The Mac
01-27-2011, 07:41 PM
Sheldon Souray is trying to stay healthy and optimistic about his chances of re-joining the NHL.
HERSHEY, PA — The National Hockey League All-Star break begins Thursday, which means nothing anymore to Sheldon Souray.
He has neither a plane ticket for Raleigh and his fourth all-star appearance, nor the days off to go home to Malibu.
Instead, Souray will play three games for the Hershey Bears in the next 46 hours. Home Thursday night in a game postponed from Wednesday due to snow, Friday in Binghamton, and a day game back at home again on Saturday.
This is Souray’s reality.
AHL three-in-three before however many scouts show up is far more important for this exiled defenceman than a NHL All-Star Game these days.
"It’s on me to make something out of this," he said of his American Hockey League stint. "To stay healthy and make a team say, ‘We need this guy.’"
Those are four words Souray hasn’t heard in a while, and four words he won’t hear from anyone in the Edmonton Oilers organization ever again.
He may have a year left on his contract after this one ($4.5 million salary, $5.4 million cap hit), but he’ll not play again for Edmonton. Not even its farm team in Oklahoma City.
"We’ve tried to trade him for over a year," Edmonton general manager Steve Tambellini said this week.
That predates the last time Souray and Tambellini actually spoke: Monday, Apr. 12, 2010; The day Souray told Sportsnet, "I want a trade."
Skills in demand
The Oilers lineup is too small, not very tough, and they are seriously weak on defence. The power play was two for its last 55, after a puck deflected home off a Coyote’s skate Tuesday in Phoenix.
It is ranked 29th in the NHL.
Souray is big, imposing, tough, and a viable Top 4 NHL defenceman. His shot is still one of the hardest in hockey and unlike his failing replacement Kurtis Foster, he gets it through to the net. Souray is, and always has been, money on the power play.
So how does it come to this?
Souray, who originally came to Edmonton because his mom, dad and sister all live there, has been shunned by the Oilers, a team with its own history of being shunned by NHL stars and their families.
Souray has become the anti-Pronger, unwanted by Edmonton, instead of the other way around.
"I know how we got here. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how we got here," said Souray, speaking at length in the media for the first time since he arrived here back in October. "What’s more important to me than how we got here is, where do we go from here?
"The only thing I can control is play well, and let another team worry about what they have to do to accommodate the cap hit. That’s all I can control."
Nobody wants to go back to what went wrong in Edmonton.
The player, the manager, his former teammates — no one. They all wish each other luck — though the feelings are a tad less heartfelt between Souray and Tambellini.
Players long ago eschewed any loyalty to an organization, while an old adage that GMs live by is, "Don’t fall in love with a player."
This, however, is the story of two guys who got personal.
Souray carved Tambellini in this space back in April. Tambellini, who sees an expensive asset wasting away on the Washington Capitals farm team, is doing the Oilers absolutely no service whatsoever.
Like any divorce, this is everyone’s fault. Not just one person.
Ready to step in
After enduring two injuries this season, Souray is healthy again in Hershey; a castoff with the cast off.
After averaging just 48 games per season in Edmonton over three campaigns, he has played in only 16 of 43 games for Hershey. He has two goals, eight points and is plus-4.
Folks down here speak well of him, despite the fact they worried about the attitude he might bring down from Edmonton.
"There was a lot of fear," admits Bears coach Mark French. "You don’t know quite what you’re getting. We’ve had such a strong winning culture here the past couple of years, and you don’t know how it’s going to impact that.
"When he came in, we said (to Souray) he controls whether it’s a positive experience or a negative one. Those were the concerns, and he’s been very positive. He has been someone that’s been adding to our dressing room."
Here, his goalie is Sabby (Dany Sabourin), not Khabby (Nikolai Khabibulin). And the wheels don’t come up on the charter.
"I have to go the extra mile to show these guys that I’m a normal guy. That it’s not an act. This is what you get," said Souray. So he walked into the Hershey dressing room the same way he walked into Albany’s room as a first-year pro in the New Jersey Devils organization 16 years ago.Only this time, he has a little bit more money in his designer jeans.
"At the beginning, you’re a little in awe," said defence partner Zach Miskovic, 25. "You know who he is, an all-star from the NHL. I stepped back a little bit, watched him. But when he came in he shook everyone’s hand, just like anybody else would have. Introduced himself. He’s a stand-up guy."
Then Souray bought the entire team dinner, renting a private room at a high-end Hershey restaurant. Considering Souray makes more than 100 times what many of his teammates do — and doesn’t have to pay escrow while in the minors — it was the least he could do.
Below: Souray unleashes his trademark slap shot in a recent win (2:30 in)
Bad luck or bad karma?
Souray busted his hand in a fight just four games into his stint here on Oct. 23.
"I’d been challenged (to fight) every game. It was inevitable," he said.
