Scout
05-21-2008, 05:00 PM
California Cool: 20 years later, hockey more a hit than ever
By Doyle Potenteau
Hockey in Canada isn‘t the same as it was two decades ago. Not with players from the state of California now trekking north to play in the Western Hockey League. Eight years ago, the number of California kids playing in the WHL could be counted on two fingers. Today, you need 13 more digits, and the number is sure to keep rising. As to why, look no further than Aug. 9, 1988, when Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. Hard to believe, but it‘ll be 20 years this summer since the biggest trade in NHL history was announced. Biggest, because Gretzky helped
re-introduce hockey to a state with a larger population than all of Canada. Suddenly, with the world‘s best player in their backyard, going to Kings games became fashionable – not an easy task in image-conscious L.A., where the NHL was
often overlooked.
“(Gretzky) was the reason I started playing hockey,” said Colin Long, a 19-year-old Kelowna Rockets forward from Santa Ana, Calif. “Obviously, he was traded to L.A. before I was born, but they started to get really good. I was young, but I remember that playoff run in 1993 they had to the Stanley Cup, and that‘s what really turned me on to play hockey. As I got older, I remember just watching him and
being amazed at how smart he was on the ice, how much better he made everyone else. That‘s the reason I started playing.”
The Rockets should be thanking Gretzky. Long finished second in league scoring this season with 100 points, one behind Mark Santorelli of the Chilliwack Bruins. Notably, Santorelli was a linemate with Oscar Moller of Sweden, the Kings‘ second draft pick in 2007.
“When Gretzky was traded, everyone took notice,” Long said. “Movie stars started going to games and everyone began watching hockey. If you were at home, you were either watching Magic Johnson or Gretzky.
“He‘s really the reason why you‘re seeing so many kids (from California) come out right now.”
It‘s likely Long wouldn‘t be eyeing a future in hockey had Gretzky not been traded to L.A. The Great One headed south along with left-winger Mike Krushelnyski and defenceman Marty McSorley for centre Jim Carson, left-winger Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and a reported $15 million in cash. The move shocked Canada as a whole. One politician demanded that government block the move, arguing that “Gretzky is a national symbol, like the beaver.” In hindsight, the move is viewed as nothing but beneficial, one that is helping expand hockey‘s roots. The proof is with today‘s teens now playing junior hockey who remember Gretzky‘s Cup run with L.A. in 1993. Arguably, this hockey gold rush of sorts can be traced to the Kamloops Blazers and two players: Defenceman Ray Macias of Long Beach (2002-07) and right winger Nathan Grochmal of Yorba Linda (2003-05). Macias was drafted by Colorado and is now in the AHL, while Grochmal left the Blazers to go on a mission to South Africa for his church.
“Six years ago, there weren‘t too many kids from California in the WHL,” said Long. “Then Ray Macias came up, and he was pretty successful and he got drafted. So a lot of us took note of that and came up here.”
Had Long registered one more point, he would have made WHL history. No American-born player has won the league scoring title. However, Long, with two seasons of junior eligibility remaining, could soon make short work of that 42-year-old statistic. And if it‘s not the third-year centre who enjoys surfing, it‘ll be someone else. In 1999-2000, there were just six Americans in the WHL, including Spokane Chiefs defenceman Kurt Sauer of St. Cloud, Minn., (Colorado Avalanche) and two Californians who went on to brief minor-pro careers. This past season, there were 39 U.S-born players in the WHL, and it looks like the number of Californians may increase: For the past three years, the league has been holding bantam-aged camps in Anaheim to increase its U.S. exposure. The most recent camp, April 18 to 20, had 76 players attend.
“I certainly see the chance of more (Californians) playing,” said Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton. “With the camp, what we‘re finding is the players (down there) have skill. If they can skate well, then they may be able to play.”
