Hockey mourns once again

The news from half a world away still resonated across North America late into Wednesday night, word of a tragedy so horrible that it has left the entire hockey world shaken, wondering why this summer has provided for so much heartbreak and sorrow.

Word quickly spread Wednesday morning of the crash of a Russian airliner, the Yakolev-42 into the Volga River, taking  43 passengers and crew to their death, leaving two behind in hospital clinging to life. All members of the KHL's Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey team, a squad that was to begin their KHL season in Minsk, but now no longer exists.

It's a tragedy for the hockey world that joins the register of past horror, Grande Torino of 1949, the Manchester United crash of 1957, the Marshall crash of 1970, indeed the list is longer than one might think of sports teams, or athletes that have suffered such a terrible fate, a reminder of the dangers faced by those that travel frequently in pursuit of an opportunity to play a sport.

The Lokomtiv crash has come home to Canada as well, beyond the shared bond of hockey and the awareness of the distances that athletes sometimes travel, there were players and coaches on the Lokomtiv squad that were familiar names to Canadians, whether born here or having forged their careers here.

With the NHL featuring such an international make up now, the deaths of the 43 in Russia will no doubt touch many players on every team in the NHL, in the closed knit world of hockey,  one or more of the players on each team will no doubt know someone who has perished.

Hockey like soccer, has perhaps the largest pool of players that travel far and wide to ply their craft, so when the flight manifest was released, Canadians recognized many of those that perished, leaving many of us to pause and perhaps reflect on our thoughts about "pampered athletes", a term we hear from time to time.

Travel is a part of the sport, whether it's bus trips in Junior, college or minor pro, or the coast to coast swings of the NHL, but in the KHL travel is something much more than a five hour tour in first class, it at times can resemble a marathon as opposed to sprint.

Dave King spent time coaching in the KHL and provided an amazing glimpse into the life of the KHL in his book King of Russia (reviewed on HockeyNation in November of 2007), a league where costs are sometimes cut it seems, payments at times delivered in black bags, and where a road trip could mean a thirteen or fourteen hour flight across any number of time zones from one side of a vast nation/continent to the other.

There have always been safety concerns when it comes to aviation in Russia, some of which King outlined for George Johnson on Wednesday. Since the days of end of the communist era, the path towards a change in their political structure has been filled with shortcuts, alleged fraud and falsifications.

King and Eric Duhatschek touched on some of that internal strife in the nation, the peculiar inclinations of the KHL and of course the horrendous travel schedule that KHL teams must endure during the course of a season. The book they put together is perhaps the best insight into the KHL and the current state of affairs in Russia today.

To read the dispatches from Russia yesterday, the question of air safety seems to loom large, the very style of plane that Lokomtiv took off in on their ill fated flight, is reported to have been a plane that was to be replaced, though it seems in Russia replacement timetables seem slow compared to North American standards.

Deadly crash devastates KHL team, shines spotlight on Russian air safety
Workers search for crashed Russian plane's data recorders for clues
Medvedev calls for changes in Russia's troubled air industry
Poor quality fuel emerges as possible cause in fatal Russian jet crash
Russian investigators probe KHL jet crash

Investigations will be launched, changes will be demanded, but for the 43 passengers and crew of a flight to Minsk, those findings will come far too late,  any changes more a testimony to their deaths and the sadness it has brought far beyond the Russian borders.

The KHL schedule has been delayed while the KHL takes time to mourn its losses, collectively vowing to rebuild the proud Lokomotiv squad, though one wonders how officials will even begin to tackle such a monumental task, every day a reminder of friends who passed away in such a tragic fashion, their thoughts of an opening night in Minsk banished forever, traded in for ones of fear or prayer in the mere minutes that their plane plummeted back to earth.

One of the headlines of the day on Wednesday simply put it as Lokomotiv is no more, short and to the point, leaving us to mourn 43 fellow citizens of the world, most of whom simply wanted to play a game, make a living and dream the dream that many of us held when we were young.

In a summer that has brought much sadness to the hockey world, the news of September 7 only adds to the burden.

As though to reinforce the fragility of life and the whims of circumstance, Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star outlines the remarkable  story of Jorma Valtonen, the goaltender coach for Lokimotiv, who was supposed to be on the flight, but a decision by management at the last minute left him off the passenger list.

We can't imagine his thoughts today, reflecting on a decision which while saving his life, will no doubt leave him with haunting memories of his team for the rest of his life.

Below some of the items of note on Wednesday's tragedy, many offering much insight into the particulars of hockey in Russia, others providing snapshots of some of those who perished in the crash.  All offer up a picture of a day that the hockey world will long remember. We lead off with one of the deans of Canadian sportswriters, Roy MacGregor, who as always it seems, strikes the right chord for a horrible day.

