Some thoughts that rattled around after the first night of the 2008 playoffs.
Evgeni Malkin’s goal. Oh. My. God. Seriously, he kicked it to his stick, which was being lifted at the moment he kicked the puck, got his stick back down, and flipped the puck past Martin Gerber from a nearly-impossible angle. Just wow.
Still in the Ottawa game, just one night ago, this very space criticized Wade Redden, and wondered what Wade’s got left in the tank. And while even my little sister could tell you Redden has been playing like hell lately, that fight was huge. Sure, he fights about as well as he’s played this season, but it was the message he sent to his teammates. The Senators were written off by almost everyone going into this game, and were sure to be written off by even more after. But Redden may have helped get the team focused again.
Out west, sure Colorado won, but they had to blow a two-goal lead to do so. Andrew Brunette is one of those guys that just gets the job done in the playoffs. He had an assist, and provided the screen on Joe Sakic’s overtime winner. If I may borrow from, and butcher a line from Wesley Snipes: always bet on Brunette.
Martin Brodeur looked pretty ordinary in game one. TSN showed a great clip of Brodeur at the end of the warm-up, leaning against the boards at the bench, looking completely disinterested. It followed a clip of Henrik Lundqvist looking so pumped up he might burst. None of this bodes well for the Devils. Of note, Sergei Brylin is another one of those playoff guys.
Speaking of those playoff guys, the Calgary Flames have one in Stephane Yelle. Maybe it was a one-off, and maybe Yelle goes back to his normal unproductive ways in game two, but I don’t see it. Playing with Jarome Iginla, Yelle is too smart, and too good to falter. Ryan Clowe scored a pair of goals for the Sharks, and while it’s premature to give him the label, he may be on his way to being one of those playoff guys as well.
Last note on the Sharks. The last minute of game one was nothing short of frantic, but is it just me, or did the Sharks seem a little too desperate to not lose? Might be worth keeping an eye on.
Elsewhere, this has been eating at my brain since the draft lottery, so I’m just going to put it out there: is there any way Tampa Bay doesn’t screw up the first pick? They don’t have amateur scouts (or so it seems), and don’t seem to know how to properly evaluate talent as said talent would fit within the organization, so they can’t afford to trade down-- not even to flip with Los Angeles. The Kings will at least be able to decide between Alex Pietrangelo (can’t tell you how happy I am to have that surname back in my world) and Drew Daughty with the number two pick. And they’ll be wise enough to not rush their pick to the NHL. Can’t say the same about Tampa.
We know Tampa is taking Steve Stamkos first overall. We know Stamkos is too small to play in the NHL and dominate right now. We know he needs at least one more year in junior. We know John Tortorella rides his players exceptionally hard. And we know Tampa is more than likely to rush Stamkos to the NHL.
This is not a Patrick Kane-and-Jonathan Toews or Kyle Turris situation. The Bolts won’t look at Stamkos as the first perfect chip in a rebuilding project, and there will be a lot of pressure on him, and him alone, to take the Bolts back to the promised land-- in year one.
Please, Tampa Bay, do all hockey fans a favour, and trade the pick to Columbus for Nik Zherdev and their first-round pick. It’s the only way to save this kid’s career.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Playoff preview, day two
And the East.
Montreal Canadiens v Boston Bruins.
It’s hard to ignore the way the Canadiens have dominated the Bruins lately, winning the last 11 times they’ve met.
It’s hard to ignore the parallels between Carey Price’s emergence as a rookie, and Patrick Roy’s emergence as a rookie in 1986, including their 2007 and 1985 Calder Cup wins.
It’s hard to ignore the great season Alex Kovalev had in 2008, posting the second-highest points total of his career.
And of course, it’s hard to ignore the fact the Canadiens won the Eastern Conference.
But the hardest thing to ignore is the 2004 playoffs, when the Bruins were heavy favorites against Montreal in the first round, and pulled off a memorable collapse, losing a 3-1 series lead.
That series is a cautionary tale the Canadiens have to consider as they prepare to take on the Bruins.
Montreal’s biggest asset is their ability to play hockey any way their opponents want to. If the Bruins want to open up and run-n-gun (they don’t), Montreal can match them. If the B’s want to play defense, and clog up the neutral zone, Montreal can break through, and if the Bruins want to get rough and tumble, even the Kostitsyn brothers showed they’re prepared to stand up to Zdeno Chara.
Montreal in five.
Pittsburgh Penguins v Ottawa Senators.
Oddly enough, the Senators have already been pretty well written off heading into this series. Though for good reason.
The Sens really are a mess between the pipes, and their team defense has deteriorated. Chris Phillips has not been able to match the level he played at during last spring’s run to the Final. Wade Redden has slipped so far, the Sens are desperate to trade him, and the younger guys just don’t seem quite ready.
But Pittsburgh’s best defenseman is Sergei Gonchar, whose defensive-zone play isn’t exactly lauded. The Penguins’ concept of team defense is basically “Get the puck to Crosby.” These teams don’t play a whole lot of defense, as evidenced by the fact both teams were in the bottom-third of the league’s penalty killers.
So, as it should, this series will come down to Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley versus Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, and whichever power play gets hot.
Here’s the one caveat. If Pittsburgh gets outside of their regular game plan, if they try to play more conservatively and check the Senators, getting outside of their puck-control system, they’re done.
But I think Michel Therrien is too smart to do that.
Pittsburgh in six.
Washington Capitals v Philadelphia Flyers.
This one is just too tough to call. But here goes.
Alex Ovechkin cannot be stopped, and most nights, he cannot be contained. Do the Flyers assign Mike Richards to check Ovechkin throughout the series? My guess is yes, since Jim Dowd can‘t skate with Ovechkin, Scottie Upshall or Scott Hartnell will take too many penalties against Ovechkin, and no defensive pairing can do it alone. That takes Richards out of his role as Philly’s top scorer, even if they play strength-on-strength.
And even if they slow Ovechkin down, the Caps have shown since the trade deadline that guys like Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Semin, Sergei Fedorov, and the always-clutch Matt Cooke need to be contained.
The Capitals’ secondary scorers, though, aren’t as deep as Philly’s. Where the Caps make up for that, is in the emergence of Mike Green on defense. Coupled with Tom Poti, the Caps always have a blue liner on the ice to make a strong first pass, and they’ll be able to catch the Flyers’ defense on their heels often.
The biggest difference is likely in goal. Martin Biron had a really good season in Philly, and is a very good goalie. But Cristobal Huet is one season removed from an All-Star Game appearance (Biron is one season removed from being a backup), Huet is 3-0 in his last four starts against Philly, including a shutout (Biron has one win in his last three starts against Washington), and since a Tuesday night game in November in Montreal is more pressure-packed than this Friday’s game in Washington will be, Huet has an edge when it comes down to playing under fire. His 11-2 record, and 1.36 goals-against average and .936 save percentage down the stretch with the Caps is further evidence of that.
Capitals in six.
New Jersey Devils v New York Rangers.
Another tricky one, if only because the Devils won the only game between these two teams that really mattered in 2008. On the last day of the regular season, the Rangers had an opportunity to sweep the season series, and grab home-ice advantage in this series. The Blue Shirts won eight more games at Madison Square Garden this season than they won away from home.
But the Devils jumped out to an early lead, and while they ultimately needed extra time to win, win they did. And clinched home ice for this series.
Special teams is the most likely area that will give either team an edge. The Rangers had a better penalty-killing unit this season (sixth overall to New Jersey’s 13th) and a slightly better power play percentage (22nd to New Jersey’s 25th).
In their seven losses to the Rangers, the Devils scored just seven goals, and were shut out twice. And while four of the eight games went to overtime, the Devils lost three of them. It’s hard to bet against Martin Brodeur, but it’s hard to like a team that can’t score at any time, let alone in the clutch.
Despite their poor road record, the Rangers were 3-1 in the swamp, and should be able to win one more there in the playoffs.
Rangers in six.
Montreal Canadiens v Boston Bruins.
It’s hard to ignore the way the Canadiens have dominated the Bruins lately, winning the last 11 times they’ve met.
It’s hard to ignore the parallels between Carey Price’s emergence as a rookie, and Patrick Roy’s emergence as a rookie in 1986, including their 2007 and 1985 Calder Cup wins.
