Previously published in USA Hockey Magazine Feb. 2009 Edition

ATLANTA – When you’re only 5-foot-7, it’s easy to fly under the radar. But after an impressive college career and an award-winning rookie season in professional hockey, Brett Sterling is proving that big things can come in small packages.Now, the California native is trying to prove he deserves a regular spot with the Atlanta Thrashers.

A fifth-round pick by the Thrashers in 2003, Sterling has put together a quiet but competent professional career with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. In his first full season in the Windy City, Sterling tallied a league-leading 55 goals, earned AHL rookie-of-the-year honors and a first team All-Star spot.

“I came in my first year and nobody knew who I was,” says Sterling, a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award during his junior season at Colorado College. “Coming in unknown was great, and I was playing with unbelievable players like Jason Krog and Darren Haydar. I had 34 goals in my first 35 games. All of a sudden teams started keying on me and the defense started to tighten up.”
Since taking the AHL by storm, Sterling has been threatening to cross the NHL threshold on a full-time basis. He spent his off-season working out and was committed to bringing himself to camp in the best possible shape.

After leading the Thrashers in scoring this preseason, the high-flying, left winger made the final cut and remained on the roster. Sterling saw action in 13 NHL games with the Thrashers last season and still hopes to build on that. “I feel a lot more comfortable this year,” says Sterling, who has played in three games so far this season with the Thrashers. “Last year I was jittery, and we had a rough start. That never helps when your team starts out 0-6 and you’re getting shifted around a lot, playing on the right wing with a variety of players.

“I’m a confidence player so the earlier you get scoring like I did my first year in the minors, the better. In the NHL, guys are bigger and stronger and they put up a better fight. It’s a challenge, and I’m ready for it. I thrive on that.”

Sterling’s journey from the sunny beaches of California to the NHL has been an interesting one. His family was first introduced to the sport by his uncle who encouraged Brett’s cousin and older brother to play hockey. He soon followed, donning his first pair of skates at 2 and playing his first season of organized hockey at age 4.

He continued playing both ice and inline hockey in California until he was 16. That’s when he received a great opportunity to play with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. “I wanted to go so bad; I actually called my parents to make sure it was OK with them after I already said yes to Ann Arbor,” recalls Sterling. “It was a big step but a great opportunity. You really develop as a player and learn about yourself.”
His experience in Ann Arbor led Sterling to Colorado Springs, where he notched 184 points as a four-year player with the WCHA powerhouse Tigers.

Though small in stature, Sterling is a solid competitor and not timid about going into high-traffic areas to gain a scoring chance.
In a league where it’s common to find 220-pound defensemen standing well over 6-feet tall, Sterling pulls his inspiration from some past NHL stars.

“The guys like Theo Fleury, Paul Kariya, Dino Ciccarelli, I watched them very carefully when I was growing up and tried to emulate them the best I could,” he says. “The NHL game has opened up for smaller guys these days.”

Although he has spent much of the season in Chicago, Sterling is on the fast track to gain a spot on the Thrashers roster. The team continues to rebuild around its young stars under the tutelage of Head Coach John Anderson, who was behind the Wolves’ bench during Sterling’s incredible rookie year in Chicago.

“Last year [and this year] I made the team out of camp, which is awesome,” says Sterling, who hopes to follow his coach from the AHL to Atlanta.

“That team last year struggled, and I struggled along with them. I went back to the AHL but now I’m back this year. I want to prove that I belong [in Atlanta] and want to prove to people I can play here.”

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

ATLANTA, GA. – The limited attendance at the Gwinnett Gladiators’ morning skate on Thursday February 12th made it evident their  phone had been ringing off the hook the past week.With only 12 guys dressed for the practice scrimmage, Coach Jeff Pyle was facing the upcoming challenge of having a short bench for this weekend’s games against division rivals South Carolina Stingrays and the Charlotte Checkers.

Being a head coach or GM in the ECHL can be a challenging and frustrating task. Unlike the execs running teams in the NHL, the ECHL is a developmental league and the breeding grounds for upper level leagues like the AHL and NHL. Rosters change on a monthly basis and teams can lose players at any given moment.

The Gwinnett Gladiators experienced that scenario this past week when the Chicago Black Hawks’ AHL affiliate Rockford Ice Hogs called up goalie Joe Fallon and defenseman Brennan Turner, the Atlanta Thrashers’ affiliate Chicago Wolves recalled forward Matt Siddall and the AHL Toronto Marlies snagged Josh Engel from the roster to fill vacant positions.

