Misplaced Pages

#218781

53-705: Formation of the league was announced in Los Angeles on February 10, 1990 with teams in six North American cities, and a vision of expanding to a pair of ten-team divisions in North America and Europe by the following season. The original franchises announced were based in the Canadian cities of Hamilton, Ontario and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and US teams based in Albany (NY), Providence (RI), and Los Angeles and Sacramento, California. Original league plans targeted

106-546: A North American Division consisting of teams in New York City, Birmingham (AL), Cleveland, Miami, Sacramento, Hamilton, and Saskatoon. The European Division would consist of teams in Lyon (France), Prague (Czechoslovakia), Milan (Italy), Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Berlin (Germany). The start date was moved up two weeks to November 1. However, divisions among several team owners and league directors as to their vision for

159-544: A November 15, 1990 start date. “International sports are just developing," said league co-founder Dennis Murphy. "Timing is most important. With the way things have been going over in Eastern Europe, there are new markets opening up.” The Providence entry, dubbed the “New England Clippers”, featured Hall of Famer Brad Park as the General Manager and Coach, and US Olympic gold medal hero Mike Eruzione as

212-480: A Red Wings' defenceman (53). After the 1985 season, still an effective player but hobbled by repeated knee injuries, he announced his retirement. The next year, he served as Detroit's head coach before he was fired on June 3, 1986. Soon after his retirement and before he coached the Red Wings, he served as a color commentator and studio analyst for CTV and ESPN NHL broadcasts in between. In 1988, Park

265-729: A brief time. Unlike Orr's, however, his teams never hoisted the Stanley Cup . Park was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2017, he was named one of the ' 100 Greatest NHL Players ' in history. As a youth, Park played in the 1960 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Scarboro Lions, was a member of the Junior B Toronto Westclairs (1964–1965) and then the Junior A Toronto Marlboros (1965–1968). He

318-459: A defence man and a forward, and is allowed, in virtue of this fact, more latitude with respect to leaving his position, than any man on the team, except the rover. In his capacity of a defence player, he should linger around his goals as long as the puck is near... When the play is at the other end of the rink, the cover-point should advance to about the middle, so that when the puck is lifted down, he may return it without loss of time, in order to keep

371-548: A defenceman will often be described as the power play "quarterback", in particular if an umbrella power play formation is used (where a single defenceman is occupying the point, in the middle of the ice). This is also referred to as "playing the point " (this term derives not from the basketball position, but from an older name for the defence position in hockey itself). During faceoffs in the defensive zone, most teams have their defence players pair up with opposing wingers to tie them up while leaving his team's forwards open to move

424-598: A finished season the NHL, the premier ice hockey league in the world, presents the James Norris Memorial Trophy to the best defenceman in the league. Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins – an eight-time Norris Trophy recipient – is often considered to be the greatest defenceman in NHL and ice hockey history. In addition to his Norris Trophy honours, he is the only defenceman in NHL history to capture

477-408: A shot on net is made, an unguarded forward can often redirect it too quickly for the goalie to adjust or else score on a rebound. Another important duty is clearing rebounds away from the goal, and preferably to the defenceman's teammates, before opposing forwards can get to them. Often, defence players end up covering the opposing team's wingers while in the defensive zone, while their centre will cover

530-530: A super superstar." Park was made the alternate captain of the Rangers and briefly served as their captain. In 1972 , after the team's top scorer, Jean Ratelle , was lost due to a broken ankle, he led the Rangers past the defending Stanley Cup-champion Montreal Canadiens in the first round and the West Division champion Chicago Black Hawks in the semifinals of the playoffs. The Rangers advanced to

583-490: Is an offensive defenceman , who gets aggressively involved in the team's offence. To accomplish this, the offensive defence player often “pinches in” to keep the play from going offside and moves towards the halfboards and high-slot area for scoring opportunities. This makes it difficult for the opposing team to protect their net from being scored upon if the team can maintain control of the puck . However, this can lead to more odd man rushes and breakaway opportunities for

SECTION 10

#1732787094219

636-462: Is still referred to as "playing the point", though this term now refers mostly to the role of defencemen on the power-play. Defencemen must possess excellent skating abilities, specifically in speed, constant foot movement and quick transitioning from forward to backward and vice versa. With regard to skating backwards, defencemen must acquire a higher skill level than offensive players. This allows them to face their offensive opponents as they rush down

689-486: The 1975–76 season with their worst start in ten years, the Rangers began to unload its high-priced veterans. Park, along with Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi , was traded to the Boston Bruins in a November 7 blockbuster deal that also sent Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais to the Rangers, one that shocked everyone. The New York press and public had felt that Park, 27 at the time, was overweight, overpaid and over

