The time I psyched myself out interviewing “Mr. Hockey”

A Gordie Howe card from the 1980s.

Till this day, the only time I really psyched myself out for an interview as when I talked to “Mr. Hockey.”

That day came way back in December of 1999, when I was an intern general assignment reporter for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. I was working with fellow interns Jillian MacPherson and Vanessa Lee compiling a list of what Saskatchewan’s movers and shakers were doing to ring in the new millennium.

The assignment was something each of us worked on between the daily stories we typed out. Between working on daily stories, you phoned some of the most well-known persons in the province and asked what their plan was for New Year’s Eve.

I tracked down a number of person’s from the sports world including Saskatchewan Roughriders greats Don Narcisse and Bob Poley. At that time, I already knew both personally.

 I decided to see if it was possible to track down all-time hockey icon Gordie Howe, who was nicknamed “Mr. Hockey.”

Howe was born just outside of Saskatoon in Floral and grew up in “The Bridge City.”

He has since passed away on June 10, 2016 at age 88.

Through the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, I got contact info for Howe’s publicist, who set up the interview. The publicist gave me a time for when Howe was to call.

I had never talked to Howe in my life. As the time neared for the phone call, 23-year-old me, who sometimes felt indestructible at that age, started to get nervous.

A Gordie Howe card from the early 1990s.

The whole star stuck thing started to happen and I kept repeating in my head, “Oh my God. I am going to talk to Gordie Howe.”

With Howe having played 32 seasons of professional hockey in the NHL and the defunct WHA from 1946 to 1980, he was looked up to by hockey fans from a number of generations. That included my father, Dan Steinke, who passed away in January of 2004.

A number of my dad’s hockey stories about Howe danced through my head.

Normally when I interview athletes from the sports world including those that have significant profiles, I usually act like I already know them, and I act pretty much like you would see me on the street.

In this case, the star profile got to me.

I kept thinking in my head, “I have to refer to him as Mr. Howe to show respect.”

Howe called at the time the publicist said he would.

When I got on the phone with Howe, I was so nervous. I had to keep from freaking out that I was actually talking to Gordie Howe.

This was the one time I most remember being in awe of the celebrity of a person.

In late November of 1999, Howe had surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his left shin. Since only a handful of weeks had passed since that had happened, I vaguely remember starting the interview making joke about that.

A Gordie Howe card from the 1990s.

I don’t think I knew how to act to that, and I remember being caught off guard.

Whatever I said, Howe chucked and proceeded to give the more serious answer. The way he talked just had the best tone to it that it made you feel all good and tingly inside.

The quote I used from Howe was, “Well, we won’t be doing a heck of a lot of anything. If our grandson is playing on New Year’s, I’ll go watch him play. And that’s Nolan Howe. That’s Mark’s son.

“Nothin concrete. We’re just laid back, like we were in Saskatchewan.”

I remember thanking him for doing the short interview. It felt like I could have actually talked to him for way a lot longer than I did.

I was so awestruck and wanted to be polite about his time that I didn’t. Looking back now, I wish I would have kept the interview going.

I kept that interview tape for some time. It is possible it is still buried with the old interview tapes I have stored away.

I crossed paths with Howe at the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver, B.C., when I was a beat writer covering the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers for the Medicine Hat News. I was so life consumed with covering the Tigers at that event that I didn’t get to talk to Howe.

I met a number of his family members in September of 2016, when the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades hosted a “Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day” for their home opener.

The ashes of Gordie and those of his wife, Colleen Howe, were interred at the base of the Gordie Howe statue that sits outside the SaskTel Centre.

The StarPhoenix from December 31, 1999.

I spent the whole second period of that hockey game visiting with Mark Howe and Morris Lukowich in one of the SaskTel Centre dressing rooms at ice level after a media event held during the first intermission.

I got to visit with Corey Howe and the Saskatoon lady he would later marry in Davis (Parkinson) Howe a couple of times that weekend. Corey was raised in Ohio and relocated to Saskatoon due to his romance with Davis.

