Trish Thornton's Sports Column Archives

Torch song

Seeing the names of hockey legends Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau in the headlines during the playoffs seems natural. But this week, when The Rocket and Le Gros Bill made the news, it wasn't for their firewagon hockey heroics. Beliveau is undergoing treatment for a cancerous tumor in his neck, and in another Montreal hospital, the doctors fear Richard's abdominal cancer may be back.

It never feels right when we realize that our heroes are human too. We don't want to think that they have weaknesses, that they are susceptible to tragedy and disease like the rest of us.

Two years ago the hockey world was preparing for bad news about the Rocket. The eulogies were written, the NHL ordered a trophy named for him, and we all know what happened: Richard beat it! He's been around to see 2 players win the hold-your-horses-I ain't-dead-yet Rocket Richard scoring trophy.

These guys are winners. One's a fighter and the other's a leader. And they both have that je-ne-sais-quoi Canadiens mystique that has always given Montreal legends an edge. Our money's still on you, Maurice et Jean!

To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high.

How're we doin' so far?

PHILADELPHIA VS. NEW JERSEY -- Not tonight, we've got a headache.

Okay, maybe it IS their year after all. There's nothing like a second-round, 5-period OT win to give a team character for the rest of the playoffs. And though the Flyers lost a dull one to the Devils in game one of round 2, their 4-3 win in game 2 may make all the difference. Was that the same New Jersey team that allowed only 6 shots on net in game 6 against the Leafs? Doesn't look that way. While Larry Robinson's efficient team of grinders and hypnotists look good on paper, they seem to be missing some good old fashioned character. And Philly is full of it! Andy Delmore, Brian Boucher and the aging Rick Tocchet are making hockey fans forget about Lindros and his concussion, Langkow and his concussion, Primeau and his concussion. We've long forgotten about the dysfunctional family feuds between Bob Clarke and Roger Neilson.

Maybe we'll have to stop making fun of these ne'er-do-wells in orange after all, even though Eric STILL won't lead' 'em to the Cup!

DALLAS VS. COLORADO -- Joe who?

In 1996, Joe Sakic led the Avs to their first Stanley Cup. He had 18 goals and 14 assists in the 22-game quest that saw him take home the Conn Smythe Trophy as well. But what have you done for us lately, Joe? In 12 games you have two goals and three assists, and you're minus-six! What gives? Going into the playoffs, we were sure that the Avs would go as far as Joe would take 'em. But something has happened -- maybe that planetary alignment thingy released ions into the already-thin Colorado air -- and they seem to be doing it without Joe. And without Bourque, for that matter!

The veteran defenceman missed the first two games of the third round with what we were led to believe was a minor knee injury. But with Adam Foote out with a nearly disastrous eye injury, Raymond will have to get back into the Avs lineup. Dallas is healthy and they may be able to take advantage of the weak Colorado blueline. What started as a walk in the park for the Avalanche may end up being a romp in the snow for the Stars. Unless Joe decides to show up....!

The fix is in...

Last week there was some kind of weird planetary alignment and this week there's a full moon. And it seems like these astrological forces are making the fans in the CTVSportsnet.com forums a little loony-toony. Conspiracy theories and fixed games in the NHL? No way, really?

Mark Rose says: "First of all, just let me state that am a huge hockey fan. But recently, I am tending to believe that the National Hockey League is being fixed. And I'll tell ya why I think that. It started in the 1993 Playoffs, when the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup. If you look back, you will see that 1992-93 was the100th Anniversary of the Stanley Cup. Did anybody else think it was a bit funny that the most storied franchise in history, the Montreal Canadiens, and the most storied player in history, Wayne Gretzky and his LA Kings were squaring off in the finals? Plus, the Leafs had a storied playoff run that year as well, only to be defeated in the Campbell Conference Finals. And what a storybook run it was for the Habs, winning 10 straight OT games in the playoffs, en route to yet another Cup. That was my first speculation. But this year takes the cake, so far. The Colorado Avalanche get Ray Bourque, and voila here they are in the Western Finals. I am not saying they don't deserve to be here, because they certainly do. But what a great chapter it will be when Ray Bourque lifts the Cup for the first time and Bob Cole says, " He battled thru 17 years of adversity in Boston, and overcame an injury in these playoffs and here is now, folks... Ray Bourque, Conn Smythe Trophy winner!" Gimme a break."

Iva Roa's head is in the clouds, too: "Then again, 1993 was the year that the LEAFS should have been in the finals against Montreal... that would have been the best. But Cary Fraser refused to throw Gretzky out of game 6 for high sticking Doug Gilmour, and he went on to score in overtime... that DOES sound like a fix to me... a fix of a different kind. That may have been the last time there was a possibility of a Montreal/Toronto final. And even if you hate both teams, it would have been great. BOO CARY FRASER!!!!!! And of course I'm not entirely a conspiracy theorist, but let's just say the NHL was happier (and richer) in 1993 when a US team played in the finals. I wonder how much they'd have lost from TV revenues if 2 Canadian teams were in the finals?"

what about last year? finishes by saying: "What about last year with the Dallas Stars winning the Cup. I am almost certain that was rigged. Bettman was probably jumping for joy when those Stars scored that goal. He wanted the media to come out on to the ice as soon as that goal was scored because everyone knew that Buffalo was going to make the comeback if they had scored in that game. And what about Florida making it to the finals in 96. They sucked!!! That must have been rigged somehow. Bettman wants hockey to be a league of the south and is losing its loyal fans up north because of it! So who cares about the Leafs not winning it in 93 because of Fraser, every loyal Canadian hockey fan should boo Bettman until he steps down as commissioner!!!"

Posted by trish at 09:45 AM | Permalink

If there's a God in heaven...

... please, oh please, don't let it be a New Jersey-Dallas final! Maybe it's because we're still recovering from the sedated state we were placed in during the Toronto-NJ series, but we keep thinking that hockey -- make that NHL hockey -- is still in big trouble. Two years ago, the NHL moved the nets out another foot from the boards to give skaters more room to put pucks in the net. This year during the regular season, Mr. Bettman and the league changed the rules in overtime to make the game more exciting, to get more pucks in the net.

Yet come the post-season, the time when hockey should be at its most thrilling, we're embarrassed to say we're hockey fans. We're starting to think "we gave up a beautifully sunny spring day for another grinding 1-0 game? Are we crazy?" Somehow the NHL never gets around to fixing what is really wrong with the good ol' hockey game. It's become a boring, dull, trap-filled win-by-attrition non-event that awards trophies to teams that put the audience to sleep.

Case in point: love 'em or hate 'em, the Toronto Maple Leafs played an exciting season of hockey. They put bums in seats all over the continent. Yet in the post season, the league allowed those exciting offensive-minded players to be covered in hot Devil oatmeal porridge game in and game out. Seems the refs are supposed to put their whistles away when a clutch-and-grab team has a one-goal lead. The league is asking a lot of us at playoff time, asking us to stay interested in four 7-game series that begin in early spring and end near July 1st. So again: oh please, oh please, don't let it be the Devils and the Stars come Canada Day!

We're not the only ones thinking this way. The fans in the CTVSportsnet.com forums aren't taking any prisoners either.

"my team is out" says:

"Blame expansion for the trapping. All it comes down to is trying to eke through a season. People don't draft based on offensive talent and speed, but most draft picks are about size and defensive capabilities. Drafting a bunch of speed players is too risky because if you don't win enough you might lose your job as GM. Everyone is covering their asses. Coaches don't wanna get fired to so they turn to trapping styles to get better W-L stats to keep their jobs and suddenly the owners wonder why the fan base is down even though your team is winning. It's really pathetic I think.... Now with 2 more expansion teams there's gonna be more big checkers up from the minor leagues filling in the spots and everything is gonna be that much more crappy. Right now everyone is a mirror image of each other aside from 2 or 3 stars on each team (aside from big market teams). I just beg to god that they don't make any more expansion teams before NHL turns into NFL where each year a different team is good and everything is totally unpredictable and lame....boring too."

Are we there yet? part 3

PHILADELPHIA VS. NEW JERSEY -- Will the real goalie please stand up?

We'll ask it again: who the heck is Andy Delmore? This past season was his rookie year with the Flyers. He played in 27 games and averaged .3 points a game. Well, now it's more like .3 points per shift! Philadelphia, which lost four of five games against the Devils this season, may have finally found the way to win a Stanley Cup. In the past, they bought muscle, they bought elite players, they bullied goalies and tried to bully the refs. No Cup.

So this year, they're doing it the old fashioned way: with unknown playoff heroes. John Druce anyone? Lonny Bohonos? With all the soap opera nonsense this season with Bob "don't call me Bobby" Clarke, Eric Lindros, Eric Desjardins and Keith Primeau, the little guys have gone unnoticed. Defenceman Andy Delmore and goalie Brian Boucher may just bring some brotherly love back to a franchise in turmoil. The obstacle, though, is a goalie with different stripes and a team in front of him that will do everything to keep orange and black fellas away from him. And though we like the fairy tales that can still surprise us at playoff time, it may just end up being the experience of Martin Brodeur versus the storybook high of little Brian Boucher.

And what's the chatter in the CTVSportsnet forums? Pensfan says: "I think you guys are underestimating New Jersey's size. They can just as easily match the Flyers in size, strength, and aggression and will likely outscore them too. The Devils have a much better goaltender as well. Boucher didn't have to do much in the pit series because the Pens didn't crowd the net and when they shot it was from a ways out and he almost never had to face a rebound. The Devils on the other hand will crash the net and have the size to outmuscle the Flyer "D" for the rebounds. This should be a rough and tough series but in the end the Devils will prove to be too much and once again as has happened so many times in the recent past, the Flyers will once again lose because of the lack of a big game money goalie and the tears will once again be flowing through the streets of Flyersville."

Got something to add? Rant and Rave in the Fan Forums at:
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DALLAS VS. COLORADO -- Speed versus... speed?

Look out Dallas, you're about to face your first post-season competition (no offence to the Oilers, who did give the Stars an early headache.) The LoneStar kids have some of the most talented players in the NHL right now with Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk and Eddie "spread 'em" Belfour playing their best hockey all year. They got enough goals to get past a depleted San Jose team, and played tough defensively in those close 1-goal (yawn) games. But the icemen cometh, wave after wave. While Dallas has 2 solid lines that can score from anywhere on the rink, the Avs have 4 lines that can kill you.

Centres Sakic, Forsberg and Drury can each cause plenty of damage on any given night. And then to have the choice of Tanguay or Yelle as your 4th line guy? Forget about it! On the wings: Deadmarsh, Hejduk and a hungry Andreychuk? Forget about it! A lot has been made of Ray Bourque's drive to the Cup, but this year, it looks like he's only one of many the Avs who are on missions.

As "armenius" says in the fan forum:

"Yup, Colorado. The Avs have something to prove, and they've been doing that ever since Bourque joined them. Here's a team that has still been built mostly by draft, and in my eyes, is still a small market team (Nords).. you just have to try to get around those horrible Denver fans at the games. A series where skill will actually win over smother and bore (and I hope that Modano, Nieuwendyk, Hatcher and Hull get pounded in the process.)" This is a team of players that may not be together much longer. Do they want it this year? You bet!

Calling all Hab fans! Or not.

What are we on about this time, you ask? It used to be that the Montreal Canadiens won a Stanley Cup in every year that ended with a 6 ('46, '56, '66, '76, '86.) That ended in '96 -- though Patrick Roy DID lead the Avs to victory that year. Another interesting Hab tidbit surrounding Cup wins is this: Montreal has never gone 7 years without winning the big one. Well, until this year. Since their unlikely win in '93, the Canadiens have been but a shadow of their firewagon ancestors. But maybe that Montreal Cup drive IS out there, just not in the La Belle Province. On behalf of Hab fans (and to allow non-Hab fans a snicker or two), we want to wish the following players, coaches and GMs good luck as they head into the conference finals:

John LeClair, Mark Recchi, Eric Desjardins, Patrick Roy, Guy Carbonneau, Dave Manson, Mike Keane, Kirk Muller, Scott Thornton, Bob Gainey, Claude Lemieux, Vladimir Malakhov, Larry Robinson.

'nuff said!

Posted by trish at 09:31 AM | Permalink

And the award goes to...

