5th Memorial Cup and in his estimation this was the worst from a non-game perspective.
  
  • To get parking, you had to be there at least an hour and a half before the game.
    
  • The Molson Haus was in a downstairs arena area and for the pre-game we were “entertained” by watching some radio personality do his radio show which basically involved introducing songs. Even the videos were just some Molson ads on a loop. Nothing at all to get the fans engaged.
  • The entire food selection: hotdogs, hamburgers and pizza. There isn’t anywhere near the Aud to go eat.
    
  • We weren’t allowed in the arena until an hour before puck drop. The outdoor area for beer and food didn’t have any tables so you had to hold your beer with one hand and try to eat your hotdog/hamburger with the other hand and somehow hang onto to the bag of chips that came with the “meal”.
    
  • the Stanley Cup arrived one day but none of the announcements said where it was. No real advance notice that it was coming (well, one day’s notice).
  • I had a chance to chat briefly with one of the Rimouski officials there to observe and learn for their Memorial Cup next year. I mentioned (in my best government French) that they need to plan many more fan-involvements before each game. This standing around was kinda boring.
• Well worth the time and money invested. Not sure I would do this every year but this worked out well for us. Got to do some golfing too which made it a really good vacation. The Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge region is beautiful and really easy to get around.
  
• volunteers make a big difference. For the readers in the National Capital Region, if you have not already done so, you should consider volunteering for the 2009 WJHC in Ottawa. I’m already signed up.
  

So that wraps up the 2007-2008 Major Junior hockey season. The Memorial Cup stays out west for another year as teams, fans and players turn their thoughts to next year.

The final final event for me will be the NHL Entry draft on June 20th here in Ottawa. The tickets are ordered and I’m good to go to at least the first round.
Until then….Cheers!

Memorial Cup - Game 4

	Belleville 6 vs Gatineau 3

Well, it sure seems like this is not Gatineau’s year. This was a tough game for them. Both teams started with the hits but it seemed that Belleville had the edge early. On his first shift out, Gatineau’s Labrie seemed to reinjure his knee but was soon back out there skating.

As a portent of things to come, Gatineau got into early penalty trouble and gave Belleville a 5-on-3 for 1:32 which was followed by a 5-on-4. Gatineau was defending really well but just as the penalties expired Jan Murzak deflected a shot by PK Subban to put Belleville on the board first on their 11th shot of the game.

But the groaner of the game came on Gatineau’s first power play kill when Mior felt it necessary to come out of his crease to play the puck. He mishandled it and Shawn Matthias was there to take it and score the short handed goal and put Belleville up by 2. It happened right in front of me and I was too shocked at what I was seeing to take a picture. Claude Giroux skated up to Mior and it looked like he was reassuring his goalie.

But les Olympiques were not about to go quietly into the night. Hugo Laporte got a wrist shot through from the point to make it a 2 – 1 game. And before the period was over they tied it up on a pretty 2-on-1 play Michael Stiniziani took a nice feed from Darryl Smith and beat Murphy short side.

Both teams traded goals in the second period (Cory Tanaka - another shortie - for Belleville and Claude Giroux for Gatineau) and it seemed like the could still go either way. And it stayed that way until just under seven minutes left in the game when it all fell apart for Gatineau. Three unanswered goals in under 5 minutes including a power play goal just put it away. It actually was sad to see.

The three stars of the game: Claude Giroux (3), Nigel Williams (Belleville – 2) and Shawn Matthias (Belleville – first star).

Random Thoughts:

• Interesting how you can “sense” the karma of a team. Gatineau is just not giving off the vibes of world-beaters. They certainly are playing heard, with heart, are skilled and fast and everything else you would expect from a team that is representing their league but they do not have the je ne sais quoi to bring it all together. They will be home by tomorrow night.
  
• Belleville certainly didn’t make it easy for themselves with all the off-setting penalties. That was just stupid.
  
• Belleville’s stretch passes were crazy-good. I am so glad that the red line has been taken out of play for passes.
  
• First time I’ve seen a goal called for interference. Murphy deliberately got in Claude Giroux’s way.
  
  
• ”Spiderman” from the previous game dropped by to take some pictures. He is a long time fan of the rangers (45 years – bleeds blue and white) and is getting back into photography now that the kids are getting into university. It was great chatting with him during the game and taking pictures.
  
