Quick European Recap

Hey readers! Been a long time since my last update I know, but time’s been short lately, and I’ve had a bit of the writers block, so to speak. So, as many of you will well know, I love my European hockey, and the seasons are all over, so here’s a quick recap before I start larger reviews through the Summer.

So, why not to start with the biggest league in Europe, the KHL.

2009-10 was the second year of the Kontinental Hockey League, and it was certainly one that we won’t forget in a hurry. Last years champions, AK Bars Kazan managed to repeat their achievements by defeating the surprise package of the season, HC MVD in seven games. Aleksey Morozov once again got his hands on silverware, as the Tatarstan outfit managed to use their large budget to their advantage throughout the season, which included the mid-season acquisition of Petri Vehanen who managed to turn AK Bars’ season around and gave them solid netminding throughout the season. It was the last time we saw HC MVD, as the merger with Dinamo Moscow is seemingly done. For the outsider, MVD doesn’t have the big names of the likes of the Salavats, the Kazan’s of the KHL world, but they had a great team, and head coach Oļegs Znaroks, regarded as many as the best coach in Russia managed to get his team to the top of the table, and missed out on the Gagarin Cup by one game.

Moving on to the Elitserien..

The Swedish champions of 2009-10 are HV71. The Jönköping outfit defeating Djurgardens in 6 games to win their second title in just three seasons. HV had a great season from top to bottom, with Stefan Liv proving his credentials as one of the best goaltenders outside of the NHL, and the point scoring machine Johan Davidsson at forward and David Petrasek on the blueline. However, come playoff time and your big players show up, and that’s what happened for HV, with the aforementioned Davidsson and perennial point scorer Jukka Voutilainen both scoring 15 points in the 16 playoff games. there were no real surprises in the Elitserien this year, as both the #1 and #2 seeds in the regular season reached the playoff final, and the #1 seed emerged victorious

However, it was completely the opposite in Finland’s SM-Liiga

You would have expected at least one of the top 4 seeds to make the final in Finland.. Right? Well.. wrong. The final was contested between the 5th and 6th seeds in the regular season, with HPK (5th) and TPS (6th) battling it out to become Finnish champions. It was TPS, the team from Turku who lifted the crown, outclassing HPK to lift the title in only 5 games. TPS, who got to the final by defeating last years champions and #1 seeds JYP in 6 games, carried their momentum through to the final. The man with the golden helmet, Illari Filppula was the man of the moment for TPS, with 14 points in 15 playoff games. The surprise package of the playoffs has to be the performances of Lee Sweatt on the blueline for TPS, with 7 goals in his playoff series, and the second top scorer on his team. You can’t forget to mention the performances of TPS’ two netminders as well, as Atte Engren and David Leggio both having GAA’s of under 1.9 and save percentages over .930 in their playoff series’ with them splitting the number of games played almost identically.

Moving south to the Czech Republic, and always exciting race for the Extraliga

The fairytale story of the Czech Republic’s season has to be Dominik Hasek as he lead his team to victory, as HC Moeller Pardubice swept (yes.. swept) HC Vitkovice Steel in the final match up between the 3rd and 4th best teams in the regular season respectively. The first seed, Plzen 1929 fell at the first hurdle, losing to the 8th seeded HC Bili Tygri Liberec. A very disappointing finish for Martin Straka’s team. PSG Zlin, the second seed also perished in the first round, losing in 6 games to HC Slavia Praha. In the final, Vitkovice just couldn’t get the goals the team needed, as they only managed to find 6 pucks past Hasek in the whole series, whilst the outstanding Jakub Stepanek in goal for the Ostrava team was let down by his defence and the team with one of the best defensive records in the regular season crumbled. Game 4, the championship decider was won in overtime, with Rastislav Spirko scoring the winning goal for the Bohemians. Professional goal machine Petr Sykora (the one that played for the Caps) lived up to his name, by netting 12 times in 13 games, whilst only getting a paltry 4 assists.

Moving to the West, The Nationalliga A was another close run affair, with SC Bern capturing their first title for six years, defeating Geneve-Servette in seven games. The team with the highest attendence in Europe finished first in the regular season, and ended up winning nine straight playoff games before finally losing to the side from Geneva in game 2 of the final. The two teams, seperated by a point in the regular season battled it out in a series that went to seven games, but Bern was able to outlast Geneva, winning the seventh game by a score of 4-1. The top line of Ivo Rüthemann, Martin Pluss, and Jean-Pierre Vigier ran riot throughout the playoffs, and all three were around the point per game mark.  Geneve, who had played 5 more games through two series’ than their counterparts in the final just seemed to run out of steam in the final, and their defence just wasn’t up to the task of keeping out the firepower of Bern.

Finally, for this edition moving to the Slovak Extraliga, where everything seemed to be going to plan, until the final..

The final was contested between Slovan Bratislava, who had ran riot throughout the regular season, and HC Kosice, who were looking to repeat their championship of last season. Kosice, who had massive personnel problems throughout the season, which lead in their captain, Juraj Faith, and two alternates Jaroslav Kmit’ and Juraj Kledrowetz being sacked mid-season! Slovan, with the fire power of the likes of Martin Hujsa, Martin Kul’ha and Miroslav Lazo were all conquering through the first two rounds of the playoffs, but fell short in the final, where they ran into the brick wall of 21 year old netminder Julius Hudacek, who had a .936 save percentage in the final. The top line for Kosice of Rudolf Huna, Vladimir Dravecky and Peter Huzevka were too much for Slovan to handle, and Slovan’s refusal to replace star netminder Sasu Hovi seemed to cost them, as youngster Branislav Konrad just couldn’t keep the pucks out at the right time, and Kosice able to shut down Slovan, leaving only Kul’ha and Lazo to score any sort of respectable goal total. Kosice, the third seed in the playoffs wound up winning the series, and following the trend of Slovakian champions repeating the following season.

