Hockey articles

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" LINK="#0000BF" ALINK="#80028F" VLINK="#660099"> <div> Boy, you sure must be a die hard hockey fan to want to read my articles.  These are a few articles I wrote in the 90's giving my humorous insights into hockey for Jeff Note on Sportsnote.com.  A fan just alerted me his site no longer is posted so I'll manually insert what I have of the articles.</div> <bR> <div>   I did get to wok as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Knights in the IHL in the early 90's. They said the game was changing, even now they say the game is changing.  Well, the game is changing, they get new players every year.   The players are new, but the game is still the same. As George Byron once said to me, "I'm on my 5th wife now.  The wife is new, but the game is still the same."</div> <div> I hope you enjoy.</div> <div> <A HREF="#reflections_on_wayne_gretzky" TITLE="Hockey articles"><U>Reflections on Wayne Gretzky</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#my_dad_s_advice_to_sergei_federov" TITLE="Hockey articles"><U>My dad's advice to Sergei Federov</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#which_one_is_the_tough_guy" TITLE="Hockey articles"><U>Which one is the Tough Guy</U></A></div> <div> Why All-Star games are boring in hockey</div> <div> Hockey from Roatan</div> <div> Questions and answers about hockey</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="36f4ac40.jpg" border=0 width="586" height="452" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="reflections_on_wayne_gretzky"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Reflections on Wayne Gretzky</B></div> <div> f<IMG SRC="41c03620.jpg" border=0 width="515" height="610" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Wayne Gretzky</FONT> </div> <bR> <div> byCurt Bennett </div> <bR> <div> I haven't written much on hockey for Bill and Jeff lately. I haven't given up on hockey just writing. I'm like the guy who read so much about the dangers of smoking that he finally gave up reading. </div> <div> I need to reflect because I did have a brief touch of Mr. Gretzky. Everyone is trying to find the right phrase or right explanation as to why this 6'1" , 185 pounder could re-write every scoring record in the stocktickerNHL. Lou Nanni, former player and GM of the Minnesota Norths Stars said, "his only reference is himself".   Jeff van Note said something similar to me in a bar lately. We were having our 6th beer and I was getting too full and tired to have more. "You know, Curt, I can't drink with anyone. After six beers no one can keep up. My only reference is myself." </div> <div> When Wayne was scoring 200 points in the stocktickerNHL the closest guy was 80 points behind him! What did he think before a game? "I've got to get some points tonight because Marcel Dionne may go on a torrid scoring streak and score 10 points a game the next 8 games." Yes, he only frrame of reference was himself. </div> <div> My last year in the stocktickerNHL was placeCityWayne's first.  He was 18 years old playing for the Edmonton Oilers. They weren't the scoring machine they would be in a couple of years, but Gretzky, the top scorer in the WHA were he played the previous year, was still already called the "Great One."  He played for Glen Sather, a former teammate of mine with the New York Rangers and possibly the schrewdest and cheapest guy in the game.. "You don't need to tip the cab driver", he once told me as we were exiting a cab at placePlaceNameMadison PlaceNameSquare PlaceTypeGarden, "chances are you'll never see him again."  When Gretz started to amaze the league with his wizardry I asked Glenn, "How are you going to sign him to a contract?". "He's not that good", Glenn said. Glenn ended up being a great influence on Gretzky. Obviously,  he's Gretz's biggest fan, especially since placeCityWayne made him a lot of money. </div> <div> My job was to cover Gretzky. I only got to do it a couple of games. The last few years of my career I was labeled as a "defensive forward". That meant I covered the other team's best offensive player.  You know, like when you are a kid and they tell you to play right field, or in touch football when you ask, "what about me", the captain says, "you go long." No maybe its more like a stuntman, "Ok, Mr. Stalone, this is the scene where 5 guys punch the shit out of you, call the stuntman." I was the stuntman. At that time the best forwards were Mike Bossy,  Marcel Dionne, Guy Lafleur, and Phil Esposito. "What was it like to cover Wayne Grezky", people would ask. I pondered on how he differed from the other superstars.</div> <div> I think I know. </div> <div> "Is he bigger, faster, stronger, smarter?" </div> <div> "Does he have an uncanny knack of knowing what will happen ahead of time?".</div> <div> I though about this as I watched him win Stanley Cups in the 1980's. Everytime he made a great pass I'd take another swig of my beer. "Holy mackeral", I'd say, "did you see that pass!" "and", I'd continue, as I sat alone in front of my big screen TV  talking to my can of beer, "he does it every shift!" My brother, Jim, called me back the morning after one of his play-off games. "What was wrong with you last night? You called me and talked baby talk into the phone. I couldn't make out what you were saying. "Oh", I'd say, "I got so excited watching Gretzky I lost track of how many beers I drank". "Hey," I'd say to Jim, "Give me a break I'm not Jeff van Note." </div> <div> I know when I played against him he was just a little 18 year old. He wasn't a physical presence on the ice like Phil Esposito, nor dashing end to end rusher like Guy Lafleur. He reminded me more of the famous magician David Copperfield.  