Sutter Said What Many Are Thinking: Change Is Needed

Brent Sutter is right, absolutely 100% right.

His comments about grassroots hockey in our country, which were spat on by Don Cherry, are right on the mark.

Sutter’s contention is that our current focus when it comes to building hockey players is off the mark.

Rebels: Bleackley Excited About Future After Eventful Month

Conner Bleackley

To call the last few weeks in the life of Red Deer Rebels forward Conner Bleackley “eventful” would be a gross understatement of fact.

In a huge off-season when it comes to his future as a hockey player, Bleackley’s hockey efforts were abruptly put on hold when his hometown of High River was devastated by June’s massive floods.

Thankfully for Bleackley, he and his family made it through the traumatic experience relatively unscathed compared with many others.

“We got all of our valuable stuff out of the basement but it was devastating to see the rest of the damage in and around High River,” Bleackley told me over the phone today. “All the houses on our street, some of the families won’t be able to recover from the flood which is sad to see. We were fortunate that all we lost was some stuff and that everyone was out ok and all my friends and family were not hurt.”

Canada Wins U-18 Bronze, Dumba Named Top Defenceman

Before you ask... no, I did not wake up at 4am to watch this morning's bronze medal game at the World U-18 Hockey Championship.  But I did make my way to the office in time to chat with Mathew Dumba for a few minutes.

Dumba had three assists in Canada's 5-4 OT win over Finland to win bronze to finish the tournament with 5 goals and 7 assists.  He was a fairly easy choice as the Top Defenceman for the tournament.

Here's the transcript of my chat with Mat...

TG - Congrats on winning the bronze, Mat.  What are your overall thoughts on today's game?
MD - "It was a really good game by us.  We came out in the first really strong, up 2-0 going into the second.  The we took 10 minutes in penalties and we were killing the whole period.  That was tough to be in penalty trouble and the Finns are pretty feisty and they fought back just like we expected them too.  But it's a bronze medal [for us] and something to go home with.  Both teams really played hard and in the end we just kinda out-willed them.  We greased one out and it was good to see." 

TG - Was it tough for you guys to get motivated for today's game?  Bronze medal games aren't always easy for Canadian teams to get up for.MD - "No, it wasn't at all.  We've come all this way and to lose and not get anything from it would have been terrible.  It would have been a major failure for us and Hockey Canada.  We wanted to do something to take a little bit of pride home and have that [medal] in our bag to say we won something.  A medal is still a medal.  It's still a world championship with the best teams in the world so we're just satisfied taking home a bronze medal."
TG - You guys played probably your worst game of the tournament in losing 4-3 to Finland in the round-robin.  There must have been some motivation in getting another shot at them in the bronze medal game?MD - "Yeah, for sure.  We really didn't show them our best game in our first game.  But all the teams in this tournament get better in each game and today really showed that.  Both teams had got better and it was a really fast-paced game, high tempo and a lot of fun."

TG - You obviously put up a top of points at the tournament [led all skaters with 12 points] but were you happy with your individual play overall?
MD - "I was very happy with my point production, I kinda just got luck with all of that.  I got on a roll and it was nice but I think I also did a good job of playing defence and shutting down some key players in the tournament.  I maybe would've liked some plays back on the defensive end of things but the tournament goes by way too fast to dwell on those little things.  You just gotta be mentally tough battle through that stuff and I felt I did a really good job of that."

TG - This is the second straight overseas tournament in which you've led Team Canada in scoring [2011 Ivan Hlikna Memorial was the other] obviously something about European-style hockey suits your game.
MD - "Yeah, I guess so.  It kinda just puts me into a position where I can skate, get the puck on net and have a lot of opportunities.  I was pretty fortunate to be placed here in the positions that I was.  To have that powerplay time and be looked at as one of the key players on the team, I just embraced that as much as I could."
TG - Now that the tournament is over, talk about the fun you're having there [Czech Republic] off the ice.
MD - "It's a totally different world over here.  It's fun coming here.  Just to see the scenery and the history that is here is amazing.  Kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm so thankful for it."

