The hits just kept on coming Thursday.
In the case of Craig Biggio, the hits literally kept on coming when the life-long Houston Astro collected career-hit number 3,000. During the 90s, and the early 2000s, Craig Biggio was the reason kids started playing second base (like Ryne Sandberg in the late 80s), and he was one of the best leaf-off men of his era. And on top of all that, he’s been the face of the Astros for as long as almost anyone can remember. This will probably be his last season in the bigs, and a big round of applause for getting to 3,000 hits. Enjoy Cooperstown Craig.
But the good news ends there. The NFL announced they are folding NFL Europe (technically NFL Europa now). The news comes just days after Hamburg claimed the World Bowl title. Admittedly, my most thrilling NFL Europe experience was spotting a bus emblazoned with Rhein Fire logos in The Bourne Supremacy. And really, a so-called developmental league that produced only two NFL stars (Kurt Warner and Adam Vinatieri) in 16 years isn’t getting the job done, and probably should be shut down. Still, it was always nice to have NFL Europe kickin’ around.
So a fond farewell to you, NFL Europe.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Celebration Day
Four hockey players had their tickets to the Hall of Fame stamped Thursday, and one baseball player theoretically stamped his ticket to Cooperstown as well. On top of that, the Greg Oden and Kevin Durant era can finally get under way in the NBA, and my favourite league and yours, the CFL kicked off another season (with a 129-yard missed field goal return (129!) and a tied game).
First off, congratulations to Frank Thomas for hitting his 500th round-tripper. While Thomas has hardly been The Big Hurt the last few years, he still has a very well-rounded resume. His peak years, and his overall power numbers were already enough to get Hall of Fame consideration, and home run number 500 should seal his ticket (but really, should designated hitters even get to go to the same HoF as real players?).
And let’s add a few heaps of praise for the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2007 class. Mark Messier and Ron Francis were locks for enshrinement. They sit second and fourth, respectively, on the all-time points scoring list, and have eight Stanley Cups between them.
Messier is regarded as one of the NHL’s all-time great leaders, and will always be remembered on Broadway for guaranteeing his New York Rangers would win game six of their 1994 Conference Final series against the New Jersey Devils, and scoring three goals in the game just for good measure. Five wins later, Messier hoisted the Stanley Cup, delivering the Rangers’ first championship in 54 years. Messier was the rare player that not only embraced the New York City sports culture, but thrived in it. Messier is the only player in history to captain two different teams to Stanley Cup championships, and his role in the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup tournaments can’t be understated.
Unlike Messier, Ron Francis’ resume is not augmented by tales of guarantees and rumours involving Madonna. Instead, Francis’ legacy is on the ice. His 1,798 points leave him fourth on the all-time list. His 1,249 assists leave him second, behind only Wayne Gretzky. Francis was traded to Pittsburgh in 1991, and is regarded as the key piece to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup-winning puzzle. En route to the Penguins’ second of back-to-back championships in 1992, Francis collected 27 points in 21 playoffs games.
Joining two of the league’s greatest offensive threats are two of the league’s greatest defensive stalwarts: Scott Stevens and Al MacInnis. You won’t find either of these guys atop many points lists, but they both take up residence on the all-time games played list. Stevens is fifth (first among defensemen), and MacInnis 20th (seventh among defensemen).
After starting his career alongside Rod Langway in Washington, and a one-year stint in St. Louis, Stevens led the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000 and 2003. Though Stevens never won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, he was regarded as one of the best throughout his career. Like Messier, Stevens had a reputation as a great leader, but his fierce body checking was Stevens’ hallmark. His hit on Eric Lindros in the 2000 Conference Final is one of the most memorable hits ever.
Al MacInnis will be remembered for hits of a different kind. MacInnis had one of the game’s biggest and hardest slapshots ever. Were the nickname not already taken by Bernie Geoffrion, Boom Boom would certainly have been appropriate for MacInnis. Seven times, MacInnis won the NHL’s hardest shot competition during All-Star weekend. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1989, guiding the Calgary Flames to their only championship in team history. During that playoff run, MacInnis set a record for defensemen by registering at least one point in 17 consecutive games. A decade later, with the St. Louis Blues, MacInnis won his first and only Norris Trophy.
In all, these four players total 12 Stanley Cups, three Conn Smythe Trophies, two Hart Trophies, one Norris Trophy, 6538 games played, 1779 goals, 5867 points, and have had their numbers retired by five different teams. These four guys were so good, together, they make up one of the best Hall of Fame classes ever.
Sports With Steve returns Monday with a look at the opening of the NHL free agency period, and at some point next week, we’ll take a look at the guys that didn’t get the Hall of Fame call.
First off, congratulations to Frank Thomas for hitting his 500th round-tripper. While Thomas has hardly been The Big Hurt the last few years, he still has a very well-rounded resume. His peak years, and his overall power numbers were already enough to get Hall of Fame consideration, and home run number 500 should seal his ticket (but really, should designated hitters even get to go to the same HoF as real players?).
And let’s add a few heaps of praise for the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2007 class. Mark Messier and Ron Francis were locks for enshrinement. They sit second and fourth, respectively, on the all-time points scoring list, and have eight Stanley Cups between them.
Messier is regarded as one of the NHL’s all-time great leaders, and will always be remembered on Broadway for guaranteeing his New York Rangers would win game six of their 1994 Conference Final series against the New Jersey Devils, and scoring three goals in the game just for good measure. Five wins later, Messier hoisted the Stanley Cup, delivering the Rangers’ first championship in 54 years. Messier was the rare player that not only embraced the New York City sports culture, but thrived in it. Messier is the only player in history to captain two different teams to Stanley Cup championships, and his role in the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup tournaments can’t be understated.
Unlike Messier, Ron Francis’ resume is not augmented by tales of guarantees and rumours involving Madonna. Instead, Francis’ legacy is on the ice. His 1,798 points leave him fourth on the all-time list. His 1,249 assists leave him second, behind only Wayne Gretzky. Francis was traded to Pittsburgh in 1991, and is regarded as the key piece to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup-winning puzzle. En route to the Penguins’ second of back-to-back championships in 1992, Francis collected 27 points in 21 playoffs games.
Joining two of the league’s greatest offensive threats are two of the league’s greatest defensive stalwarts: Scott Stevens and Al MacInnis. You won’t find either of these guys atop many points lists, but they both take up residence on the all-time games played list. Stevens is fifth (first among defensemen), and MacInnis 20th (seventh among defensemen).
After starting his career alongside Rod Langway in Washington, and a one-year stint in St. Louis, Stevens led the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000 and 2003. Though Stevens never won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, he was regarded as one of the best throughout his career. Like Messier, Stevens had a reputation as a great leader, but his fierce body checking was Stevens’ hallmark. His hit on Eric Lindros in the 2000 Conference Final is one of the most memorable hits ever.
