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Monthly Archives: April 2018

Items of unsung First Nations women’s hockey star go to Hockey Hall of Fame

24 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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Angela James, Bev Beaver, Hockey Hall of Fame, Six Nations Reserve, Wayne Gretzky

Bev Beaver was one of Canada’s best women’s hockey players, and perhaps one of the country’s least-known. The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto is out to change that.

The Hall  plans to display hockey jerseys and patches from Beaver, a Mohawk from Southern Ontario’s Six Nations Reserve who played competitive hockey for over four decades, in its diversity exhibit.

Her hockey artifacts will join a hockey stick used by Brigette Lacquette, a defenseman who made history at the 2018 Winter Olympics as the first First Nations woman to play on Canada’s hockey team, in the Hall.

“I thought it was really great that they asked for some of my things,” Beaver, 70, said of Hall of Fame officials. “But sometimes I have mixed feelings. Sometimes I think I wasn’t really that good, but some people tell me I was.”

Hockey jerseys and patches from Bev Beaver will become part of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s diversity exhibit (Photo/Phil Pritchard/HHOF).

Angela James, the first black woman and second black player behind Edmonton Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr to be enshrined in the Hall, said Beaver should have no doubts.

“Bev Beaver was great, she was a very good hockey player,” said James, who competed against Beaver toward the end of Beaver’s career in the old Central Ontario Women’s HockeyLeague, which was Eastern Canada’s top league for female players. “She had skill, she knew how to play the game.”

M. Ann Hall, a University of Alberta emeritus professor who has written extensively about Canadian women in sports, said Beaver was “a real pioneer,” a multi-sport athlete who probably could have been an Olympian if women had the opportunity to play hockey in the Winter Games during her heyday.

Beaver began playing competitive hockey in 1963 with the Six Nations Indian GirlsHockey Club and ended her career – sort of – in the early 1990s with the Brantford Lady Blues.

She “retired” but couldn’t stay away from the ice. She continued to play for senior and recreational women’s teams into her fifties. Women’s hockey didn’t become an Olympic sport until 1998, long after Beaver finally hung up her skates.

“It’s too bad they didn’t have it (Olympics women’s hockey) when I was still playing,” Beaver said. “I figure I would be able to play, I would make the team I had enough talent to make the team.”

But would she have gotten a fair shot, given the racial attitudes of the times?

“She’s on a reserve, for her ability to move off and play, there’s discrimination, racism, all kinds of things she would be having to deal with,” Hallsaid.

Center Bev Beaver played competitive hockey into her fifties, winning championships, scoring titles and MVP awards (Photo/HHOF).

Beaver won a bevy of scoring titles – she was the COWHL’s leading scorer in 1967 and 1972 and the league’s second-best scorer from 1969 to 1971 – and powered her clubs to numerous league and tournament crowns. She also collected five most valuable player awards along the way.

She had to overcome sexism to play the game that she still loves and watches regularly (she’s a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan). When she was young, Beaver used to disguise herself as a boy in order to play pick up or shinny hockey on the frozen ponds at the Six Nation reserve.

“I would just wear a ball cap or a toque or whatever,” Beaver recalled. “If they asked what my name was, I’d say ‘Billy’ for some reason.”

When puberty ensued, “I would tape my breasts so they couldn’t tell,” Beaver told the authors of “Playing it Forward: 50 Years of Women and Sport in Canada.”

Once her identity was revealed, Beaver joined a bantam boys hockey team at 13 and became its star player. But she was only allowed to play in exhibition games because girls weren’t allowed to play in league contests.

Beaver’s athletic prowess wasn’t limited to hockey. In the summer, she was a top fastball (softball) player for the Oshweken Mohawks, winning eight MVP awards and other accolades for a career on the diamond that spanned from 1961 to 1994.

“I played both sports for 35 years or more,” Beaver said. “I was fortunate enough to play both sports that I really enjoyed.

In addition to hockey, Bev Beaver was one of Canada’s best fast pitch softball players for over 30 years (Photo/HHOF).

She won a regional Tom Longboat Award in 1967 and a national Longboat award in 1980. The awards are presented to Canada’s top aboriginal athletes.

