Another one bites the dust

[nivek_wahs]

From Greg Harder's Slap Shots...


Another one bites the dust
The Regina Pats’ depleted lineup has gone from bad to worse.
Already down to the bare essentials, Regina has lost left-winger Todd Kennedy to an indefinite suspension for his hit on Jay Fehr of the Brandon Wheat Kings on Thursday night. The length of Kennedy’s suspension will be determined upon further review by the WHL, but it is expected to be a minimum of two games.
Kennedy wasn’t expected to play this weekend anyway because of a minor shoulder injury which occurred on the hit in question. Fehr had to be helped off the ice due to a concussion — his second of the season — after Kennedy took a run at him behind Brandon’s net.
Kennedy wasn’t penalized by referee Derek Zalaski, but the Wheat Kings requested that the league review the tape. WHL vice-president Richard Doerksen told the Brandon Sun on Friday that the hit warranted a charging major and a game misconduct.
If you look at past judgments, supplemental discipline is generally more severe when a player is hurt. Therefore, it doesn’t look good for Kennedy, who joined the Pats on Nov. 19 from the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers.
“It was a bad hit, a blow to the head, and a blow to the head on a vulnerable player,” Wheat Kings head coach/GM Kelly McCrimmon told the Sun. “I think those types of hits are something that our league is actively working to take out of the game . . . One of the things we go through with our own players at the start of the year is just the level of respect that you have to show your opponent and that they fully understand that if they hit the opponent in the head when he’s vulnerable, they’re gonna be suspended.”
Kennedy’s loss leaves the Pats with just 19 healthy players — one under a full lineup — for this weekend’s home-and-home set against the Saskatoon Blades. The teams meet Saturday in Saskatoon and Sunday in Regina.
Veteran left-winger Jared Jagow, who has already missed four games with an ankle injury, is expected to sit another week or two. Also missing are head coach Curtis Hunt and captain Logan Pyett (Canadian world junior team), plus rookie D Alex Pym and RW Garrett Mitchell (Team Western, world under-17 challenge).
The other issue pertains to veteran LW Troy Ofukany, who played just two shifts Thursday before he was benched by interim head coach Terry Perkins. Ofukany has been suspended twice this season — for a total of three games — due to off-ice discipline issues. Now he's in Perkins’ doghouse because of on-ice performance.
It remains to be seen how this situation will play out, but one thing is clear: The Pats are a much better team when Ofukany is playing to his capability.
In case you’re wondering, the WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10 and the rumour mill is heating up as WHL general managers gather in Calgary this week for the Mac’s midget AAA tournament.
The timing of the Mac's has severely limited the Pats' callup options because most of their top prospects are taking part in the tournament.
One of the few exceptions is D Justin Slobozian, who has been skating with the team this week and could see action in an emergency. Slobozian, a third-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft, has been playing high school hockey in Dauphin, Man.

[eye4aneye]

You know soon Mccrimmon is going to be wanting a yellow flag so the refs can go under the hood to review the play. vc1tt order we want order in the hockey rink.

If the league was to review every low hit they wouldn't have time to have a coffee break

[eye4aneye]

Oh and by the way most teams are having a short bench right now because of the world jrs, under 17s, Mac's tourney. So the pats are not the only ones that don't have alot of choice for calling up players. Look at toon and Pa right now.

[nivek_wahs]

Yet another one goes down to injury.... Kraus takes a slapper off the side of the head (ear) and leaves the game. hopefully he can go on Tuesday.

Is it just me or what.... Why did Perkins even bother dressing Slobozian tonight? I think he might have had one shift in the game. Same goes for Fraipont, Hanson and Gross... pretty much rode the pine the entire game except for the odd shift. Well that is until the Kraus injury where Gross jumped into the top line. But still.

Another thing that bothers me is why is Elder playing so much on the PP (don't get me wrong... I don't mind him... but on the PP get serious) ? On many occasions tonight he was out there with Strueby and Cerveny... what a lethal group!

I have really nothing else to say right now.

I see lots o' changes in the horizon.

[JDubb]

I agree, a short bench was a lot shorter. Kraus' incident was plain scary. What a kid though, gets up, takes everything off and zooms straight to the dressing room with blood running out of the ear area.

