Say what you will about Eric Lindros, but the former Flyers captain changed hockey both with his on-ice presence as well as his off-ice headlines.
On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the 39-year-old native from London, Ontario will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on November 8th. “It’s a special thrill,” Lindros told the Inquirer. “It’s definitely an honor.”
It is also well deserved for Lindros. Even though he had a tumultuous relationship with Flyers legend and general manager Bobby Clarke, Lindros was undoubtedly the face of the franchise during the 1990′s.
From the time he started playing junior hockey, Lindros was a dominant presence on the ice. There were players before him who had his size and his speed, but there wasn’t a player who had the combination of both.
“If I was going to design one hockey player, it would be Eric Lindros,” said Matthew Barnaby. “He was a man-child.”
Lindros’ unique combination allowed him to make an immediate impact when he joined the Flyers for the 1992-93 season. The 20-year-old Lindros recorded 41 goals, 76 points, and 147 penalty minutes in his rookie year. His production instantly turned him into one of the game’s premier power forwards.
Two years later, in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, the Flyers captain scored 29 goals and totaled 70 points in only 46 games. Lindros was awarded the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading point scorer, and won the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP.
Despite putting up remarkable individual numbers, ‘The Big E’ was never able to bring the Stanley Cup to Philadelphia. Lindros led the Flyers to the Finals in 1997, but even though he recorded 26 points in 19 playoff games, Philadelphia was swept by the Detroit Red Wings.
Bobby Clarke, unlike Lindros, won two Stanley Cups with the Flyers.
After the Flyers’ loss to the Red Wings, the relationship between Lindros and Clarke began to deteriorate. Clarke questioned his captain’s toughness, as Lindros missed chunks of time due to the repeated concussions he suffered.
The feud reached its climax during the 1999-2000 season. When Lindros criticized Philadelphia’s team doctors for misdiagnosing one of his concussions, the Flyers’ general manager stripped him of the captaincy.
Lindros ultimately returned for the last two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils, but in Game Seven of the series, a check by Scott Stevens gave him another concussion, and ended his career in Philadelphia.
After Lindros missed the entire 2000-2001 season, Clarke ultimately traded him to the Rangers in the summer of 2001. The six-time all-star spent parts of three seasons with the New York Rangers, but wasn’t the same player as he was with the Flyers.
After the lockout, the six-time all-star spent a year in Toronto with the Maple Leafs, followed by a year with the Dallas Stars. Lindros would hang up the skates in November of 2007 at the age of 34.
Yet Lindros’ impact on the ice is matched, if not exceeded by, the impact he made on the NHL off the ice. The year was 1991, and after Lindros scored 71 goals and recorded and totaled 149 points in 57 games for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, Lindros was expected to be the first overall pick in that summer’s draft.
The Quebec Nordiques had the first overall pick, and were dead set on taking ‘The Next One.’ However, Lindros had no intention of ever playing with the Nordiques.
When Quebec selected him, Lindros refused to put on the Nordiques sweater that was presented to him. Despite being offered close to $2 million annually to play in Quebec City, Lindros returned to Oshawa.
At the Draft the following year, the Nordiques’ owner Marcel Aubut and general manager Pierre Page ultimately traded Lindros to the Flyers and the Rangers on the same day. The fiasco needed to be resolved in arbitration, where NHL arbitrator Larry Bertuzzi awarded Lindros to the Flyers.
As for the package Philadelphia sent to Quebec: goaltender Ron Hextall, defensemen Steve Duchesne and Kerry Huffman, centers Mike Ricci and Peter Forsberg, a 1993 first-round draft pick, future considerations and $15 million.
Lindros’ ability to determine where he played in the NHL set a precedent that gave players leverage in any contract negotiations with the teams that drafted them. The latest example of this, although not on the same scale as the Lindros deal, was Justin Schultz’s decision to not sign with the Anaheim Ducks and instead sign with the Edmonton Oilers.
Eric Lindros’ career is a tale of two stories. One story highlights how Lindros did things on skates that nobody had seen before. The other details how he never fulfilled the hype with which he entered the NHL, and was derailed by a series of concussions.
However, Lindros’ legacy on the game will outlive him. And with career totals of 372 goals, 493 assists, 865 points, and 1,398 penalty minutes in 760 games, even some of his toughest critics believe he should be in the Hall of Fame.