• Each of the tickets features an OHL player from great Memorial Cup games. The tickets for this game featured Brian Campbell from the 1999 Memorial Cup.
  
• Akim Aliu came out of the tunnel and was escorted to a seat. He doesn’t look as big as he does on skates. He could lose the Don King look. I heard on the radio that Steve Downie is expected to show up in support of his team mate Claude Giroux.
  
• First golf game of the season. Played at the beautiful Glencairn in the Halton Hills. My game stunk but the walk was good.
  

More pictures (remember that you can click on any picture in the blog to see a larger image)

Memorial Cup Jersey Watch

Decided to keep a list of all the jerseys we have seen during the tournament. So far:

CHL

Kitchener Rangers	Belleville Bulls	Gatineau Olympiques
Spokane Chiefs	Ottawa 67s	Plymouth Whalers
Peterborough Petes	Calgary Hitmen	Kamloops Blazers
Sudbury Wolves	Brampton Battalion	St. John Fog Devil
Acadia-Bathurst Titans	Cape Breton Screaming Eagles	Oshawa Generals
Soo Greyhounds	London Knights

NHL

Detroit Red Wings	Boston Bruins	Edmonton Oilers
New York Rangers	Pittsburgh Penguins	Philadelphia Flyers
Vancouver Canuks	Toronto Maple Leafs	Chicago Blackhawks
Dallas Stars

Other

Tretiak (in Russian)

Binghampton Senators

Team Canada (various versions)

Will keep updating as we see them.

Memorial Cup - Game 3

	Kitchener 1 vs Spokane 2

Spokane was returning to the ice after their overtime win against Belleville the day before. The arena was loud with the large number of Ranger fans making lots of noise but the small Chiefs contingent held their own quite nicely.

Unlike the first two games of the tournament, this one was not going to be a high-scoring affair. Both teams started fast but Kitchener came out stronger and drew first blood with a short-handed goal less than 5 minutes into the game. Matt Halischuk intercepted a pass at the blue line, skated in hard and beat Tokarski 5-hole. And they had at least a couple of other scoring chances on the penalty kill. It looked like the Chiefs were unsettled for a bit but they soon recovered.

Kitchener had a couple more penalties to kill before the period was over but they were also very good at limiting the scoring chances; there may have been a total of three shots on goal for all the man-advantages.

After the third penalty kill, Kitchener was putting some serious pressure on the Chiefs generating many oohs and ahhs with close calls and near misses. This was at the other end of the rink so we weren’t in all the ooh’ing and ahh’ing.

But it was Justin Falk who got the even-up goal with just over 4 minutes to play beating Unice top shelf. And that’s how the opening frame ended.

Both teams started the second period much slower than the first period. But that didn’t last long and just over 5 minutes into the game Drayson Bowman scored his fourth of the tournament and what would eventually stand up as the game winning goal. Kitchener tried hard to get even again and at the end of the period they had the power play and another penalty was called just as the period ended. So they opened the third period with a 45 second 5-on-3 to be followed up with a 5-on-4 for about 1:30. You would think that they might get the tying goal with al this time but…nope…they didn’t even get one shot on net for all that time.

The third period was more of the same with both teams playing hard and this is where we thought that the game before might take its toll on Spokane but that was not the case. Their legs seemed as strong at the finish as they did from the start. With just under a minute left and in possession of the puck, the Rangers pulled Unice for the extra attacker. Spokane gained possession and almost sealed it but as the time ran out the Chiefs won 2 – 1.

Random Thoughts:

• Meet Admiral. He’s in training but I’m not sure whether he is being trained to assist a visually impaired person or simply a personal aide. In any event, he is usually a regular in the Ranger’s dressing room but this time he came down to the ice to supervise the warm-up. More than one player noticed him and tapped the glass.
  
  
• Very different game from last night – a different Spokane altogether. More hitting (although I think the Chiefs bounced off the Rangers more than the other way around). But they did a great job considering that they played just 24 hours previously while Kitchener was resting.
  
• Was chatting with one of the off-duty referees and he was saying that the ice was in pretty bad shape. It seemed so from all the non-induced tumbles that players were taking yesterday and today. I think that that’s what caused Duco to take a tumble early in the game.
  
