Author Archives: ellenchlumecky

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About ellenchlumecky

Currently a junior at Bowling Green State University pursuing a degree in Sport Management. Goal is to work for a public relations team in the NHL.

“It Felt Like the Team We Wanted to Be”

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By Ellen Chlumecky

February 9, 2015

This weekend past weekend the Bowling Green State University Falcons swept the Ferris State Bulldogs under the rug. While their first win on Friday night, February 6th, was not the win they were looking for there seemed to be a burst of energy instilled in the team on Saturday night.

The air was heavy with frustration on Friday night when the Falcons beat the Bulldogs 2-1. While coach Chris Bergeron said, “There is no such thing as a bad win” you could tell he was much more satisfied with the win on Saturday.

While the Falcons were trailing the Bulldogs 2-1 heading into the third period, junior Ben Murphy and sophomore Pierre-Luc Mercier scored within two minutes of each other to clinch the W on Saturday. While junior goalie Tommy Burke stepped up and blocked 21 of 23 shots to move his record to 8-3-3 on the season.

On Friday night there seemed to be no energy behind the players. There were only 19 shots on goal for each team. While the end result was obviously a victory, there seemed to be a struggle. CJ Motte’s, goalie for Ferris State, who has an overall save percentage of .918, was playing hard. He played hard to make sure it was very difficult for the Falcons to score. He left very few opportunities to score on goal.

While Motte’s efforts were unsuccessful, Bergeron and the Falcons went into Saturday’s game with a different game plan. Bergeron’s opinion on Friday’s game from Saturday’s was a remarkable improvement. He stated that he saw the work ethic he’s instilled in his players. He saw a calm focus in the team and there wasn’t panic among the team when they were down in the third. They continue to push and push until they saw the results they wanted.

Dan DeSalvo, Ben Murphy, Adam Berkle, Brent Tate, and Pierre-Luc Mercier played huge contributions in the rise of energy during Saturday’s game. You could see their commitment to win and their continuous support they gave to their team members. These are the type of players you look to for leadership in the game and they brought it.

The Falcons’ record is now 17-6-5 and 13-4-3 in the WCHA. The Bulldogs are now at 11-17-1 and 8-12-0 in the WCHA. The Falcons will play Ferris State again next weekend. Hopefully they will be able to bring home wins on Ferris’ home ice. We all know that if the Falcons keep applying that pressure, they will be victorious.

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You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

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By Ellen Chlumecky

February 5, 2015

Sometimes hockey players who have been playing the same way for an extended period of time are naive to change. This might be the case for Daniel Carcillo of the Chicago Blackhawks. Scratch the “might be,” he refuses to change his game for the rules of the NHL.

I wrote about Daniel Carcillo’s cross check to Mathieu Perreault about two weeks ago. On February 3rd, he came out with a statement about the incident. Carcillo stated, “I had thoughts when it happened, but right now I’m just trying to get past it. I don’t really see a point in rehashing any emotions that I had. You can’t do what I did in the league today; there’s no room for it.” Seems like a pretty sincere comment, right?

However he went on to say that despite his lengthy history with the league, it’s not going to change the way he plays the game, it hasn’t yet and it won’t in the future.  He made it clear that even after this serious offense, he still will not change his ways.

Even coach Joel Quenneville, who I rarely disagree with, made a statement saying that Daniel Carcillo did what he did because he has to bring an energy to the game. He said that he didn’t believe his resume has hurt him as far as how he’s competing and how he’s playing. Quenneville asserted that he thinks Carcillo sees the balance between rough play and having control over the situation.

I honestly couldn’t disagree with Quenneville more. I don’t believe Carcillo tries to control his game at all. I believe that sometimes he just blindly hits other players and doesn’t really think about what it will do to them or himself.

While I understand there are an excessive amount of reasons why a hockey player might hit another player, many that are reasonable. I also believe that these players make a conscious decision about whether or not they’re going to hurt another player.

While the enforcer’s job is be the tough guy and push around the team, I don’t feel it’s completely necessary to permanently or seriously injure another player. So no, with Carcillo’s current track record I don’t think he knows the balance between rough play and control.

While I want my team to be tough and be intimidating, there are other ways to do that. Carcillo needs to realize that if he continues to act the way he does, he’ll have to deal with serious consequences.

