State of the WHL (Vanstone Articles)

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State of the WHL

Rob Vanstone, Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, April 08, 2008

The Western Hockey League's goal was to increase the amount of goals.

Beginning with the 2006-07 season, the league implemented a more stringent standard of rule enforcement, with the objective of opening up the game. Since then, there has been a marginal increase in scoring, but some concerns are still being cited about the calibre of play -- and those words emanate from within the WHL's sphere.

Around midseason, Regina Pats general manager Brent Parker did not like what he was seeing after attending roughly 50 games during the first half of the 2007-08 campaign. At that point, there were about five occasions when Parker walked out of the rink thinking "that was a good hockey game.''

"That's not enough,'' Parker said. "At that time, it was just before Christmas, so I'd probably seen 25 of our games and 25 or 30 other games in our league. I'd seen more awful games than I had good ones at that time.''

Parker's quote was dictated to one veteran scout -- a regular at WHL games.

"I agree with him,'' said the scout, who requested anonymity. "There's one out of somewhere between five and 10 games that I go to where I leave saying, 'Wow. That was a good game.' ''

The scout's assessment was based upon the entire 2007-08 regular season. Parker, by contrast, was targeting the opening half of that campaign.

"I think it has gotten better,'' the Pats' GM said as the playoffs loomed. "We've seen some really good hockey games as of late.''

But he would rather watch consistently great hockey games, enhanced by an element of superstardom.

"It's not as exciting to watch a defensive struggle as it is to see an offensive game,'' Parker continued. "That probably goes without saying. But the players who are exciting and fun to watch -- like Tyler Ennis and Zach Boychuk and Zach Hamill and Jordan Eberle and Riley Holzapfel -- because of the way our game is played, they don't get the opportunity to show the skills that they've got.''

However, players such as Eberle feel the rules crackdown has presented them with an opportunity they would not otherwise have received. What if the standard of enforcement had not changed?

"I doubt if I would even be playing in the league,'' responded the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Eberle, who had 42 goals as a second-year Pat this past season. "It's tough for guys like me who are trying to get around bigger guys one-on-one. You could barely do one-on-ones if they were just going to hold you and clutch you. I think it definitely benefited me.''

Eberle, Ennis (Medicine Hat Tigers), Hamill (Everett Silvertips), Boychuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes) and Riley Holzapfel (Moose Jaw Warriors) are among the league's better players. But their emergence as stars has not been accompanied by an offensive renaissance for the WHL.

Teams have scored just over six goals per game -- 6.01 this past season and 6.12 the preceding winter -- since the rules crackdown. The standards were enforced after scoring dipped below six goals per game for three successive seasons -- 2003-04 (5.53 goals per game), 2005-06 (5.43) and 2005-06 (5.83).

But, oddly enough, the only seasons in WHL history without a 50-goal scorer have been the two that have followed the league's rules crackdown.

"I would like to see a game that would become a little bit more offensive, there's no question,'' WHL commissioner Ron Robison said. "As a league, we have to continue to look at ways in which we can open up the game and make it more exciting for everybody involved.

"Having said that, as a league, we've attracted some top-quality coaches and the coaches have had a dramatic effect, but I would certainly find a way to improve our scoring overall and, more importantly, improve scoring chances and open the game up.''

Robison does not dismiss the numbers, but suggests that they do not tell the entire story.

"I don't think anyone's really all that concerned about a 2-1 or 3-0 score,'' he said. "I think what they're really concerned about is the amount of scoring chances, because scoring chances create excitement and flow to the game.''

Scoring chances are difficult to quantify -- shots on goal are not an accurate barometer -- but Robison feels that opportunities have increased.

"Even when you get a scoring chance, the goaltenders and the quality of players that we have are tremendous,'' the commissioner noted.

Silvertips general manager Doug Soetaert -- a former NHL and WHL goaltender -- is quick to point to the calibre of netminding as a key factor.

"The goaltenders are that much better,'' Soetaert said. "They're better athletes. They train all year-round. They're more flexible. And the style of the game has changed for goaltenders. We've played a lot of 4-3 and 2-1 games. We had a 2-0 game against Seattle and it was a heck of a hockey game. Both goalies were outstanding and you win 2-0. It's pretty entertaining.

"Yeah, there's nights when you'd like to see six or seven goals scored. It does happen. When that happens, everybody jumps on board and says, 'What's wrong defensively?' It's the first thing reporters or people say to coaches: 'They're brutal defensively. They've got to tighten up defensively.' So what do you want?''

Parker wants the ice to be a stage for the elite players' skills.

"We're all getting cheated when we don't get to see the best players play at the best of their abilities,'' he said. "We don't right now. We're not calling (games) like they do in the NHL, and the NHL's not calling (games) like they did.

"The game is so structured. It's not even about what the refs are calling or what they aren't calling. It's just a structured game. I think the new rules and the way the game is played have made it much easier on officials. It's structured and it's easier for them to call.''

The game is easy to watch, according to Brandon Wheat Kings owner, GM and head coach Kelly McCrimmon.

"I like our game -- I really do -- and yet, I know that there are people who have concerns about scoring being down, relative to 10 years ago, even,'' McCrimmon said.

McCrimmon is the chairman of the competition committee, which was formed during the 2004-05 season -- when the NHL locked out its players. The committee looked at matters such as the declining offence in the game.

When the NHL returned in 2005-06, it did so with a new approach and a tightened standard of enforcement. That standard was mirrored by the other two major-junior leagues -- the OHL and QMJHL. The WHL waited one year to implement its own standard, citing a desire to give players, coaches and officials more lead time to make everyone aware of the impending changes.

Seattle Thunderbirds GM Russ Farwell feels patience has produced results.

"I don't think our game's sick at all. I think it's much healthier than it was two or three years ago,'' he said. "I just hope we don't compromise, that's all.''

- - -

Throughout the week, the Leader-Post is focusing on the state of the Western Hockey League.

The series, prepared by sports co-ordinator Rob Vanstone, begins today with an exploration of the offensive and defensive sides of the game.

The league is striving to open up the game through rigid enforcement of the rules. Is that effort producing the desired results? How has coaching impacted -- or impeded -- the league's initiative? And what has become of the 50-goal scorer? Two more stories appear on C2.

In the coming days, the series will explore the following issues:

WEDNESDAY: The differing styles in the three major-junior leagues; officiating.

THURSDAY: Life as a WHL player; the changing face of the game, compared to the 1970s and 1980s, assessed by people who have seen both sides.

FRIDAY: The off-ice health of the league; the small markets, especially Moose Jaw.

SATURDAY: WHL expansion and its effects; characters, colour and candour.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

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Taking a shot at addressing problem

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, April 08, 2008

On the evening of Dec. 30, I was more inclined to take shots than were the Saskatoon Blades.

In perhaps the worst hockey (?) game ever played, the Saskatoon Blades somehow defeated the Regina Pats 2-1 at the Brandt Centre. A scathing column was composed in the grim aftermath of a truly torturous game.

That article, coupled with an unflattering assessment of the Pats' Dec.14 eye-glazer against the Moose Jaw Warriors, prompted WHL commissioner Ron Robison to contact the Leader-Post.

The genial Robison was not calling to complain, but to explain. In light of my repeated potshots at the WHL's product, the commissioner wanted to share his views. I was more than anxious to listen.

It is one thing to sit in the press box, with a pressing deadline, and acidically assess a product. It is quite another to take an analytical approach. In this view, the WHL had reached a nadir on that dismal late-December evening.

But why? How had it come to that?

In the process of attempting to answer those questions, a series was born.

A five-part exploration of the state of the WHL is to begin in today's sports section. Throughout the week, I will offer multiple stories on various facets of major-junior hockey in this region.

The objective is to go beyond ranting -- although, admittedly, a good rant is always delicious fun.

In preparing the series, I have spoken at length with various WHL players, coaches, general managers and owners. All of them have been generous with their time. Some of them -- including Pats GM Brent Parker -- share my concerns.

"When we lost 2-1 here to Saskatoon at Christmas, do you know they didn't have a shot on goal the last 32 minutes of the game?'' Parker noted.

I was incredulous. I was aware that Saskatoon had gone shotless during the third period, but for 32 minutes?

That unambitious approach by the Blades seemed to be in contradiction to the WHL's new mantra, which emphasizes rigid rule enforcement with the intent of opening up the game.