• Speaking of refereeing, it seemed that the non-calls were pretty equally distributed (although some Rangers fans would disagree). Both teams were pretty engaged in various acts of holding, interference and the odd late hit. But the refs let them play through it and decide the outcome of the game.
  
• Had a chance to briefly chat with Jason Akeson’s dad during the warm-up. Jason is Jeremy Akeson’s (former Ottawa 67s) cousin. (We are in a very good spot – right near the tunnel to the area behind the Kitchener bench so get a lot of folks coming and going from back there. Everyone is up for a chat.)
  
• Chatted with a fellow from Mississauga for whom this is his fifth Memorial Cup. He’s already making plans for the Rimouski event – accommodations being his biggest concern.
  
• We have McGinn fan, they have Spiderman. We chatted about Michael Latta – he’s a big fan.
  
  
• Something I missed reporting from the first game. Again saw some young men who looked like they weren’t your average hockey fans. The escort said that they were this year’s draft picks. They were getting an early taste of the objective. Seems like a good idea.
  
• For the opening videos from the Spokane – Belleville game, they kept showing clips of goals scored against the 67s. Like that was the only team they scored against all year. harrumph!
  

More pictures (remember that you can click on any picture in the blog to see a larger image)

Memorial Cup - Game 2

	Belleville 4 vs Spokane 5 (OT)

Yesterday’s game featured the only team in the tournament that we have not seen before – the Spokane Chiefs. They are supported by a small but energetic crowd of family/fans.



The game started with some thundering hits by both teams and we thought we were in for a really physical game but neither team kept it up. It was as if each wanted to set a tone or send a message that they could hit if necessary. There were still some good hits but just not constant. Which is fine by me.

As with the Kitchener Rangers on Friday, the Spokane Chiefs got the early lead. Goals from Drayson Bowman, Mitch Wahl and again Drayson Bowman had the Chiefs up by 3 by the end of the first. Belleville was plain ol’ flat through that period and gave the puck up way too many times. At least one of the turnovers resulted in a goal (the second one I think).

The Chiefs fans have a score “song”. A little Italian (?!) ditty is played (you’d know it if you heard it) and at the key punctuation points the fans all yell “Chiefs!!”.

Up to this point, all the goals were at the OTHER end of the rink so we really didn’t see them (the disadvantage of being so close to the ice). So when the second period started, we all said “just watch, Belleville will turn it on and start scoring – at the OTHER end of the ice”. And sure enough – that’s what happened. This time it was Bryan Cameron scoring early in the period (on Belleville’s 5th shot of the game), Shawn Matthias scoring in the middle of the frame on the first powerplay of the game, and Cory Tanaka scoring in the final minute to make it a game! The Chiefs fans were noticeably quieter. The Belleville fans were not as organized (nor concentrated by location) in their cheering but they were there.

Belleville finally took the lead on Cory Tanaka’s second goal of the game before the halfway mark of the frame. By now Belleville was playing better and getting more shots through although they were still badly outshot overall. It looked like they might hold off the Chiefs….but Drayson Bowman got his hat trick when he tied it up during a scramble in front of the net with just under 3 minutes remaining.

Both teams played the last three minutes hard, trying for that game winning goal in regulation but time ran out. After 60 minutes it was tied at 4 with SOGs: 50 – 25 for Spokane.

Belleville came out strong in the overtime period, keeping the pressure on and getting 7 shots through before it all ended. But it was Spokane’s Levko Koper who was the right guy in the right spot to put it into an empty side when he took a nice cross-crease feed from Justin McRae at 4:46 of the OT period.


This was one of the two goals that we actually saw at our end of the ice. Final shots on goal were 54 – 32 for Spokane.

Random Thoughts:

• A good game but not as entertaining as the Gatineau – Ranger game. Neither of the teams seemed to contest the ice in front of the net very much (at least from what we saw at our end of the rink) and, while both teams were skilled, it seemed a little sloppier to me overall.
  
• Was standing behind some young men in the tunnel waiting for a break in play. They were in suits and so were obviously not just fans. They were the Spokane Chiefs scratches for the game (I asked). They looked like they were the rookies – not even a whisper of playoff beard. They were very polite (said “thank you” in unison when I wished them good luck).
  
