So who's in the news at the tail end of the year 2000? Gretzky, brand new owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. Mario, soon-to-be an on-ice Penguin again. Meanwhile, Lindros takes a back seat; though he hasn't landed on his head for a while, he can't seem to land a job anywhere.

Really? We hadn't noticed a huge change. And in fact, since Lemieux last played, they've added another guy on the ice. Four -- count 'em -- four officials, Mario. And the rinks aren't any bigger. But the idea of 4-on-4 overtime gets him going. Hmm. Let's watch how many times the Pens play for a tie so that they can get Mario and Jagr out there for 5 minutes. Seems a little odd, doesn't it?

But speaking of the disgruntled Jagr, CTVSportsnet.com's Jake Daniel has an opinion on Mario's comeback:

"Lemieux's heir to the Penguins hockey throne, Jaromir Jagr, has done pretty well for himself and the team without a quality centre these past three years, but he's starting to run out of moxie. As much as Lemieux might be concerned about the happiness of his star player, the real motivation to return to the ice is to jump start Jagr the Player, thereby securing Jagr the Investment for the next few years."

Read more at:

[retired link]

And one of those clever fans in the CTVSportsnet.com forum has his own spin on the comeback. Brent Kirkeby presents the top 10 reasons why a Mario Lemieux comeback is good:

10. At least for a couple of days, we don't have to hear about the Maple Leafs.
9. It puts a new twist on "player-Management" relations.
8. Paves a path for Gretzky to return.
7. We don't have to hear about the Maple Leafs.
6. Jagr can now negotiate a new contract. Between periods.
5. "Pass me the friggin puck, or you're off the team."
4. Don't have to hear about the Maple Leafs.
3. Lowest paid 100 point man in history. Will do wonders in knocking down salaries.
2. As Owner, he's against high salaries; as player, he's for it. Ends season in a mental ward being treated for split-personality disorder.

And the Number 1 reason Lemieux coming back is good:
1. We don't have to hear about the Maple Leafs!!!!!

Submit your list, or your thoughts at:

[retired link]

Ouch! Volume 6
Here's something that makes most men wince: the combination of knee and groin. Okay, we don't mean to imply this week's ouch list has anything to do with dirty fights in the NHL. Rather, we're highlighting some of the prominent groins and tender knees. Or should that be the other way around?

Some of the folks nursing their knees:

Byron Dafoe, Kyle McLaren, Alexander Karpovtsev, Chris Chelios, Damian Rhodes, Glen Murray, Saku Koivu, Vladimir Malakhov, Janne Laukkanen, Shean Donovan, Kevin Weekes, Garry Valk, Adam Burt, Darren Van Impe, Steve Thomas

And those prominent groins:

Sean Hill, Petteri Nummelin, Damian Rhodes, Curtis Leschyshyn, Juha Ylonen, Louie Debrusk, Jan Hrdina, Teemu Selanne

Did you notice? Damian Rhodes spearheads the convergence of these two injuries. And if that doesn't make a grown man wince...

Who's hot
Since this week's issue seems to be about the old guys, here's a geezer who's tearing up the East. Remember Ray Ferraro? Feisty guy with the Isles, the Kings and the Wings? Well now he's a Chicken... er, "Thrasher," and he's having a near-MVP season. His 30 points in 27 games hve gone almost unnoticed in a season where retired geezers make the headlines more than the ones still playing.

Oh and by the way, Atlanta is tied with Washington for the lead in the East Bettman Division. And they have a winning record on the road.

Who's not
And speaking about the East Bettman Division, the Florida Panthers suck! Imagine, a team with a talented Russian of old and a talented Russian of new is fighting with Montreal and Columbus for last place overall. Sad too, since the 2003 All-Star games was just awarded to the Sunshine State's worst team. They may be worried no one will show up! Terry Murray has been on the bubble all year long and the hockey psychics say he's the next coach to bite the big one.

More nuttiness in Philly
Every week we feel a bit guilty about picking on Bob "don't call me Bobby" Clarke and the Flyers. But darnit, the saga really does continue!

Did anyone in the league or any pundit around the league think that Craig Ramsay would be fired? No way. Terry Murray? Sure. Craig Hartsburg? Definitely.

But no. The guy who has done so much for a team in turmoil -- injuries to LeClair and Recchi, soap opera of Lindros, dignity during coach Roger Nielson's fight with cancer -- the guy who always seems to pull his team through ridiculous odds is out.

And Bill Barber is in. The former coach of the AHL Calder Cup-winning Philadelphia Phantoms was notorious for his diving ability when he played on Bob Clarke's line in the 1970's. That was one of the many reasons everyone hated the Broad Street Bullies. He should start hoping that his next dive isn't a nose dive off Clarke's shaky psychological tower.

"I don't wanna play in Sault Ste. Marie, I wanna play in Oshawa near Mummy and Daddy... I don't wanna play in Quebec, I wanna play in a big U.S. market so I can make even more money..."

Why do teams continue to indulge this guy? Especially now that he is -- literally -- such a head case?

The difference this time may just be Pat Quinn. Eric has put him in an almost impossible situation. Does he really want the big guy on the team? If he says yes, the media are all over him and there's tension in the dressing room -- who gets shipped to Bob "don't call me Bobby" Clarke's house of horrors? If he says no, the media are all over him because he won't take a chance on one of the league's marquee players.

What is this about? Is the Great One a Dumb One when it comes to player management? The Coyotes were doing fine until the sale of the team was off and on and off and on. They've slipped a bit in the tough western conference. And Claude Lemieux is going to save them? Wayne's golfing and barbecue buddy, who never shows up until the playoffs, is going to help? At this rate, the once-steady Coyotes won't even make it to the post season. But the boys just want to play with each other. Whatever!

Ouch! Volume 5
Now here are a couple of weird ones:

Steve Smith - groin/concussion
Joe Hulbig - concussion/knee/hernia

How does something like that happen? It's like stubbing your toe and getting an earache as a result. Huh?

And in the "way too much information" category:

Peter Popovic - hairline toe fracture
Doug Gilmour - inflammation in pelvic area
Mike Grier - hyper extended elbow
Gino Odjick - inflamed left elbow bursa sac

Not the bursa sac! Goodness, man, how do you get over something like that?

Who's hot
Steve Sullivan, Gary Valk, Tie Domi. Yes, that's right. A couple of guys who were released by their teams (Sullivan - Toronto; Valk - Pittsburgh) are on fire. The little Chicago forward is the only guy giving the Hawks a hope of getting in the race this year. Too small for Toronto, this little winger is even ahead of millionaire Tony Amonte in the team scoring.

And what about Toronto? While Valk's and Domi's teammate Mats Sundin was in an awful scoring slump, everyone figured it would be Berezin, Roberts and Tucker who would pick up the slack. Nope. No way. A no-name gritty forward and a little bruiser who thought he was on the bubble when teammate Nik Antropov came back from injury has picked up the slack. In fact, as this newsletter goes out, Domi has a career-high 9 goals, while captain Mats has 8.

Who needs multi-millionaire players these days?

Who's not
Jaromir Jagr and Pavel Bure; Teemu Selanne and Paul Karyia.

The first two are supposed to be the leaders, the excitement, and the future of the NHL. Where the heck are they? Jagr's busy pouting because he doesn't want to play the way his coach tells him to. And Bure... well, who knows what goes on in that guy's head? Maybe we should find out the status of his relationship with perennial underachiever Anna Kournikova to find that answer!

As for Anaheim's Mighty Duds, Selanne and Karyia are supposed to be the dynamic duo of the league. But these guys aren't even in the top 20, much less the top 10 scoring leaders. Maybe Disney's Magical Ice Kingdom was just an illusion after all. The NHL needs these guys to step up and make things happen, or else the big dream of hockey in the western sunbelt is going to dry up like a water balloon in the California desert.

I'm a star in New York I'm a star in LA
And speaking of the great western hockey hotbed, the Los Angeles Kings are the liveliest stick-totin' guns in the west. As CTVSportsnet.com's Jake Daniel reports, the explosive offence led by ex-New York Islander Ziggy Palffy and ex-New York Ranger Luc Robitaille is going almost unnoticed in the east:

"Palffy has spent this season making the Kings' management look brilliant for wrestling the immensely-talented forward away from the New York Islanders in exchange for Olli Jokinen (now in Florida) and not much else. Of all the curious and misguided moves he has made in the past few years, the Palffy trade best illustrates the short-sighted judgment Islanders GM Mike Milbury brings to the office every day."