If these measures are working, I wondered, how is something like the Pats-Blades eyesore possible?

My outrage was shared by Pats owner Russ Parker, who even cited one of my acerbic columns at a WHL governors' meeting, while also decrying the manner in which many games were played.

In preparing the series, I did not want to advance a Pats-centric view. A diversity of opinions was sought. Various theories were advanced as to the state of the game. Some influential figures within the league are more optimistic than others.

On one point, there was a consensus: Coaching is a key factor in the defensive nature of the game. As quickly as the league implemented a new standard of rule enforcement, coaches began striving to find other ways to neutralize offence, other than hooking, holding, clutching and grabbing. The coaches' ever-increasing use of video -- principally for defensive purposes -- has also been a drag on offensive potency.

The result: There has been only a marginal increase in goal-scoring in two seasons since the league became more vigilant in calling penalties.

That does not mean that the measures are a dismal failure. Various WHL types point to the emergence of smaller players such as Jordan Eberle (Regina), Tyler Ennis (Medicine Hat Tigers) and Zach Boychuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes) to substantiate their claim that the rule adaptations have been beneficial.

Those comments are made with considerable credence. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Eberle does not believe he could have played in the old WHL due to his modest dimensions. But in today's WHL, the Regina-born Eberle is able to score 42 goals as a 17-year-old.

That's nice, but players of Eberle's ilk used to score at least 50 goals as 17-year-olds (see: Josh Holden, Jeff Friesen, Mike Sillinger, Dale Derkatch). Lately, the half-century mark has proven to be elusive. The WHL has not had a 50-goal scorer in either of its seasons since the rules crackdown.

Have 50-goal scorers gone the way of the Billings Bighorns? Or is the game actually improving?

Over the next week, we will endeavour to provide some answers and solutions. All feedback is welcomed.




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Blame it all on coaches adapting

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Ask any WHL type why goals are not abundant and you will almost certainly receive the same answer: "Coaching.''

But does first-rate coaching lead to a high-calibre game? The prevailing view within the league is that many coaches' emphasis on defence has minimized the effect of a rules crackdown that was designed to infuse offence into the game.

"I'm frustrated by it, and yet I don't know what you can change because we tried to open it up and all that happened was the coaches figured it out quicker than anybody else did and shut us down,'' Kelowna Rockets governor and general manager Bruce Hamilton said.

The WHL altered its standard of enforcement leading up to the 2006-07 season, with the objective of reducing obstruction and restraining fouls.

The result was 13.41 power plays per game in 2006-07, compared to 11.22 the previous season. Scoring increased marginally over that one-year span, from 5.83 to 6.12 goals per game. That average declined to 6.01 in 2007-08, when power plays per game dropped to 10.60 (a reduction of 2.81).

WHL commissioner Ron Robison said the officials have not become more lenient but, instead, coaches have adapted to the new standard.

"You look at the changes in the new rules and with the new standard and that's created more power plays,'' Robison said. "Scoring was up initially when that was introduced, across the board, both at the NHL and our level, due to more power plays -- more than just five-on-five scoring.

"Now, in power-play situations, you can't get a passing lane. You can't get pucks through. They play the five-on-four very well. They play the five-on-three very well. Even the four-on-four overtime. The coaching has just caught up and adapted to it in such a way that it takes away any offence. Coaches have adapted and put systems in place that really restrict the scoring chances and restrict the entertainment level of the game.''

Some of the restrictions result from the ever-expanding technology available to the men behind the bench.

"Flat-out, when we look at the game, the coaches are so good now,'' Spokane Chiefs GM Tim Speltz said. "They're so technical. We've added video to them that's obviously going to improve the experience for the player and allow the player to develop to be a better player but, more often than not, they're using it as a defensive tactic more than an offensive tactic.

"Some coaches, that's what they worry about. They worry about D. They know they can teach D. They know they can control the game with the D. Yet, there are governors and owners who hire those guys. At the end of the day, if those guys win games, they're going to be the guys who have jobs.''

In many cases, the entertainment aspect is secondary to coaches who are preoccupied with results.

"Obviously we're paid to win,'' Regina Pats head coach Curtis Hunt said. "We're also paid to develop players as well. I want to develop players to play at the next level, so why not emulate what those kids will have to do and stress the key points of how they'll need to play?''

At all levels, the emphasis is increasingly on defence.

"If you think back, not that many years ago -- maybe 15 or 20 years ago -- the common remark that you'd hear when players were being evaluated by NHL scouts at our level was, 'They're offensive players when they're playing junior, but we're going to have to teach them how to play defence when they turn pro,' '' Robison said. "That was so true.

"If we had to sum up what change has really occurred over that 15 or 20 years, it's coaching. Clearly, coaching has had a dramatic effect on the game ... Every shift is so clearly evaluated and systems play has really become the mandate for these clubs. Consequently, you have a game which doesn't allow a lot of time and space for players to have the freedom to show the level of skill they have.''

Robison also noted that there is a "very marginal'' difference between NHL and WHL coaches in terms of quality. But one veteran scout, who is a fixture at major-junior games, is not overly impressed with the calibre of tutelage.

"I think there's less really good coaches than there were in the past, based upon watching them develop talent,'' the scout said. "To me, that's a huge part of coaching. Sitting there and tactically browbeating a 1-2-2 into somebody and penalizing them ice time if they don't do it over a 72- or 80-game schedule, you can get people to do stuff because all those guys want to play. But taking guys and helping them develop into skilled players, that's a talent in coaching.''

Many of today's coaches, who frequently employ multiple assistants, concentrate on counteracting talent -- with the result being a defensive-oriented game.

"On the one hand, you have to give credit to our system because coaching has produced a better quality of player,'' Robison said. "But on the other hand, it has certainly provided limitations to what that player can do.''




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Where, oh where, have the 50-goal scorers gone?

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, April 08, 2008

The WHL's crackdown on rule-breakers coincides with the disappearance of 50-goal scorers.

The only two seasons in WHL history without a 50-goal marksman have followed the implementation of a standard of enforcement that is designed to open up the game and enhance offence.

Mark Derlago of the Brandon Wheat Kings scored a WHL-high 46 times during the 2006-07 season. The Tri-City Americans' Colton Yellow Horn led the loop with 48 tallies this past winter.

Where have the 50-goal scorers gone?

"I don't know,'' Yellow Horn said. "I think the league is starting to get a little more defensive again.''

There was a marginal increase in goals per game -- from 5.83 in 2005-06 to 6.12 in 2006-07 -- after the new standard was introduced. Goal-scoring declined slightly, to 6.01 per game, in 2007-08.

"I think parity has a little bit to do with that,'' Tri-City general manager Bob Tory said. "The more parity you have, the less chance you're going to have 50.''

Offence is down in all three major-junior leagues this season, although the OHL had three 50-goal scorers (despite the fact that Ontario teams play four fewer regular-season games than their WHL counterparts) and the QMJHL had one.

"It's exciting to see stars, yet I don't know that the 50 number has to be magic,'' Seattle Thunderbirds general manager Russ Farwell said. "For our team, for instance, one of the things we're proud of is that we do have a balanced scoring attack. One of the things we like to have is numerous 20-goal scorers. That part of it is good.

"The number of goals per game is probably more important than one guy getting them. The other thing that we have to accept responsibility for is that we are a development league. We're not just about developing that one 50-goal scorer. We're trying to find shifts and ice time for the young players who come into our league. We don't want the 50-goal scorer to be at the expense of the young guys developing, either.''

That said, WHL commissioner Ron Robison is concerned about the dearth of 50-goal scorers.

"Absolutely,'' Robison stated. "It's not only in our league. It's a bit of the culture in the West. We build team first, not individual players. That has been our philosophy.

"Every now and then, a player like (former Kamloops Blazers star Jarome) Iginla pops out who has exceptional skill, and that's fine. I think we're going to see that from time to time.''

Robison would like to see it more frequently.

"Generally speaking, we'd love to see the game open up more,'' the eighth-year commissioner said. "We've got to continue to challenge ourselves to find ways in which we can create more space for players like Jordan Eberle (Regina Pats) and Tyler Ennis (Medicine Hat Tigers) and Zach Boychuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes).

"That's what the fans want to see. That's what the players want, ultimately. As much as that gives nightmares to the coaches, that's something where we've got to continue to strive to find ways to make that happen.''