On Dec. 17 while chasing down an icing call, his pursuer Matt Clackson — the same player Souray had fought in October — fell into Souray and buckled his knee, putting him on the shelf until this past Sunday.
Last season Souray was concussed when Jarome Iginla inadvertently tripped him while Souray was going into the corner at full speed.
With no teammate stepping up in his defence, Souray would fight Iginla four months later, breaking his hand.
Is he injury prone, or is he just unlucky?
Is he that ageing player who, at 34, is simply breaking down after 14 pro seasons?
"I don’t think my skills are any less; I don’t think I’m down here because I can’t play the game at the NHL level," said Souray.
He believes it’s just bad luck — some would say bad karma — and that he can stay healthy now for a long while.
He subscribes to the theory that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
He has to.
"Mentally, I don’t think I’ve been in a stronger spot," he said. "If I don’t really go out there and make something happen, open some people’s eyes... ‘Hey, he is healthy. He can help us on the power play.’ Maybe they need a veteran guy in the room. Whatever. If I’m not proving that to them…"
Plenty of fight left
Souray doesn’t watch Oilers games any more than he would watch Montreal or New Jersey, his other former teams. He does not lunge for the phone when it rings, thinking The Trade is finally being announced.
"In Jersey we had a lot of success. In Montreal there was a level of professionalism, prestige, of pride and honour that went into playing for the Canadiens," he said.
In Edmonton it went sour. The team never made the playoffs, and Souray was hurt too often to lead them there.
All he wants now is to be that player he has always admired. Part Scott Stevens, part Ken Daneyko, part Chris Chelios, part Shawn Horcoff.
"I’ve been around guys who, when they walk in the room you’re like, ‘I know he’s going to play hard tonight.’ That guy over there yawning? Having his third cup of coffee and trying to get up for the game...? Maybe. But this guy, he’s going to be there."
Despite the hand and shoulder problems, he won’t stop fighting. It’s in his hockey DNA, and he has played here in Hershey, a local points out, as if he wants to be able to walk off the ice and look Scott Stevens in the eye every night.
Tough and accountable.
"(Stevens) was an idol of mine growing up. He was an idol of mine playing with him. And he is still an idol of mine today," he said. "I put (Chris) Chelios in the same category. I’m wearing No. 7 here in honour of Chelly.
"You’re not going to find a more professional guy than Shawn Horcoff. You’re not going to find a guy who works harder than Shawn Horcoff."
Yet, none of those players found themselves banished to the minors and estranged from their teams at age 34, with two years left on their deal.
Sheldon Souray did.
It’s not the way he’d like to be remembered.
HERSHEY, PA — The National Hockey League All-Star break begins Thursday, which means nothing anymore to Sheldon Souray.
He has neither a plane ticket for Raleigh and his fourth all-star appearance, nor the days off to go home to Malibu.
Instead, Souray will play three games for the Hershey Bears in the next 46 hours. Home Thursday night in a game postponed from Wednesday due to snow, Friday in Binghamton, and a day game back at home again on Saturday.
This is Souray’s reality.
AHL three-in-three before however many scouts show up is far more important for this exiled defenceman than a NHL All-Star Game these days.
"It’s on me to make something out of this," he said of his American Hockey League stint. "To stay healthy and make a team say, ‘We need this guy.’"
Those are four words Souray hasn’t heard in a while, and four words he won’t hear from anyone in the Edmonton Oilers organization ever again.
He may have a year left on his contract after this one ($4.5 million salary, $5.4 million cap hit), but he’ll not play again for Edmonton. Not even its farm team in Oklahoma City.
"We’ve tried to trade him for over a year," Edmonton general manager Steve Tambellini said this week.
That predates the last time Souray and Tambellini actually spoke: Monday, Apr. 12, 2010; The day Souray told Sportsnet, "I want a trade."
Skills in demand
The Oilers lineup is too small, not very tough, and they are seriously weak on defence. The power play was two for its last 55, after a puck deflected home off a Coyote’s skate Tuesday in Phoenix.
It is ranked 29th in the NHL.
Souray is big, imposing, tough, and a viable Top 4 NHL defenceman. His shot is still one of the hardest in hockey and unlike his failing replacement Kurtis Foster, he gets it through to the net. Souray is, and always has been, money on the power play.
So how does it come to this?
Souray, who originally came to Edmonton because his mom, dad and sister all live there, has been shunned by the Oilers, a team with its own history of being shunned by NHL stars and their families.
Souray has become the anti-Pronger, unwanted by Edmonton, instead of the other way around.
"I know how we got here. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how we got here," said Souray, speaking at length in the media for the first time since he arrived here back in October. "What’s more important to me than how we got here is, where do we go from here?
"The only thing I can control is play well, and let another team worry about what they have to do to accommodate the cap hit. That’s all I can control."
Nobody wants to go back to what went wrong in Edmonton.
The player, the manager, his former teammates — no one. They all wish each other luck — though the feelings are a tad less heartfelt between Souray and Tambellini.