It’s hard to ignore the great season Alex Kovalev had in 2008, posting the second-highest points total of his career.
And of course, it’s hard to ignore the fact the Canadiens won the Eastern Conference.
But the hardest thing to ignore is the 2004 playoffs, when the Bruins were heavy favorites against Montreal in the first round, and pulled off a memorable collapse, losing a 3-1 series lead.
That series is a cautionary tale the Canadiens have to consider as they prepare to take on the Bruins.
Montreal’s biggest asset is their ability to play hockey any way their opponents want to. If the Bruins want to open up and run-n-gun (they don’t), Montreal can match them. If the B’s want to play defense, and clog up the neutral zone, Montreal can break through, and if the Bruins want to get rough and tumble, even the Kostitsyn brothers showed they’re prepared to stand up to Zdeno Chara.
Montreal in five.
Pittsburgh Penguins v Ottawa Senators.
Oddly enough, the Senators have already been pretty well written off heading into this series. Though for good reason.
The Sens really are a mess between the pipes, and their team defense has deteriorated. Chris Phillips has not been able to match the level he played at during last spring’s run to the Final. Wade Redden has slipped so far, the Sens are desperate to trade him, and the younger guys just don’t seem quite ready.
But Pittsburgh’s best defenseman is Sergei Gonchar, whose defensive-zone play isn’t exactly lauded. The Penguins’ concept of team defense is basically “Get the puck to Crosby.” These teams don’t play a whole lot of defense, as evidenced by the fact both teams were in the bottom-third of the league’s penalty killers.
So, as it should, this series will come down to Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley versus Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, and whichever power play gets hot.
Here’s the one caveat. If Pittsburgh gets outside of their regular game plan, if they try to play more conservatively and check the Senators, getting outside of their puck-control system, they’re done.
But I think Michel Therrien is too smart to do that.
Pittsburgh in six.
Washington Capitals v Philadelphia Flyers.
This one is just too tough to call. But here goes.
Alex Ovechkin cannot be stopped, and most nights, he cannot be contained. Do the Flyers assign Mike Richards to check Ovechkin throughout the series? My guess is yes, since Jim Dowd can‘t skate with Ovechkin, Scottie Upshall or Scott Hartnell will take too many penalties against Ovechkin, and no defensive pairing can do it alone. That takes Richards out of his role as Philly’s top scorer, even if they play strength-on-strength.
And even if they slow Ovechkin down, the Caps have shown since the trade deadline that guys like Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Semin, Sergei Fedorov, and the always-clutch Matt Cooke need to be contained.
The Capitals’ secondary scorers, though, aren’t as deep as Philly’s. Where the Caps make up for that, is in the emergence of Mike Green on defense. Coupled with Tom Poti, the Caps always have a blue liner on the ice to make a strong first pass, and they’ll be able to catch the Flyers’ defense on their heels often.
The biggest difference is likely in goal. Martin Biron had a really good season in Philly, and is a very good goalie. But Cristobal Huet is one season removed from an All-Star Game appearance (Biron is one season removed from being a backup), Huet is 3-0 in his last four starts against Philly, including a shutout (Biron has one win in his last three starts against Washington), and since a Tuesday night game in November in Montreal is more pressure-packed than this Friday’s game in Washington will be, Huet has an edge when it comes down to playing under fire. His 11-2 record, and 1.36 goals-against average and .936 save percentage down the stretch with the Caps is further evidence of that.
Capitals in six.
New Jersey Devils v New York Rangers.
Another tricky one, if only because the Devils won the only game between these two teams that really mattered in 2008. On the last day of the regular season, the Rangers had an opportunity to sweep the season series, and grab home-ice advantage in this series. The Blue Shirts won eight more games at Madison Square Garden this season than they won away from home.
But the Devils jumped out to an early lead, and while they ultimately needed extra time to win, win they did. And clinched home ice for this series.
Special teams is the most likely area that will give either team an edge. The Rangers had a better penalty-killing unit this season (sixth overall to New Jersey’s 13th) and a slightly better power play percentage (22nd to New Jersey’s 25th).
In their seven losses to the Rangers, the Devils scored just seven goals, and were shut out twice. And while four of the eight games went to overtime, the Devils lost three of them. It’s hard to bet against Martin Brodeur, but it’s hard to like a team that can’t score at any time, let alone in the clutch.
Despite their poor road record, the Rangers were 3-1 in the swamp, and should be able to win one more there in the playoffs.
Rangers in six.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Playoff preview, day one
Let’s start in the West.
Detroit Red Wings v Nashville Predators.
Certainly, no one expected the Predators to be holding onto a playoff spot before the season started, but they gritted out a strong season and now they’ll face the President’s Trophy-winning Red Wings. Some reward.
Being NCAA tournament season and all, everyone loves a Cinderella, it’s just doubtful the Predators can wear those slippers against this Wings team.
The Wings have the same strong offensive attack they’ve always had, and they’ve been stingier than ever, giving up a paltry 184 goals this season.
If the Wings have any weakness, it may be their penalty killing-- the one area the team finished outside the top five. That said, Nashville’s middling offense turns into a pop-gun offense when they have the man advantage. The Preds had the league’s fourth-worst power play in 2008.
Then there’s this: I’ve seen a guy named Dov Gromet-Morris win more games in the American League than I ever saw Dan Ellis win there (0-6 in games I saw). Sure, minor league success, or lack thereof, doesn’t necessarily translate to the NHL level, but I can’t put too much faith in a guy with that stat facing a future Hall of Famer like Dominik Hasek.
Red Wings in five.
San Jose Sharks v Calgary Flames.
For selfish reasons, I would love to see the Flames go all the way to the Final. Realistically, though, I just don’t see them getting past these Sharks.
Despite low individual scoring totals, and despite finishing in the bottom half of the league in team scoring, the Sharks managed to post the second-best points total in the NHL with 108.
Rather than smoke and mirrors, the Sharks relied on Evgeni Nabokov, whose superlative season should leave him in the Vezina Trophy hunt. His 46 wins led the league and 2.14 goals-against average was third best. In addition, the Sharks had a knack all season long for getting their way out of trouble, posting the best penalty killing percentage in the league. Their top-10 power play also made teams pay for giving them the man advantage.
As it were, the Flames had the league’s 10th-worst penalty kill, and found themselves shorthanded more than every team except Anaheim. Only Atlanta, Carolina and Toronto gave up more power play goals than the Flames did.
Of course, for the Flames, it all comes down to Jarome Iginla and Mikke Kiprusoff’s performances. If Kipper gets hot, and Iggy can continue to drag this team with him, all bets are off.
Sharks in seven.
Minnesota Wild v Colorado Avalanche.
This series may actually be harder to handicap than the Washington-Philadelphia series, but I’ll give it a try.
Minnesota won the season series rather handily, going 5-2-1 against Colorado in 2008. But, just one of those wins was in Colorado. The Wild will have to find a way to win games in Denver if they’re going to win this series.
By the same token, Colorado’s 17 road wins were the fewest among playoff teams. So they’re also faced with the prospect of being forced to win on the road.
Are we actually witnessing the second coming of Jose Theodore in Colorado? Is Niklas Backstrom ready for the playoff spotlight?
Can we get the Minnesota Golden Gophers to play a seven-game series against the Denver Pioneers while we’re at it?
Here’s the fearless, and wildly unlikely prediction. As he did in 2003, Andrew Brunette will score the series-winning goal, but this time, he scores it for Colorado against his old team.
Colorado in seven.
Anaheim Ducks v Dallas Stars.
This is barely worth the effort it will take to type it out.
J-S Giguere is the second-best playoff goalie in the league. Marty Turco is one of the worst the league’s ever seen.
Sami Pahlsson is the second coming of Jere Lehtinen, who isn’t even a shell of his former self anymore.
Ryan Getzlaf v Mike Ribiero, you’re kidding right?
As much as I love Trevor Daley and rookie Matt Niskanen, and as solid as Stephane Robidas, Philippe Boucher, Matty Norstrom and Nicklas Grossman have been, I’d like to introduce you to Kent Huskins.
Huskins, who you’ve probably never heard of, posted a plus-23 rating this season. That’s equal to, or better than every single Star’s plus/minus.
Of course, watching Steve Ott try to goad Chris Pronger into a series-long suspension will be a lot of fun, and the most intriguing part of this series.