The nominees for all the NHL awards came out this week, right smack dab in the middle of round two. This happens every season, and it usually ruffles a few feathers in the fan world. You see, the votes go in before the playoffs start, so sometimes a Hart Trophy candidate or two have long been out of Cup contention, and because we're so excited about the playoffs, we forget the great seasons they had.

There's no question that Jaromir Jagr belongs on the list on any given day. Chris Pronger led the unlikely Blues to the very top of the standings. And Pavel Bure, well, he got the Panthers back into the playoffs for those hockey-rabid fans in southern Florida. Uh-huh.

But what about Curtis Joseph?  Wasn't he just about single-handedly
responsible for Toronto's strong season?  Wasn't it because of him that
the Leafs were actually able to play an exciting wide open game of hockey
in an otherwise trap-filled league? The Leafs had 6 players with 20 goals
or more; the defence crew was okay, but not nearly the strongest in the
east; so all year long the whole team depended on Cujo to keep them in
games and let 'em win.  Sure, he's on the Vezina list, but is that right
award for him? We don't think so. His numbers this year really aren't
Vezina numbers, he probably shouldn't win it at all.  This should have
been Joseph's Hart year.

The clever folks in the CTVSportsnet.com Fan Forums had a lot to say about
this year's NHL awards:

Freak thinks:
"I can't believe it. Pronger, Jagr, and Bure are in the running for the
Hart. While these guys are all important to their teams success I think
CUJO has contributed more. Without him the leafs would have been lucky to
make the playoffs. An offensive oriented team with no top-notch defencemen
can only survive if they have great goaltending. CUJO provided that. CUJO
lead his team to more points in the regular season than did Jagr or Bure.
The Blues attained more points but they had other important contributors
including Quenville (up for coach of the year) and Turek (up for Vezina).
The leafs have CUJO and no one to support him in his position. Of course
it is obvious why these mistakes are made - WRITERS do the voting."

Anonymous writes:
"I believe that the great defensive defencemen of the league such as Scott
Stevens, are being deprived of recognition they deserve in the form of an
award. When was the last time that a defenceman won an award purely
because of his defensive play? As long as I can remember, the Norris has
always gone to a d-man that was a high scorer. I suggest that the Norris
go to the top defensive defenceman in the league, and the NHL come up with
a new award for top scoring d-man. (possibly a Bobby Orr Award?)"

Got something to add?  Rant and Rave in the Fan Forums at:
(retired link)

For a complete list and more on the awards, visit:
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Tales from the 2nd round

TORONTO VS. NEW JERSEY -- Hop on the bandwagon

In round one, the Leafs were outshot and outplayed by Ottawa. Every Leafs fan knew it, but they all seemed OK with it because the Leafs won anyway.  In round 2, something changed.  For the first time the numbers really shook 'em up ... OUTSCORED!  By the New Jersey Trappers!  5-1 in the 3rd game!  Oh woe, oh horror!  People all around the city ... heck, all around the country jumped off that Toronto bandwagon ... you've never heard such moaning!  But maybe that's exactly what the team needed. Being throttled in a playoff game has made them realize they just can't sit around, get a goal or maybe 2 and let Cujo win it for them.  Wednesday's game had a different feel ... they forced those stingy Devils to play Leaf hockey and won the game (let's hear it for the unsung Jeff Farkas! Wuhoo!)  That's right, everyone, hop on the little Hogtown bandwagon again ... until the next game?

PHILADELPHIA VS. PITTSBURGH -- Standing on the shoulders of giants

The first star, Jaromir Jagr.  The 2nd star, Jaromir Jagr.  The third star ... OK, you get the picture.  Although he seems to score every time he steps on the ice, this is still a series about a lot of little guys ... on BOTH teams.  Had anyone ever heard of Andy Delmore before game 3's overtime Philly win?   Peter White anyone?  And who'd a thought Kent Manderville would have been the strongest Philly centre?  Pittsburgh may have the best player in the league playing his best hockey ever as team owner Mario Lemieux looks down from on high, but little Ron Tugnutt and that other guy Ottawa just threw into that trade... uh... what's his name again... Janne Laukkanen... are looking like the trade-deadline trophies. The odd thing about this series, though, is that going into game 4, neither team had won on home ice. Maybe Pittsburgh will be OK with that over 7 games!

COLORADO VS. DETROIT -- Who knew?

So this is the deal: Before the playoffs start, never believe anything you read or hear about shoulder and knee injuries.  This is especially helpful when picking your playoff pool teams.  Before the postseason started, Peter Forsberg was a doubtful starter.  Team doctors, trainers and coaches were pretty sketchy about just how serious the injury was. So here we are in the middle of round 2 -- well, maybe it's closer to the end for the Wings -- and who is the feistiest, most dangerous looking player on the ice?  Forsberg of course. He's a plus-4 and has 9 points in 8 games so far -- he did miss the first game of the playoffs. And did I pick him in the office pool?  Of course not! So now that we hear that veteran defenceman Ray Bourque has a bad knee, what does that mean?  Golf time for Detroit, and a drink from The Cup?

DALLAS VS. SAN JOSE -- Wake us when it's over

Maybe it's because these games are always played on beautiful Saturday afternoons, or they're on west coast time, which is bedtime for a lot of us, but does anyone besides Mike Ricci's hairdresser care about this series?  Okay, that's harsh, there was an opening 4-0 game and Owen Nolan IS having a great postseason and Eddie the spread-eagle is looking unbeatable between the pipes. But if we have to take yet another scoreless period of crap-trap hockey, we might just switch to the basketball playoffs!

Posted by trish at 06:39 AM | Permalink

That's the way the puck bounces...

Talk about your Ice Follies! The first round of the 2000 playoffs saw pucks thrown in the net, pucks deflecting off bums -- literally, not figuratively -- into the net, and pucks ripping through the mesh at the side of the net. And when goals like that happen in the playoffs, you know there are going to be upsets. The darlings of the CTVSportsnet.com newsletters both lost in the first round when things just didn't bounce their way. Jaromir Jagr's cross-ice pass from the left wing hit Calle Johansson just below the left butt-cheek and ended up behind Olie the Goalie ending the season for the Washington Capitals, the early Eastern Conference favourites. And in the West... well good golly! St. Louis Blues defenceman Marc Bergevin threw the puck into his own net in one game, and bobbled another one in his mitts in the final game that led to a 2-on-0 for the Sharks and the winning goal. Those incidents coupled with a handful of nutty deflections sent the Blues to the greens Tuesday in a surprising first-round upset.

And don't ever bring up the John LeClair goal to a Sabres fan if you know what's good for you. After an off-season of whining about last year's missed call in the final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the poor Buffaloes will spend another summer crying foul about the puck that exploded off LeClair's stick and ripped through the mesh beside Hasek. We can smell a lot of therapy for Lindy Ruff during his long golf season.

Into Round 2

TORONTO VS. NEW JERSEY - Dog Trap
When captain Scott Stevens was the leading scorer in a first-round series, you know the league's in trouble. Especially when one of the NHL's most exciting players was in the same series. Pavel Bure had only 4 points in 4 games because when he picked up the puck and headed down the ice, he got caught in that annoying playoff phenomenon called the New Jersey trap. And fans are expected to pay $100 a seat for this kind of entertainment?

Well, not so fast. If any team is going to beat this trap, it's Stumpy and the kids from Hogtown. Ottawa plays the same kind of game that the Devils do, and the Leafs found a way to win. The Leafs will have to take chances in the centre ice zone which could make them vulnerable to turnovers and odd-man rushes at their net. But when the Cujo is between the pipes, maybe the risk is worth taking.

PHILADELPHIA VS. PITTSBURGH - Eric who?
The CTVSportsnet.com editorial team has always had the sneaky suspicion that Eric Lindros would NEVER captain a team to ANY championship. Whether it's the Flyers to the Cup™ or Team Canada to the gold, the guy just somehow can't pull it off. So now the boys from Philly are led by a different Eric, and it looks like they may be the best in the East after all. And while we feel badly for the Big E's battered and beaten body and the psyche-bashing he's endured from GM Bobby Clarke, we can't help but gloat at our pre-season hunch. Sorry, Eric.

The Pens, however, are out to prove they're still one of the elite teams in the NHL. The Battle of Pennsylvania will be a David and Goliath affair. The giant brutes on a team with all the money facing a squad of smaller highly-skilled skaters on a team that is up to its eyeballs in debt. Hmmm... the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

COLORADO VS. DETROIT - Lotsa Rest for the Wicked
Okay, poolies, how many of you picked Lapointe in your draft? Or Draper? Well this Detroit playoff team is showing everyone that any one of their players, 1st string to 4th, can win a game in the post season. Which makes the coaches breathe easier when they look down in their net and see the inconsistent Chris Osgoode.

However, their round 2 opponents will not be as generous as those LA-LA Kings. In fact, the Colorado Avalance may be the best team left in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with or without Forsberg! They've had injuries all year long, but now they're collectively healthy and rested which is crucial in a long playoff campaign. As always, Patrick Roy can NEVER and we mean NEVER be counted out in the playoffs. He's won 3 Cups already, 2 of them single-handedly... and this year he's got a hungry Ray Bourque in front of him. And what about the young'uns... had anyone heard of Alex Tanguay before April? You might want to update your hockey pools!

DALLAS VS. SAN JOSE - The Former Hab-Captain Series
And speaking of playoff pools, Kirk Muller anyone? Or if he's been taken, why not pick up Guy Carbonneau for cheap? These 2 Dallas geezers are skating like 20-year-olds and putting up numbers that should put most teams to shame. Oh, and while we're at it, Mike Keane may still be up for grabs. On the other side of the ice, Vince Damphousse and the upstarts from the Silicon Valley upset Pierre Turgeon and the President's Trophy winners this week. There is no reason why they won't surprise the defending Cup champs in this 2nd round. Already, the Sharks have nothing to lose, while their big-shot opponents have everything to prove. This one could go either way.... really! So if you don't know who to cheer for, just start chanting: GO HABS GO!

Posted by trish at 05:11 PM | Permalink

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be

When the NHL first expanded from six teams to 12 (was that really 32 years ago? Egads!), the league brass did a very strange thing. The original six were put in one conference and the newbies were put in another. So come the Stanley Cup Finals, some poor expansion team would have to face the best of the 6 and be humiliated night after night coast to coast to coast.

In 1968, 1969 and 1970, that poor team was the St. Louis Blues. Led by Red Berenson, the Plager brothers, Glenn Hall, Jacques Plante and coach Scotty Bowman, the Blues went down 4-straight each time -- twice to Montreal, and once to Boston (remember the Bobby Orr flying goal?) Mercifully, the league decided to change the current divisions and save St. Louis from further embarrassment.

Fast forward to the year 2000. St. Louis has come out on top of their conference for the first time since those early days. But this time, they're IN the strongest conference. And while that's a good thing, it could also lead to heartbreak again. True, they beat out the best in the entire NHL to win the President's Trophy, but they will have to face any or almost all of Detroit, Dallas and Colorado just to get into the finals.

Yikes!

Now we're not here to make predictions or anything, and we're not supposed to out-and-out cheer for any one team, but for old-times sake, we're going to cross our little CTVSportsnet.com fingers and hope that Chris Pronger and his mates won't be singing the blues in June.

Meanwhile, in the East...

What were the Flyers thinking? Couldn't they have thrown a couple of games at the end of the season so that they wouldn't have to face Buffalo in the first round? Don't they remember 1998 when the Sabres trashed their sorry asses even with Lindros in the lineup? Dominik Hasek is on another tear, winning Player of the Week honours for the last week of the season. Why would anyone want to face that momentum in the first round? We're sure the New Jersey Devils were more than happy to finish in 4th place rather than 1st on that last day of the regular season. In playoff history, Bure isn't quite as overwhelming as the Dominator.

CTVSportsnet.com's Steve Milton certainly has something to say about the first round matchups:

"The primary ingredients of an upset pie include a goaltender who can't or won't be beaten; coming into the first round on a roll; success on the road; strong penalty killing; an attractive power play and a favourable season's record against your opponent.

None of the lower-half teams in this year's playoffs have all of the above, but Buffalo has the first four of the six, and Philly -- sans Lindros and avec a rookie goalie -- must be a little worried. Make that a lot worried."

Read more at:
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Posted by trish at 05:04 PM | Permalink

And the award goes to...