That’s all the major leagues wrapped up. You can expect a more detailed report of these and other European leagues further on in the Summer!

Why Team GB will finish fourth

There has been lots of optimism in the Team GB camp this year, that after the valiant performance of the boys to win the Bronze Medal in the final game against Poland, from a goal in overtime from who else than Ashley Tait, that Team GB can now push on to even beat one of Hungary and Slovenia to win silver! In my opinion, we would do very well to repeat that success, and GB fans need to get realistic. I would happily eat humble pie if GB were to pull off a massive upset and get in second place, and the chances of beating Poland now, after the tragedy that has struck the poor country are improved from a couple of weeks ago, but I still don’t see it happening.

#1 Goaltending.

Whilst Stephen Murphy has had a great season for Belfast, in regards to his save percentages, I have seen him get lit up by the Blaze on numerous occasions, and I have sever concerns over his ability to steal a game for GB. With Jody Lehman pretty much out of the equation due to playing in the Playoff Final in Denmark for AaB Aalborg, the burden will rest on Belfast Giants’ Stephen Murphy and Cardiff Devils netminder Stevie Lyle to get these team into a medal position. At the last world championships, Lehman saved a total 134 of 144 shots in the five games that GB played, far more shots than the goalies from Poland face. With the way that a Paul Thompson team plays, Murphy or Lyle are going to be facing around 30-40 shots a game, and especially in the Poland game, Murphy or Lyle can only allow, say 1 in 20 shots on goal to allow GB to have a chance to sneak this game. I am no way criticising Murphy’s great season for the Giants, but I just don’t think he will be able to do as well under the system that Paul Thompson will play, especially after having such a good defence to play behind in Belfast. Lehman saved 31 of 32 shots in the Bronze Medal game at the last world championships, and I just can’t see one of Britain’s goalies being able to pull that off.

#2 Key absences

The Team GB lineup in Torun last year was arguably the best Team GB since the days of having umpteen dual nationals on the team. With Jody Lehman in goal after a great season for the Sheffield Steelers, Shane Johnson and David Phillips on the blueline, along with Greg Owen and Ashley Tait scoring the goals, GB had enough to scrape by the Polish. All five of these players could feasibly not be lining up for GB, with Johnson, Phillips, Owen and Thornton definitely not making the trip to Ljubljana. Lehman and Tait are both in their playoff finals in Denmark and Italy respectively, and if they were to be able to play, they would surely not be at their best after playing a grueling playoff series, and no time to rest. These are key absences for GB, with Lehman’s lose mentioned above. Shane Johnson was a great addition for Team GB, as his no nonsense approach as well as his experience were key for helping out GB’s younger players, and there is no denying the pure talent that David Phillips brought to the team. Greg Owen and Ashley Tait are two great scorers, and have a very underrated two way game, and making sure the forwards track back is key for GB in being able to play a tight defensive game.

Whilst this season has seen the emergence of some great talent, such as Stevie Lee of the Nottingham Panthers, Mark Richardson at the Cardiff Devils, and Craig Peacock of the Belfast Giants, who had 4 goals in 2 games in the two friendlies against the Netherlands, Ashley Tait has been Thommo’s clutch goalscorer for many a season, and he was the one who scored the overtime winner against the Polish this time last  season. There is just too much experience lost from last years team to be able to repeat the successes of last season.

#3 The Polish wild card

I’m sure you know about the tragedy that has struck the nation of Poland, with so many people of power dying ironically in a plane crash on the way to visit Katyn. Now, there has been some aftermath by the IIHF and Polish Hockey Federation for the current GB Under 18′s playing in Poland, with no music or celebrations taking place at the event. I feel that this horrible event could either go two ways for the Polish. It could either crush their spirits, and turn up with a ghost of a team and of their former selves, and Britain could defeat them quite comfortably, and take the bronze medal. However, I feel that it will galvanize the team, and make them even stronger mentally, as they try and bring some happiness to their shell-shocked country, and try to restore their national pride. The now deceased President Lech Kaczynski was a fierce patriot, and loved his country, and I can’t help but feel that this will rub off on the team and make them fight tooth and nail to try and bring some success and try to bring some joy to Poland in such a dark time.

As I stated above, if we do go all out and win bronze, I will happily eat humble pie. Call me negative, but I just can’t see how GB are going to be able to win bronze, let alone mount a challenge for Silver.

My predictions.

#1 Slovenia
#2 Hungary
#3 Poland
#4 Great Britain
#5 South Korea
#6 Croatia

I welcome any comments, whether you think I’m completely wrong, or I’m talking sense!

The best Blaze goalie of all time?

It’s a question that has sparked some intensive debate on the Fire and Ice Forum this past week, over who is the best goalie that the Blaze has ever seen? In one corner, you have the old guard who saw the outstanding performances of one Jody Lehman, especially in the BNL Double and the EIHL Grand Slam. Then you have the master of technique, Trevor Koenig, and now to the fans favourite, Peter Hirsch. In my opinion, all three of these goalies who have lead the Coventry Blaze to the ELite League promised land deserve their names in history, and choosing which one is the best is a very tough decision.

