For one coach it marks his return to junior hockey, and for another it’s his first shot at being behind the bench after an illustrious NHL career.

2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Team Orr coach Pat Quinn and Team Cherry coach Mark Recchi have taken very different paths to reach this point in their hockey careers.

For Quinn, it’s been a career filled with ups-and-downs in his years of playing and coaching at the NHL level. Never winning a Stanley Cup, Quinn’s most prized victories as a coach were the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the 2004 World Cup, and the 2008 IIHF World U18, and 2009 World Junior Championship.

His latest coaching stint was with the Edmonton Oilers in the 2009-2010 season, but was removed from the position after only one year. Now holding a Senior Advisor role with the club, Quinn says he’s happy to be back where he feels most comfortable.

“It kind of refreshes the memories I had with the under 18’s and under 20’s that I went to Russia with and then Ottawa,” Quinn said in a press conference on Tuesday. “Canadian kids are terrific and I really enjoyed that time then and I’m looking forward to this time now.”

On the flip-side, Recchi is less than a year removed from his days in the NHL, where he played over 1,600 career games, while amassing 577 goals and 1,533 points. The three-time Stanley Cup champion, most recently with the 2010-11 Boston Bruins, also said he’s looking forward to the opportunity.

“I’m a fan of junior hockey and a part owner, and really believe in the CHL,” Recchi said, referring to his hometown team of which he is involved with, the Kamloops Blazers. “It’s a fun time for me to go and watch these kids and be behind the bench.”

With such great talent in the line-up, it’s no wonder that both are excited to be involved with the game. Even with a few highly ranked players not able to participate, there is still a plethora of quality participants looking to catch a few eyes in the stands.

“When you look at the depth of our draft, it has always been the strength of the CHL,” Commissioner of the WHL and CHL Vice-President Ron Robison said. “We represent over 50% of the NHL draft and have been very dominant in recent years from a CHL standpoint. The reality is it opens the door to some players to really make an impression.”

And with a draft pool as close in comparison as any of the years before, it’s going to be extremely important for the players to try and standout as it could put them ahead of their counterparts.

“It’s a great opportunity for these kids to showcase what they can bring to the table,” Recchi said. “It can elevate them to a higher pick, and they can go out there and show that against the best they are the best.”

And while some players may get caught up in the glitz and the glamour of being in the national spotlight, Quinn believes it’s necessary, although maybe difficult, for them to stay focused.

“They’re at such an exciting stage in their lives…it’s becoming a way of life,” he said. “This game is important as it’s an attempt to help improve their development moving forward.”

Recchi said he won’t be hesitant however to give his input if he sees something in a player’s game that he might be able to suggest improvements on.

“I’ve been around the game a long time,” he said. “We’ll go over certain things if I see something. They have all the tools, it’s just helping them recognize it and lead them in the right direction.”

Even though it’s a quick two-day event, both said that they would pass on the best advice possible.

“I would say to really embrace the few days that they’re there together and the opportunity they have,” said Recchi. “It’s a big stage and don’t let it catch you. If you don’t embrace it then you might not bring your best.”

Quinn summed up his advice in one sentence.

“What they’re interested in is finding a good player, so be the player you are.”

Quinn will be joined behind the bench by Associate Coach Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants, while Recchi will be joined by Associate Coach Ryan Huska of the Kelowna Rockets.

Team captains Alfredsson and Chara, with their respective assistant captains Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers and Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs, selected the skills participants from the teams they picked last night at the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft. The order of participation will be determined by the captains just before the start of each event. Each All-Star will be involved in no more than three events, excluding the Tim Hortons NHL Elimination Shootout™ finale.

Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater™ — order determined on the ice

Team Alfredsson    Team Chara

Kris Letang, PIT (backwards)    Brian Campbell, FLA (backwards)
Jonathan Quick, LA (goaltender)    Jimmy Howard, DET (goaltender)
Carl Hagelin, NYR (rookie)    Colin Greening, OTT (rookie)
Keith Yandle, PHX    Phil Kessel, TOR
Erik Karlsson, OTT    Marian Hossa, CHI

Event description: Five players from each team compete, four All-Stars and one rookie. The contest will consist of five preliminary races, with the player posting the fastest time from each team meeting in one final match race. The race format is new this year: one skater from each team is positioned side-by-side on the start line. Both skaters race toward the same end zone, both turn outward, skate to the opposite end zone, turn back and skate past center ice to the finish line. Six team points are available — one each to the winner of the six individual races.