At 17, Eberle scored 42 goals to place among the league leaders. A natural progression would be for him to score 50 next season, although it is more difficult than ever to reach that milestone.

"There's definitely some up-and-coming guys who are going to get 50 in the league,'' Eberle said. "The rules and stuff like that are definitely helping guys. The biggest difference right now is that the goaltending is so good and the game's so structured and defensive. It's tough to break through those barriers to get to the net.''

- - -

FOLLOW THE LEADERS

WHL Goal-Scoring Champions Through The Years

Season Total Leaders

2007-08 48 Colton Yellow Horn, Tri-City

2006-07 46 Mark Derlago, Brandon

2005-06 51 Justin Keller, Kelowna

2004-05 59 Eric Fehr, Brandon.

2003-04 52 Jeremy Williams, Swift Current

2002-03 54 Erik Christensen, Kamloops

2001-02 56 Joffrey Lupul, Medicine Hat

2000-01 63 Layne Ulmer, Swift Current

1999-2000 59 Pavel Brendl, Calgary

1998-99 73 Pavel Brendl, Calgary

1997-98 66 Sergei Varlamov, Swift Current

1996-97 58 B.J. Young, Red Deer

1995-96 83 Frank Banham, Saskatoon

1994-95 67 Daymond Langkow, Tri-City

1993-94 62 Lonnie Bohonos, Portland

1992-93 81 Jason Krywulak, Swift Current

1991-92 65 Kevin St. Jacques, Lethbridge Kevin Riehl, Medicine Hat

1990-91 89 Kyle Reeves, Tri-City

1989-90 85 Len Barrie, Kamloops

1988-89 82 Dennis Holland, Portland

1987-88 78 Joe Sakic, Swift Current

1986-87 76 Rob Brown, Kamloops

1985-86 83 Ken Morrison, Kamloops

1984-85 89 Cliff Ronning, New Westminster

1983-84 108 Ray Ferraro, Brandon

1982-83 84 Dale Derkatch, Regina

1981-82 93 Jim McGeough, Billings

1980-81 67 Jock Callander, Regina

1979-80 89 Doug Wickenheiser, Regina

1978-79 94 Brian Propp, Brandon

1977-78 89 Bill Derlago, Brandon

1976-77 96 Bill Derlago, Brandon

1975-76 88 Don Murdoch, Medicine Hat

1974-75 82 Don Murdoch, Medicine Hat

1973-74 90 Ron Chipperfield, Brandon

1972-73 73 Darcy Rota, Edmonton

1971-72 60 Blaine Stoughton, Flin Flon

1970-71 79 Chuck Arnason, Flin Flon

1969-70 65 Reggie Leach, Flin Flon

1968-69 58 Bob Liddington, Calgary

1967-68 87 Reggie Leach, Flin Flon

1966-67 78 Gerry Pinder, Saskatoon




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Disparity between leagues a concern

Rob Vanstone, Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Throughout the week, the Leader-Post is focusing on the state of the Western Hockey League.

The series, prepared by sports co-ordinator Rob Vanstone, began Tuesday with an exploration of the offensive and defensive sides of the game.

Today, we compare the three major-junior leagues -- the WHL, OHL and QMJHL -- and delve into officiating. The latter story appears on Page C2. The remainder of the series focuses on the following areas:

THURSDAY: Life as a WHL player; the changing face of the game, compared to the 1970s and 1980s, assessed by people who have seen both sides.

FRIDAY: The off-ice health of the league; the small markets, especially Moose Jaw.

SATURDAY: WHL expansion and its effects; characters, colour and candour.

- - -

The Western Hockey League scores points with Brandon Sutter.

"I think it's a very good league,'' the Red Deer Rebels' captain said. "I think it's very similar to the way the NHL is played. You learn both ends of the rink.

"It's not as offensive as it is out east in the CHL.''

That raises a stumper of a question: Why?

"I've always kind of wondered that,'' Sutter responded. "I don't know. I don't know if it's the style of game. There are a lot of really good defencemen coming out of the West. I'm not saying there hasn't been from the East. I don't know what it is.

"If you look at it, it's just different. The scores are always different. There's not as many goals scored. For whatever reason, that's the way it is.''

This season, the OHL -- the home of future first-overall NHL draftees John Tavares (Oshawa Generals) and Steven Stamkos (Sarnia Sting) -- supplanted the traditionally wide-open QMJHL as the highest-scoring league in the CHL. There was an average of 6.89 goals per game in the OHL, compared to 6.84 in Quebec and 6.01 in the WHL.

There was a significantly greater difference the season before, when Ontario and Quebec games were more than a goal ahead of the WHL. Why the disparity between the WHL and the other two major-junior leagues?

"That's a great question and one that I can't answer,'' Spokane Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said. "I just don't see enough of their games.''

WHL commissioner Ron Robison fielded the same question.

"This is not to discredit the other leagues, because I have a high regard for both the Ontario and Quebec leagues, but I think it goes back to that team-first culture that we come from,'' he said. "It's about winning. It's not about individual goals.

"It's more of a culture designed to promote a team performance. Consequently, when you look at it again, the defence-first philosophy overrides our game in the West.''

And not only in the Western league.

"It's not just at our level,'' Robison continued. "It's at lower levels. "When you talk to coaches in our league, these players are trained and are coached exceptionally well at the bantam and midget levels before they come to our league.

"Oftentimes, players aren't driving to the net. They're turning back and dumping the puck in or chipping it in and chasing the puck. They're not in position or they don't have the time and space to really gain the confidence and the timing to become top scorers. They're designed to share the puck -- not necessarily to make plays, but to do what's necessary for the team to win.''

Those sentiments are echoed by Regina Pats general manager Brent Parker.

"You watch the bantams and midget AAAs out here and how they play,'' Parker said. "It's more of a tight, close-to-the-vest hockey. Quebec, for whatever reason, has always been different. You go back to the Flying Frenchmen. It has just changed. Those teams have kind of stayed that way and we've gone back to playing that blue-collar game.

"If you look over time, it's always the tough Western leaguers who always grinded it out for you in the playoffs. At that time, the OHL was your goal-scorers and the Quebec guys were your goalies. That's a good question as to why two of the three leagues can be so much more offensively gifted than the other.''

Parker feels the WHL, which is looking to open up the game, should take note of what is happening in the other major-junior circuits, especially the OHL.

"We'd be cheating our fans and ourselves if we didn't look at every option and every angle,'' he said. "You have to.

"Why is it that much different? Are those kids being taught more skill at a younger age as opposed to more systems? I don't know, but we have to look at it.''

WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOALS GONE?

GOALS PER GAME

SEASON WHL OHL QMJHL NHL

2007-08 6.01 6.89 6.84 5.57

2006-07 6.12 7.46 7.60 5.89

2005-06 5.83 7.02 7.41 6.17

2004-05 5.43 6.12 6.38 lockout

2003-04 5.53 6.23 6.72 5.14

2002-03 6.71 6.64 7.08 5.31

2001-02 6.96 6.73 6.98 5.24




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Officiating not all black and white

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Western Hockey League types are not inclined to blow the whistle on their officials.

Although the referees always will be widely dissected, the prevailing sentiment around the WHL is that the people empowered to enforce an intensified crackdown on restraining fouls are faring rather well.

"There's calls that they miss the odd time, but they get most of the clutch-and-grab and stuff,'' said right-winger Jordan Eberle, who had 42 goals for the 2007-08 Regina Pats.

"Growing up watching hockey, there was a lot of that stuff and it was tough for guys like Theo Fleury and small guys to play. It was tough for them to get around bigger guys when they're just trying to clutch and grab you. The changes have definitely helped. They're doing their best to try and open the game up and let guys like me, who are smaller, try and get around bigger guys.''

Vigilance is the key, according to Seattle Thunderbirds general manager Russ Farwell.

"I think there is more offence right now,'' Farwell said. "The only thing we need to guard against, in my opinion, is slipping on this new standard.

"Coaches are going to adjust. That's their job -- to get the most they can. The officiating has to maintain the standard. That's going to give you the chances. That's going to reward the quick guy. It's going to reward the guy who jumps ahead. It's going to reward that transition game in the neutral zone and you're going to build your team that way.''