This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.
Yes. It’s only been a month and a half. Yes. It’s very early in the season. Yes. There are still roughly anywhere between 51-53 games yet to be played. However, the QMJHL has become a two-team battle as to who will represent the league in the Memorial Cup.
Right out of the gate, the Quebec Remparts and the Halifax Mooseheads have done nothing but prove the expectations hockey pundits had of them. Halifax currently holds the best record in the league, while Quebec sits pretty in 3rd place with two games in hand on 2nd place Rouyn-Noranda.
Both teams ooze of top-end talent, stellar defense, and high-level goaltending. By the end of the year, these two will be duking it out to see just who has the will, grit, guts, and glory to push for a coveted spot in the Memorial Cup in Saskatoon.
From the 2008-09 season until 2010-11, things weren’t looking too promising for the Halifax Mooseheads. Year in and year out they were continually at the bottom of the league, with an ever increasing hope to pull themselves out of the wretched doldrum they found themselves in for three seasons. They began by selecting Martin Frk 3rd overall in the 2010 CHL Import Draft.
Cam Russell has been nothing short of a godsend for the team and nothing proved it more than his trade with Baie-Comeau Drakkar where he acquired the highly touted phenom, Nathan MacKinnon, in a trade that send to two players and three first round picks to Baie-Comeau. MacKinnon has been spectacular in his first two seasons with the club having led the team in points last year and currently the scoring race in the early part of the season.
It also helps to successfully recruit a player of Jonathan Drouin‘s caliber, as well. After holding out on contract negotiations for some time, Russell was able to convince Drouin to join the team in an effort to make a hard push for the Memorial Cup this year. Drouin, whose draft year is 2013 (like MacKinnon), seems to have easily transitioned to the up tempo game of the Q and has meshed nicely with MacKinnon making them a tandem akin to Galchenyuk and Yakupov of the OHL.
Their defense is led by German-born Konrad Abeltshauser who had a breakout year in 2011-12 and he seems to be picking up where he left off, leading all defensemen on the team in points with 19.
Zachary Fucale is another key piece to the powerhouse puzzle that is the Halifax Mooseheads. In his sophomore season, Fucale has permanently established himself as the starter. He’s won at every level and continues to show why he should be ranked as one of the top goalies in the 2013 draft. Add Fucale in between the pipes and you have a team that will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the year.
Now let’s have a glimpse at their formidable foes, the Quebec Remparts.
You had to figure it was only a matter of time before Patrick Roy would take the Remparts from very good to great. Last year Mikhail Grigorenko exploded into the Q and was argued at being one of the top players at the draft. His draft stock started to plummet, but the Sabres made the smart move in selecting him 12th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He’s shown this year why he should’ve been a top 5 pick in the summer. Grigorenko leads the team in points, but his linemates are beginning to follow suit as well.
Mikhail Grigorenko
Quebec has three forwards who are being debated as future 1st round picks in next year’s NHL draft. Adam Erne, Nick Sorensen, and Anthony Duclair have already made an indelible mark on the franchise for their above average skill, finesse, work ethic, and grittiness. Sorensen missed nearly all of last year with damage to his ACL and LCL on a brutal hit delivered by Jonathan Lessard. He has regained his form this year and came back a stronger player. Duclair started the season out strong, but has since suffered an ankle injury that will sideline him a few weeks, at most.
Another addition the Remparts should be happy about is highly skilled winger, Nikita Kucherov, who decided to make his way across the pond at a shot to play in the NHL. An offense corps of Grigorenko, Erne, Duclair, Sorensen, and Kucherov conjures memories of a former QMJHL powerhouse arsenal of Huberdeau, Phillips, Jurco, and Galiev of the Saint Johns Sea Dogs a few years prior.
They also contain veteran leadership on the back end with Ryan Culkin, Martin Lefebvre, and Marc-Antoine Carrier. The defense has made it very simple for Francois Brassard to play on top of his game in net. Albeit a short season so far, Brassard has already posted up better numbers in GAA and save percentage than last year.
The teams are only set to due battle twice later on in the season, but when they step on the ice expect a hard-fought, spirited, riveting, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-because-something-special-will-happen-type of game.
Both teams boasts great teams, great records, great management/coaching, great fans, and great games. Should be fun to see how the rest of the season (and playoffs) unravel.
