Centre Ice December 2013

LIAM MAGUIRE 7 | CATCHING UP WITH FORMER OHL STAR JULIAN TALBOT 24

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DECEMBER 2013

HARD-HITTING

DEBATE

CRITICS HAVE THEIR SAY ON HOCKEY CANADA’S NEW BAN ON BODYCHECKING BELOW BANTAM

STANDING TALL BETWEEN THE PIPES

PHILIPPE TRUDEAU GIVES 67’S VETERAN PRESENCE IN NET

WITH EASTERN ONTARIO’S DIRECTOR OF LONG-TERM PLAYER DEVELOPMENT GREGG KENNEDY

Q&A

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Participating companies give kids the opportunity to enjoy a 67’s game by encouraging them to do well in school. With a solid educational foundation, young people are better prepared for future success. And that’s a very inspiring thought.

2013-2014 at Canadian Tire Place Why be a Booster Club Member?

•Monies raised buys items for players •Free membership gift when you join •Chance to win weekly game day prizes •Reduced rate on bus trips to out of town games •Be first to buy Christmas and Awards Banquet tickets •Only ones who get to vote on the awards •Only $10.00 per person or $35.00 for a family of four 14 YEARS OF AGE OR UNDER? •Birthday Card Signed by your favourite player •Plus the same benefits noted above Stop by our Section 115 to sign up and buy: • 2 for $1 game day tickets • Ottawa 67s Game Worn Jersey tickets •Merchandise/Players Pictures

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IN THE LINEUP PUBLISHER MARK SUTCLIFFE mark@greatriver.ca ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER DONNA NEIL donna@greatriver.ca CHIEF STICKHANDLER & ADVERTISING LIAM MAGUIRE liam@greatriver.ca EDITOR DAVID SALI david@greatriver.ca CONTRIBUTORS DEREK ABMA, SARAH JEAN MAHER, RANDY RAY CREATIVE DIRECTOR TANYA CONNOLLYHOLMES DESIGN & PRODUCTION SARAH ELLIS ADVERTISING KAREN MCNAMARA 613 238-1818 ext. 259 karenm@greatriver.ca

FIRST PERIOD 7 LIAM MAGUIRE 8 STARTING LINEUP

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9 STREAK OF EXCELLENCE

CENTRE ICE IS PUBLISHED BY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MARK SUTCLIFFE PRESIDENT MICHAEL CURRAN CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER DONNA NEIL

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10 Q&A

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Hockey Eastern Ontario executive Gregg Kennedy tells those fretting about the state of the game to relax

12 TOWER OF POWER

COVER PHOTO: MARK HOLLERON

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O BOX 3814, STATION C OTTAWA, ON K1Y 4J8

After 29 years as an OHL official, Metcalfe native Steve Corlyon still has a passion for patrolling the lines

SECOND PERIOD

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES TERRY TYO OFFICE LOCATION: 250 CITY CENTRE DRIVE, SUITE 500, OTTAWA 613 238-1818

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Botterill moves from the podium to the broadcast booth

New 67 Philippe Trudeau stands out in Ottawa’s net, and not just because of his 6-foot-6 frame

14 HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE

Local boys Ryan Duhaime and Owen Stewart bring much-needed veteran savvy to 67’s blue line

THIRD PERIOD 18 COVER STORY

TAKING THEIR SHOTS Hockey Canada’s ban on checking below bantam has critics up in arms

21 USING HIS HEAD

CORRECTION The player featured in the “Proudest Moment” segment on page 27 of the November issue of Centre Ice was misidentified. The player in the segment is actually Caleb Alexander, not Joshua Huard.

Centre Ice apologizes for the error.

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

Former NHLer Doug Smith is walking proof of the power of the subconscious mind

27 PROUDEST MOMENT

Bennett Langdon shares his story

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LIAM MAGUIRE

Checking ban misses the mark

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ockey Canada’s new rules banning bodychecking for all players below bantam definitely aren’t a hit with everyone – including me and many other coaches.

The powers that be made a mistake by not including a grandfather clause allowing players who had been enrolled in contact hockey to continue playing in checking leagues. The new rules, which ostensibly are designed to protect players, are in fact creating dangerous situations of their own. Let me give you an example.

I’m coaching players who have had six to seven years of contact hockey under their belts from A levels down through House B. Two games into this season, one of our top players, who has never been hurt in 12 years of organized hockey, suffered a broken collarbone after being run from behind in a

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

“non-contact” game.

What many Hockey Canada officials don’t seem to understand is no-checking rules create a false sense of security among players. Kids are no longer as alert to impending body contact because there is not supposed to be any hitting.

Sometimes, this can lead to serious injuries.

I’ve made my opinion very public regarding this issue, and I will drive the point home again during a panel discussion on checking in minor hockey later this month. The debate is part of Ottawa Senators Hockeyfest, a two-day event dedicated to our national game on Nov. 23 and 24 at the Ernst & Young Centre.

Centre Ice is hosting Hockeyfest, and we’re hoping for a fantastic turnout of minor hockey enthusiasts who are involved in the game today as parents, volunteers, coaches, conveners, officials and players. Expert panelists and presenters will represent every aspect of the sport – from the doctors who treat players and the media who cover them to former and current players and coaches from the NHL, major junior and NCAA ranks. Find out more on page 21.

Of course, bodychecking isn’t the only hot-button topic in minor hockey. Centre Ice’s November issue featured a great article by Derek Abma detailing some of the reasons for the sport’s falling participation rate among youth. Fear of injury, the level of time commitment required, the financial burden and pressure to win are all said to be contributing to declining enrolment figures.

It was a revealing piece,

PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

What many Hockey Canada officials don’t seem to understand is no-checking rules create a false sense of security among players. Kids are no longer as alert to impending body contact because there is not supposed to be any hitting.

Sometimes, this can lead to serious injuries. and somewhat ironic given that in my editorial in the same issue, I noted that our midget registration numbers in Osgoode-Rideau are the highest they’ve been in recent memory.

I think complaints that minor hockey is too expensive are overstated. Most players in Canada are in house league programs, where costs are far lower than $2,000 per season.

Still, some of the other criticisms aimed at the minor hockey system are valid and need to be addressed – the sooner the better.

There is no question far too much value is placed on wins

and losses from an early age.

When our ’96s started, IP was three years in length. Now it’s two, and there are Rep B novice teams. It doesn’t help to nurture young players and keep them coming back when the game gets too serious too soon.

That’s why we’re hosting Hockeyfest. We want to find out what you think about the most important issues facing our game today.

I encourage everyone to come out on Nov. 23 and 24 and help begin the process of making our great game even better. Together, we can build a stronger future for the sport.

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STARTING LINEUP

Game for a new challenge

BY DAVID SALI

With three gold medals and a silver in four trips, Jennifer Botterill has been a fixture at the Olympics for Canada.