• Neither of these teams play a “dirty” game – only 5 penalties called all game. I know you can’t count on the refs to call all of the shenanigans but there really wasn’t much to call that we could see.
  
• Spokane has the quick turn-around as they play a rested Kitchener Rangers today. This should be an interesting game.
  
• Getting our money’s worth – two come-from-behind efforts to tie the games and go into overtime. 11 goals in the first game, 9 in this one. High shot-counts by both winning teams. Some spectacular saves by all goalies (although I don’t think Unice was as tested as Mior).
  
• Ran into McGinn-Fan at the game. Had a quick chat before the game.
  
  
• Had dinner at Kelsey’s (wait time was too long at Moose Wisnewski’s – but we’ll get there before the week is done). We didn’t wear our jerseys into the restaurant but some fans did. There was a table with fans wearing Wolves, Bulls, Rangers, Fyers, Fog Devils jerseys and a couple wearing Chiefs jerseys stopped on their way out for a friendly chat.
  
• Did I mention how friendly everyone is? Not that I expected a brawl or anything – it’s just really nice to see everyone starting up conversations all over the place.
  
• Found a free hot-spot. Buh-bye Starbucks and bell hot-spot and hello Williams Coffee Pub (but the connection is sooo slow - guess you get what you pay for).
  

More pictures (remember that you can click on any picture in the blog to see a larger image)

Memorial Cup - Game 1

	Gatineau 5 - Kitchener 6 (OT)

The Memorial Cup opened with the host and OHL Champions playing the Gatineau Olympiques. Our “seats” are actually reserved standing room positions behind the first row of seats at ice level. This is a great spot to be if you like the close-up and personal view of the game – especially the part where they smear each other into the glass. We are right in front of Section 7, which for this game is the end that Gatineau attacked twice.

I don’t have access to internet at the B&B so I’m enjoying a cup of tea at Starbucks as I get this update updated. So it will be quick too as the spousal unit is impatiently waiting.

It looked like a rout in the making when Kitchener went up 3 – zip really quickly but those sneaky Olympiques made it a game when they got two back in the first period on only 7 shots. But you could see that Kitchener really was the better team overall as they continued to take the game more to Gatineau than the other way around.

It was fast, hard-hitting with casualties along the way and a fight too. The ‘Piques kept pressing and sure enough they tied it up late in the third period to make it really interesting. For some reason, Gatineau lost all the momentum they ended the game with. The Rangers on the other hand came out firing on all cylinders and almost ended the game on a number of shots.

The refs were letting the players play but it ended on a powerplay when Gatineau was called for too many men on the ice. It’s a cheesy way to lose an important game (only second to a puck going over the glass) but Kitchener really deserved to win the game. But they may be worried about Unice as he let in 5 goals on only 28 shots (the fourth goal being a real softie). Mior saw 53 shots.

Random Thoughts:

• certainly a lot of Ranger fans as expected but also a fair sprinkling of fan from other clubs. Lots of out of town jerseys. I’m wearing a 67s third jersey from 2005 and several folks have commented on what a nice jersey it is.
  
• everyone is really friendly – lots of casual conversations.
  
• for a region that can organize Oktoberfest, they certainly have missed the boat here. The parking is notoriously bad here and with many folks, me included, picking up their ticket packages at the box office, there were a lot of people here reasonably early. If you wanted a pre-game beer and something to eat, you had to pay $5.00 to go underground to another rink on the premises. Otherwise you had to line up and wait for access to the arena to open (not before an hour before the game). I was starving when I got to my “spot” which was another adventure in itself – the ushers really didn’t know where the reserved standing room was.
  
• here's the game sheet
  

Gotta run now. Here are some pictures.

	Now that's a playoff beard!

Road Trip! Off to the Memorial Cup!

Well, we are taking to the road to Kitchener to partake in the Memorial Cup and play a little golf (that's was the deal to get the spousal unit to agree to the trip). We will be staying at the Fordleigh Farm B&B in the Cambridge area which we discovered during our golf and wine tour vacation last summer.  Larry is a Kitchener Ranger season ticket holder and a serious Detroit Red Wing fan, including a Steve Yzerman shrine in his house.  Guess Larry will have the bragging rights this year as both my teams are out of the playoffs.