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From Goalie to Front Office: Always a St. Louis Blue

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By Ellen Chlumecky

January 29, 2015

Playing as a goalie for the New Jersey Devils and the St. Louis Blues for almost 24 years, Martin Brodeur has decided to retire. While he has only played about seven games with the St. Louis Blues, his time with the New Jersey Devils was anything but short or ordinary. In his career with the New Jersey Devils he lifted three Stanley Cups, has won two Olympic gold medals, and several other medals with Team Canada in other international competitions. He is currently the NHL’s all-time leader in regular season wins. He is also the only goalie in NHL history with eight 40-win seasons.

Martin Brodeur will be hanging up his skates and his goalie pads and will be stepping into a suit as he becomes the assistant general manager for the St. Louis Blues. Brodeur has developed a positive relationship with the Blues since his started as their replacement goalie. It seemed only reasonable to take a front office job with them, right?

While it may have seemed to be a smart move, most Devils fan are left scratching their heads. Brodeur spent about 21 years with the Devils. He still stays in contact with their general manager, Lou Lamoriello. He left on great terms with them, as well. Why wouldn’t he take a job with the front office of the Devils?

Lou Lamoriello made a public statement saying that Brodeur has a position with the company, whenever he decides that he wants the job. Lamoriello said, “he’ll be back here, in my opinion, as long as he wants.” Lamoriello sounds pretty confident that he knows where Brodeur’s loyalty lies. He believes that Brodeur is only taking the job because he doesn’t want to leave having bad blood with the Blues.

Doug Armstrong, general manager of the St. Louis Blues, confirms this suspicion. He had spoken to Lamoriello because he didn’t want to appear to be “stealing” the star goalie away. He will continue the job for the rest of the year and see where he stands after that. Lamoriello stated he’d be very surprised if he stayed there longer than that.

Brodeur has always been a dedicated player and I believe that he applies that to his business personality as well. He won’t leave without finishing out the season and I believe that’s what he’s doing with the Blues. Brodeur has been named one of the best goalies of all time, can you blame the Blues for wanting him to stay? Maybe getting him at the end of his career was the smartest move they could’ve made.

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Chris Sutter is Running the Show: NHL All Star Game

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By Ellen Chlumecky

January 27, 2015

The 2015 NHL All Star Game in Columbus was once again a huge hit for all hockey fans. Players from Toews to Stamkos to Ovechkin to Foligno battled it out in competitions and the final game to see who was the best of the best. While the game was fast paced and entertaining, I couldn’t help notice something even better on the bench of Team Foligno. Darryl Sutter who was coaching Team Foligno brought his son, Chris, to help him coach.

Chris Sutter was born in 1993 with a type of Down Syndrome called Trisomy 21. Trisomy 21 is a genetic disorder that impacts a child’s physical and mental development.  While most people tend to keep personal details about their life under wraps, Darryl Sutter is very open about discussing his son’s long battle. Darryl Sutter spoke to the LA Kings’s writer about the trials and tribulations that his son has gone through during his life. He even discusses how when Chris was born, how the doctors didn’t believe that he would live for very long. The doctors said that if he did manage to live long, he would spend the majority of his life in an institution.

http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=624631

Chris has certainly defied the odds. When the LA Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2014, he was one of the proud few that were able to lift the Stanley Cup over his head. I’m sure the doctors that delivered him never could have predicted that. I’m sure they also could have never predicted him sitting next to his proud father at the NHL All Star game.

Chris was giving a pep talk to Patrick Kane after Team Foligno was losing in the third period to Team Toews. He was congratulating his players and giving Bobby Ryan a fist bump when he scored a goal. He helped coach with his dad throughout the whole game and the players listened intently to his instruction.

I am so proud of the NHL in how far they have come in terms of acceptance. Darryl Sutter said that he would not be a coach for the ALL Star game if his son couldn’t sit on the bench with him. The NHL had no hesitation to let him to do it and all for Chris being the assistant coach to his father. I am proud to be a fan of such an amazing organization that wants everyone’s dreams to come true.

