Hit Somebody: Life inside the Western Hockey League

March 2012

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CONTENTSSTORIESRed Deer. Hockey Starts on the Pond page 4

Hit Somebody: Life in the WHL page 6

Leading The Way page 14

Charles Ingles: Family Tradition page 18

Mathew Dumba: The Next Mike Green? page 22

CONTRIBUTORSEditor: Matt Adams

Assiant Photo Editor: Samantha Goresh

Editorial Board: Mitch Casey, Cayce Clifford, Samantha Alyn Goresh, Madeline Gray, Heather Haynes, Darcy Holdorf, Wendy Huang, Jim McAuley, Maddie McGarvey, Rebecca Miller, Patrick Oden, Joel Prince, Becca Quint, Bryan Thomas, Priscilla Thomas, Wayne Thomas, Pat Traylor, Anita Vizireanu, Emine Ziyatdinova

EDITORS NOTEWhen it comes to the argument of who the best Canadian player ever was my answer will forever be Mario Lemieux. Growing up in Pittsburgh I consider myself very lucky to have witnessed three Stanley Cup wins and watch players such as Lemieux, Paul Coffeey and Kevin Stevens. I’ve always appreciated the game, but never saw it in its place of birth. This story took me to the city of Red Deer, where pond hockey is an after school activity and the Tim Horton’s drive-thru lines wrap for miles. People of Red Deer appreciate this game more than life itself and the Rebels, although some of are just at the age of 16 are treated as heroes. My hope is that this story brings more interest to the game and show just what it takes to make it to the NHL

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A group of youth hockey players play a game of pond hockey at Oriole Park in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Red Deer is home to seven different hockey ponds and last year hosted the World Pond Hockey Championships.

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The sun has set and night has fallen upon the city. A patch of clean ice in the middle of a park sits still in the dark. In the mind of a child, this surface transforms into Rexhall Place or the old Montreal

Forum as he skates across the pond doing his own play-by-play. One by one the overheard lights kick on with a roaring hum. Cars drive up to the ice dropping off kids for practice, which is an everyday occurrence in Red Deer. The city has seven different ponds that are open to the public for hockey. Here, hockey isn’t just a sport, it’s a religion.

Signs of oil companies and cattle farms surround the area. One would think they were in Texas, not the great white north. As in Texas , Red Deer has their own version of Friday Night Lights, it’s just played on ice. Instead of young football players they’re rooting for Mathew Dumba, Charles Ingles and Alex Petrovich. These names may not sound familiar to hockey fans; this is because they are just teenagers in the Western Hockey League (WHL) looking to make their way to a National Hockey League contract. These young kids have traveled from all over Canada to play for what was once deemed “The Outlaw League.” Known for producing some of the toughest players in the sport, the WHL is a place where you can’t be afraid to fight. The following essay is a look into the life of the people who are following their dreams and willing to hit anyone that stands in their way.

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Red Deer.Hockey starts on

the Pond

HIT SOMEBODY

Life inside the Western Hockey League

The Red Deer Rebels do their pre-skate warmups prior to a game against the Edmonton Oil Kings.

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At the bottom of the Centurium Arena, Alex Petrovich nervously paces back and forth.

He keeps tightening the grip on his hockey stick that one would swear that they could see sawdust beginning to fall off it. Above him sits a sold out crowd of Red Deer Rebel fans; the sound of their hands clapping and pounding on the glass echoes through the old hockey barn. Petrovich is quiet and keeps his focus on the entranceway to the ice. His nervousness could be from the fact that the Rebels are about to play their rivals and first place team the Calgary Hitmen, or the fact that he’s a 16-year-old who plays in front of NHL scouts each night hoping to get noticed. Along with his other teammates Petrovich hopes to one day join the NHL and he sees the Western Hockey League as one of his best chances to make this idea a reality. While traveling down Canada’s Highway 2 there is a good chance to could pass up the small town of Red Deer, Alberta. Oil companies and cattle farms run the town. Their religion though is hockey and their place of worship is the Centurium. Here the Red Deer Rebels have been playing for over 20 years. The Rebels are apart of the Western Hockey League, which is a subdivision of the Canadian Hockey League. It’s one of the best chances a Canadian hockey player has to get noticed by NHL scouts. Eligibility starts at 15 and a player can forgo their regular high school experience to hit the road and play hockey in the junior leagues.

