NATIONAL ATHLETIC COLLEGIATE ASSOCIATION COLLEGE HOCKEY’S NHL ImPACT RECEIVES TOP MARKS HEY WOULD SAY HE HAD A ‘career year’ eral manager Doug Armstrong. “In plac- if college hockey was a player. es like Texas, California and Missouri T Consider calendar year 2010: the players are now growing up thinking captain’s honor of raising the Stanley Cup about NCAA hockey. That’s how they went to a former college player for the think. I think college hockey is only second time, the MVP, Best Goaltender, going to grow from here.” Best Forward and Best Defenseman at Today, there are 11 top NHL execu- the Vancouver Olympics were all college tives with college hockey backgrounds: alums, the NHL Awards in Las Vegas Toronto’s Brian Burke (Providence), New saw ex-collegians claim the Vezina, Jersey’s Lou Lamoriello (Providence), Norris, Lady Byng and Conn Smythe Atlanta’s Don Waddell (Northern trophies, while nearly 250,000 fans will Michigan), Pittsburgh’s Ray Shero (St. have attended just four big stage events, Lawrence), New York Islanders’ Garth including the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four Snow (Maine), Nashville’s David Poile in Detroit and the Dec. 11 Big Chill at (Northeastern), Washington’s George the Big House at Michigan Stadium. McPhee (Bowling Green), Philadelphia’s When USA won the gold medal at the Paul Holmgren (Minnesota), Boston’s World Junior Championships last winter, Peter Chiarelli (Harvard), Los Angeles’ there were 11 college players on the ros- Dean Lombardi (New Haven) and ter, plus Jason Zucker, who is now play- Dallas’ Joe Nieuwendyk (Cornell). s ing college hockey at Denver. “What we have (in that group) are RYAN MILLER captured the Hobey Baker “To me the growth of college hockey some former players who put the busi- Memorial Award in 2000 as college hockey’s parallels the growth of hockey in the ness side at the forefront,” Waddell said. most outstanding player with Michigan State. United States,” said St. Louis Blues gen- “Today hockey has become such a big business, that helps.” programs, but always had his mind made JONATHAN TOEWS made back-to-back According to NHL statistics, 27.5 up that he would be a college player. Frozen Four appearances with North Dakota percent of all NHL players “Just in case hockey didn’t work out, in 2006 and 2007. today have college hockey I wanted a plan B,” Johnson said. “It is s backgrounds. By the end important in anything you do in life to have of the season that number a Plan B, and a degree is a good Plan B.” could be closer to 29 per- Of course, Plan A also turned out cent because college play- just fine for former college players who ers will join NHL teams were front and center onstage at the after their seasons. 2010 NHL Awards in Las Vegas. The “I think what this Vezina (Ryan Miller/Michigan State), means is that col- Conn Smythe (Jonathan Toews/North lege hockey has Dakota), Norris (Duncan Keith/Michigan become a more State) and Lady Byng (Martin St. Louis/ realistic option Vermont) were all won by college play- for playing in ers. Toews also won Olympic gold with the NHL,” said Canada and captained the Stanley Cup defenseman Jack champion Chicago Blackhawks. Johnson, a key “For me (college hockey) was the step- player on a Los ping stone to the NHL,” Toews said. Angeles Kings “That was the ultimate goal, to find a team that is enjoying place I could play and eventually become its best start in 20 years. a professional hockey player. It worked Johnson was coveted by junior out that North Dakota was a good place Jim McIsaac/Getty Images, Miller: Harry How/Getty Images Toews: 40 The Hockey News, December 6, 2010 OCT. 18: Chicago’s Patrick Sharp assist in a 2-0 win against San Jose. The (Vermont) scores the game-winning goal Blues are off to one of the best starts in against St. Louis to give him team history and Oshie was their leading five goals in three games. In early scorer before suffering a fractured ankle November, he was still second in the on Nov. 10. Leading the team in min- NHL scoring race. utes played is defenseman Erik Johnson OCT. 27: Former college players (Minnesota). totaled 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 “A lot more players are starting to go points in six NHL games. Among the to college and a lot more Canadians are highlights: Dany Heatley (Wisconsin) had starting to go to college,” Johnson said. a goal and three assists in San Jose’s 5-2 “It’s a great place to develop.” win against New Jersey, while Martin St. Johnson wanted to turn pro, but the Louis (Vermont) had two goals and an Blues convinced him he needed to go to assist in Tampa Bay’s 5-3 victory against college. Pittsburgh. Craig Adams (Harvard) was “I just grew up and matured,” Johnson involved in every Penguins