Former T-Birds & Tips in NHL action today

This is just a quick note to let T-Birds, Tips and other Seattle-area hockey fans know about a few former players on several NHL game rosters today (including some who are playing against each other!)  Note: All times are Pacific

Noon
Ottawa Senators (Jim O'Brien, T-Birds) vs. New York Islanders (Thomas Hickey, T-Birds)

Dallas Stars (Brenden Dillon, T-Birds) vs. St. Louis Blues (TJ Oshie, Seattle Jr. Totems)
(This game is on NBC Sports Network)

Colorado Avalance (Calvin Pickard, T-Birds <on emergency callup>) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (Note: former Silvertip Ryan Murray is on this team, but is injured)

3:00pm
Florida Panthers (Peter Mueller, Tips) vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Former T-Birds breaking into NHL ranks

I love watching players I've seen hone their skills here in the WHL make their mark in the bigs, especially two former Seattle Thunderbirds defensemen who have taken two very different roads to the NHL.

Thomas Hickey was drafted #4 overall in 2007 by the LA Kings, then spent three years making his mark with the Kings' AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs. Shoulder surgery held him back one season. He made the AHL All Star team another season. But after signing Thomas to a one year extension, LA placed him on waivers this season. The New York Islanders snatched him up and placed him on their roster. He hasn't had too much ice time, but Head Coach Jack Capuano seems pleased with Thomas' cool head, great vision and smarts. To cap things off, he scored his first NHL career goal, scoring the OT winner against the Montreal Canadiens on February 21. (Read about it by clicking here).

Thomas Hickey shows off his first NHL goal puck.

(Photo: New York Islanders/Getty)

A number of Isles fans/writers thought once Lubomir Visnovsky returned to the lineup, Thomas would be sent to AHL Bridgeport, but he's still in the lineup - and still getting ice time.




I've been teased because it's no secret he's my favorite Seattle Thunderbirds player. I admire his work ethic, his strong skating skills and his perseverance - showing everyone that smarts can help make up for (lack of) size. He also happens to be a heck of a nice guy, or at least, he's been extremely nice and very intelligent the several times I've interviewed him over the past several years. There are many other Thomas Hickey fans among the T-Birds crowd - and we'll continue cheering for him to succeed.

The other former d-man making his mark is Brenden Dillon, who played with the T-Birds from 2007-2011. Brenden did not get drafted, but his work ethic during this final year with Seattle helped him stand out in the d-corps, catching the eye of several NHL teams, including the Dallas Stars. A successful training camp followed and Brenden found himself honing his skills with the AHL Texas Stars in Austin. Just one year later, he's in the Dallas lineup, using his size and skill to their best advantage. Brenden scored his first NHL goal on February 1 versus the Phoenix Coyotes. He also had his first assist and a fight, giving him a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. (Interesting note: Brenden's first WHL goal at age 17 was also part of a Gordie Howe Hat Trick versus the Portland Winterhawks). Brenden chatted with me about his transition from the WHL to AHL to the NHL. You can read it by clicking here.



Brenden Dillon shows off his first NHL goal puck.

(Photo: Dallas Stars/Getty) 

 



Another former T-Bird, forward Jim O'Brien, has been quietly making his mark with the Ottawa Senators. So far this season, Jim has scored 5 goals and contributed to the Sens' somewhat solid showing so far. Click here to read more about Jim.

 

 

Jim O'Brien celebrates a recent goal.

(Photo: Ottawa Senators/Getty)

 

 



It's been great watching these guys pursue their NHL dreams. So far, so good.

(NOTE: I did not include former T-Birds Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks) and Brooks Laich (Washington Capitals) because they're already pretty well ensconced in the NHL, but I am well aware of these two stellar alums)
 



Jim O'Brien Update

Good article about Jim O'Brien's arrival to Binghamton and the Senators lineup.

Posted at the B-Sens website.

Here's the link:

http://www.binghamtonsenators.com/news/topnews/index.html?article_id=333

Jim's scheduled to take the ice with the B-Sens tonight against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins.

GOOD LUCK!

Two T-Birds fly the coop. Hickey, O'Brien headed to AHL

The Seattle Thunderbirds have confirmed that defenseman Thomas Hickey and center Jim O'Brien are embarking on the next level of their hockey careers. Hickey is set to join the Manchester Monarchs, the Los Angeles Kings' AHL affiliate. O'Brien is on his way to join the Ottawa Senators' AHL team in Binghamton, New York. Binghamton has posted a news release on its site about O'Brien's impendnig arrival.

