Sunday, December 16, 2001
Burke, Emery out in the cold
By TODD SAELHOF -- Ottawa Sun
It was a bad day yesterday for big goaltenders.
After all the hype, both Sean Burke and Ray Emery were shut out from making their respective Canadian Olympic and world junior rosters.
Burke's problem? Perhaps it's a lack of quirks. Maybe he needed to wrestle a security guard to make his way to Salt Lake.
For Emery, the Ottawa Senators' fourth-round pick in the 2001 NHL entry draft, perhaps he needs to franco-fy his name. There won't be a next time for the Soo Greyhounds goalie unless there's an adjustment of the age eligibility for world junior players.
Although many pundits will chalk it up to the QMJHL's riches in goal, it is Emery's age that likely kept him from securing a ticket to the Czech Republic for the 2002 world junior hockey championships.
Yes, Pascal Leclaire of the Halifax Mooseheads and Olivier Michaud of the Shawinigan Cataractes have that certain 'je ne sais quoi' -- in the mould of Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur -- that has always put QMJHL goalies at the top of any prospect list.
But Emery's age, 19, likely had more to do with the final decision of coach Stan Butler.
None of the other goalies matched the success of returning camper Leclaire. And Shane Bendera of the Red Deer Rebels played his way off the team in Friday's final exhibition game.
That left Michaud and Emery to battle for the No. 2 spot. And Michaud's age, 18, got the Quebec goalie the nod. Coaches like to have a backup with eligibility to return the following year.
That said, it leaves you to wonder what happened to the forethought of adding Quebec-born goalie Roberto Luongo to the Olympic roster.
Maybe he, too, needs to wrestle a security guard.
THEY SAID IT: "When your team has only won five games ... there are going to be unhappy people -- unhappy people are going to want a trade because they want to go to a better club. And my door is always open. I always talk to kids, and if anybody had any balls, they'd come in and tell me." -- Don Cherry said about criticism levelled toward him from unnamed Mississauga IceDogs players and their agents disgruntled about his coaching practices.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Cherry controversy is getting the best of C Patrick Jarrett (13 points in 20 games), who is at home wanting a trade from the IceDogs, perhaps back to hometown Sault Ste. Marie ... A surprise Memorial Cup bid announcement by the Greyhounds was -- to no one's surprise -- suddenly revoked one day later. The problem? The Soo just can't offer an arena in the same class as the rival bids from Ottawa, Barrie, Guelph and Erie ... For fans going to today's Hull Olympiques game against Cape Breton at the Bob (2 p.m.), don't forget to bring non-perishable goods for La Soupiere de l'amitie program ... The CHL's new No. 1 team, the Q's Acadie-Bathurst Titans (28-5-4-1), was finally beaten Friday when its 20-game unbeaten string was stopped 5-2 by the Rimouski Oceanic ... C Rick Arnaldo's debut at the Civic Centre had to wait until against the Belleville Bulls (2:30 p.m.), after the newest Ottawa 67's player had car troubles Friday in his move from Barrie.
TOP PLAYER: LW Rick Nash of the London Knights is attracting quite the spotlight this week. He is among the hottest prospects for the 2002 NHL entry draft -- although he won't push D Jay Bouwmeester from the No. 1 perch because of Bouwmeester's value as a blue-chip, blue-line prospect -- and is the OHL player of the week after scoring four goals and seven points in three games.
DID YOU KNOW?: Jason Spezza and Bouwmeester will join an elite cast of three-year players named to Canada's junior squad. Those that came before them were Trevor Kidd (1990-92), Martin Lapointe ('91-93) and Jason Botterill ('95-97). Add that to an impressive resume that saw Spezza and Bouwmeester follow in the footsteps of Eric Lindros ('90) and Wayne Gretzky ('78) by cracking the Canadian junior squad when they were 16-year-olds.
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
