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View Full Version : Portland pays price for Red No. 23



Malc
09-11-2010, 12:10 PM
By Gregg Drinnan

Call it the Swiss miss.

The Portland Winterhawks had Swiss forward Alessio Bertaggia on the ice for at least one scrimmage during training camp late last month. He is an undrafted European player, who didn’t have his IIHF release.

The WHL looked into the situation and sources told me Friday night that the Winterhawks have been disciplined.
Reached via email, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, confirmed that is precisely what has happened.

“Portland has been disciplined for permitting an ineligible import player to participate in a training camp scrimmage,” Doerksen wrote. “The discipline will remain internal with the league.”

So what started as a bit of a fun thing, at least in terms of some fans and media, turned rather serious.
If you tuned in late, an unidentified player wearing No. 23 lit it up for Team Red in a scrimmage during the Winterhawks’ training camp. The player in question scored three goals and dominated play.

But the Winterhawks never identified the player; in fact, they denied knowing who the player was.

...
Bertaggia is a 17-year-old forward from Lugano, Switzerland, who hasn’t been selected by any teams in the CHL import draft. He played for Switzerland at the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament early in August. He would appear to be a world-class player.

Yes, it is against the rules — not just the WHL rules, but the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation — to have a player on the ice with you who wasn’t selected in the CHL import draft.

In fact, there are circumstances where it is illegal to have a drafted import player on the ice with you.

“An import player can’t be on the ice without his release from the IIHF,” one WHL general manager explained. “I’ve had drafted import players in town and haven’t been able to put them on the ice until their release came through.”

———
So... what do other WHL general managers think about what went on in Portland?
Well, before the WHL doled out its discipline, whatever that may have amounted to, I asked some of them what they felt should happen.
“The league should throw the book at them,” one GM said. “The team should lose at least one import spot for the season. It should be fined heavily. It should lose two spots off its 50-player list for one year.”
Another general manager offered this: “They should lose their Euro pick for three years. The should lose some bantam (draft) picks. They should lose some money.”
One GM also mentioned the possible insurance implications involved with having such a player on the ice with your team.
“What if that player was injured and you didn’t have a release for him?” he said. “Or what if he hit another player from behind and injured that player?
“I don’t want to think about what that all might involve.”
The bottom line, according to a GM, is this:
“We can’t put an American kid on the ice without having him registered through Hockey Canada. They can’t step on the ice. The league bends over backwards and processes it in one day because some days we have late additions. But to try and slide an (import) in...
“I don’t have a problem with them adding people but you can’t add Europeans. You can’t have Europeans on the ice. You get two and that’s it.”
The Winterhawks, of course, have two imports on their roster. Nino Niederreiter, who was taken fifth overall in the NHL draft, may not return from the camp of the New York Islanders, while Sven Bartschi was selected in the CHL's 2010 import draft. Both are Swiss forwards.

http://gdrinnan.blogspot.com/2010/09/portland-pays-price-for-red-no-23.html

Reg Dunlop
09-29-2010, 12:18 PM
First thanks to Malc for posting a great article.My opinion on this story and opinions are welcome. My opinion really who cares. As long as he isn't a registeted player what's the big deal.

Jealous people make mountains out of mole hills.

SectionNDeserter
09-29-2010, 05:04 PM
I wouldn't mind seeing the WHL/CHL collaborating with the IIHF to hold some sort of a camp for Import players every year much like they have done the last few seasons with the American players. Would probably not work unless it were held in Europe, but I think that they would be less than receptive of it there.

Reg Dunlop
09-29-2010, 05:35 PM
I wouldn't mind seeing the WHL/CHL collaborating with the IIHF to hold some sort of a camp for Import players every year much like they have done the last few seasons with the American players. Would probably not work unless it were held in Europe, but I think that they would be less than receptive of it there.

That is a great idea. For teams like Calgary, Portland, Seattle, Van ect... Teams with deep pockets. You did bring up a great idea though just couldn't see it happening. There is a lot of risk in euro players. Hence why Kootenay boycotted this year.

It is tough when you "hear" a kid is great, you spend all this money to get him here, and he is a bust.