Read more at
[retired link]

Scotty Bowman - Hockey's Moses?
A couple of weeks ago, Scotty Bowman coached his 2000th game. Just try saying "2000th" three times fast!

We've heard a bunch of tales, seen the statistics, tidbits, and important facts about this incredible run. But the one that stands out to us reveals the biggest impact he has had on hockey -- 26 big-time NHL coaches were once coached by Scotty Bowman. Several of them have incredible coaching/GM records as well. Here are the most notable followers in that interesting group of Bowman disciples:

Al Arbour, Glen Sather, Terry Crisp, Larry Robinson, Rick Dudley, Bob Gainey, Jacques Lemaire, Larry Pleau, Craig Ramsay, Doug Risebrough, Jim Roberts, Lindy Ruff, Andre Savard, Jim Schoenfeld, Mario Tremblay.

A good sign...
Derek Morris has finally been signed by the Calgary Flames. This is a young guy who will probably be one of the top defencemen for many years, a future Bourque or Pronger. Well, that's what the fans in Calgary hope anyway. Here's what the folks in the CTVSportsnet.com fan forum had to say:

CGY says: "This could be a good sign. Hopefully they can start playing as a team, and not individuals. They have really struggled this year thus far. Hopefully Calgarians can see some playoff hockey this year, and I think Derek will help."

Fan4Life begs to differ: "A sign of what? Derek Morris had absolutely no right to hold out the way he did. Button felt the same way, so he went out and signed Kravchuk, another mistake. This particular hold out reminds me of when Bryan McCabe held out here in Vancouver, he had no reason to either, I was hoping that they'd let him sit out the year 'cause he's not worth that extra dollar. They paid him, he came back and scored a goal in his first game back, and that was it."

erik young is happy, but not entirely convinced: "Signing Derek Morris is a good sign, but I don't think this'll be the reason the Flames start to turn it around. The team is finally buying into coach Hay and his system. They're learning to be a team and Morris might just set that philosophy and team chemistry back. I figure January the squad gets hot after Morris gets back in shape and gets into the team groove."

This is the fourth CTVSportsnet.com hockey newsletter of the season, and already the Philadelphia Flyers have been in our doghouse and in our hothouse. This week, we'll just poke 'em with a big stick.

A big goalie stick, to be precise. In back-to-back home games this week, Philly faced two of their rejected netminders and the results weren't pretty, unless you're Garth Snow and Sean Burke.

Pittsburgh's Snow made 36 saves and recorded his first shutout of the season, while Burke's 35 saves helped the Coyotes win their first game in Philadelphia since 1997. Never mind that John LeClair was back on the ice. Never mind that another Bob "don't call me Bobby" Clarke ghost, Eric Lindros, has been cleared by doctors to play for some other team sometime soon.

The Flyers are like the Steinbrenner Yankees of another era... loaded with talent, whiny prima donnas and enough wonky management to trip up another playoff run before it gets off the ground. Then again, that's this week. Stay tuned next week to the see the drama unfold in Bob Clark's (or is it Aaron Spelling's?) City of Brotherly Love.

And is it just us, or is it also ironic that a guy named Hatcher and another named HACKett are out with hand injuries?

Okay, maybe it's just us. But Kevin and Jeff are at the top of the list hands down in this injury category. Others include Aaron Miller, Ian Moran and Bobby Dollas while Ronald Petrovicky and Bob Boughner have bum wrists. And you know how that must hurt!

Who's hot
Remember a couple of months ago? Two teams in a long, hard-fought Stanley Cup Final game? Yes, the New Jersey Devils were there and they eventually won it. But who were they playing again? Ah yes, the Dallas Stars! Almost forgot about them this year, what with Patrick Roy stealing Eddie Belfour's headlines on the police blotter and all.

Dallas and New Jersey are the hottest teams in the league right now, both sporting 5-game winning streaks after mediocre starts. The Stars are no longer the runaway winners of the Pacific Division, as the surprising Coyotes, Sharks and Kings all had great starts. Yet Ken Hitchcock's squad of aging veterans have a lot of pride and won't let go of their Western Crown that easily.

And talk about rising to the challenge: the Devils were in the doghouse a couple of weeks ago, suffering from post-Cup lethargy and falling under the spell of the Moose and his surging Rangers. But since Jason Arnott and Scott Niedermayer have been welcomed back, Lou Lamoriello's Devils are one big happy family again, with one big win streak to boot!

Who's not
All right, we'll say it: Mats Sundin. And this in a week when the New York Islanders lost their eighth in a row? How dare we say Mats is stinkier than that?

Sorry, but it's time we did. In Toronto's last game, a 4-2 loss to rival Ottawa, he managed just one shot on net. No wonder he hasn't had a goal in 13 games. Hmmm... unlucky number, eh Mats? We've been making excuses for him for years now: not a leader, doesn't score the big goal, can't get the team through to the Cup final...

But maybe it's a Toronto thing. CTVSportsnet.com's Jake Daniel says Toronto isn't quite the team it was last year:

"Short, crisp passes and a steady progression down the ice, controlling all the way and relying less and less on the dump and chase. It may not be as flashy as the wide-open scoring machine of the past few seasons, but this new approach may be the ticket to get this team past the third round. Now if only Mats Sundin would cream somebody once in a while..."

Read more at
[retired link]

Who is Canada's team?
It will never be Montreal unless there's revolution somewhere. Toronto? No, most of the country hates the Hogtown Millionaires. The folks in the CTVSportsnet.com fan forum are making a case for a team on the Pacific coast (and they don't mean the Lions.)

The One says this about those crazy Canucks:
"I think that perhaps the best thing about this team this year is their youth. They have stockpiled possibly the best young talent in the league...can you imagine how good they will be in 3 or 4 years? At the start of the year I had difficulty saying with any certainty that the Canucks would even make the playoffs, but now I think they have a good shot at winning their division. The sky truly is the limit with this team. And as for the genius who said Ottawa had more offensive talent than the Canucks, the last time I checked the Canucks were tied for first in the league in goals scored with the high flying Kings. The numbers don't lie. And as for their defence, the last time I checked the Nucks were without their best defenceman, Mattias Ohlund, and yet as of today have won 4 in a row and sit only 1 point behind last years President's Trophy winning St. Louis Blues."

CANADA RULZ concurs:
"Finally we have a team to cheer for. The Nucks are playing their best hockey and it is nice to see that everyone is contributing and the team isn't relying on a few guys to do all the scoring. Jovo sure has been the MVP of the team so far."

me makes a case for another team:

"Umm the Oilers are first in Canada. They have 5 fewer goals for, 1 fewer goal against, 2 more wins... Oilers are 3rd in the west with points and Vancouver is 7th. The Oilers also have at least 3 points more than any eastern conference team. The 'nucks aren't as good as they look right now. They were the same last season. So were the Flames."

The last word goes to Sunz Grey:
"I have to give the Canucks credit! GM Brian Burke really turned this club around when he hired a top coach and somehow pulled off getting the one-two punch of Europe! It's good to see that there's another competitive Canadian team in the NHL! If only the Flames and Habs could take a hint and start making some changes to their own clubs."

One word: Relegation. It works for the biggest sport on the planet (soccer) and it's about blinking time the NHL came around to this method of rewarding/punishing teams.

Right now, the NHL is made up of 5 divisions, based on Money, Management Structure and Whimsy. The first is the We Have Lots Of Money And Our Owner/GM/Coach Is Top Quality division. It includes Toronto, NY Rangers, Washington, St. Louis, Detroit, Colorado and Dallas.

Then there's the We Have No Money Whatsoever But Our Owner/GM/Coach Keeps Us Competitive division. Members are Ottawa, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Edmonton.

Then the sad, pathetic We Have No Money Whatsoever And Our Owner/GM/Coach Are Complete Clowns division. No guessing games here: Boston, Montreal, Islanders, Vancouver and Calgary.

And finally, the Bettman Division, where there are no rules about how the teams got there or where they're going and who cares if there are no fans watching? We've covered every North American market! Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus, San Jose, Minnesota (the sequel), Phoenix and Anaheim.

So why not just treat this structure as the real deal? If the teams in each of these divisions had to fight to stay where they were -- or, in the sad n' pathetic case, to perform their way out of the dungeon -- don't you think hockey would be better?

If you're in the elite first division, don't you think it's better for the fans if you play teams of equal strength? And if the awful Habs only played against the other awful teams in their division, the great hockey fans in Montreal would rebel and not show up to games until management did something...

Um, okay maybe that's a bad example.

