http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss1JTK7JUts
watch that video.
So it is apparent that Hitler was not a Mactavish fan. However, can all of the Oilers troubles, and misfortunes be blamed on him alone? Sure he likes his team to play a checking, grinding type of hockey, but so do many other coaches, and its a system that works, as per Oilers circa.05-06. The biggest problem the Oilers have been plagued/faced by, for a long time, is their offense. Yes playing a grinding/checking game slows it down, but not to the point of what it has become for the Oil. Mactavish started as an assistant coach to Kevin Lowe in 99-00. In 2000-2001 he stepped into the head coaching role when Kevin Lowe was promoted to General Manager. His star player in his first year was Doug Weight, who finished 8th in NHL scoring with 90 points that season. The supporting cast consisted of Ryan Smyth, Janne Niinima, Anson Carter, and Todd Marchant. Their goaltender that season was Tommy Salo. Now, we will take a look at Mactavishes complete tenure with the Oilers, each seasons results, and what his lineups consisted of.
2000-2001
Doug Weight (90pts)
Ryan Smyth (70pts)
Janne Niinima (46pts)
Anson Carter (42 pts)
Todd Marchant (39 pts)
Goalie:
Tommy Salo
Finish:
6th in the West, lost in first round to Dallas
2001-2002
Mike Comrie (60 pts)
Anson Carter (60 pts)
Ryan Smyth (50 pts)
Janne Niinima (44 pts)
Jochen Hecht (40 pts)
Goalie:
Tommy Salo
Finish:
9th in the West
2002-2003
Ryan Smyth (61 pts)
Todd Marchant (60 pts)
Anson Carter (55 pts)
Mike York (51 pts)
Mike Comrie (51 pts)
Goalie:
Tommy Salo
Finish:
8th in the West, lost in first round to Dallas
2003-2004
Ryan Smyth (59 pts)
Radek Dvorak (50 pts)
Mike York (42 pts)
Shawn Horcoff (40 pts)
Raffi Torres (34 pts)
Goalie:
Tommy Salo/Ty Conklin
Finish:
9th in the West
2005-2006
Ales Hemsky (77 pts)
Shawn Horcoff (73 pts)
Jarret Stoll (68 pts)
Ryan Smyth (66 pts)
Chris Pronger (56 pts)
Goalie:
Jussi Markanen/Ty Conklin/Mike Morrison/Dwayne Roloson (aquired that year)
Finish:
8th in the West, lost in Stanley Cup Final to Carolina
2006-2007
Ryan Smyth (53 pts)
Petr Sykora (53 pts)
Ales Hemsky (53 pts)
Shawn Horcoff (51 pts)
Jarret Stoll (39 pts)
Goalie:
Dwayne Roloson
Finish:
12th in the West
2007-2008
Ales Hemsky (71 pts)
Shawn Horcoff (50 pts)
Sam Gagner (49 pts)
Dustin Penner (47 pts)
Andrew Cogliano (45 pts)
Goalie:
Mathieu Garon/Dwayne Roloson
Finish:
9th in the West
2008-2009 (still in progress)
*currently
Ales Hemsky(63 pts)
Shawn Horcoff (49 pts)
Sheldon Souray (48 pts)
Tom Gilbert (43 pts)
Ales Kotalik (41 pts)
Goalie:
Dwayne Roloson
Finish:
currently 9th in West 2 points behind St Louis
So Mac-T's tenure hasn't been too all inspiring, and, or, plain mediocre. However, can he be blamed entirely? The Oilers (minus Doug Weights big year), under Mac-T's rule, never really had a Super Skilled, Top Notch, All Star. Ales Hemsky is the Oilers latest greatest attempt, but even he falls short of All Star status. Currently Mactavish's record as head coach stands at : 263-217-47-47 (the extra column are for ties in the old NHL). He is a winning coach, possibly the problem for the Oilers goes deeper, or, higher up. To Kevin Lowe, the Oilers former General Manager, who managed the team just as long as Mactavish coached it. Combined, the two have lead the team to two 1st round exits, and one magical run to a loss in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. All of this over 7 seasons, 8 including this one. Meanwhile other teams in their division, such as the Calgary Flames have enjoyed much more success:
Calgary Flames
Stanley Cup Final (03-04)
1st Round Exit (finished 3rd in West)
1st Round Exit (finished 8th in West)
!st Round Exit (finished 7th in West)
Colorado Avalanche
Stanley Cup Champions (00-01)
3rd Round Exit (finished 2nd in West)
1st Round Exit (finished 3rd in West)
2nd Round Exit (finished 4th in West)
2nd Round Exit (finished 7th in West)
2nd Round Exit (finished 6th in West)
Minnesota Wild
3rd Round Exit (finished 6th in West)
1st Round Exit (finished 7th in West)
1st Round Exit (finished 3rd in West)
Vancouver Canucks
1st Round Exit (finished 8th in West)
1st Round Exit (finished 8th in West)
2nd Round Exit (finished 4th in West)
1st Round Exit (finished 3rd in West)
2nd Round Exit (finished 3rd in West)
The reason for all their success? Well for Calagry it lies in Jarome Iginla, Doin Phanuef, and Mikka Kipprusoff. For Colorado its been with Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Rob Blake (okay the list goes on). For Minnesotta its in Marian Gaborik, and all the great goal tending they have ever had. For Vancouver its been Todd Bertuzzi, Markus Naslund, The Sedin Twins, and Roberto Luongo. Who has it been for the Oilers? Ryan Smyth? Ales Hemsky? One year of Chris Pronger? No the Oilers have not experienced that same super stardom for quite some time. When they did, they didn't have the finances to keep those superstars around. Now that there is all this money to be spent (thank you Daryl Katz), the Oilers seem to be lost in what the hell to do... During his tenure, Kevin Lowe, traded away Doug Weight, Ryan Smyth, Chris Pronger (OK so he had no choice), and so far the best return on any of those, has been the Pronger trade (Jordan Eberle, Riley Nash, Laddy Smid, ultimately Patrick O'Sullivan and Ales Kotalik). The others have brought in useless parts.
The summers haven't been any different, with the biggest names coming in being that of, Chris Pronger (traded one year later), Michael Peca (same thing), Sheldon Souray, Petr Sykora, and Lubomir Visnovsky. Meanwhile other teams are signing Marian Hossa, Todd Bertuzzi, Markus Naslund, Brian Campbell, Robert Lang, Paul Kariya, and Ryan Smyth. Maybe Edmonton isn't exactly the place everyone is scrambling to get to, but if the money is there, then how many goes are gonna turn it down? Kevin Lowe in my opinion, is more to blame then Craig Mactavish, all the high hopes and promises are based on who is in the lineup, not on Mactavishes plans for the season. Steve Tambellini is now holding the cards, which could bode a lot better for this team. Mactavish will probably not be our coach next season, but I wouldn't completely blame him for all the Oilers under performing. This Oilers team could see some big changes upcoming, and the franchise could look quite a bit different in the near future. When we look back in 5 years, and see all the mediocrity this team experienced, hopefully we can see it as a cause of the Mactavish/Lowe rule over this franchise, and hopefully have a good chuckle, and watch the new DVD we just bought, story booking the Oilers trip to winning the 2013-2014 Stanley Cup.
-Sporer
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday Morning Recap - Non-Eventful Week Edition
Funny story, true story. I woke up to the sounds of my nextdoor neighbour having sex with his girlfriend (or wife), with the window open. I called Ashley Love to confirm it and get advice on what I should do, she suggested I make noises back... So I did. Then I heard them close their window. Hot.
Here are my NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Daily Oiler Bashing – No comment on Minnesota.
1 b – No comment on Hemsky being a whiner.
1 c – No comment on how the Oilers are inconsistent.
1 d – No comment on if Dwayne Roloson is over-played.
1 e – No comment on if the Oilers will make the playoffs.
1 f – I do have a comment on how frustrating the Oilers are. It's truely an unbelievable enigma that Edmonton can NEVER beat Minnesota when it comes to being a key game, just unbelievable. Furthermore, the Oilers are in a dog fight for a playoff spot, but I'm glad to see Hemsky has decided to put his needs infront of the teams, way to keep him in line Moreau. And let's not forget the Oilers 8-1 just one week ago, then lose to Minni, then get 51 saves in a win over the Ducks, then lose AT HOME to Minni (again)... Also, did you see those Skoula and Gaborik goals Roli let in? Yikes, looks like the Roli of 2006 isn't around this year. Finally, I still think the Oilers make the playoffs, but you know how false hope goes...
1 g – Sporer, you'll find this interesting...
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/31/nhl08_Edmonton-Oilers_314229.html .
Pay attention to the 'Wins-to-player cost ratio' near the bottom.
2 – I'm on the St. Louis bandwagon. And just like LA, this team is going to be good for a very long time: Boyes (26), Backes (24), Steen (24), Oshie (21), Berglund (20), Perron (20), Johnson (20), Pietrangelo (18) form a solid core of youth for many years to come.
2 b – And when I said, 'Im on the St Louis bandwagon', that means I hope they make the playoffs.
3 – Who would I not want to play in the 1st round? They are both are in the East.
Pittsburgh is 14 – 2 – 1 since their coaching change. Over 82 games, thats a 140 point season. Throw in Malkin, Crosby and Fleury and they are poised to be a major playoff upset.
Philadelphia is flying so under the radar, it's crazy: Carter (41), Gagne (31), Hartnell (29), Richards (29), Knuble (26) are all over 25 goals, and Lupul has 23. Throw in Timonen's 40 points and Biron/Nittymaki BOTH have S% over .910 and this team is going to cause some major playoff headaches.
4 a – The Stars are a goaltending factory ever since they first came to Dallas in '93. While they have only drafted turco, Dan Ellis and Mike Smith, many more have been groomed and devloped in Dallas. Even veterans have come here for stints. Just look at the list of established talent that Dallas has been fortunate to have: Eddie Belfour, Dan Ellis, Manny Fernandez, Johan Hedberg, Corey Hirsch, Johan Holmqvist, Arturs Irbe, Andy Moog, Mike Smith, Ron Tugnutt, Marty Turco, Roman Turek and Darcy Wakaluk. All 13 of those guys have been a #1 on an NHL team at some-point in their careers. Unbelievable.
4 b – Oh how the balance of power has shifted... For years the Red Wings have dominated the Central Division, but not so this year. While Detroit is in the playoffs, so is Chicago, Columbus, Nashville and St Louis. Amazing. All 5 teams. The Pacific division (normally the strongest division in the West) only has SJ to represent them this year.