So firstly, Jody Lehman. Most renowned for  scoring a goal against the Basingstoke Bison which ended up on Question of Sport. The Saskatchewan native played three seasons for the Blaze, two in the EIHL, one in the BNL. Lehman was known as the big time goalie, and he certainly proved that,  conceding only 12 goals in 9 playoff games when the Blaze won the BNL playoffs back in 2003. Lehman’s style was also very erratic, and he was one who loved to pass the puck quickly. Jody will always have a soft spot in the heart of Blaze fans for being the goalie that lead us to the Elite League title, where he had a mind blowing .941% through 45 games. However stats are not everything, and although it was an 11 import league at that time, the standard of players (in my opinion at least) was lower then as it was now. Let us also not forget Jody’s rather unspectacular season before that, where his performances were not exactly outstanding. For me, Lehman is the goalie I would pick if I had to win one match. A cup final, and I would put Lehman in and tell him to shut up shop. Jody worked wonders for the Sheffield Steelers, proving that his season in 2004-05 was not a fluke, but for seasons prior to his breakout one last year, he had lead the Steelers to seasons of mediocrity, mainly thanks to his play before the month of January.

I know I am biased, but I do have to give a brief mention to Martin Klempa. The Slovakian, signed from the Belfast Giants had a very rough time of it when he was at the Blaze. With arguably the worst defensive core (I’ll grant you Neal Martin, but Mihalik was no better than a #3, Moborg didn’t know how to play defence, and the less said about Graham Belak and James Pease the better). Klempa played extremely well, despite having little to no support from his defence, and always kept the Blaze in with a shout of winning games, although at times he did seem to collapse under the pressure, and was prone to let in a few soft goals. Even though I am extremely biased, I know that I can’t say that Klempa was the best Blaze goalie of all time, but I do feel he does not get the praise that he deserves, especially with how that 2005-06 team was formed, and the shocking D he had.

With two Elite League medals, one Challenge Cup and one Knockout Cup, Trevor Koenig is the most decorated goalie in the Blaze’s Elite League history. Whilst Lehman and Hirsch would make the stunning acrobatic saves, Koenig did not need to make those saves. Koenig was the maestro of technique, and his scientific style meant that his positioning was perfect, and very rarely he put himself at a bad angle to make a save. Koenig’s great skill was the ability to see the puck through traffic, and his rebound control was flawless. Whilst he didn’t have the ability to just shut up shop and steal a game like Lehman had, Koenig has the true consistency required to win a League title, and two seasons with a save percentage above .930% is testament to that. Koenig was prone to the odd lapse in concentration, but this was mainly in the third periods of games which were already won, and you couldn’t fault his cocky swagger, of making a brilliant glove save and then dumping the puck on top of the goal and skating away like it was nothing. The game that stands out in my mind was the shootout win against Nottingham, where Koenig made a ridiculous blocker save on a Sean McAslan one timer, and then made all the saves in the shootout to win the game, and almost seal the title after the Blaze had been faltering  before that.

And now the latest goalie to backstop a Coventry Blaze league winning side is Peter Hirsch. The Danish international has quickly become a fan favourite, with his in game antics, and post game celebrations. You can’t fault his credentials. Played in the Elitserien, starter for Team Denmark in the past, and quickly made a name for himself in the Coventry Blaze side. Ever consistent, it was very rare to ever see Hirsch make any glaring mistakes, and he had the consistency that was required to win the league, however his ability to truly steal a game ranks below Koenig, and definitely below Jody. Hirsch’s positioning is also a skill which I have found myself questioning over the season, including his ability to see the puck through traffic. Hirsch can pull off some ridiculous saves, and his glove hand is a sight to behold when in full flow, and I daresay that when he has sight of the puck, he is the best shot stopper in a Blaze jersey, I just don’t think he has enough to be able to take the title of best goaltender.

So with that, I have narrowed it down to two. Jody Lehman or Trevor Koenig. For me, I have to give the vote to Koenig. As a coach, you have to build your team around a solid goaltender, who will be able to give your team the best chance to win a game night after night, and this is what Koenig brought. While he had the privilege of playing behind two of the best defences that the Blaze have had, Koenig was the key in the Blaze winning game that they had no right in winning, and he wouldn’t just do it once in a blue moon, but he would give the team the best chance to win night after night.

I’d like to know your thoughts, so if you agree or disagree, please comment!

Slovakia Olympic Review

 What a two weeks that was, eh? I apologise to my readers for the month long abscence. Partially due to writers block, partially due to a ton of work that I’ve had at the moment, but I just had to write about Team Slovakia’s performance at the Olympics. Jan Filc’s men managed to battle through to get fourth place in the tournament, their best ever finish since the independence in 1993, and a great tournament by the majority of the players involved.

I have to start with the heroes of the tournament for Slovakia, and who else to start with, but the man in goal, Jaroslav Halak. The Montreal Canadians netminder who went into the tournament with the number 1 spot in the blue and red tied down (unlike in Montreal, but that’s a story for another day). Halak was such a key figure for the Slovaks in this tournament, as he had to be. The Slovaks were always going to go into the tournament playing a trap style of hockey, and with the onus on solid defensive play, then Halak would be facing a ton of rubber in the tournament. He passed the test with flying colours, and the 24 year old from the nations capital will surely be the starter for the Canadians through the rest of the season. While he didn’t have the stats that Ryan Miller did, Halak was there to provide the strong platform that the team could then build on. With Halak now entering his prime, and will become even better, he will surely be the starting goaltender for the Slovakians for both the Winter Olympics in Sochi, and then 2018. Even though the performances of the other Jaroslav, Jaroslav Janus have been admirable this season, I just don’t see how Janus will have enough there to displace Halak from the starters position. Goaltending is certainly the position where Slovakia has looks strongest in the years to come, which is a refreshing change from the years past, where we had to rely on the performances of the great Janko Lasak to get things done in international tournaments, but the difference between the skill levels of Halak and Lasak are huge (Still, no offence to Janko. After what he did in 2002, I still consider him to be a hero)

