Chipchura: On the road to the pressure cooker
Nov 30, 2006 6:07:50 GMT -5
Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Nov 30, 2006 6:07:50 GMT -5
Chipchura: On the road to the pressure cooker
Shane Malloy | NHL.com correspondent
Nov 28, 2006, 12:00 PM EST
Center Kyle Chipchura, Montreal's top 2004 selection, has stepped up for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs this season.
Whenever a player is drafted by the Montreal Canadiens he knows the franchise's great history and even greater expectations going forward are part of the package.
Kyle Chipchura may even be under more pressure than most since he already has drawn comparisons to current Habs GM Bob Gainey in terms of defensive capabilities, leadership ability and intangibles. Gainey was atar as a player in Montreal from 1973 to 1989.
Chipchura, a first-round pick in 2004, has leadership experience, having captained the Prince Albert Raiders and the gold-medal winning Canadian squad at the World Junior Championships last winter.
This season, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Chipchura is playing center for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs and has excelled, scoring three goals and eight assists in 19 games. And he has been a leader for the Bulldogs, despite being relatively inexperienced at the AHL level.
That ability to flourish in new settings is one of those intangibles that set Chipchura apart from other players. Teammates, it seems, want to go through a wall for him.
Upon meeting him, you begin to understand why. He has an aura about him that makes everyone feel comfortable and needed.
“I am not a real rah-rah kind of guy," Chipchura said. "I try to go out and work real hard and play with a high tempo all the time.”
Other players notice Chipchura’s relentless style almost immediately.
"I have played with and against him and it is impossible not to want to play hard for him since he gives everything he has and that is all anyone can ask from a captain," said former Team Canada teammate Dustin Boyd, drafted in 2004 by the Calgary Flames.
"He is such a great guy off the ice and he would give the shirt off his back for anyone,” said Blake Comeau, another former Team Canada teammate and a 2004 New York Islanders draftee.
Former NHL defenseman Dave Manson, who coached Chipchura in Prince Albert, also is effusive about Chipchura's abilities.
"Throughout the season you can see him begin to understand the subtleties of leadership and how to communicate with the different individuals on the team,” Manson said.
As he makes his way through his first professional season, Chipchura has taken things day by day and says things have gone well so far. Chipchura understands he is not playing against kids anymore, but hardened professional men vying for NHL contracts.
“It has been good, I am learning more than expected and I have been having a lot of fun," he said. "Anytime you are playing against men that are a few years older and more experienced, you are forced to keep up and adapt. The quicker you do, the more success you will have.
"When you are playing against the top lines in this league, they are considerably more consistent in everything they do compared to junior. It is far more of a personal challenge."
When the going gets rough, Chipchura harkens back to his days in Prince Albert -- where coaches Manson and Peter Anholt helped mold him into the player he is now -- to remember the many things he learned.
"With the coaches like Dave Manson, who has been around the NHL a long time and knows what to expect, he can help you with all the details," Chipchura said. "Peter has coached a long time and produced players that have gone on to the NHL, so he knows what the junior players need to improve and they are both great guys and they have helped to make the next step. On the ice, they preached accountability and work hard to improve every game and become a professional in your approach to the game."
Now that he is entrenched in the Montreal organization, Chipchura has formed a brotherhood with his teammates and is glad that a few of the veterans have made things easier for the rookies.
"Guys like Maxim Lapierre keep thing pretty light around here and he makes guys laugh and young guys can relax.”
But, not completely. Being a rookie again has made Chipchura nervous as the team's initiation has yet to unfold. He laughed thinking about the possibilities of the price he will have to pay.
“The guys have said it is coming, so we are just waiting for it and we are kind of nervous since we do not know it is going to be," he said. "Hopefully, it will be just a little supper that the rookies have to pay for. I hope that’s all we have."
It remains to be seen if Chipchura’s past lessons in leadership and character on the Saskatchewan prairies will one day help lead the Habs back to glory. One thing's for certain, he will have no lack of mentorship with Bob Gainey, Guy Carbonneau, Kirk Muller and Doug Jarvis all among Montreal’s present leadership cadre.