5 a – Robyn Regehr... I understand he's a stay-at-home Dman, but common, 0 goals and only 8 assists just isn't 2010 material at all. It's not even top 3 Dman material. Heck, even I had more points then he did!!!
5 b – King Henrik... 14-2-3 against Brodeur.
5 b II – Sean Avery... 12-2-3 against NJD.
5 b III – Sean Avery, 9 points in 12 games.
5 c – Read this first, http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61684.
5 c II – Now read this, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jim_kelley/03/26/escrow.dispute/index.html.
5 c III – If you read those, then you'll understand why it's going to be a loooooong off-season... Again...
5 d – Now, read this. And screw Robert Nilsson! 10-3-1 when he's NOT in the lineup!!! Looks like Lubo's injury actually made the Oilers better too... http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=272933
Here are my non-NHL thoughts of the week...
1 – Money. Soccer's top 10 earners are out and David Beckham leads the way (again)...
1. David Beckham (LA Galaxy/AC Milan): $42.7 million
2. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona):$37.7 million
3. Ronaldinho (AC Milan): $25.8 million
4. Christiano Ronaldo (Manchester United): $24.1 million
5. Thierry Henry (FC Barcelona): $22.4 million
6. Kaka (AC Milan): $19.9 million
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan): $19.9 million
8. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): $17.8 million
9. Frank Lampard (Chelsea FC): $17.1 million
10. John Terry (Chelsea FC): $15.4 million
2 – Eldrick Tont 'Tiger' Woods is ridiculous. He as down by 5 strokes on the final day of play and won the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Outstanding. So, where does he rank all-time in the clutch? TSN has him in the same sentence as Curt Schilling (11-2 in the postseason, 3 World Series), Patrick Roy (3 Conn Smythes, 4 Cups), Joe Montana (3 Superbowl MVPs, 4 Superbowls) and MJ (6 Finals MVPs, 6 NBA Titles), but I don't think Tiger is there yet. I understand all the majors he has won (4 PGAs and Master, 3 US Opens and British Opens), but he has never COME FROM BEHIND in any of those wins; he has always shared or held the lead after 54 holes. I think he needs to come from behind and win (not just once, but three or more times) to be in a class like that.
3 – There really is nothing else to talk about outside of hockey... so...
4 – Poop.
Here are my NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Daily Oiler Bashing – No comment on Minnesota.1 b – No comment on Hemsky being a whiner.
1 c – No comment on how the Oilers are inconsistent.
1 d – No comment on if Dwayne Roloson is over-played.
1 e – No comment on if the Oilers will make the playoffs.
1 f – I do have a comment on how frustrating the Oilers are. It's truely an unbelievable enigma that Edmonton can NEVER beat Minnesota when it comes to being a key game, just unbelievable. Furthermore, the Oilers are in a dog fight for a playoff spot, but I'm glad to see Hemsky has decided to put his needs infront of the teams, way to keep him in line Moreau. And let's not forget the Oilers 8-1 just one week ago, then lose to Minni, then get 51 saves in a win over the Ducks, then lose AT HOME to Minni (again)... Also, did you see those Skoula and Gaborik goals Roli let in? Yikes, looks like the Roli of 2006 isn't around this year. Finally, I still think the Oilers make the playoffs, but you know how false hope goes...
1 g – Sporer, you'll find this interesting...
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/31/nhl08_Edmonton-Oilers_314229.html .
Pay attention to the 'Wins-to-player cost ratio' near the bottom.
2 – I'm on the St. Louis bandwagon. And just like LA, this team is going to be good for a very long time: Boyes (26), Backes (24), Steen (24), Oshie (21), Berglund (20), Perron (20), Johnson (20), Pietrangelo (18) form a solid core of youth for many years to come.
2 b – And when I said, 'Im on the St Louis bandwagon', that means I hope they make the playoffs.
3 – Who would I not want to play in the 1st round? They are both are in the East.Pittsburgh is 14 – 2 – 1 since their coaching change. Over 82 games, thats a 140 point season. Throw in Malkin, Crosby and Fleury and they are poised to be a major playoff upset.
Philadelphia is flying so under the radar, it's crazy: Carter (41), Gagne (31), Hartnell (29), Richards (29), Knuble (26) are all over 25 goals, and Lupul has 23. Throw in Timonen's 40 points and Biron/Nittymaki BOTH have S% over .910 and this team is going to cause some major playoff headaches.
4 a – The Stars are a goaltending factory ever since they first came to Dallas in '93. While they have only drafted turco, Dan Ellis and Mike Smith, many more have been groomed and devloped in Dallas. Even veterans have come here for stints. Just look at the list of established talent that Dallas has been fortunate to have: Eddie Belfour, Dan Ellis, Manny Fernandez, Johan Hedberg, Corey Hirsch, Johan Holmqvist, Arturs Irbe, Andy Moog, Mike Smith, Ron Tugnutt, Marty Turco, Roman Turek and Darcy Wakaluk. All 13 of those guys have been a #1 on an NHL team at some-point in their careers. Unbelievable.4 b – Oh how the balance of power has shifted... For years the Red Wings have dominated the Central Division, but not so this year. While Detroit is in the playoffs, so is Chicago, Columbus, Nashville and St Louis. Amazing. All 5 teams. The Pacific division (normally the strongest division in the West) only has SJ to represent them this year.
5 a – Robyn Regehr... I understand he's a stay-at-home Dman, but common, 0 goals and only 8 assists just isn't 2010 material at all. It's not even top 3 Dman material. Heck, even I had more points then he did!!!
5 b – King Henrik... 14-2-3 against Brodeur.
5 b II – Sean Avery... 12-2-3 against NJD.5 b III – Sean Avery, 9 points in 12 games.
5 c – Read this first, http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61684.
5 c II – Now read this, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jim_kelley/03/26/escrow.dispute/index.html.
5 c III – If you read those, then you'll understand why it's going to be a loooooong off-season... Again...
5 d – Now, read this. And screw Robert Nilsson! 10-3-1 when he's NOT in the lineup!!! Looks like Lubo's injury actually made the Oilers better too... http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?ID=272933
Here are my non-NHL thoughts of the week...
1 – Money. Soccer's top 10 earners are out and David Beckham leads the way (again)...1. David Beckham (LA Galaxy/AC Milan): $42.7 million
2. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona):$37.7 million
3. Ronaldinho (AC Milan): $25.8 million
4. Christiano Ronaldo (Manchester United): $24.1 million
5. Thierry Henry (FC Barcelona): $22.4 million
6. Kaka (AC Milan): $19.9 million
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan): $19.9 million
8. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): $17.8 million
9. Frank Lampard (Chelsea FC): $17.1 million
10. John Terry (Chelsea FC): $15.4 million
2 – Eldrick Tont 'Tiger' Woods is ridiculous. He as down by 5 strokes on the final day of play and won the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Outstanding. So, where does he rank all-time in the clutch? TSN has him in the same sentence as Curt Schilling (11-2 in the postseason, 3 World Series), Patrick Roy (3 Conn Smythes, 4 Cups), Joe Montana (3 Superbowl MVPs, 4 Superbowls) and MJ (6 Finals MVPs, 6 NBA Titles), but I don't think Tiger is there yet. I understand all the majors he has won (4 PGAs and Master, 3 US Opens and British Opens), but he has never COME FROM BEHIND in any of those wins; he has always shared or held the lead after 54 holes. I think he needs to come from behind and win (not just once, but three or more times) to be in a class like that.
3 – There really is nothing else to talk about outside of hockey... so...4 – Poop.
5 – Pee.
Cheers.
-Smith
p.s. http://manofest.com/index.php?option=com_joomgallery&func=detail&id=3878&Itemid=58#joomimg
Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday Morning Recap - Tuesday Morning Edition
The U of A Golden Bears are ranked #1 in the country and head to Thunder Bay, Ontario to take part in this years CIS hockey championships. They will be joined by Saint Mary's (AUS champ), Western (OUA champ), UNB (AUS runner-up), McGill (OUA runner-up) and Lakehead (host). Shout out to Whitey, hope he brings us home a 14th title! Also, U of A hold just about every CIS Championship record including: titles, games played, wins, loses, goals for, goals against and most appearances. With that said,
Here are my NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Daily Oiler Bashing – And yes, this is the BASHING portion, there is no love here for the Oil. They whip Colorado 8-1, miraculously beat Chicago 5-4 in a SO on the 2nd of back-to-back nights and should feel pretty good about themselves... Then they go and lose to Minnesota, 3-0. Congratulations on spoiling an opportunity to take advantage of your game-in-hand.
1 b – Their next few games don't look too bright either... DET, @ PHX, @ ANA, MIN, ANA, SJ and VAN... I said earlier that they would LOSE to DET, SJ, VAN... BEAT PHX and SPLIT with MIN and ANA. So, somewhere around .500... Is that going to be good enough?
1 c – A lone bright spot (no not Gagner, he should have been doing this all damn year, not the past 6 games, he gets no love here) for the Oil, 7 of their last 10 games are at Rexall (including a 6-game homestand).
1 d – Here is ESPN's take on the Jagr/Omsk/Edmonton deal... It actually interested me that such a loophole exists AND has been used before. These are exactly the things Edmonton needs to do more, exploit the system, just don't exploit it with Penner... Frick...
'The Oilers could have tried to use a loophole in the system: Had they officially signed Jagr to an NHL contract on March 4, therefore making him eligible to play in the playoffs, he would have gone on waivers during the 24-hour period leading up to March 5 at noon ET.
Any other club that would have claimed him then could not have used him in the playoffs because any player added to a team's roster after the March 4 trade deadline cannot be eligible for the postseason.
Follow us here? Tricky, indeed. The Washington Capitals pulled this off 11 years ago with Brian Bellows, bringing him over from Europe and adding him to the roster for their Cup finals run.
However, in this case, we believe the NHL would have considered this to be a circumvention of the new collective bargaining agreement and likely would not have allowed it.
The reality is, it never even reached that point because the Oilers couldn't get around the fact that Jagr was still under contract in Russia. The Oilers can't sign the guy if he's still under contract with Omsk, and that's where it all started and ended. In the end, a non-starter. Why would Jagr agree to rip up his deal with Omsk, who is paying him $7 million a year, to play for the $2 million or so the Oilers had left under the cap? Makes no sense if you're Jagr.'
