The NHL Buzz

January 19th is the day

The National Hockey League appears to be set on a tentative date for puck drop on Saturday, Jan. 19.

In a memo sent out on Sunday night, the NHL suggested that its expectation is to open camps as early as Saturday en route to a 48-game schedule that will commence seven days later.

"Depending on the timing of that process, and the NHLPA's ratification process that is proceeding on a parallel track (although somewhat slower), we anticipate that Training Camps will open sometime between Saturday, January 12 and Monday, January 14," read the memo.

"We are hoping that we will be in a position to commence a 48-game NHL Regular Season beginning on Saturday, January 19 (All of these dates remain tentative at this point)."

The NHL and the Players' Association reached an agreement on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement on Sunday to end the lockout that has been in place since mid-September. The league's board of governors will convene in New York City to vote on the new CBA on Wednesday.

Depending on when a new CBA is reached, the league - according to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun - has 50-game and 48-game schedules drawn up. A 50-game season would start on Jan. 15. The existing 2012-13 NHL schedule was already canceled through Jan. 14.

Original words from TSN

The Lockout is Over!

A tentative agreement has been reached that will end the NHL lockout. The league and its players association reached a deal early Sunday after a marathon 16 hours of negotiations in New York.

The 10-year collective bargaining agreement still must be ratified by the NHLPA.

No start date has been set or how many games will be played.

"We have reached an agreement on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed early Sunday morning in New York. ""I want to thank Don Fehr. We still have more work to do, but it's good to be at this point."

According to TSN Hockey Analyst Aaron Ward, part of the agreement saw the league come off their demand for $60 million cap in Year 2 of the new deal to meet the NHLPA's request to have it at $64.3 million - which was the upper limit from last year's cap.

Face to-face meetings with federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh for 16 straight hours from Saturday afternoon through the early hours of Sunday morning were needed to save the season.

Bettman previously said a regular season schedule of at least 48 games had to start Jan. 19

The lockout has been the second-longest in league history, behind only the one in 2004-05 that wiped outthe entire season.

The main highlights from the deal, according to reports so far:

— The CBA will run for 10 years through 2021-22, with an option to terminate the deal after eight years.

— Players receive defined benefit pension plan.

— Owners and players split revenue 50-50 each season, with the players receiving $300 million in deferred “make-whole payments” to ease the transition from previous system.

— A pro-rated salary cap of $70.2-million for the shortened 2012-13 season followed by a salary cap of $64.3-million in 2013-14. The salary floor will be set at $44 million for both years.

— Seven-year limit on free-agent contracts (eight-year limit when a team signs its own player to an extension).

— A maximum salary variance of 35 per cent from year to year, with no more than a 50 per cent total difference between any two seasons in the contract.

— The minimum salary starts at $525,000 this season and reaches $750,000 for the 10th and final year of the agreement.

— Teams can only walk away from a player in salary arbitration who is awarded at least $3.5 million.

— Each team will be given the option of two “amnesty buyouts” that can be used to terminate contracts prior to the 2013-14 season or 2014-15 season. The buyouts will cost two-thirds of the remaining amount on a deal — paid evenly over twice its remaining length — and will count against the players’ overall share in revenues, but not the individual team’s salary cap.

— Revenue sharing between teams increased to $200 million annually.

— Any player on a one-way contract who plays in the American Hockey League with a salary in excess of the NHL’s minimum salary plus $375,000 will have the excess amount charged against his team’s salary cap.

— Unrestricted free agency continues to open on July 1.

— The participation of NHLers in future Olympics has yet to be determined. The decision will be made outside of the CBA.

Words from The Star

Hockey, Please Come Back...

Brett Kissel - Hockey, Please Come Back (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Rising country music star and avid hockey fan, Brett Kissel, has released the music video to his clever tongue in cheek song "Hockey, Please Come Back." The emotional plea for the return of NHL hockey - http://www.brettkissel.com

Training with Talbot

Max Talbot is one of my favourite hockey players in the NHL right now, the guy is just so charming and underrated as a player. I'm glad HBO gave me my first glimpse of him and his sweater collection during their 24/7 series, and now we get to check out his off-season training regiment.

Hit up the video below and leave some comments! Let us know what you think of Talbo!

Top Ten Hockey Movies of All-Time

With the impending release of “Goon”, a new hockey movie starring Seann  William Scott, let’s look back at some of the best hockey movies to ever hit the big and small screen.

10. “The Sweater”- 1980

Even though it’s only a ten minute animated short, this NFB produced film had huge impact to any Canadian kid growing up in the 80’s. It was a regular staple in between shows on CBC, and still holds up.

9. “Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story” – 2010

A two part mini-series that aired on CBC is a bit schmaltzy, but what else would you expect considering he’s still working for the company and it’s directed by his son. It’s still an interesting look at the life of the sometimes controversial coach turned commentator.

8. “Les Boys” – 1997

Was a huge hit in Quebec that actually produced three sequels and even an English TV series. This is the original, and although it’s very Quebecois, most people will probably get the humour even without the subtitles.

7. “Youngblood” – 1986

It’s a hockey movie starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze. Do you need any other reason to watch this super cheesy 80’s flick?

6. “Idol of the Crowds” – 1937

John Wayne? In a hockey movie? This movie is actually an interesting look at the hockey world as it was back in the 1930’s. Exaggerated? Sure, but it’s the only hockey movie that’s worth watching that’s older than 1977.

