Here are my NHL thoughts of the week...
1 a – Daily Oiler Bashing – I can't remember why we were talking about him, but Sporer and I got into an argument about Robert Nilsson with Sporer defending and I quote, 'he has one of the best +/- on the team!'... Uh... Sporer... Lubo is tops with +9, Nilsson is 3rd last with a -5, only Smid and Staios (both -6) are worse... 1 b – It's play like this that is going to cost the Oilers a playoff spot... Since February 11th they have gone: W, W, W, L, L, OTL, W, L, W... Let's get some consistency...
1 c – Torres had a beautiful goal against Roli in that horrific 1-0 game. Leg kick, bakchand, along the ice, 5-five. Just perfect.
1 d – It doesn't look like the Oilers are going to make any noise at the deadline this year; however, Anaheim has the Pronger chip, Minni has the Gaborik & Backstrom UFA status, Columbus is looking for a center for Nash, Vancouver has mega-cap-space, Dallas has injuries and Averys contract off the books... All of these teams are hovering around Edmonton and all have major motivation to make some huge noise at the deadline. With everyone loading up, Edmonton could be in danger of watching at the deadline and watching come playoff time...
1 e – With Roli on his last legs, and people wanting a running mate for Hemsky, it really is all a moo-point because, eventually, the Oil will have growing pains with young netminders Deslaurier and Dubnyk. It's just a fact of the NHL.
2 a – I gotta agree with Sporer in that, Don Cherry definitely crossed 'that line' when talking about Alex The Great. Just think if #8 was born in Kitchener or Kamloops or Medicine Hat, Cherry would 100% be singin' a different tune. But, we should come to expect that from this goofball. While every other hockey-related media outlet criticizing Crosby and his whining, Cherry turns his focus on Ovechkin. Really, Don? I bet if you had him back in '70s with the Rockies you woudn't be complaining so much... 2 b – It's crap like this that makes me HATE Don Cherry... Read what Wikipedia had to say about him and his time as Mississuaga owner... 'Cherry was the part-owner and the former coach of the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga IceDogs. As owner and general manager, he gained notoriety by refusing to take part in the CHL import draft, and only play North American born players. The IceDogs' first three seasons were difficult ones with the team winning a total of 16 games combined. Cherry took over coaching duties in the fourth season. During Cherry's one season as head coach of the Mississauga IceDogs, the team managed 11 victories (only a slight improvement) and failed to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Cherry drew some criticism for his decision to suddenly allow European born players onto the IceDogs line-up during the one season he coached the team.'
3 a – Would you 'blow up' the Ottawa Senators? Personally, I couldn't. I just wouldn't be able to find it in me to deal one, or two or even three of the games' best players. First, Sundin to Toronto is Alfie to Ottawa. He's EARNED to have the CHOICE to decide his own fate (not to mention the sweet cap deal he is). Second, Heatley is a consistent 50-goal man, and there is only five maybe six of those in the league. Third, Spezza is a proven 1st line player and will put up 90+ points playing on any NHL team with a trigger man. I understand, if you dealt all three, how that would supplement your farm system, but I just don't think I could do it. If Detroit can make it work with Hossa, Datsyuk, Lidstrom... or Pittsburgh with Crosby, Malkin, Fleury... or Calgary with Phaneuf, Kipper, Iggy... Ottawa should be able to do it too. 3 b – Bryan Murray. Does anyone see a guy who has worn out his welcome? He's hired/fired three coaches under his watch. How does he still have a job?
4 – What happens in the league offices on trade-deadline day to make sure everything is on the up and up?
When two teams agree on a deal, they have to inform the league either by phone or fax of the terms of the deal. The league then schedules a conference call between the two teams to go over the details and finalize the trade. Before the call, the league examines the deal to make sure the teams in question have the salary-cap room to make the deal. When draft picks are involved, league officials check to make sure the team has those picks it is trying to trade.
One of five league officials -- Julie Grand, Jessica Berman, Daniel Ages, Brandon Pridham and Sean McLeod -- then makes the call from the NHL's New York offices. The officials ensure both sides are aware of the contractual obligations to their new assets and that if a player has a no-trade or no-movement clause, he has duly waived it. The league requires written confirmation from the player that he has waived the clause before it will confirm a trade. That confirmation must include a list of teams to which he has agreed to be traded to, if applicable, as it would be in the case of Toronto's Tomas Kaberle.
The trade becomes official after the call, which usually takes between 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the complexity of the deal.
As you know, the deadline is Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.
Given the potential for the backup of calls as the deadline nears, a deal can be consummated even if the call hasn't taken place before 3 p.m. However, the league must be informed of the specific details of any and all transactions by phone or fax before 3 p.m., else they won't be approved.