Up there with the performances of Halak were the efforts of Slovakian stalwart Pavol Demitra. The Vancouver Canucks forward has had a torrid time of it of late, what with injuries and playing time that doesn’t do him justice. However, he passed the test for the Slovaks with flying colours, being nominated onto the IIHF Tournament First Line, along with Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise. Demitra was the epitomy of what the Slovakian team brought to these Olympics. While they were being ridiculed by many, and written off from the start, the performances of Demitra have earned him back some of the respect he earned when he was banging pucks in for the Minnesota Wild. Demitra finished the tournament with 3 goals and 7 assists in the 7 games that Slovakia played, enough for the tournament highest. Marian Hossa also had a great tournament in the Slovaks, finishing second in scoring both for Slovakia and in the overall tournament. Hossa has had a rough ride of it in a Slovakia jersey, and this tournament was no exception, but he certainly puts the points on the board when it counts.

On the defensive side of things, I have to praise the performances of all the defenceman, who logged so many minuts in their own end, trying to hold on to victories. For me, the defenceman of the tournament was Andrej Sekera. The Buffalo blue-liner logged vast amounts of minutes, and although he isn’t the offensive force that Slovakia maybe need, he played an outstanding defenisve game, and he was always there to knock the players off the puck, steal the puck away. He doesn’t lay the big hits, but he’s great positionally, and will be a stalwart in the Slovakia team in the future. I thought that Lubomir Visnovsky had a great tournament as well. Whilst his offensive numbers weren’t too impressive (2+1 in 7 games), he logged vast amounts of minutes whilst not being at the best of health during the tournament, and therefore I commend his efforts.

I’m disappointed however, to come on to my list of negatives for the tournament, and the biggest no-no for me has to be the efforts of one Martin Strbak. Selected on his blistering form for HC MVD in the KHL, Strbak is seen as a blue liner with a wicked slapshot, who can do a job defensively. Unfortunately, he did neither of them for Slovakia in the tournament. With a grand total of one assist in the tournament, and horrid defensive play, Strbak was a liability on the ice and was at fault for so many goals, (including the game winner in the Bronze Medal game). I will be most unhappy if he is on the roster for Sochi. I was also dumbfounded by the performances of Andrej Meszaros during the tournament. Whilst he hasn’t exactly been in sparkling scoring form since joining the Tampa Bay Lightning, I would have expected Meszaros to thrive on a team where he is the main offensive threat, but his passing was slapdash, and his offensive game non-existant. All too often he would get beaten too easily off of the puck, and really had a bad tournament all round. And to finish off with my list of disappointments, it has to be the top scorer in the KHL, Marcel Hossa.. Were you even at Vancouver? I would say the most anonymous man at the Olympics in a Slovakia jersey. Paired with his brother and Pavol Demitra for the first round robin games, Marcel did naff all, whilst his linemates were doing all the scoring, and this lead him to be demoted to the third line, where again, he did nothing. His sparkling goal scoring form for Dinamo Riga looked to be a complete flash in the pan after his performances in Vancouver.. No surprise he was out of the NHL as soon as he got there.

It was a tournament of great results mixed with crushing disappointment. Not disappointment that I expected to win the games, but the disappointment that the fairy tale ended in a crushing way at the hands of Canada and Finland. A feeling of that we got so far, and that we were so close to getting our first Olympic medal, and what a great achievement that would be for a country so small, and has had to look up to the Czech Republic for so long. Our wins against the likes of Russia and Sweden will not be forgotten for a long long time, and while the pain hurts for now, we can look back at pride for what the team has achieved. What gives me most pride in the Slovakian performance was that they never laid down for anyone, and fought to the bitter end. Whether it be the 3-2 loss to Canada after being down 3-0, and the never say die attitude, even when the Fins were piling in the goals in the third period. The players looked to care about the jersey that they were playing with it, and the sorrow that was on the players faces after they lost the bronze medal was really tough to see.

But to look on the positive side, with the tournament back on the international ice in Sochi, I do feel that Slovakia can replicate their achievements. The problem is that the players aren’t getting any younger. Visnovsky and Bartecko will be 37, Chara – 36, Marian – 35, and for the likes of Jozef Stumpel, Ziggy Palffy and the brilliant Miroslav Satan, that was their last crack at the Olympic games, and that’s what’s distressing me. Sochi may be the last attempt for Slovakia as a legitimate nation in the Top 7 of the world. Unless there are serious upheavals in the junior system, we could easily see a sucession of Slovakia failing to reach the quarter final stage, as at the moment the talent just isn’t coming through to replace this golden era of players, who will soon be hanging up their skates. The last great Slovakian youth product was Marian Gaborik, and he is now 28. The only Slovakian youngster that looks like he will become a legitimate NHL player will be Tomas Tatar, drafted in the second round in 2009 by the Detroit Red Wings. Other than that, there has been nothing for the past few years. There is the youth prodigy that is Patrik Koys, but a lot can happen from now until 2014, which is his draft year.

I hate to finish on such a pessimistic note, but I do fear for the future of Slovakian hockey, unless something is done right NOW about the junior system, and trying to make it so that the players such as the Hossa’s, the Demitra’s, the Gaborik’s are replaced, and that we don’t have to look in the history books to see the great days of Slovakian hockey. The team achieved a great deal of this tournament, not just in terms of getting to the Bronze Medal game, but the way that they played and acquitted themselves, and the whole of Slovakia can be proud of their boys.

So, until the World Championships in Germany..
SLOVENSKO, DO TOHO!

What’s happened to Slavia?

Sorry for the long time without an update! Busy times!