5. “Mystery, Alaska” – 1999

Sport movies all have their clichés, and the underdog story is the most common of them, but it’s the best one. This one stars Russell Crowe and Burt Reynolds of all people.

4. “Gross Misconduct” – 1993

One of the most intriguing stories of a hockey player that you may have never heard of: Brian Spencer. His story is riveting and it got excellent treatment from indie-film maker Atom Egoyan that was surprisingly aired on CBC even though it’s rated R.

3. “Miracle” – 2004

The ultimate underdog story is slickly made and Kurt Russell gives a great performance as Herb Brooks. Kind of suffers because the story is so well known, so there really isn’t any suspense, but as far as hockey movies go, it’s right at the top.

2. “The Rocket” – 2005

The classic hockey scenes alone make this a top notch movie, but it chronicles the story of a player that many of a new generation may have forgotten, making this a must watch for every hockey fan.

1. “Slap Shot” – 1977

Would there be any other as the #1 hockey movie of all-time? It has such great rewatchability, and is so quoted, and referenced which is as good as a barometer for a classic as anything. The presence of Paul Newman really does give this movie its staying power though, he lends instant credibility to a pretty blue movie.

Cracking the Laraque Code

Can you smell what Laraque is cooking?

The answer of course is steroids. Even the NHL isn’t immune to the dirty “S” word and in Georges Laraque’s new book he says the drug was a commonplace for years in the NHL. While he doesn’t name names, he does leave a trail of bread crumbs for us to determine who shot JFK, I mean themselves with Roids. Here’s an excerpt from the book:

“I can give you some clues here that will help you identify the ones using steroids, if you really feel like it. First, you just have to notice how some talented players will experience an efficiency loss as well as a weight loss every four years, those years being the ones where the Winter Olympics are held. In the following season they make a strong comeback; they manage a mysterious return to form.”

So with some clever sleuthing you may be able to decipher who Laraque is pointing to. So we’ll use a couple of different criteria to determine those names. First being players that played with Laraque in those Olympics years, being 1998, 2002, and 2006. We’ll leave out 2010, because even though that was Laraque’s last year in the NHL, he would have never seen the subsequent year of which he alleges is the key. We are also only going to assume players that Laraque played with, assuming that he may have witnessed first hand these players taking the drugs.

Here are the 4 different teams that Laraque played for during those times and some potential names. Now there’s no proof that any of these players took steroids, and in no way is this list evidence that they did. This is merely a list of names that fall into the category of which Laraque is pointing, and they may be potential candidates for steroid use, but should be taken with a severe grain of salt.

4. 1998 Edmonton Oilers

Laraque’s first year in the NHL was also the first year of their involvement in the Olympics, and while he only played 11 games in 97/98, he would have been exposed to some Olympians like Doug Weight and Boris Mironov. Two names though that fit the criteria are Bill Guerin and Josef Beranek. Guerin had a miserable year in 97/98, a year that he played for the US Olympic team and finished the year with only 29 points, but had a big bounce back year in 98/99 with 64 points. Josef Beranek was actually playing in Europe in 97/98 and played on the Czech Republic team that won the Gold Medal. He signed with the Oilers the next year and had a career year with 49 points.

3. 2002 Edmonton Oilers

By 2002 Laraque was a regular on the Oilers 4th line, a team that didn’t feature a whole lot of Olympians. For one, Tommy Salo may be a candidate for someone maybe needed some steroids, as he had his best year as a pro in the 2001/02 season with a 2.22 GAA, and .913 SP. After his debacle in the Olympics however of letting in the long shot against Belarus, Salo never regained form in his career. One player that does fit the Laraque code is (gasp) Captain Canuck Ryan Smyth. Smyth had a down year in 01/02 with only 15 goals, but was able to bounce back the following year with 27.

2. 2006 Phoenix Coyotes

When it comes to motivation for Laraque’s allegations you may look to his time in Phoenix. Even in his book Laraque slams then Coach Wayne Gretzky as being one of the worst that he played for. The team was also an odd assortment of aging veterans who may have all had incentive to dip into some drugs to lengthen their careers. There’s guys like Jeremy Roenick who were well past his prime, but still seemed to hang on for a few more years, and guys like Owen Nolan who was out of hockey and then came back in 06/07 with 40 points. As for candidates for the Laraque code there’s Ed Jovanovski who had just signed as a big free agent. He was selected to the Olympic team but couldn’t due to injury. We do see a pretty big jump in point totals the year following in 07/08 when he went from 29 points to 51. Same goes for Shane Doan who was under scrutiny when he was selected for the Olympic team because a Quebec MP wanted him off the team for an alleged slur against Francophones. Doan also saw his point total take a big rise the following year in 07/08 from 29 points to 51.

1. 2006 Pittsburgh Penguins

Laraque didn’t last long in Phoenix as he was granted his wish to get traded and was dealt to the Penguins mid season where he would have run across another set of candidates. The first being Sergei Gonchar a main stay on both the Penguin and Russian power play. His point total was 58 points in the Olympic year, and jumped to 67 the following. Another candidate was one that hadn’t quite made it to the NHL in 05/06 but did play in the Olympics: Evgeni Malkin. He broke into the league the next year with a solid 85 points as a rookie.