I'll be wearing my Ottawa 67s jerseys but cheering for the Gatineau Olympiques - gotta cheer for the hockey country representative.

I hope to post a few updates from "down south" to share my experiences with you.  It will all depend on getting an internet connection.  

If you're watching on TV, look for the Battochio third jersy from 2005 (black).  That will likely be me.  Looking foward to seeing some great hockey.  

Draft Day

First Round: Ottawa 67s picking 7th (7th overall) select:

Tyler Toffoli from the Junior Canadians
RW 5.11 175
GP:83, G:68, A:106, Points:174, PIMS: 72
Lead his team in points this year

Scouting Report (from the OHL Prospects Guide):
Toffoli is a skilled forward that regularly plays both center and the wing. He possess quickness and keeps his feet moving all the time. He has great hockey sense and feel for the game. Toffoli has excellent puck skills, displays very soft hands and has a great touch when moving the puck. He has the ability to make plays at top speed. When in possession of the puck Toffoli displays a ton of composure and confidence, especially in the offensive zone.

Second Round: Ottawa 67s picking 3rd (23rd overall) select:

Derek Hartwick from the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs
LD 6.00 160
GP:66, G:9, A:34, Points:43, PIMS: -

A late-birth player that still needs to grow into his frame (looking at his numbers). No report in the prospect guide.


from the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs site

Second Round: Ottawa 67s picking 7th (27th overall) select: Pieter Schinkelshoek from the London Junio Knights
RC 6.00 185
GP:47, G:25, A:32, Points:57, PIMS:53

Scouting Report (from the OHL Prospects Guide): Schinkelshoek is a physically strong center that is a very offensively minded and productive player. He possesses good size and a fair amount of skill. He skates quite well displaying speed and quickness while being very tough to knock off stride. He has shown the ability to take control of the puck, skate hard off the wing and plow through traffic and defenders and get a shot on net. His speed and strength make him pretty tough to handle.



Third Round: Ottawa 67s picking 18th (59th overall) select: Ryan Hanes from the Ottawa Senators
LD 6.00 185
GP:53, G:7, A:24, Points:31, PIMS:76

A teaser from the Scouting News: Ryan Hanes, a 1992 born defenseman who played this past season with the Ottawa Senators minor midget hockey team, has every reason to look into his hockey future with optimism. See Hanes’ stock is on the rise! The youngster could be a major sleeper pick in this year’s OHL draft …

Fourth Round: Ottawa 67s picking 4th (65th overall) select: Dalton Smith from Oshawa
LW 6.01 170
GP:62, G:22, A:38, Points:60, PIMS:192

no scouting reports that I can find.

Here's what the Ottawa Sun had to say about the draft.

And here's what the Ottawa Citizen had to say.

Here's the entire list:

The Ottawa 67s 2008 OHL Priority Draft

Rnd	No.	Player	Pos.	Ht	Wt
1	7	Tyler Tollofli	RW	5.11	175
2	3	Derek Hartwick	LD	6.01	165
2	7	Pieter Schinkelshoek	RC	6.00	185
3	18	Ryan Hanes	LD	6.00	195
4	4	Dalton Smith	LW	6.01	170
7	20	Michael Hawkrigg	LC	5.08	175
9	7	Chris Williams	RD	6.02	195
10	7	Christopher Lane	RD	6.01	170
12	7	Dylan Hutton	LW	5.11	150
13	7	Joe Jackson	LD	6.01	185
14	7	James Watson	RD	5.11	170
15	4	Elliot Burton	LW	6.01	190

Ducks Sign Beleskey, Bailey and De Gray to Contracts

The Ducks announced today that they have signed left wing Matt Beleskey, right wing Jason Bailey and defenseman John de Gray to three-year, entry-level contracts. Per club policy, financial terms were not disclosed.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

This was reported a week or so ago in the Ottawa Sun but there hadn't been any official announcement.

Congratulations Jason!

Getting Ready for the OHL Priority Draft

Teams are able to make trades up until 3:00 this afternoon in preparation for the Priority Draft tomorrow. According to the OHL site, the Ottawa67s have been in involved in a couple of trades this week.

