Hockey Rants

Good-bye Pavol, Good-bye Hockey

2011-09-07T15:17:00.007-07:00

I’ve been getting plenty of messages this morning regarding the Lokomotiv Jaroslavl tragedy, so I figured I might as well open up this blog one last time and give myself an outlet for my rambling. I’ve completely lost the ability to write well about hockey, so excuse this mess.

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So, I’m on vacation in the sweltering heat of Vernon, BC, and sleep in for the first time in ages. 8 am!!! Holy crap... I almost never sleep past 7am!! *yawn* *stretch*

I waddle down the steps and eagerly anticipate some coffee while admiring the view of Lake Okanagan out of the window. My wife comes up to me and says, “I have some bad news for you.”

At this point, I figured it would be something minor, relating to Magic: The Gathering (my big hobby nowadays) or some winery we planned to visit. Instead, she gives me the laptop and I see a big picture of Pavol Demitra and “Former NHL Players Perish in Plane Crash.”

What. The. Fuck?

It took a few seconds to sink in, but my brain started to absorb the story as I read it and, like just about everyone else, I was stunned. It wasn’t just Pavol, but the whole damn team! Ugh… I remember a few non-Russians (a few years ago, during the lockout) joking about unsafe he felt some of the Russian league air travel was, including Jiri Slegr…and, well, here is a fine example.

Anyway, I see a whole bunch of emails and Facebook messages sending me links and condolences, and I am flattered that people would think of me. I guess my reputation as Demitra’s #1 North American fan still sticks :). It’s too bad I lost so many videos and sound clips I had on my old hard drive that fried worse than KFC.

For those who are asking, I am doing OK. I never knew Pavol, personally, nor ever had a chance to meet or talk with him. I have no personal connection to him, so it is not like I am any more devastated than most people. Sure, he connected with me as a hockey player, and he was a damn cool guy, but I don’t honestly feel like a member of my close family passed away.

Really, this is just a sad day, and really a sad summer, for hockey all around. A lot of families and friends are really going to be hurt by this, and I do know that quite a few Czechs and Slovaks looked up to the players on Jaroslavl. Demitra, in particular, gained a bit of hero worship over the past few years in Slovakia. A tiny country like Slovakia doesn’t have the wealth of people known and respected in other parts of the world like Canada does. (No, nobody respects Nickelback…please, don’t send them back here).

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My ‘connection’ with Demitra started back when he played for the Sens. Here was a very talented guy, with a very cool name, that was never really given a shot. His AHL totals were outstanding. I knew he played for the Czechoslovakia team, but this was at a point in my life where I had little knowledge of my father’s side of the family or my Central-Eastern European heritage. I wouldn’t really connect with Slovak hockey for another year or two.

I remember, when I was about 19-20, seeing Demitra’s name suddenly pop up in a box score for the St. Louis Blues. When did the Blues trade for Demitra?? I popped online and saw he was dealt for some guy like Christer Olsson. Great! I was already a Blues fan, and was happy to see him get a chance. One of Mike Keenan’s scouts told him about the guy, so Keenan dealt for Demitra and actually put the guy into the lineup. Demo finally got his shot.

The next season, Demitra would become a full-time player and even killed penalties for the Blues with Craig Conroy. Pavol ended up with 52 points in 61 games while the Senators got a defenseman who played a handful of forgettable games for them. A rare good deal for Iron Mike!

Demitra never did get a Stanley Cup with the Blues, but he ultimately had a great career as an under-the-rader point producer. He won a Lady Byng award, even putting up big totals after being saddled with line-mates like Michel Picard and the crappy version of Stephane Richer.

A few other Demitra memories

- One of my favourite T-shirts, which I still wear to this day, is a Slovak Pak shirt an old message board pal sent me. This is from when Lubos Bartecko and Michal Handzus paired with Demitra to form an All-Slovak line. This was also from when I weighed over 300 pounds, so the shirt is like a big tent on me now.

- When I attended the NHL Draft in Vancouver with some friends (Alanah from Canucks and Beyond and JJ from Canucks Hockey Blog were also there and I met them afterwards) in 2006. It was all going fine when this happened.

The rest of the crowd: “Whoooooooooooooa!”
Me, ala Luke Skywalker: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

- Demitra signing with the Canucks. This was just as I retired from hockey blogging, which is quite strange given that it ought to have kept me going. I was damn happy, as you can imagine.

- Sarah’s parents got me a Demitra sweater for a Christmas gift. This was well before I married her, so I must have impressed them somehow for them to spend a good chunk of change on me ;)

- Speaking of swag, one of my favorite clothing items is a fancy Team Slovakia hat I wear when it is sunny. My wife surprised me with this for my birthday, and said she had spent a considerable amount of effort to get it. Together with my Team Slovakia scarf and sweater, I have a nice ensemble I can wear to any hockey game.

- Unfortunately, many Canucks fans and most of the media saw fit to crap on Demitra during his entire tenure here. Nevermind that he was a mid-range free agent that produced fairly well, or that he was obviously not going to be as good as he was 10 years ago, he was never good enough to be here. Slavic players have always been crapped on here.

Exhibit A: Sean Zandberg. He was the most vocal blogger who would crap on Demitra every change he got. Rather than get into pissing matches, I just decided to stop bothering with those types of Canucks fans.

- Demitra never did seem to get along well with Alain Vigneault during his second, and last season with the club, Vigneault wondered why Demitra played so well for Slovakia, but not for him… some players and coaches just don’t mesh well.

- Demitra’s play at the Olympics. I did get a chance to see Demitra and Slovakia play against Latvija, and I was rather pleased with the surprisingly(!) positive reaction Demitra got as a member of Team Slovakia. For some strange reason, a lot of people here were cheering for the Slovaks and Demitra for a brief 2-week period. Demitra led all Olympic goal scorers, as you damn well know.

- Demitra and the Slovaks choking against the Finns to lose the bronze. It was a pure choke, and a game the Slovaks should have held on to. The Slovaks will likely never get another chance to have such success since their hockey program has been in the dumps for many years and most of the best players were produced in the ‘golden age’.

- Demitra’s playoff scoring record last season with Yaroslavl. Although Lokomotiv didn’t win the playoffs, Demitra's scoring streak and chemistry with Josef Vasicek was something 'magical'.

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One last, final, rant… I’ve decided to disconnect myself from the Canucks and most hockey fandom. Given today’s tragedy, my favourite Czech (TRINEC!) team winning the league championships, and the Canucks total choke, it is no longer worth my time to spend so much time following hockey.

Oh, I’ll still follow the sport, watch some games, and keep tabs on the general things going on, but I’ll have little attachment to almost all of it.

Part of being a fan of a team is the ultimate payoff one hopes to get some time in their life. Why cheer for a bad club for so many years? It’s because of the possibility, even a remote one, that they might win a championship. Hell, we’ve seen the Lightning and Ducks win a Stanley Cup, the Canucks ought to be able to get one.

Sadly, that day will never come. Vancouver’s hockey club just reeks of failure, and I can’t see them ever getting any closer than they’ve gotten this past spring. 40 years of nothing but heartbreak and close calls. Some history.

Why should I continue to put any heart into following a club that will never win it all? Part of being a sports fan is the payoff and ecstacy of winning it all, but all I’ve encountered is frustration. I can’t cheer for a club when there will never be a reward for doing so.

Throughout the playoffs, I was in a foul mood for one reason or another. Even after a win, I had a sinking feeling the Canucks would choke it all away. The playoffs weren’t at all pleasurable, and I’d be better off just not getting invested and walking around all grumpy and surly. I know my wife didn’t enjoy being around me when I cursed every fucking minute and was a Negative Nelly at the best of times.

So, with that, I’m a full fair-weather fan. If the Canucks get to the finals, I’ll cheer them on…I just won’t expect much and won’t invest myself at all in what goes on.

"I Had the Last Waltz With You"

2008-09-19T12:07:00.004-07:00

by Jes

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those ... moments will be lost in time, like tears...in rain.

Time to die" - Roy Batty, Bladerunner.

Back in May of 2004, I got the notion to start this blog, and called it Hockey Rants because I love hockey and ranting. Simple concept, really.

I had often visited many baseball blogs (which there were/are plenty), and was tired of all the childishness of places like HFboards. I wanted a place where I could rant how I wanted, when I wanted, and on topics I wanted, without my voice being lost in the wilderness.

I didn't come into blogging with many expectations, other than having a home for some friends and family reading my blathering, and maybe getting a decent audience who appreciated thoughtful blog posts over playground arguments. I also found the whole process to be a lot of fun, and got to experience a little bit of the hockey writer's life.

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4 years later, I feel the fun has disappeared for me. Perhaps the combination of writing for AOL and my own site just overloaded my positronic circuits, but blog posting now feels more of a chore and an obligation than anything else. I haven't truly enjoyed blogging very much for the past few months, and I don't see that changing in the near future.

You may have noticed I've hinted at burnout the past 1-2 months, and, like an old scented candle, I'm mostly now a mush of wax.

I look back at some of my older posts, and I realize that my content is not nearly as good as it used to be. The posts on this site used to be either funnier, contain more detailed analysis, and/or a lot of Czech/Slovak content, the latter of which I'm the most proud to have brought to the blogosphere.

Like Trevor Linden, I just don't have "it" any longer. I'm tired, worn down, and my abilities have been eroded over time. I know I'm capable of writing some good material, but it would take a lot of time and effort that I'm just not able to handle. When I think about the memorable posts I've written, most of it has not been writing over the past 6-8 months.

That is why I've decided to retire from regular hockey blogging and close the Hockey Rants chapter of my life, as well as stop writing for AOL FanHouse.

What does the future hold? Well, I like to rant and I like to write. I might change this site into an all-around Rants site (a mix of hockey, politics, pop culture, etc), or I might hook up with another blog and do some guest entries. Anyone who has any ideas is welcome to contact me. For the next while, though, I'm just taking an online vacation.

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Hockey blogs have come a long way since I started. Back when I first posted here, there were maybe 10-12 hockey blogs TOTAL. There were many baseball blogs, but almost nothing revolving around our great sport. There was Hockey Pundits, Off Wing Opinion, Sharkspage, Hockey Update, and Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic. The blogroll was smaller than Steve Kariya.

Right after a lockout, there was a sudden explosion on the number of hockey blogs out there. People flocked back to the game, and also to the new type of technology and reach that blogging offered. No longer was I able to visit every hockey blog within my lunch hour.

Not only has the quantity increase substantially, but the quality as well. I used to pride myself on being near the top of the heap, but there are many other sites that just offer much more on the way of quality content than my little old site. Yes, I do feel like I've been left behind like John McCain's ex-wife.

I'm not jealous or spiteful, but rather thankful of how much great stuff is out there. No longer are we subjected to purely reading what bones the MSM throws at us, or are we limited to a few publications and websites. There is just so much out there for everyone, and, in the end, its all of us hockey fans that win.

Do I consider myself a pioneer? Yes, but just a small one. I have helped a few people start their sites out (those who asked), and I know a few people were like "I saw your site and felt I could do that, too!" I know I'm one of the true veterans out there, and am rather proud of some of the baby bloglings that grown up to be strong young sites.

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As I mentioned, I didn't have a lot of expectations from starting this site. Fortunately, and most surprisingly, this site brought me a lot of opportunities and allowed me to meet many people: bloggers, fans, writers, and even an ex-girlfriend. :/

In Academy Awards fashion, minus the crappy, overrated movies *cough*No Country for Old Men*cough*, I’d like to thank and give a shout out to various people who I've met over the past 4+ years. I still intend to maintain contact with many of you, as I certainly won't stop being a hockey fan any week soon. Don't be offended if I forgot you, it just means you aren't important :) (kidding...)

In no particular order ...

Eric "Mac Daddy" McErlain, who scored me the gig with FanHouse and provided a lot of advice when I started out.

Michael "The Hockey Fanatic" Fedor, my fellow Team Slovakia member and one of the longest-serving hockey bloggers.

My Czech loving co-bloggers Dan (Czechmate) and Greg, who helped add another point-of-view and some extra content to Hockey Rants.

My girlfriend, Aurian, for obvious reasons ;)

PJ from Sharkspage for driving me around San Francisco for an afternoon.

Snoopyjode, who took over The Sidney Crosby Show, which I started as a social experiment, and made it into a real success.

Pavol Demitra, Jiri Slegr, Trevor Linden, Jan Bulis v2.1, and Tomas Plekanec for their continued awesomeness.

My FanHouse comrades: Wyshynski, Luongo, Lady Killer Mirtle, Ciskie, Schultzy, JD Press, Saler, Earl Sleek, Lackey, Starkey.

Stormbringer10, whom I haven't seen in years, for designing my site's banner.

The Acid Queen, who has helped me with female POV stuff and made me laugh with stories about her evil cats.

Alanah from Canucks and Beyond, who once took me out for dinner and helped me with some personal stuff ;), but hasn't spoken to me for ages :(

My sources from Czechia, Slovakia, and other parts of Europe, who wish to remain anonymous.

My part-time contributors ... guys who sent me in links to articles, news items, and other gossip: Southern Correspondent Wayne, Faux, 2 Man Advantage, the d00ds from Edinburgh, Big Dan, and so forth.

The fellows from esports.cz, Misha/Schlegel, who gave me lots of good stuff before and during the lockout.

BBC Radio Five, for granting me my first ever radio interview. Man, was I ever nervous :/

Of course, those who read and comment on my side on a (semi)regular basis. A blog is nothing without eyeballs. Bloggers love comments more than anything else.

The MSM (Mainstream Mediots) for providing lots of fodder.

Tom Benjamin, another grumpy old-school blogger and the guy who actually made me look like a nice guy by sheer comparison.

Anyone else I've forgotten. I've met so many people and fell out of touch with so many people over the years.

So, good-bye (for now) to all of you. I shall not disappear totally into the night, but I will step back and just allow myself to be a fan and observer, and probably comment on a few blogs which I've been neglecting to read lately due to my busy schedule.

It's been an Al MacInnis blast!

Regards, Jes Gőlbez

Wednesday Wanderings: NHL in Europe, Economics

2008-09-17T13:44:00.002-07:00

by Jes

Once upon a time, I wrote a pretty length post on why I believe the NHL would never work, on a full-time basis, in Europe. Playing an exhibition game or two is one thing, but a full season? It ain't gonna work.

This post is a response to news that the NHL is looking at expanding into Europe ... again ...

Since I can't find my original post, I'll just have to rehash some of my old arguments. Most of my European hockey knowledge comes from the leagues I follow (Czech and Slovak), so I may not be totally right when it comes to places like Finland and Sweden.

1. Ticket Prices
The average ticket price for a European club hockey game translates to about 10-25$ US. Most teams charge very little for their tickets, knowing full well that a. the people simply don't have that much money to spend and b. knowing fans won't spend that much for a hockey game.

European clubs make their money almost primarily through sponsorship. You see it on their uniforms, their arenas, and even their team names, which are often sponsored. The NHL's model of ticket-heavy revenue is the complete opposite of what happens in Europe.

Let's face it, most hockey fans in Russia, Czechia, and Slovakia do not have that much disposable income. I know people in Germany and Sweden could afford $60 tickets, but would they really fork out that much for 30-40 games a season? I doubt it. Once the novelty wears off, you'd likely see a lot of empty seats. I can't see 15,000 people in either city wanting to invest that much on the NHL.

Yes, I realize some European teams get over 10,000 per game, but the ticket prices, like I said, are quite low compared to the NHL.

The fact is that many of the rich KHL owners we hear about are oil robber barons or diamond mine owners, and spend money on their hockey teams as an expensive hobby. There aren't an endless supply of these oil barons, nor are many of them likely to want to spend NHL-level prices for their own pleasure. Yes, there are oil barons owning soccer clubs, but you know they make a lot of money from tickets and merchandise.

2. Travel
In the future, I see travel becoming even more of an issue than it is now. Fuel prices will not go down any day soon, and environmental concerns will only cause sports leagues to look into curtailing travel somewhat.

In my view, fuel prices will cause the NHL to start playing even more intra-conference games, and try to eliminate some of the cross-country road trips that suck up so much gas.

Traveling to Europe? Yeah, that would count as a long road trip, and it's certainly quite pricey if you do it constantly.

3. Rivalries
Having an NHL team negates one of the reasons Europeans go to hockey games: The rivalries. Slavia and Sparta's "derbies" just could not be replicated by a bunch of foreigners playing some team from Toronto or Helsinki. Inter-city and regional rivalries would just not exist in the European NHL.

4. Gary Bettman
D00d screws up everything he touches.

Yes, I am a pessimist. Given how the NHL's short-term thinking has caused them so many problems, and given how many American franchises are far from strong, I think expanding into Europe is something the league just will not succeed at. Let the Europeans have their league and focus on making the NHL stronger, rather than even more watered-down than it is.

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More stuff to mention

NHL owners have to realize that the current American economic crises is not good for the league. Obviously, people are going to have less disposable income to spend on hockey games, and/or will be afraid to spend big for fears of even more crap happening

If you are an UFA-to-be, you might want to think about re-signing rather than try the open market. Just a thought.

On a side rant, this whole "crisis" is thanks to your lovely US government. For far too long, the US Government has let corporations run the country, including a highly-unregulated bank and finance industry. This, together with people's horrible spending habits, means that there is a lot of "artificial" money in the market that can never be repaid, and you have China owning a monster chunk of US Currency.

Not to sound too much like a smart ass, but I always figured the US was set for a major collapse. No country can take on that much government and personal debt without the whole thing busting up eventually. Until people stop spending money they don't have, and until banks stop lending money they don't really have, the economy is not going to get better. I'm thankful that Canada had a bit more restraint, and isn't spending billions on a bogus war to inflate the pockets of a well-off minority (Do you really think Bush wants to drive down the price of oil? Ha!). That said, when the US economy tanks, it'll hit our country hard.

(If you know basic economics and finance, than you know that a bank can take $1 of deposits and turn that into $7-10 of loans, hence creating a level of "artificial" money)

Over at his Legends of Hockey Blog, author Joe Pelletier goes into Boogie Nights mode and gives us his Top 10 Hockey Moustaches of all time.

Personally, I would have put Harold Snepsts much higher, and would have had Dave Babych on my list. Lanny as #1 is hard to dispute, though.

Czeching Out - Who Is The Best Remaining Bohemian?

2008-09-16T08:21:00.007-07:00

by Czechmate
The end of last season also spelled the end of an era. Maybe some would disagree, but those people would likely lack facts to back them up, or at least would be considered as being cut from the Don Cherry cloth (which would likely look like a couch from the 1970's if such a cloth actually existed in a physical manifestation) of anti-European tendencies.

What I'm talking about is the turning of the page on the Czech Republic's proudest era of NHL prominence; in other words, the retirement of Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek (again).

These two players embodied the best of the best from our little nation of 10 million people.

Sure, we outdrink the world in beer consumption, and not by a small margin, either! But our accomplishments don't end there. For such a small nation, who has been at the center of a constantly changing geo-political landscape that is Europe, we have done remarkably well in the world of professional hockey and soccer as well. Where hockey is concerned, Jagr and Hasek have been at the forefront of our success.
Jagr is a sure-fire first ballot hall of famer, as is Hasek. The stats, individual accomplishments, international medals and Stanley Cups make it impossible to believe otherwise. However, both also have struggled in media and hockey fan appreciability because of their manic dispositions and perceived reputations as prima donnas. In fact, I've read as many articles, blog posts and subsequent comments that praise and thank the two for their respective accomplishments as I have read that suggest the author believes it is a good thing for the NHL that these two are now departed. It's really an odd juxtaposition, but one that I believe I understand.
Anyway, with these two now in the history books, I wanted to take a look at who remains from my homeland, and of those, who is the best man standing. There is nothing really scientific about my analysis, but it does merit noting that of the list of players that follow, some are rated based on accomplishments in the past, while others are assessed on their potential for future accomplishments. The players are listed in no particular order. You decide which is our best player remaining...

FORWARDS:

1 - Milan Hejduk: Hejduk has been the trigger man for Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche for 701 games, tallying 285 goals, 313 assists for 598 points. He has a career rating of +156, and has been fairly durable throughout his career. Hejduk is not the best skater out there, but has profound scoring instincts and a wicked wrist shot that can catch goalies totally unaware. He has experienced a bit of an up-and-down career in terms of production, but it seems that goes hand-in-hand with how the Avs fare overall. Last season, he tallied 29 goals and 25 assists in 77 games. Surely, he is one of the elder statesmen of our NHL representation, and will likely continue to decline as the years roll by.

2 - Patrik Elias: Maybe it's because he plays in New Jersey's uber-tight defensive system and team concept, but Elias never seems to get any credit for his statistical accomplishments. In 745 career games, he has managed a very respectable 264 goals, 364 assists and 628 points. Combine that with his +162 rating over that time, and he looks like a pretty damn good two-way forward! Elias goes about his business quietly, and does his job very well. His stats would likely be even better if he played on an offensively-oriented team, but seldom does one hear him complain. He is a fixture on our international team, and was once even captain of the Devils until supplanted by coach Sutter, who seems like a less than ideal coach for European players. This guy is a winner. However, he isn't a showy winner, so he usually flies under the radar. I recall once drafting him in the 7th round of a pool with 12 people in it.

3 - Petr Sykora: He's 31 years old, and has played 845 NHL games. His stats totals are pretty decent, although not outstanding. Over his career, primarily spent with the Devils, he has managed to score 275 goals and 353 assists for a respectable total of 628 points. Expect that total to rise significantly as long as he's playing with Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh. Sykora is a goal-scorer with a very strong shot and sound offensive positioning. He isn't a particularly strong skater, but he does know where he needs to be on the ice in order to maximize his scoring chances. He is also under-appreciated for his defensive knack and quiet leadership.

4 - Ales Hemsky: Hemsky is young, but has become known as one of the premier set-up men in the league. He is Edmonton's star forward right now, although with their strong core of youth up front, he'll surely fade into the background soon enough. Hemsky has amassed 70 goals and 195 assists for 265 points in his 349 game career, but is also a combined -23 in that time. I believe his defensive game isn't really up to par, but a lot of that is due to Edmonton's north-south style of play. Armed with better linemates for his early career, his totals could be much higher, although that is based more on speculation than any given facts. I believe Hemsky will continue to improve, and will eventually top 90 points in a season, especially now that Edmonton's youth is starting to get front-line billing.

5 - Martin Havlat: Yes, I know, his injury issues are a huge deterrent from any fantasy hockey selection, but realistically, Havlat is a superior talent. After a slow and steady development in the Ottawa Senators' system, Havlat has compiled an impressive stats sheet, which includes 140 goals and 179 assists for 319 points in 379 games. In recent years, he has been near a point-per-game, but again, his insistence on playing a reckless game (grit, as it is called in Canada) has seen him very limited in terms of games played, thus limiting his effectiveness and production. I expect a full season from Mach-9 this year, and I expect a very strong statistical showing, especially if he plays with Toews or Kane for any stretch of time.

Honourable mentions: Martin Erat (NAS), Robert Lang (MTL), Vaclav Prospal (TB) EDIT - TOMAS PLEKANEC (MTL) *** HEHEHE*** EDIT 2 - MILAN MICHALEK (SJ)

DEFENCE:

1 - Tomas Kaberle: Kaberle may have refused to waive his no-trade clause last season at the deadline, and he'll likely be remembered as the guy who cost the Leafs Jeff Carter plus a first rounder, but his career has been very solid to this point. As a defenceman, he has been the bright-spot on the Leafs' roster for a few seasons now, with all due respect to Bryan McCabe. His playmaking ability is superb, as is shown by his 402 points in 681 games (333 of them assists). He has also managed to chisel out a +51 career rating on a Leafs' team that doesn't really understand the concept of defensive hockey. Kaberle might be traded this season, as he seems less reluctant to waive his NTC now that the Leafs are in rebuild mode, and if he moves to a contender, his totals could be in the range of 70 points in a season.

2 - Roman Hamrlik: Some first overall picks end up being a bust (see Alexandre Daigle), but while some would question Hamrlik's selection at that ranking, it bears noting that the second pick overall that season was Alexei Yashin. At this stage, clearly Hamrlik was the better choice, even if he isn't considered a top-pairing defenceman in many circles. "Hammer" has put up a very respectable 531 points, including 136 goals, in his 1,076 games, which is largely due to his durability and great hockey instincts. His best season saw him score 65 points, with 16 goals, back in 1995-96, but that year he had a -24 rating. This is telling, because his last minus season was in 2000-01 with the Isles, where he posted a -20. Why is it telling? Well, because since then, he's been a plus player, including a career-best +22 with the Flames in 2006-07, meaning he has worked on improving his overall game. He used to be a powerplay quarterback type of defenceman, but now he's capable of lining up against the league's best.

3 - Marek Zidlicky: Okay, so this guy doesn't make many lists... However, in his relatively short career (307 games), the powerplay specialist has racked up an impressive 175 points. It's better than a point every second game, which is fairly good for a defenceman. Some will point to his career -5 rating, but considering Nashville didn't really gain respectability until a couple of seasons ago, that really isn't bad for an offensive defenceman. His move to Minnesota this past offseason should see his rating improve, as Nashville isn't quite the defensively stifling team that the Wild are.

4 - Michal Rozsival: I'm always baffled when people say he's over-paid and over-rated. In today's market, $5M for a guy who will score 10+ goals and 25+ points from the blueline while not being a defensive liability is pretty much fair market value (see Jeff Finger for definition of "overpaid"). Rosie has become a very reliable player for the Rangers, and has become an all-purpose defenceman in the NHL. He isn't overly physical, but no Czech players really are. I look to his career +48 rating and his steady production, and find that he's a capable first-pairing defender that any team could use, aside from the Wings and Ducks...

Honourable mentions: Ladislav Smid (EDM), Jaroslav Modry (PHI), Pavel Kubina (TOR), Jaroslav Spacek (BUF), Filip Kuba (OTT), Rostislav Klesla (CMB) EDIT - ZBYNEK MICHALEK

Goalies:

1 - Tomas Vokoun: Maybe the best kept secret in the NHL, Tomas Vokoun first earned respectability in Nashville, where he honed his skills and developed into an elite level goalie. Vokoun is a no-nonsense player who doesn't really have bad games. Like any goalie, he lets in bad goals here and there, but he very seldom stinks up the house on any given night. His career GAA of 2.54 and Save Percentage of .914 are extremely solid numbers, and one can only imagine how good those stats could be if he hadn't played his early career on a fairly weak Nashville team. Sadly, as far as top-flight goalies go, Vokoun is the only one from the Czech Republic in the NHL right now.

Honourable mention: nobody!

What/Who's coming up:

1 - Martin Hanzal: The Phoenix Coyotes have a keeper here. Hanzal scored 35 points in 71 games last season, his first in the NHL, but the speedy winger was used more in a supporting role than a fore-front one. Hanzal projects to be a 25 goal scorer, and could hit as high as 75 points in the next few seasons.

2 - David Krejci: Boston saw what this guy can do last season, where he notched 6 goals and 21 assists for 27 points in 56 games last year. However, he'll be in a more prominent position this season, and will likely come close to doubling that output. He has good wheels, a nose for the net, and soft hands. Potential could be as high as 70 points.

3 - Rostislav Olesz: His slow production is largely attributable to playing in Florida. However, Olesz's strength is as an offensive contributor, despite what the stats sheet reads at the moment. With Olli Jokinen gone, the door is wide open for Rusty to step up and show what he is capable of. I see him at around 55 points this season, which would be a massive upgrade on the 30 points that currently stand as his career best.

4 - Michael Frolik: Another Panther, but this time a prospect. Frolik was once considered the Czech Republic's answer to Sidney Crosby. I think that was a stretch, but this kid has superlative talent. Frolik is projected to become a first line forward with exceptional playmaking skills and a strong shot by Hockeysfuture.com, which I don't believe is a stretch by any means. I expect him to make a strong case for himself at camp this month, and likely find himself in Panthers' colours at the start of the season.

5 - Jakub Kindl: The Wings know how to draft and develop players, and I think they found themselves a real gem in Kindl, who they drafted at 19th overall in 2005. Kindl's combination of size (although at 6'3" he needs to fill out his 183lb frame), skating ability and vision will make him a strong top-pairing defenceman down the road. His adjustment to minor-pro (AHL) last season was smooth, and all he needs is a vacancy in the Wings' lineup to make a strong push for a roster spot. Watch for him to knock on the NHL door in case of injury this season to any Wings' regular.

