Windsor Bids for 2011 Memorial Cup - Your Help Is Needed.

The Windsor Sports Scene by In Play!
In Play Magazine

Windsor Spitfires and City of Windsor ask Windsor and Essex County Area Residents and Fans to Show Their Support for the Spitfires 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup Bid

(Windsor) At a press conference conducted earlier today at the Mayor’s Office in downtown Windsor, the Windsor Spitfires and the City of Windsor put a call out to Windsor and Essex County area residents, and fans to show their support for the Spitfires 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup Bid.

Residents and fans are encouraged to enter their name and bid support comments on the “2011 Support the Bid” link POSTED BELOW. The goal is to have 25,000 names and accompanying support comments by February 1, 2010 supporting the bid to bring this prestigious event to the City of Windsor.

Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis offered the following comment on this new and unique initiative to support the Spitfires bid for the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup, “this is a very exciting opportunity and we look forward to supporting the bid as we attempt to secure this memorable and unique championship.”

Windsor Spitfires Governor Peter Dobrich added the following, “through today’s announcement, the Windsor Spitfires and the City of Windsor are looking forward to receiving support for our Memorial Cup Bid from the best city in the Canadian Hockey League here in Windsor and Essex County. We strongly urge the Windsor and Essex County community to rally with us and participate in supporting the bid. We are certain that the great people in our community and the surrounding area will step up to the plate as they always have done in the past for every event or cause that comes to our region. We look forward to carrying on the momentum from the success achieved by our hockey club last season and, along with our goal of securing 25,000 names and support comments through the “Support the Bid” initiative, hopefully someday having the opportunity to host the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup here in Windsor.”

This year’s edition of the MasterCard Memorial Cup will be hosted in Brandon, Manitoba by the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. The Windsor Spitfires are the reigning and defending 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup Champions, becoming the first team in the tournament’s history to come back from an 0-2 deficit to win four consecutive games, including a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets in the Championship Final of the 91st edition of the MasterCard Memorial Cup.

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Hall, Ellis Score Goals as Team Canada’s Junior National Team

The Windsor Sports Scene by In Play!
In Play Magazine

Defeats Team Sweden 6-2 in 2010 IIHF WJHC Pre-Tournament Game

REGINA, SK – Team Canada took to the ice tonight for the first of its three 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Pre-Tournament Games against Team Sweden in Regina, Saskatchewan. Windsor Spitfires forward Taylor Hall opened the game’s scoring for Team Canada 10:48 into the first period to give Canada a 1-0, with Spitfire teammate Greg Nemisz assisting on the goal. Jordan Caron and Brandon Kozun would also score goals for Team Canada in the first period as the host Canadians took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.

Team Canada would extend its lead to 4-0 on the power play, as Travis Harmonic scored the lone goal of the game’s second period 3:10 into the frame. Canada increased their lead to 5-0 as Windsor Spitfire defenceman Ryan Ellis scored on the power play 3:25 into the third period and Team Canada cruised to a 6-2 victory. Carl Klingberg and Jacob Silfverberg netted goals for Team Sweden later in the third period while Jordan Eberle scored Canada’s sixth and final goal.

Taylor Hall left the game after the first period and did return as he suffered a lower body injury. His injury was not serious in nature and he was held out of the game for precautionary reasons.

Team Canada will play their second pre-tournament game against Team Finland on Tuesday, December 22nd in Calgary, Alberta at 9 pm EST and their third and final game against Team Czechoslovakia the following day at 7 pm EST in Regina, Saskatchewan. Both games will be broadcast live on TSN.

Team Canada will open their 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament schedule as they take on Team Latvia at 4 pm EST on Saturday, December 26th in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This game will also be broadcast live on TSN.

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CANADIAN JUNIOR TEAM FALLS 4-2 TO CIS ALL STARS IN EXHIBITION PLAY

The Windsor Sports Scene by In Play!
In Play Magazine

REGINA - Steven DaSilva scored twice in the third period as the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Saskatchewan All-Stars upset the Canadian junior team 4-2 in exhibition play Tuesday night before 3,329 at Brandt Arena.