“She was one of the first indigenous women to be identified in Canada as one of the most outstanding athletes in the county because the award didn’t make a distinction between men and women at the time, said Janice Forsyth, director of the First Nations Studies Program at Western University in London, Ontario. “She was identified as the top athlete, period.”

Beaver’s fastball career also earned her induction in the Brantfort and Area Sports Hall of Recognitionin 1995.

She joined former National Hockey League players Wayne Gretzky, Keith Jones, and Doug Risebrough and  former NHL coach and general  manager John Muckler in the Brantford Hall.

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play.

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Stephen A. Smith pokes fun of black football player talking about hockey. Seriously?

21 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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ESPN, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Stephen A. Smith, Tampa Bay Lightning

If ignorance is bliss, then ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith must truly be in a happy place.

He once again displayed his sports knowledge on the Worldwide Leader’s “First Take” by ragging on University of Central Florida linebacker Shaquem Griffin for talking about the Stanley Cup Playoffs and his beloved Tampa Bay Lightning on the show.

“Well, first of all, he deserves a lot of credit – he’s a black man talking hockey. Congratulations,”  Smith responded to Griffin’s hot take that the ‘Bolts will win the Cup. “Let me tell you something  -you certainly ain’t going to get me to do it. So congratulations. The versatility, my brotha. You probably got a job here once your playing career is over based on that take alone.”

If @stephenasmith won't talk about hockey, @Shaquemgriffin will. pic.twitter.com/1UM28Kf92I

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 19, 2018

Lovely.

I understand  that shows like “First Take” are more about entertainment than sports – remember, ESPN stands for Entertainment Sports Programming Network – and that Smith is the top carnival barker for that circus.

Smith’s hockey rant may be schtick. But it helps a demeaning stereotype stick. For the record, quite a few of us talk about hockey, and we’re quite black.

Let’s see. There’s Popeye Jones, a former National Basketball Association center and current Indiana Pacers assistant coach, talking hockey and his son, Columbus BlueJackets defenseman Seth Jones.

There’s NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley who, for the second-post season in a row, said he’s watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

There’s Karl Subban, a retired Toronto-area school principal who shares knowledge about raising three sons who are playing hockey at the highest levels. You might have heard of them.

There’s John C. Brittain, a distinguished civil rights attorney who may have been the first black player to captain a high school hockey team in New England in the early 1960s.

There’s Lt. Col. Ralph Featherstone, a U.S, Marine Corps aviator who was the first African-American to captain the U.S. Naval Academy’s hockey club.

"It definitely reinforced those respect-type of ideals my folks were teaching at home."

Lt. Col. Ralph Featherstone joined #NHLNow with @TomGulittiNHL to talk about how youth hockey influenced his life. pic.twitter.com/6MDQ2I5hdS

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) April 8, 2018

There’s Thurgood Marshall Jr., son of the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Oh, and there’s a hockey-related college scholarship program that carries the late justice’s name.

There’s Damon Kwame Mason, director of the award-winning black hockey history – yes, Stephen A., we have a hockey history – “Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future.“

There’s David Amber, Kevin Weekes, Anson Carter and Tarik El-Bashir, who actually talk about hockey on television for a living.

There’s Lil Johnand Snoop Dogg, rappers who’ve wrapped their arms around the Stanley Cup.

There’s Angela James, Canada’s “female Wayne Gretzky” and the first black woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

And then there’s me.

So if Smith doesn’t like hockey, that’s cool. But his making light of black people who do isn’t.

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play.

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A changing of the guard among Great Britain’s ice hockey players of color

20 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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Brian Biddulph, David Clarke, Essa Stallions, Ethan James, Ice Hockey UK, International Ice Hockey Federation, Mason Alderson Biddulph, Nottingham Panthers

Like the ceremonial changing of the guard outside London’s Buckingham Palace, ice hockey players of color in Great Britain are experiencing a generational shift.

Nottingham Panthers forward-assistant coach David Clarke, one of Great Britain’s greatest home-grown ice hockey players, retired from the game last month at the age of 36 last month.

He represented Great Britain over 90 times in international competition during a playing career that spanned from 1996-97 to 2017-18.

“In terms of a role model within British ice hockey… it was always great to see a black player in such a high-profile position not only at the highest playing level but also representing GB,” said Ethan James, a 19-year-old goaltender from London who played for Great Britain’s Under 20 team in December. “He’s definitely been the biggest name for all kids to follow.”