As for Perkins, I have come to think of him as Mr. Cliche. On postgames or any interviews, it seems that is all that ever comes out of his mouth. I understand sports are huge into them, but sometimes you get a real sentence.

I didn't listen or watch online much of the two road games, but judging from tonight's game, it is like he is coaching so cautiously. I do anticipate changes on the horizon, if the Pats want to contend this year. I really can't see this team going too far right now...unfortunately.

Onto the brawl. I am not sure who Reich was mad at...perhaps Ofukany, but he was being restrained on the Saskatoon bench and didn't play after it. For me, it added some excitement to an otherwise dull game.

A 3 minute penalty on the board is new to me. Apparently a new rule. Where does hockey come up with this stuff.

[patsdude114]

It wasnt that it was a 3 minute penatly... Ofukany got a 5 min major for checking from behind (as he deserved) and a auto game misconduct, the 2 min instigator (which is the stupidest rule in hockey) is what made this a 3 min PP on the board....... since there was less then 5 mins left in the game the opposing team still deserves the PP from the 5 min major so instead of the team having to wait for the 2 min minor to end (like during any other time of the game besides under 5 mins left) they make the team take the PP right away to make sure they get the PP which they deserve..... i personally think its a great rule change y should the team miss out on their PP chance just cuz there is less then 5 mins left in the game.... I know alot of u homers out there r going to say it shouldnt matter anyways cuz its the visitors and not for our team, but think of it the other way for once...

As for the line brawl i loved how the saskatoon coaches had to restrain Reich on the bench by holding him back, would of loved to seen him leave the bench tho, damn its been too long since ive seen a bench clearing brawl would of made this game a treat to watch lol

Our PP sure misses Pyett on the point, Valach sure doesnt strike any fear into the opposition on the right side, ya hes got a heavy shot (which he cant control just ask Kraus) but he doesnt see the ice as well as Pyett does to make plays....

Here is my last question for the rest of 2007.... why in the hell doesnt Hunt or Perkins put Cerveny with someone who can score, Cerveny can stick handle in a phone booth, doesnt give up on the puck if he does loose control, is a great passer and has good wheels has some top end talent on this team but Hunt insists to use him as a checker. Outside of Eberle and Kraus he is by far the next forward with the most pure skill. I would love to see Cerveny play 3 str8 games with Ofukany and Leffler or Ofukany and Strueby (strueby has great hands but plays with ELDER, he sets up Elder alot but his hands of stone cant finish)

lol maybe this is a question i should send Mr.Parker has had some good emails with Parker during the course of the past 2 seasons

[patsfan33]

its pass, shoot, score

not pass..pass...pass...pass...pass...pass...pass...pa ss... vc124


but i think i saw ross hit someone...hard...tonight....so its not allll bad :D

[patsdude114]

ya patsfan i think i saw that 1 too lol step up and hit Wintoneak just inside the blades blueline.


and ya i know too much passing on the PP but when theres no lane to shoot it no need to waste a shot just to get blocked, our PP just isnt the same without Pyett as most teams missing a guy like Pyett would suffer.


I noticed on the 5 on 4 with the goalie pulled that the pats changed the way they ran there PP instead of overload 1 side they went with a shooting type PP with Eberle Ross and Valach set up high with Gross and MacAngus at the neta much different look then how our PP is normally ran

[Fight Guy]

Whenever Cerveny plays up in the line-up, he always looks really good. He is very good but doesn't have anyone to work with usually. A lot of people are quick to say that the Pats should deal him(says speculation), but he is just playing in the wrong place.

And Strueby has obviously gained a crap load of confidence and is looking better and better each game. I think we are starting to see why he was a leading scorer on the Pat C's. At the beginning on the season, whenever he got the puck, he would just dump it into the corner. Every time!

There are definitely times when I wonder why some players are playing where they are.

And I missed the Reich being held back. I was too busy watching Teubert...lol. For some reason, players leaving the bench didn't even cross my mind, even though S'toon was down a player in the brawl. In the end, the brawl brought some excitement to a pretty lame game.

The hit from Ofukany was pretty bad, but it was gonna happen sooner or later. On three different occasions, a Blade player was hit from behind because the Saskatoon player turned his back at the last second. IMO, that's just asking for trouble.