Globe and Mail-- The 'darkest day' in hockey's annus horribilis
Globe and Mail-- McCrimmon, Demitra among 43 killed in Russian plane crash
Globe and Mail-- Brad McCrimmon: A plain spoken guy with a heart of gold
Globe and Mail-- Demitra was a hero is native Slovakia
Globe and Mail-- Notable NHLers among dead in Russian plane crash
National Post-- Hockey world endures its darkest day
National Post-- Friends mourn McCrimmon
National Post-- "We have no team any more"
Toronto Star-- Dark shadow over hockey world grows longer
Toronto Star-- Lokomotiv will play in KHL this season, vows league chief
Toronto Star-- Plane crash claims KHL club: 'The team is gone'
Toronto Star-- Hockey world in shock after jet crash involving Lokomotiv team
Toronto Sun-- Another tragedy rocks hockey world
Toronto Sun-- Former NHL players die in plane crash
Toronto Sun-- Hockey's saddest summer
Toronto Sun-- KHL postpones start of season
Edmonton Sun-- KHL tragedy's echoes widespread
Wiinipeg Sun-- McCrimmon's brother loses "best friend"
Winnipeg Sun-- Jets mourn death of McCrimmon
Vancouver Province-- Canuck GM close pals with two crash victims
Vancouver Sun-- Ex-Canuck Pavol Demitra among dead in Russia plane crash...
Vancouver Sun-- NHL players aware of the risks in flying
Ottawa Citizen-- Russian air travel a "white knuckle" experience: Ex- hockey player
Ottawa Citizen-- Senators shocked after losing friends in crash
Ottawa Citizen-- Lidsrrom remembers McCrimmon as a tutor and a friend
Ottawa Citizen-- 'There is no hope. The team is gone'
Ottawa Citizen-- Russian hockey to help rebuild Yaroslavl team after deadly crash

It's always best to go to offence when pleading your defence

It's an interesting headline that appears in the Globe and Mail today, dateline of Vancouver:

Vancouver blasts NHL for lacking anti-riot strategy

Now, over the years we've found many things to hold the NHL accountable for, poor financial acumen, misguided franchise location and re-location, questionable managerial decisions,  and of course the perception that there is a lack of understanding that its players are perhaps the leagues most valuable asset and maybe should be protected a little bit better.

But, we can't' say as we can point our finger of shame at the league for the behaviour of any of its member towns miscreants, nor the particularly ineffective plan of response by a city, which seemed to put its police department behind the eight ball well before the crowds gather to wreak havoc in the city's downtown are.

John Furlong and Douglas Keefe opined in their lengthy tome (at a cost of $313,022) last week, that "In spite of four Stanley Cup riots in the last five years (the NHL) has no approach, no policy and no apparent strategy to work with host franchises and municipalities on this issue".  Suggesting that the leagues very brand could be at risk due to league inaction on this issue

Now perhaps the NHL could offer up some advice thanks to those previous five riots something along the lines of crowds may gather, best be prepared, but really, we can't have it both ways.

On one hand after each and every one of these unsavoury events, the officials make a point of suggesting it wasn't true "Canuck, Canadien, (pick you team) fans, but unsavoury elements who took advantage of events.

So, to assess some portion of blame to the NHL while a handy deflection, isn't a particularly correct placement.

It's particularly cynical in the Vancouver incident, which is still very fresh in our minds.

The Mayor of Vancouver, not Gary Bettman, set up the fan zones downtown, eager to return some of the 2010 Olympic spirit to the city.

They did that with significantly less police resources than available to the Olympics however, the thousands of RCMP and municipal officers culled from across Canada, not to mention the support of the Canadian Armed Forces not available this time.

Instead, it would appear that the usual rotation contingent of Vancouver Police augmented by a few extra, but clearly not enough members were left to handle a crowd that had reached those Olympic proportions, the idea of calling in reinforcements not seriously considered it seems until the riots had raged out of control.

The Mayor, Gregor Robinson seems to have been give a pass on all of the events, not so much as a slap on the wrist for poor party planning, let alone misjudging the proper allocation of police resources for protection of life and property in the face of a swelling and out of control mob

Nope, instead the blame it is suggested by this provincially funded and  sanctioned report, should be shared with the NHL for offering up a hockey game that lit the tinderbox. As always, when in a corner, point the other way.

Perhaps the CBC should be singled out as well, they too hosted a Live site, part of the great mass of humanity along Georgia Street, a crowd that degenerated into a raving mob that one point seemed to put the Post Office in peril, surely the City will wish to tsk, tsk towards the national broadcaster as they seek out convenient accomplices to the madness.

We have nothing but admiration for that clearly very, very thin blue line in place on the night of the riot, those officers on duty and the eventual reinforcements that arrived, held as best they could the lines in an attempt to reign in a mob.

Despite the planning of their employer, both the management of the police department and the city itself, they eventually gained control of the streets, no thanks to the weasels who now look to deflect any sense of responsibility for what led to those events.