6 - Ondrej Pavelec: Have to include a goaltender on the list of up-and-comers, and it looks like Pavelec is the guy (Marek Schwarz was considered our top goaltending prospect, but he has been very slow in developing and could prove to be a bust). Pavelec came in to the NHL last year in relief of Atlanta's annual injury issue - Kari Lehtonen. "Pav" only played in 7 games for the Thrashers, and considering the team's complete lack of defensive acumen, posted a respectable 3-3 record. There was talk earlier in the offseason that Atlanta might consider moving Lehtonen to get a defenceman, leaving Pav to be the team's starter, just to give you an idea of the potential this young goalie has (he's 21). I am not sure if he'll ever live up to that kind of expectation, but suffice it to say, he's a blue-chip prospect to at least be a regular backup, if not starter in the NHL.

Anyway, I'm sure I missed a few players, like Jakub Voracek, Jiri Tlusty (for you Leafers out there) and many others, but there's only so many hours in a day. Feel free to post your opinions, or point out any other players deserving to be on this list.

Until next time,

Na Zdravi!

Monday Musings: Hockey Burnout

2008-09-15T07:53:00.001-07:00

by Jes

As you might have noticed, the volume of posts on this site has slowed in the past month. Besides the lack of good hockey news, I'm still feeling under the cloud of Blogger Burnout. Even if there is a good story to be had, I just don't have the spark.

Remember the story of young Steven Legein? He's the Columbus Dinner Jackets prospect that quit the game simply because he grew tired of it. All of the practices, training camps, video sessions ... it just wasn't worth it for the young prospect.

This type of burnout seems to be happening more these days among our nation's youth, and most of it can be traced to those parents that push their children so hard in a usually-futile attempt to land a lucrative spot in the NHL.

From The Province:

But the seeds of hockey burnout are now being planted long before a player reaches the junior level, and [Canadian Hockey Head Bob] Nicholson agrees it is becoming a problem.

"It's a big concern of ours that players aren't playing soccer, baseball, lacrosse like they used to (in the summer)," he said. "We're in board meetings now looking at ways to try to make sure that they're not playing competitive hockey 12 months of the year."

Part of the problem is overzealous hockey parents with dreams of their son becoming the next Sidney Crosby. They're the ones forking out the cash for the summer hockey programs, which aren't cheap.

"I think a lot of it comes right from the parents," Nicholson agreed. "It almost seems like it's worse now with the 9-, 10- and 11-year-olds. The message doesn't seem to be getting down to the parents right now."

It's not that the kids don't like playing hockey, it's that they don't like playing it ALL THE TIME, and they don't like the constant work involved. Most kids don't like practices, and most kids certainly don't want to feel pushed into training year round. It just saps the fun out of the game entirely, doesn't it?

Think of how many kids play at the highest level of junior hockey in Canada. It's a very small percentage of the total population of hockey players in that age group. Now, think of how many of those kids will ever make the NHL. It's a very small percentage.

The fact is that if your kid can't possibly be one of the elite players during the course of a regular season, those few extra months are not going to make him the next superstar. That extra training might help the very best young players, but it's not going to help the mass majority become THAT much better.

Again, we must look over to Europe to see how they do things right.

In the summer, even the pro teams never set a foot out on to the ice. In Europe, the players play soccer and tennis ... they go mountain biking, they go jogging, they have fun doing other stuff that isn't even related to hockey.

The result? The players are happier because they get a break from the game, and the players are better trained.

Better trained?

Yes. Soccer and tennis, especially, develop athletic traits that aren't always worked on so well in hockey. Both sports are great for developing agility and stamina, allowing players to develop quickness on a different surface. Biking is obviously great for developing stamina and vitality, something short-burst hockey training doesn't always do.

Having a kid play hockey 12 months a year will leave them rather 1-dimensional in terms of their athletic training, not to mention bored to tears. It's hard for any mind to develop creativity and creatively when it is constantly focusing on one type of task.

Edit: OK, I totally mis-read the Cherry quote. Woops. What do you make of this, anyway? sheesh

Last March, on the Grapeline radio show, host Brian Williams asked Don Cherry what he thought about hockey parents whose kids missed games during spring break to go on a family vacation.

"What do I think of them?" Cherry roared. "You want to know what I think of them? I think they're selfish rats that can't be counted on. The parents that take the kids out of the team and go on vacation are rats that can't be counted on. Can I say it any clearer?

"That's not only my opinion," Cherry added, "but real hockey people think they're selfish rats who can't be counted on."

NHL vs. KHL: Don't Expect the IIHF To Help "Us"

2008-09-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

by Jes

This whole NHL vs. KHL Cold War has been rumbling all summer long, and it's not going to go away any day soon.

It was thought that the IIHF might not allow Radulov to play in Int'l events, in order to keep peace with the NHL and in their good books heading into the Olympics.

From recent comments by IIHF head Rene Fasel, that doesn't appear to be the case.

"When Aleksander Radulov returned from the NHL to Russia, he did not need an international transfer card because the NHL is not a member of the IIHF. Consequently, as there is not transfer agreement between the NHL and IIHF, we cannot prohibit him from playing for Salavat."

"There is no doubt that Radulov violated his contract", but the current situation needs a political compromise. "The parties need to get to the table and develop common rules" and the KHL and NHL should find a compromise "that satisfies both Nashville and Salavat as well as Radulov.

In fact, the Russian side is doing a lot of efforts to cooperate. They have prepared a legal text of the memorandum on the mutual respect of contract and to show their goodwill, they have shown willingness to forget about five of the disputed players.

The NHL, on the other hand, is just using the Radulov case as an excuse not to negotiate and reach an agreement. And Bill Daly is accusing me for lacking courage?

Prohibiting Radulov for playing will not solve the problems. The problems can only be solved at the negotiating table".

You know, Fasel is quite right in that the IIHF really doesn't have to or have the legal right to do anything to the KHL or NHL in these matters. The leagues don't have any sort of connection of agreement, so it's carte blanche to steal players back and forth.

Remember when Malkin broke his contract with a Russian club to play with the Penguins? We were all applauding him for that, weren't we?

So, why shouldn't Russian clubs be able to pull the same stunt? It's a different league on a different "K"ontinent, right? These are two competing businesses, after all.

I believe Fasel when he says that Daly and the NHL are simply using Radulov as an excuse not to negotiate. It has always been clear that the flow of players from Europe is a 1-way street and the NHL only pays anything to European clubs because they are strongarmed into doing so.

It is best that the IIHF not take sides in this issue, and simply try and broker a deal between the two sides and get a transfer agreement in place.

Revisiting Rod Brind'Amour's Physical Advantage

2008-09-09T12:07:00.002-07:00

by Jes

Any hockey fan knows that Rod "The Bod" Brind'Amour is a fitness fanatic. While he's a smart 2-way centerman with good on-ice vision, his strength has always been that he's stronger and possess more stamina than just about any NHLer to ever lace on a pair of skates.

While we know most NHLers are quite fit, Brind'Amour's elite level of fitness does contribute to the other more "mental" aspects of the game. Most players make mistakes when they are tired, and can't chase down errant pucks when they are sucking wind. Brind'Amour and others of his type make fewer mistakes and can make more plays simply because they have more gas in the tank.

If you already didn't feel enough like a coach potato, the Globe and Mail has another article showing you how Brind'Amour works about 1,000 times harder than you, and how other players adopted similar trends to keep up with ... well, each other.

The captain of the Carolina Hurricanes is one of the fittest players in the NHL because he refuses to stop exercising. He turned 38 over the summer and still has three years left on a contract he fully intends to play out.

Brind'Amour typifies the character needed to be a veteran in today's NHL. In the past, some believed that longevity was best achieved by taking extensive time off over the summer to let the body heal before essentially starting anew during training camp.

That strategy simply wouldn't work now.

“It's definitely a year-round job,” Brind'Amour said during a recent interview. “I think the guys that approach it that way are the ones that last the longest.

“Especially with the amount of money guys make now, if you don't treat it year-round you're foolish.”

Chris Chelios is nearing 50, and he's still known for his insane workout schedule. There is obviously some benefit in keeping the engines running year-round.

What is amazing is that these guys can work insanely hard year-round and their bodies just don't break down. You'd think Brind'Amour's body would just say 'ENOUGH!' and shut down from the physical onslaught.

I think one attribute that isn't talked about enough is that some human bodies are just blessed with superior physical construction to others, like Lance Armstrong and his huge heart, or Michael Phelps and his myriad of physical features that help him swim faster (Double-jointed chest, for one).

I know that my body produces a high amount of urea (blood/muscle waste, in simple terms) that makes it hard for my body to recover from physical activity. When I used to work 4-6 times a week, my body simply refused to put on muscle, and I would sometimes ache for days after a workout. Simply put, I could never keep up this type of schedule and expect to be in top physical condition in the long run.

So, compare and contrast that to a guy like Rod Brind'Amour. Obviously, his body has a well-above average ability to recover from workouts and to keep up a high level of physical activity without feeling fatigued, run down, and susceptible to injuries. Compare and contrast that to NHLers who you might consider brittle?

Brind'Amour (and Chelios) should get full credit for his work ethic, but nature obviously gave him a boost that some other humans just can't match, even if they wanted to. Perhaps there is something in their blood that can be measured, and teams looking at potential draftees might want to be on the lookout for in blood measuring or gene testing becomes the norm.

Bulgarian Women Are Easy to Score On!

2008-09-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

by Jes

Bulgaria is not known for being a hockey power, so the fact that their women's team got blown away by Slovakia is no surprise.

What is a surprise is just how badly they’ve been thrashed at an 2010 Olympic qualifying tournament over in Latvija.

When my Slovakian friend sent this to my email, I thought it was a joke. Apparently not.

Výsledky - sobota:
Slovensko - Bulharsko 82:0 (31:0, 24:0, 27:0)
Góly:
6., 10., 12., 17., 21., 27., 30., 38., 39. a 52. Čulíková,
5., 5., 14., 22., 31., 34., 39., 42. a 42. Veličková,
6., 10., 21., 30., 34., 42., 57. a 58. Vargová,
7., 7., 14., 14., 35., 45., 48. a 52. Celarová,
16., 20., 26., 32., 51., 57., 59. a 60. Herichová,
2., 5., 36., 37., 40., 45., 53. a 56. Gapová,
6., 6., 24., 33. 54. a 54. Moravčíková,
1., 4., 25., 29., 45. a 48. Karafiátová,
9., 19., 43., 56. a 60. Kapustová,
8., 10., 39., 53. a 59. Sroková,
3., 17., 44. a 51. Danková,
6., 13. a 25. Džurňáková,
11. Konečná,
8. Brémová

That's right, Slovakia won 82-0. All but 2 of the Slovak women dressed for the game had at least a goal.

The Bulgarians also lost 30-1 to Croatia and 41-0 to Italy, hardly hockey powerhouses in their own right.

Every country has the right to try to qualify for the Olympics, but why did the Bulgarian federation even bother? Not only did they not have a chance in hell, but their women get completely humiliated.

I wonder why the Bulgarians even bothered coming out for the final two periods. I mean, do they really expect a comeback after being down 31-0 after the first period? I guess these women have balls, or absolutely don't give a rat's ass how bad they do.

Note to IIHF: Have some entry standards. IT makes the sport look like a joke when you have games like this. Just imagine if it was the USA or Canada instead of Slovakia? Triple digits, easily.

Weekend Wonderings: Teddy's Angry

2008-09-07T08:38:00.009-07:00

by Jes

Caps owner Ted Leonsis has never been one owner who is afraid to speak his mind, and he's one of the rare sports owners who talks publicly at all. Most owners are content to sit in their country clubs sipping expensive wine and laughing at how many people they laid off this week.

Ted? He's ANGRY!!! and he takes a nice shot as some idiot in the MSM.

From time to time, you have heard me rail against media pundits for their lack of criticality; original thinking; creativity; and basic non-understanding of what they are writing about.

Well here is another rant. This time against Ross McKeon and his blog post mentioning contraction of six NHL teams including the Washington Capitals.

First, the throw away notion of shuttering six major league teams is just mean-spirited. Those six teams employ thousands and thousands of people and support tens of thousands of families. I guess Ross wants us to lay off all those people in the toughest economy ever. And those teams generate dollars for their cities in taxes and they generate dollars to hundreds and hundreds of small businesses as vendor/ suppliers. All of that would go away and the benefit and glow of a major sports team franchise would leave those cities marked as second rate for a long, long time.

For the most part, I agree with him. However, invoking the lost jobs argument, especially from a rich multi-millionare, comes across as disgenuine. People lose jobs all the time, and they can gain jobs just the same. It's not like jobs disappear into a black hole. Besides, most people who work at sporting events are part-timers: the concession peeps, the ushers/hosts, ticket takers, etc...

Southern Correspondant Wayne chips in: While I doubt Leonsis' claim about "thousands and thousands" losing jobs, I do see his point: a few of the new arenas are hockey only (Phoenix, Miami, Nashville, Tampa), and don't have an NBA team to fall back on (I would make the joke that Atlanta doesn't have an NBA team, either, but I'm keeping my mouth shut for now, as they were the ONLY Atlanta team to make the playoffs in a year), with millions of $ to pay in municipal bonds...

---

Over at ESPN, the Worldwide Leader of Slam-Dunk clips, columnist Terry Frei opines that attendance will decrease greatly if NHL teams continue to charge higher ticket prices.

Will they? Perhaps in some American markets. The Canadian economy is still in fairly good shape and the dollar is fine.

The NHL has always had a risky model based on low TV ratings and high ticket prices. The NHL knows it can get away with charging its hard core of fans high ticket prices because they are willing to pay. The NHL also gets a lion's share of its revenues from ticket prices, and not ancillary sources like TV and merchandise.

One could say the NHL has always been teetering on the ledge when it comes to its revenue strategy, and eventually the league will come to a point where the teams will be charging too much for fans to justify the expense.

Still, it's up to each individual team to set their ticket prices, and some of the Atlanta's of the league may very well have a much lower ticket range than the Minnesota's. It may be that the Minnesota's and such subsidize the Atlanta's even more than they do now. That's the price of revenue sharing.

Canucks to Retire Linden's #16

2008-09-05T09:23:00.001-07:00

by Jes

Trevor Linden, the quintessential Vancouver Canuck, will have his #16 retired into the rafters of GM Place.

No surprise there.

The Vancouver Canucks made official Thursday what many have suspected since the final moments of last season: they're going to retire Trevor Linden's No. 16 jersey.

The big event will take place Dec. 17 at GM Place.

"It's going to be exciting," Linden said Thursday at a press conference to formally announce Trevor Linden Night. "I'm going to be a bit nervous but sharing that with our fans, my friends, my family and my teammates, or ex-teammates, will be very special."

I just hope this game goes better for the Canucks than Linden's final game in the NHL, when the Flames trounced the Canucks 23-1 and the Canucks simply rolled over and played dead.

In terms of # retirements, the Canucks are rather stingy on sweaters hanging from the rafters. After 38 years, Stan Smyl is currently the only retired number on the Canucks (#12), and there don't seem to be any great candidates in the near future. Compare that to the Buffalo Sabres, the Canucks' expansion brothers, who have SIX numbers retired.

The only other possible candidate in the near future, given that past Canucks such as Tomas Gradin or Pavel Bure aren't even considered, would be Markus Naslund. Nazzy is the all-time leading Canucks goal and point scorer, and played almost as many games in a Canucks uniform than Smyl.

The problem? Naslund's acrimonious departure. Naslund clearly sulked during his last two seasons with the club, and never really touched Canucks fans the same as Trev or Stanley Steamer.

I would think that Mattias Ohlund will be a candidate some day, given his longevity and service to the club. Other than him, the clothesline is pretty bare.

Thursday's Thoughts: TSN, Mats Sundin

2008-09-04T09:24:00.002-07:00

by Jes

Americans have every right to be envious of our televised hockey coverage, especially that provided by The Sports Network (TSN), which has supplanted CBC as THE station to watch hockey on a regular basis, especially since they stole the frickin' theme song.

Unfortunately, the producers at TSN don't seem to have heard of the credo "too many cooks spoil the broth". While the network has always prided itself on getting well-known experts to be analysts on their hockey shows, it has long gotten past the point where there are just too many talking heads.

Look at the TSN roster of talking heads ...
James Duthie (studio host who tries too hard to be funny)
Bob McKenzie (The Insider and draft expert)
Darren Dreger (a former host who is suddenly an insider. Too stuck in MSM clichéd way of looking at the game)
Dave Hodge (Old man still kickin around. Likes to rant)
Keith Jones
Matthew Barnaby (surprisingly OK)
Darren Pang
Glenn Healy (utter crap and Leaf apologist)
Pierre McGuire (MONSTER!!!)
Mike Milbury (as bad as he ever was)
Scruffy, the janitor (more insightful than Healy)
Maggie the Monkey (psychic mammal)
Plus other special guests they get during the playoffs and D-day. In the past, they had Neil Smith, Jeremy Roenick, and Mike Keenan.

All too often, these "experts" (Mike Milbury is an expert, but on sucking) get very little screen time, and TSN is constantly switching from one face to another to get in a sound bite. It feels hurried and sporadic, and you can tell that they are trying their damndest just to fit people in, rather than provide in-depth analysis and insight the consumers demand.

So, the TSN solution appears to be to bring in MORE talking heads ... John Tortorella and Ray Ferraro.

On the positive side, I think both of these guys will be a huge benefit to TSN's roster. Tortorella is always a great quote, and unlike Milbury, actually knows what he is talking about and has actually had some actual success. Ferraro has proven himself to be well-spoken and a cool customer. He's worked hard to become an off-ice analyst and provides a lot more insight than the likes of Glen Healy and Greg Millen.

If TSN really wanted to improve their product, they'd get rid of some of the fat and trim off Milbury, Healy, Pang (he can go back to ESPN or Versus), and keep McGuire to the play-by-play booth.

---

Want to know where Mats Sundin head is these days? It's certainly not on hockey, since he's not even doing on-ice training.

Nope, the big lug is going to be playing Poker for the near future, leaving you wonder if any team ought to bother chasing the guy for much longer. His head obviously isn't in the game, and he certainly doesn't seem to have the FIRE that you'd want out of him.

Looking at what is left on the UFA market, however, can give you an idea why Gillis and his peers are still offering their first-born daughters to Sundin for his sacrificial fodder supply.

Other than Shanahan, no other uncommitted UFA is really worth the Canucks bothering with. Matvichuk and Murray might be able to play decent roles, but the rest is crap.

10. Nolan Pratt, 32, D. Slow, crappy.

9. Stephane Yelle, 34, C. Just signed with Boston. The Canucks don't need another Byron Ritchie failure.

8. Jeff Hamilton, 30, C. Who?

7. Geoff Sanderson, 36, LW. Soft, unproductive, and useless. Why does any team bother with this guy?

6. Bryan Smolinski, 36, C. Been there, done that.

5. Martin Gelinas, 38, LW. Again, the Canucks don't need another gritty 3rd-4th liner. Canucks fans still love the guy, but he's not that useful any longer.

4. Richard Matvichuk, 35, D. I wouldn't mind having him around in a 6th-7th defenseman role, especially over Nolan Baumgartner.

3. Jassen Cullimore, 36, D. Sloooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

2. Glen Murray, 35, RW. A decent sniper, but has serious health concerns. Canucks ought to give ice time to a prospect.

1. Brendan Shanahan, 39, LW. I'd like to see him on the Canucks, as he could provide 25-30 goals and take some heat off of the Twins and Pavol. Unfortunately, I doubt he'll come to a West Coast club.

Wednesday's Wacky Wonderings

2008-09-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

by Jes

Today's random ramblings ...

Smelly hockey equipment is a scourge that ranks up there with American Idol, white guys who think they are black, and Sean Avery. Many advances have been made in the washing hockey equipment, but that always presents just a temporary fix.

Winnwell claims to have come up with a truly odourless set of hockey equipment that can get rid of stinky odour before it becomes a problem.

Natural enzymes in water bond to the material that is used as a liner anywhere equipment touches a player's skin – even the palms of the gloves.

The microbes generate organic-consuming enzymes that remain dormant until activated by perspiration, eliminating the environment that bacteria needs to breed.

"It could work," says Pat Bishop, chair of the Canadian Standards Association committee that certifies hockey equipment. "Bacteria is what causes all that stink. Anything that makes it easier for players to wear and easier on parents is worth trying. Right now, my daughter is going to buy her son new hockey gloves because she can't stand the smell."

Mmm, organisms fighting bacteria. Just what I want in my equipment!

Colour me skeptical, but knowing how much hockey players sweat, and how long equipment sits in stinky bags, I can't see this working as perfectly as described.

---

Over at Hollywoodtuna, the gossip guys have posted some probably-NSFW pictures of Willa Ford, aka Ms. Modano.

Honestly, I can't see that she does it for me, especially in pictures that are completely airbrushed.

Do guys really dig the Maxim-style airbrushed pics? I always feel that such photos make a woman look less desirable and simply more fake.

---

I had serious doubts about John Davidson's ability to preside over the St. Louis Blues, but I have to admit that the club is in good shape thanks to his PR efforts and ability to not suck as a GM.

Even the New York Times has taken notice of the job he's done in St. Loo.

“This team had disconnected from the city, and we had to get people back in the arena,” he said, without naming Bill and Nancy Laurie, the largely absentee former owners who sustained huge losses, cut costs and traded away the popular Chris Pronger. “The Blues tradition had disappeared, and the fans wanted it back. We had to get them to believe again.”

Aahh, yes, the Lauries ... the asswipes who tried to buy the Vancouver Grizzlies and move them while claiming that they really really really wanted basketball to succeed here. *eyeroll*. Even David Stern didn't like the Lauries, which says something.

Larry Pleau is still around as the behind-the-scenes guy, and I think the set-up works well. Pleau's analysis of hockey players was awful, but he does know the nuts and bolts of NHL law and finance, and can help JD with the more technical side of things. This leaves JD the room to do his thing with the public and also with player acquisition.

---

From the LOL! File comes word that the Philadelphia Flyers are going to hold a ceremony to honour Eric Lindros, and the Big Ego won't show up!! Bahahaha!!!

As part of their September 27th preseason game against Carolina at their former home, the Flyers have invited all 15 captains back to take part in commemorative ceremonies, including Lindros who was named captain at the age of 21 in 1994. However, his tenure with the team ended in a bitter dispute with management, which included then general manager Bob Clarke.

While Clarke, Lou Angotti, Mel Bridgman, Dave Poulin, Ed Van Impe, Bill Barber, Ron Sutter and Kevin Primeau have confirmed their attendance, Lindros has declined because of a previous commitment according to senior vice president of business operations Shawn Tilger. Lindros will be attending a memorial service that day for a friend's mother.

Still bitter, Eric? Now that you are retired, perhaps you can set aside your petty differences with the club and do something right for the fans that had your back?

---

To any readers in the UK, you'll be happy to hear that pugilistic Czech Marek Ivan is back in your neck of the woods.

Yes, Ivan is one of the few Czechs that actually LOVES to fight, and does a pretty good job of being a toughie in between scoring a few goals.

(thanks to Southern Correspondent Wayne for some of the linkage help)

Trade Analysis: Bryan McCabe

2008-09-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

by Jes

The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their detox cleansing by dumping frumpy Bryan McCabe and his bad hairstyle on the Florida Panthers in exchange for Mike Van Ryn and a draft pick.

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of McCabe's game. Yes, he puts up a pile of points, and is great on the Power Play, but his defence is atrocious, and he, far too often, goes out of position to make a big hit. Ever since his famed "can opener" was cracked down upon, McCabe's idea of defence is to put his blob-like body in front of a defender and hope that he hits something ... the puck, the ref, the opposing forward ... not pretty. McCabe is basically Sheldon Souray without the model good looks.

This deal was more about dumping salary than anything else, so it's hard to expect the Leafs to come out ahead on the deal ... but how will they fare?

Mike Van Ryn certainly has some skills of his own, and he did put up two straight 37-point seasons. That said, he put up just 2 points in 20 games last season and 29 in 78 games the season before. Ever since Jay Bouwmeester was given the lion's share of ice time in Florida, Van Ryn's game wilted, and his point production wasn't all that great.

McCabe, on the other hand, put up three straight 50+ point seasons until last season, when he fell to just 23 in 54 games. With a healthy McCabe, you can expect about 15 goals and another 35-45 assists.

So, the difference on offence is going to probably be about 15-20 points, which can be a big deal over a long season. In today's offence starved NHL, an offensive powerhouse like McCabe does provide some value.

So, how does Van Ryn compare defensively to McCabe?

Looking at some advanced numbers over at Behind the Net, it ain't pretty.

RATING - Behindthenet Rating (+/- relative to team): -52 for McCabe and -51 for Van Ryn.
QUALITY OF COMPETITION: Van Ryn comes out ahead with .09 compared to McCabe's .02.

The other defensive stats are rather similar, so we could say that Van Ryn comes out slightly ahead, or just call it a wash and leave it at that.

Now, I understand the Panthers want to make the leap into the playoffs eventually, but why McCabe? The Panthers' biggest problem has been preventing goals, and McCabe is NOT going to help that. The last thing the Panthers need is a defensive liability on the ice for 25 minutes a game, and an expensive one at that.

Thumbs down to the Panthers, and thumbs up to the Leafs for clearing out salary. Van Ryn is no star, but he's not chopped liver, either. He will give the Leafs a competent defenseman to plug a hole while plumber Fletcher orders a new part.

Holy Moly! The Butcher Bolts to Tampa

2008-08-31T08:31:00.005-07:00

by Jes

I know my blogmate, Czechmate, an Ottawa resident, was already seething over the lack of CzechoSlovak content on the Ottawa Senators. I'm sure, then, that he'll be crying in his All Bran over the fact that Andrej Meszároš was dealt to the Lightning for some prospect assets. Now, Meszaros can have his surname butchered in whole new ways.

In typical Tampa Bay circus fashion, the Bolts made an offer sheet to the young Slovak, only to find out that *DUH* they don't have the necessary draft picks as compensation. Cue the circus music and annoying clowns.

Ottawa clearly didn't mind the fact that the Bolts wanted Meszaros, so the clubs came up with a rather quick trade to get the deal done.

Tampa Bay gave up defensemen Filip Kuba, Alex Picard, and a 2009 first-round draft pick for the Butcher, and then signed him to a six-year, $24-million dealio.

Kuba is no longer all that great, so it's basically a warm body, a lottery ticket, and Picard for a prime young D-man. Good deal of bad deal for Ottawa? I guess it depends on what Ottawa does with this new salary cap room they have.

Over at FanHouse, JP notes that Tampa, famous for comparing Lecavalier to Michael Jordan, turned on the hyperbole machine to proclaim Meszaros an 'elite' defenseman. JP isn't impressed.

Senators GM Bryan Murray referred to Meszaros' play over the past two seasons as "[leaving] a lot to be desired" (not something you typically hear of the game's top defensemen), and the numbers certainly represent something a lot closer to "pretty good player" than "time to adjust the game plan, we're facing Andrej Meszaros tonight" -- Meszaros finished last season 25th among the League's defensemen in scoring and 68th in that group in plus/minus. He was 80th in ice time, 35th in power-play scoring and 100th in shooting percentage.

I'll play the Devil's advocate and come to the defense of Tampa. Yes, Andy is not an elite defenseman, but he's one of the better young d-men in the game and ought to get better.

Remember Meszaros' rookie season? D00d was only 20 years old and put up 39 points and went +39 in 82 games. How many 20-year old d-men ever do that much?

Then, something went sour for Meszaros in Ottawa and he's been on the Martin Skoula path to stagnation. Perhaps Ray Emery's influence made Meszaros into a party animal, perhaps the Sens' new anti-Slovak policy hurt Andy's feelings ... we'll likely never know. What we do know, however, is that Meszaros' relationship with the club was quit sour, and he needed to get the hell out of that rathole.

