NHL - Season 2005/2006

quote:

Canucks' Morrison settles in Sweden


Canadian Press


10/20/2004

Brendan Morrison apologizes at the other end of the phone because he can barely be heard over the playful screams of his nearly one-year-old daughter, McKenna.


The Morrison family is right at home after over a month in Linkoping, a Swedish town of 135,000 about two hours southwest of Stockholm.


``It's been a real positive experience,'' the Vancouver Canucks centre said Wednesday. ``The adjustment off the ice hasn't been that difficult. The lifestyle here is a little simpler, a little more laid-back than being in Vancouver.''


More laid-back than Vancouver?


``It's got a small-town feel, but we've got everything we need and my family has been able to adjust quickly - and that was one of my biggest concerns,'' said Morrison, who also brought along wife Erin and 2-year-old son Brayden for the adventure.


It isn't surprising that Morrison was one of the first NHLers to sign in Europe because of the lockout. He was already talking about it back in May when he played for Canada at the world hockey championships in Prague.


He wasn't afraid to move his family overseas because of what he's learned from his parents, who have lived in Hungary the past six years. His father works for a Calgary-based gas company in Budapest.


``Over the years they've been overseas they've told us how much they've enjoyed it,'' Morrison said. ``It was a new experience for them, they didn't know anyone when they came over and it's turned out to be such a positive experience for them. They've seen parts of the world that they probably would have never seen before.''


It's not the first time the native of Pitt Meadows, B.C., has played club hockey in Europe. He played six games with Pardubice in the Czech Republic in October 1999 during a contract dispute with the New Jersey Devils.


But this time he may be in Europe for the long haul because of the NHL lockout.


``I was optimistic all along that something would get done. I guess I was naive,'' said Morrison, the Canucks' NHLPA team representative.


``But I think the breaking point will be January, just like it was in the past. That's kind of the date where things have to be settled to have a season worthwhile.


``That's what I'm anticipating, being here until January, although I know full well I could be here the full year.''


Morrison is among 212 NHLers who had signed with European clubs as of Wednesday.


Defenceman Brian Campbell of the Buffalo Sabres and Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Brian Boucher were the latest to head over. Campbell joined Jokerit in Helsinki and Boucher signed with the Swedish champion HV71.


They've been criticized in some circles for taking jobs away from other players and Morrison was cognizant of that from the get-go.


``Along with my family adapting off the ice, that was probably my biggest concern,'' Morrison said. ``How would I be accepted and viewed amongst the team. We signed early, right at the beginning of August, and that gave the team time to let some young guys know. They had some 19-year-old and 20-year-old players that were right on the cusp of making it but they knew very early that they would go back to junior - it didn't come as a complete surprise.


``Still, you are concerned that you're coming over and taking somebody's spot. But everything has been positive. The guys have been great and have made us feel real welcome.''


He's also made a great first impression, putting up 11 points (4-7) in his first 10 games while playing on an all-NHL line with Kristian Huselius of the Florida Panthers and Mike Knuble of the Philadelphia Flyers.


``When a team like this takes a risk and signs a foreigner, you want to be able to perform. So it's been nice that our line has been able to deliver,'' said Morrison, adding that Huselius went down with a knee injury two games ago.


Playing with Knuble, an old college teammate who is represented by the same agent as Morrison, has been a blast.


``It's been a while, I guess 10 years since we last played together at school,'' said Morrison, who skated with Knuble at Michigan in the mid-1990s.


On Saturday, Morrison will face Canucks teammates for the first time this season when he travels north to play Modo, featuring the Sedin twins and Peter Forsberg.


``He's the main attraction over here, it's amazing,'' Morrison said of the Colorado Avalanche star. ``He's in the paper every day. It's like `What did Peter do today when he was at home?' He's covered pretty thoroughly here.


``People are really excited that he's back home.''


Morrison has a lot of time for Swedish hockey fans in general.


``I catch myself sometimes during the game staring up at the fans at home,'' he said. ``If we have a good shift, there's a particular section of fans on the end - they start singing and chanting and they'll go for 10 minutes. You're just sitting there and you're amazed at how passionate they are.''


The team plays in a new 8,500-seat arena that will host the women's world hockey championship next April.


