Tag Archives: NHL Trade Rumors

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: The Oilers Nearly Traded a Stanley Cup-Winning Goalie to the Penguins in ’88?

According to Pittsburgh Penguins beat writers Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe (The Athletic), in February of 1988, Oilers GM Glen Sather and Pens GM Eddie Johnston had a deal in place that might’ve changed the immediate future of the Pens and long-term one of the Oilers had it gone through.

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This is the story of a trade that never happened,

In February 1988, the Penguins were building a talented team. They had acquired Paul Coffey earlier that season and, at 22, Mario Lemieux was surpassing Wayne Gretzky as hockey’s dominant player. But they didn’t have much in the way of a goaltender. (Eddie) Johnston, himself a former goaltender, knew this was a concern.

Andy Moog had demanded a trade from the Oilers months earlier, as Edmonton had chosen Grant Fuhr to be its No. 1 goaltender. Moog had Stanley Cup playoff experience and was still fairly young, making him a sensible choice to join the Penguins.

Johnston and Oilers general manager Glen Sather had a deal in place. The Penguins agreed to send young goaltender Steve Guenette and their first pick in the 1988 draft to the Oilers in return for Moog. At the last minute, however, Penguins owner Edward DeBartolo nixed the deal. (source)

Now, what isn’t said is where the Pens were selecting at the 1988 NHL entry draft…

At 4th overall, Pittsburgh selected left-wing Darrin Shannon from the Windsor Spitfires, a Memorial Cup All-Star and Major Junior Scholastic Player of the Year winner, ahead of future hall-of-famers Jeremy Roenick (8th ov), Rod Brind’Amour (9th ov), and Teemu Selanne (10th ov).

Who knows which player the Oilers might’ve selected 4th overall that year had they made the deal to send Moog to the Pens. They had a shit draft that year anyhow. Out of the THIRTEEN picks they possessed, only FOUR made it to the show, Shjon Podein, Len Barrie, Trevor Sim, and Francois Leroux.

Len Barrie’s kid Tyson is now an Edmonton Oiler… How’s that for coming full-circle?

So, not only could the Oilers have added another hall-of-famer to their dynasty in the first round, they could’ve picked Tie Domi in the first, he went 27th to the Leafs. If they wanted another tough guy, Link Gaetz was picked right after Edmonton went in the 2nd round. In the 3rd round, Mark Recchi, Rob Blake, or Tony Amonte were available. In the 4th, Alexander Mogilny was sitting there. Another Russian could’ve gone in the 5th, Dmitri Kristich. Why stop at two Russians in the 6th round? Valeri Kamensky was there to take. Eventual 700+ game player Marty McInnis might’ve made a good selection in the 7th round. Not convinced with either Tie Domi or Link Gaetz, Tony Twist in the 8th round was an option. Bret Hedican in the 9th was around, Alexei Gusarov in the 10th, Claude Lapointe in the 11th…

I think you get the point. Edmonton’s scouting staff was out to lunch that year… But I think every club has a dry spell at the draft podium from time to time. So we won’t hold it against them too much.

Anyway, I thought that you might like this little story. Funny how we haven’t heard it from Bob Stauffer in all these years.

The Athletic is having a promotion right now on subscriptions and I reckon that if I’m going to “borrow” some content from them, it’s only fair that I give them a shout-out.

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Latest NHL Speculation (8/17/2020)

Good morning hockey fans! As we mentioned last week, we’re going to up the content production here! We’ve talked to the fine gents over at The Scoring Touch and they’ve agreed to post some of their daily NHL rumors here at Beer League Heroes!

Now, if you don’t know, The Scoring Touch is the official website of The Puck Report from Instagram and Twitter. They produce some really rad IG graphics and are on the ball NHL news-wise on Twitter as well. You definitely need to give them a follow if you aren’t already!

The plan I have for this new segment is to comment on some of the speculations that are out there from an Edmonton Oilers perspective to try and keep things interesting during this next four-month layoff…

Today’s speculation will cover Ottawa’s picks, a Jack Johnson and Matt Murray trade package, a possible Toronto Maple Leafs signing, the Minnesota Wild’s future at center and more.

