charlio lemieux
12-22-05, 4:51 PM
This article is about the Canadians who play for Italy.
Torontonian Joe Busillo to captain Italy's Olympic hockey team
posted December 22 @ 16:26, EST
(CP) - When Joe Sakic leans into the centre-ice dot for Canada's opening faceoff of the Olympic hockey tournament against Italy on Feb. 15, he's likely to be battling Jason Cirone of Toronto for the puck.
Who?
Hockey fans in Winnipeg might recall the name. Cirone had a cup of NHL coffee with the Jets when he played three games during the 1991-92 season.
He's 34 now, and on Thursday he was one of nine Canadian-born players named to Italy's Olympic team.
The captain is 35-year-old forward Joe Busillo of Toronto, who stars with the Milan Vipers. Busillo was on the 1990 Memorial Cup-champion Oshawa Generals team with Eric Lindros.
The others who will don Italian uniforms are goaltender Jason Muzzatti of Toronto, defencemen Andre Signoretti of Manotick, Ont., and Carter Trevisani of Carlisle, Ont., and forwards Mario Chitarroni of Toronto, John Parco of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Giulio Scandella of Montreal and Anthony Iob of Renfrew, Ont.
"It'll be like David going against Goliath," assistant coach Ron Ivany of Guelph, Ont., says of the Italy-Canada contest.
The only reason the guys in the baby blue shirts will be in the tournament is because Italy is the host country. Canada is No. 1 and Italy is No. 19 in IIHF world rankings, but don't entirely discount this band of no-name underdogs.
"If you're comparing us to the teams we're up against, man for man, we're certainly not on the same level, but as a team we've been preparing for a couple of years for this," says Ivany. "It proved in our exhibition games that we can hold our own with a lot of elite teams."
Mickey Goulet, formerly coach at the University of Ottawa, is Italy's head coach.
Canada has never lost a game to Italy, although two world championship games ended in ties - 3-3 in 1982 in Finland, and 2-2 in 1995 in Sweden.
"We're not going to be putting a lot of pucks past anybody," says Ivany. "If we can keep scores low, that's where we'll have our best chance.
"We're going to try and play a system that will, hopefully, make it difficult to play against us. The odds won't be in our favour but it's a team game and a lot of things can happen. We'll be hoping for that little miracle."
Cirone played major junior hockey for the Cornwall Royals and the Windsor Spitfires and was in the AHL at Moncton when he got called up for his cameo with the Jets.
The five-foot-10 centre played for pro clubs in Alabama, Ohio, California, New York, Missouri - he had a 42-goal IHL season with the Kansas City Blades in 1998-99 - and Germany before landing in Italy five years ago. He plays for the Asiago club.
"Jason is probably one of our smartest players," says Ivany. "He's exceptionally strong on his skates, tough to move off the puck, a great faceoff guy and an excellent playmaker."
Sounds as if the Leafs could use him.
Look out, Sakic!
Busillo has spent his entire pro career in Europe, playing in Italy, Germany, Britain and in Italy again.
"He's a grinder," says Ivany. "He works the boards and the corners really well and fishes the puck out for his linemates.
"He's a physical presence."
Muzzatti, 35, was Calgary's first pick, 21st overall, in the 1988 NHL entry draft. He played 62 big-league games with the Flames, Whalers, Rangers and Sharks in the 1990s. He's with the Balzano Foxes now.
"Muzzatti and Gunther Hell are trying to be No. 1," says Ivany. "We're not sure who is going to be our No. 1."
Signoretti, 26, is only five-foot-nine so he'll be one of the smallest defencemen in the Olympic tournament. He plays in Cortina.
"He's small but explosive," says Ivany. "He's a great skater and handles the puck exceptionally well."
Trevasani, 23, signed with Asiago after three junior seasons with the Ottawa 67's.
"He's a steady defenceman and has a great shot," says Ivany. "He's instrumental on our power play, moves the puck well. He takes pretty good care of the front of the net."
Chitarroni, 38, scored 54 goals in 63 games with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves in 1986-87. He's worn out several suitcases since. He's Busillo's teammate in Milan now.
"He's a little fireplug," says Ivany. "He's a terrific skater who works his butt off - a great forechecker and penalty killer. He's one of our captains, a real smart veteran player."
Parco, 34, scored 109 goals in three OHL seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 1988 to 1991. He's hop-scotched across the hockey map, including stops in Scotland, Wales and Germany, and has been at Asiago for four years.
"He's made a great career for himself in Europe," says Ivany. "He's a very intellligent player who reads the play well, and he's a good skater who can score."
Scandella, 22, with Asiago now, played in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads and the Rouyn-Norando Huskies and "probably has the most offensive talent on our team," Ivany says of the right-winger.
"He has NHL speed," adds Ivany. "He's always a threat."
Chris Pronger, be aware!
Iob, 34, was the Buffalo Sabres' 10th pick in the 1991 draft. He played at Kingston and the Soo in the OHL. Like Busillo, he's a grinder. He plays for an Austrian club team in Klagenfurt.
Ivany has coached in Europe off and on - mostly on - for the last 26 winters. He and his wife return to Guelph each summer. They have daughters attending universities in St. Catharines and Guelph.
"It's been quite a stint," he says of his time in Europe. "Originally, I thought I was coming over for six months and it's turned into quite a career.
"It's been a fabulous experience, quite an education."
The capper will be the Olympics.
Also named to the roster was Asiago's Lucio Topatigh, 40, the all-time hero of Italian hockey. He's known as The Hawk of the Uplands.