But look at it this way: last year the Rangers were in the We Have Lots Of Money But Our Owner/GM/Coach Are Complete Clowns division. This year Sather and Low have led them up the ladder to the first division. Make the divisions mean something, for goodness' sake. And shame those teams who don't think it's important to keep the audience happy.

Ouch! Volume 3
Okay, we don't want to hit the league over the head with this issue, but the following players are out of action, suffering from concussions:

Rhett Warrener
Steve Smith
Phil Housley
Adam Deadmarsh
Joe Hulbig
Garry Galley
Keith Jones
Mark Smith

True, Phoenix winger Brad 'Mayday' May is out on a 20-game suspension for smacking Steve Heinze in the head with his stick, but is it all about stickwork?

There are so many other ways the league and the Players' Ass. should be protecting these guys: make 'em tighten their chin straps; call icing when the puck goes over the goal line; take a look at those elbow pads made out of space-age titanium. We've lost too many great players to early concussive retirement. Come on, Mr. Bettman, there are 30 rosters to keep filled, so we need these guys to play many long healthy years!

Who's hot
The Lindros-less, LeClair-less Philadelphia Flyers. Since Mark Recchi and Keith Primeau have rested their aching noggins, Bob "don't call me Bobby" Clark's pack of underachieving orangemen have made CTVSportsnet.com's collective face red. Over the past 12 games, they have lost only 2.

The big story, though, is Czech goalie Roman Cechmanek. No, we haven't heard of him either, but this guy's on a four-game winning streak for the big club, taking the number one spot away from Brian Boucher (he is sooo last year!)

Can these guys keep it up? We'll see. There's still lots of time for Clark to make a mess of things again.

Who's not
Remember all those decades when Richard then Beliveau then Lafleur then Roy led those goshdarn Montreal Canadiens to one Stanley Cup after another? Remember when all those Montreal fans would rub it in your face about how awful (YOUR TEAM HERE) was compared to Les Glorieux?

It's payback time!

The Montreal Canadiens are the worst team in the NHL. An NHL with two new teams. Four, really, if you still count Atlanta and Nashville. Last year the boys in tricoleur made a brave attempt to salvage a ridiculous injury-filled season by finishing strong, just 2 points out of the playoffs. Alain Vigneault was even a candidate for Coach of the Year for his rallying efforts.

This year, it's just plain over. Rejean Houle has FINALLY been fired. Shouldn't that have happened the day after he let Mario Tremblay stay and Patrick Roy go? And in his wake, Coach Vigneault is out of work too. We feel sorry for him, but not everyone in the CTVSportsnet.com fan forum does.

YABA DABA DOO! is the first to sound off:

"O.K., O.K. So they made a few changes today. I'm glad Houle and Vigneault are both gone. Some may say A.V. should have been kept on. I disagree, he is not the reason why the Habs had a good finish last year. Almost everyone knows that the fill in Captain at that time Mr. Corson had a lot to do with it. So let's give credit where credit is due. The present team in my opinion has and will continue to have injuries. There is a reason why the Habs keep getting hurt. It has nothing to do with bad luck. It has to do with training, and the training and practise scheduled are derived from the Coach himself not by the players nor the G.M. nor the outspoken fans themselves. We the fans did not push the players to the brink, no it was Mr. A/V and his coaching style...so my point is Vigneault drove the players to where they are injured and often turned off and tuned out."

If you want to rant or just say a big "NYA NYA NYA!! HA HA SUCKED OUT, YOU MONTREAL WEASELS!" do so at:

[retired link]

Huh?
Just when constant pain-in-the-butt Bill Guerin was getting comfortable on the frosty Edmonton frontier, they send the guy to Beantown. What's more, the Oilers end up with current hold-out whiney-pants Anson Carter. None of this seems to make sense, considering Guerin, Ryan Smyth and Doug Weight had become the best trio in the NHL. CTVSportsnet.com's Jake Daniel had a thing or 2 to say about the trade:

"The Weight-Smyth-Guerin line had people in Oil Town pumped up like a 1970s-vintage Russian weightlifter, and now the immediacy of the team's success has been forestalled yet again by the demons of economics."

Here's the injury list for the streaking Colorado Rockies:

Peter Forsberg - Rib
Chris Drury - Knee
Adam Deadmarsh - Concussion

Here's the injury list for the mediocre Philadelphia Flyers:

Keith Jones - Concussion
Jody Hull - Foot
Mark Recchi - Concussion
John LeClair - Back

And here's Eric Lindros - Concussion

Hmmm.

What does any of this mean? Nothing, really. It's just been a while since we made fun of the Flyers' genius, Bob "don't call me Bobby" Clarke. He made the trade. And he's sitting in the middle of the pathetic Patrick, er, Atlantic Division pack with more rich players on the bench or in the doghouse than on the ice.

Meanwhile, Colorado and a whack of great players (can you say depth, Bobby?) are tearing up the Smythe, er, Northwest Division.

So when we hear rumours that the Leafs are still in pursuit of a trade for Philly's migraine-boy, we understand the wrath of the fans in the CTVSportsnet.com fan forums:

Bill Granger has a point:

"Okay first off... The leafs will never sign Lindros if he is looking for anywhere near what the Flyers offered him.. C'mon I don't care how much you hate the team you are on.. someone tells me here's 8.5 mill to stay here, I shake his hand and put my arm around him and tell him whatever he wants to hear... The leafs wouldn't sign Gretzky because they said he wouldn't help the team financially. They aren't goin to spend that kind of money on literally, a lame-brain..."

LM adds:

"Eric Lindros' career is either over, or he's one good shot away from becoming a vegetable. I realize how badly he must want to come back and stick it in that jackass Bob Clarke's face, but let's be honest here-he is physiologically susceptible to concussions, and the next one could turn his brain into mush. He should quit now, take his millions and sleep in for the rest of his life."

Bill Granger adds his second point:

"... Secondly, how many leaf fans would like to see him here? Not me. Sure I'd like to see the young, just-drafted Eric here, but that is not who you will get. Who you will get is a guy that, if hit hard again, is going to have his brain patented by V-8 juice. Sure TO has a tough team this year. But that isn't going to stop someone from decking him.. Tell me that it is safer to have Eric back on the ice with that cranium than it is to have Berard on the ice with his eye. I say let Eric and Bret Lindros co-write a book.. I Left My Head in the Game..."

Add your thoughts at:

[retired link]

Who's hot
Okay, we raved last year, even kinda threw our hopes behind 'em in the quest for The Cup(TM), but we can't deny that the St. Louis Blues are a great team. Defence? The best in the league. Offence? 3 solid lines. Goaltending? Roman's Empire (sorry.) Coaching? Joel Quenneville, the dimple-chinned, Kirk Douglas-esque, ruggedly handsome chief, manages to get the most out of his stars and grinders.

The only thing that we can criticize is their uniforms. And even then, they're better than their early-90's Brett Hull era costumes, when they threw yellow and red in. THEY'RE THE BLUES, for goodness sake! Anyway, they're undefeated at home and have only lost 2 on the road. If they stay healthy, ladies and gentlemen, here are your Stanley Cup champs for 2001.

Who's not
Has anyone noticed that the defending Stanley Cup champs have gone into the toilet? They have a 5-game losing streak going and are in last place behind the Islanders. Really. After they won The Cup(TM) in 1995, they missed the playoffs in 1996.

Is this a franchise pattern? Or is it time to sign last year's OT hero, Jason Arnott, and his buddy, Scott Niedermayer? (We'll leave Claude Lemieux to Mr. Gretzky.)

Lou Lamoriello isn't known for spending bucks. Or maybe the owners don't let him. But this pattern actually might work for them. If they can win a Cup, save money for a couple of years, and win another Cup, how can fans complain?

Hmmm. This is how the trap was born. What great excitement-killing game plan will come out of this year's model?

Oh, the sunny south...
Speaking of teams that suck, what the heck is going on in Florida? Pavel Bure, one of the most exciting players in the game today, couldn't put a puck in the net if the future of the free world depended on it. If you thought those little old ladies in the retirement home were ticked about the state of the nation, just read what CTVSportsnet.com's Jake Daniel has to say:

"It would appear that nothing short of a massive attitude overhaul will help the dreadful Panthers, who rank last in the league in scoring despite featuring Pavel Bure, human goal machine. Igor Larionov, who can't vote in the U.S. but can usually score, hasn't done much of either since moving to Miami."

Read more at:
[retired link]

Sean Burke is the King of the Pipes™. Between the pipes, that is.