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  • Ottawa Sun: Senators owner Eugene Melnyk confirmed the club will NOT be trading their 3rd and 5th overall picks in this coming draft, despite speculation they would look at trading them for the 1st overall selection.Bruce Garrioch notes, however, that “the expectation is the Montreal Canadiens will make a pitch for 1st overall because they were one of the most vocal teams about having a shot at the pick during the discussions about the lottery format.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Will Marc Bergevin make a Mike Ditka-like trade to get Alexis Lafrenniere at the draft? If you don’t remember, in 1999, at the NFL draft, Ditka traded every pick he had to select a running back by the name of Ricky Williams. Ultimately, it didn’t work out but it was a massive story at the time. 

I think it’s probably best for the Sens long-term success if they keep the picks because they’re most likely going to have a shot at two of Quinton Byfield, Tim Stutzle, Jamie Drysdale, Cole Perfetti, or Marco Rossi. 

  • Michael Russo, TheAthletic (subscription required): “Jonas Brodin can become a free agent next summer, so if the Wild decide he’s too expensive to re-sign, trading him this off-season or in the middle of next season seems an absolute given. Brodin, like Dumba, is the type of chip that could probably land a center” – which Minnesota will need with Koivu likely gone and Staal being 36 with one year left on his contract.Russo lists the Wild’s trade options for potential top six centers: William Nylander, Max Domi, Anthony Cirelli (offer sheet possible too), Tyler Johnson, Dylan Strome, Ryan Strome, Alex Kerfoot, Adam Henrique, Jared McCann, and Adam Gaudette.

    Free agent options: Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund, Alex Galchenyuk (re-sign), and Derick Brassard.

BLH’s Thoughts: This will be an unpopular idea, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is going to he a UFA after next season as well. Now, I’m not sure about his appetite to re-sign in Edmonton but if, for the sake of conversation, he says he’d like to play elsewhere; you have to move him and get what you can. Would it be prudent for the Oilers to re-explore an RNH for Dumba trade? 

  • Dan Kingerski: Matt Murray’s trade value in a flooded market this off-season likely doesn’t exceed that of Robin Lehner (2nd round pick, prospect, roster player), but can be closely compared to Philipp Grubauer (2nd round pick and a prospect or favor).That “favor” could potentially be a team taking on Nick Bjugstad or Jack Johnson’s contract together with acquiring Matt Murray. There is some talk around the Penguins organization such a combo of Murray and one of those players as a package in a deal is on the radar.”

BLH’s Thoughts: If the price on Murray is a 2nd round pick and a prospect/favor, Oilers GM Ken Holland has to have his nose all up in this. Does Athanasiou and Puljujarvi for Matt Murray make sense? 

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  • Nashville Predators GM David Poile says he doesn’t have an answer yet as to how situations with pending UFAs Craig Smith and Mikael Granlund will play out. Adds he could circle back and speak with their agents in a couple of weeks to discuss potential contract extensions.

BLH’s Thoughts: As I’ve said before, Craig Smith should definitely be a target for the Oilers. When he’s on the ice, the goal share is tilted his direction in a big way. As for Granlund, he could be an option but I’m not as stoked about him as I am about Smith to be honest. 

  • Ryan S. Clark, TheAthletic (subscription required): The Colorado Avalanche will use the upcoming off-season to strike a deal with RFA Andre Burakovsky that works for all sides involved. He has repaid their faith in him with his performance this season.
  • Joshua Kloke, TheAthletic (subscription required): The Maple Leafs could sign Harvard forward Nick Abruzzese to an entry-level contract. The prospect would then forgo his college eligibility, and wouldn’t begin playing games until December. His other option is to not sign with Toronto, and instead go to Europe for game-time then see if the college hockey season starts up again.The Leafs are strongly considering loaning out a few of their other prospects to Europe to gain experience and game time before minor league and NHL seasons begin in December.

For more NHL Rumors, please visit The Scoring Touch!

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Latest NHL Speculation (8/15/2020)

Good morning hockey fans! As we mentioned yesterday, we’re going to up the content production here! We’ve talked to the fine gents over at The Scoring Touch and they’ve agreed to post some of their daily NHL rumors here at Beer League Heroes!

Now, if you don’t know, The Scoring Touch is the official website of The Puck Report from Instagram and Twitter. They produce some really rad IG graphics and are on the ball NHL news-wise on Twitter as well. You definitely need to give them a follow if you aren’t already!

The plan I have for this new segment is to comment on some of the speculations that are out there from an Edmonton Oilers perspective to try and keep things interesting during this next four-month layoff…

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

Today’s edition of the Puck Report Speculation Station features Bruce Boudreau, the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets, and more.

