Blogs from the Broadcast Booth - Les Stoodley

I’ve always believed part of the responsibility of the elders of our society was to help create, encourage and insure the dreams of our youth have the best chance of becoming a reality.

So, I was more than a little astonished a few days ago when someone related the story of a blogger, who had written a piece on the internet, filled with untruths and disparaging remarks about Kirill Kabanov.

It is not difficult to create falsehoods about anyone especially if you are not privy to the facts about them. Nor does it take a lot of intelligence to dent the character of any youth with gossip.

I wonder if the writer of the piece about the Moncton Wildcats left winger will read this offering, however, I feel compelled to present some facts about this 17 year old young man that I know to be true.

Kirill was born in Moscow, Russia. He graduated high school when he was 15 years old. He is gifted with a unique ability to play hockey, so gifted in fact he was playing as a professional in his home country when he was only 16 years old. This highly intelligent young man speaks two languages and is learning a third. In fact he shocked a long time RDS reporter last week, when during an interview, he replied in French.

Young Mr. Kabanov has a dream, he’s had that dream since he was a little boy. His dream is not unlike that of many young Canadian boys, to play in the National Hockey League. He is convinced the direction he needs to achieve that dream is to play Major Junior Hockey in Canada.

Many people with far more knowledge of the game than this writer believe Kirill Kabanov could be a super-star in the NHL. There is no disputing Kabanov’s desire to be a NHL hockey player. He believes his dream with such fervor that he turned his back on a lucrative professional career in his own country, left his family behind, and travelled half way around the world to join the Moncton Wildcats, the organization he believes will speed his dream to a reality.

The reason this very talented player is in Moncton is because he was so highly rated as NHL potential by the scouts who rank players. Danny Flynn, the Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations saw him play in an international, under 17, tournament last year. Mr. Flynn, known as one of the most astute judges of young hockey talent in North America, along with Wildcats President Robert Irving, decided to draft Kabanov and bring him here to play.

After waiting six weeks while a protracted battle with the KHL the Russian professional hockey league and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) was waged to secure his rights, Kirill Kabanov signed with the Wildcats and scored his first QMJHL goal in the first period of his first game on October 10th.

Here are some other things I’ve learned about Kirill since I met him at the Moncton airport the August night he arrived in our city. He’s a typical 17 year old, being a father of two sons, I speak with some experience. He has the enthusiasm of every young person I’ve met over my 60 plus years. He delights in being around people, is constantly having fun with his teammates, and takes direction with appreciation. I watched following a recent game when the Cats coaching staff showed him video of his play and pointed out how he could improve. He not only smiled and agreed with them, he shook their hands and said, “Thank you”. He loves his family. Let me illustrate, I did an interview with him for our Wildcats website as he prepared for his first game. Two days later he came to me asking for a DVD of our conversation, he wanted it to send to his mother in Moscow. The Wildcats organization made sure he got that DVD and I’m certain his mother was proud and delighted with the manner in which her son conducted himself.

I also know that NHL scouts are flocking to the Moncton Coliseum and other rinks around the Q to see this young Russian player. At a game last week, no less than 12 scouts from the pro ranks were in attendance.

As the team’s broadcaster, there are only a few little things I can do to foster the dreams of Kirill Kabanov. I can share with my audience, interviews and comments about his hockey abilities and his dream. My job is not only to call the play of the Wildcats but to give understanding, support and encouragement to young men such as Kirill as they build their hockey dreams. I’ve had a chance to do that with many former Wildcats, whom I consider friends, outstanding young men, such as Steve Bernier, Corey Crawford, Josh Tordjman, Adam Pineault, Chris Gaudet, Bruce Graham, Martins Karsums, Philippe Dupuis and many others, over the past seven seasons.

What a unique responsibility and pleasure is mine.

Blogs from the Broadcast Booth - Les Stoodley

The Wildcats use the slogan, "Your Community Team" and it is accurate to a fault. When it comes to community involvement and exposure the best example would be team Mascot, Wild Willie, who makes appearances at dozens of events in the South-Eastern New Brunswick area every month. The fury, fun character, who by the way has a new look this season, brings laughter and joy the faces of sick children. Willie poses for hundreds of photos with fans and lifts the spirit of the team at the Coliseum. Knowing Willie is know happiness.

Then there's the support of local charities through many partnerships. The 50/50 draw is a cooperative venture between the Lewisville-Sunny Brae Lions Club and the Wildcats. Last year over $8,000.00 was raised to support the Moncton Food Depot Alimintaire.Every home game the Lions volunteer their time selling tickets and fans benefit. So far this year fans have won over $11,000.00 in the 50/50 draw.

At each game there's the Cats Corner, where area non-profit groups get 20 tickets purchased by the Greater Moncton Progress Club. This partnership was formed a couple of years ago and was conceived by Chris Morehouse, a New Brunswick native, who went on to captain the Wildcats. Hundreds of fans, who would perhaps not otherwise see the Cats play benfit from this program.

