Growing up a fan of hockey was easy for me. There wasn’t a game that I wasn’t watching, but to find a team that really made me believe in the sport well that was harder than you think while growing up Alberta, Canada. A province with heavyweight alumni in its own right. With its prolific history of high scoring goal scorers, point producing defensemen, or even historic game saving goals saved by goalies. Even sitting on the old wooden benches high at the old Calgary arena, or the Scotiabank Saddledome to you, Nuckleheads. Even if it just so happens to be across the border or across the globe.
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Now you’ve been probably asking yourself why does he respect and idolize the Philadelphia Flyers, or in this case Keith Tkachuk. Wait what, Keith Tkachuk?? Not Mike Modano. You see it all starts with one of us. Simply put hard work and determination well get you places. Oh and believe me, putting your body on the line for the sake of success and belief in oneself isn’t necessarily the smartest. I learned that the hard way. My point is we all know how that road ends, it’s either a road to nowhere or a high road to lead you to better, beautiful destinations but the bumps are heavier and the knocks you’ll take will hurt you but for the lack of a better word, they’re there for just that. To test you. Can’t expect cake and expect crumbs is what I’m saying.
However, to actually find a player that epitomizes all these things, that player was Keith Tkachuk. He was a bit of a no joke for me. A no nonsense type of player who wasn’t afraid of a little hard work and old fashioned elbow grease! In my opinion, with that type of attitude, he would have fit in Philadelphia’s system perfectly. He was the start of many favorites amongst American born hockey players for me.
I myself married an American woman. My life is a funny one indeed. I’m a Canadian citizen yes, but its funny at the fact that the player I idolized married a Canadian woman during his time in Winnipeg. A little ironic, wouldn’t you say?!
I admired his time in Arizona as well, leading the team in goals on two separate occassions. He also led the NHL in goals one season and he was the first American born player to do so. He for me was the game changer.
He was your all around type of player but he was more known for his presence on the ice more than anything. Especially in front of the opposing team’s net A Power Forward. A term you don’t hear too often anymore in today’s NHL. He was the type of player who would make a move with his body than his own skill. To me, that took guts and sacrifice. Yeah, you may see the occasional hockey player lose his teeth every now and again but you knew just by watching Tkachuk that he was tough as nails. He’d park his ass right in front of the opposing teams goalie. And wouldn’t budge. And in hockey, that’s a no no, it’s almost an area where you’re more than likely to get your teeth knocked out by the opposing teams defensemen while they’re there to protect their net! And boy did he get punished.
On one such occasion, Tkachuk once shattered his upper jaw and he ended up losing four teeth because of it. All off on one play by his then former teammate, T.J. Oshie. Oh sheeeeeeeeeeetttt!! I used to say; as I used to call him as a way of not cursing in front of my mother much to her dismay during the 2018 Cup Finals. Oshie who is another great American born player, and whom I’ll talk about later was a good player for Tkachuk. Many a times, Tkachuk willingly would deflect pucks, something he is known for; this time pucks would end up hitting him in the face! Tkachuk was famous for these types of goals, it didn’t matter, he’d be the team player. My kind of player!
But off of the ice he was more than a hockey player, he was himself. More importantly, a gentleman and a superb teammate who would always be there for you and always have your back. Whether it be picking up the tab or paying for his teammates meals, I always had reason to believe he was just being a mentor. Especially to some key NHL alumni. Players such as Jeremy Roenick, Alexei Zhamnov, Teemu Selanne, Alexander Steen, TJ Oshie, Paul Kariya, Ilya Kovalchuk, and my favorite out of all of them. Rest his soul. Pav’s. Or Pavol Demitra. Tkachuk had class. Class all around. A gentleman!!
I guess this topic is too broad of a spectrum considering the fact that hockey to this day remains Canada’s game. For example, in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC. Canada while most Canadians were cheering on their national team of choice, Canada. I had my sights on the USA taking the gold medal game. That year was a very turbulent year, for the Philadelphia Flyers as well. For those that know, know. Let me explain.
But America as whole, as well as the country building talent individually, the country has been the team to watch for quite some time. This is where it gets Nitty Gritty.
