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Tipped Off
02-05-2008, 11:29 AM
from heraldnet.com

WHL notebook

Portland goaltender vents his frustration

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer

Kurtis Mucha is a good soldier.

For nearly two seasons Mucha has had the unenviable task of tending goal for the woeful Portland Winter Hawks. Portland was easily the worst team in the league last season, and the Winter Hawks are well on their way toward reclaiming the title again this season.

Because of the lack of support in front of him, the talented 18-year-old finds himself regularly subjected to 40, 50, even 60 shots per game. On many occasions Mucha is the only obstacle standing between Portland and double-digit defeat.

But through it all, Mucha has absorbed the punishment without complaint.
Until now.

The understated Mucha let slip a small sign of frustration in an interview with the Portland Tribune last week.

Mucha told the Tribune he wants to stay in Portland and that he didn’t request a trade at the trade deadline — there was much speculation swirling around whether the Winter Hawks would deal Mucha to a contender.

However, he did say he’s becoming weary of all the shots and losses — Portland is a dismal 26-96-2-3 and has been outscored 552-224 during Mucha’s two seasons as the entrenched No. 1 — and he hinted that he might ask out if the Winter Hawks don’t improve next season.

“It’s not a good thing, really, because I don’t want to be accustomed to it,” Mucha said of the losing. “But I don’t know what to do.
“Hopefully we’re good next year. If not, I think it might be time for a change.”

Mucha also expressed some frustration with his teammates.

“You see some players on our team who think they’re better than they are. Too cocky,” Mucha said. “And then there are a couple players who shouldn’t even be in this league. It’s not their fault. They’re being thrown into a situation they’re not used to, and almost set up to fail. But we’ve got nobody else.”

Around the WHL: As rough as Mucha has had it this season, his backup Jordan White did him one better when he faced 72 shots in Portland’s 4-0 loss to Seattle on Saturday. White made the bulk of his 68 saves before the T-birds finally got on the board with 6 minutes, 51 seconds remaining in the game. ... The bad blood reached the boiling point between the Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades. The teams played twice in six days last week, with both games erupting in line brawls. In total the league handed out $2,500 worth of fines between the two teams, with each team still subject to another fine of undermined size. Also, both Regina coach Curtis Hunt and Saskatoon coach Lorne Molleken were suspended for indefinite periods. ... Calgary center Ryan White was named the WHL Player of the Week. White had five goals and five assists as the Hitmen went 4-0.

League leaders: Points — Colin Long (Kelowna) 82; goals — Colton Yellow Horn (Tri-City) 36; assists — Long 59; penalty minutes — Scott Gabriel (Portland) 179; wins — Tyson Sexsmith (Vancouver), Chet Pickard (Tri-City) 33; goals against average — Sexsmith 1.95; save percentage — Jacob DeSerres (Seattle) .922.

old_time_hockey
02-05-2008, 01:49 PM
Can't say I blame the guy. If the Hawks are not better next year, the team should do the right thing and trade him.

Ams4life
02-06-2008, 03:37 PM
I think that he has A LOT of Potential and that he needs to be on a good team! I would like to see him go to the Silvertips next year when they lose Irving! He would be a great fit with that team I believe!

Highlander_Yank
02-07-2008, 01:09 PM
I think that he has A LOT of Potential and that he needs to be on a good team! I would like to see him go to the Silvertips next year when they lose Irving! He would be a great fit with that team I believe!

That's an interesting thought, and he'd certainly be welcome. Mucha already has lots of fans in our barn. Even wearing a Winterhawks jersey, he draws a lot of applause and bell-ringing every time he sets foot on the ice here.

Tipped Off
02-07-2008, 01:27 PM
I think the Tips are Happy with Shayne Barrie. He'll get every opportunity to be the #1, IMO.

the flip side ot that is we are all assuming Irv wil be gone to the AHL next year. I'm not sure he's proven he is ready for that.

We'll see.

I would like to see Mucha get a chance somewhere else as well.

Ams4life
02-07-2008, 04:21 PM
I don't know Irving is like a great goalie I would be very very surprised if he didn't go next year! I thought for a while he was the next Carey Price but it seemed that he slumped off a bit the last year.

HomerSimpson
02-07-2008, 10:20 PM
Too bad for Mucha...the guy has to be one of the top 5 goaltenders in the dub...especially if you're basing it off of character. He never quits. The bad thing is, James Reimer is in the same situation in Red Deer...but it goes partially unnoticed there.

MrSimmons
02-08-2008, 07:43 PM
Since the talk has moved the Mucha replacing Irving, it made me wonder - What ever happened to Chris Ward, the goalie trade to Portland from the Tips last season? I know he got rocked whenever he played the Tips.

Regarding Mucha, I don't see Portland letting him go to a US team, no matter what the situation might be.

dondo
02-08-2008, 09:27 PM
You gotta feel for Mucha -- he's been a huge part of that team since he was 16 (or before) and deserves the chance to play in front a team and coach that at least have some form of defense on their mind.

The Winterhawks seem to play a pretty loose style for a such a young and defensively suspect team and I blame the coach for that. Taking care of your own end first doesn't mean boring hockey necessarily and it would give their goalies who are very solid the opportunity to get them wins.

I mean White turning away 68 shots without allowing one by him and then losing the game when his team decided they'd allow another 4 shots, three of which went in. For most teams that two or three games worth of shots for a goalie and watching the 'Hawks they are bad, but they aren't that bad. The boys don't seem to care if they win or lose now and that's the saddest thing of all.

