Bourque's Legend Continues To Grow

By: John Sparenberg

When the National Hockey League cancelled the entire 2004-05 season due to a labor dispute between the players and management, there were many residual effects.

One of the biggest, if not the very biggest issue in the dispute was money. Prior to the impasse, many of the teams made preemptive moves to cut costs and unload the salaries of players on big money contracts by trading them, usually for prospects or future draft picks, both of whom would be paid far less than the players being shipped out. The Washington Capitals were one of the teams that were in selling mode in the months leading up to the lockout.

George McPhee, the Caps’ General Manager at the time realized at some point during the 2003-04 season, one that saw his club finish twenty-three games under .500, that he needed to import some young talent into the organization and export some of his highly paid veteran talents. The best and quickest way to get the renovations underway was via the trade route where he could accumulate both young prospects and draft picks.

McPhee’s maneuvering that season proved to be pivotal in revitalizing an organization that obviously missed the post-season in 2003-04, and had not progressed beyond a first round in six. His trade of Capitals legend Peter Bondra brought Brooks Laich into organization, and his trading of Robert Lang, who at the time he was sent motoring to the Detroit Red Wings was leading the NHL in scoring, yielded Tomas “Flash” Fleischmann along with a 2004 first round draft pick. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar was also sent packing and the return on him was a player and another first round draft pick in the same draft.

Washington also won a lottery that gave them the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, and giving them a total of four of the first 33 picks, and McPhee and his staff selected very shrewdly. Alex Ovechkin was chosen to be the first selection, defenseman Jeff Schultz was selected with the pick acquired for Gonchar, and Washington closed out their first round with the selection of defenseman Mike Green, obtained in the Lang trade.

It can’t be denied that Ovechkin, Schultz, Green, and Laich each played integral parts in the restoring of the Caps since that 2004 draft. Ovechkin, “The Russian Goal Scoring Machine”, has lit the lamp with regularity ever since he first stepped onto NHL ice, and he is undeniably the face of the franchise. Schultz, Green, and Laich all earned Calder Cup rings with the Bears in 2006, and then graduated to become NHL regulars in the nation’s capital, but the 33rd selection in the 2004 draft, Chris Bourque, has had as much to do with turning the Bears’ fortunes around since he arrived in Hershey.

Prior to Bourque joining the Bears in the 2005-06 season, the club had failed to qualify for Calder Cup play for two straight seasons, but he, along with many other ultra-talented teammates, helped turn the Bears into a perennial AHL powerhouse and three time Calder Cup champions, and he has returned to Chocolatetown this season to try and reverse the playoff fortunes of a team that hasn’t advanced beyond the second round in five seasons, a situation that he had a mighty hand in contributing to.

After inking a two-year, two-way, free agent contract with the Caps/Bears over the summer, Bourque, the Boston native, instantly added more footnotes to his already impressive AHL accomplishments in the season opener in his home state against the Springfield Falcons, collecting his 500th AHL point.

“The 500th point was an exciting milestone,” said Bourque. “It wasn’t something I was really even aware of. It’s just one of those things that happen when you play in the league for a bunch of years with a bunch of great players. It’s something I’m proud of, but it’s more important that the team is doing well.”

A few games later, in the Bears’ home opener against the Hartford Wolf Pack, with whom Bourque skated with last season, he made his return to Giant Center in storybook fashion and sent his former mates howling off the ice in defeat after he lit the lamp in overtime.

“Opening nights are always exciting, but this one was even more exciting than usual because we were playing them, and my brother is still playing with them.”

In this day in age, in all contact sports, there is a heightened awareness of concussion-type injuries. Substantial emphasis is now being put on equipment and precautions to prevent such injuries with a heightened sense of caution being utilized when they do, where in the past in similar situations, players often played on after “getting their bell rung.” 

Unfortunately, Bourque has had share of concussions over the years and missed a substantial part of the 2012-13 season with Providence with a concussion. He was also involved in a harrowing Halloween eve collision in his rookie season when his 5’7” 170-pound frame absorbed a bone rattling hit from a significantly bigger and heavier opponent, 6’4” 210-pound Johnathan Aitken, who like Chris’s father Ray was a former first round pick of the Boston Bruins. The result of the Aitken body belt saw Bourque being stretchered off the ice.

“They’re doing a great job now. It’s a lot different than when I came into the league because there wasn’t a lot of attention paid to head injuries at that point. As the game gets faster and the guys are bigger and stronger, the hits and impacts to the head are a lot more vicious than they used to be. It’s nice to see that people are taking a big notice because obviously you need your head and your brain. They’re real important parts of your body. It’s great they’ve taken steps in the right direction because it affects you not only when you’re playing, but during life after sports. You don’t want to be having post-concussion syndrome later after you finish playing. At that point, you just want to relax and not think about and deal with old injuries. The preventive steps and the monitoring are definitely good things.” 

Following in the footsteps of Ray, the NHL rookie of the year in his first season in “Beantown” and a perennial NHL all-star who finally captured an elusive Stanley Cup in his 22nd season with the Colorado Avalanche, would seem to be a daunting task. Simply put, the mere mention of the name Ray Bourque causes folks who know their hockey to immediately take notice, but Chris has obviously proven himself to be a solid pro with exceptional skills and has earned every accolade thrown his way based on the merits of his own play.

