Brian Leetch is honored by the 2011 World Police and Fire Games

On Wednesday night (February 27th) at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, Brian Leetch was honored by the 2011 World Police and Fire Games, which is a non-profit organization made up of both active and retired New York City and Pennsylvania police officers and firefighters. The 2011 WPFG acknowledge role models, athletes and humanitarians with a connection to New York City and wanted to honor Brian as he is "a true New Yorker, a real hockey player, a role model" and had tremendous character on the off the ice. Other honorees included former NY Giant great George Martin and NYC Sports Commissioner Ken Podziha. It was very important for Brian to be on hand for this very special event.

Lightning Captain Tim Taylor making strides in his comeback

Tampa Bay Lightning Captain Tim Taylor, a 13-year veteran, has been getting praise across the NHL for his attempt at returning to the ice following hip resurfacing surgery on September 6th, 2007. He is trying to become the first player in a contact sport to play following this major procedure. Taylor has been progressing better than anticipated. Following the surgery, Taylor was barely able to walk and found it difficult and painful just getting out of bed or going to thbe bathroom and now, only five months after the surgery, he took the ice and skated at St. Pete Times Forum on February 12th. With the Lightning 11 points behind Buffalo for the 8th and final playoff spot and only 20 games remaining, Taylor is pushing himself to return to action before the season ends and has been working readily with Lightning strength coach Eric Lawson.


By Stephen Harris / Bruins Notebook Sunday, February 24, 2008
http://www.bostonherald.com/

Taylor battling back

Former Bruins center Tim Taylor, one of hockey’s truly classy guys, is attempting to make an amazing comeback.

Last summer he had hip resurfacing surgery. At 39, he knows this will be his final season, yet he has been working hard to see if it’s possible to return for a even a few NHL games with his rebuilt hip. He has been skating for two weeks and hopes to be cleared for full practice a week into March.

“And then when the time comes, we have to sit down and make a decision on the risk/reward in coming back to try and play a few games,” Taylor said. “No one’s ever done it with hockey at this level. I just want to give myself the best opportunity. . . . This is the best I’ve felt in 7-8 years.”

Ilya Kovalchuk wins 2008 Atlanta Professional Athlete of the Year Award

Congratulations to Ilya Kovalchuk, who took home the 2008 Pro Athlete of the Year Award at the Atlanta Sports Awards Monday night. For Kovalchuk, this has been a season full of accolades and one in which he has become a leader and put the Thrashers on his back: he recently played in the All-Star Game in Atlanta, he has gained notoriety throughout North America for his development into a solid defensive player, and has led the NHL in goals (39) for most of the season (until Washington's Alexander Ovechkin took the lead). Kovalchuk and the Thrashers have really taken off after an 0-6 start and are now only two points behind division leader Carolina. At a relatively young age, this is a great honor for Ilya. By age 24, the former first overall pick of the NHL Draft already has had two 40+ goal seasons and one 50-goal season, and he is a 2-time NHL All-Star. Also, his 241 career goals are the most by any player since he entered the league in 2001. A Pro Athlete of the Year Award is a great accomplishment in any respect, but in a big sports city like Atlanta, it is even more significant for a hockey player to shine so bright.

By Craig Custance Tuesday, February 12, 2008, 02:26 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kudos for Kovy: Ilya Kovalchuk was named the pro athlete of the year last night at the Atlanta sports awards and said it was a fun experience mingling with other Atlanta athletes. He said he got to meet and chat at length with guys like Brian Finneran, Morten Anderson and Josh Smith. Kovalchuk was honored to win the award, although I’m sure he has his eyes set on bigger things this sesason.

Helenius wins ADT-CHL co-goaltender of the week award

Congratulations to PuckAgency client Riku Helenius, who earned the CHL co-goaltender of the week award this week! Riku has been impressive for the Seattle Thunderbirds; his .917 save percentage and 2.37 goals against average are good for 5th and 9th respectively in the Western Hockey League. Helenius will go for his sixth straight victory tonight when Seattle hosts Kamloops. Tampa Bay has high hopes for Helenius, who Hockey's Future rates as Tampa Bay's #2 prospect in the organization, and has said it is happy to let him continue his development at the Junior level. Most recently, Riku starred in the nets for Finland at the World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic; Helenius posted a shutout against Kazakhstan on December 29th.

Published: February 6, 2008

The Tampa Tribune
Erik Erlendsson


GOALTENDER PRAISE: Tampa Bay's top pick in the 2006 draft, G Riku Helenius, was named the co-goaltender of the week for Canadian junior hockey. In two games with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League last week, Helenius went 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against and .980 save percentage while pitching a shutout in a 4-0 win against Portland.

