| February 13: Hari Kant | February 14: Mike Mahood | February 15: Ian Bird | ||
| February 16: Alan Brahmst | February 17: Robin D'Abreo | February 18: Chris Gifford | ||
| February 19: Marek Gacek | February 20: Andrew Griffiths | February 21: Ken Pereira | ||
| February 22: Peter Milkovich | February 23: Bindi Kullar | February 24: Rob Short |
All pictures: www.OffTheCrossbar.com
 Back to Schedule and Results
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 Rob Short and Tyler Dumont (physiotherapist)  | ||
What can we say? We have now finished the tournament in seventh and last
place. We all talk about the chances we missed, the missed corners and the
dominance shown but really all we did was lose. At first, walking off the
field I felt really dejected but after a quick round up chat from Shaiz I
began to realise that this wasn't all bad.
Some of the coaches here scouting teams say we are playing better hockey than we have in the past. Our fans at home must think this can't be possible but some aspects of this are true. Yesterday we played Pakistan and the game finished with a 2-1 loss. With team defence being a serious problem in the previous matches, the offence and defence had seperate meetings to discuss our roles in our team defence. There was an obvious improvement as we allowed very few counter attacks and other than a couple times held the dangerous pakistani forwards at bay. With 11 corners on the stats sheet, we had our chances but they weren't taken.
So I could go on discussing our losses and feeling sorry for our last place finish but lets just remember this is only February and September is 6 months away.
Before mentioning our great night out, I would like to put one thing out to the boys here in Malaysia and the boys back home. "We can be way fitter!". I know that I have some work to do when I get back to holland and hope that every one else has some fitness goals in there mind. We were one of the fittest teams at the World Cup in 1998 and if we want to do something special at the Olympics we again need to be the fittest!!!
So, putting the hockey aside, we did have a great night out last night. We started at the Havana Pub with some Heinekens and then to the Beach club. We danced till 4 and had a great time. I imagine most of the boys are still in bed as there wasn't too many of them showing up for breakfast!
With no set time to wake up on our day off, guys were still talking about our
heart breaking 2-1 loss to Korea. Hari and I slept in until 9:00am and then had
breakfast to start our day.
I then decided to do some e-mailing with Ken and Shorty at the Petronas Towers Mall. Unfortunately, all the way there they complained about how long it took for me to get ready. We made our way up the escalators to the fourth floor of the spectacular six level mall to the Java Cafe, a familiar spot for the boys to get in touch with home. No one gets as excited or intense as Shorty (a.k.a. "log-on") because when he's on the computer writing to his adopted home Holland there's not much you can do to get his attention. After e-mailing we cruised around the mall with Paul and Rick. We went to a sports store and Rick suggested we get a team set of Birkenstocks. Needless to say, me and Ken rejected that idea before he even finished saying it.
We went back to the hotel for a defence meeting at 1:00pm and an offence meeting at 3:00pm. Both meetings analysed the Korea game. Lucky for me, I get to attend both so I can hear the defence slam the offence and the offence cut up the defence.
At 5:00pm there was a bus leaving for the field for an optional shooting practice or to watch the match between Pakistan and Germany. A few guys stayed at the hotel and watched Simpson's videos, Ken's idea of course. After taking some flack from Hari about girls wanting pictures at the field, we were ready to go. About ten guys had shooting practice and Ronnie and I had some Domino's pizza at the field. Pakistan ended up winning the match 4-2.
The highlight of practice was Tom suiting up in Mahood's equipment to play in net. He looked pretty intimidating because of his size but got beat by a skillful shot by Tyler, our best physio hockey player to date.
Back to the Concorde Hotel and it was time for some roti and dahl for dinner and then a short meeting to get ready for Pakistan. The boys are hungry for a win and looking forward to taking them out tomorrow.
We are in a very precarious position today. As a team we have traveled a very
long road to our present level of success. We built that success on a foundation
of hard work, determination and a commitment to a style of play that, although
not particularly attractive, worked. Simply put, we were a defensive team that
tried to limit the opposition to as few chances as possible. In turn we dared
to venture into attack only on the counter, reassuring ourselves that should
anything go wrong we would have the defensive numbers to thwart even the most
crafty of offensive teams. Today we are a more complete team but we have been
exposed here in Malaysia as we are daring to implement a change.