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Put Me in Coach, I’m Ready to Play: Filip Forsberg

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By Ellen Chlumecky

January 26, 2015

On Tuesday, January 20th, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins was checked by trainers during the second period of their game against Philadelphia. He was given a full check, returned to the game, and finished. However the next day Wednesday, January 21st, Malkin  couldn’t play against the Chicago Blackhawks after testing himself during warm ups. As of now, there is no set date or time-table for his return.

While this would have been no big deal any other day during this time of the year, it’s not exactly a lucky time this time around. Unfortunately for Malkin, due to this lower-body injury he will not be able to participate in the NHL All-Star Game. In addition to Malkin, Sidney Crosby will also be missing the All-Star game due to a lower-body injury as announced by general manager Jim Rutherford on Friday. However you all know that someone’s loss is always someone’s gain.

While Malkin and his fellow teammate Sidney Crosby are planning on taking this All-Star game off, their loss is another player’s gain. Predators forward Filip Forsberg has been added to the NHL All-Star Game roster. He will be playing Sunday. Adding him to the roster will make him the only rookie in the lineup. Forsberg will be joining his fellow Nashville teammate and captain Shea Weber and Predators coach Peter Laviolette in the All-Star game.

While I’m sure most of the Pittsburgh Penguins fans might be in an uproar about two of their favorite players not playing, this is the Predators rookie’s chance to show the NHL and their fans what he can do. Forsberg is only 20 years old and he has a chance to show these players and fans that he has something to show for it.

Forsberg has already won Rookie of the Month in November of 2014. He won gold in the world junior championships in 2012 at Calgary for team Sweden. He also won silver in the world junior championships in 2014 Malmo and 2013 Ufa. In addition, he was selected 11th overall in 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals.

While I am not personally a Predators fan, Forsberg has often caught my eye with his high intensity attitude, speed, and his great stick handling skills. There are many opportunities for him to shine at the All-Star Game and I for one am very excited to see what captain will choose him to be on his team. While both captains have made it clear that there is no bad picks this year, it will be interesting to see where he ends up.

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Daniel Carcillo: A Liability or an Asset?

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By Ellen Chlumecky

January 22, 2015

As one of many long time Blackhawks fans, we have been through many ups and downs throughout our time as fans. We have encountered a long dry spell of losing, coaches who didn’t fit the bill, and players who sometimes seemed like they didn’t have a clue. Recently, one of the Blackhawks’ players has been acting inappropriately on the ice and is being rightly punished for it. This player is Daniel Carcillo.

Daniel Carcillo was suspended for six games on Monday because of his actions. Carcillo crosschecked Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault on Friday, January 16th. Carcillo skated up behind Perreault and cross checked him in a downward motion. Carcillo connected his stick to Perreault’s left arm in the final seconds of the second period. Perreault did not return to the game after that and did not play again for the Jets on Sunday.

The league’s department of player safety discussed how they took into account the incident and Carcillo’s disciplinary history in deciding the appropriate length of the suspension. Carcillo will forfeit six games’ worth of salary, which equates to $40, 243.92.

This isn’t Carcillo’s first time with the Blackhawks. He had a one-year deal with the Blackhawks for the 2011-2012 season. This also isn’t the first time Carcillo has been suspended. Carcillo has been suspended or fined eleven previous times in his nine NHL seasons. Carcillo was last suspended in the playoffs last season when he elbowed a linesman in the face while Carcillo was being restrained. He was initially suspended ten games for abuse of officials and later had the suspension reduced to six games.

While Carcillo did not believe he did anything wrong or malicious, Winnipeg Jets’ coach thought a little differently. Paul Maurice who is the Winnipeg Jets; head coach said, “It was a vicious crosscheck to an unsuspecting player.” I personally fully agree with Maurice, even as a dedicated Blackhawks fan, I truly believe what Carcillo did wasn’t appropriate.

While of course hockey is an aggressive sport, there needs to be a line drawn in terms of safety. There have been far too many incidents in the sport of hockey where people have been permanently injured because certain players have a lack of respect for other people’s safety. There are ways to hit someone in the sport of hockey that don’t lead to permanent or career-ending damage.