  • Bob Stauffer on 630CHED: “I would expect to see a change in goaltending for the Oilers and at least one change to the defense this off-season. Take that for what it’s worth.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Most are speculating that one of Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, or Adam Larsson will be traded, but personally, I think that would be a mistake and the Oilers should deal Kris Russell in order to A) open up around $4M in cap space and B) to give Caleb Jones a real chance to make the club full-time. 

  • Dan Kingerski: Samuel Poulin is “borderline ready” for NHL hockey next season. The Penguins will likely give him the 9-game trial period and send him back to juniors, if they have room in the lineup for him. Has a 75% chance of making the roster next season.Pierre-Oliver Joseph is basically a lock for the NHL next season, but he probably won’t start in the top six D. The Penguins will need to move out one of Jack Johnson or Juuso Riikola for him to make the lineup regularly. GM Jim Rutherford could also look to add a defensive anchor on the right side.
  • Terry Jones (Edmonton Journal): “With Oilers GM Ken Holland talking about the flat salary cap, my read was guys like Andreas Athanasiou, Mike Smith and James Neal might not be coming back and raised the possibility of moving one of his top four veteran defensemen not named Ethan Bear. I’d guess Adam Larsson might be available in a semi-major trade.”

BLH’s Thoughts: It’s going to be a real numbers game this off-season that determines what happens with these three players. Smith had some tough nights this past season but he always followed them up with a great performance. I’m not against him being re-signed. 

As for Athanasiou, he’s not been good save for one game against the Blackhawks. If Oilers GM Ken Holland can recoup some draft picks for him, maybe a team like New Jersey or Montreal could use him. 

James Neal is not a guy I’d move. Bloated salary or not, he’s an experienced vet that is well-liked in the dressing room. Holland would definitely know the value of this kind of player and seeing how things went after moving Sam Gagner, my feeling is that Neal stays for at least one more year and is dangled to Seattle at the expansion draft. 

  • Lance Hornby: There’s talk Bruce Boudreau would consider applying for an assistant GM role – but only if it meant a chance to work with his hometown Maple Leafs. His preference is to explore potential NHL head coach options first before “giving himself a demotion.”
  • Lisa Dillman, TheAthletic: “The speculation up here is that Ottawa is going to offer the 3rd and 5th overall picks to the Rangers for 1st overall. But I wouldn’t do that.”Graeme Nichols adds he hopes those rumors are unfounded, but it would be a very “Melnyk-esque” deal if it did happen.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’d make that offer. The rumor going around is that the Kings are leaning towards taking Tim Stutzle which means the Rangers could get their franchise center in Quinton Byfield and possibly a future top-pairing defender in Jamie Drysdale if they accepted the trade. I like Alexis Lafreniere but the Rangers have a lot of depth on the wing with Panarin and Kreider on the left and Kakko, Buchnevich, and Kravtsov on the right. They need to build down the middle and on defense. Ottawa needs Laffy. 

  • Winnipeg Sun: Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff says they’ll look to add NHL players to the roster, whether it’s by free agency or trade. Friesen writes a second-line center and a proven top-four defender are must-haves for the Jets to become competitive again. They have the cap space this off-season to do it.
  • Pierre LeBrun, TheAthletic (subscription required): Former Flyers GM Ron Hextall wants to get back in the GM fold again after being let go by the club a few seasons back. His new advisory role with the LA Kings has re-energized him after what he called a “surprise dismissal” in Philadelphia.LeBrun adds: “It just so happens there’s an opening in Florida, where the Panthers are planning an extensive GM search. It would surprise me if they don’t at least talk to Hextall as part of that process.”
  • Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice: “For Bryan Little, from the Winnipeg Jets and from me personally, I want his life and health to be great, and if that means he doesn’t step on the ice again then that’s what I want.”Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet reiterates that there will be significant turnover on the Jets’ roster this off-season with all the pending free agents they have. GM Cheveldayoff hasn’t begun discussions yet with Dylan DeMelo on a new contract but says they’ll take a hard look at it.It’s also possible the Jets opt to go big-game hunting, perhaps making a pitch to St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo.

BLH’s Thoughts: If the Oilers are looking to make a big splash, what about restructuring their defense around Alex Pietrangelo? This guy has triplets though. I’d bet there’s a better chance that he stays in St. Louis. What about local boy Colton Parayko though? 