Although the call-ups coupled with a laundry list of injuries has shrunk Pyle’s bench, the coach has his team ready to face the test and concentrated on the positive side to this scenario, expecting it to motivate the remaining players on his roster.

“Some of these players are starving for more ice time and this is a great opportunity for them to get it,” said Pyle. “Guys will find themselves getting a lot more ice time and spending more time on the power play. If they make the most of the opportunity, it can help their career”.

Gladiators’ President and two-time ECHL executive of the year Steve Chapman looks ahead to the two important games this weekend, “It goes with the territory. Sometimes teams ask how our roster is before they pull a guy but other times they just take who they need and we find ourselves short-handed for a game”.

The Gladiators are clinging to the fourth and final playoff spot in their division so these games are huge. Expecting large, raucous crowds during this weekend’s Second Annual Pink in the Rink to benefit women’s cancer, it will be interesting to see what players step up and respond to make the best of the opportunity.

This weekend’s games are Saturday Feb. 14th at 7:05 against the Stingrays and Sunday Feb. 15th at 4:05 against the Checkers.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Biting incidents in sports are nothing new, but with mega-billions of bytes passing through high-speed Internet connections worldwide on a daily basis, the most recent perpetrators are gaining notoriety overnight.If fans want to be entertained by biting, they can tune in to Discovery’s Shark Week or pick up an Anne Rice vampire novel; it doesn’t belong in sports.

Sport’s most recent chomper is a high-school kid by the name of Cody Fields from Springfield, Ohio. Fields took a morsel out of a recent opponent during a wrestling match, here’s the photo.

It’s possible Fields is an NHL hockey fan and stole the move from Ottawa Senator Jarrko Ruutu’s playbook. Ruutu just last week clamped down on an opponent’s thumb during a hockey skirmish and the ruthless act cost him a two-game suspension, $31,707.32 in salary and a place in the NHL biters Hall of Fame joining Derian Hatcher and Jordin Tootoo.

Back to that wrestling kid Fields from Springfield.

Lucky for his opponent he isn’t an Australian Football fan following in the footsteps of players like Australian footballer Peter Filandia who was suspended for 10 games after admitting to biting the scrotum of another player during a match.

Filandia’s excuse was he was being smothered under a pile and biting his opponent’s sac was a reflex move.

To date the most famous biter has to be Mike Tyson who chewed a visible chunk of flesh out of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a fight in 1997. After spitting it out in front of a shocked crowd, the fight was stopped and Tyson was disqualified.

Decades earlier, to Tyson’s brutal act, Sports Illustrated named NFL tough guy Conrad Dobler the “Pro Football’s Dirtiest Player” in 1977 after Dobler admitted biting Minnesota Viking Doug Sutherland during a game.

Dobler offered no excuse because, well, he was the dirtiest player in the league.

Regardless what the excuses or reasons are, it’s time to clamp down on these embarrassing infractions. Simple rule is, unless you’re McGruff the Crime Dog, you shouldn’t be taking a bite out of anything.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

NEW YORK – After suspending Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery for six games, without pay, as a result of inappropriate public comments that he made Tuesday in Calgary, it’s obvious that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is out of touch with his players and should consider stepping down from the league.

To play Bettman’s game, Avery has agreed to seek a professional anger management evaluation and, if necessary, structured counseling in response to a pattern of unacceptable and antisocial behavior.

During a conference call with the NHL Media, Bettman added that if the counselors decide Avery “needs more time”, his time away from the game could be longer.

“Mr. Avery has expressed remorse for his recent comments and has sought a professional anger management evaluation,” Bettman said. “I will require that he follow through with that process as a condition of his returning to the ice and that he complies with any and all recommendations.

“Playing in the National Hockey League is a privilege, requiring a high standard of personal behavior. Mr. Avery forfeits that privilege for six games.”

A reporter asked Bettman what “anti-social remarks have to do with anger management” and “why other players who have in the past been suspended for violent acts on the ice were not required to attend anger management classes”.

Bettman, whos league was beaten out in the ratings by Sponge Bob during last year’s playoffs,  could muster up no logical response to those questions.

Chris Pronger has been suspended several times for high sticking or other violent injury-causing attacks on the ice and when Todd Bertuzzi jumped off the bench, sucker-punched opposing player Steve Moore, breaking his neck and ending his career, he was not required to get any anger management counseling whatsoever. (see the pic of Moore leaving the ice on a stretcher with his broken neck)

Bettman tried to skate around these and other questions simply stating Avery’s situation was “Completely out of the norm”.