goal, con- said. “It’s not just how you develop on the tributing a goal and two assists. Duncan ice. It’s how you develop as a person. I just Keith (Michigan State) had two assists in got a broader perspective about life.” Chicago’s 3-1 win against Los Angeles. It’s a perspective that many former On that same night, Chicago’s Marty collegians eventually channel for a career Turco (Michigan) and Tampa Bay’s Dan year or two of their own. ■ Ellis (Nebraska-Omaha) both had victo- ries in the net. DEREK STEPAN, who led the 2010 World Juniors OCT. 30: Goalie Tim Thomas (Vermont) in scoring, fired a hat trick in his NHL debut. shuts out Ottawa to give him three s shutouts in six games. His 6-0-0 start to s the season is Boston’s best goaltending GEORGE PARROS, with a Princeton economics start since Tiny Thompson went 6-0-0 degree, would be just as comfortable on Wall in 1937-38. At the time, Thomas led the Street as the trenches of the NHL. NHL with an 0.50 goals-against average and .984 save percentage. for that. I had a lot of fun playing in some NOV. 2: Anaheim Ducks tough guy big games – the Frozen Four, the World George Parros (Princeton) made news by Juniors for Team Canada. It was a good shaving off hockey’s most famous mous- two years there that really helped me to tache since Lanny McDonald’s handle- develop and get ready for this level.” bar, for charity. “It was totally hard to do it,” Parros THIS SEASON, COLLEGE HOCKEY CONTIN- said, laughing. “If you read the e-mail UES TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON A chains, I said I would love to support NIGHTLY BASIS AT THE NHL LEVEL: my mustachioed brothers, but I didn’t OCT. 9: New York Rangers center Derek want to shave it. At the end of the Stepan (Wisconsin), six months removed day, I did it because it was for a good from playing in the Frozen Four, netted a cause, and I wouldn’t turn as many hat trick in his first NHL game. He was heads if I just supported the move- the fourth player in NHL history to do ment with my ‘stache.” so, and the first to accomplish the feat NOV. 4: St. Louis Blues center T.J. since Fabian Brunnstrom did it in 2008. Oshie (North Dakota) picks up an COLLEGE HOCKEY BRINGS HOME HARDWARE 2010 Men’s OLYMPIC HOCKEY 2010 NHL AWARDS Most Valuable Player/Best Goaltender Vezina Trophy Ryan Miller (Michigan State) Ryan Miller (Michigan State) Best Defenseman Norris Trophy Brian Rafalski (Wisconsin) Duncan Keith (Michigan State) 2010 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONS Best Forward Lady Byng Trophy Jerry D’Amigo (Rensselaer) Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) Martin St. Louis (Vermont) Matt Donovan (Denver) John Ramage (Wisconsin) Media All-Star Conn Smythe Trophy Jake Gardiner (Wisconsin) Jordan Schroeder (Minnesota) Zach Parise (North Dakota) Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) Chris Kreider (Boston College) Derek Stepan (Wisconsin) NHL Foundation Player Award Danny Kristo (North Dakota) David Warsofsky (Boston University) Ryan Miller (Michigan State) Mike Lee (St. Cloud) Jason Zucker (Denver) Parros: John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images, Stepan: Graig Abel/NHLI Images NCAA SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEatURE The Hockey News, December 6, 2010 41 KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN – ON THE ICE AND OFF ockey’s BEST PLAYERS LEARN AT AN “We tell them there are early age to keep their options open more guys that have gone on H when the puck is on their stick, to become successful doctors, and College Hockey Inc’s goal is to help lawyers, entrepreneurs and the sport’s best young players keep their scientists that played college options open about their future. hockey than players who went The non-profit organization, oper- on to become NHL superstars,” ated under the auspices of the Hockey Kelly said. “The reality is that Commissioners Association (HCA), hockey ends at some point, but debuted last December and one of its pri- education lasts a lifetime.” mary missions is to educate prospective Included in the organization’s student-athletes on the benefits of pairing efforts have been four “col- a college education with their passion legiate hockey summits” held in for hockey. Staff members have spent the Los Angeles, Dallas, Ann Arbor, past year traveling across North America Mich., and Rochester, N.Y. Each making presentations to elite young play- was an invitation-only gathering of ers and their families. s Parents are more interested in the MIKE KOMISAREK, who played at the substance of the message, such as how University of Michigan, addressed elite young to catch the attention of college coaches, players in Toronto over the summer at a how to get admitted and get a scholar- collegiate hockey summit.