 |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
Langfeld hopes to shine with Senators Posted: Monday March 11, 2002 2:46 AM
By Kevin Winter, Special to CNNSI.com BOSTON (Ticker) -- Events that fall into the "once in a lifetime" category are few and far between during the course of a career. Whether it's sports, business or any other type of profession, those special occurrences are rare. When they do happen, they should be cherished. Josh Langfeld has had the luxury of experiencing one of these moments. Langfeld, a third-round selection of the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, spent four years at the University of Michigan. As a freshman in 1998, Langfeld scored the game-winning goal against Boston College in overtime to win the National Championship game. "It's the highlight of my career," said Langfeld, now a rookie right winger with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. "I wish there's something else that I could do to be remembered by, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I thought it would die down when I left Michigan, but it seems to follow me!" During the course of his four-year career with the Wolverines, Langfeld scored 65 goals and added 64 assists for 129 points. In this era of athletes skipping prematurely to the professional ranks, it is somewhat surprising that Langfeld was able to last four years in Ann Arbor. "It wasn't very tough for me," Langfeld said of his decision to remain a collegian. "My mom and dad preached that education was important. I had some good guidance along the way. I don't think that I put pressure on myself. I'm very happy with my experience." Coming from a program like Michigan's, winning is nothing new to Langfeld. After all, the Wolverines reached the semifinals of the CCHA Tournament in all four of his seasons, captured the tournament championship in 1999 and reached the Frozen Four in 2001 in addition to the 1998 NCAA crown. Although Langfeld is in his first season as a professional, some things remain the same. Grand Rapids has been in first place in the Western Conference for the majority of the season and currently leads the league with 80 points. The Griffins began the year with 18 wins in their first 27 games, and Langfeld was a major contributor. The native of Coon Rapids, Minnesota had 10 goals, nine assists and was a plus-10 rating in 23 games during that span. "For a first year player, he's done pretty well," said Grand Rapids head coach Bruce Cassidy. "He got out of the gate real well, and he did his part on a line with [Kip] Miller and [Petr] Schastlivy." That may have been the best thing that has happened to Langfeld in his rookie campaign. It may also have been the toughest. Schastlivy was recalled by the Senators on December 28, 2001 after notching 22 goals and 13 assists in 31 games for the Griffins. Miller, who still leads the team in scoring with 56 points, was gone 20 days later when he was signed by the New York Islanders for the remainder of the season. "I don't think he's had quite the second half as he did the first half," Cassidy said. "[In the first half of the season] He found himself in front of the net on a lot of occasions, and he was able to pick up a lot of goals on rebounds and second chances." "I don't think I'm getting the same opportunities," echoed Langfeld. "I've got to make things happen myself. "Kip Miller used to be able to thread a pass to him if there was an inch of daylight," said Cassidy. "Some of these guys can't do that. So maybe, he has to work harder to get open so they can find him." Langfeld's struggles as of late should not come as a huge surprise. In addition to both of his linemates leaving, remember that Langfeld is still a rookie. "As a first year player, you usually hit the wall in late January or early February," Cassidy said. "Sometimes, you need to take a step back and try to bring something else to your play." For those who have seen Langfeld struggle his way to just five goals, three assists and a minus-1 rating in his last 22 games, don't expect it to last. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is a physical forward with what his coach calls NHL size and an NHL release. "He's tough to hold up," Cassidy added. "He's very good at fighting through traffic on the forecheck. On the power play, he controls the front of the net. He takes a beating, and it doesn't bother him. He has no reservations about it. He's good in tight with his hands, and he's got a good release." Langfeld's best attributes, however, may be his patience and his understanding of what it takes to make it to the NHL. "I was always told that you score your way to the NHL," Langfeld said. "Maybe it takes a year or two down here to learn the game. So be it. I'm learning what pro hockey is all about." Maybe it was the knowledge gained through a proper upbringing. Maybe it was knowledge gained through four years Michigan? Maybe it was having the biggest moment of your life happen at the age of 20. But, Langfeld has the maturity of someone who is a 20-year veteran. He understands that there is not a lot of room for him in Ottawa right now. He knows that his time will come and that one day he might get another chance to convert one of those "once in a lifetime" chances opportunities.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