“I would never ever say it was a disadvantage because of my dad,” said Chris, who placed strong emphasis on the word ‘never.’ “Growing up, whenever I had a question, or whenever he was coaching me, it was good to get advice from one of the best players to ever play the game teaching me to play the game.” 

On the heels of his outstanding performance in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs, during which he registered 21 points in 22 games, including the series winning goal against the Providence Bruins and the Calder Cup winning goal against the Manitoba Moose, Bourque was claimed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins just before the start of the 2009-10 season, and thus began a journey that has taken him nearly all over the world.

The stint with the Penguins lasted but twenty games before a combination of a lack of production, three points (all assists), and salary cap issues moved the Pens to put to put him on waivers in December. The Caps then reclaimed him, and Bourque was assigned to the Bears for the rest of the season, although he did appear in one game for the Caps. Once again, Bourque excelled in the post-season, averaging better than a point per game and earning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the playoff MVP for the Calder Cup champs.

At that point, having already earned the three titles in the AHL, incidentally the only player in Hershey history to do so, but getting limited opportunities to succeed in the NHL, Bourque elected to go overseas as the next stop in his hockey odyssey, signing with a team in Russia. Early into his stay in the Soviet Union, he moved on to a team in Switzerland in mid-season. A few years later, he was back in the USSR, but once again he was off to Switzerland in mid-season, and while it may not have worked out as well as he had envisioned, he chooses to look at the positive side of the adventure.

“I thoroughly enjoyed playing in Switzerland. It’s really open style hockey over there, with lots of offense and a big ice surface. The country is also amazing. It’s probably the most beautiful country in the world. It was a great place to travel and see all the great scenery. There’s so much going on in the area. Italy is pretty much right there, and we went to London and Paris and a bunch of other great cities. I’d be open to going back there in the future. Russia, on the other hand, was tough for me and my family. It was not the best experience, but I’m best for the experience.”

Bourque’s playoff proficiency in the AHL hasn’t been limited to his time spent with the Bears. In fact, in both of the seasons that he has toiled in the league in other jerseys, as fate would have it, his clubs have met the Bears in the post-season, and the end result of both saw him making significant contributions to his teams sending the Bears scurrying for tee times, and he and his boys moving on to the next round.

Did he derive any extra satisfaction in eliminating the Bears while in enemy colors? “For sure, because definitely I wouldn’t have heard the end of it if it was the other way around, especially coming back here this year. You never want to lose to your former team,” said Bourque.

So all of this begs the questions, why hasn’t Bourque spent more than 51 games in the NHL, and why hasn’t he produced as expected when he has been afforded his limited opportunities? Could it be his size? That was the question posed to Bourque when I asked him if he thought he might have been afforded more of an opportunity if he were six foot plus.

“It’s a good question, but it’s hard to answer,” said Bourque, who has played in the NHL with the Bruins, Penguins, and Capitals. “Anybody can say ‘what if I had this or that,’ but it’s not something I like to think about. Obviously, everybody wants to be bigger, stronger, and faster, and obviously I’d like to add more height, but it wasn’t in the cards for me. If I had to do it all over again, I think there are some things I would have done differently, and obviously I’d like another chance to prove myself again. Hopefully that opportunity comes, and I’ll be able to produce more with the chance next time around.”

Or could it be simply being in right place, at the right time?

To back up this theory, consider the facts. In the AHL where Bourque has been a consistent scorer, he usually plays on the top line on a regular shift He usually finds himself surrounded by equally talented linemates, mans the power play from his patented place on the point, and also spends an abundance of time on the penalty-killing unit. However, with the Capitals in thirteen career games spread out over three seasons, he has usually played on the third line, often with players not known for their offensive prowess, has averaged less than ten minutes of ice time and 12 total shifts per game including three games where he received less than six minutes on the ice. He has averaged less than a minute per game on the power play and has not patrolled the ice for a single second on the penalty killing unit.

“Up there, when you’re only playing five to ten minutes a game, you have to use your ice time wisely and try to make an impact in a very short period of time. It’s almost more that you’re trying to not make any mistakes and not give them an opportunity to give you more ice time. It’s definitely hard to show your tool set when you’re not put in the best situations to succeed. Sometimes, that’s just the way it happens, and you really can’t blame anyone. You’re not going to go up there and take Alex Ovechkin’s ice time, or someone like that’s ice time. They are the best players in the world up there, so you have to earn your ice time. Those things make it hard for guys to go up there and stay up there. Often getting up there is the easy part. Staying there is the hard part.”

Hopefully, there are still plenty of points and records to be added to Chris Bourque’s legacy in the American Hockey League, and a healthy sprinkling of NHL games would complement that quite nicely, but what if he retired today? Would he be satisfied with his accomplishments?

“Honestly, I haven’t thought about it,” said Bourque, who then hesitated and offered up an “I don’t know” before another brief moment of silence while he pondered the question. “Winning the Calder Cups and playing in All-Star games and getting MVP trophies are all nice, and winning championships is something to be proud of, but the thing I would be most happy about is the people that I’ve met and the teammates that I’ve played with. When you win, there’s a certain bond that you form with your teammates, and I’ve been a part of three of those. I’ve played with some really special people, people I still keep in contact with today. That would be the part of my career I’m most thankful for.”

Peters' Professionalism Shining Through

By: John Sparenberg

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in late December, 2015

When Justin Peters inked a contract with the Washington Capitals on July 1, 2014 and elected to leave the Carolina Hurricanes, the organization that had drafted him in the second round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and the only one he had played for in his professional career, many assumed that his days in the American Hockey League were over.

