The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 22, 2004 - 5B Grinding Ahead Eric Nystrom, practically born on the ice, is ready to do all the little things nobody else will to keep Michigan's title hopes aflame By Sharad Mattu Daily Sports Writer t least one Ohio State alum was disap- pointed with the Buckeyes' 4-2 win over e Wolverines Saturday night. Eric Nystrom's sister, Marisa, graduated from Ohio State last year. When the two schools met on Michigan Stadium's football field last November, she called Eric when the Buckeyes had cut the deficit to seven points. Like most of the other Wolverine fans attending the game, Eric didn't have much to say at that moment, though after the game he called her back to gloat. But on the ice, there's no doubt where Marisa's allegiance lies. When it comes to ice hockey, she bleeds maize and blue. The fact that his sister is a Buckeye is just about the only qualm a Wolverine fan can have with the junior winger, who has played in all 41 games this season and has 10 goals and 12 assists. __ After a fantastic freshman year, Nystrom was drafted 10th in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames. But over the course of his three years at Michigan, his role in the team's offense has, at best, remained the same. These days he's usually trying to play a physical game, set up his linemates and battle around the net for leftovers. But he doesn't complain or fret about his role like a high draft pick could. And when the Wolverines come up with a dud, as they did against the Buckeyes on Sat- urday, it's not because Eric Nystrom isn't play- ing hard. He was far from his best Saturday night, but he wasn't one of the players who inexplicably weren't ready to play. Eric plays the same way his father, who was an integral part of the New York Islanders dynasty during the early-1980's, did. Anything less than than maximum effort just isn't his style. FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS Eric's parents, Bob and Michele, both say they didn't expect him to still be playing hock- ey. They say that he didn't even like playing the sport at first - it wasn't until his friends started playing that he began to enjoy it. Eric remembers his beginnings in hockey a little differently. Although Eric's dad's playing career ended when Eric was just three, Bob was an assistant coach for two years and then became involved with the Islanders alumni association. The expo- sure to the NHL is something Eric is grateful for. TONY DING/Daily Eric Nystrom's 43 career goals are currently second on the team to fellow junior Dwight 2 Helminen, but his goals have decreased each season. IUNY ,UIN/D lly Eric Nystrom's father, Bob, won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders. Eric's game is very similar to Bob's - they're both gritty, smart players. "I grew up on the ice at the (Nassau) Colise- um," Nystrom said. "Even when I was young and I don't remember, I was on the ice all the time. And then when I got older we got the ice by ourselves. In this big stadium, it would be just me and him and a thousand pucks. It was a blast." Until he went to Ann Arbor his junior year of high school to join the U.S. Developmental Pro- gram, Nystrom continued to learn the sport of hockey from his father. But Bob was always careful about getting too involved. One year, when he coached a team Eric played for, he only coached the defense. "It's very hard to coach your own son," Bob said. "It's so easy to be over- ly critical and make the sport miser- able. I thought it was easier to talk to another coach if I saw something that could help him out. I didn't want to be constantly criticizing him. There were definitely times I would give advice, but I tried not to go too far." There was also another way that Eric learned about hockey indirectly through his father: by immersing him- self in his father's playing days. Bob Nystrom helped the Islanders to four straight championships from 1980 to 1983. He and his teammates were icons in New York at the time, and the Nystrom fami- ly never left Long Island. "I watched the tapes all the time when I was a kid," said Nystrom, who was born in 1983. "I had the stuff the commentators were saying memorized, I watched it so much. I knew every- thing about those teams. I was a die-hard Islanders fan growing up." Nystrom learned so much about hockey from his father, it's no surprise that whenever people talk about his style of play, they immediately compare him to his father. "He was real tough, but he could also put the puck in the net," Eric said of his father, who scored the goal that won New York the Stanley Cup in 1980. "The thing that stands out the most was the way he performed in the playoffs - he was a real clutch player. He wasn't the most skilled guy, but he was a guy his teammates loved to have on their side. "I think my hockey game is really similar to my father's game. We play a similar role and we have similar skills." Eric's teammates recognize these qualities in Eric - and they didn't even see his father play. "He's one of our best two-way players," said senior captain Andy Burnes, who lives in a house with Nystrom and five other Michigan players. "He can put the puck in the net, but he's also always going to make the right play, the smart play. He'll. be the first getting back to pick up someone and he loves to work in the corners. He's a grinder - I think he gets it from his dad." RAISING THE EXPECTATIONS Nystrom claims that his freshman year, when he scored 18 goals, "everything was going in." But there was another reason for his success. Michigan coach Red Berenson makes a con- certed effort to give freshmen a role that they can flourish in, and it worked for Nystrom. He played on a line with juniors Mike Cammalleri and Jed Ortmeyer, and the duo made things easy for him. Nystrom was surprised the following sum- mer when he was taken 10th in the draft. He expected to be taken in the first round, but not that high. The hype surrounding Nystrom his sopho- more year led him to expect big things from himself, and he set goals he couldn't