WJC selection camp game two

Game two at the World Junior team selection camp answered nearly all of the questions game one produced.

Team red dominated the up-tempo game, and scored a decisive 4-0 win for their efforts. They were led offensively by Zach Boychuck, and got stellar goaltending from Tyson Sexsmith and Steve Mason.

And at that, let’s start in goal. I have it on good authority that Hockey Canada considers Steve Mason the next Roberto Luongo, and the starting job is his. Jonathan Bernier will back him up, and incumbent Leland Irving will be sent back to Everett of the Western League. As expected, Sexsmith will be sent back to Vancouver (WHL), but he played well and will likely be invited back next year.

On to the defense. And from here on in, it’s speculation. Either Drew Doughty or PK Subban will take the sixth blue line spot, and the other be sent back to their junior team, as will Andrew Bodnarchuk, Josh Godfrey, Brendan Smith, Ty Wishart and Kevin Marshall, who could still be in the mix for the seventh spot.

Karl Alzner was absolutely dominant Wednesday night. He took a giant step forward, and is undoubtedly the leader of the defense corps.
Keaton Ellerby looked a whole lot more interested Wednesday night than he did Tuesday night. He played a very strong game and cemented his spot on the roster.
Thomas Hickey was as good for Team Red as Alzner was for Team White Wednesday night. It’s hard to describe just how good the left side of Canada’s defense will be.
Logan Pyett’s best moment came during a Team White penalty kill. He was killing with John Tavares, and helping Tavares with his positioning the whole time they were on the ice together. Pyett is a natural leader, and versatile defender that can be effective in all three zones.
Luke Schenn was a rock. Again. He will lead the Canadian defense physically. Teamed with Hickey in both games, the pair looked like they’ve played together for 15 years.

After seeing some surprises up front Tuesday night, the cream rose to the top Wednesday night. Surprisingly, Kyle Turris never seemed to find a rhythm in either game. He headlines the list of bubble players, and should have an inside track thanks to his exceptional vision and playmaking ability. Among fellow offensive bubblers Angelo Esposito and Ryan White, Turris is the best penalty killer, which should also give him an edge in the battle for the 12th forward spot.

Esposito and White played in the first period like they were trying to make up for lackluster efforts Tuesday night. It only lasted 20 minutes though. Esposito was being knocked off the puck with stick checks by the midway point of the game, and White pulled his now-familiar second period disappearing act. At least one of these two guys will return to their junior team Friday.

Brett MacLean or Shawn Matthias will likely be the 13th forward. Matthias showed great chemistry playing on a line with Steven Stamkos and Matt Halischuk, which may give him the inside track. Riley Holzapfel and Mathieu Perreault were good Tuesday and Wednesday night respectively, but it’s doubtful either of them will make the team.

Zach Boychuk has surprising good hands. He will excel in an energy role, and pot the odd big goal. Great shootout move.
Colton Gillies was not as dominant Wednesday night as he was Tuesday night, but was still among the best forwards on the ice. He hustles every shift, and never makes a bad play.
Matt Halischuk flew under the radar Tuesday night, but after reading a Sportsnet.com column about him Wednesday, I paid a little extra attention to him. Even without the column, I would have. His line with Matthias and Stamkos was the best line from either team Wednesday night.
Zach Hamill is a coach’s dream. He will be an instrumental part of Canada’s penalty killing unit.
Stefan Legein came very close to fighting with Brad Marchand. Both guys compete at all times and play the same kind of game. Teamed with Boychuk and Marchand, this trio would wreak enough havoc to tear all of Prague down.
Brad Marchand jerseys were available at the concession stand… I guess he’ll make the team.
Wayne Simmonds is my favourite player from either night. He brought even more physical play Wednesday night, and showed he can work effectively in the corners. There is no reason whatsoever to send him back to the Soo (OHL).
Steven Stamkos is going to be the first overall pick in June. He’s not the most talented player on this team, but he is a catalyst and has a knack for making things happen.
Brandon Sutter played well enough Wednesday night to warrant a spot on the team. He may be used solely as a defensive specialist, which would be a good thing.
John Tavares showed commitment to the defensive game Wednesday night, and showed he belongs on this team.
Dana Tyrell is too smart to send back to Prince George (WHL), and deserves a letter.

All in all, things look very good heading into the tournament. Word is the final roster will be announced Thursday afternoon, and Thursday night’s intra-squad game will be cancelled. So let’s see how close I came.

WJC selection camp game one

Christmas done come early.

The absolute best part of living in Calgary is getting to watch the Canadian World Junior Championship selection camp intra-squad games.

The first of those three games went down Tuesday night, and if I were selecting the team, it would look like so:

Leland Irving, G: As the only goalie returning from 2007, Irving has the inside track. The starting job is his to lose.
Steve Mason, G: He’s been too good to ignore. There is a very good chance Jonathan Bernier takes this spot as there is little to differentiate the two. For now, the nod goes to Mason.

Karl Alzner, D: Like Irving in goal, Alzner is the only returnee from the 2007 team on defense. Alzner is a leader, and a candidate to captain this team. He is an offensive catalyst and often makes a great first pass.
Drew Doughty, D (2008): Tabbed as a potential top-five pick in next year’s draft, Doughty is a solid puck-mover that takes good care in his own end. He needs to make faster decisions with the puck in his own end.
Keaton Ellerby, D: Should make this team on reputation alone, though he looked disinterested at times Tuesday night. Competition is tight on the blue line, and Ellerby’s effort Tuesday night put him squarely on the bubble.
Kevin Marshall, D: Flat-out, the best defensemen on the ice Tuesday night. Marshall was a force in his own end, dominating along the boards. A key player against cycling teams.
Logan Pyett, D: Played a very strong game Tuesday night. He’s a very responsible defenseman that just doesn’t make mistakes.
Luke Schenn, D (2008): He’s played very well to start the season after an impressive showing at the Canada-Russia series in the summer. Schenn is a no-nonsense, hard-nosed defenseman that will allow his partner to take more chances up the ice.
Brendan Smith/PK Subban, D: Let’s call these guys 7A and 7B after Tuesday’s game. They both made good impressions, but can both give better overall performances.

Zach Boychuk, F (2008): Sparkplug. I don’t think he’s ever even considered taking a shift off.
Angelo Esposito, F: He’s here for now, but without a better effort Wednesday and Thursday night, there’s no way he goes overseas.
Colton Gillies, F: An absolute animal Tuesday night. Speed, size, plays all three zones, my pick to be captain.
Zach Hamill, F: Played a safe, solid game. Hamill doesn’t make many mistakes, and sets a good example.
Riley Holzapfel, F: Played very poorly in the first period, but really turned it around and put in a solid game, and good effort.
Stefan Legein, F: Was an afterthought in the Canada-Russia series, but provides great secondary scoring by catching the opposition napping. Legein is a force whenever he’s on the ice, and plays like a wrecking ball.
Brad Marchand, F: The lone returning forward, like Legein, you always know when Marchand is on the ice. This is a guy that will do whatever it takes to win.
Wayne Simmonds, F: The biggest surprise of the night, Simmonds was making things happen all over the ice. He showed great hands, good speed, and decent vision, along with solid defensive awareness. Another effort like Tuesday night’s will put him on a plane to Prague.
Steven Stamkos, F (2008): This was the first I’ve seen of Stamkos and the first realization is that he’s more physical than you’d expect a potential first-overall pick to be. Though he wasn’t spectacular, he showed he belongs.
John Tavares, F (2009): Admittedly, Hockey Canada is in the business of winning tournaments, not grooming and developing potential superstars, but it’s integral to Tavares’ development that he plays with this team, probably as the 13th forward and power play specialist.
Kyle Turris, F: Not a great offensive showing Tuesday night, but Turris is a good penalty killer and a great weapon to have on the ice when down a man.
Dana Tyrell, F: He wore number 19 and did the number proud. He didn’t make mistakes, and the puck often made its way to his area of the ice. Tyrell will likely wear a letter with this team.
Ryan White, F: Tuesday’s performance put White solidly on the bubble with Esposito, again, based solely on effort. Both Cory Emmerton and Brandon Sutter are poised and ready to take White and Esposito’s places if the two offensive stars don’t get their acts together.

Check back all week for updates on the goings-on here in Calgary, and for commentary on the final roster.

Opem up baby

First, the title’s not a typo, it’s the title of a great Big Sugar song.

Now, some hockey thoughts.

On Tuesday night, I sat in $125 seats at the Saddledome here in Calgary to watch one of the worst hockey games in recent memory (huge thanks to Matt and Old Dutch chips for the ticket). Blues at Flames. Solid-defensive-team-with-great-coaching-making-strides-toward-being-a-good-club at Poor-defensive-team-making-strides-toward-firing-a-coach-they-never-should-have-hired. Even though my ticket was free, I still kinda want a refund.

Especially after watching the third period of the Oilers-Penguins tilt Wednesday night.

Memo to MacT: your team has the speed to skate with the Penguins. I saw it happen. Even better, despite allowing four third-period goals and blowing a 2-0 lead, your team played really well in the third period, and played great defensive hockey. The third period was wide open. It looked like the World Junior Championships. Both teams were up and down the ice. The Oilers stayed in their lanes, knocked down passes, and generally made good decisions without the puck. In fact, the Oilers played better team defense during the third period than the Penguins did. They lost because the Pens have more skill. But it sure was fun to watch.

I think there was one odd-man rush in the Blues-Flames game the night before.

It’s no secret I’m not a big fan of fighting in hockey, but the best part of the Blues-Flames game was a scrap between Dan Hinote (a SWS favourite) and Mark Smith (a scrub by any measure, other than the fact I really liked him when he was a Shark). These two middle-weights traded punches for 30 or 40 seconds, throwing bombs the whole time. It looked like a school-yard scrap-- and had all the energy of one, too. The full 60 minutes of playing time had all the energy of a funeral. Or your great-aunt’s fourth wedding.

I went to the game with non-hockey people. To illustrate: I explained icing to Matt’s girlfriend because Matt was unable to. They enjoyed it. They cheered for the goals (with umph!). They cheered for the hits, including a huge one by Robyn Regehr. They cheered for Mikka Kiprusoff’s big saves. And my buddy Jessie was throwing punches into the air with the same force and tenacity Hinote and Smith were throwing punches at one another during the fight. I sat stewing, lambasting the Flames’ poor defensive-zone coverage, noting the scoring chance created by Regehr being out of position, skewered the defense some more, and enjoyed the fight in the same way I enjoy my morning coffee. Clearly, I was a miser.

