JONATHAN ROY TRIES TO GET CLEARED

by Hockey Observer



QUEBEC -- A former Quebec junior goaltender facing assault charges for an on ice incident believes police unfairly targeted him because he has a famous father.

A lawyer for Jonathan Roy, son of hall-of-fame goaltender Patrick Roy, is seeking to have the case dismissed.

At a hearing Monday, Saguenay police investigator Larry Boudreau admitted other players committed violent acts during the game but that only Roy caught the attention of police.

During the incident in question, the ex-Remparts player skated the length of the rink and pummelled opposing goalie Bobby Nadeau during a March 2008 game.

Footage of the beating was widely broadcast on television and the Internet and was the impetus for changes to how punishments are doled out in the Quebec league for extreme violence.

Roy received a seven-game suspension, while his famous father, who is the head coach and part owner of the Remparts, got a five-game suspension for encouraging his son to fight.

In a motion filed in court last month, Roy's lawyer Steve Magnan, alleged Quebec's director of public prosecutions issued a directive four months after the incident regarding how charges should be levied following sports brawls.

He argued the directive was issued just three days before charges were laid against his client.

During the hearing Monday, Nadeau himself testified he suffered no injuries as a result of the beating and that investigators called him days before the charges were laid to find out if he'd been hurt.

Roy's lawyer revealed the investigator urged Nadeau to admit he was injured in the fight.

"ROY GETS SEVEN GAMES FOR WEEKEND BRAWL"
Marianne White, Canwest News Service
Published: Tuesday, March 25, 2008


Roger Gagnon photo for Canwest News Service
Quebec Remparts goalie Jonathan Roy (left) rains down punches on Chicoutimi Saguenéens goalie Bobby Nadeau during a second-period brawl in Chicoutimi March 22, 2008.

QUEBEC - Former Habs goaltender Patrick Roy and his son have both been suspended for their part in a brawl during a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff game Saturday night.

The elder Roy - who coaches his son's team - is suspended for five games for his prejudicial conduct. He was caught on camera gesturing to his son, but denied he encouraged him to fight.

Jonathan Roy, who plays goal for the Quebec Remparts, will sit out seven games. He was also fined $500.

Tuesday a chief prosecutor asked the Quebec Public Security department to launch a police inquiry into the incidents.

Breaking his silence Tuesday Patrick Roy apologized for the incident, in particular to Chicoutimi netminder Bobby Nadeau, who was struck repeatedly by his son during the incident.

"If I had better controlled the situation Jonathan would not have had to live what he lived through in the last 48 hours," he said.

Roy said he has sought to properly supervise his players so they could become "better persons" but added he "wasn't perfect."

"I have always sought to give them the best I could and know that I sometimes made mistakes," he said. "My objective is to not repeat these types of mistakes."

Both teams, the Remparts and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, are fined $4,000.

Richard Martel, the Sagueneens coach, received a two-game suspension.



Remparts defenceman Maxime Lacroix was also suspended for three games after hitting an opposing player while he was still down. His teammate, Marc-Oliver Vallerand, received a two-game suspension for his role in the melee.

Sagueneens winger Antoine Roussel received a one-game suspension for being the instigator in a fight, while his teammate Charles-Antoine Messier was suspended for two games. Another player, Sebastien Rioux, will miss his team's next six games for leaving the penalty box to enter the brawl.

The league's commissioner and the disciplinary committee made the decisions Tuesday after reviewing the incident.

The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gilles Courteau, said the organization was deeply troubled by the weekend's events.

"I'd like to warn organizations that these types of incidents will not be tolerated and that should any more occur, steep fines will be handed out," he said in a statement.

During the second period of the game, with the Remparts facing a six-goal deficit, Roy skated across the ice to deliver a pounding to Nadeau.

Following the melee, which involved almost all players from both teams, Roy also gave the crowd in the packed Chicoutimi arena the finger before leaving the ice. On Monday, he apologized for that but did not express remorse for fighting with the rival goalie.