Sounds more like there exists a commissioner in one of the major sports who is the one that is “out of the norm”, are you listening Mr. Bettman?

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

This week’s Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week goes to the Patrick Roy hockey family and it comes from Canadian prosecutors and QMJHL officials who are done taking a bunch of crap from these low-lifes.

This brings to mind a question, “What has three assholes and speaks French?”

The answer, ‘The Roy Family’.

This psycho Roy family is proof that being a complete asshole is hereditary.

Patrick Roy and his sons Jonathan and Frederick are in dire need of straightjackets, anger management and a shitload of Valium.

These idiots have gone on a rampage so severe they have led to not only lengthy suspensions, but criminal charges.

In one, Patrick, coach of the QMJHL Quebec Remparts can be seen on video, encouraging and coaxing his 19-year-old son Jonathan to break free from a referee and skate the length of the ice to assault and pummel an innocent goaltender who wanted absolutely nothing to do with the violence and was standing 100 feet away.

Patrick’s sleazy coax job led to a five game suspension for himself and a seven game suspension for his idiot son, who by the way can’t play goalie worth a shit. His record at the time of the brutal act was 3-10 and he had given up almost 4 goals a game (3.96).

In addition to the hockey suspension, official charges of assault were filed against Jonathan by Canadian prosecutors-make you proud Dad!

Jonathan pleaded not guilty. I don’t know how you can do that when there is a video all over YouTube that clearly defines the sickening, blatant attack.

The other son, Frederick must have felt left out so he decided to impress his dad with a similar act.

During a recent game, he snuck up on an opposing player and violently cross-checked him in the head and neck area, dropping him to the ice.

This was another blatant attack and assault, this time with a weapon called a hockey stick. This victim was standing around unaware when the cowardly attack occurred. Frederick received a 15 game suspension-make you proud, Dad!

These acts are clearly NOT an acceptable part of any kind of hockey, they belong in a cheesy movie like ‘Slapshot’.
Patrick is a dad who has set one of the worst examples a father could set for his sons. When he played for Colorado and Montreal in the NHL, he was known for his out of control temper and disregard for his fellow players.

Now this man is leading his sons down an awful path that is creating dreadful reputations for the youngsters. The path includes court appearances and criminal charges.

Roy family, if we honored an asshole-of-the-month or slimeball-son-of-a-bitch of the month, these guys would run away with those awards.

Since we do not, you will have to settle for the Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week. Share it between yourselves and do the world a favor . . . break a few hockey sticks over each other’s heads . . . whatever is loose up there might get knocked back into place.

Copyright ©2008 Sports Climax

NEW YORK – Sean Avery met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman today to discuss his indefinite suspension from the league but no decision was made by the league.

This league allows players to stand toe-to-toe and beat the living shit out of each other, breaking noses, gashing cheeks then ‘disciplines them’ by letting them take a five minute break and sip water in an air-conditioned box.

Then they have the audacity to hit a guy in the pocketbook by suspending him for suggesting his ex-girlfriends are a little bit on the slutty side.

Avery, known for his peskiness on the ice and his trail of controversy off it, was suspended after making a crude remark regarding two ex-girlfriends of his who are dating other hockey players and how those players were visiting places he had already been.

Avery first confirmed the camera was on then said, “I’m just going to say one thing. I’m really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just wanted to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don’t know what that’s about, but enjoy the game tonight.”

Avery can be a crude mutha’ for sure but the bottom line is, he did not break any rules.

Any other league would have just shook their heads and let the media roll with it then reap the rewards of the publicity. The chicken-shit Bettman did the opposite and was quick to apologize and discipline.

The NHL needs a few guys like Avery, but the problem is, their idiot commissioner and marketing department doesn’t realize it.

The only time we see the league in the news is when a player is hit with assault charges for attacking someone on the ice or when Avery decides to make headlines. Like he did during last year’s playoffs with his altercation with Martin Brodeur, or when he finds the right time to flip off a camera or verbally battle hockey fans surrounding the penalty boxes around the league.

Look at the NFL and its “bad guys”. I am not condoning guns in clubs and brawls in stalls but if and when these incidents happen, it’s a headache, they deal with it then capitalize on the frenzy of attention and publicity–the NHL does not.

The onslaught of media attention following Plaxico Burress’ gun incident and the six drug test suspensions are great examples of how the old saying “Any publicity is good publicity” holds true.