But I was looking for defensive breakdowns, and watching the finer points of the game, not allowing myself to enjoy the fun aspects of it-- despite the fact they’re so rare in today’s game.

That all went out the window watching the Oilers and Penguins skate like madmen. First, the Penguins trying to tie the game, then taking the lead; then the Oilers trying to tie the game. It really was wonderful, and we certainly won’t see the Flames open up and try to skate with Pittsburgh Thursday night.

Which brings us to this fan’s impassioned plea.

Let’s lose the defense-first hockey. The Senators, Rangers and Penguins (and to a lesser degree the Hurricanes) are all showing an offense-first style leads to wins-- lots of them. It helps to score more goals than the other team. The Sens are great defensively, partly by staying in their lanes and picking up their man, but mostly by having the puck more than their opposition does. The Rangers, Penguins and Hurricanes all do pretty well defensively, despite having relatively faceless defense corps. Despite Detroit’s careful attention to defense, they always outscore most of the league. The Anaheim Ducks didn’t out-defense the Senators last fall. They opened up, skated better, and stormed the net. In Chicago, highly-touted young defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook didn’t turn into Norris Trophy-winners in the off-season. The Hawks are winning games this season because they opened it up, and added some real high-end talent.

Imagine a Minnesota-Atlanta game featuring Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra trading scoring chances, and blazing down the wings every third shift with Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa replying for the Thrashers. Instead, these four world-class talents are reigned in, in favour of team defense.

How about Marc Savard and Tomas Vanek trading chances up and down the rink in an old Adams Division battle between Boston and Buffalo? Marco Sturm is a very defensively-responsible forward, thriving under Claude Julien in Boston. But he can skate like the wind, and would like as good riding shotgun with Savard in open ice as Max Afinogenov would with Vanek.

Calgary’s Jarome Iginla, Alex Tanguay and Kristian Huselius are much more formidable blazing from zone-to-zone than defending their own zone against Colorado’s equally gifted Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk and Paul Statsny-- and vice versa. Columbus’ Nik Zherdev trading head-spinning shifts with Mike Modano of Dallas; Florida’s Olli Jokinen and Nathan Horton trading chances with L.A.’s Mike Cammalleri and Alex Frolov, with a dash of Rostislav Olesz and Anze Kopitar to taste; Alex Kovalev and Alex Radulov working stick-handling magic all the way from Montreal to Nashville and back; Patrik Elias bringing New Jersey’s new stadium to their feet night-in and night-out while Mike Richards and Dan Briere try to put them back in their seats-- elating the Philly faithful in the process; Mike Comrie ripping it up against his old Phoenix teammates, while rookie Peter Mueller tries to beat his future U.S. Olympic teammate Rick DiPietro. And the thought of Joe Thornton, Paul Kariya, Vinny Lecavalier, Mats Sundin, Markus Naslund and Alex Ovechkin running roughshod around the rinks in San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington and all the way ‘round is the kind of thing the championship-starved fans in those cities (save for Tampa) deserve to see.

The biggest upshot of 22 more teams focusing their efforts on scoring goals rather than preventing them? More room on the ice for Eric Perrin, Bryan Little and Pascal Dupuis; Peter Schaefer, Phil Kessel and Glen Metropolit; Jochen Hecht, Ales Kotalik and Drew Stafford; Owen Nolan, Craig Conroy and Daymond Langkow; Marek Svatos, Tyler Arnason and Wojtek Wolski; Jason Chimera, David Vyborny and Jiri Novotny; Jussi Jokinen, Niklas Hagman and Antti Miettinen; Ville Peltonen, Stephen Weiss and Dickie Zednik; Dustin Brown, Derek Armstrong and Patrick O’Sullivan; Eric Belanger, Mikko Koivu and James Sheppard; Tom Plekanec, Chris Higgins and Andrei Kostitsyn; Radek Bonk, Martin Gelinas and Vernon Fiddler; Jay Pandalfo, Travis Zajac and Sergei Brylin; Josef Vasicek, Trent Hunter and Bill Guerin; R.J. Umberger, Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter; Steven Reinprecht, Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata; Milan Michalek, Steve Bernier and Devon Setoguchi; David Perron, David Backes and Mike Johnson; Ryan Craig, Michel Ouelette and Jason Ward; Alex Steen, Chad Kilger and Boyd Devereaux; Ryan Kesler, Taylor Pyatt and Brad Isbister; Chris Clark, Brooks Laich and Tomas Fleischmann to play the offensive style they were meant to. Those 66 players would all be 20-to-30-to-40-goal scorers, and more importantly, house-hold names in a wide-open NHL.

But hey, the recently-fired Bob Hartley probably didn’t need another 90-odd goals; the Sabres probably don’t need another 90-odd goals this season after losing Dan Briere; the soon-to-be-fired Mike Keenan doesn’t need any more offense in Calgary; Dallas’ recent front-office shuffle couldn’t have been prevented by another 100 or so goals… you get the picture.

Throw us a bone, JP (another fire JP rant)

Fantastic news! The Major League Baseball winter meetings are in full swing in Nashville, and the Toronto Blue Jays plan to stand pat.

Perfect! Because everyone knows the best way to get out of third place, and pass the moneybags Yankees and Red Sox in the standings is to stand pat while they wage a bidding war for the American League’s best pitcher.

To recap, the Jays, despite massive payroll increases, remain a third-place team. On top of that now, their “ace” Roy Halladay can’t convince me he’s ever pitched a 30-game season; their number two man AJ Burnett is said to be on the block, though he’s been the glue holding this team together every time Doc goes down, and has his own injury history; first bagger Lyle Overbay missed significant time because of injuries last season; the serviceable Aaron Hill at second; the otherworldly Johnny Mac at short, who may be the best defensive shortstop this team’s ever had; the injured Troy Glaus at third, who’s battling a mysterious, Peter Forsberg-like series of foot injuries and a bad back; Reed Johnson and Alex Rios in the outfield, both of whom missed time because of fluke injuries; and the great Vernon Wells, who tried to play through last season despite needing surgery.

Folks, that’s not a snake-bitten team. That’s an injury-prone team. And the Jays can say all the right things about their young pitchers, and their young position players, all of whom filled in very well. And they say all the right things about “wait till we get healthy,” but healthy doesn’t happen by accident. The Jays either have the worst group of athletic therapists in the known universe, or they’re an injury-plagued team that isn’t ever going to be healthy.

Since this “injury bug” has been floating around for a few seasons now, I’m more inclined to believe the former is the case.

So if Ricciardi and Gibbons have to stay, let’s at least get a top-notch medical staff to keep the players healthy.

Otherwise, JP, let’s see you move some of this dead weight. Glaus isn’t ever going to be healthy. Halladay is never going to throw 30 games again. Letting Wells play through 140 games when he needed surgery isn’t going to help, since he’ll rush back after the surgery and play before he’s ready, creating a cycle of injury that cannot be escaped. And through all of this, the oft-injured BJ Ryan didn’t even come up. Does anyone know which four players make the most in Toronto?

Of course, we know the training and medical staff aren’t going anywhere, we know Pinky and the Brain aren’t going anywhere (thanks Derek Boogaard), and none of those sore contracts can be moved. But the Brain thinks this team’s OK. It’s not.

So get off your ass, and at least give us paying fans the impression you’re going to do something. Would be it so hard to pick up a phone and offer Rios, Shawn Marcum and a prospect for Johan Santana, then tell a reporter you did it?

Shoe money tonight

Finally!

Yes, in some cases in life, the journey can be the reward. And I’d be the first to say the Olympic games probably qualify for that status. If ever there was a place “I’m just happy to be here” could apply, it’s at the opening ceremonies of an Olympiad.

That said, it’s been a long time coming, and it’s so nice to see the Canadian Olympic Committee has finally approved rewards for Canadians bringing medals home. In addition to the Own the Podium 2010 program, which saw the COC dump every available resource into training and resources for our athletes, significant cash rewards shows even more commitment to our athletes.

It’s something that’s been debated for a long time within the COC, radio talk shows, and countless other forums. Frankly, the tired old “it’s supposed to be amateur athletes” argument doesn’t work anymore. And it hasn’t worked for a long time. As always, we can blame America. Whether we point the finger at their allegedly outrageous cash rewards, the Dream Teams they sent to the summer Olympic basketball tournaments, or something as simple as the Wheaties box, American athletes have been making money of the Games for a long time now, and their performances have reflected that.

This is a big step for the COC, and it’s a step firmly in the right direction. The payouts-- $20, 000 for gold, $15k for silver, and $10k for bronze-- are substantial, yet modest by other standards. And I’ll even buy the COC’s argument the modest payouts allows the COC to continue to pour money into training programs. It’s a big win for our athletes, and as an Olympic nation, we’re well on our way to becoming a powerhouse.

In fact, this news has me so excited, I’m going to go visit the Canada Olympic Park here in Calgary this week, just to help out (OK, my $6 for admission won‘t go very far, but the $149 bobsleigh run doesn‘t open till December).

With thanks to Sports Night, the greatest televisions show ever, for the title.

Asterisk this

I hate to sound like I'm ragging on an old man, but what the hell is Don Shula thinking?

In case you missed it, Shula, former coach of the Miami Dolphins says the New England Patriots should be subject to an asterisk if they finish an undefeated season this year, as a result of “cameragate.”

Please. Crazy old man. First of all, the Pats are still 10 wins away from a perfect season. This isn't Division-I football, where talk of BCS title games starts after week three. This is the National Football League, and you can't take anything for granted. I don't care how weak the Pats' schedule is the rest of the way, let's see them at least get to 14 or 15 wins before we start looking at the historical ramifications of this. Again, at 9-0, they're not even halfway there. This is a bridge Shula's crossing way too early.

Second. Why is everyone so friggin' asterisk crazy these days? I'm no defender of Barry Bonds, but to put an asterisk on his home run ball is not only stupid, it's hypocritical. There was no fan outrage when juiced up Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were busy making baseball relevant again, and team ownership sure didn't seem to mind steroid use. Same with the Pats. Maybe they were caught taping other team's signals, big deal. Signs are stolen in baseball, and if anyone thinks signs aren't stolen in basketball, and aren't still being stolen in the NFL, they're delusional. Taping is wrong, but having a guy in the stands with binoculars and a two-way radio is tacitly approved of. You're kidding, right? Stick your asterisks where the sun don't shine, OK?

