Rog Blog

There’s not much to say after you lose the final game you play in a season 11-0.

So I will not say much for now about the Oshawa Generals this season, except to say one word – thanks.

That’s a personal thanks from me to the ownership of the team, the management and the players, and to the fans, the best in all of junior hockey. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to be a small part of this great junior hockey tradition, in this space and on the TV broadcasts.

Four seasons ago this team was dead last in the league playing in front of 2,200 fans a game at Civic Auditorium. The season ends with the Generals No. 5 in the regular season, in the Conference finals, and an average attendance this season of 5,200 fans in the General Motors Centre.

It’s not a championship, it’s not enough when you expect the best – but my friends, that is progress. There’s a good nucleus in tact here and the future looks bright – here’s hoping the best is yet to come for everybody involved with Oshawa Generals Hockey.

I’ll have some more thoughts later this month and check the website for off-season news on the team often.

For now though, just that one word once again.

Full credit goes to the Oshawa Generals, who are off to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in nine years.

It wasn’t easy, but the Generals finally dispatched a very good Niagara team in six tough games Sunday afternoon to move into Round 3. And after getting just two wins in their final 10 regular season games, the Generals now are 8-2 in the post-season.

Told you the playoffs were a completely new season.

The Generals deserve credit for a lot of reasons. They entered the playoffs on a down note after a tough end to the regular season; they lost their starting goalie Michal Neuvirth in Game 5; they had to face a very good team in Niagara and they are battling though some other injuries and ailments like any junior hockey team is after playing 82 games (including pre-season and playoffs) to date.

But here they are, among the final four teams left playing in the OHL, and that is a terrific accomplishment. More about that series against the Bulls later in the week.

You know who also deserves a ton of credit right now? Brad Selwood.

Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of hockey left and the Generals won’t be satisfied unless they go all the way this year…but let’s look at Brad’s performance as his fourth season in Oshawa wraps up, shall we?

In the regular season, the Generals went from 20th overall, to 19th, to 11th, to 5th this past season. That’s called a nice rebuilding job.

After missing the playoffs the first two seasons, the Generals have now won three playoff series the past two years (and hopefully counting of course).

Michal Neuvirth and Daryl Borden were both acquired in deals by Selwood. John Tavares and Michael Del Zotto were the keystones used in the draft after those two terrible seasons. Ryan McGinnis, Kevin Baker and Patrick Asselin were all brought in to add experience to this team for the playoff run. I ask you – how good are those seven players?

Brett MacLean and Brett Parnham were also acquired in deals several years ago. How well have they been developed in Oshawa? How about the development shown by Kory Nagy, one of the stars of this post-season?

You build teams through the draft and by trading to fill holes where needed, and then developing the players you have with a solid system and coaching. I ask you again, how well are the Generals playing as a team right now?

Full credit to the players, they are always the ones that decide the outcome. But full credit also goes to Selwood, because his fingerprints are all over this franchise – and who drafted, traded for and helped develop those players?

It’s a harsh business, the hockey business is at times, and Selwood has taken his share of knocks in his four years here. But from what I can see, this is a very good hockey club right now that has a chance to win this late into the season, and that’s not easy to do.

Congratulations Brad, and to your staff, on a great job done so far. No matter what happens, this team has gone from the worst team in the league four years ago to the Conference finals.

It looks like the Oshawa Generals have found their game just in the nick of time.

After a sluggish end to the regular season to say the least, the Generals rather easily moved on to Round 2 with an impressive opening round series sweep over the Ottawa 67’s, and are currently in a great battle with the Niagara IceDogs.

Oshawa allowed just six goals in the four games against the 67’s, and although the IceDogs are a tremendous team, the Generals have demonstrated early in the series they can certainly compete with them.

The pleas of the coaching staff to play better team defence fell on deaf ears obviously as the regular season wound down. But as soon as the playoffs started, so did the better play so there’s certainly still hope for a long playoff run if that play continues.

Michal Neuvirth will be an obvious key, especially in a series where Sebastien Dahm is the opposing goalie, and so is the play of Brett MacLean and John Tavares. The Generals need both their big guns firing on all cylinders if they expect to get into the third round against most likely the Belleville Bulls.

Oshawa’s fans could really make a big difference in this series as well. With home ice advantage the Generals have a big plus, and the general Motors Centre has already been identified as a tough place for opposing teams to play. Hopefully the great crowds and even greater enthusiasm shown by Oshawa fans continues for the rest of this series.

The regular season is history. Now the real season begins.

Kitchener led all teams in the Ontario Hockey League with 110 points and the Peterborough Petes had 60. That’s a 50 point spread.

But guess what? The playoffs are here and everybody now has zero – including the Rnagers, the Petes and the Oshawa Generals.

The final regular season numbers on the Oshawa Generals are pretty good actually. The Generals had 89 points, second highest total in the Eastern Conference, and fifth best in the OHL. They are also the highest scoring team in the OHL, with one more goal than Kitchener. In the four years since Brad Selwood took over as General Manager, the team has gone from 20th, to 19th, to 11th to 5th.

Pretty impressive – but it doesn’t matter in regards to this year’s playoffs.

The Generals also ended the regular season with 10 losses in their last 12 games. They allowed 61 goals in those 12 games and that defensive collapse sunk them to 16th in the league in goals against average.

That’s pretty discouraging – but it doesn’t matter in regards to this year’s playoffs either.

I’ve covered the OHL for 28 years, in one form or another. I worked in this league as a business manager for seven years and spent two years working full-time for the CHL. This year I’ve broadcast 76 OHL games and the playoffs haven’t even started yet.

So let me tell you one thing I definitely know first hand – the regular season results don’t matter in the least when it comes to the OHL playoffs this year, or any year.

Granted, usually the top seeded teams make it through in junior hockey. But in 1999, the London Knights had the 10th most points in the regular season and they went on to game seven of the OHL Finals before losing to the Belleville Bulls – who were fifth overall, the same slot the Generals occupied this season.

Top-ranked Plymouth and second-seeded Barrie both lost in the second round, as did third-seeded and Memorial Cup host Ottawa that year. The top three seeded teams didn’t get past the second round – and Ottawa then went on to win the Memorial Cup as hosts after a 33-day layoff.

Two years later Ottawa won the OHL title – as the seventh overall seed. London had 110 points in 2003-04, the same number as Kitchener this year – and didn’t even make it to the OHL Final.

Unfair? Perhaps. Exceptions to the rule that favorites generally advance? Maybe. But the regular season has nothing to do with the post-season once the playoffs start EVERY year, no matter who winds up winning.

So, are the Generals the fifth favorite team, or are they an underdog because they were so bad over the past 12 games? The correct answer is neither.

The playoffs make or break a team’s season. A lousy playoff can spoil the greatest regular season ever, and a great playoff can salvage a terrible regular season.

The Generals have as much talent as any of the 16 teams left playing, and far superior talent to many of those remaining teams. We will find out soon if the team’s heart matches its talent.

If it does, the Generals can go a long, long way in the playoffs. If it doesn’t, this playoff season is going to be a very short one.

110 points, 89 points or 60 points – the Rangers, the Generals and the Petes are all in the same boat now. They all have zero. Let’s see who has the heart to win 16 more games after a long regular season.

Eric Lindros Night was a terrific night for No. 88, and a terrific night for the Generals franchise.

As he accepted the cheers from the packed General Motors Centre on Thursday night, Lindros turned around and said “wow, what a crowd.” And he was right – what a crowd it was.