Both Peters and the Caps’ management were pleased with the deal. At the time of the signing, Washington’s General Manager, Brian MacLellan, was quoted as saying, “We are pleased to sign Justin to a two-year contract. We feel he is just entering his prime and has a tremendous upside…”, and Peters said recently, “I enjoyed all my time with Carolina, but things just didn’t work out for me to go back. I was really happy to sign with Washington.”

Peters’ stats from the prior season with the ‘Canes also add credence to the assumption that he would stay in the NHL for at least the duration of the deal. The Blyth, Ontario native was coming off a 2013-14 season that saw him appear in an NHL career-high 21 games, saw him notch another NHL career high, seven wins (including one against the Caps), and sport a spiffy .919 save percentage.

And in fact, his Washington career was launched on a good note on a bad night in Washington’s third game last season when he relieved former Bears netminder Braden Holtby, who had a shaky outing allowing three goals on seven shots in less than ten minutes of playing time. Peters was solid the rest of the night in net, allowing the Caps to mount a comeback in a game that they eventually lost in a shootout.

Four nights later, Peters patrolled the Caps’ crease for the first time as a starter, and he was stellar, garnering first star of the game honors by stopping 20-of-21 shots in backstopping the club to a 2-1 shootout win.

But the smooth sailing hit some turbulent waters beginning with his next start, a loss in Vancouver in which he stopped 30-of-33 shots, and he would start only four more games in the 2014 calendar year (two losses, a no decision, and an overtime win against the Hurricanes). The no decision game was contested in Toronto, a two and a half hour drive from Blyth. In that contest, Peters surrendered only two goals on six shots in the first period, but was replaced with Holtby by Caps’ first year head coach Barry Trotz to start the second stanza. Holtby was shaky in relief, allowing three strikes on twelve shots, and Trotz put Peters back in net to begin the third period, and he finished the game allowing only one additional tally in a 6-2 Leafs’ victory, one in which Holtby took credit for the loss.

After the tough Toronto outing, which occurred on November 29, 2014, Peters did not appear in another game until January 9, 2015, and when he returned to the crease that night, he undoubtedly felt like he was back home again. However, home was not Washington or the NHL. It was in the AHL in Albany where he appeared for the Bears on a conditioning assignment start. New York’s capital was where Peters had launched his professional career, and was his home base for the first four years of his career spent under the guidance of the River Rats’ head coach, Tom Rowe.

“I didn’t know he played here,” said Peters of Rowe, who played in 34 games for the Bears in the 1981-82 season, and also played for the Capitals. “He was a huge influence. Being a first-year pro, he taught me what it takes to come to the rink prepared every day, and just little things. He’s a very detailed coach. He doesn’t let anything slide and holds everyone accountable. I think he’s one of the ultimate guys as far as development of players.”

In the Albany start, Peters was at the top of his game, stopping all 24 shots he faced to record his 14th career AHL shutout, and his first in Albany since he blanked the Bears on December 11, 2009, stopping all 36 shots sent in his direction, with current Bears’ coach, Troy Mann, witnessing this event firsthand while serving as Hershey’s assistant coach at that time.

Following one more start with the Bears, Peters was recalled to Washington, and made a couple of starts that resulted in losses, but rebounded with a win in what would be his last start of the season with the Caps on February 15th, stopping 30 shots against former Bears’ head coach Bruce Boudreau’s Anaheim Ducks to record his third win in a Washington uniform.

Two relief appearances followed for Peters after his downing of the Ducks, the first a perfect nine save outing and the second, an outing of 43:30 during which he allowed only a single strike against which concluded his season and his career in Washington to date. But recently recalling last year’s season of ups and downs, there is not a trace of bitterness in Peters’ voice as he reflects on last season and it’s ups and down and his current situation.

“My last start was against Anaheim, and it was a win. The last half of the season, I only had that one start against them and those two relief appearances, and they were all positives,” said Peters, who relieved Holtby three times last season but finished all nine of his own starts. “When you don’t get an opportunity to play a lot, you try to find as many positives as you can. There was a lot of team success, and that was part of the positives for me. Last year was last year, and it’s in the past. I’m here now and focusing on what I can do to get back to the NHL.”

Peters entered this season’s Caps’ training camp in a three-way battle with his current partner with the Bears, Dan Ellis, and Philipp Grubauer, and he had a solid showing, allowing only one goal in 84 minutes of playing time, but the Capitals elected to go with Grubauer serving as Holtby’s backup, and Peters was assigned to the Bears after he went unclaimed after he passed through waivers.

Being back in the AHL on a full-time basis has been an adjustment for the 29-year old Peters, although he downplays the challenge of the change of leagues that include the unpredictability of the majority of the players in the loop, where shots can come at any time from any angle, as opposed to the NHL where the players are very structured and the play tends to be highly predictable.

Additionally, he has already exceeded last year’s combined game total (12) with the Caps and Bears, having already appeared in 18 outings in Hershey’s crease entering the Christmas break. He also downplays the challenge the change of leagues presents, saying it’s more about keeping his sights on what’s ahead and keeping his mind on the present and his continued growth as a goaltender.

