Postcard from a College Hockey Town
By pucksandbooks
12 July, 2008
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A local television reporter this week wondered of Capitals’ General Manager George McPhee if this summer was more enjoyable than previous ones, positing however that, “There’s always been talk that Washington is not a hockey town, and it’s been tough to get players [to come] here?” McPhee, to his credit, didn’t accept the premise that Washington isn’t a hockey town. Alluding to the impact that Alexander Ovechkin clearly has had in transforming this franchise, he replied:
“There’s no doubt that it’s easier to have players come here, players want to play here, they’re excited about Washington. Theodore was the only move that we had to make this summer to bring someone one in, and he couldn’t wait to get here — this was the no. 1 place he wanted to come to.
“In my mind Washington is a hockey town. What we haven’t done — and some of the other towns around us, what they’ve have done is won a championship.But you saw the way our fanbase responded last year — it was incredible. The GM of the Flyers [Paul Holmgren] said ‘Your building was electric, I’ve never seen a building like that,’ And veteran players like Fedorov said they’ve never been in a louder building.
“I think we’ve got something really neat going on here, our market is really responded to it, we’ve got a really good team . . . it’s all coming together the way that we’d hoped.”
With the announced signing to Boyd Gordon on Friday only Shaone Morrisonn remains unsigned, with either an agreement or an arbitrator’s ruling determining his deal for 2008-09. Meaning: the Capitals will have zero contract issues distracting them from the moment training camp starts.
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John Walton
The Hershey Bears
950 Hersheypark Drive
Hershey, PA 17033
USA |
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McPhee this week also reflected on the evolution of July’s development camp. “This used to go from just a conditioning camp in the past to what it is now — conditioning and evaluating. We take a good look at these guys, spend a week with them, get to know them as people, spend a lot of time on the ice. Let the coaches work with these young players, let our pro scouts watch them, because they don’t see the amateurs much. Because in training camp you’re trying to make decisions fast, but this is a better opportunity to get to know people, and there is a lot of value in how we project them and what we might do in the near future in terms of trades.”
McPhee we learned this week, very much behind the scenes, played a large role in Washington’s successful bid to land the Frozen Four in Washington next April. That probably shouldn’t be surprising for a former Hockey Baker winner.
“It should be a great weekend,” he said of next April’s Frozen Four. We’re thrilled that we were able to get it here.
“It’s finally here. It’s hard to believe — it seemed like it was so long ago when we were lobbying them.
“I just know how great the weekend can be. We don’t have a lot of exposure to college hockey in this market, and we’re gonna get it now, and I hope that somewhere along the way we get some college hockey on a permanent basis in Washington.
“This may be the thing that springboards it.”
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John Walton
The Hershey Bears
950 Hersheypark Drive
Hershey, PA 17033
USA |
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McPhee’s wish may be further along than he realizes. Last autumn, well under the radar (i.e., the MSM failed to cover it), the Naval Academy christened McMullen Arena, a state-of-the-art facility that at present seats 850 for hockey but can be expanded to seat 3,500. (The NCAA minimum capacity for Division I is 2,500 seats). Former New Jersey Devils owner John McMullen, an annapolis grad, contributed $5 million to the $16-million-plus facility.
With Navy being the host school for the ‘09 Frozen Four, we asked Sweeney if any thought had been given to trying to arrange an Army-Navy game in association with the championship event.
“That’s the dream,” he said. “It’s not going to happen this year, but there was thought given to it when we bid on [the Frozen Four] three-and-a-half years ago — we thought that it could happen. But the timeline was just a little too quick for that to happen.”
“The new [Navy] hockey facility is fantastic — state-of-the-art, gorgeous. ” It was built, Sweeney said, “with 100 percent design” on Navy going D-I.
Washington the hockey town: assembly still required — but the building is taking place. |
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John Walton
The Hershey Bears
950 Hersheypark Drive
Hershey, PA 17033
USA |
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One Comment
Great stuff. That’s exciting news about Navy. I hope I get my tickets for the Frozen Four out of the lottery next month!
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