Here's Why Chris DiDomenico Became Embry's Destiny

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With the real Chris DiDomenico (35), Ambri will almost certainly beat SCB by more than just one point (2:3 nV). So the question for Embry's sporting fate is: Does “DiDo” still have enough energy to celebrate his best hockey, or will his commitment end up being just a romantic move?

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Against SCB, coach Luca Cereda used Chris DiDomenico to play alongside Dominik Kubalik for the first time. The Canadiens made it 1-0 in the 13th minute, overcoming the best SCB defense around league leading scorer Austin Czarnik. His first goal for Embry. He would finish with a +1 record and nearly 20 minutes of playing time. But he couldn't score the second goal. Last Monday, Luca Seda learned from his sporting director Paul Duca that there was a possibility of swapping Gotron's Jakob Ligia for Chris Didomenico.

Canadians lived up to expectations. “He always wants to win. Even small games in training. With this passion, he becomes a role model and is especially inspiring to our younger players.”

So far, happy with the new addition: Luca Cereda.Image: trapezoid

The question now is: How much more can Chris DiDomenico do on the ice? Luca Cereda certainly sees potential for improvement. “We're still in the understanding phase and have to figure out what line compositions he can best bring to us.”

“DiDo” certainly isn't a questionable player. In Biel, the Canadians tied the score at 1:1 (29th minute) with a penalty kick, thus turning the game into an overtime defeat (1:2).

Three games, one goal, plus-1 record, average ice time of 20:56, the most ice time of any forward: his stats will soon be better than Gotron (16 game/9 points, minus 3 points, minus 18 points): 28 minutes of ice time). He can count on having a regular spot. If there had to be a foreigner in the stands, it would be either Finnish goalkeeper Jani Juvonen or Canadian forward Philippe Meyer.

Did Chris DiDomenico escape Gotron or was he “driven away”? The truth is probably somewhere in between: He no longer feels his coach's unconditional trust. Whether this trust is missing because of poor performance, or whether a lack of trust leads to poor performance: this question, as well as the question of which came first, the egg or the chicken, can be debated.

Chris DiDomenico said his agent has taken care of the matter and is looking for a new club. After lunch last Monday he was told he was moving to Embry. Including his junior year, this is his 10th transfer this season. So no reason to get excited. He now lives in Bellinzona (“a good place”) and feels comfortable with his new employer.

Embry won just three of the 60 minutes but still scored in the other nine. This shows that the team is “effective” but is in danger almost every game. Foreigners will always make up the difference, and wrongly appointing foreigners to the position can ruin the season.

As is often the case, there is little missing but too much for three points: Embry's players after the extra-time win over Bern.Image: trapezoid

As the game against Bern showed: Embry is more dependent on the real Chris DiDomenico than Gautrone was before, and cannot afford a romantic transfer. The blow to his ego was the oxygen to his game and passion. He'll get it from Luca Sereda and Paulo Duca.

The contract expires at the end of the season. The aging leader almost certainly has a future only in the top flight at Embry. Either he shocked Leventina, or, if he wants to stay in Switzerland, his only future is in the Swiss league. Then the circle will close. He came to Langnau (then NLB) from Italy during the 2013/14 season. Currently, he has played more than 450 National League games for Langnau, Gottéron, SC Bern and Ambri, scoring more than 400 points and accounting for nearly 700 penalty minutes.

Chris DiDomenico will almost certainly give Leventina more shock. Nothing motivates a player more than an expiring contract. Current example: Bern's Simon Moser (35) contributed 8 goals and 8 assists in 52 games last season with an average playing time of 15 minutes and 16 seconds and a negative record (-8). Now, with playing time reduced (13 minutes and 19 seconds) and temporarily demoted to the 4th line, he has scored 3 goals and 5 assists in 19 games and has a positive rating (+9). So he's better than he was last year and will remain that way at least until he signs a new contract.

Sometimes, the hockey industry isn't hard to understand, and player motivation isn't rocket science.

• 7

  A leader who can decide games and make his team better on and off the ice.

• 6-7

  A talented player who can decide a game on a good night and is a leader.

• 5-6

  A good NL player: usually a rainbow butterfly of talent, sometimes a serious worker who brings out a lot of talent.

• 4-5

  Players on the third or fourth block, veterans or newcomers.

• 3-4

  The future is still ahead of you, or the future is already behind you.

• The rating is based on the North American Hockey Grading Scale, ranging from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). There are no levels below level 3, because those who play in the top leagues are at least barely adequate.

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