All the Howe family members were down to earth and had pretty good senses of humour too. It really made me wish I hadn’t psyched myself out over the phone with Gordie all those years back.

Still, the memory of how awestruck I was during that short phone chat with Gordie in December of 1999 makes me smile and chuckle to this day.

Raiders’ Guhle signs with Les Canadiens, other notes

Kaiden Guhle has signed with the Canadiens.

Kaiden Guhle didn’t have to wait long after the NHL Entry Draft to sign his first contract in the big league.

On Tuesday, the 18-year-old defenceman with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Just two weeks earlier on October 6, the Canadiens selected Guhle in the first round and 16^th overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

The NHL Entry Draft was held via video conference call from the NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, as opposed to being live in an NHL centre due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Last season as a 17-year-old sophomore, Guhle, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 184 pounds, appeared in all of the Raiders 64 regular season games piling up 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-23 rating.

The Sherwood Park, Alta., product appeared in 65 regular season games in 2018-19 as a 16-year-old rookie posting three goals, 14 assists and a plus-17 rating. He focused more on playing a defensive role on a defensive starting six where the other five members were all 19-year-old veterans helping the Raiders with a WHL Championship.

As a blue-liner, Guhle has a special blend of talents very few have.

Back in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, the Raiders selected the gifted offensive-defenceman first overall in the first round.

Guhle was one of the two players the Raiders had selected first round in this past NHL Entry Draft and proceeded to sign three-year NHL entry-level contract.

This past Friday, Raiders right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks selected Wiesblatt in the first round and 31^st overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

• Nelson Nogier, a graduate of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels, resigned with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets inking a two-year, two-way contract on October 14. The defensive-defenceman has played his four career seasons in the professional ranks in the Jets system. Last season, Nogier spent the entire campaign with the Jets AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, appearing in 58 regular season games collecting one goal, eight assists and 45 minutes in penalties.
• Rugged right-winger and Regina product JC Lipon recently wrote an article in The Park Journal detailing the journey of his hockey career. The Park Journal is a first-person account media platform similar to The Players’ Tribune. Lipon talked about his rise to star status with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and how he got shuffled and slotted in the AHL ranks skating in the system of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets for seven seasons. Lipon is now playing in the KHL with Dinamo Riga. The piece he wrote can be found by clicking right here.
• Kevin Nastiuk, who is a former star goaltender with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and was a member of their 2004 WHL Championship team, has started a new goaltender training company called Nastiuk Goaltending. Nastiuk had a lengthy career in the North America’s minor professional ranks and in the professional game in Europe. His goaltender training company website can be found at NastiukGoaltending.com.
• On Monday, Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt celebrated his 60^th birthday. Since joining the Hurricanes in June of 2014, Anholt has twice won the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Executive of the Year including taking that honour for this past season.
• On Monday, Evan Hardy Collegiate Souls football team linebacker Zach Zary committed to joining the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team. Zary is an athlete who is talented in many sports. When he was a child, he wanted to play one of football, hockey or soccer for the Huskies. Zary’s father, Darren, is a long time ace sportswriter for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. As good as Darren is as a sportswriter, he is an all-star dad and his ability to be a good father exceeds his abilities as a sportswriter.
• On Wednesday, the University of Calgary Dinos football team announced Bailey Taylor had joined their program as a defensive back. Taylor was a rookie running back with the Saskatoon Hilltops last season, and he helped them win a sixth straight CJFL title.
• On Wednesday, the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association cancelled all its winter championships in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in June, the CCAA cancelled all its fall championships and last month the CCAA/Curling Canada championship was cancelled. The CCAA won’t host any national championships for the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• News surfaced over the last two days that the Boston University Terriers athletics program has paused all in person practices and training due to an increase of COVID-19 cases on campus. The pause will be re-examined next week. The Terriers women’s hockey team include captain and Saskatoon product Nara Elia and Clavet, Sask., product and third-year forward Mackenna Parker. Elia and Parker are graduates of the Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Banner NHL Entry Draft day for “Hockey Town North”

Raiders’ Wiesblatt and family highlight of opening round

Ozzy Wiesblatt was selected by the San Jose Sharks.