Allstate Insurance NHL Breakaway Challenge™

Team Alfredsson    Team Chara

Sean Couturier, PHI (rookie)    Ryan Johansen, CBJ (rookie)
John Tavares, NYI    Patrick Kane, CHI
Logan Couture, SJ    Corey Perry, ANA
Brian Elliott, STL (goaltender)    Carey Price, MTL (goaltender)

Event description: A test of creativity a player can insert into a breakaway, three shooters (one rookie, two All-Stars) and one goaltender from each team will participate. Each skater will attempt three shots – with no limits. Shooters can start their attempt from anywhere with full access to the offensive zone, including behind the net. NHL penalty shot rules do not apply. Fans in-arena and watching on television in Canada and the United States will be able to vote for their favorite player by texting the number that corresponds to the player of their choice to 81812. The shooter with the highest fan vote will score one point for his team.

Canadian Tire NHL Accuracy Shooting™ — order determined on the ice

Team Alfredsson    Team Chara

Matt Read, PHI (rookie)    Cody Hodgson, VAN (rookie)
Jason Spezza, OTT    Tyler Seguin, BOS
Steven Stamkos, TB    Jamie Benn, DAL
Daniel Sedin, VAN    Marian Hossa, CHI

Event description: Four players from each team (one Rookie, three All-Stars) will compete, with four additional All-Stars from each team serving as passers. From 25 feet in front of the net, a shooter will take aim at four foam targets attached to the inner side of the goalposts, one target in each corner. The objective is to hit all targets in the fastest time. The player with the fastest time from each team will go head-to-head in the final round for the title of the NHL’s most accurate shooter. Five team points are available, one to the winner of each individual matchup.

G Series NHL Skills Challenge Relay™

Team Alfredsson    Team Chara

Group 1    Group 1

Nick Johnson, MIN (one-time passer)    Ryan Suter, NSH (one-time passer)
Shea Weber, NSH (one-timer RH)    Dennis Wideman, WSH (one-timer RH)
Kris Letang, PIT (one-timer RH)    Jarome Iginla, CGY (one-timer RH)
Steven Stamkos, TB (one-timer RH)    Joffrey Lupul, TOR (one-timer RH)
Henrik Sedin, VAN (passing accuracy)    Patrick Kane, CHI (passing accuracy)
Milan Michalek, OTT (puck control)    Pavel Datsyuk, DET (puck control)
Logan Couture, SJ (stick handling)    Gabriel Landeskog, COL (stick handling)
James Neal, PIT (target shooter)    Marian Gaborik, NYR (target shooter)

Group 2    Group 2

Alexander Edler, VAN (one-time passer)    Jordan Eberle, EDM (one-time passer)
Keith Yandle, PHX (one-timer LH)    Dion Phaneuf, TOR (one-timer LH)
Scott Hartnell, PHI (one-timer LH)    Zdeno Chara, BOS (one-timer LH)
John Tavares, NYI (one-timer LH)    Jamie Benn, DAL (one-timer LH)
Daniel Sedin, VAN (passing accuracy)    Kimmo Timonen, PHI (passing accuracy)
Craig Smith, NSH (puck control)    Raphael Diaz, MTL (puck control)
Claude Giroux, PHI (stick handling)    Evgeni Malkin, PIT (stick handling)
Jason Pominville, BUF (target shooter)    Phil Kessel, TOR (target shooter)

Event description: Introduced to acclaim in 2011, this event will feature 16 players from each team (two Rookies, 14 All-Stars) and showcase a host of skills that include the ‘one-timer,’ passing, puck control, stick-handling and accuracy shooting. In the ‘one-timer’ event, three shooters (with the assistance of one passer) must score three goals over an eight inch barrier; in the passing event, one passer must complete a pass into each of six nets placed around the rink; in the puck control event, one skater will skate through a series of cones while keeping possession of the puck; in the stick handling event, one skater will control the puck through a series of obstacles; and in the accuracy shooting event, one player will take aim at four targets. Two groups from each team will go through the relay — one from each team in a pair of heats. Each skill must be completed before moving on to the next skill in this timed relay event worth a total of three points. The fastest team in each heat will earn one point and the team with the fastest combined time will earn one bonus point.


