The United States will name its Olympic Hockey team on Monday, as General Manager Don Waddell announces his selections from St. Paul, Minnesota.
Many expect the Americans to go with a youth movement with the likes of former Olympians Chris Chelios and Jeremy Roenick, to be replaced by younger legs for the trip to Turin. Having kept a core group together for over ten years now, the Americans are looking to the future and a new crop of young American skaters to carry the colours into the rink.
The big question in the States as in Canada, is who will tend to the nets for the USA. Rick DiPietro, Robert Esche and John Grahame are the professionals being considered as is Ryan Miller of Michigan State.
It's a tough call for Waddell, who will have to tell some long time stars of hockey in the USA that their time has passed them by. With players such as Mike Modano, Bill Guerin and Doug Weight winding down their careers, this could very well be their last shot at a Gold Medal for the USA.
But time marches on and unless the Americans begin to bring some new legs and expose some of their younger guns to the Olympic experience, they may find that their roster depth for Vancouver will be even less experienced.
It's a tough job to be the one responsible for naming the names, even more so considering the pedigree of some of the names Waddell may have to leave off the list. Unless his team comes back with a Gold Medal for their troubles, Waddell really is in a no win situation.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Is it a solid hockey move? Or one of desperation?
The announcement that Sidney Crosby has been named an alternate captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins is raising more than a few eyebrows around the NHL this weekend. With the turmoil in Pittsburgh of the last few days, yet another level of controversy has been reached with Super Sid getting handed an A for his jersey. The one that used to belong to long time veteran John Leclair, who took it all in stride.
The new head coach Michel Therrien made his choice on Friday and since then there has been many different takes on the decision. Some look at it as a way of endearing himself early on to the budding superstar and his equally famous captain and owner. It’s been a rather rocky season thus far, let alone the last seven days in Pittsburgh, with the suggestion the team may be on the move in 2007 and then the firing of head coach Ed Olczyk who could not get much performance from his team of public skating fan dressed up as hockey players.
While one does question Olczyk’s credentials as a head coach in the first place, it became pretty apparent this season that the team assembled by Craig Patrick for him is not exactly giving their all in the early going this year. There are suggestions that the youngest Penguin is already getting a swelled head about his importance to the team and by giving him a higher profile position the Penguins are courting internal strife in the dressing room for the rest of the season.
The situation has become so controversial that it even made it to the hockey pulpit that is Coach’s Corner, where Don Cherry made quick work of the promotion of Crosby to the Alternate captain’s position. Cherry said he didn’t believe that Crosby was ready for the task at hand and more importantly would end up being more divisive to a team already steeped in turmoil. Basically stating that Crosby has not earned the position yet Cherry basically claimed it was just a way for Therrien to get into Mario Lemieux’s good books from the get go. The inference being that it’s still Lemieux calling the shots in Pittsburgh and the coach is but the guy to open the gate regularly for line changes.
There may be a grain of truth in the Cherry argument, even if he has had issues with Crosby in the past. The pressure of all of this on an eighteen year old, may cause him some problems as he tries to get his career off to a solid start. Rather than letting him ease his way into the league and gradually reach the plateau many expect for him, the Penguins seem to want to fast track his every move.
It’s a dangerous thing that they are doing in Pittsburgh; an already underperforming squad now will have a new target for their frustrations. Long time veterans may not take kindly to “advice” from an eighteen year old wunderkind, especially one who has an inordinate amount of time with the boss.
There’s no stopping Crosby’s potential in the NHL, but by putting him on the hot seat so early in his career the Penguins are not making things very easy for their future franchise player!
The new head coach Michel Therrien made his choice on Friday and since then there has been many different takes on the decision. Some look at it as a way of endearing himself early on to the budding superstar and his equally famous captain and owner. It’s been a rather rocky season thus far, let alone the last seven days in Pittsburgh, with the suggestion the team may be on the move in 2007 and then the firing of head coach Ed Olczyk who could not get much performance from his team of public skating fan dressed up as hockey players.
While one does question Olczyk’s credentials as a head coach in the first place, it became pretty apparent this season that the team assembled by Craig Patrick for him is not exactly giving their all in the early going this year. There are suggestions that the youngest Penguin is already getting a swelled head about his importance to the team and by giving him a higher profile position the Penguins are courting internal strife in the dressing room for the rest of the season.
The situation has become so controversial that it even made it to the hockey pulpit that is Coach’s Corner, where Don Cherry made quick work of the promotion of Crosby to the Alternate captain’s position. Cherry said he didn’t believe that Crosby was ready for the task at hand and more importantly would end up being more divisive to a team already steeped in turmoil. Basically stating that Crosby has not earned the position yet Cherry basically claimed it was just a way for Therrien to get into Mario Lemieux’s good books from the get go. The inference being that it’s still Lemieux calling the shots in Pittsburgh and the coach is but the guy to open the gate regularly for line changes.
There may be a grain of truth in the Cherry argument, even if he has had issues with Crosby in the past. The pressure of all of this on an eighteen year old, may cause him some problems as he tries to get his career off to a solid start. Rather than letting him ease his way into the league and gradually reach the plateau many expect for him, the Penguins seem to want to fast track his every move.
It’s a dangerous thing that they are doing in Pittsburgh; an already underperforming squad now will have a new target for their frustrations. Long time veterans may not take kindly to “advice” from an eighteen year old wunderkind, especially one who has an inordinate amount of time with the boss.
There’s no stopping Crosby’s potential in the NHL, but by putting him on the hot seat so early in his career the Penguins are not making things very easy for their future franchise player!
Oilers in OT!
It’s something that hasn’t happened very much at GM Place this season, a loss by the home side. But if any team was going to make its mark in Vancouver it probably would be the Edmonton Oilers.
Saturday night the Oilers provided an entertaining night of hockey for the second game of the Hockey Night in Canada double header, as they came from behind to take a victory away from GM Place. Mike Peca put away the winning fifth goal with a highlight reel shot to the Canucks net after a controversial play in the neutral zone, in which he pulled away from a sprawling Daniel Sedin.
It didn’t seem like it was going to go the Oilers way early on, as the Canucks scored two quick goals early on and in fast order much to the delight of the Canucks faithful. The Canucks scoring blitz in fact chased the Oilers starting goaltender Mike Morrison from the game before he could even work up a sweat. Morrison was replaced by Jussi Markkanen, who kept a steady hand in the Oiler net for the rest of the game.
Todd Bertuzzi continued to play inspired hockey as he crashed and bashed his way towards two goals on the night, coming close a number of times to picking up a hat trick for his efforts on the night.
Power play opportunities would prove pivotal for the Oilers as they took advantage of a penalty parade of Canucks through the game.
The Canucks started Maxime Ouellette in goal, giving their new starter Alex Auld a night off after his recent string of consecutive games in place of the injured Dan Cloutier. Ouellete played well for the most part and benefited from some solid defensive play from the likes of Jovanovski, Salo and Ohlund.
The 5-4 loss by the Canucks marks only the second time they have lost on GM Place ice this season, a remarkable stretch of winning hockey. It was however the third loss to the Oilers this season, making Edmonton the troublesome date on the Canucks calendar for the rest of the season.
With the victory the Oilers pull to within three points of the Canucks in the North West division standings but more importantly file away another bit of confidence when it comes to playing their rivals in the North West.
Saturday night the Oilers provided an entertaining night of hockey for the second game of the Hockey Night in Canada double header, as they came from behind to take a victory away from GM Place. Mike Peca put away the winning fifth goal with a highlight reel shot to the Canucks net after a controversial play in the neutral zone, in which he pulled away from a sprawling Daniel Sedin.
It didn’t seem like it was going to go the Oilers way early on, as the Canucks scored two quick goals early on and in fast order much to the delight of the Canucks faithful. The Canucks scoring blitz in fact chased the Oilers starting goaltender Mike Morrison from the game before he could even work up a sweat. Morrison was replaced by Jussi Markkanen, who kept a steady hand in the Oiler net for the rest of the game.
Todd Bertuzzi continued to play inspired hockey as he crashed and bashed his way towards two goals on the night, coming close a number of times to picking up a hat trick for his efforts on the night.
Power play opportunities would prove pivotal for the Oilers as they took advantage of a penalty parade of Canucks through the game.
The Canucks started Maxime Ouellette in goal, giving their new starter Alex Auld a night off after his recent string of consecutive games in place of the injured Dan Cloutier. Ouellete played well for the most part and benefited from some solid defensive play from the likes of Jovanovski, Salo and Ohlund.
The 5-4 loss by the Canucks marks only the second time they have lost on GM Place ice this season, a remarkable stretch of winning hockey. It was however the third loss to the Oilers this season, making Edmonton the troublesome date on the Canucks calendar for the rest of the season.
With the victory the Oilers pull to within three points of the Canucks in the North West division standings but more importantly file away another bit of confidence when it comes to playing their rivals in the North West.
Sens return to the winner’s column with a good old fashioned Leaf thumping
It used to be that a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs brought much misery to fans of the Ottawa Senators. It normally meant for a long night and one ending badly for the followers of the red, white and black.
But this year things are decidedly different, a meeting between the Leafs and Sens is more than likely to result in a thumping of the Maple Leaf Nation both on the scoreboard and on the ice.
Saturday night’s Hockey Night in Canada prime time attraction was no different, as the Senators provided the home town crowd with many enjoyable moments. The Sens were led through the night by Jason Spezza, who continues to try to play his way onto the Olympic team by sheer point’s volume. Spezza contributed a three point night on the way to a convincing 8-2 demolition of the Maple Leafs.
The avalanche of goals did not come until the second and third periods after a stellar performance by Ed Belfour in the first; Belfour held the Sens at bay shot after shot as his defence abandoned him on this Saturday night. Forwards refused to back check and seemed unable to keep up with the Sens skating as the second period passed its midway point, after the Sens picked up their fourth goal one just got the impression the rest of the night would be a long one for the Eagle. Too many Leaf penalties resulted in too many power play opportunities for a skilled Ottawa side, who took advantage of their good fortune most of the night.
Toronto could not put together much of an offensive attack on Saturday, giving Domenic Hasek only infrequent appearances on national television. The first period shots of goal told the tale of how this game would eventually work out, Ottawa had directed 18 shots at Belfour in the first period, the Leafs had tested Hasek only five times in that same period of time.
As is the case with these two teams the play turned chippy as things got out of hand on the scoreboard, numerous fights would break out during the third period and some particularly nasty stick work would flare up from time to time. One incident between Carlo Colaiacovo and Jason Spezza highlighted the frustration of the Leafs on the night. A spear to Spezza at the blue line, resulted in a punch up inside the Leafs goal crease as Spezza tried to provide a little frontier justice for the infraction.
The attempt by the Leafs to intimidate the Sens once again did not work, in previous years the Leafs would dominate a Sens game simply by out hitting them, taking the softer players on and dishing out the heavy hits when the right time would come along.
This year it’s the Sens who are playing the body hard, not allowing the Leafs to take any liberties against their players and more importantly of all not being run out of their own arena any more.
It’s still early yet, but the notices are being posted for April and the playoffs, no one can come into Ottawa anymore and take liberties and points away from these Sens. All attempts to do so will be dealt with in a most unpleasant manner, both on the scoreboard and in the penalty box.
But this year things are decidedly different, a meeting between the Leafs and Sens is more than likely to result in a thumping of the Maple Leaf Nation both on the scoreboard and on the ice.
Saturday night’s Hockey Night in Canada prime time attraction was no different, as the Senators provided the home town crowd with many enjoyable moments. The Sens were led through the night by Jason Spezza, who continues to try to play his way onto the Olympic team by sheer point’s volume. Spezza contributed a three point night on the way to a convincing 8-2 demolition of the Maple Leafs.
The avalanche of goals did not come until the second and third periods after a stellar performance by Ed Belfour in the first; Belfour held the Sens at bay shot after shot as his defence abandoned him on this Saturday night. Forwards refused to back check and seemed unable to keep up with the Sens skating as the second period passed its midway point, after the Sens picked up their fourth goal one just got the impression the rest of the night would be a long one for the Eagle. Too many Leaf penalties resulted in too many power play opportunities for a skilled Ottawa side, who took advantage of their good fortune most of the night.
Toronto could not put together much of an offensive attack on Saturday, giving Domenic Hasek only infrequent appearances on national television. The first period shots of goal told the tale of how this game would eventually work out, Ottawa had directed 18 shots at Belfour in the first period, the Leafs had tested Hasek only five times in that same period of time.
As is the case with these two teams the play turned chippy as things got out of hand on the scoreboard, numerous fights would break out during the third period and some particularly nasty stick work would flare up from time to time. One incident between Carlo Colaiacovo and Jason Spezza highlighted the frustration of the Leafs on the night. A spear to Spezza at the blue line, resulted in a punch up inside the Leafs goal crease as Spezza tried to provide a little frontier justice for the infraction.
The attempt by the Leafs to intimidate the Sens once again did not work, in previous years the Leafs would dominate a Sens game simply by out hitting them, taking the softer players on and dishing out the heavy hits when the right time would come along.
This year it’s the Sens who are playing the body hard, not allowing the Leafs to take any liberties against their players and more importantly of all not being run out of their own arena any more.
It’s still early yet, but the notices are being posted for April and the playoffs, no one can come into Ottawa anymore and take liberties and points away from these Sens. All attempts to do so will be dealt with in a most unpleasant manner, both on the scoreboard and in the penalty box.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Saskin says his peace at the NHL meetings
It marked a first for the NHL, the leader of the leagues players union was asked to drop in and say a few words as the thirty league governors gathered in the desert of Arizona.
Ted Saskin, head of the NHLPA gave an address to the NHL owners outlining his take on the current collective agreement and bringing some of his memberships concerns to the table for consideration.
The meeting which has been described as precedent setting, was the main event of the
Wednesday meeting, as he explained that for the most part the players were content with the new structure of the NHL (mind you he probably didn't consult with the Trent Klatt collection on that one) and had only a few concerns of note at the moment.
Among them the inconsistent calls of the officials in the new NHL, some games are chock a block full of penalties while the next night the free wheeling goes on uninterrupted, the players would like to see a more reliable base for how the game will be called from night to night.
The other issue that has a few of them concerned is the waiver situation where minor league players end up stuck on farm clubs, only because the parent club is afraid of losing them on waivers on the way up. The poster boy for this problem is Wade Flaherty of the Manitoba Moose, the Canucks who obviously could use a reliable and experienced goaltender to help out Alex Auld with Dan Cloutier now gone for the season, can't afford to take the chance on bringing Flaherty up to the main club. Should they try, he could very well be claimed by some other NHL team in need of a goaltender and the Canucks would be on the hook for a portion of his salary while he plays on a different team. For Flaherty it must be particularly disconcerting, as he may find himself forever left in the AHL merely because he's probably good enough to be in the NHL. Saskin did not get any answers on that dilemma to report back to the membership on.
