Weinrich hopes for return

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

By SCOTT MARTIN
Staff Writer

By SCOTT MARTIN

Staff Writer

In the last 10 months, Eric Weinrich has traveled to Austria to play hockey, picked up a new hobby and spent a lot more time with his family than he has ever been able to.

Weinrich enjoyed that time immensely, but hopes to spend his time this fall and winter a little bit differently.

The Gardiner native, a 16-year NHL veteran, is optimistic that the players union and owners will come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement soon. The 10-month long lockout forced the cancellation of the 2004-2005 NHL season.

"Almost everyone I talked to, and I saw a lot of guys this weekend at a golf tournament, they all seem to hear the same sort of things, that there is a lot of behind the scenes stuff going on and they are trying to keep it quiet until they hammer out a deal," Weinrich said in a phone interview from his home in New Jersey. "They have to cross the t's and dot the i's. I'm really optimistic. But I was all winter long, too. But from what I'm hearing, they are really close."

The players union and owners have been meeting recently and cleared a few major stumbling blocks in negotiations, including agreeing to a salary-cap system on June 8. With the news he has been hearing lately, Weinrich, a star at North Yarmouth Academy and the University of Maine, has decided to prepare for the season as if training camp will open in August.

"I'm going to approach it like the season is going to start on time," said Weinrich, a 38-year-old defenseman who signed a two-year $3.5 million contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 6, 2004.

Weinrich spent considerable time with this wife Tracy and their two children during the lockout and said if the lockout is extended into the upcoming season, it could affect his status as a player.

"The thing I'm most concerned with, believe it or not, is after having a year off and getting into new things, is at the moment I'm pretty content with not having hockey on my mind," Weinrich said. "If this were to go on for another year, I don't know if I'd have a hard time rekindling that flame.

"As a family, we had a great year together. I did all the things I've missed in the past four years with these guys. I got to go to all the shows and all the school activities and have some real vacations."

During the lockout, Weinrich spent about a month playing hockey in Austria where he signed to play with VSV Villanch of the Austrian Hockey League in February. He played 13 games and had three goals and nine assists.

"It was a great experience, something I've always wanted to do toward the end of my career," Weinrich said.

Weinrich said he enjoyed the atmosphere at the games and that the style of the game was less physical than that played in the NHL.

"We played in real intimate arenas," Weinrich said. "They were comparable to college rinks. The atmosphere, from warmups until the end of the game, was great. People brought in drums and every team had a huge fan club. They'd be yelling and screaming. The town I played in had a lot of history and was known for having a raucous crowd."

During the time off, Weinrich also picked up a new hobby, cycling, which he said has kept him competitive and is something he may like to pursue post career. He did a couple of races, both a little over 20 miles.

"I think that is something I could do the rest of my life," Weinrich said. "I started out in the lowest bracket of amateur racing. I can't imagine getting to that top bracket."

He also spent some time considering his post career options during the lockout, though he didn't want to dive into anything because of the potential for a season. Weinrich said he feels he has a few options once his career is over (he'd like to play at least a couple more years) and that he and Tracy want to be very active.

"I'd be interested in coaching, whether it's in the American (Hockey) League or college or a high school job, all of those things interest me," Weinrich said. "I've got a couple of buddies who run a cycling shop, that might be something I want to tinker with. I've got a whole bunch of different ideas. Once it's over, I'll experiment a little and see which one of those things sparks."

Scott Martin --Ê621-5618

smartin@centralmaine.com