BlackBerry NHL Hardest Shot™ — order determined on the ice

Team Alfredsson    Team Chara

Justin Faulk, CAR (rookie)    Luke Adam, BUF (rookie)
Daniel Alfredsson, OTT    Dennis Wideman, WSH
Jason Spezza, OTT    Dion Phaneuf, TOR
Shea Weber, NSH    Zdeno Chara, BOS

Event description: Fittingly, Team Chara captain Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins called his own number in this event. Chara not only won his fourth consecutive NHL Hardest Shot competition in 2011, but his blast of 105.9 mph broke the all-time record of 105.4 he set in 2009. Team Alfredsson, meanwhile, will be anchored by Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators, who recorded a 104.8 mph shot in finishing runner-up to Chara last year. Four players from each team (one Rookie, three All-Stars) will compete in five head-to-head matchups. One contestant from each team will square off in each round, valued at one point each. The highest recorded shot (by radar in mph) of two attempts will be scored. The player from each team with the hardest single shot will meet in a final match to determine the NHL’s hardest shooter. Five team points are available — one to the winner of each of the four preliminary matchups and one to the winner of the finale.

Tim Hortons NHL Elimination Shootout™

Team Alfredsson    Team Chara

Carl Hagelin, NYR (rookie)    Colin Greening, OTT (rookie)
Steven Stamkos, TB    Pavel Datsyuk, DET
John Tavares, NYI    Evgeni Malkin, PIT
Jason Spezza, OTT    Corey Perry, ANA
Claude Giroux, PHI    Tyler Seguin, BOS
Daniel Alfredsson, OTT    Marian Gaborik, NYR
James Neal, PIT    Patrick Kane, CHI
Milan Michalek, OTT    Jarome Iginla, CGY
Jason Pominville, BUF    Jamie Benn, DAL
Kris Letang, PIT    Joffrey Lupul, TOR
Erik Karlsson, OTT    Kimmo Timonen, PHI
Daniel Sedin, VAN    Ryan Suter, NSH
Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (goaltender)    Carey Price, MTL (goaltender)
Brian Elliott, STL (goaltender)    Tim Thomas, BOS (goaltender)
Jonathan Quick, LA (goaltender)    Jimmy Howard, DET (goaltender)

Event description: The battle between Team Alfredsson and Team Chara will be decided in this competition, when 15 participants from each side (one Rookie, 11 All-Stars, three goaltenders), compete in a time-honored game of “hockey survivor.” Shooters who score will move on to the next round in the shootout, with the All-Star goaltenders rotating after every third shooter. The event will continue until one player scores and the other(s) do not in a single round — last goal wins. Every goal scored will count as one point for the goal-scorer’s team.

These players will get their chance to stand out on the national stage in front of NHL General Mangers and hundreds of NHL team scouts, all with aspirations of moving up the NHL Draft board come June.

While some believe that the players chosen to participate are based solely on rankings, Chris Edwards of NHL Central Scouting described how they were selected to attend the two-day event which also includes a Skills Competition and three-on-three showcase on Tuesday January 31.

“All 30 NHL teams are given a ballot and GM’s submit twelve defenseman, four goaltenders and twenty-four forwards,” he explained. “From there, the guys with the most votes are taken, and the secondary guys – the next number of total votes – are added in if injuries happen.”

It’s then up to the members of Central Scouting, lead by Director Dan Marr, to continue the process.

“Once the teams are selected, we try and divide the players into two equal teams,” Edwards said. “If you look at the scores the last few years you’d think we weren’t doing a good job of it because there haven’t been that many close games.”

Because of those lopsided outcomes, the selection process has come under a bit of scrutiny, but Edwards believes that it’s not for a lack of trying, and defended Central Scouting’s decisions.

“We put a lot of effort into it and attempt to make it even, i.e. Left shot vs. Right shot, or where they are in our rankings, but it really hasn’t worked out. It’s really not from a lack of trying.”

Regardless, the game really solidifies the quality of players that are developing in the CHL, and also gives NHL GM’s who are typically very busy with their team schedules, a chance to watch all of these players under one roof.