The appearance of Saskin seems to be setting a new tone for the NHL and its relationship with its players. After the bitterness of the lockout year lost, both sides appear for the most part to be trying to cobble together a more productive relationship. Inviting Saskin to the inner circle if only for a brief period of time, at least gives the players hope that some of their concerns will finally get an honest hearing.
It may also go a long way in settling down the festering problems within the players association, as the Klatt led rebels continue to lobby for another confirmation vote on Saskin's leadership. By showing that he has the ear of the NHL power brokers, Saskin may have been able to quell the problems before they pick up much more steam.
Ted Saskin, head of the NHLPA gave an address to the NHL owners outlining his take on the current collective agreement and bringing some of his memberships concerns to the table for consideration.
The meeting which has been described as precedent setting, was the main event of the
Wednesday meeting, as he explained that for the most part the players were content with the new structure of the NHL (mind you he probably didn't consult with the Trent Klatt collection on that one) and had only a few concerns of note at the moment.
Among them the inconsistent calls of the officials in the new NHL, some games are chock a block full of penalties while the next night the free wheeling goes on uninterrupted, the players would like to see a more reliable base for how the game will be called from night to night.
The other issue that has a few of them concerned is the waiver situation where minor league players end up stuck on farm clubs, only because the parent club is afraid of losing them on waivers on the way up. The poster boy for this problem is Wade Flaherty of the Manitoba Moose, the Canucks who obviously could use a reliable and experienced goaltender to help out Alex Auld with Dan Cloutier now gone for the season, can't afford to take the chance on bringing Flaherty up to the main club. Should they try, he could very well be claimed by some other NHL team in need of a goaltender and the Canucks would be on the hook for a portion of his salary while he plays on a different team. For Flaherty it must be particularly disconcerting, as he may find himself forever left in the AHL merely because he's probably good enough to be in the NHL. Saskin did not get any answers on that dilemma to report back to the membership on.
The appearance of Saskin seems to be setting a new tone for the NHL and its relationship with its players. After the bitterness of the lockout year lost, both sides appear for the most part to be trying to cobble together a more productive relationship. Inviting Saskin to the inner circle if only for a brief period of time, at least gives the players hope that some of their concerns will finally get an honest hearing.
It may also go a long way in settling down the festering problems within the players association, as the Klatt led rebels continue to lobby for another confirmation vote on Saskin's leadership. By showing that he has the ear of the NHL power brokers, Saskin may have been able to quell the problems before they pick up much more steam.
Sabre Rattling!
The Buffalo Sabres continued on their winning ways, as Martin Biron backstopped them to a convincing 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars. Biron collected his 11th consecutive start and win as he turned aside 32 shots, 16 of them in the final period on the way to the record books. With the victory Biron tied the mark set by another Martin, a guy named Brodeur who also collected 11 straight wins back in 2001.
Biron has quickly become a crowd favourite in Northern New York as he leads a renaissance of hockey in Sabreland. Winning 12 of 14 games since they lost to Ottawa in November. With 20 wins so far, they are off to their best start since the 1979-80.
The game Wednesday night was a mid term exam of sorts for Lindy Ruff's team, taking the play to a Dallas team that had previously won five stright games and 13 of their last fifteen. Strong defensive play and shutting down the Stars power play were among the keys to victory besides the stellar play of Biron in the nets.
The Sabres had a 3-0 lead in the second before a few mental errors allowed the Stars to quicky get back into the game. But with the score 4-2 the Sabres were able to keep the Stars at bay, though they let things get close when Dallas scored with seven minutes to go. The Dallas goal made for a frantic and entertaining finish that gave former President Bill Clinton full value for his trip to Buffalo and a night at the hockey game.
At the end of the night though, it wasn't Hail to the Chief the crowd was singing. It was hail to the Marty, who quickly is becoming popular enough to consider running for an office of his own!
Biron has quickly become a crowd favourite in Northern New York as he leads a renaissance of hockey in Sabreland. Winning 12 of 14 games since they lost to Ottawa in November. With 20 wins so far, they are off to their best start since the 1979-80.
The game Wednesday night was a mid term exam of sorts for Lindy Ruff's team, taking the play to a Dallas team that had previously won five stright games and 13 of their last fifteen. Strong defensive play and shutting down the Stars power play were among the keys to victory besides the stellar play of Biron in the nets.
The Sabres had a 3-0 lead in the second before a few mental errors allowed the Stars to quicky get back into the game. But with the score 4-2 the Sabres were able to keep the Stars at bay, though they let things get close when Dallas scored with seven minutes to go. The Dallas goal made for a frantic and entertaining finish that gave former President Bill Clinton full value for his trip to Buffalo and a night at the hockey game.
At the end of the night though, it wasn't Hail to the Chief the crowd was singing. It was hail to the Marty, who quickly is becoming popular enough to consider running for an office of his own!
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Bert Big on Broadway
Tuesday night was opening night for the new Todd Bertuzzi, or at least the improved Bertuzzi. Vancouver’s power forward found the form that has been missing for most of the season thus far, a crashing more physical game and one that found him to be the key part of the Canucks success in Manhattan.
On a day when the Canucks learned that their number one goaltender was gone for the season, they pulled together on the east coast and took a win away from Madison Square Garden. Alex Auld, who now suddenly finds himself Marc Crawford’s go to guy, had a decent night in the nets as his defence helped keep the Ranger snipers at bay for most of the night.
In the Ranger end of the rink, the Canucks had quite a few chances to increase on the 3-2 final score. As they controlled a fair amount of play Tuesday night with many contributors to the attack, the Sedins continued to find more opportunities to get on the board, with Daniel once again scoring with the Canucks second goal of the game.
Bertuzzi got the Canucks on the board in the first on a dandy pass from Ed Jovanovski, taking the puck across the blue line Bertuzzi wired a shot past Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. From there he spent the end of the second and better part of the third period in the penalty box, after coming to the aid of Marcus Naslund, Bertuzzi found himself penalized for 17 minutes after a melee with Ryan Hollweg.
From that point the night belonged to Matt Cooke, who was returning to action for the first time since suffering a broken jaw seventeen games ago. Cooke put the game away with a tie breaking goal with four and a half minutes left in the game.
Cooke had put on a fairly gritty performance for most of the game, unafraid to take the body and consistent on the attack.
For Coach Marc Crawford the night must have been one that gave him a feeling of success. His new number one goaltender stood the test of fire in the Garden, his power forward had probably his best game of the year despite spending a good portion of the game as an observer, his play Tuesday should help to quiet down any rumours of his imminent trade from the Canucks. Just as rewarding for Crawford on Tuesday was the inspired play of the player with the most heart on the night, as Matt Cooke returned to the lineup and had an immediate effect on the Canucks fortunes.
His team has slain two of the East’s power squads in less than one week! Perhaps playing the elite squads is something that the Canucks need more of, as they seem to bring their best game to the rink when the competition is cruising the top of their divisions. And the good news for Crawford is the big teams keep on coming on, from Broadway it’s on to Broad Street and a Thursday night match with the Flyers. Then it's back home to GM Place and the always tough Edmonton Oilers.
It’s another couple of tests for a team that seems to enjoy taking the exams all of a sudden.
On a day when the Canucks learned that their number one goaltender was gone for the season, they pulled together on the east coast and took a win away from Madison Square Garden. Alex Auld, who now suddenly finds himself Marc Crawford’s go to guy, had a decent night in the nets as his defence helped keep the Ranger snipers at bay for most of the night.
In the Ranger end of the rink, the Canucks had quite a few chances to increase on the 3-2 final score. As they controlled a fair amount of play Tuesday night with many contributors to the attack, the Sedins continued to find more opportunities to get on the board, with Daniel once again scoring with the Canucks second goal of the game.
Bertuzzi got the Canucks on the board in the first on a dandy pass from Ed Jovanovski, taking the puck across the blue line Bertuzzi wired a shot past Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. From there he spent the end of the second and better part of the third period in the penalty box, after coming to the aid of Marcus Naslund, Bertuzzi found himself penalized for 17 minutes after a melee with Ryan Hollweg.
From that point the night belonged to Matt Cooke, who was returning to action for the first time since suffering a broken jaw seventeen games ago. Cooke put the game away with a tie breaking goal with four and a half minutes left in the game.
Cooke had put on a fairly gritty performance for most of the game, unafraid to take the body and consistent on the attack.
For Coach Marc Crawford the night must have been one that gave him a feeling of success. His new number one goaltender stood the test of fire in the Garden, his power forward had probably his best game of the year despite spending a good portion of the game as an observer, his play Tuesday should help to quiet down any rumours of his imminent trade from the Canucks. Just as rewarding for Crawford on Tuesday was the inspired play of the player with the most heart on the night, as Matt Cooke returned to the lineup and had an immediate effect on the Canucks fortunes.
His team has slain two of the East’s power squads in less than one week! Perhaps playing the elite squads is something that the Canucks need more of, as they seem to bring their best game to the rink when the competition is cruising the top of their divisions. And the good news for Crawford is the big teams keep on coming on, from Broadway it’s on to Broad Street and a Thursday night match with the Flyers. Then it's back home to GM Place and the always tough Edmonton Oilers.
It’s another couple of tests for a team that seems to enjoy taking the exams all of a sudden.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
From the penthouse, to the doghouse, to the outhouse!
It’s been a rather long road for Patrick Lalime and with Tuesday’s demotion to the AHL, its a road that now leads out of the NHL for the time being.
Lalime was released yesterday by the Blues and put on waivers, with a salary at over 2 million dollars there wasn’t much in the way of interest and now he finds himself waived out of the league and onto the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL.
Lalime was the starting goaltender for the Ottawa Senators the last time they played in a playoff game, as he and his Sens bowed out to the New Jersey Devils. It would be his final appearance in a Sens uniform, as the house cleaning in Ottawa began under John Muckler in the off season before the strike. As history records, Domenic Hasek eventually would be the man between the pipes in Ottawa and Lalime was off to St. Louis.
His arrival in the city with the arch, has coincided with a free fall of the Blues franchise which continues on unchecked and resembles a train wreck happening in slow motion. With the owners hoping to unload the team soon, the aura of success is hard to come by in St. Louis these days, Lalime got caught up in all of that and had a very rough start in the St. Louis net.
Playing behind the league’s worst team, Lalime has acquired the leagues worst record with 3 wins, 11 losses and four ties prior to his departure from the NHL. His Goals Against is a rather high 3.97, which is part testimony to the disorganization of the Blues defence and his poor play through the early season.
His last game for St. Louis came Saturday night, when he gave up a horrible goal late in the game, giving the Rangers a 5-4 victory. Blues coach Mike Kitchen, felt that not only was the last goal a bad one, but the three previous to it were rather soft as well. Deciding that Lalimes work ethic had cost the team a win Kitchen decided it should also cost him his job.
Curtis Sanford will take over the duties in the St. Louis net, untested but financially frugal; he will carry the load while the Blues sort out their immediate future. Sanford takes home a salary of about 500,000 dollars a year, quite a bit less than Lalimes. A cynic might observe that the departure of Lalime may have had more to do with a salary dump, than a position improvement. That 2.4 million however, may be more of an anchor on him in the short haul as each NHL team tries to figure out its place in the world of the salary cap. Though Kitchen and GM Larry Pleau, insist that it was purely a hockey decision to be made to try and wake his team up and take care of a problem position.
Lalime is hoping to stay positive, refusing to comment on the troubles of St Louis, instead he plans on reporting to the minors and working his way back up to the NHL. It’s a safe bet he may yet get another shot at NHL glory; after all it wasn’t too long ago that he was only a few short games away from the Stanley Cup finals. It’s going to take a bit of time no doubt, but he’s hoping to get back into a spot where that can happen one more time.
As for Sanford, the new era of goaltending in St. Louis got off to a pretty good start as the new number one faced 20 shots and backstopped his team to a 3 -0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Penguins, making Sanford a favoured Son for one night anyways !
Lalime was released yesterday by the Blues and put on waivers, with a salary at over 2 million dollars there wasn’t much in the way of interest and now he finds himself waived out of the league and onto the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL.
Lalime was the starting goaltender for the Ottawa Senators the last time they played in a playoff game, as he and his Sens bowed out to the New Jersey Devils. It would be his final appearance in a Sens uniform, as the house cleaning in Ottawa began under John Muckler in the off season before the strike. As history records, Domenic Hasek eventually would be the man between the pipes in Ottawa and Lalime was off to St. Louis.
His arrival in the city with the arch, has coincided with a free fall of the Blues franchise which continues on unchecked and resembles a train wreck happening in slow motion. With the owners hoping to unload the team soon, the aura of success is hard to come by in St. Louis these days, Lalime got caught up in all of that and had a very rough start in the St. Louis net.
Playing behind the league’s worst team, Lalime has acquired the leagues worst record with 3 wins, 11 losses and four ties prior to his departure from the NHL. His Goals Against is a rather high 3.97, which is part testimony to the disorganization of the Blues defence and his poor play through the early season.
His last game for St. Louis came Saturday night, when he gave up a horrible goal late in the game, giving the Rangers a 5-4 victory. Blues coach Mike Kitchen, felt that not only was the last goal a bad one, but the three previous to it were rather soft as well. Deciding that Lalimes work ethic had cost the team a win Kitchen decided it should also cost him his job.
Curtis Sanford will take over the duties in the St. Louis net, untested but financially frugal; he will carry the load while the Blues sort out their immediate future. Sanford takes home a salary of about 500,000 dollars a year, quite a bit less than Lalimes. A cynic might observe that the departure of Lalime may have had more to do with a salary dump, than a position improvement. That 2.4 million however, may be more of an anchor on him in the short haul as each NHL team tries to figure out its place in the world of the salary cap. Though Kitchen and GM Larry Pleau, insist that it was purely a hockey decision to be made to try and wake his team up and take care of a problem position.
Lalime is hoping to stay positive, refusing to comment on the troubles of St Louis, instead he plans on reporting to the minors and working his way back up to the NHL. It’s a safe bet he may yet get another shot at NHL glory; after all it wasn’t too long ago that he was only a few short games away from the Stanley Cup finals. It’s going to take a bit of time no doubt, but he’s hoping to get back into a spot where that can happen one more time.
As for Sanford, the new era of goaltending in St. Louis got off to a pretty good start as the new number one faced 20 shots and backstopped his team to a 3 -0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Penguins, making Sanford a favoured Son for one night anyways !
