Coach's Corner
Campbellton - (Ed. note: The head coach. general manager of the Restigouche Jr. A Tigers Hockey Club will be doing a few feature articles on hockey as the MJAHL and NHL seasons wind down).
Saturday Miramichi defeated Woodstock (3-2) and Quessy (pictou) defeated Yarmouth (4-2). Sunday Yarmouth evened the series at a game apiece with a 5-0 win.
In Miramichi the Slammers came out with speed but they got away from their game plan while the Timberwolves used their bodies without letting up. At the start of the third period, Campbell of the Slammers was not on the ice and bang 3-1 for the Wolves, Campbell was overall by far the best D on the ice! They will have to use him in all critical situations or suffer!
The Slammers will have to win the next one at home to avoid a 2-0 deficit while returning to Miramichi Wednesday for game three.
However the Timberwolves will have to continue to take away time and space from them as the Woodstock team can be deadly if given this advantage. They are quick and skilled, they do not play well on the wall nor the corners and like the perimeter. If they grow some confidence in these aspects they have a chance otherwise, see you next year!
Mosher made two excellent saves when needed, played soundly and made most of the saves look easy by his excellent body positioning. McFarlane in nets for the Slammers was not as sharp and seemed to lack confidence. On another note the Wolves D man Owens and forward McGuiness will have to play much better if they want to help their team. I hope it was just a bad game for them or they are hiding injuries otherwise.
Mojo for the Slammers played his game and was dangerous on more than one occasion! Dooley was his usual self! Worth the trip to see the games for fans!
Yarmouth lost to Pictou, or should I say Quessy (goaltender) defeats the Mariners! This should serve as a wake up call to the Yarmouth team. It is not enough to outplay the adversary but you have to out score them. Pictou can only hope that the Mariners forget about rebounds and lack some discipline in certain areas.
I personally do not think that this will happen and that the Mariners should win this series. As per most top teams, they always find a way to drop a series game before getting the message! Remember it is not the number of shots but scoring chances that prime!
If the Mariners are puck ready and get the loose ones around the net Quessy will welt. Effectively Yarmouth adjusted and shut out opposition with Ungurian in the net to tie the series 1-1. Pictou had almost 100 shots against in two games, ridiculous in a semi final series with the alignment and experience that Pictou has! This series should be over before seven games!
The NHL playoffs are getting closer and closer. Who will be present? The last few spots will be decided between the pipes...this is the time of the year where goaltending will take precedent and without it some players will be on the golf courses early.
The Capitals are exciting to watch with Ovechkin and what about the offensive D-man Green? Head coach Bruce Boudreau is a friend of mine and we actually were opposed in the IHL finals when he coached the Fort Wayne Komets and me the Atlanta Knights.
Dallas Star coach Dave Tippet was behind the bench in Houston, Curt Fraser former Thrasher coach was in Milwaukee and one of his top players was Sylvain Couturier (Bathurst Titans GM) who also played with the Los Angeles Kings. Ken Hitchcock another person who became close to me was in Kalamazoo with the K Wings, Dallas Stars top farm team.
Did you know...Campbellton's John Leblanc was in the league and I actually scouted John when he was with the Hull (QMJHL) team and later with his college team. I was working with the Blues at the time. Another tid bit is that in the early 1990s I requested to Phil Esposito (Lightning president/GM) that we needed another skill player plus some more toughness. We looked at the possibility of acquiring John for skill on loan from the Winnipeg Jets organization via the Tampa Bay Lightning along with Jim Cummings for toughness of the Philly Flyers. We obtained Jimmy but we had to make a deal (trade) with Philly, while Winnipeg said they wanted John for their Maritime team in Moncton. John later did play in the IHL and he had an excellent career.
The hockey world is a lot smaller than most outsiders can ever know. Ron Choules current head coach of the Titans played in Hull and Three Rivers in the early 80s and I also looked at his brother. Ron would drop the gloves if he had to and could also find the net.
There are not too many hockey athletes or coaches that have reached elite heights and are actually active that I have not had the pleasure of having some form of knowledge of. This comes from my lifelong involvement in the game and the places and people that I have had the privilege of interacting with around the world. On the occasions when we meet is always filled with pleasure as hockey people usually have a common bond of friendship and pride in each others accomplishments. This is not taught as it should be at the amateur levels!
If you see a player or coach whose employment and career was in hockey you will in most cases see a camaraderie that has no bars nor jealously, only pride and happiness in seeing each other! Why? Because they have lived something special by merit. They were chosen and we all have friends that would love to be involved in the game in some form or another but for whatever reason they were not successful.
Look at the people who buy teams, or invest just to be able to have a role which otherwise would not be available to them. Those who spend enormous amounts to be with a player, those who watch the sport on the television or read the papers and feel that they know the game This is not a bad thing it is just what we call "dreaming" and I hope that those who do never stop.
Some of us were privileged to have had the chance to live our dream and that is why we are always so happy to be around others who understand the efforts and trials involved in not just talking the talk but walking the walk.
Did you know that they actually booed the Rocket, Beliveau, Boomer, Lafleur, Blake, Bowman, and I could go on and on. Such is the situation in Montreal and throughout the province. So to survive and reach heights under those conditions means that they are accomplished and solid in their field of choice! You have to get on the bus and not just be watching it go by!
Go back in the years and you will see that many coaches, development and management people got their start within the Montreal chain at one time or another. Montreal is known as the Harvard of the hockey world.
Clement Tremblay the present Mayor of Dalhousie was an outstanding junior hockey player in the Boston Bruins chain. Not only was he a goal scorer but he performed away from the puck as well...he could be tiresome on an ice surface! His size in those days kept him out of the NHL; the NHL had only six teams in the mid sixties.
Did you know that Rick Ladouceur actual GM of the Civic Centre and I know each other from way back? We attended more than one long seminar or certification course in different places. This is required by the CAHA and in order to coach from beginners level to Junior either A or Major it was a must! You attended classes and obtained your CAHA levels.
We were at the same time in western Canada for the highest certification level. Not too many people know that one had to spend a little more than a week with an average of 14 to 16 hours per day either in the classroom or outside in the arena or field. This on more than one occasion!
Pat Burns, Randy Carlyle, Dave Farrish, Clement Jodoin, Alain Vigneault, Michel Bergeron, Ron Lapointe, Jacques Lemaire, Jacques Demers, Andy Murray, Lindy Ruff, Mike Babcock, Jacques Martin, Terry and Bryan Murray, Ted Nolan, the Sutters, Mike Keenan, Ken Hitchcock, Tom Renney, Scotty Bowman, Roger Neilson, Bruce Boudreau, Ron Wilson, etc. etc. these names ring a bell, well they all were present at one time or another for these and not only as coaches but students!
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