Al MacInnis will be remembered for hits of a different kind. MacInnis had one of the game’s biggest and hardest slapshots ever. Were the nickname not already taken by Bernie Geoffrion, Boom Boom would certainly have been appropriate for MacInnis. Seven times, MacInnis won the NHL’s hardest shot competition during All-Star weekend. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1989, guiding the Calgary Flames to their only championship in team history. During that playoff run, MacInnis set a record for defensemen by registering at least one point in 17 consecutive games. A decade later, with the St. Louis Blues, MacInnis won his first and only Norris Trophy.
In all, these four players total 12 Stanley Cups, three Conn Smythe Trophies, two Hart Trophies, one Norris Trophy, 6538 games played, 1779 goals, 5867 points, and have had their numbers retired by five different teams. These four guys were so good, together, they make up one of the best Hall of Fame classes ever.
Sports With Steve returns Monday with a look at the opening of the NHL free agency period, and at some point next week, we’ll take a look at the guys that didn’t get the Hall of Fame call.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Chris Benoit, we hardly knew you
As a child of the Hulk Hogan era, I grew up watching wrestling. It’s hard to find someone my age that doesn’t have memories (fond for some, crushing for others) of the Ultimate Warrior defeating Hulk Hogan at Wreslemania VII. Memories of the early Hogan and Macho Man battles, Hogan and Andre the Giant, Jimmy Snuka, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jake the Snake, the list goes on an on.
Gradually, those characters gave way to the likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash (then Diesel), Scott Hall (then Razor Ramon) on the way to Triple-H, The Rock, and simultaneously in WCW, Chris Jericho, the Steiners, Sting, Ric Flair, and the likes of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit.
Between Mankind’s WWF debut and the debut of The Outsiders in WCW, I didn’t watch much wrestling. After seeing Hogan lose at Wrestlemania, seeing the Undertaker lose the night after Wrestlemania XII was too much for this guy, and I went away from it for a while. Then The Outsiders came along, and I started to gain an interest in WCW. The first WCW pay-per-view I ever watched featured a Retirement Match between Chris Benoit and Kevin Sullivan. Of course the outcome was pre-determined, but the match was electric. The makings of a new favourite were born in me.
As the NWO storyline progressed, and as I started to watch WCW almost exclusively, Chris Benoit emerged as one of the most exciting and talented wrestlers around. The great nicknames: Canadian Crippler, Rabid Wolverine; the great finishing moves: Crippler Crossface, Swandive head butt; add it all up, and you’ve got a great wrestler.
In today’s era of wrestling, when microphone skills are often more important than ring skills, Benoit was a throw-back. He performed with an intensity and charisma that kept old-time fans watching, and cheering for him. Perhaps the greatest testament to Benoit’s abilities is the fact he often played the role of the bad guy. In doing so, he often had a menacing demeanor, but through the façade, wrestling fans saw nothing but greatness.
Regarded as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of the era, Benoit was involved in so many classic matches in the last 15 or so years, the news of his death Monday sent shockwaves through the wrestling world that won’t recede any time soon.
So here’s to Chris Benoit. You were one of the best, and we’ll all miss you.
Gradually, those characters gave way to the likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash (then Diesel), Scott Hall (then Razor Ramon) on the way to Triple-H, The Rock, and simultaneously in WCW, Chris Jericho, the Steiners, Sting, Ric Flair, and the likes of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit.
Between Mankind’s WWF debut and the debut of The Outsiders in WCW, I didn’t watch much wrestling. After seeing Hogan lose at Wrestlemania, seeing the Undertaker lose the night after Wrestlemania XII was too much for this guy, and I went away from it for a while. Then The Outsiders came along, and I started to gain an interest in WCW. The first WCW pay-per-view I ever watched featured a Retirement Match between Chris Benoit and Kevin Sullivan. Of course the outcome was pre-determined, but the match was electric. The makings of a new favourite were born in me.
As the NWO storyline progressed, and as I started to watch WCW almost exclusively, Chris Benoit emerged as one of the most exciting and talented wrestlers around. The great nicknames: Canadian Crippler, Rabid Wolverine; the great finishing moves: Crippler Crossface, Swandive head butt; add it all up, and you’ve got a great wrestler.
In today’s era of wrestling, when microphone skills are often more important than ring skills, Benoit was a throw-back. He performed with an intensity and charisma that kept old-time fans watching, and cheering for him. Perhaps the greatest testament to Benoit’s abilities is the fact he often played the role of the bad guy. In doing so, he often had a menacing demeanor, but through the façade, wrestling fans saw nothing but greatness.
Regarded as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of the era, Benoit was involved in so many classic matches in the last 15 or so years, the news of his death Monday sent shockwaves through the wrestling world that won’t recede any time soon.
So here’s to Chris Benoit. You were one of the best, and we’ll all miss you.
Monday, June 25, 2007
NHL draft review/running diary
Thank goodness for draft day. Hope springs eternal, around 300 young men realize lifelong dreams, and the wheeling and dealing makes the trading deadline look like small potatoes.
So, a look at the first round, which is, admittedly, a little bit all over the place. It’s part recap, part running diary, all good.
Leading up to the first round, three trades were consummated. Calgary sent Andrei Zyuzin to Chicago for Adrian Aucoin. In theory, it could be a great deal for the Flames. Aucoin comes with a hefty price tag ($4 million a year), and has shown real ability in the past. It’s on him now, to show he can still play at a high level.
Amid speculation they were interested in re-acquiring Curtis Joseph, the Toronto Maple Leafs sent a trio of draft picks to San Jose for Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell. Toskala was part of an excellent goaltending rotation in San Jose, and should be able to shine in Toronto. Bell, like Aucoin, has shown some great ability in the past, and will have to find his scoring touch again.
Lastly, the Nashville Predators continued their purge (leading this corner to wonder if they’ll meet the salary minimum next season) by sending Tomas Vokoun to Florida for three draft picks. Vokoun is an impact goalie the Panthers will love.
And now, the draft. More than anything, the thing that had me excited about this year’s draft, was the idea many teams were expected to unveil their new Reebok threads. I missed watching the first two picks, so I didn’t see if Chicago or Philadelphia did, but enough about that.
The picks. Chicago drafted Patrick Kane with the first overall pick. Kane should spend next season in London with his junior team, but is a great pick for the Blackhawks. Chicago is something of a Heartland market, and Americans love to cheer for Americans. Kane, an American, could be the Hawks first American star since the days of Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte. In a draft without a consensus number one, Kane was a great pick.
Philadelphia, expected by many to take Kyle Turris next, took James Van Riemsdyk with the second pick. Van Riemsdyk is a big forward out of the US Under-18 program, and he’ll be given every opportunity to make the Flyers roster in the fall. A very good pick for the Flyers.
Phoenix took Turris with the third pick. Turris is regarded as the top goal-scorer in the draft, although he’s still at least a year away from the NHL. He is an elite scorer, and will play in the NCAA next season.