This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.
Flames prospect Roman Horak leads the AHL in goals. (Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE)
Last summer, the Calgary Flames were in a jam. With the June 1 signing deadline for 2009 draft picks rapidly approaching and hot-shot Swedish blueliner Tim Erixon refusing to agree to terms with the club, the team was facing losing his rights for the paltry return of a second round pick. His back against the wall, general manager Jay Feaster called the New York Rangers and swapped Erixon and a fifth round draft pick in exchange for a pair of second round picks (used to grab Tyler Wotherspoon and Markus Granlund) and 2009 fifth round choice Roman Horak.
A native of Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic, Horak had been a teammate of Flames draft pick Ryan Howse with the WHL’s Chilliwack Bruins. Despite only playing in North America for a couple of years, Horak showed a strong ability to learn the game on the smaller ice and developed great chemistry with Howse, contributing to Howse’s 51 goals and Horak’s 52 assists in the 2010-11 campaign. At worst, the youngster would provide the Flames with some depth options up-front.
Last year, Horak surprised everyone by making the Flames roster out of training camp and spending 61 games in the National Hockey League. This year, he’s found his old scoring touch. He’s currently sharing the American Hockey League lead in goals, having scored seven times through the first eight games after only lighting the lamp five times in 75 games last season between Calgary and the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat. Horak explained that he hasn’t really changed much in his approach to the game.
“I’m scoring goals right now, so I’m just going to try to keep it going,” explained Horak. “Last year I played bottom-six, it was a little bit tough to transition to the NHL and the AHL. It was my first year, right, so I was still learning what’s going on. This is my second year, so I’m a little more experienced and know what to expect from hockey, from [Abbotsford coach] Troy [Ward] and the guys here. I think that might be the biggest change.”
At just 21 years old, Horak has a lot of NHL experience for someone of his age. With 61 NHL contests under his belt, he has more experience than all but four of his Heat teammates (T.J. Brodie, Krys Kolanos, Steve McCarthy and Quintin Laing). Despite having some big-league time under his belt, Horak noted that he’s still got a lot to learn, but tries to help his teammates when he can.
“Obviously I’ve played a few games in the NHL, which is great, but here you’ve got a bunch of guys who’ve got even more experience than I do, for sure,” noted Horak. “Those guys, they have more experience than me, but I’ll do my best and obviously if somebody’s going to ask me to talk about stuff and how’s it going, especially rookies, I had the chance to play here last year… I’m going to try to help them.”
Between Calgary and Abbotsford over the past year or so, Horak has played in a lot of different situations. He’s not only played on both ends of special teams, he’s also suited up on all four lines for the Heat (a product of Troy Ward’s tendency to shuffle the deck) and played all three forward positions. So far this season, he’s made the best of the various in-game situations he’s being placed in.
“Some people don’t like it, but I don’t mind it,” said Horak. “It’s different to play all three positions. If you play wing, you’re stuck on the wall. But it all depends on who you play with. I had the chance to play with Max Reinhart. He’s a great centreman, so it’s a been a pleasure to play with him and he made it kind of easy for me. And last year I played with Ben Walter also on the wing. Those guys, they make it really easy for you.”
With uncertainty on the NHL labour front and the Abbotsford Heat off to a good start, Horak and the rest of the club hope to continue their strong play. One thing’s for sure: the eyes of Calgary Flames management will be watching.
This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.
One fear relating the lockout between the NHL and the Players’ Association is what comes after the resolution.
The NHL is in its second lockout in seven years (third work stoppage in 20) and on a personal note, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is obviously far from happy.
Melnyk told Prime Time Sports on Wednesday that he once was a huge baseball fan until the strike in 1994 ended his fandom.
Eugene Melnyk
“Back in ’94, I was a rabid baseball fan, I’m talking like a 40-45 game guy when I still lived in Toronto, I saw the World Series and (the Blue Jays) winning it, went to Atlanta; I was a crazy, crazy baseball fan and after the strike I was gone,” Melnyk said. “(I’m) extremely disappointed like any fan of where we are, we should be playing hockey by now.”
Hockey fans are in uproar over the current situation with backlash aimed towards both the owners and players, although Melnyk said the bottom line is there’s no hockey.