Anaheim in five.
Detroit Red Wings v Nashville Predators.
Certainly, no one expected the Predators to be holding onto a playoff spot before the season started, but they gritted out a strong season and now they’ll face the President’s Trophy-winning Red Wings. Some reward.
Being NCAA tournament season and all, everyone loves a Cinderella, it’s just doubtful the Predators can wear those slippers against this Wings team.
The Wings have the same strong offensive attack they’ve always had, and they’ve been stingier than ever, giving up a paltry 184 goals this season.
If the Wings have any weakness, it may be their penalty killing-- the one area the team finished outside the top five. That said, Nashville’s middling offense turns into a pop-gun offense when they have the man advantage. The Preds had the league’s fourth-worst power play in 2008.
Then there’s this: I’ve seen a guy named Dov Gromet-Morris win more games in the American League than I ever saw Dan Ellis win there (0-6 in games I saw). Sure, minor league success, or lack thereof, doesn’t necessarily translate to the NHL level, but I can’t put too much faith in a guy with that stat facing a future Hall of Famer like Dominik Hasek.
Red Wings in five.
San Jose Sharks v Calgary Flames.
For selfish reasons, I would love to see the Flames go all the way to the Final. Realistically, though, I just don’t see them getting past these Sharks.
Despite low individual scoring totals, and despite finishing in the bottom half of the league in team scoring, the Sharks managed to post the second-best points total in the NHL with 108.
Rather than smoke and mirrors, the Sharks relied on Evgeni Nabokov, whose superlative season should leave him in the Vezina Trophy hunt. His 46 wins led the league and 2.14 goals-against average was third best. In addition, the Sharks had a knack all season long for getting their way out of trouble, posting the best penalty killing percentage in the league. Their top-10 power play also made teams pay for giving them the man advantage.
As it were, the Flames had the league’s 10th-worst penalty kill, and found themselves shorthanded more than every team except Anaheim. Only Atlanta, Carolina and Toronto gave up more power play goals than the Flames did.
Of course, for the Flames, it all comes down to Jarome Iginla and Mikke Kiprusoff’s performances. If Kipper gets hot, and Iggy can continue to drag this team with him, all bets are off.
Sharks in seven.
Minnesota Wild v Colorado Avalanche.
This series may actually be harder to handicap than the Washington-Philadelphia series, but I’ll give it a try.
Minnesota won the season series rather handily, going 5-2-1 against Colorado in 2008. But, just one of those wins was in Colorado. The Wild will have to find a way to win games in Denver if they’re going to win this series.
By the same token, Colorado’s 17 road wins were the fewest among playoff teams. So they’re also faced with the prospect of being forced to win on the road.
Are we actually witnessing the second coming of Jose Theodore in Colorado? Is Niklas Backstrom ready for the playoff spotlight?
Can we get the Minnesota Golden Gophers to play a seven-game series against the Denver Pioneers while we’re at it?
Here’s the fearless, and wildly unlikely prediction. As he did in 2003, Andrew Brunette will score the series-winning goal, but this time, he scores it for Colorado against his old team.
Colorado in seven.
Anaheim Ducks v Dallas Stars.
This is barely worth the effort it will take to type it out.
J-S Giguere is the second-best playoff goalie in the league. Marty Turco is one of the worst the league’s ever seen.
Sami Pahlsson is the second coming of Jere Lehtinen, who isn’t even a shell of his former self anymore.
Ryan Getzlaf v Mike Ribiero, you’re kidding right?
As much as I love Trevor Daley and rookie Matt Niskanen, and as solid as Stephane Robidas, Philippe Boucher, Matty Norstrom and Nicklas Grossman have been, I’d like to introduce you to Kent Huskins.
Huskins, who you’ve probably never heard of, posted a plus-23 rating this season. That’s equal to, or better than every single Star’s plus/minus.
Of course, watching Steve Ott try to goad Chris Pronger into a series-long suspension will be a lot of fun, and the most intriguing part of this series.
Anaheim in five.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Stanley Cup prediction
Let’s kick things off with a look back at my pre-season predictions, the worst I’ve ever offered. Though, to be fair to myself, I did have Pittsburgh finishing second in the East.
The good: The Western Conference. While I flip-flopped Detroit and San Jose at one and two, I had Minnesota third, Anaheim fourth, and Colorado, Dallas and Calgary in the post-season dance-- just in the wrong spots. I had the Kings in last place, and even called Edmonton’s goaltending switcheroo.
The bad: Buffalo, Florida, Carolina and Tampa Bay. I had all of them in the playoffs. Instead, the three teams I picked to finish 13th, 14th and 15th (Philly, Washington and Boston, respectively) will all enjoy the post-season, though not very long for two of them.
So, here’s the Stanley Cup pick, and we’ll get down to the business of breaking down the series Monday and Tuesday night.
It’s the Ducks. Of course it’s the Ducks. Starting from the net out, other than Martin Brodeur and Dominik Hasek, no other goalie has as much playoff experience, and particularly Stanley Cup Final experience, as J-S Giguere.
On defense, the formula certainly worked last season, and it’s just very hard to beat a team that has either Scott Niedermayer or Chris Pronger on the ice at all times. Matthieu Schneider brings a boatload of experience to the blueline, Francois Beuachemin took a step back this season, but is one of the best fourth-defencemen around. Add a little Marc-Andre Bergeron to taste, and some Kent Huskins, Sean O’Donnell and the underrated Joe Dipenta, and the Ducks have the best blue line corps around.
Up front, the Ducks dropped off a little in 2008, scoring 53 fewer goals than in 2007. That said, Ryan Getzlaf missed time with injuries, as did Corey Perry, who didn’t really take the step forward most thought he would, and Teemu Selanne only played 26 games. It’s easy to see how the team’s production dropped off.
That said, the Ducks also gave up fewer goals in 2008. This squad really clamped down defensively, and checking-line guys like Travis Moen, Rob Niedermayer and Sami Pahlsson all played to the top-notch form they showed last spring.
There’s also the little matter of how well this team played after Scott Niedermayer returned from semi-retirement. In 34 games without Nidermayer, the Ducks had a 15-15-4 record. Since his return, they’ve posted a 32-12-4 record. I guess he’s pretty good. And if that’s not enough, since Selanne’s return from his semi-retirement, the Ducks are a startling 20-5-1.
So, for all of these reasons, and many more, the Anaheim Ducks will repeat as Stanley Cup champions. There’s just nobody out there that can stop them in a seven-game series.
The good: The Western Conference. While I flip-flopped Detroit and San Jose at one and two, I had Minnesota third, Anaheim fourth, and Colorado, Dallas and Calgary in the post-season dance-- just in the wrong spots. I had the Kings in last place, and even called Edmonton’s goaltending switcheroo.
The bad: Buffalo, Florida, Carolina and Tampa Bay. I had all of them in the playoffs. Instead, the three teams I picked to finish 13th, 14th and 15th (Philly, Washington and Boston, respectively) will all enjoy the post-season, though not very long for two of them.
So, here’s the Stanley Cup pick, and we’ll get down to the business of breaking down the series Monday and Tuesday night.
It’s the Ducks. Of course it’s the Ducks. Starting from the net out, other than Martin Brodeur and Dominik Hasek, no other goalie has as much playoff experience, and particularly Stanley Cup Final experience, as J-S Giguere.
On defense, the formula certainly worked last season, and it’s just very hard to beat a team that has either Scott Niedermayer or Chris Pronger on the ice at all times. Matthieu Schneider brings a boatload of experience to the blueline, Francois Beuachemin took a step back this season, but is one of the best fourth-defencemen around. Add a little Marc-Andre Bergeron to taste, and some Kent Huskins, Sean O’Donnell and the underrated Joe Dipenta, and the Ducks have the best blue line corps around.
Up front, the Ducks dropped off a little in 2008, scoring 53 fewer goals than in 2007. That said, Ryan Getzlaf missed time with injuries, as did Corey Perry, who didn’t really take the step forward most thought he would, and Teemu Selanne only played 26 games. It’s easy to see how the team’s production dropped off.
That said, the Ducks also gave up fewer goals in 2008. This squad really clamped down defensively, and checking-line guys like Travis Moen, Rob Niedermayer and Sami Pahlsson all played to the top-notch form they showed last spring.