742-747: The Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. In 1998, Orr was selected as the best defenceman of all-time (second overall player behind Wayne Gretzky ) in The Hockey News ' Top 100 NHL Players of all-time . Conversely, according to the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team (also chosen by The Hockey News ), the greatest defencemen to play in IIHF -sanctioned international competition are Vyacheslav Fetisov and Börje Salming . Defence players are often described by

795-410: The Boston Bruins superstar Bobby Orr , universally acclaimed to be the greatest at his position in hockey history. Years afterward, Park remarked, "I saw no reason to be upset because I was rated second to Bobby Orr. After all, Orr not only was the top defenceman in the game but he was considered the best player ever to put on a pair of skates. There was nothing insulting about being rated No. 2 to such

848-535: The Norris Trophy vote. When the upstart World Hockey Association tried to lure Park away, the Rangers re-signed him to a $ 200,000-a-year contract that made him, briefly, the highest-paid player in the NHL. In the 1972 Summit Series , with Orr unable to play due to injury, Park emerged as a key contributor to Team Canada's series over the Soviets, being named Best Defenceman of the series. After opening

901-589: The Stanley Cup finals where they fell to the Boston Bruins in six games. After the Rangers staved off elimination in Game 5 at Boston, Bruins assistant captain Phil Esposito said famously, "If the Rangers think they're going to beat us in the next two games, they're full of 'Park' spelled backwards", Sure enough, the Bruins put them away in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. Park finished a distant second to Orr in

954-415: The defensive zone , the defence player is responsible for keeping the opposing forwards' opportunities to a minimum when they are on a rush, forcing them to the corners and blocking both passing and shooting lanes. The primary responsibility is to cover areas of the defensive zone that would otherwise pose a clear goalscoring threat from the opposing offence. When the opposing offence is putting pressure on

1007-689: The Admirals owner and league directors, and the GHL was unable to solidify their planned franchise in Southern California. However, they were able to add markets in more US cities, and they moved their timetable for a European Division to the inaugural season. Following league meetings in Providence in late May 1990, the GHL announced the franchise lineup for the upcoming 1990–91 season. The aforementioned New England Clippers would be joined in

1060-879: The Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Thomas Newman O'Neill Jr. who ruled that the statute of limitations expired because it had begun in 1991 when the players were made aware of the allegations against Eagleson. O'Neill's decision was upheld in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on October 17, 2000. Park has resided on the North Shore of Massachusetts and on Sebago Lake in Maine for almost 40 years, with his wife Gerry. He has five children and eight grandchildren. His autobiography, Straight Shooter: The Brad Park Story ,

1113-747: The Global Hockey League folded without ever playing a season. Brad Park Douglas Bradford Park (born July 6, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A defenceman , Park played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers , Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings . Considered to be one of the best defencemen of his era, he was named to an All-Star team seven times. The most productive years of his career were overshadowed by superstar Bobby Orr , with whom he played with for

SECTION 20

#1732787094219

1166-654: The NHL and its teams violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act by colluding with Eagleson to enable him to embezzle from the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and that the four-year statute of limitations in civil racketeering cases began when Eagleson was indicted in 1994. The lawsuit was dismissed on August 27, 1998, in United States District Court for

1219-477: The NHL's best teams, despite the departures of Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr. Taking over the mantle of leadership from Orr, whose career was threatened by injury and who would soon leave the team, Park continued his success under coach Don Cherry . Park had previously been an end-to-end puck carrier, but with the Bruins, he was told by Cherry to concentrate on defence. Getting over his unpopularity in Boston when he

1272-745: The Norris Trophy race twice in a Bruins' uniform, with 1977–78 being considered one of his finest seasons. In 1977 and 1978, Park was a key contributor to Boston's back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens both times. His last highlight with Boston came in Game 7 of the Adams Division finals against the Buffalo Sabres in the 1983 playoffs, when Park scored

1325-487: The Special Assistant to the team president. The Albany (NY) Admirals franchise was to be owned by Joseph O’Hara and was slated to play in the newly-constructed 15,000-seat Knickerbocker Arena. The league contacted Derek Holmes as an international ice hockey player agent to represent Canadians in the league, but he declined stating that it was poorly planned. The Global Hockey League looked to capitalize on

1378-815: The amount that they participate in offence. The extreme of non-participation in offence is a "stay-at-home" defender, who plays a conservative, risk averse game and does not score much, instead focusing on defensive assignments towards the opposing team. A good example is Rod Langway , who won the 1983 Norris Trophy after having scored only three goals that season, as the award winners before and after him were primarily offensive defencemen such as Bobby Orr , Denis Potvin , and Paul Coffey . Other examples of stay-at-home defencemen include Leo Boivin , Chris Chelios , Tim Horton , Harry Howell , Tom Johnson , Jacques Laperrière , Kevin Lowe , Brad McCrimmon , Bill Quackenbush , and Scott Stevens . The other extreme of participation

