Big year in store? By Brad Elliott Schlossman
Herald Staff Writer
lya Kovalchuk considered it an early Christmas present. Not only did he just sign a $100 million contract, his coach decided to place him on a line with former UND standouts Zach Parise and Travis Zajac.
I
Parise
Zajac “To play with those two guys, I’d play in goal,” Kovalchuk said. “They’re two of the best players in the league.” And that’s what the NHL has been finding out the last two seasons. Parise, ranked one of the top 15 in the world by Hockey News, has been a 30-goal scorer in each of the last four seasons. Zajac has back-to-back 20goal campaigns, while centering New Jersey’s top line. Last season, he had 25 goals, 67 points and registered a plus-22 rating. Those numbers were very similar to that of NHL superstar Pavel Datsyuk (27 goals, 70 points, plus-17). The two Devils forwards highlight UND’s crop of talented players in the NHL this season. Others include Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, Los Angeles Kings alternate captain Matt Greene, Columbus Blue Jackets alternate captain Mike Commodore, St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie and Buffalo Sabres forward Drew Stafford. Several others figure to make a roster as well. Recently graduated forward Chris VandeVelde scored a goal and added an assist in his first NHL preseason game with the Edmonton Oilers. If he doesn’t make the roster, he’ll play in the American Hockey League. Classmate Darcy Zajac (Albany) will likely be there as well.
Old faces, new places
David Hale signed a one-year deal with the Ottawa Senators . . . Brian Lee also re-signed with the Sens. . . Jean-Philippe Lamoureux signed a one-year contract with the Abbotsford (B.C.) Heat in the American Hockey League. Abbotsford is the top farm team for the Calgary Flames. . . Zach Jones resigned with the South Carolina Sting Rays in the East Coast Hockey League. . . Rylan Kaip signed with the Houston Aeros in the AHL. . . Brad Miller signed with Elmira of the ECHL. After playing for six different NHL teams in six years, Brandon Bochenski signed a contract with Barys Astana in the Russia super league, the KHL. . . Ryan Bayda, who played 179 NHL games, signed with Nuremburg in the German Elite League. . . Robbie Bina is headed to EHC Wolfsburg in the German Elite League after leading Stavanger to a title in the Norwegian League. . . Colby Genoway signed with Lugano of the Swiss Elite League. He’ll play on the same team as Brady Murray. Brad Berry is the new assistant coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. . . Rick Wilson moved from his assistant job with the Tampa Bay Lightning to an assistant position with the Minnesota Wild. . . Brad Bombardier is now the director of player development for the Wild. . . Erik Fabian was hired as an assistant for the Sioux women. . . Jason Herter was named head coach of the Fargo Force in the United States Hockey League. . . Chad Johnson was named head coach and Andy Schneider an assistant coach of the Lincoln Stars in the USHL. . . Steve Johnson left the Force to be an assistant with St. Cloud State. . . Rick Zombo was named head coach at Lindenwood University. . . Charlie Burggraf was named head coach at Bethel.
Coaching ranks
Page 10
2010-11
An unforgettable year
www.GrandForksHerald.com
Thursday, September 30, 2010
http://undhockey.areavoices.com
Former players
By Brad Elliott Schlossman Herald Staff Writer
The night before Game 6, Jonathan
Toews couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned, just as he used to back in Grand Forks before big games. This time, his mind was not on Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan. Toews was thinking of a 3-foot trophy and hockey immortality that comes with winning it. It finally started to sink in exactly how close he was to achieving hockey’s ultimate goal. Toews would get only a couple of hours of sleep that night. Little did he know, it was a preview of what was to come. The next night, the 22-year-old from UND became the first Chicago Blackhawk in 49 years to hoist the Stanley Cup. As captain, it was his job to accept it from the commissioner. He also accepted the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. The evening capped off one of hockey’s most decorated years ever. With an Olympic gold medal, most valuable Olympic forward trophy, Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe in hand, Toews was officially launched past stardom and into superstardom. Michael Jordan wore his jersey to a game, and the basketball Hall of Famer’s statue outside United Center also donned Toews’ No. 19. He was a guest on the Jay Leno show and was a presenter on a music awards show. He was on the cover of The Hockey News, Sports Illustrated and even the popular video game NHL 11. In his home province of Manitoba, they renamed the arena where he learned to play the Jonathan Toews Community Centre. He got the key to the city and had a lake named after him in the northern part of the province. By all accounts, Toews’ summer was busier and involved more travel than the 82-game grind of an NHL regular season. He didn’t work out as much as he’s used to. He didn’t skate until late August. That’s why Toews was eager to return to Chicago for training camp. “To a certain point, it was a quick summer,” Toews said. “But I feel almost like I am craving the routine of getting back with the boys and getting back in the swing of things during the regular season. It was a summer of two days there and two days here. There is so much stuff and you’re not used to bouncing around like that, with people demanding your time at different commitments, golf tournaments and appearances with the Stanley Cup. It was pretty busy and overwhelming.” Toews would like to do it again, though. The Blackhawks will have a much different cast of characters this season. They still have Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, but they said goodbye to key players like goalie Antti Niemi, defenseman Brent Sopel and forwards Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien. The departures have taken the Blackhawks out of the conversation as favorites this season. That’s all right with them. “It’s all up to what we think of ourselves in the locker room,” Toews told NHL.com. “Do we think we’re good enough? Are we going to make excuses about the short summer? Are we going to make excuses about every team getting up to play us? It’s all up to us. I still feel there is not really any limit on what we can do.” Many in the hockey world feel there is no limit on what Toews can do, either. He has started to enter the discussion on whether he should be placed alongside Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin in the spotlight as the game’s future. The Hockey News’ annual rankings of the best hockey players listed Toews at No. 5. “There’s so much I can improve on and accomplish,” he said. “There is always going to be a new challenge.”
At age 22, Jonathan Toews has become a superstar