So much is said and written about how much more skilled the European game is compared with the NHL. But Jiri Kalous, an assistant coach with HC Slavia, the Czech elite league team in Prague, disagrees, especially when it comes to the stickwork between players. "Here, it is not good playing in hockey," he said. "There are many fouls in our competition. In the NHL, if somebody plays with the stick, immediately out. You have cleaned (the game) up. It is hard but clean. It is very good."
Why are there so many stick infractions in the Czech Republic? Kalous blames the larger European ice surface. "It's very hard to catch him and defend him," Kalous said of players. "So, from there they use their sticks."
Czech native Vinny Prospal said a lack of fighting also contributes. Fights in the Czech Republic earn a two-minute penalty for a minor dustup and a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct for a brawl. Kalous said players used to be suspended up to three games for fighting, but the rule recently changed.
"So you're not able to square with someone in a fighting way, so you use your stick," Prospal said.
No room for goody-two-shoes
The Senators took some heat after last season's playoff flameout for being too much the party animals. Asked if the topic came up with defenseman Andrej Meszaros, whose rights Tampa Bay got from Ottawa, coach Barry Melrose said no.
Besides, Melrose said, "There's not a lot of televangelism in hockey."
"Mez is a competitor and plays hard on the ice," Melrose added. "I'd much rather have a guy like that who has a couple of beers than a guy who doesn't compete, who's home at 5 o'clock every night watching the Brady Bunch. Same thing with guys who live in the weight room; give me a fat guy who hits anything that moves."
Cap arithmetic
The Lightning's salary cap number is $54.8-million. Salaries (in millions):
Player Cap hit
Vinny Lecavalier $6.875M
Marty St. Louis $5.25M
Ryan Malone $4.5M
Andrej Meszaros $4M
Steven Stamkos $3.725M*
Vinny Prospal $3.5M
Matt Carle $3.438M
Radim Vrbata $3M
Olaf Kolzig $2.5M*
Gary Roberts $2.07M*
Jeff Halpern $2M
Jussi Jokinen $1.812M
Mark Recchi $1.5M*
Chris Gratton $1.25M
Marc Denis $1M**
Evgeny Artyukhin $950,000
Shane O'Brien $950,000
Mike Smith $950,000
Paul Ranger $933,000
Vladimir Mihalik $850,000
Ryan Craig $787,000
Mike Lundin $688,000
Jason Ward $675,000
Adam Hall $600,000
David Koci $525,000
Jamie Heward$475,000
* Includes bonuses. ** Buyout.
No trail of crumbs
Good thing the path from the locker room to the bench is so short. Coach Barry Melrose and goaltenders coach Cap Raeder, right, proved in Prague they are directionally challenged.
The pair took a walk through the historic and beautiful city from the team hotel to the Charles Bridge, found a cigar shop and bought some Cubans. But something went terribly wrong after that; wrong turn after wrong turn got the pair hopelessly lost.
"People said, 'Why didn't you just jump in a cab?' " Melrose said. "Well, it became a matter of pride. You've got two guys of reasonable intelligence. Surely, we can find a hotel."
They did, two hours later, but only after buying a map.
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