Gunner's Web Blog

Moving time

2006-10-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

I've had it with Blogger and have moved my blog to 8feet.ca. I haven't gotten the chance to move all my previous posts as of yet, but should have it there soon. See you there.

Trash talk

2006-10-27T13:11:00.000-04:00

Bruins fans sick of the garbage they've been watching, vented their frustrations last night following a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Canadians. Andrei Markov scored the game winner with 1.2 seconds left on the clock which proved to be too much for Boston faithful. Fans showered the ice with all manner of trash which prompted officials to let the clock run out without a final face-off. With that loss, Boston is now tied with the Flyers for last in Eastern conference. It was this same kind of start last year that prompted the team to trade all-star Joe Thornton to San Jose. Who knows what Boston has in mind this year to reverse their fortunes. A good idea might be to start trading off their older assets and starting rebuilding in earnest. God help this club, lord knows they can't seem to help themselves.

What would you do?

2006-10-26T15:27:00.000-04:00

Talk about having a good problem. Pittsburghs general manager, Ray Shero, has the difficult task of deciding whether or not to keep 18 year old Jordan Staal in the NHL for the season. This looks like a no-brainer at first glance as Staal has been playing well in all aspects of his game. However, Shero has to take into consideration the contracts of all 3 of his talented centers. On the 'Con' side of it, Malkin and Staal's rookie contracts would end the same year. Can Pittsburgh afford to give them the hefty raises they would surely deserve a year after giving Crosby one? We should also consider the fact that Staal would be lost to free-agency at the tender age of 25 if he stays. The 'Pros' of keeping Staal up is that he is NHL ready now. Sending him down would be nothing more than a budget decision, not a hockey one. What kind of message does this send to Jordan or the Pittsburgh fans? Also, if Staal is flourishing in the NHL, would sending him back to juniors hurt his development? Staal is more than likely to stay in the NHL this season, so what will this mean to the Penguins long term? They could go the way of Tampa Bay and sign all 3 to huge contracts but we've all seen how that experiment is working out. Chances are that one of Crosby, Malkin or Staal will be traded before they hit 25 to address another club need. This gives Pittsburgh a window of 3-5 years where they need to be a Cup contender while their talent is still young and relatively cheap. Ray Shero needs to surround these guys with established, proven talent to take full advantage of this opportunity. Much like Carolina did with the elder Staal last season. Every Stanley Cup champion has had young players who played beyond their years. Yep, tough choices in Steeltown but one that every GM in the league would like to have. Much like trying to decide between Miss October, Miss July and Miss September. I guess we'll find out how this all plays out in the coming years.

Live in the now, learn from yesterday

2006-10-24T20:27:00.000-04:00

Question to the NHL: Why bother wasting your money coming up with lame hockey commercials when you can get others to do it for you better? I've sent the email to Gary Bettman thousands of times and am starting to get the feeling he isn't sending one back, so I'm posing the question here. Can't the NHL do better than it has been? Over the last decade or so there have been some memorable advertising from outside the NHL that have made them looked silly in comparison. Here are a few of them to get you all going. ESPN aired this little ditty back in the days when they actually used to show NHL games and highlights. Really. I'm not kidding you. Mats Sundin is front and center in this Nike ad. Didn't really like this one all that much but it's still better than the NHL's advertising. Nike is at it again. I have to say that this one is probably my all time favorite. Nike yet again. Same premise, still good. Look, even the Fox network was able to put out a decent NHL ad. Look at it closely and you'll notice the blue hue around the bowling ball for the American audience (now I am kidding you). Ahh... remember this commercial from Baeur/Nike? Lindros must long for these days again. Nowadays he needs the GM in Dallas to tell the security guys to allow him into the building. Molson Canadian. That's right a beer company can make anything look good. Another Molson commercial which may just answer the question on why I drank so much beer during the lockout. The boredom or the subliminal messages? At any rate, who can say no to such a powerful media campaign. Certainly not I. Of course we'll never see any action on the NHL's part to reverse their ads failings. They're still too pumped on the whole "Game on!" slogan from Waynes World back in 1992. Well Mr. Bettman as Garth once told Wayne in that movie, "Live in the now!!!" Party on Gary, party on.

Who's bad?

2006-10-24T16:08:00.000-04:00

Here it is, the Micheal Jackson post we've all been waiting for... Well not really. That's just not going to happen on this site anytime soon. But, since most teams are coming to the 10 game mark of the season, I thought I'd take a look-see at which clubs were stinking the league up the most. More specifically, the three teams currently scraping the bottom of the NHL standings who were either supposed to be doing well or doing better this season. Which, if any, of these teams are going to pull it together and climb back into respectability?

The Flyers record through 8 games is 1-6-1 for a miserable 3 points. So far they've managed to score 15 goals while letting in 33. These guys haven't just been bad, they've 'looked' bad doing it. This start has already claimed the heads of the likes of Petr Nedved, GM Bobby Clarke and head coach Ken Hitchcock. Although the Flyers 15 goals is last in the league right now, scoring goals isn't this teams biggest problem. With the roster boasting players such as Forsberg, Richards, Carter and Gagne, the goals should eventually come. The problem with this team is their big sluggish defense. Hatcher and Rathje have become the leagues pylons as forward after forward blows by them. Bottom line is, if the Flyers can't find a maneuverable dman or two, this could be a long season in the city of brotherly love. Their goaltending is not good enough to be hung out to dry. If they figure out a way to upgrade their defense, they're as good as in the playoffs. Ugh, what can you say about Phoenix? Their key acquisitions from the summer have been playing sub-par hockey. Owen Nolan has a goal and a assist, ditto for Roenick who is -5. We won't even talk about Georges Laraque. The Dogs top line of Comrie, Nagy and Doan are playing well but outside of that it's slim pickings. The defense that Ed Jovanoski and Nick Boyton were brought in to stabilize has let in a league leading 38 goals. Goaltenders Cujo and Mike Morrison have been playing like they are ECHL backups. It's this brutal combination from their own end that spells out another mediocre season from the Desert Dogs. The best this team can hope for is that their youngsters like Lisin will mature faster. The Flames addressed their anemic offense by trading one of their valued defensemen for winger Alex Tanguay and promptly signed him to a large contract. Sutter probably would have been better off trading for 2 or 3 forwards at lesser prices. Besides Iginla, who has looked better this season, there isn't much else. The Flames offense has looked an awful lot like their offense last season, bad. The Kipper has looked human some nights in this young season which isn't good enough on a club that struggles offensively. The Calgary backend has keep the opposing teams from scoring more than a couple of goals a game if this team is going to go deep. So far they've been letting in a average of 3 per game. I have little doubt that this team can tighten up the D, but I have huge doubt in their ability to get their offense going.

All in all, Philly and Calgary have the best chance to turn the tides of the season. Some tinkering of their offense and defensemen, perhaps even a trade, and these clubs will be in playoff promiseland. That said, I don't believe they are Cup Contenders or even close to it. A few key injuries to either club and they'll be right there with Phoenix at the bottom of the barrel at the end of the season.

Bobby's biggest trade

2006-10-23T15:57:00.000-04:00

Tim Panaccio from the Philadelphia Inquirer was remembering those bygone days of Bobby Clarke on Hockeybuzz.com. More specifically, the trades Clark pulled the trigger on during his tenure with the Flyers. Amazingly, his list of the good and the bad didn't have one of the biggest trades in NHL history... Eric Lindros gets traded to Philly. You can make the argument that this 'was' the biggest trade in NHL purely on the quality of talent going in both directions and the impact it had on both clubs. I'll save the 'Gretzky to LA' or the 'Leafs and Flames gangbang swap' argument for another day. Back in 1992 while we were all listening to the likes of 4-Non Blondes, Blind Melon and Blur, Quebec traded Lindros to the Flyers in exchange for Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, Chris Simon, Kerry Huffman, Steve Duchesne, and two first-round picks in 1993 and 1994. Oh yeah, and $15 million in filthy, cold hard cash. The 1993 first rounder was used to select Jocelyn Thibault. Quebec then traded Mats Sundin, Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner and a first-round pick to Toronto for Wendel Clark, Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and the Leafs first-round pick in 1994. Questionable trade, but Quebec felt they needed the toughness of Clark. They must have figured that they already had Joe Sakic to man the center position. Another center, Peter Forsberg, plays his first NHL in the 1994-1995 season. He scored 50 points in the strike-shortened season and won the Calder Trophy. Quebec drafts Wade Belak and Jeff Keatly at 12th and 22nd in the 1994 draft with the their two first round picks. More importantly, they draft Chris Drury in the 3rd round Milan Hejduk in the 4th. In 1995 the Nordiques are moved to Colorado and hire Marc Crawford as Head Coach. Shortly before the beginning of the 1995-96 NHL season Wendal Clark is traded to the New York Islanders in a three-way deal that brought super pest Claude Lemieux to Colorado and Steve Thomas to the New Jersey Devils. Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky, and Andrei Kovalenko are dealt to Montreal in exchange for Mike Keane and Patrick Roy in December of 1995. The Avs go on to win the Cup for the first time. The Flyers? After acquiring Lindros, Clark was able to pull off one of the most productive trades in team history in 1995 when he acquired Eric Desjardins, Gilbert Dionne, and John LeClair from the Montreal Canadiens for Mark Recchi. The Flyers were a powerhouse for almost a decade but never managed to win it all, mostly because of less than stellar goaltending. Lindros had his famous feud with Clark after sustaining concussion after concussion and eventually was traded to the Rangers after holding out for a season. All of this, because of Bobby Clark. What will the NHL do without him?

Tragedy in the Big Apple

2006-10-11T17:03:00.000-04:00

CNN is reporting that a small airplane has crashed into a residential high rise building in New York City. The plane is registered to New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, who is believed to have been the pilot. My thoughts go out to Lidles family and the Yankee organization.

Have you ever had to make up your mind?

2006-10-10T00:44:00.000-04:00

Hmmm, the guy you knew from your hometown or the Edmonton Oilers. The team I've loved since I can remember or Cheechoo? This was the case when I saw San Jose and the Oilers face off last spring. This Comedy Central skit accurately described my feelings towards that matchup as I love both of the front men (or teams) in question. May the best man (team) win was my response. My girlfriend thought I should be cheering for the hometown boy, but my boyhood team trumped out. In both ways. Eat dirt Cheechoo. PS. I still love the factory. Don't hate me Moose Factory, at least I'm a real hockey fan dammit. Hate the sinner, not the sin. PPS. Please forgive me.

Sens 4 - Leafs 1

2006-10-05T00:52:00.000-04:00

Dear god this going to be a long season for the Leafs if their season opener is any indication of how their year is going to pan out. Bryan McCabe was virtually invisible in the Leafs home opener against the Sens tonight. Not only that, but his defensive liabilities were exposed again for all of the NHL to see when Spezza was able to simply poke check a puck past him which resulted in a breakaway chance. Newly acquired free agent Hal Gill was reduced to a mere pylon on the ice as former goon Chris Neil was able to blow past him and take the puck strong to the net. This guys mobility is right up there with Bell Canada in the great white north. Forget about it. Newly acquired Raycrofts performance was debatable. It was good, but not great. If the Leafs have any hope of reaching the playoffs this year it rests on his ability to steal games. That ability wasn't there tonight. Big fat Albert rebounds seemed to be the norm at crucial times during the game which the offensive Sens were able to capitalize on. I'm not saying the Leafs season is lost on the basis of one game. But for a team that lost so many times to Ottawa last season it doesn't look good. Remember, had the Leafs been able to beat Ottawa at least one more time last year, the Leafs 'might' have made the playoffs. Did I mention the Leafs didn't score a goal at ES or the PP??

NHL in primetime

2006-10-03T23:54:00.000-04:00

Gary Bettman has finally found an American audience. It's too bad it's in satire form. Either way it happened, it's funny as hell. I don't think Gary is complaining. Oops. Too bad it was the OHL.

The other shoe drops

2006-10-03T13:40:00.000-04:00

"Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals... except the weasel." - Homer Simpson Not long after trading away the semi retired Malakhov to the San Jose Sharks, New Jersey has managed to convince the NHL that Mogilny is eligible for long term injury. Thus, that's $7.1 million that Lou Lamoriello was able save in cap space in less than a week. Needless to say, Gomez, Gionta, Martin and Hale aren't going anywhere for a while. Will everyone who believes that New Jersey at least broke the spirit of the new CBA please stand up? There must be a lot of GMs and fans alike with their panties in a bunch today. If they're mad at Lou, they might as well get mad at San Jose and the NHL as well. GM Doug Wilson gave Lou the wiggle room by taking on Malakhov and the NHL allowed Mogilnys salary to written off. Two things are sure to happen even as I type this: New Jersey fans are going to be hailing Lou as a genius(again) and those who were anti-Gary Bettman during the lockout are going to say 'I told you so'. Both camps are still wrong. First off, any GM who has to give up a first round draft pick just to keep his current team together isn't a genius. Maybe Lou was able to pick up Jim Fahey with the pick but had New Jersey not been in cap trouble, there was no way Lou makes this trade. It was the signing of the aging Mogilny, McGillis and Malakhov that got Lou into this mess in the first place. Despite the newly found $7.1 million in cap space, Lou isn't out of this yet. He's still going to be very tight to the cap this year, while already having $22.3 million committed to just 7 players for next season. That isn't counting Gionta, Hale or Martins salaries. New Jersey can't keep giving up their draft picks every year. Sooner or later this will catch up to them. As for the pundits and bloggers who must be just itching to say 'I told you so', relax. No one every said that there wouldn't be any loopholes and Lou had to pay a high price to weasel himself out of this one. Even if we count New Jersey's cap number of $44 million along with cleared $7.1 million, it's still only $51 million. It's still only a gap of $20 million between the haves and the have nots. As 'I' said all along, that's a lot easier to swallow than a $50 million dollar gap. That said, you've got to hand it to Lou. I didn't believe he would be able to get himself out of this one. Though I highly doubt that any GM will want to go through what Lou had go through this summer.

The Reporters

2006-09-22T13:50:00.000-04:00

As a blogger, I don't really have to worry about the crap the 'real' reporters have to deal with. Just google 'reporter sentenced to prison' and you'll find a myriad of current cases where press members are in conflict with the courts. Imagine finding yourself in jail for doing your job or expressing an opinion. Co-authors of the book "Game of Shadows", Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada are facing a prison sentence of 18 months if they fail to reveal their sources to a grand jury. This despite the president of the United States saying that the two reporters had done the country a great service for breaking the story on steroids. The crux of the case is that the government wants to find out who leaked confidential grand jury testimony and that no one is above the law. Even the judge in the case admired the two reporters but is handcuffed by the laws on the books and I can see what he means. Leaked testimony is a serious thing. If the courts don't know who leaked what, then at least they can go after the people who do know. On the other hand, do we really want the press going to jail for reporting to the public what we might have otherwise never known? Isn't that their job? Believe me, this case is going all the way to the Supreme Court. Another case of note is that of British historian David Irving, who finds himself facing 3 years in prison for denying the holocaust. I understand his claim is ridiculous, but isn't throwing someone in the can for having an opinion exactly something the Nazis used to do? Are we the public so dumb and naive that this man was actually a danger to us? Dismiss this man as a nutball, yes. Throw him in prison for being a nutball, no. At the very heart of these cases are your personal freedoms. Personal freedoms are gradually being stripped away as we cheer them on as if they were good things. To quote Senator Amidala from 'Revenge of the Sith', "So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause. Let's try to keep that in mind when Conservatives/Republicans or Liberals/Democrats ask us if they can they listen in on our calls.

Have to move? No problem!

2006-09-15T14:54:00.000-04:00

Here are a few standard clauses in the CBA that make a players life easier when it comes time to be moving on. I've moved a lot in the last year and wish I had just one of these perks. Oh well, It's my fault for not skating harder as a young lad in peewee. Article 14.1 - Players receive $3,100 per month, for up to 6 months, on rent when a player is traded or assigned to a different city. They should live where I do. That single monthly payment of $3,100 would pay their rent for about 7 months. I get the feeling looking this stuff up is going to make me feel very angry soon. Either that or very sad about the state of my own union. Article 14.2 - Players are to receive 'reasonable' moving expenses. Interesting to note that the hockey club is responsible for cost of moving one car. It's two cars if the player happens to be married. Does shacking up count?? Once again, the single guys get the shaft. I say the union should have held out longer on this one. Article 14.3 - Players are provided a single hotel room for up to 21 days after relocating to a new city. I guess that means the puckbunnies following the said player around have to find their own rooms. At least the married players don't have to worry about their wives coming around. Article 14.4 - Players are provided with a mid-size rental car or the cost of a mid-size rental car for up to 21 days. Yeah, like Chris Pronger was riding around town in a mid-size rental after he was traded to Anaheim. I'm guessing most of these guys accept the upgrade in car out of their own pockets. Article 14.5 - The players are responsible for showing proof of their expenses. I hope Alex Tanguay held onto to all his receipts while he was moving his couch to Calgary. Article 14.6 - Those damn married players receive even more perks. (a) - Wives and offspring receive round trip airfare to the city their hubbies have been traded to. This is if the players wife in question has no intention of leaving the city her man used to live in. It's nice to know that the hockey club kicks in the money for a quickie. Almost like a conjugal visit, depending on how badly the player (or players wife) hates the city. Keep the talent happy. (b) - In the case that the wife and family decided to move with the player, they receive their usual round trip ticket and a one way ticket as well. I guess this means that they can go look for a place, return to get their belongings and fly back. All tickets are economy class.