Looks like the St. Louis Blues are going win the President's Trophy this year for the best record in the NHL. And while we're talking hardware, let's hand the Norris Trophy over to Chris Pronger, the Blues' charming gap-toothed defenceman. Wait, don't pull the trophy train away just yet. Roman Turek, Ed Belfour's bridesmaid last year, is waiting in line for the Vezina. And the Jennings.

Okay, since the flatbed of NHL silverware is still hanging about, we may as well unload the Adams Trophy on coach Joel Quenneville for leading this solid team to the top. There's no award for NHL brass, but St. Louis GM Larry Pleau got the next best thing this week when he landed a contract extension through the 2003-04 season.

Is this as good as it gets? Not quite. The pundits haven't quite given the Blues the shoe-in vote for the ultimate trophy yet. The Cup (TM) must be earned during the second season. And you can be sure none of these winners will give a hoot about any of these trophies if they don't win The Cup (TM.)

Who's hot...

* The Colorado Avalanche. Hmmm. Didn't we say that a couple of weeks ago? Probably. Nonetheless, we wouldn't want to be the Coyotes heading into the playoffs against these guys. They've won 5 in a row and have clinched the Smythe -- er, the Northwest -- Division by going 7-2-1 in the last 10. Joe Sakic has been putting pucks in the net, and Patrick Roy is still the best playoff goalie in the league. Moreover, these guys may be playing their last season together as free agency issues go Mile High next year. So look for the Avs to make one last glorious stand together.

And on a business note: Former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen are considering buying the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. This isn't the first time the two have tried to put together an offer for these franchises. They were unsuccessful in a bid last summer.

Who's not...

* Bob Clarke/Eric Lindros. Have you had enough? We have. In the continuing saga of the Broad Street Whiney-Pants: GM Bob (don't call me Bobby) Clarke thinks Eric Lindros should apologize to the Philadelphia Flyers' trainers and doctors for the comments he made about his treatment following a brain-numbing hit last month. Waa waa waa. Broad Street is looking more like Coronation Street these days.

But it's not just the two leading men making all the noise these days. Supporting players in this farce include new Flyer captain Eric Desjardins, who wasn't entirely subtle about his predecessor during his acceptance speech to the press; former Flyer Rod Brind'amour called the Big E a "great guy," then went on to praise the Flyers' trainers (the same ones who allowed him to play on a not-quite-ready-for-prime-time ankle). And, of course, Carl Lindros, Eric's agent, who should start acting more like Eric's dad.

A division of Titanic proportions

The tides have turned in the high Atlantic. At the beginning of the season, this division held the teams that were to be feared. The teams that were going to duke it out for the big drink out of The Cup (TM.) Nay, they are shadows of what they should have been, and as CTVSportsnet.com's Jake Daniel says, mere shadows of the teams from the late great Patrick Division:

"The Islanders were stacked to the rafters with talented and tenacious gunslingers cut from the cloth of the old west. Trottier, Bossy, Potvin and a couple of Sutter brothers crashed around Nassau Coliseum like every shift was their last. In Philadelphia, thuggery took on an almost heroic quality as Bobby Clarke and the Flyers brutalized their opponents a-la Al Capone. The New York Rangers, so long the laughing stock of the NHL, featured the spectacular front trio of Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield, as well as the second-greatest defenceman of a generation, Brad Park."

Read more at:
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In the corners

Now here's something novel: a list we never got around to this year. Since the injury-riddled 99-00 season is coming to an end next week, let's celebrate the folks who have NOT missed a game due to injury, suspension or jail time:

Tony Amonte
Stu Barnes
Valeri Bure
Chris Chelios
Vincent Damphousse
Andreas Dackell
Chris Drury
Jeff Friesen
Scott Gomez
Milan Hejduk
Jonas Hoglund
Alexei Kovalev
Martin Lapointe
Vincent Lecavalier
John Leclair
Sylvain Lefebvre
Claude Lemieux
Nicklas Lidstrom
Patrick Marleau
Markus Naslund
Adam Oates
Sandis Ozolinsh
Mark Recchi
Mike Ricci
Cliff Ronning
Ryan Smyth
Robert Svehla
Oleg Tverdovsky

(and if we've just jinxed any or all of the above, we are very, very, very sorry.)

On the boards:

1999-2000 will be remembered for a lot of things: concussions, suspensions, groins and Anna Kournikova. It was also the year the league changed the OT rules, bringing about exciting 4-on-4 hockey. The fans in the CTVSportsnet.com forum are wondering about overtime in the playoffs.

Gino Gennaro asks:
Should the NHL go 4 on 4 for playoff overtime?

cracker thinks:
No way, not when the game has no time limit. We've seen games go 3 or 4 overtimes. It would be impossible for the players. The playoffs are a big enough physical drain and furthermore I think overtime in the playoffs is one of the most exciting moments in all of sports. Why change it?
Ryan Kaiser made a good point:
I'd like to know how the NHL justifies breaking ties in one manner for the regular season, and another for the playoffs.

And the final word goes to heh who says:
They're just trying to up ratings. OT is not the solution to raising a fan base. Getting rid of slow hockey and stopping expansion is a better way. There use to only be enough talent to fill 6 teams, how do they expect for there to be enough talent in the NHL to fill a new team or 2 every year?? If they stop expanding for 10 years I think there will be some awesome hockey in 2010.

Posted by trish at 04:58 PM | Permalink

Money can't buy me love

With a $61-million payroll, you'd think a team would at least get into post season play. Well, those fat cats in New York, New York will be on the golf greens instead of the frozen confines of Madison Square Garden come April. And with four games remaining in this miserable season, the Rangers fired president/GM Neil Smith and head coach John Muckler. Are these guys to blame? Partly. Is there anything they could have done differently? Nope. This is the "New NHL" where decisions to spend big cash come from above.

A struggling team like New York succumbs to the NY media's whining by bringing in Fleury, Kamensky, Lefebvre etc. to ensure a drive to the Cup. Then they wind up with a mishmash of stars who need a season to get used to Leetch, Richter, Nedved and the rest of the Blue Shirts. Sorry guys, money can't buy you Cups.

Assistant coach John Tortorella will coach the team through the final four games while MSG president Dave Checketts said a new GM will be hired and will be responsible for picking the next coach. Good luck to him, poor guy.

(The Atlantic Division also saw another coach get his walking papers this past week. Robbie Ftorek has done a dismal job at keeping the Eastern Division-leading Devils motivated. And when a team stops playing for a coach, what do you do? Bring in Larry Robinson. Didn't Ftorek coach the Kings before Robinson took over? Hmmm???)

Who's hot...

* The Buffalo Sabres. Looks like they don't want to perpetuate the pattern of Eastern Conference Stanley Cup finalists who don't qualify for the playoffs the year after. They've had a stupid year that saw their big star Dominik Hasek announce his retirement then miss most of the season with a groin injury. Well, he sees the future in young Martin Biron, then decides he'll play another year. And when that tender spot "down there" heals, he comes back and brings the feisty team back into contention. Oh ya, Chris Gratton and Doug Gilmour have fit in well in the stretch too. All we know is that the first place Devils will NOT be happy to face these guys (with or without Peca) in the first round.

Who's not...

* The Phoenix Coyotes. A team should NEVER lose 7 in a row and expect to coast into the playoffs. And is captain Keith Tkachuk a bonehead or what? After missing 16 games with a sprained ankle, he gets his stick up high on Avalanche defenceman Aaron Miller and winds up with a 2-game suspension. Hasn't he been paying attention to what's been going on in the NHL? Sorry, bud, but that's no way to lead your team down the stretch. Shame shame on you!

In the corners

We have decided to present two of the big NHL awards before the season ends. So let the fanfare begin as we hand the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy to the Montreal Canadiens. Yup, the whole team. Their third-line centre Patrick Poulin is the only Hab who has played all of Montreal's 74 games this season. Some have been at the brink of death, some have come back from the injured reserve only to end up back on the shelf. And somehow, they're still in playoff contention. Officially, the team has nominated Brian Savage to win the award, and we kinda hope he wins, but we at CTVSportsnet.com are giving the whole team its due. Face it, if they actually make it into post season play, they may have to rename their team the Quebec Citadelles in honour of their AHL farm team.

And the second trophy we're giving away here is the Jack Adams Award to Montreal coach Alain Vigneault. This guy has managed his team through the most ridiculous injury-riddled season without the benefit of a $61-million payroll on his bench. Most of the guys he's coached all season are earning the league minimum; these are guys who couldn't even make the team at the beginning of the year. And even if these Hab-nots don't get past Buffalo for a chance to upset the Devils in the playoffs, they win the big CTVSportsnet.com underdog of the century prize. And just for posterity, here is a list of prominent Canadiens on the injured list:

Martin Rucinsky: Knee
Karl Dykhuis: Groin
Eric Fichaud: Shoulder
Eric Weinrich: Foot
Jason Ward: Broken Cheekbone
Trent McLeary: Larynx/ Lung
Trevor Linden: Broken Ribs
Saku Koivu: Knee

And, of course, some of the great injuries of days gone by:

Brian Savage: Broken neck
Shayne Corson: Eye
Vlad Malakhov: Whatever. He's gone
Patrice Brisebois: Shoulder
Benoit Brunet:Back

On the boards:

So the Big E is out again. He was supposed to be "The Next One." With all the injuries to the league's greatest players these days, it's hard to figure who will be the next bigtime superstar of the NHL. Kariya? Bure? Jagr? The folks in the Fan Forum had some thoughts:

who u kiddin quips:
There's 'some guy' named Jaromir Jagr in Pittsburgh, whose per game average isn't bad at all. For the Canadians - Paul Kariya would put up bigger numbers playing for another coach. Have you seen Vincent Lecavalier play? If he were on a better team with more help, he could put up some impressive numbers.

heh says:
The only type of person who could do what Gretzky did in the NHL would have to have his 'Canadian' mentality. He said it best when he told a reporter that when he goes out to play he comes out with the philosophy, "I want that puck, and you... you go get your own puck." He wanted nothing more than to score and make hockey great. Money meant nothing, he was happy to sign that 20 year 1 million a year contract when he started. Now Canadian kids are not learning their skills because their parents hound the coaches to win and not waste their money. And all the skilled Europeans come to the NHL with the dream of getting rich. Maybe if the NHL gets its act together and fixes the money part of the NHL we'll see more 'Canadian' style hockey being played.

The Man has some strong opinions:
There will never be another Gretzky - he was absolutely incredible. As for the best young player in the league - it is Joe Thornton of Boston.This kid is coming into his own even though he plays on a mediocre team. As for that wimp Jagr... I'll take Lindros or Yzerman or Shanahan or Kariya or Thornton or LeClair or Sakic any day over that wimpy, whining, crying little suck.

Posted by trish at 04:49 PM | Permalink

How do you plead?

Instead of a weekly injury tally maybe the CTVSportsnet.com newsletter crew should compile a police blotter, fingerprints and all. New Jersey's Scott Niedermayer joined Marty McSorely in the NHL 2000 ugly pages this week. He looked like Mark McGwire aiming for the fence with his two-handed swing at Peter Worrell's noggin. No accident this. Cost the Devil defenceman 10 games. And what the heck is the league going to do about Bryan Marchment... that is, repeat offender Bryan Marchment? No, he didn't end someone's career with a cheap knee shot this time, he just attempted a disembowelment on Paul Kariya. It is getting harder and harder to watch the most exciting game in the world. Hockey today is like Culloden on ice... without the bagpipes. And off the ice we have to hear about Eddie the (spread) Eagle's attempted bribes after being arrested for assault. Eddie, they had to use Mace on you... you were kicking the officers in the chest... you think they're going to cut you a break? Never before has the NHL brass faced such a black time. And no matter what penalties and suspensions are being handed out, it doesn't seem to be deterring the players from being downright dangerous.

Only 50 goals?

Last year, no one scored 50 goals. So this week when Bure hit the mark, Gary Bettman's sigh of relief was heard all around the league. This is the era of incredible goalies with monstrous pads. Even the best snipers have trouble seeing the net. Will the league ever get back to the days like 70-71 when Phil Esposito scored 76 goals? Or 90-91 Brett Hull scored 86 goals. And we won't even hope for Gretzky-like numbers... 92 goals in 81-82.