But when the country’s top winter athletes head to Sochi, Russia, for the Games in February, the former standout forward won’t be donning the familiar Maple Leaf sweater for the women’s hockey team.

Instead, Botterill, 34, will be in the broadcast booth as part of CBC’s crew. No doubt, it’ll be quite a change for the woman whose last international point was an assist on Marie-Philip Poulin’s gold-medal-winning goal at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

The Harvard graduate said she’s looking forward to seeing the Olympics from a new perspective.

“For me, I look back and I feel really thankful,” said the Ottawaborn Botterill, who was at Place d’Orleans on Nov. 6 to promote Adidas’ new line of Canadian

Olympic high-performance athletic gear at Sport Chek.

“I appreciate very much my experience with the national team, but I was also really ready (to retire). I took a little bit of time after Vancouver to make sure that decision was right for me. I’m really looking forward to Sochi … I think I’m actually applying many of those things I learned on what it takes to get better to my training and my preparation as a broadcaster as well.”

Canada edged its greatest rival, the U.S., 2-0 for the gold medal in Botterill’s final international game in Vancouver nearly four years ago. The two most dominant countries in women’s hockey are expected to battle it out for the top spot on the podium again in Sochi, but Botterill cautioned neither team has punched its ticket to the gold-medal game yet.

“Obviously, there are two teams that are favoured to be in the final, but as with most cases in sport, there aren’t any

CP IMAGES

Former Olympic star Jennifer Botterill heading to Sochi in an unfamiliar role

guarantees,” she said.

“As we know, there’s a very strong rivalry between Canada and the U.S. The U.S. has gone for a young team. They’ve focused a lot on skill and puck possession.

It’s kind of different approaches to the game, but I think it’ll be an exciting few months for sure with the next (exhibition) games between them and then leading up to the Olympics.”

Sport Chek also honoured the Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team during Botterill’s appearance.

Botterill, who won five world championships, certainly felt some kinship with the Ravens, who have won nine of the last 11 Canadian university titles.

“It was nice to visit them and to celebrate how well they’ve done,” she said.

WE ASKED: What’s the most important skill for a player to have?

Wade Johnston Age: 7

Greely “To work as a team.”

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Justyn Kavanaugh Age: 9 Cumberland Dukes “Stickhandling.”

Ella St. Pierre Age: 7 Leitrim Hawks “Teamwork.”

Ava St. Pierre Age: 9

Leitrim Hawks “The passion and the drive to play.”

Liam Holleron Age: 9

Cumberland Dukes “Communication and passing.”

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

A STAR IN STRIPES After 29 years, OHL linesman Steve Corlyon’s passion still burns brightly

BY LIAM MAGUIRE

LIED PHOTO SUPP

No NHL linesman ever officiated more games than Ray Scapinello – 2,508 of them over 33 seasons.

As remarkable as that achievement is, Steve Corlyon is carving out his own equally impressive record of longevity at the junior level.

The 51-year-old Metcalfe native is working the lines for his 29th season in the

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

OHL. The rareness of Corlyon’s feat hit home in a recent game, when his partner was Dave Borden – the son of Darryl Borden, whom Corlyon officiated with decades ago when his major junior career was just getting started.

“I was picking (Darryl) up for an OHL assignment when I arrived a bit early,” the married father of two recalls of a day many years ago. “He and his wife Karen were installing a baby seat for David.”

Now, fast forward a few decades. “Here I was, getting set to work a game with (Dave). Amazing.”

Even after all those years, the man who started officiating as a way to pass the time while waiting to play his own games still has a burning passion for the job.

Like most officials, Corlyon learned his trade in the youngest ranks of house league – in his case, at the Metcalfe Arena (now the Larry Robinson Arena), where his father Larry helped run a skate sharpening tuck shop.

“All I dreamed about in those days was working a Jr. B game,” says Corlyon. “They were the kings.”

He diligently worked his way up the ladder, obtaining the necessary levels of training. Before long, house league gave way to Double-A games, where his minor hockey experience culminated with a chance to work the Loblaws Cup, a prestigious Bantam championship in Cornwall, in 1981.

Then the call came out for 20 officials to work a Hockey Ontario Development Camp at Queen’s University, and Corlyon received an invitation. By 1982, his dream of working the Jr. B loop was realized. The following year, when the South Ottawa Canadians and the Metcalfe Jets met in Game 7 for the league title, he was part of the crew.

But his ascent up the ranks wasn’t finished yet.

Soon, ODHA Cornwall region assigner Roger McMillan was calling with an offer to work an exhibition game in the OHL. That was in 1984. Corlyon has never looked back.

Over the years, he’s shared the ice with great players, been yelled at by Hall of Fame coaches and witnessed some incredible moments.

He remembers one time when current Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley, then the coach of the Jr. A Hawkesbury Hawks, jammed a toothpick in the lock to the officials’ dressing room after being tossed

out of a game. The men in stripes then had to deal with a raucous crowd that, according to Corlyon, had been incited by Hartley.

He names Eric Lindros as the most dominant junior player he’s ever seen, former Ottawa 67’s Mike Peca and Andrew Cassels as two of the best to ever don the Barber Pole sweater and Troy Crowder, Jimmy Kyte and Chris Simon as the toughest players he had to try and pry apart in skirmishes.

“I never felt the game owed me anything. It’s been a privilege, but I would say for the young referees, manage what they give you. The rule book is a soft cover. It can bend a bit.”

– STEVE CORLYON

For a time, Corlyon thought he might get the call to take the final step up the ladder to the NHL. In the early ’90s, he was chosen for what he still calls the gigs of his life – a Canada Cup exhibition game in Ottawa in 1991, exhibition games between Montreal and L.A. in Buckingham and a Senators preseason game against Toronto in Belleville in 1992.

Ultimately, a full-time job in the NHL was not to be for Corlyon, who works for Canon as an integrated product specialist. But he’s never lost sleep thinking about what might have been, instead savouring every minute of his opportunity to officiate in perhaps the best junior league in the world.

After 30-plus years in the game, he’s learned a few things, and wants to pass that wisdom on to the next generation of linesmen, referees – and hockey moms and dads.

“I never felt the game owed me anything,” he says matter-of-factly. “It’s been a privilege, but I would say for the young referees, manage what they give you.

The rule book is a soft cover. It can bend a bit. And if you’re a parent and you have a feeling your son is going to make it to the big leagues, lie down until the feeling goes away and bring your kid to the rink and simply enjoy the moment.”

Sage words from Steve Corlyon, a credit to the men in striped sweaters everywhere.

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Q+A

Q&A Hockey Eastern Ontario’s director of long-term player development Gregg Kennedy has more than three decades of coaching experience at the minor, junior and university level.