Rick Zombo

2006-09-15T00:47:00.000-04:00

Yes, Rick Zombo. I'll file this post under the 'who the hell is that guy' category. I was moving boxes up and down the stairs the other day and thought back to a previous warehouse job I once held a few years back. Picture it. I'm mindlessly moving X objects from point A to point B when I come across it. A dried out bundle of hockey sticks that were from a signature Rick Zombo series (I can't remember which brand it was). Neither me or the guy I was working with knew who the hell that guy was and had a good laugh about the crappy stick. Here I am, 10 years later writing a blog post about Rick Zombie because I was mindlessly carrying a bunch of boxes up and down a flight of stairs and suddenly remembered the experience. Without further adieu, hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's Ricky!!!!

Rick Zombo (born May 8, 1963 in Des Plaines, Illinois, United States) is a retired professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the NHL for 12 seasons between 1984 and 1996. Zombo was drafted 149th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He played 652 career NHL games, scoring 24 goals and 130 assists for 154 points.

Rick Zombo on the recieving end of a cheap shot from Wendy Clark at Maple Leaf Gardens Apparently, getting smacked around by Wendal Clark and having a so-so career is enough to warrant your own hockey stick line. If that's the case, why didn't more guys have more hockey products donning their names on them? I guess Lee Norwood called in sick the day the sports companies were dishing out all the endorsements. If anyone knows which company offered this guy a line of sticks please let me know. PS. Didn't the three spectators you can see in Rick Zombos picture above look like Ryan Smyths sister, a partied out version of the leatherman from the Village People and Jeff f@#$ing Foxworthy?? I'm just sayin...

Loophole and Lupul

2006-09-13T13:45:00.000-04:00

Here's a question I'll just throw out there. Would you give Sidney Crosby the contract the Islanders just gave to Rick DiPietro? At $67.5 for 15 years, Crosby would be 36 or 37 when the contract ended (after his current 3 year rookie contract expires). I think that I would, although I'd try to leave myself some outs every few years or so in case he turned into a complete jerk like Terrel Owens. Here's another question: Would Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin accept such a long term contract? Probably not. Both of them, barring injury, stand to make much more money renegotiating their contracts with less years. Wait it out making $4-6 million for a few years and then pounce on the $8 million yearly contract offers that are surely coming for them. How about this scenario. Say Oilers GM Kevin Lowe had signed Lupul for $2.3 million for 15 years rather than the 3 year contract he just accepted. Would we all be thinking Lowe was as crazy as Charles Wang is? Lowe probably would have had his share of naysayers but also his share of supporters. Lupul could have been locked up at $2.3 million a year until he was 37. That wouldn't be bad if his career pans out the way most people think it will. The idea of signing a contract at the age of 22 for $34.5 million over the course of his career would have to be tempting for any player his age. Financial security and the ability to set down roots are the most attractive aspects of such a contract to the player. The owners get a player locked in at a set price for a discount rate and the comfort of knowing the player isn't going anywhere. But, if a player with such a contract gets injured what happens? According to my limited understanding of the new CBA, the athlete is guaranteed all monies in the contract no matter what. The club and player can always negotiate a buyout for 2/3 of the remaining contract value. As far as the cap is concerned, injuries do not count against the cap. The club still has to pay the player so the said contract is still on the payroll. Does this mean that Charles 'whatta' Wang has actually found a loophole in the CBA that other deep pocketed owners can exploit? What's to stop the Rangers from offering a 27 year old free agent a 15 year contract? If the player gets injured their salary is off the books in terms of the cap. The Rangers can easily afford to pay a guy $5 million a year to sit around and do nothing. Smaller clubs, like the Oilers, wouldn't be able to make such an offer. Gary Bettman does have veto power over contracts in the NHL but it is limited to instances where a club actually breaks the rules. I don't believe he can veto a contract that merely broke the spirit of the rules. My basis for this believe is the fact that Bettman accepted DiPietros' ridiculous contract in the first place.

More from those wacky Islanders

2006-09-12T13:56:00.000-04:00

The Islanders continued to run their franchise like it was an online league today by announcing the signing of Rick DiPietro to a 15 year, $67.5 million contract. Rick will make $4.5 annually on the deal which will expire when he's 40. One thing is for certain, DiPietro isn't going anywhere for a long, long time. Like Jerry Springer, I will now try and make some sense of this senseless situation and evaluate the pros & cons. My first thought upon reading the news was one of shock. 15 years??? 15 years had been rumored earlier in the past year but when nothing came of it I just thought the Islanders had come to their senses (it's believed Gary Bettman had frowned upon it). If DiPietro starts to suck horse rectum, or is injured, 'or' simply turns into a complete jerk in the next 5 years there is nothing the Islanders can do about it. No team would want to take on a contract that still had another 10 years left on it. Secondly, I wondered why I so shocked in the first place. I mean, come on, it's the Islanders we're talking about here. The Muppets could take over this franchise and we'd laugh at them less than we do now. Someone needs to get owner Mike Wang a copy of the game Eastside Hockey Manager NHL 2005 so he can leave this poor club alone. The annual salary of this ridiculous contract actually isn't that bad. $4.5 million per season is pretty decent for a goalie who is still supposed to improve. If DiPietro goes on have a career like Roy or Brodeur than this contract is a steal. A huge 'IF'. I just wonder if the Islanders have a plan in place to put some decent players in front of Rick for the next 15 years. In short, the contract is just too damn long. The Islanders are gambling huge with this deal.

Steve Blaho 1985-2006

2006-08-31T13:08:00.000-04:00

The Islanders prospect, Steve Blaho, died in a car crash yesterday at the tender age of 21. Steve was the passenger in a friends car who was supposedly driving under the influence according to the Sudbury Wolves homepage where Steve spent 3 seasons. The driver of the vehicle is still in the hospital. My thoughts go out to his family. It's always tragic when a promising youth goes too soon. His friend in the car accident will now have to bear this burden every single day for the rest of his life. My thoughts are out for him as well.

You call this an offseason?

2006-08-22T11:11:00.000-04:00

I've been working like a rented mule lately with my 'real' job. It's not like much was happening in the hockey world lately unless you followed the whole Evgeni Malkin escape from the USSR, scratch that, Russia. I guess the story was compelling in it's oddity. Western hockey players don't have the same pressure as the Europeans do when it comes to making the jump to the NHL. Apparently a star player in the Russian Super league is under enormous 'influence' from owners and management. This is a far cry from western players having the power (for the most part) over where, when, and who they play for. Just to add another level weirdness to this story, Nikolai Zherdev is threatening (he's already signed to a club there) to play out the season in Russia if the Blue Jackets don't meet his salary demands. This is only 2 years after Columbus helped bust Zherdev out of Russia to the tune of $600,000. So I guess it can't be all that bad over there besides having more ads pinned to your jersey than a city bus. Before the ink of the current CBA was dry, bloggers and writers were arguing about whether or not European talent would opt to play in their home countries. Some said that the NHL would always be the top draw while others argued that European clubs could afford to pay a comparable NHL salary while the player would be living a lot closer to home. It turns out that both sides were proven right (or wrong depending if you're a glass half empty type of person) over the course of 2 short weeks. Now we all learned that in cases like this we have to look at the tree rather than the forest.

Divisions

2006-08-11T22:11:00.000-04:00

No, I don't mean divisions amongst the ranks of the NHL higher ups or the NHLPA. I mean that ,if, in a few years there are more teams added or moved (you know the owners are starting to think about franchise fees after 'that' lockout) where will they be and what division shakeup is coming? It depends largely on which city will have a new/recycled NHL team. If it's Portland, Hamilton or Quebec City, nothing much changes. If it's Winnipeg, it's a headache. Where to stick a cities hockey team that just happens to be in the middle of nowhere... That is the question. Travel will be a bitch no matter you stick that team. The most likely and easiest place is in the north/south/west/east position. Either way it doesn't matter as the whole system is messed up anyway. When you realize that Minnesota currently is slated into the Western Conferences northwest division, that much is obvious. I just wonder if scheduling is part of the thought process when new teams or locations are considered in the NHL 'brain' trust. Naw, it's probably just the money.

Who do you want in your fantasy league?

2006-08-04T00:29:00.000-04:00

Roloson or Hasek? Rolo costs you 4 mil plus. Dominater costs you a lot less. It's easy to say Hasek can't hack-it, but can Roli roll with the punches? Both got hurt, both are old. The key is both are old, both can break down any time. Which is the wiser investment? Time, like it always does, will tell. I hate this. Damn offseason predictions kill us all.

Blip

2006-07-29T02:04:00.000-04:00

Pretty tired and pretty bleeped. I can't bleeping wait until my bleeping day off. I mean, what the bleep am I supposed say when there is bleeping no one else to take the bleeping next bleep shift? For Bleeps' sake! Honestly, if this bleeping bleephole could work so bleeping well without me, than why the bleep am I here? (don't worry, even I don't know what that was supposed to mean) Um, that said, here are my thoughts on the NHL this week. No real stats to back this up here, but don't the GM's of this hockey league seem to be avoiding the arbitrator these days like it was the town skank? "What? That's what it costs for a bleepjob these days? Bleep that! I'll bleeping secure my own bleeping, bleep talent myself. I don't bleeping need your bleep skills." Okay I know, I carried that way too far. It must have been like stumbling into an uncomfortable family moment, you want to avoid it and walk away but you're afraid to miss the juicy details. Yeah that's it. Discussing most of this NHL junkmail after all the important stuff has already been mailed in and I might as well be the 1930's movie usher who complained about the amount of peanuts on the floor after movies. Right he was, but as ignored as a 2nd ball sack. Ok, I have to post this gem before I think better of it. I'm sure I'll regret this in the morn.

Garth "the answer" Snow

2006-07-18T23:37:00.000-04:00

Garth Snow said he'd like to be general manager in the NHL someday. To steal a line from Austin Powers, "...I'd like a toilet made out of solid gold but it's just not in the cards is it baby?" Apparently no move, no matter how ridiculous, is out of the question when the guy signing the checks is Charles Wang. Snow wasn't the answer in goal for the Islanders and certainly won't be answer as the man running the show on long island. The Islanders would have been better off hiring Isiah Thomas. The Islanders are nothing more than hockeys biggest joke for the foreseeable future. At least it's a distraction from the Knicks woes.

Power Outage

2006-07-18T14:25:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a short but impressive storm, I've been drunk for the last 2 days with no power. It's finally back on, so I can concentrate on sobering up and scanning the web for hockey news. Oh yeah, I guess I should get something to eat as well. This all-liquid diet can't be as good for me as I think it is. Anyhoo, here's the news. Mike Peca signed with the Maple Leafs for 2.5 million. I hope Toronto isn't expecting him to get them to the playoffs. 'If' they should happen to get there he would be a nice addition to the club. On the other hand, 'if' my aunt had balls I'd call her uncle. Toronto must be bumping up to that cap by now. I hope their farm team has people left to play for them this year. Neil Smith is no longer the GM of the New York Islanders. No word yet on whether or not he was fired or if he was caught in the sack with Mike Milbury's wife. In any case, I've worn a pair of underwear longer than this guy was working for the Islanders as GM. I guess we'll never know if Neil Smith learned anything over the years but signing Tom Poti wasn't exactly a great start.

Boo Hoo

2006-07-15T00:04:00.000-04:00

Michelle Wie withdrew from the John Deere Classic today from apparent heat exhaustion. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she wasn't going to make the cut in first place. Nancy Armour, an LPGA writer (I think), had this to say about it.

Wie has had a hectic schedule recently, playing her third straight week and fifth event in 5 1/2 weeks. The temperature Friday afternoon was 88, with the sun and humidity making it feel as if it was five degrees warmer.

Imagine playing 5 whole events in a month and a half. Must have been torture for the poor kid. After the endurance race that is the playoffs, this doesn't exactly make me want to write her a sympathy card. It's time you learned how to keep yourself hydrated girl. Everyone else not named John Daly (glug, glug) knows that simple fact. I'm a chef who works in a hot, hot kitchen with no air conditioning. No sympathy here you dumbass. This is Wies' 5th attempt at making the cut in a men's tournament thus far but I'm betting some other money-grubbing organizer invites her to some event in the future. I'm not knocking female golfers here (well I guess I just did but hey, it's a kid) but if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. Or, in this case, the golf course. Wie basically strugged off a question from a reporter about how she felt about her invitation to the dear john classic when she has never, ever, won a LPGA sanctioned event in her short life. When the best female golfer in history, Annika Sorrenstam, wasn't able to make the cut at a mens event, I don't think she stood much of a chance in the first place. As much as we're supposed to believe that women are equal in every way these days, men are actually physically stronger and can actually hit the ball farther. That makes a big difference in golf. Trust me, I do the bulk of the heavy lifting in my relationship (I say bulk because my wife has to carry me to bed sometimes. Ah booze, I love you. You too dear if you're reading this.). Anyhoo, if Wie is so overworked, maybe she should concentrate on winning a tournament in the LPGA and save the other tourneys for another time. Patience man, um wo-man, the wins and exposure will come. Do I have to say that this is a publicity stunt and that you're being used? I guess being used to the tune of the 'appearance' fees she commands makes the difference. It would for me. Wow, did I actually just write a post about golf????? This heat is a killer.

Big contracts

2006-07-10T22:43:00.000-04:00

There's a doings a transpiring... GM's have been dishing out the cash like it's last call at the bar. I realize that the salary cap is going up to 44 million next season but this is border line crazy. The lower tier and veteran players have to be doing something about this. All of their hard earned (cough) cash is being grabbed by the top 5-10 percent of the NHL elite players. This isn't a hard concept to grasp. 54% of all league revenues are allotted for the players. If a Tampa Bay or others wants to dish out salaries in the 5.5 - 8.5 million dollar range that's fine. All it means is that they are taking money away from the guy who's making league minimum. Of course it also means money leaving their pocketbooks as well but who's going to quibble over a few hundread lousy thousand dollars? If anything, what this top level orgy of spending means is that it's harder to find decent protection that can actually play hockey to protect all the rich fat cats. This confirms what I always believed about the players. They aren't in it as a group, it's every man for themselves. Fuck your teammates. To be fair, the owners are exactly the same way. The big difference is that they were able to remain somewhat steadfast in their stance throughout the lockout. The players were not. Spector has reported on battle lines between the NHLPA which supports the theory that this union is shattered. It's a collection of high powered agents looking out for the best interests of their own clients, not the interests of the collective mass. No wonder the agents were so quiet during the lockout. Here we thought it was Goodenow's gag order. PS. I'm insanely busy these days and will post whenever I get home nice and early like I did tonight.

Kevin Gibson, you've done it again

2006-07-03T04:12:00.000-04:00

Stand proud Leaf Nation. You've shown us you're weight in gold once again. Gibson has laminated the fact (in HockeyBuzz 2.0 which is now a fully fledged Bill Gates year model software) that Oilers fans are bashing him for reporting those constant rumors out of Toronto that Chris Pronger is on his way to the 'Mecca of Hockey'. Whether you agree or disagree, he's certainly sparked a debate. Here are the two guys (mainly) who came to his defense and this is what they had to say. In their defense, they made their points and were able to move on when the argument did. "Being a Leaf fan, I never thought there were more ignorant fans then our own, but after reading some of these posts, you Oilers fans take the cake. No wonder everyone wants out of Edmonton. Your fans showed no class throughout the playoffs and you are all continuing the trend on here" - Brandon93 Um, must I show 'this' again? Didn't you like how that lack of class echoed throughout the building? "Id have to commend you Mr. Gibson on your reporting of rumors and news and your views on the happenings in the hockey world. I have read all of your articles. And although lots of people are taking your articles personal, I respect what you have to say, and only a great writer can cause controversy from something as simple as this." - truebluetml Like Jerry Springer does I'm guessing. Oh well, you just have to love Leafs fans. Why don't we all talk about the 7.1 million annually that the Leafs just spent on number 3 and 4 defensemen? Huh? Anyone?

It's easy when you're sad like me(figure that one out)

2006-07-03T01:58:00.000-04:00

Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man who's poor, yet has taste... Like Mr. Macphisto, I've been around these parts for some time. I've seen that the top talent is always going to command, yay I made damn sure that, top market talent makes top level money or more. Unlike some of you, I don't try to point this out every chance I get. Why waste your voice pointing out the obvious. Yes, the top talent always gets the meaty part of the loaf. Gets the big piece of chicken. Get's the toilet stall that doesn't smell like bigfoots nutsack. Does that bear any bragging rights? I think not. Truth is, I don't need any help and the salary cap is just a filter. It's harder to decide which mere mortal in which my evil claws will sink. Cause yes this damn cap has hurt. I used to make lords on earth of mere journeymen skaters. It's a lot harder to do my job these days. The pickings are slim, there's only so much cap room to go around nowadays. I'm still here. As long as the dream of instant gratification is still alive, I'll always be here. Please don't point out the obvious after-the-fact and think yourself worthy of me. Remember it doesn't matter what these fools spend, if it goes over a set human amount, the players have to pay it all back. Yet, each of the two disputing sides think they won this whole thing. I love it.

