NHL in Stockholm: Eventual Genius & Crosby on Ice

In Swedish, Ev.Geni would mean Eventual Genius...


After seeing him live October 5, I can confirm Evgeni Malkin already is a genius. At Stockholm's Globe Arena, for the second of two NHL games on European soil, Malkin showed he was head and shoulders above the competition, and even his own teammates. Yes, he was even better than Sidney Crosby too.





The atmosphere was dare I say, tepid. With the game beginning late (20.30) due to TV, and with only a single Swede (Alfredsson) on the line-up cards, one would think there would not be much to cheer about, though then there was Evgeni. On paper it was Pittsburgh's home game and subsequently the crowd of 13,699 mildly supported the home team Penguins. Yet, despite this being the NHL in Sweden, they still brought the imported gimmicks like: "Let's hear it for your Pens" (ugh)!

Some of it seemed utterly ridiculous. I'm not certain, but it sounded like the announcer was also an import. He specially did a great bastardization of the Swedish Elite Series team Djurgården (yeur-gor-den) to something closer to da-ju-RAGAR-den. Maybe he thought is sounded cooler that way.

Speaking of uncool, does useless 90's techno and hard rock and the NHL go hand in hand? When will they learn that 2 Unlimited, Def Leppard and Stone Temple Pilots do not need airplay at hockey games? At least they managed get guitar happy girl-band Sahara Hotnights to do a quick 3 song set prior to game time - that was half-good.

In the crowd were many an NHL team jersey. I counted at least 3 Oilers sweaters (including my own) and saw all other Canadian teams including the Flames, Leafs, Canadiens, Canucks. Ottawa obviously had a ton of supporters including a contingent of what must have been contest winners all wearing silly Senators jerseys with 08 on the back. Peter Forsberg was also well represented. To my left sat three, what looked like, brothers each wearing a jersey from teams he'd represented - Nashville, Philadelphia, Colorado. Perhaps another brother with the Nordiques jersey was relegated elsewhere.


But back to Malkin. At one point in play, he cruised through the neutral zone casually bouncing the puck on his stick blade, 3 feet off the ice. He skillfully, almost lackadaisically, crossed into the offensive zone and with a small hop, dodge an oncoming bus in an Ottawa jersey, dipsy-doodled towards the net, still juggling the puck, only to be steamrolled by his own line mate. Pardon the alliteration, but Malkin made magic!


Although on this night, Ottawa won the game. Alfredsson worked like a dog. He wasn't flashy, but the Senator's gritty play beat the Penguins. Malkin and Crosby were the most talented players on the ice, but Ottawa executed the better game plan.

The NHL in Stockholm was great hockey and a pretty decent event but it was Malkin that made it interesting.


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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance, as was former NHLers like Calle Johansson, Andreas Dackell, Börje Salming, Mario Lemieux and (my grandfather's and many a Calgarian's favourite Swedish Calgary Flame) Håkan Loob.


















Håkan Loob with Calle Johansson & the dude from Swedish Canal+ TV.

Former Oiler, Jason (Gator) Smith in warm-up






Face-off featuring Crosby (behind the linesman) & Malkin.

Living the Hockey Dream

Imagine being good enough to play semi-pro hockey as a winter hobby.

This guy, Trevor Bremner is traveling Europe with skates on his stick. Currently he is featured in Tier IV (div2) Säffle HC. Carpenter by summer and hockey vagabond by winter.

Trevor Bremner deserves an honourable mention for perseverence.

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COMING SOON: my long overdue comments from the NHL game in Stockholm

Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh, game 2 - Globen

Puck drops in about 3 hours for the rematch of the Penguins vs. Senators at Stockholm's Globe Arena.

I'll be sitting in row 4, perpendicular to the goalline. If you happen to catch it on tv, I'll be the knob who showed up to a Senators vs. Penguins game wearing an Oilers jersey.

Bring in the Clowns...

The circus has arrived in Sweden, or at least that is how the headline reads in today's newspaper.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (with Sid the kid) and Ottawa Senators will play two matches Saturday and Sunday at Stockholm's Globe Arena, to open their NHL campaigns.

Starting the season 6000km from home nothing was left to chance. It has been deemed a circus perhaps because everything has been packed and brought over for the two matches.

Notwithstanding that both teams require a rider similar to that of a rock band, included in the truck load of supplies was, of all things, a bread toaster.