Los Angeles was the first team to go off the board, taking defenseman Thomas Hickey with the fourth pick. Hickey was looked at as a second-round pick coming into the draft, but I refuse to second-guess Dean Lombardi.
Washington was the first team to unveil new uniforms, revamping their original logo and going back to a red, white and blue colour scheme. The new jersey isn’t great, but their pick figures to be. Karl Alzner was expected to be the first defenseman picked, and he figures to become the main building block on Washington’s blue line.
With the sixth pick, the Edmonton Oilers selected Sam Gagner. The London Knights grad was among the Canadian Hockey League’s top scorers this past season, and is the son of a former NHL player.
At this point, I should mention, that while this draft is being viewed as shallow in terms of start power, nearly every player projected to go in the first round is expected to become a solid NHL player.
Draft hosts, and generally a mess on the ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets selected Jakub Voracek with the seventh pick. Voracek had a very strong rookie season in the Quebec Major Junior League last year, and was downright dominant during the Q League playoffs. He is regarded as one of the best players in this draft, and one of the most NHL-ready. If not next season, then the year after, Voracek will become the running mate Rick Nash thought he had in Nik Zherdev. Columbus also unveiled their new white unis. They’re nothing to write home about, but the new primary logo (formerly their alternate uni logo) is excellent.
At eight, the beautifully-dressed Boston Bruins showed off their new jerseys (essentially carbon copies of their 60s-era garb). With these new jerseys, they may be the best-dressed team in the world. Cam Neeley announced their pick, it was Zach Hamill, a Western League forward. Hamill is an offensive player (he led the WHL in scoring last season) playing for an incredibly defensive team. Hamill has the ability to be an elite scorer for the Bruins down the road.
In a complicated bit of maneuvering, the Sharks tabbed Logan Couture with the ninth pick. As is the case with most young players, there is some question about his skating ability, but Couture brings a full skill set, as well as great leadership qualities.
Wonderful new goalie in hand, the Florida Panthers claimed to have fans, then drafted defenseman Keaton Ellerby with the 10th pick. The Kamloops Blazers’ defenseman is a big kid. He’s 6’4” and will grow into that frame, and uses all of his size in the corners and other areas of the ice. Also, the Panthers made their logo bigger. It’s HUGE now.
TSN is making a big deal of this now, so I guess I will too. At the NFL draft in May, we watched Brady Quinn tumble through the first round. At the NHL draft, we saw Russian forward Alexei Cherepanov tumble as well. Teams are scared of Cherepanov for two reasons: there is no transfer agreement in place between the NHL and Russian Ice Hockey Federation, and he is seen as having some attitude issues. That said, he scored more points as a rookie in Russia than either Evgeni Malkin or Alex Ovechkin did, and he was nothing short of dazzling at the 2007 World Junior tournament.
With the 11th pick, Carolina (can you believe they won the Cup two years ago) drafted Brandon Sutter from the Western League. Sutter, of course, comes from one of the NHL’s most storied families, and projects as a second-line, penalty killing, C-wearing forward.
With the 12th pick, the Montreal Canadiens went a little off the board selecting Ryan McDonagh. Already sporting a full-size frame, the slick-moving, puck-moving defenseman is known in Minnesota’s hockey circles as Mr. Hockey. He will play NCAA hockey next season, and joins a Canadiens’ stable of young American defensive prospects (Mike Komisarek, Ryan O’Byrne, David Fischer) the Habs are very high on.
The St. Louis Blues selected Lars Eller with the 13th pick. Eller is the highest-selected Danish-born player ever. Eller comes from Danish hockey royalty with tremendous offensive upside. Al McInnis was on hand with the Blues to make the pick.
At 14, the Colorado Avalanche went for another American puck-moving defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He captained the U.S. Under-18 team in April, and after some time in the NCAA could develop into a bigger Brian Rafalski.
With their second pick of the first round, the Edmonton Oilers drafted WHL defenseman Alex Plante at 15. Plante is a big, physical defenseman (and my personal favourite player in this draft) is going to be a dream come true for the Oilers.
Finally, we’re halfway through the first round. Another player sliding down the board is Angelo Esposito. In the earliest rankings of this draft, Esposito and Cherepanov were top-three talents, and both are falling fast.
Minnesota moved up to 16, and I agree with the TSN guys. There’s a good chance they’ll take Esposito here. Well, not the last time I’ll be wrong. Colton Gillies, a big, physical, fast, second-line type of forward is the pick for the offensively-challenged Wild. Gillies is a safe pick, but Minnesota is too close to being very good to waste time with safe picks.
With the 17th pick, the New York Rangers ended Alexei Cherepanov’s free fall. Again, Cherepanov is absolutely the most skilled player in this draft, and the Rangers have a real potential offensive dynamo on their hands. Adam Graves (an all time SWS favourite) represented the Rangers at the podium.
St. Louis moved up to 18, and with their second selection of the first round went off the board to pick Ian Cole. The U.S. Under-18 product is another puck-moving defenseman heading to the NCAA this fall. Cole, for all his skill, is better in his own end than most young offensive defensemen are.
Despite spending the trading deadline trying to get rid of their first-round pick, and trading their pick earlier in the draft, the Anaheim Ducks finally made a pick at 19, and went with Logan MacMillan from the QMJHL. MacMillan was a late bloomer this past season, but plays very well in both ends of the rink, and the TSN guys just compared him to Sami Pahlsson.
With the 20th pick, everyone’s new favourite team, Pittsburgh, just completed a coup the likes of which we’ve rarely seen. They are going to add Angelo Esposito, who should have been a top-five pick, to the group of centres that already includes Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal. Until the Penguins win anything, it’s too early to compare them to the Oilers of the 80s, but those are four serious centre men. I can’t help but wonder, moving forward, when the Penguins are in Montreal, who’s playing the home game? Last Super Bowl weekend, Pittsburgh was in Montreal, and no less than 25 per cent of the people in attendance were wearing Crosby jerseys.
Edmonton moved up to 21, and there was quite a delay. It’s like they were moving up to slip ahead of Montreal and grab Esposito, then Esposito went to Pittsburgh at 20. With this pick, the Oilers snapped up Riley Nash, a second-tier junior player that’s heading to the NCAA in the fall. Nash is a highly-skilled player, won his league’s rookie of the year award, and figures to be a big part of the Oilers’ future.
With the 22nd pick, Montreal selected another American, this time a forward. Max Pacioretty is headed to the NCAA this fall, and projects as a power forward with good defensive instincts. Habs message boards will probably tear this kid apart for the next few days, but he is a project, and only time will tell.
Nashville is up at 23, amid news the ownership picture is only getting murkier, and selected WHL defenseman John Blum. The offensive-minded defenseman has great hockey sense, and was critically important to the Vancouver Giants’ Memorial Cup championship last month.