Two U.S. kids who appear headed north are Kelowna‘s top selection in the WHL‘s bantam draft earlier this month, Shane McColgan of Manhattan Beach, a five-foot-10 forward, and J.T. Barnett of Scottsdale, Ariz., a six-foot forward selected by the Vancouver Giants late in the 2007 draft. Barnett is the son of Michael Barnett, former general manager of the Phoenix Coyotes and Gretzky‘s former agent. Now, not all Californians in the WHL are attributing Gretzky as to why they‘re playing hockey. For Tim Kraus, it‘s because of his stepdad, Dan Morsk.
“My stepdad grew up playing hockey,” said Kraus, a 21-year-old from Garden Grove, Calif., who just finished a five-year junior career. “So he got me and my brother
involved in hockey almost right away. He built some hockey nets in the backyard and we got hooked.”
So hooked that the Vancouver Giants drafted him in the seventh round, 130th overall, of the WHL‘s bantam draft in 2003. Up to then, Kraus, a six-foot centre, had played all his hockey in southern California. As for Gretzky, Kraus says he vaguely remembers watching the Kings in ‘93, being six years old at the time, but can recall watching the team in later years.
“Gretzky had a big effect on hockey in California,” he said. “He was a big focus and a lot of people went to watch the games. I don‘t know how many guys (in the WHL) say they‘re playing because of him, but I know he‘s the reason why hockey‘s now an option to play instead of baseball or soccer. And with the Anaheim Ducks winning the Stanley Cup last season, that can only help hockey there.”
Goaltender Joey Perricone of San Juan Capistrano also closed out his WHL career this spring, spending all five chilly seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors in Saskatchewan. He said his older brother turned him on to hockey, though it was Gretzky who lit the stick-and-puck spark in his older brother.
“Gretzky and the Kings really got things going in California,” said Perricone, the youngest of seven siblings. “My brothers got into hockey, and into roller hockey, and they needed a goalie. So they started shooting on me in the garage and it took off from there. I guess, looking back, there was a really big ripple effect.”
That ripple extended to Moose Jaw this past season, as both of the Warriors‘ goalies came from California. Perricone, who turns 21 on June 6, was the starter. His backup was Todd Mathews, 18, of Covine.
“When I first came up here, there weren‘t many players from California,” said Perricone, adding the list was comprised of him, Kraus, Macias and Grochmal.
“Now it‘s neat to see all these kids coming up, to see the next generation coming through, and I know there‘s going to be more. The NHL is getting more attention back home, the Anaheim Ducks are getting more attention, and people just aren‘t cheering for any reason anymore. Before, they‘d cheer when there was icing; now, they know the game, they know what‘s going on, which is actually pretty cool.”
And it all stems back to Gretzky being traded.
“Wayne Gretzky brought a pretty big wave of hockey into California,” said Marcus Watson of San Jose, an 18-year-old centre with the Prince George Cougars who just completed his rookie season. “From there, it just generated interest, and now it‘s all over the place.”
Watson is one of two Cali kids who played the entire season for Prince George, with the other being winger Parker Stanfield, 17, of Orange County. However, at one point, the Cougars had four California products in their lineup.
“I was pretty surprised to see how many Californians are playing in the league,” said Watson, adding he‘s only been playing for four years after falling in love with the San Jose Sharks. “There‘s (Vancouver Giants defenceman Jonathan) Blum, and Long, and me and Stanfield here . . . we‘re popping up all over the place. Now, they‘re trying to get more ice rinks in California because more people want to play hockey. In San Jose, where the Sharks practice, there‘s four rinks, and they want to add another one. It‘s pretty crazy how much hockey has grown there.”
Said Stanfield: “It had a big impact on us. I got started in hockey by watching my older brother. He got impacted by Gretzky and started playing in peewees. Then I started watching him and I wanted to try it.
“Personally, I think that trade was great for Californians; it made a great impact and hopefully it grows even more. Being traded, I think, will be his greatest legacy, though I think Sidney Crosby is going to give him a run for his money back east.”