Other than that, Ofukany actually had a pretty good game. Saw some laziness early, but he picked up and played hard all game. I still have a feeling he could be one of those "changes on the horizon".

One last thing. I would have really liked to have seen Slobodzian play for. He has good size and looked pretty good on his ONE SHIFT! I didn't like that. Hunt would have played him more I'm sure.

[nivek_wahs]

We may be down another skater or 2 on Tuesday.... I'm sure that Ofukany's hit will be looked at by the league... as well with Teubert's game misconduct - without checking I think that might be his third of the season and an automatic suspension (I believe). I guess we will find out on Tuesday.

[sbtatter]

We may be down another skater or 2 on Tuesday.... I'm sure that Ofukany's hit will be looked at by the league... as well with Teubert's game misconduct - without checking I think that might be his third of the season and an automatic suspension (I believe). I guess we will find out on Tuesday.
I read that Kraus had to have reconstructive surgery on his ear?

[nivek_wahs]

I read that Kraus had to have reconstructive surgery on his ear?I was just going to post that... http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=14562be0-1dde-4258-b1bf-8cbae42797a9


EXTRAS: Pats C Tim Kraus took a puck in the ear during the second period Sunday and didn't return. Perkins said the ear basically "blew apart" and will require reconstructive surgery ...

[witness]

I think the league will look at the Ofugany hit. Is it worth suspending? I didn't think so. A 5 minute major, absolutely! The Blades player didn't miss a shift.
I would be very surprised to see Kraus play on Tuesday. That is a significant injury.
The Pats will be short handed. But, might have Favreau, Hood, Kenton and Brett Miller available to them since Beardy's, Blazers and the Pat C's have been eliminated from the Macs. I would love to see the development of Brett Miller, I thought that he had an outside shot at making the team in Sept.

[JDubb]

It wasnt that it was a 3 minute penatly... Ofukany got a 5 min major for checking from behind (as he deserved) and a auto game misconduct, the 2 min instigator (which is the stupidest rule in hockey) is what made this a 3 min PP on the board....... since there was less then 5 mins left in the game the opposing team still deserves the PP from the 5 min major so instead of the team having to wait for the 2 min minor to end (like during any other time of the game besides under 5 mins left) they make the team take the PP right away to make sure they get the PP which they deserve..... i personally think its a great rule change y should the team miss out on their PP chance just cuz there is less then 5 mins left in the game.... I know alot of u homers out there r going to say it shouldnt matter anyways cuz its the visitors and not for our team, but think of it the other way for once...


I knew that is why there was 3 minutes on the board, but I do not think it is a good rule. The instigator is a rule in the league and penalty time shouldn't have exceptions depending upon what the clock says. If the Pats would have tied it, then Saskatoon would have had a PP in OT, but because of the 3 minutes that would have been non-existent.

Oh well, doesn't matter. I am sure there are more suspensions / fines coming with the brawl being late in the game.

[sbtatter]

I was just going to post that... http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=14562be0-1dde-4258-b1bf-8cbae42797a9
Hopefully it's just cosmetic damage and not internal damage. Does he wear any sort of ear protection or is he like a lot of guys and there is nothing there attached to the helmet??

[nivek_wahs]

Kennedy gets 4....

http://whl.ca/hm/suspensions.php?id=3425


12/28/07 Todd Kennedy Regina Four games under supplemental discipline at Brandon on December 27

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

Kennedy gets 4....

http://whl.ca/hm/suspensions.php?id=3425

Technically, it is 6 games, because he has already served two, which is probably too high. Since Ofukany will probably also get a small suspension, we are now on our way to becoming the Whl's version of the Flyers (strangely enough, my favorite NHL team... go figure).

Its not like the refs were watching us close enough already.

[sbtatter]

Technically, it is 6 games, because he has already served two, which is probably too high. Since Ofukany will probably also get a small suspension, we are now on our way to becoming the Whl's version of the Flyers (strangely enough, my favorite NHL team... go figure).

Its not like the refs were watching us close enough already.They can't count the ones he sat already?

[nivek_wahs]

Technically, it is 6 games, because he has already served two, which is probably too high. Since Ofukany will probably also get a small suspension, we are now on our way to becoming the Whl's version of the Flyers (strangely enough, my favorite NHL team... go figure).