Nottingham Panthers forward says goodbye to fans in his final game. He retied as one of Great Britain’s most decorated players (Photo/Nottingham Panthers).

Now it’s the next generation’s turn to lead, and they’re eager to take the reins.

Team GB forward Mason Alderson Biddulph, was the fourth-leading scorer at the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation U18 World Championship Division II-Group A in Tallin, Estonia, earlier this month with 6 goals and 3 assists.

His nine points, tops for Great Britain, helped the team win a gold medal in the six-nation tournament and secure a promotion to IIHF Division I-Group B.

Mason Biddulph led the gold medal-winning British team in scoring and was the fourth-leading scorer among all players at the 2018 IIHF U18 world championship in April (Photo/Hendrik Soots).

Biddulph was voted best forward by the tournament’s directorate, selected best player for Great Britain by coaches, and was named bestTeam GB player in 6-3 victory over Estonia in which he had two goals.

“I had no expectations of what we were going to do at the world champs, as it was my first time there,” Biddulph said. “So when we won the gold medal in Estonia and earned promotion, it was a surreal feeling and a moment I will never forget. It was important to GB as it was the first promotion in ten years, but it was important to me as an individual because it became the highlight of my career so far.”

The 16-year-old’s performance was just part of a a stellar 2017-18 season. As captain of the Guildford Firekings U18 team, Biddulph scored 29 goals and 10 assists in nine regular season games.

Biddulph comes from a hockey family. His father, Brian Biddulph,  was a rugged defenseman who played in Great Britain from 1982-83 to 1999-00 for teams in Streatham, Slough, Peterborough and Lee Valley.

Great Britain forward Mason Biddulph, also known as Alderson, celebrates after scoring a goal against Estonia in April 2018 (Photo/Hendrik Soots).

The elder Biddulph also played junior hockey briefly in Canada for a team called the Langley Eagles in what was then known as the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.

Like his father, Mason Alderson Biddulph is looking to test his talents in North America. Next week, he’s scheduled to attend a training camp of the Smith Falls Bears, a Junior A team in the Central Canadian Hockey League.

“The ideal hockey path I want to take is the Canadian junior A to an NCAA college route because of the standard of hockey and the chance to get a good education,” the younger Biddulph said. “Of course, I’d hope to turn pro in North America with dreams of the NHL, like any kid. But I would never overlook playing in Europe’s top leagues like the KHL,  NLA, DEL. .. Magnus and Serie A.”

Ethan James has already ventured across the pond to North America to play. He recently finished his second season with the Essa Stallions of the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League.

He showed that size doesn’t matter when it comes to stopping the puck. The 5-foot-6 netminder compiled a 17-1 record in 24 games with the Stallions in 2017-18. He had a stingy goals-against average of 1.37 and a .949 save percentage, both CPJHL bests.

He backstopped the Stallions to the CPJHL championship with a 6-1 record playoffs record and a 2.16 goals-against average. James was a first-team CPJHL All-Star in 2016-17.

At 5-foot-6, British goalie Ethan James, playing in a CPJHL All-Star Game, is proving that size doesn’t matter in net (Photo/Mark Mauno).

“He’s got very good reflexes, he’s quick,” said Stallions Head Coach Sylvain Cloutier, a former American Hockey League and British Elite League forward who skated seven games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1998-99. “If he was 6-foot-2, who knows where he’d be? ”

Hockey teams from juniors to the pros adore big goalies.  The average size of an NHL goalie is 6-foot-2 and about 201-pounds, but several goalies exceed that.  Dallas Stars netminder Ben Bishop is 6-foot-7; Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinneis 6-foot-5; and Pittsburgh Penguins backstopper Matt Murraystands 6-foot-4.

“I honestly think height shouldn’t matter,” James said.  “If the goalie that is 5-foot-7 can stop the puck just as well as a 6-foot-plus goalie, why shouldn’t they get the chance of going professional?”

Goaltender Ethan James manned the net for Great Britain at IIHF tournaments in 2016 and 2018.

James played for Team GB at the 2018 IIHF U20 World Championship Division II-Group A in Dumfries, Great Britain, in December, appearing in two games a posting a 2.55 goals-against average.