The much trumpeted policy of meet and greet seemingly was abandoned on the night of the riot, owing to the volume of visitors to the downtown live sites. The sheer numbers overwhelming any ability to react to liquor violations, or evict troublemakers before things reached the levels of violence we were witness to.

That's not a failing of the vastly undermanned officers on the scene, that's a management failing, a civic failing, really folks, its hard to understand how that one is on Gary Bettman. 

It's enough to make you shake your head at what seems to be the focus of accountability from this incident.

Beyond the clear lack of preparation by the City of Vancouver and its police management for the infamous day, the wheels of justice are spinning equally slow.  To this date, few of the participants in the mayhem in Canada's third largest city have faced charges, compare that to the recent incidents in England and you have to ask why British Columbia justice can't work quite as fast as that of the British in the UK.

Maybe they are using some kind of NHL scale of suspension and punishment policy in BC, thus making it easier to blame the NHL for that particular problem as well.

We'll agree with one component of the report, that which suggests that the league should review its handling of fans inside the arena, reports during the playoffs offered up some comment that Vancouver's fans weren't particularly accommodating to anyone wearing an opposing uniform, let alone the Commissioner.

The Canucks should have been more proactive in enforcing their own code of conduct in the rink, casting those that didn't want to behave out of the rink (where it seems they would find a welcoming group mere metres away from Rogers Arena). But to suggest the NHL failed where the NFL soars, is a bit much, for reference perhaps the review committee and civic officials can Google up Raiders/Forty Niners and violence, that might bring that concept into a bit of perspective.

We imagine some mistakes were made at the rink through the playoffs, though at one point in the night on question the Canucks security were holding fans int the rink and advising that they stay out of the downtown area, tis' a wee bit of a stretch that somehow the NHL contributed to the events of May.

One imagines that if the league is to be held accountable for the behaviour of people outside of the rink, they could always recommend to move Stanley Cup games to neutral site cities for that those teams that host playoff games in cities where violence has a history.  We wonder how the City of Vancouver might react to that idea.

More to the point  the review it seems  is a rather handy piece of political deflection, leaving the placement of  real accountability undelivered.

The Furlong/Keefe report can be accessed here.

The full Globe story on the riot report can be found here.

To refresh your memory on the night in question, we invite you to peruse our archive of the night of madness in Vancouver.

With the release of the report, there are now other resources to catch up on how they're thinking it all out in Vancouver, some of which can be found below.

in addition, the topic was discussed on the Bill Good show on CKNW, (Tuesday 10 - 10:30) the comments and observations might prove helpful to the debate.

Perhaps the city officials who currently feel no share or ownership of the events of that night, could review them and see what really happened that night and where the opinion rests on who or who is not responsible.

Globe and Mail-- Mayor's political aspirations intact as "Robertson Riot" tags fails to stick
Globe and Mail-- Police miscues fuelled smouldering Vancouver riot
Globe and Mail-- Key findings and conclusions of the independent review of the 2011 Stanley Cup riots
Globe and Mail-- We blogged the Vancouver riot review release
Vancouver Province-- Riot response plan marred by 'glitches,' says Vancouver police chief
Vancouver Province-- No surprises no officials to blame for riot
Vancouver Province-- Police lacked early-warning trigger to adequately read riot crowd
Vancouver Province-- 'Drunken rioters' to blame, not police, says premier
Vancouver Province-- Report fails spit test
Vancouver Province-- Editorial: Riot report offers more blah, blah, blah
Vancouver Province-- Legal system ignoring louts who caused riots
Vancouver Province-- Only 446 officers on the streets
Vancouver Province-- "Get Ready for a Riot, Vancouver"
Vancouver Province-- Too few cops and communications breakdown played role in Vancouver riot
Vancouver Province-- Riot report pretty obvious: Willes
Vancouver Province-- Stanley Cup riot timeline: The night the city became a stadium
Vancouver Sun-- Bigger liquor fines, better SkyTrain screening would help avoid another riot
Vancouver Sun-- The likelihood of a Stanley Cup Riot was obvious to everyone - except those in charge
Vancouver Sun-- Council report considers limit on access to downtown core
Vancouver Sun-- Full list of Stanley Cup riot review's recommendations
Vancouver Sun-- Business leaders push for CCTV cameras
Vancouver Sun-- Riot review, by the numbers
Vancouver Sun-- Canucks vow team will encourage 'responsible fun"
Vancouver Sun-- TransLink is on board with report's recommendations
Vancouver Sun-- Cup riot 'was not beyond imagining'
Vancouver Sun-- Sorry, Mr. Furlong and Mr. Keefe, but mayor should own up
Vancouver Sun-- Opinion: Riot review lacks accountability
National Post-- Vancouver riot report suggests more questions than answers
CBC-- Vancouver police defend riot response
CBC-- Stanley Cup riot report says police late to react
CBC-- Chief says Vancouver riot review backs police

A wavering line in the ice

A new debate it seems is about to take place in hockey, the place or need for enforcers in a game that for so long has made them an integral part of the sport, if slightly at an arms length of deniability when it comes to accepting what they do to keep their place in the game..