While Patrick Roy is making all the headlines with his record-breaking wins and door-breaking sins, the big Coyote has quietly become the best goaltender of the young hockey season. This modern-day Suitcase Smith (he's protected the mesh for New Jersey, Hartford/Carolina, Vancouver, Philly, Florida and Phoenix) has been a perennial disappointment, dropping into each new clubhouse pegged as "the one to get 'em past the first round."

That is, unless the Great One starts micro-managing. As part-owner and director of hockey operations, Wayne Gretzky is poised to make changes to the team... er... that is... the team tied for first place with such lofty clubs as the Avalanche and the Blues.

Pouty-faced Nikolai Khabibulin and Whiny-Pants Claude Lemieux are sitting on the sidelines, just licking their chops waiting for the call from their ol' buddy Gretz. And if it comes, we're gonna have to wonder what kind of hockey sense the guy really has off the ice.

October's Player of the Month Sean Burke deserves a quiet stay in the desert to prove he really is one of the premiere goalies. Don't let him out. Woof woof.

---------
Who's hot
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Martin Lapointe. Talk about taking advantage of the moment. This tough right (Red) winger has always played in the shadows of such scoring greats as Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan and Sergei Fedorov.

Lapointe has been a consistent 2nd or 3rd line power forward in Detroit for
the past 8 years, but this year he's leading the team with 8 goals. Huh? He's never scored more than 16.

So what's going on? For one thing, his integrity. His devotion to the Red Wing organization has pushed him to fill the gap left by injured Captain Stevie. And then there's always the fact that at the end of this season, Lapointe becomes an unrestricted free agent. Now's a good time to make sure all the GMs know just how valuable he is, don't you think?

Who's not
It's too early to send the Minnesota Wild or the Columbus Bluejackets to the CTVSportsnet.com doghouse just yet. Instead we're going to pick on one of those big shot Original Six teams.

Montreal? Too easy. Boston? Too obvious. New York? There's plenty of time to rag on those geezers. Toronto? Stay tuned. Detroit? Not while Martin Lapointe is hot. Which leaves the desperate Chicago Blackhawks.

Oh, sure, they've picked it up a notch after an awful 5-game losing streak, but make no mistake, these guys can stink BIGTIME! Besides the always-great Tony Amonte and the tragically pathetic Jocelyn Thibeault, can you name one player on this 2000-01 squad?

Thought not. Gone are the Hulls and the Halls, the Belfours and the Haseks, the Roenicks and the Chelioses. Those guys got bums in seats, but these days the stands look mighty empty (and this in a town where the awful Cubbies get standing-room only crowds day in day out.)

Blackhawk management(that would be Mike Smith) seems to be taking a page out of the Red Wing strategy book: stack your roster with Russians and Europeans and wait for finesse to win out over force. But how long will fans who worship the working class Bears, Sox and Cubs, fans who remember the great Bulls, put up with a fair-to-muddling team made up of outsiders? Nothing but a Cup would do, think we.

Ouch! Volume 1
Quite a pantheon of greats filling up the injury chart these early days. As always, Montreal players past and present (we count 5) make quite a substantial showing. And though the league is cracking down on clutching and grabbing, head-cracking is still leading in the injury race:

Paul Coffey - Concussion
Adam Deadmarsh - Concussion
Mark Recchi - Concussion
Keith Primeau - Concussion
Chris Drury - Knee
Steve Yzerman - Knee
Saku Koivu - Knee
Vladimir Malakhov - Knee
LW John LeClair - Back
Keith Tkachuk - Back
Martin Brodeur - Groin
Owen Nolan - Hernia
Jeff Hackett - Fractured right hand
Daniel Alfredsson - Hip
Mattias Ohlund - Eye

NHL Expansion 2000 DX

Expansion 2000 -- it slices, dices, chops and grinds! Well, it grinds anyway. And Jacques Lemaire, the trap-loving coach of the Minnesota Wild, is the target of a lot of the grind in the CTVSportsnet.com chatter house.

Armenius says:
"One of the most boring games I have ever seen in my life last night - Wild and Oilers. Except for maybe when (Lemaire) was coaching the Devils. So much for expansion opening new doors and growing the fan base. How can anyone call this hockey?? I recommend that the networks NOT televise any games where this master of the trap is coaching. "

LM concurs:
"Jacques Lemaire will tell you that he's not paid to entertain people, just to win games...and that is exactly why he should be fired."

who u kiddin makes a point:
"He's coaching the only way for his team to have a hope of winning - they don't have enough offensive talent to go up and down the ice with the 'big boys.' You can't fire the guy for doing the job with the players available to him. If you don't like this type of hockey tell Bettman to go back to 24 teams. Drop those 'huge' hockey markets in Florida, the Carolinas, Arizona, So.Cal, Dallas, Tennessee, Georgia and Ohio."

Armenius gets the last word:
"It's amazing that the league recognizes this as a major problem in the "entertainment" aspect of the game, tries desperately hard to help by enforcing the interference; and yet, these type of teams find a way to bring the level back to snore. Larry Robinson has nearly the same players that Lemaire had, yet he has found a way to play to a higher level and win. It has nothing to do with the 'experience' level of the players. Most of these guys have proven themselves on other teams as well. You can't drag me back out to watch these guys the next time they're in town."

The NHL must have issued a gag-order on publicly dissing hockey in Dallas in June. Everyone keeps telling us the ice is just fine. Larry Robinson said it. Brett Hull said it. And all the announcers on both networks broadcasting the games keep saying it's a non-issue. Hmmm. Then why is it that the puck seems to be smothered in tapioca pudding just 10 minutes into the fray? When we watched a quick snapshot clearing attempt barely get over the red line we thought, "oh it must be late in the period because the ice looks like a banana daiquiri." But the clock said there was still 9 and a half minutes left. Ooops, sorry! The ice is just fine!

The league announced that around 100 player concussions were recorded during the 99/00 season. Hmmm, that sounds a bit low -- maybe they forgot to add the Philadelphia Flyers into the mix. That would probably raise the total to about 427. This summer they'll study equipment and visor issues; as Bettman says "equipment has to be looked at to make sure it doesn't do more than protect." Other than that, the game is just fine.

For more of Bettman's declarations:
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Are we there yet? part 4.3

DALLAS VS. NEW JERSEY -- The Big Dump.

If the Stanley Cup Final was a video game, the 2000 edition would be Pong. On one side of the screen is the hulking Kevin Hatcher and his big paddle, on the other is the brickhouse-solid Scott Stevens and his big paddle.

Not a lot happens in between as the little round disk gets dumped back and forth back and forth until one player, lulled into a deep sleep, makes the smallest mistake and misses the slow-moving disk (remember the pudding?) and scores a point.

The unfortunate thing about a tight defensive Stanley Cup final is that it's the last series, the one that sticks in our collective mind throughout the summer; we tend to forget that there HAS been excitement in the playoffs: Jagr being unbelievable again, Stumpy Thomas in round one, Owen Nolan and the Sharks upsetting the Blues, Brian Boucher and Ray Bourque just missing the big show

And to give the Devils and Stars their dues, Hull and Modano have lit up the crowd and the scoreboard on many occasions, while the usually dormant-for-the-playoffs line of Arnott, Elias and Sykora has emerged as the most explosive trio in the league.

And as CTVSportsnet's Darren Dreger reports from the playoff trenches, there is plenty of drama -- at least behind the scenes -- in the Stanley Cup finals:

"Larry Robinson waited near the end of the line, patting each player, acknowledging a job well done. He waited until the last man, Martin Brodeur, slipped under the covering that protects the players just feet from the ice.

"It was then I learned how close this group is. Robinson saved his best for last and embraced Brodeur ... not like a coach, but like a proud father brimming with pride. It was a moment that washes away the negatives, giving proof -- at least, in New Jersey -- the fight is for the right reasons."

Read the rest of Darren Dreger's report at:
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What do the fans in the CTVSportsnet.com forums think of the finals so far?

"AnotherDevilsFan" says:

"Sorry to say this but if you don't like the way this series is going you had better stop watching hockey now.... with two more teams on the way the NHL is going to be filled with even more players that have no business being there... the trap is the only way they can compete and not look like they are out-classed...

The funny thing is that the rules are there to stop that style of hockey... it's too bad the refs aren't calling the them... I hate that style of hockey too, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do."