Of course these are just numbers derived from clues that George Laraque has laid. There is no proof (yet) that any of these players have taken illicit drugs, but time may sort out all these clues and perhaps the Laraque code will be brought up again when looking for candidates, and when it does you’ll know where to look to smell what Laraque was cooking.

Top Five Trades Between Vancouver and Florida

When teams make big trades, the trades where you give up valuable players for other players, teams quite often look to the other conference to trade with in order to not have that player come back to haunt them. That’s why you rarely see trades between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, but we have seen a few significant trades between the Vancouver Canucks and the Florida Panthers. Geographically, these two teams are the furthest apart in the NHL so perhaps it’s no surprise that these teams look for each other when they want to ship players out. Here’s a list of five significant trades these two teams have made.

5. David Booth, Steven Reinprecht for Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm
We’ll start with the most recent trade that has Booth being the main player. Florida felt the former 30 goal scorer was expendable with a 4mil/year contract, but at 27 years old he should be entering the prime years of his career despite coming off a nasty concussion a few years ago. The common thinking here was that Panther GM Dale Tallon acquired Samuelsson and Sturm to gain some experience for a young team trying to make the playoffs, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens then to determine who the winner of this trade is.
Verdict: Push

4. Chris Higgins for Evan Oberg and a 3rd Rounder
A trade made at the deadline last year was kind of a gamble for Mike Gillis, but the price wasn’t that high with Oberg a minor prospect, and a 3rd rounder for a player that gelled with Kesler on the Canucks second line that advanced all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Verdict: Canucks

3. Keith Ballard and Victor Oreskovich for Steve Bernier, Michael Grabner, and Quinton Howden
Another risky trade by Gillis has turned out to be almost a total bust for Florida. Ballard struggled last year coming off a knee injury and Oreskovich did get some playing time during their playoff run. Meanwhile Grabner was immediately put on waivers where he’s started to blossom on the Islanders, and Bernier is out of the organization too. So it all rests on Howden for the Panthers to win this one, but until Ballard finds his game we’ll have to go with another team for the winner.
Verdict: Islanders?

2. Ed Jovanovski, Dave Gagner, Mike Brown, Kevin Weekes, Nathan Smith For Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and Robert Fried
The original big trade between the two teams featured Pavel Bure who had been sitting out demanding a trade. This would be the beginning of the end of the late 90’s dark era for the Canucks as Jovanovski instantly becoming a leader on their strong teams of the early 2000’s. Bure had two good seasons with the Panthers, but it was mostly marred by injuries, and the Panthers were never able to have any success as a team. Hedican did go on later to win a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes but it’s Jovanovski who’s been the best player overall.
Verdict: Canucks

1. Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek, Sergei Shirokov for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen, Alex Auld
If the Bure/Jovanovski was the original big trade between these two teams, this was the original fleecing. Bertuzzi desperately needed to go someplace far away after the Steve Moore incident and found a home in Florida where the Panthers sent Luongo, who’s only been nominated once for the Hart Trophy and the Vezina trophy three times. Despite all the hullabaloo this year about Luongo’s slow start, this trade has long been a blowout win for Vancouver.
Verdict: Canucks

Top 10 Past Hits That Would Be Suspendable Today

10.Bobby Clarke on Valeri Kharlamov – 1972

Now this isn’t so much a hit as it is a vicious slash that breaks Kharlamov’s leg. I’ve included it in the list to show how a lot of these vicious hits happen in the biggest games. Back then and even now there’s a notion to “let them play” when it gets to the biggest stage, and there was no bigger stage in hockey then the 1972 Summit Series. Clarke would probably get a long suspension now for what would probably be perceived as a premeditated act of violence.

9. Patrick Kaleta on Paul Kariya – 2009

This hit is a significant one because A. It ended Paul Kariya’s career, and B. It was one of the driving forces to institute a head shot rule as after Kariya retired. He blasted the NHL with their slow reaction to the issue, because as you’ll see, this won’t be the last time you see Kariya on this list.

8. Evgeni Malkin on Willie Mitchell – 2010

Now Malkin was penalized for the hit on the play, but with the new rules they would go further. Just because you’re not carried off in a stretcher doesn’t mean it’s not serious. Mitchell never played another game that season so it’s this very type of play that they want to get rid of, and the only way to do that is to suspend the player for more than a couple games. No matter how big the star player, they have to send a message, and this year they probably would.

7. Mark Bell on Daniel Alfreddson – 2008

The date is significant on this hit because 2008 doesn’t seem that long ago, but now with what we know about concussions, watching this hit will make you feel revulsion. Especially with the way the crowd and commentators seem to act like patrons at a Roman Coliseum calling for blood. This hit will no longer be tolerated and Mark Bell would be suspended this year.

6. Chris Neil on Chris Drury – 2007

This hit is significant for what followed right afterwards. A brawl ensued on the very next play which included an infamous fight between the two goaltenders Ray Emery and Martin Biron. The brawl happened because Coach Lindy Ruff and the Sabres decided to take matters into their own hands, after a grinder went after one of their star players. The days of brawls are over in the NHL and no longer have a place in the game. With the new rules Neil would have been kicked out of the game and suspended just for the hit, which may have prevented the silliness that followed.