Kennedy, currently the head coach of the Upper Canada Cyclones Triple-A club, will be part of a panel discussing bodychecking and head injuries on Nov. 23 at Hockeyfest, an event hosted

by Centre Ice. He recently talked to CI about some of the major issues facing the game today.

Q: First of all, can you explain what the long-term player development program is all about?

A: We want to make sure that we teach age- and skill-level specific skills and tactics to our players.

In other words, we’re not teaching novice house leaguers the power play.

We want to make sure that our coaches are teaching the right skills to the right level athlete, be it a House C or a Triple-A player, but also based on his age, his maturation, his physical growth and development.

Q: The percentage of young boys playing hockey today, compared with 15 years ago, has fallen. Why do you think that is and what can be done about it?

A: I think it’s a reflection

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of the ethnic diversity of our country, first and foremost. There are many more non-traditional Canadian families in this country than there were 40, 50 years ago and even 10 and 15 years ago.

That’s a factor. Cost is a factor. Obviously, safety and injuries have become a factor. But I think that some of those things can be fixed from simple PR. Bad messages get out about the concussions and the injuries in our game and bad messages get out about the cost to play this game. I don’t think it’s as bad as the word on the street has it.

We’ve got to start looking at initiatives within communities, within our neighbourhoods, of trying to educate people and get people turned on to hockey and playing

hockey in this country, whether they were born here or not.

Q: How would you do that?

A: You need some type of a campaign. You need to get out in the community, into schools and get in front of young kids. You show up with a bunch of sticks and balls and get some kids turned on to playing hockey.

Q: What about this sense that there is too much focus on winning and losing and kids aren’t having fun anymore?

How can we change that?

A: I think that whole statement can be misleading. I’ve heard this argument that kids aren’t playing our game because it’s not fun.

That isn’t a reason why

kids don’t sign up. That might be a reason why kids drop out, but to say kids don’t sign up to play begin with because it’s not fun … you’ve got to play first before you can determine whether it’s fun or not. When you consider that probably 90 or 95 per cent of the kids who play hockey in this country play it at the recreational or houseleague level, there’s a lot of fun going on there.

Do we need to find a way to help our coaches make the experience even more fun? Certainly, we’re always trying to do that. But I can’t imagine somebody actually saying, ‘I don’t want my kid to play because he’s not going to have fun.’

Q: The other factor mentioned by parents

was how timeconsuming hockey has become – that all the practices, games and travelling to tournaments are just too much. How do you respond to that?

A: I think most associations have a limit on the number of outof-town tournaments that you’re allowed to register for and compete in. There would also be team votes – are we going to play in three tournaments this year or four? Again, I think that is an elite-level problem.

It’s not a problem at the recreational level. Most house-league teams, they’re lucky if they have one practice and one game a week. If that’s too much of a burden, then I don’t know how you answer that. It’s

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

Q: The new rules banning checking below the bantam level are now in force. What are your thoughts on that?

A: We’ve probably spent too much time analyzing the issue. We all seem to have lost sight of the fact that it’s happened and it’s here. The rule has been put in place by the people who have been entrusted to run our game at the Hockey Canada level, and we should maybe just concentrate on how we’re going to better prepare kids for full body contact when they get to bantam. Quite frankly, I get tired of people who want to debate the issue when the time for debate is over. It’s happened, it’s here, let’s deal with it. We’ve put in place programs to teach our kids the skills required to get to a body-contact level.

Q: A lot of people who oppose the new rules argue kids aren’t going to know how to take a hit when they get to bantam. What would you say to those critics?

A: I’ve heard it all. My answer remains the same – it’s done, people. Deal with it. Again, 90-95 per cent of our guys who play house league, they don’t play contact hockey anyway. If there is a magic-wand solution, then maybe it’s to find a way to allow it in our competitive programs but not in our house-league programs. But I don’t know how you do that, because you end up leaving kids behind.

Q: What do you think about the overall state of the game right now?

A: I think we’re in a good spot. We’ve got a lot of good people running programs in our communities. I think it’s great. At the minor hockey level, I think we’re doing just fine.

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

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PHILIPPE TRUDEAU HAS BEEN A STEADYING INFLUENCE ON A YOUNG 67’S TEAM.

TRUDEAU A NET GAIN FOR 67’S

BY SARAH JEAN MAHER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK HOLLERON

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AST SUMMER, PHILIPPE TRUDEAU NEVER WOULD HAVE IMAGINED HE’D BE PLAYING IN THE ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE. But two months into the season, the Blainville, Que., native has found an unexpected home in the nation’s capital as the Ottawa 67’s starting goaltender.

The 20-year-old is yet another piece of the 67’s rebuilding phase. He brings with him three years of experience in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, a positive attitude and the ability to give the 67’s a chance to win every night.

“I’m happy with the way things are turning out,” he says.

Goaltending hasn’t been Ottawa’s

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strong suit since Petr Mrazek graduated from the OHL following the 2012 playoffs.

The team brought in former Brampton Battalion backup Keegan Wilson, but ended up parting ways with him early last November. Overager Clint Windsor was expected to fill the void, but was released just two games into this season.

If Trudeau is feeling any extra pressure, he’s not showing it.

“The only thing I focus on is shot after shot,” he says.

So far, so good. In Trudeau’s first 14 games this season, he helped lead the 67’s to six wins, with a respectable 3.51 goalsagainst average and .915 save percentage.

“The goalie that’s hottest this season is going to be the starter, and the goalie struggling will play less,” says Trudeau, who stands an imposing 6-foot-6 and weighs 213 pounds.

Trudeau spent parts of three seasons with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats and

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles before being traded to the Val d’Or Foreurs. He helped lead Val d’Or to a first-round upset over the P.E.I. Rocket in last season’s playoffs.

Trudeau was then released by the Foreurs, who were already stocked with overage players, and cleared QMJHL waivers. As a result of their last-place finish last season, the 67’s had priority waiver selection and scooped up Trudeau to replace Windsor as their starting goaltender in late September.

“He plays solid and just looks really calm in the net,” says 67’s head coach and GM Chris Byrne. “He makes the saves he needs to make for us.”

Trudeau, an overager, is Ottawa’s oldest player. Ryan Van Stralen, also an overager, will turn 20 on Nov. 10.

Being the team’s elder statesman doesn’t mean all that much to Trudeau.

“I didn’t think I’d be the oldest, having a September birthday,” he says. “It’s a

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

little weird, but it doesn’t really make a difference.”

Trudeau describes himself as more of a quiet leader who “won’t be caught yelling in the dressing room in between periods.” Nonetheless, as a veteran, he hopes his experience can help get a group of young players on the winning track.

“As an overager I have big responsibilities, so of course I have to step up,” he says.

GOALTENDERS LEARNING THE ROPES

Trudeau may not be an outspoken leader, but backup goaltender Jacob Blair says he can definitely learn a thing or two from watching his older, experienced teammate in net.