There’s also the little matter of how well this team played after Scott Niedermayer returned from semi-retirement. In 34 games without Nidermayer, the Ducks had a 15-15-4 record. Since his return, they’ve posted a 32-12-4 record. I guess he’s pretty good. And if that’s not enough, since Selanne’s return from his semi-retirement, the Ducks are a startling 20-5-1.
So, for all of these reasons, and many more, the Anaheim Ducks will repeat as Stanley Cup champions. There’s just nobody out there that can stop them in a seven-game series.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
A new beginning
While it's much too soon to officially give my heart to another ball club, it's never too soon for a fling. Thus, Sports With Steve's official preferred 2008 Major League Baseball team is the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubbies signed the recently-dispatched Reed Johnson, giving them an instant leg up. In an extra bit of eff-you to J.P. and those determined to destroy the Blue Jays, the Cubbies also found a place for another guy the Jays had no use for: Ted Lilly.
Lilly was a damn fine Blue Jay (except all that fighting-with-the-manager stuff), and his 15 wins in 2007 with Chicago may have propelled the Blue Jays into the playoffs, where the team would have made at least enough money to cover the difference between Lilly's contract demands, and the Jays' lackluster offer.
But hey, who needs a 30-year old left-handed starting pitcher that was not only the team's lone All Star in 2004, but also coming off a career-high 15 wins (as Lilly was at the end of 2006), when you can get a 38-year old designated hitter whose 2001, 2004 and 2005 seasons were limited to 128 total games, coming off a season in which he posted a batting average more than 30 points lower than his career average, and was generally regarded as finished (as Frank Thomas, given the money Lilly wanted, was at the end of the 2006 season)? But I digress...
In addition to these two great former Jays, and SWS favourites, the 2008 Cubbies also have a few others things this little area of the Net loves:
Big-time corners: Derrek Lee averaging nearly a hit a game in his career, and posting a gorgeous .994 fielding percentage at first base. That's good for two Gold Gloves, and if that's not enough, he was the first Cubs' first-bagger to play in an All-Star Game since Mark Grace, and first to start since Ernie Banks (oddly-symmetrically-enough in 2005, 1985 and 1965 respectively). How's that for a real Cub? At the other corner Aramis Ramirez, who joined Lee at the 2005 All-Star Game. Though Ramirez's fielding leaves something to be desired, he's averaging 159 hits, 30 home runs and 100 RBI over the last seven seasons. In that span, he's also cut his gaudy 100-ish strikeouts per season down to the mid-60 range.
Dirtbag pitchers: Carlos Zambrano is excluded from this group for being a true ace. This guy has some of the nastiest stuff around, is coming off a 19-win season, and has never won fewer than 13 games in a season as a full-time starter. The rest of the guys though, including Lilly, also include Jason Marquis, John Lieber, the seemingly immortal Ryan Dempster, and youngster Rich Hill, who started to make a name for himself in 2007. The Cubbies have a bullpen full of guys named Howry, Eyre, Hart, Lahey, and Wood (yes, that Wood, finally a full-time reliever) that you just know are going to get the job done.
Displaced superstar: Alfonso Soriano needs no introduction. Here's the bit you probably don't know, though. In addition to his frightening offensive numbers, Soriano can play some left field. He has 41 outfield assists in the last two seasons, cut his errors in half last season. And even though it's occasionally with a defensive error, this guy simply changes the course of ballgames.
Enigmatic and displaced potential superstar: Kosuke Fukudome has a name that may easily be mis-heard or mis-pronounced or mis-interpreted as a swear, and that's about all anyone actually knows about this guy. Maybe he's got a cannon like Alex Rios, maybe he's got wheels like a young Kenny Lofton, maybe he hits like Ichiro, maybe he throws, runs and hits like me. Who knows?
But as with all other things Cubbies this year, I'm excited to have 162 games to try to figure it out.
The Cubbies signed the recently-dispatched Reed Johnson, giving them an instant leg up. In an extra bit of eff-you to J.P. and those determined to destroy the Blue Jays, the Cubbies also found a place for another guy the Jays had no use for: Ted Lilly.
Lilly was a damn fine Blue Jay (except all that fighting-with-the-manager stuff), and his 15 wins in 2007 with Chicago may have propelled the Blue Jays into the playoffs, where the team would have made at least enough money to cover the difference between Lilly's contract demands, and the Jays' lackluster offer.
But hey, who needs a 30-year old left-handed starting pitcher that was not only the team's lone All Star in 2004, but also coming off a career-high 15 wins (as Lilly was at the end of 2006), when you can get a 38-year old designated hitter whose 2001, 2004 and 2005 seasons were limited to 128 total games, coming off a season in which he posted a batting average more than 30 points lower than his career average, and was generally regarded as finished (as Frank Thomas, given the money Lilly wanted, was at the end of the 2006 season)? But I digress...
In addition to these two great former Jays, and SWS favourites, the 2008 Cubbies also have a few others things this little area of the Net loves:
Big-time corners: Derrek Lee averaging nearly a hit a game in his career, and posting a gorgeous .994 fielding percentage at first base. That's good for two Gold Gloves, and if that's not enough, he was the first Cubs' first-bagger to play in an All-Star Game since Mark Grace, and first to start since Ernie Banks (oddly-symmetrically-enough in 2005, 1985 and 1965 respectively). How's that for a real Cub? At the other corner Aramis Ramirez, who joined Lee at the 2005 All-Star Game. Though Ramirez's fielding leaves something to be desired, he's averaging 159 hits, 30 home runs and 100 RBI over the last seven seasons. In that span, he's also cut his gaudy 100-ish strikeouts per season down to the mid-60 range.
Dirtbag pitchers: Carlos Zambrano is excluded from this group for being a true ace. This guy has some of the nastiest stuff around, is coming off a 19-win season, and has never won fewer than 13 games in a season as a full-time starter. The rest of the guys though, including Lilly, also include Jason Marquis, John Lieber, the seemingly immortal Ryan Dempster, and youngster Rich Hill, who started to make a name for himself in 2007. The Cubbies have a bullpen full of guys named Howry, Eyre, Hart, Lahey, and Wood (yes, that Wood, finally a full-time reliever) that you just know are going to get the job done.
Displaced superstar: Alfonso Soriano needs no introduction. Here's the bit you probably don't know, though. In addition to his frightening offensive numbers, Soriano can play some left field. He has 41 outfield assists in the last two seasons, cut his errors in half last season. And even though it's occasionally with a defensive error, this guy simply changes the course of ballgames.
Enigmatic and displaced potential superstar: Kosuke Fukudome has a name that may easily be mis-heard or mis-pronounced or mis-interpreted as a swear, and that's about all anyone actually knows about this guy. Maybe he's got a cannon like Alex Rios, maybe he's got wheels like a young Kenny Lofton, maybe he hits like Ichiro, maybe he throws, runs and hits like me. Who knows?
But as with all other things Cubbies this year, I'm excited to have 162 games to try to figure it out.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The breakup
That’s it JP. This time you’ve gone too far. Again. For your latest transgression, we are officially over. My 1992/93 World Series videos and DVDs, all my Jays gear, it’s all getting buried in a box in the bottom of my closet. We’re done. You’ve taken away the last remaining reason I had to cheer for my favourite sports team ever.
Now all that’s left is an empty feeling, and you.
Goodbye Blue Jays, it was a great 20 years.
Now all that’s left is an empty feeling, and you.
Goodbye Blue Jays, it was a great 20 years.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Silly Senators
So deadline day was fun. From trying to figure out just why Montreal accepted so little for Cristobal Huet, to trying to figure out how Pittsburgh got so badly-fleeced in the Marian Hossa trade, to linking Mats Sundin and Wade Redden for refusing to do the right thing, and waive their no-movement clauses. Riotous, all.
Then there was much speculation about winners, losers and in-betweens on deadline day, which led to speculation about which head coaches and general managers were running out of time with their current teams.
There was quite a bit of speculation during TSN’s broadcast Tuesday that Senators head coach John Paddock wouldn’t make it to the weekend with a job. Over here, we couldn’t see it happening.
Which leads us to this week’s biggest over-reaction: the Senators have indeed fired their first-year head coach after a mere 64 games.
