It blew me away when Jesse Wallin told me that Alex Petrovic lost 13 lbs during the final month of the WHL season.
I guess playing 35+ minutes per game will do that to a guy.
That fact alone makes Petrovic deserving of whatever honour comes his way... and he received two more yesterday. The Rebels 2011-12 MVP was named as the WHL Eastern Conference Defenceman of the Year as well as a 1st-team Conference All-Star.
It is somewhat surprising that Petro was not a unanimous all-star selection but nevertheless there is no one more deserving of the honour. Whoever is named this afternoon as the Western Conference Defenceman of the Year will be in tough against Alex for the league award.
Meantime... Petro has officially been added to the roster of the San Antonio Rampage and will make his AHL debut tonight when they take on the Grand Rapids Griffins. Petro will be up against former Rebels teammates Willie Coetzee, who has 9 goals and 10 assists for Grand Rapids this season, and Landon Ferraro, who has 8 goals and 10 assists.
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Rebels forward John Persson made his AHL debut last night for Bridgeport. Unfortunately, they lost 3-0 to Binghampton.
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Here is the full list of WHL Eastern Conference All-Stars and Awards Finalists...
FIRST ALL-STAR TEAM
Goaltender – Tyler Bunz (St. Albert, AB), Medicine Hat Tigers
Defenceman – Alex Petrovic (Edmonton, AB), Red Deer Rebels
Defenceman – Ryan Pulock (Dauphin, MB), Brandon Wheat Kings
Forward – Emerson Etem (Long Beach, CA), Medicine Hat Tigers*
Forward – Mark Stone (Winnipeg, MB), Brandon Wheat Kings*
Forward – Jordan Weal (North Vancouver, BC), Regina Pats
SECOND ALL-STAR TEAM
Goaltender – Nathan Lieuwen (Abottsford, BC), Kootenay Ice
Defenceman – Mark Pysyk (Sherwood Park, AB), Edmonton Oil Kings
Defenceman – Brandon Davidson (Taber, AB), Regina Pats
Forward – Michael St. Croix (Winnipeg, MB), Edmonton Oil Kings
Forward – Max Reinhart (Vancouver, BC), Kootenay Ice
Forward – Michael Ferland (Brandon, MB), Brandon Wheat Kings
*-Indicates unanimous selection
AWARDS FINALISTS
WHL Rookie of the Year, Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Sam Reinhart (Vancouver, BC), Kootenay Ice
WHL Goaltender of the Year, Del Wilson Trophy
Eastern Conference – Tyler Bunz (St. Albert, AB), Medicine Hat Tigers
WHL Defenceman of the Year, Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Alex Petrovic (Edmonton, AB), Red Deer Rebels
WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year, Brad Hornung Trophy
Eastern Conference – Mark Stone (Winnipeg, MB), Brandon Wheat Kings
WHL Scholastic Player of the Year, Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Jimmy Bubnick (Saskatoon, SK), Calgary Hitmen
WHL Coach of the Year, Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Pat Conacher, Regina Pats
WHL Executive of the Year, Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Bob Green, Edmonton Oil Kings
WHL Humanitarian of the Year, Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy
Eastern Conference – Taylor Vause (Calgary, AB), Swift Current Broncos
WHL Marketing / Business Award
Eastern Conference – Moose Jaw Warriors
WHL Regular Season Champions, Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy
Edmonton Oil Kings: GP – 72 W – 50 L – 15 OTL – 3 SL – 4 Pts – 107
WHL Top Scorer – Bob Clarke Trophy
Brendan Shinnimin – (Winnipeg, MB) Tri-City Americans
GP – 69 G – 58 A – 76 Pts – 134 PIM - 82
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Alberta mixed martial arts fans finally got the news they've been waiting for...
UFC 149 will take place at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Friday, July 21st.
UFC President Dana White and UFC Canada Director of Operations Tom Wright made the announcement yesterday in front of a packed house at Flames Central in downtown Calgary.