The Oshawa Generals are certainly going through a tough stretch on the ice recently, and the arrival of the General Motors Centre certainly didn’t come about without its share of bumps. But Eric’s heartfelt reaction to the crowd and the arena certainly speaks volumes for how far the Generals have come.

We shall see if the team’s on-ice funk in recent games – especially when it comes to defensive play – continues. It better not, if the Generals expect a long playoff run this season. But what will definitely continue is the General Motors Centre being a terrific facility to celebrate the Generals tradition in.

Eric saw that immediately, in his first time in the arena. He was awed by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd, and really he had a right to be – when No. 88 packed the Civic, that meant 4,000 fans, not 6,000.

Lindros was gracious and sincere, and so were the fans that cheered him wildly. And hey, it is pretty cool to see a banner lifted for the first time when you know its staying up there for keeps.

So take a bow Oshawa hockey fans – with cameras from TSN, Sportsnet and numerous other organizations on hand recording every moment, the spotlight was on Oshawa and it showed off the rink and fans in a very favourable light.

And thanks to Eric again for helping that to happen. His banner is just the second but it won’t be the last, as the Generals ownership plans to honour numerous former greats early next season to complete the rafter decoration.

Lindros couldn’t get over the fact that there was a beautiful downtown arena like this in Oshawa filled with 6,000 fans, enjoying a team having a 40-win, 90-point season with a chance to contend in the playoffs.

Sometimes you need the perspective from outside to appreciate what you have inside your own home. Eric is right – wow, what a crowd. And what an arena for them to enjoy the Generals in.

Thanks Eric. Hope you can make it back to help the Generals honour some more great legends in the coming months.

Eric Lindros Night should be a lot of fun on Thursday.

Eric and his family will be on hand at the General Motors Centre Thursday when the Generals play the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors at 7:05 p.m. The pre-game ceremonies, which will feature Lindros’ No. 88 being lifted to the rafters, get under way just after 7 p.m. so fans attending, be sure and be in your seats early (the game is almost sold out so get those last minute tickets right away if you want to be there!).

The ceremonies will also be broadcast live on Rogers Television, including a video tribute to Lindros before the speeches.

Lindros is just the second player to have his banner lifted to the rafters, with only the immortal Albert “Red” Tilson’s No. 9 decorating the rafters at the moment. But fear not Generals fans, in the coming months the team will be having special nights for many of its great alumni that will get the ultimate honour of having their banners hung in Oshawa’s beautiful new arena. And let there be no controversy about the order either – its simply a matter of player availability and scheduling; the team feels all of its alumni deserve a night, and the process is now well under way with Tilson and Lindros.

Look for exciting announcements soon regarding other players who will be honoured in the coming months. With 12 OHL championships, four Memorial Cups and more than 160 players graduated into the NHL, the Generals have a lot of players who richly deserve the tribute.

Lindros certainly does. He came to Oshawa in 1989 and played 95 regular season games, scoring an incredible 97 goals. He won the Red Tilson Trophy as MVP and the league scoring title, and helped draw sellout crowds to the Civic Auditorium in an era where sellouts certainly weren’t the norm.

He was a key member of Oshawa’s 1990 Memorial Cup team and went on to a tremendous NHL career, which despite being cut short by numerous injuries, still sees him among the top scoring players of his era.

Just a quick note today Generals fans...be sure and get your tickets for Thursday, March 6 when the Generals pay tribute to Eric Lindros at the General Motors Centre.

Only limited seats remain for the last four home games, including that one, so order tickets online or pick them up at the General Motors Centre ticket office during regular business hours.

It’s going to be a very interesting last 16 games of the Ontario Hockey League schedule for the Oshawa Generals.

Brad Selwood removed himself as head coach of the Generals on Monday, paving the way for Chris DePiero to take over as head coach. The timing surprised a lot of people, but not the fact that DePiero becomes the head coach.

When DePiero was lured to the OHL from the St. Michael’s College Buzzers two seasons ago (after he won two straight OPJHL titles as the team’s GM/Coach), it was with the understanding that he would one day become the team’s head coach. Everybody knows that, it’s a matter of public record.

That “one day” came a lot sooner than many anticipated, but Selwood remains the GM and now we shall see if this move results in better efforts than the one we saw at the General Motors Centre Sunday night.

The Generals were awful Sunday. If they turn in similar efforts the rest of the way, frankly it won’t matter who is coaching.

But this team has gone from 20th, to 19th, to 11th to 3rd at the moment in the OHL under Selwood’s direction. The CHL weekly rankings have the Generals No. 10 out of 60 teams in the country.

That is good – but clearly the expectations are for a championship this season in Oshawa, and championship calibre teams play a lot better than the Generals have in some of their recent outings. Perhaps a change is in order, but I’ve never seen a coach or GM score a goal in the 28 years I’ve covered the OHL and I don’t expect to see that happen anytime soon.

I wish Chris a lot of luck, I think he’s an excellent person and quality coach. I know Brad thinks so too, or he wouldn’t have made him Associate Coach two years ago to start with.

But if the Generals are to seriously challenge for a championship this season, the players are the ones that will have to elevate their games, not the GM or the coach.

So boys, it’s up to you. Are you up to the challenge of taking the final step up, from 20th, to 19th, to 11th to dare I say – first?

Generals fans, you have just a few days to reserve your seats to see Team Canada at the world junior hockey championships next Christmas in Ottawa!

The Generals Booster Club has been offered 50 tickets for the tournament, for Team Canada games on Dec. 26 and Dec. 28. There will be a bus trip up and back to Ottawa each day from Oshawa for the games, which are sure to be all sold out in short order.

Fans have to commit to buying the game tickets soon however, as they will only be held until the end of January. To reserve your spot, call Karon at 905-571-2044, email her at gensboosterclub@hotmail.com, or see Karon or Anne at the top of Section 113 on Thursday night at the latest.

There’s more information on the Booster Club’s many activities in the Fan Zone section of the website as well.

Well, there’s 20 games left to go in the Ontario Hockey League season after Saturday’s loss in the Soo, and the generals are certainly in the thick of the race in the Eastern Conference.

I like what I see from this team for the most part, as it certainly looks like Belleville and Oshawa are the top teams in the East at the moment. But since they’re in the East Division, one of them will wind up as the No. 3 seed and that could be a big difference come playoff time.

So it would be great if the Generals can make up the four points the Bulls lead them by at the moment, as it would mean a better seed and home ice should they meet down the playoff road. But is it vital? In my opinion, no – third seeded teams have won before and will win again. It’s a matter of playing your best hockey at the most important time of the year.

The Generals are as good as anybody in the Conference. But for them to win in the playoffs, however, they will have to improve dramatically on defence.

As of Sunday morning the Generals were the highest scoring team in the OHL, one goal better than the Kitchener Rangers (by the way, the Rangers have already clinched a playoff spot!). But they are 13th in goals against average.

That is just not going to cut it. They don’t have to be the best defensive team in the league to win the East, but they have to be better than that come playoff time. Defence and goaltending win championships and to win in the post-season, you have to be better defensively than the Generals are at the moment.

They key is – “at the moment” – because there are 20 games left to work on that after all. The eight-game suspension to James DeLory certainly won’t help, and the injuries to Michal Neuvirth and Daryl Borden were a tough blow (by the way, I voted for Shea Copper as the story of the year in generals hockey so far – how great was it to see him come up so big!).