Lastly, I got a DM late LATE last night and it said that last week there was a massive brawl in the bubble amongst the Calgary Flames. I was told that Milan Lucic and an unnamed Flames veteran was at the center of all of it (sound familiar Oilers fans?)…

Also mentioned was during Chiarelli’s last year in Edmonton, he was looking at bringing in Scott Hartnell to “reign in Milan”.

It’s all unsubstantiated and hearsay and I’m glad that Milan is finding some success in Calgary, but maybe Mr. Lucic isn’t the saint that some painted him out to be. He had some issues in Boston during his time with the Bruins there I’m told from my sources out East.

Is it possible the bubble isn’t as tight as everybody thinks…

Check out more NHL rumors and speculation at The Scoring Touch!

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Elliotte Friedman’s Latest Oilers Rumors

The 31 Thoughts podcast dropped last night and in it included a fairly lengthy section on the Edmonton Oilers where co-hosts Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman gave their opinions on what Connor McDavid’s team might do this off-season.

Some of the topics covered:

  • Andreas Athanasiou
  • Edmonton’s lack of scoring support against Chicago
  • Jesse Puljujarvi
  • Holland’s Patience
  • Could the team explore trading Oscar Klefbom or Adam Larsson?
  • Who might come in to replace Mike Smith?

You can listen to the full pod at the end of this post. Skip ahead to 1:01:45-ish to get the Oilers content.

So starting with Andreas Athanasiou. The prevailing thought from both hockey pundits is that he’ll be a cap casualty. The Oilers may very well walk away because they’re afraid of being beat in an arbitration hearing. Friedman did point out that AA could accept the team offer during the arbitration process though but I’m not sure why he’d do that unless he thought he was going to lose.

My guess is they’ll look to move on from him and recoup draft picks.

As for Puljujarvi, according to Marek, he was told that things were very close to being done but Friedman had heard that that wasn’t the case at all. As he stated in his latest post on Sportsnet, he said that the team might’ve thought things were close but the player didn’t.

Another point that was added by Friedman was the Oilers were looking to sign him to make it easier to trade him but Puljujarvi wanted more control over where he was going. Perhaps he wasn’t going to sign unless he knew where he was going.

The two also felt that JP’s peers from his draft class are establishing themselves in the NHL and maybe the best thing for Jesse would be to get over to North America and play.

This is something I agree with. Another year in Finland is not something I would consider best for his development or career trajectory. Had he moved to the KHL or the SHL, then I could understand because there’s an element of increased difficulty there in addition to immersing himself into another country and culture.

Jeff Marek asked about Mike Smith and the pair had pondered earlier in the pod on the number of goalies that are going to hit the market this off-season. It’s possible that some might have to sign for less because there are more chairs than people to sit in them.

Friedman offered up the names of Thomas Greiss and Anton Khudobin as players he could see signing in Edmonton.

I’m not sure about these guys, to be honest. They both make a fair chunk of cash, right? Khudobin ($2.5M) and Greiss ($3,33M) and they’re both 34 years old… They are solid netminders though. I reckon if Holland could get them for closer to $2M/yr, that would be the best-case scenario. Otherwise, perhaps finding a trade to fill the need might just be the way to go.

Finally, there was lots of chatter about what Ken Holland could do with the defense. Friedman noted that he thinks Holland will be patient and that he won’t move his young defenders, specifically naming Darnell Nurse as he’s not an older player and he’s part of the leadership group.

They did mention Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson mind you.

The Klefbom/Krug rumor came up and then the bearded wonder mused, “Edmonton and Toronto, to me, look like potentially natural trading partners.” as well as “I really do believe Holland isn’t going to move his young D. So where’s the fit?”

I do concur that it looks like Toronto is going to muscle up this off-season but the targets still have to be able to play.

Now, the Leafs have Morgan Reilly, Jake Muzzin, Travis Dermott, and Rasmus Sandin on their left-side according to Mr. Friedman. That would lead one to believe that Adam Larsson could be the target for Toronto but how would that leave the Oilers?

They’d have Bear, Benning, and Bouchard as their natural right-shot defenders available in addition to Kris Russell and Caleb Jones who can both play their off-side. Would you be comfortable with that set-up going into 2020/21 if Larsson could net the team Andreas Johnsson or Kasperi Kapanen?

In my mind, if the Leafs and Oilers really want to shake things up, make the Nurse/Nylander trade.