5. Scott Stevens on Paul Kariya – 2003

The Scott Stevens era is turning into a bit of a controversy these days, as the NHL looks back at these hits to determine if they’re illegal or not. The NHL has used Stevens hit on Lindros as an example of one that is legal, his hit on Langkow probably falls in that same category, but this one is a bit different because Kariya is far more vulnerable than Lindros or Langkow. The problem is that many people look back on this play in a different light because Kariya came back later in the game to score a crucial goal that would send this Stanley Cup Final game to Game 7. As we know now it was probably this hit that would be the beginning of the end of Kariya’s great career.

4. Colby Armstrong on Trevor Letowski – 2006

Now the hits are getting really gruesome including this one where you can see Armstrong actually jumping to make sure that he hits Letowski, who’s obviously in a prone position.

3. Mike Richards on David Booth – 2009

Similar to the Armstrong hit, many will say it’s not fair to label it illegal because Booth just passed the puck and he’s going right up the middle of the ice. Richards though engages in the hit and makes Booth’s head his target which is both disgusting and now illegal.

2. Mark Messier on Mike Modano – 1994

Here’s another hit where the player comes from the blind side and makes the head the primary target. What’s noteworthy is that this was the year the Rangers would go on to win the Cup. Who knows how their season may have been affected if Messier had been suspended for any length of time. Make sure you watch till the very end of the video, for one of the most surreal moments in live televised sports.

1. Matt Cooke on Marc Savard

The granddaddy of all what was legal but now illegal headshots was performed by the master of all dirty hits. Incredible that even given Matt Cooke’s repeat offender reputation, the NHL recoiled and let Cooke off the hook. Luckily the rules are in place now to put Cooke out of the game for a while if he ever does it again.

THE 69 OF JUSTIN BIEBER & SELENA GOMEZ AT WINNIPEG JETS GAME

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were in Winnipeg Friday to perform a show and they took advantage of their stay in this wonderful city in Canada to watch the Jets - Hurricanes game.

They had no real choice. What else is there to do on a Saturday in Winnipeg? The Jets won 5-3 by the way. This young couple ultracélèbre walked around the arena, but I think the place they liked the most was their box. Moreover, I find it sick that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have decided to take the # 6 and # 9 to # 69 a, and then give themselves a field day with a big session frenchage in their box. It makes you wonder if a 69 was not completed during the Jets game was taking place.

PS Nooonnn. Selena Gomez is not the sister of Scott Gomez. Do you really think that Scott Gomez Selena look like a girl?

Posted by: jtutah

Bringing It All Back Home

At 5:40pm on Monday, June 13th, looking around at the faces on the streets and in the bars of Vancouver, you could tell exactly who the die-hard fans were, and who was around simply to take in the festivities. One of these groups was already talking about game 7, a fact that seemed inevitable a mere 10 minutes into the first period. The others, the ones who have obviously been waiting 17 years for redemption, had their heads buried into oaken tables, playoff towels covering their heads in the vain hope that, once they re-emerged, the realities of this hockey game would somehow be different.

But things didn't really change for the Canucks last night. They came storming out of the gates like wild stallions and instantly put pressure on Thomas The Tank Engine, who made some truly outrageous saves to keep the Canucks from getting any early momentum.

Then the dominoes began to fall: Brad Marchand shelves a wrist shot that sails over Luongo's shoulder, Lucic finds room through the 5-hole thirty seconds later, then Ference from the point a couple of minutes afterwards.

That would be Lou's curtain call.

Schneider came in with a little over 10-minutes left in the first, and was almost instantly scored on. It took the Canucks a while to shake this off, but they eventually did. They created a few scoring chances before the period was out, and if you really want to look for silver linings: they held Boston to a scoreless 2nd period!

What happened to this game? The Canucks lost their composure for no more than 5 or 7 minutes, but that's all it took. By the time the shock of being scored on so often, in such a small space of time, when so much was at stake wore off, the damage was already done. Vancouver played some decent hockey throughout the remainder of this game, but the fact still remained that they would have to beat Thomas at least 4 times, which is asking a lot these days.

Tim Thomas is going to win the Conn Smythe trophy tomorrow night. It doesn't even matter what the outcome of the game will be; he could let in 18 goals, and he'd still be the MVP of these playoffs. And he completely deserves it, too.

It's impossible to explain in words just how valuable Tim Tam has been to the Bruins this year. Boston could never have made it this far with an 'above average' goaltender, they need an outstanding keeper of the net, and they've got it. Thomas must be a distant descendant of Buddhist Monks, because he shows up to the games so focused and seems to remain so calm that it hardly even looks like he's trying at all.

What is it about Boston that completely disintegrates the possibility of a close hockey game? Could it be the rhapsodious roar of the Bruin crowd? I doubt it. Vancouver is used to playing in lots of noise, albeit, that noise is usually lending them incredible support.

The CBC reported earlier in this series that the temperature on Boston ice is 6 degrees warmer than what is considered 'normal'. There might be something to this. As far as hockey players go, the Canucks are fairly privileged. Having hosted the Olympics only one year ago, it's probably safe to say that the ice at Rogers Arena is the best in the world; the fastest, the cleanest, the perfect rigidity to the surface of play. Is it possible that the Canucks are spoiled by their perfect, home-ice wonderland?

Even if they are, it shouldn't matter. An NHL hockey team can't expect to win the Stanley Cup without winning a few road games. Unless they're the Canucks.

Vancouver was the only team coming into these playoffs that could be sure that they'd play more home games than away. And they've taken

advantage of that, for the most part. The Canucks have only lost 3 home games these playoffs, and the last one was well over a month ago.