Third. They're 9-0, and they still haven't lost even after they were caught “cheating.” And I don't think Tom Brady was using videotaped hand signals to carve the Colts' defense up in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

Lastly, if Shula's that worried about his beloved Dolphins' record not being tarnished, maybe he should get off his ass and give Cam Cameron a hand. At 0-8, the Dolphins are halfway to a winless season that seems much more likely than any team ever going 19-0.

Calgary Flames home opener

Alternatively, "Some of the reasons I love hockey: a short essay by Steve Francis)

Just in from the Calgary Flames' home opener (ticket courtesy Mr. Aaron Charpentier), and let me say this: that was a pretty good hockey game, and the kind of game that I love to attend. Here's a quick rundown of the things I loved about the Flames first game this season.

First, and foremost, the players. In the end, the game is about the players, and any time you see a game live, you learn a little bit about them. Some players do exactly what you'd expect from them. For example, Daniel Briere scored two goals for the Flyers, and Anders Eriksson turned the puck over late in the game, leading directly to the winning goal.

Some guys surprise you: despite the fact I've spent most of the pre-season warning the people in my pool they'd regret selecting Daymond Langkow, he scored both Flames goals. And Cory Sarich is a really good defenseman. Speaking of defensemen, it's often said a sign of a well-played game by a defenseman is having not noticed him on the ice. Philadelphia's Jason Smith fit that description so well, I actually had to double-check that he'd even played.

So all in all, the game itself was not great, but it was certainly enjoyable. The other key element to a hockey game is, of course, the fans. It doesn't take much for a crowd to cheer at the right times, boo at the right times, and react in any manner of ways when prompted to. The key to a good crowd is the collection of jerseys.

The standards in Cowtown these days are the Jarome Iginla, Dion Phaneuf and Mikka Kiprusoff collection, with some Craig Conroy sprinkled in (this city has a love affair with him I'll never understand). And old-school Lanny McDonald and Theo Fleury jerseys are pretty common, too (the 1996-era Fleury jerseys are much more rare). At Thursday night's game, I saw in order, Shane Churla, Hakan Loob, and my personal favourite, Paul Ranheim jerseys. Fantastic. Sadly, the Flyers jerseys I saw were pretty standard-issue Keith Primeaus and Peter Forsbergs. Hey Philly, next time, I want to see some Kjell Sameulsson, Dave Poulin and Brian Propp sweaters (and I'm certain a Ilkka Sinisalo wouldn't kill you).

But this night's real treat came as a result of having made a wrong turn leaving the rink. While walking the long way 'round to the exit, some guys in suits started to cut through the crowd right in front of me. And wouldn't you know, said “guys in suits” were comprised of Flyers' brass. Former general manager Bobby Clarke, current general manager Paul Holmgren, and owner Ed Snyder, all of whom were happy to shake hands and say hello before being whisked away.

So let's recap, free ticket, good game, three amazing jersey sightings, and shaking hands with two Hall of Famers. Sometimes I just can't help but wonder why I love hockey.

NHL predictions

Alright, I got as bored of writing the long-winded, and only half-as-in-depth-as-I'd-have-liked team previews, so here's the meat of it. Final standings, 1 thru 15 in each conference.

In the East...
1A/1B: Ottawa/Pittsburgh
Essentially, these two teams will be interchangeable at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. They'll probably flip-flop all season long, and I picked Ottawa as the de facto number one before Ray Emery got hurt. Let's see if Martin Gerber can keep Ottawa in the same stratosphere as Pittsburgh.

3: Florida

The Panthers will have fewer points (think 10-12) than the fourth-place Rangers, but somebody's gotta win the Southeast, and I know I posted a couple days ago the Canes would, but it turns out I like Florida's offensive mix, and I love Florida's goalie. They're a lot like the Rangers-lite, good offense, shady defense, all-world goalie.

4: Rangers

Fourth is the low-end of the Rangers' potential this season. Hank Lundqvist wants to play more, and if he's healthy, there's not stopping this team. The Canadian in me hopes Lundqvist's career-path mimics Tommy Salo's, and Lundqvist flames out at the 2010 Olympics. Until then, we're all just going to have to deal with the Rangers.

5: Buffalo

Drury, Briere, blah blah blah. Lindy Ruff doesn't want to hear any whining about it, and this team won't whine about it. Instead, watch Tom Vanek, Ryan Miller, Max Afinogenov, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Brian Campbell, Drew Stafford (OK, everyone except Jaro Spacek) stick it to everyone that's writing them off.

6/7: Carolina/Tampa Bay

Both teams can score, both teams start the year without their number-one defenseman, both teams have questions in goal. Both teams are getting by right now on reputations built in 2004 and 2006.

8: New Jersey

Really? You expect anyone to bet against a Martin Brodeur-backed team making the playoffs?

9/10/11/12: Montreal/Atlanta/Islanders/Toronto

One or more of these teams will bump Tampa or Carolina out of that seventh spot. Montreal has a lot of youth, and they're just a straight-up wildcard this season; Atlanta has two of the game's biggest offensive guns, and a great goalie; the Islanders are a pleasure to watch, and you gotta believe in Ted Nolan; Toronto's addition of Jason Blake could be worth the one point they missed the playoffs by last season.

13: Philadelphia

Sorry, Philly, but one Danny Briere at $52 million is not enough. There's a caveat with this, though. If Martin Biron plays out of his mind (seriously, he'll have to channel Pelle Lindberg), and Jeff Carter finds his NHL-level offensive game, and the defensemen all took power skating lessons, the Flyers could wind up near the top of the charts... but those three ifs are just three of many.

14: Washington

15: Boston

I don't have a whole lot to say about these two squads. They're both coming together, and if Glen Hanlon lets the Caps play, they will be a lot of fun to watch (on a related note, the Caps play-by-play team last season was my favourite in the league). Claude Julien will get the Bruins whipped into shape, but I just don't trust any goaltending tandem that includes Manny Fernandez (he lost his starting job in Minnesota in 2004 and last season).

To the West...

1: San Jose

The new Ottawa. They get the nod at one simply because the Ducks just won't have the gas.

2: Detroit

Realignment, anyone? Of the Wings' four division rivals, roughly... none will make the playoffs this season. Anyone else want to have 32 games against non-playoff opponents guaranteed before the first puck is dropped?

3: Minnesota

You read that right. Full season of Marian Gaborik and Niklas Backstrom, more of the same from the rejuvenated Brian Rolston, more Pavol Demitra, and more of the same fantastic play the got last season, from a bunch of players you've never heard of, and this team easily wins the Northwest Division. If not for Detroit's JV opposition, the Wild would be the pick to finish second.

4/5: Anaheim/Colorado

No reason to think the Ducks are taking any further a step back than this is. And no reason to think the Ryan Smyth-boosted Avalanche don't get back to the top of the heap.

6/7/8: Dallas/Vancouver/Calgary

The Stars just refuse to go away, Vancouver has the best goalie in the world, and Calgary has the second-best. The way these teams play defense, and the level of goaltending they get will not allow them to all miss the playoffs.

9/10/11: Chicago/St. Louis/Nashville

For the record, St. Louis at 10 is a very generous pick. When I see the Hawks in Calgary on November 22, there's a good chance I'll be regretting this pick. They'll either be much better than ninth, or much worse. It all depends on which Nik Khabibulin shows up this year. The Blues are a mess on the blue line and in the blue paint, and Lee Stempniak's monster year can't save them. And the Predators are going to fall much worse than anyone thinks the Sabres will. It's one thing to lose Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg, Tom Vokoun and Timmo Kimonen in the offseason, it's one thing to play a full season with ownership turmoil, to do both of the above, while handing the netminding reigns to Chris Mason... well...

12: Edmonton

The usual late-season push will be resurrected after last season's hiatus. Sadly, even Mathieu Garon taking over as the number one goalie can't save the Oilers this season.

13: Columbus

Somehow, the Kings and Coyotes are actually worse than the Blue Jackets.

14: Phoenix

Their triumvirate of goalies can't be worse than the Kings' tandem.

15: Los Angeles

Don't let that first game in England fool you. That was a 19-year old goalie, few of whom have any business playing in the NHL. And their other goalie has had a couple of rock-solid years in the American League, but let's ask former NHLer Steve Passmore what two rock-solid AHL seasons and a nickel will get you.

So there you have it. Who needs 82 games, when 1100 words can do the same?

We'll see you in April and see just how far off I was.

Workin' overtime

There's something about the 10^th 11^th 12^th 13^th inning in October.

There's an even bigger something that applies, in general, to one-game playoffs.

And the biggest something clearly goes to the announcer saying “he's moved to the right side of the pitching rubber, to give him more control with his slider,” as the new relief pitcher nearly clears the catcher with his first pitch-- and again with his second pitch. Then gives up the go-ahead two-run homer with his seventh pitch of the inning.

It's easy to watch one of these games, pick a team, and just ride the roller coaster.

I picked Colorado Monday morning, when informal polling at work indicated to me there's a lot of people out there that don't even know of the Rockies' existence.

So, stuck at work, I got three chances to check the score. First, 3-0 Colorado, then 5-3 San Diego, 6-5 Colorado when I left, and squared at 6 in the top of the 10^th when I got home. I knew it would be a good night.

In the extras, Doug Brocail and Joe Thatcher were lights-out for the Padres. They came to play, and they brought October-sized stones to the mound. They baffled the Colorado hitters, and with Hoffman coming on to pitch the bottom of 13, holding an 8-6 lead, the outcome seemed set.

But Kaz Matsui had other plans with a double to the right-field gap. Then rookie, and my new favourite player, Troy Tulowitzki (also my second-favourite Polish athlete after Mike Komisarek) doubled to the left-field gap: 8-7.

So often, when this beautiful game taketh away, it's willing to give.

Matt Holliday, who had something of a coming out party at the Home Run Derby, had scapegoat written all over him for making a poor defensive play to allow the game-tying run in the eighth.

You just had to know he was going to drive a triple off the wall in right to tie the game, then score the winning run.

That was an absolutely thrilling baseball game. And it was a great way to get ready for the playoffs. In fact, we should have one of these games every year. I'm still trying to catch my breath.

