DU Alum Glenn Anderson Battled With Media

(above) Today you're more likely to find former DU hockey player Glenn Anderson helping six year olds to their feet than hoisting the Stanley Cup, which he won six times, above his head

Today former DU player Glenn Anderson will hear his fate from the Hockey Hall of Fame Committee. His career numbers, playoff stats and six Stanley Cups would suggest he's a shoo-in, but a contentious relationship with the media and some highly publicized off the ice incidents, including the death of his best friend, have blocked his induction in the past.

Anderson only played one season at the University of Denver (1978-79) but he recorded 26 goals, 29 assists in 41 games. He was selected by the Edmontion Oilers in the 4th round of the 1979 Draft.

This excellent article from the Edmonton Journal documents Anderson's often rocky relatiship with the media.

Glenn Anderson's Hall of Fame numbers should speak for themselves, but his Hall of Fame friends have felt the need to lobby on his behalf for ages.

Because until now two equally influential factors have conspired to bar the former Oiler from the shrine to hockey greatness.

Some years, it was all about the competition; too many automatics like Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Scott Stevens and Al Macinnis. But more often, Anderson's failure to garner enough support was related to an unflattering public persona, one shaped by the dark and negative headlines that followed him around the National Hockey League from Edmonton to Toronto, New York, St. Louis and even into retirement.

The problem will disappear forever today if at least 12 of the 16 selection committee voters agree that 1,099 points and six Stanley Cup rings amount to an admittance fee paid in full. Up to four players can get the nod and competition isn't stiff - Doug Gilmour, Steve Larmer, Adam Oates, Igor Larionov and Pavel Bure. The timing seems right. But just in case he needed to tip the scales, Anderson has been working on perception, reaching out to suggest his problem with the media has been rooted in misunderstanding.

We didn't understand him, he said, because we didn't take the time. I would counter that he wouldn't give us the time of day, or a thoughtful answer to most of our questions, and his standoffish attitude was detrimental.

What cannot be argued is the fact his relationship with the media went sideways and every negative headline played a role, however small, in keeping him on the outside of the Hall looking in at teammates Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, Gretzky and Messier. Though only five committee members are from the media, a larger consensus suggests Anderson has been left wanting with regard to the off-ice component of the voting.

He contends the negative media coverage has never told the real story of his personal life.

"Back then, I don't think they really knew who I was," he said of the Edmonton media. "They only wanted the story. I was categorized as a person before I was even interviewed. It was already determined and I was hung out to dry.

"That's not the individual I was. As years went by, we developed relationships. It changed. We finally came to a very civilized balance."

It didn't happen quite that easily. The bridge was burned in Edmonton and is only now being rebuilt. He returns phone calls, entertains questions, gives thoughtful answers.

For those who knew Anderson as cool, distant and occasionally antagonistic, his recent evolution can be traced to media courses he took in a continuing effort to educate himself and establish a healthy life after hockey. He has gained an appreciation for the role of the media and has been busily re-establishing relationships with sports writers he came to view as irritants; people who wouldn't look past the wacky grin and outlandish statements for any deeper meaning.

Anderson said he didn't want to think outside the box, he wanted to saw through it, and believes that oblique focus was misconstrued and he was written off.

But his larger problem with the Edmonton media can be traced to 1988 when his friend George Varvis died after collapsing in Anderson's pool.

"In Edmonton there were some things that were really blown out of proportion, especially when my very good friend died. I ended up getting death threats and hate mail. Everyone knew where I lived because the pictures of my house were on the front page. Every week I got a different letter in a different colour in an envelope. In Latin. Whoever was sending it was threatening to kill me.

"If it weren't for the media reports they wouldn't have had my address. I thought, 'Geez you guys have no idea what you opened up.' Then there was all the innuendo and false accusations of what transpired. I thought, 'Guys, do a little research. Find out what happened because that's not what went down.'

"Not only did I lose my best friend, but I'm getting wounded by all this other stuff."

He said the manner in which his friend died was misconstrued.

"I dove in to the pool and revived him by giving him mouth-to-mouth. He walked out of the house with paramedics and went to the hospital, where he had a relapse. People said he died right there (in the pool). Not true.

"It just showed me that I got treated unfairly. It snowballed from there and I'd always had to have my guard up.

"Now, I'm over it. I forgave and forgot. Life goes on. I'm not holding a grudge. Life is too short for that."

LAUGHTER COMES EASILY

He is 47, living in New York with wife Susan and five-year-old daughter Autumn. He said he has resolved a contentious child support issue regarding a teenager from a previous relationship and continues to make regular payments, even though he still considers them too large because his income has been drastically reduced from that of his playing days. He runs a fantasy camp, plays in charity and oldtimers games and operates a hockey school in Connecticut, his wife is in the real estate industry and his daughter has done some acting.

"She makes more money than me now, because she's in commercials," he chuckled.

The laughter usually came easily to Anderson when he was an Oiler. He was, as he still states today, a free spirit. I bumped into him in Quebec City during the world hockey championship and sensed he is trying hard to engage. Skeptics would point to the timing, but I don't think he's simply shilling for votes.

"I feel way more comfortable talking to the media now, especially the guys I had been around for years," he said. "I respect them for what they have to do."

What they and other committee members ought to do now is put him in the Hall of Fame. His numbers say he belongs there and if voters embrace

Anderson's new persona, it's a slam dunk. After years of shrugging off disappointing results with an ambivalent tone, as if to deny the media any satisfaction, Anderson admitted to nervousness on Monday.

"For the first time," he said. "I don't know if we'd celebrate like we did after a Stanley Cup.

"But we'll be pretty happy. And if it doesn't happen this year, it's going to be pretty tough because of the players coming up and eligible for next year (Steve Yzerman, Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull). I know that.

"If it happens, great. If not, who knows what happens down the road."

Vail Celebrates Testwuide's Captaincy At DU

From: Vail Daily
by Chris Freud

(left) From the "Golden Pond" to Magness Arena for new DU Captain J.P. Testwuide

Happy Mother’s Day, Janet.

“I usually get my mom some flowers or a card,” Vail’s J.P. Testwuide said. “I try to take her out for dinner or something fun.”

Known as J.P. or Jon Paul locally, Testwuide, a soon-to-be senior defenseman at Denver University changed up his Mother’s Day routine this year. There’s no word on whether Janet got flowers, but her son told her that he had just been named the captain for the Pioneers, the defending Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff champions, for the upcoming 2008-09 season.

“She really couldn’t believe it,” J.P. said. “She was so happy.”

Not only was Mom floored, but it was a bit of history for DU’s storied program, which has won seven NCAA titles. Testwuide is the going to be the first native Coloradan to wear the captain’s C on his sweater.

“I didn’t really realize that until someone said it,” Testwuide said. “A school reporter e-mailed me, ‘How does it feel to be the first Coloradan to be DU’s captain?’ I didn’t know what she was talking about. Once I realized that I was the first, I was like, ‘Wow.’ That astounded me. There have been a lot of good players from Colorado who have played at DU. I didn’t expect that at all.”

And so the Testwuide brothers continue add letters to their respective sweaters. J.P.’s younger brother, Mike, a junior-to-be come fall, plays forward for DU’s archrival, Colorado College, and has the assistant captain’s A on his black-and-gold jersey.

“It’s fun,” J.P. said. “He got (assistant captain) before I did. He worked so hard. He deserves it.”

The announcement from DU coach George Gwozdecky that Testwuide would wear the C for the Pioneers led to some deservedly proud local reaction.

“I really think it’s an incredible honor,” said Jim Meehan, who coached both Testwuide boys when they played for the Vail Junior Hockey Association. “It shows the amount of confidence his team has in him. I’m not surprised. I thought he had an exceptional year last year. It shows the respect the team has for him as a player and a person.”

Big Role
Testwuide replaces graduating senior Andrew Thomas as the Pioneers’ captain. Like Thomas, Testwuide is a rugged defenseman. In fact, the Vail native is the ninth-straight blueliner to wear or share in the team’s captaincy.

