nivek_wahs
03-22-2007, 02:48 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=fc326220-3486-428a-82b7-d4fd18186335
Today's game chip off the old puck
Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Western Hockey League has changed, but not for the better, since the Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos last collided in the playoffs.
The year was 1993. The Broncos and Pats, who met in the East Division final, were laden with offensive talent. Swift Current rode a high-octane attack to its second league title. The Pats were almost as enjoyable to watch.
Although the series was lopsided -- Swift Current engineered a four-game sweep -- it was aesthetically appealing due to the likemindedness of the teams.
In one respect, the mindsets are still comparable. Personnel with both teams have mentioned the not-so-fine art of "chipping pucks.'' This is part of the sameness that has afflicted major-junior hockey in this part of the world.
The OHL showcases John Tavares, whose 72 goals broke Wayne Gretzky's record for tallies by a 16-year-old. The QMJHL is typically wide-open.
Meanwhile, back in the WHL, there is the chronic chipping of pucks.
This past season -- for the first time since the league's inception in 1966 -- there was not a 50-goal or 100-point man.
The leading goal-scorer in a Pats-Broncos Eastern Conference quarterfinal, which is to begin at the Brandt Centre on Friday, is the Pats' Jordan Eberle. At 16, he had a 28-goal season. He, more than anyone, offers hope for the future.
Rewind to the spring of 1993. The Pats and Broncos had a combined four players who eclipsed the 50-goal mark -- Regina's Louis Dumont (62) joined the Broncos' troika of Jason Krywulak (81), Rick Girard (71) and Todd Holt (56).
All the aforementioned players exceeded 100 points. Two others -- Broncos' Andy Schneider and Tyler Wright -- would have easily reached the century mark had they played a full season.
And we have yet to mention first-rate forwards such as the Broncos' Dean McAmmond and Pats attackers Karry Biette, Jeff Friesen and Jeff Shantz.
Fast forward to 2007: The current Pats and Broncos are teams hardly are devoid of talent. However, the style of play across the league is no longer conducive to virtuosity.
"The game has changed,'' says CKRM colour analyst Al Dumba, who co-coached the 1992-93 Pats with Bill Hicke. "You go back to the days of Dale Derkatch and Doug Wickenheiser scoring 60 or 80 goals a year. The game has changed every decade and gotten a little bit tighter.
"I don't think the guys are less skilled. Obviously, the systems are changing.''
It should be emphasized that Dumba is not down on the current style of play, but he does take note of the differences.
"I was always a coach who, if you had good offensive players, you taught them to play offence,'' Dumba recalls. "If you had good defensive players, you taught them to play good defence. With offensive players, you put them in the right situation to be offensive players.
"Nowadays, they dwell on making an offensive player more defensive and they'll spend a lot more time on their weaknesses, which is a good thing.''
Offensively inclined players are taught to think "defence first,'' often at the expense of creativity.
Dumba correctly cites the example of Jeff Friesen, who had 45 goals as a 16-year-old with the 1992-93 Pats. Friesen's raw talent was on par with the elite players in Pats history. That explains why he became a full-time NHLer at 18.
One problem: Friesen arrived in the big leagues at the same time the New Jersey Devils were contributing to the dumbing down of the NHL. Everyone kept stressing defence, ad nauseam.
Friesen has been a decent NHLer, with 217 goals and 515 points in 885 career games, but the offence has been virtually extracted from his system. Friesen, now of the Calgary Flames, has but nine goals over his last 115 games.
Players of Friesen's ilk used to be able to use the ice as a canvas. Does Dumba miss those days?
"I guess you do,'' he reflects, "but I enjoy good, solid, tough hockey. When playoff time comes, (successful) teams are always banging and crashing and winning those 2-1 and 3-1 games.
"That's what you see and that's why I enjoy this (Pats) team. I think it's built to do some damage and go a long way. In the playoffs, you bang and crash for every inch and I think this is the team that can do it. In some games, they could break out and get some extra offence.''
