Joshua Hennessy featured on McKeen's Hockey

McKeen's Hockey author Chris McCluskey wrote a feature on San Jose Sharks QMJHL prospect Joshua Hennessy.

Here is a brief preview of the article posted with permission:

Joshua Hennessy, C - QMJHL Quebec Remparts, 6-2, 194 lbs, 61GP, 33G [9th], 43A [15th], 76PTS [9th].

An underrated player who doesn't get the respect he deserves, continues to develop at a steady and progressive rate, possesses one of the best combinations of smooth skating and creative stickhandling in the league, boasts excellent speed and plays a focused and determined game, helps out and is effective defensively, sees time on both the powerplay and penalty-kill, not overly aggressive, isn't one to crash the net, instead prefers a more cerebral approach, very disciplined as well, never hurts his team by taking bad penalties, still needs to work on getting stronger on the puck, sound at both ends though his pro upside is slightly leaning more towards the offensive end, was the sixth player chosen from the 'Q' in 2003, but would likely go higher if the draft was redone today.

McKeen's Hockey has published an annual hockey preview magazine since 1994 [McKeen's Hockey Pool Yearbook], and the website focuses on original content, news, draft previews, and prospect coverage. Subscribe to Mckeen's Online and get full access to the Top 100 Prospect Rankings, scouting reports, and individual player profiles for less than $5 a month.

[Update] From Russia, with Jaromir. The WNBA's Sue Bird writes in her personal journal about going to see Jagr play during one of the coldest nights she spent in Moscow. Thanks to Offwing for the link.

[Update2] A look at next steps on ice: Hockey's sides plan to dig in; Time favors one - SJ Mercury.

[Update3] First Ad Age details the NHL's marketing struggles: NHL season cancellation cost $400 million in ad revenue, Corporate sponsors reassess long-term commitments.

"For sure you would see sponsors walk away," Mr. McIntyre said. "And once a company cuts ties, it won't be easy for the NHL to try to win them back. The reason a company sponsors is to tap into that emotion that the fan brings. We're already seeing some of our larger clients buying elsewhere."

The NHL has 20 corporate partners, including Ford Motor Co. of Canada and LaBatt's beer, whose advertising appears only in Canada; Anheuser-Busch and Southwest Airlines, whose sponsorships are U.S.-exclusive; and Nike, Coca-Cola and MasterCard, whose sponsorships cover both countries.

Then Brandweek piles on: Top of Mind: A Dose Of CPR To Help The NHL.

Contrary to popular reports, the National Hockey League is far from dead. And what will ultimately determine the viability of the nearly 90-year-old league will not be labor issues, but a marketing challenge more formidable than the most feared NHL "enforcer."

Six to 18 months from now, hockey will emerge from its self-imposed coma with a new collective bargaining agreement, fewer stars and far fewer fans. That's when the game clock will really start to count down, with commissioner Gary Bettman and the 30 NHL teams having precious little time to lure back fans, lock in sponsors and make the new numbers work.

Thanks go out to the NHL Gong Show for the link.

SJSU Ice Hockey Team Off to ACHA National Championships

GRAPHIC - A SHELDON, PHOTO - SHARKSPAGE

Press Release from SJSU captain #4 Ray Kellam:

SJSU Ice Hockey Team Off to ACHA National Championships

Next week, the San Jose State Ice Hockey Team travels to Detroit, MI where it will compete in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National Championship Tournament being held from March 2-5, 2005. The club qualified for the tournament by posting an overall record of 22-4-2, and finished the season ranked 3rd in the ACHA Division II Western Region. Key victories over rivals Stanford, Cal, USC, Colorado, Utah State and others propelled to Spartans to their best regular season record in the history of the program, as well as their 6th ACHA National Tournament Bid.

Of the 113 teams who compete in ACHA Division II play nationwide, only the top 16 clubs (four from each of the four national divisions) are selected to compete in the National Championship Tournament. This year’s event consists of a round-robin format and sets the Spartans against the following clubs:

Wed., March 2:
v. Penn State University (Northeast Div., ranked #2)

Thurs., March 3:
v. Michigan State University (Central Div., ranked #1)

Fri., March 4:
v. Miami (OH) University (Southeast Div., ranked #4)

Should the Spartans emerge as winners of their pool (Pool D), they will compete in the Tournament Semifinals on Saturday, March 5. Winners of the semifinal games play in the Championship game later that same evening. For more information on this year’s tournament, including up to the minute scores and standings, please visit the official ACHA D2 website at www.achahockey.org.

"Sendoff Scrimmage" Fundraiser
To help defer the costs of traveling to the Nationals, SJSU will be holding an inter-squad scrimmage on Sunday, February 27, 2005 from 3:15-4:30pm at Logitech Ice at San Jose (South rink). Fans are encouraged to attend the game and wish the Spartans well in their attempt to secure their first National Championship title. Admission to the event is FREE, though attendees are encouraged to give a donation to the club at the door.

The official ACHA D2 tournament website can be found here. Visit sjsuhockey.com for more information on Spartans hockey. All 27 games of the National Tournament will be broadcast online at hockeysportsradio.com.

[Update] From the Logitech Ice Center:

California Amateur Hockey State Championships Feb. 24-27

Logitech Ice will be hosting the CAHA State Championships for Tier 1 and 2 beginning February 24 and concluding on the 27th. Divisions from PW to Midget AAA will be competing with hopes to qualify for the Pacific District Tournament.