“Everybody can finger point all they want but at the end of the day I don’t think anybody cares who’s at fault, all they know is we’re not playing hockey,” Melnyk said. [via SportsNet.ca...]
This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.
It's Week Eight in the inaugural Cage Match Goalie Tournament and we've now reached the semi-finals. That means the brackets are finished. We are done with them. One goalie has emerged from each bracket with the hopes of claiming the top honours in the tournament, which, just to remind you, makes him the fourth best goalie in fantasy hockey this year. Yes that is because we held Henrik Lundqvist, Jonathan Quick and Pekka Rinne out of this tournament to make it fair for everyone else and frankly, it's worked like a charm. The final matchups of each bracket were hotly contested affairs. Let's see how they played out.
(Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE)
#2 Carey Price over #1 Tuukka Rask ' 51 votes to 29 votes.
It is pretty hard to call this an upset but I'm going to call it one anyway. UPSET! WOOOHOOO! UPSET!
Sorry, allow me to compose myself. It's just that we haven't seen too many of these in the goalie tournament and it is extremely nice to see.
What was particularly interesting was how wide the margin of victory for Price was. I didn't realize he had that many backers. I actually thought he was something of a disappointment. The argument from Price voters was that we simply haven't seen enough of Rask to know for certain if he can produce over a full season. Price on the other hand, has proven he can put up elite numbers even behind a terrible team.
I'm not sure Rask really needed to prove to us that he can produce over a full season. We already know that this season is not going to have 82 games in it so we can scratch off some of the workhorse concerns. We also know that Rask has rebounded from his groin injury and is back playing. I really think that the timing for Rask was just bad. When voting for this matchup opened last week the news of Rask's groin injury resurfacing had just been released. I'd wager a good portion of votes were swung by that news alone. It's a shame but at the same time fantasy hockey isn't played in a vacuum. Things happen and poolies react. Them's the breaks!
Check out all the other fantasy goalie matchups at Dobber Hockey.
This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.
Donald Fehr knows the players cannot afford to give in (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)
Something very strange and annoying is happening in this country, especially when business issues are discussed. People have somehow embraced the ridiculous notion that the men and women who own multiple corporations worth billions of dollars, not only are being victimized by one group or another, but are also immune to any kind of criticism. This is particularly puzzling when noticing that many suit defenders have never even worn one themselves. ”Don’t you dare criticize us, you just hate us because we’re rich”, seems to be the idea animating these people. No, we don’t hate you because you’re rich. We hate you because you are greedy while pretending that you are not.
This applies to any chat about the NHL lockout.
Personally, I find demagoguery and drill instructor type noise about “bootstrapping” and “hard work” unbelievably tiresome. Work as hard as you like, but an absence of luck will keep you working…and nothing else. People are reluctant to admit that luck, not industry, is a difference maker at all, let alone the critical one. Becoming a billionaire requires more luck than James Bond could ever imagine experiencing.
But, I’m in the minority on that point, so we can shelf it.
For the record, the NHL has experienced miraculous growth since it was literally dead in a dumpster in 2005. The unknown “Outdoor Living Network” attracted a small but dedicated following, which reached a critical mass when NBC purchased the network, putting an end to that station’s testosterone titled “Versus” reign.
Forbes magazine, not anyone’s idea of a cheap socialist pamphlet, had this to say when they anticipated the “cantankerous” negotiations, or lack of which, we are witnessing now:
The average NHL team is worth 47% more than it was before the lockout thatcancelled the 2004-05 season. Let's hope the NHL can get a more economically sound CBA without having another work stoppage. The average NHL team is worth 47% more than it was before the lockout thatcancelled the 2004-05 season. Let's hope a the NHL can get a more economically sound CBA without having another work stoppage. Business has improved too much the past seven years.
Let me enunciate this again, because it’s important: Business has improved too much the past seven years.
Gary Bettman (Tom Turk/THW)
Commissioner Bettman has never tired of pointing out the league’s record growth, except of course when the doors are closed and such statements would furrow the brows of the owners he so faithfully serves.
On the surface, the same old gibberish amounting to “athletes are overpaid” and “owners take all the risk” might seem to hold more water than usual. But only on the surface, which many people are satisfied with.
It is true that profit margins are resembling fissures more than canyons, and this is because of player costs. The Parise-Suter signings will remind people of this. But honestly, whose fault is it SOME players are overpaid? Overpayment, by the way, is a subjective idea, held hostage by the whims of whomever is commenting, including myself.