The NFL Super Bowl has a price tag of $3 million dollars per 30 second commercial spot in 2009.

The dismally-rated NHL was beat out in the ratings by Sponge Bob during the playoffs last spring so you have to wonder how hard Bettman really should come down on Avery.

Truth is, Bettman should kiss Avery’s ass and thank him for reminding ESPN that hockey exists.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

MOSCOW – The investigation into the sudden death of Alexei Cherepanov, the New York Rangers’ first round No. 17 pick in the 2007 NHL draft revealed that poor medical treatment was not the cause of death according to statements made during a press conference today. Here’s the video of what little transpired between medical personnel on the bench after the player collapsed…you be the judge:

Russian officials originally reported that the arena medical defibrillator was faulty and it took an excessive amount of time for emergency personnel to respond to the incident.

Those accusations have changed over a course of time and during the press conference, KHL spokesman Vladimir Shalaev shared a Russian State Police report and said that medical personnel “acted professionally and did everything they could. The absence of special medical equipment in the arena was not the cause of death of this hockey player.”

The prosecutor in the case, however, is keeping the criminal investigation open.

The 19-year-old player died after collapsing during a hockey game with Avangard Omsk in the KHL on Oct. 13 in Chekov, a city near Moscow.

The following came from information taken from a report that was given to ESPN. ‘Russian officials refused to reveal exactly what caused Cherepanov’s death, but promised that information would be forthcoming. It is unknown whether criminal charges still might be filed.’

The police are however, keeping the case open.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

Last year, during the Western Conference Finals, I was with a group of beer-guzzling friends, watching the Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars run each other through the boards in a brutal, physical game; these guys looked pissed like they hadn’t been laid in a while.

When there was a break in the action, Hailey, one of the other girls in our group, threw a question out onto the table.

“Do you think a woman will ever play in the NHL?”

Hailey’s hockey comments are usually ignored since she thinks icing is something you only find on a cake. The guys feel she makes up for her lack of knowledge with those tiny denim cutoffs and extra-small tight ‘T’s she chooses to wear to some of the sporting events and ice-cold taverns.

This question though, got the guys riled up more than one of Hailey’s see-through shirts and the timing was perfect as a close-up shot of two Red Wings sitting on the bench came up on the giant screen. Dallas Drake sporting a fresh, two-inch gash on his nose and Kris Draper slouched next to him icing a big red knot on his chin that was decorated with new stitches, compliments of a Drake shot minutes earlier that bounced off his face and into the net for a goal.

We stared at the image on the screen like the question had just been answered then the one-liners began to fly.

“The helmet might give her a bad hair day.”

“If she got run into the boards she’d be upset about breaking a nail.”

“The Islanders had a bunch . . . Bossy . . . Gillies . . . Bobby Bourne.” – Nothing like a smart-ass Ranger fan.

I even threw one in, “Do those skates come in another color?”

After we finished our bad rendition of “Last Comic Standing” I reminded the group, ‘Don’t forget about Manon Rheaume.’

For those fans that were not following pro hockey in 1992, Manon Rheaume is the hot twenty-year-old goaltender best known for becoming the first woman to appear in an NHL game.

Phil Esposito, who was running the Tampa Bay Lightning at the time, was accused of using Rheaume as a publicity stunt. Maybe, but regardless this hot little babe gained a bunch of attention and was later offered to pose in a few men’s magazines.

Marketing ploy or not, 10,000 fans packed little Expo Hall on a humid September night in Tampa to see the 5′ 6″, 125 pound Rheaume strut her stuff.

Playing against the St. Louis Blues and donning her idol, Patrick Roy’s #33, the French-Canadian Rheaume allowed 2 goals on 9 shots in one period that night. Those aren’t the greatest numbers but nobody seemed to mind. She was a chick, she looked like a model and like Hailey, people in Tampa still thought icing is something you only find on a cake.

Rheaume went on to play a few other ‘pro’ games for the Knoxville Cherokees of the ECHL and the Atlanta Knights in the IHL compiling numbers that guaranteed her a short run at the men’s level.

Other chicks who gave it a run are Kim Martin, a Swedish goalie who was born in Stockholm and Erin Whitten who was named the top goaltender at the 1994 World Championship. Whitten made pro sports history by becoming the first woman to post a goaltending win in men’s hockey. On October 30, 1993 while playing for the Toledo Storm, she stopped 15 of 19 shots and defeated the Dayton Bombers, 6-5 in an ECHL game; the same league Rheaume later posted her first pro victory.

