Earlier this year (May 20th in Helsinki, Finland) Andy was inducted into the IIHF Hall-of-Fame (Class of 2012)…he talks about some of his experiences with Team Canada…
JF: Earlier this year you were inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. When you think back–when you think about the whole international hockey competition aspect, what comes to mind?
Andy Murray: There isn’t one event or one thing that I can say was better than the other–I was fortunate enough to win six Spengler Cups…
…and three World Championships be in the Olympics but to me there are two things and I’ll always remember. Number 1–The players and coaches are all on the ice and everybody lines up on the blue line after they’ve given you the medals and you stand across the blue line and they play your anthem and it’s pretty special. I always took a few steps back and looked at the line of the players, the assistants and everybody celebrating and you just look at that and think, that’s pretty special–you hear your anthem playing and seeing a whole bunch of Canadians on the ice celebrating. The other thing is I took my cell phone and from the ice I called my mom at home–actually after each event and I know that meant a lot to her and it was special for me too–those are the two things that stick out in my mind, watching everybody celebrate and then calling her.
JF: Until I did a little research, I wasn’t aware–other than Russian coaches (Arkady Chernyshev/Anatoli Tarasov/Boris Kulagin/TiktorTikhonov)…
…no other coach has ever coached three World Champions and as was pointed out in the article that I read–usually the Russian team was intact for many years in a row and didn’t really change but you were able to bring three “different” teams (1997, 2003, 2007) together quickly. What do you have to do bring them together so quickly and no disrespect to anyone, you have to pick from players that don’t make the NHL playoffs?
Andy Murray: You have to have a GM that picks good players (Laughs). You’ve got guys that say no to you as well, for whatever reason. I just always felt–I never gave a thought that we weren’t going to win, I mean it was just, you’re Canadian and you go to a international tournament and you’re supposed to win it and I think it’s pretty unique because–and we were talking about amateurs earlier, but these guys are all pros and I’ll tell you, as soon as they put that jersey on and practice and you’ve got them together for the whole time–you do a lot of team building and it’s five or six weeks and guys have given five or six weeks of their lives up to go and play for their country. I mean, if you’re going to do that, you should plan to win it–that’s why, to me, the best things in those jobs is when you call the player, you call a Jarome Iginla or a Joe Sakic or Rob Blake...
…and they said ‘yeah coach I’d love to be there I’ll be there’, that was the best thing, because you knew right away what those guys were giving up and you don’t get paid for it, we didn’t get paid for those things and you go because it’s the right thing to do and to me it was just that rallying cry that you hear and you should win it–we’re here, we’re going to spend this time together, let’s win this and everything we do and everything we did involved team building–from the way you handed out team Canada shirts, it was all part of team building. Rather than giving them everything at once we put one t-shirt in their stall after practice, you know what guys are like, they come in they get a free t-shirt, it doesn’t matter if they make 10 million dollars, all of a sudden if they didn’t get their free t-shirt they’re looking for it–we had a plan for team building from the day we got together and all the way through the things we did on a daily basis. I know the last team I was with it was “digging in or Canada!” We went to the war archives in Ottawa and we got film–we called it “trench warfare” hockey. We were going to Russia that year, that last year and the Russians had Ovechkin and Malkin…
…and everybody and that’s when we had a young team, the last one in 2007 and we knew we were going to have to dig in and battle so we called it “trench warfare hockey” and we showed them clips from the World War I, where the Canadians would go out in the trenches and then you get stopped and then you dig in and push back but you dig in again and you move forward again. We try to have a theme for every one of the world championships that we’re at, the last one was kind of “digging in for Canada” because we hadn’t won one for a while internationally we needed to do something and we were trying to get a better placing so that Canada could get a better seed at the Olympics and that was important–so to me it’s just bottom line, when you are putting on that Canadian jersey and you do everything you can to make sure that happens. Everything’s team building it’s pulling together–you know your practices have to be well designed so that there’s energy but you’re setting up a structure that they can deal with in very quick order.
Newsflash – The NHL lockout has ended and …. nobody cares. really. nobody. anybody?
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Did it really end or are you joking around?
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DesertKing Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 8:31 am
@Dominick,
Just kidding, buy based upon the flood of responses, yep, nobody cares
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Kingsfanone Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 11:27 am
@DesertKing,
You obviously haven’t had your morning nacho allotment as yet……
=)
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paul03 Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 11:29 am
@DesertKing, Or Maybe nobody cares about false statments?