The recent string of untimely passings of some of hockey's more recognized tough guys, is the genesis behind this debate, which like the one surrounding concussion, could very well change the dynamic of the game as it has evolved over the decades.

The sides are collecting their followers, providing their talking points and setting the stage for a discussion that has long been delayed, but perhaps never more relevant to the point than it has been in the last three months or so.

A number of former players fearful that the situation for their fellow players is starting to spin out of control have offered up their very candid stories. Some of the background to this debate has made for fascinating reading, brutally honest and somewhat disturbing at times.

Georges Laraque offers up the most intimate portrait of the life of the enforcer, the quest to excel at the craft steeped in the fear that comes with that quest. He touches on the problem of prescription drug abuse in the sport, but doesn't point the finger at that aspect as the total problem faced today.

The easy access and abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs  however does provide a signal that players are finding substitutes to cope with their troubles and weaves a tale that outlines some very real concerns for the health of those that fill the roles of enforcer today or held the title in years past.

Issues that will have to be addressed by both the NHL and the NHLPA.

Beyond that however will be the need for a bit of soul searching at the league offices, where recently the push has been put in place to reduce the impact of concussions on players (with a keen eye we imagine on those high profile players sidelined due to the effects of concussion, hello Mr. Crosby).

It's a laudable effort to try and change that particular culture within the game, where all of those fine efforts fall short however is the prospect that the aspect of fighting that still remains an acknowledged part of the game, a situation where two combatants, usually larger than most players, engage in the ritual exchange of punches in order to send a message or redress a hit on a team mate deemed over the line, or beyond the code.

How the NHL can express real concern over the issue of concussions and then seemingly wash its hands of the scale of violence of the hockey fight is going to prove to be a very hard to understand bit of management.

When the stars of the game are sidelined due to the physical nature of the play there are furrowed brows and a resolve to make the game safer, yet when the pugilists take to the ice for their short bursts of anger and retribution not much is said.

It's no wonder that many hold the opinion that their craft is considered disposable, or in the words of Brent Sopel, “It’s true when you’re gone from the NHL it’s like you never played. We’re all just pieces of meat.”    Sopel expressed his observations in a tweet following the death of Wade Belak, his thoughts providing some insight into the perceptions that some of those who play the game have, as to their place within the sport and when they leave it.

And that's something the NHL is going to have to come to terms with, though in the end as it has in the past it will be the perception of the fans that dictate any change to the game.

Until those in the rink tire of the on ice fight and those at home stop purchasing the plethora of DVD offerings that celebrate that Gladiator lifestyle, then we imagine the NHL will revert to past patterns, talk about making changes to safeguard the players, while at the same time sending the mixed message that the game is just fine as it is.

Below we've provided links to a wide variety of opinion on the topic of the week and summer it seems,  diverse opinions even within the various newsrooms and guest contributors,  providing some worthwhile reading and more than few valid points on all sides of the debate.

But like all of us it seems, they offer little in the way of consensus as how to best take charge of a worrisome situation

Globe and Mail-- Belak's death should not be a soap box
Globe and Mail-- How hockey got hooked on pills
Globe and Mail-- Getting rid of hockey's goons
Globe and Mail-- Wade Belak and the end of fighters
Globe and Mail-- Wade Belak's death another warning sign for NHL
Globe and Mail-- NHL, players' union to review substance abuse and behavioural health program
Globe and Mail-- Hockey's bare-knuckle anguish
Globe and Mail-- Culture of winning creates stigma of mental illness in pro sport
National Post-- Looking for answers in Wade Belak's death
National Post-- It's not the time to rush to judgment in Belak death
National Post-- Belak death an end to a wretched summer
National Post-- No shortage of help for NHLers
Toronto Star-- NHL players ask tough questions after Wade Belak's death
Toronto Star-- Sorting myth from reality in suicide discussion
Toronto Star-- After Belak's death, NHL must finally take action
Edmonton Journal-- Trio of hockey enforcer deaths no coincidence- Laraque
Ottawa Citizen-- 'Always more that can be done,' Daniel Alfredsson says
Toronto Sun-- Domi: Sadness and anger
Toronto Sun-- Simmons on NHL fighting: Let the players decide
Toronto Sun-- NHL scrappers divided over fighting issue
Toronto Sun-- "I leave it at the rink"
Toronto Sun-- NHL macho men in pain, too
Toronto Sun-- Belak not only one hurting
Toronto Sun-- Coming to grips with Belak tragedy
Toronto Sun-- Jumping to conclusions too early about hockey deaths
Toronto Sun-- Why are hockey players dying?
Toronto Sun-- Tragic summer for hockey turns catastrophic
Regina Leader Post-- Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak are linked by tragedy
Regina Leader Post-- Hockey fights must be banned
Saskatoon Star Phoenix-- Lessons can be learned from death
Saskatoon Star Phoenix-- The Hammer foresees end of fighting in NHL
Winnipeg Free Press-- Far too many NHL funerals
Vancouver Province-- A battle you can't win by yourself
Montreal Gazette-- Cruel game exacts toll on players
Montreal Gazette-- NHL has to take serious look at tragedies