But these things don't matter anymore. The missteps, the faults, the ups and downs don't mean a thing. All it comes down to now, is one, single game of hockey.

This is something most Canadian kids dream and yearn to be a part of: game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. At home, no less. The stakes couldn't be higher, and the prize couldn't be bigger.

I know many of you were hoping to avoid the gut-wrenching anxiety that comes with a team you really, really love, playing for their lives in an all-or-nothing showdown. But man, this is the stuff that makes champions. This is the essence of hockey!

One of the greatest things about sports is that it allows us a stage to challenge ourselves, to dig deep and see what we're really made of.

In this modern society, you simply don't get that opportunity very often. Imagine if you showed up for your cashier's shift at Office Depot as stoked and ready to go as a professional hockey player, or even a fan for that matter? You'd likely scare the crap out of your employer, and a vast majority of your clientele. You'd almost certainly get fired. In our day to day lives, we are obligated to be 'nice and normal'. Where do we go to satisfy the animalistic side of ourselves that wants to run as fast as we can, hit as hard as we can, and test these skills against another tribe that has been training and practicing just as hard as we have?

These are the virtues of professional sports. They might be 'useless’ in the tangible meaning of the word, but the things we get out of good, healthy competition are far more valuable than a steady paycheck.

Tomorrow night, 38 men (39 if you count Schneider) will don their battle gear and take part in the purest form of competition we have in this country. Each one of them will be asked to give every ounce of energy within their being, all at the same time, and all for the same purpose.

Anyone that thinks that the Stanley Cup is nothing but a silly silver trophy, a decadent drinking mug, needs to take a good look at their surroundings. Can you remember any one event (aside from the Olympics, since that too, was mostly about hockey) that has brought such a massive community together with as much passion and excitement as the Canucks' 2011 cup run?

Thousands upon thousands of people will gather tomorrow to watch the final game of the 2010/2011 NHL season. They will celebrate together, or they will weep all over each other's shoulders. So pick your head up off that bar table, impassioned Canuck fan, there's still one game to go.

Your boys are coming back to their palace, their playoff coliseum, for one last clash against an admirable foe. Where we will find out who wants what, and how much they want it.

Game 7: For All of the Marbles, Glory, and Sanity

At the time of this writing the following Match Odds/Moneyline (Inc. OT) were: Boston Bruins (2.34 +134) and Vancouver Canucks (1.72 -139).

Regular time match odds were: Boston Bruins (2.98 +198) and Vancouver Canucks (2.26 +126) and Tie (4.3 +330)

So this crazy series has come down to this. It’s a winner take all game in what has turned out to be one of the most brutal series in league history.

It’s been brutal in many senses of the word: on the ice, off the ice, in the league offices, in the media, and in the history books. You should know all about what’s happened so far, alleged biting, taunting, dirty plays, a unprecedented suspension, more dirty plays, more taunting, in what has become a crazy series that has been dominated by the home team. The latest incident from Game 6 is at least consistent enough with the league’s view on this series in how they have been completely hypocritical.

At the beginning of the game Johnny Boychuk hit a prone Mason Raymond, a player who didn’t have the puck into the corner fracturing his vertebrae. Sound familiar? In game 3 Aaron Rome hit Nathan Horton a player who was prone and didn’t have the puck and was given the worst suspension in Stanley Cup History finals. Either concussions are more serious than fractured vertebra or something else is going on. It’s consistent because all of the leagues actions off the ice have been consistent with their bias of wanting the Bruins to win the Cup.

They are a big American market, and a fickle one, so from their point of view it benefits the league if they win over the Canadian market, which will support the team and the league no matter what. Off the ice even media and fans have weighed on this crazy series with extremes we’ve never seen before with articles like the “Canucks are the least deserving Champions in League History”. Yes that article was actually written by a veteran NHL writer if you can believe it. A statement that basically says that a team with the best record in the NHL during the regular season, a team that staved off their nemesis in the first round in a grueling series, and a team that has overcome injuries galore to make it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final are undeserving to win the Stanley Cup. If anything, I think it’s clear that this series has officially reached its saturation point of analysis.

For Game 7 you have to look to the basics to try and figure out what’s going to happen. The home team has won every game in this series, but the games in Vancouver have been toss ups, so in that regard you’ll give the edge to Vancouver, but only slightly. In the history of Game 7’s in the Stanley Cup only 3 out of 15 have been won by the road team, so give the edge to Vancouver again. After that it’s almost impossible to analyze anything else, because now it just comes down to sheer will. There is no mental edge for either team, because it’s a Game 7, they know the Stanley Cup is coming out onto the ice no matter what. The League has made their position clear, but that shouldn’t affect the game too much, because it’s the officials that will dictate the game, and they don’t want to be a factor so they’ll probably be quite lenient. Evidence of that was shown in the Canucks Game 7 against Chicago. A series that was called quite tightly suddenly became a wide open game where players played on the edge, but were careful not to go over it because any penalty may be costly.

With those numbers the Canucks will be slight favourites everywhere. A gamble on Boston may make you some money, but perhaps a better bet would be to go for a tie, as this game has all the possibilities of being the third game 7 overtime game in League history. In both previous cases, the home team won, but would it surprise you if this game gives us something we haven’t seen yet in this wild series? Almost assuredly this may be the most watched game in the modern era of television.