Red Deer's Jason MacDonald was also on-hand for the announcement and has been front and centre in helping promote the event. It would be wonderful to see @jaymac185 in the octagon when the big night rolls around but that remains to be seen. Jason has hinted that he would likely retire following an appearance at UFC 149. As he said in the Calgary Herald "I really hope to be part of this show. It would be a storybook ending for me."
Jason remains busy promoting MMA at the local level... his latest installment of Pure Fighting Championship is slated for May 11 at the Westerner here in Red Deer. You can bet we'll have more details as the event draws nearer.
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Mess with the bull and you get the horns...
The New Orleans Saints "bounty program" earned them the largest punishment ever given to an NFL team in league history. To call is devastating would be an understatement...
- Head Coach Sean Payton has been suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season effective April 1st (no fooling) which reportedly cost Payton as much as $7.5-million.
- Former Saints DC Gregg Williams, the reported mastermind behind the bounty program, has been suspended from the league indefinitely, leaving his new team the St. Louis Rams in search of a replacement
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Goodell also banned Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular-season games next season and assistant coach Joe Vitt for the first six games.
- In addition, Goodell fined the Saints $500,000 and took away their second-round draft picks this year and next.
The punishment is sweeping and unprecedented... but deserved.
One would be naive to think the Saints are the only team past or present to run a "bounty program" of any kind. In fact, if you read tweets from any number of NFL and CFL players such programs have been quite commonplace over the years.
Then why such a harsh punishment for the Saints? Two reasons...
1. Commissioner Goodell wanted to nip such behaviour in the bud while he had the chance. Unfortunately for the Saints they were the ones who got caught (NFL Network Analyst Warren Sapp says former Saints TE Jeremy Shockey was the whistleblower / snitch) and in order for Goodell to start a "culture change" in the NFL he needed to make an example of Saints... and that he did. "I don't think you can be too hard on people that put at risk our players' health and safety," Goodell said. "That is a critical issue for us."
2. Goodell was flat out lied to. "This went on for three years, and it was investigated. We were misled, there were denials throughout that period," Goodell told NFL Network. "Clearly, we were lied to. We investigated this back in 2010. We were told it was not happening, and it continued for another two years." That's not a smart way to go about doing business with a Commissioner who has clearly established himself as a hardliner with his track record of handing out discipline. He is well within his right not to put up with any crap, especially when someone misleads him in the way which the Saints apparently have.
Mess with the bull and you get the horns
Showing posts with label Alex Petrovic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alex Petrovic. Show all posts
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Taming the Tabbies, "Fightgate" Update
A feather in the cap last night for Deven Dubyk.
In his final appearance in the rink where he spent his first three WHL seasons, Dubyk made 28 saves to backstop the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-2 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers.
By all accounts, it was a solid team effort. A perfect way for the Rebels to say "thank you" to the guy who gave them so much in so little time.
Dubyk made a very difficult decision when he joined the Rebels in late December... passing up a chance to play in the RBC Cup with the host Humboldt Broncos. The Rebels are thankful he made the decision that he did.
His overall solid play kept the injury-riddled Rebels in countless games over the past three months. Obviously, the Rebels did not win nearly as many of those games as they would have liked. But Dubyk at least gave them a chance more often than not. As I mentioned in a previous blog... his numbers don't jump right out at you (3.05 GAA, .905 save %) but if you think the Rebels season was bad enough already... not having Dubyk between the pipes would have made it look much worse.
Back to last night's game... Alex Petrovic started his farewell week by scoring a pair of goals, his 11th and 12th of the season. As Director of Player Personnel for the Florida Panthers Brian Skrudland told me last month, Petrovic is a lock to play for their AHL affiliate in San Antonio next season. So let's enjoy his final few games with the Rebels because his presence will definitely be missed next year.
Tyson Ness scored his 20th goal of the season last night. Ness has taken full advantage of the extra ice time he's received this year. He will be a valuable leader for the Rebels as a 19-year-old next season.
Just two games left for the Rebels, both of them at home, Friday versus Lethbridge and Saturday versus Edmonton.
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Meantime... Edmonton Oil Kings Head Coach Derek Laxdal is softening on his stance, somewhat.