Monday, December 12, 2005
Who to pick, who to pick?
While Canada’s junior team goes through its selection camp and the coaches work on their short list for a final line up, there’s one person glad for the change of spotlight for a few days.
Wayne Gretzky who is responsible for Canada’s Olympic team is probably thankful that the Juniors are taking some of the public’s heat for this week. Gretzky has to name his roster on December 21st and there’s no shortage of arm chair GM’s ready to share an opinion or two.
The folks at Canoe have solicited the wisdom of a current NHL GM, who remained nameless in order to offer up his selections for Turin. The Canoe GM offers up a few surprise selections for Canada’s Olympic squad. Starting with a starting goaltender named Marty. The unknown would pencil in Marty Turco as the guy to take the load when the Canadians arrive in Italy. With Martin Brodeur having an up and down year so far, the mystery GM feels that Turco would be a more than fitting number one selection. This would leave Brodeur to be the number two guy with Roberto Luongo along for insurance purposes.
On the blue line the GM recommends that Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Ed Jovanovski, Wade Redden and Robyn Regehr set up shop in the Team Canada defensive end. To help them out he suggest adding Rob Blake and Dion Phaneuf the Calgary phenom who has had an amazing debut year in Calgary. It would be a courageous Gretzky if he would take a gamble on a rookie on the blue line, but you really can’t argue with the way Phaneuf has played so far, add on his International experience with the Junior program and you can see the wisdom of the idea.
On the front lines Joe Sakic, Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Thornton, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis, Simon Gagne, Jarome Iginla and Dany Heatley are all pretty well sure bets for inclusion on the Canadian roster. This leaves the Team with five spots to fill. The Unknown GM has a short list of five that he feels will make the difference when in the Red and White. Kris Draper, Todd Bertuzzi, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Sidney Crosby all were given the nod to go over the boards for the country. The three young guns have been attracting a lot of attention of late, and most observers figure that two of the three are most likely ready to make the jump. Our unknown GM decides that all three will make an impact.
By skipping over such players as Shane Doan with Phoenix and Bryan McCabe with Toronto, the unknown GM avoids a problem that Gretzky and Quinn will have. Both play on the coaches respective teams, it’s going to be a very hard decision to have to tell a current player on the league team that he’s not up to the standard for the Olympics.
That’s why they took on the jobs they did, to take on the responsibility to make the big decisions when the time comes. But unlike our Unknown GM, they have nowhere to hide once they put that list up on the dressing room wall!
Wayne Gretzky who is responsible for Canada’s Olympic team is probably thankful that the Juniors are taking some of the public’s heat for this week. Gretzky has to name his roster on December 21st and there’s no shortage of arm chair GM’s ready to share an opinion or two.
The folks at Canoe have solicited the wisdom of a current NHL GM, who remained nameless in order to offer up his selections for Turin. The Canoe GM offers up a few surprise selections for Canada’s Olympic squad. Starting with a starting goaltender named Marty. The unknown would pencil in Marty Turco as the guy to take the load when the Canadians arrive in Italy. With Martin Brodeur having an up and down year so far, the mystery GM feels that Turco would be a more than fitting number one selection. This would leave Brodeur to be the number two guy with Roberto Luongo along for insurance purposes.
On the blue line the GM recommends that Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Ed Jovanovski, Wade Redden and Robyn Regehr set up shop in the Team Canada defensive end. To help them out he suggest adding Rob Blake and Dion Phaneuf the Calgary phenom who has had an amazing debut year in Calgary. It would be a courageous Gretzky if he would take a gamble on a rookie on the blue line, but you really can’t argue with the way Phaneuf has played so far, add on his International experience with the Junior program and you can see the wisdom of the idea.
On the front lines Joe Sakic, Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Thornton, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis, Simon Gagne, Jarome Iginla and Dany Heatley are all pretty well sure bets for inclusion on the Canadian roster. This leaves the Team with five spots to fill. The Unknown GM has a short list of five that he feels will make the difference when in the Red and White. Kris Draper, Todd Bertuzzi, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Sidney Crosby all were given the nod to go over the boards for the country. The three young guns have been attracting a lot of attention of late, and most observers figure that two of the three are most likely ready to make the jump. Our unknown GM decides that all three will make an impact.
By skipping over such players as Shane Doan with Phoenix and Bryan McCabe with Toronto, the unknown GM avoids a problem that Gretzky and Quinn will have. Both play on the coaches respective teams, it’s going to be a very hard decision to have to tell a current player on the league team that he’s not up to the standard for the Olympics.
That’s why they took on the jobs they did, to take on the responsibility to make the big decisions when the time comes. But unlike our Unknown GM, they have nowhere to hide once they put that list up on the dressing room wall!
Big Bert on the Block?
Vancouver Canuck fans woke this morning to a heartfelt conversation between their lumbering hulk Todd Bertuzzi and the Canucks’ host broadcaster John Shorthouse. It seems that Bertuzzi was concerned about an Ed Willes column in Sunday’s Vancouver Province, which basically claimed that Bertuzzi had demanded a trade and no longer got along with head coach Marc Crawford.
The on air interview which aired repeatedly (listen here) on both CKNW and MOJO through most of the day’s sports casts, had a soft spoken Bertuzzi claiming nothing but love for Vancouver, for his team mates and for his coach. No demands for a trade said Bert; he has work to finish in Vancouver.
As the heart strings were being tugged in Vancouver, over on the other side of the country the FAN 590 was fanning the rumors of trade. Bob McCown’s show Prime Time Sports spent a bit of time on the Bertuzzi rumor, suggesting that he might be New York Ranger bound. This week’s co-host Jim Kelly observed that the Canuck’s power forward hasn’t exactly been setting the hockey world on fire these days and could very well be on the block.
The most unlikely name floated for a possible trade, was that of Zdeno Chara of the Ottawa Senators, perhaps based on his performance in Vancouver on Friday night. Though one wonders why the Senators would be interested in trading a key component of their team such as Chara. More likely to be used as trade bait on the Sens might be Chris Phillips, who tends to be overshadowed these days on the blue line by both Chara and Wade Redden. Though even he is pretty important to the Senators line up and it would have to be a solid improvement for the Sens to let Phillips go. Considering Bertuzzi’s inconsistency so far this year, that’s not a trade John Muckler, is likely to make.
Bertuzzi has had Vancouver fans scratching their heads all season long; many a talk show has had phone calls wondering when Big Bert is going to turn it up a notch for good this year. He’s had good games and bad ones this year, which gives him a lot in common with his team mates. In some he's coasted at times through the games, a presence on the ice but not necessarily on the scoreboard. Like Clark Gilles of the old Islander days, he seems to only become dangerous when he’s banged around a bit. So far most teams playing the Canucks have been content to let the giant sleep. It's that inability to put his game in gear on a nightly basis that has his name on the trade rumor list now.
It’s indicative of the passion for hockey in Vancouver these days that the rumors even get started. Every little word or expression from a Canuck is subject to investigation and commentary. The Province regularly stirs the pot and gets the Canuck dressing room excited about some issue of the day. This time it was a suggestion that the Canuck’s winger is causing more problems than he’s solving in Vancouver. A suggestion that has had the sports talk shows of Vancouver busy all day long. To get a sample of the buzz on this story check out the CKNW website and it's audio vault , the Dan Russell sportstalk show from 9-12 pm, covered the situation fully.
How the team bands together in aid of their fellow Canuck will be interesting to watch, coaches and GM’s always hope to build up an Us against them relationship between their team and the outside world. It was something that former GM Brian Burke cultivated with great success. The Willes article in the Province on Sunday may have done current GM Dave Nonis a great favor, in one column the underperforming Bertuzzi may have been stirred to action.
Tuesday night the Rangers face the Canucks; it could be a night that sees Bertuzzi begin to reclaim that form that made him a crowd favorite a few seasons ago. If not, the trade rumors will not only continue they’ll become louder and louder with each passing game.
The on air interview which aired repeatedly (listen here) on both CKNW and MOJO through most of the day’s sports casts, had a soft spoken Bertuzzi claiming nothing but love for Vancouver, for his team mates and for his coach. No demands for a trade said Bert; he has work to finish in Vancouver.
As the heart strings were being tugged in Vancouver, over on the other side of the country the FAN 590 was fanning the rumors of trade. Bob McCown’s show Prime Time Sports spent a bit of time on the Bertuzzi rumor, suggesting that he might be New York Ranger bound. This week’s co-host Jim Kelly observed that the Canuck’s power forward hasn’t exactly been setting the hockey world on fire these days and could very well be on the block.
The most unlikely name floated for a possible trade, was that of Zdeno Chara of the Ottawa Senators, perhaps based on his performance in Vancouver on Friday night. Though one wonders why the Senators would be interested in trading a key component of their team such as Chara. More likely to be used as trade bait on the Sens might be Chris Phillips, who tends to be overshadowed these days on the blue line by both Chara and Wade Redden. Though even he is pretty important to the Senators line up and it would have to be a solid improvement for the Sens to let Phillips go. Considering Bertuzzi’s inconsistency so far this year, that’s not a trade John Muckler, is likely to make.
Bertuzzi has had Vancouver fans scratching their heads all season long; many a talk show has had phone calls wondering when Big Bert is going to turn it up a notch for good this year. He’s had good games and bad ones this year, which gives him a lot in common with his team mates. In some he's coasted at times through the games, a presence on the ice but not necessarily on the scoreboard. Like Clark Gilles of the old Islander days, he seems to only become dangerous when he’s banged around a bit. So far most teams playing the Canucks have been content to let the giant sleep. It's that inability to put his game in gear on a nightly basis that has his name on the trade rumor list now.
It’s indicative of the passion for hockey in Vancouver these days that the rumors even get started. Every little word or expression from a Canuck is subject to investigation and commentary. The Province regularly stirs the pot and gets the Canuck dressing room excited about some issue of the day. This time it was a suggestion that the Canuck’s winger is causing more problems than he’s solving in Vancouver. A suggestion that has had the sports talk shows of Vancouver busy all day long. To get a sample of the buzz on this story check out the CKNW website and it's audio vault , the Dan Russell sportstalk show from 9-12 pm, covered the situation fully.
How the team bands together in aid of their fellow Canuck will be interesting to watch, coaches and GM’s always hope to build up an Us against them relationship between their team and the outside world. It was something that former GM Brian Burke cultivated with great success. The Willes article in the Province on Sunday may have done current GM Dave Nonis a great favor, in one column the underperforming Bertuzzi may have been stirred to action.
Tuesday night the Rangers face the Canucks; it could be a night that sees Bertuzzi begin to reclaim that form that made him a crowd favorite a few seasons ago. If not, the trade rumors will not only continue they’ll become louder and louder with each passing game.
Players of the Week for December
Here's the group of players signled out for their achievement in the month of December, click on the link for a bio and some stats on the players.
Dec 25 Forward, Marian Hossa, Atlanta
Dec 25 Goal, Ryan Miller, Buffalo
Dec 19, Forward, Brendan Shanahan, Detroit
Dec 19, Goal, Roberto Luongo, Florida
Dec 12, Centre, Joe Thornton, San Jose
Dec 12, Goal, Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary
Dec 5, Centre, Patrick Marleau, San Jose
Dec 5, Goal, Tomas Vokoun, Nashville
Dec 25 Forward, Marian Hossa, Atlanta
Dec 25 Goal, Ryan Miller, Buffalo
Dec 19, Forward, Brendan Shanahan, Detroit
Dec 19, Goal, Roberto Luongo, Florida
Dec 12, Centre, Joe Thornton, San Jose
Dec 12, Goal, Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary
Dec 5, Centre, Patrick Marleau, San Jose
Dec 5, Goal, Tomas Vokoun, Nashville
Penguins on thin ice?
With losses projected to be around 7 million dollars and some serious foot dragging by civic and state officials in Pittsburgh, if could be that the Penguins could actually take flight by the end of 2007.
Mario Lemieux, issued the warning today by describing things as doutbful that the Pens would remain in Pittsburgh after the 2007 season.
The 7 million dollar loss projection is even more disturbing when Lemieux explained that the total was reached with the idea of near capacity crowds all year long and going at least as far as the second round of the playoffs. With the oldest arena in the league and no prospect of a new one coming down the line, Lemieux may finally have tired of his Super Mario status as savior of the franchise.
It poses an interesting situation for the NHL, the team while having problems in Pittsburgh offers up the future in a pretty grand style with Sidney Crosby the new building brick of the Penguins stock. With the likes of Crosby and the other young guns coming up the line, this is a team that will be attracting more than a fair share of attention as the situation evolves in Pittsburgh.
Already there are whispers that there is money in Kansas City looking to bring a franchise back to the Missouri city which once was home to the Scouts. A new arena there is looking to lure either an NHL or an NBA team to be it's marquee tennant. Houston and Las Vegas of all places also are apparently investigating the idea of bringing hockey to town. Of course any talk of a franchise relocation always perks up the ears in Winnipeg, Hamilton and Qubec City. All three of which would probably be a solid place for Mario to move his investment.
Imagine Sidney Crosby playing down the road from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Copps Coliseum. It would be Mario for Mayor if he moved the team to Winnipeg and well there would surely be a statue to be built in Quebec City, if the native son of Quebec was to bring back NHL hockey to the provincial capital.
Then again, perhaps the frank statement of fact by Lemieux, will light a fire under the folks in Pittsburgh and secure their Penguins for the long term. Lemieux has been trying for four years to get a new rink built in Pittsburgh, the latest plan was for the Penguins to gain control of a slots licence to fund a new arena, with the government yet to award the licences and the losses mounting Mario may have finally had enough.
In the end, Mario is going to come out of this a winner as always! Whether it's in Pittsburgh or elsewhere, his team is going to be much in demand over the next few years. That seven million dollar loss this year could very well be just seed money, venture capital if you will over the next few years!
As they say at the gambling tables, place you bet and Let it Ride.
Mario Lemieux, issued the warning today by describing things as doutbful that the Pens would remain in Pittsburgh after the 2007 season.
The 7 million dollar loss projection is even more disturbing when Lemieux explained that the total was reached with the idea of near capacity crowds all year long and going at least as far as the second round of the playoffs. With the oldest arena in the league and no prospect of a new one coming down the line, Lemieux may finally have tired of his Super Mario status as savior of the franchise.
It poses an interesting situation for the NHL, the team while having problems in Pittsburgh offers up the future in a pretty grand style with Sidney Crosby the new building brick of the Penguins stock. With the likes of Crosby and the other young guns coming up the line, this is a team that will be attracting more than a fair share of attention as the situation evolves in Pittsburgh.