I hate to be the one piling more grief onto things, but Vladimir Ruzicka must be regretting passing up the move to SKA St. Petersburg right now. The Czech GM must have the Olympics solely on his mind, as he needs something to forget this season from hell for last seasons beaten finalists, HC Slavia Praha.

Slavia had a rough offseason after losing in the finals of the Ceska Pojistovna Playoffs, where Karlovy Vary pounced on the frailties of Slavia’s goaltending, and nothing short of calamitous signings (or lack thereof) has lead to Slavia sitting  in 12th place in the Extraliga at the time of writing. Albeit, with a win against Ceske Budejovice they can rise all the way up to seventh, showing the parity in the Extraliga but the big spenders will be expecting a lot more. Slavia have made deep runs in the playoffs for years, but if they’re not careful they could miss out on the playoffs altogether.

Slavia lost any hope of winning the Extraliga in the offseason, when Jaroslav Bednar departed to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, via a nixed deal at fellow KHL team, Atlant Mytischi. Slavia’s replacement for their top scorer came in the form of Daniel Branda, signed from HC Litvinov. Branda was no replacement for Bednar, and after 16 games was quickly shipped out, and he’s gone on to record a humble 1 point in 10 games on the roster of second bottom GEUS OKNA Kladno. Next, in game Tomas Kurka, signed from HC Ceske Budejovice, who has 20 points in 22 games, still half the points of top scorer Roman Cervenka. Slavia veteran Michal Vondrka has seen his ice time numbers rise thanks to the departure of top line fixture Bednar, but Vondrka has struggled to get close to Cervenka’s ridiculous numbers of 64 points in 41 games, which has seen him become one of the few European based players to make it onto Ruzicka’s Czech Olympic squad.

Slavia are the true definition of a one man team, and Roman Cervenka, who will more than certainly be leaving for pastures new in the off-season will be irreplaceable for the team from Vysočany. However, the pressing concern for Slavia for the rest of the season and for the season after has to be the goaltending. Since losing Adam Svoboda to Avangard Omsk in 2008, Slavia has ridden with Dominik Furch for the playoffs in 2009, and that turned out to be a disaster, with Stanislav Neruda taking his place for the playoffs. This season has seen no less than FIVE goaltenders take their place in the cursed Slavia Praha goal, with all but one failing miserably. First we saw the product of the Slavia youth system, Dominik Furch try to reclaim his place in goal, and after an 8 game spell, with a meagre 87.5%, he saw himself packing his bags down to Slavia’s feeder club, HC Rebel Havlickuv Brod, where he’s now the backup after failing to impress in the Czech 1-liga. Last seasons playoff saviour, Stanislav Neruda also came and went back to Havlickuv Brod, doing slightly better than Furch but still failing to crack the 90% mark. Both Zdenek Orct and NHL veteran Milan Hnilicka also signed contracts with Slavia, with both failing to impress, especially the latter with a shocking 83%, including conceding 6 on 19 shots in a 6-0 loss against Vitkovice Steel.

Robert Slipcenko is the unlikely hero for the reds. The 24 year old, who has mainly been riding the pine in the minor leagues has found himself on the biggest stage in Czech hockey, backstopping at the o2 Arena. Slippy as he is fondly known was a feature for HC Tabor in the Czech 3rd tier, but has found his way to becoming the starting goalie in the Extraliga, with a mind blowing 92.4%, considering his pedigree. If Slavia want to get anywhere in the playoffs they will require a suitable backup netminder as all too often, goalies can go off the boil and this could happen to Slippy.

Poor old Vladimir Ruzicka. How he wish he had the millions at SKA now..

The influx of North Americans to the Czech Extraliga

Nothing’s new with Canadians moving to Europe to ply their trade in Europe. Large numbers of Canadians are all but rare in the Nationalliga A, DEL and the Elite Ice Hockey League, but the Czech Republic has always been a league that’s been rather tepid for North American players. In seasons past, very few, if any North Americans were playing in the Czech Republic, a league which has always favoured using home grown talent compared to other leagues. Most Czech teams only sign the best of the Slovakians, if they sign foreign players at all, however, this offseason saw some of the first North Americans to move to the Czech Republic in a long time. It was Martin Straka’s HC Plzen 1929 that started the trend, by using all three of their import slots to sign three Canadians, Doug O’Brien, Mark Bomersback and Tyler Schofield. The plan for Plzen looks to have worked, as Plzen, who almost went bust last year are now sitting atop of the Czech Extraliga, thanks mainly in part to the play of Martin Straka and Tomas Vlasak, but Bomersback has nearly a point per game in the Extraliga, with 32 points in 35 games. This is certainly a shock to the system, as the Canadians have always been seen to be too rough for the Czech style of play, but Plzen has kept faith with his Canadians, and they are certainly are paying off.

HC Eaton Pardubice also followed suit, signing American Jeff Jillson to martial their blue line, and the tough defenceman is certainly imposing his physical style on his Czech opponents. Just this week, HC Slavia Praha made two signings to try and give the team a boost after a paltry one win in nine games. Coach and GM Vladimir Ruzicka has just signed two North Americans, picking up Noah Clarke from Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland, and all signs are pointing to them being the team that picks up Darcy Campbell from TPS.

Foreigners have always been a rarity in the Czech Republic. Only a few names have gone over there and made a real impact. Liberec have Finnish goalie Tero Leinonen under contract, after he signed mid way through last season with the White Tigers, and French defenceman Yorrick Treille is mid way through his second season with HC Vitkovice STEEL. HC Kometa Brno have netminder Sasu Hovi as their starter, after he took over from the aging Jiri Trvaj, but Hovi is no stranger to that part of the world, being HC Slovan Bratislava’s goalie for 2 and a half years.

