Photo credit: UBC Men's Hockey
Rockets Alumni excelling at UBC
Things that make me go hmm…
Nov 29, 2023 | 10:00 AM
- The relationship between coach and player is an interesting one. It has been fascinating watching how Kelowna Rockets Head Coach Kris Mallette has handled leading scorer Andrew Cristall over the last three seasons. Mallette would like to see a greater commitment to defending, yet when in the lineup, this player can make you a goal better, so how much leeway is allowed? “We definitely have a lot of open communication,” Cristall told RocketFAN. “He [Mallette] does a lot for me by giving me the rope to go out there in the offensive zone and gives me the ability to make plays.” What does Cristall then do for Mallette, if indeed it’s a two-way relationship? “Hopefully I can get him some goals,” Cristall added with a smile. “We’ve had great communication, and he has helped my career so much.”
- Former Kelowna Rockets forward Liam Kindree is off to a nice start to the season with the UBC Thunderbirds. The 23-year-old has 20 points (10+10=20) in his opening 16 games. That is one point better than the 19 points he had in 28 games a season ago. The Thunderbirds have a strong team, with 12 wins in their opening 16 games, where Kindree is second in team scoring. Kindree was a fourth-round bantam pick of the Rockets in 2015 taken behind Nolan Foote (2nd round) and Ted Brennan (third round).
- Be careful when celebrating a goal. Being overexuberant can turn ugly. Just ask Seattle Thunderbirds forward, and Anaheim Ducks second-rounder Nico Myatovic. Myatovic assisted on a game-winning goal back on October 17th against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Myatovic was celebrating with teammates, jumping in the air before being dogpiled by teammates and rookie goal scorer Braeden Cootes. Myatovic ended up at the bottom of the pile, and his right leg was broken. Myatovic, on the injury report, is out for months and is using a knee scooter to get around.
- A freak accident to Prince George Cougars forward Koehn Zeimmer Monday night against the Everett Silvertips. The second-round NHL draft pick of the LA Kings was involved in a second-period fight and appeared to turn his right ankle as he fell to the ice. The video on WHL Live is not good to look at if you missed the incident. Zeimmer, who turns 19 in early December, had a tremendous chance of representing Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
- It has been a while, but the Kelowna Rockets will be the visiting team when the Seattle T-Birds host their Teddy Bear Toss game on December 2nd. The best part of being the road team, is doing your outmost not to allow a goal. I know, its not a very festive thing to do, but if you force the fans to throw the stuff toys to the ice at the end of the game, it gives you that warm and cozy feeling inside.
- I was asked the other day about the quickest Teddy Bear Toss goal scored in Kelowna Rockets franchise history. While Max Graham scored the prestigious goal just 2:07 into the opening faceoff Saturday night, the quickest goal was scored by Nick Merkley in 2014. Merkley, who is now playing in Europe, scored just 35 seconds into the contest when the Everett Silvertips provided the opposition.
- How long did it take from when the Teddy Bear Toss goal was scored Saturday night to the resumption of play? It took 11:36 seconds. That’s darn quick.
- The Seattle Thunderbirds are icing seven 16-year-old or 2007-born players on their roster this season. RocketFAN ran into T-Birds Vice President of Hockey Operations Russ Farewell who pointed that out in a quick conversation during the intermission. The Rockets traded their first-round pick in 2022 to the T-Birds in the Jake Lee, Dillon Hamaliuk, and Cole Schwebius deal in May of 2019. That pick was never used by Seattle, who then shipped it to the Prince Albert Raiders.
- A few weeks ago, RocketFAN spoke to Victoria Royals Head Coach James Patrick about his time as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Patrick was with the team from 2013-2017, which meant he witnessed the first season of Jamie Benn, who played two seasons with the Kelowna Rockets, evolve into the captain of the Stars, a title he has held for the last 11 seasons. “When I got there, he [Benn] was just emerging as a top-end forward,” Patrick recalled. “It was the first year Jamie got on the Olympics team. I know Lindy Ruff [head coach of the Dallas Stars at the time] staked his coaching reputation that Jamie Benn needed to be on that team. He said I will guarantee he is by far one of the best forwards Canada has. There was a debate he should have been on it. Not only was he one of the top forwards on the team, two years later he won the NHL scoring title. He is one of the best captains in hockey, if not the best. He is as old school as there is.”
- On RocketFAN this week we told you about Jari Kykkanen, John Babcock, and Jake Pilon getting identical haircuts. Did you notice assistant coach Josh MacNevin has joined the party? To be clear, MacNevin wasn’t a part of the player’s plan, but a bad haircut forced him to take matters into his own hands. The 46-year-old also got a buzz-cut in order to correct what he considered was a wrong when he got his ears trimmed last week by an unidentified hairstylist.
- Being transparent here, I cried the first time I received a buzz-cut. The hair stylist was Herb Butz, the father of Craig Butz, who played two seasons with the Kelowna Wings in the early 80s. I was probably 10 at the time, living in Swift Current, and I went into ‘Herb’s Barbershop’ with my mom for a haircut. I came out of the chair holding back tears, until I let them flow in the car after Butz cut my hair to the bark. It was probably my fault that I didn’t say anything as Herb took his sharp sheers to my blonde locks. Let’s just say, I never made a return appearance and still have a nervous twitch when I walk down that part of Central Avenue where Herb’s Barbershop used to reside.
- RocketFAN had a good conversation on the weekend with Seattle Thunderbirds GM Bill La Forge. We asked him if winning the WHL championship last season was as rewarding as he had envisioned. “It was the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” La Forge not wanting to take all of the credit. “It was a great night that I will remember forever, but we came shy of the eventual goal.” That goal was winning the Memorial Cup, which they lost in the championship game to the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. “Going into that game, I thought whoever scored first was going to win the game,” he added. “Brad Lambert had a really good chance two minutes into the game, and then they scored, and it was an uphill slog. They beat us twice [once in round-robin 3-1], so that’s all that mattered.”
- If you are wondering, Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla will get a WHL championship ring when they are presented to the players from the 2022-2023 Seattle Thunderbirds team. Iginla played his rookie season with the T-Birds before being traded this summer. Those rings should arrive in January. You may remember on the Kelowna Rockets Alberta road trip last February, forward Carson Golder was presented his WHL championship ring prior to puck drop against the Edmonton Oil Kings.
- Last week, we mentioned the fact that two neck guards fell off players during the Rockets’ home game against Prince George, and we were wondering if a penalty would be issued if a player plays the pucks without the protective measure. Here is the WHL’s answer to our query. ‘If the player loses his neck guard during play, he can continue to play without it until the end of the shift. He must then retrieve the neck guard and have it on prior to returning to play.’ At no time can a player ever be penalized for a neck guard infraction.
- Will Munro is excited. Can you blame him? The pride of Swan River, Manitoba is counting down the days until his Kelowna Rockets face the Brandon Wheat Kings. Swan River is located 335 kilometers North of Brandon, and is just minutes outside of the Saskatchewan border. Despite it’s small size, Swan River has produced some significant hockey names over the years, including former WHL goalie Barry Brust, who played several seasons with the Spokane Chiefs. Brust also spent several off-seasons living in West Kelowna. Now 40, Brust played 11 games with the LA Kings in 2006-2007.
- At 1489 words, it is again time to shut the barn doors for another week. What did we learn this week? Twitter (X) or any social media platform can be an awful place for rumours, even including the game of hockey.
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