Chris Durand had a goal and two assists and Brennan Bosch also scored for the CIS.

Philippe Cornet of Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and defenceman Dylan Olsen of the University of Minnesota-Duluth scored for Canada, who outshot the students 38-23 but were stoned by their own goaltenders, who played for both teams.

After two intrasquad games earlier this week, it was the last chance for the juniors to impress the coaches and management before the 22-man team roster for the world junior championship is announced on Wednesday, but few stood out in this contest.

They rested eight of the 31 players remaining in camp - all of them strong bets to make the squad.

The CIS team was made up of players from the universities of Regina and Saskatchewan, most of them former Western Hockey League players, and gave the juniors a test with their experience and energy.

Also, Team Canada goalies Matt Hackett of the Plymouth Whalers, Olivier Roy of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Martin Jones of the Calgary Hitmen each played two periods one for each team - and took turns frustrating their teammates.

Canada looked to be in control until running into penalty trouble in the third period.

Only seven seconds into a holding call on Cody Eakin of the Swift Current Broncos, DaSilva one-timed a pass from the slot past Roy to put the CIS in the lead at 7:35.

DaSilva got behind the defence and beat Roy with a high shot to seal the victory with 2:34 left to play.

The students scored first, as Durand's shot from the right side of the net slid under Hackett 8:36 into the game. Meanwhile, Roy stoned his teammates in the net, stopping Nazem Kadri of the London Knights on a breakaway in the final minute of the period.

Canada outshot the CIS 14-1 in the second frame, but the students scored on their only shot as Bosch got a return pass from Steve Gillen and banged it past Jones at 6:28.

Canada struck back 44 seconds later as Cornet was at the net to backhand the rebound of a Tyler Cuma shot past Hackett. Olsen tied it at 14:42 when he got a piece of Windsor Spitfire Taylor Hall's pass and it ducked inside Hackett's far post.

The juniors played with desperation but no finish in the third period. There were blazing rushes from Hall and Brandon Kozun of the Hitmen, and Adam Henrique of Windsor got in alone only to shoot over the net.

Defenceman Colten Teubert was the only one of six returning players from last year's world juniors to dress, and he was named captain for the game.

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NHL Race Relations with Darren Banks

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine
Feature Article
December 2009

Darren Banks. Photo Courtesy the Boston Bruins

In Play! sat down with now retired NHL enforcer Darren Banks to talk about racism in the NHL, what the league has done to diversify the sport of hockey and his contributions to the game at the minor league level. Banks also talks about the “Hockey in the Hood” program started by Willie O’Ree who was the first black player in the NHL and played his first game in 1958. Banks played 20 games in his NHL from 1992-1994, all with the Boston Bruins. Banks was best known as an enforcer, averaging almost four penalty minutes a game in his career. Banks is originally from Toronto but now resides in Windsor, Ontario.

So grab on and hold on!

In Play! – Darren, you played 20 games and had two goals, two assists and 73 penalty minutes. You obviously were an enforcer; did you enjoy your role out on the ice?

Darren Banks – Of course, that was the one way I knew I was going to play in the league was doing that. It took me three years; my first three years were in the minors, when I played in Salt Lake trying to make it up for Calgary. You know different circumstances, I didn’t make it up with Calgary but the following year I made it up with Boston. I knew it was a way for me to play in the league and it’s what I enjoyed to do.

IP – Even today, in the NHL, there are not many black players, and when you played it was even more rare. Did you ever encounter any racism in the NHL or even in the minors?

DM – You know, not any more than a French guy would get teased about being French. It wasn’t really prevalent, and if you’re a smart hockey player you’re not going to antagonize a guy who’s a fighter. If I had been a goal scorer I think it might have been a little different, you’re not going to antagonize a fighter, because he’ll kick your head in. I didn’t run into a lot of it, a little here and there, but the guys who are going to pull that stuff are a bit of an asshole anyway.

Read the complete article HERE.

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