Farwell noted that there was some slippage during the regular season. With that in mind, the league office issued an edict shortly before the playoffs to remind everyone involved that the standard should be enforced to the letter.

"There was a concern as the season progressed that maybe we got away from the standard,'' said WHL commissioner Ron Robison, who noted that he issued "a reminder to call it in accordance to what we indicated was the standard before the start of the season.''

From the start of his career, the Tri-City Americans' Colton Yellow Horn has noticed quite a difference in how the games are called.

"It's a lot more open than when I first came in, with all the clutching and grabbing and stuff,'' said the fifth-year WHLer, whose 48 goals led the WHL in 2007-08. "But now there's a lot more flow, and with the power play and penalty killing, it's a huge factor in the league.''

WHL games are watched more closely than ever by the officials, given the increasing deployment of two referees. However, the extra official can also create some problems.

"I know you need more eyes to see, if you want to make the calls they want to make,'' Pats head coach Curtis Hunt said. "But you can have two guys and both of them see the game differently and both of them let different things go.''

Hunt cites another important factor regarding the officials -- the fact that hockey is not their sole source of income.

"Those guys are full-time refs but they also need to supplement their lives with real jobs,'' Hunt said. "I can't expect the refs to have the same amount of time to review and to prepare and to re-assess and kick things around like we do. I've got that much more time to do it.

"The other part of that is for the league office, I can cover every one of my players by watching one single game. They need to watch as many as 10 to cover all their assets, so it's not an easy task.''

But it is one that the league is accomplishing, according to Brandon Wheat Kings owner, general manager and head coach Kelly McCrimmon.

"I think our league has had a tremendous leadership role in the development of officials,'' McCrimmon said. "That was done with foresight. That was done with an investment from the league and the owners of the league. All of that was done in an effort to prevent or avoid a problem.''



© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

Interesting that not one player on any team scored 50 goals the last 2 years. It is all due to the "systems" teams use. Everything is "play the system", defence and postional play vs. individual creativity. About 15 years ago the Canes had six 50 goal scorers in the same year on one team. Unreal when you consider there have only been about six 50 goal scorers total on all of the teams in the entire league for like the last 5 years combined. Mind boggeling when you think about it. A few weeks ago one of those Canes 50 goal scorer was interviewd and he stated "they never ever heard the word system" from the coach. It was just go play as hard as you can and go for it. :confused:

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=7264b177-4619-42e8-b209-7860a864b9a4


League learned its lessons over the years

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, April 10, 2008

Throughout the week, the Leader-Post is focusing on the state of the Western Hockey League.

Today, we examine what life is like for WHL players today (Page C7), and draw a comparison to the way things were in the 1970s.

The series, prepared by sports co-ordinator Rob Vanstone, began Tuesday with an exploration of the offensive and defensive sides of the game, along with a look at the impact of coaching. Wednesday's stories compared the three major-junior leagues and assessed the officiating.

The remainder of the series focuses on the following areas:

FRIDAY: The off-ice health of the league; the small markets, especially Moose Jaw; the impact of Ed Chynoweth.

SATURDAY: WHL expansion and its effects; characters, colour and candour; Rob Vanstone's conclusions on the state of the game.

- - -

Bruce Hamilton and Doug Soetaert are major players in the Western Hockey League from a managerial perspective.

But long before they operated successful major-junior franchises, they were conspicuous on the ice.

Hamilton -- the Kelowna Rockets' governor, president and general manager -- scored 91 goals over three seasons with the Saskatoon Blades in the mid-1970s.

One of the goaltenders he tested was Soetaert, who spent four seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings before embarking on a lengthy pro career that included 12 seasons in the NHL. He is now the Everett Silvertips' vice-president and GM.

"This is an outstanding league compared to where it was when I played -- with how the players are looked after and treated, with the buildings that they play in and with the educational packages that are available now," Soetaert said.

What was it like when Soetaert was an active WHLer?

"You just played. That was it,'' he said. "You got drafted and you went on. If you didn't get drafted, you went to work. Or if you didn't play in the minors, you went and got a job. Now you play four years and you go to the University of Alberta and get a scholarship. That's huge. There's no other league in the world that compares to what we have to offer.

"We all went to school and that was mandatory, but back then they didn't follow up on it as they do now. Everybody had to go to school and finish high school. From that point in time, you were pretty much on your own. Now, if you don't turn pro, then you've got the luxury of basically going to the university of your choice and getting your degree.''

Hamilton noted that the game has changed to a significant degree over the past 30-plus years.

"I can take you back to 1973, when I first started,'' he said. "The game then was wide-open. I played with Bernie Federko. He got 70-some goals.

"In those days, the teams were older. We all served our time in tier 2 hockey at 16 and then if you made it on to the Blades at 17, that was a real accomplishment. If you got there at Christmas, you were fine with that. With the advent of the 18-year-old draft (in 1979), everybody's rush, rush, rush.''

That description also applied to the style of play when Soetaert was a junior player. He was also an NHL netminder when the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux were amassing gaudy offensive totals.

The numbers were higher, but the statistics do not convince Soetaert that hockey was better in that era.

"I watch the game now and I watch videotape of the '70s and '80s,'' he said. "You look back and you go, 'Oh my God. We were that bad?' It's a different style. You watch some of the goals that were scored back in the '70s and '80s on goaltenders and you go, 'Holy (bleep). That was a bad goal.' You thought it was a good goal but it was a bad goal, compared to nowadays.

"It's really interesting to watch the style of play. With goaltenders, they block so much of the net now. Goalies used to make glove saves and skate saves and double-stack saves. Now it's all about blocking.''

Once upon a time, goaltenders had distinctive styles. Some were standup goalies. Others were floppers. You could recognize many of the goaltenders by their fibreglass masks. Now the goalies' styles are similar at all levels, with few variations.

"The only one is (Dominik) Hasek, and he's on his back half the time,'' Soetaert said in reference to the Detroit Red Wings' netminder. "You go back to the '70s and '80s and watch how goalies played then. It was stand up, cut down the angle, make the glove save, make the skate save, make the blocker save. Now there's no holes in goalies because they close everything up and they make themselves big and they're tough to beat. They take away the bottom half of the net. They're so flexible.

"They teach the goalies all the same technique now -- blocking. You watch every goaltender and they do the same thing when the puck is on the side of the net or on the goal line. They do the same thing when it's out front -- paddle down. If a guy's coming across, they do the same thing. I'm not saying that they didn't teach that back then, but back in the older days it was more of an art. You were making the big glove save. You were making the double-stack pad save. It's a different form of goaltending and it has greatly improved.''

That has permeated to the junior ranks, which accounts for the lack of scoring in comparison to the 1970s and 1980s.

"The game has evolved,'' Soetaert concluded. "The game has changed and goaltending has changed. You've got great athletes now. I look at the way goaltenders play the game now and there's a different perspective on goaltending. They don't make saves. They block the puck. They take away areas of the net. They close holes. So things have changed.''

The same applies to the relationships between opposing players.

"They all talk,'' Hamilton said. "The one thing about kids today is they all communicate with each other. They're on the Internet or whatever other method they're using -- texting, whatever.

"There's no secrets anymore and that's something we have to get after them about all the time: 'There's things that go on in our dressing room that your friends don't need to know about on other teams.' We used to get in trouble if we talked to anybody after the game.

"Because of the programs they're all in, they all know each other. They visit after the games or they communicate at night and stuff like that. They know what goes on with other teams. They'll ask a certain guy on a team, 'What did you guys have for dinner after your game last night?' They'll say, 'We had steak sandwiches. What did you guys have?'

"It's a lot different now than it used to be.''




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=922af41c-6938-4977-a0be-0f0a8f1df489


Life in WHL 'like a job'

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, April 10, 2008

Life as a Western Hockey League player entails spending countless hours dealing with coaches -- not to mention motorcoaches.

On weekends, players are exposed to the rigours of games (often including three in as many nights) and bus travel. The levels of scrutiny and pressure are greater than most teenagers can comprehend.

J.D. Watt has spent a quarter of his life in such an environment. The Regina Pats winger doesn't regret a thing -- except for the early conclusion of his final major-junior season.

"I've really enjoyed it,'' said Watt, 20, whose team was eliminated by the Swift Current Broncos in the first round of the playoffs. "Not only is it great in a hockey sense, I think it makes you a better person.