For arguably the first time ever, the most memorable moment of the first round of the NHL Entry Draft was the final pick.

On Tuesday night, the NHL Entry Draft was held via video conference call from the NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, as opposed to being live in an NHL centre due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As the opening round was broadcast on TV, the players who were to be selected watched the proceedings at home with their families.

The TV broadcast had the use of Internet cameras to get live looks into the home of the players who were selected in the first round.

The San Jose Sharks made the final selection at the 31^st overall spot in the opening round. Doug Wilson Jr., who is the Sharks director of scouting, announced the pick using American Sign Language and his voice that his club had picked Ozzy Wiesblatt of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.

Ozzy Wiesblatt finished second in Raiders scoring last season.

The picture cut away to a picture of the Wiesblatt household, which was a scene of a euphoric and joyous celebration.

Wilson announced the pick via sign language because Wiesblatt’s mom, Kim White, has been deaf since birth.

She had to raise Ozzy, his three brothers and one sister as a single mom since 2014. Ozzy’s brothers are all high level hockey players.

The oldest brother, Ocean, played in the junior A ranks with the Portage La Prairie Terriers last season. The second oldest brother, Orca, is a member of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, and the youngest brother, Oasiz, is highly touted prospect with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

Wilson’s special touch in announcing Ozzy Wiesblatt’s selection gave the opening round its signature moment.

Ozzy Wiesblatt with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Left-winger Alexis Lafreniere of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic may have gone first overall to the New York Rangers, but it felt like the night really belonged to Wiesblatt and his family.

 Adding to the story is the fact the 18-year-old Calgary, Alta., product is a really good player, who deserves to be a first round selection.

As a 16-year-old rookie in 2018-19, Wiesblatt, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 182 pounds, appeared in 64 regular season games posting 15 goals, 24 assists and a plus-30 rating. By the end of that season, Wiesblatt often found himself on a line at right wing with star overage centre Noah Gregor and star left-winger Cole Fonstad as the Raiders topped the WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record.

Wiesblatt played in all of the Raiders 23 games in the WHL playoffs posting five goals, five assists and a plus-six rating helping deliver a WHL championship to “Hockey Town North” for the second time in history.

Ozzy Wiesblatt is one of the Raiders top offensive players.

This past season as a 17-year-old sophomore, Wiesblatt skating in all of the Raiders 64 regular season games finishing second in team scoring with 25 goals, 45 assists and a plus-20 rating. He helped the Raiders post a 36-18-6-4 record and finish first in the WHL’s East Division for the second straight year.

Wiesblatt’s draft selection was the topper for banner day for Prince Albert at the NHL Entry Draft.

Kaiden Guhle, who is the Raiders ultra-talented offensive-defenceman, was taken 16^th overall by the Montreal Canadiens. The 18-year-old Sherwood Park, Alta., product’s selection alone normally would give the Raiders a memorable night.

Back in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, Guhle was selected by the Raiders in the first overall in the first round. Since that time, he has been living up to that high selection.

Kaiden Guhle was selected by the Montreal Canadiens.

As a 16-year-old rookie in 2018-19, Guhle played in 65 regular season games collecting three goals, 14 assists and a plus-17 rating in the plus-minus department. He focused more on playing a defensive role on a defensive starting six where the other five members were all 19-year-old veterans.

Last season as a 17-year-old sophomore, Guhle, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 184 pounds was thrust into a bigger role and was looked upon to provide more offence. He appeared in all of the Raiders 64 regular season games piling up 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-23 rating.

As a blue-liner, Guhle has a special blend of talents very few have.

The selections of Wiesblatt and Guhle marked the third time in team history the Raiders have had two players picked in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.

Wiesblatt and Guhle weren’t the only individuals with Prince Albert ties to shine in the opening round of the NHL Entry Draft.

Prince Albert product Braden Schneider, who plays for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, was selected 19^th overall by the Rangers.

Braden Schneider was selected by the Rangers.