I believe Butcher will become one of the league's better defensemen, and the Bolts will end up getting good value for this deal. Yes, they paid a high price, but good young defensemen are worth a premium. This is a far better deal than some of the other odd signings the Bolts have made.

Of course, it's easy to be nervous if you are a Bolts fan, especially when Meszaros is commenting on how much was given up for him.

"I was surprised they gave up that much for me," he said of the Lightning. "They gave up some good players. I really appreciate that. I'm excited and happy to be in Tampa. Now it's a great challenge for me to step up and play as hard as I can."

Sakic Signs for Another Season

2008-08-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

by Jes

Could you imagine the Colorado Crapalanche without Joe Sakic? He's been the face of the Quebec/Colorado franchise since I was a wee little lad, and not having him on the team would be like not having rain in Vancouver during an August morning.

The 39-year old veteran hummed and hawed for awhile, and then decided to come back for one more season of Canuck killing, his 20th in the NHL.

Patience paid off for the Colorado Avalanche, who signed Joe Sakic to a one-year, US$6-million contract Wednesday after he decided to play a 20th NHL season rather than call it a career.

"Ultimately it came down to the fact that I still enjoy playing and competing," the 39-year-old captain said in a statement released by the team. "I'm comfortable with my conditioning and my overall health.

"I'm ready for the start of camp and am looking forward to the upcoming season."

Last season was really quite strange as it was the first time that I can remember that Sakic looked less than immortal. As a Canucks/Blues fan, seeing Joe Sakic with the puck was pretty much guaranteed to induce that crap-my-pants feeling. You just knew that it would take nary a split-second before he unleashed a laser-like wrist shot that scored the Avs yet another goal.

It wasn't too long ago when Burnaby Joe was still an elite forward. Actually, it was just two seasons ago when Sakic reached 100 points and looked even better than he did before the lockout. It speaks to Sakic's skill and conditioning that he could dominate at his age.

At long last, the specters of age and injuries caught up with Sakic, and he fell to just 40 points in 44 games last season. Those who got to see a lot of Sakic on TV could see that he didn't have the same zip in his game and didn't instill the same fear as he once did. I find it amazing that Sakic even put up that much offence, given how "out of it" he looked.

Still, Sakic is one of the league's smartest offensive players, and still adds a lot to the Avs in terms of productivity and leadership. In today's NHL, a point-a-game pace is damn valuable. Even as a mere mortal brought low, Sakic is better than most players in the game.

So, enjoy Sakic while you can, because the face of the Avs, and of the game's best ever, will be skating off into the sunset before long.

Wednesday Wonderings: Burnout Edition

2008-08-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

by Jes

Blogger Burnout sucks, especially when combined with an on-off again throbbing headache and a lack of actual hockey news.

First, let's start off in the world of women's golf (zzzzz....), where the LPGA is going to mandate English proficiency.

At a mandatory South Korean player meeting Aug. 20 at the Safeway Classic, the tour informed its largest international contingent that beginning in 2009, all players who have been on tour for two years must pass an oral evaluation of their English skills. Failure would result in a suspended membership.

Wow, talk about really stupid rule changes ... If there is a sport that doesn't require English to be spoken, it's golf. Hell, they throw you out of the Country Club just for thinking too loudly. When do golfers need to speak, other than to the caddy?

I can understand that the LPGA wants its players to be able to do interviews, but who the hell interviews women golfers, anyway? How about getting some eye candy out on the course? I don't think the media is really concerned about Korean women golfers who can't say boring clichés in broken Engrish.

Imagine if the NHL tried to pull off something like this? Oh, you could just see the exodus of European NHLers returning back home because they didn't pass some stupid multiple-choice test Gary Bettman dreamed up.

----

While French/Quebec players might have the rep for being soft in the NHL (think Daigle, Turgeon, Brisebois), the fact is that Quebec is the #1 province for hockey fighting. The brawls in Quebec beer leagues are infamous, and the brawlers that province produce are second to none (Worrell, Laraques, Brashear)

So, it seems quite strange, then, that Quebec has taken drastic measures to reduce fighting in junior hockey. It's not an outright ban, nor is it European (automatic ejection), but it's a serious change to how fights are penalized.

From Hockeyrefs.com

Young hockey players in Quebec are going to think twice about using their hockey gloves as boxing gloves in the wake of strict new penalties announced Wednesday to curb on-ice violence.

Hockey Quebec is targeting unsportsmanlike behaviour such as fighting, checking the back of the head and verbal abuse in the minor leagues.

Players who fight, instigate, or jump into an on-ice brawl as a third combattant will be suspended for two games on a first offence. A second offence puts the player out for four games and means a trip before a disciplinary committee.

A third offence means an indefinite suspension.

That's right, folks, a TWO GAME SUSPENSION for being in a fight! Gary Bettman must be jealous!

It seems that The Powers That Be felt too much backlash from Jonathan Roy's actions. (Click here for YouTube goodness)

I understand that fighting in hockey is not very necessary, but it does provide us fans with extra entertainment, and allows for on-ice disputes to be handled without the need for serious stick swinging.

Still, this feels like a gross overreaction. Couldn't the Quebec Fed simply give much harsher penalties for serious incidents? Why should a player be suspended two games for an average consensual fight? Most fights never end up close to being monster brawls or outright assaults. Why can't these bureaucrats distinguish between the two?

I'm not sure if the QMJHL will follow these guidelines, or if it is just for the lower kiddie ranks. This is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Video Of The Evening - A Great Summary/Comparison

2008-08-24T17:44:00.002-07:00

by Czechmate - cross posted from sportsfiend.ca

Well, we are all suffering from hockey withdrawal, and there really isn't much more than made up shit from Eklund's site. So, we're left to remember things, or extrapolate and predict things... Today, I want to pay homage to arguably the best Czech player ever (with Dominik Hasek deserving equal, if not higher consideration, depends on your rating scale...)

Without further ado - Jaromir Jagr:

Video of the Day: Usain Bolt, Poor Sportsman

2008-08-23T18:20:00.003-07:00

by Jes

When I heard about Olympic mafia leader Jacques Rogge whining about Usain Bolt being a poor sportsman, I pretty much rolled my eyes like almost everyone else did.

Then, I was pointed to this video of Bolt's 100m race and now we see evidence that Rogge was right ...

Study: Bigger Heads = More Aggression

2008-08-22T07:44:00.002-07:00

by Jes

The term "fathead" is often used in describing someone who is rather dull, stupid, and has a temper. Thus, when our buddy Wayne forwarded me a story with the headline "Hockey fatheads end up in the penalty box more often", I was pretty much like "D'uh, Big Moose!"

It terms out that the "fatheads", in this case, refer to the actual size of the player's head, and is not just a cute expression.

From the Regina Leader Post:

Results of the study published Wednesday in the prestigious Proceedings of the Royal Society, concluded of the six Canadian-based NHL teams, the faces of the Ottawa Senators are dead giveaways when it comes to predicting how much time players spend in the penalty box.

"We're not saying that Ottawa is more aggressive than any other team. But each individual player's face predicts how much time he had in the box," said Brock University neuroscience researcher Justin Carre.

The researcher devised a lab experiment comparing facial ratios of a group of student volunteers with their aggressiveness while playing a video game.

The measurements, performed with the help of a digital ruler, compare the width of the face at the cheekbones with the height between the bottom of the eyebrows and the upper lip. An unusually wide male face has a ratio of about 2.3, while a relatively narrow face has a ratio of about 1.6.

Among the male students, those with wide faces were more likely to play the video game aggressively, even downright vengefully.

It is easy to dismiss this as bunk science, but there have been studies that show that finger length can often predict how aggressive guys can be. Perhaps having a larger part of the body means more testosterone?

So, in the next advancement in scouting, will we see teams measure head sizes? Maybe measure finger sizes as well. Why just measure fitness levels? Do DNA testing as well!

Looking for a bruiser? Don't get the chap who looks like John Cleese, go for the Brock Lesnar!

Prospect Steven Legein Retires .. at 19

2008-08-20T10:56:00.001-07:00

by Jes

A 19-year old man retiring from professional/amateur hockey is not that unusual. Many prospects that have no real shot of doing much in the pro hockey world do it all the time, opting for University or a career in the 'real' world. Why ride buses for days on end to make $30,000 a year when you can make double that with far less travel?

When it is a promising 2nd round prospect with no history of major injury? That IS unusual.

Via FanHouse: Stefan Legein, a 2007 second round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets who is just 19, has retired from professional hockey. I'm sure BJs fans are quite stunned rightaboutnow.

The reason: He just didn't want to play anymore. It's that simple.

Legein seemed to be on the path to a potential NHL career, and, if you go through the FanHouse post, you see that Legein certainly didn't appear unhappy. The BJ's certainly had big plans for the kid, and you know that the team desperately needs some of its prospects to pan out.

My first instinct, naturally, was to think "What a waste!". I can understand being in a funk, but why waste so many years of training and development when the potential for big $$ exists. Of course, that is merely me projecting my own interests and attitudes on someone I have never had any contact with.

I know that some BJ's fans are probably pissed at the kid for quitting so soon, especially given the team's need for actual talent. It's been a hard few years for fans of the club, and the last thing they need is one of their top prospects bailing on them.

As Adam Proteau of The Hockey News notes, we ought not to vilify the kid for his decision.

I hope the young man isn’t vilified for his decision. Who among us hasn’t had doubts in our late teens (or for that matter, well beyond that age) about our direction in life? Legein’s biggest problem is he has been in a line of work that receives so much publicity and adulation most casual observers assume he should be down on his hands and knees in gratitude for the opportunities he’s been afforded.

Exactly! I know I changed career paths and desires at 20, opting out of a potentially lucrative career as a software designer. I hated (and still do) computer programming and computer science, and I never imagined how utterly dull it would be when I signed up for a program.

I left after a year, and found myself choosing Accounting and Finance. Yes, the money isn't as good, but I'm much happier with myself.

Now, I can imagine that this young man had the same kind of "voila!" moment that caused him to say, "I really don't enjoy all of this hard physical training and I don't enjoy playing highly competitive hockey enough to continue on". Yes, playing hockey is fun, but when it is your job? Maybe not so much.

Oh, and score one for bloggers (Bethany's Hockey Rants, a title she kinda *cough*stole*cough* from us) for breaking the story!

Just Look Away Mats...

2008-08-19T09:43:00.005-07:00

by Czechmate

Just look away, Mats!!

Although there is nothing but idle speculation surrounding the Mats Sundin situation, the summer is rapidly grinding to an end, which means training camps are just around the corner. The only concrete thing we've heard from the Sundin camp is that Mats wants to be at training camp, should he decide to honour us with another year of his presence rather than retiring.

Now, when a player of Mats' calibre (I may not like him, but I respect his ability) garners so much attention from the media, it stands to reason that people will throw out the "best fit" scenarios for him to win a Stanley Cup to end his career, a la Ray Bourque.

So, the list of "possible destinations" has been decided, at least by hockey writers and bloggers.

The one that seems to be the "flavour of the week" at the moment is Mats heading to Broadway to sign with the Rangers. Not only as a fan, but as someone who likes to think he knows something about hockey, I believe this would be a terrible idea, likely for both sides.

First of all, the Rangers are within $2M of the salary cap, meaning they would either have to a) Convince Mats to play for league minimum, to leave a bit of a buffer for injuries and whatnot b) Sign him for $2M and face a dangerous cap situation all season long, or c) Move out some salary and sign him for the $7-8.5M that the market will likely demand.

Now, some theorists have suggested the Rags would be looking to move Michal Rozsival and his $5M contract (signed this summer, in fact), but does this make any sense at all?

The Rangers aren't exactly deep on the blueline, and getting rid of Rozsival doesn't make them any deeper, especially since it would be a salary dump in which the Rangers would be seeking only prospects or picks, to maximize the dump. Is Bobby Sanguinetti ready to pick up the slack? I don't think so, nor do I think it would be a reasonable expectation from the team to put a rookie in a big-minutes situation.

Another reason Sundin should stay out of a Rangers uniform is that the team is already deep in centers and leaders. Chris Drury, who I believe will end up the team's captain this season, Scotty Gomez, and Mats Sundin? If I'm not mistaken, all 3 have been captains in the past, and all play the same position. While I suppose Drury could be moved to the left wing, I don't believe you should mess with a player's natural position if you want the most out of his game. This would leave one of those three centering the third line. A little pricey, I'd say...

Finally, the impact Sundin's sudden appearance would have on team chemisty is impossible to gauge. He seems like an affable enough guy off the ice, even if he's a bit of a prick on it. I doubt anyone would instantly dislike him, aside from possibly Wade Redden - lots of love lost during battle of Ontario games. But, it's a new team, new teammates, new coach, new system, and above all, new city. This would likely mean an adjustment period, aka - slow start. Can the Rangers' re-vamped lineup afford to allow Mats time to get settled in? And before anyone says anything about Nik Zherdev, the reason I draw a distinction is that Zherdev is much younger, and hasn't ever really planted roots in the NHL. Sundin, conversely, has 13 years of Leafs engrained in him, and it would take a lot of inner work for him to exorcise those "demons".

Anyway, I'd say Mats should really look at Toronto, Colorado, Vancouver (although the travel would be nuts) or even Montreal. I'm just praying Glen Sather has enough integrity to stick to his plan. And that plan, at least until now, didn't appear to include Sundin.

Until next time,

Na Zdravi!

More Olympic Frothings

2008-08-18T12:00:00.002-07:00

by Jes

Yes, I am still boycotting/not watching the Summer Olympics, but with no hockey news worth commenting about, and a blogging itch to scratch, I'm gonna bitch about them (again). How long until preseason starts? I really need some actual hockey news or I'm going to cry.

---

1. It was certainly nice to see Canada break out and win some actual medals! With all of the resources and people we have in this country, the fact that we had less medals than Azerbaijan was pretty sad. Canada has 9 now (at least that is what I heard last), which finally vaults us into respectable territory. Canada is never good at Summer Olympics, but we ought to be at least in the Top 20.

2. There is no position worse than finishing FOURTH at an Olympic event.

You finish last? You can laugh it about it down the road ... or you know you weren't even THAT good to begin with.

You finish fourth? You are the best athlete not to get a single piece of bling. There is a certain cachet to having an a Bronze Medal. Saying "I finished fourth at Olympics" just doesn't sound 1/50th as impressive, does it?

3. I don't get the love over women's beach volleyball. These women look way too skinny and manly to actually want to lust over. I know it’s a major step up from women's gymnastics (no jailbait worth looking at there), but still not enough to make me turn away from women's tennis.

Do these women look hot to you?

4. I will be "that guy" and piss on the Michael Phelps love a bit. Yes, he's a dominating swimmer, and I have nothing personal against him, but his gold medal record is a bit of a fraud.

A pole vaulter, javelin thrower, or a softball player can win only one medal for their sport, right? Why should a swimmer be able to rack up multiple medals for the same sport? All they do is change the distance by a small amount or change the type of stroke, allowing one guy to basically rack up a bunch of medals simply because he's a far better athlete than his swimming peers. 100m butterfly vs. 200m butterfly vs. 100m freestyle, etc ... what's the difference?

Want to level the playing field? Give shot putters a chance to win five different medals ... just increase the size and/or weight of the ball they throw for each event.

Let's give the other athletes in other sports to win multiple medals for the same sport. Otherwise, shut up about Phelps and his record and realize that swimming is the one sport that allows such a 'record' to occur.

5. How does one decide to be a professional speed walker? Rejects from the running team? I've never seen or head about speed walking competitions other than at an Olympics. This is the kinda job that falls down there with "guy who cleans up the set of a porn movie".

6. What a shock ... The Chinese government has not authorized any of the 77 applied for protests to take place. The IOC was lavishing praise over this corrupt regime for allowing protest zones, but, of course, the Chinese government pulled the wool over the eyes of the Olympic Mafia ... yet again... of maybe the mafia just doesn't give a damn.

Of course, this is the same corrupt regime that needed to have a 'cuter' girl lip-synch the opening ceremonies. *sigh*

7. Steve Simmons is still a douchebag. I hope he gets cancer from breathing in too many Beijing fumes, or AIDS from his escapades with Al Strachan. Seriously.

They ran the women's marathon here yesterday morning at the Olympic Games and no one died.

No one succumbed to thick air and pollution. Many collapsed and fell: But none of it had anything to do with the conditions, the temperature or the apparent quality of air.

As if people are going to keel over and die right on the spot! Just wait until people suffer long term effects. Some athletes have already reported that they felt a certain odd 'fire' in their lungs while training or running, and not the usual kind. Smokers don't die after one cigarette, do they? How has Steve Simmons managed to live this long with an IQ of 52?

The most pressing issues of any Olympics -- facilities, housing, transportation, venues, the athletes, security and this one, censorship -- have for the most part been taken care of.

Censorship taken care of? BWA HAHAHAHAHA!

Oh, MSM sports reporters should never comment on political issues (Perry Mason, are you listening?). It just exposes them for the morons they are.

Friday's Frank Frothings

2008-08-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

by Jes

From my correspondence with Blues fans over the years, there is one player that is almost universally venerated by most of them.

Brett Hull?
Al MacInnis?
Pavol Demitra?

Close, but it's Brendan Shanahan.

It's hard not to like Shanahan, the blue-collar scoring star with the charming good looks, lyrically pleasing surname, and gritty work ethic that most fans love in a player. Blues fans never saw quite that level of dedication in Hull, or that type of charm in Al MacInnis.

When Shanahan was dealt to the Whalercanes for Chris Pronger, it was almost like a hole was ripped in the fabric of Blues fandom. Even the fact that Shanny went on to success with the hated Wings didn't seem to dampen Blues' fans respect for the dude.

So, you can imagine how excited Blues fans are feeling at the prospect of Brendan Shanahan signing with the club for next season.

Jeff Gordon of St. Louis Today outlines many reasons why Shanny would be a good fit with the Bluenotes. He also makes the point that the Blues are getting some sweet PR points just by saying they'll attempt to sign Shanahan.

Of course, the Blues have had a bad habit of signing or trading aging forwards all too often in the past: Tkachuk, Weight, Guerin, Richer, Derek King (ugh), etc ... but I think Shanahan is worth going after.

Yes, he's 39, but he's still capable of producing some offense. Sure he's declined, but the guy is still a very good 2nd line winger with good skating ability. The Blues certainly have the cap space, so make it happen!

---

Over at his legendary blog, Joe Pelletier is counting down his Top 20 photos in hockey history. So far, he's posted #20 and #19.

Just a hunch, but I'm willing to bet a few Slovak Crowns that Bobby Orr's "Superman" will be #1.

---

There has been a lot of chomping in the media about how Canada's pathetic showing at the Summer Olympics. Yes, a pasty, somewhat out-of-shape (I haven't been to the gym much these days) hockey blogger has as many medals at the rest of Team Canada combined! ZERO!

Over at the National Post, blogger Scott Stinson opines that Canada just doesn't care enough about winning.

Consider, also, the number of times you have read about a sporting event in some other nation and wondered if the people weren't just a little bit crazy. A soccer match in South America sets off a bloody riot. A referee in Europe has to run from a hail of firecrackers after making a questionable call. Have their been similar such incidents in Canada? Some Calgarians lifted their shirts and/or peed in public during the Flames' playoff run a few years back, but that's about it. And we were shocked. A Canadian team hasn't won the Stanley Cup -- our own trophy -- in 15 years, and how upset are we?

A few beefs and reefs.

1. Riots in Montreal and Vancouver suggest that fans don't always accept losing very well.

2. Many fans are upset that a Canadian team hasn't won a Stanley Cup in 15 years. That said, most players in cup winning teams are Canadian, so what's the big dealio?

3. Sport is just that. SPORT! The fact that anyone would riot over the result of a soccer game or hockey game shows how insecure, immature, and petty those people are. Sport is supposed to be entertaining, and if you are not a player or working for that particular organization, what the hell does a loss really mean for you?

Sure, I get upset and happy and all that, but I've never felt the need to light a car on fire ... although I do want to light Greg Millen on fire :)

4. Canada does treat sports like a hobby more than a profession, unless you play hockey, or maybe baseball. In Hungary, a professional fencer is seen as a professional fencer. How many Canadians would take that seriously as a career? In Canada, a fencer would work at Wal-Mart part time to support themselves.

5. Canada has, in the past, accepted "personal bests" far too often. Instead of wanting a GOLD MEDAL, we hear "Oh, I beat my personal best!" Bah, your personal best isn't good enough

6. Then again, who the hell really cares if we get Olympic medals or not? I've lost most interest in this Olympic mafia, and I don't really care to watch weightlifting or shot put.

7. Of course, I went nutso, as did the entire country, when Canada won Gold at Salt Lake City. Perhaps we just don't care enough about other sports.

It's a Cruel, Cruel Summer

2008-08-14T09:33:00.001-07:00

by Jes

(Yes, I used to listen to Ace of Base when I was a kid)

One major factor in why it is hard to have true dynasties in this day and age is the "Stanley Cup Hangover".

I'm not talking about the morning after drinking champagne from the holy mug, but rather the fact that the Stanley Cup Finalists often experience a drop-off in their record during the next season, especially early in the season. The fatigue builds such much that it is harder for the Cup finalists to repeat their great exploits from year to year.

With the seasons getting longer and finishing later, the summer time break for NHL teams has been getting shorter and shorter. Is it any wonder why the Ducks, who also had to put up with a long trip to-from London, faltered so badly last season?

Over at Empty Netters, the excellent MSM blog over at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Seth Rorabaugh crunches some numbers and we see that the Pittsburgh Penguins have the shortest summer break out of all the teams.

After winning the Cup on June 6, 2007, the Ducks enjoyed a brief 115 days off before starting up again on Sept. 29 in London. That was the shortest offseason for any NHL team. The Penguins will own that distinction this offseason by having only 122 days off since losing the Cup to the Red Wings on June 4.

Now, his calculations do not factor in training camps and pre-season games, so the summers for the Pens and Wings will be even shorter than indicated.

Life in the NHL is physically brutal, and players have to work harder, faster, and take more physical punishment then players from 15+ years ago. Every player has to maintain a strong off-season training regimen, leaving few players with a true chance to take a long break from physical activity and fully recover.

It should be no surprise if the Wings and Penguins start the season slowly and have problems later in the year with fatigue. The Wings, especially, might run into problems as their roster has more older players than the Penguins.

Who should really benefit? Take a team on the upswing who had a long off-season, and I figure they will start off gangbusters. How about the Blackhawks? They added some big names, and have had lots of rest. The Capitals, too, could be primed to make another jump ... although their defence corps still sucks.

So, how can a team beat this hangover and succeed year after year?

For one thing, they could stop making these fricking long trips to Europe ... really, these jaunts really seem to do a number on the two teams who participate.

Like Seth points out on his post, the Penguins experienced a rather high turnover for a Cup finalist, which means the newer players will be somewhat fresher and help compensate. The Wings? They experienced very little turnover. Perhaps cycling some fresh players in the depth positions can keep the team's skill level intact while helping offset the fatigue.

It would be foolish to think the Wings and Penguins won't be very good next season, but one must strongly consider the factor of the "Stanley Cup Hangover" when making predictions.

Rachel Stoll and Jarret Stoll: Engaged

2008-08-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

by Jes

Well, it seems like MILF Hunter Jarret Stoll has taken the next step in his relationship with ex-model/prowling cougar Rachel Hunter: Engagement.

Yes, the sexy "veteran" has managed to convince a man 13 years younger than she is to go down the aisle. The warnings signs were certainly there, and Stoll made his move quickly.

Rod Stewart's ex-wife Rachel Hunter is set to tie the knot with her ice hockey player boyfriend who is 13 years her junior.

Hunter, 38, confirmed her engagement to 26-year-old Jarret Stoll to People.com.

The model has reportedly told friends: 'He's my first true love since Rod, and the age difference isn't an issue.'

Talk about a good trade! Rod Stewart has been decrepit beyond belief for some time, and looks like he's been around the block a few thousand times.

Stoll? He's young, fit, and can handle his stick quite well ... although he seems to lack finish. Maybe she likes it like that?

Although Hunter is rather old for him, I still have to say Stoll did pretty well for himself. The former model has aged quite well, and certainly is capable of handling the spotlight.

Now that Stoll is with the LA Kings, expect this couple to get even more publicity than they already do. A marriage made in hockey heaven.

---

Dominik Hasek's overpriced "Dominator" clothing line is hemorrhaging cash ... Is anyone surprised? Does anyone feel one iota sorry for the douchebag?

I didn't think so.

Nike may very well be able to charge exhobitant prices for their cheap goods, simply because they have a stupid SWOOSH on them, but Hasek has no such marketing clout.

It seems rather funny, too, that Hasek's line will close down in Czechia, but still be open in the USA.

Monday Morning Musings

2008-08-11T09:26:00.001-07:00

by Jes

Still so little to talk about ...

My pal Joeri Loonen wrote up a recap of the Slovak Hockey Federation's awards ceremony. Marian Hossa was the big wiener as he won his third straight Golden Puck for being the best Slovak not named Pavol Demitra.

Best goalie? Peter Budaj
Best defenseman? Lubomir Visnovsky. How he got the vote over Zdeno Chara makes me wonder how much hot wine the voters were quaffing.

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Gretzky to Detroit? It could have happened ... and I would have still hated Detroit just as much. Joe Pelletier has a look at what could have been.

You know what, it was much better for Detroit that the trade never happened. Detroit would have never done quite as well with Gretzky, especially how atrocious defensively he was ... I can't see Gretzky fitting in with that left-wing lock Wings system very well.

---

Over at The Hockey News, Brian Costello asks us "When will [Guy] Carbonneau be recognized by Hall of Fame committee?"

To which I ask, "When was Guy Carbonneau ever considered one of the Top 20 players in any one season he played in?"

The answer: Never.

While we all know that Guy was a great defensive center, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder to create and sustain offensive production in the NHL than it is to play defence.

The argument that Dick Duff is in the Hall of Fame is a awfully weak one. If we used Duff (or Clark Gillies) as the reason why any player should be in the Hall of Fame, we'd have the Markus Naslund's and Ray Sheppard's as shoe-ins.

Costello finishes with another weak argument: "So if the league gives out an award for defensive greatness among forwards, shouldn’t the Hall of Fame recognize that greatness as well? It’s hypocritical that it doesn’t, especially in an era when attempting to shut down the opposition is the common denominator in the game plan of all 30 NHL teams."

If the Dead Puck Era (not my term) has shown us anything, it is that just about ANY forward can play defense. Look at how Marian Gaborik, a puck-hungry greyhound, plays responsible defense. Playing defensive hockey within a tight system is much easier than trying to score against a team doing just that. There are far more Guy Carbonneau's in the league than there are Sidney Crosby's.

At the end of the day, one team cannot simply win by playing pure defense. Even in a 1-0 game, someone has to score.

Why I'm Boycotting the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008-08-08T12:10:00.003-07:00

by Jes

I'm not one to tell people what to think or what to do, but that won't stop me from expressing some prickly opinions that will rub some the wrong way, nor will it stop me from trying to change the way people look or think about a particular issue.

Something that has irked me for some time is the Olympic(tm) Games. Ever since Vancouver was awarded (cursed) the 2010 Winter Olympics, we've seen just how disgusting this whole process is.

Make no mistake about it, the Olympics are not about the athletes. The athletes simply provide the cheap entertainment and public front for the money generating merchandise machine that few people truly profit from.

The athletes? Most of them have to scrape by with part-time jobs at Home Depot or the like, with very few getting those lucrative endorsement deals.

Who truly profits? The large corporations, TV stations, developers, wealthy sponsors, and cronies will run the Olympic mafia. Few athletes ever make all that much money, and many of them have to put off more lucrative careers to train in their chosen sport.

As we've seen in Vancouver, the government has spared no expense in dolling out millions of dollars on pork projects that profit very little real value to the people of BC. Millions for an Olympic skating oval? What good will it be after the Games are done? Oh, we can train more Olympic athletes. Lovely. Meanwhile, the downtown Eastside of Vancouver remains one of the most depressing places on Earth.

Now, let's talk about China, that fabulous producer of cheap lead-tainted toys and about 95% of the products we buy.

When the mafia awarded China the 2008 games, it was due to the fact that China promised to clean up its act in the arena of human rights. The IOC figured that putting China in the spotlight would force the Chinese Communist Party to improve living conditions and such in China.