“J.P. is the first Coloradan to serve as team captain in the 60 years of DU hockey,” Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky said in a statement issued on the university’s Web site. “J.P. has really established himself as leader with his tremendous work ethic and passion for the Denver hockey program. He is a tough competitor that will demand a lot from himself and his teammates for our team to reach its goals next season.”

Expectations will be high Magness Arena come the fall. The Pioneers finished third in the WCHA during the regular season behind regular-season champion, Colorado College, and North Dakota. But DU swept Minnesota-Duluth in the first round of the WCHA playoffs and won the conference’s postseason tournament by knocking off North Dakota and Minnesota at the Xcell Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a berth in the NCAA playoffs.

“We definitely played well during the last part of the season,” Testwuide said. “We came together as a team. Put it this way, whenever you go into Minnesota and beat Minnesota, it’s a lot of fun.”

Testwuide had a hunch he might be inheriting the captaincy after serving as an assistant last year. Nevertheless, actually getting tabbed is another thing.

“I’m pretty much honored just to be the captain. It’s going to be exciting,” he said. “I think I still have to play my style of hockey. I don’t want to change anything up. You’re the player the team looks up to. You just have to be yourself.”

Trick or Treat?
Testwuide started with hockey just as most local kids do with a bit of ice time and a chair to keep upright at Dobson Arena.

“Probably my fondest memory of Vail was when I started skating,” Testwuide said. “It was with the chairs and it was on Halloween. I didn’t want to leave the ice. I can’t believe I wanted to skate over Halloween.”

Passing on the annual haul of candy that year was just the beginning. J.P. and Mike both played on the Golden family’s pond. Kirk Golden’s father, Paul, would flood his back yard each winter and the Testwuides, young Golden, Colin Kingston and Spencer Ellis and others competed in mythical Game 7s of the Stanley Cup Finals for hours on end.

Meehan coached J.P. from Mini-Mites through Squirts, and even then could tell there was something special about both brothers.

“I think you can tell who is a gifted player, even at a young age,” Meehan said. “The gist of it is that it’s not only good players with certain skills, but players who have a love of the sport that shines through. Both J.P. and Mikey were always that way, terrific players.”

J.P. played one year at the Midget (high school age) level in Vail before heading to the Northwood School in Lake Placid, N.Y. And yes, his home rink was the site of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”

Testwuide then spent two years with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League, the American equivalent of Canadian Juniors before DU came calling.

After the tough transition from Juniors to big-time Division I hockey, Testwuide got his spot and hasn’t looked back since.

The Rivalry
As J.P. assumes the role of captain at DU, while Mike continues at Colorado College, the rivalry becomes more fierce than it already is. By all accounts, J.P. and Mike are the first set of brothers to play on opposite sides of the rivalry.

Within the Testwuide family, it’s been a good-news/bad-news scenario. Mike and the Tigers hold a 6-1-1 advantage over J.P. and the Pioneers during the two years the brothers have suited up. (For the record, Janet wears halves of DU and CC sweatshirt sewn together to the rivalry games in the interests of impartiality.)

Looking ahead to the schedule, DU opens against NCAA runner-up Notre Dame Oct. 11. Next are two games at Magness against Wisconsin, the team that eliminated DU in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. Two weeks later, J.P. and DU and Mike and CC meet in the first of two-home-and-home sets.

“It’s such a fun rivalry,” J.P. said. “I think both teams will be the teams to beat (in the WCHA). I can’t say anything about CC because it’s not good karma. Whenever the two teams play, it definitely a battle. Both teams bring their best to the table. I wouldn’t expect anything less.

“We’ve pretty much played against each other our whole lives. It just makes it that much better. We’re pretty much best friends off the ice, but we love to battle each other.”

WCHA Coaches Catfight Over Verbal Commitments

(left) George Gwozdecky & Gophers Coach Don Lucia don't see eye to eye on the issue of verbal commitments

From: Grand Forks Herald
by Brad Schlossman

There was a time not long ago when a player would verbally commit to a college hockey program, and soon after he would be pressured by other coaches to rethink it.

“Yeah that happened. Absolutely. I’d just have to go back as far as Zach Parise,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said, referring to the former UND player who played from 2002-04.

And there are some coaches who believe those days may return.

At the American Hockey Coaches Association meetings last week in Florida, a small group of coaches pushed eliminate the “gentleman’s agreement” that was put in place a few years ago.

The gentleman’s agreement is that coaches will stop contacting a player once he makes a verbal commitment. This agreement is not bound by NCAA rules — coaches are technically allowed to recruit until a player signs a letter of intent, which can’t happen until an athlete is a high school senior.

But in the last four years, recruiting has become younger and younger. A handful of 14-year-olds have made verbal commitments. Fifteen- and 16-year-olds committing is the new norm. And this trend is a concern to almost all coaches.

Some believe the way to curtail the current trend is to ignore verbal commitments. Others feel that recruiting committed players would lead college hockey down the wrong path.

While it appears that the gentlemen’s agreement will remain in place this year, it might not stay that way for long.

“It’s kind of a mess right now,” Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Bruce McLeod said. “It’s a highly debated topic. Emotions are pretty strong about it.”

Minnesota’s Don Lucia is one coach who has publicly stated that he wants to do away with verbal commitments.

“And he’s got a few allies,” McLeod said. “It’s not a majority. But the problem is that the three or four guys talking about (recruiting committed players) are the leaders, the more veteran coaches. That’s what has caused a commotion more than anything.”

Lucia said that some Hockey East schools pushed a new gentleman’s agreement that would allow schools to contact verbally committed players until May 1 of their junior year. The thinking is that the recruiting age would go back up under this type of system.

“The whole issue here is ninth- and 10th-graders,” Lucia said. “What’s going on right now is not good for the players, colleges or anybody. It shouldn’t be a race to see who can first discover and get a ninth-grader.”

Gwozdecky, the most veteran coach in the WCHA, is on the other side of the issue. He says he’d hate to see the day when coaches are recruiting committed players.

“I don’t want our sport to become like basketball or football,” Gwozdecky said, “where once a young man decides to verbally commit, that’s when the recruiting starts. I strongly feel that once a young man and a school have made a verbal agreement. . . . that is recognized by me as something that is an obligation both parties have to respect.”

UND coach Dave Hakstol says there were very good talks on the subject, but he’d like for the gentleman’s agreement to remain in place for now.

“It’s been something that’s unique to the hockey world,” Hakstol said. “I think it’s served us well. Are there ways to change it and make it better while still honoring the verbal commitment? I think that’s something we’ll talk about over the next year or two.”

There were two incidents in the past season where a coach contacted a committed player and asked if the athlete was content with his commitment, McLeod said.

“Both young men were true to their word,” McLeod said. “It was one phone call, that’s it. And it’s not like they were sneaking around. I know in one case, for sure, the coach called the other coach in advance and told him he was going to do it.”

That might be the norm in a few years.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen right now,” Lucia said, “but we’re not far away from it. I think we’ll be able to make some type of compromise.”

DU Assistants Hit The Road To Recruit Players

From: DU Clarion
by Brooks Kirchheimer

Life as an assistant coach is no easy job. You don't just sit next to the coach on the bench and help lead the team.

The job of involves much more than coaching. It is scheduling practices, keeping tabs on student's grades and classes, breaking down game video, organizing and scheduling trips and, most importantly, time-consuming recruiting. It is the 365-day job that surrounds every coach.

Recruiting in college is what helps bring in talented and successful athletes year after year. Recruiting is more than just showing up at high school or, in hockey's case, junior hockey games and picking an athlete you like.

Recruiting is about making connections with high school and club coaches, building a solid program that athletes will want to join and having a facility that an athlete will want to practice and compete in.

For the DU hockey program, assistant coaches Steve Miller and Derek Lalonde spend hundreds of hours a season traveling the globe looking for the athletes that will be the right fit as a Pioneer.

"It's a 365-day process that starts years in advance of when the kid shows up on campus and sees us travel to many places," said Lalonde.

The NHL collective bargaining agreement, which is a contract between team owners and the players association and was most recently agreed to on July 13, 2005 after the cancellation of the 2004-05 NHL season, greatly affected college hockey and recruiting.