It gets all of the guys in one place and gives them [GM’s] a chance to look at the players over two nights,” Edwards said. “They’ll go over each guy they’re interested in with the team’s Director of Scouting and will be able to form an opinion on them.”

As well, Edwards believes that staging an event with this many high calibre players is another great opportunity to show the commitment that both leagues have with one another.

“There’s always been a strong relationship between the NHL and the CHL, even historically, going back to the days of NHL teams sponsoring CHL teams,” he explained. “I still believe the vast majority of players are coming to the NHL from the CHL.”

There are a few noticeable absences from the game however, as top ranked players such as Alex Galchenyuk (Sarnia Sting) Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw Warriors), and Slater Koekkoek (Peterborough Petes) will miss the game due to significant injuries that have kept them out of CHL lineups most of the season.

Edwards feels that although they are injured, their draft stock should not be affected.

“The GM’s aren’t going to see them this one time, but these guys have been seen a lot by their scouting departments, with the exception of Galchenyuk,” he said. “In his [Galchenyuk] case, it makes the NHL combine that much more important. It won’t affect him that much as long as he gets a clean bill of health and he’ll be back to 100%.”

And while players like Galchenyuk will be unable to play, the others competing will hope to solidify their positions as top ranked NHL prospects, and be one step closer to realizing their dream of being drafted on June 22nd in Pittsburgh.

At least that’s not the reputation Tomas himself would like to have anymore.

“I want to be known as a good hockey player, not just the guy with the stick and puck.”

The Kosice, Slovakia native became an instant You Tube sensation after an awe-inspiring video of his stick handling skills went viral.

“I was just a kid playing around,” said Jurco. “I was only 13 or 14, I never thought it was going to be so popular.”

Jurco insists those days are behind him now. That’s not to say however, that the crafty winger has done any less of a job helping the puck find the back of the net in his third season in the QMJHL.

The stick work and puck movement of this 2010-11 Memorial Cup champion is hard to miss and at 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, Jurco is just as much of a physical presence as a goal scorer.

With the Saint John Seas Dogs this season, Jurco has put up 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) and is plus-28 in 30 games.

His fancy dangles also helped him edge first overall draft pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the Showdown Breakaway Challenge at the 2011 CHL/NHL Top Prospects competition.

The Red Wings prospect suited up for Team Slovakia at the Under-20 World Junior Championships over the holidays, where he put up eight points (one goal, seven assists) in five games. The Slovaks went on to a sixth place finish.

“I’m really happy with my team,” said Jurco. “I think we played good and I think we made a lot of people happy back home and that’s what we came for.”

Being in his second Under-20 tournament, on a team comprised primarily of players playing outside of North America, Jurco took on more of a leadership role. His experience playing with the likes of Team Canada’s Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu in Saint John helped him fulfill that duty.

“I’m just trying to help guys and give them my advice,” he said. “I’ve played in a lot of big games in Saint John and I try to bring the experience that I have and get the guys pumped.”

A link to the video interview can be found here.

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Tieja is a regular contributor to OpenIceHockey and can be found on Twitter @tieja_mac

31 years to be exact.

In fact, head coach Roger Rönnberg was only 10-years-old the last time he witnessed his country win a gold medal at the IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship.

This year, a lesser known, but always skilled Swedish squad worked their way to a perfect 4-0 record in round robin play before squaring off against some hefty opponents in the medal rounds.

Digging themselves out of a 3-0 deficit against the Russians in their final preliminary match proved to be one of their biggest feats. With 40 seconds remaining in the game, Anaheim Ducks prospect Max Friberg tied the score to force extra play. Friberg went on to assist Joakim Nordström’s game winner in a 4-3 final.

The overtime determinant marked the first of three for the Swedes en route to capturing gold. The team’s semifinal against Finland was determined in a shootout and the final championship game against Russia also went to overtime.

In that final game, shots favoured Sweden 50-16 after 60 minutes of regulation. Ottawa Senators prospect Mika Zibanejad was the eventual hero, scoring the “golden goal” for his country.

The scene across the pond in Stockholm was one of pride and exuberance for a country that had waited so patiently for its turn in the international hockey spotlight.

Friberg finished the tournament with 11 points in six games and was named to the tournament all-star team, along with teammate and defenseman Oscar Klefbom.

The victory has since been called the greatest hockey accomplishment for Sweden in the past century.