Have things improved? Not really.

Tibet still remains under the strong thumb of China, with the Dalai Lama called a 'terrorist'. Really.

The pollution in Beijing is so awful that many athletes pulled out of the games, worrying more about their long-term health than a shiny medal.

Chinese secret police pose as Tibetan Monks or members of other interest groups to make those groups look bad. Classy.

Freedom of the press rarely exists, and has not gotten better.

Darfur, anyone?

I know, I know ... Canada is far from perfect on the Human Rights issue, but we've long passed the point where we execute people and harvest their organs because they choose to follow a religion not approved by the majority.

I also know that I sound like a radical of some sort, but I don't take this as a partisan issue. The Olympic Games simply costs us peons millions of dollars and gives us nothing but a 2-week party and lots of expensive bills to pay on shiny new buildings nobody needs. Just ask the people of Athens what a poor investment the Olympic Games really is. People of any political stripe should be able to see that they are getting the short end of the stick.

There isn't really much us peons can do if we're not into protesting, so do the next best thing and simply don't watch. It's not as if the Summer Olympics is all that thrilling, and you ought to be outside enjoying the sun. If the Olympics got low ratings, it might send a message, albeit a small one, that people are rather tired of the over-hyped Olympic machine.

Of course, I know that won't happen, so go back to being reamed by the mafia if you so desire.

If you want to learn more, visit these sites.

http://boycott2008games.blogspot.com/
http://boycott2008olympics.org/
http://www.boycott-china-2008.info/
http://www.alternet.org/story/94278/china_unveils_frightening_futuristic_police_state_at_olympics/

** On the hockey side of things, the Canes are giving Jeff O'Neill a tryout. I opine on that bit of news over at FanHouse.

Yeah, I'll get back to hockey when there is something worth blogging about!

Summer Movie Musings

2008-08-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

by Jes

Since there is a lack of interesting hockey news, I might as well do a little summer movie review. Why? Just because my brain is suddenly churning around thoughts about movies and I have no other outlet.

I invite you all to share your comments and recommendations.

Batman: The Dark Knight (9.5/10)

If you are one of the few people that hasn't seen it, then I can easily tell you that this movie definitely lives up to the hype. This is an incredible feat given how much attention this movie got after Heath Ledger kicked the bucket.

Yes, Ledger's performance is awesome, and even tops the great Joker that Jack Nicholson gave us. Lost in the hype machine is the fact that Aaron Eckhard gives a masterful performance as Harvey Dent/Two-Face.

My only beef with the movie is that we have no history/background of the Joker ... he just appears and creates chaos! It would have been nice to get some of the motivation behind his insanity.

Maggie Gylenhaal - To be shallow and blunt, this girl just looks weird. Definitely a big drop off from Katie Holmes in the looks department. Gylenhaal has this perpetual deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face, which makes me wonder how she got a career in Hollywood.

Hellboy 2 (8/10)

This summer's hidden gem is the least hyped and talked about superhero movies of the summer. The first Hellboy never got the recognition it deserves, and the sequel was just as entertaining.

Ron Perlman is one of the best, if not the best, actor-in-makeup/costume that I've grown up with. He plays the character beautifully.

The CGI creatures in this movie and the Troll Market are some of the most creative ... err ... creations that I've seen in a movie in quite some time. The 'tooth faeries' are brilliant, as is the giant nature elemental. I normally don't like too much CGI, but this movie does it so well that I didn't even think about it during the movie.

The downside? The relationship between Hellboy and his flaming girlfriend is really not explored enough, and the way the 'normal' people react to Hellboy is also just a little unreal.

Iron Man (7.5/10)

This was another enjoyable superhero movie that did a good job kick-starting another franchise. Downie Jr. is the perfect casting as Tony Stark, and Jeff Bridges made a fine villain.

This movie gives you a lot of laughs, which is not what most superhero movies do, and gives us a flawed character that is easy to like (unlike Batman, who is rather hard to like at times).

I just don't get why people are quite so gaga over this movie. It does lack a lot of action (we see way too much of Stark working on his suits), and the terrorists that Iron Man escapes from are way too dumb. You have to suspend belief just a little too much for my liking, especially since Iron Man tries to be quite realistic in its delivery.

Be Kind, Rewind (3/10)

This was a movie my g/f and I rented, and I was rather disappointed. The idea is a cute one (quite original) and there are quite a few chuckles, but there aren't nearly enough laughs and the characters in the movie are way too dumb to be believable.

Call it a concept that was good in theory, but poor in execution.

Superhero Movie (4/10)

Typical spoof movie. Lots of chuckles, too many fart jokes, but not enough jabs at the franchises outside of Spiderman. A decent rental if you want something brainless.

Young Triffie (0/10)

Ok, so I rented this some time back, but it was one of the worst pieces of vomit that I've ever let my eyeballs experience. I know it's Canadian and some people went gaga over it, but I'd suggest you never even consider watching this movie unless compensated in triple figures.

a. No captions, so my g/f couldn't watch it (a blessing in disguise)
b. The same "oops, the cop screws up" gags over and over and over again. Purely clumsy characters just aren't funny after the first couple of gags.
c. Mary Walsh, who is the female equivalent of Robin Williams (NOT FUNNY). She basically ruins any scene or show she is on. Everyone knows she was the weak link on 22 Minutes.
d. Slow ... like Molasses in July.

Futurama - The Beast With A Billion Backs (6/10)

Much weaker than Bender's Big Score, and one of Futurama's poorer efforts. I don't understand why so much production went into this movie when most Futurama episodes are better than this. A decent rental for Futurama fans, but not worth buying.

Bladerunner, The Final Cut (10/10)

OK, so this was about 99.9% similar to the Director's Cut I own, so it seems like a rather pointless remake. I did rent it to show it to my g/f, who *GASP* hadn't seen it.

Anyway, the non-narrated version (Which was the Theatre Cut) gets an easy 10/10. Amazingly, it hardly looks all that dated, even after 24 years.

Fans Under Scrutiny...

2008-08-05T20:00:00.006-07:00

by Czechmate - cross-posted from sportsfiend.ca

I realize by the very title of this wonderful blog site, that it is a HOCKEY site. However, in the goal of furthering of the general interest in sports that we should all share as fans, I believe this post is important to some extent. It involves Roger Goodell's (NFL Commish) latest conformist reform to the NFL's code of conduct, and the ramifications could be somewhat interesting, at least culturally speaking... Without further ado, here's the "Good Luck With That Goodell" post:

So, here's the brief summary of some new rules we NFL FANS have to live by, or else we risk being not only ejected from the present game, but also banned from attending future games. The length of the ban wasn't specified on TSN.ca, but I imagine it would be too difficult for teams to monitor things a game at a time. Assume a season or more if you get caught to the point of prosecution on the following offences:

Behaviour that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal.

Fair enough. Although I've never even been to a CFL game where someone wasn't being "unruly" or "disruptive". I believe people should be able to discern a reasonable limit to what this entails. The "illegal" part of it is a bit shocking because apparently they didn't have this in the standard lease agreement with stadiums beforehand?

Drunkenness and signs of alcohol impairment that result in irresponsible behaviour.

Uhm, this is still ~~Oktoberfest~~ a football game, RIGHT? I fail to see the enforceability of this particular standard, but I'm sure we'll see some examples on live broadcasts, just to hammer the point home. But realistically, I can't imagine a football game without copious amounts of beer and perhaps a doobie snack on the way to the game, so this strikes me as a potential marketing nightmare for a league already called "No-Fun-League" by many observers, and who still features the "Bud Bowl" as a central attraction during their biggest TV spectacle of the year... Nipplegate was funny, but I don't think if I was there that I could be drunk enough to fully appreciate 50+ year old Janet Jackson's exposed milk-faucet.

Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.

Has this guy ever actually been to a football game? The TV broadcasts alone have their fair share of excessive swearing that can be lip-read or heard by viewers (and also aforementioned nipple mishaps)... As for obscene gestures, I wonder if there is an inclusion for foreign ones that might potentially be used by tourists while soaking up an NFL game during their holidays... I know I can say "F-U" in at least 5 languages, and that doesn't include my attempts to figure out whether I am talking Mandarin or Cantonese in one particular instance, or whether the words are the same in both dialects). That's just with my hands!!

Interference with the progress of the game, including throwing objects onto the field.

Okay, in fairness, this seems to make sense. There is no reason to throw objects into the field of play, especially at officials, unless you're watching soccer, in which case I recommend ~~Duracell brand~~ Energizer batteries since they keep going, and going, and going, and going, and going... God, that Czech/Turkey game pissed me off...

Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel.

Unless this revolves around a fire evacuation or terrorist emergency, I can't see why we should listen to people who may or may not be any smarter than us. For the sake of having an organized event with no crowd-chaos, I would agree with this in principle that people shouldn't go out of their way to give stadium personnel a hard time. However, that comes with the caveat that I will never obey what I consider to be stupid rules... Namely most of these ones...

Verbal or physical harassment of fans from the opposing team.

Again, I have to wonder if this Goodell ~~gentleman~~ bitch has ever actually been to a football game. Half the fun is jawing with people who cheer for the other team. Maybe if the NFL had a larger contingent of Canadian fans, it would be better for his finicky tastes. Quite frankly, even our most heated rivalries (like Leafs v. Sens) aren't contested with much more than a few snide comments and crude insults... Physical harassment is never okay, at least outside the privacy of your own bedroom... Then, in the interest of maintaining a good male-female relationship, try to keep it to yourself as much as possible. Stop when you feel like you might be molesting yourself...

Meanwhile Over In Russia...

2008-08-05T07:18:00.004-07:00

by Czechmate - with quotes from KHL Press Service

The fledgling Kontinental Hockey League in Russia had a meeting of its Board Of Governors, on August 2nd, to evaluate some key development ideas for the league moving forward. Among the topics of discussion, of course, was the clarification of the handshake agreement between the KHL and NHL that was made in early July. This issue has been in the forefront recently, with the IIHF's suspension of Alexander Radulov (along with Jason Krog, Tomas Mojzis, Victor
Tikhonov, Nikita Filatov, and Fedor Fedorov) for signing a contract with Salavat Ufa ofthe KHL while still under contract to the NHL's Nashville Predators.

"The KHL is cooperating with the IIHF and the NHL. It is in our interest to settle all these issues quickly and in a civilized manner," stated the Chairman of the KHL Board of Directors Sergei Naryshkin. "We are pleased to note that all the parties to the debate declare their willingness to respect the others' viewpoint. The only thing left is to formally confirm these intentions and sign an agreement, which will precisely regulate all the minute details, in particular, dealing with players' transfers and mutual respect of contracts."

Accordingly, the Russians have submitted all applicable documents to the IIHF for review in hopes of resolving the Radulov situation.

My feeling is that Radulov will not play for the Predators this season, even if the result is his suspension from IIHF-sanctioned events. Quite frankly, if he is forced back to Nashville, we can likely expect him to pout and play half-heartedly, which ultimately doesn't help the Preds in the least. It might be best for them to simply allow him to walk away at this stage.

Another item which was discussed was the creation of a youth league for the KHL, which would act as a development/farm system for the KHL's clubs.

"The best hockey players between the ages of 17 to 20 will be embraced by this league," said Alexander Medvedev. "The establishment of the youth league will be made possible on the basis of the already existing KHL farm clubs acting as the de facto youth teams."

Now, while this sounds like a good idea on the surface, one has to wonder if using existing farm teams for this youth league is prudent, seeing as how players who fall outside the age parameters who currently play in the farm league will be without a place to play. The possible solution to this is allowing a set number of "over-agers" on each of these teams, in a similar fashion to the Canadian Junior leagues.

On the plus side, such a league will likely help the Russians keep some of their brighter young stars at home, rather than seeing them leave to play in the CHL, which is viewed as a good adjustment step for Russian players to take en route to the NHL, although it is a path seldom travelled. Certainly this youth league will pay the players a salary at some level, and it will make it more enticing for their home-developed players to put in some service domestically.

What will be interesting is whether or not this youth league pays its players enough to attract young stars from other nations. Wouldn't it be interesting to see what kind of reaction there would be to a John Tavares leaving Canada to play in the KHL youth league?

Finally, the KHL Board of Governors announced a TV deal with "Sport-TV", a free channel in Russia that will broadcast KHL games. It has a viewership of roughly 2.5-million people, which should increase with this agreement.

You can find Sport-TV online at sportbox.ru (although you'd best learn the Cyrillic alphabet first!)

That's it for now...

Na Zdravi!

Celebrity Matchmaker: Sidney Crosby & Miley Cyrus

2008-08-01T12:13:00.005-07:00

by Jes (Cross-posted on the sister site)

A lot of NHL players are getting hooked up with celebs these days, and it's great PR for the league.

Elisha Cuthbert and Dion Phaneuf (assist to Sean Avery)
Eric Lindros and Kate Hudson
Alexander Ovechkin and Igor Larionov's daughter
Alexei Yashin and model Carol Alt
Mike Comrie and Hillary Duff

So, why isn't Crosby getting in on the act? Where is his arm candy?

Imagine the publicity the NHL would get if Sidney was shackin up with a Hollywood celeb? Oh, it would be way bigger than Gretzky/Jones.

Who would we pair Sidney up with? Lindsay Lohan? Ewww ... Jessica Biel? Taken. Alanis Morrissette? Too old.

Miley Cyrus? DING DING DING DING DING!!!

Just look at them and their big, toothy grins! Wouldn’t this be a match made in heaven? Just think of the headlines this would generate, and how a new legion of teenage girls would latch onto hockey like never before.

Cyrus, the mostly squeaky clean teen with a big future ahead of her is just waiting to be broken into the dating game with a young, big name celeb.

Sidney needs someone who can deal with his star power. A regular girl just won't do. Sidney also needs a partner who is rather 'fresh' and possesses the same upbeat personality.

Oh, you say, but Cyrus is only 15 years of age?

Damnit!!!! I guess there are laws to be followed. *sulk*

Still, if Sidney is willing to wait a year or two, and Billy Ray gives it his OK, then I think we ought to hook these two up and let the sparks fly.

Who's with me?

----

Check out these totally gnarly posts over at FanHouse:

James Mirtle gives us some Portraits in Heroism (aka Photochop madness)

I cover the Kate Hudson/Eric Lindros rumours. Ooooh, gossip!

JP thinks Pascal Leclaire is the next Martin Brodeur, sans Golden Horseshoe up the arse.

Where Have All the Slovaks Gone?

2008-07-31T10:08:00.001-07:00

long time passing ...

by Jes

One of the sub-themes of this summer's Free Agent silliness has been the exodus of some well-known Czech and Slovak players back to Europe. These guys either want to play at home in Czechia/Slovakia, or try out the new Kontinental Hockey League.

Jaroslav Modry is the latest Czech to say buh-bye to the NHL, signing with HC Liberec (the White Tigers, they're grrrrrrrrreat!) for two seasons.

Of course, d00d is 37 years old and was declining quite badly, but it's still sucky to have less Czech in the NHL.

Who else has left us?

Jaroslav Hlinka: Colorado Avalanche (NHL) to Linköping (SWE)
Jaromír Jágr: New York Rangers (NHL) to Avangard Omsk (RUS)
Tomáš Pöpperle: Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) to HC Sparta Praha
Martin Straka: NY Rangers (NHL) to HC Lasselsberger Plzeň
Martin Ručinský: St. Louis (NHL) to HC Sparta Praha
Josef Vašíček: NY Islanders (NHL) to Lokomotiv Jaroslavl (RUS)
David Výborný: Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) HC Sparta Praha

Jozef Balej: Manitoba Moose (AHL) to Ocelari Trinec (CZE)
Ivan Baranka: Hartford(AHL)/NY Rangers(NHL) to Spartak Moscow (RUS)
Marcel Hossa: Phoenix Coyotes (NHL) to Dynamo Riga (KHL)
Branislav Mezei: Florida Panthers (NHL) to Barys Astana
Branko Radivojevic: Minnesota Wild (NHL) to Spartak Moscow (RUS)
Stefan Ruzicka: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) to Spartak Moscow (RUS)
Jozef Stumpel: Florida Panthers (NHL) to Barys Astana

Obviously, Jagr's departure is the one that creature all the headlines, but we have other semi-stars, regulars, and fine prospects that are heading back to Europe and giving up on the NHL.

*teardrop*

At least we'll always have Pavol!

Mark Parrishes From the Wild

2008-07-30T12:14:00.001-07:00

by Jes

Back when I used to cover the Florida Panthers, Mark Parrish was one of my favourite prospects on the club. I always have a soft spot for players who play the kind of game I do when I play ball hockey, and Parrish came from the school of Dave Andreychuk offensive forwards.

Sadly, Parrish has never been quite able to match Andreychuk's numbers, or come close to them, and will probably be known more for being part of the awful Roberto Luongo deal than anything else.

It shouldn't be a huge surprise to see that the Wild, facing some cap issues, had to waive Parrish and his $2.5M+ salary.

"Do I think Mark Parrish can still play in the league, can he make some adjustments to still be effective? Yes," [GM Doug] Risebrough said.

The presence of Parrish, who was paid $2.5 million last season, would have cost the team a salary cap hit of $2.65 million this season, bringing the Wild about $2.1 million short of the cap.

"Too close," Risebrough said. "We were looking for a little relief away from the cap."

The team had few options, he added. "I looked at Mark's salary and at what I thought his contributions would be and they were not totally in line," he said. "It's not Mark's fault;

I negotiated the contract."

Well, Parrish's contract wasn't too out of line given that he was an unrestricted free agent, but putting an offensive winger onto a defensive team and expecting good numbers isn't always the best recipe for success.

When I look at the career of Mark Parrish, I see a player whose style of play led to quite a few injuries as well as a player who only ever scored 30 goals once.

One other noticeable trend, besides the fact that Parrish was good at not taking penalties, is that Parrish NEVER got 200 shots on goal in one season ... not even close! You'd figure a net hang-a-rounder like Parrish would easily cross that threshold, but the guy never seemed to be consistent enough to be a dangerous offensive machine.

Parrish has had a solid career, and done well for a 3rd round draft pick, but I still get the feeling he could have been so much better.

* Over at Wild Puck Banter, Pavol Lover Roy Malhberg suspects that Jacques Lemaire had a hand in this transaction. Is there something between Parrish and Lemaire we don't know about?

Sports Blogging: Does Sex Really Sell?

2008-07-29T07:57:00.004-07:00

by Jes

One reason I am proud to do blogging for AOL's FanHouse is that the content can be very humorous without (often) pandering to the lowest common denominator. If you like shallow "lad culture", Larry the Cable Guy, and The Best Damn Sports Show, FanHouse isn't quite the place for you.

Sadly, the people who run FanHouse have decided to go in the "lad culture" direction with a new endeavor called the Fantasy Sports Girls. (The link contains a video clip)

The premise is simple: Put a bunch of scantily clad women in front of the TV camera to delivery fantasy football "news".

Oh, I did laugh quite hard when the one chick claimed they were all fantasy league champions and experts. Oh, and I believe your breasts aren't enhanced either, honey.

*sigh*

Honestly, I just like to blog about hockey and am happy when I can do my thing. I don't follow other sports all that much with the exception of some baseball and some MMA. I don't usually react to whatever else goes on in the sports blogosphere.

Still, I did watch that Fantasy Sports Girls video clip and felt rather sick at the obvious and cheezy pandering I was subjected to. Oh, I couldn't possibly want to watch a sports show unless it has plastic women reading off of cue cards and teleprompters!!

As I see it, men love eye candy, but I figure the kind of attention FanHouse would get is rather fleeting. I can remember when I used to watch WWE how us boys loved the Divas, but once they started wrestling, it was like *yawn*.

Eye candy is good for a snack, but that's about it. Fans don't go to games to watch cheerleaders, Ice Girls, etc ... If you really want sex, wouldn't you just surf for porn or go to Maxim?

I can only think that the female FanHouse audience is going to be rather appalled (as will be their female writers), and even many of the men will roll their eyes in some disgust.

I can fully understand why FanHouse would sell out and start pandering like this, but it certainly is a missed opportunity to not be like the others in showing a few half-titty shots to score some easy hits.

*yawn*

** EDIT: It appears that the shitstorm caused Management to pull down and delete the original FSG post. Sorry if you missed out on some cheesy T&A.

Slovak Scrying: Marek Svatos

2008-07-25T11:52:00.003-07:00

by Jes

Quite honestly, I have been surprised at how well Slovak forward Marek Svatos has done in his NHL career to date. Given that he was taken in the 7th round of the 2001 draft, I'm not the only one.

Yes, Svatos tore through the WHL as a member of the Kootenay Ice, but the dude is smaller than a leprechaun (5'10", my shiny metal ass!) and had serious injury problems before he ever hit the NHL ice surface. I never felt that Svatos would become an NHL regular given his shortcomings and brittleness.

That said, one could also view Svatos as a bit of a disappointment, given the fact that his production hasn't come close to the numbers he put up in his rookie season.

A few things are obvious ...

1. Svatos is, and will always be, a big injury risk. Not only does Svatos miss at least 15-20 games per season, but he is often playing at far less than 100%, limiting his effectiveness.

2. 2006-07 was the aberration, simply because his shot percentage was woefully low. Svatos is an excellent shooter and has a nose for the net.

3. Svatos' playmaking abilities still suck.

4. For a guy who can score 25-30 goals, Svatos gets very little ice time. Most goal scorers get at least 15 minutes a game.

Now that the Avs have signed the stunted Slovak to a 2-year contract, what can we expect from the guy?

For one thing, I don't see Svatos getting a whole lot more ice time than he's been getting. Yes, Hejduk is declining and aging, but the Avs have quite a few talented forwards and Svatos will have to fight Ryan Smyth, Darcy Tucker, Wojtek Wolski, and Milan Hejduk for ice time.

Svatos has improved his defensive game, but will likely still be pigeonholed as a 'tweener shuffling in between the 2nd and 3rd units.

So, I'd pretty much expect the same: He'll miss 15-20 games, put up 20-25 goals, and play about 13-14 minutes a game. Don't expect a massive spike in production any day soon.

I'm Looking at You, Dennis Wideman

2008-07-23T12:06:00.003-07:00

by Jes

I remember Dennis Wideman as a rookie with the St. Louis Blues. He wasn't considered much of a prospect at all after being drafted in the 8th round, but the Blues were extremely thin on talent, and Wideman's offensive acumen and ability to run a Power Play earned him a regular spot with the Bluenotes after the lockout. Boy, was that a long season ...

The next season, the Blues dealt Wideman to Boston for sniper Brad Boyes, and I figured the Bruins were smoking something good. As much of an offensive game as Wideman might show at times, his defense was atrocious, and he isn't particularly fast or big. Don't forget Wideman's worst penalty shot attempt of all time. *facepalm*

Never did I imagine that Wideman would develop the defensive ability that he displayed with the Bruins last season, as the young blueliner emerged as a leader on the spunky Boston club. Sure, defensemen take longer to develop, and Wideman is only 25, but most 8th round draft picks with such glaring holes in their game don't usually morph into reliable 2-way players.

The Bruins obviously know what they've got, because they just signed Wideman to a new four year $15.75M contract, avoid arbitration.

Now that the Bruins have locked up Dennis the Menace, what can we expect from him in the next four seasons?

Looking at Wideman's career to date, one sees a rather sharp improvement in the defensive end, as well as a steady increase in offensive production. The advanced metrics show Wideman to be average-ish in his defensive play, a marked increase from being a total sieve early in his career.

The most glaring stat is the large spike in ice time he received last season as his role was drastically increased. Wideman's play quickly thrust him into the role of "#2 guy" behind big Zdeno Chara.

For fantasy leaguers, it would be safe to suggest that Wideman will continue to have a big role with the Bruins last season, as the team looks to make more waves and did not bring in any high priced vets to shove Wideman's ice time down.

Prediction: Wideman doesn’t shoot the puck on net as much as he should (just 2 shots on goal per game), but his passing and smarts are evident when he has the puck.

With Chara as the stalwart, Wideman is not going to put up monster point totals, but 35-40 points out of a guy few people notice could be a huge bargain in your league. Expect 10 goals and 30 assists next season.

HNIC Gets Stupid, Hires Milbury

2008-07-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

By Jes

It's amazing that HNIC is as good as it is given some of the poor decisions the overpaid government employees have made over the years.

I mean, who actually thinks Greg Millen is a good colour commentator?

The latest headscratching move by HNIC was the hiring of Mike "Shoe Beater" Milbury as an analyst.

Yes, the worst GM in NHL history is supposed to offer an expert opinion.

*eyeroll*

Anyone who saw Milbury on TSN last year has to be baffled as to why CBC would waste their time and money on this doofus.

I guess they figure people like Zanstorm like the guy, especially after he called out Tiger Woods (the one and only time I've agreed with Milbury) ...

Milbury is a great addition to Satellite Hotstove. He doesn't mince words. Maybe he can beat some sense into those politically correct doofs like Ron MacLean in Mad Mike-fashion. They needed a bit of an controversial edge on the segment, and now they have it.

While people like me, who worship the Great Pavol, know better.

1. For a guy who has worked in hockey as long as Milbury has, it's amazing how little about the game he appears to know. Most HFBoards posters seem to understand the game better than Milbury (and most of them know little), and the guy is way out to lunch on most issues of the day.

2. Milbury is very "American" in his bombast and delivery, and prefers to shout, make insults, and display bravado over actual insight. Why does CBC want to imitate American broadcasts, given that people like HNIC because IT IS NOT AMERICAN!

3. Milbury is ugly, and not pleasant to look at. I don't expect great looking hockey analysts, but Milbury makes me want to throw up my popcorn, or punch his stupid, fat nose!

In the end, HNIC lowers itself and its product by hiring somebody who is neither smart nor insightful. HNIC does not need Milbury's brand of "entertainment", thank you very much.

Darcy Hordichuk's MMA Cross-Training

2008-07-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

by Jes

Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell is one of the better MMA fighters in recent history. If he could skate, he’d make one hell of an enforcer.

WTF does this have to do with the NHL?, you be askin.

Well, it appears that Darcy Hordichuk, one of the NHL’s bigger beasts, has been training with Liddell to become an even more effective fighter.

“John, I think, is one of the best trainers in the world and [has] produced some of the best fighters in the world,” Hordichuk said about his reason for contacting Hackelman. “In hockey, there is a lot of fighting, and that’s sort of my role. The guys nowadays are getting a lot bigger and stronger, and I’m always going to stay my same size, so I thought, why not get the edge and come train here at The Pit with John?”

Added Hackelman about his newest client’s progress, “His punching power has probably increased five times. Just by the turn of the hip and whipping the shoulder around.”

Five times, my ass ...

Hockey enforcers have long attended fighting schools or boxing classes to improve their skills, but it’s still interesting that they’d go to an MMA guy to get better.

Are we going to see Hordichuk go into the guard and put Riley Cote (who also has MMA training) into an armlock? Perhaps a rear naked choke?

One could only dream ...

Please STFU About Mats Sundin

2008-07-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

by Jes

I know that news is slow in the hockey world these days, but the whole hubbub over Mats Sundin is just a tad ridiculous, don't you think?

Alanah over at Canucks and Beyond is bouncing off the walls after a KHL contact, and we know how trustworthy those Russians are, told a newspaper about why Sundin turned down a KHL offer.

Umicevic's contact in Russia told him that an unspecified KHL club was very interested in signing Sundin (which is certainly believable) and that Sundin's agent turned them down (also believable, sure) because he had already signed with Vancouver. (Ummm... say what?!?).

Per a REAL source, Mats Sundin himself, the big troll won't make a decision until the first week of August.

So, what do we know for sure.

1. No decision for two weeks
2. Toronto and Vancouver are the most likely decisions
3. Sundin likes fishing
4. Sundin goes to the bathroom more than 3 times a day.

So, please no more Sundin no-news until he actually makes an actual frickin' decision. Thanks.

Random Ramblings On The Mess in Nashville

2008-07-18T08:50:00.001-07:00

by Jes

Over at FanHouse, Kevin Schultz pointed out the fact that the NHL's screen process for potential new owners leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of a slum-dunk owner like Jim Balsillie (a guy who actually knows hockey), we get corporate crooks like Henry Samueli, the train wreck that is the new ownership of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and now this whole "Boots" Del Biaggio fiasco.

