25-летний нападающий Герберт Васильевс, не оставляющий своих надежд закрепиться в НХЛ, подписал сегодня контракт с "Ванкувер Кэнакс". Финансовые условия сделки не были оглашены. 

Следующий сезон станет для уроженца Риги уже пятым на катках Северной Америки, но за это время Герберт сыграл всего лишь 33 матча в НХЛ, проводя большую часть чемпионатов в дочерних командах в АХЛ и ИХЛ. В 2000-01 годах Васильевс забросил 5 шайб и сделал 4 точные передачи в составе "Атланты Трэшерс", однако после завершения сезона руководство команды не сделало ему квалификационного предложения и Герберт получил статус свободного неограниченного агента. По старому контракту он получал $440.000 долларов в год. 

Свои лучшие результаты в Америке Васильевс показал в 1998-99 гг, играя за "Кентуки" в АХЛ, когда в 76 играх на его счету было 76 очков (28+48). 

Трезво оценивая ситуацию, можно предположить, что и в "Ванкувере" Васильевсу вряд ли удастся закрепиться в основном составе и он снова пополнит ряды фарм-клуба. 

18 сентября 2001 года.
Scoring blitz by Latvian welcomed // Winnipeg Sun

Vasiljevs top camp sniper 

GRANT GRANGER 

BURNABY, B.C. -- If Herbert Vasiljevs keeps up the scoring rate he's established at this year's Vancouver Canucks training camp, there will all be a sudden spurt in the number of Latvian lovers around town. 

If the native of Riga, Latvia, happens to be assigned to the Manitoba Moose instead, there just might be quite a few in Winnipeg, too. 

Vasiljevs, who led camp scoring with seven goals, was signed this summer as a free agent. He played most of last two seasons for the Orlando Solar Bears, Atlanta's IHL farm club. 

"I wanted to stay in Atlanta, but they didn't offer me a contract. So Vancouver popped up and asked about me. I'd rather go to Vancouver, a team that wants me, than re-sign with a team that doesn't want me," said Vasiljevs, 25. "I guess (Atlanta) had so many guys that were first- rounders and signing them was a problem. It came as a surprise to me, but it worked out good for me so I'm not bitching about it." 

Neither is Vancouver. The Canucks are scoring-challenged so when Vasiljevs started sniping in camp like he was the second coming of Mike Bossy they took notice. Vasiljevs' versatility -- he's a centre who can play both wings -- also helps because Vancouver has more centres than a box of Timbits. So now it's up to Vasiljevs to continue his scrimmage success in pre-season games, the first of which should come tomorrow against Phoenix. 

"You've got to do it during the season, too. You can't take a day off," said Vasiljevs, whose plus-17 was second-best on the Bears last season. 

"It's not like if you don't score goals you don't say, 'Oh, (heck), I'm not going to make it now.' That is not the case. You've got to be responsible defensively, make good plays offensively and you've got to read the game and be smart." 

'AMAZING' 

Last year, Vasiljevs notched nine points in 21 games for Atlanta after collecting 48 (22-26) in 58 with Orlando. Vasiljevs also contributed eight goals and three assists in 12 games during the Solar Bears' IHL 
championship run. 

"Last year was amazing, the team was great and to go as far as we went was unbelievable," he said. 

Vasiljevs left Latvia in 1995 to join the Guelph Storm in the OHL. Although he's bounced around a bit with 33 NHL games and 340 in the minors, Vasiljevs has loved life over here. 

"It's been a blast since Day 1," grinned Vasiljevs. 

"The first (pro) season (after signing with Florida) may have been disappointing because I was injured. But from that point it's just been better and better. I enjoy playing every year, competing for a spot in the NHL, and at some point I'll get it." 

Vasiljevs insisted he'll only be a little disappointed if he starts the season in Manitoba. 

"I won't get discouraged," said Vasiljevs. 

"It doesn't mean if I start in Manitoba I can't be called up and play 65 games here. It just means I've got to work a little harder to get up here and then show these guys I can."

21 ноября 2001 года.
Vasiljevs hoping to build a winning tradition // Winnipeg Sun

By KEN WIEBE 

It didn't take Herbert Vasiljevs much time to make an impression on his new Manitoba Moose teammates. 

The gifted forward needed just 100 seconds to record his first goal against the Hamilton Bulldogs last Friday at the Winnipeg Arena. 

"It was nice to get the team going and get off to a good start," said Vasiljevs, who had played in 11 games with the Vancouver Canucks before he was assigned to the Moose last week. 

But making -- and subsequently, leaving an impression -- is nothing new for the talented Latvian. 

