Teams Set For CCM/USA Hockey Prospects Game

The location has been selected, the sweaters are out – now its time to get the teams on the ice for the first ever All-American Prospects Game, to be kicked off in Buffalo, New York.

On one side of the ice, nineteen skaters will play under the watchful guise of former NHL great Phil Housley.  Housley, a first round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, also donned the sweaters of the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Chicago Blackhawks. He also has a silver medal from the Salt Lake City Olympics. In 2000 Housley became the NHL player with the most career games played.  He went  on to play 1495 games in the NHL.  That record would stand for almost six full years until it was broken by Chris Chelios.

Team Housley has an advantage, 11 of his skaters have played together already with the US National U18 team.

Behind the eight ball with only six members of the US National U18 team, and no stranger to being an underdog – coach Rob McClanahan – the bench boss of Team McClanahan.  McClanahan had no where near the NHL career that Housley had, but is also a member of the Buffalo Sabres draftees, 49th overall in the 1978 draft.  His NHL career also included stops with the New York Rangers and Hartford Whalers.

McClanahan is most famous for his part in the Miracle on Ice which netted the United States a gold medal in the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY.  By beating the heavily favored USSR team – the US made world history by dethroning one of the longest dynasties in the history of the game.

Full rosters for both teams with full coaching staffs can be found here.

Here is a bout from Housley’s rookie campaign with the Buffalo Sabres:

I wasn’t alive for the fated game against the Soviets, but still get chills when I watch the final minutes of a game that shocked the hockey world.