Helenius entered Tuesday having won five consecutive starts to improve his record to 15-9-6 with a 2.37 goals against average and .917 save percentage in 30 games. The 19-year-old is in his first year as a pro in North America and was signed to an entry-level contract with Tampa Bay in the summer that will begin next season.

Alex Radulov sets two career-highs last night

Alexander Radulov set two career-highs last night in Nashville's 4-2 victory over Columbus at the Sommet Center: his 19th goal surpassed his previous high, set in his rookie year of 2006-07(18) and upped his goal streak to five consecutive games. This is Radulov's second goal-scoring streak of at least three games-he previously had a three-game streak from December 26-29. Radulov currently leads Nashville in goals and is third in points. Alex will go for his sixth straight game with a goal when Nashville faces Phoenix Saturday night in Nashville.

Arnott line piles up points

Recent offense helps Preds climb in West

By JESSICA HOPP

Staff Writer

At some point in the third period, J.P. Dumont looked up at the scoreboard and saw that Vancouver had been defeated.

Knowing that if his team hung on for a win over Columbus it could move into an eighth-place tie with the Canucks in the Western Conference, Dumont was afforded a brief moment of elation.
The trick now is to hang onto that feeling.

As talk of the playoff race trickled through the dressing room following Thursday's 4-2 win, the theme was evident — with 30 games remaining the Predators control their fate.

"We are kind of lucky right now to be in the position we are in," Dumont said. "We have our own destiny, and it's going to be a great race. We put ourselves in that position, now we have to make sure we finish it."

Doing that may hinge largely on Dumont and his linemates, Jason Arnott and Alexander Radulov.

Behind the play of the trio the Predators have ascended the conference standings and put themselves in contention.

Thursday night was just one example, as it took just seconds for Radulov to put the Predators on the board.

In a nice tic-tac-toe play that started with Dan Hamhuis' pass from the point and continued with a pass off Dumont's stick to the crease, Radulov one-timed a shot past the glove side of Columbus goaltender Pascal LeClaire to give the Predators a 1-0 lead 26 seconds into the contest.

The score set a career high in goals for Radulov, who has 19. It also extended his goal-scoring streak to five games, surpassing his previous career high of four, and setting the tone for the evening.

"It helped give our team momentum and was beneficial to us," Predators Coach Barry Trotz said.

Jay Grossman and PuckAgency's experience with Brian Leetch

I first met Brian at the US National Program’s summer camp in 1986 in a dingy old time arena in Greensboro, North Carolina. Our firm’s President (then Athletes and Artists, Inc., now PuckAgency LLC) Art Kaminsky and I had always believed Brian had the chance to be a world class player. What we didn’t know was that he was a first class person as well.

I have had the honor to represent Brian since that time, now more than 20 + years ago, and it is awesome to join in the celebrations and honors that Brian is receiving. What is even more special is that Brian continues to be honored as much for who he is off the ice as for his hockey accomplishments.

My first vivid memories of Brian’s career, after an outstanding freshman Hockey East MVP season at Boston College, are of his time with the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. This was a close knit group at a time when college players barnstormed across the country and internationally prior to the Olympic Games held that year in Calgary. This was the post wave group of kids playing their pee-wee hockey in the shadows of the Miracle on Ice and featured Mike Richter, Kevin Stevens, Tony Granato, and Scott Young. The team trained extensively on the Olympic ice surface in Lake Placid (now Herb Brooks arena). Though one of the youngest on the team, Brian was named captain of this team and despite high expectations other nations were still fielding semi-professionals (not amateurs) and the US placed seventh.

I was with Brian as he immediately flew from Calgary, returned home to Cheshire, CT to pick up his belongings, and reported to the Rangers playing in his first game shortly thereafter (Feb. 29, 1988).

Though other Americans had followed that Miracle team to the NHL such as Pat LaFontaine, Eddie Olczyk and Chris Chelios, when Brian arrived in the NHL in 1988 it was still a league dominated by Canadian junior players, coaches, and management; this was a much different atmosphere than US prep school, college and Olympic hockey. However, there were still high expectations for Brian coming in to the NHL. I recall clearly the negotiations we had with Phil Esposito, the Rangers GM. The end result was a contract that was heavily laden with bonus incentives (many of which Brian achieved capturing the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year, progressively scoring more points each season and capping the final season of that contract with 102 points, one of only five defensemen in NHL to do so, and was awarded the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman). One comment I can surely make about Brian was that though he played under only four contracts over his 16 years with the Rangers, his timing was always highly beneficial to our results!

Brian quickly made an impact with the Rangers. Both Coach Michel Bergeron and Esposito were significant contributors to his initial success and comfort both on and off the ice. He scored 14 points in those first 17 games when he arrived after the Olympics, and 71 in his second full season. It was obvious after the awards ceremony in Toronto in 1989 that Brian was going to have a major impact not only on the Rangers but throughout the NHL.