In one calendar year, the upstart prospect has played in the Memorial Cup tournament, played in two NHL exhibition games with the Montreal Canadiens, and earned a bronze medal in the World Junior Championships with Team Canada.

“I hope with this experience that I can bring a winning attitude to the rink every day,” he said.

The Sea Dogs couldn’t be happier with his play.

So far this season, Beaulieu has been able to fill in admirably for the departed Simon Despres. He’s scored eight goals and added 18 assists for 26 points in 30 games. Last season, in the Sea Dogs Memorial Cup championship run, he had 17 points in 19 games, and added three points in four games in the Memorial Cup. Beaulieu was named to the tournament all-star team.

“He’s very talented,” Saint John Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said. “He’s been excellent on the powerplay for us and he’s got plenty of skill.

“He plays in all situations and he’s on the ice a lot,” continued Gallant. “He’s been able to play all roles for us this year. We really like our defensive unit as a whole and [Nathan] has been a part of that.”

Beaulieu impressed former Habs coach Jacques Martin and his staff so much that he got into two exhibition games, playing alongside P.K. Subban and Josh Gorges, both experienced NHLers.

“They were excellent to play with,” he said. “They calmed me down and let me just play my own game. They settled me in.”

Beaulieu started one of the games, and played over 30 minutes in one of the contests, leading the team in ice time and prompting the Bell Centre faithful to chant his name.

Standing on the ice while the anthems played and looking up in the crowd at thousands of screaming fans was a sight he’ll never forget.

“I was star-struck,” he said. “The atmosphere was incredible.”

Beaulieu said that Martin and his staff really helped his game.

“They were very positive,” he said. “He’s an experienced coach who’s been there before, so you want to take in as much as you can. I was like a sponge out there, trying to get everything I could and working to improve my game.”

Beaulieu wants to improve a couple of things in his game before he embarks on his pro career.

“I want to look to improve my conditioning and my skating,” he said. “It can always get better. The pro game is a huge jump.

“They were really positive at camp and it helped me. [The Habs] are a team that take their time with prospects, and I’m confident I’ll be fine if I keep following their instruction.”

Gallant thinks that Beaulieu would be an even bigger force with some help on his defensive game.

“He’s been improving this already, and it’s shown in his game this year,” Gallant said. “If he keeps playing as hard on pucks in the defensive zone as he has been, and keeps his compete level and battle level up he’ll be a great professional.”

For David Aebischer, his goal has always been one thing — to play in the NHL.

The 33-year-old enjoyed a six-year stint in the league before spending the next four years playing in his native Switzerland.
Now, Aebischer wants back in the NHL and is getting a second chance with the Winnipeg Jets’ American Hockey League affiliate the St. John’s IceCaps.

“I think the way I left North America wasn’t the way I wanted to,” he said following a 20-save performance in an IceCaps’ 4-2 victory over the Toronto Marlies at Ricoh Coliseum.

“When I thought about it, at [age] 33, what are my goals? My goals were to play back to the NHL so I wanted come back to play over here.”
Aebischer realized what he wanted to do when he was 12 or 13 years old. He attended his first NHL game at the Colisee, watching the Quebec Nordiques.

Five years later,  he was drafted by that very same franchise, now the Colorado Avalanche.

Aebischer twirled about the minors for the first couple of years, mostly in Hershey, where he compiled a 46-33-7 record and helped the Bears reach the third-round of the 1999-2000 Calder Cup playoffs.

The following year, Colorado traded backup netminder Marc Denis to the Columbus Blue Jackets, opening the door to the NHL for Aebischer.

Aebischer made the Avalanche as a backup to Hall of Famer Patrick Roy. He became the first Swiss-born player to win the Stanley Cup when Colorado beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in Game 7 of the 2001 final.
Aebischer served as Roy’s backup for three seasons, putting up good enough numbers to earn him the starting role when Roy retired in 2003.

During the 2003-2004 season, Aebischer posted a record of 32-19-9 with a 2.09 goals-against average as the Avalanche finished second in the Northwest Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before falling in six games to the San Jose Sharks.

Then came the lockout.

To remain sharp during the work stoppage, Aebischer, who had a 2.05 GAA in four seasons with the Avalanche, and teammate Alex Tanguay played for HC Lugano in Switzerland. Playing at an NHL level in the Nationalliga A, Aebischer was an impressive 13-2-3.