HockeyNation Headlines September 2011

Our archive of headline stories for September 2011

September 30-- Decision time for Habs
September 29-- Drew Doughty agrees to multi-year contract with Kings
September 28-- Luongo finds silver lining in Stanley Cup collapse
September 27-- NHL can do more to stop homophobic slurs
September 26-- NHL's concussion victims ready to face future
September 25-- Reason for hope in Shanahan's NHL
September 24-- Devils co-owner to pay $25M to exit
September 23-- Coyotes were just '10 minutes' away from becoming Jets
September 22-- Shanahan comes down hard on Shelley
September 21-- Controversial Quebcor arena bill passes into law
September 20-- Winnipeg Jets achieve liftoff
September 19-- Danton turns hero in Swedish league game
September 18-- Oops ! Sens jersey out early
September 17-- Sidney Crosby returns to the ice for Pens
September 16-- Sens owner Melnyk ready to make playoff run
September 15-- Teemu Selanne returns to NHL for one more year
September 14-- No new Leaf contract yet for Schenn
September 13-- 'Winnipeg Destiny' comes full circle with Jets' return
September 12-- Report: NHL's Devils inching towards bankruptcy
September 11-- Debate over fighting must continue
September 10-- Tens of thousands attend memorial for hockey team killed in Russian plane crash
September 9-- NHL enforcer Todd Fedoruk opens up about drug abuse
September 8-- Players jittery about playing in KHL
September 7-- The 'darkest day' in hockey's annus horribilis
September 6-- Crosby to meet with media on Wednesday
September 5-- Vancouver blasts NHL for lacking anti-riot strategy
September 4-- Former NHLer Jim Peplinski backs abolition of fighting
September 3-- The new problem of the NHL
September 2-- Rough road ahead for 'Big Buff
September 1-- Wade Belak's death another warning sign for NHL

Hockey Nation Headlines Archive 2011-12

The new NHL season is but a bit over a month away, with teams reporting to training camp in the week or so to come.

So with a new season about to arrive, we launch our annual Headlines feature for the 2011-12 season.

May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011

Items from 2010-11

We archive our past items from the 2010-11 season, where hockey fans can review the various listings of the season past. Some complete, some not quite so.

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs
2011 Memorial Cup Playoffs
IIHF International Championship 2011
NHL Entry Draft 2011
Hired to be Fired 2010-11
Injury reports 2010-11

Death comes calling, again...

The hockey world is once again reeling, with the shocking and unexpected news that former NHLer Wade Belak was found dead in a Toronto hotel/condominium complex on Wednesday afternoon.

The death of Belak adds another name to a summer list that has left many in the hockey world wondering what is going on and makes for a very sombre end to the summer season, a period of time where we have read of the passing of three NHL players of recent note.  Two, with Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien who were still on NHL rosters and now Belak who recently retired and by all accounts was looking forward to his life after hockey.

Statements released by the Maple Leafs and the NHL on Wednesday, offered sympathy and support to the family and provided  a snapshot of Belak's time in the NHL and with the Leafs.

But with the news of Wednesday, he like those that passed before him leaves us with many questions and few if any answers that make sense of it all.

The popular one time Toronto Maple Leaf, and veteran of a number of other NHL teams, had carved out a space in the NHL based mostly on the physical nature of his play and his role as an enforcer, a role that is now under the spotlight owing to the line that can be drawn between all three passings of this miserable summer for hockey.

The majority of the articles that have been published in the short hours since his passing was announced have outlined a fellow that was fun loving, one of the "great guys in the room" and a person who clearly had made an impression among those he touched on a daily basis.

Like Mr. Boogaaard and Mr. Rypien before, people have tended to dwell on the off ice personna, a valued friend and team mate, the sadness genuine that they are all gone, leaving us only to wonder why and whether anything could have been done to find a different path.

That is something that the NHL no doubt will have to address and if changes are required to the nature of a game that thrives on physical play then so be it, this is clearly an issue that can't be dodged or avoided and while the NHL will again take time to pause and grieve.

If the nature of the job, the physical toll on the body is eventually deemed to be a contributing factor in these sad epitaphs to careers, then clearly there is work to be done.

But for today, like the majority of hockey fans we just sit back an wonder why death has come calling, again. For those in the hockey community there is yet again one more funeral to attend, one more funeral too many.

Some of the more reasoned and at times emotional pieces over the last day or so can be found below, they all offer up glimpses into the life of Wade Belak and help to address the issues that his passing once again bring up.