But the Generals are capable of being better defensively. They went 7-2 without John Tavares at the world juniors by playing much better defensively and gutting out wins. This team would rather win 7-5 than 3-2 because of all the firepower it has – but that doesn’t mean it can’t win 3-2 when necessary.

It’s a very good team that can play a little better than it has. If the Generals do, especially on the defensive end – then there’s no telling how far they can go.

We are going to find out a lot about the Oshawa Generals in the next three games.

The Generals face a tough stretch of three games in three days starting Friday night at the General Motors Centre when they face the Belleville Bulls, who they trail by one point in the Eastern Conference standings.

Generals are in Peterborough Saturday night and then host Steven Stamkos and the Sarnia Sting Sunday at 6:05 p.m. at the General Motors Centre. The game by the way will be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet nationally, but on a tape delayed basis starting at 7 p.m., so the starting time at the rink does not change.

Also by the way, in a recent blog I advised Generals fans to get their tickets soon and with good reason. There are only limited seats and standing room left for both games this weekend, with 6,000 fans expected at both games. BUY EARLY folks if you want good seats the rest of the way.

Back to my point – this weekend’s challenge. The Generals will dress two goalies for the three weekend games that have the grand total of 29 minutes of OHL experience combined. And the 29 minutes comes courtesy of Sean Perkins, who only got that in an emergency situation Sunday night when Michal Neuvirth left the game with an injury.

Both Neuvirth and Daryl Borden are unavailable this weekend due to injuries, so it will be up to Perkins and Shea Cooper, two goalies in the Generals system who certainly weren’t expected to play in the OHL this year.

So we’ll find out a lot about the Generals in these three games. Can they play the kind of defence they need to in the playoffs right now, to support these kids as much as possible? And we will find out a lot about the fans in the building as well – will they support these two kids, who are in a real tough spot, by cheering them on even if a bad goal slips past them at some point?

Home ice advantage can always make a big difference to a team but it could really help the Generals this weekend, and especially help the two young goalies. Neuvirth and Borden will both be back sooner rather than later, but in the meantime there’s three games to play this weekend without both of them.

Wow.

There’s a long way to go in the OHL season and there are certainly a lot of good teams this year in the league, make no mistake about that.

But another thing is also certain – the Oshawa Generals are a lot better team now than they were on Tuesday morning.

Let’s give Brad Selwood full credit for taking a chance, and making three deals that were too good to pass up.

Dean Howard and Justin Shugg are solid young players who will be good in the OHL one day. Jakub Kovar is a very decent goalie. Draft picks are always tough to part with.

But the additions of Michal Neuvirth, Kevin Baker, Jonathan Sciacca and Ryan Baldwin make the Generals a real threat to win the East this season, something they already were before Tuesday ended.

But now? The team has a top flight goalie, one of the best defensive corps in the league, another classy veteran in Baker and more grit courtesy of Baldwin.

Kitchener is scary good, the Soo and Sarnia also loaded up, Belleville is strong and they too added some fine talent – but look at the Generals roster and tell me they aren’t right up there among the OHL’s best teams. You can’t say they that because they are – and what a transformation from a team that was dead last in the league just three seasons ago.

There’s always the chance that these moves may not result in a long playoff run. The league is really tough after all, so you never can be sure moves like this will work out. But folks, let me say this – when you have John Tavares and Michael Del Zotto and company already in place, you OWE it to them and the fans to take a shot at the championship NOW. That’s what Brad selwood has done.

This was a fun team to watch before Tuesday, but ask anybody who saw the game Thursday and they’ll tell you this for sure.

I have some advice for Generals fans as the holiday break continues in the Ontario Hockey League – don’t wait too long to get tickets for second half games.

The Generals are averaging 4,671 fans per game at the GMC over the first 18 home games, which is pretty impressive. Oshawa ranks fourth in the OHL in attendance and due to arena sizes in London, Ottawa and Kitchener, that’s as high as the Generals can possibly go in terms of ranking.

But mark my words, that 4,671 average is going to explode in the second half of the season. The Generals drew 5,822 against the Peterborough Petes recently, and have been over 4,900 the last four home games.

Five times the club has broken the 5,000 mark, and with 14 games left to go tickets are moving very briskly. All teams around the OHL draw much better after Christmas and the Generals have some great dates left on the schedule.

And why shouldn’t the General Motors Centre be closed to packed every night? The Generals are a point out of first place in the Conference, they have the most talked about junior player in the country in their lineup, they have the OHL’s leading goal scorer and they have a very solid team capable of making a serious run at a league title.

The GMC is an outstanding venue, Prospects is a great restaurant and the atmosphere in the building gets better and better every game.

I’ll make a prediction that the Generals will average well over 5,000 a night before the end of the season, which means plenty of crowds of 5,500 and up the rest of the way. It’s great to see.

Have a great holiday season everyone and talk to you again after the break. Look for lots of exciting things in the second half, including several more “Town Hall” chats with Generals players after the game, and a special retirement ceremony later in the new year.

The Oshawa Generals deserve a little credit right about now.

We are 30 games into the OHL season and there’s no question that the Generals are producing some pretty good numbers, both of and on the ice.

The top two scorers in the OHL are Generals – John Tavares and Brett MacLean. Big Mac also leads the league in goals.

Tavares and MacLean are two of just 13 OHL players at the Team Canada camp, with Jakub Kovar with the Czech Republic team. David Corrente will play at the Under-17 championships in London over the holidays as well, with four Generals getting valuable international experience.

The Generals are just one point out of first place in the Eastern Conference and the East Division with a solid record of 18-8-1-3. The Generals lead the East in goals, they have improved dramatically on defense and are now over .500 on the road for the first time in – well frankly, I don’t remember how long.

How about the crowds on the weekend too? More than 10,800 for two games, including 5,822 for the Petes blow-out win Friday – just a handful of seats away from a complete sell-out.

The team is right there among the top teams in the league, the core of star players is as good as anybody’s and the team is well positioned for next year as well.

Long, long way to go for sure – but after 30 games you have to like what you see with this organization at the moment.

Another weekend goes by for the Oshawa Generals and with three points in three games, the Generals remain tied for the top of the Eastern Conference standings and in first place in the East Division.

There are some decent teams in the East to be sure, but the Generals have clearly demonstrated they are as good as any other East team at the moment. It was especially evident Sunday in a 6-3 win over the Belleville Bulls, one of the teams the Generals are battling near the top of the standings board.

The Bulls are very good. They have solid defense, they are getting great goaltending and they have nice balance up front. But the Generals have beaten them three of four times this season and can certainly compete with them on an on-going basis.

The Barrie Colts are also pretty good, but they are young and frankly it’s a surprise they have been as good as they have been so far. Marty Williamson has done a terrific job coaching them and they work really hard – but as the season moves along, I think it’s going to be tough for them to maintain their current pace.

The Niagara IceDogs could be the most talented team in the Conference on paper, but they haven’t shown it on the ice yet. There is obviously something missing there and although injuries are partly to blame, the IceDogs have to rank as a bit of a disappointment so far.

The Brampton Battalion have a very solid all-round team too, but have lacked consistency to date. They can certainly compete with the top clubs, but they will have to play much better at home to stay among the top squads when all is said and done.

Ottawa, Mississauga and Peterborough are competent teams, and the Majors in particular have been very hot lately. But over a 68-game season, can they match the top teams in the Conference? It will be a challenge for them, but all are rebuilding nicely.

Sudbury and Kingston are already 21 points behind the Generals and Colts, who lead the Conference. Enough said on that front.