Success caused it! Perhaps our bewildering wins last year over Germany, Holland and Australia were catalysts but it goes deeper than that, and perhaps further back. We knew after the World Cup that if we were going to rise in the world standing we would have to build a new style or identity. No longer were we going to be considered easy opponents or a casual three points. Teams were going to scout us, examine our strengths and target our weaknesses in an attempt to send us right back where we came from – the 'B' League – hockey's equivalent of the minors or the second division. In order to compete and rise to the new challenge we decided to become more professional in our approach. We agreed to pay attention to every detail and to go beyond any level of commitment seen before both on and of the field. With that came the idea that we would design and implement a more attacking style that still relied on the defense but also could control the play and generate more opportunities to score.
We are part way there! Upon the conclusion of our 2-1 loss to Korea last night, we were the tournament leader in penalty corners awarded. We have also generated the most shots on goal of any team here. We have the highest possession time on the ball and we have surrendered the fewest penalty corners. The disappointing fact is that we are not converting our chances and we are surrendering far too many, quality scoring opportunities resulting in very untimely goals. Did we have to do this? No, but we have changed! The results have identified our weaknesses and it will be our choice as to how we are going to modify our style. It is obvious in this tournament that we have risked too much trying to score and that we need great improvement on our penalty corners. The answer lies somewhere in the balance but we are running out of time.
For many of us, and definitely for me, this Olympics will be the final stage in long career in this sport. This group of players is very close to being as good as it will ever get and tragically we will have very few opportunities to challenge and refine our game prior to Sydney. A solid Olympic preparation would see us play 20 – 30 quality matches. This team will play only 15 games because we have no financial resources left in the 2000 budget.
Day Off - wake up whenever you want, something I like to hear, and something
I do all the time at home in Toronto. It is however a change for most of the
guys on our team. Its a time to mend all wounds and injuries thanks to Ty Doomore
our physio. Most guys relaxed in their room or went to email loved ones and
friends which is what I chose to do around 11am. Shorty and I then came back
to the hotel and chilled poolside in the beautiful sunny Malaysian weather.
Shorty had to rid himself of the title of whitest and milkiest skin on the team.
A few of the guys were already there and some guys headed to the cheap Chinese
Market.
At 3:00pm there was a defensive meeting (never pays to be a defender).
Then at 5:00pm was a team meeting for tomorrow's big game against Korea. After
that fun filled meeting, we were off to the High Commissioner's House for dinner
and our limit of one beer, which we all know is a tease because who can have
just one drink. There was plenty of shmoozing and mingling, we then made our
way back to the hotel around 9:30-10:00pm, some guys watched T.V or played
cards or went to bed knowing that tomorrow was a must win game.
Reception at the Canadian High Commission
|
 Rob Short, Hari Kant and Alan Brahmst Ken Pereira, Bindi Kullar and Robin D'Abreo |
Every now and then, Shiaz begins our pre-game meetings with a phrase we have
become familiar with on this team that has played together for such a long time:
"Today's game is a special occasion as one of our players has reached a
significant milestone…". A player will then be recognized for playing his
50th, 100th, etc... game in a Canadian uniform.
This happened today before our game against Germany. The announcement was particularly significant for me, and I'm glad it is my turn to write today's diary. Two of my close friends on the team reached milestone numbers: Alan Brahmst played his 150th game for Canada and Hari Kant played his 100th. These numbers are both significant achievements; and having played alongside both Alan and Hari for many of these games, I know they deserve a few extra words from a teammate.
| 100 international games for a goalkeeper is impressive. Hari has his own unique style as a goalie and a person. He is a talented mind as well as a talented goalie – earning scholastic awards through university as he earned his engineering degree. He'd be the closest guy we have on our team to a mad scientist. He has worked hard at his game – it took several years before Hari cracked the senior Canadian team. But once he made it, his game performances have shaped our team's success. Without Hari, Canada would not have gone to the '98 World Cup. In a playoff against Argentina for the last spot in the tournament, he played a brilliant game, shutting the door on a relentless Argie attack and corner unit. |  Hari Kant dives in front of a Malaysian player |
Alan makes his mark wherever he goes. He is noticeable on the field as a powerful central defender who throws off opponents' defences (and sometimes knocks them over) with strong driving runs into attack. One of these runs and then a timely pass created the goal in the Pan-American Games Final which put Canada into the Sydney Olympics. His straightforward style is also a defining characteristic away from the field. Direct, blunt, tells-you-what-he-thinks. Perhaps it is the German in him (he moved to Canada from Hamburg at 16). A great team player. 150 caps – good job Al!
The milestone game ended Canada 2 - Germany 3. We played a strong game and created some good scoring chances. But again we didn't capitalize – our same problem from the last three games – and the Germans put away their chances with typical efficiency.
Tomorrow, a day off and a barbecue at the Canadian High Commission!