The Sagueneens went on to win Saturday's game 10-1, tying the series at 1-1. The series was continuing Tuesday night.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest was to attend the game at Quebec's Colisee, along with Health Minister Philippe Couillard.

On Monday, Quebec Education and Sports Minister Michelle Courchesne said that she will get in touch with the league's commissioner and other provinces' counterparts to discuss trying to put an end to fighting in junior hockey.

The minister, whose son once played for the Remparts, didn't give any details on the actions she could take but said the violence had to stop.

There is a great rivalry between the Remparts and the Sagueneens and many incidents have occurred in the past, but never as ugly as Saturday.

NIKLOLAI ZHERDEV SPEAKS OUT

by HOCKEY OBSERVER

This Interview was given by ex-New York Rangers forward Nikolai Zherdev who has recently become unrestricted free agent to Russia media one week ago.

Nikolai Zherdev, whose contract with the Rangers ended after the end of the season, insisted salary 4,7 million dollars, while the club was ready to offer Russian, only 3.2 million. In the end, it came to arbitration, which awarded Zherdev the annual salary of 3.9 million. But New York doesn't want to offer such contract to our legionnaire, as result he became unrestricted free agent.

- Maybe it is better that the initiative of "Rangers" did not go back down and abandon you? Now you are free in their choice.
- While I do not even know how all this is assessed. I do not know well what I have to change the team or not. I must confess: I have believed until recently that, Rangers agree with my contract conditions. Perhaps, only time will put all points on the i.

- Negotiations with other clubs, you must believe in the midst?
- So far has not been definitively resolved the issue with Rangers, we do not talk with anybody. I'm permanently in touch with my agent, we discuss emerging options. Called many clubs have already expressed interest in my services.

- There are KHL teams interested as well?
- Yes, but, as I have repeatedly emphasized, I would like to continue my career in the NHL - this option is for me a priority. Although the chance that will come back to play in Russia, does not rule away.

- Not so long ago appeared information that you plan to begin preparations for the season along with the Moscow "Atlanta." Does this mean that you can go back to the club, the colors which have once defended?
- It was no negotiation with "Atlanta" at all.

- And how realistic your appearance in "Salavat Yulaev"?
- I will not hide: it is one of the options.

- In Ufa team you have more friends than any other KHL club.
- Judging by those players who are invited to the national team, then yes. But this does not mean that my future club becomes "Salavat". Active negotiations would begin as soon as possible. Let's see who will have more need of me and who will offer the best conditions.

- So you do not hurry?
- Yes, I cannot determine any specific dates.

- Recently it was a list of participants published by FHR for pre-Olympics camp, which will be held in Moscow in late August. Surprisingly, you are not among the 38 hockey players, caused by Vyacheslav Bykov.
- Frankly, this surprised me too. Because some time ago I have already seen myself on the Internet list of candidates.

- That list, as it turned out, was a "duck." What, in your opinion, the reasons may be in the national team coaches do not call you?
- Do not even imagine that on this occasion to think.

- I believe, the last time you chatted with Bykov was at the World championships in Switzerland, did you?
- No, we were in touch with him just two weeks ago. But the theme of the pre-olympic camp wasn't affected.

- According to some reports, coaches seem to have been unhappy with the fact that you couldn't finish playing until the end of the World Championship ...
- But I also played in Switzerland, two games with a broken finger! I just could not play any more!

- Perhaps you will come in later list. Do you think you have a chance to go to the Olympics?
- I do not know. But to me, of course, I would like to play at the Games in Vancouver. I dreamed about it long ago.

- If you are going to play in the KHL, but even more so in the "Salavat", the chances will increase for sure.
- Who knows. I think the main thing in this matter - show a decent game.