The agreement reduced the age of unrestricted free agency in the NHL to 27, which forced teams to start signing players at a much younger age so they had more time to develop them.

This greatly affected college hockey and has seen in recent years numerous players leave college earlier. Most notable for DU are Paul Stastny and Matt Carle who are both currently playing in the NHL along with Ryan Dingle, Geoff Paukovich and Brock Trotter who spent the season in the minors.

"I think the NHL teams are more determined than ever before to get the players out of college as early as possible and get them into their organization and see what kind of players they are and give them a chance to develop," said Head Coach George Gwozdecky. "You are a free agent at the age of 27, and the more you stay in college, the less the team has to develop you."

With more and more players leaving early, recruiting is starting at a much younger age.

"Nowadays you start looking at players when they are 14, 15 or 16. Coach (Gwozdecky) and I went to look at the top 15-year olds in the country a day after the WCHA championships and already got a couple verbal commitments," said Lalonde.

After and during every season these days it is almost becoming a norm to see at least one or two players forgo the rest of their college careers to pursue their dream, the NHL.

"I don't think they know. I think many times they don't want to leave, but then they are convinced to leave by a family member or the team that wants to sign them, and then there are other times when they want to leave because they are ready, it varies," said Gwozdecky about why players are leaving.

With the collective bargaining agreement came a change in the salary cap, allowing teams to sign players for much less than they used to receive.

"The money is not as big as it used to be. Prior to the new collective bargaining agreement money was millions; now, it is only hundreds of thousands. It is a lot of money to us but not a lot of money to a professional franchise," said Gwozdecky.

It is money that might have lured Dingle and Paukovich away from the college game and has seen them play a full season in the dreaded minors.

"I have talked to both of the guys, and they are not really happy with their situation. I have heard from many of the guys that have left or graduated and they say playing minor league hockey is not a lot of fun," said Gwozdecky about Paukovich and Dingle.

Dingle spent the season up and down between the Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate, Portland Pirates and the ECHL affiliate Augusta Lynx, while Paukovich spent the season with the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL.

"It is a struggle because you have guys that come from different environments, you have a mixture of guys that have a whole different agenda," said Gwozdecky about minor league hockey.

The recruiting process is becoming a win-loss situation for the Pioneers.

Instead of signing players and thinking they will play for four years, the top athletes are quickly leaving for the NHL even if that means time in the minor leagues.

With the collective bargaining agreement came more work for Lalonde and Miller who are now at task to find last minute recruits to fill the spaces of Pioneers who decide to make the step to the NHL.

It is a recruiting process that includes trips like Lalonde took during his time as a coach at Ferris State, where on a four-hour drive to Northern Canada only one radio program was available, bingo.

As more and more players leave college early the recruiting process becomes more important than ever for assistant coaches everywhere.

Denver Frozen Four Begins Today

(above) BC practices at the Pepsi Center yesterday

DU Recruit Is Excelling On Ice & In Classroom

(above) Joe Colborne (#12) has NHL scouts drooling

From: Edmonton Sunby Jonathan Huntington

Joe Colborne is every hockey parent's dream.

Touted as a first-round pick in this year's NHL draft, the Camrose Kodiaks forward is loaded with talent and potential. In fact, when the Kodiaks battle the host Fort McMurray Oil Barons tonight in the third game of the AJHL league final, Colborne could easily take over the tilt and score the winner.

But as good as the 18-year-old centre can be on the ice, he's arguably a better student.

"Anything less than 95 (per cent) is a disappointment for him," said Camrose assistant coach Miles Walsh, who is also the club's educational liaison.

"Nobody (in Kodiaks' history) will have ever touched those (high school) marks."


And as the kicker to this story, Colborne comes from a remarkable family - in athletics and business.

But you would never know it.

Humble. Polite. Respectful. Talented. Brilliant.

All of those words describe this rare teenager.

THE PLAYER
Rated 30th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Rankings in January, Colborne's stock has climbed ever since.

After finishing with 90 points in 55 games in the AJHL regular season - good for second in league scoring - the six-foot-four and 195-pound forward has NHL scouts drooling.

"He's big, skilled and smart - something NHL teams need and want," said one NHL scout before Game 2 in the AJHL playoff final on Sunday night in Camrose.

"He's probably as close to a Joe Thornton clone (as you can be) at this level. His upside is phenomenal.

"He wins a lot of board battles and can turn on a dime and make a great pass."

Tied for second in league playoff scoring with 15 points, Colborne plays in every situation - centres the top line, kills penalties and is on the power play.

There were an estimated 20 NHL scouts to watch Game 1 of the AJHL final last weekend and there are scouts that have been religiously following this phenom for weeks.

Granted, there are some naysayers. Some scouts question his skating ability.

"His downside is the league he plays in - that's the perception of some scouts," said a scout, referring to the fact the Calgary native dominates Junior A, but is not in the WHL.

But the latest projections from multiple sources on where Colborne could be taken in this NHL draft range from 8th-20th overall to anywhere from 11th spot downward.

THE STUDENT
It's not uncommon for this quiet blond-haired youngster to get home from a road game at 1:30 a.m. and be in school the next morning by 9 a.m.

"He does phenomenally well in all areas (of school)," said Camrose trainer Brent Sawchuk, who's also an instructor at Colborne's unique school.

"He is a model student. He sets a fine example of what it takes to be successful in this busy world. He is a terrific writer, but the sciences and maths are stronger."

Colborne is a student at Battle River Online high school - an institution housed within Camrose Composite High School.

He takes Math 31 - essentially a university-level calculus class - by video conferencing.

The Grade 12 chemistry class he's mastering is taken through correspondence using print material.

A 90-to-95% student, Colborne had college hockey recruiters salivating.

"He could have chosen any school in the United States (for college)," added Walsh.

Harvard and Yale made offers to the power forward.

But the University of Denver won the sweepstakes because of a strong hockey team and top-10 business program.

Colborne will be off to college next fall with dreams of the NHL - first as a player and ultimately as a general manager.

THE PERSON
"(He's) the kind of kid that if you had a daughter, you'd want her to bring him home - plain and simple," stated Walsh of Colborne.

Is there a better endorsement from your billet and the vice principal of the Camrose junior high school?

No.

"My wife is going to be teary-eyed when the time comes (for him to leave), there is no doubt about it," Walsh continued.

As a human being, Colborne actually seems to be too good to be true. There is no ego. There is no arrogance.

"Right from when I was little my parents always taught me to try to be the best at everything you do," said Colborne. "You have to go to school - you might as well do your best.

"I try to get 100 (per cent) every time."

As parents, Janice and Paul have raised four athletic children.

Lauren played basketball for the U of A.

Melissa is a star bball player at Yale.

And Claire might be the most gifted of the sisters, just winning the 3A provincial high school basketball title in Calgary.

But Joe gets the headlines.

"We're very proud of Joe," said Paul, a lawyer and owner of his own oil/gas company.

"But I'm most proud of the team (in Camrose) and how Boris (Rybalka, the head coach) has moulded them.

"And Boris has made Joe a much more complete player."

According to Colborne, there are lots of areas to improve on. First and foremost, he needs to put weight on his lanky frame.

"It's not like I'm a hall-of-famer - pretty much every aspect of my game could be improved quite a bit," he remarked.

"My parents always taught that you have to improve all the time and when you start thinking you are pretty good you'll fall."

Nobody is betting that Colborne will fall on his face.

"He's going to be in the NHL," said a scout.

The only question is which team is going to be so fortunate to draft him.

Brookwell Finally Has A Puck For "The Plaque"

(above) DU's Cody Brookwell (#12) takes down UND's Matt Watkins earlier this season

From: Mike Chamber's Blog

When a son scores his first career goal, sometimes it creates enough emotion for a proud father to weep.

Just reading this story might create tears in your eyes.

DU sophomore Cody Brookwell scored his first goal March 14 in a 6-3 playoff-series-opening victory over Minnesota-Duluth. Brookwell, the Pioneers’ biggest player at 6-foot-4 and 200-pounds, is a proud defensive-defenseman whose complete focus is protecting his own net.