Next weekend the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation will benefit from the "Pink in the Rink" weekend. For the games Lewiston and Halifax, the Wildcats will wear pink and white jerseys and socks which will be auctioned after the games. Last year's effort was an overwhelming success and it's interesting to note that all 18 teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will participate in this year's program.

Since October has dawned on us, its not to soon to mention the annual Teddy Bear Toss, where fans bring hundreds of stuffed toys which go to children in our area hospitals at Christmas time.

Finally, my favorite Community event. The Remembrance day tribute to our veterans which will take place this year on Friday, November 6th. Each year I have the unique honour of reciting "In Flanders Fields." It is a moment I cherish since it provides me the opportunity to, in a small way, remember and salute those who paid the ultimate price in battle. It also allows me to pay tribute to the women and men, who preserved freedom, one of whom was my uncle Tom Crews who served with distinction in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. A "Community Team" the Wildcats are indeed.

Blogs from the Broadcast Booth - Les Stoodley

Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago we were trudging out of the J. Louis Levesque as the Wildcats ended their season losing to Rimouski? Hard to believe it was April 10th when the Oceanic won game five 1-0 to take the series four games to one.A lot has changed in the past five months. There have been awards for the Wildcats, especially to Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Danny Flynn, who was named coach of the year in the QMJHL. Goaltender Nicola Riopel was justly named the League's MVP for his amazing 2.01 goals against average during the regular season. The Cats won the Robert Lebel Trophy for their outstanding defensive play allowing only 149 goals against in a 68 game schedule. The players and coaching staff could look back on the season with a pride and optimism for the new season. Brandon Gormley and Louis Domingue starred for Team Canada in the under-18 tournament in the Czech Republic in August.Training camp presented, as Coach Flynn called it, "the best group of rookies I've seen in a long time." It was a difficult call to let some of the young players go back for another year of seasoning or be told they wouldn't be making the team. There were the pleasant surprises shown especially by the Saulnier twins of Cape Pele. Allain and Alex had a great exhibition series run. Allain scored his first Q goal in the season opener in Charlottetown last Friday night.Now the season is underway. The Wildcats go into Home Opening Weekend with a 1-1 record after a hard fought 2-1 over the Titan, Sunday afternoon in Bathurst.Home Opening weekend promises to be three days of entertainment and heavy duty hockey. Two Tail Gate Parties in the Coliseum Parking lot, one Friday afternoon starting at 5, the other Sunday getting underway at 2. Saturday is Cats Cup Day on Main Street along with the formal introduction of the team, autograph signing and a Bar-B-Q at the Farmers Market at noon.Friday's game will give fans their first look at the team many predict will be in the top 10 across the country and should repeat as Atlantic Division champions. However, predictions don't win hockey games, the players and coaches do. If preparation is a measuring stick, the Wildcats are ready and looking for a level of redemption when they face the Rocket, who've lifted off to a fast start with two wins in their opening games.The opening game at the Coliseum may not show the depth of the Wildcats with Mark Barberio, David Savard and Scott Brannon at NHL camps but it will show, a faster team than last year, with some sharp shooting rookies, out to prove they belong in the Q. It augers well for the season ahead. I'm looking forward to a great season and to having you join us on News 91.9 as we call the home and away games.

Blog from the Broadcast Booth - Les Stoodley

There's much more to the Moncton Wildcats organization than playing hockey. While the primary focus is where it should be, on the players and the game they play on the ice, they contribute to the community in many more ways.

I had the opportunity to see the level of that contribution first hand during the recent Reading is Wild program, which is a community project spearheaded by the Wildcats with the sponsorship of RBC, the Times&Transcript and supported by Boston Pizza and Scholastic Books.

Four schools in School District 2 were involved this year. They were Hillsborough Elementary, Claude D. Taylor, Bessborough/Uplands and Magnetic Hill Elementary. The goal for the five week campaign which started the middle of January and ended on February 13th was to have the students at these schools read a total of 47,000 book. They blew the projection out of the water hitting a total of over 148,000 books read.

I visited the four schools and had a chance to interact with the students. It was an absolute delight. The students level of interest in reading was astounding and part of their motivation came from their heroes, the young men who wear the jersey of the Moncton Wildcats. The players visited the schools, spent time with the students and provided a great level of motivation for the Reading is Wild program.

Amy Richard, the Wildcats Manager of Sponsorship,Sales and Activation coordinated the program and deserves a great deal of credit for its success. I was responsible for getting out a weekly media release on the program's progress. Every Thursday was "excitment day" for us, as the numbers from the schools came in. Friday, February 13th was certainly a lucky day for everyone who participated in Reading is Wild. I could hardly wait to get to the office to get the final numbers from Amy and start writing the release. I was thrilled with the totals from each school and to be a small part of a program that touched so many children.