Already there are whispers that there is money in Kansas City looking to bring a franchise back to the Missouri city which once was home to the Scouts. A new arena there is looking to lure either an NHL or an NBA team to be it's marquee tennant. Houston and Las Vegas of all places also are apparently investigating the idea of bringing hockey to town. Of course any talk of a franchise relocation always perks up the ears in Winnipeg, Hamilton and Qubec City. All three of which would probably be a solid place for Mario to move his investment.
Imagine Sidney Crosby playing down the road from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Copps Coliseum. It would be Mario for Mayor if he moved the team to Winnipeg and well there would surely be a statue to be built in Quebec City, if the native son of Quebec was to bring back NHL hockey to the provincial capital.
Then again, perhaps the frank statement of fact by Lemieux, will light a fire under the folks in Pittsburgh and secure their Penguins for the long term. Lemieux has been trying for four years to get a new rink built in Pittsburgh, the latest plan was for the Penguins to gain control of a slots licence to fund a new arena, with the government yet to award the licences and the losses mounting Mario may have finally had enough.
In the end, Mario is going to come out of this a winner as always! Whether it's in Pittsburgh or elsewhere, his team is going to be much in demand over the next few years. That seven million dollar loss this year could very well be just seed money, venture capital if you will over the next few years!
As they say at the gambling tables, place you bet and Let it Ride.
Trim Time!
Canada’s junior hockey gladiators report to their four day selection camp today, for the first of what promise to be spirited workouts under the watchful eye of Brent Sutter. But before they grab their blades and sticks they had best find themselves a barber.
Sutter’s first bit of business at the camp is making sure those with the flowing locks get a trim. Portraying the idea as a bonding experience for his young players, Sutter is going to make a few barbers rather happy today.
Once the players have their hair to Sutter specs the real work will begin. Sutter hopes to take a very youthful and untested group of juniors onto greater hockey glory starting on Boxing Day. With only Cam Barker returning from last year’s team, this will be a team full of new names for Canadians to keep their eyes on over the two week tournament.
Thirty four were invited to the selection camp, with only 22 spots on the roster for the cut down day of Friday. Some of the players to be watching include Angelo Esposito from the Quebec Remaprts, the youngest player at the camp. At 16 it may be a hard bit of skating for him to crack this line up of 18 and 19 year olds, but from all accounts he’s got as good a chance as anyone to be there on Friday.
Calgary Hitman Justin Pogge could do something that hasn’t been done in awhile take away the net minding duties from someone from the Quebec league, Pogge is one of three westerners vying for the all important goaltending job, Julien Ellis of Shawinigan is the only one from Quebec playing between the pipes this time around.
Jonathon Toews represents a new talent pool for the junior team; Toews is one of five college players to be invited to camp. Marking the most university based players to attend a junior camp in its history.
One player who won’t be making a return visit is Sidney Crosby, while still eligible for the competition his parent club, the Pittsburgh Penguins weren’t inclined to let their leading scorer take time off for the tournament.
Today gets underway with two practices; from there it’s a three day intensive workout to whittle down the list, all leading up to an exhibition game against the University of British Columbia on Thursday night.
By then coach Sutter will have a good idea which players will begin the process to be ready to go to work for Canada at the Boxing Day opener. The rest will be allowed to grow their hair again, for the lucky 22 it’s going to be short and neat with lots of ear showing for a few weeks anyways.
It sure gives a whole new meaning to the term making the cut!
Sutter’s first bit of business at the camp is making sure those with the flowing locks get a trim. Portraying the idea as a bonding experience for his young players, Sutter is going to make a few barbers rather happy today.
Once the players have their hair to Sutter specs the real work will begin. Sutter hopes to take a very youthful and untested group of juniors onto greater hockey glory starting on Boxing Day. With only Cam Barker returning from last year’s team, this will be a team full of new names for Canadians to keep their eyes on over the two week tournament.
Thirty four were invited to the selection camp, with only 22 spots on the roster for the cut down day of Friday. Some of the players to be watching include Angelo Esposito from the Quebec Remaprts, the youngest player at the camp. At 16 it may be a hard bit of skating for him to crack this line up of 18 and 19 year olds, but from all accounts he’s got as good a chance as anyone to be there on Friday.
Calgary Hitman Justin Pogge could do something that hasn’t been done in awhile take away the net minding duties from someone from the Quebec league, Pogge is one of three westerners vying for the all important goaltending job, Julien Ellis of Shawinigan is the only one from Quebec playing between the pipes this time around.
Jonathon Toews represents a new talent pool for the junior team; Toews is one of five college players to be invited to camp. Marking the most university based players to attend a junior camp in its history.
One player who won’t be making a return visit is Sidney Crosby, while still eligible for the competition his parent club, the Pittsburgh Penguins weren’t inclined to let their leading scorer take time off for the tournament.
Today gets underway with two practices; from there it’s a three day intensive workout to whittle down the list, all leading up to an exhibition game against the University of British Columbia on Thursday night.
By then coach Sutter will have a good idea which players will begin the process to be ready to go to work for Canada at the Boxing Day opener. The rest will be allowed to grow their hair again, for the lucky 22 it’s going to be short and neat with lots of ear showing for a few weeks anyways.
It sure gives a whole new meaning to the term making the cut!
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Scrub the new schedule ideas
It wasn't a masterpiece, the flow seemed to get interrupted too much, but still it was still some of the best entertainment of the year so far. The Senators and Canucks met at GM Place on Friday night for the first and only time this year (barring a playoff match for Lord Stanley's Cup) and the hometown fans went home rather happy.
Daniel Sedin scored the winner in the shootout to pace the Canucks to a 3-2 victory over the Sens and bragging rights for this week of NHL play, only the fourth team to beat the Sens this year.
In a game that gave the two referee system its most stringent workout, both Vancouver and Ottawa found that the slightest dent on the NHL rule book usually resulted in a two minute penalty. Brad Watson and Chris Rooney spent far too much time at centre ice, sharing with the tv audience the latest infraction of the night. An exasperated Bryan Murray seemed to accept his fate on this night, as the thirteenth penalty call of the night on the Sens put his team on the wrong end of a 5 on 3 situation going into Overtime.
Power plays were the nature of this game with the Sens spending 26 of the 60 minutes sitting out the the play in the box. Yet the Canucks could only capitalize on one of their 13 extra man opportunities and that was early on in the first period. After that it was the Ottawa defence and some stellar work from Domenic Hasek that held them at bay.
Ottawa played an uncharacteristically sloppy game early on before they settled down to the job at hand, far too many giveaways and bad penalties should have buried them early in the game, yet they hung on to tie things up in the third and forced Overtime, a period which they survived a 5 on 3 situation. From there it was on to the night's grand finale of the shootout.
The 100th consecutive sell out at GM place roared with approval as Auld made his saves and Sedin scored the winner to cap off the highly anticipated night complete with the points.
The flow of the game could have been less interrupted by the referees, who seemed to call far more than the usual number of infractions on the night. Though in some cases the fouls were so blatant as to be inexcusable, dumb infractions by Mike Fisher, a lazy hook by Captain Daniel Alfredsson and a mishandled puck by Zdeno Chara were just some of the silly mental errors that put the Sens behind the eight ball for most of the game. Without Hasek's heroics in the net the Sens could have faced a much worse fate on the scoreboard at GM Place.
Vancouver outshot the Sens 37-21 by the end of regulation and if not for Hasek a fair number of those 37 shots would have counted for goals. The Sens can thank their goaltender for the one point souvenir of their trip to the Pacific.
The Canucks did something that very few teams have been able to do this year they held the Sens big line of Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley pointless on the night, only the second time this year that the Sens performers have been off the sheet.
The quality of the game left many hoping that it was a preview of the Stanley Cup final, two teams at the top of their game and with seven possible games to prove their points. If we can be guaranteed the same gritty effort this spring, then we can't wait until May!
The game had been hyped for a week in Vancouver, almost reaching that frenzy one sees at the start of the playoffs. Which leads one to wonder about the NHL's scheduling template for the next few years. As things stand now, with the unbalanced and inter conference rivalries in place, the Sens will not be back for a regular season visit in Vancouver for three years. Which seems like a complete waste of entertainment and box office potential.
Here's some math for the NHL to ponder for next year, earlier this week the Sens played Florida before an announced crowd of 10,000 people (widely reported as much less) and no television audience. Friday night the Sens and Canucks played before a sold out crowd of 18,360 at GM place and a Sportsnet audience that will surely report in as huge.
The question for Gary Bettman and the owners is this. Which would bring in more money and more interest to the new NHL, eight games of the Panthers and Sens or even four games of the Sens and Canucks? Unless the NHL calculators are broken they'll realize that it not only makes good hockey sense to feature the Canadian teams against each other more often, it makes good business sense.
Money talks, lets hope that this new scheduling idea takes a long walk.
Daniel Sedin scored the winner in the shootout to pace the Canucks to a 3-2 victory over the Sens and bragging rights for this week of NHL play, only the fourth team to beat the Sens this year.
In a game that gave the two referee system its most stringent workout, both Vancouver and Ottawa found that the slightest dent on the NHL rule book usually resulted in a two minute penalty. Brad Watson and Chris Rooney spent far too much time at centre ice, sharing with the tv audience the latest infraction of the night. An exasperated Bryan Murray seemed to accept his fate on this night, as the thirteenth penalty call of the night on the Sens put his team on the wrong end of a 5 on 3 situation going into Overtime.
Power plays were the nature of this game with the Sens spending 26 of the 60 minutes sitting out the the play in the box. Yet the Canucks could only capitalize on one of their 13 extra man opportunities and that was early on in the first period. After that it was the Ottawa defence and some stellar work from Domenic Hasek that held them at bay.
Ottawa played an uncharacteristically sloppy game early on before they settled down to the job at hand, far too many giveaways and bad penalties should have buried them early in the game, yet they hung on to tie things up in the third and forced Overtime, a period which they survived a 5 on 3 situation. From there it was on to the night's grand finale of the shootout.
The 100th consecutive sell out at GM place roared with approval as Auld made his saves and Sedin scored the winner to cap off the highly anticipated night complete with the points.
The flow of the game could have been less interrupted by the referees, who seemed to call far more than the usual number of infractions on the night. Though in some cases the fouls were so blatant as to be inexcusable, dumb infractions by Mike Fisher, a lazy hook by Captain Daniel Alfredsson and a mishandled puck by Zdeno Chara were just some of the silly mental errors that put the Sens behind the eight ball for most of the game. Without Hasek's heroics in the net the Sens could have faced a much worse fate on the scoreboard at GM Place.
Vancouver outshot the Sens 37-21 by the end of regulation and if not for Hasek a fair number of those 37 shots would have counted for goals. The Sens can thank their goaltender for the one point souvenir of their trip to the Pacific.
The Canucks did something that very few teams have been able to do this year they held the Sens big line of Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley pointless on the night, only the second time this year that the Sens performers have been off the sheet.
The quality of the game left many hoping that it was a preview of the Stanley Cup final, two teams at the top of their game and with seven possible games to prove their points. If we can be guaranteed the same gritty effort this spring, then we can't wait until May!
The game had been hyped for a week in Vancouver, almost reaching that frenzy one sees at the start of the playoffs. Which leads one to wonder about the NHL's scheduling template for the next few years. As things stand now, with the unbalanced and inter conference rivalries in place, the Sens will not be back for a regular season visit in Vancouver for three years. Which seems like a complete waste of entertainment and box office potential.
Here's some math for the NHL to ponder for next year, earlier this week the Sens played Florida before an announced crowd of 10,000 people (widely reported as much less) and no television audience. Friday night the Sens and Canucks played before a sold out crowd of 18,360 at GM place and a Sportsnet audience that will surely report in as huge.
The question for Gary Bettman and the owners is this. Which would bring in more money and more interest to the new NHL, eight games of the Panthers and Sens or even four games of the Sens and Canucks? Unless the NHL calculators are broken they'll realize that it not only makes good hockey sense to feature the Canadian teams against each other more often, it makes good business sense.
Money talks, lets hope that this new scheduling idea takes a long walk.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Memories, of the way they were!
Brad and Jenny A, Ben and J Lo, Britney and Kev, all we've heard lately is couple after couple splitting up. And now Pat Quinn has put another couple on the outs, with two consecutive losses to contemplate the Leafs on ice boss has split up his defensive stalwarts Bryan McCabe and Tomas Kaberle. Alert the tabloids, call the papparazi, there should be film by eleven!
Quinn moved the two onto different pairings during practice on Thursday, giving Maple Leaf boardflys reason to gossip and swap theories. With Kaberle skating with Ken Klee and McCabe partnering with Alexander Khavanov, many observers were trying to factor in if the new pairings would help or hinder the Leaf defensive schemes.
Quinn for his part was suggesting it was just a practice move trying out a few experiments here and there, he's not sure if the new Leaf look will make it to the starting lineup against Dallas on Saturday night. The biggest issue may be how any change may affect McCabe who is off to a terrific start in the scoring department for the Leafs. With McCabe holding at 36 points and Kaberle pulling in at 22 points, perhaps Quinn is thinking that moving them apart will help spur on the rest of the defensive types to increase their output.
Of course for Toronto media types any little move in the Leafs camp is akin to preparing for the D Day invasion, so every single practice shift has some hidden meaning. It's all part of the nature of being a Leaf in Leafland.
It will be interesting to see what the good scientist Quinn comes up with when he leaves the lab Saturday afternoon and takes his place behind the bench. Unlike Ben and J Lo, or Brad and Jenny A, Cabby and Bryan may yet be re-united.
Quinn moved the two onto different pairings during practice on Thursday, giving Maple Leaf boardflys reason to gossip and swap theories. With Kaberle skating with Ken Klee and McCabe partnering with Alexander Khavanov, many observers were trying to factor in if the new pairings would help or hinder the Leaf defensive schemes.
Quinn for his part was suggesting it was just a practice move trying out a few experiments here and there, he's not sure if the new Leaf look will make it to the starting lineup against Dallas on Saturday night. The biggest issue may be how any change may affect McCabe who is off to a terrific start in the scoring department for the Leafs. With McCabe holding at 36 points and Kaberle pulling in at 22 points, perhaps Quinn is thinking that moving them apart will help spur on the rest of the defensive types to increase their output.
Of course for Toronto media types any little move in the Leafs camp is akin to preparing for the D Day invasion, so every single practice shift has some hidden meaning. It's all part of the nature of being a Leaf in Leafland.
It will be interesting to see what the good scientist Quinn comes up with when he leaves the lab Saturday afternoon and takes his place behind the bench. Unlike Ben and J Lo, or Brad and Jenny A, Cabby and Bryan may yet be re-united.