And he does it well. But with every hockey player, scoring a goal is the fun part, and it had taken Brookwell far too long to get his first.

Fittingly, his big opportunity came when being released from the penalty box and accepting a breakaway pass, with a clear route to the opponent’s net.

So what did he do? He looked like a true sniper, firing a hard backhander that landed top-shelf to rattle the goalie’s water bottle.

So what did Kevin Brookwell, Cody’s father, do after hearing about the goal in his Calgary home?

“I was jumping around the house like an idiot and didn’t know what to do,” Kevin said. “I, like Cody, have been waiting two years for this and I enjoyed every moment with my boy.”

Kevin and Cody enjoy each other’s company before every DU game. It’s a ritual that every father would cherish and every son would appreciate. It’s true love, father-son style.

It’s the bagel talk.

“Prior to every game Cody gives me a call. It’s part of his pre-game routine. We call it the “bagel call” and he goes up into the stands, home or away, and has a pre-game coffee and either a bagel or banana,” Kevin said. “Sometimes we chat about nothing, sometimes we chat about the game, but he hasn’t missed a call since starting with Denver. I’ve excused myself from some pretty important meetings to take that call and I’ll never miss it.”

So what do they talk about?

“We joke about the nice plaque I have for his first NCAA goal. Every call I tell him I’m taking the plaque out of his room and putting in on the coffee table for the game. Every game I ask him if he’s getting me that goal so I can mount the puck on the plaque.

“Of course, every game he says he will and after every game, when he calls home, I sadly, but jokingly, tell him I’m putting the plaque back in his room. He knew how big this was for me and he was so proud to make the call (after the goal).”

Cody’s teammates know about his bond with his father. They know about the pregame phone call, and that Kevin is Cody’s No. 1 fan.

“He must have passed the story on to his teammates at some point, because they were telling him how happy Mr. B was going to be and that Cody should call home to make sure I wasn’t lying on the floor with a stroke,” Kevin said.

“No stroke . . . just a really proud mom and dad.”

DU Wins Final Five Over Minnesota

(above) Senior Tom May scored the game winner Saturday night

From: Denver Post
by Mike Chambers

ST. PAUL, Minn. — When hockey's NCAA Tournament pairings are revealed this morning, the University of Denver Pioneers will be flying high, loaded with confidence no matter where they play or who they face.

The Pioneers, who will take a four-game winning streak into the national tournament, are playoff champions of America's toughest amateur conference. DU captured its record 15th WCHA Final Five championship Saturday night, defeating Minnesota 2-1 in the Broadmoor Trophy game before 17,907 partisan fans at the Xcel Energy Center.

An NCAA-record six teams from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association are pegged to make today's 16- team field.

DU coach George Gwozdecky said the victory proved his team can be a factor in the NCAA Tournament. The win proves "our ability to play big games on the big stage," he said. "It doesn't get any bigger than this."

Nothing seems to rattle senior goalie Peter Mannino, who as a freshman was named 2005 Frozen Four MVP. He has allowed just five goals in DU's four conference playoff games, all victories.

Mannino was brilliant Saturday, making 34 saves. Senior Tom May, from nearby Eagan, Minn., scored the winner on a semi-breakaway late in the second period.

In January, DU began a 5-9-1 slide. Now, the Pioneers appear as good as any team in the NCAA.

"We've faced a heck of a lot of adversity since the middle of the season, with injuries and departures and stuff like that, but hopefully we're hitting our stride," DU captain Andrew Thomas said.

The Pioneers (26-13-1) always play well in the Final Five since it moved to the Xcel Energy Center in 2001. And they have won the Broadmoor Trophy in four of the past nine years.

"We've had different type of teams that have won it different ways," said Gwozdecky, who previously guided DU to the 1999, 2002 and 2005 playoff crowns. "It's one of the events in every student-athlete's career that he remembers for a lifetime."

"Different guys, same hardware," Mannino said. "It's just as nice."

Minnesota, which was playing in its sixth playoff game in nine nights, was trying to become the first team to win the Final Five from the Thursday play-in game.

"Almost all weekend, we were running on adrenaline," Gophers forward Ben Gordon said.

DU's Newest Recruit Is A Classic Late Bloomer

(above) Wichita forward Luke Salazar (10) skates into the offensive zone

Photo Credit: Jason Palmer/Times Record

From: Wichita Falls Time-Record
by Zach Duncan

DU's newest recruit Luke Salazar wasn't considered by many to be a legitimate Division I prospect. Before the season began, even Salazar would have considered you crazy for even suggesting it.

The Wichita Falls Wildcats (NAHL) forward willingly admits no one could have forecasted the kind of season he’s enjoying right now.

“If someone told me I would score 30 goals all year, I would have thought I was dreaming,” the NAHL’s second-leading goal scorer said. “And 50 points all year? I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Salazar has turned heads across the junior hockey landscape, blossoming into one of the league’s most dangerous sharpshooters in his second season with the Wildcats. His 32 goals trail only St. Louis’ Kyle O’Kane (34) for the league lead, and Salazar is also third in points.

“I knew he had it in him,” said Wildcats captain Adam Cardwell, who centers a line with Grant Everett and Salazar. “He just needed the confidence and another year under his belt, and he’d take off.”

Cardwell and Wichita Falls coach John Bowkus both agreed the biggest difference in Salazar’s game this season isn’t any drastic improvement in skill, but more self-assurance in his ability.

A year ago, he played in all but one game with the Wildcats, scoring 10 goals and amassing 23 points while showing flashes of brilliance.

But that’s nothing compared to the 2007-08 season, as the 19-year-old has already tripled his production with 14 games to spare.

“He’s got a lot more confidence,” Cardwell said. “He makes good decisions, and he’s looking to shoot and score more goals.”

Bowkus adds that Salazar uses his quickness and speed well, and that his vision and puck-handling abilities are superb.

While his growth on the ice is one reason for his breakout campaign, the Thornton, Colo., native also acknowledges that his success stems from his linemates, who form the most potent trio in the NAHL.

Initially, Cardwell and Everett were paired together with another forward, but Bowkus added Salazar to the top line in the preseason after watching the three develop on the power-play unit.

Salazar had played with Everett on a line together last year before Everett was injured, which hastened the transition.

“That definitely helped because you know what type of player Everett is,” said Salazar, who also calls Cardwell one of, if not the best player in the league. “Grant’s so good in the corners with the puck. I knew that beforehand, so I could take risks.”

Salazar is the smallest guy on the Wildcats, weighing in at 155 pounds and standing 5-7. But that hasn’t stopped him from getting to the right places to score goals.

“His stature hasn’t hindered him whatsoever,” Bowkus said. “I’m sure he’d like to be taller, but he’s a legitimate Division I talent.”

From fourth line winger to top league prospect — not so unbelievable after all.

The Escalating College Hockey Arms Race

From: USCHO.com
by Gerald Skoning

The rosters of Division I college hockey teams consist almost entirely of players who have spent a year or two playing for “junior” hockey clubs. Only a very few players on these Division I clubs have entered college directly out of high school. As a result, the quality of college hockey has been enhanced, but this improvement has had a negative impact on the “student” part of the vaunted student-athlete experience.

The mother of a freshman hockey star for an ECAC team candidly expressed her dismay after watching her son’s team lose to another perennial ECAC powerhouse by a score of 3-2. Her concern wasn’t over the team’s loss on the ice, but rather over her son’s academic difficulties.

I had asked her how he was doing in the classroom his first term in college. She sighed, “Unfortunately, he’s really struggling. He was an ‘A’ student in high school, graduating near the top his class. We were so proud of his academic success. But, then he was away from the classroom for a whole year while he played 75 games in Juniors for the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He’s a better hockey player for it, but he is really rusty with the books.”

It’s a familiar story for many families of kids who aspire to Division I hockey. The rosters of most every Division I hockey program are filled with kids who played in Alberta (AJHL), Ontario (CJHL), Sioux City, Iowa (USHL), or British Columbia (BCHL). They range from 20- or 21-year-old freshmen to 24-year-old seniors who are stronger, faster, smarter and much older hockey players than those who just graduated from high school.

