NHL clubs find common threads in European nations
Mar 15, 2006 14:16:56 GMT -5
Post by Habit on Mar 15, 2006 14:16:56 GMT -5
NHL clubs find common threads in European nations
By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
The Swedish Red Wings, the Czech Rangers and the Finnish Stars aren't NHL franchises, and yet they are clearly visible in the league standings.
European participation is commonplace, but the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers have embraced a trend of counting heavily on a group of players from one European country. The Red Wings have seven Swedes. The Rangers have seven Czechs. The Stars have six Finns.
"There is a comfort level there," says Dallas general manager Doug Armstrong. "We had early success with Jere Lehtinen, so we have gone back to that well."
All three teams lead their division, suggesting an advantage to the groupings.
"Don't forget we are from different countries, and everything is different," Rangers winger Jaromir Jagr said earlier this season. "Even if we like it here in America, it is still a different country. If you have a guy from the same country who can speak the same language around you, it is more comfortable."
Five of the Rangers' top six scorers are Czech players. Their contributions are a significant reason the team is in line to make the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
On the Red Wings, three of the top six defensemen are Swedes and Henrik Zetterberg is the team's leading goal scorer. On the Stars, Finnish winger Lehtinen leads the team with 29 goals. Dallas forward Jussi Jokinen has stunned the league by going 9-for-9 during shootouts.
"The Finns are very Canadian-like," says Stars coach Dave Tippett. "They are methodical in their approach. They go about their business, and they are very good teammates. They are low-maintenance."
He calls Lehtinen "The Godfather" because "the way he prepares is second to none."
"A lot of these Finnish kids come in look at his work ethic, and they think that's the way we have to be," Tippett says.
In Dallas, says Tippett, it isn't as if the Finns have their own social club. "I don't see all the Finns hanging around together and the rest of the team in a different place," Tippett says. "They integrate pretty well."
Detroit general manager Ken Holland says "it's more than coincidence" that his team has seven Swedish players.
"It's not a master plan," he says. "We never said we want to get seven Swedes, but when we got four or five and they played well, you start to think, if you grow up playing a similar style of hockey, you might have pretty good on-ice chemistry."
Embracing one country's players isn't new for the Red Wings, although the map coordinates are different this time. Former coach Scotty Bowman put together the Russian Five of Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Fetisov, Slava Kozlov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Fedorov. They helped the Red Wings win a Stanley Cup in 1997.
"We've had great success, and Europeans have been a big part of that," Holland says. "When Scotty put together the Russian Five, that was really the start of the Red Wings we see today. I think it even had an impact on how we developed our drafting philosophy and scouting philosophy."
Former NHL coach Jacques Demers is amused by how dramatically the game has changed in the last decade.
"When we won the Stanley Cup in Montreal in 1993, we didn't have a European," he says. "Montreal goaltenders are now from France and Switzerland. A few years ago, would you have believed that?"
Demers says Quebec used to be the "Mecca of goaltending, and now many of the goalies are coming from Europe."
Gone are the days when NHL general managers believed that you couldn't win if you had too many Europeans.
"It may have gone the other way now in that if you don't have Europeans, then you don't have enough skill," Tippett says.
By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
The Swedish Red Wings, the Czech Rangers and the Finnish Stars aren't NHL franchises, and yet they are clearly visible in the league standings.
European participation is commonplace, but the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers have embraced a trend of counting heavily on a group of players from one European country. The Red Wings have seven Swedes. The Rangers have seven Czechs. The Stars have six Finns.
"There is a comfort level there," says Dallas general manager Doug Armstrong. "We had early success with Jere Lehtinen, so we have gone back to that well."
All three teams lead their division, suggesting an advantage to the groupings.
"Don't forget we are from different countries, and everything is different," Rangers winger Jaromir Jagr said earlier this season. "Even if we like it here in America, it is still a different country. If you have a guy from the same country who can speak the same language around you, it is more comfortable."
Five of the Rangers' top six scorers are Czech players. Their contributions are a significant reason the team is in line to make the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
On the Red Wings, three of the top six defensemen are Swedes and Henrik Zetterberg is the team's leading goal scorer. On the Stars, Finnish winger Lehtinen leads the team with 29 goals. Dallas forward Jussi Jokinen has stunned the league by going 9-for-9 during shootouts.
"The Finns are very Canadian-like," says Stars coach Dave Tippett. "They are methodical in their approach. They go about their business, and they are very good teammates. They are low-maintenance."
He calls Lehtinen "The Godfather" because "the way he prepares is second to none."
"A lot of these Finnish kids come in look at his work ethic, and they think that's the way we have to be," Tippett says.
In Dallas, says Tippett, it isn't as if the Finns have their own social club. "I don't see all the Finns hanging around together and the rest of the team in a different place," Tippett says. "They integrate pretty well."
Detroit general manager Ken Holland says "it's more than coincidence" that his team has seven Swedish players.
"It's not a master plan," he says. "We never said we want to get seven Swedes, but when we got four or five and they played well, you start to think, if you grow up playing a similar style of hockey, you might have pretty good on-ice chemistry."
Embracing one country's players isn't new for the Red Wings, although the map coordinates are different this time. Former coach Scotty Bowman put together the Russian Five of Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Fetisov, Slava Kozlov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Fedorov. They helped the Red Wings win a Stanley Cup in 1997.
"We've had great success, and Europeans have been a big part of that," Holland says. "When Scotty put together the Russian Five, that was really the start of the Red Wings we see today. I think it even had an impact on how we developed our drafting philosophy and scouting philosophy."
Former NHL coach Jacques Demers is amused by how dramatically the game has changed in the last decade.
"When we won the Stanley Cup in Montreal in 1993, we didn't have a European," he says. "Montreal goaltenders are now from France and Switzerland. A few years ago, would you have believed that?"
Demers says Quebec used to be the "Mecca of goaltending, and now many of the goalies are coming from Europe."
Gone are the days when NHL general managers believed that you couldn't win if you had too many Europeans.
"It may have gone the other way now in that if you don't have Europeans, then you don't have enough skill," Tippett says.
It will be interesting to watch these 3 teams when the Playoffs start, and see if their experments work or not...