"It's like a job. You really learn a lot of discipline in terms of curfews and that type of thing. You're not the normal kid who gets to go out on a Friday night. You've got to have a lot of discipline in your life. Every coach I've had in this league has really stressed that to me.

"I think I've learned a lot of life lessons, going down to Vancouver to see Hastings and Main and seeing the skid (row) down there, and learning things from the cops in Project Keep Straight. With different things like that over the five years, you learn a lot. I won't take it for granted at all and will always remember it.''

Red Deer Rebels captain Brandon Sutter expresses similar sentiments.

"There's a lot of time on the bus and a lot of tough days,'' he said. "At the same time, you look back on it and those are the times you kind of cherish when you're riding the bus and you're hanging out with your friends or watching movies or whatever.

"We hang out all the time away from the rink. Being at the rink is one thing, but I think it's the stuff that you do off the ice with your friends that really makes it worth it.''

Life as a WHLer is certainly worth it from a financial standpoint -- at least for the elite few, such as Sutter, who sign NHL contracts. Sutter recently committed to the Carolina Hurricanes, who selected him 11th overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft.

For most WHL players, however, the remuneration is a pittance.

The pay scale is as follows: $160 per month (16-year-olds), $180 (17s), $200 (18s), $240 (19s) and $600 (20s).

"It needs to be bumped up a little bit,'' Regina Pats general manager Brent Parker said. "You don't need to make a lot because so much is looked after for them. They need a little pocket money so they can take their girl out to a movie or they can go for wings.''

That said, the aforementioned dollar figures do not reflect the fact that players' basic expenses are underwritten. Billets are compensated by teams for accommodations and food.

"The equipment's all looked after,'' Parker noted. "They get new skates. They get everything from their mouthguards to their jockstraps. It's all covered. There's their training and workout gear. A lot of teams provide runners for workouts. They get looked after.''

That extends to the WHL's education package, which provides one year of post-secondary classes for every season of service.

The education contract is voided if a player signs a contract with a team in the NHL, AHL or a top-level European league. A player can retain his education deal if he does not spend more than one season in the ECHL or any of the lower minor leagues.

WHL commissioner Ron Robison said the education package is accessed by "about a third of our players. A third turn professional, a third activate a scholarship and a third probably return to family business or whatever it may be.''

Robison also noted that 70 per cent of the players in Canada West men's hockey are WHL graduates. He added that the combined annual expenditure of all teams on education is about $1 million. If every player opted to take advantage of the program, the total liability would be $10 million.

The program helps the WHL to counter overtures to players by NCAA teams.

"I think there's far more awareness today by players and parents," Robison said. "They look at the Western Hockey League for both the scholarship offer and the best route to professional hockey.''

Many of the routes are long and winding highways, navigated in the middle of the night. Players are expected to be at school first thing in the morning, even when they return home at, say, 4 a.m.

"Sometimes people forget that these guys are 16, 17, 18 and 19,'' Everett Silvertips general manager Doug Soetaert said. "They've got other factors going on in their lives other than just hockey. There could be family issues. They've got schooling issues. They've got a lot on their mind. They've got a lot to do.

"We demand more out of these players than the average teenager, that's for sure. You demand them to go to school every day when they get off the bus at one or two o'clock in the morning. They've got to be at school. The next day, they've got to be at practice. They've got to do their homework.

"You're pushing them in practice. You're pushing them in school. There's a lot of demands and people sometimes forget that. Sometimes they do hit a wall and sometimes they can't perform, but you've got to keep pushing and pushing and pushing and try to get them through it.''

If the players can withstand the demands, there are rewards.

"It's a lot of work, too, but it's fun work,'' Kelowna Rockets defenceman Tyler Myers said. "You're really busy most of the time, but you get to go to the rink every day and play the sport you love.''




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[sbtatter]

Thanks for posting these articles, interesting

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=4059d904-702e-4f7e-a6bf-f98daf40131a


Chynoweth made WHL success it is

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Friday, April 11, 2008

Any involved discussion about the state of the Western Hockey League is incomplete without an acknowledgement of Ed Chynoweth's immense contributions.

"If you want to look at somebody who epitomizes the league, it's Ed Chynoweth,'' Moose Jaw Warriors governor Darin Chow said.

"He is definitely the nucleus that the league is built around. He's definitely the guy who has made the league what it is today. That's not to take anything away from Ron Robison.''

Robison, the WHL's eighth-year commissioner, occupies an office that Chynoweth held for more than 20 years. Chynoweth relinquished the president's post in the mid-1990s to establish an expansion franchise, the Edmonton (now Kootenay) Ice.

The Ice moved to Cranbrook, B.C., after the 1996-97 season. Over the last decade, the Ice has been one of the WHL's most successful franchises with Chynoweth -- now the chairman of the league's board of governors -- in charge.

"Ed Chynoweth is synonymous with the league, in every aspect of the league,'' Robison said. "His influence has extended not only to ownership but to management, coaches, officials and players. He has had more influence than anyone else has in the 40-plus-year history of this league.''

Chynoweth became a part of the former Western Canada Hockey League in 1971, when he was named the Saskatoon Blades' assistant general manager. He assumed the league's presidency the following year and held that post until 1995, with the exception of the 1979-80 season (when he was a minority partner and GM of the Calgary Wranglers).

The Dodsland-born Chynoweth also played a key role in the formation of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League now the Canadian Hockey League -- in 1973. He became the first president of the CHL (which comprises the WHL, OHL and QMJHL) in 1975.

Moose Jaw joined the loop nine years later, when the Winnipeg Warriors transferred to the Friendly City. A business model bearing the Chynoweth imprint has made it possible for small-market franchises such as the Warriors, Ice, Swift Current Broncos and Prince Albert Raiders to coexist with teams in larger centres such as Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

"He has so much to do with the story of the Western Hockey League becoming modern,'' Chow said. "With Moose Jaw, for instance, it has gone from a purchase of $250,000 to a team that's probably worth $10 million now.''

Chynoweth, meanwhile, has been an invaluable asset.

"At one of my first meetings, Ed was gracious enough to come up and thank me for my comments,'' said Chow, who has been Moose Jaw's governor for four years. "It was probably a situation where I didn't have a lot to offer, but nonetheless he made me feel as though I was welcome and comfortable.

"There's a guy who has really been there from the dawn of the league and has been responsible and involved with bringing it forward to the point where it is now, where it is really recognized nationally and arguably internationally.''

The league recognized its former president last year by re-naming its championship trophy the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

"There's nothing more fitting for someone who, over four decades, contributed more than any other individual to be recognized with the highest honour that the league can bestow on him -- and that's the naming of our championship trophy,'' Robison said.

Chynoweth remained actively involved in the league until early February, when the board of governors held a special meeting to discuss the economic state of the game. Chynoweth, 66, attended the meeting despite feeling the effects of kidney cancer, which has worsened.

"Ed ran that meeting,'' said Jeff Chynoweth -- Ed's son and the Ice's vice-president/GM. "He shouldn't have, but that's what the league has meant to him.

"The one thing Ed has always been is a visionary. He's always thinking. Even right now, as his health is failing, he is still thinking. True story: I just got home. I spent more or less five days with him, and we were talking about our golf tournament -- our alumni weekend -- and saying what we've got to do to increase it. I was telling the doctor that he has always been a thinker. He's always trying to be one step ahead.''

Ed Chynoweth's other son, Dean, is also involved in the WHL as the Broncos' head coach and GM. Jeff and Ed Chynoweth have been with the Ice since its inception.

"I'm the luckiest person in the world,'' Jeff Chynoweth said. "I've been able to work with my best friend -- my dad -- for 13 years.''

---

Throughout the week, the Leader-Post is focusing on the state of the Western Hockey League.

Today, we examine the economic health of the league, its small markets (with an emphasis on the Moose Jaw Warriors' rink situation) -- both on Page C7 -- and the contributions of former WHL president Ed Chynoweth.

The series, prepared by sports co-ordinator Rob Vanstone, began Tuesday with an exploration of the offensive and defensive sides of the game, along with a look at the impact of coaching. Wednesday's stories compared the three major-junior leagues and assessed the officiating. On Thursday, we focused on what life is like for WHL players today and drew a comparison to the way things were in the 1970s.

