Friday, January 25, 2013
Lightning Camp in South West Florida
The Tampa
Bay Lightning completed their four day mini camp last Thursday at the Germaine
Arena in Estero, just south of Fort Myers, Florida. It was a special event for
hockey fans in the area, as the doors were open for the entire camp.
For many
years, Scott Young worked as a columnist in Toronto. He wrote for several
newspapers, and crafted books on the side. After all was said and done, he was
better known as the father of Neil Young. Neil gained world-wide fame as a
singer and song writer, one his own, and with the group Crosby, Stills, Nash,
and Young.
Many of us
had the opportunity to enjoy Young’s books in the 1950s which were written for
a younger audience. We were invited to enter the door of the hallowed hall on
Carlton Street, Maple Leaf Gardens. Young walked us along the corridors to the
dressing room of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He invited
us to try to become part of the team. In a magical instant, I was a “Boy at the
Leaf’s Camp” or a “Boy on Defence” and I would play in a game as “Scrubs on Skates”.
Those were magical times, shared by many a youth.
I played
alongside “Teeder” Kenndedy, Tod Sloan, Max Bentley, and Sid Smith. I sat
beside Harry Watson in the dressing room, reefing at my skate laces. I giggled
at “Turk” Broda’s jokes as we headed to the ice to start the practice.
I am certain
the same applies to later generations from the books of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R.
Tolkein, or more recently the Harry Potter books by Mrs. Rowland, and rightly
so.
Back in
Florida, once the lights were brightened, and the clean sheet of ice was
placed, glistening, by the Zamboni, the Tampa Bay goaltenders were the first to
take the ice. It was an important moment for many in attendance, having
lingered in the dust for months of lock out negotiations. Mathieu Garon hails
from Chandler, Quebec. He played last year for the Lightning. Anders
Lindback is from Gavle, Sweden, and
arrived by trade last June.
Both goalies
went into their stretching routines as the other players emerged from the dressing
room through a phalanx of fans lining the barricades at the entrance to the
ice. There was no pushing and shoving, no great lineups. The autograph hounds
were there, but not in the same demanding fashion one sees in the northern
arenas.
This was the
second day of practice for the Bolts, as they had taken the ice the previous
day in Tampa. They moved the camp, hook, line, and sinker to Estero for the
remainder of the training camp.
Vincent
Lecavalier has been the face of the Lightning franchise for many years. He
recently played his 1000th game for the team. As was reported in the
Fort Myers News-Press, he was impressed with the reception of the fans at the
arena. “The fans here, especially the children, was an added motivation at the
practice.”
Listening to Drill Structures
Defenceman Eric Brewer added: “I’ve lived in Florida almost two calendar years, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised how good the fans are, how much they are into hockey, and how they just want to watch the game.” He also quipped that it was good to be back, and how normal it felt to be yelled at by the coaches.
Coach Guy
Boucher indicated that they had moved the camp to Estero so that the players
could bond more quickly. “We wanted to go where there were the least
distractions and where it was most possible to have guys interact together.
We’ve been down here before and had a good experience. We want players together
all week, non-stop. Those who don’t know one another, we want to get laughs, to
get things going, get some competition building up. With just five days before
our first game, there’s not much time to get a team together.’
Vivtor Hedamn and Vincent Lecavalier
For most of
the practices, Boucher and the rest of the brass perched in the rafters of the
Germaine Arena, carefully assessing the talent. They were faced with the chore
of paring down the roster from the thirty invitees to the eighteen skaters that
would take the ice for the first game. Legendary Hall of Fame member Steve
Yzerman is the Bolt’s General Manager. He watched all practices intently, then
signed for a dozen fans before heading to the dressing room during the breaks.
Julien
Brisebois is the assistant GM of the Bolts, and is Yzerman’s right-hand-man. A
lawyer by trade, he takes care of personnel matters, contract negotiations, and
such. He also serves as the GM for the Syracuse Crunch, an American league
affiliate of the Lightning. I spoke with him after the Thursday practice. “This
has been a fine experience for the club,” he told me.
Assistant
coaches Daniel Lacroix, Martin Raymond, and former Leaf Steve “Stumpy” Thomas
took care of most of the on-ice activity during the week. They had specific
ideas drawn on the message boards to share with the players. There were several
gatherings at centre ice face the players as they gathered to discuss the
drills.
Players
participated in drills, broke for a rest while the ice was re-surfaced, then
played inter squad games of blue on white. Even from the first drop of the
puck, there was a hint of intensity. Mind you, I did not witness any
bone-crushing hits behind the net. One could afford to keep one’s head down for
an instant with the fear of running into an elbow. On the first shift,
Lecavalier made it clear that he wanted the puck in the corner, and he banged
away with a defenceman for the biscuit. It set a tone for the rest of them.