Football Friday

Just two weeks into the NFL season, my beloved San Francisco 49ers already have more wins than my equally beloved Hamilton Tiger-Cats have-- in 11 tries. Moreover, the 49ers have shown some pretty impressive stones, winning both games by a combined four points. Alex Smith still looks fairly Alex Smith-ian, but this team is getting the job done so far, and I couldn’t be happier. Somewhat incredibly, there are nine other team in the NFL that have opened the season at 2-0. While the unbeaten starts from Indianapolis and New England, and to a lesser degree Denver and Pittsburgh are no surprise, the 2-0 starts from Houston, Green Bay, and Detroit are from as far out of left field as possible. And outside of Washington and Dallas, it’s hard to imagine many folks thought the Cowboys and Redskins would be out of the gat so hot. A tip of the hat to all of these teams.

Some picks:

In CFL action this week, Calgary visits Hamilton Friday night to start the week. Lord knows the Tiger-Cats are the worst team in organized football this year, and one player does not make a team. But with another week to absorb the playbook, and another week to get used to his receivers (and having to avoid the rush his offensive line will allow every time he drops back to pass), Casey Printers will lead the Cats to victory.

On Saturday, the Roughriders, having dropped their last two games, find themselves suddenly behind BC in the standings. No excuses for the Roughriders in this one. They win, or they concede the division (also, with a loss and a Calgary win, the Riders will fall to third in the West). After some growing pains, the defending champion Lions have regained their rightful spot atop the league’s standings, and aren’t likely to give it back any time soon.

Edmonton is in Montreal to kick off the Sunday double-header. Though Eskimos fans are ready for heads to roll, the Esks are still sitting in a playoff spot right now, and haven’t been playing all that poorly this season. Montreal is keeping mum about their starting quarterback for this week’s game, but it’s not really going to matter. Edmonton is getting close to locking up the crossover spot.

Lastly, Winnipeg is in Toronto to dismantle the Argos. Can’t really see much of any way this game goes well for Toronto.

In NFL action:

In Baltimore, a pair of 1-1 teams that dropped their opener, but won their home opener in week two, and have both scored and given up exactly 40 points will do battle. It’s an interesting and hope-filled kind of season for both Baltimore and Arizona, but hope is about all the Cards have. Ravens win.

San Diego travels to Green Bay to put an end to the Packers’ perfect start.

Tampa Bay hosts St. Louis, and remain my sleeper pick to be way better than any of the magazines thought they’d be. The Bucs won convincingly against New Orleans last week, and should be able to beat a Rams team that can’t seem to decide if they’re coming or going.

Pittsburgh hosts San Francisco, with two dominant wins in their pocket, and a stingy defense that’s only allowed 10 points through two games. This number is important because the 49ers rank last in total offense. This one could get ugly for the 49ers, but as always, blind faith says they’ll win.

Detroit is in Philadelphia, where the Eagles are not only a shocking 0-2, but also they’re coming off a week in which their quarterback said some pretty stupid things to the press. Can’t say for certain if we’ll see a galvanized and unbeatable Eagles club, or an Eagles side that’s already beaten itself. But I wouldn’t bet against the latter.

The Jets host Miami, and the Dolphins look every bit the train wreck they’ve been lately, and more. And while both teams are winless, the Jets got spanked by New England and lost by a major in Baltimore, while the Dolphins are the reason the Redskins and Cowboys are 2-0. Jets by a wide margin.

New England doesn’t need to cheat to beat Buffalo. In fact, the defending high school city champions here in Calgary might even cover the spread against Buffalo.

Kansas City hosts Minnesota in battle between chic pre-season sleepers. Both teams have been wildly disappointing so far, and while the Chiefs will probably come away with a win, both teams will remain very disappointing.

Indianapolis will beat Houston. As an aside, talking heads all over the place are pumping this game up, but I refuse to. When they meet again in week 16, if they’re both 14-0, then we can hype this matchup. As is, I see no way the Texans enter that game better than 8-6, while it’s hard to imagine the Colts worse than 12-2. But hey, if the Texans still have a shot at the division title in week 16, I will write a blog entry every single day about that game, during the five weekdays leading up to it.

Unlike the above game, Cincinnati at Seattle could actually have a big impact on these teams’ seasons. Neither team can afford to fall too far behind in their divisions, and with the leaders of their respective divisions playing each other, this is a good week to gain some ground. Also, both teams fancy themselves contenders, and contenders don’t start 1-2.

The Browns will beat Oakland.

Another big game in Denver. The Broncos are a little bit surprising at 2-0, and the Jaguars want to prove they’re the real deal. No better way to show you’re for real than to beat Denver in Denver. I see it happening.

Don’t be alarmed, but the Washington Redskins are about to open the season 3-0.

Carolina will beat Atlanta.

Chicago has to turn this thing around, don’t they? We’ll see. This is a very cautious Chicago pick.

And the Saints aren’t going to lose their home opener, on a Monday night, after an 0-2 start. Not if they’re actually anything more than paper tigers.

One step forward, two steps back; just life in the Central

While Columbus continues to build, St. Louis and Chicago continue to rebuild, and Nashville starts to rebuild, the Detroit Red Wings will once again be the biggest fish in the small Central Division tank. If St. Louis, Chicago or Nashville gets hot and starts to pile up points within the division, they could all make a run at the post-season, but it’s not likely. The Central will probably only send the Red Wings to the playoffs this year.

DETROIT RED WINGS
New gear: No significant changes in the Motor City. The Wings will look as they always have, with two minor exceptions. They’ve moved the captain’s C to the other side. It’s a nice touch, and something they’ve done in the past. So no one can get too upset about that. They’ve also gone to straight lines in the elbow piping, where there used to be a little half-moon before. In six months, no one will miss the half-moon.

New year: The Wings head into the 2008 season facing more uncertainty than usual. Gone are Robert Lang, Mathieu Schneider and Danny Markov, with no immediate replacements lined up. Newcomer Brian Rafalski brings a winning pedigree from New Jersey, and either paired with Nicklas Lidstrom, or anchoring a second unit with Chris Chelios, should be able to help his new squad maintain a level of defensive excellence.

Up front, the Wings feel the oft-injured Lang will not be missed. Henrik Zetterberg has emerged as one of the league’s top two-way threats, and he will be asked to produce at a pace near Pavel Datsyuk’s. Datsyuk is coming off his second-consecutive season with 87 points. The truly pleasantly surprised aspect is the fact Datsyuk’s plus/minus rating has improved from minus-2 before the lockout, to plus-26 two seasons ago, to plus-36 last season. These two players are the key to any success the Wings hope to have in the near future.

In Lang’s absence, the Wings will look to Jiri Hudler to finally blossom into the offensive force he’s been at every other level. The diminutive Czech recorded 25 points and a plus-16 rating while averaging just 10 minutes of ice time last season, his first full season in the NHL.

Dan Cleary was a nice surprise for the Wings last season, and they’d like to hope he can pull another 40-point rabbit from his hat. Meanwhile, Thomas Holmstrom and Mikael Samuelsson will continue to be invaluable contributors.

Dominik Hasek appears ready to return for another run with the Wings. The importance of his ability to work with the revamped defense corps in front of him can’t be over-stated. If Hasek can’t play to the level he did last season, the Wings may be in trouble this year.

Outlook: With the fire sale in Nashville, the Red Wings no longer face a real threat in the Central Division. The Wings have long feasted on their weaker Central Division brethren and this season should be no exception. Frankly, heading into the season, the Wings’ schedule reads like that of a top-25 NCAA football team’s. 3rd in West, 102 points.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS
New gear: These new jerseys have taken a lot of heat in the areas of the Internet I inhabit, but I think most of it is unfounded (aside from the mockery of the white blocks at the bottom of the sleeves on the dark jersey). The Preds have kept the silver stripe running the length of the sleeve, which looks great on both the home and road unis. And they were subtle with their use of the piping running up the chest. Full marks.

New year: New goalie, new captain, new top defenseman and a new top scorer are four things the Nashville Predators will have this season. The departures of Tomas Vokoun, Kimmo Timonen and Paul Kariya may signal the end of the Predators window to win a Stanley Cup. But it’s not the end of the world in the Music City. Not by a long shot.

Probable new captain David Legwand collected a career-high 63 points last season, with the possibility of reaching even loftier heights this season. Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont now have a full season in coach Barry Trotz’s system under their belts, and should contribute even more this season. Martin Erat’s career-high 57 points last season came despite missing 14 games. And Alexander Radulov’s development should carry him into the 60-point range this season.

On the back end, we all knew Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber were the future of the franchise on defense. Their time has now come, and there’s no reason to think they won’t be ready. Marek Zidlicky is still in the mix, and this group should remain among the best in the league.

The Preds have some new veterans in the fold, all of whom will be expected to contribute in different ways. Martin Gelinas will be expected to produce 50 points or so. Radek Bonk is still a very valuable shut-down centre, and he anchored a very good Montreal penalty kill during the last two seasons. And Greg de Vries will be asked to help make sure the youth isn’t over their head, or pushed around, on defense.

The biggest impact will come from Chris Mason. Though not a newcomer, Mason is new to the starting role, and doesn’t have a lot of backup (which reeks of Dumont to Montreal for Halak or Huet). Mason performed very well filling in for an injured Vokoun last season, but it remains to be seen if he can handle full-time duty over the course of a full season.

Outlook: It’s basically all going to fall on Mason’s shoulders, which is wildly unfair. Even if this team can get past the ownership distractions, they’ll have plenty to deal with on the ice. The sky in Nashville isn’t falling quite so badly as everyone wants to think it is. But clearly, this team faces a much lower ceiling of expectations this year. 9th in West, 90 points.

ST. LOUIS BLUES
New gear: They still use the nicest shade of blue known to man, and from a distance these jerseys aren’t so bad. But God forbid you ever run into someone wearing one on the street. Some teams (like Nashville) made great use of the piping, and some teams (like the Blues) did not. That said, this could have gone much, much worse.

New Year: First of all, I love the “We want you back” ticket campaign, and I love the “Whatever it takes” slogan. And you’ve gotta figure any team that brings Paul Kariya in during the off-season should see an improvement the next season. With Kariya, Keith Tkachuk and Martin Rucinsky, the Blues have a strong left side.