“He’s had a lot of experience in the Quebec league, so he knows what he’s doing, and he’s gotten an invite to a camp in the NHL, so he has some experience all around,” says Blair.

Trudeau was invited to the Vancouver Canucks development camp in the summer. After being sent back to junior, he waited to find a new home.

Eventually, his agent received a call from Byrne. Trudeau credits Byrne and Blair with helping him feel welcome. “(Blair) helps me with some of the new stuff and is telling me what I should do in certain situations,” says Trudeau.

Blair is impressed with his teammate’s performance so far.

“He is playing very well and helping us win. Definitely a great acquisition by our team,” he says.

PRO DREAMS

As an overager, Trudeau faces some big decisions about what to do when his junior career ends after this season. He hopes to sign a professional contract and isn’t ruling out the possibility of playing in Europe.

For now, he’s not worried about anything but his job with the 67’s. The

PLAYER STATS

rest, he says, will take care of itself.

“If I focus on my game day after day, it’s going to help me have better results,” he says. “That’s what is going to help me find a good spot somewhere.”

If a career in pro hockey doesn’t work out, he plans to get a university degree. Being able to play hockey at school would be a bonus.

ADAPTING TO A NEW MARKET

Coming from a smaller market in Val d’Or, Trudeau finds a major city like Ottawa appealing. A bigger population also means more media attention, as he is quickly finding out.

“A lot more interviews, more Twitter, and more fans. It’s nice to get all the exposure,” he says.

Sharing a home at the Canadian Tire Centre with the NHL’s Senators is also a perk that comes with being a 67, and it’s something he is getting used to.

While the arena may not be sold out, the crowd’s loudness is impressive.

Trudeau says there aren’t many differences between playing in Quebec and Ontario, but notes that not having to travel nearly as much for road games is a nice change.

“We have a good group with good talent. I know we have what it takes to win.”

– PHILIPPE TRUDEAU

While it is still fairly early in the season, Trudeau feels he has established himself in the league and has nothing but good things to say about the team in front of him.

“We have a good group with good talent,” he says. “I know we have what it takes to win.”

PHILIPPE TRUDEAU’S NUMBERS: 2010-11: Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) GP: 3, A: 0, GAA: 3.88, SV%: .851 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) GP: 3, A: 0, GAA: 6.16, SV%: .714 2011-12: Cape Breton (QMJHL) GP: 51, A: 4, GAA: 4.01, SV%: .877 2012-13: Cape Breton (QMJHL) GP: 27, A: 1, GAA: 3.66, SV%: .892 Val d’Or Foreurs (QMJHL) GP: 14, A: 1, GAA: 3.33, SV%: .901 CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

SHOP ONLINE

GOBARDOWN.COM 13

67’S SHOP LOCAL FOR NEW BLUELINE HELP

BY SARAH JEAN MAHER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK HOLLERON

RYAN DUHAIME OWEN STEWART

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ooking to shore up an injury-riddled defence corps, the 67’s are hoping some local talent can fill the void.

That’s where newly acquired Owen Stewart and Ryan Duhaime come in.

With Mike Vlajkov, Taylor Davis and Adrian Sloboda all out of the lineup, Ottawa head coach and GM Chris Byrne traded for Stewart and Duhaime, who are both from the region, last month.

“At the time when you’re wanting to bring players in, we look at what’s out there and it’s not easy to get defencemen, especially guys who are 18 and 19,” Byrne said.

“We’re fortunate that both guys were available for us.”

Stewart, a native of Greely who turns 18 in December, is a self-described sound blueliner who can chip in offensively.

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A 67’s fan growing up, Stewart said he always hoped for an opportunity to play in his hometown.

“It’s not easy to get defencemen, especially guys who are 18 and 19.

We’re fortunate that both guys were available for us.”

– 67’S HEAD COACH AND GM CHRIS BYRNE

“In my two years in the OHL, I’ve always sort of wanted to play here,” he said.

At 6-foot-3, Stewart is the team’s tallest

defenceman – something he hopes he can use to his advantage.

Stewart played 33 games with the Kitchener Rangers last season. He had two goals and one assist, including a goal against the 67’s on Oct. 14, 2012.

“In situations like this, it’s an opportunity for me,” said Stewart. “I’m trying to make the best of it and show everyone what I can do.”

The Rangers finished fourth in the Eastern Conference last season with a 3920-9 record before falling to the London Knights in the second round of the playoffs.

The Knights later claimed Stewart off waivers. He played three games for London this season before being dealt to Ottawa on Oct. 21 for a 15th-round pick in the 2015 OHL draft.

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

Being part of a rebuilding effort is a new experience for Stewart. He hopes lessons he learned while playing alongside notable OHL vets such as Ryan Murphy, Josh Leivo and Matt Puempel will help the young 67’s defence corps improve this season.

Stewart said shifting to the Eastern Conference is definitely different.

“I don’t know my opponents as well, and I’m not seeing my teammates from last year as much,” he said, adding it’s nice to be on the same team as fellow defenceman Nevin Guy, with whom he played minor midget for three years.

A former Mississauga Steelhead, Duhaime was picked up on Oct. 24 in exchange for a 14th-round pick in the 2014 OHL draft. Duhaime spent two seasons with Mississauga, collecting one goal and four assists.

The 19-year-old from Stittsville describes himself as a stay-at-home defenceman whose main job is to be a plus player.

Despite being a new face on the team, Duhaime hopes to join veterans Ryan Van Stralen and Taylor Fielding as a team leader.

“Once I get to know my teammates and make a feel for the team, I know I can definitely help out as a leader,” he said.

Like Stewart, Duhaime enjoys being paired up with Guy on the ice, and says his on-ice chemistry with rising star Jake Middleton has also been positive.

“Hopefully our injured players heal well, but this is a good opportunity for me to step in and see more ice time,” Duhaime said.

Stewart and Duhaime certainly aren’t strangers, having played against each

PLAYER STATS

other in the Central Canada Hockey League prior to their OHL careers.

“I’m pretty used to seeing some familiar faces on my team,” Duhaime said.

Being able to play in front of friends and family is also a bonus for Duhaime, who is looking forward to living back at home.

Playing for a team in rebuilding mode isn’t new to Duhaime. The Steelheads finished with a 26-34-8 record last season, which landed them in eighth place in the East. They made the playoffs, but were knocked out by the Belleville Bulls in the first round.

Duhaime hopes to help his teammates improve while continuing to get better himself.

“I need to just keep playing my style of hockey and not stray away from that,” he said. “I need to stick to my game and not try to do too much out of my role.”

With Vlajkov out for five to six months after hip surgery and Davis gradually recovering from a concussion, Byrne said the 67’s will play defence “by committee.”

Vlajkov’s injury is most likely season-ending, but Davis and Sloboda are expected to return in the next two months, creating a potential log jam on the blue line.