He would disappear, then reappear somewhere else on the ice. It was almost like he'd distract your attention, like a magician, then pull his trick. He'd get the puck, quickly pass it off, then disappear.  When he'd reappear you would say, "oh, shit" because something bad was happening. He'd reappear, pass to a breaking forward, or take a shot at net, and everyone would be saying, or, at least, thinking, "oh, shit", well, everyone execept Jean Pronovost, a born again Christian on our team. Jean would be thinking, "darn". </div> <div> You now know why Gretzky is so amazing. You won't find any other writer who is trying to find the right answer give you the real reason. </div> <bR> <div> Wayne Gretzky is David Coppperfield<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >.</FONT>!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> Every notice why you never see them together on the same talk show? They even share the same wife! Notice how David Copperfield's wife is never photographed when the former, Janet Jones, now Janet Gretzky, is with placeCityWayne </div> <div> Why do you think placeCityWayne got himself traded to placeStateNew York? </div> <div> I think this explains better than any other reason why Wayne Gretzky is the greatest player to have ever played in the stocktickerNHL.  I wish him continued success in the future as David Copperfield. </div> <div> <IMG SRC="41d8a000.jpg" border=0 width="394" height="512" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <A NAME="my_dad_s_advice_to_sergei_federov"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>My dad's advice to Sergei Federov</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="41f92460.jpg" border=0 width="402" height="326" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>The “Dominator”, Dominic Hasek</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Kitty bar the door</div> <bR> <div> <B>Somehow the Sabres hang in against a Dallas team that, at times outplays them badly.  If this were a prizefight the referee might stop the fight. placeCityBuffalo is like Rocky getting pummeled in Rocky II. placeCityHollywood's poetic license allows him to withstand a tremendous beating and come back to beat Apollo Creed. When leading placeCityBuffalo ise playing a style called “Kitty bar the door”. That's a phrase I've only verbalized and never written. We talked about a team playing that way when they pulled back to the red line and just tried to counter attack. If you got in trouble you iced the puck.  If you had the puck on a rush your first priority would be to just throw the puck in and not take any chances trying to mount a coordinated line attack. The Sabres got up 2-1 last night and decided to play “Kitty bar the door”.  They've got a big kitty in Hasek, but the system depends on everyone coming back and defending the goal. Randy Cunneyworth, a defenseman just called up from the minors, covered for an out-of-position Dominik Hasek and stopped Craig Ludwig's point shot with 16 1/2 minutes remaining, preserving the Sabres' 2-1 victory over the placeCityDallas Stars that evened the placeCityStanley Cup Finals at two wins apiece. Conneyworth adapted to this defensive mindset immediately</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Kitty bar the door is usually played by the visiting team as the home town crowd usually wants a more adventurous style of play. Icings normally make a game boring, but these two teams are so closely matched the fans don't seem to mind the respite of an icing. Well, Sabre fans don't mind because placeCityBuffalo won.  If placeCityBuffalo were down a goal they would not tolerate a “kitty bar the door” style of play. The idea is to go into a defensive shell when ahead, but don't get so defensive that your goalie gets shell shock. Psychologically “kitty bar the door” can have you taking punches like Rocky, but that's placeCityHollywood. In real life Rocky would have been brain dead after so many punches. placeCityBuffalo has a guy like Hasek that may go to placeCityHollywood if they pull this final series out.  Belford, Dallas's goalie, has played great, too, but I'm don't think he would fare so well if he had the  placeCityBuffalo team in front of him.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>This is a roundabout way of saying that if placeCityBuffalo succeeds in defeating a clearly superior team like placeCityDallas, especially using “kitty bar the door” tactics, that Hasek really is the difference</B><B>.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <A NAME="which_one_is_the_tough_guy"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> Which one is the "tough guy".</div> <div> <IMG SRC="420a2420.jpg" border=0 width="418" height="322" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> I get to see more hockey these days  in Atlanta because of cable and Direct TV . One question a former player will ask another while watching two teams play is "who is their tough guy?"  The casual fan thinks hockey is a marauding group of dumb toothless Canadians that like to beat people up.  As a former player I take umbrage at this perception. I played 10 years in the the NHL, I have all my teeth, I went to Brown University, and I'm an American. I grew up playing baseball, tennis, golf, and Red Rover. "Red Rover, red rover send Curtie right over". Hockey is a sport no different than these. I'll use all my cunning and guile to dispel hockey's  Neanderthal perception.