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by WCHBlog on Jun 8, 2010 1:23 PM PDT
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PrintThe Michigan Daily put out an epic article on the evolution of Michigan's student section. It's a very entertaining read, and brings up some great memories like the Michigan-Cornell NCAA tournament series--Fun fact: I attended Michigan's wins on Saturday and Sunday, while that Friday, when they lost, I assembled a Lite-Brite at my grandparents house. Coincidence? You're welcome, history.-- and the Molly story, because We Should Never Forget. I'm a little disappointed the 1998 regional doesn't get more attention in Michigan hockey lore, but you can't complain when you have to pare down a list of great moments.
As for the stuff between the boards, there's a rumor out there that former Grand Rapids Catholic Central/Sioux City Musketeers goalie Adam Janecyk will be Michigan's new third string goalie. Janecyk seemed to struggle numberswise in Sioux City, but is a pretty legitimate talent. I would not be surprised to see him work his way up and start a couple games for Michigan next year.
Former Alaska-Anchorage assistant Damon Whitten is the new assistant coach at Michigan Tech. He's going from a team with zero winning seasons in the last 16 years to a team with one winning season in the last 16 years. That's called a promotion. Also: Obligatory video of Bob Gassoff demolishing Whitten.
It's the summer, so I feel like I can over this for the 1000th time. Yahoo's CHL blog wrote an article basically saying even though what Paul Kelly says is true, he shouldn't say it because it makes us look bad, and makes the classic mistake of confusing 'amateur' with 'extremely poorly paid professional'. From the article:
One wonders how they reconcile considering a CHL player, getting a $50 weekly stipend a professional at the same time schools are taking in $60 million annually from football alone, coaches earnseven-figure incomes and schools cut decades-old conference ties in search of more TV revenue? That sounds pretty professional.
The NCAA is finally considering loosening some of its amateur rules. Oddly enough, hockey would be exempt, though. Well, perhaps Kelly and the U.S. stakeholders should work on trying to get the rules to reflect the hockey world of 2010, not 1920.
It's actually pretty simple to reconcile it. Amateur status does, and has always, referred to the players playing the sport. The money anyone else takes in is irrelevant.
People can hem and haw about $50-a-week all they want. I've yet to find anyone comfortable with the idea of Cam Fowler, who allegedly received $500,000 from the Windsor Spitfires(I'll pick a new example as soon as Kitchener and Windsor file their lawsuit, which I'm sure will be any day now), being labeled an amateur. Kitchener a couple years back is the only team I can remember doing this, but their ownership took them on a vacation to some resort in Mexico or the Caribbean. That would be outlawed under NCAA rules. The fact that players are giving their name and likenesses to EA Sports to be used in a video game--even though the players got sold out and get nothing on the deal--would be against NCAA rules.
It's true that they get very little. But the fact is, they are professionals that get very little. And it's in the CHL's best interest to keep them that way, and to destroy the eligibility of as many players as possible. The "player contracts" teams ask players to sign aren't the issue. They really serve no other purpose than messing with a player's NCAA eligibility. If you raise the bar another foot, CHL teams will just tell players to jump another foot higher.
I gave up on Russian prospect Kirill Kabanov after former teammate Brandon Gormley politely, but clearly said himself and his teammates thought it was best that Kabanov leave their team in the middle of their playoff run when asked about Kabanov at the Combine. Kabanov had crept back onto a lot of people's radars when he hired a high-powered agent and went around the NHL Combine blaming everyone but himself for all the bad stuff written about him. Then, today, it was announced that his agent was cutting ties with Kabanov. He's completely alienated everyone in Russia so he can't go back there, and there's enough major red flags that I can't imagine any NHL would want to deal with him. He's starting to run out of options.
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Chirs…please take off your slanted rose colored glasses. Are USHL players amature? Do they not get “perks” from their respective teams? ( I know for a fact they do!) Are there not many examples of high schools planning all expense paid trips to Mexico for their players….yup there are….but of course we should not let these little inconvinient truths to get in the way of your fantasy now should we.
Again, please do not be so infatuated(in your hatred) of the CHL becasue they are winning the recruiting battles. Let it go Chris just let it go…you’ll feel much better
Well, this is a college hockey blog. Did you expect a pro-CHL slant to it? Really?
My word. If you don’t like it, go read something else. You don’t see me infiltrating the CHL blogs to talk about how stupid the CHL is, do you?
/soapbox
Anyway, the Kabanov story is extremely sad. He’s on track to be one of the great wasted talents of all-time. Kid had a legitimate chance to be a top-five pick. Now he might be lucky to go in the first 45. All the damage is self-inflicted. He still would have been a high pick with the injury he had to deal with this season.