To ensure there are no problems (we recall a trade once being nixed between Boston and Toronto when a fax machine jammed in the Maple Leafs' offices and the deal never reached the league offices until after the deadline passed), the league synchronizes all of its clocks and faxes with the Eastern Time Zone clock at http://www.time.gov/. Teams are aware of this and are suggested to likewise synchronize their own clocks to ensure there are no problems. 5 – Drew, here is some love. Congratulations to Jarome Iginla for becoming the league's all-time points leader. He passes perenial alcohol an drug addicted Theoren Fleury, who truely never deserved the honor.
Here are my non-NHL thoughts of the week... Scratch that, hardly any of these are 'my opinion', but I just found so many good articles that I had to share them...
1 – Stadiums. They are used for so many events: sports, music, politics, but which stadium is the 'best'? Is there even such a thing? Can a scientific formula be drawn up to prove one's stadium is better then the others? Definitely not. Thats the unique variable about stadiums, especially in sports. Formula's may take into consideration ticket prices, renovations/up-grades, capacity, but no formula can be devised to prove tradition, history or passion. It's near impossible to say which stadium has more history then another or which arenas have the best fans, so here is the next best thing...
As you can see, no major sports website did a piece on the NHL arenas, so I had to make due with two dudes travelling the arenas and using their opinions.
2 – Since most of my other topics are on the NFL, I'll just get my Duke whining out of the way early on. They beat #10 Wake Forest, then hold Maryland and Virginia Tech to under 70 points (EACH!) AWAY from home and don't even move up in the rankings. Just fuckin' redonkulous.
3 – Sporer, here is the answer to your bowl question... 'According to NFL Films President Steve Sabol, then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to call the game "The Big One".[3] During the discussions to iron out the details, AFC founder and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt had jokingly referred to the proposed inter league championship as the "Super Bowl". Hunt thought of the name after seeing his children playing with a toy called a Super Ball;[4] the small, round ball is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The name was consistent with postseason college football games which had long been known as "bowl games." The "bowl" term originated from the Rose Bowl Game, which was in turn named for the bowl-shaped stadium in which it is played. Hunt only meant his suggested name to be a stopgap until a better one could be found. Nevertheless, the name "Super Bowl" became permanent.' 4 – Here are two interesting stats about the NFL Combine that just wrapped up...
#1 – 'It doesn't really seem like the Combine without the University of Miami having a first-round prospect. The Hurricanes don't even have a first-day prospect this year, a startling fact for a program that has had at least one player picked in the first round for 14 consecutive years, a streak that began in 1995 with Warren Sapp's selection by Tampa Bay.But times have changed, and Miami's first-round streak was almost snapped last year, when safety Kenny Phillips was the final pick of the first round, No. 31 by the Giants. Cornerback Bruce Johnson is the only UM prospect here this weekend, and he's considered a candidate to be selected in the middle rounds of the draft.'
#2 – 'Maybe the most interesting subject that he brought up, unbided by the way, is the drain of Super Bowl coaching talent that has left the league in recent years. Belichick is now just one of three head coaches in the league who have won a ring, joining the Giants' Tom Coughlin and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin. In the past three offseasons, the NFL coaching ranks have lost the likes of Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Brian Billick, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Cowher. And not all of those left voluntarily.'
5 a – 'No doubt, this is going to be a tough sell to Patriots fans. Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs for a high second-round draft choice (34th overall, No. 2 in the round) looks like a fleece job. It isn't. Part of the reason is that the Patriots had little leverage from the start. Interested teams knew that the Patriots weren't dealing from strength, as it doesn't take a salary-cap wizard to realize that no team can survive in today's NFL with two quarterbacks counting $29.27 million against the cap. The Patriots needed to regain leverage by getting multiple teams into the bidding, and that's where this blackjack hand didn't work out as they hoped. Outside of the Chiefs, there was little realistic action on the market. Cassel alone for the 34th overall selection seemed like a fair deal, but Pioli knows all about leverage from his time with the Patriots. Getting Vrabel was shrewd work on his part. The Patriots can't feel great about losing the 33-year-old Vrabel, a team leader who was entering the final year of his contract. Although his play declined a bit last season (down from 12 1/2 sacks to 4), he still played 87 percent of the team's snaps and the total return of what he brings to a team - versatility, toughness, locker room leadership - is valuable. Yet, again, that was the risk the Patriots took in placing the franchise tag on Cassel.'
5 b – Don't really feel too good about that deal now, eh Sporer? Cheers.
-Smith
p.s. Twenty-Five best Streakers
p.s.s. Tom Brady's new wife...
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