Senators' MacLean Channels The Great One in Round 1

Time for another TVOS "Thought of the Day"...

Senators' MacLean Channels The Great One in Round 1

In 2002, at the Salt Lake Olympics, an emotional Wayne Gretzky addressed the media about his underperforming squad. A non-call on a Roman Hamrlik crosscheck to Theo Fleury had the Great One saying there would be a price to pay when the NHL season resumed...

“Everybody loves to see us lose,” Gretzky said, which immediately deflected the media attention away from his team and directed the focus to himself.“If a Canadian player had done that, he’d have been suspended. If a Canadian or American player had done that, we’d be called hooligans. But, if a Czech player does it, it's not a big deal.”
The hockey world was very surprised by it all. Can you believe Gretzky was so animated? One of the game’s true ambassadors and gentlemen talking about payback? The media talked about the Team Canada GM and not about Team Canada - it was one of Gretzky’s greatest plays!

Which brings us to Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean.

Let’s start here - if you live in Ottawa and have heard MacLean’s post game press conferences, you will know that he is always candid and honest in his assessment of his team. At times though, he is foggy on the details. When asked about a certain play or a certain penalty, he doesn’t always remember the exact details of the play. So, from my vantage point, when he referred to Raphael Diaz as “player 61” it was not an intentional slight on Diaz or a calculated move to disrespect his opponents.

What came afterwards though was a classic Gretzky-like move.

His Ottawa team had been badly outplayed in Game 1 and if not for goaltender Craig Anderson, Montreal would have won the game by a large margin. When he saw the reaction to his comments, he went with it. By continuing his “player 61” type comments, the media turned their focus to the coaches - what would MacLean say next? How would Therrien and the Habs react?

When Montreal forward Brandon Prust called MacLean a “bug-eyed, fat walrus” to which MacLean replied he was not fat, he was “husky”, the media ran with the stories and the Ottawa fans loved it! Already a fan-favourite in Ottawa, he instantly reached iconic status in the nation’s capital. Let’s win it for the husky walrus fans exclaimed!

Although this series was MacLean’s first win as a head coach, make no mistake, this is a man that has paid his dues in hockey and seen it all before. In eight of his NHL seasons as a player, he scored 30 or more goals. As a member of the Winnipeg Jets in the 1980’s, he battled through one of the toughest divisions in hockey - the Smythe Division. As an assistant coach in Detroit, he helped bring the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup victory. Before coaching in the NHL with Anaheim, Detroit and now Ottawa, he coached in the IHL and UHL. He is a hockey-lifer and as I said, he has seen it all before...

By the time the Montreal Canadiens attempted to teach the Senators some respect with their fists in Game 3, unsuccessfully I might add, MacLean’s work was done. His young team had found their legs and the NHL’s 27th ranked offence began to find the net on a regular basis. Heading into game 2, 3 and 4, no one was talking about what the Senators needed to do to win, they were talking about what the Canadiens were going to do...

Sure, there was far more to this series than MacLean’s war of words with the Canadiens. Injuries and inconsistent goaltending did more damage to Montreal’s chances than MacLean’s verbal jousts with Therrien, but by channelling his inner-Gretzky, he bought his players some time to find their game and helped propel his team to the Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs.

Let's Honour Stompin' Tom Connors on the $5

Stompin' Tom Connors
(Wikipedia)

After his passing on March 6th, 2013, there was a tremendous outpouring of love for Tom Charles Connors, the man known throughout Canada (and around the world) as Stompin' Tom. Fond memories were recalled, of either meeting Tom in person, or about how his music touched our lives.

Whether it was Bud the Spud, Sudbury Saturday Night, The Hockey Song, or my personal favourite Margo's Got the Cargo, we all have an "I remember when" moment attached to Tom's music.

Shortly after his passing, there was much discussion online about a state funeral for Tom. For decades, he proudly wore the Maple Leaf close to his heart and did much to support Canadian musicians and promote our country around the world. I stumbled into a conversation on Twitter about this topic, which is what led to this post.

Was Stompin' Tom Connors deserving of a state funeral? You bet he was!! My question to his fans I was conversing with was, "Would Tom have wanted a state funeral? Would he have wanted to be placed above the average citizen and be honoured in such a way?"