With the 24th pick, the Calgary Flames selected Mikael Backlund, a Swedish centre. It’s rare for the Flames to select a European player, but Backlund was tabbed by many as a top-15 pick, and led last year’s World Under-18 tournament with 7 goals. You can’t fault a team for taking the best player available.
Peter Griffin-- err, Ted Nonis and the Vancouver Canucks picked Patrick White at 25. White is another U.S. Under-18/USHL product, and none of the top scouting services agreed on White’s place in the draft. He is off to the NCAA in the fall, and the Canucks seem to think he can become a strong power forward. This kid’s very articulate, and Peter Griffin was just talking about his strong hockey sense. He could be a good one.
David Perron experienced something of a free fall, not to the degree Cherepanov and Esposito did, but a free fall nonetheless. Perron was in many team’s top-15, and the St. Louis Blues’ third pick of the first round may yet prove the best. Perron, like Voracek, was a standout performer in the QMJHL last season, and has great offensive potential.
Steve Yzerman is on hand to make the 27th pick of the draft for the Red Wings, and he’s calling on Brendan Smith from the Ontario Provincial Junior League. Smith becomes the third player in the first round committed to the University of Wisconsin in the fall, and the TSN guys can’t stop talking about his skating ability. It should come as no surprise that the Red Wings may have yet another steal on their hands.
The Sharks acquired the 28th pick, and grabbed Nick Petrecki, another American defenseman. He’s a hard-hitter, and was pegged as a top-15 pick as well. And again, there’s no chance I’ll question Dean Lombardi.
With the 29th pick, the Ottawa Senators have as good a track record as anyone at the draft. James O’Brien was the youngest player in the NCAA this year, and played very well as a forward with Minnesota. The TSN guys say he could be a forward or a defenseman in the future. You can’t put a price on lining up a replacement for Christoph Schubert.
Finally, we’re at the end of the first round, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never watch the draft again.
It’s Phoenix, and frankly, I’m certain they’ll blow it, but here we go. Nick Ross? Who the hell is Nick Ross? He’s not even at the draft! They just showed clips of him hitting guys, and well, it’s better than I first thought, but Phoenix still probably blew it.
That concludes day one of the NHL draft, and I am spent. Next year, I’m getting drunk while I do this.
So, a look at the first round, which is, admittedly, a little bit all over the place. It’s part recap, part running diary, all good.
Leading up to the first round, three trades were consummated. Calgary sent Andrei Zyuzin to Chicago for Adrian Aucoin. In theory, it could be a great deal for the Flames. Aucoin comes with a hefty price tag ($4 million a year), and has shown real ability in the past. It’s on him now, to show he can still play at a high level.
Amid speculation they were interested in re-acquiring Curtis Joseph, the Toronto Maple Leafs sent a trio of draft picks to San Jose for Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell. Toskala was part of an excellent goaltending rotation in San Jose, and should be able to shine in Toronto. Bell, like Aucoin, has shown some great ability in the past, and will have to find his scoring touch again.
Lastly, the Nashville Predators continued their purge (leading this corner to wonder if they’ll meet the salary minimum next season) by sending Tomas Vokoun to Florida for three draft picks. Vokoun is an impact goalie the Panthers will love.
And now, the draft. More than anything, the thing that had me excited about this year’s draft, was the idea many teams were expected to unveil their new Reebok threads. I missed watching the first two picks, so I didn’t see if Chicago or Philadelphia did, but enough about that.
The picks. Chicago drafted Patrick Kane with the first overall pick. Kane should spend next season in London with his junior team, but is a great pick for the Blackhawks. Chicago is something of a Heartland market, and Americans love to cheer for Americans. Kane, an American, could be the Hawks first American star since the days of Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte. In a draft without a consensus number one, Kane was a great pick.
Philadelphia, expected by many to take Kyle Turris next, took James Van Riemsdyk with the second pick. Van Riemsdyk is a big forward out of the US Under-18 program, and he’ll be given every opportunity to make the Flyers roster in the fall. A very good pick for the Flyers.
Phoenix took Turris with the third pick. Turris is regarded as the top goal-scorer in the draft, although he’s still at least a year away from the NHL. He is an elite scorer, and will play in the NCAA next season.
Los Angeles was the first team to go off the board, taking defenseman Thomas Hickey with the fourth pick. Hickey was looked at as a second-round pick coming into the draft, but I refuse to second-guess Dean Lombardi.
Washington was the first team to unveil new uniforms, revamping their original logo and going back to a red, white and blue colour scheme. The new jersey isn’t great, but their pick figures to be. Karl Alzner was expected to be the first defenseman picked, and he figures to become the main building block on Washington’s blue line.
With the sixth pick, the Edmonton Oilers selected Sam Gagner. The London Knights grad was among the Canadian Hockey League’s top scorers this past season, and is the son of a former NHL player.
At this point, I should mention, that while this draft is being viewed as shallow in terms of start power, nearly every player projected to go in the first round is expected to become a solid NHL player.
Draft hosts, and generally a mess on the ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets selected Jakub Voracek with the seventh pick. Voracek had a very strong rookie season in the Quebec Major Junior League last year, and was downright dominant during the Q League playoffs. He is regarded as one of the best players in this draft, and one of the most NHL-ready. If not next season, then the year after, Voracek will become the running mate Rick Nash thought he had in Nik Zherdev. Columbus also unveiled their new white unis. They’re nothing to write home about, but the new primary logo (formerly their alternate uni logo) is excellent.
At eight, the beautifully-dressed Boston Bruins showed off their new jerseys (essentially carbon copies of their 60s-era garb). With these new jerseys, they may be the best-dressed team in the world. Cam Neeley announced their pick, it was Zach Hamill, a Western League forward. Hamill is an offensive player (he led the WHL in scoring last season) playing for an incredibly defensive team. Hamill has the ability to be an elite scorer for the Bruins down the road.
In a complicated bit of maneuvering, the Sharks tabbed Logan Couture with the ninth pick. As is the case with most young players, there is some question about his skating ability, but Couture brings a full skill set, as well as great leadership qualities.
Wonderful new goalie in hand, the Florida Panthers claimed to have fans, then drafted defenseman Keaton Ellerby with the 10th pick. The Kamloops Blazers’ defenseman is a big kid. He’s 6’4” and will grow into that frame, and uses all of his size in the corners and other areas of the ice. Also, the Panthers made their logo bigger. It’s HUGE now.
TSN is making a big deal of this now, so I guess I will too. At the NFL draft in May, we watched Brady Quinn tumble through the first round. At the NHL draft, we saw Russian forward Alexei Cherepanov tumble as well. Teams are scared of Cherepanov for two reasons: there is no transfer agreement in place between the NHL and Russian Ice Hockey Federation, and he is seen as having some attitude issues. That said, he scored more points as a rookie in Russia than either Evgeni Malkin or Alex Ovechkin did, and he was nothing short of dazzling at the 2007 World Junior tournament.