Its not like the refs were watching us close enough already.I believe the total suspension would be 4 and he has served 2 already. So I assume he only has 2 more to sit out.

[eye4aneye]

i hope Kraus' hearing wasn't damaged. I hope for a speedy recovery for you Tim!

[hobster]

Thats unfortuante get better soon Timmy

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/columnists/story.html?id=4e4b26e7-aff7-4783-a768-618c203724f4


Kraus relieved despite injury

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Tim Kraus has more stitches in his left ear than anyone can count. It is much easier for the Regina Pats centre to count his blessings.

Kraus suffered a gruesome injury after being felled by teammate Juraj Valach's errant shot Sunday against the visiting Saskatoon Blades. After the WHL game, Pats interim head coach Terry Perkins said the left ear essentially "blew apart.''

"I thought I got high-sticked,'' Kraus said at the Brandt Centre after sitting out Tuesday afternoon's 2-1 overtime loss to the Swift Current Broncos. "I didn't even know it was a shot at first. It happened so fast.

"As soon as I went down, I knew something was wrong. I took my helmet off and started bleeding everywhere. I knew it wasn't good, so I just got off the ice as soon as I could.''

Pats athletic therapist Greg Mayer also rushed to the dressing room.

"Greg covered it up,'' Kraus said. "The doctor who was here at the game took a look at it and figured it was too much for him to do, so they called a plastic surgeon. I went over to the hospital and was there for two hours. I think he was stitching it up for 45 minutes to an hour.

"I think it's the most I've bled. I shattered my jaw when I was 18 and I didn't bleed that much. It looked pretty gruesome to see it at its worst, but it wasn't that bad.''

Initially, everyone in the building was fearing an injury of greater severity. There was a pool of blood near the Pats' bench after the contents of Kraus's helmet were dumped on to the ice.

"When you see a shot like that to the side of the head, you're immediately concerned about his overall health,'' Perkins said. "There's any number of things -- whether he bursts his eardrum or breaks some bones in there. It could be devastating to a guy's career.

"We were just happy to see that he was walking upright and he still had some balance and he wasn't bleeding out of his eardrum. The stitches and all that are sore, but they'll heal. I think he probably feels as fortunate as anybody that it wasn't worse.''

Kraus was quick to concur.

"Obviously, it's a relief,'' he said. "It's just damage to my ear. It's not inside my ear that's messed up. It's just the outside. If it went a couple of inches lower, it would have been my jaw.

"It could have hit me somewhere else in the head. My mom's a neurologist and she was worried it hit my temporal lobe. I'm definitely happy it just hit my ear.''

Kraus was not at all happy to sit out Tuesday's game, but it was wise to take precautions. He hopes to return Saturday against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes.

He watched from the press box on New Year's Day as a depleted Pats team put forth a gutsy effort despite being able to dress only three lines.

The Pats had a succession of scoring chances during a rather entertaining game, but were unable to convert. A player of Kraus's calibre -- one of the WHL's best passers -- could have made a difference, considering that he has seven goals and a team-high 29 assists in 38 games.

"He's our top centreman,'' Perkins said. "Like any team, you're going to go as your top players go. Whether Tim's playing great or having an off night, we're only going to be as good as our top players on most nights and Tim's one of those guys.

"He's one of the quarterbacks on our power play. Obviously, Tim Kraus does a lot to back the opposition off and get us under control and he understands what we're trying to do. You just can't replace those guys at the drop of a hat.''

Kraus could have used a hat -- or a toque -- to conceal the wounded ear.

"(The doctor) told me not to, unfortunately, but I'd like to cover it up,'' he said.

Failing that, Kraus noticed people at the Brandt Centre doing a double-take, being that his left ear is swollen and extremely purple.

"I was walking around and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that everyone was staring at me,'' he said. "It's going to happen if you see something like that.''

Hence, the new-look Tim Kraus isn't likely to be featured in GQ anytime soon.

"I like to think I'm all right,'' he said with a chuckle. "I don't know. We'll ask my mom later.''




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

From Roddy's Blog... Here is a picture of Kraus and his ear: http://rodpedersen.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-are-new-boys.html