And that’s it. Yes, the West has some powerful teams, but match up the Generals against anybody in the East and Oshawa certainly is right there.

Now the test for the Generals and other teams is to survive the world junior period, where 13 of the league’s top players may miss more than four weeks of play. After that the trade deadline looms, which may effect the balance of power too.

Well we’re past the 1/3 mark of the Ontario Hockey League season and one thing is clear so far – and that is nothing is clear so far.

The Eastern Conference standings are as clear as mud. Oshawa and Belleville lead the way with 33 points each, the Barrie Colts are one point behind that and Brampton and Niagara are right behind them. Five teams just a few points apart at the top of the standings with little to choose between them.

But from an Oshawa Generals standpoint, one thing is also clear – this team is as good as nay team in the Eastern Conference.

The Generals are the highest scoring team in the Eastern Conference and that’s because they have the best forwards in the Eastern Conference. John Tavares is a massive weapon, Brett MacLean is just unconscious these days and the top six forwards on the Generals take a back seat to nobody.

Jakub Kovar has been very good in goal most nights and the tandum of him and Daryl Borden, while not the best in the East, is certainly very capable. The defence corps overall is way above average and I especially like the way young David Corrente is coming along.

The addition of veterans Ryan McGinnis at the start of the season and Patrick Asselin recently were great moves. This team is deep, solid at most positions and a record of 15-7-0-3 is no accident.

But…and it’s a big but…this team will have to play much better defensive hockey if it expects to advance far in the playoffs. The overall team defence has frankly got to be better for the Generals to make it to the OHL Final – and that should be, and is, the goal of this franchise.

That was the most encouraging thing about Sunday’s 3-1 win over Brampton. It was a victory made possible by tremendous defence and good goaltending. It wasn’t a classic to watch but it was effective – we all know the Generals can win 7-5 if need be but they also need to be able to win 3-1 at times too – and they did.

All of the five teams at the top of the East have holes to fill and they could all use an extra piece or two. The Generals are no exception. If GM/Coach Brad Selwood can make another move or two by the trade deadline, there is no reason the Oshawa Generals can’t play in the OHL Final this season.

The Oshawa Generals have come through a very tough stretch of their schedule with flying colours.

Oshawa couldn’t win on the road last season – but the Generals just completed a four-game road stretch with a 3-0-0-1 record…and they could have won the shootout loss in Peterborough Saturday, firing 56 shots on goal on the Petes.

That’s seven out of eight possible points, an excellent total. And there they sit, in first place in the Eastern Conference and fourth overall in the OHL. Not bad for a team that was 20th, 19th and 11th overall the past three years.

The goaltending has been very good. Perhaps Jakub Kovar and Daryl Borden alone wouldn’t be considered the best goalie in the OHL, but the combination of the two of them is working very nicely at the moment.

Brett MacLean is on fire right now. With 14 goals in his past six games, he’s on a tear that’s as impressive as any in recent OHL history. With John Tavares and MacLean both scoring, the Generals now have two tremendous lines as JT and Big Mac only play together on the power play.

There is an awful lot to like about the Generals at the moment. Is the team perfect? Of course not, there is still plenty of room for improvement and there are some holes that should be filled perhaps before the trade deadline.

But is the team a legitimate title contender this year? I would say definitely yes. The 20-game mark of an OHL season is a good length of time to make a call on a team and there isn’t much doubt Oshawa is at least as good or better than any team in the East, and is close to the best teams in the West as well.

This could get very, very interesting fans. And judging by the 5,542 fans that came out Sunday, many of you agree. The atmosphere in the building was electric, the fans were tremendous and the emotional Remembrance Day ceremonies were the best in the OHL this year - not even close on that last point.

There’s an extra added element to the next two games between the Oshawa Generals and the Ottawa 67’s.

The Generals are in Ottawa Friday night and the 67’s visit the General Motors Centre on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. Two of the best players in the league right now – Ottawa’s Logan Couture and Oshawa’s John Tavares – will compete against each other in a special one-on-one charity shootout during the first intermission.

Tavares will be shooting on behalf of the Special Olympics Foundation, while Couture will play for the Canadian Cancer Society. And the shootout takes on an added dimension because Tavares and Couture will be shooting against their respective teams starting goaltenders.

The big winners will be the charities, as both the Generals and 67’s will be making donations to the respective charities of the winning shooter.

It’s a terrific idea, there will be a real sense of competition between Tavares and Couture, who are both sensational players and people, and ultimately fans will get a real treat and charities will be the winners.

Veteran fans will remember a similar promotion held years ago between two highly regarded prospects at the time. You might remember them – Bobby Smith of the Ottawa 67’s and Wayne Gretzky of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, who finished one-two in OHL scoring that season.

Hey, nobody is kidding anybody, it’s just an exhibition. But the fans love shootouts, John and Logan eagerly agreed to participate and the charities will benefit. How can that not be a good thing?

Friday’s game from Ottawa will be televised live on Rogers Television and on Dec. 1, come out to the GMC and see a little history in the “rematch” between the two.

On Thursday night the General Motors Centre celebrated its first anniversary, but it was the Kitchener Rangers who did most of the celebrating.

Kitchener looked awfully, awfully good in defeating the Generals 8-3 for their seventh straight win, at the same time moving into first place overall in the OHL standings.

And the Generals – well the Generals had a bad night all around. They were out-shot, they were out-played and it was one of those nights that are best forgotten about with the hope that it was just a blip on the season.

I’m sure Brad Selwood would like to have forgotten about it but instead he relived it for a half hour or so by answering questions in a Town Hall chat of sorts at Prospects Bar and Grill.

You have to applaud Brad for taking the time to do it, especially after a loss. There aren’t very many general managers in any league who would be that accommodating to fans.

And fans for the most part were gracious, and so was Selwood, who made no excuses after a very tough loss indeed.

The Town Hall meetings will be a regular feature at Prospects several times throughout the year, so it was good to see fans staying around and taking part. We’ll have some players up later in the season as well for some chats.

As for the game? Well let’s just say that we should all remember that this team has come a long, long way in the past two seasons to the point where the Generals are a vastly improved team that is still right at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. What Thursday’s game showed, however, is that if this team wants to challenge for the Memorial Cup this year, there is still a ways to go.

The message has been delivered by the Rangers. Now the Generals need to show the same fortitude the General Manager did Thursday night and face up to the challenge. I’m confident they will – and if they need any reminding sometime, perhaps the tape of Thursday’s game should be kept close by to remind them.

The Oshawa Generals want to hear from their fans and starting Nov. 1, fans will have a chance to meet and chat with team personnel.

Right after the game on Thursday, Nov. 1, Oshawa General Manager/Coach Brad Selwood will be in Prospects restaurant answering questions from myself and fans as the Generals popular “Town Hall” chats that were started at the Bobby Orr Lounge resume at the GMC.

Fans are invited to stop by as the restaurant will remain open after the game and Selwood will be available for a question and answer session. In coming weeks Generals players will also be in attendance for similar forums, with one scheduled approximately twice a month for the rest of the season.

If you can’t make it to the game, you can still ask anyone taking part in the sessions a question by sending it via email to the site at blog@oshawagenerals.com. We will compile those questions and I’ll ask them to Brad myself before we take questions from the floor.

The return of these forums is just one of the new features you’ll be seeing at the GMC in the coming weeks. The Generals will be unveiling their new mascot soon, there will be a welcome video before each home game starting in November, and the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame will be up and operational for fans to stop in and experience a part of Oshawa’s great sports history.