The series concludes Saturday by looking at WHL expansion and its effects, the lack of characters and colour in the game, and Rob Vanstone's conclusions on the state of the league.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=5ccc3d83-e205-4dfe-bbc3-9e72d5449540


Moose Jaw risks losing team if new facility isn't built soon

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Friday, April 11, 2008

Small markets have become a big issue in the Western Hockey League.

That is especially true with regard to the Moose Jaw Warriors' situation.

The WHL has made it clear to the Warriors and Moose Jaw civic officials that the league's facility standards must be adhered to. The 2,705-seat Civic Centre falls far short of the standards.

"We're obviously under the gun, time-wise,'' said Warriors governor Darin Chow, a Moose Jaw city councillor. "The window of opportunity gets narrower all the time because of the cost of construction that keeps going up.''

When a plebiscite was held late in 2006, Moose Jaw voters gave their assent to a proposed. 4,500-seat Multiplex. The city has committed $15 million to the project -- the cost of which was initially quoted at $36 million -- with the proviso that another $5 million be raised in the community.

In addition, the provincial government has committed $8.3 million, with the federal government likely to match that amount. The aforementioned pledges would put the amount of funds raised in the vicinity of $36 million. However, projected construction costs have since soared to between $55 million and $60 million. Moreover, a site for the multi-purpose facility has yet to be selected.

"Obviously, it's taking considerably longer than anticipated to arrive at a decision on a new facility,'' WHL commissioner Ron Robison said.

The league has presented Moose Jaw with two options: (1) Build a new arena; or, (2) renovate the Civic Centre to the point where it complies with the standard. The latter option is widely perceived to be cost-ineffective.

"We are allowing them the time that it takes to get back to them on what their plans will be,'' Robison said.

"However, we're getting very concerned, given the fact that there's a commitment to have a new facility, or a facility of standard, by 2009-10. It's apparent that they're going to be coming back to us with a request for an extension.''

Chow appreciates the WHL's patience, but is himself getting antsy.

"I have frustrations about the way the process has gone to date,'' Chow said. "I've been involved in this for at least 10 years now, trying to get a new facility.

"It does cause me some concern but, that being said, I still hold out a lot of hope that people will realize that this is our last and best opportunity to do something not only to ensure the long-term viability of the Warriors, but also to do something for the community overall.

"Our current facility is approaching five decades old and if it hadn't have been for the people having the foresight back at the time they were building the Civic Centre to do something about it, we'd still be playing outside.''

Robison has indicated to the Warriors and the city that "a very clear position and a full commitment'' must be in place by the time the league holds its annual meeting in June.

"If there's a firm commitment with an immediate time frame attached to it, we are prepared to consider that,'' Robison said. "We are not prepared to consider something that would be indefinite ... If it goes beyond our June meeting, I think the situation becomes very much a concern.''

And what happens if the concerns are not allayed?

"We'll have to consider whether this franchise is relocated to another market,'' the commissioner stated.

"They have an obligation to have a facility of standard and if they're not in compliance with the league bylaws and constitution, then we would take steps to have the franchise relocated.''

Warriors GM Chad Lang must field and contend with the questions.

"From our perspective, it's starting to have its effect,'' Lang said. "It has its effect when it comes to recruiting staff and personnel. It's going to continue to have some effect as far as your recruiting of hockey players.

"With the (bantam) draft (approaching), that's a comment when we have our interviews with parents. They ask 'What's the status of the new facility?' or 'Is there going to be a new facility?' At the end of the day, you get tired of trying to continually say where you're at or defend what's going on.

"I'm a big believer that the business sector and the community at large here in Moose Jaw are fully supportive of a Western Hockey League team. I think they deserve a Western Hockey League team. I think if they're given an opportunity with a new facility, I think it's going to be very successful.''

But what if it doesn't come to that?

"It would be sad to see them gone but, to be perfectly blunt, if they're too stupid to get a rink built, they deserve whatever they get,'' Regina Pats GM Brent Parker said. "I'm not talking about their fans and I'm not talking about their management. If their city council is too stupid to build a rink, then they get what they deserve. It would be a shame, but see you later. The fans in Swift Current hate us enough, anyways. They'll take over.''

Parker is optimistic that the worst-case scenario will not materialize.

"I think they'll get something done but, boy, it certainly has gone on for a while,'' he said. "If they don't think we're serious when we say that if it's not done by the deadline that has been imposed, then the franchise will be revoked, they're going to get a real rude awakening.

"Their fans deserve a lot of credit for going to that dump for as long as they have and supporting that team as well as they have. The only bonus of that rink is you only have to look at three rows of their fans on the other side as opposed to having to look at all of them. That's the only good side about that rink. Having said that, their visitors' dressing room is better than ours.

"They've done as much as they can. Am I worried about them? Naah. It would be wrong for me to worry about them, but I would be disappointed if they left.''

Despite what the WHL deems to be an inadequate facility, the Warriors are viable -- as are the Swift Current Broncos and Prince Albert Raiders. Saskatchewan's three community-owned, small-market franchises all have surpluses.

Swift Current and Prince Albert recently renovated their facilities to meet the WHL's standard.

"It was absolutely key,'' Broncos governor Ben Wiebe said. "We had identified that five years ago, that things had to change. We had to be able to increase our ability to raise revenue. The city stepped up. We had to have that done to survive.''

The Broncos have not merely survived. They are the only East Division team that remains in the WHL playoffs.

But even in times of prosperity, the small-market teams must battle to stay afloat.

"There's not a lot of margin for error," Robison said. "They must maximize revenue streams in terms of attendance and sponsorship -- local support being so important.

"The league will do its part with respect to controlling its costs. We have a business model in place that we want to preserve, and we do so to protect the small markets in particular. But it's incumbent on those markets to ensure that those markets are near capacity every night and that the corporate support is there for the club on an ongoing basis. If that's the case, then our commitment is to maintain the business model and attempt to maintain those franchises.''

That includes Moose Jaw, providing that a new complex can eventually be erected.

"This is a pretty significant project for a community of our size,'' Lang said. "At the end of the day, I'd rather us be in a position where we've done our due diligence and made sure that we built and went about a new facility right the first time rather than being in a situation where three or four years down the road, we're questioning the facility that we've constructed.

"You get one opportunity to make the facility work and be beneficial for the community as a whole.''




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=9859cbb7-6ed8-428f-8b9d-e632d8deda98


Attendance key to franchise success

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Friday, April 11, 2008

A prevalent question pertaining to the state of the WHL pertains to the on-ice product, given the league's continuing quest to open up the game.

It is easier to open up the wallets. The league is in generally sound condition off the ice.

"I think it's as healthy as it has ever been, when I look at the quality of the coaching, the quality of the operators and the parity within the league,'' Tri-City Americans governor and general manager Bob Tory said.

"I think the rule changes have allowed some different types of players to come into the league and do very well. I've never seen as many young 16- and 17-year-olds come in and be as successful as they have this early in their careers. It's not just with one team. You look at every team.''

Tory also pointed to the high calibre of the young goaltenders in articulating his view that the product is improving, as designed.

"So there's a lot of positives,'' he said. "If we could eliminate some of those boring games and the things that create that, we've got a lot of positives to brag about for this league.''

That includes attendance. Although league operatives are striving to enhance the games' entertainment value, the numbers suggest that fans do not have qualms with a product that is largely defence-oriented.

The WHL's 792 regular-season contests drew 3.7 million people -- an average of 4,700 per game -- during the 2007-08 regular season. Average attendance increased by one per cent over the previous season, thanks in part to the expansion Edmonton Oil Kings. The Oil Kings, who became the WHL's 22nd team, averaged more than 5,100 fans per game.

Average attendance is up about 500 from 2000-01, when arenas were 63-per-cent full. That percentage is now 73.

"Our real challenge is attracting the new fan and getting the younger demographic to our games,'' WHL commissioner Ron Robison said.

Catering to that audience helped the Regina Pats establish a franchise single-season attendance record in 2007-08.

"We're over the 5,000 average for the first time in franchise history,'' said Pats general manager Brent Parker, whose team's attendance increased nine per cent this season. "I remember I said at my first press conference (in 1995) that I wanted to get to that number. Our two goals were to win a Memorial Cup and get that average attendance. We've got one and we were close on one.''