2 a – You guys who didn't like #8's celebration are retarded. In my eyes, he could have whipped down his pants and mooned the fans (they were IN Tampa) or got down on one knee and prayed to God or even have made out with one of the Tampa Ice Girls, I don't care. It was his 50th goal and he joins Gretzky and Bossy as the ONLY players in NHL history to have 3 50-goal years in their 1st four. If you don't want Alex The Great celebrating, then don't let him score. It's that simple. Don't make Alex the scape-goat in this situation, Rick Tocchet, when you didn't prepare your team well enough and develop an effective gameplan to stop the league's most dominant scorer.
2 b - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUyPlvJ-d5M
2 c – Milan Hejduk is a PIMP.
2 d – Bossy actually started his career with 9 consecutive 50-goal years, yep, best PURE scorer the game has ever seen... Right, Sporer? Ha.
3 – We always look at the West races, so I thought I would give my opinions with the East...
Boston 102 – The Class of the East judging by Sunday's whipping of Brodeur & Co.
NJD 97 – 3.03 G/game, this is a different New Jersey team this year.
Washington 96 – The most skilled team in the entire NHL.
Phili 88 – I want to believe, but I just can't shake 'pretender' out of my mind.
Pittsburgh 86 – Malkin for MVP, I like this team to advance to the 2nd round.
Carolina 85 – Always flies under the radar, always. They must be good to be sitting in 6th...
NYR 84 – New players, new coach, new attitude. Love it.
Montreal 81 – Tom Petty said it best... 'Free Faaaaaaaallin'
Florida 80 – I hope they miss the playoffs, serves them right for letting Jay Bouw leave for nothing.
Buffalo 76 – By contrast, I hope the Sabres knock out the Habs.
Ottawa 74 – I'm still against breaking up the 'Big 3'.
Toronto 73 – They are actually a .500 team, who would have thought that?!
3 b – What a 100th season for the Habs. It was supposed to be filled with magic, winning and a Stanley Cup. The All-Star game went well, but since then, the Habs have been the worst Eastern team in the 2nd half and are headed to an early summer. Where does it start? Well, Hab fans were chanting 'Ha-lak, Ha-lak' and 'Car-bo, Car-bo' on Saturday night. Which leads me to believe that Carey Price hasn't been the same phenom he was last year and that firing Charbonneau was a mistake (1 win in 6 games with Gainey behind the bench).
3 c – Let's not forget the K's of the Canadiens... Kovalev, Koivu, Kommasarek, Kostitsyn... They have ALL under achieved this season. On a side note, I would like to remind everyone that I said Kovalev would under achieve this year (just check his stats, look at the pattern) while some other blogger I know said he was going to be the best thing since sliced bread...
4 a – Fuck my Stars. Brad Richards' FINALLY returned from his wrist injury, Saturday night, but then proceeded to break his OTHER damn wrist! Seriously! What kind of shitty luck is that?! They have scored the most goals of any Wstern non-playoff team, but have lost 11 of their last 15 and it doesn't look like they will be playing hockey in May...
4 b – What's happened to your Flames, Drew? Vancouver can smell blood in the water and are only 3 points behind Calgary and have been flip-flopping with Chicago for the final home-ice-advantage spot, no thanks to Mats Sundin though.
5 a – Marian Hossa has, apparenly, told his agent (Rich Winters) to exhaust every option in trying to stay with Detroit, even if it's for less money. Winters is already looking to extend the one-year-deal with Ken Holland (talks have been taking place) into a long-term relationship.
5 b – You want over-rated? Listen to what the NY Post has to say... 'There remains no more overrated coach in the NHL than Jacques Lemaire, whose teams have combined to win three playoff rounds (one with the Devils as a conference No. 1 seed in 1997, two with the Wild in 2003) since leading New Jersey to the Stanley Cup in 1995. But that's what happens when a coach believes systems and not players win championships.'
5 c – You want under-rated? Mike Knuble has 6 consecutive 20-goal seasons.
Here are my non-NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Duke for life.
1 b – UNC & ND suck.
1 c – My bracket is pretty well intact. I had all 1,2,3 seed in each region advancing, so it's not a whole loss this year.
2 a – Jay Cutler... You know, I don't know how I feel about this whole story that has erupted, but I'm starting to think Cutler is a whiner. I mean, you look at his record, and he's 17-20... yea, under .500; however, that stat is somewhat misleading since he is 13-1 when his defence allows less then 21 points in a game. Still, what every player just decided to 'sit out' because their coach was listening to offers? Think about how boring Trade Deadline Day would be! Don't get me wrong, Cutler nor the Broncos have done anything to piss me off, but Cutler is starting to get on my nerves.
2 b – How has Torry Holt or Marvin Harrison been able to find a home yet?!
3 a – What the fuck is Twitter? And why is Shaq and other NBA players sending 'tweets' at halftime? Is it like facebook, but better? I don't understand, but it's good to know where their focus is...
3 b – Idea. The next time someone 'posterizes' an opponent... or hits a grand-slam... or scores their 50th goals... pull out the laptop and Twitter... Ya, you heard it here first...
4 a – Hear is something that was really surprising to me... The NFLPA has NO DESIRE OR INTEREST to change the current OT rules. It's not so much a surprise that they aren't going to change it, but it does come as a surprise that there was NO INTEREST AT ALL! Apparently, a committee of current and former players went to the commissioner and lobbied to keep the OT rules as they are.
4 b – 28 of 72 (39%) OT games have ended on the first possesion.
4 c – Of those 72 games, the coin flip winners have chosen to receive 72 of 72 times.
5 a – I just love International sports. There is almost nothing like it. It's kind of like an All-Star game, but with so much more passion and pride.
5 b – Tired of March Madness? This bracket might cheer you up...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzu6x1gUJ33ApG7Sg-uOOKLA_5-PFhT957QzsPzlgGt1PDhdBU2ARzYmMVhQFLjJqK9Ockg0i5dfOTpNHV5TBsq3WR9s3PFPn7mINT4p_VHK4XSlmV7SopORiFH5TwGhUfhV-VHDT8m-O/s1600-h/cougar_madness.jpg
5 c – The website speaks for itself... http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/
Cheers.
-Smith
p.s. Tuuka Rask's outburst was outstanding. Pure gold.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUVGz0MVy
Here are my NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Daily Oiler Bashing – And yes, this is the BASHING portion, there is no love here for the Oil. They whip Colorado 8-1, miraculously beat Chicago 5-4 in a SO on the 2nd of back-to-back nights and should feel pretty good about themselves... Then they go and lose to Minnesota, 3-0. Congratulations on spoiling an opportunity to take advantage of your game-in-hand.
1 b – Their next few games don't look too bright either... DET, @ PHX, @ ANA, MIN, ANA, SJ and VAN... I said earlier that they would LOSE to DET, SJ, VAN... BEAT PHX and SPLIT with MIN and ANA. So, somewhere around .500... Is that going to be good enough?1 c – A lone bright spot (no not Gagner, he should have been doing this all damn year, not the past 6 games, he gets no love here) for the Oil, 7 of their last 10 games are at Rexall (including a 6-game homestand).
1 d – Here is ESPN's take on the Jagr/Omsk/Edmonton deal... It actually interested me that such a loophole exists AND has been used before. These are exactly the things Edmonton needs to do more, exploit the system, just don't exploit it with Penner... Frick...
'The Oilers could have tried to use a loophole in the system: Had they officially signed Jagr to an NHL contract on March 4, therefore making him eligible to play in the playoffs, he would have gone on waivers during the 24-hour period leading up to March 5 at noon ET.
Any other club that would have claimed him then could not have used him in the playoffs because any player added to a team's roster after the March 4 trade deadline cannot be eligible for the postseason.
Follow us here? Tricky, indeed. The Washington Capitals pulled this off 11 years ago with Brian Bellows, bringing him over from Europe and adding him to the roster for their Cup finals run.
However, in this case, we believe the NHL would have considered this to be a circumvention of the new collective bargaining agreement and likely would not have allowed it.
The reality is, it never even reached that point because the Oilers couldn't get around the fact that Jagr was still under contract in Russia. The Oilers can't sign the guy if he's still under contract with Omsk, and that's where it all started and ended. In the end, a non-starter. Why would Jagr agree to rip up his deal with Omsk, who is paying him $7 million a year, to play for the $2 million or so the Oilers had left under the cap? Makes no sense if you're Jagr.'
2 a – You guys who didn't like #8's celebration are retarded. In my eyes, he could have whipped down his pants and mooned the fans (they were IN Tampa) or got down on one knee and prayed to God or even have made out with one of the Tampa Ice Girls, I don't care. It was his 50th goal and he joins Gretzky and Bossy as the ONLY players in NHL history to have 3 50-goal years in their 1st four. If you don't want Alex The Great celebrating, then don't let him score. It's that simple. Don't make Alex the scape-goat in this situation, Rick Tocchet, when you didn't prepare your team well enough and develop an effective gameplan to stop the league's most dominant scorer.2 b - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUyPlvJ-d5M
2 c – Milan Hejduk is a PIMP.
2 d – Bossy actually started his career with 9 consecutive 50-goal years, yep, best PURE scorer the game has ever seen... Right, Sporer? Ha.
3 – We always look at the West races, so I thought I would give my opinions with the East...Boston 102 – The Class of the East judging by Sunday's whipping of Brodeur & Co.
NJD 97 – 3.03 G/game, this is a different New Jersey team this year.
Washington 96 – The most skilled team in the entire NHL.
Phili 88 – I want to believe, but I just can't shake 'pretender' out of my mind.
Pittsburgh 86 – Malkin for MVP, I like this team to advance to the 2nd round.
Carolina 85 – Always flies under the radar, always. They must be good to be sitting in 6th...
NYR 84 – New players, new coach, new attitude. Love it.
Montreal 81 – Tom Petty said it best... 'Free Faaaaaaaallin'
Florida 80 – I hope they miss the playoffs, serves them right for letting Jay Bouw leave for nothing.
Buffalo 76 – By contrast, I hope the Sabres knock out the Habs.
Ottawa 74 – I'm still against breaking up the 'Big 3'.
Toronto 73 – They are actually a .500 team, who would have thought that?!
3 b – What a 100th season for the Habs. It was supposed to be filled with magic, winning and a Stanley Cup. The All-Star game went well, but since then, the Habs have been the worst Eastern team in the 2nd half and are headed to an early summer. Where does it start? Well, Hab fans were chanting 'Ha-lak, Ha-lak' and 'Car-bo, Car-bo' on Saturday night. Which leads me to believe that Carey Price hasn't been the same phenom he was last year and that firing Charbonneau was a mistake (1 win in 6 games with Gainey behind the bench).