Former head coach and current GM Bryan Murray will step back behind the Ottawa bench-- since he was so successful there last June.
The word is that Paddock lost the Sens’ dressing room, that the players weren’t willing to play for him anymore. And yes, Paddock allowed the goaltending situation to become the goaltending controversy, which probably has more to do with Ottawa’s struggles than anything, but Murray sewed the seeds.
All in all, the move reminds me of two things: a year ago, when the Habs were struggling, and underachieving, and everyone thought Guy Carbonneau had lost the room. New rumours popped up every day about Carbo’s impending axing, which never materialized, and now the Habs are nipping at the Sens’ heels. Alternately, it reminds me of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns making a move to get the rapidly aging and declining Shaquille O’Neal, sensing their championship window is slamming shut. Does the Sens’ brass feel the same way about their own championship window?
Either way, the smart money says the Senators are regretting this decision sooner than they’re celebrating it.
Then there was much speculation about winners, losers and in-betweens on deadline day, which led to speculation about which head coaches and general managers were running out of time with their current teams.
There was quite a bit of speculation during TSN’s broadcast Tuesday that Senators head coach John Paddock wouldn’t make it to the weekend with a job. Over here, we couldn’t see it happening.
Which leads us to this week’s biggest over-reaction: the Senators have indeed fired their first-year head coach after a mere 64 games.
Former head coach and current GM Bryan Murray will step back behind the Ottawa bench-- since he was so successful there last June.
The word is that Paddock lost the Sens’ dressing room, that the players weren’t willing to play for him anymore. And yes, Paddock allowed the goaltending situation to become the goaltending controversy, which probably has more to do with Ottawa’s struggles than anything, but Murray sewed the seeds.
All in all, the move reminds me of two things: a year ago, when the Habs were struggling, and underachieving, and everyone thought Guy Carbonneau had lost the room. New rumours popped up every day about Carbo’s impending axing, which never materialized, and now the Habs are nipping at the Sens’ heels. Alternately, it reminds me of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns making a move to get the rapidly aging and declining Shaquille O’Neal, sensing their championship window is slamming shut. Does the Sens’ brass feel the same way about their own championship window?
Either way, the smart money says the Senators are regretting this decision sooner than they’re celebrating it.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Deadline madness
I think it’s safe to say Tuesday’s trading deadline saw more than a flurry of activity. More like a blizzard. Let’s see how each team fared.
Anaheim made out pretty well, picking up a reliable backup goaltender in J-S Aubin from Los Angeles, and defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron from the Islanders-- for only a pair of draft picks. While it’s generally accepted that Bergeron has no idea where his own blue line is, he provides a great point man for the Ducks’ power play. Bergeron lets the Ducks use Scott Neidermayer more sparingly, and lets Francois Beauchemin get back to doing what he does best: playing big, mean, physical defense. In other moves, the Ducks moved Brandon Bochenski to Nashville for futures, and sent Brandon Segal and a pick to the Lightning for Jay Leach.
Atlanta scored huge in the Marian Hossa sweepstakes, despite losing Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen can step right into the Thrashers’ top six, though neither player addresses the biggest problem Atlanta has had for years: the Thrashers still don’t have anyone to play with Ilya Kovalchuk. Maybe Angelo Esposito can become that player, but he probably has another full season before he’s NHL-ready. Maybe they’ll hit a home run with the first-round pick they got in the deal. In a minor move, the Thrashers sent Alex Giroux to Washington for Joe Motzko.
Boston stayed out of the fray, and will likely be better off for having done so.
Buffalo finally traded a soon-to-be free agent. In moving Brian Campbell to San Jose, the Sabres’ defense corps suffered a huge blow (is Jaro Spacek their new number one?), but the Sabres got good value in return. Not just a roster player in Steve Bernier, but a guy that can ride shotgun with Tom Vanek for several years to come. Bernier is off the pace many expected from him, but he’s a big body, with a big shot, and a big arsenal of moves.
Calgary had no assets to move, and they’ll stay the course this season. Should be an interesting summer…
Carolina’s big move was the Stillman-Corvo trade, but their small move to acquire Tuomo Ruutu from Chicago for Andrew Ladd was a good one for both teams. Both players are still young, and still have a lot of potential. The change of scenery could be a boon for both.
Chicago, as noted, made a nice deal to get Andrew Ladd from Carolina. It’s hard to believe they only got a sixth-round pick for Marty Lapointe though.
Colorado shuffled their blue line, sending Karlis Skrastins (a SWS favourite) and a pick to Florida for Ruslan Salei (another SWS favourite). Both teams get a good defenseman that may still have some game left. The Avs also sent a pile of conditional picks to Columbus for Adam Foote. Now if only they can lure Mike Ricci, Adam Deadmarsh and Patrick Roy out of retirement…
Columbus has faded from the Western playoff race a little, and moving Sergei Fedorov and Adam Foote just made sense. The conditional pick for Foote, and prospect Ted Ruth for Fedorov are both nice acquisitions heading into a potentially big summer for the Jackets.
Dallas landed one of the most coveted fish in the trade waters: former Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards. Richards becomes the likely successor to Mike Modano’s throne in Dallas, and should thrive in the Stars’ defensive system. The Stars also got Johan Holmqvist in the deal to back up Marty Turco. The Stars did send three roster players to Tampa, goalie Mike Smith, forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern, and a fourth-round pick.
Detroit scored Brad Stuart from Los Angeles for a pair of draft picks. Stuart is a slick puck-mover, and provides an extra offensive bump from the blue line while Nik Lidstrom is sidelined. Also, the last time Detroit got a defenseman from LA, it worked out pretty well (Mathieu Schneider). A good move for the Wings that adds some flexibility to their power play.
Edmonton is screwed.
Florida picked up Karlis Skrastins in the Ruslan Salei deal, and grabbed a pair of Maple Leafs for draft picks. Wade Belak and Chad Kilger may prove more valuable than the last pair of Leafs the Panthers picked up (Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk).
Los Angeles was expected to hold a more comprehensive firesale, but did well to add three draft picks for a backup goalie (J-S Aubin) and a defenseman that just wasn’t working out (Brad Stuart).
Minnesota decided Derek Boogaard just isn’t intimidating enough, so they sent a sixth-round pick to the Islanders for Chris Simon. If Simon has his act together, he will be a very valuable player in the post-season.
Montreal inexplicably traded Cristobal Huet to Washington for a second-round pick without acquiring a veteran backup. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this trade since it broke, and I don’t think I’ll ever understand it.
Nashville scored perennial underachievers Brandon Bochenski from Nasvhille and Jan Hlavac from Tampa Bay for a pick and futures. The Predators are one of the teams on the Western Conference playoff bubble, and it’s hard to believe they didn’t make a more significant move (unless the team is trying to get out of their lease by icing the most unwatchable team in league history).
New Jersey made the first deal of the day, sending Cam Janssen (a SWS favourite) to St. Louis for Bryce Salvador. Any time you can send a borderline third-line forward out for a bona fide third defenseman, you’ve gotta make that deal. Very good deal for the Devils, whose back end is looking a lot more solid today.
The New York Islanders did well to pick up Rob Davison from San Jose for a pick. The Bay was never the right place for Davison, who is a young and serviceable defender with tremendous upside. The Isles also added draft picks from the Wild for Chris Simon and from Anaheim for Marc-Andre Bergeron. Even with Bergeron, the Isles had the league’s 26th-ranked power play. Moving him for any kind of an asset makes sense.
The New York Rangers completed the trifecta of five-player deals sending goaltending prospect Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa to Phoenix for Josh Gratton, Freddy Sjostrom, goaltending prospect David LeNeveu and a conditional pick. None of whom solve any of the Rangers’ problems. At absolute best, this was a lateral move by the Rangers. The Rangers did replace the seemingly black-listed Marek Malik by acquiring Christian Backman from St. Louis. Backman is yet to play a full season, but seems due to break out offensively at any time.
Ottawa’s lone deal was to acquire Marty Lapointe for a sixth-round pick. I really thought they’d try to move one of their goalies. This may be one of those incredibly astute moves that pays huge dividends in June. But then again, it may just be one of those deals where a contender picks up an aging vet that doesn’t really help at all.