“For me, it’s just about taking the same approach. You’re so close to the NHL; the AHL is an awesome league and a development league. That’s the main focus here, to develop and get better, and that’s what I’m trying to do here, too. I’m trying to work at my game and develop further and improve. That being said, when you’re here, you’re only a phone call away. An injury or anything like that, and you’re so close even though sometimes it’s feels like you’re not. But the reality is, at any given time, you never know when that call is going to come.”

Entering the Christmas break, it’s been pretty much a 50-50 split in games between Ellis (14) and Peters (18), and that is no surprise to either of the veteran goaltenders, who were clearly informed before the start of the season by Mann and his staff that that would be the case, and that sits just fine with Peters, who knows that the grind of the season and challenges of the AHL’s schedule requires multiple goaltenders to carry the load.

“With the schedule in the AHL and the three-game weekends, you need two goalies. The coaches were clear with us from day one that we were going to be splitting the starts. Just knowing that I was going to have the opportunity to play on a regular basis was exciting to me. I’ve played with Dan before (in the Carolina organization in Charlotte of the AHL), and we get along well. He’s a veteran guy, and we have a good relationship. For me personally, it’s fun to be able to play again.”

Mann’s take on the goaltending situation that he has been charged to manage by the Caps acknowledges the complexity of it, and also shows his understanding of Peter’s situation and professionalism in dealing with the hand that he has been dealt.

“We were upfront with them right from the start. It’s not the ideal situation to have two experienced former NHL goalies. At the 20-game mark, we had individual meetings with all of the players, including the goalies, to review their game and to tell them where we thought their game was at. Since that time, we’ve gotten a little bit away from the rotation, even though both goalies have played since then. Now it’s more of a game-to-game basis.”

Mann continued, “Certainly the rotation has worked, but at the same time, we want to make sure that both goalies were get rewarded for their good play. Justin came down with a great attitude. He’s acclimated himself well with his teammates and has taken a leadership role. He’s helped our leaders in different ways, whether it be supporting our core leaders and organizing various parties, including the recent rookie party. He’s been right in the mix, and that’s great to see from a guy who spent a couple years in the NHL. It can’t be easy to be sent back down, but Petey’s been the consummate professional.”

Development is the name of the game in the AHL. For a veteran like Peters, while he obviously wants to shine and stand out individually and prove himself worthy of another NHL recall, he is also counted on heavily by Mann and his staff to provide on ice leadership that will substantially aid and expedite the development of the Bears’ rookie heavy roster, particularly the defensemen.

“We talked about that going into the season. The dynamics of our roster certainly changed this season. We have seven rookies on it, and three of them are D. We had a plan for Tyler Lewington to start in South Carolina and start this season with seven D. The plan was to bring him up on the first of December because of the number of games we have in December, and to get him acclimated to the team and the league. In terms of the lineup, we’ve been running 11-7 at times to get all three of them in the lineup at the same time. If we’re going with a six-man rotation, you can kind of hold it at two rookies, but it’s tough to go with three rookie defensemen in your lineup if you’re only going with six defensemen, and that’s where the goaltending comes in.”

During Mann’s time serving as a Bears’ assistant coach when Mark French was the bench boss, he witnessed Peters’ on-ice performances as the opposition against his club from afar on nine occasions over the years. But with this season quickly nearing the halfway point, he has now had a chance to frequently get an up close and personal look at Peters in Chocolatetown both on and off the ice, and recently he commented on what he has discovered about his netminder that he didn’t know before he became an ally.

“We had some great battles against him when he was with Albany. He was an AHL All-Star for a reason. He seemed to always give them a chance to win by making some key saves. One thing I’ve noticed now that I’ve seen him firsthand on a day- to-day basis is his work ethic. It is tremendous. He’s a very motivated player who actually still believes he can be an NHL goalie. He’s worked very closely with Scott Murray (Hershey’s goaltending coach) to refine his game, to hopefully prove to some people that he can get back to the NHL for next season, if not sooner.”

Bears Happy Camper Now In Their Camp

By: John Sparenberg

If you want to other compare other sports’ franchises to the Hershey Bears, one that draws many parallels is baseball's New York Yankees. The Yankees have reigned supreme on the diamond, collecting twenty-seven titles, the most in the history of Major League Baseball, and the Bears have claimed superiority on the ice, capturing the Calder Cup on eleven occasions, the most in the history of the American Hockey League.

Players from both of the clubs are revered by their boisterous boosters, whose loyalty is second to none in their respective sports. However, to fans of their opponents they are often treated with disdain by adversaries who derive great pleasure from watching their hometown heroes master the “Mighty Yankees” or the “Chocolate and White”, whether that be in a regular season outing or in a playoff series.

This off-season, more elements were added to correlation between the Yankees and the Bears when the Washington Capitals convinced forward Carter Camper to join the organization and inked him to a one-year contract on the first day of the free agent period. Carter, 27, was born in Ohio in a suburb of Cleveland, Rocky River, which is also the birthplace of the longtime owner of the Yankees, the late George Steinbrenner, whose family still maintains an active role in their ownership.

Now in his fifth full season as a professional, Camper had a distinguished career at Miami (Ohio) University as he appeared in two Frozen Fours with the RedHawks, including the 2009 tournament held at Verizon Center, the Capitals’ home rink. There the RedHawks held a two-goal lead with literally only one minute left before they captured the tournament title only to be bitten for three straight goals by their opponents, the Boston University Terriers,who prevailed in a dramatic overtime finish.