So why the influx of North Americans into the Czech Extraliga? Who knows. I for one can only suggest that it must be down to the money, and the North Americans are signing for a country that’s had a strengthening currency for the past five years, and they can maximize their pay check.  You cannot deny that they are having an impact, but looking at the top players in the Czech Republic, the league is still brimmed with prime Czech talent, even considering that the best players will always flock to Russia to make ten times what they can in the Extraliga. The big names of the Czech Extraliga are always the ones that are most likely to move to Russia, and there’s no doubt that the likes of Roman Cervenka, Petr Leska, Tomas Vlasak and Ladislav Kohn will receive offers to have a shot at the KHL.

As a lot of you will know, I’m not exactly fond of the North American style of hockey, but the North Americans in the league have certainly been a good addition. After seeing Plzen play at Zlin, Bomersback was by far the best player for Plzen, and they are relishing their chance to play in one of the best leagues in Europe.

Whether the trend will continue, I’m not sure. The DEL and NLA will always have more money than the Extraliga, and tend to be viewed as a better moves in terms of standard of life than the Czech Republic, but the Czech Extraliga, in my opinion is the tightest and most exciting league in the world, and certainly my favourite one to watch.

News of the week

A bench clearance in Russia has brought huge attention once again to the KHL. That’s right folks, over 600 penalty minutes in one game in the KHL this afternoon. The two culprits were Avangard Omsk and Vityaz Chekhov, who decided to drop the mitts and raise the fists in what became an all out war in Chekhov! Almost half the players in the game received game misconducts. The game has drawn comparisons to a similar incident in a game between rivals AK Bars Kazan and Traktor Chelyabinsk over 2 years ago now. Fighting is still hugely criticized in Russia, as both offending players receive game misconducts for any fighting.

Big news out of Russia is also the failure of their junior team to gain a medal at the World Junior Championships and Regina and Saskatchewan.  The Russians bowed out of the competition at the quarter final stage, losing to the surprise package of the tournament, Switzerland, who mainly thanks to the performances in net of Benjamin Conz and star forward Nino Neiderreiter drew comparisons with the Slovakian team of 2009. There has been considerable tension in the Russian team, as head coach Vladimir Plyuschev’s decision to strip underachieving Nikita Filatov of the captaincy raised the sense of disgruntlement in the Russian camp. The spat has turned public, as both parties have been slinging pelters at each other in the media. Not healthy for the Russian squad, who will once again see their number of players drafted to the NHL dwindle, despite top tier talent such as Vladimir Tarasenko.

The news out of the Czech Republic this week is head coach of HC Slavia Praha, Vladimir Ruzicka decided to turn down the offer of head coach at KHL table topping side, SKA St. Petersburg. SKA wanted Ruzicka to replace Barry Smith, who although his team tops the table, the board and fans aren’t happy with the job he is doing in terms of product on the ice. Ruzi as he is affectionately known is a Slavia legend, and said that he could not leave his club, despite the money from Russia. The news of this seemed to spur Slavia on, as they managed to pick up their first win in 7 games on Thursday, beating PSG Zlin  4-3 in overtime. Slavia have also been boosted by the return of star forward Roman Cervenka. If there ever was a definition of a one man team, it has to be Slavia Praha. Cervenka has double the points than anyone else on Slavia. Other notes from that game was that it was defenceman Petr Kadlec’s 800th professional game.

Two games in Prague

Last week, I went to Prague and managed to catch two games at the brilliant o2 Arena, and hoped to see HC Slavia Praha be victorious in both of their games, firstly against HC Vitkovice Steel and then HC EATON Pardubice.

After catching the Metro from Mustek to Ceskomoravska, I exited the station to the sight of the towering o2 Arena, and swiftly went to the ticket tiosk to pick up my ticket for the game, an expensive 260 Kc (For Czechs that is). I was sat behind the Vitkovice bench, 8 rows from the ice and it was a great vantage point to see the action at one side of the ice, the other side, less so. It would be an interesting game, as Slavia who have been suffering with their netminder situation since the start of the year, took on Vitkovice, with arguably the best goalie tandem in the league, Jakub Stepanek and Filip Sindelar. Stepanek was not at the o2 Arena, so it was time for Sindelar to take to the goal, with youngster Tomas Vosvrda as the emergency backup. The game started well for Slavia, as they got the majority of the puck earlier on, and Roman Cervenka, the top scorer in the Extraliga and just named to the Czech Olympic roster had two good chances. However, Milan Hnilicka, making his debut for Slavia in goal was woeful, allowing 6 goals on 17 shots. Slavia failed to score and Sindelar got what was probably his easiest shutout ever, as the game finished 6-0. More worrying for Slavia was the injuries to Roman Cervenka and veteran David Hruska, who both went off injured in the second period.

So two days later, and I was back at the o2 Arena, this time in Section 107 directly behind the goal and in with the Slavia fan club. That was an experience and a half! 10,500 were at the o2 for this heated derby game, and Pardubice brought around 2000 to 2500 fans, and it certainly created a great atmosphere. In goal for Slavia was Robert Slipcenko, while at the other end, one of the best goalies of all time, Dominik Hasek. Slavia’s offence was absolutely woeful, and they looked completely lost without Cervenka. His usual linemates, Michal Vondrka and Tomas Kurka turned the puck over on numerous occasions, and they only managed to score when Hasek misjudged a wrap around, and emergency call up from HC Havlickuv Brod, Tomas Svoboda put the puck past the Dominator. Slipcenko was very good for Slavia, and was at no fault for Pardubice’s goals (A one timer in the slot and a tipped point shot). The fans were getting restless but never stopped singing, something I rarely see in Britain.