Craig Leipold, the owner of the Minnesota Wild who is so trigger happy with his check book that a life in the U.S. Government might be more appropriate, embodies the hypocrisy on the owner’s side of the table perfectly. This man, who shelled out Crosby-like cash to players who are not Crosby, has been one of the most consistent voices shouting “offsides” during negotiations.
Craig, if player costs are the problem, then cut player costs. I’m sure you have multiple letters after your name, but even a blogger who occasionally comes up with a clever remark can understand this basic business principle. You can’t win without spending this kind of money? Sure, you can. Hire better scouts. Draft better players.
And do owners really take all the risk? Do they risk grave personal injury? Are they one shift away from financial ruin?
Source: Wikipedia
Players do not have a job without owners, and owners have no product without players. So this blackmailing attitude that the players should show undying gratitude is absurd. No one pays to watch Mark Cuban get pizza on his face, except maybe for the owner of a pizzeria.
At the risk of sounding naive (perhaps it’s too late), let me raise another question: Who would you expect more honesty from? The kid next door who you grew up playing street hockey with, or the 60 year old who makes the sticks you used? Is it the ordinary person who can play hockey extraordinarily the one hatching devious schemes? Are the players reading Machiavelli or Maxim on plane rides? Do they have some incredible understanding of how to use the supply and demand economic system to their advantage?
Probably not, and that is why I am more inclined to believe someone like Jonathan Toews, when he drones away in his unassuming voice, than the cold and calculating commissioner. And this is coming from a Detroit fan who despises the Blackhawks. Looking back over the last paragraph, I don’t think I’m being naive at all.
The players are not blameless of course. They should have taken the 50-50 deal that the owners offered. Donald Fehr, by all accounts, is a cutthroat, and perhaps has brought some unhelpful baggage to these proceedings. And it is laughable when players skewer Bettman in one breath, and praise their owners in the next. ”The owners are being disingenuous…except for my owner,” is what they seem to be saying.
But make no mistake. The owners got us into this mess, and are making it worse by repeatedly walking out of negotiations.
There is a Neo-Red Scare going on in America right now. The remarks I’ve made above about business owners will make me a “socialist” or maybe even…gasp, a “progressive”, in the eyes of others.
I am neither of those things. I’m a hockey fan who loves to write, I’m tired of listening to lawyers instead of announcers, and I want my sport back.
It’s as simple as that.
This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.
American author and motivational speaker Hilary Hilton 'Zig' Ziglar has been quoted as saying, 'Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.' If that is a definite truth, then no one will become more successful than Jhonas Wiik. A goaltender with the Lidingö Vikings in Sweden's Division 2 league, Wiik has found that, in only 25 years, he has had to overcome some significant adversity to be where he is today. He has found that life is not always easy and not always fair but, if one is determined and strong, anything can happen. Wiik's willingness to do whatever he can to make his dream come true of becoming a top-notch goalie, hopefully one day in North America, is so admirable and he will stop at nothing to make it become a reality. To make it even more remarkable, Wiik has only been playing on a competitive level for only two years. That's right… only two years. Sadly, there have been some bumps in the road along the way, ones that could have easily damaged his spirit. Like a trooper, Wiik has continued to steam ahead, showing that he is as resilient as one can be, taking every tragedy and using it as motivation to ameliorate himself, both as a player and a person.
Jhonas Jan-Erik Wiik was born on August 21, 1987, in Jakobsberg, Sweden, a suburb fifteen minutes away from the heart of the national capital of Stockholm. His father Jan was a teacher and his mother Ewa was a stay-at-home mom, both working hard to support their family of four children, which also include his three older siblings: sisters Therese and Marie, and brother Thomas. Wiik was the 'love child' of the family, born when his mother was 39 years old. To put that into perspective, Therese was fourteen years of age when baby brother Jhonas was born. Growing up, Wiik's family was not exactly the richest. In fact, they were considerably poorer than most of the people in their community. The Wiik family got by with what little they had, cramming six people into a three-bedroom apartment. Therese and Marie shared a room until Therese moved out, while Thomas and Jhonas shared another. Despite the fact that his family was not the most affluent in their neighbourhood, Wiik wanted to play hockey. He watched as his neighbours' son got to play hockey and Jhonas wanted to play, too, but his parents could not afford it. (Wiik believes that this is one reason why many young wannabe hockey players never get the chance to fulfill their dreams since it is very expensive to play the sport on a regular basis.)