By Doyle Potenteau
Hockey in Canada isn‘t the same as it was two decades ago. Not with players from the state of California now trekking north to play in the Western Hockey League. Eight years ago, the number of California kids playing in the WHL could be counted on two fingers. Today, you need 13 more digits, and the number is sure to keep rising. As to why, look no further than Aug. 9, 1988, when Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. Hard to believe, but it‘ll be 20 years this summer since the biggest trade in NHL history was announced. Biggest, because Gretzky helped
re-introduce hockey to a state with a larger population than all of Canada. Suddenly, with the world‘s best player in their backyard, going to Kings games became fashionable – not an easy task in image-conscious L.A., where the NHL was
often overlooked.
“(Gretzky) was the reason I started playing hockey,” said Colin Long, a 19-year-old Kelowna Rockets forward from Santa Ana, Calif. “Obviously, he was traded to L.A. before I was born, but they started to get really good. I was young, but I remember that playoff run in 1993 they had to the Stanley Cup, and that‘s what really turned me on to play hockey. As I got older, I remember just watching him and
being amazed at how smart he was on the ice, how much better he made everyone else. That‘s the reason I started playing.”
The Rockets should be thanking Gretzky. Long finished second in league scoring this season with 100 points, one behind Mark Santorelli of the Chilliwack Bruins. Notably, Santorelli was a linemate with Oscar Moller of Sweden, the Kings‘ second draft pick in 2007.
“When Gretzky was traded, everyone took notice,” Long said. “Movie stars started going to games and everyone began watching hockey. If you were at home, you were either watching Magic Johnson or Gretzky.
“He‘s really the reason why you‘re seeing so many kids (from California) come out right now.”
It‘s likely Long wouldn‘t be eyeing a future in hockey had Gretzky not been traded to L.A. The Great One headed south along with left-winger Mike Krushelnyski and defenceman Marty McSorley for centre Jim Carson, left-winger Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and a reported $15 million in cash. The move shocked Canada as a whole. One politician demanded that government block the move, arguing that “Gretzky is a national symbol, like the beaver.” In hindsight, the move is viewed as nothing but beneficial, one that is helping expand hockey‘s roots. The proof is with today‘s teens now playing junior hockey who remember Gretzky‘s Cup run with L.A. in 1993. Arguably, this hockey gold rush of sorts can be traced to the Kamloops Blazers and two players: Defenceman Ray Macias of Long Beach (2002-07) and right winger Nathan Grochmal of Yorba Linda (2003-05). Macias was drafted by Colorado and is now in the AHL, while Grochmal left the Blazers to go on a mission to South Africa for his church.
“Six years ago, there weren‘t too many kids from California in the WHL,” said Long. “Then Ray Macias came up, and he was pretty successful and he got drafted. So a lot of us took note of that and came up here.”
Had Long registered one more point, he would have made WHL history. No American-born player has won the league scoring title. However, Long, with two seasons of junior eligibility remaining, could soon make short work of that 42-year-old statistic. And if it‘s not the third-year centre who enjoys surfing, it‘ll be someone else. In 1999-2000, there were just six Americans in the WHL, including Spokane Chiefs defenceman Kurt Sauer of St. Cloud, Minn., (Colorado Avalanche) and two Californians who went on to brief minor-pro careers. This past season, there were 39 U.S-born players in the WHL, and it looks like the number of Californians may increase: For the past three years, the league has been holding bantam-aged camps in Anaheim to increase its U.S. exposure. The most recent camp, April 18 to 20, had 76 players attend.
“I certainly see the chance of more (Californians) playing,” said Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton. “With the camp, what we‘re finding is the players (down there) have skill. If they can skate well, then they may be able to play.”