The Generals are an exciting team this season, and their 5-2-0-1 record certainly represents a great start. With a 4-0-0-1 record at home, it’s obvious as well that the GMC isn’t a very friendly place for opposing teams to enter into as well.

John Tavares is off to a torrid start with 13 goals and 22 points in eight games and the buzz around the club is great. The next few months should be very exciting ones for everybody around the club and the Generals look forward to unveiling a few new things to make the game day experience that much better.

The Oshawa Generals hope to get back on track this weekend when they host the Erie Otters and the Kingston Frontenacs in a pair of weekend games at the General Motors Centre.

The Generals did not have a good trip out west last weekend, losing to Sarnia and Plymouth by a combined score of 11-4. If this team expects to be a real contender this season those kinds of results had better be few and far between.

And this team does expect to be a real contender and I believe those results will indeed be few and far between – but it’s up to the club to demonstrate that clearly this weekend.

It’s also time for some of the veteran forwards to start putting some points up too. John Tavares has been amazing with nine goals and 15 points in six games, but the forward closest to him in the scoring derby has five. Points are not the whole story of course but that gap should be a lot closer and it should be after the weekend.

While the Otters are better and the Frontenacs should be in a nasty mood after two very poor performances last weekend, nothing is easy in the OHL. The Generals need to really come out flying on the weekend and show that last weekend was a blip and this team really is an elite team this year.

The Generals have come a long way in the past three seasons from 20th to 19th to 11th in the overall standings. If they want to crack the top five this season – and I see no reason why they shouldn’t – they need to rack up some points at home this weekend.

This team is like a golfer that looks to improve his or hers game – getting from 130 to 100 is relatively easy, then getting down to the 80s is that much tougher, but then trying to shoot tournament quality golf scores is really, really tough.

With 7 points in 6 games, the Generals are on pace for a 79-point season. That’s pretty good – and so is shooting 80. But to be an upper echelon team, they need a 90-plus point season – and therefore they need to pick up wins at home against teams that are .500 or less in the standings.

So, is this team the equivalent of a pretty good golfer, or is it the equivalent of a tournament competitive golfer? Guess we’ll find out over the course of this season.

The Oshawa Generals can certainly sympathize with the Barrie Colts, who they beat 4-2 Friday night at the General Motors Centre.

The Colts are in a bit of a rebuilding phase, but they played hard, came back from a 2-0 deficit but had nothing to show for it as they came away without a point.

The Generals have been there, done that – and now the shoe is on the other foot so to speak. The Generals are a team that can find lots of different ways to win while the Colts are a team that will need a bounce or two to win some nights this season.

Barrie is 0-3, but the Colts have lost twice by a goal and would have had a third straight one-goal loss if not for an empty-net goal Friday. The Generals are 3-0 and in previous recent years might have found a way to lose a game like that.

But they didn’t and that is my whole point I guess. This year’s Generals team is good, they expect to win and they are loaded with confidence. So on Friday, the youthful Colts worked hard and lost while the much stronger Generals got the two points.

If you’re an Oshawa fan you have to like that, because the Generals have shown already this season that they are a team that should win most nights under most circumstances – and so far this year, have won all three nights they’ve played.

Good teams find ways to win far more often than teams that are rebuilding do. That’s the bottom line from Friday’s game and I think will be the bottom line on a lot of nights this season.

John Tavares is really something special.

That’s an understatement of course, but a player like Tavares comes along very infrequently. Almost never, if the truth be known.

With two goals and two assists in Saturday night’s 5-3 win over the Belleville Bulls, Tavares now has eight points in two games. If he stays healthy he will appear in 60 or so OHL games this season (he will make Team Canada this time so he’ll miss some games over the holidays) and it’s scary to think how many points he can pick up this year.

One player does not a make a team, it’s true, but one player can certainly lead a team and Tavares is going to lead the Generals to a fine season, I’m confident of that. Two games into this season, and there are many positives to talk about but Tavares is at the top of the list of course.

However the other positives: Jakub Kovar and Mark Packwood both have solid games under the belts, allowing three goals each. If the generals keep the goals against to three a game or less, this team will win a lot of hockey games this season.

Shea Kewin has three goals in two games. Last season he had three goals in 27 games as a General.

Ryan McGinnis is plus four after two games and as I said earlier this week, his addition to the club is HUGE and it shows already.

James DeLory had four assists Friday night and looks terrific on the blueline, and the supporting cast around these guys looks very much improved. And Oshawa has 12 goals in two games without Brett MacLean in the lineup, their second top goal scorer last season.

66 games to go and lots can happen over a season. However two games gone and it’s clear – this is the best Oshawa team we’ve seen in a good many years and it has a chance to be one of the premier teams in this league before all is said and done.

Great home opener, great road debut, great optimism – that was one great opening weekend to the season.

Now that’s the way to start a hockey season.

The optimism around the Oshawa Generals this season is sky high and it’s easy to see why after the Generals scored an impressive 7-3 win over the Sudbury Wolves Friday night at the General Motors Centre.

The night started off with an impressive opening ceremony featuring a 12-minute video highlighting the club’s 70 years of history. The championship banners were unveiled as the video rolled and now look up at the rafters – what an impressive site those 17 banners are! (12 OHL championships, four Memorial Cups and one honoring the great Red Tilson).

It was a great night for the 4,001 fans in attendance as well, as they cheered right through the introductions and warmly greeted new Generals co-owner Rocco Tullio and his family, who dropped the ceremonial puck along with Oshawa Mayor John Gray.

After getting their legs going after an average first period, the Generals dominated the rest of the night. Shea Kwein was great with his two goals, John Tavares is – well, John Tavares – and Dean Howard contributed three assists.

The defence was great (Ryan McGinnis is a real stud back there) and Jakub Kovar gets full marks for a solid opening night win.

There’s a long, long way to go in this season folks we all know that. But so far so great – and it’s easy to see why everybody is so excited about this year’s hockey club

This will be a fun team to watch and the fans saw that first hand Friday night. I suggest you make sure you’ve got your tickets for later in the season, because I get the feeling they will be hard to come by as the word gets out on this great team.

It’s time for the regular season to start and as far as the Oshawa Generals are concerned, it’s about time.

Optimism is sky high around the team on the eve of Friday’s season opener at the GMC against the Sudbury Wolves, and with good reason. When you take a look at this year’s opening night roster, you can’t help but be impressed.

The addition this week of Ryan McGinnis is huge. McGinnis is one of the premier defensive defecemen in the OHL and a player who can help you win championships. The Plymouth Whalers will vouch for that as he was a team best plus 17 in 20 playoff games last year for the OHL champions.

Oshawa’s goaltending situation remains a bit of a question mark, as Jakub Kovar hasn’t played in this league yet, Anthony Peters is still a kid and Mark Packwood still needs to prove he can lead a team deep into the playoffs. But all of Oshawa’s goalies just got a lot better because McGinnis is that good in front of them.

The nucleus of this team is strong, there’s a good mix of veterans and younger players, and I don’t have to say too much more about John Tavares and Michael Del Zotto. And look for tremendous seasons from Dale Mitchell and Brett MacLean as well.

It’s a real shame for the Oshawa Generals that they can’t bank their exhibition points and use them in the regular season.

The Generals are 3-0-2 in the pre-season after a brawl-filled 6-3 win over the Peterborough Petes on Saturday night at the GMC, and they can run their unbeaten pre-season streak to 12 games over two years with a win over the Owen Sound Attack tonight.

