Ilya Kovalchuk Showing Great Leadership in Atlanta

Published in Inside Hockey Magazine on November 12, 2009.

ATLANTA – Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk is having the kind of season that assures him a place among the  NHL’s most respected leaders, and I’m not just referring to his sizzling eight-game start.

Kovalchuk, who started the season with a NHL league-leading 9 goals in his first 8 games, took a puck in the foot that broke a bone. The injury occurred on October 24th and was expected to sideline the high-flying winger for four-to-six weeks projecting his return in late-November or early December.

This past Tuesday way ahead of schedule, Kovalchuk laced up the skates and joined his teammates for practice. After testing the foot with a full practice, it was first reported he would join his team for a trip to New York for a game Thursday night against the Rangers. That news changed when the stress of the skate caused a flare-up and signified it was best to let him remain at home in Atlanta for more rest.

Atlanta has been a city that is measuring its rain in feet this year and this week was no exception. The skies again opened up compliments of Hurricane Ida causing delays to the Thrashers’ charter flight.

The delayed take-off gave Kovalchuk a little extra time to reassess his injury. He contacted the team, packed up and raced to Atlanta-Hartsfield to take the flight to New York in hopes of playing at MSG.

Kovalchuk is a superstar who clearly has nothing more to prove to the Thrashers organization or any other team in the league. He is one of the most talented players in the world and if he becomes a free agent, teams will be aggressively bidding on his services like a treasured piece at an auction.

A few weeks ago, during one of the talk shows on Atlanta’s 680 The Fan, the hosts were kicking around rumors the Thrashers had offered Kovalchuk a $100 million contract.

True or not, Kovalchuk is guaranteed one of the highest-paid contracts in the league before the puck drops in October 2010, that is certain, yet he took it upon himself to scramble at the last minute and join the team in New York.

How many star players in the NHL and many of the other professional leagues would have taken the week off with pay?

In an earlier interview with the AJC Thrashers beat writer Chris Vivlamore, Kovalchuk said, “It’s tough to watch from upstairs. It’s tough because you can’t help.”

Kovalchuk has a strong desire to win. He has spoken about it many times over the years but when you witness what we have this season, his performance, his expedited rehab of the injury, his actions speak volumes.

Kovalchuk craves to contribute on the ice, there’s clearly a fire lit and along with the talent comes additional great leadership qualities.

People cringe when Kovalchuk drops his gloves to come to the defense of a teammate; that is not his place on the team. Enforcer Eric Boulton and Chris Thorburn normally oblige to opportunities like that; but that is what great captains and leaders sometimes do.

I remember attending a game in Detroit in 1987 when Red Wing captain Steve Yzerman dropped his gloves to come to the aid of his goaltender after Buffalo tough-guy Kevin Maguire leveled the Red Wings goalie. Red Wings enforcer Bob Probert was on the ice but was held off by the linesmen so Yzerman made his way over to Maguire threw ‘em down and went a few rounds.

I do not condone players like Kovalchuk and Yzerman risking injury fighting; their place is on the scoring sheet, but again, great leaders step up at unscripted times throughout their careers.

The Thrashers have a great leader in Kovalchuk. He’s a man with a vision and his leading by example can only benefit this young team.

Whether Kovalchuk skates tonight or not, for unselfish reasons he has shown a burning desire to get back on the ice and lead his team to the next level and bring the NHL Playoffs back to Philips Arena come April 2010. That in itself should be a motivation for the Thrashers in New York tonight.

Trading Kovalchuk not the answer for NHL Thrashers

This column published in The Examiner  and Inside Hockey on Dec. 15, 2008

ATLANTA – There has been a buzz around the NHL about the possibility of the Atlanta Thrashers trading their Russian star Ilya Kovalchuk before this year’s trade deadline.

Kovalchuk who scored 52 goals last season is one of a few gifted players in the NHL who has the ability to control the flow of a shift and demands attention every time he steps on the ice. Trading him away would create a huge void, near impossible to fill.

The talented winger currently leads his team in total points (11G-19A-30Pts) and is 19th in the NHL in that category. His closest teammates, Slava Kozlov and Todd White trail far behind, tied at the 50th spot.

One of the Thrashers’ main inconsistencies this season has been their power play where they have tallied a total of 22 goals. Kovalchuk has been involved in 13 of those (2G-11A-13Pts) so imagine how the numbers for the PP would drop without him in the line-up.