A most anticipated match up
The high flying Ottawa Senators begin their western swing tonight in Vancouver with a highly anticipated game against the Canucks. Bringing their firewagon style of play to GM Place and a sold out crowd.
With Vancouver having had pretty well a week off to prepare, the media has been pumping this one since Monday morning. Every sports cast seems to have focused on the game between to top Canadian teams. As the Canucks slip behind the Flames in the Northwest Division the concern over the Canucks grew day by day.
The talk shows airwaves are filled with countless Bob's from Coquitlam and Sam from Chemanius with their thoughts on how the Canucks can match up against the Beast of the East. Even the television gurus of Toronto have noticed that this is a game everyone is talking about, originally scheduled as a Sportsnet Pacific only game, the Toronto based network has added Sportsnet East/Ottawa to the party for Friday night, with the game to be aired in both markets and will include the Hockey Central panel live at GM place as a pre-game and intermission bonus.
The Senators bring hockey's best line into town Friday on a roll, the Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson the Senators trio has been burning up the scoring stats so far this season and they bring their exciting play to the rink for the fans in BC.
Some of those fans may actually be sitting on the Canuck's bench, the Canucks have been unusually high in praise about their opposition on Friday, saying they keep an eye on their eastern cousins and enjoy what they see coming out of the Nation's capital on a nightly basis.
For their part the Sens are not taking an inconsistent Canucks team lightly, realizing that despite the on again, off again nature of the Vancouver offence, rising to an occasion is something that the Canucks are capable of.
Marc Crawford is looking forward to the match up as well, suggesting its a good test for his team to recapture some of their expected form this year. Crawford also makes a solid observation about the success of the Sens so far and he places a good portion of the credit with his counterpart Bryan Murray. As Crawford correctly points out, it's been a complete change of style in Ottawa this year, as Murray brings a much more offensive minded approach to the game than his predecessor Jacques Martin. Aided by a goaltender in Domenik Hasek who has the confidence of his teammates, the Sens are no longer afraid to take off up the ice and take advantage of their many chances.
It's Crawford's hope that his team can reduce those chances tonight, while at the same time capitalizing on their own in the Ottawa end of the rink. Regardless it should be a most entertaining night for the GM Place faithful and hockey fans British Columbian and Eastern Canadian (except you Torontonian area folks, nah, nah, nah, nah!)
Puck drops at 7 pm in Vancouver, 10 pm in Ottawa. It's late night hockey for the Easterners and expect the eyes to be droopy on Saturday morning, this one could be a barn burner from start to finish, making sleep hard to come by in Ottawa by 1 am!
With Vancouver having had pretty well a week off to prepare, the media has been pumping this one since Monday morning. Every sports cast seems to have focused on the game between to top Canadian teams. As the Canucks slip behind the Flames in the Northwest Division the concern over the Canucks grew day by day.
The talk shows airwaves are filled with countless Bob's from Coquitlam and Sam from Chemanius with their thoughts on how the Canucks can match up against the Beast of the East. Even the television gurus of Toronto have noticed that this is a game everyone is talking about, originally scheduled as a Sportsnet Pacific only game, the Toronto based network has added Sportsnet East/Ottawa to the party for Friday night, with the game to be aired in both markets and will include the Hockey Central panel live at GM place as a pre-game and intermission bonus.
The Senators bring hockey's best line into town Friday on a roll, the Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson the Senators trio has been burning up the scoring stats so far this season and they bring their exciting play to the rink for the fans in BC.
Some of those fans may actually be sitting on the Canuck's bench, the Canucks have been unusually high in praise about their opposition on Friday, saying they keep an eye on their eastern cousins and enjoy what they see coming out of the Nation's capital on a nightly basis.
For their part the Sens are not taking an inconsistent Canucks team lightly, realizing that despite the on again, off again nature of the Vancouver offence, rising to an occasion is something that the Canucks are capable of.
Marc Crawford is looking forward to the match up as well, suggesting its a good test for his team to recapture some of their expected form this year. Crawford also makes a solid observation about the success of the Sens so far and he places a good portion of the credit with his counterpart Bryan Murray. As Crawford correctly points out, it's been a complete change of style in Ottawa this year, as Murray brings a much more offensive minded approach to the game than his predecessor Jacques Martin. Aided by a goaltender in Domenik Hasek who has the confidence of his teammates, the Sens are no longer afraid to take off up the ice and take advantage of their many chances.
It's Crawford's hope that his team can reduce those chances tonight, while at the same time capitalizing on their own in the Ottawa end of the rink. Regardless it should be a most entertaining night for the GM Place faithful and hockey fans British Columbian and Eastern Canadian (except you Torontonian area folks, nah, nah, nah, nah!)
Puck drops at 7 pm in Vancouver, 10 pm in Ottawa. It's late night hockey for the Easterners and expect the eyes to be droopy on Saturday morning, this one could be a barn burner from start to finish, making sleep hard to come by in Ottawa by 1 am!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
HockeyNation salutes Steve Nash
There's not much of a link between hockey and this next story, except that in the past many a hockey player has been awarded with the Lou Marsh trophy and this year Sidney Crosby was a finalist for the honour. However, we felt it important to recognize the contributions of Steve Nash to Canadian sport. So in that spirit we offer up the following post, taken from our A Town Called Podunk website.
NASH AWARDED LOU MARSH HONOURS!
Steve Nash, who has single handedly tried to bring Canada back to basketball glory in the world, was named the recipient of the Lou Marsh Trophy today. It marks the first time that a basketball player has been named the recipient since the award was first handed out in 1936. It’s a most deserving honor for the quiet leader who ply’s his trade on the Phoenix Suns of the NBA and is one of the most respected players in the NBA.
Nash has long been a fixture on Canada’s national basketball teams, taking his place with pride while many other players chose to sit out the grueling preliminary games, not wishing to bother with a situation in which they saw no upside for their professional careers.
It was largely on the strength of Nash’s play that Canada made it to the quarter finals of the 2000 Olympics. His dedication to the national program is legendary, playing with pride every time he put on the Maple Leaf. He was perhaps the most disappointed Canadian at the Olympics that year when Canada came up short in its medal bid.
His statistics in the NBA speak for themselves, presently leading the league in assists at 168 he’s a dominant player whenever he takes to the court. Recognized last year as the league’s MVP, receiving the Marsh trophy seems like a natural fit for him this year.
Across Canada, a whole new generation of kids has taken up basketball, with dreams of becoming the next Steve Nash. Considering his demeanor both on and off the court, parents couldn’t hope for a better role model. Basketball Canada posted a number of letters sent to them when Nash was named NBA MVP, showing how much respect his homeland had for their quiet hero.
The panelists on the Marsh committee made the right choice this year. If anyone embodies good sportsmanship and good citizenship its Steve Nash, this award is long overdue.
NASH AWARDED LOU MARSH HONOURS!
Steve Nash, who has single handedly tried to bring Canada back to basketball glory in the world, was named the recipient of the Lou Marsh Trophy today. It marks the first time that a basketball player has been named the recipient since the award was first handed out in 1936. It’s a most deserving honor for the quiet leader who ply’s his trade on the Phoenix Suns of the NBA and is one of the most respected players in the NBA.
Nash has long been a fixture on Canada’s national basketball teams, taking his place with pride while many other players chose to sit out the grueling preliminary games, not wishing to bother with a situation in which they saw no upside for their professional careers.
It was largely on the strength of Nash’s play that Canada made it to the quarter finals of the 2000 Olympics. His dedication to the national program is legendary, playing with pride every time he put on the Maple Leaf. He was perhaps the most disappointed Canadian at the Olympics that year when Canada came up short in its medal bid.
His statistics in the NBA speak for themselves, presently leading the league in assists at 168 he’s a dominant player whenever he takes to the court. Recognized last year as the league’s MVP, receiving the Marsh trophy seems like a natural fit for him this year.
Across Canada, a whole new generation of kids has taken up basketball, with dreams of becoming the next Steve Nash. Considering his demeanor both on and off the court, parents couldn’t hope for a better role model. Basketball Canada posted a number of letters sent to them when Nash was named NBA MVP, showing how much respect his homeland had for their quiet hero.
The panelists on the Marsh committee made the right choice this year. If anyone embodies good sportsmanship and good citizenship its Steve Nash, this award is long overdue.
Iggy breaks his slump
It had been nine games since Jarome Iginla had netted a point for the Calgary Flames, causing a bit of worry in Cowtown over their marquee player and his production this year so far.
Wednesday night Flames fans could put aside their concerns for the time being, as Iginla broke out of the slump with a three point night in New Jersey. The Flames captain powered his squad to a 4-1 victory over the Devils and with the win took over first place in the Northwest Division with 38 points, two more over the Vancouver Canucks who don’t see action again until Friday night. The Flames wrapped up a grueling five game road trip with a 3-1-1 record.
Iginla scored two goals and picked up an assist on the way to the victory as the Flames made the best of their chances, while goaltender Phillipe Sauve played remarkably in the nets to turn aside the Devils opportunities time and time again. Sauve faced 32 shots on the night, including a period of time where the Flames were outshot 13-2 in the first period. His ability to turn aside all but one went a fair way towards securing the win for the Flames. Calgary's success came on the power play as they went 3 for 4 with the man advantage, the Devils could only muster one goal on ten opportunities, which must be a cause for concern for coach Larry Robinson.
The Flames return home to wait for the Ottawa Senators to come to town on Saturday night, a much anticipated Hockey Night in Canada match up. The Flames will benefit from facing a Senators team that will have played the Canucks on Friday night, in what promises to be an exciting match up as well.
By Sunday if things work out in the Flames favor, they could have a four point lead over their divisional rivals. And with the captain back on the scoring summaries once again, the chances of that happening increase immensely.
Wednesday night Flames fans could put aside their concerns for the time being, as Iginla broke out of the slump with a three point night in New Jersey. The Flames captain powered his squad to a 4-1 victory over the Devils and with the win took over first place in the Northwest Division with 38 points, two more over the Vancouver Canucks who don’t see action again until Friday night. The Flames wrapped up a grueling five game road trip with a 3-1-1 record.
Iginla scored two goals and picked up an assist on the way to the victory as the Flames made the best of their chances, while goaltender Phillipe Sauve played remarkably in the nets to turn aside the Devils opportunities time and time again. Sauve faced 32 shots on the night, including a period of time where the Flames were outshot 13-2 in the first period. His ability to turn aside all but one went a fair way towards securing the win for the Flames. Calgary's success came on the power play as they went 3 for 4 with the man advantage, the Devils could only muster one goal on ten opportunities, which must be a cause for concern for coach Larry Robinson.
The Flames return home to wait for the Ottawa Senators to come to town on Saturday night, a much anticipated Hockey Night in Canada match up. The Flames will benefit from facing a Senators team that will have played the Canucks on Friday night, in what promises to be an exciting match up as well.
By Sunday if things work out in the Flames favor, they could have a four point lead over their divisional rivals. And with the captain back on the scoring summaries once again, the chances of that happening increase immensely.
Havlat gone for the season!
He’s been out of the lineup for over two weeks and it hasn’t had a major effect on the Senators, but the news yesterday still was not good. Martin Havlat the Sens gifted winger, is out for the season destined for shoulder surgery and lenghty rehabilitation.
Havlat was hurt November 29th in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, since then he has been off to Cleveland and consultations with renowned shoulder specialist Dr. Anthony Miniaci. Miniaci recommended surgery soon and a rehabilitation period of four months maybe more.
It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Havlat, who was hoping to turn a productive year this year into a bargaining point for his next contract. Now instead of putting points on the board and making points with the GM, he’ll be busy trying to rebuild his reconstructed shoulder. Suddenly Havlat’s break out year has broken down.
For the Senators it creates a large hole in the offence, though to be fair so far the Sens have not missed a beat in goal production. Brandon Bochenski has stepped his game up over the last week, including his first ever hat trick against the Panthers on Monday night. All of which gives Sens GM John Muckler a tough decision to make. He has to try and figure out if Bochenski can keep his game on through the season, or if the Sens have to put their toes back into the trade waters.
Interesting names being bounced around for a potential role in Ottawa include Todd Bertuzzi, Owen Nolan or Steve Reinprecht to name a few of the possibilities. Whether anything comes of those rumors remains to be seen, the Sens begin a western road trip on Friday with a match up against the Canucks.
How they fare over the next week will give Muckler a better idea as to the immediacy of the need to find a replacement for Havlat. So far it’s a case of it’s not really broken, so why fix it.
But with a chance to make a long march in the playoffs this year, the Sens will want to make sure that they have the right mix of soldiers to head into battle come April. There’s a chance that Havlat will be back in time for a tour of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but no one is expecting him to bounce back all that quickly, it’s just the nature of shoulder injuries.
It’s the first real bit of adversity the Sens have faced this year, it will be the test of the teams character to see how they handle the loss of one of their main producers.
Havlat was hurt November 29th in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, since then he has been off to Cleveland and consultations with renowned shoulder specialist Dr. Anthony Miniaci. Miniaci recommended surgery soon and a rehabilitation period of four months maybe more.
It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Havlat, who was hoping to turn a productive year this year into a bargaining point for his next contract. Now instead of putting points on the board and making points with the GM, he’ll be busy trying to rebuild his reconstructed shoulder. Suddenly Havlat’s break out year has broken down.
For the Senators it creates a large hole in the offence, though to be fair so far the Sens have not missed a beat in goal production. Brandon Bochenski has stepped his game up over the last week, including his first ever hat trick against the Panthers on Monday night. All of which gives Sens GM John Muckler a tough decision to make. He has to try and figure out if Bochenski can keep his game on through the season, or if the Sens have to put their toes back into the trade waters.
Interesting names being bounced around for a potential role in Ottawa include Todd Bertuzzi, Owen Nolan or Steve Reinprecht to name a few of the possibilities. Whether anything comes of those rumors remains to be seen, the Sens begin a western road trip on Friday with a match up against the Canucks.
How they fare over the next week will give Muckler a better idea as to the immediacy of the need to find a replacement for Havlat. So far it’s a case of it’s not really broken, so why fix it.
But with a chance to make a long march in the playoffs this year, the Sens will want to make sure that they have the right mix of soldiers to head into battle come April. There’s a chance that Havlat will be back in time for a tour of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but no one is expecting him to bounce back all that quickly, it’s just the nature of shoulder injuries.
It’s the first real bit of adversity the Sens have faced this year, it will be the test of the teams character to see how they handle the loss of one of their main producers.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Stevie Y removes his name
Steve Yzerman has always been the class act of the NHL, the consummate team guy and a silent leader that shows how it should be done. On Tuesday, Yzerman showed even more of that leadership, when he asked Wayne Gretzky and the managers of Canada's Olympic team to take his name of the list of candidates for Torino.