Doug Weight and Petr Cajanek are solid centre men, while David Backes opened some eyes during his rookie campaign last season. Assuming Backes and Lee Stempniak (quietest 52 points in league history) continue to develop, the Blues will have some offensive firepower that other teams will have to respect.

The blues even have a pretty sturdy blue line corps with Eric Brewer, Christian Backman, Barret Jackman and Jay McKee (when healthy). This group made great strides last season after Andy Murray took over as head coach, and there’s no reason to think they won’t continue to improve.

The Blues are backstopped by Manny Legace again, but the goaltending competition will be wide open in camp. Any and all of Legace, Hannu Toivonen, Jason Bacashihua, Curtis Sanford and Marek Schwarz will see time between the pipes in St. Louis this season in an effort to find a full-time puck stopper.

Outlook: The Blues are a long shot to make the post-season, and will probably give many of their interesting prospects a look throughout the season. This team wasn’t a whole lot better after Murray took over the coaching job, but they were more consistent. If the Blues continue to play consistent hockey, they could finish near the top of the bottom of the pile. 10th in West, 90 points.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
New gear: Like the Red Wings, yet another lesson in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The Blackhawks have always had, and probably will always have the most perfect uniforms in all of hockey. Even if the Hawks have drawn fewer fans in the last few seasons than the AHL Wolves have, the city would probably riot if they’d changed this 40-year old logo.

New Year: I see a big jump in points for Chicago this year, even though that won’t translate to a big jump in the standings. After a stunning performance at the World Junior Championship last season, Toews had a stellar finish to the NCAA season (33 points in 21 games), then put on an eye-opening performance at the World Championships in May. It was the kind of performance you simply can’t ignore. Toews is the future of the Blackhawks, and that future starts now.

Toews will likely be joined by June’s first-overall pick Patrick Kane, and perhaps the Hawks’ first-round pick from 2005 Jack Skille, as the Hawks look to fast-track the development of these promising youngsters. Doing so helped with young defensemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker, all of whom were top-four defensemen last season. Keith was Chicago’s ice-time leader, logging 23:36 a night, and also finished with an even plus-minus rating. With James Wisniewski and Dustin Byfuglien filling out the top five, the Hawks are relatively set on the back end.

The key is getting offensive help for Martin Havlat. The flashy Czech had 57 points in 56 games last season. With no outside forces, a full and healthy season from Havlat is worth three or four wins. With Robert Lang in the fold, the Hawks have a veteran with lots of playoff experience in Detroit, and a valuable asset in the dressing room. With Sergei Samsonov, the Hawks have a guy that will be as good or bad as he wants to be. If he’s motivated, he could help lead a very surprising turnaround for Chicago this year.

More likely though, is the chance Samsonov teams up with goalie Nik Khabibulin to sit around enjoying all the money they have, and not paying attention to the game they’re playing to get that cash. Much like Samsonov, Khabibulin is as good as he wants to be.

Outlook: If Toews, Kane and Skille all make the team out of camp, and if they can form a solid second line, and if Samsonov and Lang have it in them, and if Khabibulin plays out of his mind, the Blackhawks could make the playoffs. This team is starting to pile up prospects just like their opponent in the 1992 Stanley Cup final recently did, and may have an equally dramatic turnaround, just not this season. 11th in West, 85 points.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
New gear: Gone are the silly bee mascot, and the CBJ logo. The new logo, which had been used recently as the alternate logo, gives a hefty nod to Ohio’s status as the birthplace of flight, is excellent. But it just doesn’t seem to synch up with the new jersey design. These new threads are sharp, but I yearn for the Jackets’ striping of old.

New year: Considering the Jackets’ 33 wins in 2007 were something of an overachievement, and the roster is returning pretty well intact, it’s hard to imagine the Jackets getting out of the Western Conference cellar this season.

Newcomers Mike Peca, Kris Beech and Jan Hejda are normally the kinds of players a team adds when they’re close to competing. If Peca can stay healthy, he can log third-line minutes and kill penalties with some effectiveness. But to ask Peca to carry any of the offensive load is to ask too much.

Beech is another solid defensive forward, but he notched a mere 26 points in Washington last season, playing either with Alex Ovechkin, or against other team’s secondary defensive units. Beech isn’t exactly Art Ross material. And Hejda spent part of last season in the minor leagues.

The Jackets still need Ron Hainsey and Rostislav Klesla to log more than 20 minutes a night, and Adam Foote is well past his prime. That didn’t stop him from approaching 25 minutes a game last season. Columbus doesn’t have a single blue-chip blue line prospect. Until the defense gets better, this team will continue to spin its wheels.

At the draft this past June, the Jackets selected power forward Jakub Voracek, who cashed in on a tremendous rookie year in the QMJHL. Voracek could become a player in the Peter Forsberg mould, or he will regress after one year in junior hockey. He’ll get every chance to make the big club out of camp, and if he does, he’ll be asked to take on a big offensive role. Perhaps even playing alongside David Vyborny, and seeing top minutes.

If he’d been teammates with the Rocket, Rick Nash’s Rocket Richard Trophy win couldn’t seem to have been longer ago. Nash must either find a way to become a consistent 80-point producer, or become a defensive stalwart and team leader with second-line scoring ability.

Outlook: The fact Jody Shelley still has a spot on this team speaks volumes to the overall depth the Jackets have. Another 30-win season isn’t out of the question. But the bigger question is whether or not the next 30-win season will happen in the next five years. 14th in West, 73 points

Northeast regaining momentum

After a brief run as the toughest division in hockey, the Northeast Division has come back to earth the past couple seasons. The Senators and Sabres still have the ability to blow most of their opponents away, while the Canadiens and Leafs will prove to be scrappy, hard-to-beat teams once again this season. Add the Claude Julien-led Bruins into the mix, and this group of teams may once again wear the crown of toughest division in hockey very soon.

OTTAWA SENATORS
New gear: Did they unveil the practice jerseys? There’s a fine line between a clean style, and no style. Worse, the players look fat when seen straight-on in these things. And don’t even get me started on the new number font. The logo update is nice, but the “gold semicircle with laurel leaves” doesn’t anchor the logo. It moves the whole thing off-centre and seems out of place. But that new shoulder patch kicks ass.

New Year: The Senators got creamed in the Final, and they had a rocky off-season, in which Wade Redden was nearly traded, and there was an ugly management shake-up which lead to a coaching change. New head coach John Paddock is a long-time company man, and coached many current Senators while they toiled in the American League.

One such player in Jason Spezza. Paddock is largely responsible for getting Spezza to find his way defensively, which has led to Spezza’s offensive outburst. Spezza notched 87 points in 67 games, and alongside Dany Heatley, the pair should combine for well over 200 points in their sleep. Daniel Alfredsson is still a go-to guy, and Mike Fisher is due for a monstrous season.

The key for the Senators this season will be shoring up their blue line, which seems like an odd thing to say about Ottawa. Redden had a very sub-par season, as did big-ticket free agent Joe Corvo. Christoph Schubert and Lawrence Nycholat will battle for the final defense spot. Schubert is a fairly steady defenseman, but splitting time at forward through much of last season had to hamper his development.

That said, Andrei Meszaros, Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips really took their games to a new level last season. Meszaros matured immensely in the post-season, while Volchenkov’s inhuman shot-blocking was perhaps the second-biggest reason the Senators played for the Cup. Chris Phillips’ evolution into an absolute stud defenseman was an equally large factor. Entering his 10th season in the NHL, Phillips is finally the defenseman the hockey world thought he could be.

The single biggest reason the Senators marched to the Final is, of course, Ray Emery. I remember seeing Emery give up nine goals in an elimination game in the 2003 Calder Cup playoffs, and thinking he’d never become the goalie we saw in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final last spring. He was absolutely lights-out in those first two games, and was looking at becoming a potential Conn Smythe win before he and his team imploded.

Outlook: Despite some off-season losses (Peter Schaefer to Boston, Mike Comrie to the Islanders and Tom Preissing to LA), this team is still loaded, and still the class of the Eastern Conference. This team will not have put the memories of the Final behind them. The embarrassment they suffered then will drive them to finish the job this season. 1st in East, 106 points.

BUFFALO SABRES
New gear: The Sabres’ new jerseys from last season were designed with the Rbk system in mind. The translation has been essentially seamless, and now that the design has been applied to the proper cut, they look a little better.

New Year: Yes, the Sabres lost their co-captains to free agency this summer. Yes, it’s going to be hard to replace Daniel Briere’s 95 points. No, you can’t replace the heart of a champion like Chris Drury has. But…

Thomas Vanek led the team with 43 goals, and he’s still kickin’ around. Maxim Afinogenov had 61 points in just 56 games Jason Pominville erupted with a 34-goal season, and the Sabres will bring back the eight defensemen that saw the most ice time last season, including Brian Campbell. He’s a guy that personally ripped the hearts from chests of fans all over the league. For a defenseman with 48 points, he sure didn’t give much back the other way. Campbell’s plus-28 rating was second on the team to only Derek Roy (plus-37, if you need him).

Lindy Ruff is still behind the bench. Ryan Miller is still between the pipes. These guys are in good shape still. Ales Kotalik was a big contributor last season, shelling out 38 points in 66 games, and Drew Stafford made the most of a mid-season call-up, banging out 27 points in 41 games. Both of those guys represent 50-point campaigns over a full season.

Outlook: It’s hard to imagine this team simply falling out of contention. Even if all of those gaudy offensive numbers last season represented peak performances, they still represent eight or nine players in the 50 to 85-point range. This team still has big guns, and if they can move Jaroslav Spacek for a Shawn Thornton on Chris Clark type of leader, they’ll be laughing. 5th in East, 100 points.

MONTREAL CANADIENS
New gear: Another classic remains mostly untouched by the devil-spawn that call Rbk’s design team home. The slight tweak to the collar is excellent, and the only questions remain regarding the look of the numbers.

New year: I’m almost certainly over-valuing my beloved former Bulldogs, but that’s what happens when they win the Calder Cup. Until the end of training camp, it will be tough to tell exactly which direction the Canadiens are heading in this season. And even after camp, it will be interesting to see the way the lineup evolves throughout the year.

But here’s what we know: a full season from Cristobal Huet would have given the Canadiens a playoff berth last season, and he seems to be healthy heading into the new season, so optimism should be higher around this team.

Scoring may remain a problem with this team, especially with Sheldon Souray’s off-season departure. However, Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins made great strides last year, and the team will count on both of them for added production this time around. And anything more than 47 points out of Alex Kovalev will go a long way, too.