3 c – Let's not forget the K's of the Canadiens... Kovalev, Koivu, Kommasarek, Kostitsyn... They have ALL under achieved this season. On a side note, I would like to remind everyone that I said Kovalev would under achieve this year (just check his stats, look at the pattern) while some other blogger I know said he was going to be the best thing since sliced bread...4 a – Fuck my Stars. Brad Richards' FINALLY returned from his wrist injury, Saturday night, but then proceeded to break his OTHER damn wrist! Seriously! What kind of shitty luck is that?! They have scored the most goals of any Wstern non-playoff team, but have lost 11 of their last 15 and it doesn't look like they will be playing hockey in May...
4 b – What's happened to your Flames, Drew? Vancouver can smell blood in the water and are only 3 points behind Calgary and have been flip-flopping with Chicago for the final home-ice-advantage spot, no thanks to Mats Sundin though.
5 a – Marian Hossa has, apparenly, told his agent (Rich Winters) to exhaust every option in trying to stay with Detroit, even if it's for less money. Winters is already looking to extend the one-year-deal with Ken Holland (talks have been taking place) into a long-term relationship.5 b – You want over-rated? Listen to what the NY Post has to say... 'There remains no more overrated coach in the NHL than Jacques Lemaire, whose teams have combined to win three playoff rounds (one with the Devils as a conference No. 1 seed in 1997, two with the Wild in 2003) since leading New Jersey to the Stanley Cup in 1995. But that's what happens when a coach believes systems and not players win championships.'
5 c – You want under-rated? Mike Knuble has 6 consecutive 20-goal seasons.
Here are my non-NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Duke for life.
1 b – UNC & ND suck.
1 c – My bracket is pretty well intact. I had all 1,2,3 seed in each region advancing, so it's not a whole loss this year.
2 a – Jay Cutler... You know, I don't know how I feel about this whole story that has erupted, but I'm starting to think Cutler is a whiner. I mean, you look at his record, and he's 17-20... yea, under .500; however, that stat is somewhat misleading since he is 13-1 when his defence allows less then 21 points in a game. Still, what every player just decided to 'sit out' because their coach was listening to offers? Think about how boring Trade Deadline Day would be! Don't get me wrong, Cutler nor the Broncos have done anything to piss me off, but Cutler is starting to get on my nerves.2 b – How has Torry Holt or Marvin Harrison been able to find a home yet?!
3 a – What the fuck is Twitter? And why is Shaq and other NBA players sending 'tweets' at halftime? Is it like facebook, but better? I don't understand, but it's good to know where their focus is...
3 b – Idea. The next time someone 'posterizes' an opponent... or hits a grand-slam... or scores their 50th goals... pull out the laptop and Twitter... Ya, you heard it here first...
4 a – Hear is something that was really surprising to me... The NFLPA has NO DESIRE OR INTEREST to change the current OT rules. It's not so much a surprise that they aren't going to change it, but it does come as a surprise that there was NO INTEREST AT ALL! Apparently, a committee of current and former players went to the commissioner and lobbied to keep the OT rules as they are.4 b – 28 of 72 (39%) OT games have ended on the first possesion.
4 c – Of those 72 games, the coin flip winners have chosen to receive 72 of 72 times.
5 a – I just love International sports. There is almost nothing like it. It's kind of like an All-Star game, but with so much more passion and pride.5 b – Tired of March Madness? This bracket might cheer you up...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzu6x1gUJ33ApG7Sg-uOOKLA_5-PFhT957QzsPzlgGt1PDhdBU2ARzYmMVhQFLjJqK9Ockg0i5dfOTpNHV5TBsq3WR9s3PFPn7mINT4p_VHK4XSlmV7SopORiFH5TwGhUfhV-VHDT8m-O/s1600-h/cougar_madness.jpg
5 c – The website speaks for itself... http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/
Cheers.
-Smith
p.s. Tuuka Rask's outburst was outstanding. Pure gold.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUVGz0MVy
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Hockey Memories
Usually with our columns, we exam current 'issues' in the NHL or other sports or we debate on irrevevant topics or we condemn other people's desicions (cough Penner cough), but this time, I want to take a heart-to-heart look and rekindle the memories that are burnt into our brain.
There are oh so many images or events that have taken place over the NHL since I become an avid fan, but one of those images is NOT my first ever game. I don't even remember who the Oilers played in my first ever game, but the NHL game that sticks out in my mind occured on April 16th, 2000.
It was another typical Edmonton-Dallas playoff series. Dallas had swept the first two games at home (per usual) and game 3 was back in Edmonton. I went with my dad, who had ponyed-up some good cash for decent seats, and I was all decked out in my Dallas jersey and hat. Of course, I was absolutely the ONLY Stars fan there that night and the people who were seated around me ABSOLUTELY gave me a rough time (keep in mind, I still was only 13 at the time). The electiricty at Rexall (in my opinion) is un-matched in the NHL (when Ron McLean needs a decibal meter to determine how loud it is, and doesn't use it at other arenas, you know it's the loudest, hands down) and it was certainly playoff crazy that night. Edmonton jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the 1st, then 5-2 lead after the 2nd. The reason for the sudden Edmonton turn-around? Doug Weight.
He scored a hat-trick that night and there was just nothing Dallas or I could do to slow him down. Absolutely nothing. The building was so loud and, as a die-hard Stars fan, was so humbling. I've been to plenty of Dallas-Edmonton games, but this one was special. No matter how much knowledge I had, no matter how loud I cheered and how loud they booed me, Edmonton just wasn't going to lose. Weight put the Oilers on his back and took over the game.
I remember hearing the chorus of 'Beeeeeeeel-four, Beeeeeeeel-four, Beeeeeeeel-four'chants and I could do was sit down in my chair and smile. Smile. I don't know why I smiled or what I was thinking, but I just remember smiling in amazement. Smiling for the team, for the fans, for the city. It truely was a bad night for my Stars (even though they won the series on five, ha), but to me, on that night, wow. The atmosphere was just something else. There was nothing else I could do, but just... Smile.
To me, that's my hockey moment that's burnt into my head, but there are plenty of others.
- #88 meets #4. When Lindros cut across center with his head down, you just knew what was coming next. Scott Stevens flying across with the low shoulder and blew-up Lindros. Eric was never the same after that.
- Detroit, St Louis. Game Seven. Yzerman. Rolling puck, steps over the blue-line, shelf. It was Yzerman's only playoff OT winner, but boy, what a way to do it.
- 1997 NHL All-Star Game. Owen Nolan's 'called shot' against Hasek. I'll never forget the words of Don Cherry... 'He gets the hat-trick, in his home rink, and he doesn't get the car! Figure that one out!'
- The infamous 'non goal'. Hasek sprawled out on his
stomach (taking away the bottom half, like he always does) and Hull's toe in the crease. Pierre LeBrun (great writer) reminds us... 'I feel bad for Sabres fans that the 1999 finals ended with a controversial goal. But let's also be honest. First of all, even if the goal had been disallowed, it doesn't mean the Sabres would have come back to win the game. Second, if even the Sabres had won that night, it doesn't mean they would have gone to Dallas and win Game 7. I think people forget that sometimes.'
- March 26, 1997. Fight Night in Detroit. Who could forget the cheap shot on Draper? Lemieux turtling from McCarty? Shanny and Roy colliding in the air? Roy and Vernon? Three things people often forget (myself included)... 1 – Larionov and Forsberg started the whole fist-a-cuffs... 2 – Darren 'I Only Score Big Goals' McCarty with the OT winner... 3 – Mikey Vernon got win #300.
Here are some of my personal favorite memories...
- Watching Pavel Bure handle the puck while skating. The best pure-European-goal-scorer the NHL has ever seen. No question. On another topic, I heard the reason Russians are so good at handling the puck is because they literally handle the puck in EVERY drill: power skating drills, core skills, weave drills... Maybe someone from Canada should look into that.
- 1994, Marty Brodeur allows a wrap around goal, in game 7 in OT, to Stephane Matteau. Then, three years later, allows the EXACT SAME wrap-around goal to Adam Graves, this time it was in game five in OT and knocked the NJD out, again.
- Teemu Selane's 76th goal as a rookie, throwing the glove into the air and shooting it down with his stick. We need more celebrations like that in todays NHL.
- No word of a lie, I typed that above statement on Thursday and low-and-behold, we get Ovi's 50th 'my stick is too hot to handle' goal celebration. It's like I have magic powers or something, ladies and gentlemen...
- Marty Turco gets 3 shutouts in a 7-game series against Vancouver and STILL loses the series. So unjustified.
Well, those are my hockey memories, events that stand out in my mind to mold me into the hockey fan I am now. Next up, I thought I would pass on some hockey facts & opinions on some unknown and forgotten topics...
- Marty Brodeur, meet Tom Brady. Both are idiots when it comes to women. Marty was ordered by the courts to pay $500,000 in alamony, per year, until 2020. Congratulations.
- This may be the 1st year in awhile where there isn't a 'shoe-in' for the Hart Trophy this year: Malkin, Ovechkin, Mason, Crosby? Who is this year's winner?
- Second-half performances. Hallelujah for ESPN. The top five teams consist of New Jersey, Detroit, ST LOUIS, PITTSBURGH, VANCOUVER!!! http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3995626&name=lebrun_pierre
- While I am all for admitting when I'm wrong (Souray) and when I'm right (Penner), a fellow blogger of mine has failed to take blame for saying that Pittsburgh will defintely NOT make the playoffs this year. Last time I checked, they were sitting in a tie for 4th spot in the East.
- http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=lebrun_pierre&id=3996052
Just read this. It gives some insight into the shootout and the 'whose hot, whose not' debate over the four-year trial period.
As always, Dallas for life.
Cheers.
-Smith
There are oh so many images or events that have taken place over the NHL since I become an avid fan, but one of those images is NOT my first ever game. I don't even remember who the Oilers played in my first ever game, but the NHL game that sticks out in my mind occured on April 16th, 2000.
It was another typical Edmonton-Dallas playoff series. Dallas had swept the first two games at home (per usual) and game 3 was back in Edmonton. I went with my dad, who had ponyed-up some good cash for decent seats, and I was all decked out in my Dallas jersey and hat. Of course, I was absolutely the ONLY Stars fan there that night and the people who were seated around me ABSOLUTELY gave me a rough time (keep in mind, I still was only 13 at the time). The electiricty at Rexall (in my opinion) is un-matched in the NHL (when Ron McLean needs a decibal meter to determine how loud it is, and doesn't use it at other arenas, you know it's the loudest, hands down) and it was certainly playoff crazy that night. Edmonton jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the 1st, then 5-2 lead after the 2nd. The reason for the sudden Edmonton turn-around? Doug Weight.He scored a hat-trick that night and there was just nothing Dallas or I could do to slow him down. Absolutely nothing. The building was so loud and, as a die-hard Stars fan, was so humbling. I've been to plenty of Dallas-Edmonton games, but this one was special. No matter how much knowledge I had, no matter how loud I cheered and how loud they booed me, Edmonton just wasn't going to lose. Weight put the Oilers on his back and took over the game.