I understand that hockey teams need tough players to defend their smaller players, however there is a line what they should or should not be allowed to do. While Carcillo said he had no intentions of hurting another player, I don’t believe you crosscheck without some intention of hurting someone an exponential amount. Many of these players need to understand that one wrong move and they could damage or permanently end someone’s career.

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BGSU’s Double Threat: Erica Fullenkamp

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By Ellen Chlumecky

The Bowling Green State University women’s basketball game has hit quite a few speed bumps this 2014-2015 basketball season. Their team will lose three of some of their best players to season-ending injuries, including their leading scorer. Abby Siefker and Jasmine Matthews, who are not out completely, are currently sidelined by an injury. The BGSU Falcons will be losing red shirt junior Erica Donovan, freshman Lauren Webb, red shirt freshman Leah Bolton and Abby Siefker.

Erica Donovan has averaged 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. She suffered an ACL injury in a game at Illinois State. This injury ended her season completely. Lauren Webb has averaged 0.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in eight games off the bench for BGSU. She also endured a serious torn ACL in the Illinois State contest. She will also not be returning this season. Leah Bolton had applied for a “medical retirement” with the NCAA because of her reoccurring leg injuries. These injuries have conclusively ended her college career for Bowling Green. Abby Siefker is averaging 5.4 points per game and is second on the team in rebounding. She is currently suffering from a shoulder injury. Jasmine Matthews is averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She is currently suffering from a lower body injury. These injuries leave the Falcons with just nine players on their active roster.

Thankfully for BGSU, they had a disguised basketball player in their midst the past four years. Senior volleyball star Erica Fullenkamp not only has a background in volleyball, but basketball as well. As a senior in high school, she helped her alma mater Minster high school make it to the 2011 state final. While she hasn’t played basketball in more than four years, Fullenkamp is a highly talented athlete. She is tough, has the drive, and loves BGSU and wants to win for them.

At this point in the BGSU women’s basketball season they are in desperate need of players. Whether or not their first sport is basketball seems to be unimportant as long as the new players they take on it are incredible athletes, such as Fullenkamp. It doesn’t hurt that Fullenkamp holds a 4.0 GPA and is a role model both on and off the court. She is a great addition to the women’s basketball team with a great physical and mental athletic ability. Even though she has ended her college volleyball career, she seems excited to begin a new chapter of athletics before she graduates from BGSU.

http://www.bgsufalcons.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5324&path=wbball

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The Fox and the Bears: John Fox Potential New Coach?

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By Ellen Chlumecky

The Bears fired Marc Trestman was fired on December 29, 2014 along with general manager Phil Emery. Opening the dreaded head coach position for the Chicago Bears. A very heavy task filled with frustration, a rocky history, and aggressive fans. A dream come true, right?

Ryan Pace has only been the new general manager for a couple of weeks now and he made it his first mission to be on a serious “fox” hunt for a new coach. Now on Friday, January 16th, ESPN sources confirm that he’s already almost near to closing a deal with a new coach. Specifically they are looking at, former head coach of Denver Broncos, John Fox.  The Chicago Tribune have commented that Pace is just in the “getting to know you” phase with Fox. However, whatever the case may be there is a serious possibility that Fox may be the new head coach of the Bears.

If Fox were to get the job, he would be the third head coach since 2012, following the termination of Marc Trestman. Trestman’s two seasons went 13-19, which explains a great deal about his termination. The Bears have missed the postseason four consecutive years in a row due to the coaching of Marc Trestman and Lovie Smith. Not exactly an ideal situation for any new head coach to walk into, however Fox might be the man to rectify the somewhat permanent losing streak they seem to be stuck in.

Fox has been in the business for a long time and has a long list of accomplishments. Fox coached the Broncos to 49 overall wins from 2011 to 2014. In addition, he assisted them in winning four consecutive AFC West titles. He also led the Broncos to a Superbowl game, even though they ended up losing to the Seattle Seahawks, which is more than Trestman can attest. Fox also is a seasoned defensive coach and has been the defensive coordinator for teams such as: the Los Angeles Raiders and the New York Giants.

The Bears could use someone who has won multiple conference titles and a vast amount of experience being a defensive coach. John Fox holds a mentality of acquiring plays with mental and physical toughness, which could be a helpful attitude to hold. While Bears fans are upset, which is not at all unusual, about the deal, there seems to be no snags in the deal as of now. He may not be Ditka, but let’s be honest, who is?