He's outta here

2006-06-29T14:55:00.000-04:00

"He may not get you to the promised land, but he'll get you to the playoffs... And that's all we want. That's all we want!" ~ Chris Rock Well Chris Rock certainly wasn't talking about Dan Cloutier when he said that but hey, it fits. Which GM out there wants a capable goaltender? He'll be solid for you during the regular season but will likely pull a disappearing act on you in the playoffs. Any takers? With Canucks signing star goalie Roberto Luongo today for 4 years/6.75 per season (in cap terms), Cloutier and his 2.55 million dollar salary are a little rich for a backup tender. Add him to list of players who are under contract but are guaranteed to move before the start of next season. This list is getting longer every day. The odds are that Cloutier will be heading to a St. Louis, a Blue Jackets or another lower in the standings team rather than a powerhouse favorite. But who really knows how desperate a Detroit or another 'contender' from the past year get for a decent goaltender. $2.55 million isn't a whole lot of cash compared to other number 1 goalies in the league and if it doesn't work out it's not like the guy is locked in long term or anything. Whatever he goes, the price for him shouldn't be that high but it will definetly cost you a decent prospect and/or a 3rd/4th liner. Nonis is definitely making his stamp on the Canucks this season.

Rumors abound

2006-06-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

This feels like the longest hockey season ever. I mean the playoffs just ended, the draft just finished and now free-agency is looming. Restricted free agents need to be qualified and unrestricted free agents will be whoring themselves out like Paris Hilton on a Saturday night. The NHLs 30 GMs are busier than a one armed, one legged paper hanger. Perhaps the biggest news of the offseason is that Chris Pronger is on the move, again. The internet banter is working overtime analyzing why he wants out, where he is going, whom Edmonton will be getting in return and what will actually happen. When this is going to happen is also being hotly debated. Of course Toronto is said to be interested, but so should every team in the NHL. Whenever any player is on the market Toronto is usually everyones favorite destination for them. Here's a rumor for you disregard completely: Kaberle and Steen/Stajan for Pronger. Kaberle doesn't come close to Pronger and Edmonton already has enough 20 goal scorers on their roster. Steen or Stajan probably won't develop into much more than that. Edmonton supposedly asked for Bouwmeester, Horton and Florida's number 1 pick but Florida balked. Had Edmonton asked for just the two players and forgot about the draft pick, this deal might have already been done. This 2 for 1 deal is closer to a done deal than the Toronto offer. Florida players are cheaper and would allow Lowe to try and pick up another premier via free agency if he can. Ottawa is rumored to be offering Martin Havlat, Chris Phillips and Ray Emery for Pronger. If this is true, which is unknown, this has to be tempting for Kevin Lowe. If you take Chris Phillips out and replace him with Mesjaros or Volchenkov and it gets even more interesting. That said, it's hard to see Edmonton taking any deal involving Havlat unless he signs a long term deal first. Whatever happens, it's going to be hard for Edmonton to win this trade in the short or long term. Usually whoever gets the best player wins the trade. Unless Edmonton trades Pronger for a Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin (which won't happen unless Milbury takes over either franchise) they will certainly not win this trade in the short term. I won't even get into the why of Pronger wants to leave town as it seems to be a very sensitive subject for some. I just don't feel like being called any petty names today.

A rash of bad news

2006-06-23T14:02:00.000-04:00

I guess the fates decided that not only would my team lose game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals but also deliver a batch of bad family news as well. Sadly, this is how I now feel.

There is no pain, you are receding. A distant ships smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves. Your lips move but I cant hear what youre sayin. When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse, Out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone. I cannot put my finger on it now. The child is grown, the dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb. - Pink Floyd The Wall

Here's to life. That cruel mistress we all can't do without.

Milbury vs. Thomas

2006-06-22T12:08:00.000-04:00

TSN is reporting that president of basketball operations Isiah Thomas has fired head coach Larry Brown who is owed 40 million over the next 4 years. Thomas will take over his job for this season at least. Just when I thought Isiah couldn't screw over this storied franchise any more he drops this on us. Maybe, just maybe, he now has Mad Mike Milbury beat as the worst New York General Manager/President/Coach ever. While Milbury is best known for trading his top prospects and giving Alexei 'holdout' Yashin his fat bloated contract, Isiah has a whole team full of such overpaid prima donnas. It's hard to say who has who beat in futility. Needless to say, both clubs will be better off once Milbury's and Thomass' hooks are out of their clubs day to day operations. I know Milbury has supposed left that business behind him to move up in the frontoffice, but the way new GM Neil Smith and head coach Ted Nolan were hired still reeks of Mad Mike. Knicks fans can reach out to Islanders fans to learn how to shine it on a bit longer.

Dick Pound you in the ass

2006-06-21T21:54:00.000-04:00

Old Dick Pound is back in the news. This time he will be on the receiving end, not the giving end, of controversy. Namely, his baseless accusations about Lance Armstrong and the NHL have both parties calling for his head. Rightly so. I've written about Pounds allegations of 1/3 of NHLers doping before. Dick pounded into the rumors about Lance Armstrong immediately after a French newspaper shamelessly reported them. The rumors turned out to be false but Dick didn't back off of his message one bit. I remember feeling kind of proud when Dick, who is Canadian, was named the WADA president. At the time, and still today, doping in sports was something was in serious need of getting under control. Those feelings of pride are long gone since he's been accusing everyone left and right of doping. He never gives us any evidence to support his claims but rather, he tries to scare the public into believing falsehoods. The whole situation reminds me of another Canadian named Nelly McClung. She too was respected in the beginning as she crusaded for Womens rights. After achieving most of her goals, she too went too far and abused her power and status. All the pot smokers out there can thank her for scaring the Canadian public into believing that pot made you go absolutely crazy. Movies like the one below were part of the regular propaganda spewed out from some such people. Both Dick Pound and Nelly McClung are to be respected for the good they've done, but ought to be remembered for their failings as well. There is nothing I hate more than a person in a position of power who abuses that said power. If you're going accuse someone, some group, or even some country of wrongdoing, you'd better have the evidence to back it up. Anything less and you're nothing more than George W. Bush, post Iraq invasion, standing out there with you dick swinging in the wind. Dick Pound ought to man up and either produce some evidence to support his claims or make a very public apology to both Lance and the NHL. If it turns out, which is likely the case, that Dick had no evidence he should resign or be fired immediately. Post Script>>> RIP Uncle Roy

Need more beer

2006-06-20T14:07:00.000-04:00

"After this case, and the other case, there's only one case left!" The day after watching my team lose game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, this is all I've got. What else is there really to say. I'm still too depressed to hammer out a complete post with paragraphs and what not. These thoughts will be in point form. - I suppose that I should be saying things like it's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. We all know that this is the type of crap losers say when they lose. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen. - The two teams who made the most moves at the tradedeadline made it to the finals. However, both of these teams have a lot of UFA's to resign. You have to say that neither team will look the same when the season gets going again in a few months. Right now, it's hard to see either team making this far again but a lot of the that depends on what their GMs do in the offseason. - Oh yeah, Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes. Sorry if this doesn't sound sincere, I'm still hurting pretty bad here. The better team won, you tossers. You guys have no idea what I lost because you won. - This offseason should be a good one. Everyone has had a year to deal with the new CBA and cap. Everyone has seen the types of teams that can make some noise in the new NHL. Players are going to be UFA's a lot sooner both this year and the next. In short, there should be some player movement in the coming months if not weeks. - To steal a line from the movie 'Rock Star', "This next song I would like to dedicate to my team who ripped my heart out and put it through a bloody blender"

Random thoughts from a tired body

2006-06-18T00:11:00.000-04:00

- I just got home from work and caught the 3rd period. Oilers have sent this series to 7 games!!!!!! Right now my only worry is that of a team that just got beat handedly. They're going to come back strong. It's all a matter of who wants it more. A cliche, I know, but one that is true for this animal. - TSN had primo spots for their post game analysis. Namely, a Stanley Cup Finals and NHL backboard in the 'background'. Sportsnet did their post game analysis in the garage of Rexall, with a U-Haul truck in the background. In the words of George Carlin, "there's a drop-off there, there's a drop-off there". - NBC's coverage of the finals is better than CBCs. There, I said it. They show more stats and behind the scenes action and don't cut out from Bell Expressvu or suddenly forget to show the powerplay clock. To be more objective, NBC also shows way more commercials. Eh! The CBC is a government funded station, you get what you pay for. Still sad though, they used to be the best at this. - Oilers win! It would be a shame for either team to lose now. Only one can win. I know who I'm rooting for. Oilers in 7, baby,

Oilers 4 - Canes 3 OT

2006-06-15T00:10:00.000-04:00

The Oilers stayed alive tonight despite MacT's decision to leave powerplay specialist Robbie Schremp off the roster. It was another rookie, Matt Greene, who almost blew it for the Oil. In the first period alone, Greene took two penalties which resulted in two goals. MacT benched his ass for a awhile until the remaining five Oil defensemen needed the rest. Greene even managed to log some penalty killing time. But you have to wonder, will he be playing in game six? My guess is that he will be as the Oilers only alternative is playing Marc-Andre Bergeron or Igor Ulanov. Ulanov hasn't gotten much icetime since Spacek and Tarnstrom came to Edmonton at the trade deadline so the odds of him lacing up the skates are right up there with Britney Spears suddenly developing a little class. Marc-Andre Bergeron just might make another appearance but is still in the coaching staffs doghouse after poor showings in games 1 and 2. Poor defensive decisions and his natural ability to cough up the puck have left him playing cheerleader from the press box. MacT has choice between a guy who gives the puck away and a guy who takes moronic penalties. Pick your poison. Edmonton has a few days to mull this one over. For now, Oilers nation can enjoy (at least until Saturday) another victory. Game 5 and we're still alive. For now.

I am the lizard queen!

2006-06-12T01:57:00.000-04:00

Damn blogger destroyed this post. I'm too tired and drunk to rehash all that negative energy I released so I'll keep this short. The Acid Queen is pissed, I'm happy. Though I've said it before and I'll say it again. That women scares me. She's as fucking relentless as a bad case of the clap. Definitely one of those people who you're not quite sure what they'll do if the Cane's lose this thing. Whatever the outcome of this thing, Rod the bod's shrink is going to cash in big regardless. His plastic surgeon is sure laughing his way to the bank already. This guy has to be the missing link. The fact that he knows how to cheat (it's an artform in any pro sports league) smoothly has to be some sort of a penis extender. Isn't it? If this series comes down to coaching who wins? Right now, I'll make that bet on MacT. As a side note: Why do coaches stick to a gameplan just because it worked in the previous game? Why not follow the armies guide where they say don't do the same thing twice? Don't stick around where you've killed. Make another plan and quick.

Oilers - Canes Game 3

2006-06-10T21:19:00.000-04:00

"Send the kids out of the room for a moment: If you don't play this game with a big heart and a big bag of knuckles in front of the net, you ain't got dinky doo!" - Hockey analyst played by Mike Myers in "Mystery, Alaska" Hopefully the Oilers got Mike Myers in their dressing room to give this inspirational speech before game 3. I know I'd feel better knowing they had this advice in their game plan.

Mission Accomplished

2006-06-09T23:15:00.000-04:00

It turns out Eklund (Dwayne Klessel) is a former musician much like myself. During the lockout he started blogging like a lot of us did. What he did differently was that he used phrases like, "my sources tell me" and "I heard this from a reliable guy". Sounds like an insider right? Wrong. If you've taken the time to click to his website like I have, you know by now that it's filled with good, solid hockey people. Contacts he has made since frauding the hockey world during a time of war. We have a term for this already. It's called a war profiteer. In real war times, such people were shot once discovered. I'd like to say that only Americans who were unfamiliar with hockey were seduced by this charming line but alas, even Rogers Sportsnet north of the border attempted to add this fraud to their hockey lineup. What can they say? The guy had an audience. Fellow bloggers Mike Chen and the Acid Queen have taken it upon themselves to expose this guy. Not that it matters, he's already too big. Nonetheless, it's a truly worthy cause they've taken upon themselves. Despite the blogging ideals we all hold near and dear to our hearts we all, to some degree, dream about doing this for a living in one way or another. The AcidQueen pointed out the latest glaring inaccurately from Eklund. He is supposedly at the Stanley Cup finals. Yet none of her contacts have noticed him on the list of media press passes. Has anyone else for that matter? Most notably, he had this to say after Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson got injured: 'Eklund said that after the game when news got around about Roloson being done for the series, one 'Canes player, who made him promise not to quote him, slammed his fist repeatedly against his locker and said, (paraphrase) "We are going to win the Cup"'.
First off, it turns out that he probably wasn't even in the fucking building. Second, which player who has gotten this far with their team would make such a kick-yourself-in-the-crotch statement as that one? Would any player become so unglued like that and give any response besides the classic 'it ain't over til it's over' routine that we've all become used to? The Acidqueen doesn't stop there (this women is as relentless as a bad case of gonnorhaea, it just keeps coming back) in exposing him. She points out, and rightfully so, this little timbit.

Yon Fraudulent One has been blogging about being at the post-practice press conferences, but his entries have come hours after the press conference is over and are verbatim copies of the post-practice press releases. I happen to know that there's a press section set up in the north end Club level of the RBC, with monitors, computers, and everything else that a newsie might need to file a report--so why the big delay? Is he waiting out in front for a cab to come get him and take him to Crabtree Valley Mall to get some shopping in before doing the Glenwood Avenue Shuffle back to the mediot hotel? For that matter, why the flagrant plagiarism?

Hard to beat the logic in that argument. It's also hard not to ask this question: Is this guy fucking kidding me? Maybe, just maybe, he was kidding us all. This guy makes musicians the world over look bad. Even with Paris Hilton (cough *slutfaker*) joining our ranks. That's hard to top. Go get him guys/gals.

Who knew?

2006-06-08T22:32:00.000-04:00

I feel bad about the monopoly on discussion, but face it--if the Oilers pull the trigger on a deal, and the gun's aimed in the right direction, then the Flames (and our other division partners) are the ones who get hit between the eyes. As a guy who's completely neutral in this whole BoA business, even with a good (but not great) goaltender added to the Oilers, they're not heads above the Flames, Canucks or Avalanche (even though they've owned Vancouver this season). It's the same thing fans in Vancouver do, pointing to the goalie as the only problem when that's hardly the case.
James Mirtle, before he fully jumped on the Oilers bandwagon along with the rest of us. At the very least, before he believed the Oilers were a decent goaltender away from contention. I'm always fair about these things. What could a sports guy possibly really know after all, when a monkey is making a monkey out of all of us. Yet here we are man, here we are.

Time to bring it

2006-06-08T04:12:00.000-04:00

Taking a page out of Lowetides book, I would like to introduce you to Paul Bearer. Since Stan Weir isn't cutting the mustard for the Oilers fates anymore I figured a different sports (sort of) icon (again, sort of) might turn the tide. Paul Bearer, for those not familiar with him, was manager for WWF superstar The Undertaker. He would do most of the talking for the deadman and during matches would raise an urn in the air saying god knows what. No matter what kind of beating the Undertaker would take, Paul Bearer was able to seemingly raise him from the dead. With the Oilers down 2-0 in the finals and looking lost, maybe we need a legend (once again, sort of... Ugh) who was famous for raising the dead in our corner. I hope Lain Babcook doesn't sue my ass over this. Or worse, is insulted by the shameful comparison between an actual Edmonton hockey icon and a pretend manager in a pretend wrestling league.

Guess who's back?

2006-06-08T02:18:00.000-04:00

It's nice to see that Ted Nolan is getting a second chance in the NHL. TSN has reported that Nolan will be coaching the New York Islanders in the 06/07 season with Neil Smith at the helm as GM. For awhile, it seemed like he might have blown his chance to return to the NHL after making comments about racism during the Memorial Cup. It's never really been proven as the gospel truth, but many people believe that it was such verbal outbursts that kept Nolan from getting another job until now. While I think Nolan pushed it a little far at times, I'm betting that he ran into his fair share of it during his career. Here are some instances where racism has come up concerning Ted.

"Some fans started doing the war cry, the tomahawk chop, the shooting of the bow and arrows and saying some derogatory statements about my native background right from the get go," Nolan told CTV. "It hurt when I was seven years old and 17 years old, and I just turned 47 and it hurt as much as it did it back then." - At a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game between the Moncton Wildcats and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens "I don’t know if it is racism, but if we had [30] Indian owners I bet I'd get a job." - Ted Nolan, on why he is not employed in the NHL "Rumours surfaced that Nolan was drunk at practices and that he was having affairs with players' wives. Nolan denied all of this and dismissed it as racist taunts." - from the CBCs Fifth Estate

Seems like a lot to go through for a former Coach of the year. Don't you think? Not to mention for the guy who 'discovered' Jonathan Cheechoo at a hockey camp in Moose Factory. As a side note, isn't it kind of weird for a new coach and general manager to be hired at the same time? Most GMs like choosing their own man for the head coach position. Did Neil Smith have any input in this decision or is this Mad Mike Milburys baby? We should know more soon.

What the hell was that???