Interesting part of this
to me, anyway, is that there is no denial from the CHL (or the media up there) that what Paul Kelly is saying is true, yet everything directed at US high schools and the USHL are rumors, and he-said, she-said with no proof (ooh, ooh, I knew a guy who knew a guy who talked to a coach of a rival USHL team that says prospect X got an extra $50 above his reported stipend! [roll eyes]).
Just saying…
Hubbs!
I wasn’t going to touch the USHL thing. Yes, it’s impossible to completely control everything. Just look at Ohio State’s 500 annual secondary violations. But it’s meaningless when you compare it with the five and six figure sums thrown around with certain CHL players.
Also, if the issue is about preserving college eligibility, Galiev probably isn’t your best example.
I was just thoroughly amused by the idea of schools that have had to reduce schedules or co-op with other schools because they can’t afford to bus to games, or schools that have literally cut ‘technology’ out of their curriculum due to budget restraints flying their hockey teams on extravagant vacation trips, and nobody noticing or bothering to say anything.
The CHL sure has their education package in order...
Former player takes Quebec junior league to court over education bursary
The Canadian Press
2010-06-08 21:54:00
SYDNEY, N.S. – A former Quebec Major Junior Hockey League player is taking the league to court, claiming it is refusing to pay him bursary money for his education.
Brett Morrison, 22, of Howie Centre, N.S., is asking for $3,500 for every year of post-secondary education he completes, up to a maximum of $15,000, plus damages and costs.
A notice of claim also states that Morrison is asking to be paid $7,000 of that $15,000 total immediately for the two years he’s completed at St. Francis Xavier University.
Morrison played for three QMJHL teams over four seasons. He now plays for the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.
“I just feel that I should get some part of my money from the Q,” said Morrison, adding the court action is his last resort after trying unsuccessfully for more than a year to get education money from the league.
“I ended up not getting anything. We figured we should give it at least a try.”
The claim will be heard Sept. 28 in an Antigonish, N.S., court.
Before it was amended in August 2009, the QMJHL’s education policy stated a former player was eligible for bursaries totalling $16,000 for a four-year degree if he met three requirements outlined in a June 3, 2009, letter sent to Morrison by commissioner Gilles Courteau.
The requirements stated that a player must not refuse to play in the league as a 19-year-old, he must return to full-time studies no later than one year after the end of his junior career, and he must “seriously attend” school for at least four academic sessions during his junior career.
At the time, Courteau said Morrison didn’t fulfil the third requirement but Morrison insisted it was impossible to meet the requirement because he was bounced around the league so much.
He played for the Gatineau Olympiques in 2004-05, 2005-06 and part of 2006-07, the P.E.I. Rocket for portions of 2006-07 and 2007-08, and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for part of 2007-08.
Morrison’s lawyer, Kyle MacIsaac, said Tuesday his client wasn’t even made aware of the third requirement when he signed a contract with Gatineau on Aug. 29, 2004, during a pre-season training camp.
“There was no opportunity for him to seek out any independent legal advice or to discuss it with his folks,” MacIsaac said. “Essentially, our main argument is Brett was not afforded the information from the league … that would enable him to adhere to the requirements of the policy.”
MacIsaac said Morrison contemplated playing NCAA hockey but ended up going to the QMJHL largely because of the education grants offered by the league.
The QMJHL provided a total of $402,750 in education grants in the 2009-10 academic year. Individuals received between $1,000 and $4,000.
QMJHL spokesman Karl Jahnke declined comment Tuesday.
“At this point, we’re going to let the courts decide it,” he said.
Wow - the Q is a bunch of saints...
I mean, $400,000 worth of education grants ($1-4000 for each kid). Let’s compare that to the NCAA, where you can peg a very conservative number at $864,000. That takes the 12 CCHA, 10 WCHA and 10 Hockey East teams as each offering the full 18 scholraships, and placing a very low tuition at $15,000 (Denver’s tuition is almost $35,000, not including room and board; BC and BU each approach $40,000 – again, no room and board). So, 32 teams times 18 scholarships times $15,000… And that doesn’t include any ECAC teams (because the Ivey’s don’t offer “scholarships,” or any AHA teams.
So, you’re saying that the CHL is trying to save $15,000 (in many cases, less than what one NCAA kid would get in ONE YEAR) on a kid who gave them 3 years of service…
Now, all this said, the quote:
MacIsaac said Morrison contemplated playing NCAA hockey but ended up going to the QMJHL largely because of the education grants offered by the league.
leads me to believe that Morrison either didn’t do his homework on the difference in the education grants, or he was lied to by someone…
Hubbs!