Two U.S. kids who appear headed north are Kelowna‘s top selection in the WHL‘s bantam draft earlier this month, Shane McColgan of Manhattan Beach, a five-foot-10 forward, and J.T. Barnett of Scottsdale, Ariz., a six-foot forward selected by the Vancouver Giants late in the 2007 draft. Barnett is the son of Michael Barnett, former general manager of the Phoenix Coyotes and Gretzky‘s former agent. Now, not all Californians in the WHL are attributing Gretzky as to why they‘re playing hockey. For Tim Kraus, it‘s because of his stepdad, Dan Morsk.
“My stepdad grew up playing hockey,” said Kraus, a 21-year-old from Garden Grove, Calif., who just finished a five-year junior career. “So he got me and my brother
involved in hockey almost right away. He built some hockey nets in the backyard and we got hooked.”
So hooked that the Vancouver Giants drafted him in the seventh round, 130th overall, of the WHL‘s bantam draft in 2003. Up to then, Kraus, a six-foot centre, had played all his hockey in southern California. As for Gretzky, Kraus says he vaguely remembers watching the Kings in ‘93, being six years old at the time, but can recall watching the team in later years.
“Gretzky had a big effect on hockey in California,” he said. “He was a big focus and a lot of people went to watch the games. I don‘t know how many guys (in the WHL) say they‘re playing because of him, but I know he‘s the reason why hockey‘s now an option to play instead of baseball or soccer. And with the Anaheim Ducks winning the Stanley Cup last season, that can only help hockey there.”
Goaltender Joey Perricone of San Juan Capistrano also closed out his WHL career this spring, spending all five chilly seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors in Saskatchewan. He said his older brother turned him on to hockey, though it was Gretzky who lit the stick-and-puck spark in his older brother.
“Gretzky and the Kings really got things going in California,” said Perricone, the youngest of seven siblings. “My brothers got into hockey, and into roller hockey, and they needed a goalie. So they started shooting on me in the garage and it took off from there. I guess, looking back, there was a really big ripple effect.”
That ripple extended to Moose Jaw this past season, as both of the Warriors‘ goalies came from California. Perricone, who turns 21 on June 6, was the starter. His backup was Todd Mathews, 18, of Covine.
“When I first came up here, there weren‘t many players from California,” said Perricone, adding the list was comprised of him, Kraus, Macias and Grochmal.
“Now it‘s neat to see all these kids coming up, to see the next generation coming through, and I know there‘s going to be more. The NHL is getting more attention back home, the Anaheim Ducks are getting more attention, and people just aren‘t cheering for any reason anymore. Before, they‘d cheer when there was icing; now, they know the game, they know what‘s going on, which is actually pretty cool.”
And it all stems back to Gretzky being traded.
“Wayne Gretzky brought a pretty big wave of hockey into California,” said Marcus Watson of San Jose, an 18-year-old centre with the Prince George Cougars who just completed his rookie season. “From there, it just generated interest, and now it‘s all over the place.”
Watson is one of two Cali kids who played the entire season for Prince George, with the other being winger Parker Stanfield, 17, of Orange County. However, at one point, the Cougars had four California products in their lineup.
“I was pretty surprised to see how many Californians are playing in the league,” said Watson, adding he‘s only been playing for four years after falling in love with the San Jose Sharks. “There‘s (Vancouver Giants defenceman Jonathan) Blum, and Long, and me and Stanfield here . . . we‘re popping up all over the place. Now, they‘re trying to get more ice rinks in California because more people want to play hockey. In San Jose, where the Sharks practice, there‘s four rinks, and they want to add another one. It‘s pretty crazy how much hockey has grown there.”
Said Stanfield: “It had a big impact on us. I got started in hockey by watching my older brother. He got impacted by Gretzky and started playing in peewees. Then I started watching him and I wanted to try it.
“Personally, I think that trade was great for Californians; it made a great impact and hopefully it grows even more. Being traded, I think, will be his greatest legacy, though I think Sidney Crosby is going to give him a run for his money back east.”