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It’s Ryan Pace’s Time to Shine

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By Ellen Chlumecky

Ryan Pace is the new Chicago Bears general manager. He is now the youngest general manager in the NFL at 37 years old. While he may not be a native of Illinois, he seems to have orange and blue coursing through his veins. His main task is returning the Bears back to greatness. The first crucial step in this long process is to hiring the best head coach for the team.

Before Pace was chosen for the coveted position of general manager for the Chicago Bears, he had quite a track record. Pace was a four-year letterman as a defensive end at Eastern Illinois University. Pace was selected by the Saints to attend the Stanford Business School’s Executive Education NFL-Stanford Program for Managers. Pace spent the last two seasons with the Saints as the director of player personnel. He clearly has the qualifications and experience to take on this position.

George McCaskey, team chairman for the Bears, said that Pace won the job over very qualified candidates. The three other considerations were: Tennessee Titans vice president of player personnel Lake Dawson, Houston Texans director of pro personnel Brian Gaine, and Chris Ballard who was the former director of player personnel for Chicago and current director of player personnel for Kansas City Chiefs. McCaskey expressed that Pace just stood out. He said he was thorough, charismatic, and showed himself as a leader.

Immediately after signing the contract, Pace started conducting interviews with potential head coaches starting with Todd Bowles. Dan Quinn and Adam Gase have also been interviewed for the position prior to Pace’s contract being signed. While Pace wants the position filled as soon as possible, there is no indication that a hire will be found in the next coming weeks.

Pace’s next item of business is to evaluate the roster and the staff before making any serious decisions about trading or rehiring. An excessive amount of attention has been put on what Pace will be doing with the somewhat tumultuous career of Jay Cutler. He wants to get to know Cutler before making a final decision on his career.

This isn’t Pace’s first problem team that he’s had to deal with in his career. He had to deal with the New Orleans Saints during the height of Hurricane Katrina.  He clearly knows how to handle a tough situation but the Bears have been in a rocky spot for more than just a couple of years now. It is quite noble of him to take on such a mighty task as his first GM job. He’s clearly up to the challenge, but we’ll have to see if he can succeed.

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Jameis Winston and FSU Need a Timeout

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By Ellen Chlumecky

Jameis Winston has not been doing himself any favors these past couple years at Florida State University. He has stolen, behaved inappropriately in public at the Florida State University student union, and he was accused of sexually assaulting of a woman in December 2012. I understand college students acting in a childish manner at certain points in their career but he clearly exceeded his strikes and now is being punished for it.

On Wednesday, January 7th, attorneys for the women who accused Winston, filed a civil suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against FSU. The woman is suing them alleging that the university did not properly protect her Title IX rights. The woman’s attorneys demand a trial by jury and damages from FSU for fostering a “hostile educational environment.” Her attorneys stated that FSU’s athletic department deliberately concealed the rape from the university and did not investigate the allegations as required by federal Title IX laws.

The woman alleged that Winston sexually assaulted her in his apartment on Dec. 7, 2012. Winston and his attorneys contented that the sexual encounter was consensual. Winston was also never charged by either the Tallahassee police or the state attorney’s office.

Last month alone, Winston was cleared of four violations of FSU’s student conduct code hearing after a two-day student judiciary hearing. Why any university would want a student that continue to causes this many problems, no matter how good he may be at football and baseball, is beyond me. While the main violations have been accusations and have not been clearly confirmed or denied, he still has committed several inappropriate acts that are not respectable for any college student.

As any avid sports fan hopes to have is for the best players around for their selective team. However, I would hope most people would not want players who do not have correct moral compasses, especially an athlete who continually disrespects women as often as people have been reporting he does. In Jameis Winston’s actions, he is showing that he clearly does not know wrong from right or just chooses to ignore the rules. His attorneys can only defend Winston for so long until he does something that he cannot take back.

Jameis Winston announced that he intends to enter the NFL Draft inside of returning to Florida State University for his junior season. Since he is three years removed from his high school graduation, he is eligible to enter the NFL Draft as a sophomore. The day he is drafted, the day he becomes the NFL’s problem instead of FSU’s.

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