| There are
many things which separate college hockey from the pros - speed, aggressiveness and the
over-all caliber of the players among others. But one element stands out for Cincinnati
Stingers rookie defenseman Craig Norwich security. Norwich, who played the last three
seasons for University of Wisconsin, attended college on a scholarship which assured him
of an education even if he should sustain an injury which would end his hockey career. "There's no security here," the 21-year-old blue liner said.
"You think about that when you're playing. The only thing that matters is getting the
job done here, that's what you're paid for. In college you didn't think about security
because it was guaranteed." Norwich, born in New York but raised in edina, Minn.,
near Minneapolis, chose to relinquish the security of the Madison, Wis., campus for the
risky life of a professional hockey player. He still has a year remaining before he
receives his degree. "I didn't plan on leaving after three years, but when I heard
some teams were interested in getting me right away I decided to make the move," he
explained, adding that he planned to obtain his degree (he's a psychology major) by
attending summer classes the next two years. "I always wanted to play pro
hockey," said Norwich, who started the sport at the age of eight in pee wee leagues
around Minneapolis. "But I never really thought I would. I saw myself playing in
college and then getting a job selling insurance. When the offer was made I felt I had to
take it, and this is an ideal situation in Cincinnati. They offered me what I thought I
was worth and I think I can learn here."
Learning is what Norwich, a draft pick of Houston whose rights were
traded to the Stingers for defenseman John Huges, will be doing most of this season. He
was considered about the best defenseman in college hockey last year as a junior, playing
for a Badger squad which won the NCAA championship and lost just five games during the
regular season. He was a scoring defenseman at Wisconsin, leading the team in points, but
now he must learn a new style. "The biggest differences in the style of play between
college and pro is the increased hitting and the quickness with which the situations
develop," he said. "In college you don't have as much real hitting. You rub off
on guys a lot. But here you get hit, hard."
He pointed out that in college he had a lot of time with the puck,
but with the Stingers in the World Hockey Association "as soon as you get the puck
somebody is trying to knock you off of it. You have to move the puck more quickly
here." He said he was accustomed to carrying the puck in college and found it
difficult reversing that tendency in the pro ranks. "I didn't like to cough it
up." said Norwich. "but I'm doing a little more now."
Describing himself as a poke-checking college defenseman who tried
to steal the puck with a minimum of contact, Norwich used an example of illustrate the
difference between college and pro style. "In college, I would concentrate on the
puck, not worrying about the guy near me but the guy with the puck," he said.
"Here you have to take care of your man. I try to watch the puck but my first job is
to make sure my man doesn't score. That a big thing in the pros, you do your job and the
other guys do theirs. It's not like that in college."
he also pointed out that a pro defenseman must cover the area in
front of the net much more than in college."In the pros, if you let a good forward
get loose in front of the net he's going to score most of the time." Norwich, of
average size at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, calls the training camp and early season
competition this year a "period of adjustment." He is adjusting to the style of
play and to the people he plays with on the Stingers. "I have to learn a lot more,
defensively," he said. "But I've gotten a lot of help from the veterans (like
Ron Plumb and Barry Legge)."
Norwich had a special praise for team captain Rick Dudley.
"Duds has really helped me and I'll tell anybody," he said. "He works with
me, he keeps my spirits up and he's my friend." But he was quick to add that he
wasn't counting on anyone else to secure his position on the squad. "It's up to
me," said Norwich. "I beleieve I can do the job." |