Byrne said that would be a nice problem to have.

“I’ll worry about that when it happens,” he said.

Meanwhile, Stewart and Duhaime are focusing on earning and maintaining spots on the roster. “(The team) is excited to have me, so I’m just going to keep playing the way I am and hopefully things should go well,” Stewart said.

OWEN STEWART’S NUMBERS: 2010-11: Upper Canada Cyclones (Minor Midget AAA) GP: 30, G: 3, A: 15 Gloucester Rangers (CCHL) GP: 8, G: 1, A: 1 2011-12: Gloucester Rangers GP: 54, G: 1, A: 14 2012-13: Kitchener Rangers (OHL) GP: 33, G: 2, A: 1 2013-14: London Knights (OHL) GP: 3, G: 0, A: 0

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RYAN DUHAIME’S NUMBERS: 2008-09: Ottawa Valley Titans (Bantam AAA) GP: 28, G: 4, A: 7 2009-10: Ottawa Valley Titans (Minor Midget AAA) GP: 26, G: 4, A: 12 2010-11: Kanata Stallions (CCHL) GP: 39, G: 1, A: 10 2011-12: Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (OHL) GP: 39, G: 0 , A: 1 2012-13: Mississauga Steelheads (OHL) GP: 59, G: 1, A: 3 2013-14: Mississauga Steelheads GP: 6, G: 0, A: 0 CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

15

#9 Andrew Abou-Assaly POS LW SHOOTS L HT 6’ WT 190 DOB 18/06/1996 Ottawa, ON

#10

OTTAWA 67’s 2013-14 PLAYER ROSTER #1

#5

#11

#3

#6

#12

#4

#8

#16

Jacob Blair POS G SHOOTS L HT 6’2” WT 176 DOB 16/03/1995 Kanata, ON

Troy Henley POS RD SHOOTS R HT 5’11” WT 192 DOB 07/01/1997 Paulsboro, N.J.

Owen Stewart POS D SHOOTS R HT 6’3” WT 194 DOB 03/12/1995 Greely, ON

16

Trevor Dulong POS C SHOOTS L HT 5’11” WT 193 DOB 09/07/1996 London, ON

Adrian Sloboda POS LD SHOOTS L HT 6’ WT 182 DOB 20/08/1996 Skalica, Slovakia

Jonathan Duchesne POS D SHOOTS L HT 6’ WT 204 DOB 12/02/1996 Brampton, ON

Ryan Van Stralen POS LW SHOOTS L HT 6’3” WT 207 DOB 10/11/1993 Prescott, ON

Mike Vlajkov POS D SHOOTS L HT 6’2” WT 189 DOB 03/02/1995 Grimsby, ON

Tyler Hill POS LW SHOOTS L HT 6’6” WT 236 DOB 13/04/1995 Hagersville, ON

Connor Graham POS C SHOOTS L HT 5’11” WT 186 DOB 02/01/1996 Woodbridge, ON

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

#17

#23

#28

#18

#24

#29

#19

#25

#33

#21

#26

#36

#22

#27

#40

Travis Konecny POS C SHOOTS R HT 5’10” WT 166 DOB 11/03/1997 Clachan, ON

Taylor Davis POS D SHOOTS R HT 5’10” WT 210 DOB 24/05/1995 Trenton, N.J.

Joseph Blandisi POS RW SHOOTS L HT 6’ WT 205 DOB 18/08/1994 Markham, ON

Jacob Middleton POS D SHOOTS L HT 6’2” WT 208 DOB 02/01/1996 Stratford, ON

John Urbanic POS RW SHOOTS R HT 5’11” WT 204 DOB 24/04/1995 Overland Park, Kan.

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

Sam Studnicka POS RW SHOOTS R HT 6’1” WT 196 DOB 15/01/1995 Tecumseh, ON

Nevin Guy POS D SHOOTS L HT 5’11” WT 173 DOB 11/07/1995 Mountain, ON

Brett Gustavsen POS LW SHOOTS L HT 5’7” WT 177 DOB 13/03/1994 Scarborough, ON

Dante Salituro POS C SHOOTS R HT 5’8” WT 185 DOB 15/11/1996 Willowdale, ON

Brendan Bell POS LW SHOOTS L HT 6’2” WT 202 DOB 17/03/1994 Uxbridge, ON

Connor Brown POS LW SHOOTS L HT 5’11” WT 187 DOB 22/08/1995 Georgetown, ON

Philippe Trudeau POS G SHOOTS L HT 6’6” WT 209 DOB 28/09/1993 Blainville, Que.

Ryan Duhaime POS D SHOOTS L HT 5’11” WT 195 DOB 19/02/1994 Stittsville, ON

Taylor Fielding POS RW SHOOTS R HT 6’2” WT 207 DOB 01/01/1994 Hampton, ON

Alex Lintuniemi POS LD SHOOTS L HT 6’3” WT 227 DOB 23/09/1995 Helsinki, Finland

17

Bodychecking debate hits home Opponents take run at new rules designed to protect younger players

BY DEREK ABMA

C

anadian hockey’s new bodychecking rules have put critics on a collision course with the game’s powers that be.

A new Hockey Canada directive that came into effect before this season bans bodychecking at all levels from peewee down. That means players in Canada will not be allowed to intentionally collide with another player as a way of getting the puck out of their possession until they are at the bantam level, which requires players to be at least 13 years old in the season they start before Jan. 1.

Prior to this, players as young as 10, if they were born late in the year, might have been playing contact in peewee, though local and provincial associations were free to raise the age higher.

This being Canada, no change in the way hockey is played comes without some controversy.

In this case, there are critics on both sides of the issue.

Some say the new rule went too far, while others say it didn’t go far enough.

Former NHL player Fred Barrett, an Ottawa native who continues to live in the area, says delaying the onset of body contact gives young players

18

a “false sense of security” that can be dangerous once they are introduced to full bodychecking in their teens.

“By allowing kids to play with absolutely no body contact for four years or five years or whatever, you’re setting them up to get hurt, because they learn to play with their head down and they have no sense of self-protection, and then you introduce them to full contact,” Barrett says.

He argues that all levels of hockey should include at least a limited amount of contact, if not full-out hitting.

“You have to learn to play hockey with your head up, and by allowing kids to play with absolutely no contact, you’re setting up a very dangerous situation,” he says.

Paul Carson, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of development, argues it’s inaccurate to say hockey is “non-contact” before bantam, and he emphasizes differences between “contact” and “bodychecking.”

“It is a contact sport, even though bodychecking as an intentional action has been moved up to the bantam level,” he says. “I know that’s semantics (but) a lot of times people say, ‘Oh, so it’s noncontact below bantam.’ Well, no.

There’s still a lot of contact that occurs, just players moving in the same direction, battling for possession of the puck.”