The Kelowna Rockets are one of the league's success stories. Capacity crowds are routine at the Rockets' state-of-the-art facility, 6,007-seat Prospera Place. The Rockets have sold out 138 consecutive regular-season games. The overall sellout streak was snapped at 156 during the 2008 playoffs.

"We had to cultivate that because we came into a tier 2 market that was loyal to that market, and it took a while to win it over,'' said Rockets governor-GM Bruce Hamilton, who moved the team to Kelowna from Tacoma, Wash., in 1995.

"Once we got them, the challenge was to keep them, and you keep them by being competitive. But now, a bigger factor is not being boring.''

Kelowna's prosperity contributes to the league's economic health, although Hamilton sounds a cautionary note.

"I think that can be false, too, because there's a large discrepancy between some teams and other teams in the sense of what healthy is,'' said Hamilton, whose franchise's Memorial Cup win as the host team in 2004 was sandwiched between league titles in 2003 and 2005.

"With the community-owned teams in particular, if they break even, that's like making money. There's a lot of teams in our league that don't make any money, for sure, and the owners swallow that. There's a number that make money, but they've got to work hard to make money.

"We're very fortunate, and I don't deny it one bit. We're very fortunate because we've got a tremendous building. The first few years we were in this building, it wasn't full. There was 3,800 and 4,200. Then when we started to win, it took off.''

Kelowna is widely perceived as a gold mine. A veteran scout feels that the Rockets' success is hardly isolated, observing that most franchises "are making money hand over fist.''

"That certainly is a misconception, no question,'' Robison countered. "The majority of our franchises are in a break-even position. Very few are in a profitable state. Some are losing money on an annual basis.

"We have a situation where players are playing in an environment where, particularly in our league, there's a high degree of expense involved in those players. Our travel costs are higher than any other league. We've got a considerable amount of cost associated with every player in terms of equipment and their scholarship programs and so forth, all of which (place) real pressures on our teams.

"Right now, the reality is that the operating expenses of our league are outpacing our revenues. It's a real concern to preserving franchises.''

With those concerns in mind, the WHL held a special meeting in February.

"It was really to look at the state of the league from an economic standpoint,'' Robison said. "I would call it probably more stable than it ever has been, in many ways, but yet it's a very marginal business.

"When you look at the markets that are having challenges at the gate, usually this is due to not having a competitive team over an extended time. The main driver for attendance is the ability to build a championship-calibre team. There is no substitute for winning in our industry.''

Although the once-dominant Kamloops Blazers have struggled in recent years, that did not deter four NHL players -- Blazers alumni Jarome Iginla, Darryl Sydor, Mark Recchi and Shane Doan -- from aligning with Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi to purchase the franchise from the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society for a reported $7 million in 2007.

The expansion fee is also well into seven figures. The Oil Kings were admitted for $4 million. The expansion fee is based upon the nature of the market. Previous expansion fees were in the $3-million range.

The fact that groups are lining up to pay that kind of money for a franchise is indicative of the league's well-being. But there are still some trouble spots.

The Portland Winter Hawks, a once-proud franchise, finished dead last with an 11-58-2-1 record this past season. The Portland situation is occupying plenty of Robison's time of late, as the league reviews the Winter Hawks' operation. The review is to be completed by the end of April.

When asked about the league's audit by Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune, Winter Hawks principal owner Jim Goldsmith said "we welcome it'' while noting that the team's lease situation makes it difficult to be profitable. Goldsmith also pointed out that the Winter Hawks have not made money since they won the Memorial Cup in 1998.

"It's just a function of attempting to restore this franchise to where it was not that long ago,'' Robison said.



© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

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Hope is not lost for the WHL

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Saturday, April 12, 2008

Immersion in the state of the Western Hockey League has been an illuminating process -- at least for this scribbler.

As mentioned at the outset, it is one thing to bemoan the defensive and often-robotic nature of the game, but it is quite another matter to understand why. Preparation of a five-part series, which concludes today, raised some questions and offered some answers. It also provided a semblance of optimism.

On the darkest days of the 2007-08 season, when WHL teams engaged in eye-glazing chip-and-chase festivals, all seemed lost.

The worst games I endured were around the New Year. The calibre of play improved leading up to and during the playoffs. WHL teams did not resort to firewagon hockey, but there was evidence of incremental progress.

Regina Pats fans will despise this paragraph, but their team's first-round loss to the Swift Current Broncos was beneficial to the game. The Pats-Broncos series was a clash of styles -- Regina's grinding approach versus Swift Current's emphasis upon skill and speed.

The league's young lions are another source of optimism. Talented players such as Jordan Eberle (Regina), Scott Glennie (Brandon Wheat Kings), Brayden Schenn (Brandon), Cody Eakin (Swift Current), Justin Dowling (Swift Current), Stefan Elliott (Saskatoon Blades), Evander Kane (Vancouver Giants), Tyson Barrie (Kelowna Rockets) are only 16 or 17.

Some of them are on the diminutive side, but the WHL's two-year-old crackdown on restraining fouls enables them to compete. That is a positive sign.

For more positivism, recall the 2007 WHL championship series between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Vancouver Giants -- a classic league final.

But we have also seen the worst side of the WHL. On Dec. 30, the Saskatoon Blades defeated the host Regina Pats 2-1 in perhaps the ugliest game in hockey history. Pats GM Brent Parker noted during an interview for the series that the visitors did not register a shot on goal for the final 32 minutes. The Blades won, regardless, but it was a lost evening for the WHL.

Admittedly, there is a danger on placing too much emphasis on one dreadful game. But was it an isolated situation? Parker observed that out of the first 50 games he watched this season, more were awful than entertaining.

This has to be a concern for the league. Laudably, WHL commissioner Ron Robison has been one of the leading proponents of opening up the game. Like-minded governors have pushed for tighter enforcement of the rules. That has created more scoring chances, along with opportunities for smaller, speedier players. Even so, the increase in goal production has been marginal (due in part to the calibre of netminding).

To a considerable extent, the WHL is a victim of the mindset that has adversely affected hockey at all levels. A ravenous appetite for expansion (see: $$$) has led to a dilution of the player pool at all levels. That reduces the likelihood of seeing skill versus skill, and limits the options of coaches.

Coaches' emphasis upon short shifts and rolling four lines showcases more marginal players. What if teams were required to dress two fewer players? That proposal, as advanced by Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson, would give the better skaters more ice time. If fatigue is a factor, so what? That would lead to mistakes, which would revive the odd-man rushes, which would improve the game, reduce the regimentation and eliminate some of the structure upon which coaches thrive.

The league has done what it can without resorting to radical measures. As a development league, the WHL has little choice but to adhere to a template established by the NHL -- where goals are less-frequent than in the junior ranks. Coaches and players aspire to reach the NHL, so emulation is the rule.

Even so, the WHL's game is undeniably better than it was three or four years ago. An infusion of skilled, smallish players signals progress and offers promise. The people who operate the league are doing what they can.

But remember: The WHL has not produced a 50-goal scorer in two seasons since the rules crackdown.

On that basis, it can be concluded that the league's quest to enliven the game -- while effective in some respects -- is far from complete.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

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Expansion's pros and cons

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Saturday, April 12, 2008

The growth of the Western Hockey League to 22 teams has not been conducive to a fattening of offensive totals.

WHL commissioner Ron Robison addressed that issue when asked if expansion has had a detrimental effect on scoring due to a dilution of talent.

"I think it has, to a certain extent,'' he replied. "It hasn't helped the cause.

"There's no question, however, that we've opened up the game positively.''

Robison pointed to the arrivals and exploits of smaller players such as forwards Jordan Eberle (Regina Pats), Tyler Ennis (Medicine Hat Tigers) and Zach Boychuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes).

"When we talk about those players like Eberle and Ennis and Boychuk, because our league is 20-some teams, teams have had to look for solutions in terms of talent,'' Robison said.

"The expansion combined with the new standard (of rule enforcement) and anticipating that standard and giving our teams a year to adjust -- the NHL adopted it and we waited that one year -- allowed us to bring in some smaller, talented, quicker players. Consequently, that's opened the door.''

But even Robison acknowledged that the door has been opened too widely.

"Have we gone too far with respect to expansion? Absolutely,'' he said. "I think all leagues are at fault for that. We're producing more players, but we're producing players who are very similar -- players who can play systems and can play a certain role on a team. There's many players who can do that.

