Team Canada - The Manitoba Perspective - Post 1

Well we have now been here, well most of the Manitoba contingent, for 6 nights and it feels more like a month. Between the jet lag, new environment and a hectic team schedule it is still hard to get your berrings. The city of Plzen is absolutely beautiful and the people, who rarely speak any english, have been very welcoming. The food has been terrific(McDonalds is about the same as Canada), the beer is terrific, and the sites and feel to this classic European city is tremendous. From this born and raised prairie boy it is breathtaking, and I hope that the players are experiencing the city the way I am. Now on to the hockey....

Atmosphere: WOW!!! There is nothing in North American Sport that felt like that, 4900 dancing, singing, drumming, whistling, cheering, celebrating, dressed up fans cheering on their team playing against their rival Slovakia. The feeling was electrifying, I had to hold back(being with Team Canada and scouting the Czechs and Slovaks) from joining in the most powerful WAVE I have seen in sports. These people were not just raising their hands they were throwing themselves up and yelling. God forbid the Czechs were called a penalty on, the whistling was deffening. With a steep slope arena much like the old Maple Leaf Gardens design but with a capacity of about 6500, it looks like the fans are on top of you. Two drums pound the whole game and keep everyone stirred up, so for Canada going forward it will be a hostile environment. Did I mention this is for Ball Hockey....Time to get with it Canada, this sport is on fire, and we have the best players in the world, and it is time for the powers that be to recognize the value that this game has, as the Czechs certainly have. I have never seen so many posters, billboards, bus signage, with Czech players and NHL player support from Martin Straka and Petr Sykora(Penguins cup winner). With Ball Hockey being the fastest growing sport in Canada, and with World Wide significance now, and with an opportunity to become a ligitimate world wide sport(it can be played anywhere in its rawest of forms street hockey much like kickball or stickball is to soccer and baseball), the future is bright, and it is time that Canada stepped up to support it.

Team: Talk about athletes, I had no idea what to expect coming here, be it a boys club, ice hockey players, street hockey players, drinkers, flakes, good guys, jerks, Quebec and Ontario only....I had no idea. In a nutshell at the first practice, I would be hard pressed to find a more physically in shape group of people, with so much passion, class, and above all talent within a sport as this in any sport in the world. This truly is the best our sport has to offer and damn it is good. As for the personalities the first guy I met up with at the airport, Andrew Courtney(a guy I dispised coaching against on Team MB), was the nicest of people right off the hop. A bright young guy that was as humble and anxious to play as anyone would be, and he has won this tourney a few times and is a national champion right now. Since that first interaction until this day I have been surrounded by nothing but great people. Terry Ryan, a team focal point off the floor, is a former 8th overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens, and a class act and one of best team players I have ever seen. Sandro Morello, the team captain, a true advocate and lover of this game, and very importantly a true ambassador for our country. Paul Roy, a briliiant player, who sees the game as well as anyone and is a fierce competitor. 39 Year old Paulo Musto, a fiery leader who is arguably the best ball hockey player ever, filled with talent, passion, charisma, and a will to win that puts him in a class of his own. All of these people and every person on the team, some speak only french, are a class act to be around. They all love their country, love the guys around them(new and old), and they love the game. Marta the team physio is working overtime keeping everyone healthy and ready, Dr. Su, the team physician is making all the right calls and making sure that the players are staying healthy, Rene Vandenboom(my roomy) is tracking team fitness and analysing our teams performance as well as scouting our potential opponents, Joe Picko is a magician if you could see the Team Canada dressing room and the attention to detail it would bring a tear to any Canadian Hockey players eye, I am talking Team Canada labels for everything from the coaches water bottles, to the spare sticks, to the tape table, with this guy the players worry about nothing but the game, and with the flags and colours all over the room if someone is not feeling a sense of pride in that room they are not Canadian. Tony Ianitto the GM, a colourful guy that has more love for this game than almost anyone I have every met, and who is a pleasure to work with due to his honesty and intelligence about the sport. Schwiggy the co-gm, is a BC guy who believes in this sports future, and from a team perspective, has done the work behind the scenes in getting us all here that people do not see and cannot possibly appreciate enough. George Gortsos brings a passion and intelligence to this sport that we can all learn from, I have learned more about the game in 6 days working with this guy, than I ever thought possible. Lessons on commitment, strategy, leadership, and team development. These are the people that us Winnipeg boys have the luck to be surrounded by, learn from, and be a part of, and I am overwhelmed with appreciation.

The Winnipeg Crew:

Brant Cook - Scored his first goal early in the tournament against Great Britian and got his sea legs right away. He is getting better every game, and getting used to the speed and ability of his linemates. As Brant usually goes he will be at his best in the big games, he is really maturing as a player.

Dustin Kelly - Scored his first goal late in the third game against Italy, and it was a beauty. This kid is impressing people with his speed and at 20 he has all the time in the world to make his mark on the sport, and being around vets like Ryan, Musto, etc he is learning alot whether he knows it or not.

Scott Cameron - Due to some flight issues, Scotty did not get here until Monday and he just jumped right into the team atmosphere and became the team player that he is. Jumping into the goaltending group and making his presence felt has really pumped up the room. We have not had a chance to seem him in game action, but Scotty will be the first to tell you this is a team game and a gold is the goal.

I will report back after every game from here on in, starting tomorrow.

Coach Dzikowicz