“I understand what it’s like to play three games in four nights” says Cam Moon a former WHL goalie,

who now does play-by-play for the Rebels. “I cut them a lot of slack while I’m on the radio, I know what it’s like to have a tough game and have to sit on the bus afterwards and think about it.” The main goal of every player who makes a junior league team is to get noticed by scouts. Each night a handful of top NHL teams send scouts all over Canada to watch junior leagues games in hopes of finding the next Sidney Crosby or Cam Ward. Each time a young player like Alex Pretrovich, Mathew Dumba or Charles Ingles steps onto the ice they are thrown into the spotlight.“There is an intense amount of travel. These guys have to travel accross four prodvindeces and two states” says Moon. “I don’t know if it’s just a Western Candadian thing, but a lot of tough guys have come from this league. Maybe that’s the upbringing, guys coming from small towans of Western Canada looking to play pro hockey.”

The rules are slightly different in this league when it comes to scouting. Here a pro scout can take a WHL player out to dinner and discuss the possibility of bring-ing him to the NHL. Unlike NCAA rules that forbid any type of contact such as this, the CHL has no problems with scouts always looking to have a word with a player.

On this night there are scouts form the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Phoenix Coyotes. They all have one name circled at the top of their list, Mathew Dumba. Considered one of the best defensemen on the team, Dumba is 16 years old and is also ranked 7th among North American play-ers. His playing style is similar to that of Mike Green from the Washington Capitals; he’s not afraid to throw his body into a check but can also score. He’s also one of the top fan favorites, young kids flock into the arena wearing his jersey. The chant of “GO, DUMBA, GO!” sounds every time he steps onto the ice.

Mat Dumba is a wrecking ball. He’s not afraid to step into a big hit or drop the gloves, but his puck handling is excellent.

During the game against Tri-City, Dumba will throw two big body checks at center ice; he’s not done there though. He’ll score the game-tying goal with just five minutes left in the third and then get the game winner in overtime. After scoring the winning goal he pumps his fist to crowd as he is tackled by his celebrating teammates. On his way off ,the ice he is silent and reserved.

“My kids love you Dumba!” screams a fan as Dumba is being interviewd after the game. Dumba just smiles at him as he heads into the locker room letting out a yell of “THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE!”

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Mathew Dumba scores the tying goal against the Tri-City Americans.

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Mathew Dumba, defensemen for the Red Deer Rebels, sets up for a pass during a WHL game.

The words “Carpe Diem” which means seize the day don the back of goalie David Boes helmet.

After the game ends an autograph session is held for the player whose face appears on that nights program. On this night it’s Chad Robinson, a 17-year-old who has a line of people waiting for him. The fans stand in line just for a chance to get an autograph or shake Robinson’s hand.

“This team is the town’s identity” says Moon. “Some of these guys might have to sit for awhile signing autogrpahs, but they enjoy” says Moon.

These players are like the towns little secret. The potential of these players has not yet been discovered except for those who call Red Deer home. The players haven’t fully stepped into the spotlight, but they’re on their way.

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Players L:R Devin Dubyk, Alex Petrovich, Tyler Elson and Matthew Cambites enjoy a game of poker during their day off from playing.

Left Photo: Mason Burr walks off the ice dejected after a loss to Calgary.

Leading the WayRed Deer Rebels give back to the community

Inside the gym of St. Teresa of Avila School a group of 20 second graders play a game of floor hockey. As the students run up and down the court, they are suddenly stopped by the sound of their teacher’s

voice “Do you guys want to play with some real hockey players?” she asks her class.

“YES!” The kids reply with enthusiasm. The students will get a chance to spend time with Charles Ingles, Alex Petrovich and Chad Robinson; they’ll get to play floor hockey with all three Rebels, run an obstacle course and then have lunch. The Western Hockey League finds that being involved with the community is a great learning experience for the teams. The players are able to be a part of certain events, like pond hockey or being teacher’s assistants for the day. “We feel that the community gives us a ton of support at the games, so it’s nice to give back,” says Alex Petrovich.

Just one night earlier these three players were throwing hip checks and arguing with the opposing team. Today they’re laughing along with second graders as they at-tempt to climb through a jungle gym. “I love getting a chance to participate in these events,” says Charles Ingles. “Every time I hear that there is going to b a floor hockey day I’m always asking if I can be apart of it,”

Ingles got stuck trying to make his way through the ob-stacle course. The kids all let out loud laughter as he tries to untangle himself. “Ingles is definitely a favorite among the kids,” says Dean Williams, Director of Marketing for the Rebels. “I think it’s because he’s a big kid himself.”

After getting the chance to play floor hockey and get some exercise in with the obstacle course, the students then get a chance to have lunch with a player and talk to them

about whatever they feel like. Questions that are brought up range from “Who’s your favorite player? Will you ever win a Stanley Cup? What’s your favorite kind of pizza? During the lunch one of the students runs up to Ingles and yells with excitement in his voice “Charles Ingles! I know what every signal a ref makes in hockey looks like!”

