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April 22, 2008
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.
TYSON TAKES ON ASIAN LEAGUE
“I’d never even been to Europe before coming here WHEN TYSON NASH WAS traded from the Phoenix Coyotes to the Toronto Maple Leafs in November of 2006, he went from the far reaches of the NHL world to one of the global centers of hockey. However, any notion he may have had that Phoenix was a far-removed outpost for the world’s fastest game was turned on its ear last summer when he signed with a Japanese team, the Nippon Paper Cranes of the Asia League. “I was ignorant to what went on over here,” Nash said over the phone from his apartment in Kushiro, a town of 170,000 where his team is based. “I have been blown away by Tokyo. The city literally doesn’t sleep, people are respectful and kind; it has…
Champs formed away from rink
Shannon Miller, coach of the 2008 NCAA-champion Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, understands the importance off-ice interaction plays in developing good team chemistry. “Coaches that are most successful consistently are really good with their players off the ice,” said Miller, whose team beat Wisconsin 4-0 in the final game. “You are helping them become more mature, building character.” Miller, who won her fourth NCAA title in eight years, was working with a young Bulldogs crew this season. “(We) went through a lot of transformations, like getting comfortable, confident and establishing relationships…all of it off-ice things,” she said.…
POWERING FORWARD
JAMES NEAL SAYS HE KNEW the adjustment from the Ontario League to the pro game would take time. There would be new systems, increased defensive responsibilities and opponents who are just as strong, but even bigger. He didn’t expect to dominate. At least not at first. But as the AHL season was winding down, Neal was cranking up his game for the Iowa Stars. Since returning from a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for six weeks, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound left winger was living up to advance billing. A power forward who excels in traffic, Neal scored nine goals and 15 points in a 17-game stretch from mid-February to late March. That’s quite a turnaround from the first three months, when he produced just one assist in his first 12…
ANAHEIM
MVP Ryan Getzlaf, C. Getzlaf had about 25 more points than the next highest scorer for the Ducks, but it isn’t mere numbers that make him the team’s MVP. On a team that has struggled to find secondary scoring all season, Getzlaf’s maturity has been as important as his production. “He just creates time and space out there,” said defenseman Mathieu Schneider. “He’s going to be an elite player for years and years here.” SURPRISE Kent Huskins, D. No one anticipated Huskins building a plus-22 mark, second on the team behind Getzlaf’s plus-27, entering the season’s final two games. Given the absence of Scott Niedermayer for the season’s first 34 games, and Chris Pronger’s late-season suspension, Huskins’ understated but steady play has been huge.…
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