CTVSportsnet.com's Steve Milton ponders the elusive 50-goal mark:

"We shouldn't take too much solace in Bure's 50-goal season, though, because had he not held out until January last year, then been injured after his trade to Florida, he would have gone well beyond 50. As defences become more sophisticated, penalty-killers get better, and the era of the goalie continues, the 50-goal scorer is becoming as rare, and as celebrated, as he was in the 1960s."

Read more at:
(retired link)

Who's hot...

* Jaromir Jagr. Every time this guy comes back from injury, we remember why he is the league's MVP. With Jagr in the lineup, Pittsburgh's chances in the playoffs double... at least. How many time did we think he was down and out? Hmmm? The groin injury slowed him down... then his recent thigh injury might have threatened his season, nay career. But somehow JJ is still leading the scoring race with 91 points despite missing 17 games. And here we thought his Samson haircut would render him weak. No way, the guy's still a Hart candidate in our books!

Who's not...

* The New Jersey Devils. Even before Scott Niedermayer pulled a McSorely this week, the Devils have been stinky. So why are they STILL in first place? Because for the first half of the season, Martin Brodeur was God. Lately, though, he's as solid as a McSorely alibi, as dependable as a Bob (don't call me Bobby) Clarke trade, and as reliable as Eric Lindros. So what does coach Robbie Ftorek do? He puts Chris Terreri in the net against the Canes. The team then allowed 37 shots on goal, and lost 5-0 at home. So much for Mogilny bringing them that much needed offence. Until recently, many puck pundits picked the Devils as Cup favourites. Right now, they'd have a hard time getting past Montreal, or Buffalo, or Pittsburgh, or the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs.

In the corners

With all the brutal injuries this past season, we at CTVSportsnet.com are getting a little nostalgic, pining for the days when the groin injury was "a going concern." So to restore our faith in that sensitive spot, and raise our emotions, we feature a list of prominent yet ailing groins:

Marty McInnis
Curtis Leschyshyn
Grant Marshall
Darren McCarty
Stephane Fiset
Karl Dykhuis

May this list grow and grow!

Posted by trish at 04:40 PM | Permalink

NHL's eyes wide shut?

The most surprising thing is that it doesn't happen more often. Bryan Berard's tragic eye injury reminds us that the game of hockey is a delicate balance of speed, skill and luck. Or lack of it. And that in a blink of an eye, a career can end. The play that brought Berard down in a pool of blood wasn't extraordinary. In fact, it was a routine play where a player takes a swipe at the puck while in enemy territory. Marian Hossa did not pull a McSorley.

Already the debate has started again about mandatory visors, and not the half-shields either. The NHL forced helmets into the league 20 years ago, though when players don't tighten their chin straps, what good are they? Will the NHL and the NHLPA rethink the visor situation? We hope so. As Berard's eye specialist, Dr. Rob Devenyi, said, there has never been one case of an eye injury when a full visor is used.

Remember earlier in the season after Trent McLeary almost died when a puck hit his neck? At that time the league said "we can't have the players out there in armour." Well, maybe we should.

CTVSportsnet.com's Steve Milton thinks the NHL and the NHLPA should make some changes to protect the players in this faster, bigger hockey league:

"From the beginning, players understand they are accepting a certain amount of risk when they contract to play for money. The game is too fast, the money too great, the pressure too intense, the travel too debilitating, the players too big, the puck too hard, for injuries not be an everyday fact of life. But no one has ever agreed, inherently or otherwise, to the loss of an eye. To a lifetime of searing headaches. To being bushwhacked from behind."

Read more at:
(retired link)

Day traders

Okay everyone, take a valium. The trade deadline came and went (yawn.) It was a little anti-climactic because the biggest deals happened earlier in the week: Bourque to the Avs, Gilmour and Gratton to Buffalo. Which isn't to say nothing happened on Tuesday. There were a couple of deals of some significance, one that may end speculation of who will win the east, and another that leaves Sens fans scratching their heads. The Devils picked up Alex "the Enigma" Mogilny and sent under-used Brendan Morrison to the Canucks. It's a good trade for both teams. Imagine, the trapmaster Devils with a pure goal scorer in the lineup! And Morrison is going to be a great player some day. He'll get a chance to play every day, and at least for a short while, he'll learn from one of the best in the game, Mark Messier. The other deal of note of course was the Tugnutt for Barrasso deal. Huh? No, we don't get it either. When news came out about a big deal in Ottawa, we thought "they're finally unloading that deadbeat Yashin." Nope. Ron Tugnutt. For an often moody, self-absorbed Barrasso. Oh ya, and they threw in Janne Laukkanen as well! Barrasso has won 2 Cups. We suppose that's why the deal was done, but honestly, we can't begin to analyze this trade, because we just don't get it!

For a review of all the trades, visit:
(retired link)

Who's hot...

* Colorado Avalanche. They haven't been healthy all year, until now. They haven't had a team leader on the blueline, until now. Colorado is 4-0 since a March 6 trade brought Bourque to Colorado from Boston. So maybe our poo-pooing Raymond's move was a little premature. Looks like the Blues and the Wings WILL have to take the Avs seriously afterall.

Who's not...

* As much as we hate to, we have to put the Montreal Canadiens back in the CTVSportsnet.com doghouse. But when you beat the odds and fight your way back into a playoff position, you CAN'T lose to teams like Boston and Tampa Bay. And yes, insult to injury, Koivu and Linden are out AGAIN... both for the remainder of the season, but this is the big time, kids, and we play no favourites!

In the corners

A little Classics lesson now in honour of poor Saku Koivu, who missed 40 games with a shoulder injury, only to come back and tear the MCL in his left knee, ending his season. Something from the ancient Greeks:

The Greek hero Atlas was condemned "To bear on his back forever The cruel strength of the crushing world And the vault of the sky. Upon his shoulders the great pillar That holds apart the earth and heaven, A load not easy to be borne."

Here are some NHL soldiers who are down and out with shoulder injuries:

Guy Hebert
Gord Murphy
John Grahame
Michael Peca
Cory Stillman
Aaron Ward
Viktor Kozlov
Eric Fichaud
Tom Chorske
Richard Persson
Tyrone Nash
Jan Bulis

Posted by trish at 04:33 PM | Permalink

Back up goalies

Martin Biron, Fred Brathwaite, Marc Denis, Brian Boucher, Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Jose Theodore. At the beginning of the season, these names didn't roll off the hockey fan's tongue very easily. Things are different now.

These young second-string goalies have taken advantage of injuries or sloppy play by icons like Hasek, Fuhr, Roy, Vanbiesbrouck, Barrasso, Hackett: big-money goalies. While fans and pundits alike are questioning the quality of play in today's NHL, goaltending never comes up. And it's really quite strange when you look at history... it used to be that when the league would expand, the number of goals scored would increase. No more. The goaltending pool is strong, and looks to be getting stronger every year. Recent back-up goalies who have done well include Olaf Kolzig, the one-time second-banana to Jim Carey. Byron Dafoe was also in the Washington system at the time. Then, of course there's this year's darling between the pipes, Roman Turek. Last year we hardly ever saw him play, as Ed Belfour was leading the Stars to the top. But this year, shooters wish they didn't have to see Turek when they face the stingy fella in the St. Louis net. So, even though we fans are feeling a little tender lately about the state of hockey, we can still feel the excitement of the game played by those kids behind the masks.

Rocket Launched

With Jagr down and out again for an extended period of time, it looks like this will be the year that the Russian Rocket will win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard scoring trophy. Teemu Selanne was the first player to have his name etched on the prize, but with Paul Kariya out of the lineup again, the Finnish Flash just ain't pottin' them like last year. As of Wednesday, Pavel Bure had 4 more goals than second place Owen Nolan, and the Panthers have played 2 fewer games than the Sharks.

But it's hard to say if winning this award will be the highlight of the Rocket's year. If you haven't heard by now, Pavel and teenage tennis star Anna Kournikova are engaged. The two Russians are neighbours in a swanky high-rise condo and have dated for months. A recent Panthers charity auction offering dinner with the couple sold earlier this month for $12,500. Really.

The CTVSportsnet.com society column will keep you posted on details of this upcoming Russian "royal" nuptial.

Who's hot...

* The Edmonton Oilers. Every year, against all the odds, Glen Sather puts together a team that isn't the BEST team in the league, but is the team that all other teams fear down the stretch. They've made it clear that they will win the Northwest Division race and start the playoffs with home ice advantage. The Oilers usually don't need this advantage, playing playoff spoilers in the past to teams like Detroit and Colorado. But with Guerin, Weight and Smyth getting the points, Grier becoming one of the league's premier checkers, and a surprising Salo keeping just about everything out of the net, we may just see them in the Conference finals this year.

* Toronto Maple Leafs' Darcy Tucker. Montreal couldn't find a place for him; they had too many players like him. Tampa Bay enjoyed him, but they needed a goal-scorer and traded him for Mike Johnson. And the fit has been perfect for the Leafs. Tucker's role in Hogtown was to be the smart, tough power forward they lacked in last year's playoffs. A guy who will deter the opposition from picking on the Leafs' finesse players. A guy who can also put the puck in the net in a pinch. And that's what he's been doing. In Toronto's skid last week, the line of Tucker, Adams and Korolev was the best in blue and white. And since the Leafs have picked it up again, Tucker has still been the best: 3 goals and 3 assists in the last 4 games, which were all wins. This guy might make the difference in the playoffs this year. (Just don't tell the Devils!)

Who's not...

* The Colorado Avalanche. Clearly these guys have no intention of winning another Stanley Cup. Okay, we can blame injuries for a lot of the team's earlier woes... but Sakic and Forsberg are healthy now, so what's the excuse? Since Forsberg has been back in the lineup, has anyone noticed? Has he even scored? A couple of years ago, the Denver ice men looked like a dynasty team. But the snow's melting, and they'll be on the golf greens by May.

In the corners

Do you suppose we'll ever have an Iron Man streak again? Or does every player in the NHL now miss a game or seven a year? Recent workhorses like Recchi, Brind'amour and Linden have all suffered injuries or pneumonia in the past year or so. We can't even figure who has the longest games-played
streak these days (no doubt the crack CTVSportsnet.com researchers will be on this like white on rice, so stay tuned!)

This week, we notice that ankle injuries are making a good showing: Paul Kariya, Damien Rhodes, Cale Hulse, Jim Cummins, Brad Isbister, Jamie Heward, Keith Tkachuk. Couple that with an onslaught of concussions (Bobby Dollas, Jay
More, Marcus Ragnarsson, Richard Zednick, and, of course, Donald Brashear), and the groin count doesn't look quite so overwhelming.

Prominent groins:

Marty McInnis
Michael Grosek
Curtis Leschyshyn
Gary Roberts
Ed Olczyk
Todd Marchant
Dan McGillis
Gino Odjick
Sandy McCarthy

Posted by trish at 04:27 PM | Permalink

Good golly, are the Flyers ever huge!

Let's just call them the Even Broader Street Bullies. Bob (don't call me Bobby) Clarke doesn't seem to notice that teams with fast little snipers, skilled players and no-name players are the ones making moves up the standings in the NHL these days. So why does he pick up 6-foot-3, 277-pound left-winger Gino Odjick from the fledgling Islanders? Because "if you're going to go to war, you have to have the weapons." Uh-huh. And if you're going to win the Cup, you have to have a goalie, Mr. Clarke. Or maybe you'll just have the Big E, John LeClair, Keith Primeau and Gino stand in front of the net for 60 minutes. Nothing could get past that beast of a wall!

Will he stay or will he go?

So it looks like the Dominator's season-long farewell is on hold... for a while anyway. Sabre management has had a yoyo season because of Dominik Hasek's ever-changing moods:

BooHoo... this is his last year.
Yay! This frees up cash for future players and salaries!
BooHoo... Hasek hurt his little self again.
Yay! This young guy Biron looks like the real thing with his league-leading 5 shutouts!
BooHoo... Hasek's back and healthy, we have to sit the new guy.
Yay! Hasek's back for another year... we can contend again!
BooHoo... it's expansion year, and we have 3 goalies again... how can we keep the Dominator and Biron?
Yay! Remember, Bob (don't call me Bobby) Clarke makes bonehead trades for goalies!

Who's hot...