As an accountant, I know that any multi-million dollar purchase requires a whole lot of due diligence. If you are handing over the keys to the castle, you have to make sure the buyer actually has the money, and won't burn the place down after a couple of weeks.

Reasons for due diligence:
1. To ensure the dude has enough $ to pay for the purchase of the team.
2. To ensure the dude has enough $ to sustain the team and keep it going.
3. To ensure the dude won't ruin the team and/or bring harm to the team(run it into the ground, give it a bad name, etc)
4. To ensure dude's reputation/criminal record/dealings won't hurt your own name/brand/business.

As we well know, the NHL did not do its due diligence on "Boots" Del Biaggio, and the guy didn't have all of the money he claimed to have.

To rub salt in the wounds? Doug Bergeron, one of the potential investors for the Preds, recalls "Boots" bragging about how easy the NHL was on doing their homework. (Assist to Mirtle)

"Boots bragged to me that he was able to convince Bettman's office to overlook the need for his audited financial statements because it was too much work."

So, why isn't Bettman feeling more heat for this?

In almost any other industry, failing to do your research on such a buyer would land you on the firing line. Instead of looking like a professional business, the NHL appears to be an old boys country club where friendships matter more than actual business acumen.

Honestly, I haven't been following this story all too closely. If you want to know more, head on over to "On The Forecheck" blog where our favourite Preds blogger has the full analysis of this sick situation.

Canucks Get Another Brutal Schedule

2008-07-17T10:31:00.001-07:00

by Jes

I usually don't get too excited when the NHL releases its schedule for the upcoming season, but news is slow and my curiosity is piqued.

Looking at the Canucks schedule, the big news is that they'll begin the season at home versus Todd Bertuzzi and the Calgary Flames. A nice way to start the season. Practice those boos and hisses.

Unfortunately, the Canucks are then scheduled to play SIX straight away games versus Calgary, Washington, Detroit, Buffalo, Chicago, and Columbus.

Yes, the Canucks get fux0red over by the schedule makers once again. Instead of making one nice Eastern seaboard sweep, the Canucks have to travel across the continent again in November to play the two New York teams. As if the Western teams don't have enough travel to do!

While this might seem like sour grapes, the long and grueling travel schedule does take its toll on the West Coast teams over the course of a season. How many Stanley Cup winners have we had here? Exactly, one.

While the Eastern teams can almost ride a bike to half of their games, teams like the Canucks are forced to make two or three cross-country roads trips every season, and it certainly has a negative effect on their play. The least the NHL can do is try to ensure that all West Coast/Alberta teams make one cross-continent trip each year and play their games in one swoop.

*grumble*

An Off-Season Look at ... The Minnesota Wild

2008-07-16T12:26:00.002-07:00

by Jes

Much to the joy of Canucks fans, the off-season has not been terribly kind to the Minnesota Wild.
Besides losing His Worship Pavol Demitra to free agency, the Wild also lost 2-way rock star Brian Rolston, as well as Branko Radivojevic.

Replacing them? An overpaid over-the-hill Owen Nolan.

Wow.

Let's check out the roster and salary commitments for the Wild as of right now.

Goaltending - Harding and Backstrom give the Wild a fairly strong pair for reasonable salary.

Defence - The strength of the Wild, with a noticeably pricey salary structure. Not a lot of good deals down here, but a group that possesses good mobility and puck moving. The Wild will obviously utilize their speed and passing to keep up a good transition game.

Forwards - The big weakness of the Wild, especially after the departures of Rolston and Demitra. The Wild have a few decent weapons, and little else. Nolan is a decent role player, and Parrish's offence has declined in his later career. Overall, this forward group won't put up many goals.

Never underestimate what Jacques Lemaire can do with a club, and we know the Wild will certainly be tough to play against. For sure, the Wild will be even more boring to watch on TV as Lemaire will have to tighten his system even further.

Right now, the Wild don't appear to be a playoff-bound club, despite what magic Lemaire can make. The Wild will certainly be a great team at preventing goals, but the lack of quality talent and lack of offence will ultimately kill this club.

Emery Comes Clean - Sorta

2008-07-15T12:47:00.005-07:00

by czechmate

Okay, consider this the closing chapter on my tyrade against Ray "Rayzor" Emery. Or is it "Sugar" Ray Emery? Who cares, he's off to Siberia...

So, I was watching Off The Record last night on TSN, simply to hear what Emery would have to say about his tumultuous season with the Senators last year. It was the first time he publicly spoke about being bought out, and what went wrong in a season that started out holding a lot of promise...

Now, I won't bore you with a repetition of all the nonsense Emery was linked to last year, but rather I'll address some of the things he said on OTR last night, most of which seemed insincere and rather arrogant... The quotes below are from TSN.ca's transcript of some of the more salient points made...

"It started off tough and I just didn't uphold my end of the deal," said the former Senators' goalie. "I thought I deserved certain chances and instead of working for them, I pouted a bit."

Pouted a bit? If that's what you want to call it, then fine. I'd call it acting like a big baby and throwing temper tantrums at every opportunity, but I guess that's semantics... At least he got the first part right - he definitely didn't uphold his end of the $3.5M contract he was awarded with in the summer prior to the season...

Asked about being late for practices, Emery chuckled and responded:

"I seriously have a tough time showing up on time," he said. "I smacked a water bottle around one day and they said that was me pouting because I wasn't playing, but really I was just pissed off because I didn't do well that practice."

I could swear that for $3.5M, he could invest in a better alarm clock, or subscribe to a wakeup call service of some sort... Hell, the way he puts it, it sounds more like "I didn't really feel like going, but knew I had to, so I went in late..." Possible as well is that he's being genuine, but how could he know how well he had done in practice after spending only 11 minutes on the ice (

Asked if he was trying to protest against the club somehow when he showed up late in Long Island (where he claimed to go to the wrong arena), Emery said:

"I wasn't trying to make a statement, (January 28th) was after the All-Star break and I went to the game rink and they were at the practice rink," explained Emery. "I apologized for it then, it was my fault but like I said, I'm not the guy who's really nervous about being late."

Are you serious Ray? How sincere could that apology have been, when he's pretty much defending his actions by holding up his (weak) character. Realistically, this is like saying "they should have known it was just me being me..."

One valid comment he made, albeit I believe it to be inaccurate, was concerning the team's rapid descent in the second half of the season:

"I think it was a panic thing. The team started off so strong and when there was a bit of insecurity there, maybe (the Senators) started to panic and collapse even more."

I like how he didn't say "we" started to panic, but rather "they"... Real team guy there... Anyway, I believe this statement to be inaccurate because of the likelihood that what really sank the team was the complete and total reliance on one line to produce offence. Seriously, during the playoffs, the Spezza/Heatley/Alfie line looked completely gassed. There may have been some element of panic when they dismissed John Paddock from his coaching position, or at the trade deadline, but really, I believe my assessment makes more sense.

Landsberg finally got to the main issue everyone wanted to hear directly from Emery, namely the ideas that Emery had a drug problem. Emery again laughed, and replied:

"No, I don't have a drug problem."

The netminder explained that he thought the rumour was just a result of being seen out at clubs and admitted that the Senators had asked about it.

Being out at clubs, and being a drug addict are two different things. However, his quick dismissal may be interpreted in three ways. 1 - He's telling the truth, and doesn't do drugs. 2 - He does drugs, but doesn't think it is problematic. 3 - He is lying, since admitting to having a drug problem would likely spell the end of his career, especially if he doesn't feel compelled to seek treatment. My theory is "I don't have a problem, because I can afford the drugs, and still usually perform at a high level, despite being on them the night before..." sounds about right. He apparently hangs out with guys who also aren't drug addicts, as shown in the image below (taken from wickedwrister.com):

The clincher for me, at least in terms of him showing he's a dumbass who realizes he has some problems, was his quote about what was to come in the future:

"Like I said, I want to change things about myself, wipe the slate clean and move to a new place."

In other words - most of what they said about me is true, so I want to get the hell out of dodge and hope people forget all this crap by next summer, so I can go back to being a slacker who makes a pile of money.

At any rate, at least he showed up on time for the taping of the show. Apparently he was early, according to Landsberg!! Way to go Ray! Now don't forget to adjust your alarm clock when you get to Russia. It's a helluva time shift. Also - and this is just friendly advice - try to get there at least a couple of weeks early, to get over the jet-lag you'll surely use as an excuse once you show up late for the first practice of training camp...

Until next time,
Na Zdravi!

The Penguins Turn to Satan

2008-07-14T12:08:00.002-07:00

by Jes

For much of his early career, I referred to Miro Satan as "Zero" Satan, as that is about how much effort and emotion he displayed on a nightly basis. Satan just oozes talent and has puck-handling skills rivaled by few NHLers, but he's had a habit of not putting up as many points as I think he ought to be able to.

After settling in with the Buffalo Sabres, Miro finally seemed to 'get it' and turned into a dangerous player. His leadership qualities mutated almost out of nowhere, and he was a regular captain for the Slovak team at various events. It was a surprising, but welcome, development.

Unfortunately, during his last season with the Sabres, Satan was spurned for the Sabres' captaincy and started whining and playing his way out of Buffalo. Miro was clearly stung and couldn't handle not being the top dog in the pound. His play deteriorated and he was soon headed for Long Island.

Satan is clearly no longer one of the top threats in the NHL, and his production, and attention to defence, has really declined over the past few seasons.

Year Team GP G A Pts +/-
1995-96 EDM 62 18 17 35 0
1996-97 EDM 64 17 11 28 -4
1996-97 BUF 12 8 2 10 1
1997-98 BUF 79 22 24 46 2
1998-99 BUF 81 40 26 66 24
1999-00 BUF 81 33 34 67 16
2000-01 BUF 82 29 33 62 5
2001-02 BUF 82 37 36 73 14
2002-03 BUF 79 26 49 75 -3
2003-04 BUF 82 29 28 57 -15
2005-06 NYI 82 35 31 66 -8
2006-07 NYI 81 27 32 59 -12
2007-08 NYI 80 16 25 41 -11

I was rather surprised that the Penguins would sign Satan to a 1-year $3.5M deal, even if they need the depth at forward.

Given that Satan is going to be 34 years-old next season, and was never the fastest cat to boot, I guess a decline can be expected.

It's just that, well, Satan has reverted back to his ZERO ways and doesn't look like he's worth that much money or a roster spot on a good team.

Watching Satan play last season, the guy looked SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. Oh, the slick puckhandling skills were evident, but the guy looked like he was skating on quicksand. A lack of effort, age-related slowdown, or both?

I just wonder which Satan will show up for the Pens. While he clearly isn't first line material, he ought to be good for 20 goals and 50 points with a talented Pens team. Clearly, this is likely his last shot to prove that he hasn't fallen off a cliff like Jozef Stumpel did last season. If Satan's puts up the same crappy numbers, he'll likely be playing in that KHL before too long.

---

Movie Rant:

Will Smith, the king of the summer blockbuster, has loads of talent ... and I know I'll sound like a douche for questioning the decision making of a guy who has made millions and will make millions more ... but it seems like he wastes himself playing in less-than-stellar films. This summer's Hancock, which I haven't seen, looks to be another dud.

Amazingly, choosing Wild Wild West over The Matrix didn't kill Smith's career, which speaks to his talent and power. It does show, however, that Smith often chooses the quick buck over making a quality movie.

Look at this list ...

1999 Wild Wild West - One of the worst movies ever made, and not in a 'good-bad' way, either.
2001 Ali - An Oscar nomination and a career saver.
2002 Men in Black II - AN unnecessary sequel and not very good
2003 Bad Boys II - Another unnecessary sequel
2004 I, Robot - Another terrible movie that may lead to another bad sequel
2005 Hitch - Zzzzzz
2006 The Pursuit of Happyness - A boring movie (I thought so), but one that was well received and actually known for its quality.
2007 I Am Legend - Very disappointing movie that was expected to be better
2008 Hancock - Doesn't look good

When Will Smith retires, is he simply going to be known for summer blockbusters and nothing else? Looking at that list, most of his movies are not memorable in the least, and even Independence Day, which was one of the biggest blockbusters of all time, has aged very poorly.

Video of the Day: Street Soccer

2008-07-13T06:41:00.004-07:00

by Jes

My pal Joeri passed along this cool video of French prankster Remi Gaillard.

Yes, these gags are real. The first one has to be the most hilarious and most ballsy.
Who knew soccer could actually be enjoyable to watch? :)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

It's Pavol Time!

2008-07-11T07:15:00.002-07:00

by Jes

Now that the shock of the news of Crown Prince Pavol Demitra (Our lord, Jedi Master, and archbishop of the Church of the Shiny Head) signing a 2-year deal with the Canucks has abated somewhat, I am composed enough to make a coherent post without going too OMGfanboy on your asses.

On the hockey side, this deal is a good one for the Canucks. A 2 year investment at $4mil is both reasonable for the cost and not going to put the Canucks in any sort of bind.

Compared Demitra to Naslund and you can see that the Canucks will get similar production, at the very least, for $2M/season cheaper AND not have a guy who sulks all the frickin time.

Demitra can play both center and on the wing (where he is better), can play well in all situations, which gives Alain Vigneault a lot of flexibility in his constant line juggling. At least now we have a secondary offensive threat, although the Canucks still need at least one more talented and proven forward to really get serious about a playoff run.

Unlike James Mirtle, I don’t see Demitra as potential captain material to replace Naslund. While Demo was one of the rotating flavour-of-the-month Kapitans for the Wild, his personality isn't really suited for the position.

On the non-hockey side, this deal, obviously, has me more content than Richard Simmons in a room full of obese housewives. Never did I ever think Pavol Demitra would END UP IN VANCOUVER!!!!!1111111oneoneone

*sorry*

Then, suddenly, we get Mike Gillis as an agent, the pieces fall together ... it's all so sudden.

For years, I've struggled to have much of a real emotional attachment to my hometown club as there have been so few players that I've actually liked all that much: Trevor Linden, Jiri Slegr, and Jan Bulis v2.0 is pretty much all there was.

It didn't help that the Canucks had many players I really disliked, such as Bertuzzi, Ruutu, Cooke, and Tarantula Head. I cheered more for the laundry than the players, and my fandom was never quite as deep as it was during the days of Lumme, Smyl, Linden v1.0, Captain Kirk, and Pavel Bure.

Wouldn't you find it a bit hard if your absolute favourite player was off somewhere else?

Having Pavol on the Canucks will permit me to invest more of myself into the team, and have my heart stomped on even more so than it usually is by this frickin club. It's hard to be a Pavol fan when he's playing for a hated division rival, or for the bland LA Kings.

For my entire Canucks fandom, I have rare seriously considered buying a sweater of any sort. It wasn't just because some of the designs sucked (the first Killer Whale sweater, ftl), but because by the time I actually had $$ to purchase such a luxury good, I, instead, bought a DEMITRA Blues sweater, for obvious reasons.

Now? I'm going to be hunting hard for a good place to get my #38 Canucks sweater to wear. I expect few around here will have the same, and I can laugh at them as their BERTUZZI, NASLUND, and COOKE sweaters are merely retro crap.

To all of you haters, such as Zanstorm over at Waiting for Stanley, you are not invited to my Pavol Demitra-themed Christmas bash this December.

You know who else will be happy to have Pavol? Roberto Luongo.

Sugar Ray Russia's Problem Now...

2008-07-10T10:29:00.004-07:00

by Czechmate

Living in Ottawa, but not being a Senators' fan, it was rather amusing to read about the real-life soap opera that was taking place in our Nation's Capital last hockey season. The heir apparent to the starting goaltender's position, Ray Emery, made headlines on a frequent and regular basis, but it had little to do with hockey...

There was the tardiness for practice. There was the lack of work ethic. There were altercations with teammates. But people had to see this coming, right?

Let's go back even further...

Ray Emery was drafted by the Senators 99th overall in 2001, and went to Binghamton to play for three seasons, making occasional appearances with the big team during that time. While with the B-Sens, he put up solid, if unspectacular numbers. But, organizationally, he was deemed to be the eventual replacement to Patrick Lalime (or later, Dominik Hasek). The kid had it made!

Now, after an unceremonious farewell was bid to Hasek, who ceded his spot in goal to Emery after being injured at the 2006 Olympic games, Emery was on the fast-track to stardom. He became the team's starter, and helped lead the team to their first ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, where the Sens ran into a behemoth from Anaheim...

During the summer months, he was given his first big money contract, a three-year pact that would see him rake in a total of $9.5-million.

Then, the trouble started...

During training camp, Emery apparently cut off a senior citizen in his big white Hummer, and then proceeded to threaten the old man once he managed to pull up alongside him. The man, who was 65 years old, opted not to press charges on Emery for the incident.

Then, "Sugar" Ray injured his wrist, and it became clear he wouldn't be available to start the season, which gave the green light to Martin Gerber. Emery, unhappy with having to work his way back into the lineup after Gerber showed he was competent, began to be a distraction and nuissance.

He was late for practice on several occasions, including once on Long Island where he claimed to have gone to the wrong arena. John Paddock, who was coach at the time, sent him home.

Then, there were questions of his work ethic, as he would routinely mail it in at practices.

His act wore so thin that he even ended up fighting the team's tough guy, Brian McGrattan (now with Phoenix).

He reportedly also had scraps with Chris Neil and Wade Redden on other occasions.

Through all of this, the Senators finally began to unravel, and found themselves taking a nose-dive from the top of the Eastern Conferece to nearly missing the playoffs. Simply, Ray Emery had created a major rift in the locker-room. Heck, he even could be considered responsible for John Paddock's dismissal!

And what does all this piss and vinegar get you? A paid trip to Siberia.

I'm sure Emery will fit right in over there. Either that, or he'll continue his antics and find himself in some Gulag (I'm sure there's still a few operating secretly over there). I'm hoping for the latter.

Now, I started the article by suggesting we should all have seen this coming from Rayzor. Why?

Well, Emery, after getting the nod as the team's official number one goaltender, had a custom helmet made, as most goalies will do these days... Instead of something representing the team, or some heavy metal graphic, or even Patrick Lalime's "Marvin the Martian" design, Emery went with....

Mike freakin' Tyson!!! Now, I'm not saying Tyson wasn't a good boxer at the peak of his career, but really, what was Emery thinking? Oh, yeah - he was thinking "I'm Ray Emery, a bigshot".

Anyway, the minute I saw that helmet, I knew this kid would be trouble. Sure enough, only a couple years later and he's been bought out, received only 3 offers - which included two-way contract provisions, and is heading for the KHL!

His agent, JP Barry summed it up best:

"Unfortunately, it's only been a short time since the buyout and there isn't anybody willing to give (Emery) a second chance at this time," said Emery's agent J.P. Barry to the Sun Media. "I think if people knew the things that he's done over the last little while to turn the corner, there might be more interest out there."

According to Barry, Emery had hoped to play in the NHL next season, but received just three calls.

"Given his offer from Atlant, in Ray's circumstances, we feel the best thing for him to do is play as the No. 1 goalie with this club. Ray is excited about the opportunity and just wants to go back to focusing on being the best goalie that he can be. He knows there will be a lot of pressure, but he's ready for that and he's looking forward to moving on," Barry added.

"It is best for him to get away and to work hard on just being a goalie. He knows that the Russian teams practise very hard, and that is what he needs right now. It is a very competitive league with many talented offensive players. It will be the test that he needs right now to show everyone that he is still an elite goaltender."

Good riddance!

On another note, I wanted to point out an article from AOL Fanhouse, written by Jes, about the new Anaheim farm team. No, they're not the Mini-Ducks or anything waterfowl related at all in fact. Presenting: THE IOWA CHOPS! Check it out. It's pretty funny...

OMFG!! Pavol Demitra is a Canuck!

2008-07-10T10:25:00.003-07:00

by Jes

PAVOL!!!

PavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavol
PavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavol
PavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavol
PavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavol
PavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavolPavol

So, it's official.

My favourite player landing with my hometown team ... hell must be reeeeeeeeeeaallly cold today

I'll post more tomorrow after I recover from my heart attack.

If anyone knows where to get the best deals on customized jerseys/sweaters in Vancouver, please let me know. Yes, I finally have incentive to get a Canucks sweater after 29 years.

John Davidson's Revenge

2008-07-09T07:34:00.002-07:00

by Jes

When the Blues' John Davidson signed Canucks winger Steve Bernier to an offer sheet, we knew that it was based on one thing: SPITE!

While the move makes sense from a hockey standpoint, it is obvious that the offer was made only because the Canucks made a similar RFA offer sheet to the Blues' David Backes.

“Steve is a good young player who would play a big part in our youth movement,” said Davidson. “Our coaches and scouting staff are extremely positive about him.”

Did JD say that with a straight face?

Despite negotiating the RFA offer sheets into the CBA (and it's not a NEW thing), GM's get so childish when one of their players is signed to an offer sheet. Just witness Brian Burke going ballistic (over and over again) after Kevin Lowe signed Dustin Penner to such a deal.

So, why do GM's get so petty when an offer sheet is made?

1. Inflation - Let's face it, Steve Bernier would not have been given $2.5M by the Canucks, nor Backes by the Blues. GM's don't like seeing younger players get more money than they would have been offered by their 'owning' club.

2. Meddling - GM's, being middle-age executives, have large egos that can't handle somebody being in their business.

GM's often get pwned by the agents/PA, so when a fellow GM's makes an offer sheet, it's basically looked like cutting the legs from out under that particular executive. When you make an offer sheet, you are certainly getting your nose involved in another team's business.

Well, it's time for GM's to grow up and realize that the RFA Offer Sheets are simply part of the business. All 30 teams must compete with each other, so why shouldn't they be looking to acquire talent by any means necessary.

Certainly, a smart GM won't go making dozens of offer sheets and pissing off GMs, but a smart offer sheet is simply another tool to acquire talent, or at least TRY to acquire talent.

Really, if GM's are so worried about salary inflation, they'd stop offering insane UFA deals like $3.5M a season for the likes of Jeff Finger. I don't see GM's going after each other in the press for signing such moronic contracts. Do you? (Except for Brian Burke, who loves to hear his own voice)

So, When Does My Heart Get Broken?

2008-07-08T13:02:00.002-07:00

by Jes

I was perusing the usual sites at lunchtime and came across this brief posting at TSN.ca

In an interview with Vancouver radio station CKNW, free agent forward Pavol Demitra confirmed that the Canucks are his preferred destination and expects to sign with the team.

"I think there is a good chance," Demitra said.

"[Current Canucks GM Mike Gillis] used to be my agent for a long time. We are very good friends. I am very interested in playing for [the Canucks]."

Demitra was recently in town to visit with former teammate Geoff Courtnall, the two played together in St. Louis, and confirmed
that the Canucks fit what he is looking for in a team.

"I want to play for a team that is going to win, [one] who is going to compete for the playoffs and the Stanley Cup."

Demitra was not sure when he would sign with the Canucks, only that it could happen in the next few days or the next few weeks.

"[Signing with the Canucks] would be great," Demitra finished.

This time next week: Pavol Demitra signs with the LA Kings :(

Vancouver's Expensive New Olympic Toy

2008-07-08T09:27:00.002-07:00

by Jes

I've made it known that I'm not a big fan of the Olympics these days, especially since British Columbia (Well, the Lower Mainland) was cursed with holding this expensive two-week corporate wankfest.

Once again, John Furlong, the guy in charge of making sure big corporations and building developers rape the taxpayers violently (that's his unofficial title), took the chance to through his powder-puffed nose.

"We've done here what many people said we couldn't do -- we came home from Prague and we made a commitment in front of the world that we would get this project on time and on budget, and we would give the athletes the chance to use these venues two seasons before the Games," crowed VANOC boss John Furlong.

It's a promise kept. It's a mission accomplished."

Want a good idea of how much Right-Wing/Corporate ass our major media kiss here in Vancouver?

The Vancouver Sun, a dishrag that I wouldn't even allow my dog to poop on, declared the building to be ahead of schedule and below budget.

Built at a cost of $48.7 million, most of it from Vanoc, the facility was completed four months ahead of schedule.

NO NO NO NO NO!!

Most of the money from VANOC? Umm, no, the money is coming from the pockets of BC Taxpayers. Remember, folks, VANOC, nor its members, were ever ELECTED to spend our money like a drunk Hollywood widow.

The next time the Mainstream Mediots blast us blogs for lacking fact-checking, they ought to look in the mirror. This outright lying simply degrades the already pathetic product put out by the CanWest rags, and continually excuses the government for their poor asset management.

In addition to this, I see a lot of other MSM outlets picking up the same misinformation. They simply copy-and-paste from CanWest, failing to actually check the facts, and going to VANOC's website and looking at the original budgets.

24 Hours, a free daily known for having better journalistic integrity than the pay papers, chopped up those lies like fresh green onions.

Based on the five-year-old Vancouver 2010 bid book, however, the University of B.C. complex is $6.7 million over budget and nine months beyond its original October 2007 completion target.

This new arena is going to seat a whopping 7,500 people for what amounts to a month's worth of good hockey games. The rest of the time? It'll seat the 200 people who actually want to watch Canadian University hockey.

Money well spent ... riiiiight.

Face it, you shallow Yaletown Yuppies, the only people who benefit from the Olympics are those few corporations that are getting lucrative government contracts. Instead of solving real issues, like homelessness, housing the mentally ill, and environmental technology, we get money spend on expensive sporting facilities that will never provide their worth to the people.

With expensive ticket prices, excessive "security", and millions of taxpayers money wasted, this is one event I wish that Vancouver had never won.

Mediot of the Day: Jim Kelley

2008-07-07T10:32:00.001-07:00

by Jes

Jim Kelley, as Dominik Hasek will tell you, is one of those pasty, overweight sports writers that likes to think himself as above the NHL players that provide him with the means to make a living. You know, the 'nerd' who likes to chop down the 'jock' any chance he gets.

Kelley's latest verbal diarrhea sees him chastise Mats Sundin for *gasp* actually telling NHL GM's that he's unsure about if he wants to play hockey next season, instead of signing the first big offer that came his way.

I do have a problem that he waited until after pretty much all the offers were on the table before he announced that decision.

Given the number of hints he gave out between the end of the regular season and the day before the start of the silly season, Sundin's proclamation wasn't totally unexpected, but do you really he didn't come to this conclusion until late in Day Two of the bidding for his services?

I don't think so. (snip)

Had Sundin opted out before the start of free agency, don't you think that it's at least possible that the Vancouver Canucks might have targeted another centre or a player who could play centre; a Marion Hossa might not have been a perfect fit, but a Brian Rolston might have gotten a good deal, maybe even a better one (and one he wanted to accept) that he settled for in New Jersey.

Kelley is his very finite wisdom declares that Mats should personally call each and every GM who bid on his services to tell them to go on as if he's not going to be part of their plans. Somehow, it's Mats' fault if a particular GM didn't have a Plan B.

... uhh ... OK

So, Mats should tell the GM's what they already know?

You'd have to be a complete moron, or Mike Gillis, to put all of your eggs in one basket with one potential free agent signing. If you are a smart GM, you budget $X for free agent signings, and make signings up to $X, dishing out offers to various free agents until that budget room is used up.

ANY GM worth their salt would be making offers to other free agents, and then, if Mats should come back a week later and say "OK", the GM can say, "Sorry, but you were too slow. The offer is off the table." A smart GM does not make an offer to just ONE free agent, and then sit on their hands waiting for an answer.

Mats has every right to take as damn long as he wants to sign any deal (and he'll be back, we all know that), and doesn't need to tell the GM's anything. It's not as if Mats is spouting BS out there and making false promises. He's a FREE agent, and can do as do well as he pleases.

Why should every potential free agent sign a new deal at midnight on July 1st? Why shouldn't Mats let the offers roll in? Why shouldn't Mats take time to consider the decision that will impact his entire life for the next 12-24 months?

Look, Mats Sundin knows that by taking his sweet time, he'll lose some potential offers, as well as gain new ones. It's called risk/reward. Mats has enough leverage and money in the bank not to need to make a hasty decision.

Mats owes neither the league nor any GM anything other than what he's paid to do: play hockey.

