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With T.J. Oshie in Sochi

16 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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Alexander Ovechkin, Chicago Blackhawks, Chippewa, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dan Bylsma, Jonathan Quick, Ojibwe, Patrick Kane, Pittsburgh Penguins., Sergei Bobrovsky, St. Louis Blues, T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals

SOCHI, Russia _ After the United States beat Russia 3-2 Saturday in an instant classic of a hockey game, a Russian journalist asked me in broken English: “What’s a T.J. Oshie?”

After Team USA's shootout win, everyone in Russia knows T.J. Oshie's name.

After Team USA’s shootout win, everyone in Russia knows T.J. Oshie’s name.

If Oshie, a forward for the St. Louis Blues, wasn’t a household name in Sochi, Moscow, St. Petersburg, or anywhere else in Russia, he certainly is now. Team USA Coach Dan Bylsma made what seemed like a strange decision to use Oshie over and over again in the shootout that gave the American squad the victory.

Oshie responded by scoring four times over eight rounds, including the decisive goal past Russian and Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, last season’s Vezina Trophy winner as the National Hockey League’s best goalie.

Oshie, who is part Ojibwe (Chippewa) Native/First Nations, was a little surprised about his shootout encores  and a tad nervous about repeatedly going up against Bobrovsky in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin and more than 11,000 decidedly pro-Russian fans inside the Winter Games’ Bolshoy Ice Dome.

“It was pretty nerve-racking out there,” Oshie told reporters afterwards. “I did (feel pressure) a little bit, but then the puck hits your stick and you start staking. It’s just you and the goalie. I was fortunate to keep (Bobrovsky) guessing and Quickie (USA goaltender Jonathan Quick) did his job great.”

If Saturday’s game was a National Hockey League contest, Bylsma couldn’t have called Oshie’s number so many times. Under NHL rules, a player can only be used once in a shootout. In international hockey, a player can be used as often as the coach desires.

Still, Bylsma’s shootout strategy seemed odd given the offensive firepower and creativity on the U.S. bench. Shifty Chicago Blackhawks sniper Patrick Kane was sitting there. And slick Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel can pick a corner or two.

But Bylsma, coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Team USA’s brain trust knew something about Oshie: he’s an absolute shootout assassin. He’s never scored more than 19 goals a year in his six NHL seasons. But he’s 25 for 46 in shootouts in his career and boasts a 54.3 career shootout percentage, second among active NHL players with at least 20 attempts.

 T.J. Oshie became Team USA's  designated shooter against Russia.

T.J. Oshie became Team USA’s designated shooter against Russia.

“T.J. has been exceptional in the shootout this year and throughout his career,” Bylsma said. “Once we got to the fourth shooter, and just the quality moves he had even when he did miss, we were going to ride him out.”

Oshie was reportedly picked for the US team in part because of his shootout success. American League baseball teams have designated hitters. Team USA wanted a designated shooter, and Oshie is it.

“I was just nervous for him. At some point you think ‘Does he have any moves left?'” said Team USA captain Zach Parise, a forward for the Minnesota Wild. “But he did a good job. He always went in the same way from right to left and maybe that started getting into the goalie’s head a little bit. For someone to keep scoring in a shootout like that, it’s pretty impressive.”

Shootouts aren’t everyone’s bowl of borsht. Some of the best NHL scorers, for whatever reason, don’t like participating in them. New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr, who’s playing for his native Czech Republic in Sochi, eschews shootouts.

Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin sometimes passes on them, too. He was on the Russian bench as forward Pavel Datsuyk of the Detroit Red Wings and former NHLer Ilya Kovalchuk faced the Los Angeles Kings’ Quick in the shootout.

“Of course it was hard to pick the players for the shootout because we have players like (Carolina Hurricanes’ Alexander) Semin, who shoots well, and (Alexander) Radulov, but overall, I think that both Datsuyk and Kovalchuk were good enough and had confidence,” Team Russia Head Coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov said after the game.

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Pre-Olympics camps highlight NHL’s diversity

18 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by William Douglas in Uncategorized

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Carey Price, Chicago Blackhawks, First Nations, Hockey Canada, NHL, Ojibwe, Olympics, P.K. Subban, Patrick Kane, Sochi, T.J. Oshie, USA Hockey

When Team USA and Team Canada prospects gather for pre-Olympics orientation camps next week, some of the National Hockey League’s best players of color and Native heritage will be in the mix to represent their countries in Sochi, Russia in February 2014.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.

Three players of color were among the 48 invitees to the U.S. camp: Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, from Roseau. Minn.; New York Islanders forward Kyle Okposo, a St. Paul, Minn., native; and Nashville Predators rookie defenseman Seth Jones, born in Plano, Texas. USA Hockey will hold its orientation camp Aug. 26-27 at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., the practice facility for the Washington Capitals.

Two players of Native heritage players received camp invites. St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie, who is part Ojibwe (Chippewa), will join the U.S. invitees at the Kettler facility. Montreal Canadiens star goaltender Carey Price, whose mother is a former chief of the Ulkatcho First Nations, will attend Team Canada’s orientation camp.

Blues' T.J. Oshie hopes to be in Sochi in February.

Blues’ T.J. Oshie hopes to be in Sochi in February.

The U.S. camp boasts an offensively potent roster that mixes youth, talent, and international experience with forwards Oshie, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Paul Statsny of the Colorado Avalanche. The defensive corps has size and nastiness with the likes of Byfuglien, Jack Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Keith Yandle of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban headlines a deep  47-player Team Canada orientation camp roster that includes Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp and the Brothers Staal: forwards Eric and Jordan of the Carolina Hurricanes and defenseman Marc of the New York Rangers. Team Canada will hold its camp August 25-28 in Calgary.

Montreal's P.K. Subban

Montreal’s P.K. Subban

Among the other international teams participating in the Winter Games, Team Sweden invited Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya to its camp.

With teams able to pick from the best hockey players in the world, some highly-talented NHL skaters didn’t receive camp invites. Notably absent for Team Canada were Winnipeg Jets high-scoring forward Evander Kane and Nazem Kadri, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward who had a breakout year last season that helped the Leafs end a long playoff appearance drought.The start of the camps begins the biggest mystery for both teams: who will be the goalies going to Sochi?  Team USA invited six netminders: Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings, Cory Schneider of the New Jersey Devils, Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, Craig Anderson of the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres’ Ryan Miller, who backstopped the U.S. team to a Silver Medal at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.But the most intriguing competitor for one of the Team USA three goaltender slots is John Gibson, the 20-year-old Anaheim Ducks draftee who played last season for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.

Seth Jones (Photo: USA Hockey).

Seth Jones (Photo: USA Hockey).

Johnny Oduya hopes to represent Sweden in Sochi.

Johnny Oduya hopes to represent Sweden in Sochi.

Gibson supplanted Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Helsinki and Stockholm last May and guided the U.S. team to a Bronze Medal. He has a solid international pedigree, having guided U.S. under-20 teams to Gold Medals at the IIHF Junior World Championships in 2013 and 2011.

Montreal's Carey Price vies in a crowded net for Olympic spot.

Montreal’s Carey Price vies in a crowded net for Olympic spot.

Canada also must untangle its net. Hockey Canada’s brain trust will have to choose from the Chicago Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals, Montreal’s Price, Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes, and Vancouver Canucks’ Roberto Luongo, who was the winning goaltender in the Gold Medal game against the United States at the Vancouver Games.

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