They play a year or two in juniors in the hopes of improving their recruitment opportunities and perhaps landing full-ride scholarships at one of the traditional college hockey powerhouses like North Dakota, Wisconsin, or Michigan. Most likely, their dreams also include a high NHL draft position, based in part on their experience in juniors.

Junior programs are a Canadian tradition as iconic as the Mounties or the Maple Leaf. Long before college hockey teams in the U.S. began recruiting heavily out of juniors, those programs attracted Canadian players with NHL aspirations. Juniors rivalries provided a live hockey entertainment alternative to the infamous “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasts on CBC on long winter nights in small towns dotting the frozen tundra of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.

Today, college hockey coaches love the junior programs. They recruit players who are battle-tested, and whose skills have been polished beyond the rough-edged talent seen in high school hockey. To college coaches, it’s like having a farm team system from which to draw a talented roster. College coaches regularly tell talented high school recruits to defer admission for a year or two for some seasoning and development in the juniors. A ready-made farm system.

Also, the pervasive junior program makes recruiting college hockey players much easier for coaches. Instead of screening hockey recruits from hundreds of high schools scattered across the United States and Canada, college hockey coaches have a ready-made, pre-screened pool of candidates. This cuts down on recruiting travel and expense … one-stop shopping in the USHL, AJHL, BCHL, and so on.

On so many levels this system is hard to argue with. Of course, parents love the juniors as well. To them, it may save the family a staggering tuition bill of up to $45 thousand per year. For them, delaying college for a year or even two is well worth the personal sacrifice their kids make in playing a 70- to 80-game season (or two) in remote regions of the Canadian wilderness.

The number of players on a college hockey roster who have come directly from high school has dwindled to a precious few. The two or three who do play varsity Division I hockey have become mere tokens, for all intents and purposes. But they are players for whom the academic challenges of higher education will be less daunting since they were enrolled in school the entire year before entering college.

How did we get to this point? When did this new, higher level of professionalism creep into the wonderful game of college hockey? Other major college sports like football, basketball and baseball have no such junior programs to groom their athletes. There are no “junior” football or basketball programs to develop and burnish young talent (although some may claim junior colleges occasionally serve that purpose). Yet the quality of play on college gridirons and basketball courts in the United States is remarkably strong. Why is ice hockey different?

Maybe it relates to the NHL aspirations of the hockey player or the hockey parents, or both. Or, perhaps it’s the lure of full-ride athletic scholarships that motivates the kids to make this enormous personal sacrifice.

One wonders if it is possible to “unring the bell” and return to recruitment of student-athletes for college hockey directly out of high school. Of course, no college hockey coach is likely to be the first unilaterally to spurn recruiting those hot junior hockey prospects. Such a move would be wildly unpopular with alumni, fans, current players looking for talented freshmen to bolster championship prospects, and students who long for a national championship.

A coach refusing to recruit junior hockey prospects would be as unpopular as a U.S. president deciding unilaterally to eliminate our country’s nuclear arsenal. The coach who unilaterally decides it’s important to the student-athlete to return to recruiting directly out of high school would be summarily fired and ridden out of town on a rail.

The issue is worthy of attention by the entire college hockey community. Colleges and universities that recruit predominantly from various junior hockey programs should recognize the academic sacrifices their recruiting practices perpetuate.

The NCAA should study the issue of the increasing dominance of junior hockey recruiting to determine whether it would be feasible to impose a uniform nationwide stand-down in this increasingly competitive juniors arms race, and return to recruiting athletes directly out of high school. This might go a long way toward putting the “student” back in the student-athlete equation.

Mr. Skoning is a Chicago attorney who specializes in labor and employment law. He was captain of the 1964 Princeton University hockey team (which did not win the Ivy League championship, as this year’s team did for the first time in 55 years). While attending the University of Michigan Law School, he was assistant captain of a team sponsored by Jiffy Mix Company, consisting of several Michigan players from their 1963 NCAA championship team. The Jiffy team, which played in the International Metro League based in Southern Ontario, won the Michigan State Amateur Championship in 1966 and the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1967. After service as an officer in the U.S. Navy, he played for 10 years with the Chicago Cardinals of the Continental Hockey League.

The Good Olde Daze

(left) You'd think that one DU student would be able to figure out how to throw a rubber chicken on the ice without getting caught this weekend for old times sake

From: Colorado Springs Gazette
by David Ramsey

Once, not so long ago, players who battled in the Colorado College-University of Denver hockey series dodged animals, dead and alive.

These were good times, at least in the view of Cal Sandbeck.

He was blessed with a great view of the insane era of the CC-DU hockey series. He served as a tough defenseman for DU from 1974 to 1978.

On one visit to The Broadmoor Arena, Sandbeck swears he saw a black swan, greased pigs and rats tossed on the ice. All were alive. Three fights broke out, and a referee was knocked groggy trying to restore peace.

All in one night. And, yes, CC and DU somehow managed to play a hockey game amid the anarchy.

The Tigers and Pioneers tangle Friday night at DU and travel to World Arena for Saturday’s regular-season finale. Friday marks the 266th meeting in a wild, wonderful series that stretches back to 1950.

The ridiculous, borderline criminal flavor of the series is gone. Fans still shout mean, at times obscene, words, but decline to toss beasts on the ice.

“I don’t think the rivalry is quite the same,” Sandbeck said, regret in his voice.

He now enjoys a peaceful life as owner of the Dog Bar and Grill in Cuchara, nestled two hours south of Colorado Springs in the Spanish Peaks.

Yet he enjoys returning to the nights when students didn’t travel to the arena to watch a game. They came to party.

“It wasn’t so much about the hockey, but the atmosphere,” Sandbeck said. “But, oh, I loved it. The more fans were involved, the more fun it was as a player. It was just part of having fun.”

CC coach Scott Owens isn’t quite as nostalgic as Sandbeck, which makes sense. Getting hit in the shoulder by a frozen chicken can leave a mental tattoo on any man.

During the 1978-79 season, CC goaltender Owens stood in front of the net at the old DU Arena, which closely resembled a barn.

He was minding his own business, when some bright light in the DU student section tossed a chicken that crashed into Owens’ shoulder.

Owens looked around, saw a chicken with its head, another without its head and a fish with a beady eye that kept staring at him. He wasn’t even surprised by the carnage.

Just another mad night in the CC-DU series.

“It wasn’t a deal that you would throw your stick in the air and start howling,” Owens said. “There was a lot of that stuff going on.”

Owens wants to make one thing clear. He doesn’t want to see animals, dead or alive, on the ice this weekend. Still, he’s not sure he would change the past.

“Sure, it was borderline idiotic,” he said from his office at World Arena, “but, ah, I don’t know. It’s a fine line between borderline idiotic and humorous.”

Owens insists he no longer seethes with hatred for all things DU. He takes care to mention his “respect” for the Pioneers.

This word inspires laughter from Dave Delich, CC’s all-time leading scorer. Delich roomed with Owens at CC and remains a close friend. They eat lunch several times a month.

“Respect?” Delich said, chuckling. “Oh, sure. I’m sure Scott has a distant respect for them.” He placed heavy emphasis on the word “distant.”

He clearly remembers a moment from the 1975-76 season. CC goaltender Eddie Mio was briefly knocked silly at DU by — what else? — a frozen chicken tossed from the student bleachers.

Delich helped carry a mumbling Mio to the CC bench. He skated along, dodging dead animals, listening to jeers from the crowd that supported his enemy.

He hasn’t forgotten. He never will.

“It’s that one special place,” Delich said. “I will never feel comfortable on that campus.”

Delich looks forward to watching Saturday’s game at World Arena.

Friday night at DU?

For some reason, he can’t quite bring himself to make the trip.

Stastny Featured In ESPN Magazine Article

From: ESPN The Magazine
by Jeff Bradley

The old man is tough, but he could have been a lot tougher.

You think you have it bad? You grew up in big houses in St. Louis and the New Jersey suburbs; I shared a one-bedroom apartment with four brothers and a sister. You gripe about cell phone reception; I worried about my phone calls being wiretapped! You complain, period. I wasn't allowed to complain until I escaped Czechoslovakia 27 years ago!