HOCKEY HISTORY - HARRY WATSON SCORES AT WILL IN OLYMPICS CHAMONIX

by HOCKEY OBSERVER and WIKIPEDIA:

Harry Watson scores at will in Olympics Chamonix, France January 25 - February 5, 1924


Harry Watson (centre) scored 36 goals in five Olympic games in 1924.

Imagine a hockey player at the highest level of play who was so good that he scored practically whenever he wanted. Such was the skill of Canada’s Harry Watson at the 1924 Olympics in Chamonix, France. Watson played just five games that year, but he scored a preposterous 36 goals!

He went by the nickname “Moose”, and, to be sure, Watson was one of the biggest players on ice in any game he played, even in Canada. But he was immensely skilled with the puck and could also skate as well as anyone, making him a threat every time he had the puck. To wit, in Canada’s first game of the 1924 tournament, against Czechoslovakia, Watson scored three goals in the first period, six goals in the second, and two more in the third — a total of eleven goals. And, remember, this was when games were only 45 minutes long (3 x 15). Final score — Canada 30, Czechoslovakia 0.


HARRY WATSON. photo by International Hockey Legends

by Wikipedia:

Harold Ellis "Moose" Watson (July 14, 1898 – September 11, 1957) was a Canadian amateur ice hockey forward who played for the Toronto Granites and the 1924 Canadian Winter Olympic hockey team.

Born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Watson also lived in England and Winnipeg, Manitoba before moving to Toronto at the age of 15. He played for the Whitby Athletics in the Ontario Hockey Association. He then played for St. Andrews College and was a first team all-star in 1915. Watson played for the Toronto Aura Lee before serving in the Canadian military during World War I.

After the war, Watson joined the Toronto Dentals in a playoff series against the Hamilton Tigers, which the Tigers won. For the 1919-20 season, he joined the new Toronto Granites, the OHA team from the Toronto Granite Club. Led by Watson, the Granites won the Allan Cup in 1921-22 and 1922-23, with Watson named a first-team all-star in both seasons. They then represented Canada at the 1924 Winter Olympics, winning the ice hockey gold medal. At the Olympics, Watson scored 37 goals in five games as the Canadian team outscored the opposition 132-3 over six games.

He turned down several lucrative offers to play professionally in the National Hockey League. Charlie Querrie, manager of the Toronto St. Patricks, offered Watson $10,000 to join his team for the 1924-25 season, but Watson declined. His Granites teammate Hooley Smith would have a 17-year NHL career, but Watson wanted to enter the business world and retired as a player in 1924.

In 1930, he became coach of the Toronto National Sea Fleas senior amateur team. During the 1931 playoff season, Watson refereed several OHA games. In December 1931, during his second season behind the bench for the Sea Fleas, Watson made a brief comeback as a player at the age of 33 after one of his players was unable to make a road trip. As coach, Watson guided the team to the Allan Cup in 1932.

Watson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1998.

SLOVAKIAN ICE HOCKEY HISTORY. SHORT REVIEW

MIRO SATAN HOLDING THE 2002 WORLD CUP

by Hockey Observer

Although there were similar games played around the globe, Canadian ice hockey was the one to achieve dominance.

For example: bandy hockey -- a game very close to modern ice hockey and native to Europe -- was modified and later fully replaced by ice hockey. When the first European Championships took place in 1910 the game was a mixture of elements of both bandy and ice hockey. The difference between the two was mainly the rules and the equipment used by players. Bandy hockey used shorter sticks and the protective equipment was also rather modest. The Canadian form of the game had fully replaced the other variations on the European continent during the Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924.

In 1908, the International Ice Hockey Federation, an international organization that still runs most of the international hockey tournaments today, was established. In Slovakia (as a part of former Czechoslovakia), Canadian ice hockey was popularized during the European Championships in High Tatras in 1925.

In 1929 the first official tournament took place in Slovakia. The Tatra Cup is the second oldest tournament in Europe, after the Spengler Cup in Switzerland. The first organization of Slovak ice hockey was established under the name of Slovenská župa kanadského ľadového hokeja as a part of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation in what was then Czechoslovakia.