It’s my belief that Nurse’s mean streak is slowly losing its luster as he grows older so that part of his game is becoming less impactful and his contribution to the offensive part of the game is predicated upon playing with Connor McDavid primarily. Take him away from 97 and the offense dries up. So what are you left with?

I don’t think that Edmonton needs to get younger on the back-end. In fact, they could benefit from getting older and a veteran left-shot blueliner that excels at defending and puck-moving is a lot easier to find than not.

I’d argue that the Oilers would be a better team, a deeper team if they traded Nurse for Nylander and added Erik Gustafsson to fill in on the 2nd pair. But that’s just me. If the team is worried about a physical presence, don’t trade Larsson and/or sign Derek Engelland…

It really all goes back to Friedman’s belief that Ken Holland won’t be making any panic moves but he will look to improve the netminding and the wings.

It’s going to be an interesting fall for all of the Canadian NHL teams… I talked to a gentleman who covers the Canucks and he agreed. “Very busy!” he added.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

2019/20 Edmonton Oilers: The Hawks, the Latest on Puljujarvi (New Rumor), and a Chat with Former World Junior Star Tyler Bouck

What a bloody joke this is. The Edmonton Oilers finish HIGHER than the Dallas Stars but have to participate in a “play-in” vs. the Chicago Blackhawks in order to get to the actual playoffs… Why would a team who was 2nd in their division when the regular season ended be required to win FIVE different playoff series in order to win the Stanley Cup? Where’s the integrity of the game there?

What’s funniest about this whole situation is that there’s a small possibility that the Oilers could win the draft lottery and have a shot at Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, Tim Stutzle, or Jamie Drysdale should they lose the best-of-five series against the Blackhawks.

(If you’re on Instagram and haven’t had a chance to check out the BLH Hockey account, please, head on over and follow us for daily coverage of the Oilers and other hockey news!)

Another thing that has me chuckling is Bill Daly saying, “If 1 or 2 players from a team tested positive for the coronavirus, it wouldn’t necessarily require a team quarantine. That continues to be the medical advice that both we and the Players Association (separately) are receiving.”

WHAT?! If two students in an elementary school in Taipei test positive, they shut the whole building down and send everyone home! To put that into perspective, an elementary school here could have at least 1000 students in it, if not hundreds more depending on the school. All sent home over TWO positive cases… One positive case cancels a class, that’s about 30 kids…

Is the NHL receiving medical advice from Trump’s advisors or what? Such an ignorant position to take… Absolutely irresponsible.

Now with that said, I will be watching the hockey games should they be televised. I’m guessing the Oilers should have a really decent chance against Chicago. Kane, Toews, and Crawford don’t scare me as much as Edmonton not really knowing how to handle the situation and blowing it does.

Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith had some really nice momentum going just as the season stopped too and that pair builds it up at a snail’s pace plus they’re prone to some rank dips in form, something the Oilers cannot afford.

Now, what about the mindsets of players like Kris Russell, Matt Benning, and Markus Granlund? All three of these players are near guaranteed to be moved in the off-season, how will their performances go after such a long break and so much speculation?

My feeling is that the first hockey we see is going to be AWESOME though! It’ll be full of mistakes and creativity, the players will be revved up after such a long break, and the refs will be getting their games up to par as well, so the unpredictability there is going to be great!

But how long will fans in Edmonton “just be happy that hockey is back” if they lose out in three straight?…

New Jesse Puljujarvi Rumor

There’s some talk out of Sweden from one of their commentators, Teppo Laaksonen, that if Puljujarvi isn’t traded out of Edmonton that he might be better off landing in Sweden. The common belief is that the Swedish Hockey League is a bit better than the SM-Liiga and it would be an excellent stepping stone for the young Finn.

Laaksonen says there’s no shortage of teams who could use a player like Jesse. Clubs such as Leksand, Skelleftea, Farjestad, Linkoping, and possibly Frolunda are all in the market for a dynamic forward in Pulju’s mold.

To add to this, since European players cannot sign and start playing right away in the NHL, they may sign flexible deals in countries like Sweden, Finland, Germany, or Switzerland in order to be able to leave when the 2020/21 NHL season does commence.