"heh" tackles the NHL business case:

"Anyone who prefers a "win" over "entertainment" needs to realize the size of the business part of hockey. Hockey cannot stay alive if the only places that wanna watch it are the 30 cities with teams. And of those 30 cities you have 10 that are "better" trappers than the rest. Screw that. That has nothing to offer to anyone but those 10 cities. There will be no more TV broadcasting deals, no more big time advertisement deals. Huge amounts of money will be lost. Exciting teams are keeping the NHL alive. People don't go out of their way to watch Dallas or Jersey play because they know they're in for a boring game. The only people getting hyped up about those games are the people in Jersey and Dallas. So what about the other thousands of cities and towns that have the capability to tune into the game? They don't care, they would rather do other things. So bye bye ratings, bye bye advertising....bye bye NHL eventually. "

"BeTtEr ThAn YoU tHiNk" thinks differently:

"I think the series is being watched by those that realize that there's no more hockey until October, and of course, Devils and Stars fans. Some people don't watch it because their team is no longer there. My brother is a big Flyers fan and when they lost game 7 to NJ, he vowed he won't even watch the highlight reel of the Cup Final. The trap may be boring but you should see what happens when they beat the trap. Lots of great scoring chances for both sides. So, goaltending makes it low scoring, but the trap don't always make it boring."

"money rules all" says:

"If my team got to the finals by trapping...I would go nuts I would be so excited. But that would be just me and my city of course. Would the millions of other hockey fans across America wanna watch my boring team win the Cup playing a boring style? Probably not. Maybe if they have nothing to do they'll watch the game, but will they turn down going to a movie instead? ....probably not. Is it bad that people in every city aside from Dallas and Jersey aren't going out of their way to tune into the NHL finals? I think we can all agree that it is."

Maurice "Rocket" Richard:
Icon. Competitor. Humble. Dangerous. Feared. Father. Brother. Habitant. Fierce. Exciting. Fighter. Controversial. Intense. Superstar. Winner. Hero.

Words will never fully describe him. How could the presence of someone most of us never saw in action make such an impact on us? That's the magical, mysterious power of a true hero, a power that spans generations, gender, cultural backgrounds, politics...

Maybe you have the words to explain the unexplainable, to let us all know what The Rocket meant to you. Visit our fan forums and leave your thoughts at:

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DALLAS VS. NEW JERSEY -- Ooops!

Well. So much for all of us smarty-pants who said this would be a boring, no-action, low-scoring series. 10 goals in one game? We didn't think there'd be 10 goals scored in 7 games! But the Arnott-Sykora-Elias line racked up points that would have made the Punch Line applaud! We know, it's early days yet, and Dallas is always explosive in games following a bad loss.

Before the final series started, CTVSportsnet.com's Steve Milton wrote:
"The Devils will have to give no quarter in their own end -- not that they usually do -- because they'll be hard-pressed to come up with enough scoring chances to chip away at Eddie Belfour's pedestal. Philly rookie Brian Boucher, who had a nice tailwind going for him but nothing like Belfour has, gave the Devils fits and the Stars are the best in the league at protecting the box, and blocking those long shots from the suburbs."

Hmmm. Welcome to New Jersey, Eddie. It's almost like the Stars' defence corps believed what they read in the papers -- that the Devils don't have a top-quality scoring line -- yet Eddie the "Spread 'em" Eagle had to be relieved by back-up goalie Manny Fernandez (doesn't he play 2nd base for the Brewers?) after the 6th goal. Who'd o' thought? As for the Dallas offence, Modano and Hull can win games by themselves, and they had better do it soon because if they rely on Guy Carbonneau, Jon Sim and Kirk Muller for offence, let's just give the Cup to Scott Stevens right now.

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Those who live by the hit, die by the hit
The Hit. If you don't know what that means then maybe you subscribed to the wrong newsletter.

For the rest of you, this has become a story of epic proportions. And by epic, we mean a story in the true classic tragedy genre. We have the hero, Eric Lindros with his perfect Greek god-like athletic build, the strength of Hercules, the ferocity of Ares, the youthful masculinity of Apollo. Then there's the hero's family, you know, the mum and dad who put the fun in dysfunctional? Enter the anti-hero, Bob (don't call me Bobby) Clarke, a man who at one time was the hero, a man who seems to use everything in his power to bring the Big E down. The hero rose out of the fog of concussion number 6 and the shame of losing the captaincy to score his team's only goal in a crucial game. But as we all know, the hero of a classic tragedy never comes to a good end. And 8 minutes into the last game of his team's season, our hero was knocked out because of that one fatal flaw: he had his head down in the New Jersey zone when Scott Stevens was on the ice.

Enough of the melodrama already!

There's one thing that never seems to be discussed when the pundits ponder The Hit, and that is: Eric Lindros gave as hard as he got, and though there have been no reports in the media, there's no doubt that the guy likely suffered from more than 6 concussions. Way more. Everytime he clocked an opponent, don't you think his brain shook a little too? Our hero plays in one of the toughest games on the planet -- even professional football has higher protective equipment standards than the NHL has -- and he raised the bar for landing brain-numbing hits on opponents.

But it may be over now. Lindros is going to have to make some tough decisions over the summer. Retire now? Take a year off and hope to make a deal with a team who wants a damaged free agent? Another hit may end more than his career. We hope Eric makes the right decision.

The Hit created a lot of chatter in the CTVSportsnet.com fan forums:

Lindros Fan says:
"I think the biggest thing that bothered me about the whole Lindros hit, was that Scott Stevens had the nerve to say that he felt bad about it and it really affected him. He has made this same hit numerous times and knows the outcome of it, but yet he still did it. How could he act so surprised at how it turned out, he was definitely trying to take Lindros out. If he just wanted to get the puck away from him he could have checked him and stayed away from his jaw/face area. I know they say that it is a 'clean' hit, but it was also an intentional hit to the jaw to get Lindros out of the game. Get better Eric, that's all that matters now!!"

Shel begs to differ:
"C'mon already. A hit is a hit. Don't start whining about poor Eric. I've seen him hit players just as hard as Scott Stevens. If he can't take the hits then he shouldn't be in hockey. Lindros shouldn't even have been playing -- then maybe he wouldn't have made that 'rookie' mistake by putting his head down. It was a clean hit."

... as does armenius:
"You've got to be joking, right? Teams like Philly that seek out the behemoths with the intent to intimidate other teams that have smaller, faster players are proof that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Do you really think that he hit Lindros any harder than Domi? Domi gets up, Lindros does not. I would much rather see clean, solid hits like the ones that Stevens has been delivering (his job), than the cheap shot, sloughfoot, and stickwork that's out there now. Major penalites for hits? How do you know who has a glass jaw, who takes the dive, etc. etc. Why not simply start calling penalites for 'bodily contact' next. This is a man's game; go hard, or go home."

But come on... a couple of weak games late in an explosive season does NOT bode badly for the La-La-Lakers. Good teams lose sometimes. The Lakers have lost 13 all season. 13! Stop the presses! As if! Make no mistake, the Lakers are the best team with or without Mr. O'Neal. Believe any hype you want about their greatness or their fallibility, but believe it when we say they'll be in the finals come June!

You a critic? Still not convinced? Well take a look at this highlight
reel:
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Who's hot
* The Phoenix Suns' shooting guard Penny Hardaway. Remember him? Now that Jason Kidd and Tom Gugliotta are on the injury list, Big Penny has taken control of the team's drive to the playoffs (looks like they'll grab home court advantage for the first round anyway). So far in April, he is averaging 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 21 points per game. Not bad numbers for a guy who has been out of the spotlight for most of the season. Maybe we'll start seeing Little Penny on the tube again, or if we're lucky, a new motion picture: "Blue Chips 2, the Sequel."

Who's not
* New Jersey Nets. Not long ago these guys were still in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the east. Well, 6 losses in a row later and it's kiss the season goodbye. The Nets have had injury problems all season -- centre Jayson Williams has been out all year with a broken leg, and now rookie centre Evan Eschmeyer is back on the bench with a sprained ankle -- but then again, EVERY team has dealt with injuries this year. No excuse anymore kids! So come post season, New Jersey will play sad cousin once again to the neighbouring Knicks.

Pat Riley's Atlantic oil slick
The Heat's well-gelled coach, Pat Riley, has led his team into the playoffs once again. This is the coach who once said "the regular season is essentially meaningless." CTVSportsnet.com's Paul Jay reviews the Heat's season, and the rest of the Atlantic division to boot:

"Whether or intended or not, Riley's long-ago quote still rings true for the Heat: no one will remember Riley's regular-season record with the team (238-131); they'll remember his playoff record (12-18). Now is the time for Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn to play well when it counts. Otherwise a house-cleaning might be in order."

Read more at:
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What the fans are saying
The Grizzlies aren't heading into the postseason this year, but the fans in the CTVSportsnet.com forums think the future looks bright for the Vancouver squad.