That would be a bonus. It used to be a certainty.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007
Today's game chip off the old puck
Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Western Hockey League has changed, but not for the better, since the Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos last collided in the playoffs.
The year was 1993. The Broncos and Pats, who met in the East Division final, were laden with offensive talent. Swift Current rode a high-octane attack to its second league title. The Pats were almost as enjoyable to watch.
Although the series was lopsided -- Swift Current engineered a four-game sweep -- it was aesthetically appealing due to the likemindedness of the teams.
In one respect, the mindsets are still comparable. Personnel with both teams have mentioned the not-so-fine art of "chipping pucks.'' This is part of the sameness that has afflicted major-junior hockey in this part of the world.
The OHL showcases John Tavares, whose 72 goals broke Wayne Gretzky's record for tallies by a 16-year-old. The QMJHL is typically wide-open.
Meanwhile, back in the WHL, there is the chronic chipping of pucks.
This past season -- for the first time since the league's inception in 1966 -- there was not a 50-goal or 100-point man.
The leading goal-scorer in a Pats-Broncos Eastern Conference quarterfinal, which is to begin at the Brandt Centre on Friday, is the Pats' Jordan Eberle. At 16, he had a 28-goal season. He, more than anyone, offers hope for the future.
Rewind to the spring of 1993. The Pats and Broncos had a combined four players who eclipsed the 50-goal mark -- Regina's Louis Dumont (62) joined the Broncos' troika of Jason Krywulak (81), Rick Girard (71) and Todd Holt (56).
All the aforementioned players exceeded 100 points. Two others -- Broncos' Andy Schneider and Tyler Wright -- would have easily reached the century mark had they played a full season.
And we have yet to mention first-rate forwards such as the Broncos' Dean McAmmond and Pats attackers Karry Biette, Jeff Friesen and Jeff Shantz.
Fast forward to 2007: The current Pats and Broncos are teams hardly are devoid of talent. However, the style of play across the league is no longer conducive to virtuosity.
"The game has changed,'' says CKRM colour analyst Al Dumba, who co-coached the 1992-93 Pats with Bill Hicke. "You go back to the days of Dale Derkatch and Doug Wickenheiser scoring 60 or 80 goals a year. The game has changed every decade and gotten a little bit tighter.
"I don't think the guys are less skilled. Obviously, the systems are changing.''
It should be emphasized that Dumba is not down on the current style of play, but he does take note of the differences.
"I was always a coach who, if you had good offensive players, you taught them to play offence,'' Dumba recalls. "If you had good defensive players, you taught them to play good defence. With offensive players, you put them in the right situation to be offensive players.
"Nowadays, they dwell on making an offensive player more defensive and they'll spend a lot more time on their weaknesses, which is a good thing.''
Offensively inclined players are taught to think "defence first,'' often at the expense of creativity.
Dumba correctly cites the example of Jeff Friesen, who had 45 goals as a 16-year-old with the 1992-93 Pats. Friesen's raw talent was on par with the elite players in Pats history. That explains why he became a full-time NHLer at 18.
One problem: Friesen arrived in the big leagues at the same time the New Jersey Devils were contributing to the dumbing down of the NHL. Everyone kept stressing defence, ad nauseam.
Friesen has been a decent NHLer, with 217 goals and 515 points in 885 career games, but the offence has been virtually extracted from his system. Friesen, now of the Calgary Flames, has but nine goals over his last 115 games.
Players of Friesen's ilk used to be able to use the ice as a canvas. Does Dumba miss those days?
"I guess you do,'' he reflects, "but I enjoy good, solid, tough hockey. When playoff time comes, (successful) teams are always banging and crashing and winning those 2-1 and 3-1 games.
"That's what you see and that's why I enjoy this (Pats) team. I think it's built to do some damage and go a long way. In the playoffs, you bang and crash for every inch and I think this is the team that can do it. In some games, they could break out and get some extra offence.''
That would be a bonus. It used to be a certainty.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007