Jim O'Brien/Photo: David Pitcher/Seattle Thunderbirds

O'Brien played 133 games over two seasons with the Thunderbirds. He had 48 goals and 69 assists for 117 points. In playoff action, he notched 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 17 games. The Ottawa Senators selected him 29th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Thomas Hickey/Photo: David Pitcher/Seattle Thunderbirds

Hickey played all four years with the T-Birds, scoring 39 goals and 138 assists for 177 points in 262 games. He played 32 playoff games and notched 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points. Hickey also captained the T-Birds for the past two seasons and Captained Team Canada to its 5th consecutive gold medal in the World Junior Hockey Championships in Ottawa this year. The Los Angeles Kings selected Hickey 4th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

I had the pleasure of interviewing both Thomas Hickey and Jim O'Brien this season.

To read O'Brien's interview, click here.

To read Hickey's interview, cilck here.

To read Hickey's reflections of Team Canada's historic win, click here.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH!!!

We'll miss you.

WHL: T-Birds lose to Spokane 3-2, fall behind in sereis 3 games to 1

The Seattle Thunderbirds find themselves in a very tough position. They are down 3 games to 1 in the first round of the WHL playoff series against the Spokane Chiefs. The T-Birds lost a tough match at ShoWare Center tonight, 3-2. Now, they face the daunting task of trying to win both of their next games on the other side of the state.



The first period started with a bang for both teams, with penalties a half minute into the game. T-Bird Chris Cloud was called at 00:32 for interference. Three seconds later, the Chiefs' Mitch Wahl went to the box for tripping. Neither team capitalized on the four on four play, but just before the 3 and a half minute mark, Spokane found the net first. Justin McCrae found a tiny opening between the left post and Seattle goalie Calvin Pickard's skate and poked the puck through. The T-Birds answered a minute later. Jim O'Brien took a rebound from Jeremy Boyer and Jeremy Schappert and shot it past Dustin Tokarski for his first goal of the playoffs.



Three minutes later, at the 7 minute mark, Schappert found the net. Devon LeBlanc and David Richard assisted on Schappert's first playoff goal. Less than two minutes later, the Chiefs evened things up. Tyler Johnson got past Pickard, with help from Mitch Wahl and Levko Koper. The rest of the first period featured some good set-ups by the Chiefs and better saves by Pickard, some pushing and shoving between Devon LeBlanc and one of the Chiefs, but no fisticuffs. At around the 10 minute mark, Seattle's Prab Rai and Jonathan Parker found some great chemistry as they flew up the ice, passing the puck between them. But Rai's shot at goal found one big obstacle: Tokarski.



As the period wound down, Spokane was called for two more penalties (Ondrej Roman @ 13:47 for high sticking; Brady Calla @ 16:39 for holding). Just before the second penalty, the Chiefs made a run at Pickard, but Defenseman and Captain Thomas Hickey dropped to his stomach and knocked the puck out of the way. A few minutes later, Hickey fired a hard shot at Tokarski, but Tokarski caught it. The final minute of the period featured more aggressive play, some words between T-Bird rookie Colin Jacobs and Spokane's Jared Spurgeon, and an elbowing penalty to Jim O'Brien with a half second left on the clock. End of First period: Seattle 2, Spokane 2. Shots on goal: Seattle 12, Spokane 12.



The second period began with the T-Birds shorthanded, as O'Brien worked off his elbowing penalty. There were a few scrums along the board as players scrabbled and kicked for the puck. Luke Lockhart found himself surrounded by three Chiefs who seemed to make it their mission to keep shoving his head down and not letting him up for air. He managed to break free, following a few uncomfortable moments. Prab Rai made another great run at Spokane's net, and again, Dustin Tokarski turned his shot away.



Spokane recovered and drove back to Seattle's end. In fact, the Chiefs seemed to spend quite a lot of time in the T-Birds' end this period, keeping Calvin Pickard on his toes. He caught a zinger slapped straight at his head around the 7:23 mark. Seconds later, T-Bird Greg Scott and Spokane's Tyler Johnson collided and skated a few feet while still entangled with each other. They nearly ended up going into the net, but pulled themselves apart in time. A minute later, an overzealous Chief skated into the side of the net, knocking it off its mooring. At 9:41, Jim O'Brien was called for his second penalty of the game, this time for high sticking. 20 seconds later, Ondrej Roman scored a power play goal for Spokane. Trevor Glass and Drayson Bowman got the assists for Roman's first goal of the playoffs.



