Oilers’ therapist pulling double duty
T.D. Forss heads to Manhattan after game to see his daughter perform with famous dancers
NEWARK, N.J. — Edmonton Oilers athletic therapist T.D. Forss had his eyes on his players Thursday in the game with the New Jersey Devils, but Friday morning he’ll have a seat at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan to see daughter Katie, 20, who’ll be making her debut with the world famous Rockettes.
“This is exciting. I’ve never seen the show,” said Forss. “They’re letting me sneak out (of practice) early to watch Katie with my wife and other daughter.”
This is the big leagues. The Rockettes make $2,400 a week, more than any other dancers in New York. They routinely pack in 6,000 for a single performance and Katie’s in one of the two casts, dancing three times for 90 minutes a show Friday.
Katie was born in Spokane, Wash., when Forss was a WHL junior trainer for the Spokane Chiefs for six years and she’s in her junior year at University of Arizona in the fine arts dance program. But now that’s on hold.
She has a four-month contract to dance with the Rockettes, then she’ll see if she’s rehired or she goes back to school. They rehire at least 60 per cent of the girls for a four-month season.
“It’s just like a sports team. They’re owned by MSG so the Rangers, the Knicks, the (WNBA) Liberty. They have docs, therapists, two facilities on the ninth floor at Radio City Music Hall with training tables, cold tubs. Pretty impressive. And a lounge like our players have with a kitchen, change rooms,” said Forss.
Katie, who played volleyball in school, got the Rockettes bug really early.
“There’s three sisters from around the Red Deer area who became Rockettes and when Katie was 14 or 15 and going to learn dance programs from different people, she came home and said ‘mom, that’s what I want to do,’” said Forss. “She came to New York to train three times. It’s called an intensive, it’s like hockey school.”
Drake Caggiula was hobbling around the team hotel Thursday morning with walking boot on his right foot and crutches, but it’s not broken, just very sore after Ryan Pulock nailed him with a shot Tuesday against the New York Islanders.
“He’s actually feeling better today,” said Oilers coach Todd McLellan.
Pulock played junior in Brandon and the book on him from scouts was he had an NHL shot when he was 16 years old. He’s probably in the top five hardest shooters from the blue line in the NHL.
Jujhar Khaira sat for the ninth time in 15 games, which is counter-productive to his development. But he hasn’t shown coach Todd McLellan nearly enough to get into the lineup. He’d like him to be playing like farmhand callup Brad Malone, tough-nosed, bringing lots of grit and energy. “Absolutely,” said McLellan. That doesn’t appear to be in his DNA, right now, anyway.
"It’s time,” said McLellan, clearly exasperated with the young forward.
He should be playing somewhere rather than sitting, but the Oilers seem worried if they put him on waivers and send him to Bakersfield somebody might take him, which seems a long shot.
Hockey Canada boss Tom Renney, the ex-Oilers head coach and coach of Canada’s Olympic team, is eternally grateful to Clare Drake.
“In ’92-93 and ’93-94 Clare would drive down the Calgary highway by himself or sometimes with Billy Moores twice a week during our training blocks,” said Renney. “Clare had as much to do with the development of our ’94 Olympic team as any single individual. He helped teach the right things the right way for the right reason.”
This ’n that: St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, who has watched the Rangers the last two games, dropped by the Oiler game Thursday. Does he have a winger with some speed the Oilers could use?