Growing up, it was not only the socioeconomic adversity that made things difficult for Wiik. In addition, he was bullied a lot when he was at school. The bullying did not come from his being poor but mostly because of just how cruel kids can be to someone who just looks different. Up until pre-adolescence, Wiik was admittedly overweight, not athletic at all, and he had to wear glasses. As a short, chubby child, kids were quite cruel and it did not help his confidence. Once he entered seventh grade, things changed, especially Wiik's appearance. He had an unbelievable growth spurt and he blossomed from the small, stubby kid to a tall teenager, eventually growing to be 6'4'. High school, thankfully, was not as unkind to Wiik as elementary school. He made a lot of friends and he enjoyed himself. Wiik graduated from high school in 2006 and he wondered what to do next. He was still not sure.
*
After high school, Wiik, by this time now 19 years old, found work as an automotive technician. Even though it was not exactly what he wanted to do in life, it helped him get some money for himself. He was still living at home, all three of his older siblings already moved out on their own. Wiik worked steadily, putting in ten-hour days, hoping that he would eventually think of a suitable career path. Unfortunately, life was about to take a tragic turn. In August of 2008, Wiik's mother Ewa suffered a horrible stroke without any warning whatsoever. It was shocking to see a normally healthy woman have such an incredible medical emergency. On August 21, 2008, which was Wiik's 21st 'födelsedag' (birthday in Swedish), his mother passed away; she was only 60 years old. After losing his mother, Wiik did not change much about his daily life. He continued working as a mechanic and stayed at home with his father. Unfortunately, tragedy and adversity reared their ugly heads once more not even a year and a half later. In December of 2009, his father Jan, by now retired and 63, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This pair of tragedies profoundly impacted Wiik. He began to considerably think about what mattered in life, just how fragile and precious it is. He started suffering from anxiety, not just for his father but also for himself, and he knew that things had to change. Not long after his father's diagnosis, Wiik quit his job as a mechanic, realizing that it was not worth it to spend ten hours a day in a workplace where he was the youngest person on the payroll, especially with other mechanics being up to 30 years older than he. By the turn of the new year in 2010, he also sold his car and he used some of the money to take a trip to Thailand, just to think things through and try to find himself.
When Wiik returned to Sweden in mid-February 2010, he was still unsure about what his future held. He was still depressed with his situation and it was so bad that he actually could not picture himself finding any enjoyment in life. After much contemplation, he started to think about what he wanted to do when he was a child but his family could not afford: Becoming a hockey goalie. By Wiik's own estimation, it seemed like a pipe dream. He was 22 years old and he had never worn a pair of skates in his life. Despite his considerable inexperience, he was determined to make it happen. He was positive that no team would ever take a chance on him, especially considering the depth of talent in goal in Sweden.
*
Jhonas Wiik wanted to play hockey very badly as a child but his family was too poor to afford to let him. In 2010, at the age of 23, he attended his first-ever hockey practice and he eventually signed with Bele Barkarby, a team in the Division 4 league in Sweden. (Dicken Foto)
In the summer of 2010, Wiik surveyed his options. He realized that, if his dreams of becoming a professional goaltender were dashed, he always had the opportunity to attend college and get a decent career. That was not on his mind, though. Wiik wanted to be a goalie. He was hoping to find a team who, by some miracle, would take a chance on him. It did not matter if it were a veteran team or a semi-professional team. He just wanted to play. By virtue of his own initiative, he emailed twenty teams all over Sweden, hoping to get a response. Finally, one of them answered his email. In the message, Wiik was given the name and email address of a coach with an under-20 team in Sweden's Division 4 league, the lowest junior division in the country. Ecstatically, he emailed this other coach and he explained his situation. Wiik told him that he had never played hockey before but it had been his dream since the age of eleven to become a goalie. He also told him that he did not even know how to skate.
Wiik got an answer back almost immediately saying, 'Welcome to our next practice.'