1431-512: The anticipated opening to a talented European player base. “With the Eastern Bloc barriers broken down, there are going to be hundreds who can play this level of hockey. There is no doubt we are going to have more than enough talent available to our league,” said league co-founder Dennis Murphy. “There's a lot of talent out there. We are going to develop our own stars." The league intended to showcase player skills and skating, while limiting

1484-475: The blue line because his slapshot was simply too fast to block effectively. When a team is on a power play , a defence player can set up plays in the offensive zone, and distribute the puck to the teammate that he or she feels is in the best position to score, similar to a point guard in basketball , a playmaker in soccer , and a quarterback in American football and Canadian football . For this reason,

1537-455: The blue line that demarcates where the offensive zone begins. Should the puck cross this line, the offence cannot touch the puck in their opponent's zone without stopping play (see offside ). Defencemen must be quick to pass the puck around, helping their forwards to open up shooting lanes, or taking open shots themselves when they become available. The defence must also be able to skate quickly to cut off any breakaways, moving themselves back into

1590-451: The defence's team, the defence skater usually plays closer to the net, attempting again to block shooting lanes but also ensure that the goalie is not screened (prevented from being able to see the puck at all times). It is especially critical for the defenceman to keep opposing forwards from being able to move effectively in front of the net, which is why defencemen are frequently tasked with playing physical hockey in front of their own net. If

1643-408: The defensive zone ahead of the onrushing opponent. Essentially in all three zones of the rink, the defence is the backstop for the puck. It should never go behind the defence, unless the player intentionally lets it for strategic reasons. The defence keeps the momentum of play squarely directed towards the opposing goal, or at least away from his own. Because defencemen are often expected to shoot on

Global Hockey League - Misplaced Pages Continue

1696-415: The end boards, play two thirty-minute periods (instead of three twenty-minute periods) and decide tie games with penalty shots. The GHL would have a salary cap between $ 2.1 and $ 2.5 million per team per season. Like most fledgling sports loops, the Global Hockey League experienced many challenges during the organization stages. By May the Albany franchise had withdrawn from the GHL due to differences between

1749-471: The first indoor game in Montreal in 1875. In subsequent years, the players per side were reduced to seven per side. Positions were standardized, and two correspond to the two defencemen of current six-man rules. These were designated as cover point and point , although they lined up behind the center and the rover, unlike today. Decades later, defencemen were standardized into playing left and right sides of

1802-411: The game centered around his opponents' goals, and to save his forwards the trouble of skating up to him so that they may again 'get in to play.' It is by playing far up under these circumstances that a clever cover-point can chine to the advantage of his team. If he has a good opening he should shoot well for the goals, but if he has not, he should, as I have said, return the puck instantaneously." After

1855-560: The game-winning goal in overtime and help Boston advance in to the conference finals — Park's career overlapped with the first four years of the emerging superstar defenceman of the Bruins, Ray Bourque , from 1979 to 1983. The following season (1983–84), Park signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent. He won the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance that same year, having set a record for assists by

1908-441: The hill, as he was facing unfavorable comparisons to Denis Potvin . While Esposito and Vadnais were effective players for the Rangers, the team remained mired at the bottom of the division after " the trade", and Rangers general manager Emile Francis was eventually fired. Contrary to expectations that the Rangers had gotten the better end of the trade, the struggling Bruins were instantly rejuvenated and soon again became one of

1961-421: The ice toward the defensive zone. A defenceman must be as comfortable going backwards and sideways as forwards. Defencemen must also gain confidence in quickly carrying the puck to open up the attack during a defensive zone break-out. This requires the ability to burst out of the defensive zone with speed, yet at the same time having the ability to use their vision to execute quick passes to open forwards, or gaining

2014-484: The ice. According to one of the earliest known books on ice hockey, Farrell's Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game (1899), Mike Grant of the Montreal Victorias , describes the point as "essentially defensive. He should not stray too far from his place, because oftentimes he is practically a second goal-minder ... although he should remain close to his goal-keeper, he should never obstruct that man's view of

2067-515: The league soon surfaced, and it became apparent that the logistics of starting the new league on such a tight scheduled were unrealistic. “We’ve been trying very hard in the past five months to consummate the Global Hockey League and play in 1990–91,” Gobuty said in a news conference. “It's very difficult --- buildings, players, contracts, leases, getting cities in place in time. Unfortunately, we are not going to begin play in 1990–91.”, On June 8, 1990, league founders announced they would be postponing

2120-419: The line to keep the puck in the zone). They were once called cover-point. In regular play, two defencemen complement three forwards and a goaltender on the ice. Exceptions include overtime during the regular season and when a team is short-handed (i.e. has been assessed a penalty), in which two defencemen are typically joined by only two forwards and a goaltender; when a team is on the power play (i.e.