I remember hearing the chorus of 'Beeeeeeeel-four, Beeeeeeeel-four, Beeeeeeeel-four'chants and I could do was sit down in my chair and smile. Smile. I don't know why I smiled or what I was thinking, but I just remember smiling in amazement. Smiling for the team, for the fans, for the city. It truely was a bad night for my Stars (even though they won the series on five, ha), but to me, on that night, wow. The atmosphere was just something else. There was nothing else I could do, but just... Smile.To me, that's my hockey moment that's burnt into my head, but there are plenty of others.
- #88 meets #4. When Lindros cut across center with his head down, you just knew what was coming next. Scott Stevens flying across with the low shoulder and blew-up Lindros. Eric was never the same after that.- Detroit, St Louis. Game Seven. Yzerman. Rolling puck, steps over the blue-line, shelf. It was Yzerman's only playoff OT winner, but boy, what a way to do it.
- 1997 NHL All-Star Game. Owen Nolan's 'called shot' against Hasek. I'll never forget the words of Don Cherry... 'He gets the hat-trick, in his home rink, and he doesn't get the car! Figure that one out!'
- The infamous 'non goal'. Hasek sprawled out on his
stomach (taking away the bottom half, like he always does) and Hull's toe in the crease. Pierre LeBrun (great writer) reminds us... 'I feel bad for Sabres fans that the 1999 finals ended with a controversial goal. But let's also be honest. First of all, even if the goal had been disallowed, it doesn't mean the Sabres would have come back to win the game. Second, if even the Sabres had won that night, it doesn't mean they would have gone to Dallas and win Game 7. I think people forget that sometimes.'- March 26, 1997. Fight Night in Detroit. Who could forget the cheap shot on Draper? Lemieux turtling from McCarty? Shanny and Roy colliding in the air? Roy and Vernon? Three things people often forget (myself included)... 1 – Larionov and Forsberg started the whole fist-a-cuffs... 2 – Darren 'I Only Score Big Goals' McCarty with the OT winner... 3 – Mikey Vernon got win #300.
Here are some of my personal favorite memories...
- Watching Pavel Bure handle the puck while skating. The best pure-European-goal-scorer the NHL has ever seen. No question. On another topic, I heard the reason Russians are so good at handling the puck is because they literally handle the puck in EVERY drill: power skating drills, core skills, weave drills... Maybe someone from Canada should look into that.- 1994, Marty Brodeur allows a wrap around goal, in game 7 in OT, to Stephane Matteau. Then, three years later, allows the EXACT SAME wrap-around goal to Adam Graves, this time it was in game five in OT and knocked the NJD out, again.
- Teemu Selane's 76th goal as a rookie, throwing the glove into the air and shooting it down with his stick. We need more celebrations like that in todays NHL.
- No word of a lie, I typed that above statement on Thursday and low-and-behold, we get Ovi's 50th 'my stick is too hot to handle' goal celebration. It's like I have magic powers or something, ladies and gentlemen...
- Marty Turco gets 3 shutouts in a 7-game series against Vancouver and STILL loses the series. So unjustified.Well, those are my hockey memories, events that stand out in my mind to mold me into the hockey fan I am now. Next up, I thought I would pass on some hockey facts & opinions on some unknown and forgotten topics...
- Marty Brodeur, meet Tom Brady. Both are idiots when it comes to women. Marty was ordered by the courts to pay $500,000 in alamony, per year, until 2020. Congratulations.
- This may be the 1st year in awhile where there isn't a 'shoe-in' for the Hart Trophy this year: Malkin, Ovechkin, Mason, Crosby? Who is this year's winner?- Second-half performances. Hallelujah for ESPN. The top five teams consist of New Jersey, Detroit, ST LOUIS, PITTSBURGH, VANCOUVER!!! http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3995626&name=lebrun_pierre
- While I am all for admitting when I'm wrong (Souray) and when I'm right (Penner), a fellow blogger of mine has failed to take blame for saying that Pittsburgh will defintely NOT make the playoffs this year. Last time I checked, they were sitting in a tie for 4th spot in the East.
- http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=lebrun_pierre&id=3996052
Just read this. It gives some insight into the shootout and the 'whose hot, whose not' debate over the four-year trial period.
As always, Dallas for life.Cheers.
-Smith
Monday, March 16, 2009
NHL concept conundrum...
The NHL has gone through many changes over its time. Some big ones, some hardly even noticeable. From removing the center line for two line passes, to adding the trapezoid behind the goaltenders net. The recent General Managers meeting has now come up with a better way to reduce fighting in the NHL. REDUCE fighting?! What?! Why?! Who?! Yes the NHL general managers decided that referee's will now be looked to call the 10 minute major's for "staged" fights, more frequently. The general managers have come to the conclusion that this will help to reduce fighting, and injuries involved with that. Well, with all the hubbub, id like to weigh in with my opinion on what kind of rule changes/introductions, the NHL does need, or should have.
Let em' Go
The NHL is currently battling the whole fighting issue. However, they seem to be headed in the wrong direction. Any avid hockey fan should know well that fighters have long been part of the game, and should not be left jobless. What the easy, and quick, solution? To completely remove the instigator rule which has plagued both fighters and star players alike. How does this affect the stars you might ask? Simply in the fact that star players will be better protected. Imagine if you will, Matt Cooke laying out a big hit (maybe a little elbow), on Alex Kovalev. With the current rules as they are, George Laraque must sit idle and watch, because everyone knows that Matt Cooke would never willingly drop the mitts with someone twice his size. However, with the eradication of the instigator rule, would send George Laraque out there with one mission: to beat some sense into Matt Cooke. Would Matt Cooke nail Kovalev again? If he values his NHL career, probably not. Instead of removing fighters from the game, the NHL should be more concerned with removing the cheap shot artists and head hunters. (thus the reduction on head shots as well)
Overtime Crunch
Currently in the NHL when two teams go into overtime, both teams are automatically given a point. WRONG! Don't give them a point for being tied! Let them battle it out a little more for those two points! My proposition? If a team wins in the 5 minute overtime period, they get two points, and the loser team? NOTHING! The only way the loser gets the "loser" point, is if they survive it to the shootout (the shootout is all a show anyways).
Sticks Down!
Ball Hockey Edmonton has something going with their idea of 4 minute penalties for high stick infractions. Not only does it give longer powerplay's (more goals),
but it also decreases the amount of high stick related injuries. If a high stick draws blood, it should be 4 and 2. Yes a 6 minute powerplay, no one wants to be down a man for 6 whole minutes. This will heavily reduce the amount of stick related injuries. Players will be much more responsible with their sticks, and the NHL ice surface will be a safer place.
And the Winner Is......
The draft lottery is a joke, its not a lottery at all. There are only 5 teams involved, and only the 2 worst teams have a chance of drafting 1st overall. Any of the other teams can only move up one spot in the draft. Lame. When Sidney Crosby was drafted, it
was by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and how were they able to draft him after a season without hockey? With an all out lottery. The lottery formula was as follows - each team started with three balls in the lottery drum. For every playoff appearance in the last three years or No. 1 overall pick (a previous draft lottery win) over the last four years, a team lost one ball. But each team was guaranteed to have at least one ball in the lottery. So you cant do the same exact thing, but why not give the bottom 5 teams 5 balls each, the next five teams get 4 balls, the next ten get 3 balls each, the next 5 get 2, and the top five teams that year get 1 ball each. Detroit goes all the way and wins the cup....and yet still has a chance at John Tavares! The league becomes much more competitive, with no teams completely bombing (NYI).
Take the Hit
As Brian Burke has been so adamant on, teams need to be allowed to hold on to part of players contracts in trades. For example, if the Oilers were to trade Dustin Penner to Atlanta they would be able to hold onto $2 million of it themselves, and the Thrashers would only have to pay Dustin the other $2 million. Surely there would be some parameters for this, but the idea itself is golden. The contract being held back would still go towards a teams cap, but would help them alleviate themselves of players with large contracts and make it easier for other teams to take them on.
Keep Getting Smaller
Goalies have had their pad sizes reduced already, but why stop? Keep reducing their size. You don't have to get back to the Billy Smith days or anything such as that, but smaller pads mean more goals, and the goalies are more skill full. It takes a lot more skill to be a goaltender when your pads are small then when you look like a blimp (J-S Giguere circa 02-03). Currently these are the restrictions: (as per the NHL rulebook)
11.2 Leg Guards – The leg guards worn by goalkeepers shall not exceed eleven inches (11'') in extreme width when on the leg of the player. The maximum length from bottom mid-point to top mid-point of the pad is not to exceed thirty-eight inches (38''). The minimum length of the boot of the pad is to be no less than seven inches (7''). The boot channel of the goal pad must be flat or concave in appearance. No attachments such as plastic puck foils are permitted.
So maybe cut down the pads a few inches? This should all be based on the size of the goaltender as well. for example; a goalie who is 6'2" should get to wear bigger pads, and a 5'8" goalie can wear slightly smaller pads. The NHL is even currently looking into "form fitting" pads. The future of goaltending in the NHL could get very interesting. Watch out J-S Giguere....
-Sporer
-P.S.
So I was thinking the other day how much I love Robyn Geisler. Come this July I will marry her in Cancun Mexico with our family and friends. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me she makes me a better person. I try to remember what life was like before her but I can't. It was empty and I was not nearly this happy. I love her with all my heart.
Let em' Go
The NHL is currently battling the whole fighting issue. However, they seem to be headed in the wrong direction. Any avid hockey fan should know well that fighters have long been part of the game, and should not be left jobless. What the easy, and quick, solution? To completely remove the instigator rule which has plagued both fighters and star players alike. How does this affect the stars you might ask? Simply in the fact that star players will be better protected. Imagine if you will, Matt Cooke laying out a big hit (maybe a little elbow), on Alex Kovalev. With the current rules as they are, George Laraque must sit idle and watch, because everyone knows that Matt Cooke would never willingly drop the mitts with someone twice his size. However, with the eradication of the instigator rule, would send George Laraque out there with one mission: to beat some sense into Matt Cooke. Would Matt Cooke nail Kovalev again? If he values his NHL career, probably not. Instead of removing fighters from the game, the NHL should be more concerned with removing the cheap shot artists and head hunters. (thus the reduction on head shots as well)
Overtime Crunch
Currently in the NHL when two teams go into overtime, both teams are automatically given a point. WRONG! Don't give them a point for being tied! Let them battle it out a little more for those two points! My proposition? If a team wins in the 5 minute overtime period, they get two points, and the loser team? NOTHING! The only way the loser gets the "loser" point, is if they survive it to the shootout (the shootout is all a show anyways).