Radko Gudas
hails from the Czech Republic. He was drafted by the Lightning in 2010, and had
a fine year in the AHL last year with the Admirals,setting career highs for
goals, points, and penalty minutes. He ripped the first goal of the camp into
the net, and was duly rewarded with glove taps from his teammates.
A short
while later, Steve Stamkos was robbed by Andres Lindback on a breakaway. He
slid into the boards, then picked himself up and skated over to Lindback. He
tapped the goalie’s trapper with his glove, paying tribute for a fine save. Not
to be expected in the regular season!
G.M. Steve
Yzerman was simply grateful that the players were back on the ice. “It has been
a whirlwind,” he stated on the Bolts television network, referring to the brief
training camp. “I’m thrilled that we are back to playing hockey. It’s good to
see that everyone showed up healthy and in good shape.”
Naturally,
many eyes were on Steve Stamkos, the young Tampa Bay forward who has taken
little time to make his mark on the NHL. In 2009-2010, he scored 51 goals. Last
year, he had sixty tallies. Only six other players have managed to put up more
than 50 markers in two seasons, before the age of 23: Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux,
Joe Nieuwendyk, Pavel Bure, and Alex Ovechkin.
Stamkos
works well with teammate Martin St. Louis. Stamkos roomed with St. Loius during
the 2009 World Hockey Championships. From the News-Press: “We created a lot of
chemistry. He’s a true professional, works extremely hard. I try to pick his
brain all the time. The more tendencies and experience on the ice, the more
plays we make. If we’re not in a place, we should have been there”.
Coach
Boucher concurred. He spoke to Stamkos about a particular drill to practice.
“With those kinds of guys, the margin to improve is smaller and smaller. But he
knows he wants to improve on faceoffs, and improve his strength. He wants to be
one of the top two-way players in the game, and he has all the tools to do so,”
he told Craig Handel of the local media.
Everblades
fans kept a keen eye on Mike Angelidis, from Woodbridge, Ontario, who played in
Fort Myers in 2006-2007. Since that time, he has been in the American League
with Albany, Syracuse and Norfolk. He knows about the tendency to become
complacent in the lower leagues, and he is doing what it takes to make the
grade in the NHL. He has improved his skating, and his energy level has
improved. He wanted to leave a good impression with the brass in case he did
not make the big league roster.
Lyle Lloyd, with Gil Lafleur seated behind him
Many of the
fans in attendance at the practices hailed from the north, Canadians and
Americans alike. Lyle Lloyd hails from Prince Edward County, about a hundred
miles east of Toronto. Lyle has refereed more games than Carter has pills, at
most levels of hockey. “I am impressed with the guys here. There is a skill
level, and a fitness level that you only get in the NHL." He liked the play of
Cory Conacher, Tyler Johnson, and St.
Louis. On one occasion, St. Louis flew over the blue line along the boards, and
ripped a hard shot at the net. “You can’t teach that,” Lloyd remarked.
Doug and Bev
Townsend have also seen more than their share of hockey. They are season ticket
holders of the Belleville Bulls, and also follow the exploits of several
nephews still playing the game. They told me they once flew to Holland for a
weekend to support Tyler Melancon, a nephew, who was playing for Herentals.
They were impressed with the size of some of the players at the practice. Both
Keith Aulie and victor Hedman are listed at six feet, six inches. Adam Hall and
Sami Salo are well over six feet, and take up a lot of space. Even the new
goalie Lindback towers above many others at six six.
Doug and Bev Townsend
Gil Lafleur,
no relation to Guy, he whispered, is a Sudbury snowbird. He was a Sudbury Wolves
supporter, and as such, he had his eye on Benoit Pouliot, a left winger
acquired from the Bruins in trade in the off-season. Pouliot was in Sudbury for
three seasons before moving on. “He had
a pretty good thing going in Boston last year,” he remarked. He was impressed
with the physical condition of the players.”Years ago, many NHLers stayed in
shape in the summer by working in the lumber yard,” he added.
Teddy
Purcell also left a positive impression. Coming down his off wing, he snapped
an unexpected shot high on Lindback. He backed into the slot, took a pass from
St. Louis, and ripped it into the net. Semper paratus.
The big boys
played the fighting game for the last ten minutes of the practice. They know
that the time will come when they will drop the sticks and gloves during the
regular season. B. J. Crombeen and Pierre-Cedric Labrie grasped at each other
with one hand, holding the hammer back at the ready position. They circled,
discussing the merits of position. Keith Aulie and Ryan “Buggsy” Malone did the
same, a friendly dance with a teammate, smiling all the while!
Keith Aulie signs for fans,
When the
practice ended, the boys of winter headed to the beach for some serious
volleyball. Southern hockey has its merits.
James Hurst
# posted by James Hurst @ 4:45 PM 