The day started fifteen minutes past eight in the morning (a little too early
for me and I’m sure for most of the older players on the team.) Fifteen minutes
later was Game 4, a possible sweep for the “Young Guns” floor
hockey team. The “Old Boys” came out to a great start. We were finishing
our checks and running pretty well. We even scored the first goal! Things were
looking good!! Play continued, and we found ourselves up 3-2 with maybe 3 minutes
remaining. That’s when things fell apart...
My knee, that had been feeling unusually good that morning , was slashed viciously and threw me to the ground. I think that led to a “Young Gun” comeback goal... Pete Milkovich, our star defensemen, told me over breakfast that he too was cheated on, when some young punk pulled him down from behind on their winning goal. I’m not saying that we weren’t outplayed throughout the series but maybe a referee would help the “Old Boys” get through an already demanding tour.
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The Young Guns |
"The Oasis" - oasis (def): a water hole in the desert
The tropical regions of the world are very similar in terms of climate and Kuala Lumpur does not evade this standard in any way. Every day is hot and humid with the days' worth of accumulated evaporation and humidity culminating in thunderous storms and torrential downpours. The resulting landscape provides lush, green foliage that blankets most of the tropical regions of the equator.
The desert regions, however, offer a much contrasting climate to the tropics. Hot, dry and colorless, sandy landscapes give the image of almost lifeless beaches of the earth. It seems ironic then, that today my impression of K.L. would forever be converted from tropical to desert.
The Petronas Towers stand in the middle of K.L. as symbols of technology and ability much as the sphinx and pyramids of Egypt represent these qualities standing over the deserts of northern Africa. Rising high above the city, I figured a trip to the top of these monsters would offer a spectacular view of the outlying city of K.L.. My efforts to reach the summit would soon be thwarted by high security, both manned and electronic. After only a 5 minute walk to the towers and 30 seconds to be diverted at towers' base, this was quickly becoming a disappointing venture.
The modern day, 5 story mall attached to the towers seemed to offer some limited entertainment and relief from the heat. An internet cafe offered brief contact with home for some of my teammates but it was the "oasis" that gave me an ever altered impression of this tropical desert.
There, through the cafe glass, out to the back of these mammoth guardians of the desert, lay a huge open green space with serene walking paths, waterfalls and lakes. The kids playing in a waterpark surrounded by areas of grass and earth were oblivious to their cityscape borders. Here there were no cars, buses, scooters or bicycles. Here the noise and pollution disappeared. This was an oasis, where calm rose up from the city like water from a desert spring. As water gives life in the desert, the serenity found here gives people life, amongst the suffocating lifestyle that lies beyond those two huge towers.
The day began as any other on this tour, with me waiting for the brown tap water
to turn clear so I could start brushing my teeth. After a tough, frustrating
loss to Malaysia last night, spirits were a little higher for the morning road
hockey match. When the dust cleared it was the under 26’s claiming victory
again as the veterans (politically correct for "old guys") fell
by a score of 8-4 and were never really in the game. They would do well to simply
avoid the embarrassment of a series sweep in tomorrow’s game.
After breakfast it was on to the team meeting to prepare for our game versus New Zealand. The preparation however did not yield the desired result as we ended the game in a 1-1 draw. The game was frustrating for many reasons but mostly because of our inability to finish the numerous scoring opportunities we had throughout the game. Credit has to go to the kiwis for capitalizing on the one penalty corner they had, their one and only shot on net the entire game.
This team has been so successful over the past year and a half, that losing has become that much harder to deal with. The game feels like a loss because we played below our potential. The fact that we are still in the early stages in our preparation for the Olympics, although true, is of little consolation. The important thing now will be learning from our mistakes and refining our game both offensively and defensively. There are still important games to be played and recovering from a mediocre start like this will be a good test.
On Game Day, the stories about meals, meetings or weather become somewhat
less important, so I'll just get to it. It was the first game with the full
team in almost 5 months. As most of you readers will know the result by now,
I'll simply add a couple of general comments.
I think they had 2 legitimate chances and 2 Penalty Corners. They did not score on the Penalty Corners but managed to score 3 times. This may sound strange, but it tells me that we actually played some decent defence with 2 or 3 severe breakdowns. That will not happen again.
We moved the ball well. We generated a number of Penalty Corners & scoring opportunities. We began to establish the long hit out of the back and we played mostly high percentage passes.
Some other areas that were not up to our standards could be addressed, but I'll stick to one. What we lacked was a finishing touch on the Penalty Corners & scoring opportunities, although Pete scored on a nice flick and their goaltending was good. Keep in mind that good goaltending is expected in international hockey and can rarely be an excuse. Yesterday's Malaysian goaltending didn't appear to be good enough to use as an excuse. It wasn't one of those rare games when goaltending is exceptional and there is no way to get past the Keeper.