Sticks Down!
Ball Hockey Edmonton has something going with their idea of 4 minute penalties for high stick infractions. Not only does it give longer powerplay's (more goals),
but it also decreases the amount of high stick related injuries. If a high stick draws blood, it should be 4 and 2. Yes a 6 minute powerplay, no one wants to be down a man for 6 whole minutes. This will heavily reduce the amount of stick related injuries. Players will be much more responsible with their sticks, and the NHL ice surface will be a safer place.And the Winner Is......
The draft lottery is a joke, its not a lottery at all. There are only 5 teams involved, and only the 2 worst teams have a chance of drafting 1st overall. Any of the other teams can only move up one spot in the draft. Lame. When Sidney Crosby was drafted, it
was by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and how were they able to draft him after a season without hockey? With an all out lottery. The lottery formula was as follows - each team started with three balls in the lottery drum. For every playoff appearance in the last three years or No. 1 overall pick (a previous draft lottery win) over the last four years, a team lost one ball. But each team was guaranteed to have at least one ball in the lottery. So you cant do the same exact thing, but why not give the bottom 5 teams 5 balls each, the next five teams get 4 balls, the next ten get 3 balls each, the next 5 get 2, and the top five teams that year get 1 ball each. Detroit goes all the way and wins the cup....and yet still has a chance at John Tavares! The league becomes much more competitive, with no teams completely bombing (NYI).Take the Hit
As Brian Burke has been so adamant on, teams need to be allowed to hold on to part of players contracts in trades. For example, if the Oilers were to trade Dustin Penner to Atlanta they would be able to hold onto $2 million of it themselves, and the Thrashers would only have to pay Dustin the other $2 million. Surely there would be some parameters for this, but the idea itself is golden. The contract being held back would still go towards a teams cap, but would help them alleviate themselves of players with large contracts and make it easier for other teams to take them on.
Keep Getting Smaller
Goalies have had their pad sizes reduced already, but why stop? Keep reducing their size. You don't have to get back to the Billy Smith days or anything such as that, but smaller pads mean more goals, and the goalies are more skill full. It takes a lot more skill to be a goaltender when your pads are small then when you look like a blimp (J-S Giguere circa 02-03). Currently these are the restrictions: (as per the NHL rulebook)
11.2 Leg Guards – The leg guards worn by goalkeepers shall not exceed eleven inches (11'') in extreme width when on the leg of the player. The maximum length from bottom mid-point to top mid-point of the pad is not to exceed thirty-eight inches (38''). The minimum length of the boot of the pad is to be no less than seven inches (7''). The boot channel of the goal pad must be flat or concave in appearance. No attachments such as plastic puck foils are permitted.
So maybe cut down the pads a few inches? This should all be based on the size of the goaltender as well. for example; a goalie who is 6'2" should get to wear bigger pads, and a 5'8" goalie can wear slightly smaller pads. The NHL is even currently looking into "form fitting" pads. The future of goaltending in the NHL could get very interesting. Watch out J-S Giguere....
-Sporer
-P.S.
So I was thinking the other day how much I love Robyn Geisler. Come this July I will marry her in Cancun Mexico with our family and friends. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me she makes me a better person. I try to remember what life was like before her but I can't. It was empty and I was not nearly this happy. I love her with all my heart.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Monday Morning Recap - Sunday Evening Edition
Another Sunday afternoon, and another edition of Monday Morning Recap. Let's just all take a second and realize the Drew is our #1 fan; however, he is also battling a deep bout of depression with is Flames. In order to cheer you up, buddy, I'm going to touch on 5 Flames' issues in a poitive way. Just for you. And in return, please keep advertising our site and spreadin' the news!
Here are my NHL thoughts for the week...
1 a – Daily Oiler Bashing – First ATL, now COL. Seriously, Edmonton, just beat the teams that are below you (WAAAAAAY below you) in the standings and you'll be fine, but seriously, maybe more importantly, just start WINNING! Going 3-2-5 in your last 10 just isn't good enough anymore...
1 b – First Torres scores the lone goal in the 1-0 Columbus win... then Arnott with the PPG in OT to lead Nashville to a win... then Reasoner scores in OT to cement an Atlanta win... Seriously, what's next, Matt Greene scoring the winner over Edmonton?!? Honestly, how ironic is it that ex-Oilers are leading to our own dimise. I was waiting for Smyth to score the OT winner on Saturday, but it was Liles instead...
1 c – Mind blowing. Colorado is now 12-1 in OT/SO.
1 d – Edmonton needs 90ish points to 'secure' a playoff spot... they have 73 now, so with 14 games left, they need to go (no worse) then 8-5-1. Whose on the upcoming agenda (bold = home game)? STL, COL, CHI, MIN, DET, PHX, ANA, MIN, ANA, SJ, VAN, LA, CAL, CAL. So, in my humble estimation, Edmonton should go: W, W, L, L, L, W, L, W, W, L, L, W, W, L... Splitting games with MIN, ANA and CAL.
1 e – How's Edmonton's new additions so far? In 5 games, O'Sullivan has 2PTS and is Even... Kotalik has 0PTS and is -1... On the other hand, Jokinen has 8G 2A (that's one)... and Cole has 8PTS and is +4... Fuck fuck fuck us... 1 f – I find it increasingly more difficult to find pictures of the Oilers on Google, I guess we used all the ones a loss...
2 a – Playoffs are just around the corner and you'll never guess who is among the lead leaders in goals for... CALGARY! 229 goals scored! 3rd in the ENTIRE NHL (that's two)! And theirs still 15 games left! How does that happen?! For years they were a bottom feeder in terms of goals scored (since 96-97, they have averaged 212goals), but have somehow found a new scoring touch that puts them only behind Detroit and Boston.
2 b – Just because I said I would say 5 positive things, doesn't mean I can't say negative things... Calgary is DEAD LAST in the West in goals against with 214. Seems like their is some holes in Kipper's armour... 3 a – Brodeur. 551. Is he the greatest? Definitely quite possibly, and if not, he is definitely, without a doubt, in the conversation; in fact, the conversation probably starts with Brodeur. But, how important are regular season wins, if you can't finish it off with a ring? The model athlete for this is Dan Marino. All those TDs, all those wins, all those yards... but no ring. Sure Brodeur won three, but here is who he's up against...
3 b – Patrick Roy. 4 Cups. 3 Smythes. 56 MORE playoff wins then Brodeur. In 17 playoff years, Roy's teams failed to make it out of the 1st round only 4 times. 61W% in playoff games. Roy is the ultimate pressure goalie of all time, I don't think there is any debate on that one. When the chips were down and the cards were dealt, there was noone better then Roy.
3 c – I can't help but include a wildcard here, and it's (I think) my favorite goalie of all time, Dominik Hasek. Now, I know he doesn't have the career wins or the Cups to be in the same discussion as 'best of all time', but I do think he is the conversation of 'Most Dominant Goalie of a specific period of time'. 2 Harts (another 3 nominations). 2 Lesters (plus another nomination). 6 Vezinas. 6 NHL 1st All-star teams. From 93/94 – 02, there was no player (maybe Jagr) that dominated the game more then Hasek. Also, neither Brodeur nor Roy has the International resume that Hasek can boast.
3 d – Speaking of goalies (this is three A), Kipper leads the league in wins (40) over Nabokov (33), Turco (32), Lundqvist (31) and Thomas (30). He's also tied for 2nd in goaltending points with 3 assists (Turco has five and that was three B) 4 a – This next item just makes me sick. Please tell me you have read this... Glen Fuckpalface Sather has posted $1 million bail for Peter I Sucked The Life Out Of Hockey Pocklington. Like, are you kidding me? It's bad enough Sather has made poor decisions on the ice, but now OFF the ice?! All glitter and glitz that Sather has had with Edmonton fans should now be pissed away. Fuck him.
4 b – Seriously, I'm happy we have Katz now and I hope he can be half the owner that Harley Hotchkiss is in Calgary (that's four). He is: a Director of the HOF, Chairman of the NHL Board of Governors (12 years running) and a member of the HOF as of 2006. Just go there and read this, it's all about the impending UFAs this off-season... There are plenty of 'name players' to be had.
5 b – Sean Avery. You know what, he's got 15 PTS in 29 games (overall), hypothetically, he's on pace for 43 PTS over a full 82 games. And, he's a +2 on the year.
5 c – Tavares' agent has assured the league that his client will not pull a 'Lindros' come draft day. Are you kidding me?! That's the FIRST thing I would be doing! Fuck the Islanders!!! Look at Elway! Sure, everyone hated him at the beginning, but he's now regarded as one of, if not, the greatest QBs of all time.
Here are my non-NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Hey, fagmos. How's Notre Dame now? Duke won their 9th ACC Tourney in 12 years. So suck on that one you big homos.1 b – Just to prove how tough the ACC is, it's RPI rating (thats the average of winning %, opponents winning % and opponents' opponents winning %) from '99-'08 has been 2nd, 7th, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 1st and 1st, out of 30 total conferences.
1 c – Notre Dame isn't even going to March Madness. Losers.
1 d – I'm actually going to watch the NCAA bracket selection show. Wow. It's bad enough they televise the NFL Combine and the NHL Trade Deadline, but the selections?! Maybe I'm the loser...
2 – Well, anyone who said the economy wasn't going to effect sports is an idiot. Even the mighty NBA has been hit hard as the Sacramento Kings could be on their way to Anaheim. Rumors also have the Pacers to KC, Las Vegas, San Jose or Seattle. If the economy has hit the big US sports' leagues, how does the NHL even stand a chance?
2 b – Personally, the NHL needs to get their ass to Las Vegas immediately. It's the Mecca of sports betting, how could you not want to explore that market?! As a matter of fact, how could ANY league not want to explore that market?! Think of what kind of arena Las Vegas would have... Go-go dance ice girls, Celine Dion singing the national anthems and what would a Vegas arena be without some sort of Trump Tower/Plaza attatched to it?3 a – In the NFL, almost a knee-jerk reaction to the signing of TO in Buffalo, New England has reloaded by signing Joey Galloway out of Tampa. Personally, I'm a huge Galloway fan: speed, possession, explosion and the best consistent TD celebration in the game today. Check out those pipes!