He returned to Denver following the lockout but failed to play consistently and, just prior to the NHL trade deadline, Colorado traded him to the Montreal Canadiens for former Hart Trophy winner Jose Theodore, taking a gamble on a more experienced yet struggling goaltender beaten out of a job by Cristobal Huet (who, by coincidence, presently plays in Aebischer’s hometown of Fribourg).

Aebischer was primarily Huet’s backup for the remainder of that season and the next and, when the Canadiens failed to make the playoffs, Aebischer wasn’t re-signed.

He resurfaced with the Phoenix Coyotes on a one-year deal.

Aebischer found himself in a three-way battle with Mikael Tellqvist and Alex Auld during Coyotes training camp. When Tellqvist won the starting job and Auld was named the backup, Aebischer found himself back in the minors. He had made five appearances for the San Antonio Rampage when the Coyotes picked up Ilya Bryzgalov off waivers.

Cue the domino effect.

To make room for Auld in San Antonio, Phoenix loaned Aebischer to Lugano, the Swiss team he played for during the lockout.

Aebischer was Lugano’s starter for the next four seasons and admitted there were some positives about being home, but he missed his home away from home.
“At first, you have way more family and friends around, which changes it a little bit,” he said. “They don’t just come over for two weeks then leave again.

“I came over when I was 19. I grew up in North American hockey, so hockey-wise, that’s ‘at home.’”

Aebischer signed a tryout contract with the Winnipeg Jets in August, even though they had two proven goaltenders in Ondrej Pavelec and Chris Mason.

“I came over [with the attitude] that everyday could be your last,” he said. “It was pretty nerve wrecking because I didn’t know if I was going to sign a contract or go back to Switzerland”.

Based on a strong pre-season, the Jets signed Aebsicher to an AHL contract and assigned him to St. John’s, where he has shared the goaltending duties with Edward Paquale and Peter Mannino.

“You always have to compete to play,” Aebischer said. “If you want to play, you have to play well.”

Aebischer is enjoying the experience in St. John’s and it’s reflected in his play with five wins, one by shutout, in nine games.

“I like the organization,” he said. “I like the IceCaps and it’s been fun to be back here [in North America].”

“My whole family likes it in St. John’s and so far its been a lot of fun.”

Aebischer also spoke about the excitement of playing in two resurrected hockey markets, with the Jets in Winnipeg and the IceCaps in St. John’s.

“It’s fun to see all the people to see how excited they were that we were in Winnipeg and in St. John’s,” he said. “For us players, it’s a great gift that you can play the game in front of fans that love the game so much and are happy to see you on the ice.”

Aebischer plans to play out this season in St. John’s, but is resisting the urge to think about what the future will hold once his contract expires.

“You can’t make plans,” he said. ”But I want to play well, compete and be a good goalie in this league and see what happens from that.”

The 20-year-old goaltender has a league-leading 18 wins so far this season. He’s posted a league-leading GAA of 2.14 and a save percentage of .918.

That isn’t his best story of the year. Not even close.

Corbeil was called up to the Columbus Blue Jackets on emergency recall in October. He dressed for the NHL team in a home game against the Dallas Stars.

The Jackets had major injury troubles at the time. Goaltenders Mark Dekanich and Allen York were on the shelf. Curtis Sanford, the only other healthy goalie, was hurt in practice earlier that week, leaving the team with only one healthy goalie, starter Steve Mason.

Instead of purchasing the contract of one of the two goalies playing for their AHL affiliate, Columbus called on Corbeil to back up Mason. He could only stay with the team for 24 hours, due to the emergency recall rules.

Corbeil, a fourth-round pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, spent the day in the NHL.

Here’s Mathieu’s story:

–

It was an off-day the day when I got the call, so I was taking it as a rest day. I was studying a little bit, and just relaxing.

I saw [Saint John head] coach [Gerard] Gallant’s caller ID pop up on my phone and I got really nervous. Last time a coach called me on an off-day it was to tell me I was traded, so I was on edge a bit. He kind of talked around it a bit, but he finally told me what happened, and I couldn’t believe it.

That’s not something anyone jokes about, especially a coach, so I knew it was for real.