He also played in two games at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship Division II-Goup A, in Brasov, Romania, and posted a 5.35 goals-against average in a backup role.

James has become known on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean for something more than his penchant for making big acrobatic saves: His big hair.

He has the best Afro in hockey this side of  retired WashingtonCapitals forward Mike Marson, who sported a natural to the NHL in the 1970s.  But James’ ‘Fro is rooted more in hockey superstition than fashion.

Superstitious, British goaltender Ethan James doesn’t cut his hair during hockey season (Photo/Courtesy Ethan James).

“When I was an Under 12 (player) with Romford I played with the Under 14s and we went undefeated that season and I never cut my hair during that season,” he said. “So ever since then, during the hockey season I just let my hair grow.”

And how does James fit those fluffy ‘Fro into his goalie mask?

“I just push the hair back and put the helmet on,” he said.

Just because David Clarke hung up his jersey doesn’t mean that Team GB is short a Clarke.  Morgan Clarke-Pizzo, his son, was a forward GB’s U20 team in December.

Clarke-Pizzo, 18, attends the Ontario Hockey Academywhere he scored 5 goals and 9 assists for its U18 team in 2017-18. He had 21 goals and 21 assists in 52 games in 2016-17.

He was scoreless in five games at the IIHF tournament in Dumfries but that didn’t stop his father from beaming with pride.

“Time flies for sure! I’m extremely proud to see him living his dream and representing his country and turning into a nice young man,” David Clarke told The Nottingham Post. “He’s still got a long way to go, but it’s good to see him and the team doing well.”

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play.

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‘Hockey is for Everyone’ alum Duante’ Abercrombie begins climb up coaching ladder

15 Sunday Apr 2018

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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Duante' Abercrombie, Fort Dupont Ice Arena, Graeme Townshend, Neal Henderson, USHL, Washington Little Capitals

As a kid, Duante’ Abercrombie dreamed of playing for the Washington Little Capitals, a youth hockey program with a track record of developing players for junior, college and professional hockey teams.

Duante’ Abercrombie becomes head coach in a hockey program that helps develop players for collegiate, junior and pro hockey.

Almost after each practice with the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club – North America’s oldest minority-oriented youth hockey program – Abercrombie would ask his mother if he could join the Little Caps, too.

“We just didn’t have the money,” he recalled. “Coming from a family that knew absolutely nothing about hockey, it was hard to justify paying as much as it cost to play hockey when I was already doing the same thing with Fort Dupont.”

Abercrombie, 31, finally joined the Little Caps last week as the new head coach of the Washington Little Capitals 16U National Team. The appointment fulfills the Washington, D.C., native’s dreams of being affiliated with the program and pursuing a career in coaching that he hopes will lead a National Hockey League job someday.

“It’s just amazing how I’ve come from a time and place when I couldn’t even afford to try out for the team to now being the head coach of arguably the most critical age group they have in the U16’s,” he said. “It’s an opportunity that I don’t take lightly.”

Neal Henderson, founder and head coach of the 41-year-old Fort Dupont hockey program, was all smiles about Abrercrombie joining him in the head coaching fraternity.

Fort Dupont is part of the NHL’s “Hockey is For Everyone” initiative that provides support and unique programming to some 30 nonprofit profit youth hockey organizations across North America, offering kids of all backgrounds the opportunity to play the game.

Duante’ Abercrombie, right, with Neal Henderson, founder and head coach of the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, the nation’s oldest minority-oriented youth hockey program (Photo/Courtesy Duante’ Abercrombie).

“It’s an honor to have had the opportunity to work with Duante’, and teach him, and put him on his first pair of skates,” Henderson said. “It’s an honor to see him progress the way he has, play hockey the way he has, and climb the ladder the way he has, and to stick with a trade that’s very difficult to maneuver through.

The Little Caps, a member of the Atlantic Youth Hockey League, has a proven record of developing players who go on to NCAA hockey programs, American Collegiate Hockey Association club teams, and junior leagues like the USHL.

Its most notable alum is Jeff Halpern, who had a lengthy NHL career with the Washington Capitals, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings.