With the 11th pick, Carolina (can you believe they won the Cup two years ago) drafted Brandon Sutter from the Western League. Sutter, of course, comes from one of the NHL’s most storied families, and projects as a second-line, penalty killing, C-wearing forward.
With the 12th pick, the Montreal Canadiens went a little off the board selecting Ryan McDonagh. Already sporting a full-size frame, the slick-moving, puck-moving defenseman is known in Minnesota’s hockey circles as Mr. Hockey. He will play NCAA hockey next season, and joins a Canadiens’ stable of young American defensive prospects (Mike Komisarek, Ryan O’Byrne, David Fischer) the Habs are very high on.
The St. Louis Blues selected Lars Eller with the 13th pick. Eller is the highest-selected Danish-born player ever. Eller comes from Danish hockey royalty with tremendous offensive upside. Al McInnis was on hand with the Blues to make the pick.
At 14, the Colorado Avalanche went for another American puck-moving defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He captained the U.S. Under-18 team in April, and after some time in the NCAA could develop into a bigger Brian Rafalski.
With their second pick of the first round, the Edmonton Oilers drafted WHL defenseman Alex Plante at 15. Plante is a big, physical defenseman (and my personal favourite player in this draft) is going to be a dream come true for the Oilers.
Finally, we’re halfway through the first round. Another player sliding down the board is Angelo Esposito. In the earliest rankings of this draft, Esposito and Cherepanov were top-three talents, and both are falling fast.
Minnesota moved up to 16, and I agree with the TSN guys. There’s a good chance they’ll take Esposito here. Well, not the last time I’ll be wrong. Colton Gillies, a big, physical, fast, second-line type of forward is the pick for the offensively-challenged Wild. Gillies is a safe pick, but Minnesota is too close to being very good to waste time with safe picks.
With the 17th pick, the New York Rangers ended Alexei Cherepanov’s free fall. Again, Cherepanov is absolutely the most skilled player in this draft, and the Rangers have a real potential offensive dynamo on their hands. Adam Graves (an all time SWS favourite) represented the Rangers at the podium.
St. Louis moved up to 18, and with their second selection of the first round went off the board to pick Ian Cole. The U.S. Under-18 product is another puck-moving defenseman heading to the NCAA this fall. Cole, for all his skill, is better in his own end than most young offensive defensemen are.
Despite spending the trading deadline trying to get rid of their first-round pick, and trading their pick earlier in the draft, the Anaheim Ducks finally made a pick at 19, and went with Logan MacMillan from the QMJHL. MacMillan was a late bloomer this past season, but plays very well in both ends of the rink, and the TSN guys just compared him to Sami Pahlsson.
With the 20th pick, everyone’s new favourite team, Pittsburgh, just completed a coup the likes of which we’ve rarely seen. They are going to add Angelo Esposito, who should have been a top-five pick, to the group of centres that already includes Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal. Until the Penguins win anything, it’s too early to compare them to the Oilers of the 80s, but those are four serious centre men. I can’t help but wonder, moving forward, when the Penguins are in Montreal, who’s playing the home game? Last Super Bowl weekend, Pittsburgh was in Montreal, and no less than 25 per cent of the people in attendance were wearing Crosby jerseys.
Edmonton moved up to 21, and there was quite a delay. It’s like they were moving up to slip ahead of Montreal and grab Esposito, then Esposito went to Pittsburgh at 20. With this pick, the Oilers snapped up Riley Nash, a second-tier junior player that’s heading to the NCAA in the fall. Nash is a highly-skilled player, won his league’s rookie of the year award, and figures to be a big part of the Oilers’ future.
With the 22nd pick, Montreal selected another American, this time a forward. Max Pacioretty is headed to the NCAA this fall, and projects as a power forward with good defensive instincts. Habs message boards will probably tear this kid apart for the next few days, but he is a project, and only time will tell.
Nashville is up at 23, amid news the ownership picture is only getting murkier, and selected WHL defenseman John Blum. The offensive-minded defenseman has great hockey sense, and was critically important to the Vancouver Giants’ Memorial Cup championship last month.
With the 24th pick, the Calgary Flames selected Mikael Backlund, a Swedish centre. It’s rare for the Flames to select a European player, but Backlund was tabbed by many as a top-15 pick, and led last year’s World Under-18 tournament with 7 goals. You can’t fault a team for taking the best player available.
Peter Griffin-- err, Ted Nonis and the Vancouver Canucks picked Patrick White at 25. White is another U.S. Under-18/USHL product, and none of the top scouting services agreed on White’s place in the draft. He is off to the NCAA in the fall, and the Canucks seem to think he can become a strong power forward. This kid’s very articulate, and Peter Griffin was just talking about his strong hockey sense. He could be a good one.
David Perron experienced something of a free fall, not to the degree Cherepanov and Esposito did, but a free fall nonetheless. Perron was in many team’s top-15, and the St. Louis Blues’ third pick of the first round may yet prove the best. Perron, like Voracek, was a standout performer in the QMJHL last season, and has great offensive potential.
Steve Yzerman is on hand to make the 27th pick of the draft for the Red Wings, and he’s calling on Brendan Smith from the Ontario Provincial Junior League. Smith becomes the third player in the first round committed to the University of Wisconsin in the fall, and the TSN guys can’t stop talking about his skating ability. It should come as no surprise that the Red Wings may have yet another steal on their hands.
The Sharks acquired the 28th pick, and grabbed Nick Petrecki, another American defenseman. He’s a hard-hitter, and was pegged as a top-15 pick as well. And again, there’s no chance I’ll question Dean Lombardi.
With the 29th pick, the Ottawa Senators have as good a track record as anyone at the draft. James O’Brien was the youngest player in the NCAA this year, and played very well as a forward with Minnesota. The TSN guys say he could be a forward or a defenseman in the future. You can’t put a price on lining up a replacement for Christoph Schubert.
Finally, we’re at the end of the first round, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never watch the draft again.
It’s Phoenix, and frankly, I’m certain they’ll blow it, but here we go. Nick Ross? Who the hell is Nick Ross? He’s not even at the draft! They just showed clips of him hitting guys, and well, it’s better than I first thought, but Phoenix still probably blew it.
That concludes day one of the NHL draft, and I am spent. Next year, I’m getting drunk while I do this.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Guns guns guns... and motorcycles
Another day, another story about the National Football League and their imag-- err, motorcycle problems.
Former Washington Redskins and New York Giants linebacker LaVar Arrington was hospitalized Monday after suffering a broken arm and three broken bones in his leg (for those scoring at home, the human leg is made up of three bones) in… your guessed it: a motorcycle accident. Now, Arrington, a three-time Pro Bowler, is not under contract for the upcoming season, and will of course remain that way in light of these injuries. He does join another team, of sorts. He joins Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger and Cleveland’s Kellen Winslow Jr. as high profile players seriously injured in motorcycle accidents. Each of these guys represents a salary cap figure or more than $3.5 million a year, and with NFL salaries trending upward, it’s time for teams to start telling their players they can’t own motorcycles. Of course, the league, ideally, has no right to tell grown men how to spend their free time, and their off-seasons, but the teams need to be allowed to protect their investments and ensure the safety of their players. Other sports forbid their players from skiing or riding snowmobiles and other recreational vehicles because of safety concerns, and the NFL should follow suit.