* The Vancouver Canucks' Mark Messier. There's something about trade rumours that puts ants in players' pants. Messier has had an awful season. Well, awful by his standards. The Canucks started the season strong... they were in first place for several beautiful fall weeks... but started the inevitable slide when expensive team captain Mess went out with a knee injury. But now, whether he's showing off to bring in a good trade offer or two (he IS a team player and wants what's best for Vancouver,) or whether he's just sick of missing the post season (he's not been there for 3 years) the Moose looks like his old self. Several multi-goal games and a positive attitude on a long road trip (tough on a 38 year-old hockey player) has put some jump into his teammates' legs. Maybe they'll get into the post season after all (nah!)

* The New Jersey Devils. Too obvious? Likely. But let's give them their day in the sun. They don't have big superstars... well, besides little Marty Brodeur... the players are usually pissed at the owners... (we'll see how the new owners YankeeNets treat 'em) yet they quietly continue to win. Consistently. And how are they doing it? Are they still using the boring trap? Well, yes and no. While they sport the best plus/minus numbers in the league, their pluses are coming from all the lines. The exciting young Scott Gomez leads the team in scoring with 48 points... yet right behind him is Petr Sykora (46), Patrik Elias (45) and Jason Arnott(41.) None of them are in the top 20 scoring leaders, but collectively, this defensive-minded team is putting on a top quality offensive show. Even that Brodeur guy got a goal Tuesday night against Philly. This might be the year that the Devils take back the Cup... at least they won't be bowing out early in the post season (says we... boldly!)

Who's not...

* The Toronto Maple Leafs. Yes, we're all sick of hearing about the recent woes of the team from the Centre of the Universe. It's like the whole of Canada must share the pain with these rich kids of Bay Street. Enough already! It's a slump! Sure, they're in the CTVSportsnet.com doghouse, but LIFE GOES ON! Right now Curtis Joseph stinks. Well of course he does! He's been carrying these guys all season... and last season too. He'll snap out of it. And probably lead the Leafs to yet another conference final. It's ugly now, but not for long... so everyone just stop yer whinin'!

* The Atlanta Thrashers. Yes yes, they're an expansion team and we shouldn't expect big things from them. But when you haven't won a game since Jan. 14th, when you've lost 10 in a row, even an expansion team deserves a turn in the doghouse. So listen here, you Blue Jackets and you Wild things, don't expect an easy go of it next year... we let NO team get away with stinky hockey, even when you're working out the first-year kinks. We just don't care!

In the corners

Rough and tumble hockey players are sometimes a lot like you and me. Witness some of the "run-of-the-mill" reasons why players are out of the line-up this week:

Derek Morris - Flu
Tim Taylor - Flu
Theoren Fluery - Flu
Brent Gilchrist - Hernia
Mike Richter - Rest (I guess he's tired)
German Titov - Strep Throat
Al MacInnis - Back Spasms
Dmitri Kristich - Dentist appointment

But then there are the injuries that kind of make you say "eeeewwww!" For instance:

Derian Hatcher- Lacerated Calf
Jan Vopat - Skin Condition
Steve Smith - Spinal Cord
Benoit Brunet - Eye
Trent McLeary - Larynx/Lung
Brian Savage - Broken Neck

So we may think we can be just like the big shot hockey players, but do we really want to deal with the icky consequences?

Posted by trish at 02:48 PM | Permalink

Post All-Star Blues

"The world is too much with us..."

...and North America didn't win a thing. But is it really surprising? The players who represent "the World" at the All-Star game come from hockey programs that encourage skating, puck-handling, passing, finesse. The North American hockey training method is to have kids play as many games and tournaments as they possibly can to give them real game experience. So it's no wonder that the World won the skills competition -- in spite of some beautiful skating by Phil Housely and stellar puck control by Ray Bourque -- and won the Game itself. The All-Star game isn't a "real game experience." So when we saw Lindros, LeClair and Roenick all wind up to make big hits, they lost a step and an edge by pulling back. This wasn't their game, and the final score reflects that.

The competition brought the league's new rules to the front again, and there is speculation that the NHL may move to a 4-on-4 scenario in the future. Watching skilled players have more room to roam may be Bettman's way of getting hockey into the mainstream US psyche. It's wide open. It's exciting. And CTVSportsnet.com's Steve Milton has something to say about that:

"Jaromir Jagr and Pavel Bure both supported the 4-on-4 notion during All-Star week, but in the NHLPA each of them has exactly the same number of votes as a fourth-line winger: one. The union -- my, they're silent these days, aren't they? -- would figure that 4-on-4 would reduce the number of jobs, but we don't know that for sure. It might, conversely, require more intense skating, and therefore more substitutions and the same-size roster as today's. If it didn't, it wouldn't be worth it, would it?

Anyway, it's not necessarily the number of jobs that would change, but the KIND of jobs: 'faster, more skilled, more creative,' the job descriptions would read."

Read more of Steve Milton's article at:
(retired link)

The Russian Pocket Rocket?

Seeing Pavel Bure and his little brother Valeri light up the Air Canada Centre last week may have Panthers owner Wayne Huizenga licking his chops. Wouldn't Valeri look good in a Panthers sweater on a line with the Russian Rocket? Huizenga wants another winner in Florida. His Dolphins bowed out of the NFL postseason with their fins between their legs, and after the fire sale he had with his baseball stars after the Marlins won the World Series, he decided to sell the whole team altogether.

The Panthers may not need another sniper; the team is looking solid this year, with every line contributing. But the Russian Pocket Rocket might just bring consistency to Pavel's game (he's been great, then he's been invisible) and a bigger reason to win the big prize (wouldn't mum and dad be thrilled?)

A tandem of Bures would bring a lot of excitement back to the hockey sunbelt... remember the rats in the 1996 finals? And the Flames might be looking for some experience to push them back into playoff contention. Are we just starting another trade rumour? Probably. But the big question is, what will Anna Kournikova do with another Bure in Miami?

Who's hot...

* The Dallas Stars. Remember when they were at the bottom of the hotter than hot Pacific division? (Remember when the Pacific Division was THE division?) Well like a shooting star, Dallas has come out of nowhere to light up the western hockey sunbelt. They've done it quietly with consistent solid play from all their lines. They've done it over a couple of months when Derian Hatcher, Shawn Chambers, Darryl Sydor, Brian Skrudland, Jamie Langenbrunner, Joe Nieuwendyk, Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen have all missed substantial time because of injuries. So were we a little early in writing them off as last year's news?

Who's not...

* The Ottawa Senators. Maybe all the whining and politicking from owner Rod Bryden has finally become a distraction for the team. How long can you play well when you're constantly under the threat of a move? The Sens have only won 2 of their last 10 games... remember, they were the top team in the East last year. Maybe now would be a good time for the team to make the Yashin move... shore up for another playoff run. It's obvious the guy isn't going to play for the capital city squad again and has "no regrets." So why not make the Big Trade™ and move out of the CTVSportsnet.com doghouse?

And if you missed Yashin's comments from the swanky Swiss Alps, you can find them here:
(retired link)

In the corners

Nice to see a slew of old fashioned hockey injuries making a comeback in this wild and wacky era of the groin. Remember the good old days when Bobby Orr was done in by his knees, or Cam Neely's knee was blown out by an awful hit? Ah yes, it was a time when players' shoulder pads were made of leather, not titanium, leading to dislocated joints and bruised shoulders. We'd like to salute some modern-day players who are bringing the old game back in style. So this week's CTVSportsnet.com's injury list is called:

"Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes"

Kenny Jonsson - Head
Peter Forsberg - Concussion
Joe Nieuwendyk - Shoulder
Saku Koivu - Shoulder Surgery
Cory Stillman - Shoulder Surgery
Marty McSorley - Shoulder
Trevor Kidd - Shoulder
Shawn Chambers - Knee
Mike Richter - Knee
Vladimir Malakhov - Knee
Felix Potvin - Knee
Grant Fuhr - Knee
Damien Rhodes - Knee/ Ankle
Jere Lehtinen - Ankle
Todd Reirden - Broken Foot

Posted by trish at 02:41 PM | Permalink

If the Canadiens make it to the post season, it will be 1993 all over again... except for the Cup of course.

It's as bad as we thought it might be. Montreal's current road trip looks more like a 20-car pile-up than a detour in the middle of a "Cinderella" season. And the Habs won't be home again until they touch down in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Minnesota - talk about Cinderella stories, all of 'em!

Here are some numbers from the past ten games that prove that the Firewagon is merely a pumpkin after all:

• 3 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie, 1 overtime loss


• the Canadiens have been outshot in every game; they managed a measly 16 shots in 3 of those games and only hit the 30-shot mark in overtime games


• Brian Savage hasn't had a point since December 17th, yet he's still 2nd in team scoring - ugh!


• Jeff Hackett hasn't won a game since coming back from a shoulder injury on December 12th.

Somehow, through all of this wretched play, Montreal remains in playoff contention hovering around 8th-9th place in the Eastern Conference. And we can't have that. We need Montreal to miss the playoffs again or it will be 1993 all over again. Oh sure, we were all drunk with excitement then, just they way we get chills seeing Jose Theodore giving this year's squad the chance to win every night. But in retrospect, winning the Cup in '93 was probably the worst thing that could have happened to the Habs. It gave Montreal's corporate management a false sense of security, letting them think that they actually knew something about the game of hockey. The years since then have clearly proven otherwise.

The Canadiens are in danger of repeating the subtle mistakes of the past. Like Doug Gilmour on today's roster, the '93 team included an aging superstar past his prime (Denis Savard) who didn't have much of an impact on anything. Some middle of the road scorers, Gary Leeman and Brian Bellows, also came to Montreal to fill out a weak lineup, much like the present day Joe Juneau and Yanik Perreault. And the Patrick Roy-Jose Thedore comparison is so close that I have nightmares about a certain number 60 wearing Avalanche colours.

But let's be fair. Ronald Corey, Serge Savard, Rejean Houle and Mario Tremblay are long gone so the comparisons should stop. That is if the new management under Chairman Gillett, President Boivin and General Manager Andre Savard does the right thing. And there are two ways to do the right thing: you can spend money, lots of it; or you can rebuild.

Spending Money

Montreal monangement hasn't been able to spend a lot of cash during these crazy free-agent years. We've heard more than we wanted to about the woes of the federal tax system in Canada, the minicipal tax system in Montreal. But if you're going to play in the big leagues, you're going to have to keep up with every aspect of it. And a good free agent comes with a name like Jason Allison or Michael Peca. Not Trevor Linden or Dough Gilmour (though one clever Sportsnet.ca visitor commented, "At least they didn't give up a first-round draft choice for Gilmour as they did for Linden. Hal Linden would have been just as useful on ice. And more amusing off ice.")

If Andre Savard is given the go-ahead to spend money so that Montreal can improve sooner than later let's hope we see names like Bobby Holik, Tom Poti, Wade Redden, Pavol Demitra, Petr Sykora and Daniel Alfredsson in the mix and let some other team pick up the dranddaddy stars and middle of the road scorers (I'm just glad that last year's pursuit of Martin Lapointe fell short to the Bruins. I still can't believe Boston signed the big ex-Red Wing yet let a young superstar like Jason Allison get away.)

Rebuilding
If Habs fans and the Montreal media could be convinced to accept the rebuilding process, they might be pleasantly surprised sooner than later. Like I said, Houle and his clowns are gone while Andre Savard is in. And he makes all the difference. Just look at the Ottawa Senators, a team of draft picks and potential that he helped pull out of the basement and into contention. He has been a scout and an assistant coach. He's responsible for taking a chance on Marian Hoss, while his skill of grooming young talent is showing every day in Wade Redden and Martin Havlat.

The Canadiens could give him a couple of years to rebuild through the draft and through trades to get good young talent in the house. Even if it means trading Savage, Hackett, or even young Mike Ribeiro and Stephane Robidas. The Oilers make it happen year in year out. The Flames have been patient and the young talent is paying in spades. Andre Savard could do the same for Montreal. ANd just think, a few years from now when Jose Theodore is in his prime (hard to believe he's still a kid), a keen group of young forwards and defencement will be ready to wrestle for the prize again.