“It was a no brainer deciding that this was something that I had to be a part of,” Abercrombie said. “My plan is to teach my players how to use their individual skills within a team structure that not only leads to eventual team success on the score sheet, but also prepares them individually for what’s expected at the next levels.”

Hockey took Duante’ Abercrombie from Washington, D.C., to New Zealand and the U.S. minor league hockey towns. Here he’s facing off as a member of the Brewster Bulldogs of the Federal Hockey League (Photo/Courtesy Duante’ Abercrombie).

With his appointment, Abercrombie begins a journey to one of the final frontiers for people of color in hockey – the head coaching ranks.

There were no minority head coaches in the NHL in the 2017-18 season. Calgary Flames Assistant Coach Paul Jerrard was the only black NHL coach working the bench during games.

The NHL’s other minority coaches can be found on the practice ice or in the video room. Fred Brathwaite is the New York Islanders‘ goaltending coach and Sudarshan Maharaj tutors netminders for the Anaheim Ducks. Frantz Jean is the Tampa Bay Lightning’s goalie coach and Nigel Kirwan is a video coach for the ‘Bolts.

Little Capitals management considers Abercrombie “a rising star in the hockey development scene.”

“Talk to him for five minutes and you can feel his excitement and energy for this job,” said Little Capitals Hockey Director Matt Thomas. “His ability to develop players is a great asset to our organization, and particularly for our 16U team during this critical stage. I look forward to working with Duante’ to help our talented group of 16U players advance in their careers.”

A graduate of Gonzaga High School, Abercrombia had a brief professional career playing for the West Auckland Admirals in New Zealand, the Steel City Warriors of the Federal Hockey League, and the FHL’s Brewster Bulldogs.

He’s even skated for the Jamaican ice hockey Olympic team effort coached by

Graeme Townshend, the NHL’s first Jamaican-born player, and Cyril Bollers, director of player development for Canada’s Skillz Black Aces program.

He developed an appreciation for hockey training and coaching through participation in rigorous conditioning programs like BTNL and Twist in Ontario and serving as an instructor for three years in a hockey school in Maine run by Townshend.

For the last two seasons, Abercrombie served as a hockey coach for Georgetown Preparatory School.

“Having scouted and been a skills consultant at the ACHA and NCAA levels, I will spend time developing the skills and habits that junior programs and colleges look for, and my ultimate goal is to teach (players) how to play the game with a ‘Winning Attitude’ all the time,” he said.

Abercrombie said he stands on the shoulders of other black coaches who’ve mentored him – Townshend and Henderson – and credit them for his progress.

“Duante’ is one of the best instructors I had,” Townshend said. “He comes from a background where there wasn’t a lot of hockey. He’s come a long way just because of that (Fort Dupont) program there. He’s always studying the game, he’s always learning and improving his craft. All those reasons make him a good coach.”

Thompson believes that the sky’s the limit for Abercrombie now that he has his foot in the coaching door.

“He’s now definitely in that realm where he’s going to start meeting people and start working his way up the ladder,” he said.

Henderson predicts that other Fort Dupont pupils will follow in Abercrombie’s  path and become bench bosses for teams.

“Coming out of our group, for as old as it is, you’re going to find more doing it, such as Ralph Featherstone, and other men who have gone on in hockey to reach certain pinnacles in it,” Henderson said.

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play

 

 

 

 

 

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Players of color play pivotal roles in 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round games

14 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Devante Smith-Pelly, Evander Kane, San Jose Sharks, Seth Jones, Washington Capitals

The Stanley Cup Playoffs have only just begun but players of color are already having a major impact in opening-round games.

From the East Coast to the West Coast, minority players played pivotal roles for their teams in first-round contests.

Forward Evander Kane showed why the San Jose Sharks obtained him from the Buffalo Sabres shortly before the trading deadline. He scored two second period goals in his first-ever National Hockey League playoff game, helping the Sharks defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-0.

Who else but @evanderkane_9 to get the @SanJoseSharks their first 2018 #StanleyCup Playoff goal? pic.twitter.com/BcmlDo1AH9

— NHL (@NHL) April 13, 2018

EVANDER KANE AGAIN! UNREAL! 2-0 SHARKS!