That heartbreaking setback to BU was not only a team setback, but also a personal one for the crafty Camper, who had tallied exactly two-hundred points in the AHL prior to the onset of this season. His Miami career on a whole was anything but disappointing, as he finished the collegiate part of his hockey career in Oxford, Ohio, as the RedHawks’ second all-time leading point producer, a position that he still currently maintains, with 183 points (69g, 114a) in 156 outings.

“(The points position) is something to be pretty proud of, that and the fact that we went to a couple of Frozen Fours,” said Camper, who capped off his time at the Ohio institution in fine form in the 2011-12 season, finishing second in team scoring to Andy Miele, who has played in the National Hockey League, but is no relation to former Bear Dan Miele. “There have been a lot of amazing players who have played there, especially in the last ten years or so, where they’ve been on a pretty good run, and I was fortunate to have some really good ones playing with me too.”

As evidenced by his solid numbers on the ice in his senior season at Miami, Camper was obviously able to obtain his “goals”, but thanks to the emphasis on education that his parents Rick and Heidi Camper, who both also attended Miami, instilled in him, it was not at the expense of his off-ice performance in the classroom, as he became the first player in Miami history to be recognized CCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“Guys joke, and say I have to thank my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time,” Camper chuckled. “It’s just part of my upbringing I guess, to be disciplined both at the rink and in school. My parents did a great job teaching me that there is life after hockey. I’m twenty seven now, and I realize that even more now. The hockey years go by really quick, and there are a lot of years after hockey.”

Signed by the Boston Bruins as a free agent shortly after the RedHawks were eliminated from NCAA tournament play, Camper made a smooth transition to the pro ranks in the final weeks of the 2010-11 season. He collected two points in a late-season audition with Providence, the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, which included his first goal which was netted against a face that was very familiar to him-- a face that apparently was also a very welcome sight to other former Redhawks’ over the past few seasons.

“That’s something I won’t forget, and he won’t either,” said Camper of his first professional strike scored against his former Miami teammate, goalie Jeff Zatkoff, who was playing for the Manchester Monarchs at the time, but has also played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. “There have actually been a few of us who have scored their first goal on him. So, I don’t know if he was doing us favors or what,” he joked. Turning serious, he continued, “It was a three-on-two, and I went to the net. I was fortunate to a get a rebound, and I pretty much had an open net. I really didn’t have to do much, which is good because he’s actually a pretty good goalie and he’s hard to beat.”

Camper led the P-Bruins in scoring in his first full season, and then became very familiar to Capitals’ organization in the 2013 playoffs when the Bears and P-Bruins battled in the first round of playoff competition. In that series, the Bruins’ lineup featured not only Camper, but also former Bears Christian Hanson and Graham Mink, as well as Chris Bourque, who rejoined the Caps/Bears organization again this past summer.

Held scoreless in the series opener, Camper found the scoreboard in game two, netting a goal and adding an assist as the Bears took a 2-0 series lead. He lit the lamp again in game three at Giant Center as the Bruins’ staved off elimination. Game four would also be contested at Giant Center, and the contest was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Bruins’ escape with a one-goal win, capped off by Camper’s hat trick, in which he scored the game-winning goal at the 18:56 mark of the third period. Game five, in which Camper added an assist, also went to the Bruins who eliminated the Bears from playoff contention by virtue of their victory.

“Me and Bourquey were just talking about that series last week on the road. That was my first taste of playoffs in the pros. We had an incredible team, and to go down 2-0 was definitely something we were not expecting. We battled back, and that game four was probably one of the most exciting games I’ve ever played in. That win had us feeling pretty good about ourselves going into game five. I’ve always felt comfortable playing in Hershey, and joked that I’d like to play here. Now that I’m here, it’s a great feeling to be a part of the Hershey Bears.”

By:John Sparenberg

Some super elite players are put into the perfect position from the first time that they step onto the ice in the American Hockey League. They are surrounded and supported by other players who also possess an equal or above average skill level, or other skaters who have learned and are willing to share the valuable lessons that they have learned skating in what many call the second best hockey league in the world.

But there is no substitute for experience, and for Hershey Bears’ rookie forward Travis Boyd, a 6th round draft pick of the Capitals in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the combination of the valuable lessons that he has absorbed from his relatively short time in the Washington Capitals’ organization, combined with the knowledge that he has gained from his college days and his late season experience with the Bears last season, has led to him having a solid start to his first professional season in Chocolatetown.

Boyd, 22, was born in the “State of Hockey,” Minnesota, in Edina, but grew up in Hopkins, located about a 25-minute drive west of Minneapolis, and played his college hockey at the University of Minnesota.

“Growing up in Minnesota, it’s pretty much every kid’s dream to play for the Gophers,” said Boyd, who was assisted in his development by Golden Gophers’ assistant coach, Grant Potulny, a former Bear. “I had four great years there and was able to play on some really good teams.   I had a lot of fun both on and off the ice there. Those are times I won’t forget.”

Despite the fact that the Gophers never won the NCAA title during Boyd’s four-year tenure, the team enjoyed much success, appearing in the NCAA tournament each year including two appearances in the Frozen Four, capturing the conference championship crown in each campaign. Yet through all of that team success that saw the Gophers soar above the rest of any Division 1 team and accumulate 105 wins over those four campaigns, Boyd was still able to keep himself grounded and concentrate on his studies, winning a couple of academic awards on his way to earning a degree at Minnesota.