As an 18-year old, he was a fan favourite in the Deutschland Elite League with the Krefield Penguins. 

The following season, he made the pilgrimage to North America, suiting up with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. 

"It was tough, I didn't know what to expect," said Vasiljevs, who played for Latvia in the world championships in 1998 and 2000. "I was just thrown in the cold water. I was a little afraid at the beginning." 

But he quickly learned how to swim, scoring 67 points in 65 games with Guelph before advancing to the pro ranks the following year. 

Vasiljevs played in 33 NHL games over the past three seasons, including 21 last year with the Atlanta Thrashers. 

However, when he played well enough during training camp to crack the Canucks roster, it was the first time he opened the campaign in the NHL. 

AMAZING 

"Just sticking with the team was a thrill," said Vasiljevs, who scored three goals for Vancouver. "Seeing the first game in person, the crowd is going, it was amazing. You had butterflies in your stomach. It was the highlight of the season." 

The highlight reel has been filling up over the past few years. 

And last season, Vasiljevs had the opportunity to sip from the Turner Cup before the league folded as the Orlando Solar Bears captured the crown. 

"You can't even describe how good it felt," he explained. "Everyone was so together." 

The confidence he gained from winning the championship helped Vasiljevs prepare during the summer months for his new challenge with the Canucks organization. 

"You know you can beat somebody in any league," said Vasiljevs, who had eight goals and 11 points in 12 playoff games. "You were the best and you carry it over to the next season. You win your last game and you want to keep it going." 

His only disappointment was not getting to bring the Cup back home to his home in Latvia. 

Because the league ceased operations, there was no summer tour and apparently, that's a good thing for those people at the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

"They probably thought somebody was going to take it home or steal it or something like that," said Vasiljevs, 25. "Actually the guys were talking like that. Our captain (Todd Richards) said 'if you guys don't see the Cup come by my house and you can see it on display.' " 

14 декабря 2001 года.
The guy deserves a break. Vasiljevs itchin' to play in Olys // Winnipeg Sun

By PAUL FRIESEN 

Ask Herbert Vasiljevs about growing up in Latvia, and he'll tell you a story that could just as well be from small-town Canada. 

He and his younger brother, Robert, would get home from school, hurry through their homework and head out for a little street hockey. 

Always, there were at least half a dozen kids from their neighbourhood in Riga, raring to go. They'd make goals out of anything that was lying around, and they'd play until their mums called them home for supper, or bed. 

It was a simpler time, in many ways. Although his homeland was still under Soviet rule, Vasiljevs recalls growing up without any real worries or pressures. 

Today, his homeland has its independence, and so does Vasiljevs -- a 25-year-old who married a North American girl and plays hockey for a living in Canada, which took him in as a wide-eyed teenager hoping to reach the NHL. 

He got there, all right -- Vasiljevs has 51 big-league games under his belt, including 18 with Vancouver this season. 

Staying there has been another story. 

Nine days ago, Vasiljevs was reassigned to the Manitoba Moose, his seventh minor-league stop in six years. 

Talking to him, though, doesn't give you the impression he's unhappy. Far from it, actually. 

'ONLY DREAM' 

"Some guys can only dream to be in this situation," Vasiljevs said yesterday. 

Vasiljevs has another dream, one that has less to do with the business of hockey than it does with the love of his country. 

In two months, Latvia will play in the preliminary round of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Vasiljevs, who played for his country in the 2000 world championship, would love to help it try to reach the main event. 

"It's amazing to represent your country," he said. "Ask anyone how it feels. It would be one of the highlights. It's not every year you get a chance. It's not even every four years Latvia makes it." 

You only have to listen to Vasiljevs talk about his homeland to see how he feels about it. 

REMNANTS OF WAR 

Every summer, he goes back, meeting up with his parents and brother, who live in Germany now. As he looks around at buildings dating back hundreds of years, and at some of the remnants of war that remain, Vasiljevs feels for a nation going through the growing pains of independence. 

"When (the Eastern Bloc) started breaking up, that's when there started being rich and poor people," he said. "That's when everyone started looking at other countries and saying, 'Look what they have.' 

"But we wanted our freedom. Now, year to year, it's getting better. We don't have to rely on Russia anymore." 

Latvia sounds like a country that could really use the morale boost of an Olympic appearance by its best players, like NHLers Arturs Irbe, Sandis Ozolinsh and Canucks goalie Peter Skudra. 

And Vasiljevs. 

There's only one problem. 

The NHL isn't taking its Olympic break until after the preliminary round. 

And most teams, Vancouver included, have said they won't allow players to leave if it conflicts with their paying jobs. 

