Rivalries of Molly the Cat

[JCarson 744]

Molly the Cat, I want to discuss some of the rivalries you have in the VHL. Let us start with those people on your team. Is there anyone you have a rivalry with, even if it is a friendly rivalry? 

 

As hockey players we are naturally competitive, it drives us to push harder, faster, it pushes us to be better. Not surprisingly, we compare ourselves to others and thus build rivalries with other players. From a team perspective I have always compared myself to Ivan Retoslav. Maybe it was because we started in London at similar ages; we played on a line together several times and had a similar goal on the ice, to put the puck in the net. It became a natural rivalry, one that I was leading the first two years I played in London, this year he has picked up his game and is doing very well. I do not count myself out yet, but it will be a big push for me to catch his production pace.  

 

Let us broaden our view for a moment, are there players outside the London organization that you have rivalries with? 

 

There are some players that I have rivalries with, I cannot deny that. Some of them are friendly, we push each other to be better. On the other hand, there are some that are fiercer in nature, not as friendly and sometimes combative. Let us be honest, any time you gather a large group of unique people into a close-knit community there will be those that bond together and then there will be those that always have some friction going on. If I had to name individuals, in the first group you would find Landon Wolanin, he is a great guy, talented player, and great friend but our rivalry runs deep. There is a level of competition that we bring out in each other. In the second pool I would recently put Milan Dvorak, honestly, they were taking a few liberties with their stick near our goalie, so although it may not have been the best option, I chose to stand up for Jesse and let Milan know what they were doing was unacceptable. Milan got the message but if I need to, I am not afraid to remind them that London’s goaltenders are off limits. 

 

Molly the Cat, from a team perspective are there any teams that you have rivalries with? 

 

I am not sure London has any long-standing rivalries that are still recognized. For us right now it really has been a year-to-year type of thing. Our goal has been to get to the playoffs and more recently push into the second or later rounds. The European conference this year (excluding Helsinki) is one big rivalry, at this point it is only a 3-point difference between 2nd and 7th. That is a tight margin and has created some fiercely competitive games. There are going to be 2 teams that fought a hard season that will end up watching the playoffs unfold. London is hoping to take over either 2nd or 3rd place and secure a payoff space without having to go through the play in tournament. This is going to be some great hockey for fans to watch.