Centre Ice

Junior - a look behind the scenes of the junior leagues

The HockeyStars Team — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:02:58 -0800

Filmmakers Isabelle Lavigneith and Stéphane Thibault embedded themselves in Baie-Comeau, Quebec with major junior hockey league Drakkar, to make a feature documentary called Junior. Described by the NFB as, "a vivid picture of behind-the-scenes life in a sporting world where teenagers prepare to become the stars of tomorrow." The film promises to examine the pressures faced by teen athletes. They go on to say, "Hockey becomes a rite of passage to adulthood – one through which the players are driven at high speed. These developing athletes are subject to a rigid training schedule. At the same time, they are employees of a private company concerned with its profits.

Willie O'Ree the first black man to play in the NHL

The HockeyStars Team — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:29:52 -0800

Willie O'Ree started playing hockey in his backyard at the age of 5 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He was a 22 wing man playing for the Quebec Aces when he got the call to play for the Bruins in game against the Montreal Canadiens. O'Ree didn't tell them that he was 95% blind in his right eye - a fact that might have hampered his chances of being recruited. So on the night of Jan. 18, 1958, he turned pro donning jersey #22 on ice at the Montreal Forum, and earned the distinction of being the first black man to play a game in the NHL. He went on to play a total of 45 games with the Bruins, and countless more for the AHL, EPHL, QHL and WHL - where he played for 14 years.

Hot Shots

The HockeyStars Team — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:47:56 -0800

HockeyStars are fluent in the four basic types of shots: the shovel shot, slapshot, the wrist shot and the backhand shot. A fifth vital shot, the snap shot, is a combination of the wrist shot and the slapshot. Players who master these shots are prepared to meet the challenges of the game and increase opportunities for scoring. All of these shots can be practiced off ice. Try using a sheet of hard plastic (like a plastic toboggan) on a flat surface at least 4 feet by 1 foot wide and shoot against a cement wall for a target. Here are a few video samples to demonstrate the techniques of each shot.

HockeyStars upgrade

The HockeyStars Team — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:11:53 -0700

In our first major site upgrade, we've updated the Team Scheduler making it easier to add an event or game to share with your team. Look for other important announcements this Fall as we continue to upgrade the website. Please let us know how we're doing, your feedback is important to us.

HockeyStars upgrade announcement

The HockeyStars Team — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:36:03 -0700

HockeyStars.com will undergo an upgrade on Monday, September 29, 2008 between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon PST. During the maintenance window the website will be unavailable. This important upgrade will bring valuable enhancements to the Team Page and Event Scheduler, making it easier to schedule a game, practice or other kind of event for your team.