Mike Komisarek began to really blossom into a top-flight shut-down defenseman last season, and he will have to continue that upward trend this year, as he and Andrei Markov will be recognized as the top defensive pair. They’ll do it without Souray to draw attention away from them, too. The play of the Habs three-through-seven defensemen will determine their fate this season.

Outlook: With at least two forward positions, a defensive spot, and the backup goaltending job all up for grabs in camp, this should be an exciting September in Montreal. With management’s confidence in their prospects growing, very few roster spots are guaranteed, which should keep this team hungry and competitive every night, something they weren’t last season. A full season of Huet gets this team to the playoffs. 7th in East, 96 points.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
New gear: Just a little too simple, and a little too blue. My goodness. I saw a comparison to a baby’s sleeper, and I can’t disagree with that. But hey, even if the shirts looked great, the players would find a way to make them look bad.

New Year: What could possibly be new in Leaf land? It’s the start of a new season, which means, in Toronto, the start of another round of “let’s have a parade.” All the key players remain in place. Former coach Pat Quinn’s shadow continues to loom large, general manager John Ferguson Jr. still looks shell-shocked, Mats Sundin is still the captain, Bryan McCabe still gets all the accolades while Tomas Kaberle does all the heavy lifting, Darcy Tucker is Darcy Tucker, and everyone is sure this will be Alex Ponikarovsky or Nik Antropov’s year.

Sometimes, the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Newcomers in the Leaf lineup include a trio of questionable players. Much like last summer’s additions of Andrew Raycroft, Pavel Kubina and Hal Gill, this year’s trio will face a truck-load of scrutiny in Toronto (while McCabe somehow escapes the ire of fans).

Mark Bell is already well behind the 8-ball, having been hit with a jail sentence and suspension shortly after arriving in Toronto. Vesa Toskala is being groomed to force Raycroft (of a team-record 37 wins last season) out the door in a trade that will haunt the Leafs for a long, long time (this has Raycroft to Chicago for Patrick Sharp, or LA for Brian Willsie written all over it).

And Jason Blake is essentially being asked to be that missing piece. The gritty warrior with a great scoring touch (far be it for me to compliment him, but isn’t that Tucker’s game?), heart-on-his sleeve leader in the wings, waiting to take over the captaincy from one of the team’s most beloved players without missing a beat.

And my personal favourite part of the Leafs season: a whole season from Andy “Whatpositiondoyouplay?” Wozniewski.

Outlook: The Leafs fell one point shy of the post-season last year, despite shaky goaltending, shaky scoring, and a long line to the trainer’s office. The figure to be in for a battle again this season, and it will be interesting to see how Raycroft handles his second-straight season of second-guessing and goaltending controversies. There’s almost no way this goes as well as Ferguson hopes. 12th in East, 91 points.

BOSTON BRUINS
New gear: The Bruins were first out of the gates, in an apparent attempt to dissuade the fears of fans worried about the new look of classic logos and designs within the new Rbk Edge uniform system. And it worked like a charm. The new Bruins gear looks so good, I modeled my ball hockey team’s uniforms after the Bs’ template.

New year: Counting the uniforms, a new head coach, a new goalie, a solid new left winger, and a steal with the eighth pick in the draft, the Bruins had a pretty good summer.

Claude Julien made overachievers out of the Montreal Canadiens before the lockout, and kept the good ship Devils righted before his tenure was unceremoniously ended in the swamps of Jersey. All signs suggest he can get the Bruins’ ship righted in good time, too.

Manny Fernandez fell out of favour in Minnesota, but coupled with Tim Thomas, could form a formidable goaltending duo at the Garden. The play of Boston’s netminders will be the biggest factor in the Bruins’ fortunes this season. And while Fernandez has his shining moments, it’s worth noting he lost the starting job in Minnesota twice in the last three seasons.

Peter Schaefer was stolen from Ottawa during the summer, and should be an impact player. Together, Schaefer and PJ Axelsson should be one of the league’s top penalty-killing pairs, and given a bump in playing time, Schaefer’s point production should increase as well.

The Bruins drafted Zach Hamill with their first pick in the draft, he was the Western League’s top scorer last season, and will be given every chance to make the team out of camp. He and Phil Kessel form the nucleus of the Bruins’ youth movement.

The Bruins’ defense corps, led by Zdeno Chara, will have to improve if Boston is to have any chance of making the playoffs this season. This will be head coach Julien’s top priority moving forward. After he gets the defense in order, though, he’ll have to coax some offense out of the forwards. Only Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron offered any real production last season. Marco Sturm and Glen Murray are expected to serve up more than 45 points each.

Outlook: Despite their strong off-season, it’s doubtful the Bruins have improved enough to make a serious run at the 2008 playoffs. A lottery pick at next June’s draft is much more likely. 15th in East, 78 points.

We're back

Let the division previews begin. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish, and before we start, here’s a rundown of the Sports With Steve schedule. Today, Southeast. Tuesday the Central, Wednesday the Northeast. Thursday and Friday NFL and CFL like normal. Next week, the Pacific on Monday, Atlantic Tuesday and Northwest Wednesday, with the season starting Friday in England, and blowing all of this into the water, no doubt.

Here we go.

As always, I love the Southeast. It’s a fun division to watch. Five teams with heavy artillery, and paper shields. Last season, 12 of the league’s top 50 scorers called the Southeast home. With guys like Kovalchuk and Hossa, Staal and Williams, Jokinen and Horton, Lecavalier and St-Louis, and Ovechkin and Semin, it’s a loaded division. Defense and goaltending are another story though. Carolina, Tampa and Washington have serious goaltending questions, and only Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester was a top-25 plus-minus defender last season.

CAROLINA HURRICANES
New gear: These new jerseys were the league’s worst-kept secret all summer long. I think the NHL08 cover photo leaked before the end of the playoffs. The white ring (red on the away jersey) on the shoulder yoke looks great. The colouring on the sleeves seems to be a bit much, but it’s not overwhelmingly bad. All in all, the Hurricanes remain among the league’s sharpest-dressed teams.

New year: Everyone in and around this team’s world insists last season was a fluke. And to a degree, I’m on board with that (so long as we can also rule that Cup win a fluke, too). An off-season injury to Frank Kaberle hurt the Canes early last season, and history looks to repeat itself this season. Kaberle is a stud on the Carolina blue line, and it’s going to hurt this team to be without him for another long stretch.

Cam Ward, Eric Staal and Cory Stillman all stalled last season, failing to produce at the level they were expected to, while youngsters Chad LaRose and Andrew Ladd didn’t continue their development as expected. With Ward, Staal and Stillman back on track, the Canes should be fine. If LaRose and Ladd can take that step forward, the Canes will be laughing all the way home.

With Matt Cullen’s return from a year on Broadway (as poorly-kept a secret as the new jerseys were), the Canes figure to get a big power play boost. Cullen was huge for them during the Cup run two seasons ago, and the Carolina faithful will be very happy to have him back.

New to the fold is Jeff Hamilton, a slightly enigmatic winger from Chicago. Hamilton very quietly was the Blackhawks’ third-leading scorer last season after Martin Havlat and Radim Vrbata, posting a 39-point campaign playing just 13 minutes a night. That’s low second-line production from fourth-line minutes. I can think of about 30 teams that could use a guy like Hamilton.

Outlook: At the bare minimum, the Hurricanes should return to the playoffs this season. At best, they return to the league’s upper echelon, and firmly plant themselves on the list of annual contenders. They’ll probably end up in a pretty epic battle with Tampa Bay over the Southeast Division crown. 3rd in East, 96 points

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
New gear: Again with the practice jerseys. These are fairly sharp, and very clean, but again, there is nothing about the jersey itself that makes it stand out as Tampa Bay’s jersey. Without the logo, this could be just the shirt you saw some guy wearing at the bar last weekend. The bolts will use the front number on the road, but not at home, and will continue to use block numbering. The new logo is change for the sake of change and is no better than their old logo.

New Year: Not much change in Hockey Bay. The Bolts return in 2007 with Martin St-Louis back on track, Vincent Lecavalier ready to continue his breakout and Brad Richards keeping everything together with his solid play. Add the seemingly revolving door of talent, and any number of Tampa players could be primed for big seasons.

Vaclav Prospal has always fit in well with this team, and he should be good for at least the 55 points he put up last season. Michel Ouellet comes over from Pittsburgh, and should be able to easily eclipse the 48 points he had last season with a boost in ice time (or his defensive liabilities will force coach John Tortorella to glue him to the bench). Ryan Craig will be looking to take the step forward he failed to take last season, and Jason Ward will try to erase the memories of his terrible play in Tampa’s first-round exit last spring.

Andreas Karlsson can’t do any worse than the nine points he had last season, and should be able to take his game to the next level with a full and healthy season. Jan Hlavac is back in the NHL after spending the last three seasons in Europe. Hlavac should be able to chip in 30-40 points, and play a role with this team.

As much as there is to like up front, though, the goaltending situation is shaky at best. Johan Holmqvist is the de facto starter, as Tortorella lost all confidence in Marc Denis last season. But neither net minder has been overly impressive. If the Bolts are going to make a serious run at (and in) the playoffs, one of these guys will have to step up.

On defense, this group isn’t much to write home about. But Tortorella runs a tight ship, and had these guys playing pretty well. Dan Boyle had a career year at both ends of the ice. Filip Kuba re-defined himself as a valuable offensive defenseman, and Paul Ranger looked like anything but a second-year defenseman.

Outlook: Lecavalier and St-Louis are always liable to go out and win a scoring title. So it’s up to the rest of these guys to get the Lightning to the playoffs. Brad Richards and Tim Taylor are the kind of leaders that can take a team of 12th-graders to the playoffs. So this team will go as far as two big “ifs” will let them: If the defense can continue to be more than the sum of their parts, and if the goaltending holds up, Tampa Bay will make lots of noise. 8th in East, 94 points.

FLORIDA PANTHERS
New gear: Given some time to reflect, these are just as bad as I first thought. Basically the same design as Nashville’s, but with overblown piping, odd elbow stripes on the underside of the sleeves, and no room on the back for Jay Bouwmeester’s name. That said, they weren’t kidding when they told us the logo was going to be bigger.