Not long after receiving that email, Wiik bought himself an old, used set of TPS equipment. He took to the ice at his first-ever hockey practice on September 6, 2010, at the age of 23. It was his first time ever on the ice and he immediately enjoyed it. By his own admission, Wiik cannot describe how horrible he was at playing but, at the same time, how much fun he was having. During the 2010-11 season, Wiik spent the campaign with Bele Barkarby IF, a team based out of Järfälla, five minutes away from Jakobsberg. In 20 games, he let in 560 goals but, as dissatisfactory as his 28.00 goals-against average could be, he was facing nearly 100 shots per game.
*
Wiik truly enjoyed himself in his first year of playing hockey. He made a lot of new friends and he had a lot of fun. Also, he learned a lot about nutrition and training that would help ameliorate his playing abilities. Wiik looked for more ways to improve his game and that is when he got in contact with Björn Bjurling; the former Swedish Elitserien and Norwegian GET-ligaen goaltender is also a former Edmonton Oilers draft pick and he has helped cultivate the talents of young goalies such as Filip Alexander Hammarlund and Johannes Rohrmüller, among others. Bjurling invited Wiik to his camp for a two-day skill cultivation, where he also met two goalies signed as free agents by NHL teams: Eddie Läck (Vancouver Canucks) and Niklas Svedberg (Boston Bruins). Wiik was nervous because he knew that most of the goaltenders there were very talented and he felt as though he was going to be outclassed; as well, he did not know anything at all about proper goaltending whatsoever. He did not even know what a T-push was. After the two-day camp was over, Wiik felt like a completely new person and a more confident goalie. He also developed something else, a significant friendship with Bjurling, who he has felt has become a mentor and is probably one of the newest, biggest influences on his career, on and off the ice.
With this newfound confidence, Wiik looked for a new team. He went to several tryouts, including one with Tullinge TP, a team then in Sweden's Division 4 professional league. Tullinge was a bit further away from home than his previous team, this time nearly 45 minutes away. He eventually got signed as their backup netminder. Wiik was one of four goalies used by Tullinge TP in 2011-12, the others being #1 puckstopper Rikard Kjellin and third-stringer Martin Mannerstråle. He played in four exhibition games and one regular season game for Tullinge TP in 2011.
As time progressed, though, Wiik realized that he had a short-term goal of getting to play in the Swedish Division 3 league. He trained more with Bjurling on and off the ice. By Christmas 2011, he learned that one team in that league, Solna SK, really needed a goalie. Wiik emailed their coach and, not long after, he was brought in for a tryout. Almost immediately, he signed with them, making his short-term goal a reality. Just like when he was with Tullinge TP, he was in a goalie carousel, one in which he was the oldest goaltender; the team also utilized the services of one 1993-born goalie, Emil Östberg, and one 1994-born netminder, Fredrik Lindbergh. Despite how hard Wiik was working, things were not going well in Solna. The team lost several times during the course of the season and, due to the unsatisfactory campaign in progress, many players left due to a lack of interest to sign with other squads. Wiik also left, registering a 1-6 record during his tenure.
*
In 2011, Wiik attended a hockey camp run by former Edmonton Oilers draft pick Björn Bjurling, who later became a dear friend and mentor to him. The indelible impact has been so indelible that he cannot thank Bjurling enough. Wiik has improved so much in less than two years that he even attended a camp with the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals in 2012. Former Jackals head coach Pat Bingham was so impressed that he is helping the now 25-year-old find an agent so he can play in North America one day. Until then, Wiik will play this season with the Lidingö Vikings, a team in Sweden’s Division 2 league, a semi-professional league. (Photo: Julia Bjurling)
After his season with Solna ended, Wiik decided to aim a little higher with the next team he was to play for. He decided that the next step was Division 2 hockey. The fourth-highest professional league in Sweden, Division 2 — especially in Stockholm — is akin to semi-professional hockey, much like the Central, Southern Professional and Federal Hockey Leagues here in North America. Wiik felt that the time was right to show that, despite the fact that he had only been playing hockey for nearly two years, he could compete with goaltenders who had been playing hockey for their whole lives.