Players long ago eschewed any loyalty to an organization, while an old adage that GMs live by is, "Don’t fall in love with a player."
This, however, is the story of two guys who got personal.
Souray carved Tambellini in this space back in April. Tambellini, who sees an expensive asset wasting away on the Washington Capitals farm team, is doing the Oilers absolutely no service whatsoever.
Like any divorce, this is everyone’s fault. Not just one person.
Ready to step in
After enduring two injuries this season, Souray is healthy again in Hershey; a castoff with the cast off.
After averaging just 48 games per season in Edmonton over three campaigns, he has played in only 16 of 43 games for Hershey. He has two goals, eight points and is plus-4.
Folks down here speak well of him, despite the fact they worried about the attitude he might bring down from Edmonton.
"There was a lot of fear," admits Bears coach Mark French. "You don’t know quite what you’re getting. We’ve had such a strong winning culture here the past couple of years, and you don’t know how it’s going to impact that.
"When he came in, we said (to Souray) he controls whether it’s a positive experience or a negative one. Those were the concerns, and he’s been very positive. He has been someone that’s been adding to our dressing room."
Here, his goalie is Sabby (Dany Sabourin), not Khabby (Nikolai Khabibulin). And the wheels don’t come up on the charter.
"I have to go the extra mile to show these guys that I’m a normal guy. That it’s not an act. This is what you get," said Souray. So he walked into the Hershey dressing room the same way he walked into Albany’s room as a first-year pro in the New Jersey Devils organization 16 years ago.Only this time, he has a little bit more money in his designer jeans.
"At the beginning, you’re a little in awe," said defence partner Zach Miskovic, 25. "You know who he is, an all-star from the NHL. I stepped back a little bit, watched him. But when he came in he shook everyone’s hand, just like anybody else would have. Introduced himself. He’s a stand-up guy."
Then Souray bought the entire team dinner, renting a private room at a high-end Hershey restaurant. Considering Souray makes more than 100 times what many of his teammates do — and doesn’t have to pay escrow while in the minors — it was the least he could do.
Below: Souray unleashes his trademark slap shot in a recent win (2:30 in)
Bad luck or bad karma?
Souray busted his hand in a fight just four games into his stint here on Oct. 23.
"I’d been challenged (to fight) every game. It was inevitable," he said.
On Dec. 17 while chasing down an icing call, his pursuer Matt Clackson — the same player Souray had fought in October — fell into Souray and buckled his knee, putting him on the shelf until this past Sunday.
Last season Souray was concussed when Jarome Iginla inadvertently tripped him while Souray was going into the corner at full speed.
With no teammate stepping up in his defence, Souray would fight Iginla four months later, breaking his hand.
Is he injury prone, or is he just unlucky?
Is he that ageing player who, at 34, is simply breaking down after 14 pro seasons?
"I don’t think my skills are any less; I don’t think I’m down here because I can’t play the game at the NHL level," said Souray.
He believes it’s just bad luck — some would say bad karma — and that he can stay healthy now for a long while.
He subscribes to the theory that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
He has to.
"Mentally, I don’t think I’ve been in a stronger spot," he said. "If I don’t really go out there and make something happen, open some people’s eyes... ‘Hey, he is healthy. He can help us on the power play.’ Maybe they need a veteran guy in the room. Whatever. If I’m not proving that to them…"
Plenty of fight left
Souray doesn’t watch Oilers games any more than he would watch Montreal or New Jersey, his other former teams. He does not lunge for the phone when it rings, thinking The Trade is finally being announced.
"In Jersey we had a lot of success. In Montreal there was a level of professionalism, prestige, of pride and honour that went into playing for the Canadiens," he said.
In Edmonton it went sour. The team never made the playoffs, and Souray was hurt too often to lead them there.
All he wants now is to be that player he has always admired. Part Scott Stevens, part Ken Daneyko, part Chris Chelios, part Shawn Horcoff.
"I’ve been around guys who, when they walk in the room you’re like, ‘I know he’s going to play hard tonight.’ That guy over there yawning? Having his third cup of coffee and trying to get up for the game...? Maybe. But this guy, he’s going to be there."
Despite the hand and shoulder problems, he won’t stop fighting. It’s in his hockey DNA, and he has played here in Hershey, a local points out, as if he wants to be able to walk off the ice and look Scott Stevens in the eye every night.
Tough and accountable.
"(Stevens) was an idol of mine growing up. He was an idol of mine playing with him. And he is still an idol of mine today," he said. "I put (Chris) Chelios in the same category. I’m wearing No. 7 here in honour of Chelly.
"You’re not going to find a more professional guy than Shawn Horcoff. You’re not going to find a guy who works harder than Shawn Horcoff."
Yet, none of those players found themselves banished to the minors and estranged from their teams at age 34, with two years left on their deal.
Sheldon Souray did.
It’s not the way he’d like to be remembered.