175 pounds, Genoway wasn’ t drafted by an NHL team. He signed a free agent deal with the Minnesota Wild and played one game in 2011-12. He played a season with the Houston Aeros in the AHL and then was dealt to the Washington Capitals where he played a full season with the Caps’ AHL affiliate in Hershey.
At that point, he decided that he wanted to make some money and signed with the KHL’ s Dinamo Riga. He played the 2014-15 season in Riga, then signed with Spartak Moscow. After a year in Moscow, he signed with Jokerit Helsinki. After a year in Finland, he signed another deal with Lada Togliatti in Tolyatti, Russia. He’ s played for four different KHL teams in four years.
Since Christmas of 2016, Genoway has played in the Spengler Cup and in three other international events.
Howden comes from a successful hockey family. He’ s a former first-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers( 25th overall in 2010) and his brother Brett, who just won gold with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, was the first round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning( 27th overall). Quinton, who once played on a World Junior Championship team with Jets star Mark Scheifele, is just 24 and has 10 goals and 17 points in 97 NHL games.
He says he was a little shocked to get the Olympic call.“ I was shocked. It was a pretty special moment,” Howden told reporters.“ Honestly, when I first got invited to one of the Olympic tryout camps I thought,‘ Wow! They’ re actually considering me,’ And I just wanted to do everything I could to be a part of this team.”
Howden grew up in Oakbank, played in the Springfield Minor Hockey system and had a great year with the Eastman Selects Triple A Midget cub before heading off to play for the Western Hockey League’ s Moose Jaw Warriors.
After being drafted by the Panthers, he kicked around the AHL and NHL and spent the 2016-17 season with the Manitoba Moose. Although he played five games with the Jets that year, he played 58 with the Moose and when it ended, he knew it was time to chase a big European contract. So he signed with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL this season. In 49 games he already has 15 goals and 29 points.“ My speed is my asset,” Quinton said.“ I try to get in on the forecheck as hard as I can and try to be competitive on every shift.
“ I try to play good defense and I love to play a penaltykilling role. Basically, I just use my speed and push the opponents’ D-men back as much as I can.”
During the Olympic team news conference, head coach Willie Desjardins had an interesting comment about the type of young men who will make up Canada’ s 2018 Olympic team. It is an experienced team that has played 5,544 games of International hockey and averages 31 years of age. The team has an average height of 6-foot-0 and an average weight of 194 pounds. The
players have won a total of 24 major international and North American championships including a Stanley Cup and 14 Spengler Cups.
“ All of our players, somewhere along the line have been told,‘ No,’” Desjardins said.“ They’ re not going to get a chance to continue their NHL careers or maybe even start one. But like a lot of other Canadians, they’ ve managed to battle back. They’ ve stuck with it and they’ ve decided that they won’ t give up. That’ s what our team is about. It’ s about guys who have all been told‘ No thank you,’ but found a way to turn it into a‘ Yes, sir.’ And they are all going to the Games to win gold for Canada.” ❍
QUINTON HOWDEN WITH THE JETS
CHAY GENOWAY WITH TEAM CANADA IN THE SPENGLER CUP
102 | GAME ON | REGULAR SEASON EDITION 2018