Wiik contacted Per Wirén, then the coach of the Lidingö Vikings, omitting how short of a time he has actually played, and he was brought in for a practice. He went into the dressing room and he met all of the other players hoping to make the 2012-13 roster. First and foremost, however, he met Wirén who was very stern and direct. Wiik remembers him saying, 'Hi and welcome. Find a seat and get ready for warmup. Oh, by the way, here in Lidingö, you have one chance and one chance only. I'll let you know after practice.' Wiik knew that, from here on in, it was serious. After the warmup and practice were over, he was called in to Wirén's office. He told Wiik that he liked him and that he will be able to stay, becoming the oldest of the team's three goalies, joining 1989-born Fredrik Hasslebrant and 1992-born Gustaf Huth. This year, Charles Franzén has been named the new head coach of the Vikings and he is oblivious to the fact that Wiik has only played hockey for two years.
*
While in preparation for the 2012-13 season to begin, Wiik kept himself busy. The first thing he did was attend a camp with the Sweden Hockey Institute. One of the key instructors at that camp was Stefan Ladhe. Ladhe is one of the most renowned goalie coaches in all of Sweden, serving as the national team's top men in that regard. In addition to working in the Elitserien and the HockeyAllsvenskan, he has considerable international experience, serving as the goaltending coach at eight World Junior Championships, two Men's World Championships (as well as a third for Denmark) and one World Under-18s. At SHI, Wiik met and befriended several other young goaltenders, including up-and-comers Andreas Zetterqvist, Ludvig Kullén Dansarie and Max Andersson.
Additionally, Wiik found himself with an opportunity that he never imagined, especially for a goaltender who had only been playing hockey for less than two years. He came across the Atlantic Ocean for his first-ever trip to North America but it was not just for pleasure. Wiik made his way to the rookie camp of the ECHL's Elmira Jackals. The Jackals were looking for a new start after head coach Pat Bingham resigned his post shortly after camp. (He is currently the head coach of an under-16 team in Colorado.) Despite that, Bingham, who also had coached the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, was still watching the prospective players and he was completely blown away by Wiik, both in terms of his work ethic and his obvious talent. His bewilderment was further intensified when Wiik informed him about the short length of time he had been a competitive goaltender. Bingham told Wiik that, if he wants to make his way to playing in North America, he should get an agent who can help him in getting a tryout with another team in the ECHL or a team in the Central Hockey League; at this time, Wiik is heeding to Bingham's advice and he is looking for one. Even better is the fact that Bingham is going to help Wiik, as well; he sent him an email that read, 'You do your part by working hard. Send me updates with stats and I will provide that information to the agent.' Wiik knew that this could help him to make his absolute biggest dream come true: Become a top-notch North American professional goaltender.
The 2012-13 season has not started the way that Wiik would have hoped. For the first month of the season, he has been battling a pair of ailments that have kept him sidelined. For three weeks, he suffered from the flu and he could not even practice with the team because he was feeling so sick. Not long after he recovered, another setback occurred when he was diagnosed with an eye infection. For a goalie who usually wears contacts while at practice, he has resorted to wearing his glasses until the infection goes away. From a team standpoint, there was yet another detour when the Vikings signed a fourth goaltender; Martin Sophy has transferred to the team from Botkyrka in an attempt to solidify things between the pipes.
*
When Wiik comes back to Lidingö's lineup, he will be a man possessed, kept going by the notion that he now knows what it takes to make it to where he wants to be. He realizes that if, by some unfortunate mishap, he cannot make it to where he wants to be, he will have to go back to school, get a college education and find a career path for himself that does not involve becoming a professional goaltender. He does not want that. He has come so far in just a little over two years, going from being someone who had never put on skates to now playing semi-professional hockey, remarkable by anyone's admission. Wiik also recognizes the fact that there have been many goaltenders who have had long careers in the game and he hopes to be one of them, hopefully in North America. There is no telling what the next five, ten or even twenty years will hold, but he knows what he wants and he will stop at nothing to get there.
Through it all, it has seemed that everything Wiik has done to be where he is today has made him stronger, both on the ice and off of it. There have been times where he could have just given up on his dream but he has decided to go for it instead. The fact that this young man has gone from being a depressed, overworked auto mechanic to being a happy, professional hockey goaltender — and in only two years — is just proof that people are never too old to follow their dreams, as long as they keep working for it. With his happy-go-lucky attitude and his desire to keep improving, there is no reason not to believe that Wiik will find that elusive agent who can help him make his dream of playing North American hockey become a reality.
Jhonas Wiik has definitely faced adversity in order to become successful… and he also knows that he is going to make it. All he needs now is a chance to prove it.
This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.