While the results don’t count, the strong play of many players on the bubble with this team certainly does. The pre-season has clearly shown the depth on the Generals and the options now left for the team as the regular season approaches.

Mind you, as most fans remember, the Generals were 6-0 in the pre-season last year and promptly went out and lost five of their first six games to start the regular season. Exhibition success means nothing if you can’t follow it up with a strong start when everybody starts playing for real.

Oshawa will also be without Brett MacLean for the first six games of the season as well, as a result of the suspension he picked up in the playoffs last year. And the status of a few players is still uncertain with the home opener now just five days away.

Still, how can you not like what you see so far with this team? All three goalies look to be playing well, the defence is deeper than it has been in years and there’s no doubt the Generals will be able to score.

And every other team in the OHL has question marks before the season starts too, like who is coming back and who isn’t. That is just a fact of life in junior hockey.

I’ve never been a fan of pre-season hockey, but tonight’s game should be intriguing because it’s the last time for some players to show what they have before some final cut-downs this week. And the final pre-season game means the regular season has almost arrived.

Bring it on. There are a lot of teams in the OHL that figure to be contenders in 2007-08, but the Oshawa Generals are definitely one of them.

The roster of the 2007-08 Oshawa Generals is far from 100 percent certain.

Brad Selwood has a working number of players still on his roster – 24 as of Tuesday night – but there are several decisions to be made before the home opener Sept. 21.

There are three goalies, seven defencemen and 14 forwards still on the main roster, with the Generals still awaiting word on the overage status of defenceman Ryan McGinnis and forward Cal Clutterbuck.

There is no guarantee either will return and in the case of Clutterbuck, frankly I doubt it. I think he’s ready for the next level and more importantly, it looks like the Minnesota Wild think he’s ready for the next level as well. McGinnis would be a HUGE addition, but he’s property of the Edmonton Oilers and they have their own farm team, so he may wind up there as well.

However when you look at the 24 players remaining, you can see the Generals have some pretty nice depth and there’s still time to make a deal or two before the season begins.

I like that mix very much. The goaltending situation still needs to be solidified, the club could use another scoring forward and if McGinnis doesn’t return, another blueliner should be added. But this is an excellent nucleus of a team with more depth – and therefore more options – than any Generals team in several years or perhaps longer.

There are still extra bodies around and plenty of options for Selwood - and he has draft picks to move is he chooses as well. I’d expect some sort of a deal (or two) before Sept. 21 and a very competitive team to take to the ice on Sept. 21.

There will be some tough decisions made in the next 48 hours by the Oshawa Generals.

Four exhibition games are in the books and it’s time for the club to get down to some working numbers for the final two pre-season games this coming weekend, and then the regular season, which opens Friday, Sept. 21 at the GMC.

Those decisions will be tough because it’s been a pretty competitive training camp so far, but GM/Coach Brad Selwood and his staff have clearly seen enough to make those few final cuts.

Selwood plans to take all day Monday to fully assess what’s happened so far and he’ll let some players know Tuesday that their OHL dreams will be on hold at least for the start of this season. However by Tuesday afternoon the Generals roster will be by no means set in stone for the coming season.

For starters, it’s a long season and there will be some movement involving players still in the Generals system. And secondly, Selwood will certainly be looking to augment his club by making a trade or two at some point.

Also there is still no definitive word on the overage situation and that likely won’t be known for quite some time. What plans the Minnesota Wild have for Cal Clutterbuck and the Edmonton Oilers have for Ryan McGinnis are still not clear, and the availability of those two players will certainly change the complexion of this year’s team dramatically.

So the next step – get the roster trimmed down by Tuesday (we’ll post the roster at that time on the site), and then wait for news from the NHL and make a phone call or two to see who else is out there.

Bottom line so far though is good – the Generals have a very solid nucleus and the core of a team that should challenge for a top spot in the OHL standings this season. What happens in the next few weeks will give us a better indication on just how much of a challenger this team can be.

The Generals scored a solid 5-2 win over the Guelph Storm Sunday night to improve to 2-0-2 in the pre-season, so all good on that front. Two more home exhibition games left, Saturday against Peterborough and Sunday against Owen Sound, so there's still some more time to tweak the roster before the regular season home opener Friday, Sept. 21 against the Sudbury Wolves.

Oshawa fans will get their first chance to see the Generals in game action Sunday night when they host the Guelph Storm at the GMC.

Granted it’s still only the pre-season, but expectations are high and so is interest in the club, so fans will get a kick out of seeing the club for three pre-season games before the start of the regular season Sept. 21.

The Generals beat the Owen Sound Attack 5-4 in Durham, Ontario Saturday night to improve to 1-0-2 in the pre-season, but the results don’t matter. After all you might recall the Generals were 6-0 in the pre-season last year and then had a tough start to the regular season.

So Oshawa is on a nine-game unbeaten streak in the pre-season over the past two years, which means nothing at all of course. But what does mean something is the play of players who are trying to make this hockey club and therefore Sunday’s game could be a make it or break game for several of them.

Two new Generals – Justin Shugg and Jeff Hayes – are nursing slight injuries and didn’t play Saturday, but they are both going to make the club so it doesn’t really matter. Shugg is a first round draft pick and Hayes was acquired from Guelph to play on this team, so their absence isn’t a big deal.

Michael Del Zotto got into the game last night and played well, but he is a given as well. And the seven players away at NHL camps, or in the case of John Tavares, away at the Canada/Russia series, will all make the team if and when they come back.

There are a handful of players still on the bubble of making the team and those are the guys who will need to make one more positive impression on Selwood Sunday night. Mark Packwood and Jakub Kovar will split the time in goal Sunday and goaltending of course is still one area that has to be addressed by next week.

The Oshawa Generals are now two games into their pre-season schedule, with two crucial games coming up Saturday against the Owen Sound Attack in Durham, Ontario and Sunday at 6:05 p.m. at the General Motors Centre.

A crucial exhibition game? How can there be such a thing? Well the result of any exhibition game isn’t crucial of course, but for several players on the bubble of making this team, the next two pre-season games are Crucial and note the capital ‘C’.

The Generals still have some decisions to make, several of them in fact, and Brad Selwood will be using the next two games to help him make those final few decisions.

“This is an excellent chance for us to really do some evaluating in the next two days,” Selwood said after Thursday night’s game in Peterborough. “Training camp is used to assess players and we’re really going to get a chance to do that this weekend.”

While he won’t get into specifics over what cuts he expects to make come Monday, it’s obvious the Generals have a lot of depth this season and how Selwood winds up using his playing cards will be important.

The goaltending situation needs to be clarified, with new import Jakub Kovar battling veteran Mark Packwood and last year’s top drafted goalie Anthony Peters for spots; there are a few extra defenceman still in camp; and a decision or two still needs to be made regarding forwards as well.

“Our schedule was set up to help us make these decisions and we won’t be making any moves until Monday to be fair to everybody,” Selwood adds. “What is positive is that there are several players who are making these last few decisions very difficult.”

The performances turned in during Thursday night’s 4-4 tie with the Petes certainly influenced the decision process, and with as many veterans still on the roster as there are, don’t expect a lot of surprises.

With the signing on Wednesday of defenceman John Quarrie, it’s fair to say there is now one less spot up for grabs on the blueline, as the Generals didn’t sign him NOT to have him play in the OHL. But what Selwood has at this time is a lot of options – and he is in a solid position to make a deal or two before the home opener Sept. 21.