Sooo...?
Of course it would be great if Montreal won another surprising Cup this year. But it ain't gonna happen, folks. Already New Jersey, Washington and Buffalo are breathing down Montreal's skivvies; no doubt all of them will pass the boys in blue, blanc et rouge before the February Olympic break. But if the Canadiens open the vault for Andre Savard, or bless him to use his scouting skills to start fresh, Montreal may just be back on the fun side of the stat sheet before the next Olympic break in 2006.

Posted by trish at 02:52 PM | Permalink

Just when this columnist was about to put her article (and herself) to bed, the hockey gods strike again

If there had been a play-by-play guy and colour commentator in my office this week, it may have sounded something like this:

- Good evening fans. It looks like she's got an interesting column for you this week. She's starting with a clever title "Ties, damn ties and overtime." Yes sir, she's digging deep into those files now, pulling a tattered box labeled 1993 out of her filing cabinet… but we'll have to wait and see what she's on about as she takes a quick break. Dick, what do you make of things so far?

- Well, Danny, it looks to me like she's alluding to the last time Montreal won the Stanley Cup. But how it relates to the title…? It reminds me of when my father coached the 1953 Canadiens…

- She's back, and you're right, Dick, this does have something to do with the playoffs and tie games. She's flipping through the record books and … YES she finds it! Montreal had 10 overtime wins in the 1993 playoffs.

- If you remember a couple of weeks ago, Danny, she alluded to the fact that the current Canadiens seem to "settle" for a tie, that they don't have that extra push the way those powerhouse teams of the 50's did… when Toe Blake would…

- Hang on, Dick. She's watching the Phoenix game. How did Montreal let that one end in a tie? A rookie goalie's debut and 36 shots on net? She's ranting about the 2-on-none that ended without a shot, the 3-on-1 in overtime that fell apart at the end. Wait, she gingerly pulls back as she looks to the schedule ahead… a home game against Minnesota followed by a game in Atlanta. Yes, this column is gaining momentum. Dick?

- It's looking positive indeed, Danny. After all, the wires are reporting that Jeff Hackett will be back in net for the Atlanta game on Wednesday so young José Théodore will get a much-deserved break. You know, Danny, in the 40's and 50's, a team really only used one goaltender in a season. In fact Jacques Plante…

- Fans, Théodore just recorded his second shut-out. The Canadiens have ended a brutal 5-game home stand with a win. And she's looking at an interesting statistic, Dick. Richard Zednik had 12 shots on the Minnesota netminder.

- 12 shots, sure. But not a single goal.

- You're right, Dick. And it looks like that fact has struck a chord with our columnist.

- Well, Danny, there was an earlier column where she wrote about the Habs not shooting enough, remember? Where was the firewagon hockey? That was the era I was lucky enough to be a part of as my father…

- I don't like the look of this, Dick. Seems like she's got another idea caught up in her paraphernalia. In fact she's pulling her hair out and calling herself a chump. What's brought this on?

- Looks to me, Danny, like she's reviewing some of her old columns. Uh-oh, she's gone back to the very first one from 6 weeks ago.

- Brilliant, Dick! It's a Thorntonian spin-a-rama! She's just changed the title of her column to "Lies, damn lies and statistics." She's ready to make fun of herself because she had said Doug Gilmour was going to make a difference. She's reviewing his 22-game statistics… and… and… goodness, Dick, the Killer hasn't scored a single goal!

- But look who has, Danny. Arron Asham and Reid Simpson. No wonder she feels like a chump. Her Gilmour theory has no credibility.

- And now she's listening intently to the game in Atlanta, taking cannonading shots at her own reputation…

- It's a good tactic. Those clever Sportsnet.ca visitors who sent her e-mails about how wrong she was will eat it up.

- Oh no. Gilmour has scored his first goal of the season. It's his second point of the night. She's in trouble now, Dick. She'll have to scrap that idea… Wait a minute, she's thinking about the daunting 22-game stretch ahead where Montreal plays just 5 times at home. She's turning it around again… and she leaves the room to feed the cats.

- This is riveting stuff, Danny. During this game alone we've seen her change the strategy on the fly, with each drop of the puck. When Lach, Blake and Richard used to improvise…

- Dick I've gotta stop you there. Hackett is playing a great game and she's writing something about trade bait. Sure, 2 solid goalies, maybe even throw pretty-boy Souray into the deal and perhaps the injury weakened team can make a big deal…

- Danny, look out. She's tossed another balled-up piece of paper and it just missed us…

- No wonder. Montreal has taken a bunch of dumb penalties and the Thrashers have tied it up. She's looking for that scrap of paper with "Lies, damn lies and overtime" on it… Dick, I've never seen a week quite like this one. How can our columnist write about this up-and-down team and stay sane?

- Because we'll always be there for her, Danny. Back to you.

Okay, maybe I'm not completely sane, but nobody ever said writing about the Montreal Canadiens in Gary Bettman's NHL would be easy, did they? Now if I could just get these guys to leave my office…

Posted by trish at 02:33 PM | Permalink

Rod Bryden holds another news conference

Is this getting tired or what? I do believe the man has had more press conferences than the Sens have had games this season! And what was it all about this time? Well, a ticket price hike, of course. Since the people have spoken and you're not entitled to milk the government, throw it back at those mean old fans and make 'em pay!

"We are giving our fans and corporate sponsors the final say on if we stay or go... we now have to look to our revenues to see if this team is viable." If you can bear to watch this guy again, check out the news conference at:
(expired link)

Mr. Smith goes to Washington

Over the 24-year history of the Washington Capitals, one distinctive trait has clung to their jockstraps like an albatross. Injuries. It always seemed that at any time during the season, the Caps' training room was packed to the max, while a b-team of unknowns struggled on the ice. And by playoff time, they were pretty much dead. Not this year. No sirree, they're as healthy as a horse... errr... as a team of healthy horses. So what makes this year different from the others? Well, the crack CTVSportsnet.com research team took a look inside that training room and found a new face... Mr. Greg Smith. He became the Caps' head trainer this year and he must be working wonders. Not only is Washington's injury slate clean as a whistle day in day out, but individual players are also starting to dominate the NHL award sheets:

Goalie Olaf Kolzig was named NHL Player of the Month for January, posting a 11-1-2 record, 1.68 goals-against average, two shutouts and a .936 save percentage and leading the Capitals to the NHL's longest undefeated streak this season (10 wins, one tie.)

Defenceman Sergei Gonchar was named Player of the Week as he led the NHL in scoring through this period -- 3 goals 4 assists for 7 points in four games -- and posted a plus/minus rating of +5. Looks like Mr. Smith can work wonders in the Capital City. It is an election year, isn't it?

Who's hot...

* Toronto Maple Leaf forward Steve Thomas. Stumpy was edged out for Player of the Week honours by the afore mentioned Sergei Gonchar, but his play will not go unnoticed by CTVSportsnet.com! All season long he has struggled to make the numbers he did last year as the Leafs' Prodigal Son. Critics thought he might just be past his prime. Well. In 4 games this week, Thomas scored 5 goals, 3 of them game-winners, and helped the Leafs out of their middling slump. Not bad for a washed-up old guy, eh?

* The Montreal Canadiens. For real this time. Les Glorieux are 5-1-2 in their past 8 games. And a couple of those wins came against some bigshots like Detroit, Carolina and Pittsburgh and young goalie Jose Theodore recorded 2 shutouts in that stretch. In an absolutely ridiculous season that has seen their top scorer break his neck, a journeyman winger break his larynx -- his life hanging in the balance for 45 minutes -- this team has put up some unbelievable defensive numbers. They've allowed fewer goals than 7 of the top-10 teams in the league; Theodore is tied for 2nd in shutouts with Roman Turek, Ron Tugnutt and Fred Brathwaite; and though they ain't anywhere near the top of the standings, it should be noted that 16 of their 25 losses this year were 1-goal games. So maybe it's time for these guys, most of whom have taken one for the team this year (hang in there, Trent,) to get some respect, even if it comes from the backhand.

Who's not...

* The San Jose Sharks. Are we repeating ourselves? Yup. We assumed the Sharks would chomp their way out of the CTVSportsnet.com doghouse this week with games against Vancouver and the Islanders... but no! They lost both games (well, they got a regulation point against the Isles... whatever!) Going into Tuesday's game against Pacific Division rivals the Coyotes, the Sharks had lost 4 in a row and had only 2 wins in the past 10 games. If it weren't for the possessed play of team captain Owen Nolan, these guys would be ready for relegation!

In the corners

Goodness but it's a tough year to be a hockey player! Have there ever been so many injuries? Oh sure, Dominik Hasek finally pulled up his girdle and stepped on the ice (he stopped 29 shots in a tie with Anaheim in his first game back,) but what team -- besides the afore mentioned Capitals -- hasn't missed a slew of top players? This week's All Star addition to the shelf is St. Louis Blues' centre Pierre Turgeon.

And what is it with the groin? Has it always been a common NHL injury? Maybe the macho North American players never wanted to talk about it, never wanted the trainers touching them... ummm... down there. But since Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek have made the strain so fashionable, well, everyone can admit they have a problem... ummm... down there.

Recent groin count (prominent groins only):

Marty McInnis
Curtis Leschyshyn
Sean Hill
Joe Sakic
Patrick Roy
Darren McCarty
Peter Popovic

(Look, ma! No Hasek!)

On the boards:

There was some chatter in the fan forums this week about which Canadian city deserves an NHL franchise. Hamilton? Regina?

Kick Ass Canadian says:

"If Columbus and Nashville can get teams, I don't see why Regina or Hamilton can't get one!"

D.W. responds:

"Why would anyone even think this up? In 5-10 years we will be lucky to have 2-3 teams left in Canada and I can guarantee you one of them won't be Regina or Hamilton."

And native Hamiltonian Did Henley says:

"I am from Hamilton and I know there is absolutely no way that we'll ever get a NHL team, and being a die-hard Leafs fan I wouldn't cheer for the Hamilton team. There are many reasons why we wont get it:

a) Current Canadian teams are barely staying afloat in larger markets than Hamilton (ie Montreal and Vancouver) so putting a team in Hamilton would be financial suicide for the NHL and the potential team owners. As well, the team wouldn't be able to afford the multi-million dollar free agents because of their lack of money
b) The Buffalo Sabres would not allow it... it is a well known fact that 25-40% of the fans at the Marina every night are Canadians, and they want more Canadian fans, the Sabres have billboards all around Hamilton advertising their tickets. Also this is technically "Leafs Region" because we get to see local Leafs games on TV.
c) Copps Coliseum doesn't have enough private boxes or seats for Gary Bettman's NHL. Bottom line it doesn't matter if Copps fills up every night for a NHL game, The Sens sell out every night and they are still threatening to move."

Posted by trish at 11:01 AM | Permalink

John Manley out indefinitely with whiplash injury

It's already old news, but we may as well mention it for the record. The people spoke and John Manley's Liberal government listened. After promising Canadian hockey teams (well, Rod Bryden) some tax and money subsidies, it looks like they finally realized that constituents care more about housing and healthcare. Will some of the teams have to head south? Probably. Will that make us any less a hockey-loving nation? No. Most of us can't afford to go see a game, or don't have a team in the neighbourhood so we watch it on television anyway... so who cares if they're playing in Kanata or Boise, Idaho?

Philadelphia Phreedom

Perpetual holdout Keith Primeau has found a new home in the City of Brotherly Love. Awwww... isn't that nice? How long will it be before this dubious first-line centre holds Bob (don't call me Bobby) Clarke hostage? He did it in Detroit when he thought he should be more than a third-line centre (behind Yzerman and Fedorov, ya right!) and he did it with the snowed-in Hurricanes. As if this guy should be paid in the same range as LeClair, Bourque and Modano. Puleeze! And what did Mr. Clarke give up? Maybe the best all round player in the game, Rod Brind'amour, and a blue chip up-and-comer goalie Jean-Marc Pelletier. Looks bad when John Vanbiesbrouck is struggling between the pipes these days.

There's talk on the boards that this trade may be the end of Lindros as a Flyer:

Agnes Gooch writes:
Hmmm... 2 power centres on the Flyers now. One of them the oft-injured Eric Lindros and the other the oft-disgruntled Keith Primeau. Does anyone smell another trade soon by Bobby Clarke in the near future? Rumour has it Bobby and the Big E... or is that Bobby and the Big E's dad? ... don't get along too well. I wouldn't be surprised if the Flyers pull the trgger for another big one soon. I wonder what the Rangers are offering?

