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![Manchester Monarchs [AHL]](/graphics/hockey/Headers/ahl/monarchsheader.gif)
Human
Seesaw
Despite the up and down career, Manchester Monarch
defenseman Bryan Muir remains positive in his quest to hoist the Stanley Cup
once again.
Steve Craig
MinorLeagueNews.com
 |
04.01.04
- Manchester, N.H.– It’s a good thing, too, because his hockey career has been similar to a boy’s favorite toys. You know the ones. Yo-yo. Bouncing ball. Teeter-totter. Just when it seems he’s up, back down he comes. |
For an example, consider the events of Feb. 9, 2004:
Muir is in Grand Rapids, Mich., one of four Manchester Monarchs playing in the AHL All-Star Game that night. It’s Muir’s first-ever all-star game and he’ll be starting for the Canadian All-Stars.
That same day his parent club, the Los Angeles Kings, with whom he signed an unrestricted free agent contract in the off-season, decides it needs to recall two defensemen from Manchester.
Muir, the all-star, isn’t tabbed.
Instead, his more youthful teammates Tim Gleason, 21, and Tomas Zizka, 24, are packing for the NHL.
Prior to the all-star game, Muir discussed his career at length for MLN. The discussion included how he’s handled playing for 12 different teams, including six NHL clubs, in his nine seasons as a professional.
The repeated process of being called up and sent down was one of the primary topics.
“There’s things you can’t control and as my age has gotten older here in the game, if you let things like that affect you, you’re worse for it. You don’t benefit from anger.” Muir said. “There’s certain forces that happen in the universe that just take things where they may. I’m going to do the best I can as a player to play the best I can on the ice and help this team win here.”
One area where Muir has improved this season is his offensive production.
He has always been the possessor of a wicked slapshot. In fact, during one brief NHL stint early in his career he registered 101.9 mph slapper in a skills competition.
This season he’s been more accurate and more of a playmaker, with 7 goals and 20 assists, to go with a plus-11 plus/minus ratio in 44 games with the Monarchs.
Unfortunately, even his improved scoring has been on an up-and-down track. The leading scorer among AHL defensemen when he was voted an all-star starter, Muir recently had a streak where he tallied just three points in 13 games.
Consistency, or lack of it, is a key reason why the rangy 6-foot-4 defenseman from Winnipeg, via the University of New Hampshire, is a member of the AHL-NHL shuttle club.
“He’s a very smart hockey player. He thinks the game well,” Monarchs head coach Bruce Boudreau said of Muir. “When he’s motivated, he’s an elite player.”
“There’s 82 games in a year. He’s played and (Boudreau) understands it. It’s a long season,” Muir said when told of his coach’s pointed praise. “There are some games when I’ve got to maintain my consistency. A lot of players have that problem. You’ve got to play game-in and game-out and I take that as something I need to work on. If I can maintain that eliteness throughout the year I’ll be better as a player for it.”
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