The overwhelming response was - you're right - he deserved one but would not have wanted it. So, as a musician and a hockey writer, I began to ponder what would, or could be an appropriate way to honour a man that did so much for our country and famously captured our love of hockey in song.

My suggestion - a special run of the Canadian $5 that includes Tom in some way. It already depicts children playing hockey on the back... adding this Canadian hero to the image in some way would be a nice tip of the cap to Tom. I was a busker for many years and I can only imagine my delight if I was still out on the streets performing and someone dropped a crisp $5 into my case and looking up at me was a smiling Stompin' Tom Connors!

Spread the word - share this post on Facebook, Twitter, anywhere at all, and maybe this idea will actually get off the ground and become a reality. You can also tweet the link for this article to the Bank of Canada if you'd like: @bankofcanada

Or send them an email @ info@bankofcanada.ca

Started a Facebook page too: Stompin' Tom on the $5

We miss ya Tom - Rest well my friend!

NHL Alumni Interview: Washington Capitals Legend Dennis Maruk

On February 9th, 1982, many of the game’s greatest players gathered in Washington, DC, for the 34th NHL All-Star game. One by one, the Prince of Wales and Campbell Conference players were introduced on their respective bluelines - Gretzky, Bossy, Stastny, Coffey, Bourque and Robinson. However, the crowd only rose to their feet in unison when the final player was introduced; the greatest cheers that day rang out for #20, Dennis Maruk.

Raised in Rexdale, Ontario, Dennis was a scoring sensation during his Junior career with the London Knights in the early 1970’s, recording 112, 113 and 145 points in his three seasons with the team. Despite his success on the ice, the 5’8 center/winger was overlooked in the opening round of the 1975 NHL Draft. It was not until the second round began that his name was called, not by his hometown Maple Leafs, but by the California Golden Seals.

Read my NHL Alumni interview with former 60-goal scorer Dennis Maruk at the NHL Alumni website.

NHL Alumni Interview: Hockey Helps Founder Gary Scullion, Sens' Boschman & Leafs' Reid

“From humble beginnings come great things.” - Unknown author

Whether it is through the NHL Alumni Association, or as is in this case, their team alumni associations, hockey players are always there to lend a helping hand whenever and wherever someone is in need. Having already successfully taken place in three other Canadian cities last Fall, the annual Hockey Helps the Homeless tournaments are about to arrive in Ottawa (March 1st, 2013) and Montreal (March 22nd, 2013).

As governments make drastic cutbacks to social spending, the economy continues to experience drastic highs and lows, and we begin to address the need for a better understanding of mental health issues, the Hockey Helps the Homeless fundraising efforts take on a greater importance with each passing year. In recent interviews, Hockey Helps the Homeless founder Gary Scullion, Ottawa Senators Alumni member Laurie Boschman and Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni member Dave Reid explained their passion for this cause.

From its humble beginnings in Toronto in 1996, when a group of colleagues led by Gary Scullion created an opportunity to give back to their community, the Hockey Helps the Homeless program has expanded to include tournaments in Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa; contributing much-needed local funding for frontline and reintegration programs in those cities.

Read my NHL Alumni interview with Hockey Helps the Homeless founder Gary Scullion, Sens Alumni Laurie Boschman and Leafs Alumni member Dave Reid.

NHL Alumni Interview With Todd Ewen

It is an exciting time for the St. Louis University Billikens and their coach, former NHLer Todd Ewen, as they are prepare to host fifteen other teams from the American Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2012-13 Division II National Championship Tournament for the first time.
 
With a place assured for themselves in the tournament as the host club, the stage is set for some great hockey action at the Hardee’s Ice Complex from March 15th-19th.

Founded in 1991, the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) currently consists of three men’s divisions and two women’s divisions, with 446 teams competing across the United States. Their mission is to grow the sport at the collegiate level, while providing structure and governance for the member schools.

“It is going to be great,” Todd said on the phone from St. Louis. “The way I look at, 98% of the kids in the United States will end up playing in the ACHA because there are not enough jobs in the Major Junior leagues or the NCAA for players. That’s why I fought for the Division II Championship Tournament to come here - the amount of national champions we have had out of St. Louis is absolutely staggering. I put a lot of that success on my Alumni brothers here who have worked with the Junior Blues; they have really developed some great players.”

Read my interview with Todd Ewen at the NHL Alumni website