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Sports Oakville Beaver By Adrian Barclay SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 2006 37 Zamuner a mentor for Aussie hockey youth and growing Australian hockey," Zamuner said. "Davey looks just like a pure athlete so for him to have an hen former Canadian interest in hockey, I think, is very Olympian and 13-season important for the sport. I can see NHL veteran Rob Zamuner already at a young age that there are announced that he would be arriving certain intangibles that players have in Australia to play with the Brisbane for any different sport, and he certainBlue Tongues, it created a lot of excite- ly has that for hockey" Zamuner has long been involved ment in the southern continent's with junior players, and states that hockey community. The Australian Ice Hockey League coaching is something he will look to (AIHL) had a new star to help publi- pursue when he returns to North cize the league, while the Blue America. He always made himself Tongues gained local media attention available for assisting junior development during his NHL career, and and an attraction for the fans. undoubtedly was a strong All that aside, "For locally-based influence on countless Zamuner's arrival is also youngsters. an opportunity for Queenslanders, it "Every summer I Australia's young players gives them all would do a lot of work to learn from somebody something to with different hockey who has experienced aspire to." camps and working with hockey at its highest young players," he said. level, and what it takes to Ice Hockey "It's really quite enjoyable perform and stay at that Queensland president when you see young kids level for a long period of Butch Cooney wanting to learn and gettime. "I think with the experience I've ting better over the course of a week had watching other players, you learn or two of hockey camp." Butch Cooney, president of Ice how good players are successful and I think a lot of that is very subtle differ- Hockey Queensland, knows the beneences like working hard and disci- fit that a player like Zamuner can have pline," the Oakville native said recent- on junior development in the state. "I think it gives them a goal to ly from his temporary home on Queensland's Gold Coast. "If I can aspire to," said Cooney. "If I was a junshow those qualities, maybe the ior kid looking at someone who had young players from Australia can ben- been to those heights, it would give me something to hone my priorities efit from that." on." Influence on young duo A hockey camp involving Zamuner His influence will likely be most is in the works, and should attract a beneficial to the two Australian junior lot of attention amongst the junior representatives who are his team- hockey community. In the meantime, Zamuner's presmates with the Blue Tongues, forward Davey Upton and goaltender Brenton ence in Australia will likely encourCooney. Both youngsters have spent age and inspire hockey players of all time in Canada to develop their game, ages to work hard and earn a place on with Upton spending a season in one of the AIHL teams as the league midget AAA with the Lethbridge gathers increasing momentum and Hurricanes and Cooney currently a status. "It's pretty awesome, even for our senmember of Edmonton's South Fort ior players to be playing with and against Chevy's. In his limited time with the squad, someone of his calibre," said Cooney. Zamuner can already see the potential "For locally-based Queenslanders, it gives them all something to aspire to." in the pair. He's the veteran now that the jun"Absolutely. Both are young players that hopefully will be instrumental ior players are looking up to, but in having young kids look up to them Zamuner remembers a time when he W CLAIRE DE GROOT/ DE GROOT PHOTOGRAPHY SOUTHERN STAR: Oakville native and former NHLer Rob Zamuner is currently playing hockey in Australia with the Brisbane Blue Tongues. was the young athlete looking for inspiration. It was then that he recognized what he considers to be one of the keys to success: never stop learning. "I know I broke in with New York (Rangers) in the early '90s, watching how Mark Messier conducts himself, how he works," he said. "In the '98 Olympics watching Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic, those types of players, working hard and how they play... right down to your last NHL game you're still learning. When you stop learning and know everything that's when you're in trouble." It is advice like this that Australian hockey officials hope will stick in the minds of their developing players, and also perhaps in the minds of new junior recruits that sign up to play hockey after watching a player like Zamuner in action. It is seen as another positive step in the advancement of the Australian game, and Zamuner himself believes the best is yet to come from Aussie hockey. "What I see is that the players that play have a lot of passion for it and they play for the love of the game," he said. "I think that if the numbers continue to grow, the quality will rise with that."