FORMER NHL DEFENCEMAN FRED BARRETT PHOTO PROVIDED

“By allowing kids to play with absolutely no body contact for four years or five years or whatever, you’re setting them up to get hurt, because they learn to play with their head down and they have no sense of self-protection, and then you introduce them to full contact.”

– FORMER NHLER FRED BARRETT

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

Carson says there were three main reasons behind the decision to raise the age for bodychecking: safety; skills development; and attraction and retention of players.

On the first point, Carson cited studies done by researchers at the University of Calgary, led by sports injury expert Carolyn Emery.

One compared peewee players in Alberta, where bodychecking was permitted, with the same age group in Quebec, where it was not, during the 2007-08 season. It found that players in Alberta were multiple times more likely to suffer game-related injuries and concussions than those in Quebec.

Out of about 1,000 players studied in each province, there were 241 injuries among the Alberta players, compared with 91 in Quebec. Among those injuries, about 78 were concussions in Alberta, while there were 23 in Quebec.

The same researchers did a separate study of bantam players in both provinces a year later. The Alberta players would have already played two years of bodychecking in peewee, whereas that aspect of the game would be relatively new to the Quebec players. Yet the study found a relatively even rate of injuries in both provinces.

That put a dent in the argument that having bodychecking at a younger age prepares kids to play a physical game, thus preventing injuries later on.

“We appreciate that in the nature of the game there are going to be injuries, but our role as a sport body is to minimize those risks, and that’s what we’ve done by removing bodychecking at the peewee level,” Carson says.

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

But many parents of the kids whom the new rule is meant to protect are not on board with raising the age of bodychecking.

Shane Higginbottom’s

sure … But for them to throw a blanket on it and say, ‘Well, no, we’re going to take it all out.

We don’t know how to deal with the situation, so we’re just

going to take it out entirely,’ I think that’s irresponsible.”

He says there are better ways to deal with the concerns the change is meant to address.

“Nobody wants to see a kid get hurt, for sure ... But for them to throw a blanket on (checking) and say, ‘Well, no, we’re going to take it all out. We don’t know how to deal with the situation, so we’re just going to take it out entirely,’ I think that’s irresponsible.”

– HOCKEY PARENT SHANE HIGGINBOTTOM

AIDAN BARTER (LEFT), AND WITH HIS STEPDAD SHANE HIGGINBOTTOM (BELOW).

PHOTOS BY MARK HOLLERON

stepson Aidan Barter, 13, plays bantam house league in Orleans. Bodychecking is not allowed in house league play at any level in the Ottawa region, but Higginbottom is still opposed to banning it outright at all levels below bantam.

“I played hockey up to midget and I was bodychecking since I was 12 years old,” he says. “I was on the ice hitting kids since I was 12, and I was getting hit by other guys. I got hit many, many years.

How many concussions have I suffered? I really have no idea.”

He adds: “But this is the nature of the sport … Nobody wants to see a kid get hurt, for

19

HOCKEY CANADA’S PAUL CARSON PHOTO PROVIDED

“We appreciate that in the nature of the game there are going to be injuries, but our role as a sport body is to minimize those risks, and that’s what we’ve done by removing bodychecking at the peewee level.”

– HOCKEY CANADA VICE-PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT PAUL CARSON

Higginbottom says more training has to be provided to coaches and trainers to recognize the symptoms of concussions and get kids off the ice when they display them. He adds that better training for players on how to protect themselves in fullcontact hockey is also needed.

Carson says moving the age of bodychecking to bantam allows younger players to

20

focus more on developing skills such as skating, puck control, passing and shooting.

“Smaller players may be timid, may be concerned about bigger players and getting into situations where they feel they’re being overpowered, so they may not pursue loose pucks in the same way as they might in a non-bodychecking environment,” he says.

“The flipside of that is that

larger players are focused on (bodychecking) as their role in peewee hockey … The bigger players may not be developing their offensive skills and their puck skills if they think that the goal of the game is to take a player off the puck and just be a physical presence.”

Barrett argues that allowing bodychecking can actually provide an incentive for improving one’s skating skills.

“I’ve played against a lot of smaller players, I mean Denis Savard, (Wayne) Gretzky; nobody could hit them because they had their head up,” he says.

“So you train that smaller player to play with his head down, he’s really going to be in trouble. The better your skating skills are, the less you’re going to get hit.”

With Hockey Canada trying to increase the participation rate in the game, the lack of bodychecking at the peewee level is also aimed at easing concerns parents might have about their kids’ safety.

Carson says Hockey Canada’s goal is “an environment that’s perceived as safe and fun, and hopefully creates some separation between what happens in the pro game and at the junior level and how we manage the grassroots game.”

Higginbottom says all someone has to do is watch some hockey at their local rink, even at the elite levels, to realize that the type of bodychecking done in amateur hockey does not mirror what happens in the NHL. “My child and I, we spend a lot of time in rinks,” he says. “We go and we watch as much hockey as we can.

I pointed out to him that in the NHL, what you see is entertainment-value hits.

People are paying big money to go watch Chris Neil slam (Mike) Cammalleri on the boards, or whoever it is.

“We just went and watched a triple-A game in Cornwall …

(Aidan) is a little bit buggybuggy about the whole bodycontact thing and getting hit, because he is a little bit smaller. And he’s like, ‘The hits aren’t big here.’ I’m like, ‘No, they’re not.’ The only place the hits are big is on TV.” Syd Johnson is a bioethicist whose work looks at the ethical issues surrounding various issues in medicine.

Her specialty is neurology, or the health of the brain.

In 2011, while at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Johnson wrote a paper for the Canadian Medical Association Journal calling for a ban on checking in minor hockey up to the age of 16.

She calls Hockey Canada’s move to get bodychecking out of levels below bantam “a step in the right direction.

Personally, I think they should raise the age even higher, but 13’s better than 11.”

Among the arguments made by Johnson, who is currently at Michigan Technological University, is that players are more prone to concussions the younger they are.

She adds that there is a cumulative effect from multiple concussions, meaning the younger players are when they get their first concussion, the more likely they are to sustain more of them over their lifetime and have serious brain problems.

“So the older a kid is when he starts playing full-contact sports, the fewer concussions he gets and the less damage to his brain he sustains, which means he’s better off in the long run.”

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

Winning the fight of his life

SPINAL CORD INJURY SURVIVOR DOUG SMITH TO SHARE HIS STORY AT HOCKEYFEST

BY DAVID SALI

D

oug Smith vividly remembers his first thought when he was told he would be paralyzed for life after shattering his neck in a hockey game in 1992 at the age of 29.

“I just wanted to die,” he says simply.

Instead, the Ottawa native chose to channel his energies into recovering, with remarkable results. Now 50, the former firstround pick of the L.A. Kings defied the odds and learned to walk again.