(Read the comments at the bottom of the article. It's funny to see readers take Kelley to task for his stupidity)

Moving On Without Magic Mullet

2008-07-06T12:58:00.007-07:00

by Czechmate

Believe it or not, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t the only team who likely will be without the services of their future Hall-Of-Famer captain, regardless how many headlines the Mats Sundin saga generates. In fact, I’d put forth the notion that Sundin isn’t the biggest name out there who may retire from the NHL or switch teams. No, I’m not talking about Joe Sakic, who appears to be deciding between another year in Colorado or packing it in. I’m talking of The Magic Mullet. I’m talking about Jaromir Jagr.

There has been a bit of coverage of Jagr’s decision to take his show to Russia for what will apparently be a contract that would again make him the highest paid hockey player in the world. Much of the commentary has been derisive, and has painted Jaromir as a guy who is in it for himself and a paycheque, or that he’s over the hill and wouldn’t get the same money in the NHL. I am not of that belief, other than the dollars he would command in the NHL.

JJ has been public about his intention to return to his hometown of Kladno in the Czech Republic, likely in three years. His father is building a new arena for the local Extraliga team there, and wants his son to be on the team for that occasion. Hardly anything wrong with that, in my books.

"I don't think I would sign longer than two years, just because of my dad," Jagr said in May. "He asked me to come home in two years. He's helping to build a new arena there and he wants me to be there."

However, as a Rangers’ fan, I am disappointed. Sure, Jagr’s 71 points last season represented a big drop-off in production, but then he came out and tallied 15 points in 10 playoff games. He even admitted to coasting from time to time during the regular season to leave something in the tank for the post-season. The Rangers looked like a contender, and to me, that’s a smart strategy for a 36-year old player. He knows his body better than anyone, so if he felt he needed to take it easier than usual, who are we to criticize? He still led his team in scoring...

Now, it’s time to turn the page on the Jagr era. El Capitan is gone. A new era begins.

First question: Can Markus Naslund replace Jagr’s offence?

In short, I don’t think so. Jagr is a different kind of player, and fit well with his linemates in New York. Despite what his detractors might say about him, Jagr was a powerful winger who could use his body to shield the puck from defenders better than anyone in the game. At times, he looked like an older brother playing keep-away with his younger siblings. Naslund doesn’t have that ability... Naslund, from what I’ve seen (and I’m sure Jes will confirm or correct this), is a faster skater than JJ, and has a quicker release on his shot, but he doesn’t fare well in high traffic. He does have offensive talent, but his production has been in steady decline for 5 seasons now (104pts, 84, 79, 60, 55). I’m thinking instead of calling Nazzy a replacement for the Magic Mullet, we should call him a replacement for Brendan Shanahan – an aging sniper who might be best suited to the second line and powerplay.

Second Question: If not Naslund, who will step up to fill Jagr’s role?

Well, the Rangers made a trade that almost passed under the radar. They sent stalwart defenceman Fedor Tyutin and trade deadline pickup Christian Backman, a puck-mover who hasn’t had much success at the NHL level, to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, they picked up Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche. Fritsche seems to have peaked as a third line player with some offensive upside, but one never knows how he’ll react under a different system than the boring defensive style played under Ken Hitchcock in Columbus. I’ve got him pencilled in on a line with Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan to start the season, but who knows at this point...

As for Zherdev, it’s an all or nothing scenario. Widely viewed as “enigmatic”, Zherdev really impressed me at the 2003-04 Young Stars game, where he put on a dipsy-doodling clinic. I view him as one of the absolute best one-on-one players in the game, but he has motivational problems. Amidst widely reported unhappiness due to his inability to really let it all out under Hitchcock’s reign, Zherdev had his best season to date last year with 26 goals (27 is his best) and 64 points in 82 games.

The 2006-07 NHL season was a low point for Zherdev, as he struggled to score consistently and frequently clashed with the Jackets coaching staff, leading to repeated rumors that he might be traded before the 2007-08 NHL season began. In response, new Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson and coach Ken Hitchcock met Zherdev in a "clean-the-slate" meeting. Zherdev has since rediscovered success on the ice.

But it was clear that he’d bolt as soon as he reached UFA status, so they dealt him to the Rangers. I truly believe he replaces Marty Straka’s speed, although he is sometimes a defensive liability, which you couldn’t say about Straka. I see his offensive ceiling as somewhere around 85 points for next season, with 35 goals. Lots to ask for a guy who will first need to adjust to a new system, but I think he’s eager to play with Scotty Gomez as his set-up man. Also to consider are the Rangers’ top prospects – Anisimov, Cherepanov, Grachev. All Russian. Maybe we’re moving from Czech to Russian in the near future?

Last Question: Who will be the captain?

Jagr was a good captain. His coach and teammates will tell you that over the mindless humdrum of the media, who painted him as selfish and unmotivated to lead. Complete nonsense. Replacing his presence will not be easy, but the Rangers started on that last season by picking up Chris Drury. Some will say Gomez should be captain, but I’m sticking with Drury because of what I saw from him in Buffalo. Assuming Shanahan doesn’t return, Drury will be the new leader for the Blueshirts, or perhaps a rotating captaincy, although that doesn’t seem like Tom Renney’s style...

That’s it for now! Until next time:

Na Zdravi!

Greetings Hockey Rants!

2008-07-06T11:16:00.005-07:00

by Czechmate

Hello to all you readers out there on the interwebs! This is my first post here at Hockey Rants, and I just wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself, and to thank Jes for the chance to contribute to one of my favourite blogs! Thanks Jes!

Anyway, before I get down to the business of blogging (still seems like a weird verb to me), here's a little bit about myself and what you can expect in the days, weeks, months, years to come.

I'm a 35-year old hockey fan who lives in Ottawa, Ontario. Now, that may lead some of you to believe that I'd naturally be a fan of the Senators, but alas, they divested themselves of most of their European players, and are slowly becoming the Leafs Jr. of the NHL. I'm not into that brand of hockey... I jumped ship a few years ago to hop on the Rangers bandwagon. Oddly, I used to despise the Rangers, largely for their seeming inability NOT to spend big bucks on players who had star power, but no heart - read: Bobby Holik.

However, when I was looking for a new team to cheer for, I needed a good core group of players to attract my attention.

Being that I'm of Czech descent, I looked no further than the Rangers, who at the time were like a shinny version of our National Team. Jagr, Straka, Rozsival, Malik, Prucha, Rachunek... Now THESE are names I can pronounce! And pronounce them proudly I did (much to the chagrin of anyone within earshot)!

But, I'm not a one trick pony. I also cheer for teams like Washington and Nashville, who are up-and-comers. Not going to get into Pittsburgh just yet. I'm still recovering from carpal tunnel syndrome from the last discussion I had with one of the bloggers at my own site...

Anyway, with all the moves the Rangers have made (farewell o ye of the great Mullet), it's gearing up to be an interesting season. Many of my posts will center on them, although I plan on chiming in on other teams as well...

Thanks again for having me, and until next time:

Na Zdravi!

Post-Vacation Viewings

2008-07-06T08:02:00.006-07:00

by Jes

While on vacation, I was able to access some brief internet forays and day-old newspapers for a bit of NHL news. What I saw was the usual blend of GM madness, Canucks inaction, and Leafs stupidity.

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The Canucks have put all of their eggs in a cheap Ikea basket with their 2-year offer for Mats Sundin ... $20mil!! If it doesn't work, what is Plan B? I'm a bit nervous about any plan that relies on a guy to make up his mind and ultimately not choose the Canucks.

To those Canucks fans comparing Sundin to Messier: Shut the hell up!

Mats has nary the ego nor lack of drive that Messier had. Messier already had 6 cups, a history of big egoness, and no incentive to win. Sundin? He's still waiting to get his name on the cup.

That is why I think Sundin won't choose the Canucks. Yes, our GM is offering the most cash, but why would Sundin want to play for a mediocre team? If he wanted to do that, he could stay in Toronto.

Meanwhile, the Canucks signed 4th-line/PK specialist Ryan Johnson, because we never have enough of those ... but made up for that by trading 2 draft picks for Steve Bernier.

Remember how Bernier was a big up-and-comer for the San Jose Sharks? At one point, he appeared to be a solid 30-goal Power Forward in the making.

He didn't do much in San Jose, and I blame Ron Wilson's choking system for that. Just ask Patrick Marleau how hard it is to produce offense for that coach.

Bernier clearly needed a change of scenery, and we saw how he could produce during his short Sabres' tenure.

The Lightning are mighty busy, signing and trading with the intent of becoming instant contenders.

The problem? Their defense really sucks, and their goaltending duo isn't exactly solid like a rock.

The Lightning D thus far: Matt Carle, Filip Kuba, Shane O'Brien, Paul Ranger, Alex Picard, and Matt Smaby

Yeah ...

Speaking of the Lightning ... Olaf Kolzig?

This move surprised me for 2 reasons

1. Anyone who saw Kolzig play last season should clearly see that Godzilla is finished
2. Kolzig seemed intent of being a Cap-or-nothing.

I guess $ talks. In this case, it's saying stupid things.

Maid Marian Hossa signed a 1-year deal with the Wings for just over $7mil.

To Wings fans, you have to understand why the rest of us are very angry at this.

Simply put: The rich get richer.

When 29 other teams are trying to win the Cup, it pains us to see a star player take less money to play with the Wings. Imagine if a lot of players started doing this, and the top 4-6 teams were constantly able to lure star talent for 1-2 years for cup runs?

That said, I'm not gonna be like Skeletor Gallagher (I'm too lazy to link his crappy article) and rip on Hossa for what he did.

1. Who cares if Hossa's salary isn't $9-10 mil! Is the NHLPA really going to suffer? Mmm, try looking at some of the signings. Exactly.

2. Hossa has every frickin right to sign with whatever team he wants at whatever price he can get. So, he wants to forego some security and a couple of mil to play for the Wings ... he earned that right.

If I were Hossa, I might very well do the same thing. With the younger UFA age, players can afford to wait 1-2 years to capitalize on that one BIG contract.

Jagr to Russia ... well, this does surprise me.

1. Jagr's goofy sense of humour doesn't mesh well with serious Russians.
2. Russian hockey is extremely defensive and passive in nature. Why does Jagr want to play in a system that is opposite to his own style?

It must be the women.

Leafs Give Their Fans The Finger

2008-07-02T08:21:00.003-07:00

by Jes

So, I'm on vacation here, checking out the Internets for a few mins whilst sipping a bitter Americano ... mmmm ...

This one signing really caught my eye

The Toronto Maple Leafs jumped into the free agent market on Tuesday, signing defenceman Jeff Finger to a four-year deal worth $3.5 million a season

Jeff Finger for $3.5mil a season??!?!

A guy with less than 100 games NHL experience and one who hasn't proven himself to ever be above-average gets $3.5mil a season?

Wow ...

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Apparently, one of the links in my linkroll led to a very nasty site. I've taken the link down, and apologize to all those who were redirected to something their eyes weren't meant to see.

Pre-Vacation Ponderings

2008-06-27T11:19:00.001-07:00

To readers of this blog and those of you who landed here thanks to searching Google for "Mike Comrie boinked Salo's Wife", I'll be on vacation in sunny Tofino for the next 10 days. Don't be alarmed that I am MIA. I need the break from you :)

Sure, I'll miss the free agency frenzy, but maybe it's better that I don't see how badly Gillis screws this franchise, or fails to deliver anything but scrubs like Kyle Softwood.

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As an aside, I am looking for a co-blogger to add to Hockey Rants. As you may have noticed, Greg hasn’t posted here since Scott Lachance last scored an NHL goal. His work has kept him very busy, so we need a replacement.

Do you have a blog that you've struggled with? Have the itch to blog about hockey and rant your head off? Think Pavol Demitra should be in the Hall of Fame?

If so, click the contact links on the left side and give me a shout. This site could use another good voice.

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Some thoughts from our Southern Correspondent, Wayne:

WTF was Don Waddell (hockey killer) doing drafting a 6'1" 158 lbs. project center at the end of the first round? We need a center who can step in right away and feed Ilya the puck, along with getting garbage goals...

This guy (Levielle...isn't that what they play in the Army to wake you up in the morning?) is expected to go on to college and play at least 3 years...Great; by the time he suits up and plays for the Thrashers (after college and the minors), John McCain will be running for re-election...

Now, I'll have to disagree strongly with Wayne on this topic.

1. The only SAFE pick is a Crosby/Ovechkin type. Every other pick has an element of risk, and only the true superstars will deliver value. With 18 and 19-year old kids, you can never truly project how they'll develop.

2. When I hear SAFE pick, I always think of 'low ceiling'. Just because a guy is defensively responsible and has a good work ethic doesn't mean he is a safe pick.

Remember who was a safe pick? Nathan Smith. Yeah, look how that turned out.

Give me the guy with the highest ceiling any day, unless his attitude is complete rotten (Alexander Volchkov).

3. Never draft by positional need, unless you have a glut of 15 goaltenders.

Look, kids can rarely ever step in and make a positive impact in the lineup. How many draft picks step in right away? How many of those who do make a positive contribution? Hell, even Joe Thornton and Vinny Lecavalier sucked the big one in their rookie seasons.

By the time a draftee develops, which can be 1-5 years, the organizations positional needs will likely have changed. By the time your #1 centerman prospect develops, you may very well already have a good 1-2 centerman punch.

Simply put, you should follow the cliché and draft the best talent available. If you get a glut later on, then you make deals.

4. If you want to fill a need, then you need to sign and/or trade to fill that hole. Mr. 18-year old is not going to fill that #3 checking winger spot you need filled, is he?

5. They play the "Reveille" in the army :), and I play Reveillark in MTG. Booya!

Kyle Wellwood: Damaged Goods

2008-06-26T07:43:00.001-07:00

When the Canucks picked Kyle Wellwood off of waivers, I didn't think too much of it, other than we're getting a risky Leafs castoff.

Then, I did a little more research, and I'm not liking what I'm seeing.

First, the injury history. It's not good news when any player has groin troubles, but how can a guy have to need THREE different surgeries on the area before they reach 30? Not to mention the fact that Wellwood broke his foot playing soccer earlier this off-season ... yeesh ...

The real cause for these injuries? Piss poor conditioning.

Take this diatribe from a Leafs fan over at "He Score, He Shoot!"

To say that Kyle is a baby-faced guy is the understatement of the century unless you quickly follow it up with "baby-bodied", "baby-legged" and "baby-conditioned". Everything on him is round. Kyle is so out of shape, he wouldn't make it in my league; and my league features Wash, who regularly samples an entire tasting menu with wine minutes before a game.

Everything about Wellwood's shit season can be attributed to the fact that last summer, the heaviest lifting he did was hauling the empty 2-4 case out of the back of the pickup and into his local LCBO. How do we know? Because unbelievably, Wellwood's dad said so last year before training camp.

Want proof?

How about this picture of his beer belly doing some hard rehab with his puckbunny girlfriend.

Second, Wellwood's style of play. The boy is soft, and not just his stomach, and also very small. 5'10"? With skates on ... Wellwood doesn't take the body, and doesn't shoot enough.

Basically, we have a tiny Power Play specialist in the mold of Herbert Vasiljevs.

Lovely.

Welcome to the Mike Gillis era.

It's Housecleaning Time in Toronto

2008-06-25T09:38:00.001-07:00

Well, "Trader Cliff" Fletcher is certainly not your typical Interim GM. Besides, being given the reigns for at least a season, and not just 1-2 months, it seems Fletcher has been tasked with leaving a clean slate for the new GM (Burkie?) to work with.

Instead of just sitting back and waiting for his sponge bath, Fletcher has been busy cleaning house and getting rid of garbage stowed away in the attic.

Witness ...

1. Waiving Andrew Raycroft - one of JFJ's biggest mistakes was giving this young goalie a monster contract. Raycroft wilted in Toronto and never found the form he found in his rookie season. Raycroft is too expensive to be a backup goalie and simply not good enough.

2. Waiving Kyle Wellwood - This move shocks me somewhat, even if Wellwood is a midget and soft on the body. Wellwood is young, offensively talented, and isn't too expensive. You'd think Wellwood would stick around for at least another season.

Then again, the guy did only get 21 points last year in 59 games and is very suspect defensively. The Leafs are obviously worried about his ability to stay healthy, also.

3. Waiving/Buying-Out(?) Darcy Tucker - Love him or hate him, you know Tucker is an effective pest who can occasionally put the puck in the net. He's also overpaid at $3mil per season, and has had problems staying healthy. With his age (33) and his style of play, you know Darcy is an asset that will depreciate quickly.

4. Not going after Mats Sundin - Even if the Leafs don't intend to compete, this is a move that I think is a poor one. Besides being Mr. Maple Leaf, Sundin is also one of the most bankable, consistent offensive producers in the game. You can always count on Sundin to provide about a point-a-game whilst staying healthy. If Sundin wants to stay, why not sign him? It's not as if the Leafs don't have cap room.

I've been extremely critical of the way fossil Fletcher was brought on board and critical of the way the Leafs have managed their franchise since ... forever. Instead of finding a talented GM to chart a new course, the Leafs decided on some old guy to come in and simply 'hold the fort'.

That said, I have to commend the fact that Fletcher is not afraid to clean up some of the mess left behind and ensure that the GM-to-be doesn't have to waste time on such endeavors. While being in a 'holding pattern' for a season is a poor way to manage a club, Fletcher seems intent on at least allowing the Leafs to start fresh and not simply hang onto whatever chaff they have on board.

The fact is, JFJ signed a lot of players to deals that pay them too much: Jason Blake, Bryan McCabe, Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft, and Pavel Kubina. With the Leafs not being a very good team, it's obvious that some of these expensive players had to be let go in order to leave room for any future business.

As long as Fletcher doesn't spend this new-found cap room on aging vets in a stupid attempt to make the playoffs, the Leafs are, shockingly, looking like they might know what they are doing.

Monday Morning Musings

2008-06-23T07:50:00.002-07:00

The more things change, the more they stay the same *sigh*

Mike Gillis' reign of error as GM of the Canucks thus far has not been much different than the man he chopped to pieces in the media. (Nonis, FYI)

I figured since Gillis, who NEVER smiles, is going to gut the scouting staff, and would have dealt the 1st Rounder to another team.

Instead, Gillis got greedy, couldn't get a deal done, and ended up with Cody Hodson.

Now, reading Hodson's scouting reports, he's not a BAD pick for the 10th slot, he's just ... boring.

The Canucks have a history of taking boring '2-way' forwards with a rather low ceiling. Remember Nathan Smith? Hell, as hard as Ryan Kesler works and as well as he skates, he's not putting up big offensive numbers, nor will he ever.

The Canucks' are never going to be a great team if they continue to draft players that have no true "star" potential. Hodson may very well become a solid citizen for the Canucks, but it's highly unlikely he'll ever become an above-average player in the NHL.

The Canucks could have drafted bad boy Kyle Beach, but they went with the conservative pick ... bleh

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Speaking of the draft, I was out on Friday and Saturday and was glad I missed to whole thing. How could anyone sit through 4 hours of First Round draft coverage. Yeah, I missed a lot of trades, but that'll allow me to slowly catch up on what went down.

The Canucks could have had Cammalleri, but ended up being rebuffed.

Canadiens got Tanguay and want Sundin. Gainey obviously knows the time is now and is being aggressive. In today's salary cap era, where few teams seem to be able to sustain success, you'll see teams go for broke if they see an opening.

At least the Habs have lots of good young talent, so going after Sundin and Tanguay won't cripple them in the long term.

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Some very sad news to report as George Carlin, my favourite comedian and one of the very best, died at the age of 71.

The way Carlin saw the world and the way he talked about the softening of our language made him more than just a jokester. Listening to or reading Carlin's rants can open your eyes to the wicked ways of the world.

And, of course, those "seven dirty words that can't be said over the air."

"There will always be language taboos in any culture. There are aspects of our bodies that certain religions have put beyond the pale. I don't think it's cheapened our discourse. I think it limits people," he said. "I've always said I enjoy using all the language. Human beings invented all of this language. When I was a little boy, I was told to look up to policemen and look up to sports stars, and look up to the military. And we all know how they speak. Apparently it hasn't corrupted them morally. So. I think these words are overrated for their power."

Frat-boys like Dane Cook might be able to fill some arenas, but they will NEVER be 1/100 as funny or relevant as Carlin.

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Speaking about humour, the boys at 2 Man Advantage are back with another hilarious episode.

Hungry Hungry Hippos + New York Islanders = Loads of fun.

2 Man Advantage hang out with a few Islanders on Islanders Illustrated and grill newbie Kyle Okposo. This is the kind of quality fan-made content that makes the Mainstream media less relevant in our lives.

Is the KHL the New WHA?

2008-06-20T11:17:00.001-07:00

In the last decade, we've seen the Russian Superleague dish out some very lucrative US$ contracts to NHL-caliber players. Despite the fact that Superleague tickets, like most European teams, are dirt cheap, and the attendance in most arenas isn't more than a few thousand, some salary structures of RHL clubs rival that of the lower-scale NHL clubs.

Now, this new KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) is threatening to expand this toss-money-around mentality akin to the old days of the WHA.

The WHA put $1mil together to lure Bobby Hull from the NHL, and now the Russians are trying to do the same with one Evgeni Malkin.

Per TSN.ca

If the new Russian professional hockey league has its way, the National Hockey League career of Hart Trophy candidate Evgeni Malkin will be pretty short.

According to a report in the Toronto Star, the Russian teams are prepared to offer the Russian-born Malkin a contract that would make him the highest-paid hockey player in the world. The multi-year contract would be worth at least $12.5 million tax free per season, or the equivalent of $15 million per year in the NHL.

"Hey, we can afford to pay more than the NHL right now," a high-ranking executive with the Russian league, called the Continental League, told the Star. "Our economy is commodities-based so we're not going through the same problems that you have in America."

Hilarious. This guy really thinks Russia's economy is greater than the US of A's? Yes, Russia has some extremely rich bastards and things are looking up from a decade ago, but the economy of the entire country is hardly strong.

Commodities - That, my friends, is the key word. These Russian teams are owned by billionaire Oil, Energy, and Diamond Barons who need something fun to spend their excess cash on. What better than a hockey team which can double as a tax-shelter? Yes, I know I'm repeating myself from earlier posts, but the point is a good one.

In the NHL, owners actually try and make a profit, either on normal net income or on the sale of their team. Russian owners, such as the ones who want to be in the KHL, know that they'll be losing a lot of their own money. This is an expensive hobby, and a real threat to the NHL.

I know there is an element of "Yeah, right!" to the threat that the KHL could lure NHL players to Russia, but we have to realize that many players simply value their financial situation over playing against the best in the world. Players in Russia pay little or no income tax, which is another big incentive for them to put up with cold Russian winters.

Do you really think Malkin wouldn't take the bait and play in his home country?

If I were the NHL, I would be a bit nervous. These maverick billionaires have no qualms about spending their Monopoly money to overpay NHL stars to show off to their friends.

You know that if this KHL gets under way and doesn't fold within 1-2 years, the NHLPA will be happy. Sure, it means some of their members are going overseas, but it shows the NHL that they'll have to pony up more money if they want to keep the talent on this side of the pond.

As for the IIHF? Shockingly, they are siding with the NHL, but only because Malkin has one year left on his deal with the Penguins:

"We would view any signing, from either side, of a player under a valid contract, who does not have any legally valid out-clause, to be a clear violation of the mutual understanding and existing principle. It would potentially be punishable with suspended national team eligibility and suspension from all competition or activity organized by the IIHF or any IIHF member national association. This would include events like the Olympic Winter Games, the IIHF World Championship or international club competitions like the Champions Hockey League.

Of course, we know the IIHF would hail any true free agents to sign with European clubs. The NHL has long pilfered players from Europe, so envision how Fasel and his cronies would laugh it up as the thought of the KHL pilfering players from North America.

The NHL vs. MSG. It's Getting Nasty!

2008-06-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Gary Bettman is a classic case of someone with Napoleon Syndrome. You know, a short little runt that has an insatiable taste for power to make up for his physical shortcomings.

Case in point is his personal vendetta (And it IS personal, believe you me) versus MSG for control over their ... website.

Yes, MSG dared not to become part of the NHL.com collective, and actually likes to do its own thing. While I think it is better for the Rangers to be part of the whole NHL.com thing, I respect the fact that they want to have their own voice.

The NHL, not liking anyone to step out of line, is threatening some serious legal action.

From the National Post:

The National Hockey League is threatening to strip Madison Square Garden of its ownership of the New York Rangers, WNBC reported Thursday.

According to the report, the NHL is seeking to punish MSG for accusing the league of violating anti-trust laws. On Wednesday, the NHL filed court papers that included a letter from commissioner Gary Bettman notifying MSG that it has begun disciplinary proceedings against the organization.

The league and the Rangers have feuded over control of the team's web site. In September, Madison Square Garden sued the NHL, saying it violated antitrust laws by monopolizing control of team promotions. However, a judge ruled in November that the league was within its right to take control of the web site.

In Wednesday's court filing, the league asked a judge to agree that MSG breached its contract by challenging NHL rules. The NHL further claimed that it can force MSG out of the league.

I am amazed that the judge sided with the league. Shouldn't the team be able to control its own frickin website? Geezus.

The Dolans are rich and powerful, and I am amazed Bettman is throwing such a hissy fit over a website. Do you really think he's going to kick MSG out of the league? I just can't see it happening.

Just call this what it is, rich men with small penises who can't stand to lose control. This is just a small example of why the human race is going to eventually wipe itself out ... people just cannot share.

The HHOF Screws Up Yet Again

2008-06-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well, the idiots who run the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Glenn Anderson, Igor Larionov, and two other non-player jabronis (Ed Chynoweth, former WHL president in the Builder Category and Ray Scapinello in the Referee/Linesman Category).

I understand that referees and 'builders' contribute a lot to the game, but the fact is that the PLAYERS make the game, and should be put above the officials and rich businessmen who profit from them.

Why is it that we continue to have so many builders and officials inducted while only two players make the cut?

TWO?

How can these morons induct only two players from the likes of Adam Oates, Phil Housley, Doug Gilmour, Dino Ciccarelli, and the other host of fine players that could have been considered?

*grumble*

Once again, the voters valued playoff exploits heavily as their selection of Glenn Anderson indicates.

Now, Glenn Anderson was certainly a fine player, and his playoff numbers (6 Stanley Cups and 214 points in 225 playoff games) are quite impressive, but was he anything other than a great supporting scorer during his career? Was Anderson ever one of the top players in the game at any one point? Did the HHOF not consider that Anderson is a horrible person who cheats his ex-wife out of alimony, among other lovely character traits?

Glenn Anderson was only ever ONCE in the top ten in scoring in any one season, when he finished with 104 in 1982-83. How many true Hall of Fame forwards, playing on the same frickin team as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, would ever not make more Top 10's than that?

Meanwhile, superior players in Adam Oates, Doug Gilmour, and Phil Housley get the shaft. Crikey!

Yes, the same Adam Oates who had SEVEN Top 10 scoring finished, also finished with nearly a point-a-game in the playoffs, and sit 15th on the all-time points scoring list.

W
T
F?

As for Igor Larionov, I don't mind his induction, although not at the expense of more deserving players. I know Igor would make it eventually, anyway.

At least Vladimir Crouton wasn't inducted.

HHOF: Should Krutov and/or Makarov Make It?

2008-06-17T07:47:00.002-07:00

With the Hockey Hall of Fame set to induct some more members into the holy shrine, everyone and their mothers has an opinion on who should be in.

Joe Pelletier, who is quite knowledgeable about the players who are up for nomination, goes out on a limb and proclaims that Sergei Makarov and Vladimir Krutov should also be inducted, after assuming Igor Larionov's induction.

But are there more deserving European candidates than Larionov? We need not look any further than Larionov's own wingers to find two equally deserving Hall of Fame inductees, perhaps even more worthy - Sergei Makarov and Vladimir Krutov.

Igor Larionov was the unselfish and brainy chessmaster of the KLM Line. With his help, both Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov harnessed their near limitless raw talent and became the best players in the world. I am absolutely convinced that both Krutov and Makarov are among the top 5 wingers of the 1980s. I would suggest only Mike Bossy and Jari Kurri would challenge either for top billing, with Michel Goulet maybe rounding out the top 5.

