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May 24, 2005

May 24, 2005

The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

DEPARTMENTS

Take it slow, teenagers; time is on your side

FROM THE EDITORS Ours is an odd culture. Our adults obsess over their long-gone youth, while our kids want nothing more than to pass for a grownup. And nowhere, other than perhaps the child beauty pageant industry, is this more apparent than in the junior hockey system. Exhibit A: The Ontario League grants “exceptional player” status to 14-year-old John Tavares, who is subsequently selected No. 1 overall by the Oshawa Generals. Exhibit B: Chet Couture, father of elite junior prospect Logan Couture, lashes out in the wake of the Tavares decision, telling the Toronto Sun his child’s hopes of being drafted first overall have “been crushed.” John Thornton, Logan Couture’s legal counsel, says the London, Ont., native and his family are “really disappointed in the process,” adding “The OHL picked a 14-year-old (Tavares) and…

IN THIS ISSUE

Colorado’s minor league love affair

Colorado’s mining history is rich and colorfull, much like the old walls of sites such as the Swiss Boy and Tasmania mines in Clear Creek County. They have long since become ghost towns, but there is a new gold mine up in Loveland, about 40 minutes north of Denver. That would be the town the Colorado Eagles, champions of the Central League in just their second year of existence, call home. The Eagles beat the Laredo Bucks 4-1 in the CHL final, a fitting cap to a remarkable season. Playing to sellout crowds from Day 1 at the 5.289-seat Budweiser Events Center, the Eagles have become a scaled-down version of the state’s other big pro hockey success story, the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps that is why, having ditched the Hershey Bears as their minor…

IN THIS ISSUE

Show refs due respect

Several years ago, during a particularly long playoff overtime game, with the two teams dog-tired and no hint a goal was imminent, Hockey Night in Canada legend Bob Cole bellowed, “Maybe nobody will win this game!” Turns out, somebody did indeed emerge victorious, just as they have in every NHL playoff game ever played. And that’s one of the many beauties of this pastime we all love. Sudden death always provides a dramatic ending. Where the collective bargaining agreement process/farce is concerned, sudden death (we won’t say for whom) is sounding like a fine option. In lieu of that, however, we’ll hold onto the logic that someday this too will pass. While waiting for the end of the world to run its course – who knew Armageddon would be so boring? – many…

DEPARTMENTS

UNITED STATES LEAGUE

Mark Carlson has been the only coach the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have ever had in six seasons. Winger Ted Purcell is on his third team in three years. While the former has been a constant and the latter a hired marksman, the two blended brilliantly this spring as the RoughRiders claimed their first USHL playoff title with a thrilling five-game win over the Sioux City Musketeers. Three games were decided by one goal and two went into overtime. Purcell, a St. John’s, Nfld., native and former Notre Dame Hound, was Cedar Rapids’ scoring star. Off to Maine next year, the 19-year-old Purcell led Cedar Rapids in playoff scoring with five goals and 14 points in 11 games. College-bound goalie Alex Stalock made his mark when it counted, going 72 with a .950 save…