So that’s my Prague hockey experience for the year. Managed to get over twice this season to Prague, and Slavia went 1-3 in those games. Maybe I’m a curse.

So all that’s left for me to say is have a great 2010!

A merry christmas to you all!

I wish all my readers a Merry Christmas, and hope that you have a happy and safe holiday period.

I’m off to Prague on Boxing to catch Slavia vs Vitkovice and Slavia vs Pardubice. Will have write ups for those games in the first days of 2010.

Thanks again for reading during the first month, and they’ll be more to come!

Cheers,

Jon

Half term grades

With the season bearing down on its half way point over the Christmas period, I feel it’s the right time to do the typical “half term grades” for the Coventry Blaze team, as a lot of people like to do.

For the Blaze, it’s been a great start to the season, as the team has hovered around first or second place for the majority of the season, and still has numerous games in hand over their rivals. Of course, those games in hand mean nothing if you cannot be victorious, but the Blaze have certainly shown they can compete with the best teams in league, beating Belfast twice in the Odyssey, and  defeating the Nottingham Panthers twice at the Skydome, although the Blaze are yet to break their duck at the NIC so far. After this weekend, the Blaze only have one more trip to the Odyssey and two more to the NIC, which certainly leads to a better run in, although there are still three more home games after this weekend against Belfast.

The obvious disappointment this year for the Blaze has been the Challenge Cup, where they did not qualify for the semi finals for the second year in a row (let’s not go into last year’s farce), and it’s obviously a disappointment considering the Blaze’s good performance in the cup. However, I can let this slide if we can maintain our league form throughout the season, and hopefully pick up that fourth league trophy. I went into the season not expecting to do that well, so this season really has been a pleasant surprise so far. So to grade the team as a whole so far, it would have to be a B+. This is mainly because I feel the team still has an extra gear to move up to yet, and we haven’t seen the best from the likes of Calder, Chambers and Fulghum, and once they start firing for good, the Blaze will be almost unstoppable.

Netminders

Peter Hirsch - The first Blaze player to win Player of the Month for two months in a row, and he certainly has been the Blaze’s MVP so far this season. Backing a defence that has not always looked so sure in itself, Hirschy as he is affectionately known has been the star for the blue and white this year, and the Blaze will have to fight hard to try and retain his services next season. The man with a character almost as big as his smile after a win brings amazing reflexes alongside elite experience playing against the likes of Sidney Crosby, and will be a shoe-in to at least be the back up for Team Denmark at the 2010 World Championships in Germany. Hirschy will have to continue this form if the Blaze are to succeed, and with him rarely conceding any soft goals at all, I have every confidence in Hirschy’s ability. Grade: A

Tom Murdy – We haven’t seen a lot of the GB Under 20 starter, so it’s hard to give a grade to Murdy, but he has two wins under his belt in the two games he’s played, and has a very nice save percentage of 93.2%, which he can be proud of. He’ll gain valuable experience in the ENL Blaze, and hopefully he can progress as well as Steve Fone did in Blaze colours. Grade: B- (Average due to games played)

Defence

Brian Lee: A lot of Blaze fans (including myself) were apprehensive of Lee coming in to take the number 2 spot on the Blaze blueline, but Lee has been an absolute revelation since joining the Blaze. His combination of solid tactical play, good decision making and a never say die attitude has lead to Lee becoming one of the fan favourites. Lee has shone in the months of November and December, where the extra responsibility of added minutes has made him shine. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and plays through the pain barrier. The spirit that Lee shows is one that makes him future captain material for any team that he plays for, and I would want Thommo to be trying to sign him right now! For me he has been the best defenceman on at least the Blaze this season, if not the league. Grade: A

Jonathan Weaver – The GB Captain will probably be enjoying this season more than last season. Where he had to carry the defensive corps last season, Weaver has relished the chance to play his favoured offensive game. Still prone to some defensive errors, Weaver’s scoring form at the start of the season was blistering. He can still make a great pass, but I would like to see him getting more shots through traffic. His play has dipped in the past few weeks, mainly due to having to log the extra minutes, and play as 2 defencemen out there, but I’m sure when we have the full corps back, the true Weaves will shine through. Grade: B

Jason Robinson – Robbo has certainly been the surprise of the season. After bouncing around the Racers, Steelers and Vipers, Robinson went back to North America, via Italy but then got the call from Thommo, and made a return to the EIHL. Robinson, a big bruising defenceman has certainly lived up to his no nonsense title, laying a fair few hits, including injuring Ross Dalgleish for a month! One aspect of his game that has been very impressive is his speed, and his lack of silly penalties. This was one of my worries when we signed him, but I’m very pleased with his performances in that sense. The only problem I have with big Robbo is his gallivanting up the ice at often the wrong time. I like his enthusiasm and his spirit, but sometimes he needs to make sure that there’s someone covering him, before he goes charging behind the net. That’s only a minor complaint, on the whole, very very good. Grade: B+

Tom Watkins – Ever reliable Tommy Watkins has ended up on defence for the majority of this season, and although he’s a natural forward, Watkins is doing all the right things on defence. Never spectacular, Watkins has kept his his reputation of doing all the fundamentals right, and never compromising the basics for the fancy stuff. Watkins will never be one to rack up the points, but as long as he isn’t conceding while on the ice, I’m happy with how Tommy’s playing, and he’s a very useful player to have, where he can contribute at both ends of the ice. Grade: B