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A few other quick thoughts...

- Dumba's play at the U-18's was, for lack of a better term, typical 'Dumba Hockey.'  He was a juggernaut offensively while still having a few off-moments in his own end (as he admitted to in our chat).  But he certainly responded well after being criticized in the wake of his drop in draft ranking.  Next up on his agenda... what is sure to be a long list of NHL teams calling him for pre-draft interviews leading up to June 22nd in Pittsburgh

- Jesse Wallin's coaching resume becomes even more impressive with the job he did at the U-18's.  Canada was right there in every game they played against teams which for the most part are together year-round.  In the case of the USA they have been together for two full years and Canada pushed them to the limit, twice.  The Rebels definitely have the right man at the helm as they look to re-group and get back into the WHL playoffs in 2012-13.

- Hunter Shinkaruk's third goal of the bronze medal game was the overtime winner.  He had 49 goals for Medicine Hat as a 17-year-old.  Even with Emerson Etem moving on is it a stretch to think he could net 60 goals next season? (as Etem did this year)

- Huge props to Cam Moon for getting me Dumba and Wallin to chat with throughout the tournament.  No doubt Mooner has had a great time being with the team in the Czech Republic, will be fun to chat with him when he gets back to Red Deer.

Canada Beats Russia / Catching Up With Kudrna

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A Tough Loss But Strong Showing For Canada's U-18's

It's rare that a Canadian national hockey team can feel good after a loss at any level. But the U-18's definitely have that right after what we saw from them yesterday.

Jesse Wallin's crew battled hard but came up just short in a 5-3 loss to the heavily favoured Americans in Brno, Czech Republic.

Yes, it was a loss. But as Wallin told the Canadian Press he feels his squad is more than ready for the medal round.

“We grew as a team today and that's what we had to do,'' he said. “We have to be that much better for our next game. We can't hang our heads, we can't feel sorry for ourselves. We just have to keep getting better, keep plugging away and stay the course here.''

Mathew Dumba had another eventful game at both ends of the rink.

On the good side, Dumba netted a goal and an assist for the fourth straight game (earning him player of the games honours for Canada). He now leads all skaters at the tournament with eight points. On the bad side, he was on for two more goals against (albeit one was a powerplay goal by the Americans) in another perfect showcase for Dumba's high risk, high reward style of play.

And what a nice addition Hunter Shinkaruk has been to Canada's roster. He was a late arrival once Medicine Hat was knocked out of the WHL playoffs, but he was solid yesterday in netting a goal and an assist of his own versus the Americans. Brandon Wheat Kings blueliner Ryan Pulock also scored for Canada meaning all three goals in yesterday's game came from Western Hockey Leaguers!

Canada will now hit the ice for quarter-finals action tomorrow (Thursday) versus Russia.

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Once upon a time, there was a time when the name "Raffi" brought to mind warm thoughts of a beloved children's entertainer known for such classics as "Baby Beluga" and "Down By The Bay."

Sadly, Raffi Torres has ruined that for me.

With yet another predatorial hit last night, this time on Chicago's Marian Hossa, the Phoenix Coyotes winger enraged hockey fans yet again. Ironically, the hit came one later to the exact day after Torres (while with Vancouver) nailed Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook with a high hit.

I don't have enough time or desire to re-type Torres' full list of transgressions but safe to say he's done it way too often.

Bottom line... if Sherriff Brendan Shanahan does not do us all a favour and throw the book at him then he himself should perhaps given the boot. Mind you, Shanny has been quite a busy man over the past week or so. He's already dished out more suspensions in the first round than we saw during all of last year's playoffs. Intensity is one thing. But players are crossing the line and not just by a little bit.

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Next year at this time the Bentley Generals will be hosting the 2013 Allan Cup right here in Red Deer. The 2012 AC is on right now in Lloydminster. Today marks day three of round-robin action. Check out www.allancup.ca for all the latest.

