Bulldogs Hold Individual Skills Event

[NWTHabsFan]

In the tradition of All-Star Games and the like, the Dogs headed down the highway to Caledonia and held their first ever Skills Competition.

Hot off his two goal game, Jonathan Ferland was the fastest skater, Hainsey and Kosty broke the radar gun with blasts of 98 and 100 mph, Corey Locke had the accurate hand, and Ellis edged Danis for goalie bragging rights with one extra save.

www.canoe.ca/Bulldogs/News/2005/03/14/960967.html

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

Curiosity: Raitis Ivanans had the second best time in the fastest skater competition and his 98mph shot was bested only by Hainsey and Kostitsyn who both rifled the puck at 100mph.

[HabbaDasher]

Can anyone comment on Ivanans' skill level?
Is he good enough to get 4th line duty with the Habs, should the need for a goon arise?

[franko]

NWTHabsFan said:

Corey Locke had the accurate hand

As seen by his team-high percentage during games . . . maybe he should shoot more often?

and Ellis edged Danis for goalie bragging rights

Too bad that doesn't extend to game situations, or there wouldn't be such panic about playoff positioning:

Danis, Yann; 20-14-5-3
Ellis, Dan; 8-18-0-1

[BadCompany]

HabbaDasher said:

Can anyone comment on Ivanans' skill level?
Is he good enough to get 4th line duty with the Habs, should the need for a goon arise?

I wouldn't read too much into Ivanans "speed" record, personally. If I'm not mistaken, Turner Stevenson and Donald Brashear also won speed skating skills competitions, while a guy like Saku Koivu never does.

Ivanans, from what I have seen and heard, isn't much of a hockey player. I don't think I've ever actually seen him touch the puck (though I imagine it does happen), and if the Dogs are pinned in their own zone with Raitis on... well, look out. He's got zero lateral mobility, and his turning arcs would embarrass some oil tanker captains.

On the flip side though, he's massive. I mean, huge. He'd scare a lot of football players. And he can move on the ice. Doesn't lose too many fights, but he isn't quite in the uber-goon category just yet. Soon, perhaps, but not yet. He gets into some tremendously exciting scraps, but scraps are only exciting if the other guy is giving as good as he gets, and you want an uber-goon to simply pound the other guy into the ice, with a quick one-two, for intimidation purposes.

Having said that, I could see him being the Habs goon if and when the league restarts. They don't have anybody else, afterall...

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

HabbaDasher said:

Can anyone comment on Ivanans' skill level?
Is he good enough to get 4th line duty with the Habs, should the need for a goon arise?

We have a team with an abundance of small skilled forwards and a 5'8" skilled defenseman. Most of our more skilled prospects are small too. Ivanans looks like Gulliver on this team. We haven't had a premiere fighter since Ferguson, an enforcer since Kordic or a player with itching powder in his jockstrap since Ulanov. A big tough cop who can speed into action can't be all that bad.

If Locke Thinnel, Plekanec, Perezhogin, Koivu, and Ribeiro can fill the nets, we can afford a goon. Society needs doctors, plumbers and policemen to address different needs. I tell my boys, "If you're going to play and take chances, you need to bring protection."

I had no idea he was that fast. It's a pleasant surprise.