Ed Jovanovski, you've been warned.
Torontonian Joe Busillo to captain Italy's Olympic hockey team
posted December 22 @ 16:26, EST
(CP) - When Joe Sakic leans into the centre-ice dot for Canada's opening faceoff of the Olympic hockey tournament against Italy on Feb. 15, he's likely to be battling Jason Cirone of Toronto for the puck.
Who?
Hockey fans in Winnipeg might recall the name. Cirone had a cup of NHL coffee with the Jets when he played three games during the 1991-92 season.
He's 34 now, and on Thursday he was one of nine Canadian-born players named to Italy's Olympic team.
The captain is 35-year-old forward Joe Busillo of Toronto, who stars with the Milan Vipers. Busillo was on the 1990 Memorial Cup-champion Oshawa Generals team with Eric Lindros.
The others who will don Italian uniforms are goaltender Jason Muzzatti of Toronto, defencemen Andre Signoretti of Manotick, Ont., and Carter Trevisani of Carlisle, Ont., and forwards Mario Chitarroni of Toronto, John Parco of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Giulio Scandella of Montreal and Anthony Iob of Renfrew, Ont.
"It'll be like David going against Goliath," assistant coach Ron Ivany of Guelph, Ont., says of the Italy-Canada contest.
The only reason the guys in the baby blue shirts will be in the tournament is because Italy is the host country. Canada is No. 1 and Italy is No. 19 in IIHF world rankings, but don't entirely discount this band of no-name underdogs.
"If you're comparing us to the teams we're up against, man for man, we're certainly not on the same level, but as a team we've been preparing for a couple of years for this," says Ivany. "It proved in our exhibition games that we can hold our own with a lot of elite teams."
Mickey Goulet, formerly coach at the University of Ottawa, is Italy's head coach.
Canada has never lost a game to Italy, although two world championship games ended in ties - 3-3 in 1982 in Finland, and 2-2 in 1995 in Sweden.
"We're not going to be putting a lot of pucks past anybody," says Ivany. "If we can keep scores low, that's where we'll have our best chance.
"We're going to try and play a system that will, hopefully, make it difficult to play against us. The odds won't be in our favour but it's a team game and a lot of things can happen. We'll be hoping for that little miracle."
Cirone played major junior hockey for the Cornwall Royals and the Windsor Spitfires and was in the AHL at Moncton when he got called up for his cameo with the Jets.
The five-foot-10 centre played for pro clubs in Alabama, Ohio, California, New York, Missouri - he had a 42-goal IHL season with the Kansas City Blades in 1998-99 - and Germany before landing in Italy five years ago. He plays for the Asiago club.
"Jason is probably one of our smartest players," says Ivany. "He's exceptionally strong on his skates, tough to move off the puck, a great faceoff guy and an excellent playmaker."
Sounds as if the Leafs could use him.
Look out, Sakic!
Busillo has spent his entire pro career in Europe, playing in Italy, Germany, Britain and in Italy again.
"He's a grinder," says Ivany. "He works the boards and the corners really well and fishes the puck out for his linemates.
"He's a physical presence."
Muzzatti, 35, was Calgary's first pick, 21st overall, in the 1988 NHL entry draft. He played 62 big-league games with the Flames, Whalers, Rangers and Sharks in the 1990s. He's with the Balzano Foxes now.
"Muzzatti and Gunther Hell are trying to be No. 1," says Ivany. "We're not sure who is going to be our No. 1."
Signoretti, 26, is only five-foot-nine so he'll be one of the smallest defencemen in the Olympic tournament. He plays in Cortina.
"He's small but explosive," says Ivany. "He's a great skater and handles the puck exceptionally well."
Trevasani, 23, signed with Asiago after three junior seasons with the Ottawa 67's.
"He's a steady defenceman and has a great shot," says Ivany. "He's instrumental on our power play, moves the puck well. He takes pretty good care of the front of the net."
Chitarroni, 38, scored 54 goals in 63 games with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves in 1986-87. He's worn out several suitcases since. He's Busillo's teammate in Milan now.
"He's a little fireplug," says Ivany. "He's a terrific skater who works his butt off - a great forechecker and penalty killer. He's one of our captains, a real smart veteran player."
Parco, 34, scored 109 goals in three OHL seasons with the Belleville Bulls from 1988 to 1991. He's hop-scotched across the hockey map, including stops in Scotland, Wales and Germany, and has been at Asiago for four years.
"He's made a great career for himself in Europe," says Ivany. "He's a very intellligent player who reads the play well, and he's a good skater who can score."
Scandella, 22, with Asiago now, played in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads and the Rouyn-Norando Huskies and "probably has the most offensive talent on our team," Ivany says of the right-winger.
"He has NHL speed," adds Ivany. "He's always a threat."
Chris Pronger, be aware!
Iob, 34, was the Buffalo Sabres' 10th pick in the 1991 draft. He played at Kingston and the Soo in the OHL. Like Busillo, he's a grinder. He plays for an Austrian club team in Klagenfurt.
Ivany has coached in Europe off and on - mostly on - for the last 26 winters. He and his wife return to Guelph each summer. They have daughters attending universities in St. Catharines and Guelph.
"It's been quite a stint," he says of his time in Europe. "Originally, I thought I was coming over for six months and it's turned into quite a career.
"It's been a fabulous experience, quite an education."
The capper will be the Olympics.
Also named to the roster was Asiago's Lucio Topatigh, 40, the all-time hero of Italian hockey. He's known as The Hawk of the Uplands.
Ed Jovanovski, you've been warned.