Frankly I applaud Mucha for letting his feelings show finally -- he's kept his mouth shut for a long time and it hasn't changed and in fact has gotten worse so maybe this'll shake something up.

HomerSimpson
02-09-2008, 01:19 PM
We suffered through it here in Spokane.

We were never that bad...but we had some personnel issues and the players didn't seem to care what happened on the ice. Pretty much had three seasons go down the drain, at the end of the third season they dealt away most of our older players for Kevin Armstrong and Evan Haw...and alot of people were surprised when the Chiefs began to win, going unbeaten through 11 before succumbing to injuries and dropping out of the race.

I wasn't surprised...most of us good hockey fans knew a change was in need, there were alot of locker room issues. One player (I won't say who) was overheard as saying "I'm scoring my points, that's all that matters". Or something along those lines anyways...that was the general feeling of the team for awhile.

Hopefully the Hawks organization can get it together next year...I really do enjoy the rivalries they have in the US division.

LinkGaetzFan
02-26-2008, 09:45 PM
I remember the '98 cup series in Spokane. Portland was a fantastic team (Marian Hossa anyone? There are other NHLers but I can't think of them right now).

They drew a record-setting attendance for the year, something like 320,000. I remember seeing the team at the airport as they were flying back to Portland, their fans all over and you could just feel the elation. Where have those fans gone?

Every organization has rough stretches where your team is in the tank for 2, maybe 3 seasons in a row. Any more than that and the front office needs an overhaul, there simply is no excuse for being so bad that long in this league. I guess we'll see next season.

LifelongChiefsFan
03-10-2008, 01:42 AM
I remember the '98 cup series in Spokane. Portland was a fantastic team (Marian Hossa anyone? There are other NHLers but I can't think of them right now).

They drew a record-setting attendance for the year, something like 320,000. I remember seeing the team at the airport as they were flying back to Portland, their fans all over and you could just feel the elation. Where have those fans gone?

Every organization has rough stretches where your team is in the tank for 2, maybe 3 seasons in a row. Any more than that and the front office needs an overhaul, there simply is no excuse for being so bad that long in this league. I guess we'll see next season.

It's incredible how many players Portland has sent to the NHL over the years. Hossa, Morrow, Ference, Deadmarsh, Forbes, Scatchard, Isbister, Zednik, more recently Dubinsky and Coburn and that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. It's a bummer Portland is in this situation, despite the Tri-City rivalry, I always appreciated the Winter Hawk/Chiefs games more. Far and away the most enjoyable playoff series in Spokane history came when they faced off against Portland.

As for the fans, they're still there, but it's hard to support a team in their current state. Portland was awful last year and they've actually taken a step backwards this season. The rumors have run rampant about the poor management and when owners don't care, then why should the fans? It really is sad, but if the Hawks bring some stability into the front office, the wins will follow and the fans will come back. Portland got over 8,000 on Saturday against Seattle, and I thought that was extremely impressive given the current situation in PDX. Bottom line is despite the struggles, Portland fans love their Winter Hawks. Hopefully they get things fixed soon.

Sorcere
03-10-2008, 10:22 AM
The 98 Western Conference finals was one of my fondest memories. The Chiefs were going to the Cup Tournament regardless of the outcome yet they were hungry to show that they deserved to be there as well. The series went down to the 7th game in a nail biter in Portland. After that series, all the pieces were in place and we steamrolled the Brandon Wheat Kings for the WHL championship in a 4 game sweep.

Over the years we have sent our fair share of Winter Hawks to the NHL, I hope we continue to develop young talent into professionals. During the off-season the fans talk and share any and all pertinent information with each other, I'm sure we will be hammering on what changes are we making to make our team competitive again. I look forward to a much improved season next year.

GO HAWKS!

LinkGaetzFan
03-10-2008, 11:22 PM
As for the fans, they're still there, but it's hard to support a team in their current state. Portland was awful last year and they've actually taken a step backwards this season. The rumors have run rampant about the poor management and when owners don't care, then why should the fans?

Good point. 8,000 is excellent considering their record. I suppose I just have a hard time not going to any games, even when the Chiefs are in the dumps.

Growing up, my favorite NHL'er was Cam Neely. Another Portland product. Gotta love the power forwards.

Rebelchild
03-12-2008, 01:25 PM
A few weeks ago the news in regards to their management was a hot topic. Now that someone has stepped in and said things would be dealt with we haven't heard anything since. Does anyone know if they are working on making those changes? I have a lot of respect for those boys. No matter what their record they suit up, hit the ice and play hard. I just cannot imagine what it takes out of them to do that. Those young men have some serious character on their sides. I hope Mucha hangs in there and I hope next year he has those same kids in front of him and that this time they have the help that they need from management to get the job done. Out of all of the fans that I have talked to at different games not one time have I had a problem, or seen a problem brewing, with a Hawks fan. They have all been great and I hope next year is a whole lot better for them.

Arthur Fonzerelli
03-13-2008, 07:24 PM
Well said Rebelchild, these kids didn't deserve to deal with all the off-ice incompetence. Too bad that there isn't a way to weed out those potential owners who only see a Junior hockey team as a diversity in their investment portofolios.

old_time_hockey
03-13-2008, 09:44 PM
Well said Rebelchild, these kids didn't deserve to deal with all the off-ice incompetence. Too bad that there isn't a way to weed out those potential owners who only see a Junior hockey team as a diversity in their investment portofolios.

well the WHL has stepped in now and has a pretty big say in how things are run. Thank God!

Ray Ferraro always talks about his time in Portland and loved it and is sad to see it sink to where it has.