Philadelphia made their move the night before the deadline, giving up way too much for Vinny Prospal. In 774 career games, Prospal has scored 175 goals and 540 points. Pretty good numbers at first glance. A closer look though, reveals Vinny loves playing in Tampa. In 386 games with the Lightning, Prospal has 108 goals and 326 points compared to just 67 goals and 214 points in 388 games with Philly, Ottawa, Florida and Anaheim. The Flyers sent a pick, and a very promising defensive prospect to Tampa, and got fleeced (probably payback for making Kevin Lowe look so bad in the Jason Smith trade).
Phoenix made just the big trade with the Rangers, and the future looks bright in the blue paint with Ilya Bryzgalov now, and Al Montoya in the future. Marcel Hossa probably won’t ever do anything in the desert, but neither did the three guys going the other way in this trade (Josh Gratton, Freddy Sjostrom, David Leneveu).
Pittsburgh gave up a lot in Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito and three draft picks to land Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis and Hal Gill, but the dividends should start rolling in soon. Gill is on his way back to being underrated, and beside Mark Eaton makes a nice pair of towering defensemen in Pittsburgh. Dupuis has never really found his stride, and Hossa is one of the game’s elite scorers. So for those keeping track at home, the Penguins now boast Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Hossa.
San Jose’s deal to get Brian Campbell is among the best trades ever. They paid a pretty steep price in Steve Bernier and a first-rounder, but Campbell is a very good defenseman with nearly limitless potential. Playing alongside Craig Rivet will team Campbell how to grow proper hockey hair, which is clearly the next step in his evolution as one of the league’s best blue liners. Also like Rivet, it will do Campbell a lot of good to get out of a tough hockey market, and into a fun-in-the-sun, we-love-everything-our-team-does market like San Jose. In the Rob Davison trade, the Sharks picked up their second seventh-round pick of the 2008 draft.
St. Louis unloaded defensemen Christian Backman and Bryce Salvador for a pick and Cam Janssen. The Blues’ defense has not been good for quite some time now, and it’s pretty amazing their defensemen always draw so much attention at the deadline. Look for the Blues to inch closer to the lottery with each passing day for the rest of this season.
Tampa Bay is also looking forward to the lottery. I have no idea what Jay Feaster is doing, and despite the 2004 Stanley Cup win, I don’t think he knows what he’s doing either. That said, getting Mike Smith from Dallas was a great move, and getting Jeff Halpern (finally someone to play defense) and Jussi Jokinen thrown into the deal for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist was equally good. Smith should stabilize the goaltending, Halpern will help the penalty kill, and Jokinen could really break out playing with a Vinny Lecavalier, but it’s still tough to see the Bolts going anywhere.
Toronto can thank Mats Sundin for their lackluster day. That said, hats off to Cliff Fletcher for getting four draft picks for Wade Belak, Chad Kilger and Hal Gill. Dear Mats: next time the Leafs are trying to move a bunch of guys with no-movement clauses, keep it to yourself that you’re not waiving yours so maybe Darcy or Bryan will waive theirs.
Vancouver made a minor move with Washington, swapping third liners Matt Cooke and Matt Pettinger. Pettinger doesn’t do much for Vancouver that their 15 other third liners aren’t.
Washington gets SWS’s nod as the official winner of deadline day. The Capitals picked up an all-star goalie in Cristobal Huet-- for a second-round pick, Sergei Fedorov for a prospect, and upgraded one of their third-liners. Huet is good enough to carry just about any team to the playoffs, and automatically gives Washington the best goaltending in the Southeast. Fedorov should find qualities playing beside Alex Ovechkin that resemble those offered by a fountain of youth. And Matt Cooke allows the Caps to stop sending Donald Brashear onto the ice. Despite their current five-point deficit (with two games in hand), the Caps will win the Southeast.
Anaheim made out pretty well, picking up a reliable backup goaltender in J-S Aubin from Los Angeles, and defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron from the Islanders-- for only a pair of draft picks. While it’s generally accepted that Bergeron has no idea where his own blue line is, he provides a great point man for the Ducks’ power play. Bergeron lets the Ducks use Scott Neidermayer more sparingly, and lets Francois Beauchemin get back to doing what he does best: playing big, mean, physical defense. In other moves, the Ducks moved Brandon Bochenski to Nashville for futures, and sent Brandon Segal and a pick to the Lightning for Jay Leach.
Atlanta scored huge in the Marian Hossa sweepstakes, despite losing Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen can step right into the Thrashers’ top six, though neither player addresses the biggest problem Atlanta has had for years: the Thrashers still don’t have anyone to play with Ilya Kovalchuk. Maybe Angelo Esposito can become that player, but he probably has another full season before he’s NHL-ready. Maybe they’ll hit a home run with the first-round pick they got in the deal. In a minor move, the Thrashers sent Alex Giroux to Washington for Joe Motzko.
Boston stayed out of the fray, and will likely be better off for having done so.
Buffalo finally traded a soon-to-be free agent. In moving Brian Campbell to San Jose, the Sabres’ defense corps suffered a huge blow (is Jaro Spacek their new number one?), but the Sabres got good value in return. Not just a roster player in Steve Bernier, but a guy that can ride shotgun with Tom Vanek for several years to come. Bernier is off the pace many expected from him, but he’s a big body, with a big shot, and a big arsenal of moves.
Calgary had no assets to move, and they’ll stay the course this season. Should be an interesting summer…
Carolina’s big move was the Stillman-Corvo trade, but their small move to acquire Tuomo Ruutu from Chicago for Andrew Ladd was a good one for both teams. Both players are still young, and still have a lot of potential. The change of scenery could be a boon for both.
Chicago, as noted, made a nice deal to get Andrew Ladd from Carolina. It’s hard to believe they only got a sixth-round pick for Marty Lapointe though.
Colorado shuffled their blue line, sending Karlis Skrastins (a SWS favourite) and a pick to Florida for Ruslan Salei (another SWS favourite). Both teams get a good defenseman that may still have some game left. The Avs also sent a pile of conditional picks to Columbus for Adam Foote. Now if only they can lure Mike Ricci, Adam Deadmarsh and Patrick Roy out of retirement…
Columbus has faded from the Western playoff race a little, and moving Sergei Fedorov and Adam Foote just made sense. The conditional pick for Foote, and prospect Ted Ruth for Fedorov are both nice acquisitions heading into a potentially big summer for the Jackets.
Dallas landed one of the most coveted fish in the trade waters: former Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards. Richards becomes the likely successor to Mike Modano’s throne in Dallas, and should thrive in the Stars’ defensive system. The Stars also got Johan Holmqvist in the deal to back up Marty Turco. The Stars did send three roster players to Tampa, goalie Mike Smith, forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern, and a fourth-round pick.
Detroit scored Brad Stuart from Los Angeles for a pair of draft picks. Stuart is a slick puck-mover, and provides an extra offensive bump from the blue line while Nik Lidstrom is sidelined. Also, the last time Detroit got a defenseman from LA, it worked out pretty well (Mathieu Schneider). A good move for the Wings that adds some flexibility to their power play.
Edmonton is screwed.
Florida picked up Karlis Skrastins in the Ruslan Salei deal, and grabbed a pair of Maple Leafs for draft picks. Wade Belak and Chad Kilger may prove more valuable than the last pair of Leafs the Panthers picked up (Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk).
Los Angeles was expected to hold a more comprehensive firesale, but did well to add three draft picks for a backup goalie (J-S Aubin) and a defenseman that just wasn’t working out (Brad Stuart).
Minnesota decided Derek Boogaard just isn’t intimidating enough, so they sent a sixth-round pick to the Islanders for Chris Simon. If Simon has his act together, he will be a very valuable player in the post-season.
Montreal inexplicably traded Cristobal Huet to Washington for a second-round pick without acquiring a veteran backup. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this trade since it broke, and I don’t think I’ll ever understand it.
Nashville scored perennial underachievers Brandon Bochenski from Nasvhille and Jan Hlavac from Tampa Bay for a pick and futures. The Predators are one of the teams on the Western Conference playoff bubble, and it’s hard to believe they didn’t make a more significant move (unless the team is trying to get out of their lease by icing the most unwatchable team in league history).
New Jersey made the first deal of the day, sending Cam Janssen (a SWS favourite) to St. Louis for Bryce Salvador. Any time you can send a borderline third-line forward out for a bona fide third defenseman, you’ve gotta make that deal. Very good deal for the Devils, whose back end is looking a lot more solid today.