#SJSharks 2 – 0 #LetsGoDucks pic.twitter.com/nTTjqaTyQQ

— NHL Daily 365 (@NHLDaily365) April 13, 2018

The 26-year-old Vancouver native became the fourth player in the last 20 years to have a multiple goal game in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, according to the NHL.

“It was nice to finally get out in the playoff atmosphere, and it was fun to finally get my first playoff win,” Kane told reporters after the game. “It’s finally nice to contribute. That’s my job. I feel confident in my abilities. I don’t think it was my best game, but I’m never going to be mad when we get a playoff win and I get to contribute.”

Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly flashed some of the playoff magic he displayed  four seasons ago as a member of the Ducks, scoring a third-period goal that gave the Caps a 3-2 lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Not to be outdone, Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones scored a power play goal that tied the game at 3. The Blue Jackets won the game 4-3 in overtime, deflating the playoff euphoria inside Washington’s Capital One Arena.

In addition to his goal, Jones led all skaters in the game with 30:59 minutes of ice time, further building the case for his consideration for the Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s best defenseman.

Embed from Getty Images

Jones was tenth among NHL defensemen in scoring in the 2017-18 regular season with 16 goals and 41 assists in 78 games.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones.

“If he’s in Los Angeles, or he’s in Montreal, or in Toronto, or New York, we’re talking about this guy as a Norris Trophy candidate,” ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose told The Columbus Dispatch last month. “He does get overlooked, but not by hockey guys that see him play…Every GM in the NHL would love to have Seth Jones, and every coach would love to have him in their lineup. Those guys are very, very hard to find.”

Winnepeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is another blueliner who’s come up big early in the playoffs.

Big Buff was an offensive and physical force in the Jets 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild Friday night.

He contributed a backhand saucer pass assist from behind the Wild net on teammate Paul Stastny’s third period goal and delivered crunching back-to-back hits on Minnesota players in the second period that energized the sellout crowd inside Winnipeg’s Bell MTS Place.

Byfuglien logged a team-high 23:51 minutes of ice time Friday, helping him earn the game’s first star honor.

“Just another day at the office,” he told reporters afterward.

Wild rookie forward Jordan Greenway  is yet to score a goal in the series against the Jets.

But the former Boston University star did tally an assist Wednesday in the Wild’s 3-2 loss to Winnipeg on Wednesday and he continued to make hockey history as the first person to play in the Winter Olympics, the NCAA ice hockey tournament and the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the same year.

Never in the history of hockey has someone played in the @Olympics, the @NCAAIceHockey tournament and the @NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in the same year.

Until now.
#ProudToBU pic.twitter.com/tw9rqwxMaN

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) April 11, 2018

Greenway became the first African American to play on a U.S. Olympic hockey team when he skated at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play

 

 

 

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Touted prospect Quinton Byfield drafted first overall by OHL’s Sudbury Wolves

08 Sunday Apr 2018

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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New Jersey Devils, Ontario Hockey League, Steven Stamkos, Sudbury Wolves, Tampa Bay Lightning, Taylor Hall

Congratulations to Quinton Byfield for being the first overall pick Saturday in the Ontario Hockey League’s Priority Selection draft.

The 15-year-old center from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, was chosen by the Sudbury Wolves after he put up monster numbers for the York Simco Express, a minor midget AAA team, in the 2017-18 season: 48 goals and 44 assists in 34 games.

Quinton Byfield’s combination of size and scoring touch made him an easy Number One draft choice for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves (Photo/Aaron Bell/OHL Images).

Byfield will enter the OHL sporting gaudy minor midget numbers. He averaged 2.71 points per game, third-best in the Eastern AAA Minor Midget Hockey League’s recent history.

Only forwards Steven Stamkos (2.98) of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Taylor Hall (2.88) of the New Jersey Devils had better marks in their minor midget careers.

“He is an exceptional player with a great future and his potential is amazing and our coaching staff is eager to work with him,” Rob Papineau, the Wolves’ vice president of hockey operations and general manager said of the 6-foot-4, 203-pound Byfield. “Our scouting staff has been unanimous on Quinton as the best player in the draft all season and we know that the fans and people of Greater Sudbury are going to love the opportunity to watch such a special player in a Wolves uniform.”

