They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
But James Stefan may feel a little behind the proverbial 8-ball in that department, when he showed up for Edmonton Oilers rookie camp taking place in Penticton, B.C., this week.
After all, hockey fans in Edmonton are more than a little familiar with his last name, given his father’s involvement in what could end up going down as the most embarrassing play in NHL history.
Drafted first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999, Patrik Stefan will forever be remembered for one visit to Edmonton while playing for the Dallas Stars on Jan. 4, 2007.
With the Stars leading 5-4 in the dying seconds of regulation, the hockey gods decided to smite Stefan as he skated in on a breakaway toward an empty net, looking to seal the deal.
Instead, as he casually made his way toward the crease with everyone else on the ice having already given up on the play, the frozen rubber took an untimely bounce out of nowhere just as he went to steer it in.
In about the worst broadside-meet-barn moment ever caught on film, Stefan realized what was happening but couldn’t recover in time and, instead, came crashing to the ice while simultaneously sending the puck straight to Oilers forward Jarret Stoll.
Stoll sent it ahead to Ryan Smyth, who then found Ales Hemsky for the game-tying goal with two seconds remaining.
Thankfully, for Stefan’s sake, the Stars ended up winning in the shootout after all. But the end result was small consolation any time the blooper reels roll.
“They may show it a million times for years to come,” the player-turned player agent famously said.
Of course, the sins of the father in no way reflect upon the son, as James now looks to give the family a fresh start and begin the journey to make his own name for himself.
He was in Edmonton in early July with fellow Oilers prospective players attending development camp, which this year consisted of entirely off-ice activities, testing and conditioning.
A true rookie, these past few months have offered him his first up-close glimpse into the professional ranks.
“For me, coming in for the first time, the biggest thing is just meeting everyone and getting to know everyone on a personal level, because I’ll be dealing with these people for a long time. So, that’s just kind of the No. 1 goal,” James said. “And then obviously just educate myself. I mean, everyone here is just super wise and knows a lot. So, educate myself and listen to what everyone says the best that I can.”
The six-foot winger is coming off a season with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League where he finished in the top five in league scoring, with 50 goals on the way to a career-high 101 points.
But scoring points wasn’t the only point he’s been focusing on.
“Just putting myself with a complete game, I wanted to work on my defensive side of the game a little bit and also kind of bring my offensive side,” he said. “And I feel like I’ve just brought everything together for my last season and, yeah, it kind of worked out.
“I would say I’m a skilled winger, good vision, a shooter first. I love to finish all over the ice and have good compete.”
One of 14 forwards at rookie camp, James is testing those talents against fellow prospects the Oilers have been keeping their eyes on.
“We’re kind of all in the same position here, all fighting to work our way up in the organization,” he said.
However long it takes to find his ceiling, James said the focus remains on taking the next steps.
“Just work on my speed and my strength,” he said. “The next level, in pro hockey, is super fast, super strong players and a lot older, so just working on areas I can get better at, get stronger.”
And hopefully avoid winding up on too many blooper reels along the way
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge