Twenty, not Fifteen

This is the time of year in the hockey world when young players and parents get really worked up. With the major junior drafts approaching as well as the USHL Futures draft and even the NHL draft, everyone gets overheated about when and where they will be selected. It is a very exciting time but also a time when people put way too much stock in the selection process. Many players and families become very disappointed when they are not selected as high as they thought they would be and it really is a shame.
When we talk and advise young players and families, we try to stress that although the bulk of the selection process begins at age fifteen, their future success will depend on how they develop up to the age of twenty, not fifteen.   So much growth can take place in those years and it is the complete exception that a player is ready to play professionally at age eighteen.
To make my point, take a look at this list of over 100 players who have signed professional contracts coming out of college this season alone, many of whom were undrafted to junior or the NHL. These players simply developed and grew as players over time.
http://www.collegehockeyinc.com/view/ncaa/in-the-nhl/pro-signings 
It is the same in the NHL. There are so many good players that just weren't that high a prospect at age seventeen or eighteen.
When the Detroit Red Wings were scouting Tomas Holmstrom, they liked his fire and his aggressiveness around the net. No one else noticed him because he was so small that he got knocked around a lot. He was 165 pounds at the time. They drafted him anyway and when he returned in the winter he weighed in at 210 pounds. They talked to his coach and the coach said he'd planned to cut him, until he showed up at training camp so much bigger.

“A lot of things come down to genetics and you might be a late bloomer or grow a little bit later — it all comes down to the commitment of that player,” said Hockey Manitoba executive director Peter Woods. “Sometimes kids get labels, as an A1 or a AA player or whatever it may be. Players can interpret that in a number of ways. The kid that is maybe not playing at the elite level right now needs to enjoy what he’s getting out of the game and those opportunities might come along down the road. Jarome Iginla wasn’t taken in the bantam draft and it worked out pretty well for him.

“You have to use some of those examples as motivation.”

Check out this list of NHL players and how late they were drafted and remember, come draft time, keep everything in perspective and focus on age twenty, not fifteen.....

Player	Pick	Year	Drafted By
Jaroslav Halak	271st	2003	Montreal
Mark Streit	262nd	2004	Montreal
Pekka Rinne	258th	2004	Nashville
Dustin Byfuglien	245th	2003	Chicago
Dan McGillis	238th	1992	Detroit
Pavol Demitra	227th	1993	Ottawa
Vladimir Konstantinov	221st	1989	Detroit
Anson Carter	220th	1992	Quebec
Johan Hedberg	218th	1994	Philadelphia
Cristobal Huet	214th	2001	Los Angeles
Dave Taylor	210th	1975	Los Angeles
Dominik Hasek	207th	1983	Chicago
Henrik Lundqvist	205th	2000	New York Rangers
Joe Pavelski	205th	2003	San Jose
Sergei Kostitsyn	200th	2005	Montreal
Arturs Irbe	196th	1989	Minnesota
Brooks Laich	193rd	2001	Ottawa
Vladimir Malakhov	191st	1989	NY Islanders
Matt D'Agostini	190th	2005	Montreal
Ryane Clowe	175th	2001	San Jose
Trevor Letowski	174th	1996	Phoenix
Luc Robitaille	171st	1984	Los Angeles
Roman Cechmanek	171st	2000	Philadelphia
Theoren Fleury	166th	1987	Calgary
John-Michael Liles	159th	2000	Colorado
Peter Bondra	156th	1990	Washington
Doug Gilmour	134th	1982	St. Louis
Kris Versteeg	134th	2004	Boston
Kyle Wellwood	134th	2001	Toronto
Daniel Alfredsson	133rd	1994	Ottawa
Steve Larmer	120th	1980	Chicago
Brett Hull	117th	1984	Calgary
Johan Franzen	97th	2004	Detroit
Valtteri Filppula	95th	2002	Detroit
Jonathan Quick	72nd	2005	Los Angeles
Cal Clutterbuck	72nd	2006	Minnesota
Steve Mason	69th	2006	Columbus

Shoot the Shootout!