Paul Stastny, budding NHL star, hasn't heard these exact words from his dad, but that doesn't mean that Peter Stastny, legendary NHL star, isn't paying attention. Peter, after all, is a Hall of Fame forward renowned as much for focus and attention to detail over 15 NHL seasons as for his 450 goals, 789 assists and daring 1980 defection. In many ways, Peter's decision to leave home and country cleared the ice for an era of Eastern European stars in the NHL. But his escape also allowed his talented son to grow up playing the game as it should be played—for fun. Turns out, that may be the way to set up Gen Next for a shot at greatness.

Twenty-two sons of NHL Hall of Famers have gone on to skate in the bigs, but only a handful developed into stars. In fact, most sons of greatness are more Pete Rose Jr. than Sr.

Maybe it's those famous names on their backs (and, in Paul's case, the same number). Maybe it's a lack of talent or drive. Maybe it's the unrealistic expectations. Or maybe it's just the heckling from fans jealous of the multiply blessed. "You've got to try to block it out," says Paul, a laid-back 22-year-old. "But it's not always easy."

Paul learned early how to filter out taunts and other harsh comments, which served him nicely while he learned the game under the pointed guidance of his father—who still calls when he sees the kid lose the puck or spectate on the penalty kill—and later when he first skated into an NHL arena. And just as Paul can block out the tone of Peter's voice so he can concentrate on the wisdom, so too can he laugh off a coach's tirade and trust his own talent.

Yes, that talent. Paul does not possess jaw-dropping moves or blazing speed, but he's preternaturally economical when he traverses the ice. Somehow he gets there, before fans or foes think he will. That efficiency earned him serious time on the Avs penalty kill and man advantage. The game's movements, the split-second decisions about where to be and when to get there, are second nature to him. (Avs coach Joel Quenneville marvels at how "the puck just finds him.") And those who saw Peter watch Paul and say, "We know where that came from."

Joe Sakic, who called himself "officially old" when he became the first to play with both Peter (on the 1988-89 Nordiques) and Paul, is amazed at the similarities. "They're built the same," the Avs captain says. "Both are powerful skaters. And they look the same. Paul wears the same type of skates his dad wore, all beat-up and old-school, and uses the same old wood stick."

Peter says the resemblance goes deeper, that the game is in his son's blood. He sees instinct in Paul's effortless ability to ghost himself into the play, in the angles of his passes and the paths he takes when he plays without the puck. Says Dad: "I don't like to boast, but when I watch Paul, it's like watching myself." Peter also believes his son was born to be a center. "You have to have those instincts and qualities to anticipate and to know how to react," he says. "You cannot teach what he has." Will Paul ever be as good as his father? "I think he will be better," says Peter.

He's definitely different, at least in one key way: Paul says he'll never match Peter's intensity, and that may be another reason he's succeeded where other sons have failed. "My dad is the kind of guy who can't live with mistakes," says Paul. "He'll beat himself up over the smallest error. I can't play well unless I'm having fun. My dad loved to play hockey, but it became a job for him at a young age. For me, there's more to life than hockey."

These days, that goes for the father as well as the son. Peter is out of hockey now. Since 2004 he has represented Slovakia in the European Parliament and lives in his hometown of Bratislava. Some 18 years after communism's fall, Peter is trying to help the country he left—and never stopped loving—find its democratic footing. He's got a lot going on in his life, and a lot of stories to tell. About how he, his wife and his brother sneaked out a side door of the Innsbruck Holiday Inn in the middle of the night, hopped into a Mercedes driven by a representative of the Nordiques and sped toward Vienna and the Canadian embassy. About how he taught himself to speak French (the language of Quebec City) and English (the language of the locker room) within a couple of years of arriving in the NHL. About how he responded to any player who dared call him a "commie" without a ref's seeing the payback. The man who scored more points in the 1980s than any other player not named Gretzky can tell how he was asked to carry Slovakia's flag at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics and could not contain his tears, then scored five goals in eight games for his country.

Still, the best story is what's happening on the ice in Denver (and St. Louis, where 25-year-old Yan Stastny just got a call-up to the Blues). The Avs are fighting for a playoff spot, and Paul leads the team in scoring with 50 points in 47 games. The kid has been benched recently by an emergency surgery (appendix) and a groin pull, but Peter likes the direction the boy's career is heading. "Leaving Czechoslovakia was the best decision in my life," he says. "The hardest, but also the best. And the biggest beneficiaries are my children. Watching them is my greatest thrill."

Paul smiles when told that, exposing a gaping hole where a tooth once lived. "Believe me," the son says. "He's not too thrilled when I play like garbage. He can be tough."

But he could have been a lot tougher.

DU Alum Goes From The Supermarket To The NHL

(above) DU Alum Connor James is congratulated by teammates after scoring his first NHL goal

Video of Connor's First NHL Goal

From: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
by Dave Molinari

DU Alum Connor James scored his first NHL goal last night for the Pittsburgh Penguins after being called up from the AHL earlier in the day. His goal made it 4-1 Pittsburgh, with 3:02 left in the game.

The Penguins had summoned forwards Connor James and Nathan Smith from their minor-league team in Wilkes-Barre so they could field a 20-man lineup, but those two did not arrive until the middle of the second period.

Mind you, it was worth the trip for James, who scored his first career NHL goal just hours after getting his promotion to the NHL over a supermarket intercom.

Turns out his cell phone had broken earlier in the day and James, just back in northeast Pennsylvania after a brief stint with the Penguins, was grocery shopping when the team got word he was being recalled.

He was checking out steaks when Baby Penguins coach Todd Richards contacted the store and had James paged on the public-address system so he could tell him that he had 20 minutes to get ready for a trip to Long Island.

"It was kind of weird," James said.

Yeah, just a bit.

James and Smith were driven to the game by Baby Penguins executive Jeff Barrett but, because of heavy traffic and foul weather, didn't reach the arena until the first intermission, and did not make it onto the ice until the game was half over.

The Penguins defeated the New York Islanders, 4-2.

DU Alum Recalls Hockey Streaker in '70s

From: DU Today by Doug McPherson

(left) DU Alum Jay Frank is the president of the Corpus Christi Rayz in the CHL

Sometimes a college student’s career path can take a slippery turn. Take Doug Frank (BA ’76), for example.

He chose the University of Denver back in the 1970s planning to attend the DU law school after his undergraduate work.

He didn’t know it then, but there was something outside of law and his bachelor’s degree that would influence his future career: DU hockey.

“I had some interest in ice skating and in hockey before I came to DU, but that interest took a huge jump once I came to Denver,” Frank says. “The student body was an important component of the Pioneer games then, and I was swept up in the excitement.”

Swept so hard that hockey ultimately took a front and center role in his life. Today he’s president of the Corpus Christi Rayz, a minor league professional hockey team in the Texas town.

“I love the physicality of the game, and the athletic skill it takes to play at the professional level is amazing,” he explains.

Frank says his DU education prepared him perfectly for the job because of the different kinds of people he met from around the country and the globe.

“I felt engaged academically at DU, and I grew tremendously as a result of interaction with the diverse student body,” he says.

His memories of DU are fond, he says. One sticks out: “I even remember the errant streaker who made it across the ice between periods one night.”

He says he’s very impressed with today’s DU hockey program. “Just like the school … it has continued to grow in strength since my time in the ’70s.”

He says several players he’s coached in youth hockey have gone on to attend DU and that he has at least three more who are hoping to be admitted later this year.

“We have more professional hockey teams in Texas than any other state in the country, and at least with regards to Corpus Christi, our community has DU to thank for that.”

Woody Paige "Denver Deserves Outdoor Hockey"

From: Denver Post
by Woody Paige

(left) Denver Post & ESPN funnyman Woody Paige in on board for outdoor hockey games at Mile High Stadium

The Mile High Icextravaganza & Winter Festival ought to become a reality for New Year's Eve, 2008 or '09.

Denver could set the record for the biggest hockey crowd in the world and establish a terrific annual holiday event.

"It's an intriguing possibility," says Jon Schmieder, executive director of the Metro Denver Sports Commission.

