chevron Former Minnesota State Mankato Maverick Chad Brownlee has a new single "Hood of My Car" that has hit the top 20 in Canada. Brownlee was nominated for an NCAA Hockey Humanitarian Award for his song "The Hero I See" written in memory of Anthony Ford, a young boy who lost his battle with leukemia which raised thousands of dollars for a foundation set up in his name so that underpriviliged children could play hockey.
 
After graduating from MSU with a degree in Psychology Brownlee did try his hand at professional hockey. His first professional fight with the Idaho Steelheads is on YouTube for the world to see, so perhaps picking up the guitar and teaching himself how to play & write songs wasn't such a bad career move.
 
Though the former Vancouver draft pick was able to merge his signing and hockey careers signing the national anthem for the Canucks.  A great feature from the Canucks on the singer who looks to be on his way to making his mark as a country star can be found here.
 
You can watch a video of his first single "Hope". He has his own webpage for his career in music and Brownlee's album will be released August 31st.

06.18.10 07:16 pm

chevron In between the Overtime & Shootout of the Chicago Steel vs Green Bay Gamblers game yesterday two goaltenders who don't seem to like each other got into an epic fight
 
This is the third bought between the Gamblers' Steve Summerhays (Anchorage, Alaska) & Steel's Nick Pisellini (Itasca, Illinois).  One of their other fights took place almost a year ago in April, and another one took place this past December.
 
Green Bay won the shootout 2 goals to 1 after both teams inserted back-up goaltenders.
 
Summerhays told the Green Bay Gazette  "Everyone kind of knew we would fight as it was the last time we were going to meet. I think everyone wanted to see it. We are good friends off the ice, but competitors on."
 
Chicago Steel assistant coach Jon Waibel reported that he had never seen such a thing before.
 
The Gamblers are close to winning their second consecutive Anderson Cup, something that hasn't been done in the USHL for ten years since Lincoln accomplished the feat.  The Steel are still battling for a playoff spot but may need some help from Waterloo to do so.
 
 
 
 

03.22.10 07:37 pm

chevron Terry Skrypek made it official today, he has retired from his long and successful career as head coach of the University of St. Thomas hockey team. (see earlier QF post from last week).
 
Chris Berenguer, son of Juan Berenguer, was named a 1st team All American for the second consecutive year.  Berenguer is the only 2-time All American in the Pipers history.  Of the four total All Americans in the Hamline Pipers history three of them have come in the last three seasons under Head Coach Scott Bell.
 
David Martinson of Gustavus was named ACHA DIII Player of the Year.
 
B.J. O'Brien of Lakeville was named First Team DIII All American for St. Norbert's who lost in the NCAA Title game Saturday.

03.22.10 05:28 pm

chevron QUICK SPECULATION Hearing that University of St. Thomas head coach Terry Skrypek will soon announce his retirement after his 23rd year at the helm of the Tommies. Skrypek has never had a losing record in his 47 years of organized hockey including his prep and college playing career and 40 winning seasons as a coach. During his career at St. Thomas, Skrypek has a record of 406-186-42 (.673), including 267-64-21 (.788) in the MIAC. He has 13 conference championships including winning this year.  Behind the bench of St. Thomas his teams have never finished worse than third place in the MIAC standings.  More information on Skrypek's stellar & unparalled career in St. Thomas bio.
 
Jeff Boeser, a St. Thomas alumnus, has been an assistant coach at St. Thomas for 26 years. Would assume he would be considered a favorite for the head coaching position.  Former Gopher Matt Koalska joined the Tommies as assistant coach this season.

03.18.10 12:11 am

chevron Former Simley & Gopher Captain Scott Bell is poised to take the Hamline University Pipers to new heights again this season.  Hamline is one point behind the Gustavus Gusties for first place and is poised to break the school record for wins in a season, which Bell, the head coach of the Pipers, helped the school set the previous two seasons. The worst Hamline can finish is second but even if they sweep their weekend series they still need Gustavus to lose or tie to finish first.
 
Hamline is ranked 8th in the country and has the best power play (26%) and penalty kill (90%) in the MIAC. The Pipers are ranked first in the league in scoring averaging 4.5 goals per game and are second in the league allowing only 2.3 goals against.
 
Bell has NHL scouts at most games, Tampa Bay & Pittsburgh Penguins personnell have been spotted at recent practices and games, watching their hulking 6'8" freshman defenseman Taylor Vichorek, a free agent. 
 