New year: The only thing bigger in Miami than the panther, is the trade they pulled off to land Tomas Vokoun. Last season, the Panthers finished seven points shy of a playoff berth, were 2-8 in shootouts, and 3-8 in overtime. Though Vokoun’s overtime and shootout records last season were just 2-1 and 2-3, if he can coax the Panthers to a .500 record in overtime this season, it’s a five-point improvement, and it says here he can steal at least one win to put Florida back into the playoffs. Vokoun is a top-five goalie, and though the Panthers still need help up front, Vokoun is plenty good enough to carry them to the playoffs.

Whether or not they can do so is up to the rest of the roster, which returns pretty well intact from last season. The Cats’ defense made great strides last season, and Bouwmeester finally started to become the defensive force he projected as in junior. His 12 goals were a career-high, and though he was four points shy of his career-best total, the 22-point jump in his plus-minus more than made up for the four points. A full season from Noah Welch should make the Gary Roberts trade last season look like a no-brainer. Welch projects as a number three defenseman at worst, and although he’ll do a lot of learning on the fly this coming season, they’ll love him in south Florida.

But as good as the goaltending will be, and as good as the defense should be, it’s all up to the offense. Dickie Zednik is being given yet another opportunity to prove his worth, as is Radek Dvorak. Nathan Horton was given a huge contract, and Rostislav Olesz and Stephen Weiss still need to show up they way they’re expected to.

Outlook: There is still work to be done in Florida, but if the Hurricanes, Thrashers or Lightning stumble again, and the Panthers turn things around in overtime (and on the road), the Panthers could find themselves in the post-season. But don’t anybody in Miami hold your breath. Note: my roommate Adam thinks I’m crazy, and Vokoun isn’t worth six points in the standings. 9th in East, 92 points.

ATLANTA THRASHERS
New gear: I really like the way they’ve applied the dark jersey to the new system. The jersey is essentially unchanged, and actually looks a little better than before. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the white jersey. I’ve really come around to like the piping, the shoulders and collar look great, but somehow this jersey just doesn’t quite pop.

New Year: The Thrashers are hoping Ilya Kovalchuk can rebound from what’s considered an off-year last season. The gifted Russian netted 42 goals, but his 76 points were below expectations. Kovalchuk’s first season without centre Marc Savard was far less successful than Savard’s was without Kovalchuk. If the Thrashers are going to return to the post-season, Kovalchuk has to find his way back to 90-plus points.

Eric Perrin and Todd White are a pair of new faces trying to fix a long-standing problem in Atlanta. Outside of Savard, the Thrashers have never even come close to having a true number-one centre. Neither Perrin, nor White is a typical first-line centre, but both have shown flashes of productivity in the past, and the Thrashers are hoping one of these guys can gel with Kovalchuk.

The Thrashers are looking at a lot of minor-league promotions this season, as they try to fill out the roster. Before camp breaks, it’s hard to say what this team is even going to look like. There are that many openings.

But for all the uncertainty surrounding this team, one this is for certain: Kari Lehtonen gives this team a chance to win every night. Lehtonen faltered in the playoffs, but should be able to rebound. Last season, in just his second full season in the NHL, Lehtonen slashed his goals-against average by 15 points, increased his save percentage, and bagged four shutouts. The sky remains the limit for Lehtonen.

Outlook: Outside of Lehtonen and Marian Hossa, the Thrashers have too many question marks to be in the mix again this season. The loss of Andy Sutton and Greg de Vries with only Ken Klee as a replacement isn’t exactly awe-inspiring. That said, Garnet Exelby is primed for a huge year. There’s probably enough here to make in interesting, but not enough to stop this team from falling just short. 10th in East, 92 points.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS
New gear: Welcome to the new NHL! These may be the worst of the lot. Actually, that’s a little unfair. I just don’t understand the stripes running up the inside of the sleeves. The updated version of their original logo is a nice touch, but lacks the charm the old 80’s Caps logo had.

New Year: The Capitals may finally have someone to play with Alex Ovechkin. Fresh off a stint on Broadway alongside Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander takes on his next project: getting the Capitals back to respectability, and keeping Ovechkin in the nightly highlights. For right now, let’s just say the latter will be a much easier task.

Also new to D.C. after some time in New York are Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti, both former Islanders. Kozlov won’t be expected to put up big numbers like Nylander will be. That said, alongside second-year winger Alexander Semin, it’s easy to believe Kozlov could have a big year. Semin had 73 points as a rookie last season, and should produce even more this season.

Tom Poti will be asked to anchor a blue line that ranked among the league’s worst last season. It says here, they’ll remain there this time around. Poti is a good offensive defenseman, but he’s hardly the guy to anchor a young defense corps like this. It’s too early in camp to say for certain, but the Caps’ first two picks in June’s draft, Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey, will have legitimate opportunities to make this team. I’m not sold on Alzner, but Godfrey came as close as anyone did to being a stud defenseman for Canada during the recent Super Series.

Outlook: Until the Capitals get some real help on defense, they’re in trouble. First, they extra load on the aging Olaf Kolzig leads him to run the risk of injury (again), and second, Brent Johnson doesn’t exactly cause opposing forwards to cower in fear. When this team makes that turn, from also-ran to contender, it’s going to happen very quickly. This is not the year for that turn, though. 14th in East, 80 points.

If we could clone him...

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have reportedly made Casey Printers the highest-paid player in the CFL. That’s great news.

For Casey Printers.

I want to love this deal, I really do. And it would be VERY easy to blame this lackluster 2007 season on the quarterbacking duo of Timmy Chang and Jason Maas. It would also be very unfair. Sure, of the nine games the Cats have played, Maas has only finished four of his eight starts, Chang was replaced in his only start, and third-stringer Richie Williams has even seen action. And sure, they’ve only thrown for eight touchdowns. But it’s not like they’ve been getting a whole lot of help.

The best thing that’s happened to the Ticats in the first half of the season is Jesse Lumsden. End of story. No substitutes. He’s third in the league with 627 rushing yards, his 8.5 yards per carry is tops among runners with more than five carries (and a full 2.3 yards per carry better than the next running back). Lumsden’s 309 receiving yards are not only second among Tiger-Cats, but are also 50 more than any other running back in the league has. Lumsden’s 936 total yards trails only Winnipeg’s Charles Roberts.

But he’s hurt. So it’s up to the rest of the offense, which doesn’t bode so well. This is a group that’s giving up sacks like they’re going out of style, dropping passes like a bunch of kids playing hot potato, and giving back the rare successful play with 100 yards worth of penalties every game.

Is one Casey Printers enough to overcome all of that? We’ll find out, but I’m sure not going to put any money on it. Is Printers going to get this team into the playoffs? Again, it’s no safe bet. But I’ll still be cheering as loud as ever the rest of the way.

And now, a new mid-season feature: weekly CFL picks.

The second half of the season kicks off with rematches of all four Labour Day weekend games. The Calgary Stampeders have to be feeling good heading into Edmonton Friday night. Including their preseason tilt, the Stamps are 3-0 against Edmonton this season, including a dominant second half last Monday. There is no reason the believe Calgary won’t finish the season sweep.

Hamilton is in Toronto Saturday afternoon, reeling from the beating they took at Ivor Wynne on Labour Day. The Argos need the win to keep pace with Edmonton, in trying to prevent a playoff crossover. The Ticats’ Jason Maas was apparently moment away from being dealt to Montreal Thursday night, so Saturday’s starter, much like this team’s direction, is up in the air. But they can totally still beat the Argos.

Montreal hosts B.C. in the early game Sunday. The Alouettes should be embarrassed following their performance last Friday in B.C. (and in last year’s Grey Cup for that matter), but the Lions are still the best team in the league (though they’re technically in second place), and they should walk all over Montreal. Again.

Lastly, Saskatchewan is in Winnipeg after a thrilling win over the Blue Bombers at home last week. These division leaders match up well against one another, and it’s easy to believe the home team will take this game as well. The Blue Bombers win the best game of the week.

What the hell? Football season again?

Well, September slinked up to us like a silent and sneaking little ninja, and before I even realized it, the NFL season is about the start. So I guess I should get to some picks.

The good news, as always, is that my picks are based on roughly no preparation, and reflect knowledge of teams and players that’s five years old at best. Also, blind faith and hatred play in the decisions as well. Without even looking at the schedule, I know my beloved San Francisco 49ers play six games each year against Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis. There’s no reason the 9ers should ever have a division record worse than 4-2. And I have complete faith they’ll finish at least 10-6 overall this season, and they’ll be 5-1 at the bye.

Again, I won’t even try to justify my picks, so here they are.

The Saints are going to rain all over Indy’s parade Thursday night.

I suppose somebody has to win the KC-Houston game, and it might as well be Kansas City.

Ditto for Washington-Miami. It’s in Washington, and when in doubt, go for the home team.

Denver will beat Buffalo, Carolina will beat St. Louis, Pittsburgh will beat Cleveland, Minnesota will beat Atlanta, Jacksonville will beat Tennessee.

New England can be beaten on the road. And I think I remember the Jets really turning things around at the end of last season. So here’s the upset pick of the week. Jets over Pats.

Philadelphia will beat Green Bay, Oakland will beat Detroit.

If Chicago and San Diego are going to contenders again this season, it’s a damn shame this game is happening so early in the season. Not only are the Chargers my pick this week, I also think I’m picking San Diego every week this year.

Tampa Bay could be sneaky good this year. I think most people are overlooking them. It says here they can handle the Seahawks.

I guess the Giants will beat Dallas. Does anyone remember when this game mattered?

Double-header Monday! Let’s go Baltimore over Cincinnati and obviously the 49ers over Arizona. It’s like the schedule-makers are using week one as proof the flexible Monday night schedule is necessary. Sure, division match-ups are nice, but the Jets-Pats and Bears-Bolts games will both be much better than these two. And that Bucs-Seahawks game could be a dandy, too.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the Super Series

Right off the top, something new. Since I’ll be very focused on the Calgary Hitmen, and Western Hockey League in general this season, from now on, the first time I mention any drafted junior player, I mention will be followed by the NHL team that owns his rights. For example, Alex Plante (Edm). Got it? Good.

I know I’m a little behind with this whole Super Series business, but it’s hard to get up early to watch glorified exhibition games before work. So I’m just getting around to watching this thing, and I have to say, after game five, I’m impressed with the Canadian squad.