The Buffalo Sabres-Pittsburgh Penguins game Jan. 1 — outdoors in the Bills' football stadium — attracted 71,217, an NHL record, and was the highest-rated network game for the league in more than a decade. The largest percentage of viewers resides, obviously, in Buffalo and Pittsburgh, followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Denver, surprisingly, was fourth.

There is serious hockey interest here. The Avalanche produced the longest sellout streak in NHL history — and owns two Stanley Cup titles — and the DU Pioneers have won seven national championships, the last in 2004-05, and are ranked in the top five again this season.

The Frozen Four, the NCAA's Division I men's hockey finals, will be held at The Can on April 10-12, and all tickets are long gone. This is Denver's first college hockey championship since 1976 (when it was held at the old DU Arena).

Denver was the host of the rare and well-done 2001 NHL All-Star Game, and junior and high school hockey programs are growing in Colorado. The Detroit Red Red Wings alumni participated again last weekend in the annual Rocky Mountain Pond Championships in the Vail Valley.

So, why not a big-time "pond" game in Denver?

The Metro Denver Sports Commission, management of the Avalanche and DU coach George Gwozdecky discussed the idea of an outdoor game years ago after a Michigan State-Michigan game at Spartan Stadium brought out a (still-standing) hockey record audience of 74,544 on Oct. 6, 2001.

But the plan melted away because of cost and a variety of other issues. "We just didn't have the assets and the commitment to do it at the time," Schmieder said.

The success and popularity of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh game renewed fascination with the outdoor game here and elsewhere. The NHL, which puts on its All-Star Game in Atlanta this weekend, is pondering more stadium games in other "winter" locales.

(Miami and Phoenix don't seem logical, although Las Vegas was the site once for an outdoor NHL exhibition.)

The Post's Terry Frei wrote about the Sabres-Penguins game in Orchard Park, N.Y., and raised the question: "Why not an Avs-Red Wings game outdoors in Denver?"

So, again, why not?

The Broncos have put as many as 76,775 bodies in their stadium. An audience of 75,000 would break the world record.

"A lot of pieces would be involved," said Schmieder, whose organization has originated and overseen myriad sports events in Denver, including the most prominent, the Rocky Mountain Showdown between the Colorado and Colorado State football teams. "Our board has asked me where we stand (on an outdoor game). The genesis started with the Avs when we first talked about it, and it's really up to the Avs. If they and the NHL wanted to back it and get it going, it would be worth investigating."

Schmieder said the earlier brainstorming discussions a few years back "brought out a range of" suggestions — games involving the Avs, the Pioneers and the U.S. and Canadian women's hockey teams, figure skating competition and a national junior hockey tournament.

All are excellent proposals.

Conceivably, an entire winter festival, somewhat in the tradition of the St. Paul Winter Carnival, could be staged up to the New Year, with the games at the football stadium, the New Year's Eve celebration downtown, ice sculptures, skating clinics, an international ice show, a parade, shops, markets, food bonanzas and a mini-Olympics (figure skating, speedskating, curling, sled racing, etc., etc.) in cooperation with the USOC in Colorado Springs.

As long as Dick Lamm doesn't try to fight it and John Hickenlooper climbs on board.

"Of course, the Avs and the Pioneers would be the big ticket," Schmieder said.

I'm envisioning a nationally televised doubleheader extravaganza featuring the University of Denver and Colorado College in the first game, followed by the Avalanche against the Red Wings. Ice, Nice, Baby.

The Avs and the Wings would get a monetary bonanza (and the league the attention it continues to crave), and both college athletic programs would receive major financial assistance. Plus, with ticket sales and corporate sponsorships (with a title sponsor) the Sports Commission and local charities would be beneficiaries.

What about the Broncos? Schmieder said the setup of the ice-making equipment, which is very expensive, and the rink would take seven to 10 days before Dec. 31 (a Wednesday this year). The Broncos could schedule a road game on the 28th. Or the hockey games could be played at the baseball park (no record, but 50,000 and a LoDo bash).

If we can invite the Democrats to town for a few days, we can endure the Puckheads, too.

And the temperature (Monday notwithstanding) on Dec. 31 probably would be 70 — a perfect night for a hockey game. Let's play two.

ECHL All-Star Adrian Veideman Talks About DU

(above) DU alum Adrian Veideman will play in the ECHL All-Star game tonight. It will be televised on Comcast Sports Southeast at 8:30 MST

Q & A with Adrian Veideman

D.J. Powers of Hockey's Future.com caught up with former Pioneer Adrian Veideman at the ECHL All-Star game in Stockton, California. She has written articles for LetsGoDU in the past including the outstanding series about the 1960's era DU hockey alums that compete in the Snoopy Old Timers Hockey Tournament in California every summer. We can't thank D.J. enough, and make sure to check out Hockey Future's Website for the best coverage of tomorrow's NHL stars.

Special to Let’s Go DU
By DJ Powers

The former University of Denver Pioneer is off to a strong start to his pro career as a member of the ECHL’s Augusta Lynx. In 35 appearances this season, Veideman has posted 23 points (four goals, 19 assists). He recently was called up by the Portland Pirates and during his brief stint helped guide the Pirates to their fourth straight win.

I caught up with Adrian Veideman after the Skills Competition portion of the ECHL All-Game festivities on Tuesday in Stockton to chat about both the pros and his days at the University of Denver.

Q: So how does it feel to be here at the ECHL All-Star Game?

AV: It’s definitely an honor to be here. I’m just happy to be representing the Augusta Lynx and the ECHL at this awesome event.

Q: You scored a goal in the rapid fire competition against Daniel Manzato from the Las Vegas Wranglers. Take me through how it happened.

AV: It’s definitely a new thing for me. I’d never done anything like that before. (Laughs) It’s definitely a fun experience out there. It was kind of cool just to be out there with another guy (Tomas Kudelka of the Elmira Jackals) that I don’t even know, but we’re teammates for now and tomorrow. I just closed my eyes, took a shot and it went into the net.

Q: You recently had a stint with the Portland Pirates (AHL). What was the experience like there for you?

AV: It’s a great experience as a hockey player to get the call to go to the next level. The players at the next level are definitely bigger, stronger and faster. It’s one of the best leagues in the world. I’m just happy to get the opportunity to be up there and show them what I have to offer.

Q: When you played up in Portland, you actually had one of your former Denver teammates, Matt Laatsch, as one of your coaches. So what was that like for you?

AV: Well Matt and I are great friends and we’ve always been great friends from our Denver days. It’s great seeing him progressing his coaching career up in Portland. Our relationship up there is strictly professional, obviously. He helps me tremendously. In the summertime we hang out quite a bit. It’s definitely a neat experience to play for somebody that you’ve played with and just knowing where he came from.

Q: With Portland being the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, have you had any contact with them and have they been watching you to perhaps offer you a contract or maybe Portland offering you a contract?

AV: I’m currently under contract with Portland. I went to Anaheim’s rookie camp this summer, so they know what I offer and hopefully the future is strong.

Q: Hopefully we’ll be seeing you back up in Portland again in the near future.

AV: Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back up there and they’ll give me the call soon. But they wanted me here and I wanted to represent the Augusta Lynx for having a strong first half of the season.

Q: What are some of the specific areas, skill-wise, have you been working on since playing with Augusta?

AV: Just coming from the confidence factor. In college, I wasn’t the go-to guy. Now that I’m a professional, I’m looked to being a leader and be a go-to guy on the ice. It’s just maintaining my confidence out there as well as to continue to progress my skills.

Q: One of the things that I noticed that you did when you played at the University of Denver, was that you had played at both the forward and defense positions. In the ECHL media guide, they list you as a defenseman. Have you played up front at all this season with either Augusta or Portland?

AV: It’s interesting that you’d ask that question because usually two or three times in a game (with Augusta), I’ll go for a shift at forward, depending on how we’re doing. Up in Portland, I played a game at forward. Being a versatile player is definitely something that I think teams like. I’ll continue to maintain both aspects of the game.

Q: Do you have a preference of which position that you like playing better?

