Wednesday, May 23, 2007
More Playoff Ramblings
by Jes
So, the Stanley Cup Finals are set, and we'll have another Canadian team (Ottawa) face off against a non-traditional market (Anaheim) in another year where the Canucks and Leafs win squat.
Our favourite blogger from Alabama, Wayne, emailed me some of his playoff musings, to which I'll respond ...
Daniel Alfredsson has clearly gone from the Muppet to the clear-cut look, and it's working for him. He's all business, and his play speaks volumes about his commitment. Playoff facial hair is definitely more of a North American trend, methinks.
The handshake is a tradition, and nothing more. There is no rule that says you need to shake hands at all, and a team could easily just walk back to the locker room to cry their heads off without acknowledging the other team. Why Chelios decided to shake just one hand is beyond me, but perhaps he agrees with Andrew Dice Clay that shaking hands is the most disgusting habit known to man.
Do you know where those hands have been, other than in sweaty hockey gloves and playing around with blood-stained jocks? Cheli may just be looking out for his own personal hygiene for all we know.
Honestly, I wish the NHL would tell NBC to go screw themselves instead of bending over backwards to accommodate a network that doesn't really care about the game.
Why are we waiting 5-6 days for the Cup Finals to start? The series should start by Saturday at the latest, and this just kills any momentum and hype the series would/can generate.
Up here? Leafs fans are staying away en masse and the ratings can be expected to be less than awesome. In the USA? Yeah, Anaheim is not a popular market, and the Ducks don't play a style that is exciting to casual fans. (Neither does Ottawa these days)
The NHL should have simply told NBC that the Finals would begin on Saturday. If the NBC wanted to broadcast quilt making, then the NHL could move the game to Versus, or simply play on without NBC broadcasting nationally. It's time for the NHL to put up a little bit of a fight for once.
As for my prediction, it'll come a bit later. Suffice it to say, now that Greg picked the Sens to win (see the post below), you can pretty much guarantee that they wont.
---
Over at The NHL Fanhouse, Greg Wyshynski tooks a look at Paris Hilton's hockey career, I take a look at how the Oilers benefited from the Ducks making the Finals, and Eric sees what scares the NHLers worse than a puckbunny with herpes.
PS: You want to talk about the impossible dream? Try finding a Nintendo Wii here in Canada. If I see anyone walking out of a Future Shop with one of these, they can expect a good mugging. (Or maybe I'll just beat up Ingmar and steal his)
So, the Stanley Cup Finals are set, and we'll have another Canadian team (Ottawa) face off against a non-traditional market (Anaheim) in another year where the Canucks and Leafs win squat.
Our favourite blogger from Alabama, Wayne, emailed me some of his playoff musings, to which I'll respond ...
Well, some of us (including myself) don't grow facial hair very well or very fast. It looks rather childish to go around with peach fuzz, rather than just keep a clean shaven look.
Speaking of playoff beards, where's Daniel Alfredsson's? Is it me, or did he miss the memo on how to grow a beard? He looks like a high-school English teacher...
Daniel Alfredsson has clearly gone from the Muppet to the clear-cut look, and it's working for him. He's all business, and his play speaks volumes about his commitment. Playoff facial hair is definitely more of a North American trend, methinks.
During the post-game presser last night, a reporter noticed that Chris Chelios only shook the hand of the Anaheim coach, but did not go through the line like everyone else...Would there be a fine for not waiting in the post-game line like everyone else?
The handshake is a tradition, and nothing more. There is no rule that says you need to shake hands at all, and a team could easily just walk back to the locker room to cry their heads off without acknowledging the other team. Why Chelios decided to shake just one hand is beyond me, but perhaps he agrees with Andrew Dice Clay that shaking hands is the most disgusting habit known to man.
Do you know where those hands have been, other than in sweaty hockey gloves and playing around with blood-stained jocks? Cheli may just be looking out for his own personal hygiene for all we know.
Dick Ebersol (head honcho at NBC Sports) has got to be wanting to jump off a ledge at 30 Rock right now for the Ottawa/'heim matchup...Not only do most U.S. people not know where (or what country) Ottawa is in, I don't think the majority of the L.A. market will tune in, either. (Remember the '02 World Series involving the Angels? Not many people watched, either...) I'm afraid this will get late-season XFL ratings...I'm hoping Ebersol does decide to jump. He's just another rich executive the world could live without.
Honestly, I wish the NHL would tell NBC to go screw themselves instead of bending over backwards to accommodate a network that doesn't really care about the game.
Why are we waiting 5-6 days for the Cup Finals to start? The series should start by Saturday at the latest, and this just kills any momentum and hype the series would/can generate.