On Wednesday Oshawa traded their 4th round pick in 2011 for Ottawa's 4th round pick this year. Until this trade, Oshawa only had 3 picks in the first 8 rounds. Now they have a 4th pick (a 4th round pick). Ottawa still has the 4th in the 4th round.

Then yesterday Ottawa traded their 2008 6th round pick to Windsor getting the Kitchener 7th round pick and Owen Sound 8th round picks for this year that Windsor held. This gives Windsor the 7th pick in the 6th round where they didn't previously have a pick. I would think there is more to this trade as now Ottawa does not have a 6th round pick at all and is left with a very late pick (20th) in the 7th round (but gains an early pick in the oh-so-critical 8th round - picking 3rd).

I made a mistake in my earlier accounting for Ottawa's picks this year. Ottawa picks 7th in the first round, 3rd and 7th in the second (I missed the 3rd pick), and until the trade with Oshawa, Ottawa had the 4th and 7th pick in the 4th round.

Could be more moves before the day is done.

Cheers!

OHL Priority Draft Webcast

The Ontario Hockey League is taking the next step in providing coverage of the 2008 OHL Priority Selection.The first three rounds of this year's event, which will take place this Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m., will be covered via video Webcast available exclusively at www.ontariohockeyleague.com.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

OHL Priority Selection

The OHL Priority Selection (aka The Draft) happens this Saturday starting at 9:00. The Ottawa 67s order of go is as follows (unless there are some trades on draft day):

Round 1 - 7th
Round 2 - 3rd
Round 3 - 18th
Round 4 - 4th
Round 5 - no pick
Round 6 - 7th
Round 7 - no pick
Round 8 - no pick
Round 9 - 7th
Round 10 - 7th
Round 11 - no pick
Rounds 12 through 14 - 7th
Round 15 - 4th

Check out the information on the Ontario Hockey League site for the media guide and prospects magazine. I haven't had a chance to go over any of this information, and quite frankly would not know anything about these players. Let's just hope that Killer choses well in the first 4 rounds. It would be nice to get some additional solid talent for the team.

Would be happy to hear from anyone out there who has info on these prospects.

Cheers!

Adam Courchaine Makes His Professional Debut

P-BRUINS DEFEAT MONARCHS 3-2

Will Face Manchester in Atlantic Division Semifinals

Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins defeated the Manchester Monarchs 3-2 in a shootout Sunday afternoon at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The P-Bruins got their goals in regulation from Jordan Knackstedt, and Pascal Pelletier and in the shootout from Knackstedt and Nate Thompson. The 53-16-3-4 Regular Season Eastern Conference Champion P-Bruins are back in action Wednesday against the Worcester Sharks at the DCU Center at 7:05 p.m. Following all of today's American Hockey League action, the P-Bruins now know they will face the Monarchs in the Atlantic Division Semifinals of the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Here's the rest of the article.

Here's the game sheet.

Congrats Adam! It's on to the playoffs for you.

Tyler Cuma Named to Men's U18 National Team

HOCKEY CANADA ANNOUNCES ROSTER FOR 2008 IIHF WORLD UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP

CALGARY, AB – Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced on Tuesday the 22 players who will make up Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2008 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, April 13th to 23rd in Kazan, Russia.

Click here for the rest of the press release.

Click here if you just want to see the roster.

Congratulations Tyler. Have a great tournament!!

Adam Courchaine Signs ATO

Goaltender Joins Providence from OHL's Ottawa

Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, member of the American Hockey League, announced today that they have signed goaltender Adam Courchaine to an Amateur Tryout Agreement from the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. With the move, the P-Bruins now have 21 players on their roster, including 11 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders.

See the rest of the press release here.

He was on the roster for the game against Jamie McGinn and the Worcester Sharks yesterday.

Good Luck Adam.

Another Year in the Books

Well, this wraps up another season of the Ottawa 67s and my second year as a blogger.

There were three signed NHL prospects on the roster this year: Jamie McGinn and Logan Couture with the San Jose Sharks and Adam Courchaine with the Boston Bruins, and two unsigned prospects: Radim Ostrcil (Boston) and Jason Bailey (Anahheim).