You'll recall that he accused the Rebels of using some dirty tactics during last Saturday's game at Rexall Place... setting the stage for what could be an explosive game this Saturday at the Enmax Centrium.
But in another article featured in today's Edmonton Journal, Laxdal wasn't so sure that will be the case...
Saturday’s game against Red Deer could be a rough one. The teams combined for 156 penalty minutes at Rexall Place on Saturday and Laxdal was vocal after the game, repeatedly saying that the Rebels — who were eliminated from the playoffs —were unprofessional in how they conducted themselves.
Laxdal now brushes off the suggestion that the Rebels’ final game of the season Saturday could get out of hand.
“It’s the game of hockey,” he said. “The game gets physical and we’ve got to play through it. We’ve got to focus on getting those two points and focus on the way we play.
“We want to play a physical hard game. If it gets out of control a little bit, that’s the referee’s job to settle it down. It’ll be fine.”
We shall all find out together on Saturday.
In his final appearance in the rink where he spent his first three WHL seasons, Dubyk made 28 saves to backstop the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-2 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers.
By all accounts, it was a solid team effort. A perfect way for the Rebels to say "thank you" to the guy who gave them so much in so little time.
Dubyk made a very difficult decision when he joined the Rebels in late December... passing up a chance to play in the RBC Cup with the host Humboldt Broncos. The Rebels are thankful he made the decision that he did.
His overall solid play kept the injury-riddled Rebels in countless games over the past three months. Obviously, the Rebels did not win nearly as many of those games as they would have liked. But Dubyk at least gave them a chance more often than not. As I mentioned in a previous blog... his numbers don't jump right out at you (3.05 GAA, .905 save %) but if you think the Rebels season was bad enough already... not having Dubyk between the pipes would have made it look much worse.
Back to last night's game... Alex Petrovic started his farewell week by scoring a pair of goals, his 11th and 12th of the season. As Director of Player Personnel for the Florida Panthers Brian Skrudland told me last month, Petrovic is a lock to play for their AHL affiliate in San Antonio next season. So let's enjoy his final few games with the Rebels because his presence will definitely be missed next year.
Tyson Ness scored his 20th goal of the season last night. Ness has taken full advantage of the extra ice time he's received this year. He will be a valuable leader for the Rebels as a 19-year-old next season.
Just two games left for the Rebels, both of them at home, Friday versus Lethbridge and Saturday versus Edmonton.
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Meantime... Edmonton Oil Kings Head Coach Derek Laxdal is softening on his stance, somewhat.
You'll recall that he accused the Rebels of using some dirty tactics during last Saturday's game at Rexall Place... setting the stage for what could be an explosive game this Saturday at the Enmax Centrium.
But in another article featured in today's Edmonton Journal, Laxdal wasn't so sure that will be the case...
Saturday’s game against Red Deer could be a rough one. The teams combined for 156 penalty minutes at Rexall Place on Saturday and Laxdal was vocal after the game, repeatedly saying that the Rebels — who were eliminated from the playoffs —were unprofessional in how they conducted themselves.
Laxdal now brushes off the suggestion that the Rebels’ final game of the season Saturday could get out of hand.
“It’s the game of hockey,” he said. “The game gets physical and we’ve got to play through it. We’ve got to focus on getting those two points and focus on the way we play.
“We want to play a physical hard game. If it gets out of control a little bit, that’s the referee’s job to settle it down. It’ll be fine.”
We shall all find out together on Saturday.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Petro Power
Playing with the lead is always a good thing (duh) so Alex Petrovic figured why waste time.
Charles Inglis won the opening face-off and Petrovic took it from there, skating in and scoring just ten seconds into the first period.
The quick goal stood as the eventual game winner as the Rebels blanked the Prince Albert Raiders 4-0 Wednesday night at the Enmax Centrium. The win puts them back at the .500 mark for the season (24-24-1-4) and keeps them within four points of Brandon for the eighth and final playoff spot in the WHL Eastern Conference (the Wheaties came back to beat Regina 3-2 on Wednesday).