Up here? Leafs fans are staying away en masse and the ratings can be expected to be less than awesome. In the USA? Yeah, Anaheim is not a popular market, and the Ducks don't play a style that is exciting to casual fans. (Neither does Ottawa these days)
The NHL should have simply told NBC that the Finals would begin on Saturday. If the NBC wanted to broadcast quilt making, then the NHL could move the game to Versus, or simply play on without NBC broadcasting nationally. It's time for the NHL to put up a little bit of a fight for once.
As for my prediction, it'll come a bit later. Suffice it to say, now that Greg picked the Sens to win (see the post below), you can pretty much guarantee that they wont.
---
Over at The NHL Fanhouse, Greg Wyshynski tooks a look at Paris Hilton's hockey career, I take a look at how the Oilers benefited from the Ducks making the Finals, and Eric sees what scares the NHLers worse than a puckbunny with herpes.
PS: You want to talk about the impossible dream? Try finding a Nintendo Wii here in Canada. If I see anyone walking out of a Future Shop with one of these, they can expect a good mugging. (Or maybe I'll just beat up Ingmar and steal his)
Labels: Daniel Alfredsson, playoffs, ramblings, stanley cup, third round
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Wednesday's Wonderings
by Jes
Today's random, assorted thoughts.
** Ingmar W. Bergman, Evil Swedish Blogger, scored an interview with an unnamed Swedish NHLer over at his site.
If you are trying to find out who Player X is, let's narrow it down...
Player X
a. is far too cool to be one of the Canucks' Swedes (Naslund and Sedinbots)
b. is not Pavol Demitra
c. is not too tall in stature (The toilet seat reference in Part III)
d. is a huge movie buff (especially James Bond)
e. is likely between the ages of 26-31 (given the TV pop-cult references)
f. lacks a social life and has hours to spend IMing Ingmar
g. is a veteran of the labour process and knows the 'game' well enough.
h. snores like a chainsaw
i. hates Wrestling, but knows enough about the catchphrases to be 'in'.
j. likes the overrated TV show, "Heroes".
k. Music: likes heavy metal. Metallica, Linkin Park, Korn etc.
l. very interested in the Penguins blogs (hmmm...)
Now, get to work!
** Didya know that Shanny is into Trannys?
Well, thanks to Canucks and Beyond and Page Six, you do now!!
I guess Ms. Craig Janney isn't the thrill ride she used to be.
** Roy over at Wild Puck Banter (aka, the Marian Gaborik House of Worship)had a list of his 5 least favourite Canucks of all time.
In case you are wondering (I know you are), here is my list.
1. Mark Messier - This bald-headed egomaniac certainly had an impact on the Canucks after coming over from the Rangers. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very bad one, as he was paid $6mil a year to float, destroy the team from within, and not make the playoffs. Messier proved what a fraud he is and was more interested in hanging with Hollywood North celebrities than playing hockey.
2. Todd Bertuzzi - A man-child with loads of talent and absolutely no motivation, Bertuzzi single-handedly destroyed the playoff hopes of the Canucks in his final two seasons here. Paid no attention to defence, rarely gave an honest effort, and was more trouble than he was worth.
He may have given some money and time to charity, but rarely gave you a reason to like him and pull for him. I'd defend him more if he wasn't such a lazy, prickly guy.
3. Jarkko Ruutu - This 'pest' did little but take loads of bad penalties and skate around with that shit-eating grin of his. I actually enjoyed it when he got his ass punched around. Jarkko provides no real benefit to a club, and the Canucks are much better off without him.
4. Felix Potvin/Dan Cloutier (tie) - Two of the worst goalies in Canucks history. I don’t dislike them personally, but I was certainly very happy when both of them were booted out of here. They were overrated from the start and I knew they would always be bad. Potvin never did learn that staying back way in your net is not a good thing. If Cloutier was our enforcer, I'd probably love the guy.
5. Alex "Mood Ring" Mogilny - Loads of skill and talent, but little personality. From his actions and words, I always got the feeling he never really liked hockey, and was obviously playing simply for the paycheque.
** Hockeysfuture.com has released it's Spring 2007 Top 50 List.
Here is how the teams fare in the Top 50.
'
Not great news for Atlanta, Tampa, Carolina, Colorado, and Dallas. Boston, St. Louis, Chi-Town, and LA fit in very nicely.
Of course, as M-E Vlasic, Paul Stastny, and Patrice Bergeron will tell you, prospecting is hardly an exact science.
Today's random, assorted thoughts.