All games will be held at Logitech Ice and are free of admission.

Call 408-279-6000 for more information.

Hockey Notes - everyone is undefeated edition

- There was a blip on the radar over the weekend that the NHL may still have some life left in it this season. The NHLPA released information on a meeting with the league scheduled for last Saturday. Former players/current owners Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux entered the fray to try to salvage a season. Then the Hockey News broke a report saying the NHL might be saved Saturday.

Rumors of the NHL's non-demise were premature.

While I was busy with the Pac8 tournament in Berkeley, blogger Eric McErlain followed the post-cancellation commotion intently here, here, and here.

Blogger Tom Benjamin called for THN to name its source that led to the season saving mis-report. His posts on the subject can be read here, here, here, and here.

The Hockey News responded with a column, The Scoop that Wasnt. Rumors and gossip have been all that remains of the NHL this year, so I hardly fault THN for running with the story. If anything, they should have qualified their source a little better. What was reported was blown out of proportion, but I believe no apology was necessary.

- The LA Times speculates that ESPN does not really care that the NHL season was cancelled, and this NY Times article on ESPN and the NHL television contract lends some credibility to that view. [Note: when I said the picture is fuzzy for the NHL a few weeks back, at least I supplied an appropriate photo.]

- On WFAN AM radio from New York, host Mike Francesa interviewed a very animated NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The non-cancellation rumors were discussed prominently. Scroll to February 21st for the audio link.

- From Germany, Ecco emails about the recent success of Marco Sturm and Team Ingolstadt:

Ingolstadt won the German Eishockey Cup! ERC Ingolstadt-Düsseldorf EG Metro Stars 4:3 after shootout. Shootout goals: Ingolstadt by Marco Sturm and Doug Ast. [DEL All Star Match] Fastest skater (big rink): 3. Marco Sturm (14.09 sec).

Down 3-2 late in the game, Ingolstadt pulled their goaltender and scored to put the game into overtime. Both Ingolstadt and Dusseldorf could not score in a ten minute overtime period. Marco Sturm and Doug Ast scored twice during a shootout to give Ingolstadt a 2-0 OT win.

German Hockey Cup, Final: Ingolstadt wins in shootout - Yahoo Deutschland. Visit the official Ingolstadt website to follow Sturm for the remainder of the season.

- The San Jose Sharks posted back-to-back articles on the San Jose Jr Sharks quarterfinal run during a hockey tournament in Quebec, and San Jose State's upcoming appearance in the ACHA National Tournament in Michigan.

- Terry Frei writes for ESPN about what to do with the Stanley Cup:

Here's my choice: Award the Stanley Cup to the same team that wins Canada's Allan Cup, the trophy brought into existence in 1908 as an acknowledgement that the Stanley Cup had been transformed into a prize for professionals. If the Free Stanley movement wants to salute Lord Stanley's original intent and the tradition of the trophy, it should go to Canadian amateurs. Not to major-junior players who receive significant stipends or can still play in the CHL after being drafted and signing pro contracts. Not to U.S. college players who receive lucrative scholarships. Not even to pro minor-leaguers who aspire to reach the NHL.

FreeStanley.com gets a long plug as more of a movement than a website. The movement so far has generated over 400 letters to the Trustees of the Stanley Cup.

Creating an amateur hockey tournament in Canada, as Terry Frei suggests, is an interesting idea. But why not have an open tournament after most of the professional and amateur seasons finish? Open it up to the champions from the European, Asian, and Russian leagues [similar to the IIHF Champions Cup]. Open it up to the AHL and ECHL champions, not just Canadian amateurs. Make it single elimination between professional and amateur teams, and etch the names on the cup after the final.

Maybe an amateur team would face off against a professional team in the finals? It would be a not-so-subtle nod to the "Miracle on Ice" USA team that won a gold medal 25 years ago today if the amateur team won.

- Ross McKeon of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote an excellent column on the loss of the NHL for Calgary. Leaving Canada Dry: canceled season affects economy, morale of country - SF Chronicle.

The almighty dollar is starting to disappear, and the absence of the NHL appears to shoulder most of the blame. Statistics Canada predicts cancellation of the season could result in a $170 million drop in spending by Canadian consumers. The firm announced an unexpected loss of 5,700 jobs last month is being attributed to faltering business in restaurants and bars that rely on hockey to draw customers.

At all the Sharks-Flames games in San Jose last year, Calgary fans were almost too nice to a fault. It was hard to cheer against them when they drove 23 hours to see a playoff game, and when even the plaid one made an appearance at the HP Pavilion.

- The 2005 IIHF World Championships in Austria has been added to the hockey calendar on the right. The World Championships will take place in Vienna and Innsbruck from April 30th to May 15th. The NHL released a statement that management personnel are free to participate, and NHL players are expected to stack the lineups of many countries with the season cancelled.

[Update] David Singer's The Ice Block has been redesigned. Go ye to that website, for it is good. On DS's other website, Hockeyfights.com, Martin DesRosiers just posted an interview with Sharks assistant coach Tim Hunter.

[MDR] Early in your career, '82-83, you fought the legendary Nick Fotiu. Do you recall this fight? And can you describe the events that transpired?

[TH] I fought Nick in MSG late in the game after I had beaten up Don Maloney. He speared me at the face-off and then dropped his gloves and stepped back. I dropped mine after thinking this would be a tough fight. I took a small step and he reach