Some thoughts about this issue are being kicked around and we have a good understanding of how to improve on our consistency in finishing. We'll get there as a team and I bet you won't see us miss much in September.
A very valuable game on our road to a fine performance in Sydney!
A day off. We have had a busy schedule for the last two days and the day off
is welcome. Resting up aching bodies, catching up on some sleep lost to jet-lag,
and getting away from the hotel room seems to be the order of the day.
Kenny, Ronni and Bindi were assigned "ghetto blaster" duty. Our year old model gave out in Spain, so with Patricks' aid the boys searched out a replacement. I took off with Gacek (or, "Gacer" - Malaysian sports page headline: "Gacer back in Canada lineup"!), and Hari to the Petronas Tower Mall for an email session. Tom, Mike and Campbell searched out the ugly and loud shirt boutique with great success. Notable pickup being the $2 South Africa soccer jersey that Mr. Green has coveted for some time now.
Later in the day, most of the guys had a swim, rode the bike or lifted some weights here at the Concorde.
Talk around the rooms was of the decision by South Africa to keep their hockey side at home for the Olympics. Will Egypt (2nd in Africa) go instead or will the FIH open up 7 spots in Osaka?
Dinner was the usual "market stall" style welcome evening at the hotel. All teams were invited to sample satays and curries in the ballroom. This is the time when players tend to catch up with players from some of the other teams: Rico worked on his Germans (thanks to their courier services the TK sponsored guys are now playing with the Titanium models!); Pete, Mike and Shiaz caught up with some World Team mates. Our former liasion, Dr. Dre, was in attendance sporting yet another very fine wardrobe. Could be that I have another shirt trade in mind.
FYI- Book of the Tour to date: "The Beach" (Al, Shorty, Andrew, and I are through it so far.)
Hello everybody from the hot and humid climate of Malaysia. Of course today is
February 14th -- Valentine's day! It's good to
know that this special day is celebrated throughout the rest of the world.
Today I walked by the Grand Emporium Cafe as it's employees prepared it
for what appeared to be the makings of a big night. Before closing the chapter
on this day for the year 2000, I will use it as a forum to send my Valentine
wishes to my dear Jean. I got your card and was all over it. I'll try to get
in touch soon!
Today was quite possibly the most difficult day of the tour as we followed up yesterdays two practices with another practice and then an exhibition match versus Malaysia. The morning was started at a painful 6:15 to be on the pitch for 7:30. The energy level was pretty good and the session went off relatively well. The game however was considerably more difficult and we looked a little sluggish while loosing 1-3. We had our chances and will be fine come the Wednesday re-match. I've got good vibes about this trip - I think good results will follow.
Tommorow is a day off - what will the boys do? I know Kenny, Bindi and Ronnie are responsible for finding a new ghetto blaster. For myself - a quick trip to Petaling Street's Chinese Market and then a relaxing afternoon with a coffee, my book and a return to the world famous Havana Cafe.
Thanks for checking in with us - keep in touch and be on the look out for Ian Bird's diary tommorow.
Well, we're back in Malaysia. For me, this is my fifth time back in six years
in Kuala Lumpur. There has been a lot of change in the city since we were invited
here first in 1995. There is a new airport, a monorail system linking the city,
new skyscrapers, including the largest twin towers in the world. Other things
have not changed: it is hot and humid!
We checked in yesterday (12th) to the familiar surroundings of the Concorde Hotel. This hotel has been the home of the Azlan Shah Tournament for as long as we have been here. It is great to be in familiar surroundings, knowing that all the details will be taken care of. Good rooms, good food, organized, the players only have to think about playing hockey.
Our first day was used to get the lead out of our legs with a game of road hockey in the Concorde parking lot. The teams were split, this time by age with the 1960's group using their veteran skill against the youthful 1970's (oh yeah, 80's as well for Casey!). First game went 7-2 to the over confident juniors, but this series is far from over...
Two practices on our first full day here and they were hot! The majority of the team had trained in the environmental chambers in Vancouver, but that does not prepare you for what KL will dish out. My equipment was soaked right through from sweat and water that I would pour over my head to cool me off. It didn't even dry out in KL's sun between practices...
Overall, the mood on the team is great. We are very confident of creating
some more upsets in this tournament. Four of these teams (Pakistan, Korea,
Malaysia, New Zealand) are in the Olympic Qualifier next month and will be
in top form. Stay tuned for tomorrows diary from Mike!
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