** Ingmar W. Bergman, Evil Swedish Blogger, scored an interview with an unnamed Swedish NHLer over at his site.
If you are trying to find out who Player X is, let's narrow it down...
Player X
a. is far too cool to be one of the Canucks' Swedes (Naslund and Sedinbots)
b. is not Pavol Demitra
c. is not too tall in stature (The toilet seat reference in Part III)
d. is a huge movie buff (especially James Bond)
e. is likely between the ages of 26-31 (given the TV pop-cult references)
f. lacks a social life and has hours to spend IMing Ingmar
g. is a veteran of the labour process and knows the 'game' well enough.
h. snores like a chainsaw
i. hates Wrestling, but knows enough about the catchphrases to be 'in'.
j. likes the overrated TV show, "Heroes".
k. Music: likes heavy metal. Metallica, Linkin Park, Korn etc.
l. very interested in the Penguins blogs (hmmm...)
Now, get to work!
** Didya know that Shanny is into Trannys?
Well, thanks to Canucks and Beyond and Page Six, you do now!!
LINDSAY Lohan continued her New York party over the weekend. On Saturday night, she and her pals, deejay Samantha Ronson and p.r. powerhouse Lisette Sand-Freeman, hit the Beatrice Inn before going to The Box at 1 a.m. - where Lohan got up on the stage and sang while doing a “stripper dance” to thunderous applause. She got off easy - after her, New York Ranger Brendan Shanahan was blindfolded and ball-gagged as trannies danced around him.
I guess Ms. Craig Janney isn't the thrill ride she used to be.
** Roy over at Wild Puck Banter (aka, the Marian Gaborik House of Worship)had a list of his 5 least favourite Canucks of all time.
In case you are wondering (I know you are), here is my list.
1. Mark Messier - This bald-headed egomaniac certainly had an impact on the Canucks after coming over from the Rangers. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very bad one, as he was paid $6mil a year to float, destroy the team from within, and not make the playoffs. Messier proved what a fraud he is and was more interested in hanging with Hollywood North celebrities than playing hockey.
2. Todd Bertuzzi - A man-child with loads of talent and absolutely no motivation, Bertuzzi single-handedly destroyed the playoff hopes of the Canucks in his final two seasons here. Paid no attention to defence, rarely gave an honest effort, and was more trouble than he was worth.
He may have given some money and time to charity, but rarely gave you a reason to like him and pull for him. I'd defend him more if he wasn't such a lazy, prickly guy.
3. Jarkko Ruutu - This 'pest' did little but take loads of bad penalties and skate around with that shit-eating grin of his. I actually enjoyed it when he got his ass punched around. Jarkko provides no real benefit to a club, and the Canucks are much better off without him.
4. Felix Potvin/Dan Cloutier (tie) - Two of the worst goalies in Canucks history. I don’t dislike them personally, but I was certainly very happy when both of them were booted out of here. They were overrated from the start and I knew they would always be bad. Potvin never did learn that staying back way in your net is not a good thing. If Cloutier was our enforcer, I'd probably love the guy.
5. Alex "Mood Ring" Mogilny - Loads of skill and talent, but little personality. From his actions and words, I always got the feeling he never really liked hockey, and was obviously playing simply for the paycheque.
** Hockeysfuture.com has released it's Spring 2007 Top 50 List.
Here is how the teams fare in the Top 50.
'Not great news for Atlanta, Tampa, Carolina, Colorado, and Dallas. Boston, St. Louis, Chi-Town, and LA fit in very nicely.
Of course, as M-E Vlasic, Paul Stastny, and Patrice Bergeron will tell you, prospecting is hardly an exact science.
Labels: Bertuzzi, Canucks, Hockeysfuture, Ingmar is Evil, Messier, Mogilny, ramblings, Shanahan
Monday, February 19, 2007
NyQuil Dreams and DayQuil Delusions
By Jes
Damn this cold!! If only I had taken $3,000 worth of ColdFX, I might be OK...the ramblings of a stuffed up blogger.
Everyone knows Sidney Crosby is the king of the scoring race, but who's #2?
Vincent Lecavalier! Here's a name that doesn't get a lot of attention these days.
For the longest time, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards were the superior players down in TBay and Prince Vince wasn't living up to his potential.
This season? Vincent is first in goals with 39, second in points with 80, and even has 3 short-handed goals to his credit. HE's also cut down on the stupid penalties, and has just 38 minutes to his name this year. Between him. St. Louis, and Brad Richards, the Lightning have an amazing trio of scorers that stay out of the box. If only they had the defence and goaltending to go along with that...
When do you give up hope?
Looking at the standings, Greg's Avalanche are 'just' 9 points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand. That's 4 wins and an OT loss. Seems doable, right?