I headed straight for the rink to pack and everything was a blur. I packed my gear quickly and left that night for Toronto.

I flew from Toronto to Philadelphia, and then to Columbus. I didn’t sleep much, so I was tired on the plane, and hoped to get some sleep when I arrived.

I hopped off the plane at about 3:30 that afternoon, so I didn’t have any time to nap. I just went straight to the rink, unpacked and prepared for the game that night.

My mind was racing, but the guys made it really easy on me. I have spent four camps with Columbus, so the guys know me and I know them. They made me comfortable and calmed me down a bit. I was able just to focus on the game ahead of me, and not have to worry about anything else.

You always talk about being ready and prepared for the game, but I was nervous. I was able to calm myself down a bit, told myself I wasn’t starting and that I would be fine. I talked to [Stars goalie Andrew] Raycroft while I was stretching, which helped. Everyone was really nice.

In warmup, I gave [Jackets goalie Steve] Mason all the shots he needed and then took the rest. I was able to enjoy my time a little bit and take a look and really soak in the atmosphere.

I took in the game from the bench. Afterwards, I didn’t really have time to reflect, since I had to pack up again and hop a plane early the next morning.

It was a dream come true to play in the NHL, even just for the one game. I hope to take that experience with me this year and hope to go far in the playoffs. Just to look up and face NHL shots [in warmup to a] regular season game was incredible. It gave me more of a drive to make it there. It was an incredible experience.

–

Corbeil is a main reason why the Sea Dogs have been able to repeat their outstanding performance from last year, and look just as unbeatable as they were last season. Corbeil said that winning the Memorial Cup last year helps the team know the ropes this time around.

“Winning last season helps a whole lot,” he said. “Being able to lean on that experience is huge. We can take that as a team and build on it for this season. I hope to take my experience with the Jackets as well and bring it to my game here.”

Corbeil kept one secret safe with him from his trip to Ohio.

“I robbed Rick Nash in warmup,” he said. “He came down on me and I got him. I haven’t told anybody.”

Secret’s safe with me.

Sidney Crosby won’t ever be mistaken for Ovechkin physically. At 5-11 and around 200 pounds, Crosby isn’t the physical prototype for a center. However, he does possess an unnaturally strong core, sense of balance, vision and an inability to ever get knocked off the puck. One of the biggest things that contributed to Crosby’s development, though, is his unbelievable ability to adapt. Crosby struggled badly as a rookie in the faceoff dot, winning just 45.5 percent of his draws. The next year, he improved on those numbers to 49.8 percent. He improved yet again to 51.4 percent, stayed around the same the following year before skyrocketing to 55.9 percent in 2009-10. Before he got hurt last year, 87 managed to stay right around that same mark at 55.6 percent.

Crosby used to get a ton of goals by sitting on the goal mouth and tapping in easy rebounds. Good living if you can get it, but teams adjusted to this and started pushing him away from the net. Crosby, though, adapted. He spent an offseason mastering the art of the deflection and when he plays, he’s one of the best in the business at it now. He used to rarely shoot the puck – with that passing ability and vision, who can blame him? – but teams adjusted (somewhat) to it. So all Crosby did was turn himself into one of the best snipers in the league. In his first four seasons, No. 87 was around a 14 percent shooter and averaged 3.24 shots per game. After he made a commitment to being a little less unselfish, he became a more well-rounded threat and averaged 3.76 shots per game. The result? 18.1 percent of his shots went in.

The point is that good players adapt even when teams center their focus around those superstars, which leads into Malamud’s next point. Ovechkin hasn’t been the same since the Vancouver Olympics. Some might say he wasn’t the same after Pittsburgh and Crosby beat the Capitals and Ovechkin, particularly in Game 7 when Ovechkin was stoned on an early breakaway by Marc-Andre Fleury and Crosby put up a 2-1-3 line to lead the Pens to the win on the road. However, I think Vancouver was the tipping point.