Vasiljevs, who hasn't been formally asked to play for Latvia yet, has already checked the calendars of both the Moose and Canucks. 

If the Canucks hold firm, it appears the best he'd be able to do is suit up for just one of Latvia's three games. 

"You just can't say, 'I'm going,' and leave the team here," he said. "I can't throw everything I worked for away for a couple of games for Team Latvia. It would be a bonus to play in it. But I won't break a leg for it." 

Or a contract, it appears. 

He shouldn't have to. 

The Canucks should give him a break, and let him go. 

After all, they're developing players, and what better way to develop than to play against the best in the world? 

9 января 2002 года.
Васильевс получил разрешение от "Ванкувера" на поездку в Солт-Лэйк Сити. 

Геберт Васильевс, 25-летний рижанин, играющий в последнее время за "Монитобу Муз" (АХЛ), получил официальное разрешение от своего НХЛ-овского клуба "Ванкувер Кэнакс" на участие в предварительных матчах олимпийского турнира в Солт-Лэйк Сити в составе сборной Латвии. Правда Браян Бурк, генеральный менеджер "Кэнакс" оставил для себя путь к отступлению - если Васильевс будет вызван в "Ванкувер", на Олимпиаду он не поедет. 

"Для меня это будет прекрасная возможность и единственный шанс в жизни попасть на Игры," - сказал Васильевс, не думающий на короткое время об НХЛ. "Для всех латышей это запоминающийся момент в их жизни. У нас замечательные болельщики, ждавшие этого с того дня как наша страна снова стала свободной. . . Я люблю играть за национальную сборную и всегда приезжаю на чемпионаты мира, но Олимпиада это совсем другой уровень". 

Тем временем, президент Латвийской Федерации Хоккея на льду Кировс Липманс и старший тренер национальной сборной Курт Линдстрём посетят США и попытаются уговорить руководителей команд НХЛ, в которых играют латышские хоккеисты, отпустить игроков на Олимпиаду. 

В "Нэшвилле" выступает защитник Карлис Скрастыньш, в "Миннесоте" - форвард Сергей Жолток, в "Ванкувере" - вратарь Питер Скудра и в "Каролине" - голкипер Артурс Ирбе и защитник Сандис Озолиньш. 

"С этими игроками у нас есть шанс пробиться во второй круг. Без них у нас будут проблемы," - заявил Липманс, который будет в Нэшвилле 10 января на матче "Нэшвилл" - "Миннесота" и 12 января в Ванкувере, где встретятся "Кэнакс" и "Каролина Хёрракейнс". 

В последний раз сборная Латвии принимала участие на Олимпийских Играх в 1936 году. Небольшая прибалтийская страна с населением в $2.5 миллиона человек, получила независимость от СССР в 1991 году.

5 февраля 2002 года.
Латвия может остаться без Васильевса. 

Нападающий "Манитобы Муз" Херберт Васильевс планировал уже сегодня быть в Солт-Лэйк Сити и присоединиться к олимпийской сборной Латвии, но вместо этого ему пришлось отправиться в Виннипег на медицинское обследование. Латышский форвард, набирающий в среднем почти по очку за матч в "Манитобе", получил травму во вчерашнем матче АХЛ против "Квебек Цитаделлс". в столкновении колено в колено с защитником соперников Мэттом О`Деттем. Херберт не смог самостоятельно покинуть лёд и теперь для передвижения ему нужны костыли. 

Потеря Васильевса может стать серьёзным ударом по шансам сборной Латвии в попадание в первую восьмёрку. Васильевс имеет незаменимый опыт игры за национальную команду, в 1998 и 2000 годах он выступал на чемпионатах мира, и после Сергея Жолтка из "Миннесоты Уайлд", является лучшим латышским нападающим, играющим в Северной Америке. 

По словам Васльевса, разговаривавшего с канадскими журналистами за несколько часов до матча с "Квебеком", сборная Латвии может удивить многих на предстоящей Олимпиаде. Главная преимущество команды сыгранность, за исключением игроков в НХЛ, хоккеисты часто играют вместе и хорошо знают своих партнёров. Главный конкурент для латышей на предварительном этапе - сборная Словакии. Эти команды встречаются между собой в воскресенье, 10 февраля. 

"В жизни может представиться лишь одна возможность сыграть (на Олимпийских Играх) и почувствовать гордость за свою страну. Это шанс показать свою страну, показать себя и не только в роли хоккеистов," - сказал Хеберт. 

К сожалению, вполне возможно что Васильевсу так и не удастся примерить форму латышской команды в Солт-Лэйк Сити.