The 19-year-old Schneider, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 202 pounds, had a breakout campaign posting seven goals, 35 assists and a plus-nine rating in 60 regular season games with the Wheat Kings last season.

The graduate of the Prince Albert Mintos Under-18 AAA team has established himself as one of the WHL’s elite offensive-defencemen.

Portland Winterhawks right-winger Seth Jarvis, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 172 pounds, was the first WHL player to be picked in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft going 13^th overall to the Carolina Hurricanes. Jarvis racked up 42 goals, 56 assists and a plus-53 rating in 58 games last season with Portland.

Saskatoon, Sask., product and 19-year-old centre Connor Zary, who plays for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, went 24^th overall to the Calgary Flames. Zary, who stands 6-feet and weighs 181 pounds, recorded 38 goals, 48 assists and a plus-30 rating in 58 games with the Blazers this past season.

Ozzy Wiesblatt (#19) enjoys a WHL title win.

The NHL Entry Draft wraps up on Wednesday with rounds two to seven. Before Tuesday’s opening round started, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association announced they are targeting to begin the upcoming regular season on January 1, 2021.

The opening round of the NHL Entry Draft on Tuesday will always be a memorable night for the players who were selected.

For Wiesblatt and Prince Albert as a city, it will go down as a forever cherished feel-good night.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Wilson’s passion for teaching goaltenders still shines

Veteran coach seen role evolve over 17 years

Eli Wilson, centre, has made his mark in hockey coaching goalies.

    Eli Wilson remembers the days when being a goalie coach in hockey was a rarity, and he was part of that rarity.

    When Wilson specifically began teaching puck stoppers 17 years ago, the notion of having one coach in hockey working just with netminders was still a relatively new one. Now, the 40-year-old, who has worked with 30 goalies who went on the play in the NHL including Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, is surrounded by lots of company.

    “There are more goalie coaches than coaches,” said Wilson. “It is just non-stop.

    “I think when I joined the (WHL’s Medicine Hat) Tigers in 04, there were at the time some teams who didn’t have goalie coaches then. Some of the teams that did, it would be a guy that was maybe around once in a while type of thing. With (then Tigers head coach and general manager) Willie (Desjardins) there, he wanted me there once a week.

A young netminder mades a glove stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    “I would come down on the weekends, watch the games and then spend Monday and Tuesday there. I was around a lot with those teams.”

    Wilson was involved with the Tigers through four seasons from 2004 to 2007, and he played an integral role in developing the team’s goalies. Thanks to Wilson’s work, the Tigers won WHL championships in 2004 and 2007 and earned berths in the Memorial Cup tournament in both of those years. Star netminders Kevin Nastiuk and Matt Keetley were the WHL playoff MVPs in those runs in 2004 and 2007 respectively.

    Besides working for the Tigers, Wilson also spent time working with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks’s AHL affiliate the Syracuse Crunch. With the Senators, Wilson played a big role in helping Ray Emery backstop that franchise to a Stanley Cup finals berth in 2007. He recently signed on to work with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, who happen to be Price’s former major junior team.

A young netminder works on positioning at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    During his career, Wilson has criss-crossed Canada and ventured into the United States running goalie schools. He established his Eli Wilson Goaltending company in 2010 and has operated that school year round outside of stints where he has worked with WHL and professional teams.

    Now that there are numerous goalie coaches out there, Wilson said teaching netminders has evolved.

    “You go to a Western League level game or you go to a junior A game, everyone can move,” said Wilson, who wrapped up a week long goalie camp at the Jemini Arena in Saskatoon on Friday. “Everyone looks like they are a goalie, but some guys don’t have a feel or a read for the game and that is the tactical part of it that really makes a difference.

    “Ten years ago, some guys were further advanced technically, and it made all the difference in the world. Now, that is not good enough.”

A young netminder makes a blocker stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    Wilson said mental toughness is the other factor that separates good goalies from great ones. He brings former WHL netminder Pete Fry, who played for the Portland Winterhawks, Spokane Chiefs and Victoria Cougars in the 1980s, to work with goalies on the mental aspect of the game.