AV: Right now, I think I’m more comfortable playing back on defense. I’m still a young defenseman and I’ve only been playing defense for two years. It’s definitely something that I need to keep working at as well as maintaining my forward skills.

Q: Obviously, you came from a great program at the University of Denver. What were some of the adjustments that you had to make going from the college game to the pro game?

AV: I think the biggest adjustment that anyone has to make from the college game to the pro game is just the lifestyle within the rink. You don’t have to go to school. You don’t have to worry about studying, preparing for tests or things like that. With the pro game, you definitely play more games and you have to be mentally more ready. As far as college, it was a great experience and the pro game is too.

Q: If there were one or two things that Coach Gwozdecky has taught you that really prepared you for the pro game, what would they be and why?

AV: I think the main thing that Coach Gwozdecky has taught me was to be a leader in all aspects, not just on the ice, but off the ice as well. He has taught me to just always be helping people and to make sure that you’re seen in the community as a guy that is good on and off the ice.

Q: With your pro schedule the way it is, I realize that it’s difficult, but do you keep up with the Pioneers?

AV: I think I keep track of the Pioneers more than I do myself sometimes. Those are my roots and they gave me great opportunities there, so I’ll definitely be a Pioneer for life.

Q: What do you feel are some of the greatest memories that you have of your time with the Denver Pioneers, would say winning the national championships?

AV: Well, those are always the best and obvious memories. I think the most profound personal memory that I have of Denver is getting my degree. They gave me that opportunity and it’s something that nobody can take away from me as well the rings that I got for the national championships. Along, with those good memories, there were some bad memories. The last couple of years we fell short. Those are things that make you a stronger person and a stronger hockey player.

Q: With the Pioneers doing so well this season, that has to feel pretty good to you.

AV: It does feel great. The guys that I’ve played with the last couple of years that haven’t had as much success in their college careers as I have, it’s good to see them having some success and it makes me feel good that maybe there was something along the way that I did to help them progress and become better players and better persons.

Q: Do you miss it?

AV: Of course, I miss it. College was a very unique experience and I think every hockey player should have to go through that. Just the schooling aspect and getting that degree is something that I think everybody needs to go through. It’s definitely true.

Q: Finally, something that is very unique to Denver Pioneers hockey that I have to ask you. In your career, how many oranges and how many lemons did you win?

AV: ooh. I’m pretty sure that I only had three or four max in the orange department, but lemon-wise, I had a stint in my sophomore year where I had it for four weeks straight, but that was only because we had a bye week in there. It’s kind of neat that you would ask that question. So I definitely had more lemons than oranges.
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by D.J. Powers of Hockey's Future.com

DU Alum Answers Long Awaited Call To NHL

From: Gwinnett Daily Post
by Christine Troyke

ATLANTA - DU Alum Kevin Doell stowed his elbow pads and stripped off his Atlanta Thrashers practice jersey last Thursday.

His stall in the locker room at Philips Arena is at the far end of the horseshoe, with one empty one to the right.

"You look good in blue," he's told.

"It feels pretty good," Doell answers with a grin.

Doell, who was named the ECHL Rookie of the Year while playing with the Gwinnett Gladiators on 2003-04, finally got the call on Jan. 3. It's the call every hockey player waits for. Doell got it while he was sitting on his couch in Chicago, watching his roommates - Guillaume Desbiens and Joey Crabb - play a video game.

It was just two weeks ago, but Doell has a clear memory of the details that day. These are things a player doesn't forget because it means a lifetime dream has finally coalesced into reality.

At 4 p.m. on Jan. 3, Thrashers' assistant general manager Larry Simmons phoned Doell.

Desbiens and Crabb were engrossed in a college football game on the PlayStation.

"Larry called me and said they were calling me up and had a flight for me in a couple of hours, so pack up and get to the airport," he said.

Doell, who is under Atlanta contract and has played the last three seasons with the Thrashers' American Hockey League affiliate in Chicago, had little time to get out the door. The fleet-footed forward called his parents in Saskatchewan, threw some clothes together and headed for the airport.

"A couple of suits and couple of shirts, pair of jeans and that was about it," Doell said. "I don't have a whole lot with me. But that's all right."

A massive understatement for a guy who played his first NHL game at the age of 28.

Doell arrived in Atlanta around 10 p.m. on Jan. 3 and got checked into his Buckhead hotel. He called his parents again to let them know he had arrived.

"I just pretty much tried going to sleep," Doell said with a laugh. "But it was hard that night. We had a game the next day. I wasn't sure if I was playing or not, but it was still pretty exciting."

Doell did play. He won four of six faceoffs and had one shot on goal in 9 minutes and 37 seconds of action in his pro debut against Carolina on Jan. 4.

Those stats do not reflect the full experience.

"My first shift, my legs were going 100 miles an hour," Doell said. "It didn't last too long, maybe 30 seconds. But I was skating as hard as I could, going everywhere just following the puck. I was just going wherever.

"But I settled down a little bit. You do that (chase the puck) at this level, you're going to play yourself out position and play a lot of catch-up."

It got easier as the game wore on and he adjusted to the speed of the NHL.

"I was pretty nervous," Doell said. "But I got the jitters out and tried to play my game."

To get to the NHL, Doell had to change his game. A go-to goal scorer in college and with the Gladiators as a rookie, Doell did what few players would.

According to Gwinnett head coach Jeff Pyle, Doell did what no other player would.

"He's a goal scorer that has adapted to a role that will get him to the NHL," Pyle said. "I don't know one person, I do not know one person that would do that - other than Kevin Doell.

"He's given up offense to be in the NHL."

Pyle, who has long sung Doell's praises to those at the AHL and NHL levels, watched his former player in a game against Philadelphia last week.

"It was the first time I got to see him play, but he was finishing every check," Pyle said. "He was around the net giving guys shots to start (stuff). It was typical Doeller. And I'm proud for him because he's one of the kids that understands. He works so hard."

Doell scored 62 goals and had 74 assists in four years at the University of Denver. Signed by AHL Chicago as a rookie and sent to the Gladiators, Doell had 74 points in 63 regular season games and helped Gwinnett to the conference finals. He was named the ECHL's top rookie and on June 30, 2004, the Thrashers signed him to a contract.

The center spent the majority of the 2004-05 season in Chicago. In 45 games with the Wolves, Doell had 12 points and 69 penalty minutes. In the 11 games Doell played for the Gladiators, he had 15 points and 14 penalty minutes.

"In Chicago and coming to (Thrashers training) camp here, talking to the coaches and stuff, pretty much everybody at this level can score goals," Doell said. "It's not what every team needs, a goal scorer. Some teams need a fourth-line energy guy or a third-line checker. That's the way I fit in Chicago and pretty much up here it's the same role."

Doell is fine with that - whatever gets him to the NHL.

"I don't mind it at all, not one bit," he said.

Doell, who has still accumulated a fair number points in the AHL, said he's a better player for it.

"Being in Chicago the last three years, killing penalties, made my game that much better all around," he said.

Doell has played in five games with the Thrashers and is averaging about 10 minutes of ice time. He's primarily played on the fourth line with Brad Larsen and Chris Thorburn. But Doell has also seen some time centering a line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Mark Recchi.

Reality is most certainly living up to the dream.

"It's pretty cool seeing the guys around and the actual realization that you're here," said Doell, sitting in his stall at Philips Arena, just a few hours before playing the Florida Panthers last week.

"I don't think it's really going to hit me until my playing days are done. I'll look back and think, 'Yeah, that was pretty cool.' Right now I'm kind of just in player mode, trying to do what I can to help the team."

How much longer Doell remains in Atlanta isn't certain. He was called up after left wing Eric Boulton sustained a knee injury. Boulton is back, but due to a string of injuries to other forwards, Doell was still with the team and playing in Detroit on Tuesday night.

Whatever the situation, there's no question Doell will work as hard as he can to stay. He's a 28-year-old rookie and the waiting, the wondering about when or if he would get a chance wasn't easy.

"There are definitely those thoughts that creep in," Doell said. "But once you get up here and get a little taste, you just think I want to play again, I want to play every game. You give it your all so that hopefully you make it and it's not your last one. You do your job and hopefully they like it."