“At certain times of the year, it was definitely challenging trying to balance everything that goes along with it-school, practice, games, travel, and also finding time to enjoy yourself.  That’s something you learn as a freshman and sophomore, and by the time you get into your last two years, you pretty much have it figured out in terms of time management.  You obviously want to do well at hockey and become a better player, but it can’t be at the expense of your studies.”

In April of last season, after he had established career highs in goals (9), assists (23), and points in his senior season at Minnesota, and shortly after the Gophers were bitten by the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and their head coach, former Bear Scott Sandelin, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Boyd joined the Bears and appeared in two games, both against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, thus gaining some valuable bonus professional experience, as well as garnering his first goal as a pro.

“That experience was really important for me.  It was just about getting myself comfortable at this level and getting some confidence that I could play at this level.  So when I came and started this season, I knew I could play here. Obviously, this league is a big step up from college, but having played those couple games last year, I had experience of what this level was all about.”

Even with that bonus experience obtained last season and the lessons learned from that brief stint with the Bears, this season has still had its share of challenges for Boyd. He started the season by accumulating nine points in twenty games on three goals and six assists, but was held scoreless in fourteen outings. However, over the next twenty games, he substantially picked up the offensive pace by notching fifteen points and was only held off the scoresheet only seven times as he continues on his inaugural journey through an American Hockey League season, and adjusts to the life of a professional hockey player.

"There are a couple things that really stand out as being different” (from college), said Boyd. “One of them is the travel, which in this league can get challenging at times.  We have some long bus rides, and some of them are even the night before games.  We could be playing in Syracuse on a Saturday night and have to bus four and a half hours back home and play the next day (at 5 P.M.) after you got home at three in the morning.  You have to learn that no matter how much sleep you get, you just have to get yourself ready to play each game and really take care of your body to make sure you’re ready to go.”

One of other adjustments to the pro game, and one that doesn’t always lead to a goal being scored either for or against but is still vital in how the game plays out, is learning to read the play. When you talk to a player who has made the leap from one level of play to a higher level, they always say it’s the speed of the game that they notice and identify as being the biggest adjustment that they have to make, and Boyd has seemingly made that adjustment in the second quarter of this season, reading the play faster and better in the defensive or neutral zone, and then parlaying that recognition into recent success in the offensive zone.

“Things are slowing down, and I’m able to get a better read on the play and feel more confident each and every game, and I think that’s just a time and experience thing.  We’re halfway through the season now, and I’m pretty used to seeing what this league is all about and what it takes to be successful.”

Throughout his relatively brief time with the Bears, the only head coach that Boyd has known is the club’s current head coach, Troy Mann. Part of Mann’s responsibility to both Boyd and the Capitals’ organization in developing the 5’11” forward is to put him into as many situations as possible.  That means that he has been slotted by Mann and his staff in both offensive and defensive roles, from the power play unit or a spot on the top line in a scoring role, to the penalty killing unit or a spot on the fourth line in a checking role, responsible for creating energy or shutting down the opponent's top line.

A peek at Boyd’s stats provides convincing evidence of the various players that he has been on the ice with as he learns the professional ropes. His goals have been assisted on by the likes of Austin Fyten, a role player who has spent time with the Bears this season, but has spent most of the season in the East Coast Hockey League, as well as top line players like Chandler Stephenson and Chris Bourque, who usually play on the top line in addition to quarterbacking the Bears’ number one power play unit.

“It seems like whenever I play with Bourque, we seem to get things accomplished and put up some points,” said Boyd, who has assisted on five on Bourque’s goals to date and has received a helping hand from the Bears’ top scorer on both of the power play goals he has struck this season. “Chris is a great player, and it’s pretty easy to play with him.  He knows the system and generates a lot of offense. It’s always fun when I’m out there with him.”

Through forty-three games, Boyd is the only player who has suited up for each game that the Bears have played this season, but that’s not to say that he has been 100% healthy every night on the ice. Case in point, Boyd recently had a close call that would have relatively incapacitated mostly non-hockey playing folks for a day or so at the least, but not so for him. (Editor's note: Boyd was the only Bear to appear in all 76 of their regular season outings, and he has also appeared in all 12 of their post-season outings.)

“I took a puck to the face on a Thursday and broke my jaw, but I was able to fly up to Rochester and play all three games that weekend,” said Boyd who notched an assist on a goal by Connor Carrick in the Rochester game.

During his final three seasons at Minnesota, Boyd appeared in over 95% of the Gophers’ games, and missed only seven games, all in succession and the result of a broken foot, so it certainly comes as no surprise that he has been the Bears’ ironman this season.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always been a pretty healthy player, I guess you could say.  I’ve never had too many injuries. In college, the only games that I missed in those last three years were the ones as a result of the broken foot, but otherwise, I played every night. Being in the lineup every night is something I definitely take pride in. It’s just part of being a professional, making sure you’re ready for each game and making sure you perform to the best of your capabilities. Whether you’re 80% or 100%, you still have to find a way to go out there and give all you got to help the team get a win.”

Obviously, Boyd, who was only 17 years and five months old, and the youngest player available in the draft when the Capitals selected him in 2011 draft, is a prized prospect who will undoubtedly be given a shot in the NHL.  But for now, he must bide his time in the AHL in Hershey and continue his professional hockey development, learning and honing his hockey skills, under the tutelage of Mann and his staff.