Grizzlies Rule says:
"SHAREEF, DICKERSON, BIBBY HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE THIS TEAM THEY WILL BE THE TEAM OF THE FUTURE. THE GRIZZLIES WILL WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2 YEARS!!!!!!!! "

.-period puts a Raptor spin on the topic:
"I don't think they are championship contenders but at least they have a better team than the Raptors right now... but only because we have the worst player - the biggest hog in the NBA, on our team. Without Vince Carter, the Raptors will win the championship so easily, it would be an achievement for the Grizzlies to lose less than 50 pts. If we play the best player in the NBA right now, Sean Marks, he'll show that guy you have in Vancouver called Bryant Reeves why losing 50 pounds is good. Marks will be dunking on him, hitting 3 pt shots over him and stuffing every of his ugly shots...and add in Yogi Stewart in the starting lineup too and Harrington and Rahim will never get a rebound...

vince's chick - 06:57pm Apr 10, 2000 (2.)
"The Grizzlies are a cool team but when you only win 20 games in a season you know you are bad!!! If they can learn how to hold on to a lead like the Raptors did then they can be a pretty good team. But it was sweet when Mike Bibby got the winning lay up against the Rockets!"

A girl's gotta dream!

Some people say Toronto will live and die by how its superstar plays. Some say no, it's not a one-man team, the talent is spread all the way down the bench. There are 9 games left in this season of hot and cold flashes. Which Raptor team will we see down the stretch?

Who's hot
* Orlando Magic. Wasn't this supposed to be one of the bottom-feeding teams this year? Instead, thanks to a recent 6-game winning streak, Orlando's boys are playing above .500 and sitting pretty for the final playoff spot in the East. Not bad for a team without a huge star -- no offence to Darrell Armstrong. And if all the rumours are true about who is going to end up on the team next year (can you say T-Mac? Can you say Eddie Jones?) a great finish in 2000 may just be the warm-up to a huge 2000-2001 season.

Who's not
* Boston's Antoine Walker. Now, maybe it's a team-wide letdown, but this guy is supposed to be the star. After a 7-1 run to get back into the playoff race, Boston has lost seven games in a row. And where was Walker? Well, he made only 38 percent of his shots, so even though he averaged 19 points -- only two points off his season average -- those misses meant he wasn't
necessarily the best guy on the court. You're slumping, Antoine. Pass the ball to someone who will make the score! But let's face it: the whole Beantown squad seems to have dropped the ball along with Walker. The team is ugly again in spite of that promising stretch.

Pacific potential
Is it a slam-dunk? A no-brainer? A done-deal? The Pacific Division has been the strongest all season long and the mighty Lakers are looking to reclaim the NBA crown. But CTVSportsnet's Paul Jay still thinks the rest of the division is worth looking at as we head into the playoffs:

"Sacramento? Get serious. What a shame it would be to waste Chris Webber's marvelous season. But the Kings are throwing this one away like one of Jason William's off-the-elbow passes. The Bench Mob comes to play every day, but too often the starters, namely Williams and Nick Anderson, don't even bring their B-games, much less their A-games. This team should be much better than it is."

Read more at:
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What the fans are saying
This has been the turn-around season for the Raptors, despite their recent skid. But their run won't be enough to win a championship this year, according to the general managers in the fan forum. Here are some of your suggestions for putting together a championship team:

Anonymous says:
"1.) Trade Carter, the biggest hog in the NBA for a second round pick. Hopefully, Glen Grunwald will not waste his draft picks like he did with Carter two years ago and pick someone that's good.

2.) Start the best duel in the NBA, Yogi and Kiwi instead of two aging useless piece of garbage in Davis and Oakley

3.) Solve their point guard situation by starting Haywoode Workman who'll lead the NBA in assists and be an all star averaging 12 pts and15 assists and 2 steals with a Assist-TO ratio of 10 to 1.

4.) Pick up free agents like Rusty Larue, John Amaechi..."

KP's thoughts:
"I think that Oliver Miller was highly unappreciated here in Toronto, I hope we can trade Carter for him... that would be the biggest steal in NBA history...it is like trading Ken Griffey for Cecil Fielder."

The players are the strength of the league, and if they don't want they eyes and ears of North America inside their gym bags, it ain't gonna happen, no matter what the big cheeses say.

Who's hot
** Philadelphia 76ers. The pre trade-deadline acquisition of Tony Kukoc is looking like the best one of the year. The Sixers are 14-5 since adding the old Bull to the squad and have rewarded coach Larry Brown with a contract extension through the 04-05 season. And why not? Earlier this season he made a gutsy move when he suspended his star Allen Iverson, and the team began a 6-game win streak. This team could get through to the NBA finals. Not that we're making our predictions just yet!

** Minnesota's Kevin Garnett. Seems like all season long the Player of the Week award has gone to this guy or another one named Shaq. Well what does KG mean to the Timberwolves? He averaged 35.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this week, leading the Wolves to a 6-game win streak and clinching a playoff spot in the process. In the tough Western Conference where Shaq and Kobe make most of the headlines, it's exciting to see Garnett's numbers filling the pages.

Who's not
** Toronto Raptors. It's been like this a lot lately: one week we're saying how great they are, the next how much they suck. Well, heading into the playoffs, the Dinosaurs are looking like they're gonna be extinct pretty darn early. Consistency is everything in the post season, finding ways to win day in day out. And whether it's mood swings or hot flashes interfering with the team's play, you can't believe they're going to get out of the first round. Sorry, it's been an exciting run, but a 4-game losing streak that coincides with winning streaks by Charlotte, New York, Philly and Orlando puts the Raps out fast and early.

Yo Quiero mucho pointes
Watching an NBA game is like watching music videos, only taller. All the noise, the gimmicks, it's like a Shriner's Circus with 'tude. This week, CTVSportsnet.com's Paul Jay thinks all the food giveaways may be spoiling basketball's main course:

"How can a fan afford one of the most expensive sports tickets in town and not be able to pony up the dough for a lousy slice of pizza? The answer is one of the golden rules of marketing: people love free stuff. Give customers free anything, no matter how insignificant, and they'll love you twice as much. But somehow it hasn't quite worked out.

It's easy to blame the fans for their lack of focus, but let's face it: the whole gimmick is at best silly and at worst hurtful. Franchises could give a free chalupa if their team wins; after all, isn't this the ultimate goal? To think that Cavaliers or Grizzlies fans would have cheered a loss loudly because their teams scored 100 points is scary."

Read more at:
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The Final Four? Who'da thunk it?
Okay, hands up everyone who picked Florida, Michigan State, North Carolina and Wisconsin to make up the Final Four in the big tournament. Uh-huh. That's what we thought. if you're placing any side bets for this weekend's games (not that we're encouraging gambling of any form, mind you) you might want to read Paul Jay's take on the 4 remaining clubs:

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CTVSportsnet.com has all the coverage at:
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And, of course, you can watch the craziness on CTVSportsnet. Check listings at:

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How are you doing in the INTEL HOOPS MADNESS contest? Upset by the upsets?
Log in and check the standings at:

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What the fans are saying
Will he stay or will he go? The New York Times seems to think Vince Carter should play on a big market US team to save the NBA. Whatever! Here's what some of the clever folks in the CTVSportsnet.com forum thinks about this:

Kareem Abdul Jabar says:
"Vince Carter is not going anywhere due to 4 unrefutable reasons.
1. Despite all his air bound heroics Vince Carter is still a project player who tends to float in and out of games.
2. Carter's contract would have to be re-negotiated should he be traded, thus making him a massive investment for any perspective club trying to get under the NBA salary cap.
3. Vince Carter has a very favourable working environment with coach Butch Carter and the Raptor organization. and finally...
4. David Stern (NBA Commish) and the NBA are on a crusade to expand their brand of basketball outside national boarders. According to NBA insiders Stern is looking at the viability of a team in Mexico City. In any case such a protocol requires stars to perpetuate the game. David Stern likes Vince Carter in Canada because it raises the profile of the game in Canada.

J-Dawg thinks:
"Why take Vince from Canada???? Why not just broadcast Raptors games across the US. The Bulls proved that a team can have fans all over the world, why not the Raptors???? If the league wants ratings to go up, they should market Vince where he is. He has totally made the Canadian market viable. He has 30 million people up here in awe. The Americans can also watch him and cheer for him. Just because he's in Canada doesn't mean that Americans can't cheer for him."