Feeling that his output is not what it should be, the Detroit captain did not want to take a spot built on reputation, instead of participation.
Having been an integral part of past Canadian teams it must have been a hard call to make, but he would be the best one to know if he feels he would be a plus on the ice for the Canadians. Hopefully, Hockey Canada has a spot on the plane for consultants, surely if he can't participate on the ice he would be able to offer guidance to the younger guns about to suit up for the Maple Leaf.
As his career winds down in the NHL, the accolades will begin to increase about his selfless determination to his team. Count Hockey Canada ready to provide a chapter or two about Stevie Y.
Feeling that his output is not what it should be, the Detroit captain did not want to take a spot built on reputation, instead of participation.
Having been an integral part of past Canadian teams it must have been a hard call to make, but he would be the best one to know if he feels he would be a plus on the ice for the Canadians. Hopefully, Hockey Canada has a spot on the plane for consultants, surely if he can't participate on the ice he would be able to offer guidance to the younger guns about to suit up for the Maple Leaf.
As his career winds down in the NHL, the accolades will begin to increase about his selfless determination to his team. Count Hockey Canada ready to provide a chapter or two about Stevie Y.
Wanted: Home for Playful kittens
The Ottawa Senators took home another two points on Monday night as the Sens, despite missing their two top defencemen, topped the Florida Panthers by a score of 6-3. Top Sen of the night was Brian Bochenski, who picked up his first hat trick in the NHL. The game was a make up game from one earlier in the year moved due to one of the many hurricanes that have passed over and through Florida this year.
The real story of Monday night however has got to be the attendance of the Panthers (and many other Sunbelt) teams. The announced and officially recorded attendance on the box score of the game was 10,883. However, HockeyNation monitored the game on the net last night and the announcers from Ottawa suggested that the crowd was well below that possibly not much more than the 5,000 range. If the Panthers cannot draw a crowd for one of the more exciting of teams coming in, one wonders what the long term future might be for them and other similarly under appreciated franchises.
Numerous correspondents have come back from the tour of the Sunbelt to recount stories of half empty rinks and a lack of interest that must give even Gary Bettman pause for thought on his Southern strategy.
Should the trend continue even the new fiscal realities of the NHL, won’t be enough to keep millionaire owners from losing millions more on a sport that is failing to catch the attention of many in the new promised lands.
Perhaps then we may once again begin to whisper the names of Winnipeg, Hamilton and Quebec City as welcoming homes for wayward franchises. With a rabid base of fans and a new building in Winnipeg and an underused home in Hamilton, one can only assume that the crowds listed on the box scores wouldn’t be the thing of Enron like bookkeeping.
Should the NHL return to Quebec City it wouldn’t be too long before a new ice palace was erected in Vieux Quebec, no doubt even more spectacular than the one in Montreal, such is the rivalry between those two Quebec centers. Imagine the playoff battles and interest across the nation as those two rivals renewed acquaintances once again.
More importantly the game would return to the land where it has its strength and respect. A return to the games roots would certainly do much for the bottom line in this new NHL, with the teams operating under a fiscal cap now and the Canadian dollar one of the stronger currencies out there these days, the financial aspects of a Canadian franchise no longer seem quite as dire as they did when the Jets and Nordiques fled south.
And frankly, with crowds of less than 10,000 in over a quarter of the NHL rinks, it seems to this corner anyways that moving to where the game is a religion is better than staying in a place where it’s a curiosity at best and apparently too much of an inconvenience to many!
The real story of Monday night however has got to be the attendance of the Panthers (and many other Sunbelt) teams. The announced and officially recorded attendance on the box score of the game was 10,883. However, HockeyNation monitored the game on the net last night and the announcers from Ottawa suggested that the crowd was well below that possibly not much more than the 5,000 range. If the Panthers cannot draw a crowd for one of the more exciting of teams coming in, one wonders what the long term future might be for them and other similarly under appreciated franchises.
Numerous correspondents have come back from the tour of the Sunbelt to recount stories of half empty rinks and a lack of interest that must give even Gary Bettman pause for thought on his Southern strategy.
Should the trend continue even the new fiscal realities of the NHL, won’t be enough to keep millionaire owners from losing millions more on a sport that is failing to catch the attention of many in the new promised lands.
Perhaps then we may once again begin to whisper the names of Winnipeg, Hamilton and Quebec City as welcoming homes for wayward franchises. With a rabid base of fans and a new building in Winnipeg and an underused home in Hamilton, one can only assume that the crowds listed on the box scores wouldn’t be the thing of Enron like bookkeeping.
Should the NHL return to Quebec City it wouldn’t be too long before a new ice palace was erected in Vieux Quebec, no doubt even more spectacular than the one in Montreal, such is the rivalry between those two Quebec centers. Imagine the playoff battles and interest across the nation as those two rivals renewed acquaintances once again.
More importantly the game would return to the land where it has its strength and respect. A return to the games roots would certainly do much for the bottom line in this new NHL, with the teams operating under a fiscal cap now and the Canadian dollar one of the stronger currencies out there these days, the financial aspects of a Canadian franchise no longer seem quite as dire as they did when the Jets and Nordiques fled south.
And frankly, with crowds of less than 10,000 in over a quarter of the NHL rinks, it seems to this corner anyways that moving to where the game is a religion is better than staying in a place where it’s a curiosity at best and apparently too much of an inconvenience to many!
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Bruins streak ends at two
Does this mean that the honeymoon is over for Mike O'Connell? The Bruin's GM had been able to keep the hounds at bay the last week as his Bruins went on a mini winning streak after the trade of Joe Thornton to San Jose. For O'Connell the blockbuster trade has meant no shortage of controversy back in Boston, as Thornton a crowd favourite began to find his way to San Jose.
For two games the newcomers to the circled B, put points on the board and helped their new squad on to victories against some pretty impressive competition. A shut out over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and a Saturday night come from behind victory over the Edmonton Oilers live on Hockey Night in Canada. Not a bad way to introduce everyone in the dressing room.
However, it all came crashing back down to earth Sunday night in Vancouver as the Canucks took charge after a slight second period scare, to defeat the road weary Bruins 5-2 at GM Place. Boston has logged a fair amount of miles in the last week, both on the odometer and mentally. As the team tries to digest what life after Joe will be all about, many suggest that despite the quick spurt of success following the trade, the Bruins dressing room is still one very upset place to be.
Sunday night was the first night that the Vancouver Canucks faced an Eastern based team this year and the Canucks may be hoping for more visits from their eastern relations. The new NHL schedule is heavily weighted towards inter division and conference rivalries, leaving little room for the eastern teams, let alone the original six franchises to pop into town.
For Vancouver fans this week brings two winds to blow in from the east, besides Sunday's win over Boston, the Ottawa Senators make the trip west for Friday night and a match up with a well rested Canucks team. Vancouver has the week off until the Friday night showdown with the Sens, who have to make a side trip to Florida a make good for a hurricane Katrina cancellation, before traveling across the continent for their western swing of games in Vancouver, Calgary and Colorado.
The Bruins in the meantime take the new look roster into Denver for a match with the Avs on Wednesday night. It will be worth watching to see how the team comes out after a bit of time to take in all that has happened in the last five days or so. Coming off a two game losing streak, the Avs won't be in any kind of mood to make the New look Bruins feel welcome in the mile high city. Mike O'Connells interesting days are about to get a lot more fascinating.
For two games the newcomers to the circled B, put points on the board and helped their new squad on to victories against some pretty impressive competition. A shut out over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and a Saturday night come from behind victory over the Edmonton Oilers live on Hockey Night in Canada. Not a bad way to introduce everyone in the dressing room.
However, it all came crashing back down to earth Sunday night in Vancouver as the Canucks took charge after a slight second period scare, to defeat the road weary Bruins 5-2 at GM Place. Boston has logged a fair amount of miles in the last week, both on the odometer and mentally. As the team tries to digest what life after Joe will be all about, many suggest that despite the quick spurt of success following the trade, the Bruins dressing room is still one very upset place to be.
Sunday night was the first night that the Vancouver Canucks faced an Eastern based team this year and the Canucks may be hoping for more visits from their eastern relations. The new NHL schedule is heavily weighted towards inter division and conference rivalries, leaving little room for the eastern teams, let alone the original six franchises to pop into town.
For Vancouver fans this week brings two winds to blow in from the east, besides Sunday's win over Boston, the Ottawa Senators make the trip west for Friday night and a match up with a well rested Canucks team. Vancouver has the week off until the Friday night showdown with the Sens, who have to make a side trip to Florida a make good for a hurricane Katrina cancellation, before traveling across the continent for their western swing of games in Vancouver, Calgary and Colorado.
The Bruins in the meantime take the new look roster into Denver for a match with the Avs on Wednesday night. It will be worth watching to see how the team comes out after a bit of time to take in all that has happened in the last five days or so. Coming off a two game losing streak, the Avs won't be in any kind of mood to make the New look Bruins feel welcome in the mile high city. Mike O'Connells interesting days are about to get a lot more fascinating.
You don't mess around with Zed!
It’s a whole new atmosphere in Ottawa these days; the nights of walking into the Corel Centre and pushing the Sens around have been banished. Friday night’s match between the LA Kings and the Ottawa Senators had all the elements of an old time feud. With Ottawa dominating the on ice scoring by a final of 5-1, the Kings decided to bring the physical game to a new level.
With King Sean Avery stirring the pot through the game including crashing the net of Sens goaltender Domenik Hasek, removing the Dominators helmet in the process, the night was ripe for some vigilante work. Avery would get his at the hands of enforcer Brian McGratton, who dished out a little pay back in the second period. Yet the chippy play by the Kings continued as the score got further and further out of reach.
This is not the Senators team of old; nobody pushes this team around anymore. The Sens on Friday continued to put the NHL on watch that if you take liberties with their players you will be dealt with accordingly and no fear of fine shall stand in the way.
The third period saw Senator Chris Neil expelled from the game for a hit from behind on the Kings Dustin Brown. The nastiness continued through the third with a number of fights breaking out and some rather blatant attempts at intimidation taking place in the Ottawa end. Finally Zdeno Chara took up the challenge in the waning moments of the game, as things continued to get ugly on the ice. Chara took on a rather non combative Tim Gleason with only 3:21 to go in the game. It’s a move that will cost the Sens defenceman a suspension of one game and take 10,000 dollars out of Bryan Murray’s wallet.
According to NHL rules anyone instigating a fight in the last five minutes of the game is subject to discipline, and Chara faced justice on Saturday when NHL police chief Colin Campbell laid down the law.
Yet no one is probably complaining at the Senators offices, the show of toughness by the Sens is seen as a notice to all others that this Senators team will not be afraid to play when the going gets tough. While the Kings were the target of the lesson on Friday night, don’t doubt for a minute that it was probably something noticed in Philly and Toronto.
More importantly it was noticed right at home in Ottawa, for Sens fans this year has shown so far that nothing is going to get in the way of the Senators as they follow the path towards the Stanley Cup. You pick the style of play; the Senators will be there when the puck drops!
With King Sean Avery stirring the pot through the game including crashing the net of Sens goaltender Domenik Hasek, removing the Dominators helmet in the process, the night was ripe for some vigilante work. Avery would get his at the hands of enforcer Brian McGratton, who dished out a little pay back in the second period. Yet the chippy play by the Kings continued as the score got further and further out of reach.
This is not the Senators team of old; nobody pushes this team around anymore. The Sens on Friday continued to put the NHL on watch that if you take liberties with their players you will be dealt with accordingly and no fear of fine shall stand in the way.
The third period saw Senator Chris Neil expelled from the game for a hit from behind on the Kings Dustin Brown. The nastiness continued through the third with a number of fights breaking out and some rather blatant attempts at intimidation taking place in the Ottawa end. Finally Zdeno Chara took up the challenge in the waning moments of the game, as things continued to get ugly on the ice. Chara took on a rather non combative Tim Gleason with only 3:21 to go in the game. It’s a move that will cost the Sens defenceman a suspension of one game and take 10,000 dollars out of Bryan Murray’s wallet.
According to NHL rules anyone instigating a fight in the last five minutes of the game is subject to discipline, and Chara faced justice on Saturday when NHL police chief Colin Campbell laid down the law.
Yet no one is probably complaining at the Senators offices, the show of toughness by the Sens is seen as a notice to all others that this Senators team will not be afraid to play when the going gets tough. While the Kings were the target of the lesson on Friday night, don’t doubt for a minute that it was probably something noticed in Philly and Toronto.
More importantly it was noticed right at home in Ottawa, for Sens fans this year has shown so far that nothing is going to get in the way of the Senators as they follow the path towards the Stanley Cup. You pick the style of play; the Senators will be there when the puck drops!
Rookie of the Month November
December 2, 2005-- He's already gaining the reputation of being one of the hardest hitters in the NHL, and in Calgary everybody is impressed with Dion Phaneuf. Leading the league in all rookie scoring for a defenceman with three goals and six assists, Phaneuf is carving out a place for himself on the list of top NHL defencemen. For his efforts in November, the NHL has selected Phaneuf as their Rookie of the Month. Such is the faith that the Flames have in Phaneuf that he regularly logs more than twenty minutes on the ice per game. Proof that selecting him ninth overall in the 2003 draft was a smart move by Flames management, one that has already paid off huge in his rookie year!
Friday, December 02, 2005
Sens seek a bounce back after shut out
The Ottawa Senators traveled a road they haven't been down much in this 2005-06 season, the losing end of a shut out hockey game. As a matter of fact, Thursday nights 3-0 loss to the newly bolstered Boston Bruins was the Sens first shut out loss of the season.
Ottawa went into Boston probably thinking an automatic two points were on tap, what with all the controversy bouncing around about the previous day's blockbuster trade off of former captain Joe Thornton. Instead, the Bruins came out of the gate flying, as if to try and prove a point, whether it be to the owners, the managers, the fans or themselves. The Bruins holders of last place in the division, played some inspired hockey partly led by recent acquisition Marco Sturn who made friends fast in beantown with a goal on his first shift. Sturn followed up his goal later on in the game with an assist, which gave Mike O'Connell the warm and fuzzies for one night anyways.
Ottawa seemed to mail this one in, as Domenik Hasek was left to face 24 shots, a total which from a Boston team, must seem like a non stop shooting spree. It was a night to end a number of streaks for the Senators. Besides the string of games of scoring in every match coming to an end, so did Dany Heatley's scoring spree ended as he was left without a point for the first time this year. Bringing to an end, his chase of Wayne Gretzky's continuous points record of 23. Jason Spezza also saw his seven game scoring streak run dry. It was one of those games that the Sens knew would one day come, but when it does it seems as though they could have done more. The Sens will attempt to return to their winning ways tonight at home as the first place as the Pacific divisions, LA Kings make an appearance at the Corel Centre.