“I’ve been in the lineup every game, so I can’t complain about that,” said Boyd, when asked about how he has been handled by Mann. “Troy does a great job of communicating with me.  If there’s a part of my game that he’s not liking and feels that I need to work on, he lays it out there, brings me into the office sits me down and talks to me about it.  He meets with each of us every ten or so games.  I just try to take those things in and work on the things that he says and try to work on that in games and practices.”

Away from the rink, Boyd is a reflection of what he is on the ice, an individual who relies on not one particular thing to obtain his goal.  He is simply a down to earth, hard-working Minnesota boy who has many elements that make make up his persona.

“I live with Caleb Herbert, and we have some good chemistry. We always have a good time, whether it’s just hanging out and playing video games or going out to find stuff to do.  There’s not one specific thing that I do to get my mind off the game and relax.  It’s just about getting your mind away from the rink, which is really important because it’s a long season,” said Boyd, a rookie who speaks like a true veteran.

(Editor's note: Herbert was assigned to the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL on March 24, and is currently with them in their quest for the Kelly Cup).

By:John Sparenberg

Some super elite players are put into the perfect position from the first time that they step onto the ice in the American Hockey League. They are surrounded and supported by other players who also possess an equal or above average skill level, or other skaters who have learned and are willing to share the valuable lessons that they have learned skating in what many call the second best hockey league in the world.

But there is no substitute for experience, and for Hershey Bears’ rookie forward Travis Boyd, a 6th round draft pick of the Capitals in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the combination of the valuable lessons that he has absorbed from his relatively short time in the Washington Capitals’ organization, combined with the knowledge that he has gained from his college days and his late season experience with the Bears last season, has led to him having a solid start to his first professional season in Chocolatetown.

Boyd, 22, was born in the “State of Hockey,” Minnesota, in Edina, but grew up in Hopkins, located about a 25-minute drive west of Minneapolis, and played his college hockey at the University of Minnesota.

“Growing up in Minnesota, it’s pretty much every kid’s dream to play for the Gophers,” said Boyd, who was assisted in his development by Golden Gophers’ assistant coach, Grant Potulny, a former Bear. “I had four great years there and was able to play on some really good teams.   I had a lot of fun both on and off the ice there. Those are times I won’t forget.”

Despite the fact that the Gophers never won the NCAA title during Boyd’s four-year tenure, the team enjoyed much success, appearing in the NCAA tournament each year including two appearances in the Frozen Four, capturing the conference championship crown in each campaign. Yet through all of that team success that saw the Gophers soar above the rest of any Division 1 team and accumulate 105 wins over those four campaigns, Boyd was still able to keep himself grounded and concentrate on his studies, winning a couple of academic awards on his way to earning a degree at Minnesota.

“At certain times of the year, it was definitely challenging trying to balance everything that goes along with it-school, practice, games, travel, and also finding time to enjoy yourself.  That’s something you learn as a freshman and sophomore, and by the time you get into your last two years, you pretty much have it figured out in terms of time management.  You obviously want to do well at hockey and become a better player, but it can’t be at the expense of your studies.”

In April of last season, after he had established career highs in goals (9), assists (23), and points in his senior season at Minnesota, and shortly after the Gophers were bitten by the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and their head coach, former Bear Scott Sandelin, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Boyd joined the Bears and appeared in two games, both against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, thus gaining some valuable bonus professional experience, as well as garnering his first goal as a pro.

“That experience was really important for me.  It was just about getting myself comfortable at this level and getting some confidence that I could play at this level.  So when I came and started this season, I knew I could play here. Obviously, this league is a big step up from college, but having played those couple games last year, I had experience of what this level was all about.”

Even with that bonus experience obtained last season and the lessons learned from that brief stint with the Bears, this season has still had its share of challenges for Boyd. He started the season by accumulating nine points in twenty games on three goals and six assists, but was held scoreless in fourteen outings. However, over the next twenty games, he substantially picked up the offensive pace by notching fifteen points and was only held off the scoresheet only seven times as he continues on his inaugural journey through an American Hockey League season, and adjusts to the life of a professional hockey player.

"There are a couple things that really stand out as being different” (from college), said Boyd. “One of them is the travel, which in this league can get challenging at times.  We have some long bus rides, and some of them are even the night before games.  We could be playing in Syracuse on a Saturday night and have to bus four and a half hours back home and play the next day (at 5 P.M.) after you got home at three in the morning.  You have to learn that no matter how much sleep you get, you just have to get yourself ready to play each game and really take care of your body to make sure you’re ready to go.”

One of other adjustments to the pro game, and one that doesn’t always lead to a goal being scored either for or against but is still vital in how the game plays out, is learning to read the play. When you talk to a player who has made the leap from one level of play to a higher level, they always say it’s the speed of the game that they notice and identify as being the biggest adjustment that they have to make, and Boyd has seemingly made that adjustment in the second quarter of this season, reading the play faster and better in the defensive or neutral zone, and then parlaying that recognition into recent success in the offensive zone.

“Things are slowing down, and I’m able to get a better read on the play and feel more confident each and every game, and I think that’s just a time and experience thing.  We’re halfway through the season now, and I’m pretty used to seeing what this league is all about and what it takes to be successful.”

Throughout his relatively brief time with the Bears, the only head coach that Boyd has known is the club’s current head coach, Troy Mann. Part of Mann’s responsibility to both Boyd and the Capitals’ organization in developing the 5’11” forward is to put him into as many situations as possible.  That means that he has been slotted by Mann and his staff in both offensive and defensive roles, from the power play unit or a spot on the top line in a scoring role, to the penalty killing unit or a spot on the fourth line in a checking role, responsible for creating energy or shutting down the opponent's top line.