In particular, the Canadian forwards were excellent. Brandon Sutter (Car) is a shot-blocking machine. He has excellent presence at the point while killing penalties. His lateral movement is great, considering the amount of space a penalty-killing forward has to cover, and his hockey sense is off the charts. This guy’s a keeper.

Sam Gagner (Edm) was Canada’s second-best forward in game five. Like Sutter, he comes from a great hockey background, and he has the hockey sense to prove it. Gagner sees the ice so well, and makes great passes. If he doesn’t get beat up in camp, there’s no way the Oilers are sending him back to London this year. With 11 points in the first five games, it’s very easy to make assumptions about Gagner’s game, but he takes care of his own end, and the fact he has 11 points is a testament to the fact he’s always involved in the play.

When all is said and done, we’ll probably look back and say Kyle Turris (Pho) should have been the top pick in the June 2007 draft. For everything we hear about Turris’ offensive exploits, it’s his defensive game that can’t be overlooked. He was killing penalties for Canada, and his great short-handed forecheck led to Logan Pyett’s (Det) 3-1 goal. And Turris added a nice exclamation point to the 8-1 victory with an absolutely gorgeous backhander into the top shelf from just outside the crease. Nevermind his size, Turris is the real deal.

Other notable performances among Canada’s forwards include Colton Gillies (Min), who looked like everything a proficient penalty killer should be Tuesday night. Stefan Legein (CBJ) also showed a lot of jump in his penalty-killing role, and the Jackets are going to love this guy. He has excellent offensive instincts, and should be able to take his game to the next level.

Brad Marchand (Bos) showed up with a big performance. He had a great third period when his ice time jumped, and he was an offensive catalyst (ditto for linemate Zach Hamill (Bos)). And Claude Giroux (Phi) showed a lot of jump, great hands, and excellent penalty-killing as well. A 48-goal scorer last season in the Q, Giroux had great chemistry with Turris, and the Flyers have to be excited about his future.

Lastly, Jonathan Bernier (LA) was excellent in goal. He wasn’t tested very often, but made everything look routine. It’s been a long time since the LA Kings had a star goaltender, but Bernier could certainly fill that void in the near future.

I hate to have anything negative to say about these guys, especially given their overall performance. But I have to comment on the lack of stud defensemen in Canada’s lineup. Both Karl Alzner (Was) and Keaton Ellerby (Fla) were drafted early in the first round three months ago, but neither stood out in game five. Alzner, noted for his strong offensive play, wasn’t even playing with the power play units. Ellbery was efficient in his own end, but nothing about his game says future-Norris-Trophy-winner. The Kings went off the board to draft Thomas Hickey, and he too, was unspectacular. Considering all three of them were top-10 picks in June, they were underwhelming as a group.

Four undrafted players are a part of this squad, and all four played very well Tuesday night. John Tavares (2009) can fight for early entry into the draft, but he’s not NHL ready. The extra year in the OHL will serve him well, if only for the extra time he’ll get more exposure to Hockey Canada’s programs as a result. Zac Boychuk (2008) played a lot of extra minutes in the third with Marchand and Hamill, and played very well. He’s like a badger around the puck, and has a big-league shot. Drew Doughty (2008) and Luke Schenn (2008) were both very good in their own end, and while they were as uninspiring as the other defensemen, they didn’t look out of place. Both guys should have very bright futures ahead of them.

This is already too long, so I’ll point out the bright spots from the Russian side very quickly. Although he surrendered all eight goals, Sergei Bobrovsky was spectacular in the Russian goal. He was not drafted in his draft year, but could become a Roman Cechmanek, Tim Thomas or Cristobal Huet-type down the road. He showed a lot of heart, and the score would have been much worse without him. Maxim Mamin, also undrafted, played a strong, physical game for the Russians. Though he didn’t dazzle with skill, he seemed like a solid, third-line kind of guy. The sort of guy your team doesn’t win many games without. Ruslan Backdrop (Ott) was a late addition to the team, but played with a lot of heart. He drove to the net hard, and played a solid game.

Game six goes Wednesday night in Saskatoon, and I will absolutely be tuning in.

Don't Mess With Texas

You just had to know The Bus was going to be the guy to break my silence.

Faking an injury to avoid getting cut at camp? Are you kidding me? The Bus is releasing a book, and in said book, he claims to have faked the timing of a knee injury to avoid being cut during training camp back in 2000. He had an operation on the knee during the off-season, and went down, writhing in agony during the first play of training camp.

Sure, it was a slimy thing to do, but here’s the real issue: how did the team docs not dig a little deeper and see scar tissue from the procedure? How did they just accept at face value, that a player whose skills were clearly on the decline, was hurt? Makes me wonder.

Another thing that makes me wonder is Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks. The quotes “from what I hear, dog fighting is a sport,” and “we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals,” are probably going to be my two favourites of the calendar year.

Marbury is one seriously enlightened guy.

I certainly can’t defend game hunting, but at least it requires a license, and doesn’t require doors to be closed. It also doesn’t involve the torture and maiming (and electrocution?!?!?!) of an animal more than 50 million Americans have given names to. Nicely done, Stephon.

Lastly, let’s get to the good stuff. In honour of the 50th anniversary of Major League Baseball’s Gold Glove award, Rawlings released an all-time Gold Glove team Wednesday. Rawlings elected a panel of experts to narrow down the more than 250 Gold Glove winners to a list of 50 players. Those 50 players were put onto a ballot, and fans voted for the all-time team.

I love the whole idea of this list. First off, Cincinnati needs a mall, or a theme park, or something. Of the nine players on the all-time team, three represent the Queen City. Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan were elected to the Hall of Fame as Reds, and Ken Griffey Jr. is a current Red, on his way to Cooperstown.

Second, screw the American League, and their sissy pitchers. This is a list for real men. Of the six Hall of Fame inductees on the list, only one has a bust at Cooperstown wearing an American League cap, Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson.

The three players not elected to the Hall on this list are Greg Maddux, of 16 Gold Glove awards, and bound for the Hall; Griffey, of 10 Gold Gloves despite injuries and a perception his play has fallen off. Also, Hall-of-Fame bound. And lastly, Wes Parker of the 1960s and early 70s Los Angeles Dodgers. Parker isn’t headed to Cooperstown any time soon, and he joins Morgan as the only players on the list with single-digit Gold Glove wins. To be honest, I’ve never even heard of the guy, but the fact he’s on this list means he’s OK in my book.

The incomparable Ozzie Smith rounds out the infield, bringing his 13 Gold Glove awards to the party.

As always, save the best for last. Rounding out the list are Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays.

With four Josh Towerses pitching behind Maddux, this lineup would easily win 120 games (and with Dave Bushes instead of John Towerses, 130 isn’t out of the question).

And to give a little nod to the guys on the other side of the ball, nice work Texas. Way to stamp out any hope of Baltimore posting a 27-run comeback with that 30-3 win Wednesday night. Seriously, no team has posted 30 runs in a Major League game since 1897, that’s 110 years for those of you scoring at home. Also, if you’re scoring at home, let me know if you find a “Don’t mess with Texas” headline anywhere.

Goodbye Mr. Walsh

I just knew this hiatus wouldn’t last long.

First and foremost, a fond farewell to the great Bill Walsh. Though I only saw Mr. Walsh coach one game, it made just a tiny impact on me. The date: January 28, 1990. The place: Louisiana Superdome. Super Bowl XXIV. Though I barely knew what football was, I knew the San Francisco 49ers were my dad’s favourite team. After watching my first NFL game, I knew why they were his favourite team. Turns out, a 55-10 win in the championship game is a pretty impressive feat. My favourite team was chosen for me that night. For that, I am forever indebted to Bill Walsh.

As for the rest of us, well, we can thank Mr. Walsh every time our team runs a quarterback draw on third-and-long, gaining a fresh set of downs. Love your team’s possession receiver? The three-step drop followed by a dump-pass just over the line of scrimmage? We’ll all miss Bill Walsh, but he’ll never be forgotten.

And the bad news… yet another piece of human garbage in the sports world. All I can say for this guy is, at least he didn’t commit any crime.

Dave Harrison of the Ottawa Citizen has decided women don’t belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Thanks, Dave. He suggests only feminists like women’s ice hockey. What wonderful insight. I’m not ready to cast aside the NHL for women’s professional hockey, but I’ll re-watch the 2002 Olympic gold medal game long before I’ll sit through a Minnesota Wild-Columbus Blue Jackets tilt in mid-November. It was the high-water mark for women’s international hockey, not unlike the way the 1987 Canada Cup was probably the pinnacle of men’s international hockey.

Even better, Harrison’s idea we build a women’s sports hall of fame somewhere in western Canada. While I’m all for a national women’s sports hall of fame, the idea of not including the likes of Vicky Sunohara and Geraldine Heaney (if only as apology for making them wear pink jerseys at the first World Championship), Cammi Granato, Angela Ruggiero, Cassie Campbell, Danielle Goyette and Hayley Wickenheiser and the other women to pioneer and grow the game in the Hall, while the likes of Clarence Campbell, Harold Ballard and Bill Wirtz continue to reside among the honorees, is insulting not only to women, but to all hockey fans, and anyone else that believes in equality.

Not only do these women deserve to join the likes of Wayne Gretzky (who took the play behind the net) and Bobby Orr (who taught us all how exhilarating it is to watch a defenseman carry the puck across centre ice), and Boom Boom Geoffrion (whom Sheldon Souray can thank for the $27 million Kevin Lowe recently handed over), and Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen (who taught us Europeans were as talented as Canadians, and as tough), but also they deserve an entire wing like the one recently created for international hockey.

To once again reach back to my youth, nothing was more instrumental in my becoming a hockey fan than seeing the Stanley Cup. More recently, the joys of the Hall were found in unexpected artifacts like Steve Begin’s Saint John Flames jersey in the Calder Cup display alongside Raffi Torres’ Hamilton Bulldogs jersey. Or Jaroslav Halak’s Slovakia jersey on display long before he nearly saved Montreal’s 2007 season. Or spotting Mike Gartner’s helmet from across the room. Or taking my kid brother to the Hall.

The virtues and joy of the Hall of Fame are clear to anyone that’s ever been. And if the Hall ever wants to escape the stigma of being the so-called NHL Hall of Fame, the pioneers of women’s hockey need to be a part of it. Some will say these women would never succeed in today’s National Hockey League, but neither would Joe Malone or Howie Morenz-- and nobody questions their importance.