3 b – And how about Torry Holt being released?! With Indi losing Harrison, how could they not want to jump the bones of Holt? Mind you, he may a large guarnateed contract (which is only $6 mil per year).
3 c – Oh man, more NFL, get a load of this idiot. Former NFL'er Travis Henry has been sent to prison for falling behind on his child-support payments. Okay, understandable. THEN we find out he has 9 KID! Oh but wait... WITH 9 DIFFERENT WOMEN!!! Wow. I can't even be sarcastic about this guy because it's just so... so... ugh...
4 – Well, the NCAA brackets are filled out and ready to go. Louisville is the overall #1 seed in the tourney, followed by Pitt, UNC and UConn. There is absolutely nothing better then the NCAA is March. It's better then the NHL in June, better then the MLB in October and better then a team pitcher at BP's. There's no arguing here. While other tournaments and playoffs offer moments of greatness, they are nowhere near as great or exciting as March Madness.
4 b – I take back some of that previous statement. I seem to recall a #5 seeded Maroons team that maaaaaaay have done some damage with the playoffs rolled around...
4 c – I also take back the team pitcher comment... Nothing is better then one of those bad boys with the boys!5 a – Donald Trump called Rhianna a 'loser'. Ha. That's funny. Also, apparently Chris Brown has agreed to pay her $10 million if he ever 'lays a hand on her' again. Yikes.
5 b – Chris Brown was on Stomp The Yard, he's forever a PIMP.
5 c – Calgary regularily has more fans come to their games then Oiler fans. I know its because the arena is built to accomodate 3,000 more people then Edmonton, but still the Flames draw more fans to AWAY games (90 more people/game) then the Oilers (and that's five)...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/attendance?sort=away_avg&year=2009
Cheers.-Smith
p.s. Here is a cool website with all the NHL arenas.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Oil Country, running dry?
Marty Reasoner - 10 goals: Avg TOI 15:30, 19.4 shifts per game, total PP time on ice 5:12
Jarret Stoll - 18 goals: Avg TOI 17:01, 24 shifts per game, total PP time on ice 205:16
05-06-8th
06-07-12th
07-08-9th
08-09-Currently tied for 7th
Now its a little harsh, and I have to admit to being a Horcoff fan myself, but seriously, as an Oiler fan, I am tired of the roller coaster ride seasons. The late season playoff pushes. I want to win the division! I want to be in that top 3! Shawn Horcoff is not a number one center, and never will be. Now the fact is too, that the Oilers cannot just go out and get a 1st line center. They either have to buck up some big dollars and sign one (though there aren't any big names this summer), or be willing to part with some players/prospects of their own, via trade. Lets take a quick l
ook at the top teams this year, and who is at their helm, their 1st line centers...
ook at the top teams this year, and who is at their helm, their 1st line centers...San Jose Sharks: Joe Thornton: 20G, 54A
Patrick Marleau: 34G, 32ABoston Bruins: Marc Savard: 21G, 52A
Philadelphia: Jeff Carter: 38G, 30A
Mike Richards: 26G, 42AYes all these players mentioned are in the NHL's top 20 scorers. Where is Shawn Horcoff? 89th overall. Now everyone reading this is screaming at the fact that all these players have tons of assists, and we need a goal scorer for Hemsky, because he already gets all the assists. Sure whatever, if you want to limit yourself to that kind of thinking. Have you watched an Oiler game? Have you seen Hemsky let it go? This guy can shoot just as good, if not better then a lot of good goal scorers. Why cant he become the trigger man?! To tell you the truth, if you were to line Hemsky up beside a guy like Joe Thornton, or Jason Spezza, I believe Hemsky's goal output would triple! If not quadruple! Hemsky is a goal scorer who has been looked at, as being a play maker for far too long. This is because he has played with players such as Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Smyth, Dustin Penner. I feel sorry for Ales, he hasn't been able to unleash
his true skill set because the players beside him slow him down.
his true skill set because the players beside him slow him down. So as a message to the Oilers: go out and please get this team a number one center!
Dustin Penner is back in the Oilers lineup tonight. Recently myself and Smith had a dicussion on who is the bigger bust; Penner or Gomez? Gomez making $11 million this year, and Penner making $4.25 million. As far as Goals per Dollar go, Penner is being payed just over $300,000/Goal, while Gomez makes over $700,000/Goal. Now these are just two players, there are many other busts in the NHL as well, here are a few:
Maxim Afinogenov: $1.167 million/Goal
Brad Richards: $487,500/Goal**
Michael Handzus: $285,000/Goal
Saku Koivu: $365,000/Goal
Brain Rolston: $400,000/Goal**
Chris Drury: $400,000/Goal
Mike Fisher: $545,000/Goal
Michael Nylander: $785,000/Goal
**denotes a player who has been injured
Those are some pretty big busts, making Dustin Penner not look soooo bad, however any team with one of these guys in their lineup needs to give their heads a shake and either; a0get rid of them, or b) hope they have a very rich owner who is willing to buy out their contracts, because we all know that the economic uncertainty will hit the NHL, and the salary cap will go down, and when it does, you don't want to be stuck with any players like these. These players are the BIG examples, however to me, any player making over $100,000/Goal, is overpaid. That means, a 50 goal scorer should be making $5 million. A 20 goal scorer now makes $2 million, and a $10 goal scorer just breaks $1 million, its a beautiful way to encourage players to score.
-Sporer
Dustin Penner is back in the Oilers lineup tonight. Recently myself and Smith had a dicussion on who is the bigger bust; Penner or Gomez? Gomez making $11 million this year, and Penner making $4.25 million. As far as Goals per Dollar go, Penner is being payed just over $300,000/Goal, while Gomez makes over $700,000/Goal. Now these are just two players, there are many other busts in the NHL as well, here are a few:
Maxim Afinogenov: $1.167 million/Goal
Martin Havlat: $285,000/Goal
Ryan Smyth: $300,000/GoalBrad Richards: $487,500/Goal**
Michael Handzus: $285,000/Goal
Saku Koivu: $365,000/Goal
Brain Rolston: $400,000/Goal**
Chris Drury: $400,000/Goal
Mike Fisher: $545,000/Goal
Michael Nylander: $785,000/Goal
**denotes a player who has been injured
Those are some pretty big busts, making Dustin Penner not look soooo bad, however any team with one of these guys in their lineup needs to give their heads a shake and either; a0get rid of them, or b) hope they have a very rich owner who is willing to buy out their contracts, because we all know that the economic uncertainty will hit the NHL, and the salary cap will go down, and when it does, you don't want to be stuck with any players like these. These players are the BIG examples, however to me, any player making over $100,000/Goal, is overpaid. That means, a 50 goal scorer should be making $5 million. A 20 goal scorer now makes $2 million, and a $10 goal scorer just breaks $1 million, its a beautiful way to encourage players to score.
-Sporer
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday Morning Recap
*insert something witty and/or snappy*
Here are my NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Daily Oiler Bashing – Trade deadline came around and we got 2 20-goal men instead of 1 40-goal man, sounds like a bandaid fix to me...
1 b – Edmonton NEEDS to win tonight (at Montreal) or this roadtrip is a disaster...
1 c – When we had out cup run, Roli was outstanding, but I think it's because he had been resting so much in Minni that he was fresh for the last 20 games and on... Now, he has already PLAYED 20 consecutive games with 15 more to go, I'm not sure he will be the same impact as he once was.
1 d – Edmonton beat a Leafs team that was down to 4 Dmen halfway through the game. Heck, their 5th and 6th Dmen were playing 24-25 minutes that game! No wonder Edmonton won...
1 e – the Oilers are killing penalties at a rate of 76.6%, good enough to be ahead of Atlanta, Toronto and... that's all...
1 f – Apparently, Jagr attempted to sign with the Oil. The deal included a 7mil 2nd year option (aka. 'a poison pill') to twart teams (Pitssburgh) from claiming him on re-entry waivers; however, Omsk made the 8th playoff spot, then upset the #1 seed in 5-games.
2 – I'm not so certain that the Calder Trophy should be wrapped up and presented to Steve Mason just yet, has anyone seen Pekka Rinne's numbers? Heres a comparison:
2 b – Speaking of rookies, this year's crop is probably one of the worst I've seen in awhile. There is only going to be one, maybe two, rookies who are going to crack 60 pts (Versteeg, Ryan), not impressive at all.
3 a – Fuck Erik Cole.
3 b – Since his return to Carolina, Eric Staal has 8 pts in 2 games, Whitney has had a hat-trick and Cole himself has 5points in his 2 games back.
3 c – Erik Cole can go 'off' himself.
4 – The main goal for the NHLPA at the Gm's meeting is: headshots. Great. Are we seriously back on this crap? I would love to see mroe open ice hitting, even if it's at the expense of someone's career. Ya, that's right, I went that far. Who is Brandon Sutter? He's a Sutter, so he can't be anything better then a 3rd line player, but he gave me 30 seconds of sheer brilliance earlier this year, from Doug Weight no less! Keep headshots in the game, it's a part of the game.
4 b- These are the other topics at the GMs meetings...
-having the Zamboni scrape the entire ice surface immediately before overtime as opposed to a partial scrape just prior to the shootout
-how the league deals with players who choose not to accept All-Star Game invitations
-making the number of regulation-time victories, instead of
total wins, the first tiebreaker in the standings
-changing the rule on a delayed penalty to force the penalized time to clear the defensive zone, as opposed to simply gaining possession, before the whistle is blown
-the use of the "bear hug" hit into the boards to prevent injury
-a modified icing rule
-not allowing players to leave their feet to block a shot
-one-minute penalties in overtime
-hand passes
-retaining salary as part of trades.
4 c – The last topic, retaining salary as part of trades, is going to be a major one. Hypothetically, if Detroit had 4 mil in cap room at the year's beginning, they could trade for an 8mil player as long as the player's team would agree to have half the salary count against their cap! Its brilliat! The NBA, NFL and MLB all use it; however, it does smudge the lines on the salary cap... I mean, if a todays teams HAVE to sign them for 8 mil, but COULD sign them for 4mil, then what's the point of the cap?
5 – Crazy stat. EVERY SINGLE WEST TEAM IS .500 OR BETTER AT HOME! Outstanding. Even Colorado is 17-15-0. The cream of the crop is San Jose (26-3-4), Detroit (24-5-3), Chicago (17-6-6) and Calgary (22-8-4) while the 'worst home record' belongs to Anaheim (15-15-3) LA (15-13-8) and Edmonton (15-12-4).