Originally posted at betfair.net

Unlikely Heroes Get'er Done

Are you ready for some Stanley Cup hockey? Eh? How does it feel to potentially be 60 hockey-minutes away from a championship? Is it so close you can taste it? Can you imagine drinking from that hefty, nickel-alloy mug and letting luxuriously extravagant champagne pour down the sides of your mouth and down your back and chest? Billions of tiny bubbles exploding on your skin and tongue, like a fireworks celebration for the epidermis!

It could happen tonight, or it might have to wait until Wednesday.

I know this might sound painful to any die-hard fans, but I'm hoping for seven. As much as it might bring me a tiny bit of masochistic joy to see Canucks fans stretched to the absolute limits of near cardiac arrest, this is not my reasoning for wanting this thing to go to seven.

No, I want this series to come back to Vancouver simply because hockey is better here. Who can deny that games 1, 2 and 5 weren't immeasurably more entertaining and intense? Put aside the fact that the Canucks happened to win those 3 games; they were all close fought battles, decided by 1 goal(often scored in the dwindling seconds or minutes of the game).

Even all of that blatant and shameful diving seemed to peter away in game 5. It was still rampant in the first period, fairly evident(yet considerably subdued) in the second, and by the time the third period came around, these guys were way too focused on the game to consider falling to their knees for the sake of a two-minute man advantage.

The air in Boston must be infected. What other explanation could there be? Could the yankee hate actually fill the air and affect the play of these competitors?

I am certainly no scientist, and I doubt I could convince someone to take on the responsibility of trying to prove such an outlandish claim. But it seems obvious that the Puritan colony of Boston is wrecking the sportsmanship of our beloved game.

I would love to say that Vancouver will stomp into Boston and destroy Tim Tam and the Slovakian giant tonight, but I just don't think that's going to happen.

But what do I know? Anything can happen tonight.

Stanley Cup Final Shifts 4000 Kilometers West for Game 5

After 4 games of the Stanley Cup Final, two teams that only played each other 4 times in the last 4 years previously now are very familiar with each other after 4 intense games. The first two games in Vancouver showed two defensive minded teams, the difference being Vancouver is a puck control team that works well when they can get their speed game going, meanwhile for Boston, Tim Thomas was brilliant, and the only reason the games were decided by one goal. When the scene shifted to Boston, the game changed in the heat wave stricken East Coast, which meant for a slower game more suited to the Bruins, and once again Thomas was great, stopping 40 and 38 shots in Games 3 and 4.

The Bruins also changed tactics when the scene shifted to Boston and that was to channel the likes of Terry O’Reilly and Mike Milbury and play as chippy as possible before and after the whistles. It’s what most good teams do but up to a point. Bruin coach Claude Julien (and many others in the hockey world) called some of the Canuck players out for after the whistle shenanigans. Julien even stated that he wouldn’t allow “that sort of behavior” on his team, yet Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic were seen with ridiculous taunting antics that seemed to go against what their Coach was saying. When asked about it after Game 3 Julien said that he had only said that to the press, and not to the players, but had told them after the game he didn’t like it. Then in Game 4 Brad Marchand was seen doing the same thing. So is Julien lying when he said he talked to his players, or are they just not listening? Perhaps the players are just taking things into their own hands and playing the only game they know how to play on the biggest stage. The NHL apparently has been very concerned about the antics and warned the teams before Game 4 that it wouldn’t be tolerated, but once again, they either lied, or the on ice officials just refused to listen as Marchand was seen doing the exact same things after every whistle, and no matter how much the Canucks tried to ignore it, it was impossible to. Marchand is playing just over the edge on every single shift, and perhaps because the officials were afraid of calling penalties on him every single time in the hostile Boston atmosphere, he got away with it. The type of respect the officials are giving to Marchand is unprecedented especially for a rookie, and the officials are in danger of letting this series become a mockery of the game.

One thing is for sure, the only way the Canucks can really put a stop to Marchand and the Bruins is to score on the power play which is 1 for 18 in the series. If the Canucks can find potency on their power play, it will put an end to that Bruin tactic and this series could end quickly. The Bruins have played the last two games with the knowledge that they’ll be without their top scorer in Nathan Horton, so they’ve responded by playing desperate, chippy, and aggressive hockey. Back on Vancouver ice, the Canucks could regain some momentum if they can score first, which will put Boston in a position they’ve only been in briefly this entire series and that’s playing from behind. Boston also has not had to travel that much all year playing on the East coast, and hasn’t had to much in these playoffs, playing all their games in their own time zone, so the travel veteran Canucks should have the advantage. With a little boost of confidence from the home crowd, an early goal, or some saves from the maligned Luongo (who can’t be blamed for either loss), the Canucks could roll to a victory in Game 5.

History has shown that in the past two years of the Stanley Cup Final the home team has won each of the first five games. The home team has won the first four games, and should win the fifth.

orriginally posted at betfair.net

Bloodsports and Warzones: No Room For Drawing Penalties

From where I sit, Boston does not seem like a nice place to stay for a few days during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Did you hear the thunderous roar of that crowd in the second and third periods? When you're down 4 goals in a finals road game, and that ravenous crowd starts screeching for the cup, I can't help but wonder what the Canucks were feeling at that moment: annoyance, or absolute dread?