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DesertKing Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 3:48 pm
@paul03,
You are right. No one would ever believe Bettman or Fehr
Kingsfanone Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 11:29 am
@DesertKing,
Oh…….and you’re correct!
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paul03 Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
@Kingsfanone,
I guess the lockout could of ended.
He’s 97% not joking around. I still care; always will. I’ve tried Lakers, Rams, looking forward to baseball, and my thoughts always wander back to Kings hockey.
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ummmm
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so a while back I posted a comment about TSNs comments seeming to be rigged by the NHL. Today pretty much confirmed that. The comment”I’ve been behind Bettman since he offered 50/50″ has a +32 rating…in what world? Many other pro owner comments getting really high ratings. pro player comments are getting killed. I’m not really for either side but it seems awfully one sided to be true.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=412474#YourCallTop
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CB14 Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
@mudfish4, I posted the exact same thing a few weeks ago. It’s unreal how biased the comment section at TSN is. It’s got to be rigged.
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KC23 Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
@mudfish4, completely agree,. Very owner biased.
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Duncanz Reply:
January 1st, 2013 at 3:23 pm
@mudfish4, Just follow the money.
TSN is owned by notorious conglomerate Bell Canada (BCE) … as in “The Bell Centre”.
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Thanks Jim
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A 287 page CBA proposal that was drawn up in the week after the “die on this hill” breakdown in negotiations?
I don’t think so.
THIS, my fellow Insiders, was the deal the NHL was really thinking about from day one. This has been sitting on the shelf, ready to go, any time Gary Bettman needed to appear reasonable. And now is the time.
Why?
The PA has approved breaking themselves up – and thus opening the NHL to a whole new set of legal problems. And probably even more important, there must be games being played by Jan. 20, 2013, or NBC, which has the first game scheduled for broadcast on Jan. 20, will claim the NHL is in breach of contract and pull an ESPN, dropping the contract and broadcasts, thus leaving the Owners with no financial cushion to fall back on.
Everything from day one to this latest offer was nothing more than a mano-a-mano theatre piece between Bettman and Fehr.
When the players voted to approve breaking up the union, with only 22 votes against the idea, Bettman and the NHL saw the handwriting on the wall. Betts the Bully blew it. A contract will be hammered out in the next few days.
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Goring 19 Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
@IceGuy, you saying they called Bettman and the owner’s bluff? My spidey sense tells me a contract will be forthcoming soon, everyone knows if it don’t happen at this time, a lost season will happen.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
@Goring 19,
Please don’t post pics of you in your Spidey tights!
Thanks!
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Goring 19 Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
@Kingsfanone, Heh, they wouldn’t fit at this stage…it’d be the same if I were Batman, I wouldn’t be able to see my utility belt
DesertKing Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
@Goring 19,
Does Mary Jane have any friends you could introduce me too?
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Goring 19 Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at 5:24 pm
@DesertKing, I’ll let ya know, she was a good friend of mine years ago. Haven’t seen her in quite awhile tho
The lockout sucks, but considering the LA Kings won the Stanley Cup. I’ll take that trade off any day. Waited a long time to see the Kings raise that Cup, and the lock out seems like small beans compared to that remarkable achievement. Cheers to all things Kings. Favorite part of the Stanley Cup Champions video is one of the Kings telling Mike Smith “you can’t stop them all Smith”. LOL Here’s to the glory everybody.
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NHL & Teams emailing staff and refs an all hands on deck message.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/nhl-memo-off-ice-officials-harbinger-lockout-end-191205121–nhl.html
Not sure if the NHL is being overly optimistic, but I won’t get my hopes up until a new CBA is signed and in place with camps starting.
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DesertKing Reply:
December 31st, 2012 at 8:27 am
@luc20rules,
I got a Christmas card from the Kings. Is that like the same thing?
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I went to Staples tonight with my Kings gear on. Okay, so it was a Clipper game, but hey, I was at Staples.
Geez, I miss hockey bad.
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DesertKing Reply:
December 31st, 2012 at 7:48 am
@KC23,
You da man!
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
December 31st, 2012 at 11:52 am
@KC23, thats what i woulda done lol
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Happy New Years all Kings staff and Kings and
all the insiders
LA Kings are still Stanley Cup Champs!