Expect him to. The Generals are serious about contenting this season and they are clearly still a player or two away from doing that. If both Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan McGinnis return they don’t need much, but neither player is a lock and the club will have to act as if neither player will return from the NHL when it’s doing its planning.

This weekend will make – or break – several players chances of playing with the Oshawa Generals this season.

With defenceman John Quarrie agreeing to terms with the club on Wednesday, there will be one less open spot on the roster. It therefore be a most interesting three game period coming up, starting Thursday in Peterborough, Saturday in Durham, Ontario against the Owen Sound Attack and finishing Sunday at 6:05 p.m. at the General Motors Centre against the Guelph Storm.

By then the Generals will make some moves and we’ll see where the team is at by then as well. And rumours are true, there is a lot of trade talk around the OHL as teams get ready for the new season and you can be sure the Generals are among the teams making and receiving phone calls this week.

The focus will certainly remain on goal in the next three games as well, with new import Jakub Kovar, Anthony Peters and Mark Packwood all vying for one of what will almost certainly be only two goalie spots by the time the season gets going. If the Generals do carry three goaltenders, you can be sure it won’t be for long.

As for the rest of the make-up of the team, well of course much will be determined by who returns from the NHL and who doesn’t. Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan McGinnis sure would look good back in Oshawa for another season, but both are question marks naturally.

This team could certainly use another solid forward, another defenceman (especially if McGinnis doesn’t play) and the goaltending situation needs to be clarified. But already it’s obvious there is good depth in the organization now and there’s a very solid nucleus already in place.

The Generals and the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors hooked up in the first pre-season game on Labour Day, and it was good to see a game at this point in training camp.

I spoke to both Brad Selwood and Majors General Manager/Coach Dave Cameron before the game and both echoed the same sentiment – they needed to see some games to get a better read on the players they have in training camp.

The bottom line is, exhibition games are a necessary evil in the OHL. I’m sure fans and most players would like to get the regular season going as soon as possible, but managers like Selwood and Cameron need to see their new players in a competitive environment to properly evaluate them.

Years ago players came to training camp to get into shape. Now they come to training camp in shape but needing to get into game shape. And there is no way to get into game shape other than play – practice can only help you so much.

So a few personal observations from my vantage point in the pressbox doing the PA for the final folks at the York Simcoe Express on preseason game number one:

Both goalies looked pretty good. Anthony Peters had a strong half game as did Jakub Kovar, so that is certainly a good sign. Not to be a rumour monger, but I wonder what the Majors plans are for veteran Wayne Savage, with Chris Carozzi clearly able to be a No. 1 goalie. Just wondering…

I liked the play of Dimitri Levin, who is working hard for a regular spot on the blueline. I give Dale Mitchell credit for fighting to stick up for a team mate, but frankly I don’t like to see him fighting at anytime, especially in a pre-season game.

But there is no doubt in my mind, the nucleus on the team is pretty darn good this year, and the first exhibition game certainly verified that for me. There are many questions still to be answered – in goal for one, and the overage situation for another – but time will answer those questions soon enough.

Five days into training camp and Brad Selwood has seen enough…at least for now.

The Generals General Manager/Coach watched his club play its fourth inter-squad game in as many days on Friday and has now decided its time to take a break from playing games until the pre-season opener Monday.

Saturday is now a day of off-ice workouts only for the 32 players remaining in training camp (John Tavares (Canada/Russia), and David Jarram, Ryan McGinnis and Cal Clutterbuck (NHL commitments), are all on the roster of course but are away).

The highlight of Friday was the arrival of number one draft pick Justin Shugg of Niagara Falls. Shugg and the Generals completed their contract arrangement in time for Shugg to get his first taste of the GMC ice.

Shugg has a lot of offensive upside to him, according to scouts. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound right winger from Niagara Falls scored 65 goals and 113 points in 70 games with Niagara Falls last season.

With Shugg now on board, the Generals will have some tough decisions to make, but none of them will be made before Monday’s exhibition opener.

After Saturday’s off-ice workouts, both Team Red and Team White will practice at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the GMC. Selwood will then make out his lineup card for the pre-season opener.

The Generals open their pre-season schedule on Monday at the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex in Newmarket against the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. Game time is 2:30 p.m.

The arena is located at 100 Eagle Street in Newmarket. From Oshawa take the 401 West to Highway 404 and exit at Davis Drive (Exit 51). Go west on Davis Drive to Yonge Street, left on Yonge to Eagle, and right on Eagle to the arena.

You can get complete directions to the arena at www.arenamaps.com.

I’m looking forward to seeing the first taste of the pre-season, like a lot of Generals fans are. I’ll be doing the public address announcing at the game and will file a report later Monday evening on the status of the roster then.

The easy part of training camp is basically over now for the Oshawa Generals.

After four days of practices and workouts, there’s a working number of players left in camp – 32 – for the team to get a real good look at as the Generals head into the start of their pre-season schedule Monday in Newmarket against the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.

There’s another Red vs. White game on Friday (see the schedule below), with the weekend schedule still to be determined. The exhibition games will then likely determine the final few spots that are available on this year’s team.

And there are spots available. I would not be the least bit surprised if there’s a veteran player who gets a surprise at the end of camp and isn’t included on the 22 or 23 man roster that will start the season. It’s a very competitive camp and while the Generals key positions are obviously determined, there is as Brad Selwood likes to say “some tweaking that needs to be done” between now and the start of the season.

Fans are admitted free to all workouts and be sure and check the sites for new schedules and information throughout camp. We’ll have full information on how to get to the first pre-season game on the weekend as well.

Here is the Generals schedule for Friday, along with the rosters for today’s red/White game.

Friday, August 31, 2007

8:00 am Meet at rink

8:15 am White and Red Team Stretch

9:00 am – 10:15 am Team Red – practice Team White – off ice workout

10:30 am – 11:45 am Team White – practice Team Red – off ice workout

12:15 pm Lunch – Players and Staff

1:15 pm Team stretch with individual team captains

2:00 pm Team Red vs. Team White– Game #4

5:00 pm Daily Recap & Billet Pick Up

10:00 pm Curfew

TEAM RED

30 Kovar

33 Perkins

3 de Haan

4 Del Zotto

18 Levin

24 Corrente

25 DeLory

28 Parker

11 Taylor

12 Franchini

15 Leeming

16 Howard

17 Nagy

B. MacLean

23 Musselman

27 Kewin

TEAM WHITE

1 Peters

31 Packwood

4 Hay

6 Seegmiller

8 Pelland

22 Regan

26 Brown

7 Mitchell

11 Esposto

14 Free

15 Clutterbuck

16 Andreoff

20 Cowick

21 Hayes

28 Parnham

It was nice to see another good crowd on hand at the GMC Wednesday as the Oshawa Generals went through their third full day in training camp.

Interest in the team is high this year, and expectations are certainly very high. That is the way it should be too – hey if you can’t be optimistic at this time of year, then you shouldn’t be involved in the game.

You have to like what you see from a Generals perspective when you study the depth charts of the club. A defence that begins with Del Zotto, DeLory and Regan is going to be good, and an offence that begins with Tavares, MacLean and Mitchell is going to be something to see.

The depth on the blueline is good, but there is room for improvement there (and what team doesn’t haven’t room for improvement on the D?). The goaltending situation remains to be settled, although the play of Czech import Jakub Kovar has been good so far and the attitude and work ethic of Mark Packwood is encouraging as well.