Bell's name continues to brought up as a candidate for an NCAA Division I Head Coaching position. He has admitted his dream would be to coach at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota where he the school's only three-time winner of the "Most-Determined" player award. He has lead the Pipers to two MIAC Championships and would welcome to moving up to a Division I program, if that means Minnesota or Michigan Tech or another school, Bell has said he would definitely be interested in those opportunities.  Until those openings are available, however, the Hamline Pipers will continue to have one of the brightest, and successful, young coaches in college hockey. And right now Bell said he has another MIAC Championship to win.

02.19.10 01:04 pm

chevron QUICK QUOTE "I'm a Michigan man. I'm very proud of it. I wouldn't want to have it any other way. Michigan has produced more NHL players than any other school. Even the U.S. development program, people rip that and they just don't know anything about it and don't know what they're talking about." - LA Kings defenseman Jack Johnson in response to General Manager Dean Lombardi's criticism of the University of Michigan and coach Red Berenson. (LA Times)

01.22.10 02:09 pm

chevron Don Lucia now has company in being bashed by an NHL General Manager. Los Angeles Kings' Dean Lombardi recently lambasted Red Berenson and the Michigan program in an interview with FrozenRoyalty.net. 
Lombardi said in regard to Kings' defenseman Jack Johnson “This guy has never had any coaching [at the University of Michigan],” Lombardi said. “Jack just did what he wanted.”
 
“Michigan is the worst.” the General Manager said. “For hockey people, if you’ve got a choice between a kid—all things being equal—one’s going to Michigan and one’s going to Boston University, you all want your player [going to Boston University]. Michigan’s players—[head coach] Red [Berenson] doesn’t coach. It’s ‘do what you want.’ He gets the best players in the country.”
 
The tirade against Michigan and Red Berenson by Lombardi is virtually identical to the one issued by Garth Snow against Don Lucia and the University of Minnesota after Kyle Okposo left the program.
 
In an interview with the StarTribune Snow said of Lucia and the Gopher program "Quite frankly, we weren't happy with the program there. They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that. We entrusted the coach there to turn him into a better hockey player, and it wasn't happening. We feel more comfortable in him developing right under our watch."
 
The fact that two of the most prominent coaches, and most highly paid coaches, in the NCAA, of two of the largest college hockey programs, have been scewered by NHL general managers for their lack of development of players is of great consequence for the NCAA which is losing players earlier to the NHL.  Interestingly Michigan and Minnesota have produced amongst the highest numbers of NHL players in the NCAA, with 22 coming from the Wolverines and 15 from the Gophers as of the 2008-2009 season (including minor leagues).
 
Compounding the issue is the fact that the two programs that have been called on the carpet,  two of the most historically mighty in college hockey, have been struggling recently. While both Lucia and Berenson have each won two NCAA Championships as head coaches, there is the chance that neither program will qualify for the NCAA Tournament this year.
 
The fallout from Lombardi's criticism will be interesting to see unfold. But at least Don Lucia can now take comfort that he now has a companion in being ridiculed by an NHL general manager. Good company when that coach is Red Berenson.
 
 
 
 

01.22.10 01:52 pm

chevron University of Minnesota forward Mike Hoeffel has been diagnosed with mononucleosis.  With infectious mononucleosis the highest risk for the player competing in a contact sport such as hockey becomes a ruptured spleen.  According to Dr. Chris G. Koutures in the article for Pediatric News Clinical Criteria Key to Post-Mono Sports Return, "rupture can occur even with minimal activity and in the absence of trauma."
 
The article states that "After the 3-week period, athletes who are afebrile, have had resolution of palpable splenic or liver enlargement, and are back to school or work may try some light, noncontact conditioning activity for a week, with the aim of offsetting fatigue and weight loss" according to Dr. Koutures.
 
However, the advisement is that only clinical examination can determine when an athlete will be able to return to play and no blood tests, radiology or the like will be able to definitvely make that determination. 
 
What that means for Mike Hoeffel is that only his doctors and his body will make the determination for when he is ready to return to play, but according to most physicians, it should not be earlier than three weeks, and his physical conditioning will take a bit of time to return when he recovers from the illness. The hope would be he may be able to return in time for the Colorado College series but again, only his doctors will be able to make that final determination.
 