    To show how much of a difference mental toughness can play in sports, Wilson has recently been telling his netminders to look at the NFL’s New England Patriots in the last Super Bowl. Despite the fact the Patriots fell behind 28-3 to the Atlanta Falcons, Wilson said you could tell by body language that Patriots all-world quarterback Tom Brady and mastermind head coach Bill Belichick never lost confidence.

    The Patriots rallied to beat the Falcons 34-28 in overtime.

Eli Wilson, second from right, address a group of goalies at his camp.

    “You saw what Tom Brady did this year,” said Wilson. “That was all mental, all of it. That is what you need.

    “Pete (Fry) talks about a lot of that stuff. That is the biggest thing. It blankets the entire position.”

    Wilson works with goalies at various ages and various levels of hockey. When it comes to teaching goalies, Wilson uses the same approach with relative newcomers to the position all the way to NHL veterans.

    “I’ll have an eight-year-old kid and I wouldn’t do anything differently or get him to try and play any differently than I would the best goalie in the world,” said Wilson. “I would take the same approach, the same structure, the same game plan, the same movement patterns, the same save techniques, the same tactical (and) the same technical.

A young netminder makes a stick stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    “It doesn’t matter really what age, what size (or) size in comparison to the level of play.”

    Wilson works on four principles with netminders. They include the knowledge of positioning, technique and the ability to get into position on time, save technique and rebound control and post-save response.

    On the overall technical side, Wilson said there was one key.

    “It is about making the save the easiest part of your game,” said Wilson. “You make it as simple as possible to eliminate margin for error to give you your greatest chance of success.”

    He is frequently assisted at his camps by his veteran students.

    During the camp in Saskatoon, Wilson was helped out by Emery, Rylan Toth, who just wrapped up his WHL career after playing with the Red Deer Rebels and Seattle Thunderbirds, and Rylan Pareateau, who just wrapped up his WHL career with the Prince Albert Raiders and Americans.

    At the NHL Entry Draft in June in Chicago, Ill., Wilson was present to see two of his students hear their names called by NHL teams. 

Eli Wilson barks instructions at his goalie camp.

    Stuart Skinner, who plays for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, was selected in the third round and 78^th overall by the Edmonton Oilers. Dylan Ferguson, who plays for the Kamloops Blazers, was selected in the seventh round and 194^th overall by the Dallas Stars before his NHL rights were subsequently traded to the Las Vegas Gold Knights.

    “You get so many guys that are just so thankful for the time that they’ve spent with you,” said Wilson. “It is a constant reward.

    “When you work with a lot of goaltenders, you get to see a lot of success.”

    Besides the technical, tactical and mental parts of the game, Wilson also stresses a couple of intangibles to his goalies. One is to enjoy the time you have with your teammates and coaches.

Former NHL netminder Ray Emery, right, gives instructions.

    “Enjoy the people that you get a chance to work with and meet,” said Wilson. “I think that is a huge part of the game.

    “My biggest thing is coming to the rink every single day and I get to do exactly what I want, and I just feed off that every day all day. I’ve been able to do that for 17 years.

    “It is constantly rewarding to go on an ice time and watch a group of goalies be way better in an hour and a half than they were in an hour and a half earlier. That is a huge part.”

    The other intangible Wilson stresses is to enjoy the journey of reaching a set end goal. Even when teams aren’t as successful as they want to be in the wins department, Wilson said you have to find the positives, and you can still grow and have a good experience.

Eli Wilson, centre, said it is key to enjoy the people you meet in hockey.

    Wilson said the joy of accomplishing a goal is fleeting, but the memories a goalie builds on the journey to accomplishing a goal is the thing that last.

    “You win the Olympics, you just won and then it is over,” said Wilson. “It is the whole process beforehand that is the point that should be enjoyed.

    “Reminiscing about winning something, it fades and goes away. Enjoying the process as you get there and you do the whole thing, then you’ve won weather you win or lose at the end anyways, because you’ve followed the process and you’ve enjoyed the process.

    “Just because you are not winning every night and there are tough parts about it, you have to find positives. You have to enjoy it and enjoy the people.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.