Linesman Dennis Mercer sometimes misses the "crazy" days.
I wrote a story about good-guy Dennis Mercer, a linesman who recently officiated his 500th game in the CHL. You can find the article
here.
Hats off to the Thunder for the ceremony in his honor. And kudos to the Thunder fans, who gave Mercer a loud ovation. Fans boo the officials whenever they come onto the ice, but it’s clear the Thunder faithful know and appreciate a job well done.
A CHL rep will be in town to recognize Mercer in February, when he works his last game before retiring.
I spent over an hour interviewing Mercer. I could have spent three hours listening to him discuss his duties, players and coaches he has policed, and the good old days of Thunder hockey. There were many things I thought readers might like to know, but I couldn’t fit them into the story. So read on for more tidbits from Mercer.
- Mercer says the current CHL game is a lot faster than it was in the early days of Thunder hockey. But the passing is worse now and the game is “sloppier.”
- He misses the time period when the Thunder dominated the league with skilled and tough players. “There was no vet rule back then, and the Thunder has some experienced guys. It was kind of wild and crazy. There was always stuff going on after the whistle.”
- Mercer said the toughest part of his job involves the “50-yard dashes to the net” he makes during stoppages. During the dash, he is looking for any signs that a fight might break out.
- Interestingly, Mercer seemed to a fan of the rough stuff, as long as it happens during the course of a game and isn’t manufactured for show.
- I asked Mercer about the coaches he respected the most. Naturally, he mentioned Doug Shedden first. “He started it all,” Mercer said. Then he praised Derek Laxdal. “His players listened and did what he wanted.” Mercer also thinks Kevin McClelland is doing a “good job.”
- Mercer said he loses about 5 pounds each game. The rigors of doing a game, and the conditioning required to start a season, are the main reasons Mercer is calling it quits.
- Mercer remembers well the Thunder debut of Bryan Wells. “He scored a goal, got into a fight and got a match penalty for head butting, I think,” Mercer said with a smile. “It was like, welcome to the league! You knew he was going to be a handful.”
- Mercer said that, before a game, the three officials meet and discuss the upcoming game. They look at players with high PIMS, talk about the teams’ fighters and discuss what to watch out for. “It gives us an advantage out there and helps us do our jobs. We know what players to look for. Like the other night when Mac threw Hand and Richards out there. You knew something was gonna happen. It was like, OK, let’s get ready boys.”
- Mercer greatly enjoyed woking with George LaForce. The duo worked over 300 games together, Mercer estimated.
- Mercer said some of the fighters “glaze over” on the ice. I thought it was an interesting description. “It’s when players go into their own world and are almost oblivious to anything else going on around them.” The two Thunder players he can recall glazing over? Wells and John Hewitt.
Happy New Year, Thunder fans. There is little doubt 2011 is going to be much better than 2010.
Matt Robinson is an all star.
A couple quick things:
Marty Magers is off IR, but Marc-Antoine Gelinas will apparently get the start tonight in Quad City. Jason Goulet is in the lineup, too. Ryan Hand goes on IR.
Matt Robinson, who has been on a tear since joining the Thunder in a trade, has been named a CHL all star reserve.
You can read all about it here.
The Thunder obtained Robinson from Laredo for future considerations. Speaking of future considerations,” they’re two of the most annoying words I deal with as the Thunder’s beat writer. Sometimes, future considerations amount to literally nothing. One team is just happy to get rid of a player. Sometimes, coaches won’t reveal exactly what the future considerations are. In any case, getting Robinson is clearly a steal for the Thunder, no matter the future considerations.
I’m anxious to get home after spending two straight nights at IBA, but I figured Thunder fans would want this news ASAP: Goaltender Peter Delmas is leaving town.
Delmas, who has played poorly since he was placed here by the Montreal Canadians, is headed to the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League, Thunder coach Kevin McClelland said after tonight’s game. Delmas was 0-3-1, with a 4.85 GAA and a .836 SP.
The team leaves tonight for its road trip. Marty Magers, who has been solid (3-2, 3.18, .891), is expected to be on the bus. He has been on injured reserve.
“He’s an experienced guy,” McClelland said. “Right now I think we’re a little young there (in net). It takes guys a little time to adjust. So I think you’ll have Magers pushing Gelinas back to the point where he needs to be and know that he’ll have to fight for that net.”
Jason Goulet, who has been on IR too, is also expected to make the road trip.
Brent Cullaton waived
The Thunder waived veteran Brent Cullaton on Thursday. It was a surprising move, but it probably doesn’t change much in the long term.
Coach Kevin McClelland explained that, because of new collective bargaining rules, the Thunder had to trade, activate or waive Cullaton since he had been on the suspended list for 45 days.
It will be interesting to see if anyone claims Cullaton off waivers; all indications are that he’s committed to playing for McClelland. In any case, McClelland remains optimistic that the vet, who is coaching a successful junior team in Colorado right now, will join the team later in the season.
Fight Night dropped: The Thunder planned, and publicized on its website, a Guaranteed Fight Night for tomorrow’s game against Colorado. Just before the CHL stepped in, the Thunder dropped the guaranteed gore. You right remember that something similar happened in 2006, when Chris Presson was GM.
All aboard the Crazy Train: The Ozzy Osbourne Birthday Bash night is still a go for tonight, and it will be interesting to see how the team pulls it off. The idea was the brainchild of assistant GM Matt Brokaw. Here’s one part that sounds pretty funny: “Instead of Name That Tune, we’ll have Name That Babble where someone tries to interpret what he was saying on his MTV reality show,” Brokaw said.