Losing Hoeffel for any period of time is going to hurt the Gophers. He leads the team in goals with 11, including four on the power-play, and three game-winning goals.  Whether the team can continue to compete at the same level without Hoeffel in the lineup will be an interesting test for Minnesota, especially with no reserve forwards remaining. 
 
Clinical Criteria Key to Post-Mono Sports ReturnSUSAN LONDONPediatric News - September 2008 (Vol. 42, Issue 9, Page 47, DOI: 10.1016/S0031-398X(08)70463-6)
 
 

01.20.10 01:14 pm

chevron QUICK TAKE The recent incident between NHL Referee Stephane Auger and Vancouver Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows brings up an issue that Quick Facts has wanted to see raised for some time in the NHL.  The recent incident between the two came to a head reportedly because Auger was angry he had been made look bad from Burrows embellishing a penalty call, which Auger fell for, so the referee "made up for it" in a subsequent game. 
 
Quick Facts believes that the NHL has the wrong penalty in the rule book. Rule #52 is called "Diving" which reads a) A minor penalty shall be imposed on a player who attempts to draw a penalty by his actions ("diving"). b) Regardless if a minor penalty for diving is called, Hockey Operations will review game videos and assess fines to players who dive or embellish a fall or a reaction, or who feign injury.  
 
The NCAA however, has separated these as two distinct penalties, Rule 6-11a"Diving" and 6-11b"Embelishment."  Whereas "Diving" is a stand-alone penalty,  "Embellishment" as described by the NCAA rules committee when it was announced as a new rule, "allows officials to correctly identify to players, coaches and fans what action caused a penalty call. This penalty will only be called when an opponent has fouled, but the player fouled exaggerates the penalty." 
 
Of course this would mean Auger would have had to identify that Burrows embellished his call orginially to avoid this incident, but reviews after the games could be made and fines issued for stellar acting by players similarly to how they are reportedly reveiwing for "Diving" calls.
 
The NCAA Rules Committee is leaps and bounds ahead of the NHL and the professional leagues in identifying the clarification between the two penalties, it is time for the pros to take a lesson from their collegiate counterparts and make the change. 

01.12.10 01:15 pm

chevron Prior Lake native, former St. Thomas Academy Cadet & University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Sophomore forward Jordan Schroeder just became the all time leading scorer in USA Hockey World Junior Championship history with 26 points by scoring three assists in the USA game vs Finland tonight, January 2nd, 2010. Schroeder tied Jeremy Roenick with 25 points on his second assist of the night on Matt Donovan's second goal of the night for the United States.  He surpassed Roenick with an assist on Danny Kristo's third period goal with just 44 seconds remaining in the game that gave the Americans the 6-2 victory. Congratulations from Quick Facts and the Minnesota Hockey Journal!

01.02.10 11:24 pm

chevron QUICK SPECULATION As many regular readers of this space know, Quick Facts has said that a Winter Classic hosted by the Minnesota Wild at the new TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus is a virtual certainty.  The only question will be which year will it be held?  2010 has been the year I had thought would be given to Minnesota but there has been a good deal of pressure to give Canada a game as well so it could be pushed to 2011 instead. 
 
Whichever year it is held, there is no doubt the opponent will be the team formerly known as the North Stars, the Dallas Stars. When the Winter Classic first began it was proposed in this space for the game to occur at the new Gopher stadium between Dallas & Minnesota.  It is just too perfect of a storyline not to occur: Dallas dons the throwback North Stars sweaters and the Minnesota Wild wears a new version of a sweater created just for the event.  Part of the event week will include a High School rivalry game like Roseau vs Warroad for the boys, and Roseville vs South St. Paul for the Girls and an intrastate college game like the Gophers vs Bulldogs (or perhaps now the Beavers) for both the men and women.  The nearby arenas of Mariucci and Ridder can also be utilized for a multitude of hockey events to correspond with the Winter Classic. 
 
The view from TCF Bank Field of Downtown Minneapolis would create the perfect moment for network television and the ice crews would certainly have plenty of time to set up the rink.  With the number of seats available at The Bank and the corresponding hockey venues nearby it is the perfect location for the Winter Classic.  The Bank also has the advantage of having FieldTurf so that there will be no damage to the grass with the ice rink being laid.  Any talk of Target Field just because the NHL has hosted two previous Winter Classics in downtown ballparks is just foolish.  The football field on the University of Minnesota campus is the perfect venue and will be the host to perhaps the next NHL Winter Classic. So get to know your Wild season ticket holders as they will have first dibs on tickets!