Time will tell if these women are laying a foundation for some of us girls to make it to the pro ranks and eventually compete in the NHL. But looking back to that image of Drake and Draper nursing the wounds inflicted in that brutal game, if we ever see a female make it in the NHL, odds are it will be in the goaltender position.

The Sports Chick can be reached direct at email sportchick@sportsclimax.com.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

Hollywood may be involved in imploding some sports arenas scheduled for demolition. This was done years ago in downtown Orlando when special effect coordinators for a Lethal Weapon sequel dropped the city hall for the opening scene in one of their films.

It makes perfect sense. A film production company pays for use of the building, arranges and pays for the implosion and insurance then leaves the city with only the clean-up.  Some cities are currently trying to make such an arrangement.

With so many stadiums and arenas scheduled for demolition to make room for state-of-the-art facilities, one career that seems to be thriving in this upside down economy is that of a “wrecking ball driver”.

The biggest hype of the year was the Yankees taking the  field for the final time at Yankee Stadium last week. Like their neighbor Super Bowl Giants, the guys in pinstripes will  be playing in a new stadium.

Yankee stadium is scheduled to be dismantled in March 2009 removing the seats and other collectibles to sell to collectors. After the valuables are removed, the stadium will be flattened and only the memories will remain.

A close second on the hype-meter is this possibility of Hollywood getting involved.

Besides Tiger Stadium, many other venues around the country will soon be greeted by the wrecking ball including the Wachovia Spectrum, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and the Dallas Star’s Reunion Arena.

The Dallas Film Commission is searching for a film crew who needs the blast for a scene in one of their movies to have the honor of leveling Reunion Arena. 

Some of the current demolitions are not going smoothly as historians are getting involved.

The razing of historic Tiger Stadium has created protests from organized fundraising groups who are fighting to salvage at least part of the park. Those groups from Detroit, with the help of Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell, have been trying to convince the city to transform a part of the structure into a baseball museum. This has been an uphill battle as the city is considering plans for a retail and residential neighborhood.

The Dallas Cowboys will be vacating Texas Stadium after this season after entertaining fans there since 1971. The tab for Tony and Jessica’s new structure is expected to top $1 billion. (see picture)

For several years, Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings and the Orlando Magic’s Arena have also been discussed and may soon join this list of functionally obsolete razed facilities.

Bad news for historians but good news for ‘wrecking ball operators’ and maybe Hollywood.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax

It’s official! For the few of you who had not yet realized the fact, Sarah Palin is NO hockey mom!

Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was greeted by boos when she walked onto the ice at the Wachovia Center and the boos continued with a mixture of polite applause as she dropped the ceremonial first puck a few weeks ago at the opening game for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Why then would she and the NHL schedule another puck dropping in St. Louis this weekend.

The Alaskan guv has tried to sell herself as a hockey mom and that sell has hit a major mountain in the road. It was recently revealed that Palin has spent approximately $150,000 of donations on clothing, hair and make-up over the past few weeks for her campaign on a shopping spree at Saks Fifth and Neiman Marcus. How many “hockey Moms” do you know who shop at those two stores.

The politician was invited to drop the puck after she had a meeting at a Philadelphia bar with Flyers owner Ed Snider.

Although the NHL said it did not view the Flyers’ invitation to be politically motivated, most “hockey moms” and “Joe Six-packs” do and they showed their displeasure when she walked onto the ice by greeting her with boos.

Amid this political backlash, the Flyers are the only team in the entire NHL who have not won a game thus far and many fans are loving those results.

Adam Proteau of The Hockey News nailed it on the head in his weekly column, “Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider makes it very difficult to root for his team. And I’m the guy who picked them to win the Eastern Conference this season.

Listen, I don’t give a tinker’s damn if Snider supports Sarah Palin on his own time, but to foist his views on his fan base the way he did that night and openly bang the drum of politicians while they’re still running for office, to associate the NHL with one particular ideology, is beyond nauseating and will go down in history as a black mark on his ownership for the rest of time.

Even as a business decision, it makes no sense. Does Snider and the NHL wish to completely alienate the millions of people who think the current Republican ticket is an affront to the intelligence level of women and voters? And what about his and the league’s employees who aren’t for creationism in schools or endless war or the erosion of the constitution or forcing rape victims to pay for their rape kits?”

As harsh as Adam’s column may sound, his views echo the sentiments of many of the NHL’s blue-collar fan base and Snider should have known better.

Even in Toronto, Canada they are taking notice.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax