Search for your favorite player or team
© The Hockey News. All rights reserved. Any and all material on this website cannot be used, reproduced, or distributed without prior written permission from Roustan Media Ltd. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
October 28, 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.
CROWD SHOTS
‘THE HAT’ CAME BACK I am so happy to see Eric Duhatschek is now writing the backpage columns. His writing is what The Hockey News should be about: informative, interesting, fair and passionate. I have probably read The Hockey News weekly since I was about seven years old (I am now 39). I still have stacks of copies from the ’80s that I just can’t seem to part with. Duhatschek’s writing always makes me think back to those old copies. Too many writers these days just come up with stories to be confrontational, which is the easiest and laziest form of journalism. Leave that job up to the ex-players who believe that’s how you do color commentary. I bet most faithful THN readers want background and inside stories that the mainstream media doesn’t…
DIVISION ONCE MORE AT STAKE IN ‘BATTLE’
Only once since 1991 did both teams qualify for the post-season TRIVIA TIME: The first player to change sides in the Battle of Alberta was one Kari Jalonen, a little-known Finn (at least in North America) who played 34 games for the Calgary Flames over two seasons and then upon his release, had a brief cameo with their arch-rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, in 1983-84. This was in the heyday of the battle, when all the talk of uncivil war was more than just hyperbole. The Oilers were on the cusp of their first Stanley Cup and the Flames were moving up the ranks behind a wily coach named Bob Johnson who succeeded, where others failed, in getting under the skin of his Oilers counterpart, Glen Sather. The dislike the two teams felt towards…
EXTENDED FAMILY OF FIRST-ROUNDERS
ONE BACKYARD RINK in Saskatoon could prove to be a haven for NHL first-rounders, including the Brandon Wheat Kings’ Brayden Schenn. As youngsters, Brayden and his brother Luke often played on a rink built by Jimmy Bubnick’s parents. Luke Schenn, a rugged defenseman, was chosen fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2008 NHL draft. Bubnick (of the Kamloops Blazers) and Brayden Schenn are strong first round prospects for ’09. “That’s how we grew up, just playing on the backyard rinks,” said Brayden Schenn, a 17-year-old center. “I think that’s how we got better as well. The outdoor rink is definitely a good place to work on your skills.” In his case, there are skills aplenty. “He’s real special in that he’s as talented as he is and as complete a player…
BATTLING MORE THAN JUST PUCKS
NOLAN SCHAEFER HAS ALWAYS been “the other goalie.” In pee wee, he was the backup. The coach’s son was given the starting job. In midget, he was slotted as the No. 2 guy. And that was also the case at Providence his freshman season. When he turned pro in the San Jose Sharks system, he essentially split time evenly with Dmitri Patzold for the AHL’s Cleveland Barons. “I never really made any teams as the No. 1 goalie,” Schaefer said. But last season Schaefer, 28, proved he’s ready to be someone’s No. 1 with the Houston Aeros. A fifth-year pro, he went 19-13-0 with an AHL-best 2.06 goals-against average and .924 save percentage (fourth-best). By themselves, the numbers are impressive. But combine his play with his off-ice worries and the breakout season was even more…
Made possible with the support of