There is an obvious need to shake things up on the roster but trading Kovelchuk is not the answer for this roster that is short on talent and experience. A move like that could set back the team’s rebuilding process for years to come.

During last season’s UFA bidding wars, GM Don Waddell’s strong effort to sign some of the top available players came up short when his huge offers to defenseman Brian Campbell and Brian Rolston were turned down and the players opted to play in markets other than Atlanta.

During that same period, Tampa Bay defenseman, Dan Boyle refused to wave his no-trade clause in his contract until he was threatened with being put on waivers and ending up in Atlanta.

The challenge of getting high-caliber players to commit to Blueland has been a difficult chore for Waddell even with Kovalchuk on the roster. Imagine the uphill climb trying to sway players here without the Russian star on the team.

Rebuilding a roster isn’t as easy as placing the highest bid for UFAs each year; it’s not a simple auction. Many of these high profile UFA’s have been joining rosters with a strong nucleus to build around. Brian Campbell and Rolston are perfect examples of that.

Kovalchuk who has spent his entire career at Blueland is clearly the nucleus of this team. Trading away their hugest asset may is not fix this club’s problem, it may add to it.

American Brett Sterling hovering over NHL

Published in USA Hockey Magazine Feb. 2009 edition.

ATLANTA – When you’re only 5-foot-7, it’s easy to fly under the radar. But after an impressive college career and an award-winning rookie season in professional hockey, Brett Sterling is proving that big things can come in small packages.Now, the California native is trying to prove he deserves a regular spot with the Atlanta Thrashers.

A fifth-round pick by the Thrashers in 2003, Sterling has put together a quiet but competent professional career with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. In his first full season in the Windy City, Sterling tallied a league-leading 55 goals, earned AHL rookie-of-the-year honors and a first team All-Star spot.

“I came in my first year and nobody knew who I was,” says Sterling, a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award during his junior season at Colorado College. “Coming in unknown was great, and I was playing with unbelievable players like Jason Krog and Darren Haydar. I had 34 goals in my first 35 games. All of a sudden teams started keying on me and the defense started to tighten up.”

Since taking the AHL by storm, Sterling has been threatening to cross the NHL threshold on a full-time basis. He spent his off-season working out and was committed to bringing himself to camp in the best possible shape.

After leading the Thrashers in scoring this preseason, the high-flying, left winger made the final cut and remained on the roster. Sterling saw action in 13 NHL games with the Thrashers last season and still hopes to build on that.

“I feel a lot more comfortable this year,” says Sterling, who has played in three games so far this season with the Thrashers. “Last year I was jittery, and we had a rough start. That never helps when your team starts out 0-6 and you’re getting shifted around a lot, playing on the right wing with a variety of players.

“I’m a confidence player so the earlier you get scoring like I did my first year in the minors, the better. In the NHL, guys are bigger and stronger and they put up a better fight. It’s a challenge, and I’m ready for it. I thrive on that.”

Sterling’s journey from the sunny beaches of California to the NHL has been an interesting one. His family was first introduced to the sport by his uncle who encouraged Brett’s cousin and older brother to play hockey. He soon followed, donning his first pair of skates at 2 and playing his first season of organized hockey at age 4.

He continued playing both ice and inline hockey in California until he was 16. That’s when he received a great opportunity to play with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich.

“I wanted to go so bad; I actually called my parents to make sure it was OK with them after I already said yes to Ann Arbor,” recalls Sterling. “It was a big step but a great opportunity. You really develop as a player and learn about yourself.”

His experience in Ann Arbor led Sterling to Colorado Springs, where he notched 184 points as a four-year player with the WCHA powerhouse Tigers.

Though small in stature, Sterling is a solid competitor and not timid about going into high-traffic areas to gain a scoring chance.

In a league where it’s common to find 220-pound defensemen standing well over 6-feet tall, Sterling pulls his inspiration from some past NHL stars.

“The guys like Theo Fleury, Paul Kariya, Dino Ciccarelli, I watched them very carefully when I was growing up and tried to emulate them the best I could,” he says. “The NHL game has opened up for smaller guys these days.”

Although he has spent much of the season in Chicago, Sterling is on the fast track to gain a spot on the Thrashers roster. The team continues to rebuild around its young stars under the tutelage of Head Coach John Anderson, who was behind the Wolves’ bench during Sterling’s incredible rookie year in Chicago.