Then again, when suspended NFL players are being questioned in connection with a shooting for the second time in six months, maybe motorcycles aren’t such a big deal.
Former Washington Redskins and New York Giants linebacker LaVar Arrington was hospitalized Monday after suffering a broken arm and three broken bones in his leg (for those scoring at home, the human leg is made up of three bones) in… your guessed it: a motorcycle accident. Now, Arrington, a three-time Pro Bowler, is not under contract for the upcoming season, and will of course remain that way in light of these injuries. He does join another team, of sorts. He joins Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger and Cleveland’s Kellen Winslow Jr. as high profile players seriously injured in motorcycle accidents. Each of these guys represents a salary cap figure or more than $3.5 million a year, and with NFL salaries trending upward, it’s time for teams to start telling their players they can’t own motorcycles. Of course, the league, ideally, has no right to tell grown men how to spend their free time, and their off-seasons, but the teams need to be allowed to protect their investments and ensure the safety of their players. Other sports forbid their players from skiing or riding snowmobiles and other recreational vehicles because of safety concerns, and the NFL should follow suit.
Then again, when suspended NFL players are being questioned in connection with a shooting for the second time in six months, maybe motorcycles aren’t such a big deal.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Don't hold your breath
Right up there with death and taxes, one other thing human beings can pretty much guarantee in life is this: inevitably, somewhere, somehow, we all mistake a bad idea as a good one. The singular sense, of course, is if we’re lucky.
An example: Pizza Pizza just bought out Pizza 73, a local-ish chain here in Calgary, which undoubtedly means we’ll soon be forced to much on their cardboa-- er, inferior “pizza.”
While Pizza Pizza is bad news for me, the sports world often brings good news in this department, and Wednesday-Thursday brought something of a jackpot.
In Jacksonville, both of the Jaguars’ quarterbacks have confirmed to media the team’s interest in soon-to-be-former Miami Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper. That’s right. The Jags, with two young and effective quarterbacks David Gerrard and Byron Leftwich, both of whom figure to have brighter and longer futures in the NFL than Culpepper, are interested in the same Daunte Culpepper that’s had two separate knee surgeries end each of his last two seasons, limiting him to just 11 games. Culpepper’s career record is a less-than-tingly 38-42 as a starter, including a 1-3 record in four starts with Miami last season against opponents with a combine 1-11 record to that point. Somewhere in Jacksonville, someone within the organization must still be playing Madden 2002 (which Culpepper graced the cover of), and working with 2001 stats. While Culpepper brings a name, and has had some success in the NFL, most of that success involved throwing footballs to Randy Moss and Chris Carter. Since the end of his time with Moss, Culpepper’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is minus-seven, versus the plus-55 he had with Moss and Carter as primary targets. His completions for 20 yards or more are down by nearly one a game, and completions over 40 yards went from 0.73 a game to 0.27 a game. In plain numbers, Culpepper completed 55 such passes from 1999-2004, and three in the 11 games he’s played since. All in all, instead of getting some real receivers or some offensive line help for the two good quarterbacks they have, they’re going to bring in another ineffective quarterback, for more money, and hope the rest pans out.
Elsewhere, the Calgary Flames introduced their new head coach Thursday, and it’s Mike Keenan. You know Mike Keenan. He coached the Mark Messier-led New York Rangers to a Stanley Cup win in 1994, and never really accomplished anything else before or after. He rode Ron Hextall to the final in 1987 (Hextall became just the fourth playoff MVP to play for the losing team that year), and Ed Belfour to the Final in 1992. Since guiding the powerhouse Flyers, Blackhawks and Rangers to a combined 395-252-76 record from 1984-1994, Keenan has coached St. Louis, Vancouver, Boston and Florida to a combined 174-195-64-20 record from 1994-2004. In 1996, despite a lineup that included Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Al MacInnis, rookie defenseman Chris Pronger, and Grant Fuhr playing arguably the best season of his career (which includes a couple Stanley Cups), Keenan’s Blues lost in the second round of the playoffs and it was the last time a Keenan-coached team ever made the playoffs. In 1997 he still had MacInnis and Hull, in 1998 he had Messier, Pavel Bure and Alex Mogilny, in 2001 Jason Allison and Sergei Samsonov posted career highs in points to lead Keenan’s Bruins nowhere. That team also included Joe Thornton and Brian Rolston, who posted career highs in points that year, and Bill Guerin who finished the season one point shy of a career high (all three of those players have since set new career highs). In 2002, with Bure in the fold in Florida, and Roberto Luongo in the early stages of his path to superstardom, the Panthers were terrible, and with many Keenan-era holdovers, remain terrible still. Now, coming off an under-achieving season, Flames general manager Darryl Sutter did something very much out of character: he’s over-reacted. Keenan is not the man to lead the Flames to the Stanley Cup, and Keenan may not even lead this team to the playoffs in 2008.
A double-whammy for the Flames. Their new farm team in Quad-Cities unveiled their logo Thursday. This logo is even worse than their Omaha-based farm team’s Ak-Sar-Ben (that’s Nebraska backwards for those scoring at home) Knights nickname was.
But let’s go out on a positive note, congratulating all of the NHL’s trophy winners. The NHL awards were handed out Thursday night, with my favourite player and yours, Sidney Crosby claiming his first Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP; Rod Brind’Amour took home his second Frank J. Selke Trophy in as many years; Nik Lidstrom became just the fourth defenseman in league history to claim his fifth Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman; Martin Brodeur robbed Roberto Luongo of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie. Evgeni Malkin (top rookie), Pavel Datsyuk (sportsmanship), Alain Vigneault (top coach) and Saku Koivu (leadership and humanitarian efforts) took home the other major awards, while Boston’s Phil Kessel was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey. The 19-year old missed 12 games in his rookie season while being treated for testicular cancer.
An example: Pizza Pizza just bought out Pizza 73, a local-ish chain here in Calgary, which undoubtedly means we’ll soon be forced to much on their cardboa-- er, inferior “pizza.”
While Pizza Pizza is bad news for me, the sports world often brings good news in this department, and Wednesday-Thursday brought something of a jackpot.