It is all about logistics, according to the NHL. Nothing is left to chance and thus everything is over packed. How very opulent and North American!

Despite the over packing, each team has also been provided with a so-called "locker room attendant". The LRA (roughly pronounced: lackey) is a local, who can help and assist with the basics like filling water bottles, making coffee, getting food or providing that local knowledge in case there is an emergency purchase needed.

But the idea of an emergency purchase is unlikely, consdering the rider, though one never knows.

THE RIDER:

Coffee, muffins, 2 saws, 2 files, 2 wood planes, 12 sheets of sandpaper, 24 pairs of skate laces, 600 pucks, 36 water bottles, 6 stationary bicycles, 100 packs of chewing gum, 24 soaps, 6 bottles of shampoo, 6 conditioners, 6 hair gel, 6 hair mousse, 6 hair brushes, 6 hair dryers, 6 shaving cream, 100 disposable razors, 6 bottle of after shave, 6 mouthwash, 6 deodorant, 2 baby powder, 2 Vaseline, 500 Q-tips. At each practice session there is to be 100 hand towels, 140kg of ice, an ice bath, and a hand dryer.

But wait... damn it, who brought the bread?!!

Introducing the Rölers! ('rOI-Lers)

In this day of fair-weather fans, dime-a-dozen sports leagues, and re-branding of teams to follow changing affiliations and demographics, it is hard to decide how to steer one's sporting allegiances.

It is one thing to grow up in a city and live with the ups and downs of the prized sporting team - in that case, the choice seems abundantly clear. At least, that is my story with the Edmonton Oilers.

But what about deciding upon a team in a new found sport or, in my case, arriving in a new country. How does one choose on which side of the line to pull?

There are the typical answers:

• geographic location - choosing the team in your city
• the look - choosing based on the best looking colours, design, logo, etc.
• a player - changing allegiances by following the career of a specific player
• team philosophy - identifying with the attitudes or style of a particular club
• indoctrination - by way of a relative or friend, being indoctrinated to a team's ideals or culture
• the winner bandwagon - a team at the top of the table, consistently wins and often has a big piggy bank.
• the underdog - choosing the least likely, cheapest-run team and relishing in their smallest of victories
• affiliation - based on partnership or affiliation system (farm league)
• anybody but... - having one team that is the antagonist and should be cheered against in all and any circumstances

Over at the football blog Keepie-uppie, there was a recent post that aptly put a degree of reality to allegiances he had passed down to him through his family. It was less about living and dying with the success and failures, but more about realising his own limits of fan-dom. After all, this is only sport. We vicariously live in these moments of battle as modern day gladiators enter and exit the playing field for copious amounts of money and glory.

Is it really that important? No, not really.

But it is still outrageously fun to cheer, sing, heckle and follow these teams in their rise and falls.

When it comes to hockey in Sweden, for seven years, I have chosen to remain impartial about "my team". Although, I can identify nine possible ways to choose a team, it was a tenth option that fit best:

• making up my own team

I HEREBY INTRODUCE THE RÖLERS!

New to the hockey Elite Series this year is Rögle BK of Ängelholm.

I have never seen Rögle play live, nor do I have any significant connection to their playing style, ideals or players.

Although, what seems to fit best in this case is how well their logo synchronizes with that of my beloved Oilers.

I say, what better way to choose a team than to graphically mash and merge (and lousy at that) two logos into one? This year, I will cheer for Rögle and the Oilers and the same time. The Rölers do not exist in any one league other than my own head, although being able to cheer for one and both gives all the more fun to focus in both the Elite Series and the NHL.

This will be the plan, at least until the weather turns ugly or I can photoshop versions of OilGårdens or OilSands.

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Hockey Season...

The leaves on the trees are changing colour, the days are shorter, that cool breeze is in the air and the sports dailies issue their previews of hockey season.

For Swedes, or maybe just me, it is the sign that hockey is here.

Sportbladet (a division of Aftonbladet) released their 180 page magazine on Thursday.

I'll take a few more in depth look at this magazine in coming posts, but for now, I'm in a reading frenzy. Must be ready, because the regular season starts September 15th!

Total Eclipse of a Qualifying

Ever built one of those thingamajiggers in grade school science class to look at the sun? You are well aware that you shouldn't stare at the actual sun, but how bad could it be? Just a peak, for a few seconds, right at the burning fire of reality.