First, let's get it right out there: The Russians were a bunch of professionals in the guise of 'amateur' status that routinely beat up on true amateurs. Yes, they often did well against NHL competition in the rare times they met (Canada Cup), but not enough to get a true measure of their skill level. If we start inducting the likes of Krutov, then how about Milan Novy and Dzurinda? There are plenty of European players who you could make a case for, eh?

Krutov is an easy NO, given that he has a whopping 34 points in 61 NHL Games.

Yes, after doing very well for the Russian team, Krutov came to North America, got fat, and was out of the NHL after one season. He was 29 at the time, and finished off his career playing in the lower tiers of Swedish hockey. What a way to go, eh?

Unless you are Bobby Orr, you don't get inducted after finishing your good playing days at the age of 29. Krutov didn't prove himself to be at all good against NHL competition, and his career was quite short. At least Larionov proved himself worthy against NHL players. Krutov was simply a Russian-league star on a team that Communist government stacked well, and nothing more.

Makarov? At least his brief NHL career showed that he was a pretty good player. From the ages of 31-38, Makarov put up 384 points in 424 games. Showing that he was a point-a-game player after the age of 30, plus his international achievements, and you have a player that you can make a solid case for, if you do your homework.

In the end, I could see Larionov making it, and maybe Makarov in a very slow year, but never EVER Vladimir Krutov.

Dare to Dream: Demitra to the Canucks?

2008-06-15T08:05:00.005-07:00

Whilst perusing her CanWest propaganda this fine morning, my girlfriend happened upon Tony Gallagher's latest pennings, and had my ears perking by mentioning those magic words:

"Pavol Demitra"

Oh? What's this?

According to Skeletor (that's Tony G, not my girlfriend), new GM Mike Gillis might be scrapping the Canucks' long-standing Anti-Slovak policy and has shown interest in Pavol.

Speaking of deals, there are also stories circulating around the league that Gillis and the Canucks could end up the subject of an NHL investigation if the GM's former client, Pavol Demitra, should end up signing with Vancouver on or about July 1.

While nobody is saying so officially, the word is that at least one general manager -- one would suspect it would be Doug Risebrough but nobody knows for sure -- is going to make a stink to the league that Gillis might have had improper contact with a player under contract to another NHL team (Minnesota) when the Slovak centre decided to come to Vancouver and be shown around by Markus Naslund.

Gillis wasn't even in town when his former client came to scope out the city, but for some reason somebody is telling at least one well-connected media guy he'll ask the league to look into the possibility of impropriety.

But any such contact would not only be difficult to prove, it would have been totally unnecessary on the GM's part.

The hitch? The Wild aren't really keen on keeping Pavol, but they know that his best friend, Marian Gaborik, would be easier to sign to a long-term deal if his BFF was still on the team.

I don't dare to dream about Pavol playing for the Canucks, because I know I'll have my heart broken. It would just be like the Canucks to end up with somebody crappy like Steven Reinprecht or some other castaway.

Wayne's World: Musings on the Media

2008-06-13T12:53:00.002-07:00

by Wayne, our boy from the South

---

Last week, in USA TODAY's TV sports section, there was a brief item about several current NFL players going to a TV "Boot Camp" at the NFL Network run by the sainted NFL Films (cue up symphonic warrior-type music). The seminar was to see if these players had what it took to move on to the commentary booth and/or wear the TV blazer when their playing days were over.

I'd like to see the NHL do something similar, but with a twist: have ALL players AND executives (league and team) attend a PR "Boot Camp" run by PR and media-types where they'll all learn how to be a little more media friendly. The instructors should come from both Madison Avenue and TV execs, with the latter not coming from Versus, but from other entertainment channels (E!, Spike TV, VH1) with the idea of getting all involved with the league to loosen up a bit, "let their hair down a little", stop delivering stock answers ("We have a real good organ-eye-zation"), and just get their faces out a little more. (And English lessons for those coming from Europe.)

Last Saturday, Jim McKay died. He was before your time; I wish you were able to see ABC's Wide World of Sports back when it was really good (early 60's-mid 70's). The show broadcast events no one (other than the partcipants) knew existed: Acupulco cliff-diving, demolition derby, sumo wrestling, and other stuff. But McKay (and others) made it so compelling, you couldn't turn away. (That, and there were only THREE networks then).

McKay was also ABC's lead announcer for the Olympic telecasts (ABC WAS the network of the Olympics up to Calgary in Winter '88), which pioneered a feature, first innovative, then later parodied and ridiculed: a feature called "Up Close & Personal", showcasing the athletes from other countries and their personal stories: The gymnast from Romania who was a product of the Communist system, the swimmer from Austria swimming for the memory of his brother dying of cancer, the barefoot track star from Kenya, etc. During the packaged TV obituary on The Worldwide Leader in Sports, Roone Arledge (the Godfather of what we see on sports television today) made a great comment: "You had to know who the people were, so you'd know who to root for."

I mention this because, as I've said too often in these emails, the NHL has no damn clue on how to reach the casual viewer. If pro sports had to depend on the casual fan, the NBA and NHL would've closed up shop years ago. There are way too many announcers who can X-and-O you to death (true for the NFL and NBA as well), but give you no reason to not to change the channel.

Remember that story about Georges Laraque visiting the sick boy? How come you never hear more stories like that? Why can't Versus, NBC, TSN, CBC, and the regional sports nets pool resources to interview players off the ice and tell their stories? Not only that, with more and more players coming from Europe, get on a damn plane and interview Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin, et al, during the off season in their native lands?

We can't give charisma transplants to people born without, but the league and broadcast partners need to do something fast if they want to capitalize on the buzz after last week's Cup final...

Quick Question: Who is Better Off?

2008-06-11T12:37:00.001-07:00

Wayne, our ever perky Southern Correspondent, comes to me with a rather hard-to-answer question

---
In a typical Presidential election year, the candidate whose party is out of office always asks the voters, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"

Four years ago, NHL fans were about to face a lockout. Three years ago, we finally got back to playing. But are things any better for fans of certain teams? Of these teams, who's better off (or worse off) today than they were three years ago when the playing field was supposed to be leveled financially?

L.A. Kings
Atlanta Thrashers
Florida Panthers
Columbus Blue Jackets
Phoenix Coyotes
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues

Or everyone's favorite:

Toronto Maple Leafs
---

Without having access to the finances of these clubs, it is very hard to comment on if they are truly better off than they were before the lockout

Chicago? They are much better off, simply because "Dollar Bill" Wirtz bit the big one and his spawn 'get it'. The Hawks are on TV (GASP!), have some great young talent, and seem to be getting some buzz in the Windy City.

St. Louis? They were always well off...they have a good fan-base, good corporate sponsorship, and never were in any danger.

The Canadian teams are doing great, but I would opine that they got hurt a lot by the CBA. We know the Canadian teams make a huge chunk of the league's revenues, so we know that these same clubs have to contribute a huge chunk into the revenue sharing pool.

Who benefits? Atlanta, Florida, Nashville, etc.. Oh, the Leafs are in terrific shape, especially since the Canadian dollar is strong, but they likely would be stronger if we were under the old system and the Leafs could keep every dime they make.

Does anyone else have some theories?

----

Trevor Linden formally announced his retirement today, to little surprise.

I've already done some Linden stuff on this blog, so head on over to FanHouse where I give non-Canucks fans a reason to mourn the NHL's loss.

:(

TSN Delivers Groin Shot to CBC

2008-06-10T09:00:00.001-07:00

If TSN and CBC were in a UFC-style fight, TSN (via CTV) would be young strapping utilizing the ground-and-pound technique on the old over-the-hill 'ceeb'.

Punch by punch, TSN continues to pound away at CBC's hold on hockey in this country and the CBC doesn't appear to know how to use 'the guard' to defend properly in this fight. The CBC is still alive and kicking, but seems incapable of stopping TSN's offensive tide.

Another big blow was dealt this week as TSN purchased the rights to Canada's other national anthem, the song formerly known as the Hockey Night in Canada theme song. This comes after TSN signed a deal giving them more games to broadcast, featuring more Canadian content.

Watching TSN last night, they spent a LOT of time bragging about their new purchase, and how they delivered an elbow to the face of CBC.

I mean, look at the headline: "CTV SAVES 'THE HOCKEY THEME' SONG". As if TSN is the saviour protecting hockey fans from the evil cheapness of CBC.

Brilliant PR, methinks.

Toronto, ON - CTV Inc., together with Copyright Music & Visuals, today announced that CTV Inc. has acquired all rights to 'The Hockey Theme' in perpetuity, preserving the song's legacy and ensuring it will be heard on national television for years to come. 'The Hockey Theme' song will now live on CTV Inc. properties TSN, RDS and across Canada on CTV during coverage of the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympics as outlined below.

"The song has a long and storied history in Canadian sports and has become ingrained in the hearts and minds of hockey fans across the country. It is an iconic tune, embraced by Canadians everywhere, and we felt it was imperative to save it. We know we will be in hockey forever, so there's no doubt this acquisition will create value for us," said Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV Inc. "It's an honour and a privilege to own such a cherished piece of Canadiana

The problem, as I see it, is that the song will always be known as the Hockey Night in Canada theme song, and part of CBC's Saturday night coverage. The song can never be truly owned by TSN, because folks like me will always associate it with CBC, Don Cherry, Ron MacLean, and so on.

The song is classic, strong, and ... not modern. TSN is all about the fancy graphics, state-of-the-art technology, and being 'cool'. The song just doesn't fit TSN's theme, and is akin to having your 55-year old step-mom go to the mall wearing a pink Hannah Montana t-shirt.

It just doesn't seem right, does it?

---

DJ Gallo, a funny writer (and part-Slovak!) over at ESPN's Page 2, 'found' a letter that the NHL wrote to Tiger Woods after the golfer/corporate whore slagged the NHL.

Good stuff!

(Original Link)

Holistic Hockey Hall of Fame Picks

2008-06-09T10:20:00.003-07:00

Over at his Legends of Hockey site, author Joe Pelletier has a look at the potential candidates to be elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 8 eight days time.

Joe has gone so far as to do his own Power Rankings, although I have no idea what criteria he used other than his own encyclopedic knowledge of the game.

Here is his power rankings, with a couple of his comments left in there.
Doug Gilmour
Igor Larionov
Pavel Bure - The Russian Rocket was the game's most electrifying and explosive scorer in the 1990s. But his career was cut short by injuries. If Cam Neely got in, so will Pavel.
Adam Oates
Dino Ciccarelli
Sergei Makarov
Claude Lemieux
Glenn Anderson - Clutch playoff performer is one of the top 5 playoff scorers in most offensive categories. But the squeaky clean selection committee does not like his off-ice reputation.
Boris Mikhailov
Anatoli Firsov
Tom Barrasso
Pat Verbeek
Mike Richter

Others: Mark Howe, Neal Broten, Phil Housley, Mike Vernon, Andy Moog, Rogie Vachon, Wendel Clark, Dale Hunter and Guy Carbonneau.

---

Now, if I had a vote, you can be sure the HHOF would not include the likes of Clark Gillies. I'm not as anal as some Baseball HOF voters, but I think the HHOF should include only the very best. Playoff success is not a great measure of a player given how a guy like Gillies can simply get lucky to be where he was. Poor Marcel Dionne was one of the very best, yet he was stuck on crappy LA Kings teams and never got close to the Stanley Cup.

If I was to pick 3+1 players to get into the HHOF, my picks would be
1. Adam Oates
2. Phil Housley
3. Mark Howe
4. Boris Mikhailov

I add the +1 candidate because I believe the HHOF should keep 'International' players in a separate light, especially if they spent the majority or all of their careers outside of the NHL. Less and less players do so, but it's important to recognize the Mikhailov's.

Now, some explanations

Adam Oates vs. Doug Gilmour - I know the media love Gilmour, and will select him over Oates, but I consider Oates the superior player. Oates ranks higher in career assists, points, and points created per game than "Killer"

Phil Housley - I know the waif-like Housley is easily panned by most hockey fans, but how can the HHOF possibly leave out one of the best offensive defensemen to ever play the game?

He ranks 18th in career assists, 4th among D-men, ranks 36th in points all-time, and, until recently, was the king of all American point scorers.

Mark Howe - Unfortunately, I know that Mark Howe will never make the HHOF, despite his family pedigree.

Howe was simply one of the league's best defensemen back in the mid-early 80s, overshadowed only by the likes of Coffey, Potvin, and Bourque. Those Flyers teams were hard to score against, and Howe was the prime reason.

Oh, as a defenseman, he also ranks 24th(!) all time in shorthanded goals with 28, and ranks 11th all time with a +/- of +400. Howe was a complete defenseman, but barely ever got his due.

Bure - While Neely was voted in, Bure will not. The media love "Sea Bass", but see Bure as nothing short of a 'pouty cherry-picking Russian'. Sorry, Pavel

Larionov - I'd bet on him making it, but I'd rather take Mikhailov as the 'International' pick. Larionov's NHL career wasn't even close to HHOF-worthy, so that is why I'm not exactly keen on voting him in. Still, we can't deny the risks he took and the path he helped pave for other Russians.

Ciccarelli/Anderson - Despite their numbers and skill, the HHOF votes just plain don't like these guys for their off-the-ice exploits. I think Anderson was a good-but-not-great player, while Ciccarelli has the numbers to support his inclusion.

Clod Lemieux - Playoff exploits aside, Lemieux was an above-average player who got far more fame than he deserved. All too often, he'd coast through the regular season. A hall-of-fame forward from his era should do a lot better than only 2 70-point seasons.

David Pratt Fired for Plagiarism

2008-06-05T17:30:00.003-07:00

TV/Radio/Print personality "Big Fat" David Pratt is a divisive figure among Vancouver/BC sports fans. You either love him or, more probably, loathe the man for his blustery, opinionated views on the topic-du-jour. (He doesn't bother me too much these days)

Well, Pratt haters will be amused to hear that David Pratt has been canned from his side gig at The Province, our local mainstream birdcage liner.

The reason? A blatant rip off of a quote by American writer Rick Reilly, who is known more for being a fraud who poops his pants.

From one toilet to another, eh?

From the mouth of the lion:

The Province is ending the column written by TEAM 1040 AM sports talk-show host David Pratt after he admitted to plagiarizing some portions of a Sports Illustrated piece written by well-known writer Rick Reilly.

The column, celebrating the winding down of the long career of Hockey Night In Canada play by play man Bob Cole, contained some clear similarities to the Reilly piece about legendary U.S. college basketball coach and broadcaster Al McGuire published in the Sept. 18, 2000, edition of Sports Illustrated.

The most striking was a passage in Reilly's piece: "They say he was born 72 years ago last Thursday, but don't believe it. McGuire dropped straight out of Guys and Dolls with a martini in one hand and a basketball in the other."
Pratt wrote in Tuesday's column in The Province: "Cole was born 75 years ago, but it's more likely he dropped straight out of Guys and Dolls with a martini in one hand and a puck in the other."

Now, Pratt claims that radio guys like him rip off/borrow quotes all the time. I suppose that is true, and it's not as if we don't all borrow/use lines.

But this? Purely lazy and purely blatant plagiarism. Pratt admits that he just wanted to go home early on a Saturday afternoon, and he got caught. Ha!

You just know that in today's Internet age, such plagiarism, especially of a fairly well-known quote, is going to be caught by somebody.

As a blogger and *cough*writer*cough*, I know better and liberally utilize quoting and block quoting in my post. How hard would it have been for Pratt to add a simple "As Rick Reilly might say" before his line? That would acknowledge the source, and he'd still have a job.

Now, Pratt's written content was pretty dull and not very intelligent. It's one thing for a blogger on a free-to-visit site, like me, to write crap, but it is another for a guy like Pratt to be paid by a newspaper, a product consumers PAY for, to write such drivel on a regular basis. Then again, The Province and the CanWest Empire is hardly known for its quality.

---

As an aside, I once committed by own act of plagiarism by posting material written by Rich "The American Hockey Fan", and should have been more vigilant in my posting.

A friend of mine had sent me a very humourous take-off on those Nigerian SPAM mails we receive all too often. I thought it was my friend who had written it, and so I posted it on my site. I didn't realize that Ritch had posted that material, which he wrote, the day before.

Lesson: I should have asked my friend if he wrote the material. He was known for funny stuff, so I just 'assumed'.

When you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME

*grooooan*

EuroWings: The Cream of the Crop

2008-06-05T09:02:00.001-07:00

Don Cherry must be crying into his loud polyester pajamas this morning. Not only did his beloved Gary Roberts not skate off into the sunset with a Stanley Cup, but the Detroit Red Wings are, by far, the most Euro-laden team to ever win the big prize.

It is true that in the past, you'd want Canadian grit and heart on your roster, given how most Stanley Cup winners were very much filled with a majority of Canucks (and a few Americans). The Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Anaheim Ducks had very few Europeans on their roster, and gave fuel to the fire about European players sucking trash when it counts most.

Then came this year's Red Wings... just look at the European influence on their roster.

Henrik Zetterberg
Pavel Datsyuk
Johan Franzen
Niklas Kronwall
Jiri Hudler (look at how many points he scored with so little ice time)
Mikael Samuelsson
Nicklas Lidstrom
Tomas Holmstrom
Valtteri Filppula
Andreas Lilja
Dominik Hasek

Yes, almost half of their playoff roster was European.

The best players on the team? They are European. You have Conn Smythe winner Zetterberg, captain Lidstrom, and slick Datsyuk.

Role players? You have the hard-working Franzen with Holmstrom, plus defensive-minded guys like Filppula and Samuelsson.

Yeah, the evil Swedes can certainly bring it when it counts.

It's not where the players are from, but which players you get. Yes, Zetterberg and Datsyuk were once playoff non-factors, but they obviously matured and learned how to score when the spaces get tighter and the battles get fiercer.

Despite the fact that I still maintain the Wings got lucky not to play a physical opponent other than overmatched Nashville in the playoffs(Anaheim and San Jose would have given the Wings fits), we can't deny that from start to finish, the Wings were just the best team in the league this year.

Record: 54-21-7 (1st)
Goals For: 257 (3rd)
Goals Against: 184 (1st)
Power Play: 20.7% (3rd)
Penalty Kill: 84.0% (8th)

As for the Penguins, this was a great year for them, and, despite the lack of a cup, no Pens fan should look back on this season with much derision.

Chad Kroeger: Wings Fan and Giant Douche

2008-06-04T12:23:00.002-07:00

Crad Kroeger is the lead singer of the horrible band Nickelback, for which I, on behalf of many Canadians, apologize for our country spawning onto the world. Listening to their music is only slightly less painful than puncturing your ballsack with a Hattori Hanzo sword.

Kroeger is also a drunk driving douchebag that just happened to be caught cheering for the Red Wings in this (Getty Images) photo.

As if you needed another reason to hate the guy, besides the fact that he likes to such himself off, and is uglier than Hillary Clinton.

Way to jump on the bandwagon there, buddy.

Notice the douchebag look on his face, and the douchebag hand gestures? Does he think the fans are there to see him 'rock it out'?

Kid Rock as a Red Wings fan is believable. Chad Kroeger as a Wings fan is not.

Tuesday's Thoughts

2008-06-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

As if typical with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they can't quite do anything right.

Such is the case of their soon-to-be-hire of coach Ron Wilson, a guy they've hired before a new GM has been put in place.

Toronto Maple Leafs interim general manager Cliff Fletcher says he's found the man he wants to coach the team and has offered him the job.

Sources tell TSN that former Sharks coach Ron Wilson is on his way to Toronto to meet with Leafs officials to try and work out a deal.

When reached by phone, Wilson, who was about to board a plane, refused comment.

While scrambling to catch a plane himself on Monday, Fletcher told reporters he had offered the Leafs' coaching job to a candidate and was in negotiations to seal the deal.

That's just asking for trouble down the line. What if the new GM and Wilson butt heads? What if the new GM wants to make an offensive team, and not the stifling defensive club Ron Wilson is so keen on putting out?

Of course, given JFJ's experience, we know the GM doesn't make the final call on whether the coach is hired or fired. It makes you wonder why anyone would take the job.

As for Wilson, we know he's an excellent coach. Still, I don't see him fitting in well in Toronto, given the kind of team they have. Wilson is very much defensive-oriented, and the Leafs have quite a few offensive-minded players on the club. Kyle Wellwood? Don't expect to stay around much longer.

---

The Pens got lucky, and should be kissing Marc-Andre's Fleury's feet all day for the way he stole Game Five for them last night.

You had the feeling the Wings had the game sewn up, and were greatly outplaying the less experienced Penguins.

But, Fleury robs Samuelsson with the save of the series, Hossa ties it up, and now the series shifts back to Pittsburgh.

At the very least, the NHL must be thrilled that the Penguins managed to stretch this thing out somewhat.

---

Freaknomics was a book that I enjoyed, and their blog is one I frequent regularly.

It was rather surprising that the blog mentioned hockey, albeit briefly.

The blog post points out one very interesting stat that the AP picks up.

Road teams have won 10 of the past 12 overtime games in the finals and are 15-4 since 1990.

Some interesting comments, including this one (poor capitalization included)

it is mental. the home team typically has the mental edge during the game as they “should win” and get energy from the crowd. as the game goes on and into overtime, that edge shifts to the visitor as they are now almost in a “nothing to lose” situation because technically, they should not be there still, they should have already lost. this translates into the home team playing “tighter” and leads to mistakes. since it is hockey, a single mistake can lead to a goal and the game.

in this game, detroit had it won until the lat .35 seconds and could clinch the cup at home. that increased the anxiety on their part. a pittsburg win would allow them to go back home for the next game….

One other point: Good teams tend to get home ice advantage because they put up good records. That's just a fact

Barry Melrose is Back in the Saddle

2008-05-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

I don't get American ESPN up here in Vancouver, so I rarely get to experience the 'experience' that is "The Mullet" Barry Melrose.

He seems to be a popular figure among American hockey fans, although I don't know if it is just the hair, rather than his hockey knowledge.

I figured doing TV was a comfortable gig, and that Melrose had been out of the game so long he'd never be an NHL head coach again.

Yet, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have a thin team that even Scotty Bowman couldn't do much with, hired Mullet Man to be their head coach.

ORLY?

Per TSN.ca

The Toronto Star reports that ESPN hockey analyst and former Los Angeles Kings head coach Barry Melrose is set to return behind the bench for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Melrose, who coached the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, would replace John Tortorella, who still holds the post.

According to the Star, incoming team owner Oren Koules has pushed for the hiring of Melrose in an effort to further sell the team and the sport in Florida. His group is awaiting approval from the NHL's Board Of Governors to take over the team, with the vote set to take place on June 18.

What sells hockey tickets? WINS!!! Even if Melrose a minor celeb in hockey circles, how will his hiring help sell tickets for a team that is obviously short on depth, defence, and goaltending?

Now, I shouldn't rag on Melrose too much, although I wonder if he's way too stale at this point.

Melrose had a good track record of success as a head coach, including taking the LA Kings to the Cup Finals in 1993, a Memorial Cup in his first year of CHL coaching, and an AHL Calder Cup in his third year of AHL coaching.

Some Melrose Facts, per Wikipedia.

Melrose is cousin to former NHL players Wendel Clark and Joe Kocur.

Melrose guest starred in a season 5 episode of the ABC sitcom Spin City ("Hey Judith," January 17th, 2001).

In the video game Mutant League Hockey, Melrose is portrayed as Coach Smellnose. (haha!)

He was in a scene of the second Slapshot movie Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice

Had a small role in movie Mystery Alaska with Russell Crowe.

An NHL blog (unaffiliated with Melrose) entitled "Barry Melrose Rocks" bears his name as a tribute. (hmm, who could that be?)

R.I.P Luc Bourdon (1987-2008)

2008-05-29T11:20:00.002-07:00

I was going to do a post on how happy I was that Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins finally broke through and scored some goals ... and won a game! OMGZ

Instead, there was a big bomb dropped on the hockey world with the shocking announcement of the death of Canucks prospect Luc Bourdon.

(thanks to my girlfriend to pitching in on this post)

Canucks fans know Bourdon as a young rookie, who although had a slow start, was by all reports shaping up to be a promising defenseman. Bourdon was the Canucks' first-round draft choice in 2005, and split his 2007-2008 season with the Manitoba Moose and the Vancouver Canucks. Only a short while ago, Hockey News ranked Bourdon 20th overall amongst NHL prospects.

He`ll never get the chance to show his promise.

At 12:30 local time, he was in a motorcycle accident near Shippagan, New Brunswick. He did not survive. No other details of the accident are available yet.

Story link: Canada.com

I sincerely hope this isn`t a case of a young kid being reckless with a too-fast bike.
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As if life as a Canucks fan wasn’t crappy enough, our top prospect goes and dies :(

I never knew the guy, so I can't really express deep sympathies (something I don't like faking).

Instead, I'll talk about my favourite memory of the Canucks prospect.

A few years back, I covered the World Junior Hockey Championships for eurohockey.net, as they were being held in Vancouver. The Canadians were heavily favoured, and Bourdon was one of the big stars on the team.

I can remember how dominant he was in that tournament, and I was always surprised that he could never translate that into success at the pro level.

During that WJC, Bourdon was a machine... he was hitting, scoring, and scaring goalies poopless with his big slap shot. Basically, he looked like a great all-around defensemanin the making.

The crowd definitely appreciated the effort, and greeting the kid with many loud shouts of 'LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUC'. Very few Canucks players have ever gotten such love, so it was definitely fun to hear that.

*sigh*

Luc's NHL Totals

36GP 2G 0A 2PTS 24PIM

R.I.P.

Bold Prediction: Wings in Six

2008-05-27T10:16:00.001-07:00

Yes, I planned to have a prediction post done last Friday, but real life and laziness got in the way. Besides, everyone and their dogs have posted a prediction for the series, so it's not like the hockey world is missing the content.

My original prediction was the Wings in 6, but even that might be a bit generous to the Penguins given how thoroughly they've been pwned in Games 1 and 2.

Instead of doing a detailed analysis, I can say that the primary asset that the Wings have in spades is EXPERIENCE. Look at any past cup winner, and you see loads and loads of playoff experience.

The Wings have Lidstrom, Holmstrom, McCarty, Rafalski, Hasek, Osgood, Chelios, Draper, Maltby who have Cup rings, plus other crusty veterans like Dallas Drake and Brad Stuart. These guys have been there, done that, and have the T-shirts to prove it.

The Penguins? They have Gary Roberts, whose idea of leadership is to go after the concussed head of Johan Franzen, and Petr Sykora as cup winners. Gonchar is really the only other big-time old guy they got goin.

Oh, I guess Ty Conklin has cup experience, although he's likely tried very hard to forget that. Hossa? He hasn't done THAT much in the playoffs until this season.

So, the Wings know what the deep playoffs are like, and know how to handle all of the pressure. They are calm, cool, collected, and playing like the well-oiled machine we know them to be. The Wings were way better than anyone else at preventing shots against, and have held the Penguins to just 41 shots and 0 goals in 2 games. Kinda hard to score with 20.5 shots per game.

The Penguins are clearly frustrated.

Sidney Crosby? He's visibly frustrated at the Wings ability to choke the neutral zone and hem the Penguins in their own zone. Seeing him swear his head off is rather disconcerting.

Evgeni Malkin? Is he even playing? It's hard to notice. Did he suddenly remember that Russians aren't supposed to play hard when the calendar nears June?

It's pretty much a golden rule in the Stanley Cup playoffs that the most experienced team will win, especially when the gap is wider than Tara Reid's genitals.

I just hope the Penguins can take Game Three and turn this into a respectable series. The fact that the Pens are down 2-0 wouldn't be so bad if they were actually putting up a fight, but we know that hasn't been the case.

*sigh*

Video of the Day: Jennifer Hedger's Experimental Days

2008-05-23T12:24:00.002-07:00

Mention the name Jennifer Hedger to any Canadian male hockey fan, and they'll likely get that 'special feeling' in the nether regions that is triggered by the thought of a hot female.

To an American hockey fan? They have no idea who this blonde bombshell is, so let me introduce you to Canada's cutest sports broadcaster, who is somewhat our equivalent of your Erin Andrews.