National Post-- Belak death an end to a wretched summer
National Post-- Belak always good for a laugh and an autograph
National Post-- Former Maple Leafs enforcer Wade Belak found dead
Globe and Mail-- Ex NHL enforcer Wade Belak remembered as upbeat, loud and fun
Toronto Star-- After Belak's death, NHL must finally take action
Toronto Star-- Tough to view fighting the same ever again
Toronto Star-- Belak at his best in interview with Star in 2006
Toronto Sun-- Belak: Another good man we thought we knew
Toronto Sun-- In praise of Wade
Toronto Sun-- Tragic summer for hockey turns catastrophic
Toronto Sun-- 'Brave face' culture must change
Toronto Sun-- Sometimes you just can't tell
Toronto Sun-- A writer's best friend
Montreal Gazette-- Cruel game exacts toll on players
Winnipeg Free Press-- Stop the madness
TSN-- Shock doesn't begin to describe Belak death
CBC.ca-- Ex-NHLer Belak committed suicide: sources
CBC.ca-- Do enforcers have a role to play in NHL hockey?
Sportnset.ca-- No easy answers
Sportsnet.ca-- NHL, NHLPA need to reassess programs

Rick Rypien's passing provides an opportunity to address hockey taboos

"But if Rypien’s story can compel one person to seek help; if it can put a human face to this debilitating disease, then, maybe, some value can come of this." -- A heartfelt observation from Vancouver Province writer Ed Willes, who captures the sense of disbelief in Vancouver and across the NHL over the passing of Rick Rypien.

The Vancouver Canucks organization, like much of the hockey world in North America was shocked to hear of the passing of Rick Rypien, the reserved one time Canuck was a popular player with his team mates and a fan favourite and yet despite that respect and admiration, he battled demons that eventually took hold and left us all asking the question we always do when the inexplicable happens, why?

Towards an answer to that question, the Vancouver Canucks will apparently take the lead, ready to talk about a subject that far too often gets sidestepped, depression and its impact on not only hockey players but all segments of our society.

Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province and Iain Macintyre have both put together illuminating columns for us on how depression ebbs and flows and how it can impact on our everyday lives.

How one day a player could seem to be ready to have a long and rewarding NHL career, only to have everything turn on its head a day later.

Their articles, are two of many in the last ten days that have tried to come to terms with the events of mid August, seeking to offer some sense of where to go from here.

Bruce Arthur at the National Post also provided an informative piece in the shocked period that the  word of Rypien's passing first came, asking questions that need to be asked in the wake of the recent passing of young hockey players, who left us far too soon.

The three articles cited above and many others are instructive for all and offer up much to think about, how we need to deal with the issue of depression, how we should not stigmatize those afflicted by it, but offer help and compassion.  Seeking to understand a disease and what it can do to a person, sometimes resulting in terrible decisions and outcomes that end only in sadness and mourning for many who feel helpless.

There are many issues that like all of us NHL players face through their careers and beyond,  all NHL teams as well as league and union officials should resolve to better understand those issues, and offer up a more proactive health plan for their players of today and on into retirement.

Fans as well need to realize that far beyond the boards life can be a challenge for those that entertain us on a nightly basis, while we celebrate their achievements and actions on the ice, there are items of concern to note long after the cheers and applause have faded.

When players such as Rick Rypien pass on, it brings home the message that life is a complicated thing and fame and fortune sometimes are facades to real human frailties. Like all of us, they face these things on a daily basis, and you can only hope that the signs are noted and the help made available whenever required.

As Willes wrote in his article today, The Canucks and more to the point General Manager Mike Gillis hope to shed some light on one of those life conditions,  hopeful that their message will  counsel those that need help, to seek it out.

The link to the Willes article can be found here, the Macintyre offering here,  they are both well worth a read, offering up some insight to a subject that few of us ever wish to discuss, knocking down a wall that needs to be knocked down.

(picture above from canada.com website)

Better hockey, through better study

Brendan Shanahan dons his white coat this week, ready to tinker, tweak and study the results to come as the NHL embarks on its annual pre-season study as to what may improve the game for player and fan alike.

The NHL's research, development and orientation camp gets underway at the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence (There are some things that money can't buy. For Everything else, including game changing decisions, there's Mastercard?) a two day examination and testing range where all sorts of modifications will be tested out, though there's no guarantee that they'll ever make it to a rink near you.

Thirty players, top prospects for the 2012 NHL entry draft will provide some of the guinea pig moments, the most intriguing item and the one that some suggest has the best chance of becoming adopted is a hybrid icing rule, which will put the linesmen in the position to call or waive off icing calls and the race for the puck, an exciting but sometimes dangerous part of the game that can result in injury.

It has the stamp of approval of Leafs GM Brian Burke, who is also championing another change, which will see defacement to wrap up opposing players in their arms when within two metres of the boards, the "bear hug rule" would allow the defenceman then to guide the forward into the boards, hopefully eliminating the current dangerous situation of players getting slammed into the boards when most vulnerable.