Enough with the NHL shoot out already. I know this will upset some people and yes I do know that the shootout does pump excitement into some relatively boring regular season games. But it is this time of year the silliness of the tool to decide games and playoff position is exposed.
Think about it. I understand that it was put in to bring a conclusion to a game quickly with some enjoyment but come on…..What other sport decides the outcome of games and potential playoff berths by a singular skill? How about this? Let’s pick our five toughest guys and have them fight each other to the end. Last man standing gets the win? Still very entertaining…TV networks would love it!
Could you imagine the NFL deciding games by a field goal kicking contest? At least all the players have a say in the contest the way they do it now…..How about the NBA, “Hey guys pick your five best three point shooters and let’s get this game over with….all big men sit on the bench, you’re done for the night.” Major league baseball, nine innings all tied…… send out the pitching coaches….. “We are going to have a home run contest!”  It is Masters Week, Sunday rolls around, we have Tiger and Phil tied for the lead after eighteen….. “Guys, over to the practice range we are going to end this thing with a chipping contest…..”

I watch a lot of the Philadelphia Flyer games and love to watch the dominant play of Chris Pronger. He is a force in any game he plays. Definitely is a difference maker in any hockey game.  He probably plays over half of all games and about three and a half minutes of the overtime. Shout out comes and he is not a factor or rarely used. (Although he did have a penalty shot in the Stanley Cup playoffs once though…. But I think you get my point.)

People say it is a part of the game. There are penalty shots all the time. Not even close. There are very few games that are ever affected by a penalty shot.  Plus, have you seen some of the shots lately in the shootout? I was sure last week a player for the Rangers was going to put himself offside he was going so slow……It was like a carnival game. No break away or penalty shot ever looked like that.
I also think the whole two point, one point thing is just wrong. Your twenty guys can battle all night and all contribute and you get one point for the tie. Then three shooters go out and with a few slick moves get the equivalent….one point. It is just crazy……

Enough complaining. How about a solution?  I will say the five minute overtime when it is four on four is great entertainment and that situation actually happens in a regular game. Almost everyone still contributes. (Pronger, still on the ice….) How about this? After the five minutes of four on four, drop it to three on three. Keep playing until someone scores. If any penalty is taken then award a penalty shot…..still exciting and I guarantee, a goal will be scored very quickly. Faster than the guy in the shootout that they timed with a sun dial……J

Can’t have a blog this week without a Masters reference!

Every athlete should be forced to watch Phil Mickelson conduct himself at a press conference. The other day I stumbled upon the Mickelson press conference at the Masters and I found myself drawn in to watch the whole thing. Phil was funny, thoughtful and even entertaining in how he handled the press.  I know most of those golf interviews are a bit of a drag and some of the questions asked are just terrible but this one is worth checking out. Too bad most athletes can’t enjoy it like this. The second half of the interview is really good!
Enjoy! J

Click on the link below and then on the picture of Phil.

http://www.masters.com/en_US/news/interviews/index.html

Smell the Coffee!

How great a time of year is this? You have to love it. Baseball season is on, (way to go Phils!!!). The NCAA final four is here. Next week is Masters week, (if you don’t know how I feel about that then read my blog from February, "Georgia on my Mind."). The NBA is winding up their season. (way to go Sixers!) Many junior hockey leagues have their playoffs in full gear. The USA Hockey Nationals and the NCAA frozen four are on as well, which you can watch online.(how great is technology now when a goofball like me can have a weekly blog and you can watch hockey games on the internet!!!) Most importantly, the NHL playoffs are right around the corner. My right thumb will be bleeding from hitting the remote…….After a long cold winter, there is nothing better than watching the NHL Playoffs and seeing the increased intensity and great battles.
All this to digest and then my good friend Gasper Paul sends me the following short story. Gasper is a person that really has a great outlook on life.

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

So while we are all watching sports and cheering for our teams the next few weeks, whether they win or lose, remember to enjoy the enhanced level of play that the playoffs give us and what a great time of year this is.

Enjoy the coffee…... :)