Off the ice, Brian spent part of his first full year living in Greenwich, CT close to the Rangers practice facility then at Rye Playland. Though it was a little delicate at that time for young players, we received permission for Brian to live in the City which became his home. In what was typical for Brian, he lived in the same apartment building for his entire career with the Rangers gradually moving up in apartment size after he was married and started raising a family. With Brian, if he was comfortable and happy with something, it remained constant. For example, his second contract was seven years in length and though NHL salaries doubled and tripled during that time, he was pleased with its market value and never asked for it to be renegotiated which was unusual for the time. You also learned with Brian that his instincts were usually bang on. If a request was made of him, he would have an answer and would stick by it.

If someone crossed him off the ice, they only did it once. This consistency is one of the reasons virtually every player has called Brian the consummate teammate. It is also the reason why all who come in contact with him understand his character and first rate nature.

Of course, there were many other highlights to Brian’s playing career. Sharing the Rangers win on June 14, 1994 was surely one of them. The celebration that night and for the many days after was like no other. New York City embraced the Rangers and hockey like never before. Though I have had the opportunity to celebrate the Cup with several other players, I will always cherish that moment as it seemed Brian never took his uniform off, the cut on his nose forever etched in my mind and his Conn Smythe Trophy acceptance photo. On another personal note, after having a sister, Leah, born and delivered in the dressing room at Madison Square Garden in 1978, it seemed more than coincidental that my son, Justin, was brought in to the world on June 10 in time for end of the Rangers 54 year drought.

And though Brian did get a chance to play in a few more Olympic Games (capturing Silver in 2002), perhaps the most shining moment for American hockey was winning the World Cup in 1996. Brian captained that team comprised of America’s best group of professionals , including, LaFontaine, Chelios, Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk, the Hatcher brothers, and Brett Hull.

Though he is good friends with Chelios and others from that team, and some deserve consideration, simply put, in my perhaps biased opinion, Brian Leetch is the greatest American to ever play the game.

Jay Grossman is President of PuckAgency, LLC, based in New York and has been Brian Leetch’s agent for over 20 years.

2008 World Juniors

Another edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship is in the books and once again, Canada has taken home the Gold. Pardubice and Liberec in the Czech Republic played host to a fantastic tournament, capped off by the fourth title won by Canada in as many years. The World Juniors is the annual showcase for the world’s best players under the age of 20. Five PuckAgency clients played in the WJC’s: three were members of the Finnish team and two helped Russia earn a Bronze Medal. Let’s take a look at how each of them fared:

Riku Helenius – G – Finland

Riku was in net for Finland for a majority of its tournament play. The 15th overall pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2006 posted a 2-2 record, accounting for Finland’s only wins of the competition. Riku posted a 3.36 GAA and .864 save percentage in the tournament; his play was highlighted by a shutout of Kazakhstan in the group stage.

Niclas Lucenius – F – Finland

Niclas solidified his reputation as a great offensive talent with his performance in the Czech Republic. His 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) placed him among the tournament’s scoring leaders and tied him for tops on Finland. Lucenius, who helped power the Finnish offense into the medal round with his playmaking abilities, was the Atlanta Thrashers' 4th round pick from 2007.

Miko Malkamaki – D – Finland

Miko, an undrafted 19 year-old, made his own unique mark on the Finnish blueline. His physical style of play earned him the distinction of accumulating the 2nd most penalty minutes in the tournament with 33. The defenseman for Tappara Tampere (SM-liiga) played in all 6 games for Finland.

Alexei Cherepanov – F – Russia

As an under-aged junior in the 2007 WJHC, Alexei continues to impress scouts by tying for 5th in tournament scoring and propelling Russia to the Silver Medal. After slipping to the New York Rangers with the 17th overall pick in 2007, Alexei entered this year’s tournament with big expectations and all of the attention from opposing defenses that goes with them. Cherepanov missed Russia's opening game of the tournament against Finland due to illness and bounced back the next day with a goal in a 5-4 win over Kazakhstan. Alexei tallied 3 goals and 3 assists for tournament, including a goal and 2 assists in last Saturday's game vs. the United States to win the Bronze. "The Siberian Express" hopes to join the Rangers for the 2008-09 season.

Evgeni Dadonov – F – Russia

Dadonov played in all seven games and was a solid contributor to Russia's team. Evgeni was a 3rd round selection by the Florida Panthers in the 2007 NHL Draft. He currently plays for Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Russian Super League. Dadonov is in contact regularly with Vadim Podresov, Florida's Russian scout, who helps Evgeni get acclimated in the Russian Super League. Florida has high hopes for Dadonov and expects him to come to North America in the near future.