Petrovic was outstanding at both ends of the rink... finishing the game with two goals and well over 30 minutes of ice time, a result of the Rebels being able to dress only four defencemen. The Florida Panthers prospect is enjoying dealing with that challenge.
"You're out every second shift. Obviously, you can't complain... so you have to just take advantage of it and do my best out there... make simple plays and I thought I did that tonight."
Petrovic was far from being the only Rebels to play well on this night. All four Rebels defencemen played great as well. Mathew Dumba wasn't necessarily flashy but he was basically mistake-free. Cody Thiel and Stephen Hak, who in a non-injury ravaged season would likely be #7 and #8 on the depth chart and taking turns sitting in the press box, are doing a fantastic job with the opportunity they've both been given.
Up front... Youngsters Cory Millette and Joel Hamilton each had a goal and two assists and, in their own right, capitalized on some extra prime time shifts created by the absence of Colten Mayor.
And, as you would expect, the goaltender was on his game as well. Deven Dubyk was by no means busy in this one, facing just 17 shots, but he was solid and provided a calming influence between the pipes. He earned his first shutout as a Rebels in what should (hopefully) be his final game wearing those gaudy orange pads... the new ones are on their way!
The casual observer would mention the fact that the Rebels were playing the last place team in the conference. A team which came into last night 3-7 in its last ten games. Both are valid points. But the Rebels had played the Raiders twice previously this season... losing both games by scores of 7-2 and 5-0... meaning last night's 4-0 win came with a certain amount of payback.
Next up... a Friday night visit to Cranbrook.
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The Bentley Generals visit the Lloydminster Border Kings tonight for game one of the Chinook Hockey League final. The Generals are seeking their sixth straight league title and seventh overall. Game two in this best of three series goes Saturday night in Bentley.
Charles Inglis won the opening face-off and Petrovic took it from there, skating in and scoring just ten seconds into the first period.
The quick goal stood as the eventual game winner as the Rebels blanked the Prince Albert Raiders 4-0 Wednesday night at the Enmax Centrium. The win puts them back at the .500 mark for the season (24-24-1-4) and keeps them within four points of Brandon for the eighth and final playoff spot in the WHL Eastern Conference (the Wheaties came back to beat Regina 3-2 on Wednesday).
Petrovic was outstanding at both ends of the rink... finishing the game with two goals and well over 30 minutes of ice time, a result of the Rebels being able to dress only four defencemen. The Florida Panthers prospect is enjoying dealing with that challenge.
"You're out every second shift. Obviously, you can't complain... so you have to just take advantage of it and do my best out there... make simple plays and I thought I did that tonight."
Petrovic was far from being the only Rebels to play well on this night. All four Rebels defencemen played great as well. Mathew Dumba wasn't necessarily flashy but he was basically mistake-free. Cody Thiel and Stephen Hak, who in a non-injury ravaged season would likely be #7 and #8 on the depth chart and taking turns sitting in the press box, are doing a fantastic job with the opportunity they've both been given.
Up front... Youngsters Cory Millette and Joel Hamilton each had a goal and two assists and, in their own right, capitalized on some extra prime time shifts created by the absence of Colten Mayor.
And, as you would expect, the goaltender was on his game as well. Deven Dubyk was by no means busy in this one, facing just 17 shots, but he was solid and provided a calming influence between the pipes. He earned his first shutout as a Rebels in what should (hopefully) be his final game wearing those gaudy orange pads... the new ones are on their way!
The casual observer would mention the fact that the Rebels were playing the last place team in the conference. A team which came into last night 3-7 in its last ten games. Both are valid points. But the Rebels had played the Raiders twice previously this season... losing both games by scores of 7-2 and 5-0... meaning last night's 4-0 win came with a certain amount of payback.
Next up... a Friday night visit to Cranbrook.
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The Bentley Generals visit the Lloydminster Border Kings tonight for game one of the Chinook Hockey League final. The Generals are seeking their sixth straight league title and seventh overall. Game two in this best of three series goes Saturday night in Bentley.
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