Jay says:
"Let's be honest here...Vince is the best thing to happen to the NBA. Jordan left, and nobody was able or willing to take the role as the "marquee" player in the NBA. Shaq, Kobe, Iverson... none of them could do it. Vince is the man now, with not only the other NBA teams watching him, but most of Canada. I agree that if the NBA is the so-called best at marketing their players, why can't they do it from Toronto? Are they not an NBA team? Why not broadcast more games from a team that's in 4th place in the conference, and has the best player in the league? Let's not forget though, the report was from New York, not the NBA, so we don't need to bash the NBA. Yes, Americans can be ignorant to Canadians in a wide range of topics, but doesn't mean we have to stoop to that level as well. I say sign Vince to a new contract for the maximum length and money, and let him lead the Raptors to stardom.

And the last word to KEVIN TERRY who says:
"TRADE VINCE? SURE! FOR SHAQ, KOBE BRYANT AND THE STAPLE CENTER!"

We don't care if you're sick of the Vince Carter love-fest in the media and the odd newsletter. We don't care if you think he's a ball hog, a show boater, a hot dog, a selfish narcissistic limelight lover. The guy is fun to watch. These days even people who don't give a flying hoot about basketball pause to watch the highlight reels on the television. What we're watching here, kids, is an explosive talent, a pure superstar. And even if you don't love him, can't bear his antics, We bet you can't take your eyes off him when he's driving for the net.

*** San Antonio's Sean Elliott. Who'd'a thunk it? Just getting through a kidney transplant is a colossal victory, but this week Elliott suited up and started 3 games for the Spurs. He'd always said he'd come back, that he loved the game too much to let this beat him. And though his minutes-played isn't up to par yet, there is nothing average about his comeback. Elliot's story is refreshing in a month of Rodman capers and Iverson hissy fits. The big shots in the NBA offices should be proud that he wears their logo on his shirt. Even when he's sitting on the bench he's more of a hero than a lot of the game's big names.

Who's not
** Vancouver Grizzlies. There are only 3 teams with stinkier records than those west coast teddy bears: the Clippers, the Warriors and the Bulls. So why put Vancouver in the CTVSportsnet.com doghouse? Because they've lost 12 games in a row, that's why! No, we're not being Toronto-centric, we're not hopping on the VC bandwagon, we're not picking on the Grizz. They just plain suck!

Is this thing on? part 2
The sound of silence. NBC decided this week that the coaches don't have to wear microphones during the broadcasts after all. Well, duh! A little live action pep talk for all to hear is not going to save the game. And really, does NBC and the NBA even believe there IS a problem on the floor? CTVSportsnet.com's Paul Jay says:

"The point is that ratings in the U.S. are down because of inherent problems in the game. To paraphrase Rick Pitino, Larry Bird is not walking through that door, folks, and neither is Michael Jordan. This media negativity sucks! What this league is is young and hard working; give it a chance on its own merits. Don't CREATE a star like Vince Carter. Let him learn to be a winner on his own timetable, in the post-season, and just watch it unfold."

Read more at:
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Oh, so THAT'S why it's called Madness!
So what's the point of seeding again? So the teams that do well all season long get rewarded in March by playing the also-rans in the bottom of the bracket? Hmmm. We think if you asked anyone from Stanford, Temple, Cincinnati, Arizona or St. John's, they'd say "please let us be in the middle of the pack, oh pretty please?" The NCAA tournament may be the wackiest of all time. Or it may just end in another damn Duke win because there's no one left to fight for the crown. CTVSportsnet.com has all the coverage at:

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And of course you can watch the craziness on CTVSportsnet. Check listings at:

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How are you doing in the INTEL HOOPS MADNESS contest? Upset by the upsets? Log in and check the standings at:

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What the fans are saying
Had enough of Vince Carter? Of course not. But there are other players on the Raps who deserve some attention, according to those smart folks in the fan forum.

Albert Einstein says:
"Vince Carter is of course the whole show of the NBA's Toronto Raptors. But, Muggsy Bogues has been playing wickedly coming off the bench, as the point guard. He has done a great job this season, and along with Dell Curry, Antonio Davis, Charles Oakley, Tracy McGrady, and Doug Christie are a big reason why the Raptors are clicking this season."

King George has other thoughts:
"Tracy McGrady is the best player on the team, the other players didn't contribute at all. The only thing Vince Carter Contributed was a billion shots and he made about 23 of them...he also contributed the fewest assists by the biggest hog in the league. The only reason the Raptors are where they are now is because of T-Mac and with help from Sean Marks, John Thomas and Haywoode Workman."

And rap had this to say:
"Anyone knows the key to Raptor success lies in Sean Marks, Yogi and John Thomas with help from Haywoode Workman and Alvin Williams. Vince Carter doesn't run the Raptor Show, he runs the freak show."

And lo, there was a bright new star in the east, and the masses came to wonder at it. They came from the almighty kingdom of NBC to worship the incredible flying man, the saviour of the NBA. They came from Hollywood to sit courtside and be on TV bowing down to the bright star. The incredible flying man's mother looked down from above on her son and saw that she had done good, while the omnipresent Costas, the High priest of NBC preached the from the book of Vince. And how did the young star react to the lofty platitudes of the many? No false prophet, he, as he sailed and soared, swished and dunked in a miraculous 51-point game. For on that day, this one bright star outshone a galaxy of Suns and ascended to that higher place in the kingdom of Jordan.

Is there a shortage of Big Fellas in the NBA these days? CTVSportsnet.com's Paul Jay says we just don't see the dominant centres anymore:

"By the early nineties, Robinson, Rik Smits, Motumbo and Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning had arrived. But since 1992, only one dominant centre has been added to the roster: Tim Duncan. And he plays power forward.

Perhaps this explains why Bryant Reeves makes so much money. Or why Kareem was brought in as an assistant coach with the Clippers to work with first-pick bust Michael Olowokandi and see if he can be taught something -- anything -- about footwork."

Read more at:
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Who's hot
** Minnesota Timberwolves. These guys have been led by the fabulous Kevin Garnett all season. But when a team relies on one guy down the stretch, they can burn out in the playoffs. Coach Flip Saunders saw an opportunity to give the guy a rest this past week with games against the Clippers and Golden State. The team has won 4 in a row, they have a rested All Star in Garnett. They're looking really strong heading towards the playoffs.

Who's not
** Michael Jordan at the trade deadline. The Wizards are awful and just about everyone was on the trading block. No deals, no dice, underachievers over the salary cap in Washington. Could it be because MJ is not experienced enough to play the game and "pull the trigger" on a big deal? Or are there still a lot of NBA execs out there who are smarting from being taken to the cleaners on the court in the last decade by Mr. Jordan? Hmmm... old wounds and long memories.

** The Orlando Magic. This was a team that wasn't supposed to do much this year. So why are they in the CTVSportsnet.com doghouse? Maybe it's because everyone is going on and on about how coach Doc Rivers is a genius, carrying this ragtag team of misfits, with no discernible star, into playoff contention. Well enough already! They're just not good enough! Chomping at Detroit's bit is one thing, but a 5-game losing streak doesn't help. You ain't going to Disney World if you lose like that! (Strike that, the team virtually plays in Disney World.) The Magic have to stop playing the little underdog who could card and play the game! And maybe they WILL be the little team that could.

Dukes of Hazard?
They used to be the Dukes of the Stratosphere, but now the Blue Devils are getting a dose of mortality. Duke, which had recently been second in NCAA basketball rankings, dropped to fourth following its 83-82 home loss to St. John's. Yes, St. John's, the Wake Forest of 2000.

Meanwhile Stanford, which extended its winning streak to 12 games with easy victories over Washington State and Washington last week, was the unanimous No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 Monday. Cincinnati and Arizona, the only teams to beat Stanford this season, each moved up one spot to second and third in the poll. The Stanford-Arizona rematch is March 9. We'll see if the Cardinal is the real thing next month.

What the fans are saying
What's the best duo in the NBA right now? And does that make a dynasty?

Anonymous says:
"VC and T-MAC gel together like MJ and Scottie, they are perfect compliments with a strong supporting cast. What position will the Raps be if Tracy decides to leave the organization? Will this disrupt team chemistry, decrease excitement, etc. Should number 1 leave for reasons being? I think this is an important issue that should be discussed and personally being a Raptor fan, Tracy should stay with the Raptors."

Tripp responds:
"Should TMac leave isn't the question. It's will he and when he. I think TMac will leave at the end of the season. There will be no Toronto "dynasty" and Vince will eventually leave also. Vince will stay in Toronto about three more years after this year, and Toronto will struggle to get past .500 again."