2006-06-08T01:18:00.000-04:00

The Oilers lost 5 zip in a real stinker at RBC center. I spent most of the game cussing out the TV and throwing things across the room. I think my hatred of Marc-Andre Bergeron is growing to Conklin like levels. If this guy costs the Oilers one more goal I'm going to start a anti-MAB blog. If you can imagine the Oilers represented as a green dancing woman, the guy gawking at her is probably what I looked like during the game. A little awe, a touch of disgust, and a somewhat morbid fascination that kept me from turning away. Holy Bejesus this was a crappy night. At least CBC is showing game 4 of the 1984 Stanley Cup final. Watching the Oilers hoist Lord Stanley's mug for the first time should take some of the bite out of this bitter, bitter defeat.

Caesar is dead

2006-06-07T10:18:00.000-04:00

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Caesar.
The time for grieving is over. Roloson's loss was huge, yes. But lest we forget, he wasn't that great of goaltender. He stopped the shots that the team needed him to. He did what Oilers nation asked of him. He's an excellent foot soldier. But, for all intensive purposes, he's dead. Time to move on. The Oilers are an excellent team for blocking shots, clogging the shooting lanes, and clearing any rebounds. This hasn't changed. All we need is a goalie who is average for the next 6 games. 6 games!!!!!!! This isn't impossible. When the talking heads on the sports networks picked the Oilers (they jinxed us) it wasn't only because of Roli. It's not like we're Calgary here counting on our goalie to pull us through. Granted our depth there has taken a huge hit, but we are deep in defense. Really, we are. A lot of teams would give their eye-teeth for one of the guys who have watched most of the playoffs from the press-box. Jussi, and I say him because if MacT puts in Conklin I'm going to hang myself, only has to be average. Did you get that? Average. Any goalie who makes the NHL is capable of doing so. This series is only one game old. There's a lot that can happen in that time. If Cam Ward is so great, why did he let in 4 goals? It's not like he was dominating the night. He made some great saves but it wasn't like he was frustrating the Oilers. The Oilers almost tied the game late in the third. The Oil are getting their chances, the rest is up to the hockey gods. We can do this. By the way, the Canes 'have had an easy run. They've played opponents with key injuries to one or more important injuries thus far. This doesn't mean they aren't a good team. We shouldn't try to take anything away from them because of this. Every team has injuries. Good teams work through them. Great teams hardly seem to notice.

Oh Toronto...what have you done?

2006-06-01T13:09:00.000-04:00

Ouch Leaf fans. Bryan McCabe is sticking around for 5 years at 5.5 million dollars per. John Ferguson jr not only gave McCabe this bloated contract, he also gave him the security of a no-trade clause. Bryan will be 36 years old when this contract expires. This guy is now one of the top 5 highest paid defensemen in the NHL behind Chris Pronger, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Scott Niedermayer. Do the Leafs honestly believe that McCabe is anywhere near those players in terms of talent? Would you take McCabe over Pronger? If you would, you're definitely a Leafs fan and truly deserve the management you have. It looks like the Leafs Stanley Cup woes won't be ending anytime soon. This franchise desperately needs a Brian Colangelo or a JP Ricciardi to right this course. At the very least, they need someone who has an actual plan for the organization that doesn't involve dishing out huge contracts to over-the-hill-past-their-prime players. Ferguson is always telling the media that he has a plan, but as of yet it looks like the same plan that got the Leafs into this mess in the first place. If Leaf nation ever wants to see their team make the finals anytime soon they should start boycotting Leaf home games this year. For a franchise that doesn't have to worry about money, perhaps open revolt and rebellion is the only way change things. Sometimes a little revolution is good for the soul. ***UPDATE**** According to the Globe and Mail, McCabes contract is worth 5.8 million a year. It also contains a clause in the contract that prevents the Leafs from buying him out throughout the life of the contract. Why doesn't John Ferguson jr just hang himself now? He's already shot himself in the foot.

Even better than the real thing

2006-05-30T13:11:00.000-04:00

When I said I wanted to be a fan during the playoff run, who knew that my team would make it this far? Who knew that the hockey Gods wanted me to stop posting so badly? While looking back at previous posts, I wasn't exactly thrilled by the pickups of Pronger and Peca. At the cost of Brewer, York and some prospects, Kevin Lowe made a team that even he must be surprised at a little. At the time I was thinking that Niedermayer and Forsberg could have been had for roughly the same price. Alas, even if I tear it up in the online GM world, apparently I'm just not cut out for the real thing. How was I to know that Peca would finally earn his 4 million in the third round of the playoffs? Despite the fact the Oilers are in the finals, all the pundits and talking heads seen on TSN and Sportsnet have been constantly picking their opponents as winners. Whether it's Carolina or Buffalo who meets the Oilers in the finals, I'm pretty sure that most will pick the East as champions. Fine with me. Unless your name is Colby Cosh I'm not expecting you to believe in this team. I wonder what the Oilers will do with the 10 million or so that they have pocketed from the drive to Lord Stanleys mug. Will the investors put it back in their pockets? If so, I have no hard feelings. They've saved the Oilers numerous times and answered cash calls when the team was out of money. Will there be a jump upwards in the Edmonton payroll? Maybe. The current payroll, with the additions of Roloson, Spacek and Tarnstrom, have the Oilers hovering around the 35 million dollar mark. Give or take a few bucks. Tarnstrom won't be back, Ditto with Ty Conklin(praise whoever you pray to, I'm praising the Sun), that should save a few million. Peca won't be back at 4 million per, although if he keeps playing like this some team just might give him something close to it. I know that in contract negotiations the playoff numbers aren't supposed to count but they always do. With every game that this team wins, the RFA's asking prices are going up. Dvorak is going to have to take less money if he dons an Oil jersey next year. How much are we supposed to pay Horcoff next year? You know he's going to be asking 2 million plus. Hemsky will be another challenge for Kevin Lowe. 70 points is nothing to sneeze at and merits a raise. So how much of this team is going to be there in 06/07? The Oilers have to be sending out thank-you cards to 3 people: GM Doug Wilson, Jonathan Cheechoo and his agent. Why you ask? Cheechoo signed a 5 year contract worth 15 million. At only 3 million a season, Doug Wilson locked up the Rocket Richard Winner for the next 5 years. You have to think that a lot of GMs will be comparing their own players to Jonathan and his contract when negotiating. What this means is that we can count on 3 million or less for the key Oilers RFA's. Thank the holy heavens we don't have anyone on the roster comparable to Brad Richards. Does somebody want to call Jay Feaster and let him know that the NHL has a salary cap now? I'll let the Tampa Bay fans worry about that one.

O Canada!

2006-05-24T15:50:00.000-04:00

What's this Oilers crowd going to be like when their team plays its first Stanley Cup Finals home game? It was nice to see Joey Moss still around, just belting out that anthem.

Oilers win, James is happy

2006-05-18T03:20:00.000-04:00

Edmonton is moving on to the Conference final after sending the damn Sharks packing after 4 straight loses. Um, this pretty much sums up how I felt.

If you could read my mind

2006-05-06T01:10:00.000-04:00

"and you won't read that book again, because the end is just too hard to take..." Here's my sympathy post for those hockey fans out there whose teams are now reduced to attacking the golf greens. Old Gordon Lightfoot really had something here (he must have been a hockey fan). If/when my team goes, I know I'll be shedding a tear or two in my beer while listening to this song. "I don't know where we went wrong, but the feelings gone and I just can't get it back." This man is a national treasure.

Battle of Alberta?

2006-05-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

Perhaps the Flames need more fans like the dude in this video to make it past the Ducks. Apparently drinking and screaming your head off for 3 hours doesn't cut it anymore. I'm placing the blame for this little outburst on all that tailgating 4 hours before game time.

Ouch.

2006-05-03T11:31:00.000-04:00

I've always told my NBA loving friends that basketball was gay. Here's proof. Maybe he just forgot which ball(s) he was supposed to be going after. Give me hockey any day.

Regular Season Hockeytown

2006-05-03T11:17:00.000-04:00

Another year, another early exit in Motown. Red Wings fans asking themselves what went wrong this year have blamed everything but Santa Claus for Detroits first round demise at the hands of the Oilers. Like most answers in life, the cause is a mixture of a lot of little reasons. First off, the Hemsky goal was a goal. Watch the replay enough and you'd be lying to yourself if you still thought it wasn't. Even if this goal wasn't 'clean', it made up for Lidstroms pick play goal that was never called. It might make fans feel better to proclaim that their team was robbed by the ref but it won't amount to a hill of beans in the end. Detroit was simply too old and too slow in the new modern NHL of speed and skill. This isn't to say that Detroit had no skill, indeed they have it in spades. But the speed game of Hemsky or a Stoll flying through the neutral zone was too much for an aging defensive core. Legace was okay, but not great. For the amount of time a team will spend in the sin bin these days that doesn't cut the mustard. It is unfair to blame Detroits woes on one person because there is so much blame to go around, no one could shoulder this burden save Jesus Christ himself. Or maybe Yzerman, which he almost did. The Olympics might have killed Detroits Stanley Cup dreams this year. Remember all that Efficient Swedish firepower the Red Wings boast? They've played more games than any other player in the NHL this year. In a season as short as the 2005/06 season, this alone may have been the writing on the wall for this storied franchise. The Alberta grade A meat thrown on the ice at the Joe was the beginning of the end of the Wings. C'mon admit it, that single Oilers fan might have turned the tide of this series with one tossing of the beef. If it wasn't that it was rookie Brad Winchester pulling a latex glove out of nowhere and picking up one of those disgusting Octipi thrown on the ice after a game and taking it back to Edmonton. I don't believe that Detroit is in dire need of a major facelift here. If they get a little younger, faster and hungrier and keep the faith in their current young guns we should be seeing the same Detroit of old back in no time.

bah.

2006-04-28T23:30:00.000-04:00

Keeping it simple as a fan, here it is. Tampas coach is gone. Just like their goalie is. It's not a complete team like the last champion folks. I said it before and I say it again, do you hear me Nonis???? You can't have two or more players dominate your roster payroll. It doesn't work. Depth is key. Enough said from me.

Still here

2006-04-27T09:07:00.000-04:00

In case anyone out there has been wondering where the hell I've been the last month or so, I've been busy doing absolutely nothing. Watching a helluva lot of hockey but I'm not writing. While having a conversation with my girlfriend over my addiction-like level of attention paid to the final run of the season, I had what many alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity. I've waited almost three good years of life for my team to make it back in the playoffs. Three loooooooooooooooonnnnng years!!!! So I decided to be a fan of hockey again. I decided to watch the end of the regular season and playoffs without the worry of deciding what to write about. I gotta say, it's been tough. I seriously believe that not blogging is putting a strain on my relationship. Without the pressure value release that is screaming in the dark in cyberspace, I've found myself constantly bitching to anyone who will listen (which really only means one person). I've been here like a fly on the wall, always watching but never telling anyone my secrets. I've seen a lot of stories that merited a post, I just never bothered to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard in this case. Here's a bone from me. Vancouver didn't make the playoffs and fired Marc Crawford. I wasn't totally surprised that the Canucks didn't make the playoffs because I said about 9 months ago that they lacked depth. Any injury to that team and the whole deck of cards comes down, which is exactly what happened. Dave Nonis is firing the sweeper he sent off to clean a room with a broom that had little bristles. Give it a year and Nonis himself is canned. The Leafs didn't make the playoffs. I said this earlier as well, but so did a lot reporters, bloggers, analysts and fortune tellers. No one in Leaf nation was listening. If you actually believed that the Leafs were going to bring the cup to Toronto this year I have a dilapidated house on a native reserve I'd like to sell you. Send me an email. Phaneuf has finally started acting his age. He's actually making noticeable mistakes. Don't worry Flames fans, he'll be fine. If you have anything to worry about it's your dismal offensive firepower. Will the real Jarome Iginla please stand up? Sid the kid made a hell of run to nearly catch up to Ovechkin. It was absolutely amazing to watch. We should all consider ourselves lucky to have seen it. I had the pleasure of watching Gretzky dazzle the world for a solid 20 years and now I have this to look forward to? All the media who printed unwarranted negative stories about this guy should be thankful he's a good kid... They're going to want to talk to him over the next couple of decades me thinks. Ovechkin deserves his kudos as well and here it is. This guy was a machine. Seriously. Could the NHL have come back any stronger without this guy? He might have slipped under the radar because of Crosby had it not been for a season where he literally carried an entire team on his back. Those in the media who didn't like his exuberant goal celebrations were probably only bitter because the guy scored 52 times this season. Note to Washington Capitals: You have Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin. Don't screw this up. We all know what happened in the history books, how could this not turn out great? Pat Quinn had a tough year. He, along with others, were burned by everyone as the sacrificial goat when Team Canada failed to win Gold at Torino. Pat had his share in the blame, but everyone failed this go around. If you want to point a finger, point it at Gretzky. Hindsight is 20/20, but he left Eric Staal, Crosby and Phaneuf off the roster. All three of these players enjoyed banner seasons in the NHL. Had they been 3 years older and had the seasons they had they would be considered a lock by anyone to make the team. Ironic that Gretzky fell prey to the same biased reasoning of going with the 'experienced' players. Just like previous Team Canada GMs before the Great One. Most Media owe Gretz an apology over that whole gambling thing too. This guy is still as clean as a preachers sheets. Back to Quinn, we won't even mention that he failed to get the Leafs into the playoffs by an asshair. With the cast Ferguson jr. gave this guy to direct a winner, he should be considered for an award. Not a real one, just an Emmy. Holy crap did the Great One have a bad year as well. Gretzky should be happy that his family tree isn't as big as my own because he must be calling every family member he knows everyday to see if they're still alive. It was also his first season behind the bench where he did an admirable job. Most mainstream media thought he would ruin the franchise by doing so and ended up eating their words. So far, only a certain writer for Foxsports has been man enough to admit he made a mistake. I never said so, but I thought that Gretzky would be a great coach. The way this guy saw the game how could he not be? Did anyone else see Stevie Y down the stretch? A guy who got reconstructive surgery done on his knees to make them bow like a cowboy so he could move his leg on fresh spongi tissue because he wore out the other spots on his knee deserves a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame anyday. Even if he hadn't had the great career he had, Steve should be in Hall on the basis of his past two seasons alone. Other sports athletes pull themselves from the game when they have a frickin blister for crying out loud. Playoffs you ask? We'll get to it.

This is going to get worse before it gets better

2006-04-06T13:38:00.000-04:00

The Maple Leafs slugged out another victory last night to put the final nail in the coffin that is the New York Islanders. That should appease the diehards of Leaf nation who haven't realized that this team isn't going to make the playoffs this year. Get a clue. To quote the movie Gladiator, "People should know when they've been conquered." The Leafs haven't done anything right since the NHL returned. They didn't buy out Ed Belfour, they signed over-the-hill-made-of-glass free agents, they didn't make Lindros get surgery immediately after his injury, they gave Kaberle too much money, and they didn't hold a firesale (well as much a firesale there could be in Toronto) at the trade deadline. The Leafs are currently on fire despite the fact that they are out of the playoffs unless another teams loses the majority of their remaining games. Good grief Charlie Brown, now they can't even lose properly! If the Leafs just tanked the rest of this season they had a good shot at getting in the top ten draft pick area. Such a pick could have possibly landed them a Bryan Little. Toronto is the crown jewel of the MLSE empire. You have to think that some sort of shakeup is coming this summer from top to bottom.

The death of hockey culture

2006-03-30T13:35:00.000-05:00

Old Bobby Clarke made some statements about which man should be the GM of team Canada in 2010. Wayne Gretzky, just in case any of you missed it. While doing so, Clarke also took a shot at the NHL and European hockey. I quote Bobby discussing 'Canadian' hockey, "It didn't mean you always won but Canadians always had that special thing. I think that the rules the NHL put in this year took that away from the Canadians. (Now) you're afraid to use that emotion to go after teams. I think the Europeans had a tremendous amount of respect for that part of the Canadian game - and some fear. Now, you go over and everybody is the same. There is no difference." Could it be that Clarke's comment actually have merit? Or is he just being (I wonder if this phrase has ever been uttered, although this sounds arrogant in itself) an arrogant Canadian ass. I don't even know how begin telling you what's wrong with Bobby Clarkes opinion. First off, even if hockey is the same all the world over, shouldn't we still be better if the playing field is so level? Clarke made a big philosophical jump to realize hockey is the same all over the place but couldn't think this one through. Maybe the fact that the playing field has leveled off in the past couple of decades is the reason we came home with nothing except skiing medals this Olympics. Christ Bobby, you almost had a complete thought. Secondly, did Bobby Clarke honestly think that hockey coaching and mannerisms was going to be kept a country recipe for all eternity? It's not like hockeys secrets are as closely guarded as the chocolate streamlined out of Charlies chocolate factory by the Umpa Lumpas. We have had Europeans and Americans in our minor league systems for decades. Get a clue! To show i'm not a complete biased person I'll point out that Russian training regiments were copied by Canadians after the Summit series. Canadians used to do drills, but it was nowhere near the program the Russians demanded of their players. Indeed, we almost lost to the Russians on the basis of conditioning alone. They almost invented the whole idea of set plays in hockey by themselves. Clarke is also taking away credit where it's due to the coaching staffs and management from the other teams that did medal. Canada had an amazing team but the fact that they were out coached as well speaks volumes about other countries development of hockey. Let's face it, there are some great hockey nations out there as passionate about the sport as we are and they're nipping at our heels. Scratch that, they've completely leveled us. We're still great at hockey, but we're not alone in the universe anymore. Isn't that enough?