</div> <bR> <div> If that doesn't work I look for something to hit them with. .</div> <bR> <div> The casual fan may say. "hell, they're all tough".  Yeah, but there's a pecking order. If someone asks, "who is their tough guy". They're usually talking about the top of that order.</div> <bR> <div> .Let me first define "tough guy".  Each team usually has two or three "tough guys". The media will call them "policemen",  the coach will call them "grinders",  teammates call them "enforcers",  opposing players call them "cement heads",  opposing fans call them "goons",  but  the home town crowd and their mothers call them, "baby."</div> <bR> <div> You won't find these type of players on European teams or college teams. You won't see any of them playing in Negano this February, but they are essential to NHL teams as the point man on the power play. "What is your favorite team, and who is their tough guy?" is a normal question for an NHL team.  Names like Tie Doomi of Toronto and Tony Twist of St. Louis will immediately pop up.  Bob Probert confuses people because he's a "tough guy" that plays on the power play.  Normally putting a "tough guy" on the power play is like putting a bow tie on a pig, but here too, you have the occasion where the coach tells his "tough guy", "stand in front of the net and don't get moved".  "Tough guys" are very polite and obey commands.</div> <div>  </div> <div> You won't see this type of player when their team is up by 3 goals, but they will explode onto the ice if their team is down by 3.  There job is to make it as unpleasant as possible out there. They keep the other players "honest". This means in layman's terms, "scared".  A talented  opposing player  that is not, at least, apprehensive, will play too well.  He needs to think that extra second.  He has to visualize the entire ice and think to himself, "where is that crazy guy that may take my head off."</div> <bR> <div>  The Japanese had soldiers like this in World War II they called them a Kamikaze. They would drink poison before going into battle.</div> <bR> <div> Tough guys drink gatorade</div> <bR> <div> Coaches don't tell these guys their job.  They don't study  Freud or  Jung. They know why they are here.   If someone is running Wayne Gretzky or Joe Sakic the coach will tap a tough guy on the back and say, "you go on the next line with...."  The coach never, never says "go get that guy".  First of all, a tough guy would be insulted.  He's not a thug or hit man, at least, not openly.  He knows his roll.  If he don't apply his forte the coach gets another tough guy.</div> <bR> <div> The referee enforces the rules, but a tough guy must make sure honor is preserved. One thing all hockey players remember is that their are more "tough guys" at home. This means in their home rink. The fervor of a rowdy  home town crowd brings out  all those atavistic juices.  This is why they say the home town crowd is worth a goal or two. You may have the same number of talented players on the team, but at home you have more "tough guys". It's a mathematical phenomena that only other hockey players appreciate.</div> <bR> <div> Nowadays with all players wearing helmets and looking alike it's harder to spot the 'tough guy".  The raging hair, prodigious nose,   battle scared face, and disjointed eyes are harder to see. Hell, in the old days when the rinks were surrounded with chicken wire fence you could hear their heavy breathing and war like screams.  Now you have Plexiglas that muffles their grunts and groans.  Even the home town crowd may get fooled until they see one of the automatons go out of his way to try and level someone. "Who was that! It's our tough guy. Hooray!"</div> <bR> <div> Home towns fans love their tough guy.  He righteously rectifies wrongs.</div> <bR> <div> There is, however, an inherent danger in being your team's "tough guy".  The other team has a "tough guy" too.</div> <div> Sometimes the other team's "tough guy" is tougher.   He hates that. If that's the case he has a problem.  You see, "tough guys" know that you really don't get hurt badly in a fight.  A good body check can injure him far more than a punch in the head, especially his head.</div> <bR> <div> No, a pain far worse  is for 18,000 of his adoring fans  to see him  get his ass kicked.</div> <bR> <div> Tough guys don't mind pain. They'll run head first into a cement wall if you ask them. They hate to get embarrassed  They  know, however,  about THE LAW OF TRANSFERENCE.  I learned this law growing up.  I was the oldest of 5 brothers. When I belted my brother, John, he would use the law of transference.  Rather than risk injury fighting an older and bigger brother he would seek out and find the next younger brother, Harvey, and slug him.  "Tough guys" use this law. Their eyes peruse the ice to seek and destroy anybody other than the other team's  tougher "tough guy".  He may appear to be a piranha in a tank of gold fish as he dashes around but unless  he is  a smart enough tough guy to scatter the right fish he becomes an ugly "tough guy".  That happens when you get punched in the face too much. You are a "tough guy" that chooses too many wrong fighting partners.</div> <bR> <div> Yeah, the helmets make it hard to spot the tough guy, especially on TV. If someone quizzes you about your  team's tough guy. "Hey, who is your "tough guy",  smile and say, "we don't have a 'tough guy' our players are all good looking." </div> <bR> <div> Why All-Star games are boring in hockey</div> <bR> <div> Hockey from Roatan</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </BODY>