I'd bet on the latter, but then again, I'm no pro athlete. Neither are those who flew all the way to Boston to support Vancouver, only to be spat upon, and have beer poured on them by Boston's elite citizenry. I also wonder what was going through their minds when they opted to stash their Canucks jerseys inside the hotel's dresser, to avoid being ruthlessly harassed and drenched in foreign bodily fluids.

I get this information from one of the CBC's lackey's. Since he's a small player in the broadcast team, I can't recall his name, but he told us this last night, then tried to remind us that "it is only a game, after all." Well, that's where you're wrong, Bubba. This series has completely spilled over the brim of sportsmanship, and now, it's war. That might sound a little melodramatic to some, but make no mistake about it, the atmosphere in our fair city is about to thicken drastically.

It all started out so well for Vancouver. Seconds into the game, Kesler put Bergeron on his back. Right out of the face-off, as though Patrice were no more than a mutt, a nuisance to be cast off to the side while the men took care of business.

This was good for Vancouver, at least in theory. It established that they weren't going to be pushed around by the big bad Bruins.

The Canucks continued to outshoot, and generally outplay Boston throughout the first. But they still gave up that vital first goal. Letting concussed Horton's replacement, Rich Peverley, careen down the boards and slide rubber through Luongo's 5-hole.

Vancouver outshot Boston in every period of this game. And got fewer penalties, too. Which goes to show that the harder and deeper you look into statistics, the less factual they become.

Nearly all of Vancouver's shots in the second half of the game hit Thomas right in the 'B'. By then, they were so utterly desperate to get one past him, I'm a bit surprised they didn't try to take him out.

Yes, indeed. Who will be the one to break Tim Tam's spirit? What if he doesn't let another goal in all year? Considering the way he's been playing, it doesn't even seem all that unreasonable.

Tim Thomas(I can't stress enough how painful it is for me to praise Thomas, but it's simply unavoidable at this point) looks like the only one who's actually competing for a Stanley Cup. His tending has been near super-human, and he's risen above the petty bickering of this series with all the grace and civility of a lazy brown bear coming out of hibernation.

Why are hockey's elite diving all over the ice like a bunch of Brazilians? At a time like this! Where are the bygone days of noblesse, when hockey players at least respected each other enough to settle their scores between whistles?

Obviously, those days are over.

These days, we slash everyone in sight, we beak each other off(probably a large percentage of this beaking is geared towards the opposition's mothers), we slap each other, and spend more time trying to catch the referee's attention than actually playing hockey.

What is this crap, the NBA? Gary Bettman must be responsible, somehow.

He just might be, too. Does it not seem completely ridiculous to anyone else that the league is amending the rules of the NHL during a Stanley Cup final? This time, they want to take the word 'blindside' out of Rule #48, the one about not trying to decapitate someone. If all these fat-bellied hacks want to do is sit around conference tables in luxurious hotels and talk about the specific wording of rules, that's fine. But there should at least be a deadline on changing the rules; and it should be no later than the trade deadline. If the NHL doesn't want the teams doing any last-minute wheeling and dealing during the playoffs, I'm sure the players don't want any tweaking and twoddling of the rules at the last-minute, either.

But all that is beside the point. It ultimately doesn't matter if the word 'blindside' appears anywhere in the rule book or not. These guys know, or at least should know, how to play hocker properly.

Frustration is a definite factor. The Canucks seem to only be able to handle about 25 or 30 minutes of not scoring before they start to unravel, at least recently. Getting that first period goal is going to be crucial to Vancouver's survival in this series. They need that goal. Or, they'll need to learn how to cope in a scoreless chess match.

Vancouver's mistakes in the first half of game 4 were fairly minor, but they cost the Canucks dearly each time. A missed hit, a bad dump, and some horrible fumbling behind their own net. Suddenly they're down 3-0. Vancouver made a pretty good push at the end of the second, but couldn't secure a goal. The momentum would not even look in their general direction for the remainder of the game.

After the brutal bounce that gave Peverley his second of the night, watching the rest of game 4 was like seeing a loved battle a slow-spreading, yet crippling and deadly illness. Even the announcers gave up on the game.

I have to commend the CBC for their outstanding coverage of these playoffs. The ability to live stream almost any game has brought me no end of joy. And their work with the city to setup those fan zones, essentially centralizing a hardcore base of fans that can watch the game for free, has been nothing short of miraculous. But last night, their announcers acted like a bunch of embittered old men. Which they probably are, so that makes sense. But they should at least have the decency to keep it off the air.

With an astronomical 14 minutes left in the third period of game 4, the CBC's version of Statler and Waldorf completely gave up on calling the 'action'. For the better part of the following 3 minutes, Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson talked about whether or not Luongo would start on Friday. This conversation was as inane as you'd imagine. Fortunately, they were forced to do their jobs when Mark Recchi got a high-sticking penalty with 11 minutes left.

Why is every aspect of Canadian hockey folding over itself before the games are even over? I can at least understand that the Canucks are fed up with (statistically) outplaying a team, only to be brutally slayed in the span of a few minutes. But what excuse do those grouchy old balcony dwellers who are supposed to announce these games have?

It's a pretty sweet gig to be able to watch, and call a hockey game. Hughson and Simpson's (or Statler and Waldorf, as they'll be referred to from now on) performance in the late stages of last night's game was absolutely pitiful. It enrages me to think that hockey analysts flooded the dressing room last night to criticize the Canucks' play; when 65 feet above their heads, the two muppets doing the play-by-play quit on the game long before the Canucks did.