12.28.09 10:52 am

chevron QUICK QUOTE "We're talented & have draft picks up the wazoo. We've seen how good a hockey team we can be. "  - University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Senior Captain Tony Lucia after the 3-1 loss to the Minnesota State University Mavericks at Mariucci Arena.

12.04.09 11:28 pm

chevron QUICK QUOTE "We're not a good enough group not to play with urgency. We're not loaded with a bunch of all-league players" - University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Head Coach Don Lucia on his team after the 3-1 loss to Minnesota State University at Mariucci Arena

12.04.09 11:27 pm

chevron Forget your whiteboards, now there is an Iphone App you can use to draw up hockey plays & drills.  Unlike a dry-erase whiteboard, you can go back, save, and show players step, by step each play and erase with a shake.  The application which only costs $2.99, was developed by two hockey coaches, Hugh Samson and Jeff Butler. 
 
In an interview with InlineHockeyCentral Butler said "I used to spend hours every week planning practices, going through old playbooks and sheets of paper.  Hockey Playbook puts them in one place, there with you all the time. And if you see a Power Play or drill that another coach is using, you can sketch it out in seconds right on your phone, or someone can sketch it for you.”
 
There is a YouTube Demonstration (marked as Favorite on the QuickFacts YouTube channel) of the application.  No word yet on whether an Android application is also in the works.
 
The application is available for purchase in the Apple App store.

11.16.09 05:04 pm

chevron QUICK TAKE Longtime readers of QuickFacts have seen some takes before where this space has defended the fans of Nashville, Atlanta and other Sunbelt states from the barrage of attacks from the high and mighty pundits, especially those north of the border, who somehow think their brand of hockey fandom is better than others. At QuickFacts the belief is that the more people who can find and love hockey the better the world will be.
 
One thing that has always been indicated here, however, is how those same pundits always seemed to exclude a city like Columbus from their tirades of where hockey should be.  Columbus was chosen as a location for expansion because they had a privately-financed arena and no other professional sports in the market, not because there was a die-hard core of hockey fans in the area.  Now comes a report that the team has lost $12 million in the last year.  The team, which is in the bottom third in attendance in the NHL, made the playoffs for the first time last season, but Ohio, especially Columbus, is and will always be devoted to football. But interestingly, lack of hockey fans, hasn't been the real issue in Columbus.
 
The development of the area around the arena is where the revenue of the team has been dependent has been adversely affected by the recession among other factors.
 
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement was intended to make NHL teams competitive and allow teams to keep revenues matched with expenses but what that didn't take into account were bad real estate, development and lease deals that ownership groups continue to make. The most wealthy and profitable teams have venues that are money makers without the hockey, and in addition to media deals, can withstand any dips in ticket revenue or ebbs in merchandising or concession sales. Teams like Columbus who have revenue streams part and parcel with the revenue generated with that of business deals of corresponding developments cannot, even though they do maintain a small core of fans. 
 
For those pundits that are clamoring to move one of those franchises to another location like Winnipeg or Hamilton, what they may not realize is that even if those teams sell out every game in their new city, that will not be enough to maintain a profitable team either, because the new team's real estate deals, leases and developments will be entwined with their bottom line as well. So even though there is not a huge hardcore base of hockey fans in Columbus, that really isn't the problem in their financial loss.
 
The issue is that the new CBA was supposed to find a new fairness model between teams and ensure the financial stability of them, but there is still no balance because instead of wealthy teams paying more salary to players now the revenue inequity is between those teams that can maximize media revenues or lease and real estate deals. The fault of that lies squarely on NHL Management who has failed to realize the viability of arena leases and deals of those franchises or even those ownership groups themselves.
 
While the same pundits relish in the non-traditional hockey markets failing, Quick Facts thinks it is a sad day when you have to become concerned about the future of a team like Columbus because it is only the hockey fan that loses, whichever market in which they may live. When that fan has made an emotional investment in a team, in players, and a financial one, it is painful to see that fail or even worse, possibly leave. 
 
The model is broken and just like the players need to take responsibility for the issues going on in their union, the NHL needs to take responsibility for the issues going on amongst their ownership members.  For too long the individual teams have been concerned with their own bottom lines, it is time to start considering what is good for the fans, and the game of hockey as a whole so that in the future they all have a bottom line to worry about. 

11.06.09 11:35 am