5 b – Looks like home-ice advantage will never be more of a factor then this year.
Here are my non-NHL thoughts of the week...
1 – Let's start with David Beckham and the MLS debacle. Let me set up the situation for you non-soccer lovers... Beckham signed that massive deal with the LA Galaxy; however, in order to be included on England's squad, he needed to become more fit and play at a higher level. So, he went to AC Milan during the LA off-season and was supposed to be back for the beginning of LA's season. Well, Beckham has played SO well, that he wants to stay at AC full-time. LA wanted 10mil from AC Milan, but Milan was only willing ot pay 3mil. So, what does Becks do? He's paying out of HIS OWN POCKET the difference in order to stay at Milan for the end of THEIR season, then come back to LA half-way through their season, then return to Milan full-time and leave LA for good.
1 b – Some people view Beckham as negating on the original deal with LA, but I see it as Beckham trying incredibly hard to make the World Cup squad and is willing to pay for it himself. He's all class.
2 a – Remember we were all arguing about who is the greatest QB of all time? Two points in that conversation... #1 – Is Damon Allen in that talk at all? #2 – Kerry Collins will pass Joe Montana in yards with 3,159 (less then 200 over 16 games). How can Montana be the best?!
2 b – I hate Vince Young with a passion. What a fruity loser.
3 a – In other NFL news, San Diego has cut ties with LaDainian Tomlinson are you freakin' kidding me?! Does two injury plagued seasons negate the previous six seasons of ridiculously amazing stats he put up?! Even with the last two years, his average yards per game has dipped from 113.4 to 92.1 to 69.4 and yet he STILL rushes for over 1,000 yards and double digit TDs! It's crazy talk! San Diego wants him to take a paycut and he's having none of it. Word around the street has a former teammates of his, Drew Brees, doing some recruiting. Could you imagine, Reggie Bush and LT in the same backfield? Think of the dynamics. Wow.
3 b – TO is in Buffalo. This is a GREAT signing on three levels... 1 – It relieves some pressure off of Lee Evans (who still had a 1,000 yards)... 2 – In a division with Randy Moss, Leon Washington and the Wildcat Offense, you need all the help you can get... 3 – It's only a one year deal. Distractions like Owens are always risky, but while Sean Avery grinders are a dime-a-dozen, game-breaking receivers are not and Owens is more then worth the 6.5mil he's getting.
4 – Get out your pencils because pens will only, inevitabley, screw you over! It's time to pick your bracket for March Madness! Well, on Sunday it is. This week is the kick off for the conference tournaments and is always good for some upsets, but it's no-where the insanity that is 'March Madness'. UNC, Pitt, Uconn and Louisville are the predicted #1 seeds, but that doesn't matter for team #64 because, much like the NHL playoffs, all you have to do... is get in.
5 a – Random Thoughts – Pizza 73 has some friggin' sweet ass pizza deals. Have you seen them?! 2 pizzas, 4 cans of pop, 2 movie tickets for 18 bucks. Wow. Drew, are you feelin' a date night???
5 b – Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill better hurry the crap up and come out on DVD so I can watch them, dammit!
5 c – Cheese and Nachos just isn't enough, there needs to be some for of meat or chicken. I mean, even basic salsa isn't enough.
5 d – For 10 bucks, you can buy 10 tacos, 2 fries and 2 nachos from Taco Bell. How outrageously delicious does that sound? Yah. Awesomely delicious.
Cheers.
-Steve
p.s. Seriously? Tocchet gets a contract extension and Carbonneau gets fired? What is this world coming too...
Here are my NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Daily Oiler Bashing – Trade deadline came around and we got 2 20-goal men instead of 1 40-goal man, sounds like a bandaid fix to me...1 b – Edmonton NEEDS to win tonight (at Montreal) or this roadtrip is a disaster...
1 c – When we had out cup run, Roli was outstanding, but I think it's because he had been resting so much in Minni that he was fresh for the last 20 games and on... Now, he has already PLAYED 20 consecutive games with 15 more to go, I'm not sure he will be the same impact as he once was.
1 d – Edmonton beat a Leafs team that was down to 4 Dmen halfway through the game. Heck, their 5th and 6th Dmen were playing 24-25 minutes that game! No wonder Edmonton won...
1 e – the Oilers are killing penalties at a rate of 76.6%, good enough to be ahead of Atlanta, Toronto and... that's all...
1 f – Apparently, Jagr attempted to sign with the Oil. The deal included a 7mil 2nd year option (aka. 'a poison pill') to twart teams (Pitssburgh) from claiming him on re-entry waivers; however, Omsk made the 8th playoff spot, then upset the #1 seed in 5-games.
2 – I'm not so certain that the Calder Trophy should be wrapped up and presented to Steve Mason just yet, has anyone seen Pekka Rinne's numbers? Heres a comparison:
2 b – Speaking of rookies, this year's crop is probably one of the worst I've seen in awhile. There is only going to be one, maybe two, rookies who are going to crack 60 pts (Versteeg, Ryan), not impressive at all. 3 a – Fuck Erik Cole.
3 b – Since his return to Carolina, Eric Staal has 8 pts in 2 games, Whitney has had a hat-trick and Cole himself has 5points in his 2 games back.
3 c – Erik Cole can go 'off' himself.
4 – The main goal for the NHLPA at the Gm's meeting is: headshots. Great. Are we seriously back on this crap? I would love to see mroe open ice hitting, even if it's at the expense of someone's career. Ya, that's right, I went that far. Who is Brandon Sutter? He's a Sutter, so he can't be anything better then a 3rd line player, but he gave me 30 seconds of sheer brilliance earlier this year, from Doug Weight no less! Keep headshots in the game, it's a part of the game.
4 b- These are the other topics at the GMs meetings... -having the Zamboni scrape the entire ice surface immediately before overtime as opposed to a partial scrape just prior to the shootout
-how the league deals with players who choose not to accept All-Star Game invitations
-making the number of regulation-time victories, instead of
total wins, the first tiebreaker in the standings-changing the rule on a delayed penalty to force the penalized time to clear the defensive zone, as opposed to simply gaining possession, before the whistle is blown
-the use of the "bear hug" hit into the boards to prevent injury
-a modified icing rule
-not allowing players to leave their feet to block a shot
-one-minute penalties in overtime
-hand passes
-retaining salary as part of trades.
4 c – The last topic, retaining salary as part of trades, is going to be a major one. Hypothetically, if Detroit had 4 mil in cap room at the year's beginning, they could trade for an 8mil player as long as the player's team would agree to have half the salary count against their cap! Its brilliat! The NBA, NFL and MLB all use it; however, it does smudge the lines on the salary cap... I mean, if a todays teams HAVE to sign them for 8 mil, but COULD sign them for 4mil, then what's the point of the cap?
5 – Crazy stat. EVERY SINGLE WEST TEAM IS .500 OR BETTER AT HOME! Outstanding. Even Colorado is 17-15-0. The cream of the crop is San Jose (26-3-4), Detroit (24-5-3), Chicago (17-6-6) and Calgary (22-8-4) while the 'worst home record' belongs to Anaheim (15-15-3) LA (15-13-8) and Edmonton (15-12-4).
5 b – Looks like home-ice advantage will never be more of a factor then this year.
Here are my non-NHL thoughts of the week... 
1 – Let's start with David Beckham and the MLS debacle. Let me set up the situation for you non-soccer lovers... Beckham signed that massive deal with the LA Galaxy; however, in order to be included on England's squad, he needed to become more fit and play at a higher level. So, he went to AC Milan during the LA off-season and was supposed to be back for the beginning of LA's season. Well, Beckham has played SO well, that he wants to stay at AC full-time. LA wanted 10mil from AC Milan, but Milan was only willing ot pay 3mil. So, what does Becks do? He's paying out of HIS OWN POCKET the difference in order to stay at Milan for the end of THEIR season, then come back to LA half-way through their season, then return to Milan full-time and leave LA for good. 1 b – Some people view Beckham as negating on the original deal with LA, but I see it as Beckham trying incredibly hard to make the World Cup squad and is willing to pay for it himself. He's all class.
2 a – Remember we were all arguing about who is the greatest QB of all time? Two points in that conversation... #1 – Is Damon Allen in that talk at all? #2 – Kerry Collins will pass Joe Montana in yards with 3,159 (less then 200 over 16 games). How can Montana be the best?!
2 b – I hate Vince Young with a passion. What a fruity loser.
3 a – In other NFL news, San Diego has cut ties with LaDainian Tomlinson are you freakin' kidding me?! Does two injury plagued seasons negate the previous six seasons of ridiculously amazing stats he put up?! Even with the last two years, his average yards per game has dipped from 113.4 to 92.1 to 69.4 and yet he STILL rushes for over 1,000 yards and double digit TDs! It's crazy talk! San Diego wants him to take a paycut and he's having none of it. Word around the street has a former teammates of his, Drew Brees, doing some recruiting. Could you imagine, Reggie Bush and LT in the same backfield? Think of the dynamics. Wow. 3 b – TO is in Buffalo. This is a GREAT signing on three levels... 1 – It relieves some pressure off of Lee Evans (who still had a 1,000 yards)... 2 – In a division with Randy Moss, Leon Washington and the Wildcat Offense, you need all the help you can get... 3 – It's only a one year deal. Distractions like Owens are always risky, but while Sean Avery grinders are a dime-a-dozen, game-breaking receivers are not and Owens is more then worth the 6.5mil he's getting.
4 – Get out your pencils because pens will only, inevitabley, screw you over! It's time to pick your bracket for March Madness! Well, on Sunday it is. This week is the kick off for the conference tournaments and is always good for some upsets, but it's no-where the insanity that is 'March Madness'. UNC, Pitt, Uconn and Louisville are the predicted #1 seeds, but that doesn't matter for team #64 because, much like the NHL playoffs, all you have to do... is get in. 5 a – Random Thoughts – Pizza 73 has some friggin' sweet ass pizza deals. Have you seen them?! 2 pizzas, 4 cans of pop, 2 movie tickets for 18 bucks. Wow. Drew, are you feelin' a date night???
5 b – Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill better hurry the crap up and come out on DVD so I can watch them, dammit!
5 c – Cheese and Nachos just isn't enough, there needs to be some for of meat or chicken. I mean, even basic salsa isn't enough.
5 d – For 10 bucks, you can buy 10 tacos, 2 fries and 2 nachos from Taco Bell. How outrageously delicious does that sound? Yah. Awesomely delicious.
Cheers.
-Steve
p.s. Seriously? Tocchet gets a contract extension and Carbonneau gets fired? What is this world coming too...
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