There are few players in the NHL who care as much about playing for their country as Ovechkin doess. He’s worn the Russian jersey several times before – but only has one world junior title and a watered-down world championship to show for it – and has been adamant about the fact that he’ll play for Russia in 2014 in Sochi, regardless of whether or not NHL players are permitted to play. However, the 7-3 beating at the hands of the host Canadians was the most humiliating defeat of Ovechkin’s career. The Russians were loaded and won Pool B with a 2-0-1 record. The Canadians, despite being the most talented team in the tournament, languished to a 2-1 record that saw them need a shootout to beat Switzerland and lose to the United States in the last game of the round-robin. In the quarterfinal, though, Canada “came out like gorillas out of a cage,” according to Russian goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and completely overwhelmed Russia. Canada head coach Mike Babcock used Shea Weber most of the time against Ovechkin, completely neutralizing the hulking winger (-2, three shots on goal) and leaving Ovechkin wondering what had happened. Crosby did nothing either in that game, but would go on to score the winning goal in overtime in the final against the U.S.

This isn’t meant to be yet another Crosby vs. Ovechkin debate. Rather, it’s meant to ask what has gone wrong with Ovechkin. Is he, almost two years later, still dwelling on the colossal defeat at the hands of Canada? Is it Boudreau’s coaching? Is it simply an inability to adapt to what defenses are throwing at him? Ovechkin plays with the freakishly talented Nick Backstrom as his center and also sees some time with the talented but enigmatic Alex Semin. The Caps have a ton of talent, but Ovechkin is their best player. So why can’t the Great 8 produce like he used to? Is it, like Malamud suggests, that teams have figured him out? If so, are we really witnessing the decline of a player that used to be a top-2 player in the world into a 75-85 point scorer with little upside? Will Ovechkin ever produce like back when he could shoot a beach ball past goalies? Finally, does Ovechkin deserve to be mentioned in the top-5? Top-10?

As I mindlessly perused Twitter last Wednesday night looking for anything of interest, I stumbled upon Slava Malamud’s account (@SlavaMalamud). Malamud brought up an interesting point that very few, if any, have mentioned before. It’s difficult to admit, but anyone who’s really watched hockey over the past few years can’t help but notice the lack of pure domination that Alex Ovechkin imposes on the rest of the NHL.

Sure, Ovechkin still possesses outstanding size, speed, a great shot and a playing style that is overloaded with reckless abandon. However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Ovechkin simply isn’t as feared as he once was across the league. Ovechkin put up his lowest goal and point totals of his career a year ago. Some attributed this to an increase of emphasis on the defensive aspect of things by both Ovechkin and – the recently fired – Bruce Boudreau, who undoubtedly got sick of seeing his offensive one-trick pony put up shiny stats in the regular season only to be bounced out of the playoffs by less talented teams. Still, the fact that Ovechkin – a player that was universally regarded as either the best or the second-best in the world – could be held to a paltry 85 points in 79 games should have set off some warning bells. This was, after all, the Great 8, the same man whose previous low for goals in a season was 46 and who ripped off 50 or more goals in four of his first five seasons. This was the same guy who terrorized goalies across the league with a cannon for a shot, usually deployed on the left side of the defense on the power play or on Ovi’s patented move – a drive down the left side before cutting back to the middle and firing a howitzer past a helpless goalie.

Malamud puts it best with the following set of tweets.

“Is it possible that Ovi never really had anything beyond those 2-3 moves, freakish strength & drive? Got figured out, noth to fall back on?”

“Gretzky was a positional genius w/ supernatural hockey sense. Mario had inexhaustible supply of talent. Sid evolves. Ovi none of the above?”

“I also think OV suffered through a personal crisis in Vancouver. A genuinely humiliating moment, he just lost control. Never happened before”

“His supreme dominance over peers hadn’t been questioned since he was 9. The Olympics forced a re-evaluation. Not the same since. IMO”

“Looking at Ovi’s shots/attempts-blocked stats is pretty interesting. Eastern teams block 50% of his shots. Western much less. Preparation “

To take on the first two, it’s hard to tell if Ovechkin had anything beyond a few moves that worked every freakin’ time like it was NHL 06 and the CPU couldn’t adapt for some mind-numbing reason. He never had to do anything else. If any GM across the league could piece together a prototypical winger, it would be Alex Ovechkin. Yes, the prototype would be 6-2, 230 pounds, built like a tank, hard-nosed with a laser of a shot, deft hands and a good passer. As Malamud points out, though, those things can be figured out. However, like he said, it’s ironic enough that Ovechkin’s biggest rival might just be what Ovechkin needs to become an elite player once again.

To Be Continued….