Well, looking at James Mirtle's "Push for 95", we see the Avs need a 17-5-1 run to get to the magical 95 mark, while the Canucks need just 11-11-1 and the Wild need a 13-9-0 mark.
The Canucks and Wild...getting those records seems very easy to do for them. Can you imagine the Avalanche suddenly getting hot and going 17-5-1, especially with their goaltending issues? Can you imagine the Oilers getting the 17-6 record they need with their defensive problems?
Yeah, these teams are pretty much done. How do you feel, as a fan of such a team...do you give up now? Keep going until the math gods say you are eliminated? Cheer against the Avs and hope they get a better draft position?
Which of these names is not like the other?
Lidstrom, Souray, Gonchar, Niedermayer, Kaberle, Visnovsky, Boyle, Pronger, Whitney, McCabe.
Yeah, that's RYAN Whitney, who is 9th in defensemen scoring with 43 points in 58 games. While Malkin, Recchi, Gonchar, and Crosby get most of the attention, Ryan Whitney has quietly put up a great season and has made awesome strides both offensively and defensively.
Eye-popping stat of the day: Tom Preissing of Ottawa and his +34!
Sure, Lidstrom has a higher +38 (Which is amazing given who he plays against every night), but would you ever expect a Tom Preissing to be second? There always seems to be one defenseman that just had a gaudy +/- out of the blue.
Speaking of such defensemen, Marek Malik is at it again with a +21.
His past 4 seasons? +23, +35, +28, +21. I am guessing that is the highest 4-year total in the NHL.
Who are the Cy Young candidates this season? there aren't a lot of great ones, but here's the field.
Simon Gagne: 31 GOALS, 18 ASSISTS
Jordan Staal: 24 GOALS, 6 ASSISTS
On the flip side, Henrik Sedin definitely gets the Care Bear Helper Award with 8 goals and 48 assists. Ales Hemsky (shooooooot!) is a distant 2nd with 9 goals and 37 assists.
Damn this cold!! If only I had taken $3,000 worth of ColdFX, I might be OK...the ramblings of a stuffed up blogger.
Vincent Lecavalier! Here's a name that doesn't get a lot of attention these days.
For the longest time, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards were the superior players down in TBay and Prince Vince wasn't living up to his potential.
This season? Vincent is first in goals with 39, second in points with 80, and even has 3 short-handed goals to his credit. HE's also cut down on the stupid penalties, and has just 38 minutes to his name this year. Between him. St. Louis, and Brad Richards, the Lightning have an amazing trio of scorers that stay out of the box. If only they had the defence and goaltending to go along with that...
Looking at the standings, Greg's Avalanche are 'just' 9 points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand. That's 4 wins and an OT loss. Seems doable, right?
Well, looking at James Mirtle's "Push for 95", we see the Avs need a 17-5-1 run to get to the magical 95 mark, while the Canucks need just 11-11-1 and the Wild need a 13-9-0 mark.
The Canucks and Wild...getting those records seems very easy to do for them. Can you imagine the Avalanche suddenly getting hot and going 17-5-1, especially with their goaltending issues? Can you imagine the Oilers getting the 17-6 record they need with their defensive problems?
Yeah, these teams are pretty much done. How do you feel, as a fan of such a team...do you give up now? Keep going until the math gods say you are eliminated? Cheer against the Avs and hope they get a better draft position?
Lidstrom, Souray, Gonchar, Niedermayer, Kaberle, Visnovsky, Boyle, Pronger, Whitney, McCabe.
Yeah, that's RYAN Whitney, who is 9th in defensemen scoring with 43 points in 58 games. While Malkin, Recchi, Gonchar, and Crosby get most of the attention, Ryan Whitney has quietly put up a great season and has made awesome strides both offensively and defensively.
Sure, Lidstrom has a higher +38 (Which is amazing given who he plays against every night), but would you ever expect a Tom Preissing to be second? There always seems to be one defenseman that just had a gaudy +/- out of the blue.
Speaking of such defensemen, Marek Malik is at it again with a +21.
His past 4 seasons? +23, +35, +28, +21. I am guessing that is the highest 4-year total in the NHL.
Simon Gagne: 31 GOALS, 18 ASSISTS
Jordan Staal: 24 GOALS, 6 ASSISTS
On the flip side, Henrik Sedin definitely gets the Care Bear Helper Award with 8 goals and 48 assists. Ales Hemsky (shooooooot!) is a distant 2nd with 9 goals and 37 assists.
Labels: Crosby, Cy Young, jes is sick, Lecavalier, Malik, ramblings, Ryan Whitney