By all accounts Killer had drafted reasonably well (draft held Saturday May 5th), picking 6th. The complete list is (Round. Overall draft pick, OHL Team Player Name Team Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate):

• 1 6 Ottawa 67's Michael Latta Waterloo Wolves RC 5.11 180 5/25/1991
  
• 2 26 Ottawa 67's Ryan Martindale Whitby Wildcats LC 6.01 170 10/27/1991
  
• 3 46 Ottawa 67's Chris Perugini Mississauga IceDogs G 5.09 125 2/6/1991
  
• 4 66 Ottawa 67's Johnathan Carnevale Central Ontario Wolves RW 5.10 165 6/21/1991
  
• 5 100 Ottawa 67's Marc Anthony Zanetti Toronto Marlboros LD 5.11 180 5/20/1991
  
• 6 106 Ottawa 67's Cam McLean Niagara Falls RW 6.00 165 2/13/1991
  
• 7 126 Ottawa 67's Paul Phillips Chicago Chill Midget LD 5.11 175 7/16/1991
  
• 8 146 Ottawa 67's Blake Barbieri Mississauga IceDogs RD 6.00 170 3/3/1991
  
• No 9th round pick
  
• 10 186 Ottawa 67's Riley Sonnenburg Cambridge Hawks LW 6.01 170 1/1/1991
  
• 11 206 Ottawa 67's Brian Birkhoff Wexford Raiders LD 6.00 180 5/27/1991
  
• 12 226 Ottawa 67's Dustin Walsh Quinte Red Devils LW 5.10 140 3/20/1991
  
• 12 228 Ottawa 67's Ben Sexton Kanata Blazers RC 5.10 165 6/6/1991
  
• 13 246 Ottawa 67's Jonathan Demme Brampton Battalion AA LD 6.01 175 3/11/1991
  
• 14 266 Ottawa 67's Joseph Quattrocchi Kanata Blazers G 6.00 165 4/30/1991
  
• 15 286 Ottawa 67's GianPaul Delle Donne Guelph RW 5.11 160 2/11/1991
  

The first four draftees reported, stayed and contributed in a year when rookies played more than they normally would have. We also had a chance to see Marc Zanetti for a few games during the flurry of tournaments that had a few regulars out of the lineup.

The import draft was held on June 28, 2007 and Killer’s picks were (Overall, Team, Time of Pick, Player, DOB, Pos, Last Team/Country, Height, Weight, NHL Draft):

• 17, Ottawa 67's , 12:10, Radim Ostrcil, Jan.15.1989, D, HC Vsetin/Czech, 6.00, 194, '07, 169th
  
• 38, Ottawa 67's (from Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds), 3:40, Martin Paryzek, March.23.1989, D, HC Ceska Budejovice/Czech, 6.01, 185, 2008
  

Again, both players reported, stayed and contributed.

Other player changes during the year:

• Aaron Alophonso was traded to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the off-season for a 3rd round draft pick in the 2008 OHL priority selection and the 38th pick in the European draft.
  
• Tye McGinn, younger brother of Jamie, was acquired in a deal for future consideration with Owen Sound. He was drafted by Owen Sound in the 9th round, 168th overall, 2006 OHL Priority Selection.
  
• D-Keith Wynn was acquired from the Windsor Spitfires (for future consideration) as an overager. He didn’t last too long – not sure whether he quite or was fired. He just slipped off the radar without (or because of) making much of an impact.
  
• Overager D-Zach McCullough was acquired from the Sudbury Wolves for a 3rd round draft pick in the 2008 OHL entry draft.
  

The season started with high hopes and expectations given that Jamie and Logan were back together, signed by their NHL teams and for all intents and purposes healthy and ready for a stand-out season. Some solid veterans were returning and the crop of rookies was promising.

But, it wouldn’t quite turn out that way. The first sign of trouble was rookie goal tender Adam Courchaine coming down with mono during the summer. By all reports it wasn’t a serious bout but it was a sign of things to come. Then Radim Ostrcil suffered a broken wrist at camp with the Boston Bruins. It delayed his start with the 67s. The OHL doesn’t produce a list of player games lost due to illness or injury but here’s a partial list of the major games lost:

• Jason Bailey only played 34 games of the regularly scheduled 68 games. Reasons for his absence: mono (17 games), broken face (nose and orbital bone), hip flexor and sports hernia. He needs to go under the knife for the hernia.
  