Seattle's Brad Haber went to the box for delay of game 26 seconds later, after he shot the puck right over the glass and into the crowd. The T-Birds were able to kill that penalty and keep Spokane from scoring for the rest of the period. The bad news: Spokane returned the favor, not allowing the T-Birds to get a puck past Tokarski. The second period wound down with the score favoring the Chiefs, 3-2. Shots on goal: Spokane 12, Seattle 7.



The third period got physical right from the puck drop. The beginning of the period featured hard hits, aggressive plays on the puck and frantic skating up and down the ice. T-Bird winger David Richard got knocked into the Spokane bench about two minutes in, where players greeting him not so warmly. Spokane did a good job keeping the puck down at Seattle's end and really putting Calvin Pickard on his heels. He knocked away shot after shot, or watched as the puck bounced off a post or missed just wide of the net. Again and again, T-Birds swooped in to try to clear the puck, but for some reason, they could not get it past their own blue line. There was always a Chief ready to bring that puck right back into Seattle's zone. Left Wing Prab Rai distinguished himself this period not only by his skating and puck handling skills; he also leveled huge hits on every Chief he happened to come across.



This period featured lots of whistles and lots of face offs; most of them coming in the T-Birds zone. At 12:49, Mitch Wahl slid past Pickard and into the T-Birds' net. Stefan Warg took offense to it and got in Wahl's face once he found his way out of the net. A referee stepped in before the argument could escalate into something more physical. I noticed several d-men taking shorts breaks and heading back onto the ice, including Captain Thomas Hickey. He and several other T-Birds, including Prab Rai, Greg Scott and Devon LeBlanc, fired shots at Spokane's net, but Dustin Tokarski was not in the mood to let any more goals in. The period wound down pretty quickly, in spite of the numerous whistles, and play was still too frantic for T-Birds Head Coach Rob Sumner to pull Pickard until there were less than 55 seconds on the clock. Seattle used that extra attacker and did their best to hammer at Tokarski, to no avail. There was a frightening moment with 27 seconds left to play, when Spokane cleared the puck toward an empty T-Birds net. Hickey reached the puck before a Chief, though, and tried one last push at tying the game. Tokarski was just too good on this night, though, and time ran out. Final score: Spokane 3, Seattle 2.



Shots on goal for this period: Spokane 13, Seattle 11. Dustin Tokarski made 28 saves. Calvin Pickard stopped 34.



The 3 Stars of the Game: 1. Trevor Glass, Spokane 2. Jeremy Schappert, Seattle 3. Dustin Tokarski, Spokane



The T-Birds head back to Spokane for Game 5 on Saturday, March 28 in Spokane. The puck drops at 7:00pm. For more information, click here.

T-Birds, 'Tips share favorite bands, songs

KING 5 Morning News showed its support for the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds’ quest for the Memorial Cup, by using its “Friday Playlist” segment to feature songs that Silvertips and T-Birds say help them get pumped for a game. Players shared their favorite music in interviews conducted during the course of the season for the hockey blog at king5.com (www.king5.com/sports/hockey).

Here’s the list of players, songs and bands featured on Friday:

1. Lady Gaga - "Poker Face" (Dan Iwanski/Silvertips)
2. Dierks Bentley - "Sideways" (Calvin Pickard/T-Birds)
3. MGMT - "Electric Feel" (Taylor Ellington/Silvertips)
4. Nickelback - "Someone that You're With" (Jim O'Brien/Thomas Hickey - T-Birds)
5. Coheed & Cambria - "Welcome Home" (Shane Harper/Silvertips)
6. Kevin Rudolf - "Let It Rock" (Jonathan Parker/T-Birds - and a ShoWare favorite)

If you’d like to read interviews with any of these players, just click on their names.

Winterhawks Dominate T-Birds, 9-1

Last night’s Seattle Thunderbirds game was an ugly one on many counts, except for anyone who is a Portland Winterhawks fan. ShoWare Center was pretty packed (attendance: 5701) for Fan Appreciation night and the stage was set for what everyone thought would be a good game, with the T-Birds coming out on top. After all, in the ten times the two teams have faced each other this season, Seattle has won 8 of those games. The two they lost were by slim margins.