“Last year [and this year] I made the team out of camp, which is awesome,” says Sterling, who hopes to follow his coach from the AHL to Atlanta.

“That team last year struggled, and I struggled along with them. I went back to the AHL but now I’m back this year. I want to prove that I belong [in Atlanta] and want to prove to people I can play here.”

Another Esposito In The NHL?

Published in The Hockey News 

ATLANTA – IN THE 1970′S, Esposito was a household name in Canada and the United States, the name made famous by two NHL legends who loved the game of hockey.

We remember ten-time All-Star Phil Esposito as a record-setting, Hall of Fame player who rewrote the record books in the NHL during the peak of his career. Phil became the first NHL player to break the 100 point barrier in a season when he beat the number by a landslide, tallying 126 points in 1969. Later he would score a record-shattering 76 goals during the 1970-71 season.

Phil’s brother, Tony Esposito, a Hall of Fame goaltender, took home the Vezina Trophy three times, was a five-time All-Star and has a resume overflowing with accomplishments of his own.

Decades later, another Esposito is emerging, hovering over the NHL, pursuing the opportunity to make a name for himself.

As a five-year-old attending kindergarten, Angelo Esposito was asked a question by his teacher, a question he continues to hear as he pursues his dream of playing in the NHL. “It’s probably the most common question I get in interviews and that question goes way back to when my kindergarten teacher asked if I was related to Phil and Tony Esposito. I told her I have uncles named Phil and Tony. She asked for their autographs and I said, ‘Sure, I’ll get you their autographs.’”

Young Angelo was thrilled and ran home to tell his parents that his teacher gave him the assignment to get Uncle Phil and Uncle Tony’s autograph. “When I got home my Mom sat me down and explained there was a famous Phil and Tony Esposito who played hockey in the NHL but we were not related to them.” he said with a laugh.

Although they are not related, Angelo and Phil have several similarities. The two happen to share the same birth date, Feb. 20, wear No. 7 and as teens possessed offensive skills that demanded attention from the NHL.

At age 16, while playing as a rookie for the Quebec Remparts during the 2005-06 season, Angelo tallied 39 goals and 98 points in 57 games. He went on to win the Michel Bergeron Trophy for offensive rookie of the year, the same award won by Sidney Crosby two years earlier. That performance shot him straight to the top where he was suddenly projected as the future No. 1 pick overall.

Over the next two seasons with the Remparts, his numbers dropped off along with the ultra-high expectations. When his time of eligibility arrived in 2007, Angelo was chosen 20th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins then was later traded to the Atlanta Thrashers as part of a package in the deal that sent Marian Hossa to the Pens at the trade deadline in 2008.

After surviving a pressure-filled journey over the past few years, the 19 year-old hockey star from Montreal seems determined to make a name for himself in the NHL.

No longer feeling pressure from the high expectations in 2006, Angelo arrived at this year’s NHL Prospect Camp in Atlanta with a clear mind and appeared focused and on a mission. “I couldn’t be happier than the situation I’m in right now. I’m here to work hard and earn my spot.”

In an earlier interview first year coach Anderson shared some of the suggestions he made to Esposito leading into the camp, “I told him the slate’s clean here . . . let your hockey do the talking.”

Angelo did just that. Watching the young center fly around the ice turning defenders inside out with moves a player can only be born with, he made a great impression on new coach John Anderson and GM Don Waddell.

Waddell was impressed enough that he signed Angelo to a multi-year contract on July 18, bringing the player one step closer to playing in the NHL.

When asked about coming to the Thrashers and the opportunities it presents, he is very optimistic. “Before the camp, Coach Anderson sat me down and made sure I had cleared my head and would relax and play my game. It’s a team that’s rebuilding, there’s a new coach behind the bench. I’m excited. It presents a great opportunity for me.”

Most would agree there is a great opportunity for Esposito in Blueland. The Thrashers have a roster full of young, developing talent that is expected to include their No. 3 pick overall in this years draft, 18 year-old Zach Bogosian. GM Don Waddell confirmed in an interview that Bogosian will be given an open chance to make the team.

Seeing Esposito and Bogosian, two future NHLers dominate at times during the Prospect Camp makes you expect both youngsters to make the roster at some point this upcoming season.

If he does make the cut, the young star from Montreal will have fullfilled his dream of making it to the NHL and may bring new fame to the “Esposito” name.