• Logan Couture and Jamie McGinn missed 17 games each due to concussions and back / shoulder issues respectively.
  
• Matt Lahey only played 22 games before being permanently side-lined with a shoulder injury that requires surgery.
  
• Jon Carnevale was just about to play in the 2008 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge as a member of Team Ontario when he was diagnosed with mono.
  
• Tyler Cuma had to sit out the Prospects Game as he had bronchitis.
  

In fact, there wasn’t a single player who made it through the entire year without missing a game due to illness or injury.

But it wasn’t all bad news. The Ottawa 67s had good representation on a number of national / provincial teams:

• Tyler Cuma was named to the Under 18 team to defend Canada's title at the eight-country Ivan Hlinka Memorial in Piestany, Slovakia, and Hodonin, Czech Republic.
  
• Tyler Cuma was also named to the OHL Top Prospects team. When he couldn’t make it due to illness, Julien Demers went.
  
• Martin Paryzek was a member of the Czech National Team in the 2008 World Junior Hockey Championship tournament.
  
• Michael Latta and Ryan Martindale were named to the Ontario squad in the 2008 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge
  

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

• Chris Perugini starting in net in Barrie against his brother Andrew and coming away with the win.
  
• Michael Latta playing in Kitchener in front of friends and family and leading the team to a win with two goals and was named the game’s first star.
  
• The 67s beating the loaded-for-Memorial-Cup Kitchener Rangers twice.
  
• The rookies playing much more than expected and stepping up - sometimes outplaying the veterans.
  
• 4 shut-out wins
  
• season sweep of the Barrie Colts
  
• 24 1-goal games
  
• highest scorers on the team, Jamie McGinn and Logan Couture, ranked 56th and 57th respectively in the league.
  
• 6 shut-out losses (2 in a row)
  
• third season in a row of below .500 hockey
  
• 4-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs
  

Final Thoughts

• ya – a tough year to be a fan especially with all the hope we started with. The discussion boards were filled with the usual armchair advice regarding coaching, drafting and trading. But I still had more entertainment value from my 67s tickets than my Senators tickets.
  
• By my reckoning Ottawa should be picking 6th or 7th in the draft again so they should have a good chance for quality picks. Let’s hope Killer will start drafting and trading for bigger lads who can also move the puck.
  
• I don’t want to get my hopes up too early but it appears that the the 67s could have a solid core of players for next year (and the year after that).
  
• Jamie McGinn has already reported to the Worcester Sharks. He registered his first assist in their Saturday night game (a loss – the Sharks are in tough just to make the playoffs).
  
• Logan has not been called up, most likely to take the time to get 100% better for next year. Hopefully that will include some serious training for him to get stronger on his feet. It seemed that every other picture I have of him he’s down on the ice. BTW – belated happy birthday to Logan (March 28th).
  
• Another belated vsechno nejlepsi to Martin Paryzek (March 23rd) (I hope that means happy birthday in Czech – I looked it up on the web.)
  
• Zach McCullough, Matthieu Methot and Jason Bailey have now completed their major junior hockey careers. No word on what their plans are. Good luck guys.
  
• Possible overagers for next year: Thomas Kiriakou (Kilrea has already made it clear that he would love to have Thomas back. I would bet he gets the “C” if he returns), Matt Lahey (I wouldn’t bet on it with his history of injuries), Sean Ryan (on the bubble I would think) and Jamie McGinn (hard to call – depends on how it goes in Worcester).
  
• Special thanks to Walt for his faithful production of his game sheets which he shared with the regulars in our section. He puts a lot of time and effort into these informative documents and it’s greatly appreciated.
  
• We have our tickets to the Memorial Cup in Kitchener. A chance to combine golf and hockey. It should be fun. I’m thinking that I may attempt to work in some time to blog from there (but may get sidelined by other fun stuff).
  
• The NHL Draft is in Ottawa this year and I plan to attend the first round. Hopefully we will see Tyler Cuma go early and get pleasantly surprised with good results for the other eligible 67s players.
  
• Thanks to photographers Mike, Robert and Jean who were generous with their time and advice - it is much appreciated.
  
• And finally thanks to you for taking the time to read my musings and take a look at my pictures. Hopefully we will all be here again next season.

Cheers Everyone!