BLH Hockey Interview Vol.3: Tyler Bouck

Now, full disclosure, Tyler and I grew up in the same town (Camrose, AB) and we played minor soccer against each other and together for many years. I even had a chance to step on the ice with him a couple of times, once when we were both trying out for out minor novice rep team (I got cut and he was too good so they moved him up a couple of levels), and the other time was during noon shinny at the old haunted Wild Rose Arena. We were on a 2v0 and I considered myself to be a pretty good skater at the time, I don’t think I’ve ever tried to move my legs that fast ever… JUST TO KEEP UP! Needless to say, Tyler gave me the easy tap-in and I, in my infinite hockey wisdom thought he was in a better position and passed it back to him but he was already behind the net by then… Personal shame ensued…

Anyways, I’ve always looked up to Tyler and he’s been so kind to me and my parents over the years. I’m glad we got the chance to chat about hockey. Here’s our short interview.

Who was your hockey hero growing up?

I was fortunate to meet Adam Graves the summer of 1990, which was right after the Oilers won the Stanley Cup and he was the centerman for the “Kid Line”.  We struck up a friendship that lasts even today.  Since meeting him, he was my favorite player and someone I always tried to be like.  A great role model.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh7M75bnQgY

Which NHL team was your favorite?

I grew up an Oilers fan, and then when Graves went to the New York Rangers they became my favorite team.  The 94’ Stanley Cup finals against Vancouver is still one of the best playoff series I have ever seen.

What was the best piece of advice given to you as a player? 

I don’t think it was actual advice, but watching Adam Graves and how he approached the game on and off the ice and trying to pick up his traits was very valuable to learning what it took to go farther. Now that I am older, my advice to a younger player would be to just keep working hard to improve and never give up.  I have become good friends with many NHL stars who were never drafted in the WHL draft, but just kept working and believing in themselves. 

What is your favorite memory from your playing career?

I have many great memories from 14 years of playing pro hockey and 4 in the WHL.  I made so many great friendships along the way and treasure them.  I think the best memory was my last playoff run in the DEL in Germany.  I hadn’t won anything and our team was a definite underdog.  My last game was game 7 in the finals and our team won 2 to 0 and I got to hoist the championship trophy with my two young sons beside me.

Who was the hardest player you ever faced?

In my first year pro, I was lucky enough to play 48 games for the Dallas Stars and got to suit up against many of my childhood idols.  I remember being in awe of Yzerman and Sakic the most.  It was special for me to be able to play against many of these players, but over my career the one player who stood out as being extremely difficult to play against (or rather watch our checking lines play against) was Jerome Iginla.  He was an all around great player and tough to play against as he could score, make plays, he played both sides of the puck, hit and he fought.

What was the World Junior experience like?

The world jr in Winnipeg is one of my fondest memories.  Unfortunately, we ended up losing the final in OT.  I got to play with some unreal players.  Roberto Luongo stole the show the entire tournament and if it weren’t for him, I am not sure we would have even made the final.

You played for some very famous hockey coaches (Ken Hitchcock, Marc Crawford, Alain Vigneault), who was the most difficult to play for?

Hard to say who was the most difficult.  I was a younger player playing for some the NHL coaches and just wanted to earn more ice time.  So it was keeping my mouth shut and just working as hard as I could.  My favorite coach ever was Kevin Dineen who I played 2 seasons for in Portland, Maine.  He was an intense competitor and demanded a lot of his players, but he had a way to bring the best out of all of his players.

We both grew up in Camrose and back then there weren’t that many people living there, what kind of advice would you give young players who live in small communities like we did if their dream is to make it to the NHL? 

I think it’s just not giving up on your dreams and working hard each day.  Whether a young player makes the NHL, WHL or even a top tier team they want to try out for in the fall, there are just so many good habits and traits learned by having a goal and making sacrifices to achieve it.

I always found you were a great leader on and off the ice, do you think leaders are born that way or are they created? 

I am unsure, but the best leaders that I have played with or observed have one thing in common – they always put the betterment of the team ahead of themselves.  They also were some of hardest workers and inclusive of everyone on their team.   The best leader I played with was Mike Keane.  He won 3 Stanley Cups for a reason.  He always played the game the right way and was such a great role model for me as a young player.

A massive thank you to Tyler! I’ve been nagging him for a while to see if he answer some questions for me and I’m really thankful he agreed. If you are looking to move into the Kelowna area and need a good realtor, head on over to Jane Hoffman Realty and ask for Tyler. There’s no doubt in my mind that he could set you up with something that you’d absolutely love.

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