If Cal Clutterbuck returns as an OA (and no idea if that will happen or not), the Generals will be an awesome force up front. Some of the veterans will face challenges in training camp, however, and my advise to some of them is not to get too comfortable in thinking all of the spots are a lock.

There are spots open on this team, that much is obvious – and it’s also obvious that Selwood has more to work with than he’s had since coming here three seasons ago. It will be interesting indeed to see who the final few cuts are from this team this season – who stays and who goes.

But before that happens there are still a few more days of workouts, starting with Thursday’s. Check the Generals website for daily news on the club throughout training camp leading into the pre-season opener on Labour Day in Newmarket against the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.

Here is Thursday’s camp schedule:

Thursday, August 30, 2007

8:00 am Meet at rink

8:15 am White and Red Team Stretch

9:00 am – 10:15 am Team White – practice Team Red – off ice workout

10:30 am – 11:45 am Team Red – practice Team White – off ice workout

12:15 pm Lunch – Players and Staff

1:15 pm Team stretch with individual team captains

2:00 pm Team Red vs. Team White– Game #3

5:00 pm Daily Recap & Billet Pick Up

The Oshawa Generals training camp is nicely underway, and it was great to see several hundred fans sitting in the stands as the players hit the ice Tuesday afternoon.

There’s a real sense of optimism about this year’s club as camp opens, and why not? With a nucleus of returning talent that is among the best in the league, and with some young and promising prospects in the fold, there is every reason to think the Generals will continue their uphill climb through the OHL standings.

Hey, this team finished 20th three years ago, 19th the year after that and 11th last season. With John Tavares, Michael Del Zotto, Dale Mitchell and Brett MacLean all returning, among others, a lot of eyes will be on the Generals throughout the early portion of the season.

The players hit the ice for the first time this season Tuesday at 1 p.m. for a Red vs. White game after about a day and a half of physicals and team meetings to start things off. The rosters for the first day are posted below.

Fans are invited to come out to the GMC and watched the workouts, and daily in this space we’ll give you the itinerary of what will be taking place. That is also posted below.

There are rosters available at the arena so be sure and pick one up so you can follow the players as they work out. At the moment there are 40 players taking part in the scrimmages under the watchful eyes of Brad Selwood and his staff.

Wednesday is an important day as it marks the end of the “48 hour” rule and it also gives the club a full two days of workouts to make the initial assessments of this year’s crop of hopefuls.

The main page of the site will have a daily update of roster moves once they are made, so check back daily as the Generals get ready for their first exhibition game September 3 against the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in Newmarket.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

8:00 am Meet at rink

8:15 am White and Red Team Stretch

9:00 am – 10:15 am Team Red – practice Team White – off ice workout

10:30 am – 11:45 am Team White – practice Team Red – off ice workout

12:15 pm Lunch – Players and Staff

1:15 pm Team stretch with individual team captains

2:00 pm Team Red vs. Team White– Game #2

5:00 pm Daily Recap & Billet Pick Up

10:00 pm Curfew

** 48 hours is ended**

TEAM RED

1 Cooper

30 Kovar

33 Sirman

3 de Haan

4 Del Zotto

6 S. Taylor

18 Levin

24 Corrente

25 DeLory

11 Taylor

12 Franchini

15 Leeming

16 Howard

17 Nagy

19 B. MacLean

22 Fisher

23 Musselman

27 Kewin

28 M. MacLean

TEAM WHITE

1 Peters

30 Morbeck

31 Packwood

33 Perkins

4 Hay

5 Melchiori

6 Seegmiller

8 Pelland

22 Regan

26 Brown

7 Mitchell

11 Esposto

14 Free

15 Clutterbuck

16 Andreoff

20 Cowick

21 Hayes

23 Sandercock

25 Labelle

28 Parnham

The start of the CNE is considered by a lot of people as the start of fall, but in the minds of junior hockey fans, the start of fall is when OHL players report to training camp.

And that – believe it or not – happens on Monday!

General Manager/Coach Brad Selwood and his staff will welcome 43 players to the team’s training camp at noon Monday for a day of medicals, fitness testing and meetings to officially kick off the 2007-08 OHL season.

Expectations will be high this season for the Generals and rightfully so. With a solid nucleus of returning veterans led by John Tavares (who is with team Canada playing at the Canada/Russia Summit Series), and Michael Del Zotto (one of Canada’s best players at the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament which wrapped up on the weekend), Oshawa figures to be one of the stronger teams in the Eastern Conference.

There used to be an off-season in junior hockey. Not any more.

When I was the Business Manager of the Toronto Marlboros about 1,000 years ago (actually, it was about 20 years ago), we’d close the office for most of the summer and swing back into business by early August or so.

Junior hockey is a year-round business now, and the Oshawa Generals staff and players don’t get a lot of down time, at least not nearly as much as they once did. But by the time August 27 rolls around – which is when the players report to the GMC for their physicals – everybody will be chomping at the bit for another season to begin.

And why wouldn’t they be? This coming season figures to be one of the most exciting in quite some time in Oshawa.

The team has moved from 20th to 19th to 11th place the past three seasons, and with a strong nucleus of returning players, figures to continue tat upward climb this coming season. John Tavares is only going to continue to improve (there’s a scary thought!) and the team will play its first full season in the General Motors Centre, and I have no doubt that Oshawa’s hockey fans will come out in huge numbers this season to follow this exciting young team.

There’s lots of optimism about the team and lots of excitement around the club for a variety of reasons. The Generals will be unveiling the rest of their championship banners this season, the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame will officially open its doors, the club will unveil its new mascot and the Generals with Tavares, Michael Del Zotto and company figure to be among the top clubs in the OHL this season.

So it’s a short off-season for sure, especially with the Canada/Russia Series ready to go in a few short weeks. But for fans of the Generals and the players and staff, it can’t get here soon enough.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for news leading up to the start of what promises to be an exiting 2007-08 season – and to purchase Generals season tickets or packages, contact Jason Hickman at 905-433-0900, ext. 2226.

The new season will be here before you know it. And with so much to look forward to in 2007-08, it won’t get here a minute too soon for everyone connected with the team.

COLUMBUS - It was a long frustrating Friday for Brett MacLean, but it was a pretty good day on Saturday.

MacLean was the 14th ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s final list of ranked players, so not getting picked in the first round Friday had to be a disappointment.

But MacLean handled himself well as he chatted with reporters about his Second Round selection by the Phoenix Coyotes. Hey, Wayne Gretzky is the coach, the city is incredible and there are plenty of opportunities for a young player on that re-building team.

So it’s all good for MacLean, who will go to an NHL training camp and return for what promises to be a tremendous season with the Generals. He’ll put up some monster numbers this season and get every opportunity down the road for a shot at the NHL.

Mitchell was beaming after hearing his name called by the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team he grew up cheering for at his Etobicoke home. Being a third round pick is a pretty good accomplishment, and it’s doubly sweet for the speedy Mitchell.

He gets to wear a Maple Leaf jersey, which must be the thrill of a lifetime, and he was the first player selected by the Leafs because they didn’t have a first or second round pick. That bodes well for Mitchell, based on history – the last time the Leafs didn’t have a first or second round pick, they took Yanic Perreault in the third round and he turned out to be a pretty darn good NHL player down the road.

That makes 148 Oshawa Generals who have been drafted over the years, an amazing number when you think about it. Congratulations to both Brett and Dale.

Columbus did a nice job hosting this draft. It’s a clean quiet city with a lot of passionate hockey fans, but they