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"An Important 'Czech Mark' for Team Canada"

A good bounce back effort for Team Canada today at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship.

Mathew Dumba had a goal and an assist (for the third straight game) as Canada beat the host Czech Republic 6-2, improving their round-robin record to 2-1.

During a quick phone chat right after the game, Wallin told me he really liked what he saw in what he called a 'game seven' situation for his squad.

"It's early in the tournament to be in that position but things happen that quickly. I thought the guys really responded to the challenge. They stepped up."

"We came off a game the other night against Finland where we were just absolutely rotten." Wallin told me, in reference to Canada's 4-3 loss on Saturday. "We had guys on their own page and everybody was cheating, not playing systems and whatnot."

Today's was an important win for Canada in that it clinched them a spot in the quarterfinals. It also sets up a showdown for first place in their pool versus the United States. The task will be a daunting one to say the least.

"The U.S. is undefeated in the tournament, they haven't given up a goal yet. They're a team that's been together for two years so they know each other well and are very organized."

That being said, Wallin is confident that his team has what it takes to get the job done.

"We've got a real good group of players. They're great people, they've really gelled well off the ice. But ultimately the game is played on the ice and they have to play together as a team. And today I really thought they took a step in the right direction."

Wednesday's game versus the United States starts at noon Alberta time and will be shown on TSN.

(NOTE - Thanks to Cam Moon for tearing Jesse away from a conversation with Steve Yzerman so that we could have our phone interview. Sorry about that, Stevie!)

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As we ended our chat, I quickly asked Jesse for a quick thought on Brent Sutter. It's been an eventful few days for Wallin's mentor and Rebels boss. But as you would expect with all that he's been up to, Wallin didn't have much to say at this time.

"I haven't talked to anyone back there [Red Deer] other than my wife so I've only caught what she's told me and what I've found on the internet. He's an excellent hockey coach and I'm excited that he got the opportunity for the World Championships. He'll do an excellent job there."

Dumba Discusses Draft, Team Canada

Ok... so he didn't so much discuss it with me as he did politely comment on it and move on.

But either way, Mathew Dumba doesn't seem too concerned about his final ranking from NHL Central Scouting for this June's entry draft. A ranking which saw him fall from 7th among North American based skaters to 11th.

"Anything can happen at a draft," Dumba said over the phone from the Czech Republic. "It's a team's perspective and if a team wants you that's what they're gonna do."

Fair enough. We'll see how things unfold when the first round of the draft takes place in Pittsburgh on June 22nd.

In the meantime, Dumba has more pressing issues to worry about as he and the rest of Team Canada get set for their first round robin game at the World U-18 Hockey Championship (tomorrow, 8am Alberta time vs. Denmark).

"It's tough playing these other teams because a lot of them have been together year-round," he said in reference to Canada's two pre-tournament games (5-3 win over Germany, 5-4 OT win over Czech Rep.) "We just come together on short notice and have to play our best hockey. There's definitely a learning curve with that. Guys weren't always in the right places and little things like that. Little details which we've worked on this week."

It should come as no surprise that Team Canada has taken on a style of play we've come to expect from a Jesse Wallin coached hockey club.

"We're gonna be a very hard working team. Hard-nosed, gritty, greasy team that's gonna go out there and battle the whole time. We've got some big strong forwards that will go to the net. And on defence we've got guys who can skate and move the puck. It's pretty fun."

I also asked Mat if any of his teammates had asked him about what to expect in having Wallin as their coach. Dumba says they found that out for themselves rather quickly.

"It was our first game versus Germany. We didn't play the best period and he came in [to the dressing room] and was 'real firm.'

Yup. Sounds familiar.

Anyhoo... it should be made official today that Dumba will wear the "C" for Team Canada starting tomorrow. After that we'll 'see' what happens throughout the tournament, the NHL Entry Draft, and beyond.

TG