Long overdue

2006-03-27T14:18:00.000-05:00

Did anyone misjudge the NHL landscape in the post lockout era more than GM Mike O'Connell? Boston finally fired the guy but not in time to save their franchise player from getting traded to San Jose. As it stands right now, San Jose will make the playoffs. Boston will not. Not so long ago, during the lockout, everyone seemed to think that O'Connell was a genius for having so few contracts committed to players. Joe Thornton wasn't signed because Boston wanted to wait and see what the new NHL would be paying players. It turns out the going rate for players of Thornton's caliber were the same price. By not signing Jumbo Joe before the lockout Boston missed out on the 24% player salary rollback. Ditto with all of their players. But that mistake wasn't the last in O'Connells reign of incompetence. He actually signed Thornton then traded him which pissed off the aging Glen Murray (who was also the recipient of a large multiyear contract). He trades away a young Sergei Samsonov to Edmonton instead of resigning him. He signs the 31 year old 'rookie' goalie Tim Thomas to a 3 year deal despite the fact that he has two promising young goalies in Toivonen and Raycroft. All in all, his plan for after the lockout was wrong. After he realized that he seemed to be just winging along without a clear plan for the franchise. Almost every move he made after the NHL returned was puzzling. Hopefully someone suitable can be found to turn the Bruins club around. One thing is for sure, he has to be able to work with cheap ownership and Harry Sinden breathing down his neck.

Hockey... why the hell not?

2006-03-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

I once heard someone remark that money is a lousy way of keeping score. I know they were talking about relationships but it made me think of hockey. Who knew? Perhaps it was the lockout or perhaps it was the million dollar 90's that made me jaded, but I think we all lost a little something in the lockout. Before the lockout hockey was a game. After and during the lockout hockey became a business that was purely concerned about money. I'm not complaining about money mind you. Money makes the world go round. The players need money to live on as opposed to going to school and/or learning a trade like the rest of us suckers. Us 'suckers' need money to pay the cable company to watch hockey games or money to buy tickets to see live games in person. Owners need money to pay the player and building costs. TV needs the money to show games. We all need money, perhaps that is what is lost on our modern society. Before, all we needed was shelter, food and clothing. If any family or person was without one or more of these key needs the community would step in (at least in native culture). The whole notion of wealth was when a man had more food than his family could eat so he fed other not so lucky families. Wealth was something to be given and shared by everyone. Today we have money and it's something that should be accumulated. The hell with everyone else. So why do I love hockey? Why do I cheer for a guy making over 5 million a year who donates about 0.02% of his earnings to charities and get praised for it? Because it's real, that's why. Money 'is' a lousy way of keeping score but it isn't the be all and end all in hockey. We all watched the New York Rangers spend like drunken sailors for the last 7 years and it didn't get them squat. We've seen from the Olympics that a 94 million dollar payroll (shaking his fist wildly in the air thinking of team Canada) doesn't guarantee dibbly. Money can buy you some expensive toys but it doesn't bring you happiness. When thinking of the so called 'reality' shows that seem to infatuate most folks these days I wonder if they get the same high that I do from hockey. Those shows are obviously scripted, hockey can't be. We follow players and teams and watch, or at least follow, an entire 82 game season spaced out over 8 months. Forget about network sitcoms who air 22 shows a season at best. Hockey fans watch a player from the time he's still learning how to wipe his ass right to the time he's a polished, savvy hockey player earning 4 mil a season in the NHL. What other venue can garner that much interest? Like the defunct Roman empire, we have glorified our modern day gladiators to the level of kings on earth. Who can really be upset when they act a little selfish? Like movie celebrities, hockey players time in the spotlight doesn't end at the end of their 'workday'. The players personal lives and even their work are open for all to see. When a player isn't carrying his weight we all know. When a player is going through tough times at home we all know that as well. How many of us can say we would actually be able to produce positive results at both work and home under that kind of pressure? Hockey is a simple game yet is enjoyed by millions of Canadians and people around the world. All arguments about money or business gets sweep aside when the players hit the ice. No more semantics, no more arguments. Two teams of ordinary, regular people meet at center ice and settle all that crap for us. Good or bad. The guys leave their accountants, wives, agents and worries for 60 minutes and just do what they were put on this earth to do. Play a game. PS. I realize I am rambling and made little sense here, but it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to.

Desperation time

2006-03-23T13:34:00.000-05:00

Two great matchups going on tonight between four very desperate teams. The fate of two Canadian clubs playoff chances could very well be determined. In the East, Toronto and Montreal will square off between the boards to determine which team is going to make the playoffs. This is assuming that one of these teams makes the playoffs at all as Atlanta has recently surged past both of them for the 8th and final playoff spot. Realistically, Montreal has the better chance to make it as a win will push them past Atlanta into 8th. If the Habs get on a roll they have a shot at catching 6th place Tampa Bay and avoid a first round matchup with Ottawa, Carolina or Buffalo. Putting that aside, the Canadians need to start putting together a couple of wins to put some distance between themselves and Toronto. They have a good opportunity to bury Toronto tonight, we'll see if they blow it. A loss by Toronto seriously hurts their chances this year. A win by the Leafs tonight and they are right back in the playoff race. They would have to finish the season playing at least .600 hockey, but they would at least have a shot at it. There have been tough times in the Toronto sports scene lately. With GM JP Riccardi (Blue Jays) and GM/President Bryan Colangelo (Raptors) looking like they are in the midst of turning the fates of their franchises around, one has to wonder what John Ferguson jr's big plan is. I guess we'll find out in the offseason. In the West, it's the Canucks and the Oilers part II. Like the East, both teams are fighting for the last playoff spot. And also like the East, both teams might not make it at all. San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Colorado, Edmonton and Vancouver are all in contention for the playoffs but two teams won't make it. If division leader Calgary goes on even the smallest of slumps, they too could find themselves taking a nose-dive in the standings. Vancouvers season has been in a talespin (hey, anyone remember that cartoon?) since before the Olympic break. Bertuzzi has been a shadow of his former self. When the forward line making 15 million dollars between them isn't your top line anymore, you've got serious problems. Add to that a defense core that has spent more time sitting on their collective ass then I have, and we can see the extent of the Canucks problems. If they can manage a win tonight and the next game against the Oilers it would be huge for them. The Oilers simply aren't getting it done despite Kevin Lowe's best efforts to patch the leaky goalie situation and upgrade the winger position. Chris Pronger has been a 'monster' (here's hoping Pierre McGuire doesn't sue me) since the Olympic break but he can't carry the team by himself. Coach McTavish and the team better do some soul-searching right quick before they find themselves having to make a huge run at the very end of the season just to make the playoffs. I love this playoff hockey atmosphere.

Looking at the league

2006-03-20T15:20:00.000-05:00

And they thought that defensive hockey would be dead with all of the new rules. Here are some teams who are proving that defense still dominates. Overall great defensive coverage is part of any teams key to success. That and some really hot goaltending. Hasek (OTW), Lundqvist (NYR), Kiprusoff (CAL) and Legace (DET) are all leading the league in goaltending stats as well. Top 4 defenses: 1) Ottawa Senators 160 GA in 67 games or 2.39 goals allowed per game 2) New York Rangers 165 GA in 67 games or 2.46 goals allowed per game 3) Calgary Flames 170 GA in 67 games or 2.54 goals allowed per game 4) Detroit Red Wings 172 GA in 67 games or 2.57 goals allowed per game Life without solid defensive play has left these 4 clubs vying for the number 1 draft pick in June. The draft will probably be in this exact order, although St. Louis is in the running as well. These clubs already have young prospects and players on their lineups such as Crosby, Ovechkin, Nash, Barker, Klesla, Fleury, and Malkin… If these teams play their cards right the pendulum of power may swing in the NHL in the next 4 years. Bottom 4 defenses: 1) Pittsburgh Penguins 268 GA in 68 games or 3.94 goals a game 2) Washington Capitals 259 GA in 66 games or 3.92 goals a game 3) Columbus Blue Jackets 238GA in 68 games or 3.50 goals a game 4) Chicago Blackhawks 232 GA in 67 games or 3.46 goals a game Ottawa is topping the league in both Offense and Defense. The average score of a Senators game is 4-2 in Ottawa’s favor. Detroit is also in among the leagues best in both categories. I have to admit that I was one of the many who believed that the Red Wings were going to take a bit of a dive this season. Smart management can adapt to anything. They don’t call this place hockey town for nothing. Top 4 Offenses: 1) Ottawa Senators 266 GF in 67 games or 3.97 goals a game 2) Carolina Hurricanes 253 GF in 67 games or 3.77 goals a game 3) Detroit Red Wings 252 GF in 67 games or 3.76 goals a game 4) Buffalo Sabres 231 GF in 66 games or 3.50 goals a game The usual suspects make up the bottom 4 in the league for stagnant offensive numbers. That is until you notice that Calgary has the third worst numbers in the league. When the Flames win a hockey game, it’s not by much (averages specking anyway). Calgary scores 2.61 goals a game and allows 2.51 goals a game. Talk about your paper-thin margins of error but they seem to be getting it done. The rest of the teams on this list just plain stink. Bottom 4 Offenses: 1) Columbus Blue Jackets 171 GF in 68 games or 2.51 goals a game 2) Chicago Blackhawks 171 GF in 67 games or 2.55 goals a game 3) *Calgary Flames 175 GF in 67 games or 2.61 goals a game 4) St Louis Blues 172 GF in 65 games or 2.64 goals a game *Calgary has more goals than St. Louis but the Blues have 2 games in hand.

We're off to the races

2006-03-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

Just some random thoughts. Having trouble putting pen to paper lately or thoughts to computer in this case. Here's a few things I've been noticing during this period of reflection. - The Eastern Conference features a race between Carolina, Ottawa and Buffalo for top spot in the Conference and league(Although they do have Detroit in the west to beat as well). The Rangers and Flyers can cruise into the playoffs without too much worries. The rest of the pecking order seems pretty much set. Having said that, if any team hits the skids, there's a small chance that the Islanders, Thrashers and Leafs could overtake them. - The Western Conference is packed tighter than a boatload of Cuban refugees with exception of Detroit and Dallas who are breaking away from the pack. Vancouver, Los Angeles and Edmonton have to be wary of the surging Ducks and Sharks. Anaheim is only 2 games back with 2 games in hand while the Sharks are 5 points out of it with 3 games in hand. If any team hits a slump now their season is over. - Ted Saskin will be discussing the salary cap for next season with the player reps this week. They will be ponder whether to tell the league to raise the cap to $46 million or $43 million. The kicker is that the players might ask the league for the latter. The reason? Players are worried that escrow payments may be too high with a $46 million dollar cap. Never thought I'd see the day... - It looks like the salary floor will be raised from $22 million to $29 million next year. Some teams are gonna have to spend some money to get to that number. It's getting pretty close to most teams self-imposed cap of $32-$35 million. I wonder if the salary cap is actually going to spread around more talent as it was intended or if it will just force GM's to overpay some guys to get to the cap floor. Time will tell. - Boston certainly has no problem overpaying mediocre players. Maybe the other teams in the NHL can learn something from them. Overpay the crappy players and cheap out on the good ones. Who does this? I've seen computer simulations on the old Eastside Hockey manager that made more sense than this franchise. - Is it just me or is Mike Ricci getting uglier? He has to be one of the nastiest looking athletes of all time. He and Patrick Ewing should seriously think about a traveling freak show after Ricci is finished in the NHL. Does his wife actually have to bang this guy? Maybe see just closes her eyes and thinks of a happy place she can travel to with all the money her husband is making. - CBC will still show Toronto games every Saturday night even though the Leafs are out of it(they would have to go at least 13-5 in their remaining games to make it. That isn't going to happen). Who cares if the Leafs have their own channel? At least we won't have to watch them every game in the playoffs this year. We'll actually be able to see some other games at a decent hour in the east. - Pittsburgh has the best shot to land the number 1 pick again this year. They already have a goalie and 2 centers from previous number 1 overall picks in past years. Maybe this time they'll select a defensemen but since the draft is a little thin in that regard they'll probably take a winger.

Trade thoughts

2006-03-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

Well the deadline has passed, here's a few random thoughts. -Toronto did absolutely nothing. Yeah they did trade Ken Klee and pickup Alexsander Suglobov, but he was a good prospect a few years ago, not now. If he actually surpasses expectations and does something good for him. I just don't think it will happen the way Ferguson thinks it will. -How did the Leafs replace old Ken Klee? Luke Richardson. -Vancouver went a little overboard in the defense department. That is if their current defense line wasn't as thin as the paper I wipe my ass with. Vancouver's dmen have been dropping like flies. Picking up as many defensemen as they possibly could was actually a safe move. I'm actually giving credit to Dave Nonis. -Email me if you want to contribute to my 'decent toilet paper fund'. -Enough of the credit crap. Does Nonis actually think that his team is good enough to win the cup? He has to re-sign the Sedin twins and Anson Carter(their current second line center). That's a whole line of players who have had good seasons. I know the salary cap is supposed to rise by about 3 million but C'mon... -Have the balls to rebuild man. I promise this is the last bit on Dave Nonis. Have faith that your fans will understand. Yeah right, My guess is that Nonis moves Bertuzzi in the offseason. He didn't move him now to appease the season ticket holders and the fact that his stock is so low. He must be hitting the old knees every night praying that Todd doesn't get injured or suck moldy ass in the time being. -The Oilers picked up Sergei Samsonov. They gave up defensive center Marty Reasoner(remember the Doug Weight trade?), prospect Yan Statsny and a second round draft pick. Yan Stastny was recently acquired by the Oilers from Boston using a pick acquired from Boston which was a 4th rounder. I know, this is the game of chess that is the General Manager's role in the NHL. Bah, who am I clowning? Would these teams decide who wants Yan Stastny? Would the real Yan Stastny's team please stand up? -Apparently Edmonton made a trade with St. Louis to pick up Dean Mcammond but it didn't go through in time. We'll see if this one is allowed.

Canucks get a duck (Wow, sorry about that. That was horrible!)

2006-03-09T13:56:00.000-05:00

Vancouver finally decided to do something. Although it's not like they had a lot of room under the cap to do so beforehand. So far on deadline day they've picked up Keith Carney from Anaheim and Sean Brown from New Jersey. Oh yeah, they've also acquired goaltender Mika Noronen from Buffalo. In return they've given up draft picks and prospects. Nothing from their roster. This is another trade that bears watching over the next few years. If Vancouver actually does something this year in playoffs than these moves pay off. If they have a first round exit or godforbid, miss the playoffs entirely, fans will question the wisdom of sacrificing the future for the present. It's not like Vancouver has a lot of prospects who are NHL ready, some would argue they should have been selling one of their top guys. Does Vancouver believe that they are a Stanley Cup team this year? I don't think they are and I'm not alone in that assessment. We shall see what we see.

All's well in Oil land?

2006-03-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

Edmonton got their goalie, the 36 year old Dwyane Roloson is heading to the city of champions. The Oilers gave up a first round pick and conditional third rounder based on whether or not Edmonton resigns him. Edmonton also lost goalie Mike Morrison to the Ottawa Senators through waivers. Big day. Is Roloson the man to do it for Edmonton? Kevin Lowe believes that if he(Roly) can keep his .910% save percentage that it shouldn't be a problem. For certain he is a big upgrade in net over Jussi and Ty, but this guy isn't a career starter either. He's a backup who's been fighting for playing time over the last 5 years with Manny Fernandez. Isn't it ironic? Don't you think? A little too... Alright let's stop that right now. Edmonton claimed that the first round draft pick given up in the deal 'wasn't' a big deal. No surprise. Almost every team that gives up a first rounder in a trade proclaims that "it was weak draft year anyway!" I'll be watching to see who Minnesota drafts with Edmonton picks and pay attention to his career. Why you ask? So in 4-6 years I can sit here and write a post about this trade and tell you the ramifications it had on these two teams. That's the type of anal retentiveness the people who hit this site day in and day out expect of me, that's why. Mike Morrison is another prospect to watch who will take less time. His hockey career was all but over unless he went to Europe. When the Oilers put him on waivers, they didn't have a farm team to send him to if no one claimed him. With his career on the brink who decided that he still had the right stuff? The league leader, one of them at least, Ottawa Senators. Wouldn't it be a kick in the pants if Hasek's injury means he is gone for good and Ray Emery started stinking the Scotia Bank Place up and Mike Morrison turned out to be the goaltender to lead the Senators cup run? This guy wasn't even slated to be a backup goaltender this season. He's 26 and has been grinding it out in the minor leagues all this time until the Oilers had no choice but to play him when Jussi and Ty were sucking something awful. Let's see how this all plays out.

Star crossed goalie

2006-03-08T19:59:00.000-05:00

TSN has reported the following trade between the Habs and the Avalanche.

The Montreal Canadiens have traded goaltender Jose Theodore to the Colorado Avalanche for netminder David Aebischer. The 29-year-old Theodore had fallen on hard times in Montreal, losing his starting job to Cristobal Huet before injuring his heel in an off-ice fall. He is expected to be back in the lineup by the end of the month. The deal takes place ten seasons after the Canadiens dealt future Hall of famer Patrick Roy to the Avalanche in a controversial. Roy went on to win two Stanley Cups in Colorado. Theodore, who is making $4.5 million this season, has posted a record of 17-15-5 in 38 games. Aebischer has registered 25 wins and 14 losses in 43 games this season. He also represented Switzerland in the Torino Games.