For Boston, the win was just the thing to take some of the bitterness away for frustrated Bruins fans. For twenty four hours they have been railing against the trade of Thornton for Sturn, Stuart and Primeau. The general feeling was that Mike O'Connell had been fleeced by his counterpart in San Jose. O'Connell was feeling the heat from fans and players alike, as many questioned his motives and his hockey sense. For one game however, O'Connell could claim to be the re-incarnation of Sam Pollock.
One game does not a legend make and something tells us that the troubles in Boston were much deeper than just an underperforming Joe Thornton. But, for one evening anyways things were well in B-town. O'Connell can only hope that it was not a one time only event and that his struggling team comes together (even if it's against him) and gets on track.
Ottawa went into Boston probably thinking an automatic two points were on tap, what with all the controversy bouncing around about the previous day's blockbuster trade off of former captain Joe Thornton. Instead, the Bruins came out of the gate flying, as if to try and prove a point, whether it be to the owners, the managers, the fans or themselves. The Bruins holders of last place in the division, played some inspired hockey partly led by recent acquisition Marco Sturn who made friends fast in beantown with a goal on his first shift. Sturn followed up his goal later on in the game with an assist, which gave Mike O'Connell the warm and fuzzies for one night anyways.
Ottawa seemed to mail this one in, as Domenik Hasek was left to face 24 shots, a total which from a Boston team, must seem like a non stop shooting spree. It was a night to end a number of streaks for the Senators. Besides the string of games of scoring in every match coming to an end, so did Dany Heatley's scoring spree ended as he was left without a point for the first time this year. Bringing to an end, his chase of Wayne Gretzky's continuous points record of 23. Jason Spezza also saw his seven game scoring streak run dry. It was one of those games that the Sens knew would one day come, but when it does it seems as though they could have done more. The Sens will attempt to return to their winning ways tonight at home as the first place as the Pacific divisions, LA Kings make an appearance at the Corel Centre.
For Boston, the win was just the thing to take some of the bitterness away for frustrated Bruins fans. For twenty four hours they have been railing against the trade of Thornton for Sturn, Stuart and Primeau. The general feeling was that Mike O'Connell had been fleeced by his counterpart in San Jose. O'Connell was feeling the heat from fans and players alike, as many questioned his motives and his hockey sense. For one game however, O'Connell could claim to be the re-incarnation of Sam Pollock.
One game does not a legend make and something tells us that the troubles in Boston were much deeper than just an underperforming Joe Thornton. But, for one evening anyways things were well in B-town. O'Connell can only hope that it was not a one time only event and that his struggling team comes together (even if it's against him) and gets on track.
Day of the Dissidents
NHLPA head Ted Saskin is under attack again, as a band of dissident players seek out player agents to meet and discuss the many issues that have percolated since Saskin took charge of the association.
Led by Trent Klatt, the dissident faction issued a call for agents to meet informally with their chosen legal representative Bob Lanza. The meeting has been scheduled for December 12th, one day before the agents are to meet with Saskin. For good measure the dissidents would then meet with the agents formally on the day of the Saskin meeting, giving the player agents some food for thought just before the official NHLPA conclave commences.
TSN has published two memos from Klatt outlining the dissident's concerns and issuing the call for a meeting with the agents to address the issues which threaten to rupture the Players association.
Earlier in mid November, former Chicago Black Hawk player Steve Larmer resigned his position as head of player relations with the NHLPA, in protest over issues surrounding the Saskin hiring. In his resignation letter, Larmer scathingly suggested that the NHLPA was traveling down the same path as the Alan Eagleson era, a dark, dark era for many an NHL player.
In a New York office, Gary Bettman must sit back and wonder what great fortune he has stumbled across. Not since his arrival from the land of basketball, has Bettman been stronger, nor the players weaker. Something that seems to be sticking in the craw of many of the dissidents, who not only feel that they gave up too much at the negotiating table, but were dealt with duplicity by their own representatives.
That has set the tone for the nasty brawl that has broken out between some players, agents and NHLPA officials. It's even an issue that has become the fodder for many a blog site. As this month of December gets under way, once again there seems to be more action off the ice than on it!
One wonders if these may be the Ides of December, for emperor Saskin?
Led by Trent Klatt, the dissident faction issued a call for agents to meet informally with their chosen legal representative Bob Lanza. The meeting has been scheduled for December 12th, one day before the agents are to meet with Saskin. For good measure the dissidents would then meet with the agents formally on the day of the Saskin meeting, giving the player agents some food for thought just before the official NHLPA conclave commences.
TSN has published two memos from Klatt outlining the dissident's concerns and issuing the call for a meeting with the agents to address the issues which threaten to rupture the Players association.
Earlier in mid November, former Chicago Black Hawk player Steve Larmer resigned his position as head of player relations with the NHLPA, in protest over issues surrounding the Saskin hiring. In his resignation letter, Larmer scathingly suggested that the NHLPA was traveling down the same path as the Alan Eagleson era, a dark, dark era for many an NHL player.
In a New York office, Gary Bettman must sit back and wonder what great fortune he has stumbled across. Not since his arrival from the land of basketball, has Bettman been stronger, nor the players weaker. Something that seems to be sticking in the craw of many of the dissidents, who not only feel that they gave up too much at the negotiating table, but were dealt with duplicity by their own representatives.
That has set the tone for the nasty brawl that has broken out between some players, agents and NHLPA officials. It's even an issue that has become the fodder for many a blog site. As this month of December gets under way, once again there seems to be more action off the ice than on it!
One wonders if these may be the Ides of December, for emperor Saskin?
Headlines of December
The stories that made the news in December
December 31 Beauty of a Game
December 30 Costly win for the Sens
December 29 Refs ruin the show in Vancouver
December 28 "At the end of a day, it's a win"
December 27 You are.......
December 26 A Successful start for Canada
December 25 Ready to defend the title!
December 24 Like Santa and Turkey, a Christmas Tradition!
December 23 Bure picks his boys
December 22 Bertuzzi Bashing
December 21 26 to go for Gold
December 20 Higher revenues mean lower escrow
December 19 Canada's Hockey Mom passes away
December 19 Robinson steps down!
December 18 The Brothers Niedermayer
December 17 Family First for Gretzky
December 16 Are the kids alright?
December 15 Salary Cap to rise
December 14 Olczyk's Out?
December 13 Cloutier out for the season
December 12 Fischer steps aside
December 11 Marty's Hot, ten straight win, Not that Marty!
December 10 Flames tame the beast
December 9 Mario to rest for a few days
December 8 Mario goes into the Hospital
December 7 Flyers edge Flames in shootout
December 6 Three for Bochenski
December 5 Dear Mr. Pound
December 4 A Howling Good time in Phoenix
December 3 Odd man out in Edmonton
December 2 Le Club de Hockey du Bloc
December 1 Domi takes Jacobs to task
December 31 Beauty of a Game
December 30 Costly win for the Sens
December 29 Refs ruin the show in Vancouver
December 28 "At the end of a day, it's a win"
December 27 You are.......
December 26 A Successful start for Canada
December 25 Ready to defend the title!
December 24 Like Santa and Turkey, a Christmas Tradition!
December 23 Bure picks his boys
December 22 Bertuzzi Bashing
December 21 26 to go for Gold
December 20 Higher revenues mean lower escrow
December 19 Canada's Hockey Mom passes away
December 19 Robinson steps down!
December 18 The Brothers Niedermayer
December 17 Family First for Gretzky
December 16 Are the kids alright?
December 15 Salary Cap to rise
December 14 Olczyk's Out?
December 13 Cloutier out for the season
December 12 Fischer steps aside
December 11 Marty's Hot, ten straight win, Not that Marty!
December 10 Flames tame the beast
December 9 Mario to rest for a few days
December 8 Mario goes into the Hospital
December 7 Flyers edge Flames in shootout
December 6 Three for Bochenski
December 5 Dear Mr. Pound
December 4 A Howling Good time in Phoenix
December 3 Odd man out in Edmonton
December 2 Le Club de Hockey du Bloc
December 1 Domi takes Jacobs to task
The Maple Leaf or nothing at all
Hockey entered the Canadian election campaign on Thursday, as Bloc Quebecois leader, Gilles Duceppe floated a trial balloon to gain some notice in Quebec and rekindle an age old debate in Canada.
Duceppe while campaigning in the province stated he felt the time had come for a team from Quebec to compete on the International stage. His plan would be to bring back only those players from Quebec, to don a blue and white uniform of Team Quebec and take to the world stage to battle the Russians, Americans, Swedes and of course les autres the Canadians.
It's an issue that comes up from time to time in Canada, usually at times of stress between the province of Quebec and the rest of Canada, or as in this case when an the silly season of an election coincides with the hockey season.
Hockey Canada was quick off the mark to say the idea was a non starter, as Director Bob Nicholson said that his Team Canada included Quebec. Nicholson said that under current international hockey rules it was unlikely that Quebec would be allowed to send a separate entry to international events, unless they were an independent nation and form its own national hockey federation.
Nicholson went further and stated that in his long time experience with Hockey Canada, he had seen many hockey players from Quebec join the Canadian team in International adventures and wear that Canadian sweater with pride.
Vincent Lecavalier risked a character attack by the followers of Duceppe when he said he was one player that enjoyed playing for the Canadian team and didn't see anything on the horizon to change that situation. As Lecavalier put it, "I'm part of Team Canada and Canada as a whole, I'm proud to be Canadian".
An answer which Duceppe shrugged off as claiming everyone is entitled to his opinion.
Numerous NHL players, coaches and officials jumped to the defence of a Team Canada which included Quebeccers, all for one and one for all. Duceppe's dream team concept also got shot down by the IIHF, spokesman Syzmon Szemberg who said that a Team Quebec was a long shot.
As it turned out, Duceppe's sideshow grew wearisome for him as he found he was answering more questions about a mythical hockey team than about the present election campaign. He grew impatient with the reporters fixated on the hockey issue and not showing any interest in his other plans and ideas.
Kevin Lowe put things into proper perspective when he suggested that the politicians, stick to politics. Some of us suggest that the hockey people start working in politics, God knows things couldn't get much worse!
For the last word on le tempete du hockey, we turn to the Globe and Mail and a letter to the editor on the situation, for Duceppe it was a case of He Shoots, He Misses!
Duceppe while campaigning in the province stated he felt the time had come for a team from Quebec to compete on the International stage. His plan would be to bring back only those players from Quebec, to don a blue and white uniform of Team Quebec and take to the world stage to battle the Russians, Americans, Swedes and of course les autres the Canadians.
It's an issue that comes up from time to time in Canada, usually at times of stress between the province of Quebec and the rest of Canada, or as in this case when an the silly season of an election coincides with the hockey season.
Hockey Canada was quick off the mark to say the idea was a non starter, as Director Bob Nicholson said that his Team Canada included Quebec. Nicholson said that under current international hockey rules it was unlikely that Quebec would be allowed to send a separate entry to international events, unless they were an independent nation and form its own national hockey federation.
Nicholson went further and stated that in his long time experience with Hockey Canada, he had seen many hockey players from Quebec join the Canadian team in International adventures and wear that Canadian sweater with pride.
Vincent Lecavalier risked a character attack by the followers of Duceppe when he said he was one player that enjoyed playing for the Canadian team and didn't see anything on the horizon to change that situation. As Lecavalier put it, "I'm part of Team Canada and Canada as a whole, I'm proud to be Canadian".
An answer which Duceppe shrugged off as claiming everyone is entitled to his opinion.
Numerous NHL players, coaches and officials jumped to the defence of a Team Canada which included Quebeccers, all for one and one for all. Duceppe's dream team concept also got shot down by the IIHF, spokesman Syzmon Szemberg who said that a Team Quebec was a long shot.
As it turned out, Duceppe's sideshow grew wearisome for him as he found he was answering more questions about a mythical hockey team than about the present election campaign. He grew impatient with the reporters fixated on the hockey issue and not showing any interest in his other plans and ideas.
Kevin Lowe put things into proper perspective when he suggested that the politicians, stick to politics. Some of us suggest that the hockey people start working in politics, God knows things couldn't get much worse!
For the last word on le tempete du hockey, we turn to the Globe and Mail and a letter to the editor on the situation, for Duceppe it was a case of He Shoots, He Misses!
Canucks Derailed
Well that was quick, just after we post our tribute to the Canucks ability to return to winning ways, they go and get stomped in Edmonton.
The Oilers must have decided to bring the Canucks back to earth and do it quickly, once again the Canucks had problems getting things in gear on the road. The trips away from GM Place have for the most part been unsuccessful ventures, last night it was another road loss as the Canucks dropped a 5-3 decision to the Oilers, making the Canucks road record now 5 wins, 15 losses for the year.
Outworked and outscored summarizes Thursday night at Rexall Place, as the Oilers dominated the Canucks in much the same way that the Nucks took on the Avs the night before. They were outfought for the puck, outskated on the ice. Following the Avs game on Thursday, Marc Crawford said he had no passengers on the bench, Thursday the place was crowded with guys just there to watch. Something you can't do against a team like Edmonton, who if nothing else provide a solid work ethic game in and game out.
Jarret Stoll, Raffi Torres, Marty Reasoner and Ryan Smith set the pace for the Oilers with Stoll scoring twice in the successful night in front of the tenth sell out of the year for the Oil. Jussi Markennen held up the back end for the Oilers keeping the Canucks for the most part off the scoreboard.
Canuck markers that did get through included Josh Green, Daniel Sedin and former Oiler Anson Carter. Bright spots for Vancouver was the play of Mattias Ohlund with assists on all three goals and Henrik Sedin with two assists in the losing cause.
Alex Auld started the game in the Canuck nets, before giving way with 2:44 left in the game as rookie Rob McVicar took over to finish off the game.
Missing in action for the most part on Thursday night were Todd Bertuzzi and Ed Jovanovski, both player which the Canucks need to become more dominant if they wish to improve their horrid road record. They're not alone in taking nights off, but they're status as premier players on this team mean that if they aren't performing the rest of the team seems to feed off of it.
The loss will rejuvenate the debate in Vancouver about what is wrong with the Canucks and why consistency seems to be as alien as road wins to this team. Coach Marc Crawford and GM Dave Nonis had best find the answer fast, over the course of a season losing two thirds of your road games is a recipe for an early exit from the quest for the Stanley Cup!