2173-414: The offensive momentum without leaving the defenceman out of position should his team lose control of the puck. In certain situations the best option could be to skate the puck into the zone to maintain offensive speed as well as preventing an offside. In the offensive zone , the defence skaters usually "play the blue line". It is their duty to keep the puck in the offensive zone by stopping it from crossing

Global Hockey League - Misplaced Pages Continue

2226-444: The opponent has been assessed a penalty), teams will often play only one defencemen, joined by four forwards and a goaltender. In National Hockey League regular season play in overtime, effective with the 2015-16 season , teams (usually) have only three position players and a goaltender on the ice, and may use either two forwards and one defenceman, or—rarely—two defencemen and one forward. Organized play of ice hockey originates from

2279-402: The opposing net from long range, these players often develop the hardest and most accurate slapshots . This is because taking a more stationary position on the blue line rewards pure accuracy and patience, rather than the adept hand–eye coordination attributed to forwards. Al MacInnis , who was seven times decorated with "Hardest Shot" in NHL skills competitions, was able to score frequently from

2332-432: The opposing team if the defender does not succeed. Bobby Orr's end-to-end rushing allowed him to defend effectively as well as attack, helping his teams win two Stanley Cup Championships. By contrast, Paul Coffey enjoyed high offensive production but his defensive play was considered mediocre for most of his career; he helped his teams win four Stanley Cup Championships, often paired with a "stay-at-home" defender. When in

2385-496: The opposing team's centre. In the neutral zone , the defence hangs back towards his or her own blue line, usually playing the puck up to other teammates. According to Jay Leach, who writes for NHL.com's "learn to play hockey" section, the defence must "Move the puck hard and quick to the open man. Join the rush, [but] do not lead it." Because of this responsibility, defencemen must read the other team's defensive strategy effectively in order to make an effective first pass that furthers

2438-401: The puck, though this is at the discretion of the individual coach. In the offensive zone, the defence player acts in his or her usual role, keeping control of the puck as the forwards fight for position. In the first organized ice hockey, (see Amateur Hockey Association of Canada ), defencemen used to line up in an "I" formation behind the rover (defunct) as point and cover point . Defence

2491-551: The puck. He should, as a rule, avoid rushing up the ice, but if he has a good opening for such a play he should give the puck to one of the forwards on the first opportunity and then hasten back to his position, which has been occupied, in the interim, by the cover-point." Also in Farrell's 1899 book, Hugh Baird, then captain and cover-point of the Montreal Hockey Club , describes the cover-point as "a combination of

2544-421: The start of the Global Hockey League until the following year. “The business people are very strong, they believe in the Global Hockey League, they believe the idea is right,” Gobuty said at the time. “But we could not come together for 1990–91. We must do this properly and use our business acumen because hockey is a business.” The additional year of planning did not prove successful. Despite initial high hopes,

2597-477: The violence that had become so prevalent in the National Hockey League. "We want to clean up hockey and make it a faster and more entertaining game," said GHL Chairman Michael Gobuty. “North American Hockey has become an unappetizing thing to go to. We can't stop fighting altogether, but we can make it a major penalty.” The GHL would eliminate the red line, move the goals three feet further from

2650-427: Was a member of the arch-rival Rangers, Park made a relatively smooth transition to his new team, even hitch-hiking a ride from two teenagers at 1 am after his car ran out of gas, and Park later rewarded them with free tickets to the next Boston home game. From 1977 to 1979, Cherry's "Lunch Pail A.C." captured three division titles for the Bruins. Park earned two first All-Star team selections, while coming in second in

2703-461: Was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round (second overall) in the 1966 NHL amateur draft and, after a brief stint with the minor-league Buffalo Bisons of the AHL , began playing for the Rangers in 1968 . Park developed into the best Rangers defenceman , whose offensive skill, stickhandling and pugnacity made him popular with local fans and media. He even drew occasional comparisons with

SECTION 50

#1732787094219

2756-566: Was elected in his first year of eligibility to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his hometown of Toronto . Park was one of five plaintiffs along with Dave Forbes , Rick Middleton , Ulf Nilsson and Doug Smail in Forbes v. Eagleson , a class action lawsuit filed in 1995 on behalf of about 1,000 NHL players who were employed by NHL teams between 1972 and 1991 against Alan Eagleson , the league and its member clubs. The players alleged that

2809-565: Was published in August, 2012. Defenceman Defence or defense (in American English ) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring . They are often referred to as defencemen , D , D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to the blue line in ice hockey which represents the boundary of the offensive zone; defencemen generally position themselves along

#218781