The first organized competition was held in 1930. Subsequently, the first Slovak team who were able to compete with the stronger Czech teams was HC Tatry in 1936. Another team from Slovakia joined the common competition in the following year.

Throughout the course of ice hockey history in Czechoslovakia, many Slovak players became eligible to play for the Czechoslovakian national team. Among those who were able achieve this was Ladislav Troják; A native of Košice who left for Prague to play for the LTC Praha -- at those times considered to be the best ice hockey team in the country -- in 1934. From there he was only a step away from playing for the national team.


SLOVAKIA vs. CZECH REP. ST. PETERSBURGH 2000

There are many others who also made Slovakia famous for ice hockey around the world. Some examples are:

Matej Buckna, a Canadian coach of Slovak origin, who helped to develop ice hockey in Czechoslovakia.
Vladimír Dzurilla, a goalkeeper who helped Czechoslovakia to achieve a number of remarkable international triumphs and a player of an older generation.
Ján Starší, highly respected coach and team manager, also from an older generation.
Similarly to the Czech Republic, Slovakia is internationally considered to be a breeding ground for talented players, many of whom are playing in the best leagues in the world, of which the NHL is the most prestigious.

Czechoslovakia and its successor states are rated as being among the leading nations on the international scene, thanks to their triumphs in the Winter Olympic Games and the World Championships.

However, the Slovak national team had to face a difficult challenge in 1993 after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. According to the IIHF regulations it had to compete with countries with little or no ice hockey tradition at all to prove being worthy to compete at the highest level. Many ice hockey experts and journalists found this rather humiliating for Slovakia. It has since found its way all the way back to the top. Within only a few years of independent existence as a young nation it would mark its biggest triumph ever by winning the world championships in Sweden in 2002.


Peter Stastny (right) ended his magnificent NHL-career in 1995 at the age of 39 and made sure to promote his native Slovakia to the A-pool of the IIHF World Championships later the same season. A wonderful ending to an outstanding career.

PAUL KARIYA, CHRIS DRURY and NIKOLAY ZHERVED STATUS UPDATES

by HOCKE OBSERVER


PAUL KARIYA

Paul Kariya believes his overall speed has picked up after undergoing surgeries on both hips during the 2008-09 season, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

More importantly, said Kariya, he’s not just skating faster, but skating faster repeatedly. “The muscles should not fatigue as fast and allow me to play at a higher pace for a longer period of time,” he said. Kariya, who had 15 points in 11 games for the Blues before the injuries forced him out of the lineup, is entering the final year of his three-year contract.


CHRIS DRURY

Chris Drury told NY Newsday that his broken right hand has completely healed.

Drury was forced to keep the hand in a brace for three weeks, but now reports no problems. He plans to participate in the U.S. Invitational camp later this month.


NIKOLAI ZHERDEV

The New York Rangers have decided to walk away from a salary arbitration ruling to Nikolai Zherdev, making the forward an unrestricted free agent.

Zherdev was awarded a one-year, $3.9 million contract following his hearing on Friday. He was looking for $4.75 million, while the Rangers were offering less than $3.2 million.

''With the additions we've been able to make this summer, we feel we've been able to add scoring and offense from the wing position,'' Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather stated. ''Following the arbitration process and subsequent award given, we feel it is in our best interest to walk away and continue to explore all available options to improve our roster.''

Zherdev, 24, appeared in 82 games with the Rangers last season, registering 23 goals and 35 assists for 58 points, along with 39 penalty minutes. He was held scoreless in seven playoff contests.

The 6-2, 203-pounder has skated in 365 regular season contests with the Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, recording 99 goals and 140 assists for 239 points, along with 203 penalty minutes. The Kiev, Ukraine native was originally Columbus' first round choice, fourth overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.