We were in the Daily Breeze again today
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Saw Jarret Stoll inside the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas last night and he was pretty surprised that someone recognized him. He looked pretty tipsy when I talked to him. Makes me wonder if a deal actually gets done (not holding my breath) how many of these players are actually in good shape to start playing. There’s probably going to be a lot of injuries in a shortened season.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
December 31st, 2012 at 11:45 am
@Kopi Bryant,
Your last sentence is very true!
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I did some work for a NHL official last week. He works at The Honda Ponda for the Ducks games. he said he was told to get ready. This is the 3rd time they told him to get ready. Seams like the owners have givin the players what they wanted after the last no vote. If they say no to this then Fehr is just a jerk with the biggest ego on the planet. he did it several times to Baseball. Lets hope we get good news today. Happy New Year Kings Fans.
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Happy New Year to all of you Stanley Cup Champions!
Still like the sound of that!
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Happy New Year to all my friends here !!!!
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Happy New Year to “all” who contribute to this Insider site. I can not wait to raise the Stanley Cup banner in 2013.
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To all Kings staff players management and of course all you insiders have a safe and happy New Year’s!
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Happy New Year Kings fans. Even without hockey during these winter months our love for this team endures. Be safe tonight so we can bitch about it tomorrow.
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Screw the New Year! It comes along every 365 days, whether we want it or not. What we need is a “Happy CBA Day”. I don’t need “Old Angzyne” for one night, I need the Star Spangled Banner every 2-3 days. I don’t need everyone shooting their guns in the air for one night, I need NHL players shooting pucks.
I don’t need cheap poppers and noise makers, I need goal horns and streamers falling from the roof. I don’t need expensive champagne, I need $8 beers.
I don’t need little poofy appetizers for one night, I need nachos, with lots of cheese.
I don’t need some ball dropping off a building, I need a Stanley Cup banner unfurled in Staples.
And for all of you who really need it, Happy New Years to the best fans in hockey
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Duncanz Reply:
January 1st, 2013 at 4:36 pm
@DessertKing, I took some Angzyne this morning – and it really worked a treat!
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Happy New Years…. Here’s to hearing some good news…..
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You know this lock-out thing couldn’t have come at a better time for us Kings fans. While the rest of the disgruntled NHL fandom bitch & moan about greedy players and fat owners, along with the gnashing of teeth because they had to wait for their hockey,(Imagine what living in the original 6 cities is like this time of year without hockey! Are you getting a visual?) The wait for me/us is/was a piece of cake, and we still have something to look forward to when it finally ends? Dat’s Right!! The Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings!!! I’m still talking about it and will be for many years to come. We get to enter the season as the team to beat. We get to see the banner hoisted, and I gots news for you. We’re ringers to repeat in a shortened season. Life for us is good, and probably will be for all of 2013!!
Happy New Year to all of you! Duncanz too!!! I miss the banter and am very much looking forward to the smack talk that will be coming my way soon!!! GKG!!!
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Duncanz Reply:
January 1st, 2013 at 4:32 pm
@kissmyblarneystones, I’ll smacktalk you any day of the year from 1/1 to 12/31, you green-grundied git …
Athbhliain faoi mhaise, dha mhile is a tri-dieg !
… & Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhaoibh.
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DesertKing Reply:
January 1st, 2013 at 4:52 pm
@Duncanz,
If you let go of your tongue when you are talking, your words become clearer. Try it with the phrase “My father works in a ship yard and cleans up all the ashes”. Happy New Year
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kissmyblarneystones Reply:
January 2nd, 2013 at 1:26 am
@Duncanz,
Go raibh maith agat agus tuairisceáin sásta go leor!!
GKG!
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Getting ready to head out to enjoy tonights festivities and I just wanted to wish all my fellow Kings fans a Happy, and more importantly safe, New Years celebration. As crappy as the 2nd half of the year has been, the first half couldn’t have been better.
P.S. I realize now why Rich really left. He missed all the comments from people saying the teams Head Coach should be fired, and with TM, and hockey, gone, he wouldn’t have seen anymore of them. Well, he picked the right team to cover to find them. Fire Kiffin!
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Wearing my Kings Stanley Cup gear and watching Game 6 with the Bob Miller/Jim Fox call. Thats the way to end 2012.