A peek at Boyd’s stats provides convincing evidence of the various players that he has been on the ice with as he learns the professional ropes. His goals have been assisted on by the likes of Austin Fyten, a role player who has spent time with the Bears this season, but has spent most of the season in the East Coast Hockey League, as well as top line players like Chandler Stephenson and Chris Bourque, who usually play on the top line in addition to quarterbacking the Bears’ number one power play unit.

“It seems like whenever I play with Bourque, we seem to get things accomplished and put up some points,” said Boyd, who has assisted on five on Bourque’s goals to date and has received a helping hand from the Bears’ top scorer on both of the power play goals he has struck this season. “Chris is a great player, and it’s pretty easy to play with him.  He knows the system and generates a lot of offense. It’s always fun when I’m out there with him.”

Through forty-three games, Boyd is the only player who has suited up for each game that the Bears have played this season, but that’s not to say that he has been 100% healthy every night on the ice. Case in point, Boyd recently had a close call that would have relatively incapacitated mostly non-hockey playing folks for a day or so at the least, but not so for him. (Editor's note: Boyd was the only Bear to appear in all 76 of their regular season outings, and he has also appeared in all 12 of their post-season outings.)

“I took a puck to the face on a Thursday and broke my jaw, but I was able to fly up to Rochester and play all three games that weekend,” said Boyd who notched an assist on a goal by Connor Carrick in the Rochester game.

During his final three seasons at Minnesota, Boyd appeared in over 95% of the Gophers’ games, and missed only seven games, all in succession and the result of a broken foot, so it certainly comes as no surprise that he has been the Bears’ ironman this season.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always been a pretty healthy player, I guess you could say.  I’ve never had too many injuries. In college, the only games that I missed in those last three years were the ones as a result of the broken foot, but otherwise, I played every night. Being in the lineup every night is something I definitely take pride in. It’s just part of being a professional, making sure you’re ready for each game and making sure you perform to the best of your capabilities. Whether you’re 80% or 100%, you still have to find a way to go out there and give all you got to help the team get a win.”

Obviously, Boyd, who was only 17 years and five months old, and the youngest player available in the draft when the Capitals selected him in 2011 draft, is a prized prospect who will undoubtedly be given a shot in the NHL.  But for now, he must bide his time in the AHL in Hershey and continue his professional hockey development, learning and honing his hockey skills, under the tutelage of Mann and his staff.

“I’ve been in the lineup every game, so I can’t complain about that,” said Boyd, when asked about how he has been handled by Mann. “Troy does a great job of communicating with me.  If there’s a part of my game that he’s not liking and feels that I need to work on, he lays it out there, brings me into the office sits me down and talks to me about it.  He meets with each of us every ten or so games.  I just try to take those things in and work on the things that he says and try to work on that in games and practices.”

Away from the rink, Boyd is a reflection of what he is on the ice, an individual who relies on not one particular thing to obtain his goal.  He is simply a down to earth, hard-working Minnesota boy who has many elements that make make up his persona.

“I live with Caleb Herbert, and we have some good chemistry. We always have a good time, whether it’s just hanging out and playing video games or going out to find stuff to do.  There’s not one specific thing that I do to get my mind off the game and relax.  It’s just about getting your mind away from the rink, which is really important because it’s a long season,” said Boyd, a rookie who speaks like a true veteran.

(Editor's note: Herbert was assigned to the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL on March 24, and is currently with them in their quest for the Kelly Cup).

Notes for Hershey-Wilkes/Barre game 6

In the last 9 games of this post-season, the Bears, with Justin Peters in net in each of those outings, have given up only one first period goal (Daniel Sprong :45 into game one of this series).

Justin Peters, in this post-season: has played the most minutes (583:02), faced the most shots (262), made the most saves (248), leads in shutouts (2), tied for most wins (6), and has the second best save percentage (.947, although the leader, Toronto’s Garret Sparks has played 436:52 seconds less, and has faced 190 less shots).

Hershey has outscored the Pens 5-1 in the 1st period in this series.

The Bears have scored at least one special teams goals in each of the games in this series that they have scored a goal.

Jakub Vrana has scored a goal in 3 of Hershey’s 4 road outings, and has assisted on 3 of the their game winning goals, and scored 1 as well.

Hershey’s six game winning goals have been scored by 6 different players: Riley Barber, Travis Boyd, Ryan Stanton, Sean Collins, Vrana, and Zach Sill.

4 of Sill’s 8 career Calder Cup Playoff goals have been game winners, including his shorthanded tally on Wednesday night.

Sill's multi-point effort on Wednesday night (1G-2A), was the 2nd of his AHL post-season career in 70 outings. The only other occurrence was when he was a WBS Penguin on 5/2/13 against Binghamton, a game in which he also had a shorthanded goal and added a helper. 

With the exception of Riley Barber, every Bears forward who has appeared in this series has registered at least a point.

Defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer, who has played in every Bears game this post-season, is the only Hershey skater who has failed to register a point.

Hershey’s defensemen have factored into the scoring on 16 of their 25 goals in the post-season, including 5 of their 6 game winners.

Bears Best Pens in Near Perfect Road Win

By:John Sparenberg