The New York Islanders did well to pick up Rob Davison from San Jose for a pick. The Bay was never the right place for Davison, who is a young and serviceable defender with tremendous upside. The Isles also added draft picks from the Wild for Chris Simon and from Anaheim for Marc-Andre Bergeron. Even with Bergeron, the Isles had the league’s 26th-ranked power play. Moving him for any kind of an asset makes sense.
The New York Rangers completed the trifecta of five-player deals sending goaltending prospect Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa to Phoenix for Josh Gratton, Freddy Sjostrom, goaltending prospect David LeNeveu and a conditional pick. None of whom solve any of the Rangers’ problems. At absolute best, this was a lateral move by the Rangers. The Rangers did replace the seemingly black-listed Marek Malik by acquiring Christian Backman from St. Louis. Backman is yet to play a full season, but seems due to break out offensively at any time.
Ottawa’s lone deal was to acquire Marty Lapointe for a sixth-round pick. I really thought they’d try to move one of their goalies. This may be one of those incredibly astute moves that pays huge dividends in June. But then again, it may just be one of those deals where a contender picks up an aging vet that doesn’t really help at all.
Philadelphia made their move the night before the deadline, giving up way too much for Vinny Prospal. In 774 career games, Prospal has scored 175 goals and 540 points. Pretty good numbers at first glance. A closer look though, reveals Vinny loves playing in Tampa. In 386 games with the Lightning, Prospal has 108 goals and 326 points compared to just 67 goals and 214 points in 388 games with Philly, Ottawa, Florida and Anaheim. The Flyers sent a pick, and a very promising defensive prospect to Tampa, and got fleeced (probably payback for making Kevin Lowe look so bad in the Jason Smith trade).
Phoenix made just the big trade with the Rangers, and the future looks bright in the blue paint with Ilya Bryzgalov now, and Al Montoya in the future. Marcel Hossa probably won’t ever do anything in the desert, but neither did the three guys going the other way in this trade (Josh Gratton, Freddy Sjostrom, David Leneveu).
Pittsburgh gave up a lot in Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito and three draft picks to land Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis and Hal Gill, but the dividends should start rolling in soon. Gill is on his way back to being underrated, and beside Mark Eaton makes a nice pair of towering defensemen in Pittsburgh. Dupuis has never really found his stride, and Hossa is one of the game’s elite scorers. So for those keeping track at home, the Penguins now boast Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Hossa.
San Jose’s deal to get Brian Campbell is among the best trades ever. They paid a pretty steep price in Steve Bernier and a first-rounder, but Campbell is a very good defenseman with nearly limitless potential. Playing alongside Craig Rivet will team Campbell how to grow proper hockey hair, which is clearly the next step in his evolution as one of the league’s best blue liners. Also like Rivet, it will do Campbell a lot of good to get out of a tough hockey market, and into a fun-in-the-sun, we-love-everything-our-team-does market like San Jose. In the Rob Davison trade, the Sharks picked up their second seventh-round pick of the 2008 draft.
St. Louis unloaded defensemen Christian Backman and Bryce Salvador for a pick and Cam Janssen. The Blues’ defense has not been good for quite some time now, and it’s pretty amazing their defensemen always draw so much attention at the deadline. Look for the Blues to inch closer to the lottery with each passing day for the rest of this season.
Tampa Bay is also looking forward to the lottery. I have no idea what Jay Feaster is doing, and despite the 2004 Stanley Cup win, I don’t think he knows what he’s doing either. That said, getting Mike Smith from Dallas was a great move, and getting Jeff Halpern (finally someone to play defense) and Jussi Jokinen thrown into the deal for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist was equally good. Smith should stabilize the goaltending, Halpern will help the penalty kill, and Jokinen could really break out playing with a Vinny Lecavalier, but it’s still tough to see the Bolts going anywhere.
Toronto can thank Mats Sundin for their lackluster day. That said, hats off to Cliff Fletcher for getting four draft picks for Wade Belak, Chad Kilger and Hal Gill. Dear Mats: next time the Leafs are trying to move a bunch of guys with no-movement clauses, keep it to yourself that you’re not waiving yours so maybe Darcy or Bryan will waive theirs.
Vancouver made a minor move with Washington, swapping third liners Matt Cooke and Matt Pettinger. Pettinger doesn’t do much for Vancouver that their 15 other third liners aren’t.
Washington gets SWS’s nod as the official winner of deadline day. The Capitals picked up an all-star goalie in Cristobal Huet-- for a second-round pick, Sergei Fedorov for a prospect, and upgraded one of their third-liners. Huet is good enough to carry just about any team to the playoffs, and automatically gives Washington the best goaltending in the Southeast. Fedorov should find qualities playing beside Alex Ovechkin that resemble those offered by a fountain of youth. And Matt Cooke allows the Caps to stop sending Donald Brashear onto the ice. Despite their current five-point deficit (with two games in hand), the Caps will win the Southeast.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Tuesday evening grab-bag
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Way to go, New York. Who needs a 5-0 lead anyway?
Sorry, had to get that out of the way. Three things today:
The 2009 World Baseball Classic has confirmed all 16 participating teams, including Canada. That’s good-enough news. Even better is the rumour the Rogers Centre in Toronto will host preliminary-round games!
While Major League Baseball’s February-to-November schedule (including spring training and the World Series) is not particularly accommodating to a major-league level international tournament, it’s nice to see the Major Leagues seem to be committed to making the Classic work. I got a real kick out of it the first time around, and I’ll be sure to enjoy it again next spring. If some of the games are going to be in Toronto, I know I’d like to be there too.
It’s going to be great for baseball in Canada. Grassroots baseball in this country took a big hit with the strike in 1994. Coming off back-to-back titles by exciting and likeable Blue Jays teams, and with a bright future in Montreal, the rug got yanked out from under baseball in Canada. But we’ve produced some very talented players in recent years: enough, even, to field a competitive team at the World Baseball Classic. A strong season from the managerially-crippled Blue Jays in 2008, coupled with a strong showing by the Canadian side in Toronto next spring, just may help baseball find its way back to the spotlight in this country, and that’s a good thing.
Another good thing: the return of Indy cars! Today, the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series announced a tentative agreement to merge. Years ago, there was just one circuit, then open-wheel racing split into the crappy IRL, and crappier Champ Car series (which, seemingly, has had as many names in the span as Britney Spears has had mental breakdowns in the last six months). I’m not a big fan of auto racing, but open-wheel racing is pretty bad-ass. And one marginally-good circuit is better for fans, than two crappy circuits.
And lastly, the first big trade of the NHL trading season came down last week when Ottawa picked up Cory Stillman from Carolina. I don’t have much to say about that trade as it seems to have been a lateral move for Ottawa. I will offer some thoughts on Tuesday’s trade between Los Angeles and Philadelphia. This was a good deal for Philly. Kimmo Timonen has not been the guy the Flyers thought they were getting, but having the slick, puck-moving Jaro Modry to back him up in a fourth-d role should help both guys. Modry’s lost a step by any measure, and is not particularly effective in his own end anymore. But he still makes a good first pass, and is a nice addition to the Flyers’ ailing defense corps, for a relatively small price (a third-round pick). Good move by the Flyers today.
Tuesday saw a bunch of big wins for fans of the Montreal Canadiens, international and Canadian baseball, open-wheel auto racing, and the Philadelphia Flyers (save for that OT loss to Ottawa that stretched their losing skid to eight games).
From here on out, full trade deadline coverage is in full effect.
Sorry, had to get that out of the way. Three things today:
The 2009 World Baseball Classic has confirmed all 16 participating teams, including Canada. That’s good-enough news. Even better is the rumour the Rogers Centre in Toronto will host preliminary-round games!
While Major League Baseball’s February-to-November schedule (including spring training and the World Series) is not particularly accommodating to a major-league level international tournament, it’s nice to see the Major Leagues seem to be committed to making the Classic work. I got a real kick out of it the first time around, and I’ll be sure to enjoy it again next spring. If some of the games are going to be in Toronto, I know I’d like to be there too.