I'll treasure the memory of spending time with the students, reading to them and sharing their excitment about the Wildcats. One particular incident stands out as a perfect example of the way these children see the Wildcats as role models. At Magnetic Hill school, a little boy, I guesseed about seven years old, tugged on my Wildcats jacket as I was leaving the auditorium where I spoke to the students. "Sir," he asked, "Sir, do you know Nicola Riopel?' "Oh yes," I replied, "I know Nicola very well." The child's eyes glowed as he looked up at me, "Sir," he said with only the joy of childhood can hold, "Sir, he's my hero."

There is indeed more to the Moncton Wildcats than playing hockey.

Blogs from the Broadcast Booth - Les Stoodley

I'd like to salute the other guy who writes blogs for the Moncton Wildcats, team captain Matt Eagles. Matt skated in his 200th game in a Wildcats jersey on January 28th against Gatineau.

Born into a hockey family, Matt played his first game with the Cats in September of 2005 at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst. He was a rookie on that great team that captured Moncton's first Presidents Cup.

Matt grew up in hockey arenas. His father Mike played 853 games in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals. Mike is now the Head Coach of the St. Thomas Tommies in the Atlantic Universities League.

The younger Eagles was learning the tricks of the trade from big names in the show while he was still a youngster. Imagine getting tips from a guy like Adam Graves. Or skating with the Jets or Capitals, no small thrill for any young hockey player.

Here's one of the many stories about Matt's abilities as a youngster. A few years back, Gerard Belliveau, was a minor hockey coach in Frediction, he's now the town manager in Shediac. He tells the story of getting help from Matt at a provincial tournament. Gerard was short a couple of players and one of his coaching buddies suggested he bring up this Eagles kid, who was a couple of years younger than the team participating in the tournament. Gerard says he was doubtful about starting such a small, young player but on his first shift, Matt whipped around three players from the opposing team, gave the goalie a head-fake and backhanded a roofer just under the crossbar. Matt went on to score a bunch of goals in the tournament and Belliveau knew there was a Q player in the making.

The rest as they say is history. Matt made the Wildcats and for the past four years has been a driving force in the teams success. Danny Flynn had no hesitation in giving him the "C" when this season began in September. If leadership is a learned skill, then Matt has learned well.

The best way I know to define dedication is to slip downstairs on an off day and there in the gym, you'll find Matt Eagles, working out, many times alone. He's quiet guy, but don't be fooled by that soft spoken voice or the nice guy image he projects. When the gear is on, so is Eagles.
He's deserves applause for what he brings to the game and the Wildcats.

Blogs from the Broadcast Booth-Les Stoodley

I'm always fascinated by the reaction of fans and the media when the Wildcats hit a rough spot. Since the start of the new year, the team has had more losses than it did in the entire first half of the season and suddenly there's the loud question, "what's wrong with the Wildcats?"

Now here's something to consider. When the team recently rolled off six straight wins, there were no questions or comments. The unofficial website and its team of arm chair coaches were just speculating on game scores, composing their own lineups and making suggestions on who the coaching staff would go after in the trades. Now there's a cry of concern and questions about coaching decisions.

The trading period is over and Danny Flynn and company made a couple of moves to add scoring punch to the lineup. They did not deviate from their plan to continue to build the team through high end draft picks. Joly for Tremblay and some draft picks looks to be ideal given the situation with 20 year-olds and the Wildcats pool of young players. Adam Bezak's return should provide a little more sniper power. Given five days to practice, things should be back to normal when the battle of New Brunswick resumes on Friday night at the Coliseum.

What will be interesting, will be to see how Tomy Joly preforms against his former team mates. He's played his entire Q career with the Titan. It will be an emotional night for him and I suspect the Wildcats will turn up the heat to show their support of the decision to have a proven player like Joly in the lineup.

It will also be interesting to see the improvement in Adam Bezak. He did not achieve expectations last year but his play in Solvakia and at the World Juniors proved he is a quality goal scorer.

One thing I've learned over the years I've known him, Danny Flynn is not given to quick decisions and has stayed true to his own philosophy of building strong teams through draft picks. Danny's record behind the bench proves his great hockey knowledge. The recent trade moves were made following loads of research, using his vast number of hockey contacts and finding, what he felt, was the best fit for the Moncton Wildcats of today and the future.

So lets go back to my question at the start, "What's wrong with the Wildcats?' My response is not much when compared to preseason predictions. Look at the numbers, they're 43 games into the season and still have not had a hundred goals scored against them. They lead the Atlantic Division, they're tied for third in the league, in a season where all of the experts, (fans and media - myself included) predicted they would be middle of the pack in their division, middle of the pack in the overall standings, and re-building for next year.

So they've hit a rough spot during the last three home games but to quote Yogi, "it ain't over, till it's over."