The #Wolves are proud to announce that we will be selecting Quinton Byfield 1st overall in the 2018 #OHL Priority Selection presented by @RealCdnSS tomorrow at 9am! –> Read More: https://t.co/9Ciehy90eK #OHLDraft pic.twitter.com/DF9Gip8dUE

— Sudbury Wolves (@Sudbury_Wolves) April 6, 2018

Byfield said he’s ready to go out and prove that the Wolves made the right choice.

“I’ll do good with the pressure,” Byfield told reporters. “It will always be making me want to step up my game, face new challenges and I think it will be great for me.”

Saturday’s draft was merely a formality for Byfield. He knew that he’d be Sudbury’s pick and addressed the media about it on Friday.

“It feels really great, especially coming to Sudbury, it’s a great organization, great staff and everything, I feel like it will be a great fit for me playing with all the great players they have here,” he told reporters Friday.

The Wolves are a major junior team in the OHL, a 20-team league where young players showcase their talents in hopes of being drafted by a National Hockey League team once they turn 18 or older.

Quinton Byfiled says he thrives under pressure. The Number One overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection Draft will get to prove that for the Sudbury Wolves (Photo/Aaron Bell/OHL Images).

“We put in place a goal to be a Memorial Cup contender with our mission being to develop 15-year-old boys into professional gentlemen of character when they leave our program,” Wolves Owner and Governor Dario Zulich said in a statement. “Quinton represents a significant step forward.”

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play

 

 

 

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Calgary Flames-Edmonton Oilers game showcases hockey’s diversity

01 Sunday Apr 2018

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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Al Montoya, Calgary Flames, Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers, Ethan Bear, Jujhar Khaira, Paul Jerrard, Spencer Foo

The Calgary Flames‘ 3-2 win Saturday over the Edmonton Oilers had little impact on the standings – neither National Hockey League Western Conference team is within Stanley CupPlayoffs range.

However, the game at Calgary’s Saddledome was meaningful in terms of the diversity that was on display, further showing that the face of hockey is steadily changing.

The game featured the NHL debut of Flames forward Spencer Foo, a high-scoring former star at NCAA Division I Union College. An Edmonton native, Foo played 12:45 minutes, including 1:20 minutes on the power play, and registered a shot on goal.

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Giving instructions to Foo and other Flames players was assistant coach Paul Jerrard, currently the only black NHL coach who stands the bench during games. He traded a stick for a clipboard after a minor league hockey career that spanned from 1987-88 to 1996-97. He did appear in five games for the Minnesota North Stars in 1988-89.

“There isn’t anybody of color I emulated in coaching, I just wanted to push hard and work and see where it would take me,” Jerrard told Canada’s Sportsnet in February. “It would be interesting to see what would happen if there was a black coach in the league. There might be one someday, I don’t know.”

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Trying to keep Foo and the youthful Flames at bay on the Oilers back end Saturday night were defensemen Darnell Nurse and Ethan Bear and goaltender Al Montoya.

Nurse was the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft, one of two black blue-liners chosen in the first round. The other was Columbus Blue Jackets defender Seth Jones (chosen fourth overall by the Nashville Predators). Nurse has 6 goals and 19 assists in 79 games for the Oilers.

Embed from Getty Images

Bear, who is from the Ochapowace First Nation in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, was an Edmonton 2015 fifth-round draft pick. The NHL rookie has a goal and 3 assists in 15 games with the Oilers.

Embed from Getty Images

Montoya, who was traded to the Oilers by the Montreal Canadiens, became the NHL’s first Cuban-American player when the New York Rangers chose him with the sixth overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.

Embed from Getty Images

Oilers left wing Jujhar Khaira, a Canadian of South Asian heritage, logged 11:02 minutes of ice time Saturday night, including 59 seconds on the power play and 1:15 minutes killing penalties.

Khaira, an Oilers 2013 third-round pick, has 11 goals and 10 assists in 66 games for Edmonton.

Embed from Getty Images

Diversity in Saturday’s game wasn’t limited to players and coaches. Shandor Alphonso, a black Canadian, was one of the two linesmen working the game.

Embed from Getty Images

And, of course,  David Amber manned the broadcast studio as host of Hockey Night in Canada’s late game.

Hockey Night in Canada hosts David Amber (L) and Ron MacLean (Photo/CNW Group/Sportsnet).

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play

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