Or rather, maybe it is like watching a horror film from behind one's hand – peeking between the fingers. The urge to watch is more than there. One is driven to see the horrors for oneself, even if it might leave nightmares for 4 long years.

Canada’s men’s national soccer (hereafter known as football) team (CMNT) faces 4 long years of waiting, should tonight's match-up with powerhouse Mexico be yet another defeat. As recently as last week, the CMNT blew up what was felt to be REAL World Cup qualifying hopes, when they lost a home match 2-1 versus Honduras.

With 4 matches remaining in stage 3, and only -1 in the goal differential column, Canada is not mathematically out. Sadly, this does not take into account that of these 4 matches, 3 will be in foreign, unfriendly confines and a fourth will be a rematch versus said Mexico.

I have my face covered, though I’m still peeking.

For more blog commentary on tonight’s match-up, I hyperlink thee to the following:

• Footie Fool - Regroup for Mexico - synopsis "don't jump ship yet..."
• Out of Left Field – Ok, fine, the soccer game – synopsis “show pride boys! Disband the CSA”.
• Out of Touch - Canada vs. Mexico: How to Watch - synopsis "don't watch (bad luck)!"

And some more official links:

• CSA - Canada Looking to Make History in Mexico
• Sportsnet.ca Canada Happy to Avoid Azteca

World Junior Tournament 2009 - Oilers Prospects

August was a chance for both 2008 Edmonton Oilers draft pick Johan Motin and 2007 pick William Quist to don the blue and gold Tre Kronor jerseys in advance of this year's IIHF World Junior Tournament

Two separate exhibition tournaments were the chance for evaluations of Swedish talent prior to selection of the team that will be on the ice this December in Ottawa. Sweden has drawn into group B along with Russia¸ Finland, Slovakia, and Latvia. Canada is in group A with the USA, Germany, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic.

Pär Mårts returns to the helm of Sweden's Juniorkronorna, as they are known, after last year’s somewhat surprise silver medal performance (link to video clip). Mårts added the Juniors silver to his coaching resume, to go along with a 1994 Olympic Gold (assistant coach) and a 2004 Swedish Elite Series title (head coach).

The approach to selecting this year's team appears to be divided among two groups of players. Half (22 players) I will term the "Real Deal", and the other 22 shall be known as the "Soon-to-be Runners-up".

The "Real Deal" travelled over the Atlantic to Lake Placid, NY in early August to face a series of matches against 3 squads made up of the US junior program. Sweden’s team featured heavily touted 2009 draft prospect Victor Hedman and LA Kings prospect, Oscar Möller. The Oilers' Johan Motin was also among the "Real Deal", though did not register any points in the 4 matches played.

Later in August, the "Soon-to-be Runners-up" traveled to the Four Nations Cup in the Czech Republic. They finished a respectable third, which is not bad considering they were a bit of a B-team. The players, most of whom will be playing in the J20 programs in Sweden or with Allsvenska clubs, had a convincing win over Finland but lost to Russia and the host Czechs. William Quist played 3 tournament matches in the Czech Republic and was held pointless, though did register on the scoresheet with 4 PIM and was -1. Additionally, he appeared in a 6-2 (non-tournament) win over Slovakia, Aug 29.

Though they may be looked at as a B-team, these players were still are on an international stage and it was the chance to impress the coaching staff for future exhibition matches.

This means very little. If anything can be drawn from these matches, it is the status report on where Mr. Quist and Mr. Motin rank in terms of the Swedish class of 1989-1991. The Oilers have 2 young prospects both of whom are being looked at for the national junior team. Positive, yes?

Next up, Mårts will likely whittle down his prospects, with exception of those playing in the WHL & AHL, and will compose a team of Swedish based players for the Four Nations tournament that is set for Uppsala, Sweden in November.

Motin was previously scheduled to appear at the Oilers Rookie and Training camp though now appears set to start the season with Elite Series team Färjestad BK.

Quist is also set to start the season with his new Allsvenska club, Nybro IF.

FINAL NOTE: Björn Bjurling's Tre Kronor appearance was hardly spectacular as the Swedes lost 4-1. Sweden showed some fire power registering 32 shots, to Finlands 20. This article notes that in the 2nd period, Bjurling allowed 2 goals on 4 shots while during the same span, Sweden peppered Finland with 13 shots and scored only once.