“The medical system saved my life, but after they save your life, it’s up to you,” says Smith, who is now an author and motivational speaker. He will be appearing at Ottawa Senators Hockeyfest, an event hosted by Centre Ice on Nov. 23 and 24.

Smith travels the country sharing his message that people can achieve the

seemingly impossible by tapping into the power of the subconscious.

“The subconscious brain is our 800-pound gorilla,” says the former 67’s star, who spent time with five NHL clubs – the Kings, Sabres, Oilers, Canucks and Penguins – before suffering his catastrophic career-ending injury while playing in the Austrian pro league.

“It only cares about three things – it cares about meeting basic needs, clarity of thought and helping other people. Over time, we lose touch with our subconscious, and then we start behaving in ways that we don’t know why. That’s why men who don’t deal with their trauma end up destroying their lives. Bullying, addiction, depression, mental illness – it’s all connected to this.”

Smith says he’s developed eight systems that can help human beings overcome extreme adversity, whether it’s physical or mental, by developing the power of the subconscious through a series of conscious exercises.

“All human beings suffer from brain trauma,” he says. “We all suffer from trauma, but no two traumas are the same.

Everybody’s experienced different things in their lives. The way that we heal from trauma, the way that we recover from trauma, is exactly the same. It’s the same for all of us.”

He plans to share that message at Hockeyfest.

OTTAWA SENATORS

HOCKEYFEST

“I’m going to show (the audience) my story, the science and I’m going to expose them to solutions,” he says. “I only deal with data, hard data … so that they can judge for themselves.”

In addition to Smith’s presentation, Hockeyfest will feature a number of experts on topics such as nutrition and strength and conditioning, a symposium on issues including bodychecking and concussions and a hot stove with former NHLers.

“Ottawa Senators Hockeyfest will give players, fans and enthusiasts a chance to celebrate the great Canadian pastime,” says Hockeyfest manager Krystal Walters.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit hockeyfestottawa.ca.

MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE

MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE

Saturday, Nov. 23:

Sunday, Nov. 24:

11 a.m.: NHL trivia with Centre Ice columnist and trivia expert Liam Maguire Noon: Strength and conditioning coach Lorne Goldenberg on the components to becoming a great skater 1 p.m.: Educational symposium on bodychecking in minor hockey, concussions and more. The panel includes former NHLer Fred Barrett, former NHL executive and current TSN 1200 host Shawn Simpson, CTV Ottawa sportscaster Terry Marcotte and Hockey Eastern Ontario executives Gregg Kennedy and Richard Bercuson, along with moderator Liam Maguire.

3 p.m.: Former NHLer Doug Smith on concussions and brain performance 4 p.m.: Nutrition expert Bruce Bonner on the impact of nutrition on performance in sport 5 p.m.: NHL trivia with Centre Ice columnist and trivia expert Liam Maguire

10 a.m.: Strength and conditioning coach Lorne Goldenberg on the components to becoming a great skater 11 a.m.: NHL trivia with Centre Ice columnist and trivia expert Liam Maguire Noon: Hot stove with former NHLers 1 p.m.: NHL trivia with Centre Ice columnist and trivia expert Liam Maguire 2 p.m.: Former NHLer Doug Smith on concussions and brain performance 3 p.m.: Dr. Kevin Bernardo on the impact of sleep on an athlete’s performance

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

21

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PHOTO PROVIDED BY JULIAN TALBOT

CATCHING UP

JULIAN TALBOT

BY RANDY RAY

VITAL STATS: Julian Talbot was born on March 24, 1985 in Wahnapitae, a suburb of Sudbury, where he played his minor hockey. He was a member of the Ottawa 67’s from 2002-06. When no NHL team drafted him, he signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues in 2007. Shortly after, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, but 24

never played a regular-season game in the NHL. His brother Joe, five years his senior, also played for the 67’s.

CLAIMS TO FAME: Julian Talbot played 263 regular-season games for the 67’s, scoring 83 goals and 137 assists. He helped the team win the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference championship in

2002 and played a key role in Ottawa’s march to the Memorial Cup semi-finals in 2005, where Sidney Crosby and the Rimouski Oceanic defeated the 67’s. In the 2005 playoffs, he notched eight goals and 12 assists in 21 playoff games. He was an assistant captain for the 67’s in 2005 and was named captain in 2006. His best year for points was

the 2005-06 season when he scored 30 goals and 47 assists. Talbot then played in the East Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League. In 2007, he made the ECHL all-rookie team as a member of the Alaska Aces after scoring 20 goals and 33 assists in the regular season. That year he played in the ECHL all-star game and led the CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

THE BARN

Aces in playoff scoring with nine goals and 11 assists. He ended the season by playing in seven games with the Providence Bruins of the AHL. After an unsuccessful tryout with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, Talbot joined the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen, where in three seasons he notched 61 goals and 64 assists. He took his career overseas in 2011 and in 2012 and 2013 helped lead Eisbaren Berlin of the German Ice Hockey League to back-toback championships. In 2013, he was the league’s playoff scoring leader.

STYLE: The 5-foot-11, 180-pound centre is known as a defensive forward who can play both ends of the rink.

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Talbot joined Eisbaren Berlin because he thought the team and the league suited his style of play. He and his fiancee, Janna Wilson, live in Berlin during the hockey season and spend their summers in Ottawa, where Talbot owns two condos. When his hockey career ends, he hopes to become a firefighter.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “Being compared to Joe isn’t a bad thing, because he was such a good player and a good captain here (in Ottawa),” says Talbot of his older brother.

FABULOUS FACT: Julian Talbot’s career with the 67’s has many parallels to his brother’s career. Both played centre for Ottawa, both are former captains and in their rookie seasons, both scored 10 goals and 18 assists and spent 13 minutes in the penalty box, Joe during the 1997-98 season and Julian in 2002-03.

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

25

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AGE: 10 POSITION: Centre TEAM: Leitrim Hawks Atom A3 MY PROUDEST MOMENT: My proudest moment happened when I was playing for the Atom B5 team. We were down 5-3 to a tough team from Cumberland. We just got a penalty, so we were shorthanded. I took the faceoff in our end and poked the puck through the legs of the other team’s centre. I got the puck back, then skated straight past the defence and took a shot toward the top of the net. It was a good goal. The team celebrated and the coach said, “Do it again, Bennett!” I went straight back to centre ice, did the exact same thing again and tied the score. That was my third goal of the game – my very first hat trick ever. The game ended in a 5-5 tie. I felt very proud and excited because the coaches gave me the “Golden Chain” for the game. I will remember that game forever.

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LIAM MAGUIRE’S HOCKEY TRIVIA

THIS DAY IN

HOCKEY Nov. 16 ON THIS DAY IN 1993: Former New York Islanders goalie and Perth native Billy Smith, former Montreal Canadiens players Steve Shutt and Guy Lapointe and former Calder and Lady Byng winner Edgar Laprade of the N.Y. Rangers were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

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Stefan made 19 saves for his fifth and final career shutout in the Red Wings’ 12-0 win over Chicago. Steve Yzerman, who grew up in Nepean, had two goals and two assists.