Now for some, the Olympics shouldn’t include the likes of famous athletes, after all the 1980 Olympics were probably one of the better times for the Olympics in my humble opinion. It was a time when the world had young athletes wanting to represent their country. Athletes nowadays seem to be on another level with their training regimen. Back then, they were young, eager kids. Kids wanting to play for pride, to showcase the world their talent! Most importantly to play for their country. And what batter way than to have a coach like Herb Brooks. To some Herb Brooks was bit of a mean spirited coach. Too straightforward for some, tells you like it is type, I like people like that! They have heart! But for some, Herb was a little too self driven and maybe a tad headstrong, but believe me when I say this, he’d let you know that if you messed up or if he made the right choice. If he didn’t, he’d let you know too. Herb was very motivated, almost possessed in the year 1980, Mostly because he was chosen as the head coach of the 1980’s Men’s National Ice hockey team. He had good reason as they were fighting for against a powerhouse Russian team who had one of the most intimidating and athletic goalies known to man, Vladislav Tretiak. That was the game that was deemed the “Miracle on Ice”. And it was. Herb became a hero and along with those young men that played in that game. It was a beautiful sight!
Speaking of goalies, my favorite American born goalie has to be Ryan Miller, dubbed the “Leaf Killer” by the media in Toronto. He turned out to be a good choice for me, as it helped me by paying attention to the US College Hockey Teams. And thus my love for U.S.A. hockey began to develop. Ryan Miller now, is probably one of the more well established men in the National Hockey League. Even when he took a hit from Milan Lucic. Miller had the nerve to address the media and call Milan out! I mean yes, I am a Broadstreet Bully fan but even still, I am sure my team would stick up for their goalie if someone on the other team were to have a free pass on hitting our goalie. Because that’s what happened, Lucic ran through Ryan Miller as he tried to play the puck. Knocked his helmet off to be exact.
You see where I am getting at with the gentlemanly hockey motif, yet?
What made me more mad however was watching Ryan’s teammates. Not one of them stood up to Lucic, a hardworking Canadian player in his own right for hitting the aforementioned Miller. Where is the comradery in that? Shame, really because Miller was pissed off as he had every right to be. The goalie is out of the net, he’s exposed but to warrant a free play to hit the goalie; with no one to back up Miller, Miller had no choice to address it to the media. Even as a die-hard fan of this game, I’m sorry but I wasn’t a fan of that, I wasn’t a fan of it at all. It was a rough play, but it was something that had to be addressed. Miller ended up addressing it in the media, and ended up calling it a “gutless play”. Lucic is a gentleman, I assure you he is.
He has done some pretty amazing stuff with the Edmonton Oilers organization. As mentioned before this a genuine Nitty Gritty article.
I mean I was always interested in college sporting events. Even as a kid, I was an avid USC Trojans football fan. Iconic color’s. Burgundy and Gold. But to see college ice hockey was interesting to me. Those jerseys and colors will be a familiarity for me. As I am sure they are for you all, too.
Another player I’d like to touch bases on and this will be last, is T.J. Oshie. Now Oshie is special. I know you hear that all the time, but let me speak from the heart for a moment here, Oshie is of Indigenous descent. Ojibwe Nation. Something I relate to on a more personal level. As I myself have some form of Indigenous blood in me as well. To me he was a good team player as well as exciting to watch. He was known more well for his shot, and finesse with the body. Oshie wasn’t afraid. He had drive and purpose. As well as focus. He was the exciting type of player to keep a keen eye on. Oshie also had good hands, and is for some people a savior, a hero. An icon! Especially when the Olympics in Sochi, Russia came around in 2014. Again it was U.S.A. and Russia in the Finals and this time it was via a shootout, he was sent out on the ice an unheard of, six times. He than managed to put the puck in the back of the net miraculously four times out of six. An unheralded amount for the shootout. Especially considering the amount of players that team Russia showcased during that shootout. He showed up! A very proud moment for him and his fellow country as well as countrymen.
But one of my favorite moments of his, was when he won the Stanley Cup a mere four years later. This time he was on the Capitals. A team that has been chasing the Cup since the late twentieth century. Oshie won it, he finally won it, but he didn’t just win it. Oshie had one of the if not the most powerful Stanley Cup moments I have seen in recent memory. He won it for his father, now for those that don’t know his father suffers from Alzheimer’s. That was a beautiful moment that’s for sure.
Every player wins the Stanley Cup but they all seem to have different opinions or viewpoints on what they should do with it once you win it. I for one, am proud of what Oshie had done with that Cup, he handed it off to his Dad. And I am sure they had the best moment of their lives with it, let alone day with it. I know I would have done the same thing, except I would have done it for my family! Oshie is and will always be a man of class and integrity, he has a high engine but he is ultimately a team player and that is why I figured I would write this article on U.S.A. Hockey.
It really is the Gentleman’s Game and is especially over the years, I have found, not limited to if not indeed for everyone.
LET’S GO FLYERS!!!