Jennifer Hedger is best known to Canadians as the female face of our version of SportsCentre, the most-watched sports highlight show in the country. If we're watching highlights of Andrew Raycroft letting in another soft goal, it's probably Hedger doing the honors.

She's no blonde bimbo, either, and clearly knows her stuff. While she might appear, at first glance, to be some ratings-generating eye candy, but frequent appearances on "Off the Record", a popular sports talk show, showed her to be a knowledgeable and enthusiastic sports fan.

Of course, that's not the only thing she seems to be enthused about, as the video below will show you. (Probably not safe for your workplace. You've been warned).

Thanks to my pals, especially JP, over at FanHouse for the pointer.

Before Hedger got her nightly broadcasting gig, she was chosen, in 2001, to be a part of "U8TV: The Lofters", a crappy Canadian reality show where eight strangers lived together in a Toronto loft while also producing and hosting their own online television shows. It lasted only a year, and was watched by about four people.

I'm guessing more people would have watched if they had known Ledger was engaging in some hot girl-on-girl kissing, as seen in the video.

It's sloppy, but Hedger is clearly enjoying herself as much as you are enjoying watching the video.

Now, when is TSN going to make this their "Highlight of the Night", or at least the "TSN Turning Point"?

Broken Sticks My Break My Stones

2008-05-22T09:23:00.003-07:00

Another email from my Southern Correspondent brought up the topic of broken sticks and any potential hazard they may bring.

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Several weeks ago, MLB commish Bud Selig said he would look into doing something about maple bats; specifically, when they break, they can become health hazards...I can't count how many times I've seen a broken bat barrel stick into the ground like a javelin, and last night, a broken barrel almost hit Braves' third baseman Larry Wayne Jones when he was trying to field a grounder.

What does this have to do with hockey?

Over the past few seasons, I've seen too many times when Ilya Kovalchuk winds up for one of his slapshots and the stick breaks. Over the course of a game, you'll see about a dozen broken sticks on the ice -- and these guys are now using composite sticks (no wood). Years ago, a broken stick was a rarity...Maybe something needs to be done about hockey sticks as well...
---

This also seems to happen a lot to Mattias Ohlund (I have nothing to back that up, but that's my observation), and is certainly a LOT more commonplace than it was back in the days of Al Iafrate.

Are the composite sticks to blame, since they are the ones that seem to break all the damn time? Yes, somewhat.

From what I've heard and read over the years, the biggest problems with the new sticks are that it is much harder for a player to tell if it is cracked and/or compromised.

With a good old wooden stick, it's pretty damn easy to know if the thing is slightly cracked as it feels different and even sounds different. The new sticks just seem to hide the cracks better, so players are more likely to keep playing with their composite sticks, not knowing that they are at risk of having it break in their hands.

One other factor is that teams do not want to pay for too many of these sticks, so they are less likely to want to use new ones until the old ones are completely worn or broken.

As for safety, I haven't seen a lot of broken sticks causing injuries or coming close to doing so. The only danger is having a goal scoring against the team that had the misfortune of another stick getting buh-roke.

The Early Conn Smythe Winner? Henrik Zetterberg

2008-05-21T10:30:00.002-07:00

With Johan Franzen's injury causing him to miss the Stars/Wings series, the Conn Smythe race has opened up to a whole swath of contenders, mainly the big names and usual suspects.

Right now, Sidney Crosby and Henrik Zetterberg sit 1-2 in the scoring race, with the likes of Malkin, Hossa(!), and Datsyuk not far behind.


Name               Team    GP   G   A   Pts   +/-

Sidney Crosby      PIT     14   4   17   21    6
Henrik Zetterberg  DET     16  11   10   21   15
Marian Hossa       PIT     14   9   10   19   7
Pavel Datsyuk      DET     16   9   10   19   12
Evgeni Malkin      PIT     14   9   10   19   5

While Crosby does have 2 less games played than Zetterberg,
I'd give Zetterberg the edge in the Conn Smythe race because goals are far more important than assists, and 7 is a large margin. Zetterberg also has a better +/-, and over twice as many shots on goal taken than The Kid.

Henrik also has 2 shorthanded goals and 3 game winning goals, which is tops among the Top 5. If I had to pick a winner after the first three rounds, he'd be it. I'd also give credit to Zetterberg for putting up his points against tougher defensive teams like Dallas and San Jose, compared to Crosby versus the likes of Philly and Ottawa.

Of course, we can't forget the starting goaltenders, both of whom have had an incredible playoff run.

Osbad: 13GP 10-2 1.60GAA 93.1SV%
Fleury: 14GP 12-2 1.70GAA 93.8SV%

Despite the fact that Osgood has a career full of mediocrity, and Fleury has had his growing pains, both goalies are practically 'money' right about now, and are neck and neck in terms on stats.

Of course, I'm loathe to give evil goalies too much credit, so I'd want them to prove themselves a bit more before I put them in Crosby-Zetterberg territory.

Хоккей Россия-Канада 5:4. ПОБЕДНЫЙ ГОЛ !

2008-05-19T08:38:00.002-07:00

In case that title shows up very wonky in your browser, Russia beat the Canadians 5-4 to claim gold at the World Hockey Championships.

Here is a great videoclip of the Russian call of Ilya Kovalchuk's game winning goal.

Despite the fact that the evil Russians won, the game was highly entertained, and I don't feel all that upset that the wrong guys won :) Unlike some of the one-sided NHL Playoff contests we've been watching, this game had passion, speed, and lots of goals. This is the type of hockey the NHL wishes it could have on a regular basis.

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Another random thought from our Southern Correspondent:
Going on the supposition that the Wings will eventually beat Dallas to face Pittsburgh, after the Cup final, it will be the first time in several years that the Cup parade will NOT be held in an arena parking lot...

Ooooh....

The World Championships Are On?

2008-05-18T08:46:00.004-07:00

You'd think with the World Championships in Canada, I'd blog about the tournament somewhat.

But, how can anyone with a day job blog about a tournament that plays its game at 11AM? Yes, I know the times are set for the European audience, but it seems rather foolish to have Canada's game in the morning when nobody can watch them. Why not have Canada's games, at the very least, during the evening? *sigh*

So, here are some highlights, courtesy of TSN, from the tournament that nobody around here seems to be watching.

Highlight #2 is sick...

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The Czech uniforms from this tournament are ... hideous! Red armpits, WTF?

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Southern Correspondent Wayne shares some thoughts on the PIT-PHI series.

Once the Flyers scored the empty net goal to put the game away, why didn't the Pens' coach take Crosby out and put in Georges Laraque? I don't think fights at the end of games "to send a message" makes much sense, but it was obvious something was gonna happen...

Every time I see Don Cherry with those loud coats, I can't help but think of an old sketch on the old Carol Burnett Show. A comedy classic, it was the "Gone With the Wind" parody which had Ms. Burnett (as Scarlett O'Hara) descending down a flight of stairs wearing drapes (curtains and rod) saying, "I saw it in the window and just had to try it on"...

Proof that Versus (cable TV's witness-protection program) has a tiny viewership: if Chris Simpson were a sideline reporter in any other sport, fans would be making signs saying, "Marry me, Chris Simpson"...

I think Thrasher fans may have dodged a bullet: Dave Nonis interviewed for the Maple Laffs job this week...

Dear Sidney, Please Shave That Mess Off!

2008-05-16T12:11:00.003-07:00

It's an annual rite of spring that hockey players grow disgusting-looking beards as they march on towards the Stanley Cup. It's one of the great, unique features of the NHL, and gives guys a real excuse not to shave for a couple of months.

The sad fact is, however, that some guys just can't pull it off, and should just get out the Gillette Mach 3's and get back to their regular shaving rituals.

One such guy is our beloved Sidney Crosby, who has been trying his very hardest to be a big boy and grow a playoff beard. It's really quite sad to see him fail so miserably, given how he's basically kicked ass at everything else in the hockey world.

Now, before you go getting up in my ass about being 'mean', you have realize that Sidney and I share the same slow facial-hair growth that doesn't allow us to look like the Wolf Man. I'm 29, and have to shave only once a week. Ivan Majesky, I am not.

Two years ago, when the Canes went on their long playoff run, I tried to grow a playoff beard just for the hell of it. Despite my efforts, and despite waiting a couple of months, I could never grow a full beard. Much like Sid, it looks like I had a random mass of spots on my neck and face that just refused to allow hair follicles to escape into freedom.

Sidney is just too much of a babyface to pull off a beard, anyway, and comes off looking like trailer trash, albeit well-paid trailer trash. Looking at home now, don't you think he'd be better off sitting on a ratty couch, watching fishing shows, and drinking Bud Light swill?

"But Jes, what if the Penguins lose because Sidney shaved his face?"

Oh, so the Penguins talent, hard work, and tenacious forechecking have nothing to do with their success? It's all about facial hair?

*facepalm*

I'd sent Sid some free razorblades, but I'd probably be arrested for mailing weapons or some BS the corrupt authorities would come up with to suppress my rights.

So, next time any of you Pittsburghers you go to a Pens game, bring a sign/placard that asks Sid to get a shave. He needs it.

Photo of the Day: Worship Ovechkin, NOW!

2008-05-15T12:38:00.004-07:00

My girlfriend sent me this photo, and it gave me a good chuckle.

It basically looks like a religious situation, with the rest of the Caps worshipping their lord Ovechkin, and Ovechkin looking up to the skies in victory. All that is missing is the bright white light.

Well, all are worshipping Ovy, except for that one intense Cap behind him, who looks like he's trying to assassinate Jesus.

Martin Erat's Contract Extension: REJECTED!

2008-05-14T10:37:00.001-07:00

Just when Nashville Predators fans were celebrating Martin Erat's new contract extension, comes this big fat NO! from the NHL's Head Offices of Doom.

Per TSN.ca:
Martin Erat's new seven-year, $31.5 contract with the Nashville Predators has been rejected by the NHL.

All that means is that it is likely to be re-jigged to conform to the CBA and re-submitted for approval.

Erat's contract was rejected because it violates a clause in the CBA that regulates year to year fluctuations in salary.

For example, if you take the first two years of contract, the higher salary in those two years can't be more than double of the lower salary. After that, the salary can't fluctuate up by more than 100% of the lower salary and can't fluctuate downward by more than 50% of lower salary.

On that basis, Erat's contract doesn't cut it on a number of levels.

For starters, the $5.25 million in the second year is more than two times the amount ($2.5 million) in the final year.

If the Preds and Erat re-allocate some of the dollars, the contract can be re-submitted for approval.

Contract Rejection:
Martin Erat – contract rejected due to violation of 100% rule from 2012-13 season to 2013-14.

08-09 - 3.50 NHL
09-10 - 5.25 NHL
10-11 - 5.25 NHL
11-12 - 6.00 NHL
12-13 - 5.50 NHL
13-14 - 3.50 NHL
14-15 - 2.50 NHL
No Move Clause (effective July 1, 2009)

I'd expect, like TSN mentions, that the contract will simply be restructured and life will go on.

So, why the hell was this clause enacted in the first place?

If the total salary is spread evenly for the salary cap hit, what does it matter if Erat gets $500,000 one season and $10.5mil the next? Obviously, Erat agreed to the terms, and the Preds want the contract to mimic Erat's expected production path.

I'm guessing the prime reason is that the NHL wants to control salary inflation. Take these examples

Example 1:
08-09 $3mil
09-10 $3mil
10-11 $6mil
11-12 $3mil

Example 2:
08-09 $3.75mil
09-10 $3.75mil
10-11 $3.75mil
11-12 $3.75mil

Now, the contracts are worth the same (not accounted for the time value of money, yada yada), but Example 1 could lead to problems.

Say a comparable player's contract is up for renewal after the 10-11 season, and he had the same exact stats are Martin Erat. Under Example 1, he could easily demand $6mil. Under Example 2, it would be much harder to demand $6mil, since Erat makes just $3.75m.

So, I guess this is simply the NHL's way of assuring that random-looking fluctuations don't lead to bigger contracts down the road.

Tuesday's Tight Thoughts

2008-05-13T09:28:00.001-07:00

While the Nashville Predators gave the Wings some fits with their physical, grinding play, the finesse of the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars has allowed Detroit to easily roll into the Stanley Cup Finals.

Yes, I know the Stars/Wings series is not officially over, but the Stars have as much chance for a comeback as Hilary Clinton. It ain't gonna happen, as we all know.

Wayne, our Southern Correspondent, charms in:

Could someone put the Stars-Wings series out of its misery? I tuned to a hockey game, and a soccer game broke out...The only thing missing was the voice of John Paul Della-Camera (the second greatest soccer announcer ever)...No wonder Wings fans are staying home...

In a topic I've covered before, Wings fans just aren't coming out to pack Joe Louis Arena. Combine a bad economy with a spoiled fanbase, and you get empty seats.

Wayne chips in again:

Take a look at things right now: $4/gallon gas, homes being forclosed, layoffs in the white-collar/middle-and-upper management sector (the people who buy season tix and luxury boxes), make MLB, the NBA, and the NHL (especially the NHL) particularly vulnerable...I don't think people are going to be willing to plunk down $60/ticket much longer, especially in soft markets. All NHL teams are going to have to take a good hard look at themselves...

Well, Detroit certainly isn't a 'soft' market, and the NHL is probably going to realize that American fans might have to cut expensive NHL tickets out of their budget as food and gas prices soar. It's rather troubling that 'Hockeytown' (self-billed, I know) can't sell out a Conference Finals playoff match.

At least the Flyers/Pens series is entertaining, if not entirely one-sided. The Flyers' are getting punished for taking penalties, and Martin Biron is not the answer to the question, "What goalie is going to take us to the Stanley Cup?"

Photo of the Day: Boston's Sharp Promotion

2008-05-10T08:28:00.003-07:00

Normally, I tune out advertising much like I tune out the ramblings of a street preacher, but I can appreciate advertising that is well done and unique.

For instance, take the Boston Bruins and their Gillette zamboni.

According to Gillette's marketing shill, the promotion is very 'cutting edge'. Yuk yuk

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Speaking of Yuk, YUCK! Here's a wacky story about Austria's rugby team.

The Austrian Rugby team has responded to their 48-0 thrashing by Lithuania on Saturday by staging a mass striptease in the capital, Vilnius, on Saturday night.

The team was captured on camera during the public strip and the video has ended up on social community website Virb. The video shows a group of about 20 men singing and stripping off their kit on a Vilnius street while people in a bar clap and cheer.

Whiner of the Day: Michel Brule

2008-05-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

Despite some of the things I've written on this blog in the past, I don't hold any ill will towards the people of Quebec. Hell, Poutine is one of my favourite guilty pleasures. Mmmm, cheese curds ... *drool*

That said, I cannot stand whiny separatist snobs who feel the need to force others to do things in French. You know, have a French-speaking captain on the Habs, have French signs for shops, have French fries with every meal, etc ... it's quite silly. While I understand that certain people feel their culture is threatened, it's quite another to constantly whine about it, and force people to cave in to the wishes of a vocal minority. It's not as if Quebec doesn't get a disproportionate share of federal funding, is it?

The latest whiner: Michel Brule, a fellow who is pooping his diapers because the Habs aren't playing enough French music at the Bell Centre.

A prominent Quebec publisher is calling on governments to force the Montreal Canadiens to spin more French-language tunes for the Bell Centre crowd.

Michel Brule said he was shocked the team's DJ played one French song during Game 7 of the Habs' first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins.

"We are not in Raleigh, (North) Carolina, we are not in Philadelphia, we are in Montreal and we are in Quebec," said Brule, publisher of Les Editions des Intouchables.

"Anglophones think the only language on the planet is English."

A single tear rolls down my cheek ...

Let's see ...

1. Has a petition EVER worked? Maybe once or twice, but that's it. You know the TV show FAMILY GUY? It didn't return to the tube after a petition circulated, it came back to the tube because people went out and bought a lot of DVDs. Speak with your wallet if you want some real change. If people stopped going to Habs games over this music issue (and they won't), then you might actually be doing something. Signing a piece of paper is simply an empty action designed to make people feel better about themselves, while not actually accomplishing anything.

2. The Canadiens are a privately held club, playing in a privately-owned arena, charging people money for the privilege of watching a hockey in this privately-owned building. Why should anyone be able to tell the Habs what music they can play?

If Brule wants to listen to French music, perhaps he ought to spend his money at a concert, instead. The Habs are a business venture, and they obviously feel it is in their best interest to play English-language music.

3. Snobby Francophones like this Crème Brule fellow seem to think that the world is divided into Anglophones and Francophones, as if the rest of the non-French speaking world is all the same. Come to Vancouver some time, and you'll soon realize that most 'Anglophones' aren't even 1% British, and many of them speak another language.

(Hat-tip to 'hockeychic')

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Playoff Predictions?

Well, I went 3-for-4 in the second round, which is much better than the 6-for-12 record I compiled for Round One.

Philly vs Pittsburgh is the must-watch series, and this will feature a lot of offensive chances, physical play, and bad blood. I'll take Pittsburgh in 6.

Detroit vs. Dallas is the must-not-watch series, given how both Dallas and Detroit can slow down the game to a crawl.

I know I shouldn't keep betting against Dallas, but I'll maintain that it takes a physical team to beat Detroit, and Dallas is more finesse than brutish. Detroit in 5.

Paul Maurice is Now an Unemployed Bum

2008-05-07T10:00:00.002-07:00

Leafs fans can finally rejoice ... PAUL MAURICE HAS BEEN FIRED!!! W00t!

In a classic case of a new GM wanting a new GM, fossilized interim GM Cliff Fletcher canned 'Chairman Mo', opting not to wait for the new regime to come in and make a change.

Paul Maurice said his firing on Wednesday morning as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs did not come as a surprise.

"I don't think, based on the season we just had, that this was a surprise," Maurice said, adding that his immediate plans are "to hang with my kids."

"I appreciate the fact it was clearly a decision they made and they didn't sit on it for a long time. I don't know that it was a shocker. It's a conversation you never want to have. The first [firing] is the toughest one. After that, you're in the fraternity," Maurice said.

As the Acid Queen would be quick to tell you, Maurice is one of the worst head coaches in the entire NHL. Take away his flukey run to the Finals with the Canes a few years back, and you get a long trail in inept coaching decisions and underperforming teams.

From our favourite Canes fan:

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Like I said months ago, I tried to warn the Leafs fans–I did, I really did. And all they did was laugh at me and bray about how I CLEARLY don’t know anything about hockey because otherwise I’d see what a great coach Paul Maurice is and how he’d make the Leafs great again.

Who’s laughing now, kids?

He’s a decent coach ... in the AHL. Nice guy, too–but as an NHL coach I really don’t think he’s up to snuff. Coaches have to be developed too, just like players, and Mo’s development as a coach was severely hampered by his being thrown right into the fire all those years ago in Hartford after a whopping six weeks and change as an assistant coach under Paul Holmgren (who now GMs the Pflyers). If he wants to salvage any kind of career at all, he needs to go back to the AHL or just be an assistant somewhere for a few years and learn how to do more than the same old crap he did for 8 years in Carolina and 2 years in Toronto.

To be fair to Chairman Mo, he didn't get any favours from the inept management of JFJ, who gave him a crappy #1 goaltender with a fragile psyche (Raycroft), and an overpaid blueline. Yes, the Leafs weren't a well-coached bunch, but it's not as if the team wasn't poorly constructed by the higher ups.
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Our Southern Correspondent has a couple of questions for us. One I can answer, and one I can't.

1. Once again the Red Wings won the President's Trophy (for whatever that's worth); I remember, at one time, the team doing so used to get a $100,000 bonus...Is that still true?

*Jes: Per Wikipedia, the Presidents Trophy winning team gets $350,000 to spread around*

2. Do the players on the winning Cup team get some sort of financial bonus? Players on the World Series winner get about $350K; players on the Super Bowl winner get $64K...

*Jes: I have no idea, but anyone who needs financial incentive to win the Stanley Cup if somebody I wouldn't want on my team*

A New Dawn for Hockeysfuture.com

2008-05-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Some weird news to report as CraveOnline, a Maxim-wanna be website, purchased hockeysfuture.com and HFboards.com. Obviously, Craveonline wants to reap in the young horny boy demographic and HFBoards has that in spades. This was quite a shocking piece of news, to me.

I have more details over at FanHouse, so I'll just use this space for personal musings. (Warning!! Rambling ahead)

As some of you know, I used to write for Hockeysfuture for a few years. I was with the site when it was still quite young and finding its feet. I recall the website used to be called something like Hockey 2000, although my memory is failing me in my old age.

I started out writing about the Florida Panthers, my favourite team at the time (Beezer!). I remember extolling the virtues of Dan Boyle, Peter Ratchuk, Chris Allen, Peter Worrell, Oleg Kvasha, Mark Parrish, and so one. Obviously, some of them turned out to be not much at all, but that's just the nature of the prospects business.

One of my first articles was about the signing of junior-phenom Ivan Novoseltsev. Remember him? Yeah, he didn't do much in the NHL, but he was their top prospect at one time, and a lesson in how risky the prospects game can be.

After some time, Mark Fischel, now a big wig within the NHL media division (last I heard), an actual guy from Florida, took on the Panthers area and I focused more on the Slovaks, taking over from the previous writer (whom helped me greatly over the years with information and getting sources).

Anyway, I never imagined that HF would become as big as it has, especially given that it focuses on prospects, and not mainstream hockey.

I remember when the Taylor brother sold the business, and then it was taken over by a group who wanted to aggressively expand the brand. Next came a magazine that failed miserably and cost a lot of money to put out.

It was at this time that I became a lot less active with the website, given the new ownership was focused so heavily on profits and I didn't like their overall attitude. It didn't help that they took good content and put it in the pay magazine. I wrote the stuff for the website, and I never received a cent for my work.

No, I never expected to get paid ... it was simply a hobby/interest of mine. Still, I never expected them to simply take and chop up my work into their magazine, a publication of which I never received a copy.

I know the site was then re-sold and stabilized in new ownership. Of course, I wrote less and less and didn't keep in contact with new ownership much at all. Finally, work and other commitments have lessened my interest in hockey prospects, so I'm really out of the loop these days except for a few Slovaks and some WHLers I can keep an eye on when watching Giants games.

Back to my original point, I am still amazed that HF grew as much as it has, mainly due to its forums. I never visit the forums, and part of my disgust with them led me to create Hockey Rants, but I can't deny their influence. Without the forums becoming as big as they were, HF would still just be a niche site, albeit a very influential and well-visited niche website.

Does this purchase help hockey become even more mainstream? Can a company like CraveOnline help hockey get more exposure among the horny young men crowd?

Video of the Day: Mike Rupp is a Pottymouth

2008-05-03T08:42:00.004-07:00

I love it when the embedded microphones capture the raw violence (crunching hits) and tension (the shouting) of hockey.

Let's face it, hockey is a violent sport, and we know the players aren't swapping cheesecake recipes.

Proof? Mike Rupp calling Paul Mara very mean things during a Rangers/Devils tilt. W00t!

Kinda funny how the mics weren't turned off, despite the foul language. Either somebody was asleep at the switch, or they really wanted to capture the raw tension.

Thursday's Tepid Tantrums

2008-05-01T09:33:00.002-07:00

As most people know, the NY Daily News, a tabloid known for misinformation and sensationalism, screwed the pooch reporting Sean Avery as having Cardiac Arrest when he really just had a ruptured spleen.

In the rush to get the 'scoop', the tabloid sensationalized the story, and went with the first bit of 'knowledge' they had, rather than do some further investigating.

What is even funnier than the sloppy cover-up attempts is the fact that the 'reporter', John Dellapina, is fighting back and claiming some mass conspiracy.

Finally, for all those from other media outlets and newspapers who have sarcastically dismissed our initial web story about Sean Avery's hospitalization since the Rangers refuted it Wednesday afternoon, I wonder:

Was your initial reaction that the story couldn't have been correct or did you simply race up to the MSG Training Center to get player reaction? And, did you call the hospital and/or Avery's representatives to get the real story or did your "reporting" simply consist of taking the team's word for what happened?

Fortunately, the intrepid men an women of the press who have exposed baseball's steroid problems didn't similarly regurgitate what they were told by people who understandably want their businesses viewed as beyond reproach.

So, is there a mass cover-up by the Rangers and other media outlets? Did Avery really have a heart attack, and the team wants us to think otherwise? Not bloody likely.

Dellapina would have us believe that the rest of the media is doing sloppy reporting, and he had the real story, in a lame attempt to cover his ass. Yes, how dare other media outlets try to get the real story, after the NY Daily News made some serious claims about Avery's health.

It won't work, stupid!

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Wayne's World!!

Our Southern Correspondent shares some thoughts.

First, I heard the news about Sean Avery about I left this library...It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy; I'd like to see him on a slab on "CSI: New York"...Now on to the other stuff:

Montreal has a player named Francis Bouillon; if he played baseball, his teammates would call him "Soupy"...

What is that song that they play over the PA system in the Walk-over-ya Center whenever the Flyers score a goal? I remember it being played last year at Anaheim as well...Sure beats the hell out of Zombie Nation or Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll, Part 2" (which should be buried once in for all in the desert outside Las Vegas, never to return)...

Darren Eliot, please STFU: You are the reason I turn down Thrasher telecasts to listen to Jeff Odgers and My Favorite Kamalian on the radio, and now you're boring people to tears on Versus...On the other hand, being boring and charisma-impaired may be a job-requirement at that channel (just look who they have doing the studio show)...

I knew the San Jose-Dallas game was gonna be a low-scoring snoozefest, so I warmed-up for the game by watching the UEFA cup game between Chelsea and Liverpool...was out cold before the end of the first half...

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Some banter between us FanHouse boys, and the realization that this could be THE END for many NHL legends.

From JP of Japers Rink

Don't know if anyone wants to make mention of it, but tonight could be the last chance fans get to watch the two active all-time points leaders - Sakic and Jagr - play (at least in the NHL).

3228 points, 4 Cups, 5 Ross Trophies, 2 Harts, 22 All-Star games, 2 Olympic Golds, etc., etc.

Throw Forsberg into the mix and the combined stats are even more ridiculous.

Don't forget about Jeremy Roenick and Brendan Shanahan. If this was the end for all of them, we'd be losing the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 17th active all-time scoring leaders. Catch them while you can.

Sean Avery Done for the Season

2008-04-30T10:26:00.001-07:00

Some strange breaking news this morning as Sean Avery, our 'favourite' son of a bitch, will be out for the remainder of the season with a broken spleen.

As JP (Japers Rink) remarked, one wonders why it took THIS long for Martin Brodeur to get out his Avery voodoo doll.

Sean Avery has a lacerated spleen and will be out for the remainder of the season.

The laceration was detected with a CT scan after Avery was taken to hospital directly following Game 3 with the Penguins.

"He's stable and everything is going to be okay," a team source told TSN.

Avery suffered the injury during Game 3 but the Rangers are unsure of exactly when it occurred. The winger's pain got continuously worse during the game and became more of an issue when play concluded. Team doctor, Dr. Andrew Feldman, suspected Avery had suffered an injury to his spleen and the pair were driven to hospital. Avery entered the hospital under his own power.

Now, I'm not going to be one of those patsy types who is going to feel sorry for Avery. Yes, I know the PC thing to do is to say, "Well, no matter how much of an asshole he is, I'd never wish this upon him."

To that, I say you are full of shit. Call this Karmic justice, or just desserts, because Avery is certainly the type of fellow that could use this type of humbling. Given how much of a shallow ass Avery really is, I'm not feeling one ounce of sympathy for him.

When Forsberg had a similar spleen accident, I actually did feel for him in some manner. As much as I dislike Forsberg's diving antics and hate him for killing the Canucks again and again, I can respect him as an individual and admire him for his courage and tenacity. With Avery, I feel none of that. He's an asshole, plain and simple.

Now, another twist to this story is the tabloid NY Daily News and their coverage of this incident.

At one point, they claimed Avery was not breathing (!), and then, as the morning progressed, kept changing their story as the REAL details flowed in. As per TSN's story, Avery arrived under his own power, and was not about to die, as the NY Daily News might want you to believe.

This screenshot was captured by FanHouse's Matt Saler. Interesting ...