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thegazette • Thursday, November 29, 2012
Sports
tweet of the week I think Adam Levine is a beauty and all but why does he do up every button?! Is that the style nowadays?
>> Toronto Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak (@Bozie42) on Adam Levine
Rundown >> The Mustangs fell to the undefeated McMaster Marauders this past Sunday > This drops the Mustangs’ impressive record to 6–2—leaving them in third place in the Ontario University Athletics.
Former Knight returns to his roots OUA not too shabby for twilight of CHL careers Ryan Stern Sports Editor He has always been a man amongst giants, but as a star centre for the London Knights, he was larger than life in London, Ontario—a status that may have just drawn him back. On December 7, 2007, he was the little engine that could, but it was that very same day that he became London’s little teddy bear. As a microscopic 16-year-old playing with burly men, Daniel Erlich, the London Knight’s newest acquisition burst onto the scene—and into the hearts of Londoners—in a big way. The game was unlike any other the Knights played all season. The night was the Knights annual Teddy Bear Toss, and the crowd took the promotion and ran with it. The crowd looked more like a child’s toy chest than the rabid hockey mob the John Labatt Centre usually housed. With over 5,000 stuffed animals in the arms of fans eager to toss the fuzzy bears of all sizes at the sight of the Knight’s first goal, the arena was a volcano waiting to erupt. On the power play, the Knights found themselves passing around the perimeter looking for an opportunity to put a shot on net. Erlich—generously listed at fivefoot-six—found himself waiting beside the net in prime position to pass the puck—his greatest asset as a player. Knight’s forward Phil McRae fired a one-timer at the net, and in the blink of an eye, Erlich picked up the rebound and potted the first goal of his promising OHL career. As the red light went on, the skies opened up. A star was born in this hockey-crazed town, and the number 92 seemed to be on everyone’s minds practically overnight. Kids aspired to be him, players wanted to play with him and London wanted to see more of him. “I was in shock. It was the first time I had seen that many fans. The teddy bears were coming at me. It was truly a crazy moment,” Erlich said fondly. Undoubtedly a favourite of the fans, it was not just his size that endeared him to the London faithful. In his two full seasons with the Knights, Erlich put up 112 points in the regular season, and added 34 points in two postseason trips— including 21 points in 12 games in 2009.
Unfortunately for Erlich, his time in London ended before he desired to leave. Traded from the London Knights to the Guelph Storm on January 8, 2011, Erlich never really got a chance to settle down and get acclimated. Traded to the Storm due to his overage status, Erlich put up 38 points in 35 total games, but was quickly on the move to unfamiliar territory again. This time, Erlich took the plunge overseas and signed with the EC Red Bull team in Salzburg, Austria. Far from his family, friends and his previous successes, Erlich certainly had an adjustment period with his new teammates. “I learned that conditioning is a vital aspect of hockey over there with the large ice,” Erlich said. “There are a lot of skilled players in Salzburg. They aren’t necessarily the biggest guys, but they are quick.” In the professional stage of his career, Erlich also earned two trips to the San Jose Sharks’ rookie camp. In the camps, Erlich thought he may be able to crack the American Hockey League—the NHL developmental league—but despite strong play, having led the camp in points, his stature again stood between him and a shot at the pros. “I went to San Jose’s camp two years in a row. I also had an interview with them, and they invited me out to their development camp and I succeeded there, so they invited me out to their main camp and I played four exhibitions with them one year and two the next year,” Erlich recounts. These days, Erlich dons the purple and white, and though his career may not have gone the way he would have preferred, he is content with the road he has taken. With 16 points in 10 games this season, Erlich has enjoyed success in his first year in Ontario University Athletics hockey. “He is a kid who doesn’t take a whole lot too serious. Not that he doesn’t take hockey or school too seriously, but he just has that fun-loving attitude, and he likes to have fun,” Mustangs interim head coach Pat Powers said. “He kind of takes it day by
day, and that is a good attitude to have coming into this environment.” Having taught Erlich back in Erlich’s formative days in high school, Powers saw Daniel as a different case than the average OHL player. “It was a little bit of a different situation. He had great success with the Knights and he was always a favourite with the Knights fans,” Powers said. “I taught him at Saunders Secondary School, so I had a good connection with him there, and we always got along well.” And while the fans weren’t the biggest factor in his decision, they certainly were a relevant aspect in the process. “I love the fans here. I was a fan favourite when I was here, and I really, really really appreciated all the fans that came out and watched, and some of them still come out to watch me play at Western,” Erlich said. As for the game itself, it doesn’t slow down once the NHL is in the rear-view mirror. The M u s tangs—
and every other OUA team for that matter—are comprised heavily of players with the same dreams as Erlich. The mixture of players who ended up on the Mustangs, and players whose goal was just to make the team, provides an interesting dynamic to the game. While the game may have slowed down for this boy wonder, his love for the sport never ceased to shine through. Whether it be Knights green or Mustangs purple, his love for the game and carefree attitude was always obvious. The
bright lights of the arena, formerly known as the John Labatt Centre, may not be shining down on him, and the teddy bears may have stopped falling years ago, but like many Mustangs that played in the OHL, he does it for the love of the game. “Our team has a lot of guys from the OHL, and a lot of guys that played high level hockey. I had no idea it was going to be this high a level, and playing with guys that used to play in the OHL makes me feel like the level is still intense and that there is still a chance,” Erlich said. “Right now, I am doing my first year in school so I have three years left here. We will see what happens after that.”
Piotr Angiel Gazette