http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/2006/02/15/1443627-sun.html

Former NHLer Brian Skrudland joins locals for world pond hockey championship


As a former NHLer, Brian Skrudland never knows when his skills will be needed.

In this case, he's the proverbial ringer.

The former Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames player is going to be playing in the 2006 world pond hockey championship, after team organizer Randy Donkersloot needed a star to round out the Calgary Rustlers' five-man squad.

"I haven't been called a ringer since peewee, so if they want to call me a ringer, they can go right ahead," said Skrudland with a laugh. "But I'm really looking forward to it. It could be the highlight of my hockey career, to be honest with you. It sounds like a ton of fun."

While it won't compare with Skrudland winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the Canadiens, the pond hockey tourney, which starts tomorrow in Plaster Rock, N.B., features 120 teams from 12 countries, including squads from every Canadian province.

It's the first time a Calgary entry has competed in the event, which is played on Roulston Lake, with 20 rinks laid out on the frozen water and floodlights surrounding them.

The tournament is conducted without goalies but the nets, while regulation width, are only 10 in. high.

"There's no goalies, so I actually have a chance to score," said Skrudland, who potted 124 goals in 881 NHL games.

The Rustlers, who are sponsored by the Calgary Flames, are aiming to have a good time.

"We're going to have some fun, we really are," said Skrudland, who now works in the oil and gas industry. "This is an event that we'll take what comes our way. We're certainly not going to panic one way or another."

The pond hockey championship actually has an opening ceremony, where the Rustlers shouldn't be hard to miss as they'll be wearing black cowboy hats.

Should they happen to win the tournament, they'll get a wood-carved replica of the Stanley Cup. But if the losses are piling up, the beer tent is just a short skate away.


The Calgary Rustlers include former NHLer Brian Skrudland, left, Gary MacNeil, Terry Claassens, Randy Donkersloot and Terry Pallier.