NHL officials also are looking at a crossover rule from Lacrosse, a rectangular box on the ice in front of the players benches to make things easier on the officials when it comes to deciding too many men on the ice calls during on the fly changes.  Changes will only be allowed when players are within that rectangular area and it's hoped that will reduce the number of too many men calls that slow down the game.

Those are some of the highlights, there are many, many others most of which will return to the lab for tinkering or to be put far back on an upper shelf, never to be seen again.

A full review (and a bit of satire) as to what the NHL plans to look over can be found below.In some cases a preview of what may be coming to the NHL in seasons to come in others, well lets just say there's probably a bit of work to be done by Professor Shanahan just yet.

Globe and Mail-- NHL tinkers with the game at hockey research camp 
National Post-- Bending the rules with Bettman
Sportsnet-- Rules of engagement
CBS Sports-- A look at what's being tested a RDO camp
ESPN-- SuperSkills events on R & D camp itinerary
NBC Sports Chicago-- NHL moves into the lab
Toronto Star-- NHL research camp LIVE

Rick Rypien's passing leaves hockey world shocked

The news out of Alberta on Monday night came unexpected, word that Rick Rypien had passed away at his Alberta home at the far too early age of 27 .

A death described by the RCMP as deemed sudden, not suspicious, but one that has left a good number of NHL followers a little bit shocked.

His passing brings to a close the life of a player, who played with much heart, punched above his weight as they say and seemingly touched many lives in his career, all while suffering through some personal demons that sadly perhaps may have contributed to the news of today.

Rypien was always a crowd favourite, whether in Vancouver where fans, team mates and management mourned the news of his passing or in Winnipeg, the city he was destined for in September having recently signed a contract with the relocated Jets, a return to the city that embraced him through his career in the NHl, where he toiled for the farm club of the Canucks the Manitoba Moose.

Such was his status in Winnipeg, that the Jets were quick to seek out his services upon their relocation to the Manitoba capital, his relationship with the Moose management which now runs the Jets so close that they felt as though they were welcoming a son back home.

The possibility of a more rewarding time in the NHL for Rypien in Winnipeg, led many to believe that he had finally turned a corner with his personal issues, the prospect of playing in front of the Winnipeg fans again reportedly something that the centre was looking forward to.

Thus the shock over the announcements out of both the Jets and Canucks camps over his passing.

In Vancouver, fans gathered to erect a makeshift memorial to the former Canuck, indicative as to the impact that he had on the fans.

Likewise, the testimonials have begun to come in, from former team mates and NHL, AHL and juniors officials who had spent time with him over the years,  all wishing that the news were not true and that somehow time could turn back to a better place for Rick Rypien.

Some of the items of note that have made their way across the NHL telegraph lines can be found below.

Globe and Mail--- Former teammate: Rypien talked about bringing Stanley Cup to Winnipeg
Globe and Mail-- Jets forward Rypien found dead
National Post-- Former teammate mourns loss of Rypien
National Post-- Former Canuck Rypien dead at 27
Vancouver Province-- Rick Rypien, former Canucks forward, dead at 27
Vancouver Province-- Canucks fans pay tribute to Rick Rypien
Vancouver Province-- Fan memorial planned for former Canuck Rick Rypien on Wednesday
Vancouver Province-- Rick Rypien: A Canucks enigma
Vancouver Province-- Rick Rypien was one of her boys
Vancouver Sun-- Former teammate shocked by Rick Rypien's death
Vancouver Sun-- Former Canucks forward Rypien dead in Alberta
Vancouver Sun-- Canucks fans create Rick Rypien memorial outside Rogers Arena and online
Vancouver Sun-- NHL players mourn death of Rick Rypien via Twitter
Vancouver Sun-- Rick Rypien will be missed and mourned
Winnipeg Free Press-- True North mourns the loss of a fan favourite
Winnipeg Free Press-- Jets' Rypien found dead at home
Winnipeg Free Press-- Ultimate teammate hid his dark emotions
Winnipeg Free Press-- Rypien's death hits NHL hard
Winnipeg Sun-- Jets' Rypien found dead
Regina Leader Post-- Rick Rypien tragedy stuns Pats
CBS Sports-- Remembering Rypien: The view of NHL enforcers
USA Today-- Tributes pour in for NHL tough guy Rick Rypien
CBC-- Rypien was hopeful for future, his agent says
CBC-- Rypien's death shocks hockey world

Post concussed Sidney Crosby, may not be ready for training camp

While he's been busy in the off season stocking shelves at the television version of Sportchek (a telegenic presence on your screen regularly this summer it seems), when it comes to heading off to the Penguins training camp next month, it may be that Sidney isn't quite ready for prime time just yet.