Unbelievable. No matter how you break this trade down, one GM is going to look like a genius. Either it's Bob Gainey or Pierre Lacroix. No middle ground. Lacroix is taking on a huge risk but also a huge potential undertaking that just might define the Avalanche for the foreseeable future. Gainey is dumping yet another Montreal discombobulated goaltender that has lost all his glamour on Montreal island. If Theodore is somehow able to pull his act together and return to his Vezina winning form, Habs fans may be moaning about this trade for the next decade. Did Gainey give up on his star goalie too soon? Time will tell. Gainey is dumping about 11 million in salary over the next 2 seasons and getting a fairly good goaltender in the process. Aebischer is making 1/3 of what Theodore has been pulling in and has better stats this year to show for it. With Huet playing well in Montreal, Aebischer is merely insurance and makes for a great 1-2 punch in net. Both will challenge each other for the number 1 status, a scenario that should be good for Montreal. This may be the biggest trade we see before the deadline but it's a big one. It look's like things are starting to pick up.

Trade winds

2006-03-08T11:17:00.000-05:00

I'm back in time for all the crazy uneducated speculation about which players should go where and which GM's are worthless. Sorry about my absence during the past week, but it was a mixture of internet problems and travel. Let's leave it at that. There have been absolutely no trades so far as I write this. I'm really hoping that this changes and something happens by the deadline tomorrow. There are some things that we know will happen soon. - Brendan Witt will be traded to a contending team. Witt requested this move at the beginning of the season when the Capitals when the Capitals got little free-agent help. Washington promised to accommodate his request but didn't say when it would happen. - For those fans out there who believe that Brad Richards is going to Ottawa or Calgary by tomorrow, forget it. He isn't going anywhere until the offseason and that's if Tampa Bay lets it get that far. He isn't going come cheap and with Lecavalier and St. Louis signed for big money long term deals, someone will have to go. That said, Tampa Bay is going to go with the same group who won the last Stanley Cup. - Curtis Joseph is likely leaving Phoenix. Whether it's to a team that needs a experienced backup goalie or a number 1 starter. Phoenix isn't going to be contending this year and Joseph is a great rental. The Question is what the asking price will be. I'm sure to be glued to the computer until the 3pm trade deadline tommorrow. Well maybe I'll get in a little sleep.

Senators vs. Pittsburgh Game Notes

2006-03-01T21:39:00.000-05:00

Internet problems, again

2006-02-28T22:18:00.000-05:00

Argh, I've been without internet at home for the last few days. I guess I should have saved the cursing post for something important like this. Anyways, I hope it will be back up and running soon.

CBC you have failed me

2006-02-26T16:28:00.000-05:00

What, no fucking video montage? You have to be shitting me. What kind of bitch-ass bullshit is this? I've been looking forward to this friggin' crap for two fucking years, ever since the summer games in Athens. Gee, I wonder how many times a person can actually swear in 2 goddamn minutes. Seriously, I sat and watched a bunch of bull-crap for 3 and a half fucking hours for naught. Fuck the fucking fuckers.

Hungover (didn't know what else to title this)

2006-02-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Closing ceremonies are in 2 hours or 1pm eastern time. Remember to watch the CBC's video montage of the games at the end. Of course now that I said that, it will probably suck something awful. Anyhoo, expect a few players to be changing teams. Edmonton needs a goaltender badly, cause that's how their current backstoppers have been playing. Vancouver desperately needs defensemen as the guys currently there are used to playing in the ECHL, not the NHL. Calgary needs a center. Ottawa would like some depth players but if nothing happens they'll be fine. That brings us to the NHL's most storied franchises, Montreal and Toronto. Montreal needs to have a fire sale and look to the future. Toronto needs a miracle. This franchise seems clueless in running their club. Really though, why should they worry about them, they sell out every game before the season even starts. Bring back Ballard I say, they couldn't do any worse. For now, I am once again hungover. Never mix beer with wine and hardstuff folks at home. It'll make you pay every time. Peace in the middle east.

Games are winding down

2006-02-24T01:57:00.000-05:00

With the games all but over I've been mentally making the list of top moments. And lowments. If that's a word. If not, I claim dibs on it. My first beef is Hailey Wickenhisher's shameless dragging of her son into the spot light. This is supposed to be about the athletes. Not about children, unless they are actually in the games. What is this? The womens gymnastics final? My other beef? Women's hockey. Seriously. It's not big enough yet. When other countries can actually compete with Canada, then we'll bring it in. Until then, no dice. They're obviously tipped. Make it fair. Hasn't anyone else read about other sports, especially baseball? Positive moments? Watch the CBC for that. They always have a soul-stirring moment or two to stir the emotions. Regardless of nationality.

By the way...

2006-02-24T01:35:00.000-05:00

Europe learned a lot about NHL players and their mentality while playing in Europe last year during the lockout. That was the comments from numerous European coaches after Canada was eliminated. Damn lockout, I knew this would bite us in the ass eventually. Can't we charge the players responsible with treason or somthing? Oh wait... We're Canada. Dammit, I wish we were like the States suddenly.

Way too drunk to post

2006-02-24T01:02:00.000-05:00

Let's put all this crap to bed. Just like my girlfriend is about to do to me. Hockey Canada is still the best. Just because a Iginla or a Pronger had a chit-chan game doesn't mean Canada suddenly sucks. Do you think that little Jeremy sucks just because the big guys failed to perform at the international level? You might as well argue that Canada is a Republican country just because Stephen Harper narrowly won a minority government. Keep in mind, Canada could have sent 3 teams capable of winning it all. If this were bobsled, they would have. It's a short tourney, with results sometimes that only showcase that. Yes, we sucked something awful this year. It doesn't take anything away from the fact that most countries would absolutely love the choices we have roster-wise. These are good problems people. I'm sure that team USA or any other team would love to have the problem of which guys to pick. When Canada can leave top ten NHL point producers off the final roster and still be considered favorites, that says something. In any online league, guys would salivate over the roster that was ultimately chosen. For those second guessing the roster or thinking that other players would have gotten the job done more effectively, remember one important fact. Canada still cranks out more NHL'ers then any other nation. What more do you want? Oh yeah, an Olympic Gold medal.... Dammit that still hurts something fierce. We did win the World Juniors recently so theres a lot more talent where that came from. Bring on the games in 2010.

Modano shows what a classy guy he is

2006-02-23T14:57:00.000-05:00

After the United States was driven from the Olympics by team Finland, Modano blamed everyone but Santa Claus for the loss. Coach Laviolette was blamed for calling a time-out too early. The fact that new blood was needed in USA Hockey was also a reason. Oh yeah, the fact that players had to look after travel, hotel and tickets for their families without the help of USA Hockey was also to blame. This from a guy who was benched throughout most of the 3rd period in the loss because of his ineffective play. What should we expect from a guy who made the infamous dogfood comment during the lockout? If anything, Modano should look to Gretzky's example of how to accept a loss and point his crooked boney finger directly at himself. At least no members of Team USA trashed their rooms this time.

The morning after

2006-02-23T13:06:00.000-05:00

I wish they made a pill to make this feeling go away, cause after Canada's loss to Russia yesterday I'm still feeling crappy. To quote Shane the acid dropping, bridge jumping freak from Degrassi High, "You Stupid Jerks. You should be kicked in the head!!" That about covers that. It's not that anyone actually believed that Canada was a lock for a gold medal in Torino. I think we all believed that they would at least play in a medal game, Gold or Bronze. I'm not taking anything away from the Russians, but Canada should have been facing an easier team rather than Russia. Alas, it is Pavel Bure and not Wayne Gretzky who has a chance to be hero to his country. Speaking of Gretzky, this guy has had a hellish couple of months. My girlfriend remarked how tired he looked in the interviews following Canada's elimination. Well he's only lost his mother, lost his grandmother, watched the Coyotes take themselves out of the playoff race, watched his wife get implicated in a gambling ring, and now this. To top it all off, everyone seems sick of his commercials. I was about to start feeling sorry for him when my girlfriend remarked, "Not that I wish anything bad on Gretzky, but I'm actually kind of glad. It's nice to know that even the great ones have bad days." She's right. How bad should we feel for a guy who has his own line of clothing gracing stores across Canada and millions upon millions of dollars in the bank? It will be interesting to watch the NHL when it resumes soon to see which, if any, players seasons take a dive after this. Or even which players come out of this better than ever for that matter. The sooner the NHL resumes the better for Canadian fans. Maybe the Cup will return north of the border for the first time since 1992-93 season when the Canadians beat out Gretzky and Kings. Oops, I guess Gretzky has had his share of troubles before as well. Forgive me oh great one, I didn't mean to kick a man while he was down.

Canada vs. Russia - Game notes

2006-02-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

1st period · Iginla flattens Andrei Markov…where was this for the past few games · Evgeni Nabokov has a ridiculous GAA of 0.63 and a save percentage of .964% · Jarome Iginla draws a penalty driving to the net. It looks like he came to play today. Finally. · Canada doesn’t have anyone parked in front of the net on the powerplay. Why not put Ryan Smyth out there? It’s what he does best. · Pat Quinn decided to put Ryan Smyth out on the powerplay, I guess he heard me cussing him out. · People ask why Shane Doan is in Torino. The answer is penalty killing and grinding it out. Good job man. · Sweet merciful crap Ovechkin is good. Someone needs to friggin’ shadow this guy. He shouldn’t be able to stop without a Canadian bumping into his ass. · Brodeur is keeping Canada in the game while the guys in front of him keep taking bad penalties. That’s right, I’m talking about you Mr. Nash. · I think I die a little inside every time McCabe is on the ice. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights out there. Quinn needs to park his ass on the bench. · Craponacrutch!!! Gagne’s down. Kasparaitis strikes again. I wonder what his body count is at now in his career. · Russia is outshooting Canada 11-7 but it was a pretty even 1st. Canada played good, but not great. They need to step it up. 2nd period · Pat Quinn got a penalty at the end of the first period for abusing an official. Bertuzzi is serving it. Strange. How the hell is he supposed to tell his players not to take any stupid penalties when even he is taking them? · Simon Gagne is back. Well, at least Kasper still hurt him. That counts for something. · Canada’s 96 million dollar team can’t buy themselves a goal. Honestly, there’s more offense in my beer league than what Canada has been able to muster so far. · I think the Russian’s are out hitting the Canadian’s. I don’t like a trademark of Canada being blatantly used against them. · Is the glass in this rink smaller than the NHL? Every few minutes a puck goes over it and into the stands. It’s a good thing that’s not a penalty in the Olympics. · Russia is now out shooting Canada 22-9. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. · Bertuzzi is having himself a great game. Good news for Vancouver fans. The bad news is that Mattius Ohlund was injured in Sweden’s win over Switzerland. · Iginla had a 3 on 1 and he decided to take a bad angle shot. Brilliant. This guy is worth every penny of his 7 million. · I haven’t seen so much flag waving since watching the movie ‘Independence Day’. · Canada finally got a few chances on the powerplay. It’s nice to see some sort of offensive spark in them. · Period is over. Canada didn’t look very good until the last 2 minutes of this period. I wonder if we’ll ever see a goal. 3rd period · Just heard that Sami Salo is now out with a separated shoulder and it sounds like Ohlund has cracked ribs. Bryan Allen is suddenly Vancouver’s number 1 defenseman as Jovo’s still on the IRL. Ouch. That’s gotta hurt their chances this year. · Ovechkin scores on the powerplay. Yes, another stupid Canadian penalty. Dammit. · Canada is on the powerplay but it sure doesn’t look like it. Gagne is still hurt and won’t return. I guess Kasper did his job right after all. · Ryan Smyth has gone to dressing room. No word on why yet but this is bad news for Canada. · Smyth didn’t go to the dressing room. I don’t know what Harry Neale was talking about. He probably doesn’t either. · Okay, another powerplay for Canada. They really need to get something going. · Penalty is over with one stinking shot on goal. SHOOT THE PUCK FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!! Malkin had the best scoring chance short-handed. · Ovechkin is looking dangerous out there. Maybe it’s time we put someone on this guy. · Sakic hits the post. We’re finally started to do something now. That’s good because time is running out. · Canada just can’t seem to keep any momentum going. Why can’t this team score any bloody goals? · Russian penalty. Something has to happen soon or this 96 million dollar team will be going home early. · Canada scores right after the ref blew the whistle. Why do I get the feeling we’ll be talking about this one for the next 4 years? · Argh!! Another ‘almost’ goal. Canada is finally showing some emotion with 2 minutes left in the game. · Malkin punches Lecavalier. I’m glad someone did. I hope someone punches this entire team right between the eyes. Maybe it will wake them up. · 4 on 4 for the last minute of the game. Brodeur is on the bench for the extra man now. C’mon guys. Do something! · Pronger gets a penalty. This game is over. · Kovalev scores. This game ‘is’ over. Let the second-guessing begin. Sid the kid would have wanted it more. Just thought I’d start it off.

State of the Union

2006-02-21T15:59:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile now since hockey started back up and Canada returned to normal. No matter which camp you found yourself siding with during the course of the pie-splitting debate, you probably found yourself onside with one party or the other. After taking a few months to take it in you'd be hard pressed to find a writer spouting of rhetoric about the NHL in general nowadays. If you happen to stumble across a man/woman still bitter about Gary Bettman and state of hockey today, I'll show you a man who thought the players would never accept a cap in the first place. I'll also show you a woman/man who cheers for a team that had a high payroll. Putting the CBA arguments aside for the moment, the NHL is better today than it was before the lockout. NO QUESTION. It is not only because of the new CBA but because of the rule changes implemented by the league and, yes, Gary Bettman. I was personally called names such as a Gary Bettman fan, an idiot who knew nothing about the NHL, and a hardliner. I was really none of these tags. If anything I just believed that if you're going to do something to fix a problem, then do it right. A bandaid solution wasn't going to cut it. I realize that I've made this analogy before but those that compare the NHL now to the NHL pre-lockout don't remember what used to be. Like Moses dealing with the Israelites wandering the desert, it must be hard to remind the complainers and naysayers just how bad things used to be in the old land. Teams were buying championships and smaller markets couldn't compete with offers for even their mediocre players. To top it all off, most teams were losing money. It couldn't go on much longer like this. Well hockey is back and better than ever, at least product-wise. We're back to the regular arguments about which team is best and which team will win the cup this year. There have been no franchises folded, no big-name players leaving for Europe, no rumors of players going hungry, no stories or rumors about Gary Bettman getting fired, and no bigtime drop in attendance. I'd say we should all be pretty happy.

Ahh, the sweet stench of failure

2006-02-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

Seen on Sportsnet.ca's Hockey Hearsay:Sportsnet has learned the coach of the Swedish Olympic men's hockey team, Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, is seriously considering having his squad "throw" their final preliminary-round game, Tuesday against Slovakia, in order to have a more favorable opponent to start the quarter-finals. Sweden has already clinched a spot in the quarters, but if they win Tuesday's game, they will face either Canada or the Czech Republic, both very strong teams, pending the outcome of the game between those two nations. However, if Sweden loses against Slovakia, they will face the Swiss team, which has been surprisingly strong thus far with upset wins over said Canadian and Czech teams but is not really considered a medal contender. According to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet (www.aftonbladet.se), Gustafsson was asked on Swedish state TV what he thought about playing Slovakia, to which he responded: "We are discussing inside our group what is good and not good to do: Should you try to choose opponents, or should you do whatever you can to win and take the opponent that comes with that? ... It's tough to say. "We are trying to handle this in a professional manner, and hopefully make the right decision."
This is a tough call to make for team Sweden. On one hand the teams ultimate goal is probably to win the Gold medal. In order to do this they will have to beat the Canadians or another strong team at some point. In a short tournament such as this one, isn't the team better off coming out with their 'A' game and not messing up whatever momentum they have already? On the other hand Sweden won't like walking away empty handed and would like to guarantee themselves a medal. Throwing a game and taking on the Swiss would seem to be an easier way to do just that. Nothing is for certain when facing the Czechs of Canadians. Don't the Swedish fans deserve the best shot possible at an Olympic medal? We'll see exactly what they do against Slovakia. How hard is it for a team to throw a game in the first place? Oh well, they do have Mats Sundin on the team. He has certainly learned a lot about losing this past season with the Leafs. Zing!

Huge Upset in Women's Hockey

2006-02-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

Kim Martin and team Sweden upset the Americans today by beating them in a shoot-out. For the first time since women's hockey really got going internationally, there will be different team facing Canada in the gold medal game. Sweden's goaltender was amazing in the game and really stole it away from team USA. During the shoot-out she didn't let in a single goal. Her performance reminded me of Hasek and his extraordinary magic seen at the Nagano games. All it takes is one hot goalie in a tourney as short as this to cause an upset. This is a huge step forward for women's hockey. Instead of the medals pecking order constantly going Canada, USA, Sweden or USA, Canada, Sweden, it will most likely be Canada, Sweden, United States. A small change but a welcome change nonetheless. Fans of USA need not worry, this won't be the norm for a long while yet. USA will come out on top again soon.

Dull games?

