Making the Cut

[NyQuil]

Tonight on CBC, the "Making the Cut" reality series begins at 8:00 PM EST.

I'm looking forward to it just to see Mike Keenan and Scotty Bowman behind the scenes.

EPISODE 01 - Tuesday September 21 @ 8:00 PM on CBC
Bell Making the Cut's two-hour launch episode introduces us to some of the over 4000 players who turned up for the Tryout Challenges.

Players from every province and territory descend on tryout events located in seven cities - Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal. Coaches put players through a grueling skills-and-drills session. The best prospects are then earmarked for 3-on-3 competitions.

Participants range from 19 - 58 years old, all fighting for one of 68 spots at a special training camp in Vernon, BC held under the tutelage of hockey legends Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan. The competition will be fierce - eventually six players will earn tryouts with Canadian NHL teams.

As they will do in each city, Director of Hockey Operations Jack Birch and his coaching staff will evaluate the players. Meeting in a series of conferences dubbed War Rooms, they compare notes and ratings to separate the prospects from the dreamers.

On decision day General Managers Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan, along with Jack Birch, will make the fateful calls, delivering good news and bad. 68 of those calls send the ecstatic recipients to Vernon, where they will battle for position under the watchful eyes of Bowman and Keenan.

Then the real contest begins. Six NHL tryouts are the ultimate goal. 68 players, all with the same dream to play in the NHL - all with a shot at Making the Cut.

http://www.makingthecut.ca/EN/INDEX.ASP

[NyQuil]

Well, I watched all 2 hours of the season premiere and was quite impressed with the variety of players and the stories behind them.

You had:

-a 40 year old goaltender, who worked his butt off, but in his own words, "is going to have to take the day off tomorrow and sit in the hot tub all day..."

-at least 3 women, 2 of whom were goaltenders, but one of whom had quite the skill and even hit a few of the guys. While she didn't make the cut, her name was apparently forwarded to the women's Team Canada.

-local boy Dan Tessier, a short but speedy all-star from the home town Ottawa 67's (OHL), who consistently outscored all the other rookies at NHL training camp but never got a shot because of his height

-a pair of farm boys from northern Alberta (Wetaskiwin)

-an ex-NHLer who played a few games but then left the game to care for his developmentally-disadvantaged kid

Just to name a few...

The heart-wrenching part of the show were the calls from Jack Birch (GM), Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan, informing players if they did or didn't make the cut. There were cases where one of two brothers would make it, which were particularly bittersweet.

The calibre of the skill out there was quite good, so it'll be interesting to see how the final 68 players shape up!

[roots]

yes nyquil great show..a number of locals [ie. Nova Scotians] made the cut ..so i guess im going to keep watching! they should move it to that big old empty slot on saturday nights. :claphands

[NyQuil]

Unfortunately, dinner plans precluded me from being able to watch the newest episode of Making the Cut.

Can someone who did watch give me some of the highlights?

:drink2:

[roots]

the readers digest version..it featured bowmens group split into two teams [white vs blue]..they played 2 games ..then off to the war room to make the cuts...focused on how team building occurs, the nerves, having a roomie, practices conditioning etc..interesting the guys cut get to stick around and may bump the guys who made it if they show they initative and jump..next week its keenans group..im getting soft in my old age i felt really bad for the guys who got cut :crying: ..or im just a sap for a sad guy :scratchhe the commentary within the war room was interesting between the coaches and scouts..love to see more of that..its not something the average fan gets to hear... the guy who left pro hockey to care for his son made the cut [damn can't remember his name]

[Marc M]

the commentary within the war room was interesting between the coaches and scouts..love to see more of that..its not something the average fan gets to hear... the guy who left pro hockey to care for his son made the cut [damn can't remember his name]
Harkins?
The guy who scored the first goal for the blue team?
I too liked the 'war room' talk.
I wonder how a team of guys like this would fare in competition vs. the Allan Cup champs, or against a junior team or against the Mexican national team?
Looks like some good players.
Marc M

[NyQuil]

Well, "Making the Cut" is over for this year.

Here were the 6 selections made by the Canadian NHL clubs from the final group of 18:

1. Jordan Little (EDM)
2. James Demone (VAN)
3. Michael Mole (OTT)
4. Matt Hubbauer (CGY)
5. Kevin Lavallee (MTL)
6. Dominic Noel (TOR)

[Graham]

5. Kevin Lavallee (MTL)

I'm guessing that this is neither of the Kevin Lavallees who played in Europe (one early 90s after an NHL career, the other early part of this decade in Germany)?

Graham.

[NyQuil]

Kevin Lavallee is a defenceman and was born in 1981, is originally from Montreal, and played Junior for Acadie-Bathurst and the Montreal Rocket.

Kevin has played in Europe since he was 19, and is proud of the fact that every team he has played with has moved up a Division while he was there.

He speaks German, French and English, and last played for Straubing EHC in the second division of the Bundesliga.

According to hockeydb.com, he's played in the following locations:
Augsburg, Amberg, Straubing and now the Kassel Huskies.

So, to answer your question, he is the one playing in Germany.

According to hockeydb.com, the other Kevin LaVallee hasn't played since 1995-96, when he played for Hannover after stints in Davos, Dusseldorf, Milan, Bern and Innsbruck, after a 6 year career in the NHL.

[Graham]

Thanks, NyQuil. The 2nd Kevin Lavallee you mention also played a season in Ayr (Scotland), hence my interest.

Graham.

[RexKramer]

The 2nd Kavin LaVallee, was a key player with Innsbruck at the end of the 80ies, including the 89 season when Innsbruck won the Austrian championship the last time. He was nick named "Bum Bum" (speak Boom Boom) for his hard shot. I'm pretty sure that he is far beyond 40 now.