``The fans are right on top of you,'' Morrison said. ``It's been a neat experience.''

quote:

In another sign the NHL season is slipping away, the league canceled its All-Star game in Atlanta on Wednesday because of the lockout.

No regular-season games have been played since the season was scheduled to begin Oct. 13, and NHL arenas have been given the go-ahead to release dates on a 45-day rolling basis. With the All-Star game now off the schedule, the next announcement could be the cancellation of the entire season.

quote:

4-11-2004
Zholtok sterft in harnas
Sergei Zholtok is woensdag plotseling overleden. De Let stierf tijdens een wedstrijd onderweg naar de kleedkamer aan de gevolgen van een hartaanval. Hij werd 31 jaar oud.


Zholtok werd onwel tijdens een wedstrijd voor zijn club Riga in Letland. Verschillende bronnen melden dat hij al langer last had van hartritmestoornissen.

Op 18-jarige leeftijd maakte Zholtok zijn professionele debuut voor Dynamo Riga. In 1992 vertrok hij naar Amerika en speelde drie seizoen bij Boston, afwisselend in de AHL en NHL. Na twee seizoenen IHL bij Las Vegas werd hij aangetrokken door de Ottawa Senators. Daarna speelde hij nog voor Montréal, Edmonton en Minnesota in de NHL.

Bij de Wild maakte hij deel uit van het team dat een onwaarschijnlijke play-off run maakte in 2003. Afgelopen seizoen werd hij naar de Nashville Predators gestuurd.

Vorig jaar moest Zholtok een aantal wedstrijden missen vanwege onduidelijke gezondheidsproblemen. Hij had last van duizeligheid en vermoeidheid. In januari 2003 werden hartritmestoornissen geconstateerd, maar hij mocht kort daarna toch weer spelen.

Zholtok speelde ook voor het Lets nationaal team. In 1994 won hij met de Letten zilver op het WK en in de jaren daarna wisten de Letten hun A-status te behouden.

Sergei Zholtok scoorde in de NHL 111 goals en mocht 147 assists noteren in 588 wedstrijden. Hij laat een vrouw en twee kinderen achter.

quote:

Op zondag 24 oktober 2004 01:45 schreef DiegoArmandoMaradona het volgende:
Ik wil trouwens wel weten of al die NHL'ers(en veel goede spelers die vorig jaar nog in de minor league speelden in de VS) een financieel goede zaak is voor de teams in Europa

Als ik kijk naar de toeschouwersaantallen van de DEL lijkt dat niet het geval te zijn

quote:

Op zondag 7 november 2004 19:11 schreef DiegoArmandoMaradona het volgende:
JZweeds, is zijn vader nog ergens coach

De lockout draait er in het kort om dat de eigenaars van alle NHL teams de spelers geschorst hebben(locked out) omdat er nog geen nieuwe CAO is bereikt met de spelersvakbond .Als er voor pak hem beet 10 januari geen accoord is wordt heel het seizoen afgeblazen

quote:

Op donderdag 25 november 2004 09:24 schreef Joralf het volgende:
En gaat er nog verandering komen in de LockOut situatie?

quote:

Goalies Martin Brodeur and Dominik Hasek will lead a European tour by locked-out NHL players.

With no end in sight to the lockout, sports management firm IMG put together a team of 25 players who will compete in 10 games in seven countries on Dec. 9-23.

The Worldstars team will compete against other NHL players already playing in Europe. The first game will take place in Riga, Latvia, on Dec. 9 followed by stops in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia; Bratislava, Slovakia; Bern, Switzerland; Karlstad, Jonkoping and Linkoping, Sweden; Oslo, Norway, and Katowice, Poland.

The Worldstars roster announced Thursday also includes Joe Thornton of the Boston Bruins, Sergei Fedorov of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Mats Sundin of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Maple Leafs enforcer Tie Domi.

"We as hockey players are missing the game a lot. This is a great option to get back on the ice," said Brodeur, who has been coaching his kids' hockey team and doing some skating with a few of his New Jersey Devils teammates.

Wayne Gretzky and IMG organized a similar tour 10 years ago during the last NHL lockout. Gretzky recently said that tour was more about partying than serious competition.

The proceeds from this tour will be split between the players and two charities. Eight of the 10 games will be broadcast on pay-per-view in Canada.