WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

In The Corners with Thom Beuning

Published on December 15, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


HOP ON THE BUS GUS: So, you want to be a junior hockey player in the WHL? Bring your pillow, a blanket and come aboard. The T-Birds are in the midst of their longest road trip of the season and, well, let's just say it has been an interesting trip so far. It started (and almost ended) last Wednesday with the ride up to Kamloops. A six-hour ride under normal circumstances, turned into a 10-hour ordeal when the team bus got stuck behind two jackknifed semis. Not much the players could do but sit and wait...and wait...and wait. Not sure if they would get to Kamloops in time to actually play a game, they stayed in good spirits and when they finally arrived at Sport Mart Place, they jumped off the bus and right on to the ice. Even though they could have used the mishap in the mountains as an excuse for the 3-2 loss, they didn't. In fact, they refused to blame the loss on anything but missed opportunities.

The most humorous part of the whole ordeal was the end. After sitting on a mountain pass for three and a half hours and having some tire chain problems. The decision was made the game would be played. The bus raced to Kamloops and got within one block of the arena. I mean you could literally reach out and touch Sport Mart Place when they got stuck again...behind a train. So close yet so far away.

The Birds experienced some cold weather-related bus trouble after the game in Brandon. It delayed their departure back to the hotel in Regina by about an hour. Kudos to bus driver Eli Johnson for getting the bus working again, but more importantly for thinking of the safety of his passengers first. It's possible the bus was in a drivable condition that could have left on time for the return trip back to Regina, but with winter conditions being what they are this time of year on the prairies; Eli got the bus in proper working order before heading out.

By the way, are we still waiting for the puck to actually go in the net in Brandon? Was the referee duped into calling the game winning overtime goal by the Wheat Kings celebration? While not 100 percent conclusive, the video appears to show Gavin McHale stopping the puck and it dropping into his skates at the top of the crease. Did it go in and out of the net so quickly that the camera didn't pick it up?

ACTION JACKSON: Lots of NHL scouts are catching the T-Birds on this eastern swing. I don't see how they cannot come away impressed by defenseman Scott Jackson. Over the past month he has been the best of a very talented corps of T-Birds d-men. Scott is really beginning to use his size. He's great positionally and uncanny at making that first pass out of his own zone. But now his body checks and open ice hits are becoming highlight reel stuff almost every night. More impressive is that he has room to grow. He may not get any taller but he can probably add 20 to 30 pounds of muscle to his frame.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS ARE MY TWO FRONT TEETH: It's the stretch run to the holiday break. Just two games remaining before the players scatter in all directions for Christmas. One player who won't be going home for the holidays is Ladislav Scurko. Instead, Scurko will head to North Dakota to represent Slovakia at the World Junior Championships in Grand Forks. The tournament begins Christmas Day. First though, there's the matter of tonight's game in Saskatoon against the Blades and former T-Birds Ryan Cyr and Aaron Bader. Then the road trip ends Friday in Prince Albert against the Raiders.

DID YOU KNOW: Not only are players being reunited with family on this eastern swing but Head Coach Rob Sumner met up with his brother, who is a police officer in Brandon. He also might meet some old friends in Prince Albert where he spent two seasons as a player.

This season Seattle Thunderbirds play-by-play voice Thom Beuning is writing a weekly column for Thunderbirds E-News. Each week Thom will take an in-depth look at the T-Birds. He will wrap up the previous week's games and preview upcoming T-Bird opponents. Thom will also spotlight T-Birds who are making contributions that you won't see on the score sheet. You can listen to the game on KKNW, 1150-AM or on the webcast at www.seattlethunderbirds.com. The broadcast begins with the T-birds pregame show, "Crash the Net" 25-minutes before the first period face-off.

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 15, 2004


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