"When we look at the distribution of talent, that combined with the smaller player that we've brought in as part of the changes in the rules has allowed us to supplement those rosters.''

Spokane Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz cites another name -- that of Mark Santorelli.

Santorelli won the WHL's scoring title this past season by registering 101 points for the Chilliwack Bruins, a second-year franchise.

"We've opened doors for so many players that might not have had the opportunity before,'' Speltz said. "Mark Santorelli is another one that might not have ever played in our league.''

Santorelli's offensive talents were evident from the moment Chilliwack made its debut in the fall of 2006. As a contrast, there were the 2003-04 Everett Silvertips -- the only WHL expansion team to reach the league final in its first year.

Under head coach Kevin Constantine, the Silvertips won the Western Conference title despite scoring only 157 goals -- four more than they permitted.

"When you look at the success Everett had when they came in, they had a team with players who could play in the league but they're not high-end skilled players,'' Speltz said. "They proved that if you play as systematic as you can, you can be successful not scoring goals.''

How did that happen?

"Our first year in this league, we didn't have any 30- or 40-goal scorers,'' Silvertips general manager Doug Soetaert recalled. "We were an expansion team and our coaching staff worked extremely hard.

"I really believe our coaching staff helped this league improve, because before us, you never saw teams blocking shots. The year prior to us competing, I watched a lot of hockey that year and I didn't see many people diving in front of pucks and blocking shots. Now you see it. Out west, you see all the teams out here blocking shots.

The growth of the Western Hockey League to 22 teams has not been conducive to a fattening of offensive totals.

WHL commissioner Ron Robison addressed that issue when asked if expansion has had a detrimental effect on scoring due to a dilution of talent.

"I think it has, to a certain extent,'' he replied. "It hasn't helped the cause.

"There's no question, however, that we've opened up the game positively.''

Robison pointed to the arrivals and exploits of smaller players such as forwards Jordan Eberle (Regina Pats), Tyler Ennis (Medicine Hat Tigers) and Zach Boychuk (Lethbridge Hurricanes).

"When we talk about those players like Eberle and Ennis and Boychuk, because our league is 20-some teams, teams have had to look for solutions in terms of talent,'' Robison said.

"The expansion combined with the new standard (of rule enforcement) and anticipating that standard and giving our teams a year to adjust -- the NHL adopted it and we waited that one year -- allowed us to bring in some smaller, talented, quicker players. Consequently, that's opened the door.''

But even Robison acknowledged that the door has been opened too widely.

"Have we gone too far with respect to expansion? Absolutely,'' he said. "I think all leagues are at fault for that. We're producing more players, but we're producing players who are very similar -- players who can play systems and can play a certain role on a team. There's many players who can do that.

"When we look at the distribution of talent, that combined with the smaller player that we've brought in as part of the changes in the rules has allowed us to supplement those rosters.''

Spokane Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz cites another name -- that of Mark Santorelli.

Santorelli won the WHL's scoring title this past season by registering 101 points for the Chilliwack Bruins, a second-year franchise.

"We've opened doors for so many players that might not have had the opportunity before,'' Speltz said. "Mark Santorelli is another one that might not have ever played in our league.''

Santorelli's offensive talents were evident from the moment Chilliwack made its debut in the fall of 2006. As a contrast, there were the 2003-04 Everett Silvertips -- the only WHL expansion team to reach the league final in its first year.

Under head coach Kevin Constantine, the Silvertips won the Western Conference title despite scoring only 157 goals -- four more than they permitted.

"When you look at the success Everett had when they came in, they had a team with players who could play in the league but they're not high-end skilled players,'' Speltz said. "They proved that if you play as systematic as you can, you can be successful not scoring goals.''

How did that happen?

"Our first year in this league, we didn't have any 30- or 40-goal scorers,'' Silvertips general manager Doug Soetaert recalled. "We were an expansion team and our coaching staff worked extremely hard.

"I really believe our coaching staff helped this league improve, because before us, you never saw teams blocking shots. The year prior to us competing, I watched a lot of hockey that year and I didn't see many people diving in front of pucks and blocking shots. Now you see it. Out west, you see all the teams out here blocking shots.

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Lamenting the league's loss of personality

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Saturday, April 12, 2008

Regina Pats general manager Brent Parker is acutely aware that freedom of speech is not free -- not in the Western Hockey League, anyway.

"We're just a blah, vanilla league right now,'' Parker lamented. "Speak and get fined. It's just the way it is. If you question anything, you get fined. If you speak out in the media, you get fined. If you stir the pot, you get fined.''

Parker should know, given the frequency with which he has been disciplined by the WHL for what the league deems to be excessive candour. The Pats' boss is one of the few outspoken personalities in the 22-team major-junior circuit.

"We've got to allow teams to spruce things up a little bit,'' Tri-City Americans governor-GM Bob Tory said. "I don't think Brent Parker should be fined every time.

"You know why Scotty Munro, Ben Hatskin and Bill Hunter were so good? Because they promoted the game. Nowadays, if you say anything (WHL vice-president of hockey) Rick Doerksen fines you.

"With Moose Jaw and Regina, let them chirp a little bit as long as it's not out of control. There's a point where you might have to say, 'OK, enough,' but let's let us build some rivalries. If there happens to be a fight one night, it's not the end of the world. Let Prince Albert and Saskatoon get the rivalry back.''

Tory is also an advocate of extracting colour from people who are clad in black and white.

"The officials have no notoriety, either,'' Tory continued. "They're all vanilla. Before, you knew that Rob Matsuoka refereed a different game than Mike Hasenfratz and Tom Kowal. They were all good refs in their own way and they all had their own personality. Hasenfratz was so colourful, and so was Darren Loraas. Now we've got none of that. It's all vanilla and that's what makes the game boring.

"Let Andy Thiessen show his personality because he's a good referee. Don't give them (heck) when one guy takes control of the game and does it a little differently. Back then, you knew, 'Hey, we've got Kowal tonight, so we've got to be careful on the penalties,' or, 'We've got Hasenfratz, so we can be a little more physical.' There's nothing wrong with that.''

Kelowna Rockets governor-GM Bruce Hamilton -- who played for the Saskatoon Blades during the mid-1970s -- would not object, either.

"I'd love to see the game go back to that,'' Hamilton said. "I think that was when it was most exciting and there were some characters in the game. Now we're down to where there's one or two characters on every team, if you're lucky. We don't have that anymore. We don't have guys like Tiger Williams.

"It's hard to find them today simply because the game below doesn't allow them to get into any mischief where they would disrupt the game. It's cookie-cutter all the way up to us.''

Hamilton is not just referring to the ruffians. He feels that the skilled players are not nearly as recognizable.

"In our case, Colin Long (had) a chance to win the scoring championship,'' Hamilton said. "Nobody knows who he is. They don't score 70 goals anymore.''

Long finished with 100 points -- one fewer than league leader Mark Santorelli of the Chilliwack Bruins. Tri-City's Colton Yellow Horn was third in the scoring race with 98 points, including 48 goals. Yellow Horn is the second successive WHL goal-scoring leader to finish shy of 50.

Despite Yellow Horn's offensive prowess, he is not necessarily well-known across the league. Due to the limited interlocking format, Yellow Horn did not play in every arena this season -- Saskatchewan being one of the areas he did not visit. It is difficult to tout or appreciate a goal-scoring kingpin when fans in every centre do not have an opportunity to see him play.

"I think as a league we've got to promote creativity and promote excitement,'' said Tory, whose offensive-minded Americans led the WHL in victories (52) and goals (262) during the regular season.

"Let it become an event where people love to come to the game and there's energy and you know something's going to happen. That's not just goals. It's a hard hit. It's a great save. It's a fight. It's a little bit of a rivalry built up in the newspaper.''

Ron Robison does not mind the buildup as long as he does not view it to be excessive.

"We have worked extremely hard to set a high expectation for a standard for our clubs,'' the eighth-year WHL commissioner said. "That centres around making sure we act in a professional manner at all times. I think that's something that is reflected in our regulations and is reflected in our philosophy as a league.

"If we want to be a major league, we have to conduct ourselves in a major-league fashion and not resort to public comments or tactics that are not considered to be professional in nature. Maybe from the days of the Punch McLeans or the Bill Hunters or the guys who were characters, I think the game has changed at every level in that respect. I don't think our league is any different than anyone else.''




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008