Leaffan writes:
You know maybe those trade rumours (Sundin for Lindros) were true. When asked about it Bobby Clarke said it wasn't true cause he wasn't gonna trade anyone till after the Roger Neilson thing was over... Well whaddya know... Primeau for Brind'Amour... I thought he wasn't gonna make any trades. :-)

Who's hot...

* The New York Rangers. Yes, let's give them their due. We laughed early in the season when their big payroll wasn't bringing the wins. We waited and wondered when Neil Smith would finally fire John Muckler. And then it all changed. Perhaps a good investment gets better with long term growth -- and like a charm, here we are in mid-season, and the 7th Avenue Blue Shirts have won 7 (count 'em) 7 in a row! And the last 4 were road wins! Valeri Kamensky is back, which has helped, and Petr Nedved has decided to start putting the puck in the net (maybe because he kept hearing his name in trade talks) ... and whaddya know, they're in the playoff race for the first time in 2 years. Not bad at a time when there's all the off-ice distraction of the alleged john and crack smoker Kevin Stevens, the former All Star left-winger. Ah, New York New York. The town so nice they named it twice!

* The Montreal Canadiens. No, really! Well, not necessarily the current team, but the alumni is stellar! John LeClair, Mark Recchi and Eric Desjardins are heading to the All Star game. So are Valeri Bure and Pierre Turgeon. And Chris Chelios. Oh, we almost forgot, Petr Svoboda will be suiting up for the World team too. And Jonas Hoglund is having a career season on a line with Mats Sundin. Goalie Patrick Roy is easing brilliantly into the autumn of his career and is a great mentor for up-and-comer Avs' goalie Marc Denis. Vinnie Damphousse is looking pretty good in a Sharks' sweater in his autumn too. So when Scott Thornton was traded to Dallas this week for Juha Lind, you've gotta figure he's going to turn around and win the Selke Trophy or something... especially when some of his teammates include Guy Carbonneau, Brian Skrudland, Mike Keane and Kirk Muller!

Who's not...

* The San Jose Sharks. These guys came out of the blocks on a tear early this season. Owen Nolan and Vinnie Damphousse looked to be leading the team to the Stanley Cup. And especially in the tough Pacific Division where every team was playing above .500. Well, your 15 minutes are up. The Fish have settled back into the middle of the pack, and though Nolan is still in the top 10 scoring leaders, people are dropping him off their office hockey pools.

In the corners

Al MacInnis is the most recent All Star to hit the injury list. His collapsed lung will be keeping him out of any lineup, All Star or not, for about 3 weeks. Jaromir Jagr, the number one vote-getter in All Star balloting, is also talking about sitting out the Big Game. And no, it's not the girdled groin that is hindering his play, but some irritated stomach and rib muscles. But on an All Star high note, looks like The Dominator may show up afterall. Dominik Hasek has been out for most of the season with a goofy groin. But he has gingerly started to skate in practice and, truss willing, he'll be in the Air Canada Centre on February 6th.

Recent abdomen count (prominent abdomens only):

Jaromir Jagr
Joey Kocur (hernia)
Brent Gilchrist (hernia)
Sergie Nemchinov
Shaun Van Allen
Magnus Arvedson (yikes, did you see him hit the bench door at full flight?)
Murray Craven

Games to watch

A great rivalry has developed between the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers. And CTVSportsnet has that matchup on Game Night Monday; 8:00 ET, 5:00PT.

A couple of bottom-feeders face off Sunday as Chicago comes to Vancouver; 7:00 local on CTVSportsnet Vancouver.

The Red Hot Devils have a tough week ahead of them. But it may just prove that they ARE the real thing, the going concern, the team to beat... pick a cliche. On Wednesday they're in Florida to play the nearly equally Red Hot Panthers; on Friday, weather permitting, they'll be in Carolina to face Rod Brind'amour and the 'canes; on Saturday they face the recently slumping but always dangerous Red Wings in Hockeytown.

Posted by trish at 10:45 AM | Permalink

So Michael Jordan made his first move as head of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. Well, um, okay, he wasn't really there and didn't make the announcement, didn't have to break the bad news or do any of the other tough stuff that comes with such a lofty position. But on Saturday while Jordan was in Atlanta for the SuperBowl, the Wizards fired head coach Gar Heard. The news came out right after the lowly team won their 14th game of the season. That's right, after a WIN. Does that ache or what? Former Raptor coach Darrell Walker will become the team's interim coach (he's been coaching a team called the Rockford Lightning in the CBA. Whatever.) Walker was the 2nd choice after a deal with Golden State to get Rod Higgins, Jordan's golf buddy and former teammate, fell apart.

No one, including Heard, was surprised by the move. And really, the guy needs a break. He's toiled as a coach/assistant coach on some pretty awful teams; the 1993 Mavericks (egads!) were 9-44 when he was interim coach there.

As for the players, the perpetually pouty Rod Strickland will be a happier Wizard now. After all, none of the bad stuff this season has been his fault, don't you know?

And speaking of the Raptors...

So it's true, the people have spoken. Vince Carter is The Man(TM.) He received 1,911,973 votes in the All Star balloting and becomes the first Raptor ever to be among the chosen ones. Who did Mr. C beat in the voting? Superstars like Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O'Neal. Not too shabby for a little Hogtown Lizard, eh?

See how the rest of the field shakes out:
(retired link)

The Raptors have picked up their game recently. Maybe being kicked in the pants by last week's newsletter gave them something to think about! After a real dip in their play, 4 wins in a row at the critical midpoint shows this team can bounce back. And we've stopped hearing those Christie and T-Mac trade rumours too! Well, this week anyway.

And speaking of win streaks...

Going in to Monday night's game against the Bucks, the Grizzlies have a mild win streak going. 2 - count'em - 2 wins in a row. Let's pretend they beat Milwaukee. That's 3. Then let's look at their schedule after that:
Golden State (ugh!) Chicago (ack!) and Dallas (eep!) Could this be Vancouver's time? Will they put together the numbers that will make the rest of the league stand up and say, "hey, these Grizzlie dudes can really do that thing in the paint, man." Well, probably not. But CTVSportsnet.com's Paul Jay might just convince 'em:

"Next time someone asks you how the Grizzlies are doing, you can answer: 'They are having their Best Season Ever(TM).' Despite having the fourth-worst record in the league, their 11 wins and 31 losses puts them on pace for 22 wins in the season, surpassing their franchise best by 3 games."

Read more from Paul at:
(retired link)

Who's hot

* Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett. During the team's recent five-game winning streak, Garnett averaged 27 points on 56 percent shooting, in addition to pulling down 11.2 rebounds.

* Golden State Warriors Power Forward Antawn Jamison. Huh? Well, when you play for one of the worst teams in the league, and you put up numbers like this: shooting 58% in three of the Warriors' past four games and averaging 34 points and 16 rebounds in the same span... well, you just know CTVSportsnet.com is going to honour you in this prestigious newsletter!

Who's not

* The L.A. Lakers. Maybe they've been believing their own press too much lately... "the best team since the Bulls..." "the new dynasty team of destiny..." etc etc. They've lost 3 of their last 4 which has allowed the Portland Trail Blazers to move within a half game of the league-leading Lakers. But don't look for this to last. The team is still awesome. We just had to put this powerhouse in the CTVSportsnet.com doghouse at least one time this year! And we're not going to mention anyone else either cuz we want this dubious honour to stand out like a sore butt cheek!

And another thing ...

30,000 and counting. This week Karl Malone became the third player in NBA history to score 30,000 points this week. He joins Wilt Chamberlain and career leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the elite scoring group. Not bad for a 36-year-old, 15-year veteran.

On another Malone note, this year's All Star Game in Oakland will be the first time since 1996-97 that Malone will not start for the West. A bittersweet week for Karl, no?

What the fans are saying

We'll be keeping an eye on e-mail feedback and fan forums for comments from users, whether they be funny, smart or so dumb we can't but help make fun of them. Soon, we'll include an e-mail to send comments directly to the NBA newsletter.

Bill Buchan:

I just wish that someone in the Grizzlies organization would apologize for Mr. Harrington's comments Regarding "It's a sad day in Vancouver." I am offended. I have never heard such a thing from a "professional" in my life. I have never heard it from a Canuck player or Lion or a Canadian, or for that matter, a "Whitecap- 86er". What the hell is happening? I think that we, as fans help to pay their salaries (I know, a small part). I just thought that ANYONE would be happy to BE a professional player (there are a lot of them dying to make ANY team). The funny thing is.... What did Mr. Harrington think? that the Grizz would move to St. Louis THIS year? What a dummy! It would have been at least 2 years before they would move! I'd like to say that I am very proud that we have players like Sharif and Big Country (no matter what you'd say about Big Country.) At least they act like Professionals (they say the right things.) Even if they don't want to be here, they don't act like it or say it, for cryin out loud! THEY ARE our heart and soul! It's very disheartening for me to HAVE to route for "Othella" when he is at the foul line! Please Mr. Jackson, lets have SOME explanation (other than "he was homesick!")
Thanks for the opportunity to vent.

JuiCY:

Keep Doug Christie, keep McGrady, if you have to trade one of them to get the Point Guard....just forget it....the team needs these two players, Christie means more than everybody thinks...he does the little things that no one notices....he's a great defender and why not PLAY CHRISTIE at PG??? Christie has the ability to stick with the smaller point guards and can post up any guard and once he attracts double teams, he can dish it out to Curry or Carter for some easy baskets......trading Mookie for Doug.....thumbs down...keep the team the way it is...unless you can trade (for example) Yogi, John Thomas or a rarely used player for some experience for the bench.....

Posted by trish at 10:41 AM | Permalink

The Government has tossed a bone to the Canadian teams. A cabinet-issued federal aid package will be negotiated on a team-by-team basis but is contingent upon further aid from the league, the municipality and the province in which the team plays.

So is everybody happy? Well, chief... er... spokesowner for the cause, Rod Bryden, says he's "put the for sale sign back in his garage." Lucky us. The kudos and criticisms are being heard loud and clear in the CTVSportsnet.com fan forums:

Camilo:

It's a difficult question. Sure, Canadian teams deserve tax breaks if other "Canadian cultural organizations" such as Nortel, Bombardier, Irving Oil, and Hollywood movie studios receive them.
However, why should the government give taxpayers' money to greedy owners such as Rod Bryden just so that he can move the team in a few more years. Why should the government pay money to multi-millionaires/billionaires when thousands of people are living on the street?
Let the NHL teams go. If Canadians truly love hockey, we can create our own league where players play for the love of the game instead of the allure of the American buck.

William McEachern:

How many jobs does pro hockey make in Canada? Everyone talks about rich hockey players and owners and how they already have tons of money, but they forget the 1,200 people who work for the Ottawa team alone. They don't make much money, and they will be out of work if the team leaves.

Brad Lippitt :

The responsibility for this mess must be shared by all parties concerned. I haven't seen the NHLPA accept any responsibility at all when they are a major part of the problem. The only long term solution is a salary cap and unless the fans demand that the NHLPA accept that, nothing is going to change. How much money does an NHL player deserve? Enough is enough! FANS UNITE, SALARY CAP IN 2004!

Who's hot...

* The Washington Capitals. Where did they come from? Last time we looked at the standings they were in the No Dice Zone (TM). Not anymore. With a 5-game winning streak, including an impressive road win over the league-leading Devils, the Caps have looked more like the Stanley Cup contenders of 2 years ago. Maybe the recent AOL/Time-Warner merger has put the buzz in their shorts... Ted Leonsis, the Caps' majority partner just happens to be president of the AOL Interactive Properties Group. Coincidence? You be the judge!

* Roman Turek of the St. Louis Blues. Well, maybe he's not hot -- just solid, consistent and not going to the All-Star Game, so we thought we'd give him his due. Last year this 29-year old Czech played second fiddle to Eddie the Spreadeagle in the Stars' Stanley Cup season. This year Turek is leading the league in goals-against-average, and leading the surprising Blues to the top of the standings. And with the other more famous Czech goalie still down and out with that goofy groin, could this be the Rise of the Roman Empire between the pipes?