A report in the National Post today, suggests that the indications are that the Penguins star and the NHL's main marquee attraction may not be ready for the rigours of a September training camp,  words that should put Gary Bettman on notice that perhaps it's time to take the issue of concussion much, much more seriously.

Crosby last played a game in the NHL on January 5, the victim of two consecutive hits to the head, one of which was in the New Years Day showcase event on North American television.



Since the diagnosis of his concussed status, Crosby effectively shut down his season and now, seven months later, he seems no closer to returning to the ice than he did the day his injury was disclosed.

For a league which needs star power, having the league's centre piece on the shelf isn't going to help to grow the game, the lengthy absence of Crosby from the NHL scene, should serve as a warning to all the league's GM's of the need to protect the most important aspect of their operations, that being the players who play the game.

Hockey fans, while no doubt thrilled to see Mr. Crosby's acting and marketing skills on display on their television sets during the football season, must be wondering if they'll have a chance to see his hockey skills on their sets when the season starts in October.

If the news leaking out today is any indication, disappointment may be ours when he puck drops for real in the fall.

Update:  Stop the presses as they used to say, seems that the Penguins (perhaps a little concerned about the optics of their star player not having a timetable for return and all that) have rebutted the initial reports of the day,  and suggest that Crosby is moving forward in his training, apparently currently taking place in Halifax.

HockeyNation Headlines August 2011

August 31-- Savard's career likely over
August 30-- Senators pin hopes on Swedish movement
August 29-- Cherry fired up about Jets
August 28-- Game 7 loss in Final should motivate Canucks
August 27-- Concussions dominate talks at Quebec hockey summit
August 26-- Blues to decide who wears the C soon
August 25-- Bryzgalov has it made in Philadelphia
August 24-- Bouwmeester looks to lead Flames blueline
August 23-- Canucks plan to tell Rypien's story
August 22-- Mystery shrouds Crosby's future
August 21-- Why is it always the enforcers?
August 20-- Nearly 1,000 people attend funeral of Jets' Rypien
August 19-- Prime Minister plans to attend Winnipeg Jets home opener
August 18-- Jets fans won't be disappointed by NHL TV Schedule
August 17-- Bettman expects NHL to look at behavioural program after deaths
August 16-- NHL player Rypien remembered for gutsy battles on and off ice
August 15-- Jets Rypien found dead
August 14-- Khabibulin released from Arizona jail
August 13-- Canada wins gold at Ivan Hlinka tournament
August 12-- Jets gear flying off store shelves
August 11-- Not exactly a seller's market for NHL franchises
August 10-- Wayne Gretzky trade legacy 23 years later
August 9-- NHL set to play preseason games all over world
August 8-- Ducks reach extension with Randy Carlyle
August 7-- Islanders could still get new arena on Long Island
August 6-- Rangers forward Avery arrested after shoving police officer
August 5-- Spezza excited for season to start, but warns of growing pains
August 4-- Former Sabres captain Peca tabbed junior team GM
August 3-- Nugent-Hopkins happy with whatever happens
August 2-- NHL set to experiment with some rule changes
August 1-- Going loco over Jets logo

HockeyNation Headlines July 2011

July 31-- New coach, but Perhaps little Change
July 30-- Khabby begins stint in Phoenix jail
July 29-- New AHL team to be known as St. John's IceCaps
July 28-- Unsigned NHL vets might have to bite the bullet
July 27-- Jannik Hansen has hefty raise in mind as arbitration hearing nears
July 26-- Islanders' future on Long Island goes to a vote
July 25-- Bettman reportedly earned $7.5 million in 2009-10 season
July 24-- Winnipeg Jets' merchandise flies off the shelf after new logo unveiled
July 23-- Nabokov set to make NHL return
July 22-- Here are the Winnipeg Jets' new logos
July 21-- Kane wants to wear beloved No. 9 for Jets
July 20-- Big signing bonuses becoming NHL's new norm
July 19-- Stamkos, Lightning ink five year deal worth $37.5 million
July 18-- Fire sale for remaining free agents
July 17-- Jets' new coaching staff get down to business
July 16-- Reimer relishes NHL return to Peg
July 15-- Sidney Crosby resumes on-ice workouts
July 14-- Jets take several Thrashers staffers with them
July 13-- Caps owner Leonsis: Window not small to win title
July 12-- Jagr's mullet finally ready to fly again
July 11-- No reason to fear an NHL lockout, Fehr says
July 10-- Hulsizer steps in to solve Bettman's Blues
July 9-- Cautious NHL bosses play nice on Stamkos, Doughty
July 8-- Kings talk legal action against Oilers
July 7-- Heatley gets another fresh start
July 6-- Brian Burke on all things Maple Leafs
July 5-- Gustavsson hopes for Monster comeback
July 4-- Winnipeg Jets announce five signings
July 3-- Sharks trade Dany Heatley to Wild
July 2-- Rangers sign Brad Richards to nine year, $60 million contract
July 1-- Jaromir Jagr joins the Flyers