live up to. "I changed my game - I thought I needed to be some sort of super player," Nystrom said. "But when I thought about it, I realized I just need to go back and play my game. They picked me high for what I had done as a freshman and not what I was trying to do the first part of my sophomore year." It took Nystrom half a year to get over his ini- tial struggles, but when he did, things quickly turned around. Ten of his 15 goals came in the second half of the year, and he was instrumental in Michigan's two wins in the NCAA regional at Yost Ice Arena. "He thought things would be easy just because he'd been a high draft pick, when it's really a reason to work even harder," Bob said. "But he got through it and learned from it. I think it was good thing for him to go through. It's a normal and understandable thought process." Berenson had a similar message for Nystrom. "The draft is just a snapshot of where people think you are that day," the coach said. "A month later or a year later or five years later, that changes. It's about all about your develop- ment, not where you are at the start of the race." This year, doubts have crept up again regard- ing Nystrom's progress on Michigan, and whether he might be better off in the Flames' system or even in major junior hockey. Nystrom believes that the pro-style of hockey that the major juniors offer suits him better, but he wants to go to college. Nystrom also disputes the notion that his game hasn't improved. "Every time I step on the ice I feel like I'm getting better," Nystrom said. "I want to say stats are deceiving, and I'm obviously not scor- ing as much, but I feel like everything - my skating, my patience with the puck, my plays with the puck - is so much better than when I first came here." Berenson also believes Nystrom has improved tremendously in his three seasons with the Wolverines, and thinks that his role at Michigan could be the role that he has in the future. "He's a two-way player," Berenson said. "Depending on his development, he could have an inconspicuous NHL career for 10 years by finding a good role on a team that fits him like the one he has here." In Calgary, nobody seems to be worried with Nystrom's progress. "With Calgary, we're very happy with the way Eric's progressing with Michigan," said Calgary's development coach Jamie Hislop, who deals with draft picks before they turn pro. "An example would be a fellow who's playing with our team, Jordan Leopold. He played for the University of Minnesota, and one of his goals was to win the NCAA championship and be the captain. We didn't urge him to turn pro early, and he accomplished his goals. "We're kind of the same with Eric. Those possibilities are there for him and they would be great for him." Hislop believes that the system Michigan plays has affected Eric's offense, but that he has shown poise and character by accepting the role that is best for Michigan, if not him. "They play a left-wing lock, where the left winger locks up one side and has to be a very responsible defensive player," Hislop said. "Eric is just showing he has an ability to play within the system and do what is asked. We do think he's capable of doing more on offense, but that will come." And the probability of an NHL lockout may eliminate the possibility of Nystrom leaving after this year. "Who even knows if there will be an NHL next year, so what would be the point of leav- ing?" Nystrom said. "They're happy with where I am, and Michigan has a good track record with producing players. If the time comes when they weren't happy with the way I'm progress- ing and they wanted to tell me to get out of school, maybe I'd think about it, but I don't think that's going to happen." While his role limits the chances he gets, Nystrom does show occasional flashes on offense. His talents were never more obvious than on Dec. 5 against Michigan State. With just 1:27 left in a scoreless game, Nystrom corralled the puck off the faceoff, hesitated and lifted a wris- ter through traffic and up over Spartan goal- tender Dominic Vicari for the game-winner. The game also demonstrated what Nystrom can do when he's at his best. That day, his line was asked to focus on shutting down a Spartan line that had been scoring frequently. He provid- ed defense to keep the Wolverines in the game, and then he made the difference on offense. THE NEXT MELROSE? Through the ups and downs on the ice, two things won't change: Nystrom will always be optimistic and he'll never get sick of hockey. "He's a cool dude," said winger Milan Gajic, Nystrom's housemate. "He has high expecta- tions for himself and he's working real hard to achieve those goals, but it doesn't consume him. He's definitely having a good time at Michigan." As far as his love for hockey, some things may never change. He watched many of his father's games when he was a kid, and now he's watching NHL games all the time. "He loves his hockey," Burnes said. "Every day he and (Brandon Rogers) have to get their fix in. After practice, until 11 or 12 o'clock, he'll be watching hockey. We've got two TVs set up in the living room and they're always watching hockey." For a guy who's been around the sport from day one, it's easy to wonder whether the love affair could come to an abrupt end, but Nystrom doesn't see that day ever coming. "We certainly get a lot of grief for being (ESPN commentators) Barry Melrose and Dar- ren Pang," Rogers said. "That's what our nick- names have become: Melrose and Panger. "For some reason, it's usually just the two of us watching." I 2004 NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament No. 1 North Dakota No. 1 Maine I I l Friday, 7:30 p.m. No. 4 Holy Cross L 6 I I Friday, 5 p.m. No. 4 Harvard . ..- WEST Colorado Springs, Colorado Saturday 9 p.m. Saturday 6 p.m. EAST Albany, New York FROZEN FOUR Boston, Massachusetts - Fleet Center No. 2 Denver No. 2 Ohio State Friday, 11:00 p.m. No. 3 Miami (OH). Friday, 8:30 p.m. No. 3 Wisconsin 14 No. 1 Minnesota No. 1 Boston College 9 Saturday, 12:00 p.m. No. 4 Notre Dame Saturday, 12 p.m. No. 4 Niagara A r-. r;l 0 1'2