However, from the opening face-off, I could tell something was not right. The team didn’t seem to be gelling like they did last weekend, when they decisively shut out the 2nd place Tri City Americans. Passes were not being completed. Pucks were being stolen. And time and time again, the action ended up in Seattle’s zone. Nine minutes into the first period, Portland struck first. Taylor Peters got hold of a rebound and put it past Calvin Pickard. Brad Ross and Brett Ponich were credited with assists. Twelve minutes in, T-Bird winger Chris Cloud goes to the box for kneeing. A minute later, Portland scored again. Colin Reddin found the net this time, with help from Brad Ross and Killian Hutt.



With the score now 2-0, the T-Birds struggled to gain some control of the game. They had a perfect opportunity when Winterhawks Travis Ehrhardt was called for elbowing with just under four minutes left in the period, but Portland not only broke up the play, they scored a shorthanded goal. Luke Walker stole the puck, took it up the ice and got it behind Pickard. Portland’s Sawyer Mick was called for cross checking with 30 seconds left in the period, and the period ended with Seattle down 4-0.



The second period started with the T-Birds trying to generate some energy on a power play. They still couldn’t connect and Portland killed the penalty, then scored about two minutes later. Chris Francis beat Calvin Pickard, with Killian Hutt and Brett Ponich assisting. The crowd began to get restless, as the score was now 5-0. The game started to get a little physical here, with some pushing and shoving and a couple of stand-offs, but no fights.



Portland scored again about halfway through the period. Joel Ridgeway got the credit, with an assist going to Sawyer Mick. David Richard went to the box for slashing about a minute later and Portland capitalized on the power play. Luke Walker scored, assisted by Travis Bobbee and Chris Francis. A minute later, the Winterhawks struck again. Oliver Gabriel found the net, with help from Travis Ehrhardt and Brad Ross. The score was now 8-0, but the T-Birds did not give up trying to find their footing and regain their momentum.



There were some big hits this period, but none as big as the one Captain Thomas Hickey laid out on a Portland player with less than 3 minutes to go in the period. The T-Birds seemed to draw energy from that monster hit and a few seconds later, Charles Wells put one past Winterhawks goalie Ian Curtis. Jim O’Brien was credited with the assist. The mostly silent crowd erupted into cheers and roared their support for their home team. The second period ended a short time later with the score: Portland 9, Seattle 1.



The third period featured lots of hitting and some shoving but no fights. The biggest difference in the third was that Portland could not score a goal. The T-Birds defensive corps got to work protecting the net and Calvin Pickard made some truly amazing saves, including another one using his cat-like reflexes to snatch a speeding puck out of mid-air. Seattle couldn’t get the puck past Portland’s goalie either, so the third period passed pretty quickly and when the final horn sounded, Pickard was first off the ice, followed by his teammates.



Following the presentation of the “Three Stars of the Game”: 1. Brad Ross-Portland, 2. Luke Walker (Portland), 3. Ian Curtis (Portland), Seattle head coach Rob Sumner gave an interview about the game and his team’s play. He didn’t mince words.



“They beat us in all areas,” he said. “They were focused. We didn’t deserve to win. They were the better team.” He went on, “We weren’t shooting the puck. We had to fight to get it out of our end. They were better shorthanded than we were on the power play.”



When asked about tonight’s game, which will take place in Portland, Sumner said, “They played very well tonight. They will play very well tomorrow. We have to play better tomorrow.”



Sumner acknowledged the ShoWare crowd’s support of the T-Birds, saying, “The crowd stuck with us on our goal, but we were a tough team to stick with tonight.”



The T-Birds have a chance to even things up tonight, when they take on the Winterhawks down in Portland. The puck drops at 7:00 and fans that don’t make the trip down I-5 can listen to the game on 104.9FM.



Tomorrow night, the T-Birds wrap up the regular season against cross town rivals, the Everett Silvertips at ShoWare Center. The game starts at 5:05pm. Click here for more information on the games and tickets.

New Interview with T-Bird Jim O'Brien

I just posted a new interview with Seattle Thunderbirds Center Jim O'Brien.

Since the interview was done in the course of work, I cannot post it here.

However, I can link it.

Here it is:

http://blogs.king5.com/sports/2009/02/whl-tbirds-player-interview-ji.html

Jim O'Brien/Photo: Seattle Thunderbirds