(Taken from Greg Douglas' column Vancouver Sun May 27 2010)
Shortly after being named head coach of Darcy Rota's Coquitlam Express Junior A hockey club, Jon Calvano convinced Grant Kerr to join him as an assistant. Calvano and Kerr worked together with the North West Giants of the B.C. Major Midget League for the past five years. Kerr, a journalist by trade, won the Jake Milford Plaque in 2001 for his contributions to hockey in B.C. Rota won the same award in 2007.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
EXPRESS INTERESTED IN MERTH?
(Taken from Coquitlam Now)
There'll be no free agent windfall to take to the bank, but Anmore's Danny Merth will get a say in where he plays.
The forward became a free agent Monday when the B.C. Hockey League board of governors voted to suspend the Williams Lake Timberwolves for the 2010-11 season due to financial reasons.
The league also decided to make all the club's players free agents and not hold a dispersal draft.
"I found out when one of the owners, Richard Kohlen, called me Monday to say that it looked like the team would be suspended," the 19-year-old Merth said. "He said they couldn't work out a deal to sell the team, the owners couldn't agree and the league was running out of time."
It means Merth can look for a situation that benefits him and help him attract a possible scholarship.
"I'm just going to look for a place where I can play -- I'd like to play close to home, if I could."
The Coquitlam Express' Darcy Rota said the team is looking at Merth, and a couple of other T-wolves, for the upcoming season.
"We're talking about some of the players, it's something Jon (Calvano, Coquitlam head coach and director of hockey operations) and I are discussing," Rota, the club's president and general manager, said. "We talked about (Merth), we like Danny and the Merth family is a great family."
He played for the Express in 2008-09 as an affiliate player. He also cheered on the club when older brother Peter anchored the blueline for two years in Coquitlam and one season in Burnaby.
The younger brother said the past year in Williams Lake started well, but money troubles and on-ice struggles began to take a toll at Christmas.
"The first half of the season was good, we weren't expected to do too much, with so many rookies. Around Christmas I guess the owners began having problems, they started to trade our veterans and things kind of fell apart from there."
As a rookie with the last place T-wolves, the six-foot-one Merth tallied 10 goals and 18 assists in 49 games.
League commissioner John Grisdale said the governors had little choice when it came to freezing the franchise.
"The options under our bylaws are quite clear and they were a team that were not in good standing financially."
There'll be no free agent windfall to take to the bank, but Anmore's Danny Merth will get a say in where he plays.
The forward became a free agent Monday when the B.C. Hockey League board of governors voted to suspend the Williams Lake Timberwolves for the 2010-11 season due to financial reasons.
The league also decided to make all the club's players free agents and not hold a dispersal draft.
"I found out when one of the owners, Richard Kohlen, called me Monday to say that it looked like the team would be suspended," the 19-year-old Merth said. "He said they couldn't work out a deal to sell the team, the owners couldn't agree and the league was running out of time."
It means Merth can look for a situation that benefits him and help him attract a possible scholarship.
"I'm just going to look for a place where I can play -- I'd like to play close to home, if I could."
The Coquitlam Express' Darcy Rota said the team is looking at Merth, and a couple of other T-wolves, for the upcoming season.
"We're talking about some of the players, it's something Jon (Calvano, Coquitlam head coach and director of hockey operations) and I are discussing," Rota, the club's president and general manager, said. "We talked about (Merth), we like Danny and the Merth family is a great family."
He played for the Express in 2008-09 as an affiliate player. He also cheered on the club when older brother Peter anchored the blueline for two years in Coquitlam and one season in Burnaby.
The younger brother said the past year in Williams Lake started well, but money troubles and on-ice struggles began to take a toll at Christmas.
"The first half of the season was good, we weren't expected to do too much, with so many rookies. Around Christmas I guess the owners began having problems, they started to trade our veterans and things kind of fell apart from there."
As a rookie with the last place T-wolves, the six-foot-one Merth tallied 10 goals and 18 assists in 49 games.
League commissioner John Grisdale said the governors had little choice when it came to freezing the franchise.
"The options under our bylaws are quite clear and they were a team that were not in good standing financially."
Sunday, May 23, 2010
LADD & BLACKHAWKS TO PLAY FOR CUP
Andrew Ladd is going back to the Stanley Cup Finals. His Blackhawks completed a 4 game sweep of the San Jose Sharks with a 4-2 come from behind win in game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
It wasn't all good for the former Express, Ladd left game 4 with a undisclosed injury after playing just 2:14 of ice time.
This spring Ladd has 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points in 15 games.
The Maple Ridge native will be looking for his second cup ring. He won a Stanley Cup in his rookie season in 05-06 with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Chicago will play the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Philadelphia and Montreal where the Flyers have a 3-1 series lead.
The Hawks return to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since being swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and are looking to snap the longest current cup drought in NHL at 49 years which dates back to 1961.
Ladd played with the Express for the 02-03 season putting up 15 goals and 55 points in 58 games. From there, he was off to the WHL where he starred with the Calgary Hitmen and was drafted 4th overall in 2004.
There's another Express connection in this cup final, Keith Seabrook's older brother Brent stars on the Blackhawks back end.
Personally as a Canuck fan it's been tough seeing Chicago knock off Vancouver the last 2 years. But you can't help but admire just how good Chicago is. Their speed, skill, grit and tenacity is certainly something to be admired.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
USHL GOALIE GOAL
This isn't Express or BCHL related but, Fargo Force goalie Ryan Massa in the USHL scored a goal in a recent playoff game. It's not a total surprise it happened, goalie goals are rare, but you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all. They all pretty much are all the same.
But why I bring this one up is how mellow dramatic and ho hum the play by play announcer Jason Habeck of the Green Bay Gamblers is while calling the goal.
Check it out...
But why I bring this one up is how mellow dramatic and ho hum the play by play announcer Jason Habeck of the Green Bay Gamblers is while calling the goal.
Check it out...
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