The Oilers must have decided to bring the Canucks back to earth and do it quickly, once again the Canucks had problems getting things in gear on the road. The trips away from GM Place have for the most part been unsuccessful ventures, last night it was another road loss as the Canucks dropped a 5-3 decision to the Oilers, making the Canucks road record now 5 wins, 15 losses for the year.
Outworked and outscored summarizes Thursday night at Rexall Place, as the Oilers dominated the Canucks in much the same way that the Nucks took on the Avs the night before. They were outfought for the puck, outskated on the ice. Following the Avs game on Thursday, Marc Crawford said he had no passengers on the bench, Thursday the place was crowded with guys just there to watch. Something you can't do against a team like Edmonton, who if nothing else provide a solid work ethic game in and game out.
Jarret Stoll, Raffi Torres, Marty Reasoner and Ryan Smith set the pace for the Oilers with Stoll scoring twice in the successful night in front of the tenth sell out of the year for the Oil. Jussi Markennen held up the back end for the Oilers keeping the Canucks for the most part off the scoreboard.
Canuck markers that did get through included Josh Green, Daniel Sedin and former Oiler Anson Carter. Bright spots for Vancouver was the play of Mattias Ohlund with assists on all three goals and Henrik Sedin with two assists in the losing cause.
Alex Auld started the game in the Canuck nets, before giving way with 2:44 left in the game as rookie Rob McVicar took over to finish off the game.
Missing in action for the most part on Thursday night were Todd Bertuzzi and Ed Jovanovski, both player which the Canucks need to become more dominant if they wish to improve their horrid road record. They're not alone in taking nights off, but they're status as premier players on this team mean that if they aren't performing the rest of the team seems to feed off of it.
The loss will rejuvenate the debate in Vancouver about what is wrong with the Canucks and why consistency seems to be as alien as road wins to this team. Coach Marc Crawford and GM Dave Nonis had best find the answer fast, over the course of a season losing two thirds of your road games is a recipe for an early exit from the quest for the Stanley Cup!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Canucks back on track!
The bandwagon of Doom is off the road for now, those Canuck fans that were apoplectic over the state of their team have taken their seats, calmer and less inclined to float those bizarre trade rumors that were the currency of talk radio the last week or so.
Jovo, Bertuzzi, Cloutier, the Sedins they can all unpack the suitcases, take their homes off the market. With a convincing 5-2 win at home over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night all is well in Canuck land again. Gaining a measure of revenge over the Avs for an embarrassing loss over the weekend, the Canucks sent another sold out crowd home happy as they won their 11th home game of the year.
The Nuck’s came out of the gate fast and despite falling behind the Av’s 1-0, off the stick of perennial Canuck killer Joe Sakic, they quickly battled back and took control of the game.
Bertuzzi was crashing the net again, playing with a bit of attitude in this one, a contrast to many of the games this year where he has seemed lost on the ice, unsure of his place and what his task should be. Bertuzzi had six shots on goal in this one, a definite improvement in his output and his interest. Bertuzzi claimed his 400th point with an assist on a Markus Naslund goal
The Sedins skated, skated and skated, getting opportunities to score at will, taking advantage of the ones that presented themselves.
Auld rebounded off that early Sakic goal, offering a stellar last line of defence during those few moments when the Defensive crew had a miscue.
The Canuck goal scorers on the night were; Winnipeg call up Josh Green, Brendan Morrison, Henrik Sedin, Markus Naslund and Jarkko Ruutu, Each line made a contribution, every shift seemed solid.
As head coach Marc Crawford put it after the game, this one had no passengers on the bench.
The test now for Vancouver is to keep the momentum going and take their work ethic into Edmonton tonight for a match up with the Oilers. When this team is playing with confidence they look unstoppable, they looked pretty confident Wednesday night.
Jovo, Bertuzzi, Cloutier, the Sedins they can all unpack the suitcases, take their homes off the market. With a convincing 5-2 win at home over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night all is well in Canuck land again. Gaining a measure of revenge over the Avs for an embarrassing loss over the weekend, the Canucks sent another sold out crowd home happy as they won their 11th home game of the year.
The Nuck’s came out of the gate fast and despite falling behind the Av’s 1-0, off the stick of perennial Canuck killer Joe Sakic, they quickly battled back and took control of the game.
Bertuzzi was crashing the net again, playing with a bit of attitude in this one, a contrast to many of the games this year where he has seemed lost on the ice, unsure of his place and what his task should be. Bertuzzi had six shots on goal in this one, a definite improvement in his output and his interest. Bertuzzi claimed his 400th point with an assist on a Markus Naslund goal
The Sedins skated, skated and skated, getting opportunities to score at will, taking advantage of the ones that presented themselves.
Auld rebounded off that early Sakic goal, offering a stellar last line of defence during those few moments when the Defensive crew had a miscue.
The Canuck goal scorers on the night were; Winnipeg call up Josh Green, Brendan Morrison, Henrik Sedin, Markus Naslund and Jarkko Ruutu, Each line made a contribution, every shift seemed solid.
As head coach Marc Crawford put it after the game, this one had no passengers on the bench.
The test now for Vancouver is to keep the momentum going and take their work ethic into Edmonton tonight for a match up with the Oilers. When this team is playing with confidence they look unstoppable, they looked pretty confident Wednesday night.
Tough days for Jacques
Jacques Martin must be wondering what it will take to catch a break. When he landed on his feet with the Florida Panthers after his dismissal from Ottawa, it was felt he would be a perfect fit for the young and developing Panthers.
However, things have not gone quite according to plan in Florida, Martin's Panthers appear in a horrid free fall, loss after loss with little in positive vibes to suggest a change of fortune is coming soon. He looks at a newspaper and his former team the Ottawa Senators seem to be thriving in the free wheeling environment of Bryan Murray, players that rarely saw the light of day when Martin was coach are suddenly filling the net and being talked about as possible Olympic team participants.
Martin's one time stumbling block the Toronto Maple Leafs are suddenly mere mortals when they play the fast skating Sens. Meanwhile back in Florida, Martin can't find any teams that he can beat. His most recent loss, to those same Maple Leafs that haunted him in his Ottawa days. Not only is the team showing a lack of interest in playing, but the fans are showing even less interest in attending. Which probably is a more alarming statistic than the current 13 game losing streak.
Al Strachan wrote a blistering critique of the Panthers under Martin in the Canoe papers on Wednesday, Strachan suggests that Martin has missed the boat in the new NHL, preferring his defensive style of play in a league that now is all offence, end to end rushes and speed.
The article explains to a degree the remarkable downfall of Roberto Luongo, once the money goaltender of the Panthers now a guy that struggles daily to keep his game on track. There hasn't been a day gone by in the last week, that has not featured a Luongo trade rumour. Last week he was bound for Vancouver, who knows where he's going this one.
It seems that when Martin joined the Cats, his first task was to fire the Panthers goaltending coach Clint Malarchuk, who had provided tutorials for Luongo and seemed to understand the subtle problems that all goaltenders seem to have. Martin replaced Malarchuk with his old friend Phil Myre and for whatever reason, he and Luongo can't seem to get on the same page. When you don't have your goaltender on his game you're already behind the eight ball, a place the Panthers have been for far too much of this year already.
Martin negotiated a fairly good contract for himself with the Panthers owner, Alan Cohen. Five years of job security, a rarity for an NHL coach was the reward for Martin joining the Panthers as head coach. Hired personally by Cohen, one wonders what the relationship between Martin and GM Mike Keenan must be like. With a losing skid of record proportions and a mercurial personality such as Keenan, flies on walls in Florida must be getting an exciting earful.
Despite the length of the contract and the bite that Cohen probably would face in terminating it, there are whispers in Florida, that he may have no choice but to end Martin's time behind the bench.
The last Panthers game featured tickets at 75 cents and still the arena was only half full. Something has gone terribly wrong for hockey in Florida, Martin may be the fall guy but the problems probably are a lot deeper than that.
However, things have not gone quite according to plan in Florida, Martin's Panthers appear in a horrid free fall, loss after loss with little in positive vibes to suggest a change of fortune is coming soon. He looks at a newspaper and his former team the Ottawa Senators seem to be thriving in the free wheeling environment of Bryan Murray, players that rarely saw the light of day when Martin was coach are suddenly filling the net and being talked about as possible Olympic team participants.
Martin's one time stumbling block the Toronto Maple Leafs are suddenly mere mortals when they play the fast skating Sens. Meanwhile back in Florida, Martin can't find any teams that he can beat. His most recent loss, to those same Maple Leafs that haunted him in his Ottawa days. Not only is the team showing a lack of interest in playing, but the fans are showing even less interest in attending. Which probably is a more alarming statistic than the current 13 game losing streak.
Al Strachan wrote a blistering critique of the Panthers under Martin in the Canoe papers on Wednesday, Strachan suggests that Martin has missed the boat in the new NHL, preferring his defensive style of play in a league that now is all offence, end to end rushes and speed.
The article explains to a degree the remarkable downfall of Roberto Luongo, once the money goaltender of the Panthers now a guy that struggles daily to keep his game on track. There hasn't been a day gone by in the last week, that has not featured a Luongo trade rumour. Last week he was bound for Vancouver, who knows where he's going this one.
It seems that when Martin joined the Cats, his first task was to fire the Panthers goaltending coach Clint Malarchuk, who had provided tutorials for Luongo and seemed to understand the subtle problems that all goaltenders seem to have. Martin replaced Malarchuk with his old friend Phil Myre and for whatever reason, he and Luongo can't seem to get on the same page. When you don't have your goaltender on his game you're already behind the eight ball, a place the Panthers have been for far too much of this year already.
Martin negotiated a fairly good contract for himself with the Panthers owner, Alan Cohen. Five years of job security, a rarity for an NHL coach was the reward for Martin joining the Panthers as head coach. Hired personally by Cohen, one wonders what the relationship between Martin and GM Mike Keenan must be like. With a losing skid of record proportions and a mercurial personality such as Keenan, flies on walls in Florida must be getting an exciting earful.
Despite the length of the contract and the bite that Cohen probably would face in terminating it, there are whispers in Florida, that he may have no choice but to end Martin's time behind the bench.
The last Panthers game featured tickets at 75 cents and still the arena was only half full. Something has gone terribly wrong for hockey in Florida, Martin may be the fall guy but the problems probably are a lot deeper than that.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Three for one split in Beantown!
The Boston Bruins surprised most hockey analysts on Wednesday when they traded away their popular captain Joe Thornton. Shock is the word that has bounced around the NHL, as the Bruins marquee player was dealt away to the San Jose Sharks, for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart. With the trade, the Bruins dump a whack of salary as they cut 1.5 million off of their payroll, but have trashed all credibility in the eyes of Boston fans everywhere.
The two teams hold down similar positions in their respective divisions and have been sluggish and unproductive in the last month. So its not surprising that the two teams have made deals, but it is a shake up that will have hockey fans talking for most of the winter.
As the Bruins struggled in this early part of the season, many thought that the GM Mike O'Connell or coach Mike Sullivan, or maybe both were the ones on thin ice, nobody expected that it would be Thornton the captain of the underperforming Bears. It was only a few weeks ago that the Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, suggested that changes were going to be made. Changes that had many Bruins fans hoping for a positive addition to the line up. With apologies to the three former sharks on their way to Boston, the name brand recognition of the three combined is not the same as that of guy leaving town. Losing a player of Thornton’s caliber is not going to make their arrival in Boston an enjoyable scenario in the short term.
The Bruins have been involved in some huge trades over the years, trades that change careers and provide enough ammunition to Bruins fans to last a year. It will be interesting to watch what effect this has on the management structure in Boston, the coach and GM are not out of the woods yet. If there is not an impressive change of direction and attitude in the Bruins, the howls of outrage will be heard all the way out to San Jose.
Thornton appeared to be in shock as the news broke of his new work assignment, he recently had signed a three year deal with Boston and felt that he was in for the long run. Many compared him to a Cam Neely type, a lynchpin of the franchise and one who would bleed Bruin black and gold for his team. Instead he’s been sent to the far west coast, out of the division and far, far away from the Bruins faithful.
For the Sharks the deal gives them a solid asset at centre ice, a name that the fans can attach themselves to, something they haven’t really had since Owen Nolan left the Bay area for Toronto and what seems like inevitable retirement. As he joins the Sharks, Thornton should do quite a bit to bring back to life an anemic offence that has struggled in the first quarter of this season. He should give a boost to a struggling Sharks squad that needed a spark to get back into the race in the Western Conference.
Sharks GM Doug Wilson must feel as though he’s won the lottery and as we all know, if you don’t buy the ticket you don’t win the prize. Wilson bought his ticket, time will tell if he or O'Connell are the ones to claim a jackpot. The early odds say that Wilson is the one with the winner.
The two teams hold down similar positions in their respective divisions and have been sluggish and unproductive in the last month. So its not surprising that the two teams have made deals, but it is a shake up that will have hockey fans talking for most of the winter.
As the Bruins struggled in this early part of the season, many thought that the GM Mike O'Connell or coach Mike Sullivan, or maybe both were the ones on thin ice, nobody expected that it would be Thornton the captain of the underperforming Bears. It was only a few weeks ago that the Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, suggested that changes were going to be made. Changes that had many Bruins fans hoping for a positive addition to the line up. With apologies to the three former sharks on their way to Boston, the name brand recognition of the three combined is not the same as that of guy leaving town. Losing a player of Thornton’s caliber is not going to make their arrival in Boston an enjoyable scenario in the short term.
The Bruins have been involved in some huge trades over the years, trades that change careers and provide enough ammunition to Bruins fans to last a year. It will be interesting to watch what effect this has on the management structure in Boston, the coach and GM are not out of the woods yet. If there is not an impressive change of direction and attitude in the Bruins, the howls of outrage will be heard all the way out to San Jose.
Thornton appeared to be in shock as the news broke of his new work assignment, he recently had signed a three year deal with Boston and felt that he was in for the long run. Many compared him to a Cam Neely type, a lynchpin of the franchise and one who would bleed Bruin black and gold for his team. Instead he’s been sent to the far west coast, out of the division and far, far away from the Bruins faithful.
For the Sharks the deal gives them a solid asset at centre ice, a name that the fans can attach themselves to, something they haven’t really had since Owen Nolan left the Bay area for Toronto and what seems like inevitable retirement. As he joins the Sharks, Thornton should do quite a bit to bring back to life an anemic offence that has struggled in the first quarter of this season. He should give a boost to a struggling Sharks squad that needed a spark to get back into the race in the Western Conference.
Sharks GM Doug Wilson must feel as though he’s won the lottery and as we all know, if you don’t buy the ticket you don’t win the prize. Wilson bought his ticket, time will tell if he or O'Connell are the ones to claim a jackpot. The early odds say that Wilson is the one with the winner.
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