* Fred Brathwaite of the Calgary Flames. And no, we're not just celebrating goalies that won't be going to the All Star Game. Earlier this season, the Flames couldn't buy a win. They weren't consistent and they couldn't find a steady goalie. Freddy made them change their minds. Since December 2nd, Calgary's newest hero has had 4 shutouts, including that double donut with Dallas, and a brilliant night this past week in a 4-0 win over the Hogtown Leafs. Behind Brathwaite's play, the Flames have quietly moved into a playoff spot... ssshhh!

Who's not...

* Detroit Red Wings. We're sure it's just a mid-season blip, but these guys have slipped from first to 5th overall. This team is determined to win that Stanley Cup that eluded them last year; but championship teams, even in a slight slump, should NEVER get shut out by the Montreal Canadiens! Well, not in this decade anyway!

* Eric Lindros of the Philadelphia Flyers. It's bad enough getting your noggin jarred into concussionville for the third time in a career, but to have it happen during a1-0 loss to Atlanta?! Shameful! Poor Eric plays a tough game, and every season he keeps finding out the hard way that people love to give it back to the bully. Anyway, expect the Big E to be out for a week.

In the corners

And speaking of injuries...
Ray Bourque won't be flashing his pearly whites at any All Star photo op next month. The Boston workhorse lost 3 teeth against the Thrashers this week (what is it with this Atlanta team? Ted Turner and Jane Fonda split up and it's "look out, we're ready to carve you up!") But seriously folks, this season has been one of the worst for injuries.

Recent data:

Mike Modano, another concussion;
Jason Allison, wrist and thumb (on 2 different hands, don't you know);
Alexei Zhamnov's leg ain't right;
neither is Adam Deadmarsh's knee;
Jaromir Jagr, strained rib cage cartilage

Recent groin count (prominent groins only) 6:

Dominik Hasek
Brett Hull
Darren McCarty
Craig Rivet
Scott Niedermayer
Alexander Mogilny

The good news is, Jagr doesn't have a groin injury this time 'round, so no girdles in prime time!

Posted by trish at 10:11 AM | Permalink

English Premier League

Do politicians have the right to micromanage a professional sport club? And no, we aren't talking about the Liberals in Canada dropping pucks and cash on hockey teams. Over in Sheffield Wednesday land, controversial MP Joe Ashton just can't keep his nose out of the Owls' business. Last week, the former vice president of the Premier League's bottom-feeders led a gang of four Sheffield MPs who said that manager Danny Wilson should be fired. When he didn't get any satisfaction from that fight, Ashton turned his focus on Hillsborough chairman Dave Richards. He now wants Richards to hand in his resignation, as he thinks the chair is spending too much time in London on several top FA committees and his poor Owls are being neglected. Hmmm... I suppose there just aren't enough pressing political issues in England these days. But face it, no matter who you point fingers at, Joe, the team just sucks!

(post game note: The controversy didn't seem to affect the team on Saturday as the Owls won their first away game of the season against Tottenham. )

Leeds takes the lead, but there are troubles at the top...

Isn't it a shame when a squad has a year that puts supporters in mind of those great teams of the late 60's early 70's, but it's the news off the field that gets the headlines. Leeds United's defender Jonathan Woodgate and midfielder Lee Bowyer got themselves in trouble last week for an alleged street attack on an Asian kid. On Sunday, the squad played in the Stadium of Light against the upstart Sunderland team. Woodgate and Bowyer were in the line up and were the prime targets of the crowd's taunting. Leeds took the match in spite of jeers to maintain their lead in the league.
(CTVSportsnet will be rebroadcasting this match on Saturday January 29
check local listings at:
retired link)

Upcoming matches:

The big one of course is on Monday as the Gunners meet Man-oh-Man United on the Old Trafford Grounds. Arsenal's flying Dutchmen Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars are grounded with injuries, which puts the odds in the Reds' favour.
See the match on CTVSportsnet Monday. Check local listings at:
(retired link)

African Cup of Nations

A bunch of top club team players seem to have gone missing. Where are they? Why playing in the African Cup of Nations, that's where. France has lost 42 players, Germany 13, the Netherlands and Turkey have 13 players in the tournament, while England, Portugal and Spain each released 11 players.

Egypt is the defending champ and is favoured to repeat. But Morocco, Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia the five African representatives in the World Cup in 1998, may just give them a run for their money! The tournament is on until February 13th.

UEFA

UEFA's appeals committee reduced the suspension on Yugoslav defender Zoran Mirkovic for his dismissal against Croatia in last October's Euro 2000 qualifier from four to three matches on Friday.

Mirkovic will miss all three of Yugoslavia's first round matches in the Euro 2000 finals against Slovenia, Norway and Spain, but could play in the quarter-finals if Yugoslavia gets that far.

And what was his crime? Mirkovic, who plays his club football in Italy with Juventus club was sent off in the 42nd minute of the 2-2 draw against Croatia for grabbing Robert Jarni as they scrambled for a loose ball. War, as they say, is hell.

SoccerCentral Poll
Who do you think will be the 1999 FIFA World Player?

Gabriel Batistuta (AC Fiorentina /Argentina)
or
David Beckham (Manchester United /England)
or
Rivaldo (FC Barcelona / Brazil)

Tell us in the Soccer Fan forums at:
(retired link)

Posted by trish at 10:07 AM | Permalink

Will they stay or will they go?

Here is your weekly soap opera update of the continuing saga of the Vancouver Grizzlies:

January 20th - St. Louis millionaire Bill Laurie ended the most recent attempt to buy the struggling club from Seattle-owned Orca Bay when the two sides came to an "agreement on the termination of the purchase agreement..." Don't you love lawyers? Anyway, the NBA wouldn't allow the son-in-law of the Wal-Mart King to relocate his new team to the Show Me State. Good news for Vancouver fans, but how long will the city be willing to support 2 lousy sports franchises?

January 24th - Michael Heisley Sr. (why do big-time businessmen always have a Jr. or Sr. behind their names?) a Chicago millionaire steps in and pays $160M for the 5-year-old franchise, saying the magic words "I intend to do everything in my power to make this franchise a success in Vancouver." Uh-huh. Stay tuned.

Hello Mr. Jordan!

The rumours became truths this week as Air Michael touched down in Washington's MCI Center to begin his new career as President of Basketball Operations for the underachieving Wizards. CTVSportsnet.com's Paul Jay had these thoughts:

"Just imagine: Michael Jordan somehow manages to deal Strickland and Richmond, renegotiates Juwan Howard's contract, and miraculously has cap room left over. Hello Vince Carter!"

Check out the full column at
(retired link)

And speaking of the Raptors...

A cold snap hit Hogtown this week, and the Raptors have chilled right down with it. The up-and-coming darlings of the NBA, on the strength of the unbelievable Vince Carter, have been called the team of the future by everyone with a vested interest in the business of basketball. But a couple of ugly losses and some aggressive play that kept number 15 on the bench more than usual has the critics' mouths flapping. There is talk that Tracy McGrady, the talented guard who plays in the shadow of Carter, may be on the trading block. The Raptors are in need of defence (this in spite of their recent stingy 94-77 win over the Sonics) and T-Mac might be the right bait for the right team.

Who's hot

* Houston guard Steve Francis. He was named the NBA player of the week last week... the first rookie to receive the honour this year. And yes, we know Hakeem Olajuwon returned to the Rockets' lineup this week, but really it was the inspired play of Francis, averaging 22.3 points, 9.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game (he also shot 52 percent from the field) that helped Houston go 4-0 last week... they're actually on a 6-game win streak.

* The Charlotte Hornets. 'Nuff said about the recent tragedy, the Bee's have put together a 4-game winning streak, leapfrogging over the Bucks and the Pistons back into 2nd place in their division. A deal with Milwaukee brings veteran guard Dale Ellis to Charlotte, a move that will fill the gaping hole left by team captain Bobby Phills. Charlotte may just be a dark horse in the long playoff season ahead.

Who's not

* The Detroit Pistons' Grant Hill. Okay, maybe that's not fair, giving him the gears when he's out on his keester. But he really went out on his keester injuring his tailbone (ouch!) in a losing cause against the lowly Bulls. The thing is, when Hill ain't around, Jerry Stackhouse doesn't play his best game. So sorry, Grant, but we have to put you in the negative zone this week.

* The LA Clippers. Face it. There can be only one. And the Lakers have a stranglehold on it. The Clippers have lost 8 in a row as they seem to be vying for last place with their northern neighbours the Warriors. Lamar Odom is the only real bright spot this season, and maybe someday the Clippers will own LA. Don't hold your breath.

And another thing...

Maybe it's time to give Shaq his due. Yes, he's a bully. He's obnoxious. He doesn't pass the ball enough to his other talented teammates. But it may be time to admit, the guy can play! This season he's playing for a coach he respects, Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan's former coach, and the guy is on fire! He has had five 20-20 games, he's at the top of every offensive category, and he has really big hands! So we all know what a pain Shaquille O'Neal can be, but man is he a player!

Posted by trish at 10:02 AM | Permalink

Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills celebrated his 30th birthday last
December. Less than a month later, he was killed in a car accident.
Phills's teammate David Wesley was on the same road at the time, but was not
directly involved in the crash.

How does a team recover from something like this? Phills was an emotional
leader of the underachieving Hornets. Would they make him their
inspiration to help them out of a recent 1-8 skid? Or would the losing
continue?

In their first game after the tragedy, Wesley was still an emotional wreck,
and the team's jump was anything but inspirational. They lost badly to the
Knicks.

But then they went home and played in front of the hometown crowd -
"Phills's Phans." Down by 10 to the Toronto Raptors at the half, the Bees
swarmed the court in the 3rd quarter, scoring 25 straight points. Toronto
still didn't know what hit them. Phills' Phans know!

And speaking of the Raptors...

There's a new rivalry developing in the NBA these days and it's old American pride, in fact it's Old Glory herself that has spurred it on here in Upper Canada. The USA Dream Team 2000 was chosen this week, and Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks was chosen over Toronto's Vince Carter -- you know, the guy who fills every building in the NBA except the Air Canada Centre? Well, a home-and-home series this week between the Bucks and the Raps ended up in bitter Carter-Allen rivalry, countless bloody noses, multiple bruises and body slams, a couple of suspensions, a franchise record 47 point performance by Mr. C and a dose of excitement for the Toronto fans that may finally start getting bums in those empty seats!

And speaking of bums...

It was fun while it lasted, the awakening of the hibernating Grizzlies. But it looks like it's business as usual again on the left coast. Vancouver has dropped 3 straight after pretending they were a good team. All year it's been the same... lose 3 or 4, win 1. Lose 7, win 2. Lose 4, fire the coach, win 1. Then win another, make it 3 in a row... then lose again. And again. And again. You wonder how many years an expansion team is allowed to perform like an expansion team. Especially when the owner isn't from these parts. They might just be singing the St. Louis blues soon.

Who's hot

* Suns forward Cliff Robinson. His numbers are solid - 20th overall in
points per game, 16th in 3-point percentage, and 12th in 3-pointers made. This guy goes through every season relatively unnoticed... until NOW! On Sunday, Cliffy scored 50 of his team's 113 points, the highest point total in the NBA this year. The first half-century man of the century! CTVSportsnet.com salutes you!

* How important is Chris Webber to the Sacramento Kings? He's their leading scorer and rebounder -- and some games even the top assist man. Sacramento's on a five-game winning streak leading into Tuesday's game against the Clippers, and Mr. Webber has averaged 30 points a game over that span

Who's not

* Maybe it was a good thing Charles Oakley was suspended for a game after a scrap Saturday night against Milwaukee. In his previous four games, the Raptors' grumpy old forward was a combined 6-27 from the field and scored only 17 points. He had scored 54 points in the four games preceding that awful stretch.

* The Golden State Warriors. Going into Tuesday's game against the slumping Magic, they had lost 12 in a row. 12 in a row! Shouldn't they have to pay a fine for that? Ugh! And what the heck is the Golden State anyway? Get a real team!

And another thing ...

Is Michael Jordan coming back... again? Rumour has it MJ is having talks with the Wizards and that he may be suiting up with the fledgeling Washington franchise. But when we say "suiting up" that's exactly what we mean... Michael may be management bound, so he'll be trading in his jam shorts and air shoes for some buttoned down collars and wingtips. Stay tuned!

Posted by trish at 09:59 AM | Permalink