2006-02-17T12:54:00.000-05:00

"And its true we are immune When fact is fiction and TV reality" - U2, Sunday Bloody Sunday According to the USATODAY.com, the Torino Olympics have attracted 36% less television viewers than the Salt Lake winter games. There is much talk in the United States that Americans are much more interested in tuning into the bad Karaoke singing on American Idol than watching their Olympic athletes go for gold. The 'reality' TV rage is probably one of the reasons for the numbers drop. This damn reality thing refuses to die. Despite great programming being available such as "24", scripted 'reality' television continues to dominate. It is not, however, the main reason for the lack of viewership. In my humble opinion it has a lot to do with the time change and the fact that most events are over by the time they are aired in prime time slots in North America. When people can get the results on events hours before they are ever aired on television, it's hard to keep their interest. NBC's website is getting more hits a day than it has people watching their station. The internet is changing everything. I'll make a bold prediction and say that the numbers will go when the Games come to Vancouver in 2010. Once the events are somewhat in the same timezone as the majority of North America they should have no trouble attracting viewers again. (Whispers to Vancouver: If you build it, they will come)

Best moment of the Olympics so far

2006-02-15T02:15:00.000-05:00

Sara Renner and teammate Beckie Scott won silver for Canada in the women's team sprint today. It was a win that easily might not have happened at all. After Sara Renner broke a ski pole, a Norwegian coach acted quickly to hand her a pole that just happened to be about a foot too long. It did the job. How big was this kind and sportly act? Norway's team of Ella Gjomle and Marit Bjorgen finished fourth. Sara Renner compared the loss of a ski pole in cross country skiing to canoeing without a paddle. Had Renner been unable to procure a pole, Gjomle and Bjorgen could have cruised to a bronze medal as they finished just 10 seconds out of third place. I love the games. We certainly don't see this in professional sports very often.

Getting back to hockey

2006-02-14T13:06:00.000-05:00

My Internet problems have been fixed. Well glory be to Jesus, let the hallelujahs roll... Anyhoo, I’m just glad it happened in time for the exciting hockey that is coming. The Canadian men are preparing for the slaughter of the Italians tomorrow. Since Italy is the host team this year, they have the right to put an athlete/team in every event whether they earned it or not. After a quick scan of their roster, I realized that most of these guys aren't even in hockeydb.com's massive database. For some reason I always believed that Fernando Pisani was Italian but after looking him up I learned that this guy is as Canadian as um, poutine. The Canadian women already played Italy this past weekend and humiliated them 16 to zip. The Italians were only able to muster a lousy 5 shots, most of which were from center ice or the blueline. Even though body checking is not allowed in Women's hockey, there were several moments were Italian players were getting hurt. (Imagine what the Canadian men are going to do to the Italian men. That game won't be pretty folks.) The Canadian victory over Italy was yet another reason why Women's Hockey should be removed from the Olympics. If Canada and the United States are virtually guaranteed Silver and Gold and the rest of the competition is years behind, it's time to pull the plug. It should have never been included in the first place until other countries caught up with North America.

Slight problems

2006-02-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

If any of you have noticed the lack of posts during the past week, it's almost entirely due to a minor bug that was in my system. The other reason was work, both home and professional work. Everything should be worked out by this weekend (crossing fingers). In the meantime, thank god for the Olympic break. Hopefully it will give everyone still in North America a chance to get their stories straight and stop all of this hearsay and conjecture. Give it a rest people. We don't know squat yet, until we do it's best to wait and listen. It's easy to get caught up in the 6 degrees of separation between gambling and Gretzky, but to start questioning whether or not Wayne should be going to Torino is ridiculous. The man hasn't been charged or implicated in anything. The only known fact is that he was asking those (Tocchet) implicated whether or not his wife would be implicated. Perhaps this is the reason there shouldn't be professional athletes in the games in the first place. Remember the days when all we had to worry about was which athlete was doping or which judges were crooked? The IOC must be getting tired of these NHL prima-donnas coming to the games and mucking things up. Or maybe it takes attention away from the massive cost and horrible organization of most venues. Who knows. Alas, there's nothing for us to do know but sit back and watch some world class hockey for the next couple of weeks. The last hockey played at the winter games was excellent and layed way to a host of rule changes in the NHL. Here's hoping for more of the same.

Let me get this straight...

2006-02-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

Are you telling me that they still don't know who ordered the leak of Valerie Plume's name to Bob Novak but they know a bunch of hockey players are betting on sports? Are telling me that they still can't link the 9/11 attacks with Iraq but they can link Rick Tocchet's gambling ring with the mob? "Operation: Slapshot"? Really?! Anyone remember the glory days of 'covert' names of such cases? At least they didn't call it "Operation: Goons and thugs". Before everyone gets their panties up in a bunch over this one it would be good to realize two things: 1) If none of the hockey people involved in the ring were betting are using information on hockey then none of this matters. Well at least in terms of the NHL. It seems to matter a great deal to the New Jersey State Police indeed. 2) The people in trouble were only betting on sports which a lot of us do. Does it matter that Tocchet's 'office' pool was bigger and included the rich and famous? No. Well, once again, it matters to the New Jersey State Police. But laws, smaws...didn't they have anything better to do? Regardless of what happens the next question we should be asking ourselves is "What does this mean for the NHL?" Tuning into the radio, television and internet news sources and you'll discover that they are all saying the same thing. This will be bad for the image of the league after it was recovering from a cancelled season. These are two things that all the networks and newscasters seem to have in common. They all have the NHL front and center in their news because of this scandal and they all believed that the NHL would have a hard and long recovery after the lockout. Any publicity is good publicity. If it turns out that no behind the scenes betting on hockey hanky panky went down, the league comes out of this with some fishy characters and a lot of news coverage. The NHL brass must be hitting the knees hard these days praying to whoever they deem powerfull that this is the worst that happens. Worst case scenario is that this opens up more about the nature of sports and it's nasty underworld than the average cares to know. Imagine if this ran deeper than we could even think possible and we no longer knew who we could trust again. Fans not only enjoy watching sports to bet money but also to idolize and dream of the athletes and their lives(wives/lives... whichever you think of first). It's getting harder and harder to do that these days.

The bottom of the barrel

2006-02-02T15:55:00.001-05:00

Since I mocked a TSN top ten list the other day, it's time to lampoon a poll currently up on Sportsnet.ca. I just wouldn't be able to sleep tonight without attempting to be fair and unbiased about the whole thing. Bah, who am I kidding? I just love ridiculing things.

Which athlete has done the best job of staining his/her reputation? Steve Lyons (dropping his pants) Joe Namath ("I want to kiss you") Mark Madsen (The celebration dance) Tonya Harding (Boxing) Mike Tyson (The Monster Mash)

Leaving the top three alone, it's the bottom two and the reasons given I take offense with. Tonya Harding deciding to appear on Celebrity boxing was hardly the instance that stained her career. It was the fact that her bodyguard Shawn E. Eckardt and ex-husband Jeff Gillooly orchestrated an attack on Nancy Kerrigan's (Harding's skating rival) right knee with a metal baton as she left skating practice in Detroit that ruined her good(?) name. She was banned from skating for life after being implicated by these two goons. Throw in her "wedding night" naughty video that Penthouse magazine printed still shots of and a conviction for drunk driving, and that boxing thing looks small indeed. Her boxing opponent Paula Jones had it coming anyway, "She what happens when you fuck with Clinton, Paula? See what happens?!!" Oops, did I just type that? Mike Tyson's stirring rendition of the 'Monster Mash' may have been the icing on the cake, but by the time this happened the guy didn't have much to lose anyway. After getting convicted and sent to jail for rape in 1992 and biting off Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997, could anything really sully his reputation further? This is a guy who wants to eat other peoples children. Trust me, the damage was already done. Tyson could go on national television tomorrow, drop his pants, take a big steaming dump on a english bagel, eat it while picking a huge snot out of his nose and it would be a lateral move for him.

Fact is stranger than fiction

2006-02-01T02:57:00.000-05:00

This has nothing to with hockey but then again, it has nothing to with sports anyway. But like my infant nephew might say, "they started it!" TSN listed a top ten of the most bizarre Super Bowl moments and Janet Jackon's right titty made the list as number one. Who'd have thunk it? All the overweight linebackers who sacrificed their bodies in the hopes of clutching the NFL's top prize must be spinning in their graves. An overrated Justin Timberlake and a past-her-prime Jackson don't deserve such an honor.

Janet done lost her damn mind, whipping out a titty on a Sunday afternoon. A titty on a Sunday afternoon! 40 year old titty? Your man's titty! 20 year old titty? Community titty! Chris Rock - Never Scared (2004)

Agreed. That was just nasty. Even that nipple thing she sported was sagging.

Good money after bad

2006-01-31T23:02:00.000-05:00

Jose Theodore sucked moldy ass again tonight while letting in 5 goals on 10 shots. Why the coach allowed him to stay in that long before pulling him is a good question. Another good question is what Montreal is going to do with him and the $4.5 million he is making this season. Lest we forget, he's going to make $5.5 million in 2006-07 and another $6 million in 2007-08. Throughout the lockout, those on the side of the players continually asked those on the side of the owners this burning question: "Does Gary Bettman want to protect general managers from themselves?" Back then my answer was always a resounding 'Yes'. Thinking it over I've had a different thought on the subject. What if Gary Bettman was, for argument's sake, trying to protect the fans. (I know this is a huge stretch but let's pretend that someone was thinking of us) While closing in on the Olympic break and well past the season's halfway point, we've all come to realize the folly of bad contracts and what they can do. Whether we're talking about Keith Tkachuk, Jose Theodore, Alexei Yashin, and yes, maybe even Chris Pronger in 3 to 4 years, it all comes down to the same thing. Big lenghty contracts can hurt the team and the fan base that supports them. Yes, the salary cap was supposed to be the great equalizer to prevent this kind of crap. We should all remember however, that it didn't. Rich clubs were able to outspend the smaller clubs and offer huge money for longer amounts of time. Absorbing a huge salary for years meant little to the owners of the Rangers, the Capitals and the other big spenders. For those NHLPA fans who have been actively seeking a salary cap flaw, perhaps this is it. Just because a smaller market can now offer the same amount of money the rich boys can, it only means that they are at greater risk. Yesterday and especially today. Today a bad contract can hamper a clubs chance for years. I'm opening a huge can of worms by saying this, but perhaps the new CBA should have included a clause that stated any contract over 15% of the salary cap could only be 1 year in length. I realize that many players want the comfort of knowing they'll be in the same place for a few years. I answer that by saying who doesn't? Every fan in the NHL would like that exact same thing. Special privledges could have been provided allowing these clubs and/or the players to retain their relationships as long as certain performances were met. Injuries excluded. Injuries could have been met with a set of clauses stating that as long as the player was on par for the 'certain performances' mentioned in the contract, the club would be forced to keep the said player for the same money for yet another year. Career ending injuries to one of these players could have been met with a guaranteed payment to the player over the course of, what now seems to be the standard for a top-notch player, 5 years. This is at the two thirds contract buyout rate of course, just to be fair to the player. Of course this money would still count against the salary cap, to be fair to the other teams. There would be other considerations to take into account but this idea takes care of both irresponsible owners and irresponsible players taking it easy after signing a bloated contract. How many times have we seen a player mail in his performance after seeing a big payday to do something about this. Does the fan paying $200.00 to take his family to a game have to suffer for his team's management ineptitude? Does the average fan have to suffer through a spoiled player tanking his teams chances at the playoffs? Some of you are going to tell me that the arbitration rights won by the owners should be the answer to this. Get real. We all know that any team who engages a player this fashion in an attempt to lower his salary will have that same player leave in a year to another team. Arbitration isn't pretty and causes a wedge between ownership and player. Look what happened in Florida when Luongo and Keenan couldn't come to an agreement. Do the fans deserve this? It will be interesting to see which, if any, teams use this new weapon at their disposal in the coming offseason. My money says that the number of players taking their clubs to arbitration will outnumber the numbers of clubs doing vice versa to their respective players. Any takers?

Let's make a deal

2006-01-30T18:16:00.000-05:00

Mike O'Connell pay attention. This is how you make a deal. The veteran's veteran, Doug Weight, finally moved today along with AHL journeymen Erkki Rajamaki to the Carolina Hurricanes. What the Cane's gave up for Weight, who by his own admission would like to return to the Blues next year, is staggering. - Carolina's first-round pick in 2006. - Toronto's fourth-round pick in 2006, previously acquired by the Hurricanes. - Chicago's fourth-round pick in 2007, previously acquired by the Hurricanes. - Tough guy forward Jesse Boulerice, a 27-year-old eighth-year pro. - Forward Mike Zigomanis, a 25-year-old fifth-year pro. - Magnus Kahnberg, 25, an unsigned Carolina draftee from Sweden who will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Now you could successfully argue that none of the players heading to St. Louis will become much of anything but that doesn't matter. It's the first round pick that is the centerpiece of this deal. You could also argue that Carolina's pick this year will be a high one and would also be correct. This doesn't excuse the fact that it's still a hell of a lot to give up for a 'rental' player. Maybe the Cane's had the pick's to spare but maybe that doesn't matter. Giving up 1st rounder in today's NHL better fetch you a great young player or the cup. Time we'll tell on Lord Stanley's mug, but Doug Weight is far and away from a great young player. One thing is certain, Boston's dealing Joe Thornton was actually made to look even more ridiculous because of this.

Dirty deeds...done dirt cheap

2006-01-28T10:26:00.000-05:00

Much has been made of Darius Kasparaitis's hit on Tim Connolly in recent days. Putting aside the fast that yes, that hit was dirty, let's not forget that we should hate the sin, not the sinner. Is James actually defending the Kasper? Yes. Yes he is. Despite his controversial history in the NHL most of the injuries he inflicted on his peers in the NHLPA were clean. There I said it. This guy is 'the' master of the davastating, legal blow known as the hip check. Ahh, swiping down on a opposing winger thinking he can dance into your zone and taking his legs(and breath) from him is both painful and fulfilling to watch. When done correctly, it can be a game saver and a game-turner. Punishing a forward this way makes him think twice about taking the puck into the offensive zone and odds are, he'll probably dump it in the next time. Injuries are the unfortunate result of such a powerful hit but such is the nature of the beast. This is what makes most casual hockey fans believe that such hits are 'dirty'. It's not. If anyone suddenly took out your legs while you were traveling at a 20-40 km/hour clip I guarantee you that you wouldn't be going out dancing that night. Forget about trying to skate and play hockey. The controversy comes into play because Kasper is short to begin with. Bending too low can take out the knees on a player. That is dirty, no question. But to malign a guy who is short and saying he's too low is folly. What the hell is he supposed to do about it? Grow taller in his 30's? Ask him to change his game now is like asking a bear "please don't shit in the woods". The guy has been in the league forever. Whenever his contract is up he has always landed somewhere. This means that while GM's and coach's will bitch and whine when one of their players gets taken out for a spell, they'd be more than willing to have such a player in their lineup. Talk is cheap. Darius's current coach, Tom Renney, had this to say about him. "I think [hip checking is] a real skill, it's a timing skill, it's a positional skill, it's a skating skill. To be able to quarantine a puck carrier and use the boards to help you do that is a terrific play." This about covers it. Would you rather have him on your team or face him?

Let's give them something to talk about(it's not love)

2006-01-26T22:40:00.000-05:00

It's not very often you'll see a trade rumor on this site, but then again it's not very often you see a club make two trades in one day. Edmonton Gm Kevin Lowe seems to prefer to do his trading in batches. The Oilers made headlines today while bolstering their defense corps by adding Dick Tarnstrom for Jani Rita and defenceman Cory Cross. Then Lowe flipped Czech Olympian Jaroslav Spacek from the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Tony Salmelainen. Before I move onto anything else, let me break this down.