Nov. 18 ON THIS DAY IN 2000: Ottawa’s Marian Hossa scored his first career hat trick, including two shorthanded goals and one on a power play, and added an assist as the Senators won 5-2 against the visiting Florida Panthers. His assist was on a shorthanded goal

by Radek Bonk.

Nov. 20 ON THIS DAY IN 1995: The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted its newest members: Larry Robinson, who was raised in the town of Marvelville, just south of Metcalfe, Fred “Bun” Cook of Kingston, former Islanders GM Bill Torrey and author and sportscaster Brian McFarlane, who at one time played for the Inkerman Rockets.

Cournoyer was born on this day. Cournoyer played 15 years in the NHL, winning 10 Stanley Cups, including the last four while wearing the C. “The Roadrunner” is a member of the Hall of Fame and was a key player for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series.

Nov. 24 ON THIS DAY IN 1984: Winnipeg’s Laurie Boschman, who later became the first captain in Senators history, scored his first career hat trick to lead the Jets to a 9-5 win over the Kings in Los Angeles.

Also scoring two goals that night was current Senators head coach Paul MacLean.

Nov. 26 ON THIS DAY IN 1988: Montreal’s Mats Naslund scored his fourth career hat trick, including the 200th goal of his NHL career, to lead the Canadiens to a 7-5 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the Forum. Former Ottawa 67’s great Bobby Smith assisted on two of the goals.

Nov. 28

ON THIS DAY IN 1943: Former Habs great Yvan

ON THIS DAY IN 1957: Gordie Howe picked up

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

ON THIS DAY IN 1990: A group of Ottawa delegates and hockey fans erupted in wild cheers in West Palm Beach, Fla., after the NHL announced the Senators had defied the odds and won an expansion franchise to begin play in 1992.

The original ownership group, its fans and

Dec. 8 ON THIS DAY IN 1942: Bill Cowley scored twice and added four assists to lead the Bruins to a 9-6 win over the Black Hawks at Boston Garden.

Cowley’s son Dan is the current owner of the Don Cherry locations in Ottawa and also played pro hockey.

Nov. 30 ON THIS DAY IN 1974: Vancouver recorded its fourth shutout of the season as Ottawa native Gary Smith stopped 27 shots in a 3-0 win over the New York Islanders. It was Smith’s 21st career shutout, and Bobby Lalonde led the scoring with a goal and two assists.

Dec. 2 ON THIS DAY IN 1999: Ottawa native Fred Brathwaite made 24 saves to record his second career shutout in Calgary’s 5-0 win over the Islanders on Long Island. Two other Ottawa-born players were in this game, Jamie Rivers for New York and Marc Savard, who picked up an assist for Calgary.

Dec. 4

Nov. 22

ts since 1997”

Dec. 6 an assist during Detroit’s 3-3 tie against Toronto to become the NHL’s all-time assist leader with No. 409 of his career. He broke the record set by Montreal’s Elmer Lach. The Detroit goal was scored by Earl “Dutch” Reibel. Scoring one of Toronto’s goals that night was Ottawa native Brian Cullen. His brother Barry drew one of the assists.

supporters carried the day, and through twoplus decades have given way to other owners and countless more fans to represent one of the greatest sports stories in the history of the nation’s capital.

ON THIS DAY IN 1987: Ottawa native and former 67 Tim Higgins scored the only hat trick of his NHL career and Greg

BALL HOCKEY

LEAGUE

The OWBHL is non-profit ball hockey league which was established in 1995 and is sanctioned by the Ontario Ball Hockey Association.

LEAGUE SEASON

April 12th to June 14th 2014 (Friday evenings and Saturday mornings) IN-PERSON REGISTRATION

Feburay 25th 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm March 22 6:30 pm Dovercourt Community Centre LEVELS

Novice (2007) till Midgets (1996)

For more information please email:

Alexandra.bd6@gmail.com

www.owbhl.ca 29

PUCK DROP

NUMBERS ON ICE Number of times then-Anaheim defenceman Chris Pronger was suspended in the 2007 playoffs.

2

22

NUMBER OF PLAYERS SUSPENDED IN THE LOCKOUT-SHORTENED SEASON OF 2012-13.

13

Number of times defenceman Bryan Marchment was suspended, believed to be the most of any player in NHL history.

5

3

NUMBER OF TIMES GORDIE HOWE & ROCKET RICHARD WERE SUSPENDED IN THEIR CAREERS.

1

Number of NHL players expelled for life due to on-ice violence – Billy Coutu, 1927.

Coutu, a defenceman with the Boston Bruins, was kicked out of the league for attacking referee Jerry Laflamme at the end of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS PITTSBURGH & PHOENIX HAD SUSPENDED FOR AT LEAST ONE GAME DURING THE 2011-12 REGULAR SEASON.

10

Number of suspensions that have lasted 20 or more games in NHL history.

48

23

NUMBER OF TEAMS WITH AT LEAST ONE PLAYER SUSPENDED IN THE 2011-12 SEASON.

Number of suspensions in the 2011-12 season, including Alex Ovechkin, Kris Letang, Claude Giroux, Jeff Skinner, Duncan Keith, Mike Green & Clarke MacArthur.

30

CENTRE ICE DECEMBER 2013

PRESENTED BY:

Sens Gameday Experience

Senators Junior Skills Challenge

presented by Esso

presented by Canadian Tire

Atom and Peewee aged players can embark upon an unforgettable experience as they compete against their peers in skills challenges.

Ever wondered what it takes to make it to the NHL and stay there? Here’s your chance to find out. Esso and the Ottawa Senators are teaming up to provide fans the unique opportunity to attend a Senators gameday skate as they prepare for that evening’s game.

Top performers from each team will be invited to compete in a Regional Finals with the top participants moving on to the Finals at Canadian Tire Centre.

Champions will win the chance to compete alongside the Ottawa Senators as they take to the ice in front of thousands of rabid fans for Sens Skills presented by Sport Chek!

Admission to the Sens Gameday Experience presented by Esso is free of charge for all fans with a non-perishable food donation in support of the Ottawa Food Bank.

Download your Senators Junior Skills Challenge presented by Canadian Tire manual today at ottawasenators.com/juniorskills

Minor hockey teams receive advanced access to the best seats by registering online at ottawasenators.com/sensexperience Register your team today!

March 12, 2014 Canadian Tire Centre Tickets on sale Nov. 28 at 10:00 a.m.

Tickets start at only

$8

® Registered trade-mark of Capital Sports & Entertainment Inc. SSE 2013-0956

THE BARN

IS NOT WHERE THE HAY IS KEPT.

WE LIVE HOCKEY

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