Matthias Soderstrom – Matty really is an enigma. Some nights he’ll do everything right, and some nights he’ll make mistakes all over the shop (Cite the home loss against Nottingham). Some nights he’ll do all the basic plays right, and on others he’ll make the wrong decisions, charge on horrible pinches or give the puck away with sloppy passing. If he just tightens up on his defensive game, and stops trying to play expansive hockey, Matty will always make a useful contribution as a 4th/5th defenceman. I’m not sure if we’ll see another year of the Swede at the Skydome, as I don’t think he’ll have the legs for another season, especially on the big ice, but so-so for this season. Grade: C+

Forwards

Dan Carlson - To sum up Dan Carlson in one word, it would be warrior. The American has had to log ridiculous amounts of minutes this season, play as a third defenceman on shifts, and be relied upon to score points too. While the latter one of those started slowly, Carlson is starting to put the points on the board in the last month or so, without compromising the defensive aspects of his game. An awesome penalty killer and a relentless skater, DC is showing he still has a few years left, and hopefully we see those years with him in a Blaze jersey. Grade: A-

Adam Calder – Captain fantastic got off to a slow start, but this season sees the return of the gritty Calder we’ve seen in years past. His shot may not be all there as we saw in 2007-8, but the Manitoba native has thrown away the stereotype of when he’s not scoring he’s anonymous. Calder’s defensive game has improved drastically from the last couple of years, and he’s starting to pick up the scrappy goals, rather than the finesse shots. His skating looks improved, and he’s showing the effort that a captain should. I’ve been very impressed with Calder’s form, especially since the end of October, and long may it continue! Grade: A-

Greg Chambers: When we first saw Chambers, he started showing us some of the the miracle passes that made his name when he was with the Basingstoke Bison. The chubby playmaker has changed tack in the past couple of weeks, and has turned into a sniper, with three goals against the Nottingham Panthers, and 1 a piece against the Cardiff Devils and the Sheffield Steelers. Never relied upon to be a penalty killer, Chubbsy needs to be racking up the points, and sitting at fourth in the league in points he’s certainly doing the job that Thommo would want him to be doing. Sometimes he can fade in and out of games, which is something that he would want to rectify, and there are times when he makes the wrong pass at the wrong time and puts the team in jeopardy, but overall I’ve been pleased. Grade: B+

Russ Cowley – Cowley is further making his claim to be the best British defensive forward. With a never say die attitude, quick skating and great defensive awareness, Russ has all the tools to become an elite defensive forward in the EIHL. As usual with Russ though, he just needs to improve his offensive output if he wants to be considered one of the games greats. One of the best penalty killers in the league, and deadly when on a breakaway, Russ just needs to make sure he doesn’t get lost when the game gets physical. Easily becoming our true replacement for Ashley Tait. Grade: B+

Luke Fulghum – Luke seems to be the scapegoat of this years team, and I can sort of understand where a lot of fans are coming from. Suiting up as the fifth (yes fifth!) forward, Luke has been a revelation when it comes to secondary scoring, one of the major areas in which we lacked last season. He has a deadly eye for goal, and tends to score clutch goals. The one area in which I’m disappointed with Luke is in the defensive area of his game. He can often be seen gliding back to the defensive zone, and he does tend to waste quite a few chances, but I can’t complain when he’s putting up the point totals: Grade: B

Greg Owen – Defensive sound, and very useful offensively, Owen has been a great addition to the Blaze team. Arguably the best faceoff man on the team, Owen is very useful in these situations. A great penalty killer and plays solid hockey in both ends of the ice. Greg doesn’t have the points return that he would have wanted really, playing with guys like Chambers, and that’s where I think the slight disappointment with Owen comes from. I would like to see him getting stuck in a bit more in front of the goalie when he returns, but a great addition to the team. Grade: B

Derek Campbell – Was brought in to add the grit and muscle to the team, and he certainly has done that, while also contributing a lot more than people expected. Campbell has been controlled very well by Thommo, and is returning to the form that saw him average a point per game for the Manchester Phoenix. The only daft thing he has really done in a Blaze shirt was the mugging of Brad Voth last weekend, but he has shown that the Blaze won’t take anything lying, down, and has stepped up against the true heavyweights of the EIHL. If he continues to focus on the playing, and keep his minor penalty minutes relatively though, then I will continue to be impressed. Grade: B

Danny Stewart – While I know he’s had the misfortune to be the one who’s had to switch between offence and defence, Stewart has done reasonably well this season. The points totals are returning to the first season he was with the Blaze, and he is still a ferocious skater and penalty killer. I still get infuriated when he doesn’t keep his mouth shut and takes silly penalties (cite: Last week against Sheffield), but I think Stewart is still one of the most underrated players in the country, especially on the third line. Grade: B-

Joe Henry – Was given his chance to make a name for himself on the top line, and every season all we here is that Joe needs to bulk up and add the muscle required to not get bullied out of games, but as with every season, Joe just seems to get bullied out of games, and has no room to use his skills. He has obvious stick skills, and when he gets a chance to shoot, he seems to have a great shot, but he doesn’t get the chance to use it. I think that it’s make or break time for Henry now, and he needs to go to the EPL next season to try and get some regular experience playing against quality players, while having the chance to play hockey. Grade: C

Jack Watkins – Not enough appearances to make a fair judgment. Seems to have all the basics necessary to become similar to Ashley Tait. Good size, a good skater and from what I’ve seen he has a laser of a shot. Just needs to work on using his frame, and also making the right decisions, but at the ripe age of 16, he has a lot of time to develop. Grade: B-

I don’t feel it’s fair to comment on the other players, as we rarely see them get any quality time on the ice to show their worth to the Blaze.

So that’s what I think of the Blaze team so far this season, but what about you? I’d love to hear what you, the readers think of my blog, and the sorts of things you’d like to hear about. Do you think I’ve over or under marked someone? Add a comment.