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Happy New Year to all my fellow Kings fans! Have a safe and prosperous 2013!
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I’m starting to think we’ll be having some real NHL hockey in a couple of weeks. Can’t wait to see that banner go up at Staples!
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DesertKing Reply:
January 1st, 2013 at 5:47 pm
@KC23,
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I love to visit family and pull up the videos of the games 1 and 2 OT goals. It’s fun to add commentary and let them know what kind of a championship team we have. Alabama has their “Roll Tide” motto; I have “Roll Kings”–which is what we did to four good teams. Rolled over them.
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Back to “there’s a chance” stage…..
NHL made counter proposal ….. Saying yes to a few things and out right no to others…….
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Get ready for some NHL hockey people. I feel that a deal will get done and we will have a short but deadly season. In 48 games we will see many injuries and not so good hockey. Whom ever wins the Cup will have an * next to their respective names. Not saying that I wouldn’t mind watching an 48 game season. Just means that EVERY game will be important. I think the season is to log as it stands at 82 games. Only reason for so many games is for Gambling and TV reasons. Do we really need 82 games to prove who the best team is. Last year we were the best PLAYOFF team, the regular season we suffered and barely made the playoffs. It’s all about turning it on at the right time. Anyway here’s to having a season on the 11th and raising the banner at Staples. One thing is for sure the Staples will probably be the only sold out game of the year, being hoe the fans claim to be so pissed off. I’ll still watch and yes I’ll do my best to make out to LA for a game.
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HockeyNerd Reply:
January 2nd, 2013 at 1:16 pm
@King Charles of Salt Lake, Hockey will continue to sell out in places where it always has. And Staples will sell out most if not all of the games. We ARE the Stanley Cup champions after all.
And why not? For every fan that boycotts in places like Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Vancouver, etc. there are several ready and willing to take the tickets off their hands. Because Hockey is the greatest sport in the world and remains so in spite of what these moronic owners and commissioner have done to TRY to ruin it. They can play 48 game seasons, they can lock players out every 7 years, they can award an extra point for losing a game, they can ignore their own rules about when players sticks can touch a puck, when a goal counts and doesn’t count, what should happen when someone swings a stick at someone’s head. It’s STILL the greatest sport in the world and will remain so.
Incidentally, assuming we play this season there will not be an asterisk in MY mind at the end of this season nor in the NHL record book. A cup is a cup is a cup and it will STILL take 16 wins in 4 grueling rounds to get one.
And finally while I understand the fans anger boycotting games will accomplish nothing. A CBA will already have been hatched out and if anyone thinks the owners and player agents will “learn their lesson” and this will not happen in 7,8, or 10 years think again. If you like Hockey, want to support your team, and can afford the price, go. The morons we have for owners and commissioners do NOT represent the SPORT of Hockey. Quick, Kopitar, Malkin, Crosby, Brown and Stamkos do. Boycotting is cutting off your nose to spite your face. It accomplishes nothing. Incidentally it is NOT the fans who are getting most hurt by this. It is the vendors, parking attendants and ticket agents who have spouses to support and children to feed. How many of them have had to look for other work in an already crowded job market? And how many of them will not be able to return to work if the NHL doesn’t settle or fans boycott?
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HockeyNerd Reply:
January 2nd, 2013 at 1:19 pm
@HockeyNerd, BTW not meaning to imply you do or don’t support a boycott. I just wanted to post what’s been on my mind. I understand fans are angry (and rightfully so), I just want as many people as possible to think things thru and realize who the NHL owners and commissioner and player representatives are REALLY hurting.
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i think if they don’t file for Disclaimer then a deal is super close.
Damn, my hopes are up again.
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Lake Forest Reply:
January 2nd, 2013 at 11:18 am
@Lake Forest, if they don’t file a disclaimer I would think the deal needs to be done ASAP.
if they have to vote for re-approval of the disclaimer, then that is a step backwards, meaning “why did it take two votes to get to the same conclusion”.
since today is the deadline to file, it’s either file and confirm negotiations have finally failed OR don’t file and get the deal done.
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Andy is a good coach – teaches playoff hockey and with a tweak here and there could be great
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Toughd Reply:
January 2nd, 2013 at 5:33 pm
@Toughd, meant to give terry his props here, but andy was good 2
blew it
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