Midget tournament in El Segundo

Hockey fans in Southern California have a fantastic option to watch some quality Midget hockey this weekend in El Segundo.
The LA Jr. Kings are playing host to a Midwest Elite Hockey League Showcase event, which features all five Detroit teams (Little Caesar’s, Honeybaked, Compuware, Belle Tire and Victory Honda) and all five Pacific Division teams (Dallas, Denver, KC, Phoenix and the hosts).
Check out calirubber.com and lajrkings.com for more details!

All games are being played at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo and admission is free.

California hockey alumni updates

This week’s Alumni Report is posted at www.calirubber.com.

Among the highlights:
Manhattan Beach’s Shane McColgan scores the winning goal in his second WHL game for Kelowna. Not bad for a player who is not yet old enough to drive.

West Hills’ Matt Ford continues to score at way better than a point-per-game clip for Charlotte in the ECHL.

Anaheim’s Brett Mohler had a five points in two BCHL games for Alberni Valley.

And Palos Verdes’ Richard Park had four points (two and two) in a two-game stretch for the New York Islanders.

Say a prayer for J.S. Giguere

I was saddened to hear the news of the passing of the father of Anaheim Ducks goaltender J.S. Giguere.

This past spring Giguere had told me how his father and mother had made numerous sacrifices so he and his siblings could play hockey growing up. The Gigueres were a working class family, and J.S. told me at one point that because he could play outside in Canada, that was really the only way he could afford to play the game.

He spoke in glowing terms about his father working extra hours to make sure his children had hockey equipment.

So when you think of it, thank the good Lord for the sacrifices all of our parents made so we could enjoy the life we do, and say a pray for Jiggy and his mother and siblings as they go through this difficult time.

California hockey musings

As some of you might know, I have devoted a significant amount of time to covering various angles of hockey in California as web editor for http://www.calirubber.com and through contributing articles to its sister publication, California Rubber magazine.

It’s been a rewarding experience in many ways, and it has complemented my work on Palm Trees and Frozen Ponds quite well.

A few things to watch for on the local hockey scene:

First, while LA Jr. Kings forward Shane McColgan will be making his WHL debut this week with the Kelowna Rockets, he might not be the only Midget player from the state heading to the Great White North this winter. LA Selects 16U goaltender Brendan Jensen could also get a game with Vancouver of the WHL. For more on that, click here. And another of the state’s AAA teams, the San Jose Jr. Sharks 18U squad, lost its top scorer – Gage Emerson – to Motor City of the NAHL recently.

I hope the McColgan family has a good travel agent. He went from LA to Pittsburgh for a Midwest Elite League showcase event and then on to Kelowna, British Columbia, where he will travel with the Rockets for two games this week before returning to LA. I’ll have more on his debut in January’s California Rubber magazine.

A couple of other big events worth mentioning – the Jr. Kings are hosting a MWEHL Showcase on Dec. 27-29 at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, and all five powerhouse Detroit midget programs are playing in it. If you’re in the area, this is an excellent way to see some very good hockey and some of the stars of tomorrow.

And if you’re curious about what’s around the corner in elite hockey, be sure to head down to Glacial Garden in Lakewood over President’s Day Weekend for the 95s tournament that the LA Selects are hosting. Top teams from all over North America are heading west for that. And congratulations to Sandy Gasseau, Rick Kelly and Bill Comrie and the boys for winning their division at the Silver Stick tournament in Whitby, Ontario, recently. That is a huge accomplishment, but we should be getting used to that by now from the Selects. The 95 team formed the backbone of last season’s Pee Wee AAA national champions.

Keep your head up and your stick on the ice.

Book progress report

I think it’s high time for a few updates on the hockey book.

My proposal and outline, and all that goes with those items, are completed (or at least more completed than they were) and ready to be submitted to prospective publishers. I’ve still got some more transcribing to do, but I’m making progress there (I have more than 250 interviews at this point).

What’s most exciting to me is I’ve started the actual process of writing a few chapters. That has gone much slower than I’d anticipated because of the sheer volume of data I’ve collected. Organizing it into something that hopefully is logical has been one of my bigger challenges.

The first two chapters that are underway are the book’s first chapter – the subject of which shall remain a surprise for now, but it’s a good table-setter in my opinion – and a chapter on how the San Jose Sharks came into being. That covers all angles of it and has nearly 20 sources. It also includes some of the funnest stories I’ve heard in this process, particularly from the team’s Cow Palace Days.

Sentimental sort that I am, it’s hard not to stop and take trips down Memory Lane as I review material for the book. The think I’m struck with is the quality of the people involved in hockey. It doesn’t matter if they’re pros or people who didn’t learn to skate until well into adulthood, it’s been quality across the board.

Every day I thank God for the people he has brought across my path during this process. It is truly amazing!

More updates to come.

California alumni updates

This week’s California hockey alumni updates are up at http://www.calirubber.com

Among the highlights are:

How Californians Austin Block, Michael Juola and Mark Pustin have propelled Fairbanks to the top of the NAHL’s West Division. Story here

Pasadena’s Brett Sterling has picked up his scoring pace for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Story here

Blum, Wahl make Team USA

Congratulations to Vancouver Giants defenseman Jonathon Blum and Spokane Chiefs center Mitch Wahl on making the 2009 U.S. World Junior team.

Both Southern Californians are again having standout seasons in the Western Hockey. Blum leads all defensemen in scoring, and Wahl is scoring more than a point per game, and their teams are winning way more than they’re losing.

An interesting common thread, both players are considered leaders (Blum is the Giants’ captain and Wahl is an assistant on Spokane), and both helped their teams win Memorial Cups during their tenures there. Winning and leadership, almost as much as ability, were ingredients USA Hockey was looking to stock this team with. This will be especially important because the WJC is being held in Ottawa starting Dec. 26, and the spotlight will be intense.

To read more about Blum, Wahl and Team USA, check back here and on http://www.calirubber.com