That certainly has to count for something.
- tinyurl.com/yecwjq
Shane Malloy | NHL.com correspondent
Nov 28, 2006, 12:00 PM EST
Center Kyle Chipchura, Montreal's top 2004 selection, has stepped up for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs this season.
Whenever a player is drafted by the Montreal Canadiens he knows the franchise's great history and even greater expectations going forward are part of the package.
Kyle Chipchura may even be under more pressure than most since he already has drawn comparisons to current Habs GM Bob Gainey in terms of defensive capabilities, leadership ability and intangibles. Gainey was atar as a player in Montreal from 1973 to 1989.
Chipchura, a first-round pick in 2004, has leadership experience, having captained the Prince Albert Raiders and the gold-medal winning Canadian squad at the World Junior Championships last winter.
This season, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Chipchura is playing center for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs and has excelled, scoring three goals and eight assists in 19 games. And he has been a leader for the Bulldogs, despite being relatively inexperienced at the AHL level.
That ability to flourish in new settings is one of those intangibles that set Chipchura apart from other players. Teammates, it seems, want to go through a wall for him.
Upon meeting him, you begin to understand why. He has an aura about him that makes everyone feel comfortable and needed.
“I am not a real rah-rah kind of guy," Chipchura said. "I try to go out and work real hard and play with a high tempo all the time.”
Other players notice Chipchura’s relentless style almost immediately.
"I have played with and against him and it is impossible not to want to play hard for him since he gives everything he has and that is all anyone can ask from a captain," said former Team Canada teammate Dustin Boyd, drafted in 2004 by the Calgary Flames.
"He is such a great guy off the ice and he would give the shirt off his back for anyone,” said Blake Comeau, another former Team Canada teammate and a 2004 New York Islanders draftee.
Former NHL defenseman Dave Manson, who coached Chipchura in Prince Albert, also is effusive about Chipchura's abilities.
"Throughout the season you can see him begin to understand the subtleties of leadership and how to communicate with the different individuals on the team,” Manson said.
As he makes his way through his first professional season, Chipchura has taken things day by day and says things have gone well so far. Chipchura understands he is not playing against kids anymore, but hardened professional men vying for NHL contracts.
“It has been good, I am learning more than expected and I have been having a lot of fun," he said. "Anytime you are playing against men that are a few years older and more experienced, you are forced to keep up and adapt. The quicker you do, the more success you will have.
"When you are playing against the top lines in this league, they are considerably more consistent in everything they do compared to junior. It is far more of a personal challenge."
When the going gets rough, Chipchura harkens back to his days in Prince Albert -- where coaches Manson and Peter Anholt helped mold him into the player he is now -- to remember the many things he learned.
"With the coaches like Dave Manson, who has been around the NHL a long time and knows what to expect, he can help you with all the details," Chipchura said. "Peter has coached a long time and produced players that have gone on to the NHL, so he knows what the junior players need to improve and they are both great guys and they have helped to make the next step. On the ice, they preached accountability and work hard to improve every game and become a professional in your approach to the game."
Now that he is entrenched in the Montreal organization, Chipchura has formed a brotherhood with his teammates and is glad that a few of the veterans have made things easier for the rookies.
"Guys like Maxim Lapierre keep thing pretty light around here and he makes guys laugh and young guys can relax.”
But, not completely. Being a rookie again has made Chipchura nervous as the team's initiation has yet to unfold. He laughed thinking about the possibilities of the price he will have to pay.
“The guys have said it is coming, so we are just waiting for it and we are kind of nervous since we do not know it is going to be," he said. "Hopefully, it will be just a little supper that the rookies have to pay for. I hope that’s all we have."
It remains to be seen if Chipchura’s past lessons in leadership and character on the Saskatchewan prairies will one day help lead the Habs back to glory. One thing's for certain, he will have no lack of mentorship with Bob Gainey, Guy Carbonneau, Kirk Muller and Doug Jarvis all among Montreal’s present leadership cadre.
That certainly has to count for something.
- tinyurl.com/yecwjq