UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE (02/19/06)

UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Gretzky and tradition

Prior to the end of last year's lockout, Wayne Gretzky always understood what the next generation of super centers like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Vincent Lecavalier has gone through during their brief careers. To a degree, he even sympathized with these young superstars, who, up until the new look NHL of 2005-2006, were fed up with being hooked, poked and held as they attempted to strut their stuff.

Although "The Great One" always held out hope things would change for the better in the immediate future, traditional hockey always had its share of poking and clutching.

"Bobby Hull had to fight through the hooking and grabbing," Gretzky related to Mike Brophy of The Hockey News. "Guy Lafleur had to fight through hooking and grabbing. I had to fight through it. It has always been part of the game. People are paid a lot of money to try to score goals, and there are others who are paid a lot to try to stop them. It was that way when Bobby Hull played, it was that way when I played, and now, with youngsters like Sidney Crosby in the league, it'll still be the same."

Well, not really, not that much anymore. With the dedicated enforcement of the rulebook in the current 2005-2006 campaign, most, if not all, of the hooking, holding and interfering have been whistled down as two-minute penalties. Centermen like Pavel Datsyuk, Jason Spezza and Shawn Horcroft have been afforded the opportunities to utilize their creativity on the ice, resulting in plentiful scoring chances. Supposedly the obstruction crackdown is here to stay - good news galore for the league, its loyal fans and the future selling of a marvelous sport.

But, back to Gretzky. "The Great One" can now be seen doing what he did best throughout his illustrious 20-year NHL career and more.

Gretzky's hockey career - from his minor league hockey days in his hometown of Brantford, Ontario, to his first pro games in the World Hockey Association to his glory years with the Edmonton Oilers and beyond - is featured in the two-DVD set Ultimate Gretzky. During an informal press gathering at his Toronto restaurant a while back, Gretzky commented on both his career and the state of the game.

Below is the best of what he had to say in his conversation with Mr. Brophy.

On what he remembers about playing for the Oilers:

"The great thing was how hard we pushed for each other. If a guy got a hat trick, the entire team felt like it contributed to the feat. By the end of the night, you didn't even remember who got the three goals; it was a team accomplishment."

On how the game has changed:

"When I came into the league, the whole focus was on trying to win 7-6. We couldn't even comprehend a 2-1 game. Now players are taught defense in bantam. They come into the NHL knowing how to check."

On his feelings about changes he'd make:

"I'm a traditionalist. I say leave the red line in, keep playing 5-on-5, and I like the size of our rinks."

On eye protection:

"I tell all our kids in Phoenix to wear visors. They wore them on the way up so it doesn't make sense to take them off."

On having to name his initial roster for the World Cup in mid-May:

"It's not good for us. If a guy is playing in the cup final and he's not named to the team, it could affect his play. Let's face it, the guys are only human. I wouldn't want the announcement to affect a guy in the final. Why not wait until the final has been played?"

On the skating ability of his son, Ty:

"If I skated as well as (him), I would have been something."

Gretzky mourns mother's death

Phoenix Coyotes Coach Wayne Gretzky took several days' leave of absence just before the team's game against Los Angeles on December 17, 2005, to be at the side of his gravely ill mother in the family's hometown of Brantford.

Phyllis Gretzky, 64, died on December 19 at Brantford General Hospital following a bout with pneumonia after being admitted four days prior. Her husband, Walter, and all five of her children, Wayne, Kim, Keith, Glen and Brent, were by her side when she passed away.

"Throughout my career, she was in the background, but she was the glue," Gretzky told Jerry Brown of the Mesa Tribune when his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer late in 2004. "She's always been the toughest in the family."

Gretzky also took a temporary leave of absence from his position as executive director of Canada's Olympic hockey team. His leave lasted only enough time to take care of arrangements and comfort his father and family.

In contrast to Walter Gretzky's outgoing relationship with the media and his son's celebrity, Phyllis Gretzky kept a low profile. She preferred maintaining the family home in Brantford and blending in as a member of her community.

The elder Gretzkys last travelled to Phoenix in October of 2005 to be on hand for their son's first NHL coaching win over Minnesota.

Associate Coach Rick Tocchet assumed the coaching duties in Phoenix, with both Barry Smith and Rick Bowness on staff ready to assist. The three coaches normally handle practices during the regular season. Bowness remained the "eye in the sky" coach (sitting in the press box) during games, with Tocchet and Smith behind the bench.

Coyotes officials were quick to stress that Gretzky, who had agonized over the decision to become a coach because of the importance of family, had every intention of returning to the coaching position. In fact, he publicly mused earlier this season that he loved the job so much, he wondered why he didn't take it sooner.

Coach of Team Canada

Gretzky, it should be noted, is also the coach of Team Canada for the Winter Olympic Games under way in Torino, Italy. Unfortunately, his role and his team's prospects have been overshadowed by a recently uncovered gambling scandal that apparently involves his Coyotes associate coach, Tocchet, and Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones.

Reports had surfaced in early February that Jones had placed bets with a multi-million-dollar gambling ring operating out of New Jersey. Tocchet was one of the three people charged in connection with the gambling ring by New Jersey State Police. And, to make matters worse, there is much speculation about Gretzky's own involvement, especially after a police wiretap caught Gretzky talking with Tocchet about the case.

Meanwhile, Gretzky struggled to keep focused - and to keep the media focused - on hockey.

UKRAINIAN UTTERINGS: Columbus Blue Jackets President and GM Doug MacLean acknowledged on his weekly radio show that he turned down a deal at the 2003 trade deadline which would have sent Ray Whitney to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Alexei Ponikarovsky. Whitney signed the following off-season with Detroit. Ponikarovsky, 25, emerged in 2003-2004 as a solid third-liner ... St. Louis rookie Lee Stempniak was issued jersey No. 65 in his first pro season camp. "Those were also my odds of making the team," he said at the time. He was the last cut in camp, but has since rejoined the team ... Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk bought his favorite hangout - Bert's Bar in Barbados - with plans of turning it into the official "Sens Headquarters" in the sunny south. "We hope to have it open in December, and we're going to have a big party," Melnyk told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun ... Former NHLer Perry Berezan said players should accept a salary cap. In a conversation with the Calgary Sun's Randy Sportak, Berezan said, "If I'm a player right now, I'm not worried about any system. Even if the majority (of owners) are willing to follow a salary cap, it still only takes one to mess it up. Owners will find ways to break their own rules."... Three-time Stanley Cup champion Ken Daneyko joined with former New York Giants center Bart Oates and ex-Yankees catcher Rick Cerrone to form a real estate company in New Jersey called Stellar Realty Group ... The St. Louis Blues unveiled a life-sized statue of retired star Bernie Federko in the main concourse of Savvis Center last November 1. The statue honors the Ukrainian Federko as the first Hall of Famer to spend the majority of his career as a Blue ... Mighty Ducks center Zenon Konopka, in his fifth NHL game, scored his first NHL goal on November 6, 2005, in a 4-3 overtime loss to Minnesota ... Right winger Jordin Tootoo was reassigned to Milwaukee (AHL) on October 10, 2005, to get more playing time. He was ejected 32 seconds into his second contest and earned a three-game suspension. There were no immediate plans to recall him until about two weeks prior to Christmas. Tootoo returned as an offensive force, tallying five points in his first six games back in Nashville ...

| Home Page |