Coming to Edmonton: Jaroslav Spacek, 31, 24 points(7-14) $2.25 million Dick Tarnstrom, 31, 10 points (5-5) $1.6 million Total salary coming - $3.85 million Leaving Edmonton: Cory Cross, 35, 5(2-3) $874,000 in 05/06 and $912,000 in 06-07 Jani Rita, 24, 3(3-0) $450,000 Salmelainen, 24, playing for HIFK in Finland Total salary going - $1.324 in 05/06 and an additional $912,000 in 06/07

In total, Edmonton has picked up about $2.5 million(this season only) in extra salary. Since the season is half over and half the paycheques have already been signed we'll say that the Oil have picked up an additional $1.25 million for this season. Here's where it gets a little complicated, for me anyway(one look at my bank statement and you'll know I'm no accountant). The Oilers payroll before this move stood at $33 million. Subtract the $1.3 million in salary leaving Edmonton by half(half has already been paid remember?) and it comes to $650,000. Subtract $650,000 from the $33 million Oiler payroll and you reach a number of $32.3 million, give or take. Finally, add $1.25 million in additional salary we came to before and we reach a total payroll number of (roughly) $33.5 million. Had the Oilers made this move at the beginning of the season the payroll would have stood at $35.5 million. What a difference waiting until close to the deadline to make a deal makes. Kevin Lowe was able to add (arguably) two top-4 defensemen while only giving up a 6th or 7th d-man who hasn't been able to adjust well to the new NHL, a 4th line winger who has spent more time watching from the pressbox than playing, and a marginal prospect. Kudos to Lowe, but problems remain. The Oilers now have 8 NHL defensemen(Pronger, Staios, Smith, Bergeron, Spacek, Tarnstrom, Greene, and Ulanov) on their roster and still haven't addressed their glaring need for a number 1 goaltender. Kevin Lowe now has the following choices on plate to deal with this. 1. Send rookie Matt Greene down to the minors and continue to let Ulanov warm the bench or scratch him all together. Greene has been performing well for the Oilers since being called up so it's hard to see this scenario happening. 2. Trade one or two defensemen in order to land a goalie. Jason Smith, Marc-Andre Bergeron, or Steve Staios could all be used as bait to achieve this. Indeed, even the newly acquired Spacek or Tarnstrom could be shipped out as quickly as they arrive in Edmonton. Work horse Chris Pronger, whom the Oilers just traded for a signed longterm, seems to be a safe bet to stay. Going forward with choice number 2 seems to be the answer that makes the most sense. Assuming this is what is going to happen, which tender could come to Edmonton? Well, who needs a top four defensemen and has a goaltender to spare? For my money the Buffalo Sabres make the most sense, trade-wise, right now. Buffalo is in need of a offensive powerplay threat since the loss of J.P. Dumont and Tim Connolly, both of whom have been lost to injuries this season. They also have goaltender Martin Biron who doesn't exactly fit the teams plans anymore with the emergence of Ryan Miller. Mika Noronen is there as a steady backup if Biron is put on the block as rumored. Martin Biron is only 28 and has a GAA under 3 with a save percentage over .900. Biron's salary is $2.128 million for this season(though again, half has already been paid) which would match up well with any d-man or d-men that would be going the other way in a trade with Edmonton. I'm not saying that this move is going to happen, I'm merely stating that today's moves have given Kevin Lowe some attractive bait in which to entice a goaltender to Edmonton. Playing devil's advocate for a moment, Buffalo may want a forward more than a defensemen but they too, could easily trade one of their own d-man to address what they need. Goaltenders and defensemen are at a premium right now in the NHL. We shall see what we shall see in the coming days but the odds are, Lowe isn't done dealing yet.

Put em' up

2006-01-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

'It's an old-fashioned goalie fight! By gar, it's been awhile.' It's true. During last nights spanking of the Calgary Flames at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche the two tenders crossed the red line and decided to drop the gloves and blockers. Since this happened in the last 5 minutes of the game, the goaltenders involved should have been suspended and both coaches fined. This didn't happen today. Instead, NHL vice president Colin Campbell reviewed the altercation between Philippe Sauve and David Aebischer and pardoned all parties. I guess he enjoyed the show as much as the rest of us did. If two guys can muster up enough hate for each other while being almost 200 feet apart, I say let them go. If players can fight, why not goalies? The rule banning fights in the last 5 minutes is stupid to begin with and was only implemented to prevent the bench clearing brawls and hoop-la at the end of games. The thought at the time was that it would prevent injuries and other serious damage. Does a fight at the beginning of the game mean less than one at the end? Apparently Colin Campbell didn't think so either but left us with no reasons for his decision. Good enough for me. I only wish that Suave and Aebischer had left their blockers on ala Ron Hextall. Old Ronny H would have taken both of these softies to school. 'Paddling the school canoe? Oh, you better believe that's a paddlin'.

Call that a career

2006-01-24T14:03:00.000-05:00

Lemieux announced his retirement (again) from the game of hockey today. His body wasn't able to handle the NHL anymore and he wasn't able to play the way he wanted to. He also said that the new NHL is a young man's game now. With the game built on speed, older players are feeling the effects of the faster, younger players. What a legacy he leaves us all with. Those of us who were able to watch him in his prime were truly blessed by the hockey God's. Some of the hardware he collected along the way are the following:

1 Calder Trophy 3 Hart Memorial Trophies 2 Conn Smyth Trophies 6 Art Ross Trophies 1 Bill Masterton Trophy 4 Lester B. Pearson Trophies 2 Stanley Cups

This guys trophy room must need to be as big as my apartment to hold all these awards. I didn't even mention his international accolades he's received in the Canada and World Cups because I'm trying to get some painting done here. It seemed harder for Mario to walk away from the game this go around. With the NHL crackdown on obstruction this year, it wasn't at all like when he left in a huff back in 1997. The game is much better shape than it was in the 90's. One thing is for sure, the Penguins are Sidney Crosby's team now.

The battle lines have been drawn

2006-01-23T16:15:00.000-05:00

The battle of Ontario and Alberta resumes tonight as the Leafs will be in Ottawa and the Flames will be visiting Edmonton. Coming into the season Ottawa and Calgary were expected to do well while less was expected out of Toronto and Edmonton. As it stands right now, all four teams have been playing to script. Toronto was actually doing better than most thought until their recent skid. They haven't been able to beat Ottawa at all this year. Worse than this, they've looked like an AHL team while doing so. The Leafs had to remain healthy this season if they had any hope of reaching the playoffs and thus far this hasn't happened. With the Leafs already bumping up against the cap it will be difficult to improve this team. Most, if any, changes will have to be made in the off-season. The Leafs will be looking to dump salary in the hopes of being able to sign some better free-agents. Edmonton hasn't played horrible this year and have actually gotten production out of all the young players they needed it from. Their Achilles heel so far this season has been weak, weak goaltending. They've lost 3 of 5 games to Calgary this season but have been one of the few teams who have been able to score consistently on the Kipper. Rookie Mike Morrison should get the start tonight with Markannen backing him up. Ty Conklin, who was the teams number 1 goalie heading into this season, will be watching from the press box. All in all, it's a big night in Canada, what with the election and all. Depending on which hockey team or political party you're rooting for, it could be a very long night. James may not be very happy by the end of this night.

Berard vs. Palmero

2006-01-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

So it's all true, Berard tried steroids. The reason we know this is because he has admitted it.
'No question, I'm embarrassed about it,'' Berard told reporters in Columbus after the pre-game skate. ''There's nothing I can do about it now, other than accepting what I've done. We'll learn from it, it was a mistake and it won't happen again."
Apparently, Berard approached the NHL and NHLPA about the incident right away and voluntarily submitted himself for 2 test's which he passed. He has also agreed to co-operate with USADA and participate in programs to inform athletes and the public about the dangers of taking steroids. Let's move on to the infamous case of Rafael Palmero. This guy actually went before the United States Congress and said that he had never taken steroids in his life. Considering that Congress was meddling with pro-athletes intakes with a war and a massive deficit going on is besides the point. Rafael Palmero tested positive for the same anabolic steroid, Stanozol, that Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was caught with in his body during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Is this guy a complete idiot? At the very least he could have taken what Barry Bonds and Mark Mcguire had been taking. He must have known that others had already been caught with this drug. Despite this, Palmero could have came clean and apologized. He did not. To this day he still blatantly denies of ever using steroids. While Berard 'has' made a mistake, he has owned up to it. What a difference between the two. As a hockey fan I'm not proud of what Berard did, but I am proud of how he dealt with it. Palmero, and all of us for that matter, can learn a lot from Bryans example. We're all going to make mistakes. Mistakes make us who we are, depending on how we deal with them. Remember that the smartest people will make the biggest mistakes because no one would trust a fool with big decisions.

Berard tests positive

2006-01-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

This is according to TSN's website:Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Bryan Berard tested positive for a banned substance as part of drug testing for the Olympics. Sources say Berard, who was invited to the U.S. summer Olympic evaluation camp and therefore eligible for Olympic testing, tested positive for the substance nandrolone, an anabolic steroid which is on the IOC banned substance list.
Berard's camp is saying that this positive test must be a result of a supplement he was taking in off-season training. Athletes caught with positive tests commonly state that the drug got into their systems from the use of protein milkshakes and the amino acid creatine, which are perfectly legal and used as dietary supplements to increase weight. Most Chemist's dismiss this explanation as impossible but the fact that so many sportsmen have tested positive for the same substance in such a short space of time has led to speculation that the testing procedure may be flawed, or inaccurate. The drug known as nandrolone (also known commercially as Deca-Durabolin) has the IUPAC name 17b-hydroxy-19-nor-4-andro-sten-3-one, and is an anabolic steroid (a muscle-building chemical) which occurs naturally in the human body, but only in tiny quantities. A limit of 2 ng per ml of urine (set by the International Olympic Committee) is the maximum concentration thought possible to occur in human body by 'natural means', and if this is exceeded the drug test is considered positive. Since some samples given by athletes have shown levels up to 100 times higher than this, the conclusion is that the athletes must have been taking extra quantities of the drug to enhance their performance. Berard wasn't caught by the NHL so nothing will happen to him because of this. I searched for information on the NHL's drug-testing policy but couldn't find out whether or not Nandrolone is even on their banned substance list. The worst that will happen to Berard is that he won't be allowed to make the trip to Italy with team USA. More details should come out later now that the stories finally out(the NHL and the Columbus Blue Jackets have known about this since December). Hopefully, we'll find out more in the coming weeks before the Olympic break.

Penguins skipping town?

2006-01-19T12:29:00.000-05:00

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that Mario Lemieux and his partners have been approached by "a few groups" interested in purchasing the franchise and will pursue negotiations with them. This is far and away from surprising. The Mellon arena is the oldest, smallest building currently in use in the NHL. Lemieux and company have been reaching out to everyone except Santa Claus trying to get a new building. Thus far, their crys have fallen on deaf ears. If the proposed gaming license falls through in Pittsburgh expect the Penguins to be leaving town after the 2006/07 season. Where they'll wind up, no one knows. The likelihood of the Penguins remaining in steeltown is increasingly slim. This is despite being a franchise that has money-making machine Sidney Crosby in their ranks. It makes one wonder how much this franchise will go for and how much of that price tag can be directly attributed to Sidney. Lemieux was able to save the Penguins numerous times throughout his career but it doesn't look like Crosby has the same influence as the big guy. (This little post was almost titled "Boy for sale".)

The West is best(?)

2006-01-17T15:43:00.000-05:00

Yikes, the Western Conference is packed together tighter than a boatload of refugees fleeing Castro's Communist Cuba. While taking a quick look at the standings, I noticed the following. A mere 10 points separates the top 8 teams currently in the playoff picture. There are 4 other teams who are within 9 points of 8th, most of them with games in hand. If this Conference didn't have the likes of Columbus, Chicago and St. Louis almost any team could call themselves 'in the race'. I suppose someone has to fight it out for the number 1 draft pick. Colorado, after a less than stellar start, has been tearing it up as of late. Edmonton has been in a steep decline due mostly in part to shaky goaltending. Nashville has cooled off considerably and has started to get overtaken by clubs who aren't exactly on fire as of late. Calgary continues to be hampered by dismal goal-production but are bolstered by their deep defense and rock-solid goaltending. An interesting note is that Calgary has only scored 120 goals this season while letting in 116. If this team didn't have the Kipper we would be lumping them in with Chicago, Columbus and St. Louis. Expect Mr. Sutter to address this problem soon. Sutter won't be alone in trying to improve his club. With most teams having about 10-16 games left before the trading deadline, there should be some moves made soon. Once the first goaltender changes teams expect a flurry of activity. Perhaps 'flurry' was too strong a word as I expect that we won't exactly see the exchanging of warm bodies we saw in years past. But like life, it should be enough to appease the masses, depending on whether or not your team is one of the movers and shakers.

Blowin' in the wind

2006-01-16T00:13:00.000-05:00

Time for James to ponder the very nature of our universe again. Yes it's Election time in Canada (again!!!!!!). If anyone is still wondering which party they will support in the coming vote, I have an answer. If not, "the" answer. Forget all the crap that has been promised and follow your heart. With everyone promising something for nothing, just imagine what kind of world you want your children to grow up in. Promises of cash seem nice, but they come at cost. The cost is the burden of repayment that our children will be forced to bear. Much like the burden our own parents (and people of the same generation) have left us. I have often felt that the generation that will soon be leaving us not only left a peace that could only be described as questionable. They also left us the staggering cost of the bills they refused to pay. Before I'm bombarded with emails stating that I'm generalizing, let me leave you with a couple of quotes. If anything, they prove that not all citizens of this era were purely concerned with their own well-being.
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly Before they're forever banned? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind, The answer is blowin' in the wind. - Bob Dylan Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose... - Janis Joplin
Sing on, Sing true. If only more had heeded your simple wisdom. Yesterday and today. The answer 'is' blowing in the wind. An actual hockey post will follow tomorrow.

Angel of Harlem?

2006-01-12T22:57:00.000-05:00

"New York, like a Christmas tree, tonight this city belongs to me..." U2 Well he's no angel, just look at him, but New York was definitely his tonight. The Rangers organization not only honored Mark Messier by retiring his famous number 11 tonight, but apparently the Empire State building was lit up in red, white and blue. It was a long ceremony befitting a player with a long career. I can't wait until the night the Oilers retire Mark's number alongside Glenn Anderson's.

Fair Market Value

2006-01-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

The offseason in the NHL has historically been a time off free-agency, holdouts/contract disputes and players taking their respective clubs to arbitration for more dollars. What will the offseason look like in the new NHL? A lot different. The odds of seeing a Todd Marchant getting big dollars from free-agency are slim to none. With salary cap space at a premium, teams are going to be more hesitant to throw huge money at any player unless that said player has truly earned it. One could argue that whatever stats a professional athlete puts up isn't deserving of a huge contract in the first place but that's another post. As we saw with Boston's Nick Boynton, a player holding out doesn't have the same leverage anymore that he used to. With a deadline for player signings spelled out in the agreement, today's players are faced with accepting a 1 year lesser deal, or not playing in the NHL at all. Players got a first hand taste of what the European leagues are paying their athletes last year and it left a lot to be desired. The biggest change of the offseason will be the introduction of the two-way arbitration. For the first time in the NHLs history, the owners will be able to take an underachieving player to an arbitor to attempt to reduce his salary. It remains to be seen if any club will choose to take this route. Arbitration is often a nasty affair that can dampen the relationship between the player and their club. If any clubs do decide to take advantage of this new CBA clause, the following players may be making less next year: Jarome Iginla $7 million/year with 2 years remaining. Flames fans have been calling on Sutter to do something about the derelict superstar. If Iginla doesn't pick things up soon and/or fails to get the Flames past the first round in the playoffs, GM Sutter may seriously think about this option. With a salary cap of 40 million, it's hard to justify one player eating up 7 million. Keith Tkachuk $7.6 million/year with another year remaining after this season. Tkachuk is probably most likely to find himself before an arbitrator in the coming offseason. He was already suspended before the season started for reporting to camp overweight. Larry Pleu won't hesitate to try and reduce his salary which would make getting rid of him easier. Alexei Yashin $7.6 million/year for the rest of his life (okay, sometime in 2011). Arbitrator's haven't been kind to Yashin as in the past they have sided with his team. It was only Mad Mike Milbury who was dense enough to offer this outrageous contract. If Yashin isn't outright waived, he shouldn't be surprised if the Islanders take this option with him. Hey, in the end, it's all about fair-market value. Isn't this what the players wanted all along?

Start spreading the news

2006-01-10T12:41:00.000-05:00

According to Newsday.com there are reports that the New York Islanders are on the verge of some major changes. General Manager "Mad" Mike Milbury is going to make some sort of course correction in hopes of reversing the Islanders fates this season. According to the article, Milbury has 4 options to improve his club this season. My thoughts will be in italics:

Fire coach Steve Stirling and go behind the bench. Though there are conflicting opinions among the players about whether Stirling is or is not the problem, Milbury could get a better sense of his team - both on and off the ice - if he stepped back into the dual role he held twice before. Like it says, Milbury held the dual role twice before with little to show for it. Steve Stirling isn't the problem, Mike Milbury is. His head should have rolled years ago. Go with kids. Waive a veteran defensemen and call up rookie Bruno Gervais, who is said to be ready to make the jump to the NHL from Bridgeport. Call up rookies Robert Nilsson and Sean Bergenheim, too. With almost any other team, this would seem to be the best course of action. Have a fire sale, let the kids play, and hope for the best in the off-season with some free agents. But, Milbury all but promised that his club would be better every year he has run the team. This team isn't out of it yet and Islanders fans deserve a shot at a winner. Trade for a veteran defensemen. Adrian Aucoin, Brendan Witt or Pavel Kubina could be acquired to improve a shaky defensive unit. Or acquire a faceoff specialist to bolster that area. This would definitely address a huge need for the Islanders but such a move wouldn't come cheap. Who would the Islanders trade to land a veteran blueliner? Where would they get the cap room to do so? The days of selling the future for now are all but over in the new NHL landscape. Waive Alexei Yashin. The most dramatic and unlikely, but Yashin probably would clear waivers and be forced to report to the minors. This is certainly one solution to Milbury's cap woes. Yashin would definitely clear waivers. The Islanders would be stuck paying off the rest of his ridiculous salary (which runs until 2010-11 and has more than $40 million left on it) but at least it would be off the books. Yashin has never hesitated to stage holdouts before so one wonders how he would take a demotion to the minors. Would any team be willing to pick him up on re-entry waivers and be held responsible for just half his salary?

There aren't going to be any easy answers on Long Island. Milbury has taken his club into a mess that isn't easily fixed. The best thing that the Islanders faithful can hope for is the firing of Mike. It's time, it's truly time.