“Oh yeah?” ask Ingles “What’s tripping?” The student takes his right hand and does the motion for tripping. Ingles then throws out three more rules and the young kid is able to answer them all with ease. “Impressive,” says Ingles “Maybe you can be a ref someday!”

After lunch, the players sign autographs for all of the kids. Everything from jerseys to hats to even shoes are brought up to them to have their signature on. “I saw you score a goal last week,” a student says to Alex Petrovich. “It was awesome!”

Seeing the players interact with the students, shows just how much the Rebels care about their community. The Western Hockey League is always looking for ways to show support to the their fans.

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Chad Robinson runs an obstacle course with the students of St. Teresa Avila.

Defensemen Charles Ingles gets stuck on the obstacl course.At St. Teresa of Avila School

Charles Ingles:Family Tradition

Charles Ingles signs an autograph for a fan after the Rebels loss to Calgary 5-2.

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The kid is always smiling once he hits the ice is one way to de-scribe Charles Ingles. He plays on the second line in the center

position, which is also referred to as third man back on defense. When the opposing team is rushing up the ice the center’s job is to get back and help out his defense-men. Ingles is just one of the many two-way players that help out the Rebels. “My Dad and Uncle both had ties with professional hockey in Winnipeg,” says Ingles. “Hockey is in my blood and it’s all I ever wanted to do.” Playing in a junior league in Canada can mean giving up what some high school students would consider a normal life; going to the movies, hanging out after school.“You have to sacrifice a lot to play in this league,” says Ingles. “I don’t have a problem with it though, yeah I miss my friends back home, but I get to play hockey every day. I couldn’t ask for more.” Ingles has become a crucial member of the Rebels locker room. Known for his pre-game speeches to motivate the team, he is also the last to leave before the team hits the ice.“I make sure to I talk to everyone before we get out there,” says Ingles. “I want everyone to be ready for the game.”

“He’s a definitely a team leader,” says Cam Moon, play-by-play announcer for the Rebels. “He’s got a lot of heart and cares a lot for the game. He’s always willing to

stay longer at practice and learn as much as he can.” Ingles is starting to draw the attention of scouts who attend the Rebels games. Although right now he does not have a draft ranking some expect that to change after this year.“I have to make it,” says Ingles. “My fam-ily has a tradition of being in the NHL and I want to be next.”

“I have to make it. My family has a tradition of being in the NHL and I want to be next.”

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Mathew Dumba: The Next Great One?

Inside the Centurium arena during a practice day, one player has taken to running the st Inside the Centurium arena during a practice day, one player has taken to running through the empty arean. This

player is Mathew Dumba, and at only 18 he is the seventh ranked player in North America. Some players would see this as a heavy burden, but Dumba just shrugs it off when asked if there is any pressure that comes with the title. “No, I try not to think about it,” says Dumba “Every night I take the ice I just try and have the best game that I can that day.” Dumba’s name is becoming a hot topic among NHL scouts; his player prolife on the NHL Draft web site features You-Tube clips of his big hits and recent fights. Standing at 6’0” he’s a tough defensemen who can also be a threat on offense. He’s two way style of play reminds you of Zdeno Chara or Mike Green. Dumba is not afraid to throw a big hit, but can also be dangerous with the puck.

Every night there are new scouts tkaing a look at the fu-ture pro. One night is Pittsburgh next is Edmonton. Every night a new scout looks up his name and tries to figure out how Dumba can fit inot their system.

Mathew Dumba signs autographs for fans after the Rebels defeated the Tri-City Americans 4-3 in overtime.

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As the Red Deer Rebels gather for their yearly team picture Dumba sports a black eye. The previous night he played in the Canadian Hockey League top prospect game and was challenged to a fight that he accepted. “There were tons of scouts at that game, if somebody wanted to step up I had no problem facing them,” says Dumba. “I know that guy wanted to prove something that night as well, there were a lot of people watching. So it was kind of good thing for both of us, even if I got hit. I’m not afraid to fight; some people say they never want to get in a fight ever. If a player wants to drop the gloves with me, then I have no problems doing so.” Last year Dumba was the Western Hockey League’s rookie of the year. An award like that can easily put you to the top of the list of NHL scouts looking for the next great player. One of the teams very interested in Dumba is the Edmonton Oilers who currently have the second pick in the

upcoming draft. A native of Calgary, Dumba wouldn’t be to far from home if selected by the Oilers. Last year Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a Red Deer player, was selcted first overall by the Oilers.

“There’s always pressure play-ing in a lot of scouts. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins went through that las year. I just have to enjoiy my time here. Feels pretty good to know there is a chance I may get drafted. I just need to keep playing hard and see where that takes me.”

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