’Hounds homecoming for MVP

Jeff Christian will make his first appearance in Youngstown since being traded.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — The most popular player in Youngstown Steelhounds history will be on the ice this weekend at the Chevrolet Centre.

But this time, Jeff Christian will be wearing a visitors’ uniform.

After the SteelHounds’ second Central Hockey League season ended last spring, the league’s Most Valuable Player was traded to the Tulsa Oilers for the rights to four players.

In the aftermath of the blockbuster trade (perhaps the biggest in CHL history), two of those players — forward Bryan Lachapelle and defenseman Kurtis Dulle — are SteelHounds.

Nearly halfway through the 2007-08 season, Christian this weekend will make his first appearance in Youngstown since the June 21 trade. The Tulsa Oilers (8-16-3) will face off against the SteelHounds (19-8-1) tonight and Friday at 7:05.

“I’m excited to get the chance to see everybody,” said Christian during the Oilers’ 18-hour trip to Ohio. “I’ve kept in touch with a lot of friends there. We really had a good thing there.

“I’m still in touch with the players I knew,” said Christian, mentioning that he recently called to congratulate captain Chris Richards for being selected to the CHL All-Star Game.

In the SteelHounds’ inaugural season, Christian was one of the few bright spots for a team that went 24-35-5. Christian played in all 64 games, scoring 55 goals and assisting on 52 others.

His solid play made him a CHL MVP finalist.

In the offseason when Coach J.F. Laforest resigned about six weeks before training camp, Christian, the players assistant coach, helped team management find Kevin Kaminski to coach.

The SteelHounds improved immediately, thanks to a power play sparked by Christian, Richards and Jeff Alcombrack.

The SteelHounds (34-20-10) finished their second season with 10 more wins and two MVP candidates — Christian and Richards. Christian, the league’s top scorer with 116 points, won the award.

Then came the trade.

Christian said negotiations broke down with the Steelhounds.

“We couldn’t reach an agreement on a new contract,” said Christian, 37.

He wasn’t opposed to the move to Oklahoma because the father of his wife, Dori, lives in Tulsa and the Oilers spend much less time on the road than the SteelHounds.

“The travel situation here is much better,” Christian said. “It’s really tough in Youngstown, especially with a family.”

Another thing different for Christian this season is not being the players assistant coach to Oilers boss Dan Hodge.

“They already had a player assistant and teams are only allowed to have one,” said Christian, who admitted he misses consulting with Kaminski.

This season, the SteelHounds (39 points) are off to their best start, but find themselves in a Northeast Division dogfight with Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (39 points) and the Mississippi Riverkings (37 points).

In the Northwest Division, the Oilers (19 points) trail the third-place Oklahoma City Blazers by 11 points.

Christian’s scoring hasn’t matched his solid numbers with the SteelHounds. So far, he has six goals and 23 assists.

“Obviously, my numbers aren’t there, but recently we’ve gotten untracked,” said Christian, who added he has no plans to retire soon. “We’re getting better. I definitely want to play next year and who knows from there.”

After his playing days end, Christian, who played 18 games in the National Hockey League, is interested in staying in hockey as a coach.

He’s not surprised that the SteelHounds are excelling on the ice.

“They’ve got great leaders in Chris Richards and Jeff Alcombrack,” Christian said. “Kevin Kaminski has done a great job building that team. And it should surprise no one because he has a track record of success.”

williams@vindy.com