In Jacksonville, both of the Jaguars’ quarterbacks have confirmed to media the team’s interest in soon-to-be-former Miami Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper. That’s right. The Jags, with two young and effective quarterbacks David Gerrard and Byron Leftwich, both of whom figure to have brighter and longer futures in the NFL than Culpepper, are interested in the same Daunte Culpepper that’s had two separate knee surgeries end each of his last two seasons, limiting him to just 11 games. Culpepper’s career record is a less-than-tingly 38-42 as a starter, including a 1-3 record in four starts with Miami last season against opponents with a combine 1-11 record to that point. Somewhere in Jacksonville, someone within the organization must still be playing Madden 2002 (which Culpepper graced the cover of), and working with 2001 stats. While Culpepper brings a name, and has had some success in the NFL, most of that success involved throwing footballs to Randy Moss and Chris Carter. Since the end of his time with Moss, Culpepper’s touchdown-to-interception ratio is minus-seven, versus the plus-55 he had with Moss and Carter as primary targets. His completions for 20 yards or more are down by nearly one a game, and completions over 40 yards went from 0.73 a game to 0.27 a game. In plain numbers, Culpepper completed 55 such passes from 1999-2004, and three in the 11 games he’s played since. All in all, instead of getting some real receivers or some offensive line help for the two good quarterbacks they have, they’re going to bring in another ineffective quarterback, for more money, and hope the rest pans out.
Elsewhere, the Calgary Flames introduced their new head coach Thursday, and it’s Mike Keenan. You know Mike Keenan. He coached the Mark Messier-led New York Rangers to a Stanley Cup win in 1994, and never really accomplished anything else before or after. He rode Ron Hextall to the final in 1987 (Hextall became just the fourth playoff MVP to play for the losing team that year), and Ed Belfour to the Final in 1992. Since guiding the powerhouse Flyers, Blackhawks and Rangers to a combined 395-252-76 record from 1984-1994, Keenan has coached St. Louis, Vancouver, Boston and Florida to a combined 174-195-64-20 record from 1994-2004. In 1996, despite a lineup that included Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Al MacInnis, rookie defenseman Chris Pronger, and Grant Fuhr playing arguably the best season of his career (which includes a couple Stanley Cups), Keenan’s Blues lost in the second round of the playoffs and it was the last time a Keenan-coached team ever made the playoffs. In 1997 he still had MacInnis and Hull, in 1998 he had Messier, Pavel Bure and Alex Mogilny, in 2001 Jason Allison and Sergei Samsonov posted career highs in points to lead Keenan’s Bruins nowhere. That team also included Joe Thornton and Brian Rolston, who posted career highs in points that year, and Bill Guerin who finished the season one point shy of a career high (all three of those players have since set new career highs). In 2002, with Bure in the fold in Florida, and Roberto Luongo in the early stages of his path to superstardom, the Panthers were terrible, and with many Keenan-era holdovers, remain terrible still. Now, coming off an under-achieving season, Flames general manager Darryl Sutter did something very much out of character: he’s over-reacted. Keenan is not the man to lead the Flames to the Stanley Cup, and Keenan may not even lead this team to the playoffs in 2008.
A double-whammy for the Flames. Their new farm team in Quad-Cities unveiled their logo Thursday. This logo is even worse than their Omaha-based farm team’s Ak-Sar-Ben (that’s Nebraska backwards for those scoring at home) Knights nickname was.
But let’s go out on a positive note, congratulating all of the NHL’s trophy winners. The NHL awards were handed out Thursday night, with my favourite player and yours, Sidney Crosby claiming his first Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP; Rod Brind’Amour took home his second Frank J. Selke Trophy in as many years; Nik Lidstrom became just the fourth defenseman in league history to claim his fifth Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman; Martin Brodeur robbed Roberto Luongo of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie. Evgeni Malkin (top rookie), Pavel Datsyuk (sportsmanship), Alain Vigneault (top coach) and Saku Koivu (leadership and humanitarian efforts) took home the other major awards, while Boston’s Phil Kessel was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey. The 19-year old missed 12 games in his rookie season while being treated for testicular cancer.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
No-no, no, and no!
First up, heaps of praise for Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers. After a too-long stretch between Randy Johnson and Anibal Sanchez throwing no-hitters, we’ve already had two this year. Maybe all it really means is that ESPN Classic gets to expand its programming, but I still love the no-no.
But alas, the Toronto Blue Jays just had to come along and ruin all the warm and fuzzy. AJ Burnett left Tuesday’s game with discomfort in his throwing shoulder, and what the team has called a shoulder strain. Now, two things. One: for whatever the team’s word is worth anymore. And two: you think? Shoulder strain? Really? I mean, the guy’s only thrown 372 pitches in his last three starts before Tuesday. Suddenly 124 pitches per game is a lot? Of course it is, and now he’s on the shelf because every time he pitches, John Gibbons get a case of the Grady Littles. I hate to go stats-crazy on you guys, but the numbers illustrate that very few guys throw as many quality innings as Burnett does, or have the same workload. Have a look. Just 14 pitchers have pitched more innings this year than Burnett has, and of those 14, only four have thrown more pitches than Burnett. In total, seven pitchers have thrown more pitches than Burnett has, and of those seven, only Dan Haren allows fewer hits per nine innings (as in, all the other pitchers are facing more batters). In fact, of the 113 pitchers with 10 starts or more, only nine pitchers allow fewer hits per nine innings. Despite his 5-6 record, he’s been one of the biggest reasons the Jays are anywhere near .500, and not completely out of wild card contention. If he misses extended time, the Jays’ second-place finish in 2006 will quickly be replaced by a last-place finish in 2007.
Lastly, Jim Balsillie is back at it, trying to buy the Nashville Predators this time. Word is, he has a deal in place with Hamilton, and is ready to start selling ticket packages. Jim, NHL, if you dick Hamilton around again this time, myself and others in Steeltown will never forgive you. So get it right, or get out now.
But alas, the Toronto Blue Jays just had to come along and ruin all the warm and fuzzy. AJ Burnett left Tuesday’s game with discomfort in his throwing shoulder, and what the team has called a shoulder strain. Now, two things. One: for whatever the team’s word is worth anymore. And two: you think? Shoulder strain? Really? I mean, the guy’s only thrown 372 pitches in his last three starts before Tuesday. Suddenly 124 pitches per game is a lot? Of course it is, and now he’s on the shelf because every time he pitches, John Gibbons get a case of the Grady Littles. I hate to go stats-crazy on you guys, but the numbers illustrate that very few guys throw as many quality innings as Burnett does, or have the same workload. Have a look. Just 14 pitchers have pitched more innings this year than Burnett has, and of those 14, only four have thrown more pitches than Burnett. In total, seven pitchers have thrown more pitches than Burnett has, and of those seven, only Dan Haren allows fewer hits per nine innings (as in, all the other pitchers are facing more batters). In fact, of the 113 pitchers with 10 starts or more, only nine pitchers allow fewer hits per nine innings. Despite his 5-6 record, he’s been one of the biggest reasons the Jays are anywhere near .500, and not completely out of wild card contention. If he misses extended time, the Jays’ second-place finish in 2006 will quickly be replaced by a last-place finish in 2007.