It’s going to be great for baseball in Canada. Grassroots baseball in this country took a big hit with the strike in 1994. Coming off back-to-back titles by exciting and likeable Blue Jays teams, and with a bright future in Montreal, the rug got yanked out from under baseball in Canada. But we’ve produced some very talented players in recent years: enough, even, to field a competitive team at the World Baseball Classic. A strong season from the managerially-crippled Blue Jays in 2008, coupled with a strong showing by the Canadian side in Toronto next spring, just may help baseball find its way back to the spotlight in this country, and that’s a good thing.
Another good thing: the return of Indy cars! Today, the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series announced a tentative agreement to merge. Years ago, there was just one circuit, then open-wheel racing split into the crappy IRL, and crappier Champ Car series (which, seemingly, has had as many names in the span as Britney Spears has had mental breakdowns in the last six months). I’m not a big fan of auto racing, but open-wheel racing is pretty bad-ass. And one marginally-good circuit is better for fans, than two crappy circuits.
And lastly, the first big trade of the NHL trading season came down last week when Ottawa picked up Cory Stillman from Carolina. I don’t have much to say about that trade as it seems to have been a lateral move for Ottawa. I will offer some thoughts on Tuesday’s trade between Los Angeles and Philadelphia. This was a good deal for Philly. Kimmo Timonen has not been the guy the Flyers thought they were getting, but having the slick, puck-moving Jaro Modry to back him up in a fourth-d role should help both guys. Modry’s lost a step by any measure, and is not particularly effective in his own end anymore. But he still makes a good first pass, and is a nice addition to the Flyers’ ailing defense corps, for a relatively small price (a third-round pick). Good move by the Flyers today.
Tuesday saw a bunch of big wins for fans of the Montreal Canadiens, international and Canadian baseball, open-wheel auto racing, and the Philadelphia Flyers (save for that OT loss to Ottawa that stretched their losing skid to eight games).
From here on out, full trade deadline coverage is in full effect.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Most Valuable Prettyboy??
I’m all for quarterback worship, and I’m all for just giving the Super Bowl-winning quarterback the MVP award from an aesthetic position. Typically, a team’s quarterback is their most visible and recognizable player, so it makes sense.
But Sunday night, it did not make sense to name Eli Manning the Super Bowl MVP, unless the P suddenly stands for “prettyboy.” And Super Bowl XLII was not, as NFL.com’s Vic Carucci called it, Eli’s “coronation.”
Yes, Eli threw for eight yards more than Peyton Manning did as last year’s Super Bowl MVP (255-to-247); and yes, he crushed Tom Brady’s 145-yard performance as Super Bowl XXXVI MVP; but his 19/34, and two touchdowns matches up well against Brett Favre’s 14/27 for 246 yards and two majors in Super Bowl XXXI-- and Favre lost out to a kick returner!
So why didn’t the voters give some love to the Giants’ defensive line, and defensive front seven?
They got to Brady for five sacks, and another dozen-and-a-half knockdowns and hurries. Brady, not exactly nimble, hadn’t been sacked five times in a game since September of 2003. En route to placing three offensive linemen in the Pro Bowl, the Patriots allowed Brady to be sacked just 24 times in their first 18 games this season.
The Giants held the Patriots to a mere 45 rushing yards, including three Pats rushes that were stopped for a loss. New England averaged 119 rushing yards per game heading into the Super Bowl, including 147 yards per game in their first two playoff games.
And of course, the Patriots were the overall offensive leaders in 2007, setting a single-season points record, as well as Brady and Randy Moss setting new individual touchdown records.
This was one of the most dominant offenses the NFL has ever seen, and the MVP voters couldn’t find one defensive player worthy of the honour? Even after the Giants came up with the game-sealing sack? A sack that seemed almost impossible to consider given the Pats’ play this season.
The Super Bowl MVP voters screwed this up worse than the Academy screwed up giving Sean Penn the best actor award for Mystic River (Johnny Depp’s first effort as Jack Sparrow should have won).
Oh well, one more reason to dislike the NFL.
But Sunday night, it did not make sense to name Eli Manning the Super Bowl MVP, unless the P suddenly stands for “prettyboy.” And Super Bowl XLII was not, as NFL.com’s Vic Carucci called it, Eli’s “coronation.”
Yes, Eli threw for eight yards more than Peyton Manning did as last year’s Super Bowl MVP (255-to-247); and yes, he crushed Tom Brady’s 145-yard performance as Super Bowl XXXVI MVP; but his 19/34, and two touchdowns matches up well against Brett Favre’s 14/27 for 246 yards and two majors in Super Bowl XXXI-- and Favre lost out to a kick returner!
So why didn’t the voters give some love to the Giants’ defensive line, and defensive front seven?
They got to Brady for five sacks, and another dozen-and-a-half knockdowns and hurries. Brady, not exactly nimble, hadn’t been sacked five times in a game since September of 2003. En route to placing three offensive linemen in the Pro Bowl, the Patriots allowed Brady to be sacked just 24 times in their first 18 games this season.
The Giants held the Patriots to a mere 45 rushing yards, including three Pats rushes that were stopped for a loss. New England averaged 119 rushing yards per game heading into the Super Bowl, including 147 yards per game in their first two playoff games.
And of course, the Patriots were the overall offensive leaders in 2007, setting a single-season points record, as well as Brady and Randy Moss setting new individual touchdown records.
This was one of the most dominant offenses the NFL has ever seen, and the MVP voters couldn’t find one defensive player worthy of the honour? Even after the Giants came up with the game-sealing sack? A sack that seemed almost impossible to consider given the Pats’ play this season.
The Super Bowl MVP voters screwed this up worse than the Academy screwed up giving Sean Penn the best actor award for Mystic River (Johnny Depp’s first effort as Jack Sparrow should have won).
Oh well, one more reason to dislike the NFL.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Gravey train
Go Rangers!
During Brian Leetch's number-retirement speech, Leetch let the cat out of the bag, and told his former teammate, and an all-time Sports With Steve legend, Adam Graves, that Graves' number 9 will be the next to hang from the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
Of late, number-retirements have been based almost solely on stats. Number retirement isn't about the stats. It's about what a player means to the team and the team's fans. Nobody is ever going to be blown away by Graves' 616 points in 1152 games, or even the 507 in 772 with the blueshirts.
But based on stats, and judging by Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, or Mario Lemiuex-like standards, one can make a case Maurice Richard's 965 points in 978 games shouldn't be enough for a number in the rafters.
No, Graves wasn't as culturally important, and no, Graves wasn't as purely talented, and no, Graves didn't raise the bar, and no, the NHL doesn't hand out the Adam Graves award annually. Heck, Graves never even had a real nickname.
He was just one of those guys. He played every game like it may be his last. He set a Rangers single-season goal record, and was named team MVP in both 1993, and their 1994 Stanley Cup season.
He wasn't the biggest name when he was a Ranger, and he wasn't the best player. But he was beloved. And it's a great day for fans of underdogs, fans of the good guy, and fans of guys that give it their all.
Now if only we could get the Rags to hang Brad Park's number...
During Brian Leetch's number-retirement speech, Leetch let the cat out of the bag, and told his former teammate, and an all-time Sports With Steve legend, Adam Graves, that Graves' number 9 will be the next to hang from the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
Of late, number-retirements have been based almost solely on stats. Number retirement isn't about the stats. It's about what a player means to the team and the team's fans. Nobody is ever going to be blown away by Graves' 616 points in 1152 games, or even the 507 in 772 with the blueshirts.
But based on stats, and judging by Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, or Mario Lemiuex-like standards, one can make a case Maurice Richard's 965 points in 978 games shouldn't be enough for a number in the rafters.
No, Graves wasn't as culturally important, and no, Graves wasn't as purely talented, and no, Graves didn't raise the bar, and no, the NHL doesn't hand out the Adam Graves award annually. Heck, Graves never even had a real nickname.
He was just one of those guys. He played every game like it may be his last. He set a Rangers single-season goal record, and was named team MVP in both 1993, and their 1994 Stanley Cup season.
He wasn't the biggest name when he was a Ranger, and he wasn't the best player. But he was beloved. And it's a great day for fans of underdogs, fans of the good guy, and fans of guys that give it their all.
Now if only we could get the Rags to hang Brad Park's number...
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
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?
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?
Monday, November 19, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
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.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
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.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
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 10th 11th 12th 13th 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 10th 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.
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