Rap says:
"The Raptors will have a dynasty all right, thanks to the best front court in the NBA in Yogi Stewart, Sean Marks and John Thomas. The best the NBA has to offer can't match up to the talented three. VC and TMAC can leave, but they'll regret when Sean Marks lead them the Raptors to a dynasty that is even longer than the Bulls. If Carter stays, he might pick up the sixth man award or something and play his bench role. TMac will add insurance as the 12th man."

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Hogtown Happenings
Vince Carter, your 15 minutes are up. Sometimes being called the "next big thing" isn't the best thing for a young athlete. Witness Eric Lindros's inability to become "the Next One" in the NHL. The Raptors have been shaky after the All-Star break... Coach Carter thinks Mr. Carter must get his head back in the real game if the Raptors want to make a charge through the playoffs.

Sometimes a kid as talented as Vince needs a little humbling, but make no mistake, the guy is the real thing, slump or no slump. Air Carter. Here's what CTVSportnet.com's Paul Jay says about the NBA's next one:

"Jordan was rookie of the year. So was Carter. Jordan's first year club finished with a .463 winning percentage and missed the playoffs. Carter's finished with a .460 winning percentage and missed the playoffs. In Jordan's second full year he won the Slam Dunk contest and guided his team to the playoffs, albeit with a record of 40-42. Carter also won the Slam Dunk contest and is on his way to his first playoff appearance."

Read more at:
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Argh!
The Grizzlies continue to break the hearts of their fans. Monday night, they were oh-so-close pulling off their first win ever against the Cavaliers. They were moments away from having a modest 6-4 record in their last 10 games. But no. Overtime killed the bears. But the team showed some grit and dedication... star forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim played 43 minutes despite suffering from the flu and picked up 17 points and 9 rebounds. If that doesn't give the team leadership and incentive for the game against the Bulls Tuesday, nothing will.

(And what is the record against Cleveland, you ask? 0-8. Argh!)

Who's hot
** The Indiana Pacers have won 20 in a row at home... how's that for making a statement about being best in the East? This year has seen their star Reggie Miller become one of the best all-round players in the league. Known mostly for his offensive numbers, Reggie has been solid on defence as well, especially in the past 10 games or so. His leadership up and down the court might be the key to the Pacers' playoff run.

** The Pacific Division. Portland has won 9 in a row keeping 1 game ahead of the Lakers who have won 7 in a row keeping 9 games ahead of Phoenix, who have won 6 in a row... you get the drift. If anyone thinks the Championship isn't heading to this division they must be sniffing something! Then again, when Golden State and the Clippers are in your division, it's hard NOT to put up such numbers. But we still think you're sniffing something!

Who's not
** The Washington Wizards. Are we allowed to say that? We know Michael is there and everything, but really, shouldn't that have been inspiration? Nope. These kids have lost 7 in a row. They can't blame Gar Heard anymore for the chemistry problems, they won't blame themselves, so who will they blame? Maybe the Presidential race is weighing heavily on their minds this year. Yeah, that's it! Blame Bush!

Trade Deadline Thursday February 24th
Tony Kukoc is the biggest trade we've seen this year. He just made the Sixers a potential playoff powerhouse. He and Iverson are a tandem to be reckoned with. Iverson will only be better with Tony in the lineup, and Kukoc would love to have one more go at playoff success. Look out!

Other names in the trade deadline rumour mill:

Dikembe Mutombo
John Starks
Patrick Ewing (no, really?!)
Glen Rice
Danny Fortson (what, again?)
Shawn Kemp
Tracy McGrady (they wouldn't... they couldn't!)

Keep up with all the trade news at:
http://www.ctvsportsnet.com/nba/

What the fans are saying
The trade deadline is this Thursday and it's got some tongues wagging in the forum about what the Raptors should do.

"Better" says:
"It is quite obvious where the Raptors need help. Point guard. They have a solid starting lineup. Doug Christie, Vince, Oak and AD can all play defence as well as offence. TMac, if he can get 14-15 off the bench, don't let him start. He'll drive teams crazy coming off to give the Raps a sudden boost of the bench. Curry is an amazing shooter but he shouldn't start and have Christie play the 1. What's with all those useless so-called #1 point guards??? Muggsy, Williams, Workman, Dee Brown?? None of them will fill the hole sucessfully. There are a few possibilities that I see where Glen Grunwald can do something about the point guard situation:

1.) Troy Hudson (Clippers) - when you're trading with the Clippers and not touching Odom or Mo Taylor, you don't need to give them much. Here's a guy that just came out of the CBA who deserves to be in the big leagues. He can break defences down with his quickness and unlike Mugssy, is taller than 5'3. He'll average 7-8 pt but will get 6-7 assist with the cast around here. Something similar to the 'Boston trade' will get him here. I think the Clippers can use Alvin Williams, he's not that bad.

2.) Darrell Armstrong (Magic) - to get him, yes, we need to give up TMac. I am totally against not trading TMac. Firstly, we are not sure if he really wants to stay and secondly, Vince Carter will not leave if TMac leaves. The Magic will probably add a sweetener in the trade. They'll do it now because they will be competing with the Bulls to get him in July. They will give up a bit more to get his rights now. If Tracy does leave, we can use the extra cap room to get another big name free agent. Perhaps Jalen Rose???

3.) We can leave the situation as it is and wait for the draft. We have two late picks (ours and Minnesota's.) There are point guard talents in the draft this year. a) Scoonie Penn b) Ed Cota c) Mateen Cleaves d) Eric Barkley e) El-Amin...the problem is, are we too late to get the one that we want??"

Well, L.A. does have a weakness or two... really! Think about a back-up centre, for instance. The Big Man (TM) can't play every minute of every game. And their shooting...? Glen Rice is good, but there are far better perimeter snipers out there.

Meanwhile in the East...

Let's pretend Tim Hardaway has a healthy knee. Then Miami is the most talented team in the East. Now let's pretend Coach Pat Riley and Hardaway are using the same playbook. Then Miami will likely head to the NBA finals. Of course this is make-believe. The Heat might want to try to unload Hardaway; he'll be seeking even bigger bucks next year, and a point guard would be welcome in Miami. But the question is, who would want this expensive talent with a funky knee?

So who does this leave in the East? The Knicks? Umm, no. Indiana? Possibly. But without Antonio Davis, they seem to be a little less than great. Looks like the year of the West.

CTVSportsnet.com's Paul Jay thinks it's time for Portland to step up and grab it:

"All the momentum is with Portland. They've won nine of their last 10 -- including big victories over L.A. and San Antonio -- and 11 in a row at home. The way they are playing, it looks like this could be their year. They better hope so, because they might not get another chance."

Read the rest at:
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Hogtown Happenings - NOT!
Who knew?
We thought the deal was done. Alvin Williams was on his way to Beantown for Danny Fortson. No dice, folks. Turns out the Raptor point guard didn't pass his physical and the deal was rescinded.

A bad knee? That's news to us. Raptors GM Glen Grunwald acknowledged that Williams has had minor knee problems and did have arthroscopic surgery after Toronto acquired him from Portland two years ago. But it hasn't seemed to affect his play. He hasn't missed a game since the surgery for any knee problems, in fact, the guy's been a regular starter since coming to Hogtown.

The Raptors weren't trying to pull a fast one on the Celtics. It's just the modern day miracle of medicine that will keep Williams in a purple shirt... for a while.

In a Big Country
Centre Bryant Reeves seems to have turned things around lately. Big Country has had a tough time being the Big Man on a weak team for 5 years, and this year the strain has really shown. However, coach Lionel Hollins has found a new role for Reeves, one that has bolstered the Grizzlies going in to the All-Star break. He has been working hard on defence, understanding that his offensive style doesn't really fit into the new uptempo Vancouver gameplan. Face it, the guy is huge and not as athletic as most of the kids around him. But his teammates see Big Country accepting the role, putting the team before his personal numbers... that's the kind of on-the-floor attitude that could inspire these basement dwellers to better things.

Who's hot
** The West. And the new Slam Dunk King Vince Carter. 'nuff said.

Who's not
** It's tabula rasa time... yep, we'll clear the slate for now, kick everyone out of the doghouse. But that doesn't mean we're not watching you...!

And another thing ...
Upcoming Madness! Tennessee won 3 in a row last week and displaced Syracuse as a number 1 seed. The Volunteers may just be the best team in the SEC while Syracuse has slipped, losing two in a row before beating UCLA on Sunday. Tennessee has the week off and then finish the season with 5 games against some pantywaists (Kentucky and Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Alabama and Georgia.)

March Madness is around the corner... stay tuned for details of CTVSportsnet's TV coverage AND a CTVSportsnet.com bracket game!