Lastly, Jim Balsillie is back at it, trying to buy the Nashville Predators this time. Word is, he has a deal in place with Hamilton, and is ready to start selling ticket packages. Jim, NHL, if you dick Hamilton around again this time, myself and others in Steeltown will never forgive you. So get it right, or get out now.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Memo to Blue Jays pitchers
Any and all Toronto Blue Jays pitchers that allow bobblehead Bonds to hit a home run with be executed by firing squad at dawn.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Champions, current and soon-to-be
In October, in this very space, the following words appeared:
“A mere four months removed from a berth in the Western Conference Final, and now [the Ducks are] not even good enough to make the playoffs? No, says this corner.”
They sure showed me.
Congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks, who captured their first Stanley Cup in franchise history Wednesday night. The mean, nasty, and very mighty Ducks absolutely dismantled the Eastern Conference champion Ottawa Senators, in a display of five-game dominance rarely seen.
Less than six minutes into the game, I stopped watching, knowing the Senators weren’t going to rally for the win. I checked back in time to watch Scott Niedermayer lift not only the Stanley Cup – his fourth – but also the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Niedermayer is a more than worthy recipient, and when push comes to shove, throughout the playoffs he was
Again, congratulations to the Ducks, and I’m sorry I ever underestimated you.
In other championship news, my beloved Hamilton Bulldogs pushed the Hershey Bears to the brink of elimination Wednesday night with a 6-2 win at Copps Coliseum in
An odd correlation between the Ducks and Dogs: both teams played for their respective Cups in 2003, and both teams lost game seven. Now both teams are once again playing for their Cups, with the Ducks winning theirs in five, and the Dogs have a chance to win in five as well. As was the case last Friday when the Calder Cup Final got started, another long-distance shout-out to my team.
And while the hockey world is wrapping their championships up, the NBA Finals get under way Thursday night in
James is making his first appearance in the Finals (as are the Cavs, for that matter), and following his performance in game five of the Eastern Conference final, it seems nothing short of spectacular will suffice. James has done it before, and he’s done it in the playoffs now. He’s entering a whole new world of pressure that separates the legends from the truly great. If only so I get to watch, I hope James plays the whole Finals in the same zone he played in during overtime in game five in
I’m no basketball expert, and I have about as much right to make a serious prediction as Lindsay Lohan does. That said, if we’re really watching LeBron James’ transition to legend, the Cavaliers will win this series. If James plays two legendary games, and two regular James games, the Cavs win. Otherwise, it’s the Spurs.
LeBron James gives anyone a reason to watch basketball, and his ascension will be fun to watch. I’m truly rooting for it.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Managers' antics getting tiresome
At one point Saturday afternoon, ESPN.com’s highlights included back-to-back blowups by baseball managers.
Naturally, the Chicago Cubs’ Lou Piniella was involved in one of the incidents. The other was a minor-league manager that went on a dirt-kicking, base-throwing tirade—including crawling from second base to the pitcher’s mound, using it for cover, then throwing the rosin bag like a grenade.
It seems these outbursts are becoming more and more common. Seemingly, we see a new one every year. And it begs the question: why?
Admittedly, this issue isn’t the same kind of problem steroids is, but these guys are taking it a little too far.
I’m taking a righteous stand, here. When managers go off like this, they make a mockery of themselves, and of the game. It’s tacky, and there’s no place for it.
To that end, Major League Baseball may have taken a step in the right direction Sunday by suspending Piniella indefinitely for his latest fiasco.
Nobody is bigger than the game, and these guys deserve suspensions for trying to be.
On the suspension front, Chris Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks will not play in game four of the Stanley Cup Final after receiving a one-game suspension for elbowing
And now a positive note to sign off with.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Long distance dedication
Good news! They’re cleaning my street today, and it’s not very loud. Not compared to military exercises, anyway.
But even more importantly, today is the day! American Hockey League playoffs, Calder Cup Final, game one.
My hometown Hamilton Bulldogs are in the Final for the third time in team history, and for the second time since I’ve been a full-time Bulldogs fan. True story: back in 2003 when the Dogs took on
The Dogs are in
In 1997, the Bears were the primary affiliate of the Colorado Avalance, and the Dogs were the Edmonton Oilers’ farm team. Several of the ’97 Bears had a proverbial cup of coffee in the NHL, though Eric Messier (406 NHL games), Marc Denis (361) and, incredibly, Wade Belak (395) are perhaps the most well-known players from that team. Likewise, several of the ’97 Bulldogs’ names ring bells in NHL cities, but perhaps none more so than Greg de Vries (730 NHL games), Georges Laraque (563), Sean Brown (436) and, incredibly, Boyd Devereaux (542). Bryan Muir played with the Bulldogs in 1997, and is now with the Washington Capitals, who are now the parent club of the Hershey Bears. The Bulldogs parent club is now the Montreal Canadiens. True story: in 2002-03 the Bulldogs were a split affiliate for the Oilers and Canadiens. When the Oilers and Canadiens played the outdoor Heritage Classic game in November 2003, 13 former Bulldogs played in the game, five others were on hand in the press box, and one dressed as Jose Theodore’s backup; a fact most of my friends are still waiting for me to shut up about.
So, short story long, all the best to my team from 3,700 kilometers away.
Up next, Mark Cuban.
Word is out that the Dallas Mavericks owner wants to start a professional football league in the
Historically speaking, let’s see how the NFL’s rivals have fared. The fourth version of the American Football League merged with the NFL, after three other attempts failed. The AFL was followed by the World Football League (1974-1975), the United States Football League (1983-1985) and the XFL (2001) are all distant memories. Just for fun, we’ll include the Canadian Football League’s American expansion, though it wasn’t an attempt to rival the NFL.
Do Americans love football? Of course. The NFL is the league every other sports league wants to be. Is there room for other football? Of course. Arena football is a rapidly-growing brand, and is expanding beyond niche status.
But a rival for the NFL? Let’s put it this way, when I first saw the headline, my reaction was similar to the first time I heard of a new Rocky movie.
Finally, LeBron James was unbelievable Thursday night. On top of scoring 29 of the Cavaliers’ final 30 points, James’ game-winning lay-up was a nearly impossible shot. It was one of the most dominant performances by anyone not named Kobe Bryant in recent memory. The Cavs winning the East seems academic now, so it will be fun to see if James can will this team to some victories over
Lastly, a touch of trivia: the 19 former Hamilton Bulldogs involved in the Heritage Classic were: Chad Kilger, Francis Bouillon, Mike Ribiero, Michael Ryder and Mathieu Garon for Montreal, with Ron Hainsey and Marcel Hossa in the press box; and Shawn Horcoff, Raffi Torres, Georges Laraque, Jason Chimera, Scott Ferguson, Fernando Pisani, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Ty Conklin and Jarret Stoll (who scored) for the Oilers, with Alex Semenov, Tony Salmalainen and Peter Sarno in the press box.
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