But all that is in the past. We're coming back home. Far from the flying beers and loogies of Boston. We (and I do mean we: you, me, all the Canucks, and all the fans in the stands and in the streets...even Statler and Waldorf) must come together to crush the only force that could keep the cup out of Vancouver: Tim Tam. Damn that Tim Tam. In Boston, he is king, he is God. But here, half a world away, he's noting more than a pest.

I'm not saying we should spit at the Bruins, and I'm certainly not saying we should waste our beer on them. That would be ridiculous, and un-Canadian. Bostonians think they're loud and tough, eh? Let's show the definition of loud. Brick walls are erected and taken down each and every day. It won't be easy, but the Canucks must crack Tim's bricks, and we'll shove him off his rocker...by sheer volume.

Rome Becomes Scapegoat for a Befuddled League

It’s been a rough year for NHL disciplinarians. After a few years of skirting around the head shot issue, the dinosaurs of the NHL finally came around and tweaked the rules. Unfortunately the way that they passively handled the issue has only created more confusion for not only the fans, but for the players playing the game as to what they are allowed or not allowed to do. In the big picture of making the game of hockey better, it shouldn’t be about taking away “head shots”, but about taking away dangerous plays out of the game of hockey that lead to concussions and other serious injuries. The most recent incident has come on hockey’s biggest stage with Vancouver Canuck defenseman Aaron Rome knocking Nathan Horton out with a hit. If you ever grew up watching Don Cherry’s Rock and Sockem tapes, you will recognize this hit, especially in the early years of the series, as one that was regularly celebrated by the infamous CBC commentator with his catch phrase “Keep Yer Head Up!” Think back to one of the more famous hits by Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils on Eric Lindros and you’ll see similarities, but the game has changed, and that once celebrated hit is now part of the lengthiest suspension in Stanley Cup history.

How the league has got to this point has been the result of misguided leadership and stubbornness. The NHL top brass can sometimes feel like an old boys club, so when it comes to radically making rule changes, it can be a bit difficult. It all starts with a guy who should have never been in the job in the first place and that’s Colin Campbell. Talk to executives and most will tell you about Colly “the good guy”, but that “good guy” just happened to police a game in a league where his son plays. This happened five years ago when Gregory Campbell became a regular in the NHL, but no one really seemed to notice or care, until emails were leaked that showed Colin Campbell actually acting like every other “hockey dad” out there, and showed that he clearly couldn’t be nonpartisan. Yet he kept his job, and the calamity of errors continued. The issue has blown up this year because Gregory Campbell got traded to the Boston Bruins, a team with not only had a shot at the Stanley Cup, but one that still plays right on the edge of the rules like they did in the ‘70’s when the aforementioned Don Cherry was the Coach. So in effort to keep things fair they gave any calls involving the Boston Bruins to his buddy Mike Murphy. It’s like for some reason you’re not allowed to drive across one bridge to get into the city, so you give the keys to your friend who’s nervous because he doesn’t know your car too well, so he drives it cautiously not wanting to do any damage. Murphy predictably was called upon many times this year, and almost seemed to fumble the calls every time. Sucker punching became a big issue when Todd Bertuzzi clocked Steve Moore back in ’04, and ever since the league seemed to come down hard, yet Murphy conveniently turned an eye when Milan Lucic suckered Freddy Meyer. Murphy’s biggest gaffe however came when couldn’t find reason to suspend Bruin captain Zdeno Chara when he shoved Max Pacioretty into a stanchion breaking a vertebra in his neck.

With the no call on Chara they seemed to be saying that even with a catastrophic incident that causes injury, they don’t want to always jump on a suspension based on injury but on incident. Both Chara and Rome got 5 minute majors for interference and game misconducts, and both Pacioretty and Horton will miss time, but it’s only Rome getting suspended, a historic suspension at that. It shouldn’t be any clearer that there is an egregious bias happening when it comes to these Boston Bruins, and it has nothing to do with trying to police head shots or clean up the game, but has to do with the incompetent and inconsistent NHL top brass. They have waited all year, and have waited until Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final to make their statement and unfortunately Aaron Rome will have to be the scapegoat even though there were previous incidents when the league could have done something significant. The thing is Murphy shouldn’t even have been in this position; it wasn’t his job to do. Faced with a crucial decision on Rome, Murphy called the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs Brian Burke for his opinion. The train of incompetence just keeps rolling. Even though Burke used to be the head disciplinarian of the NHL, he’s also a rival GM that may have a vested interest in the outcome of this Stanley Cup. Sure if the Bruins do win the Cup, one of his first round picks will go down from 29 to 30, but more likely, Burke would want nothing more than to see the Bruins beat the Aquilini Family owned Canucks who ran Burke out of town in 2004.

The Aaron Rome hit is one that many people believe should be worthy of a suspension, but consensus is showing that 4 games is too much. Perhaps it was just an easy decision because Aaron Rome is a depth defenseman and no one is really going to miss him. Rome’s play was not inherently dirty, it was just a late hit, if Horton has his head up, there’s probably not even a penalty on the play, but the result was a concussion which is unfortunate, and something Rome should know all about. In Round 3 for the Canucks facing the Sharks, there were two dirty hits from behind that didn’t warrant any suspensions. One was Ben Eager on Daniel Sedin and the other was Jamie McGinn on Aaron Rome which resulted in Rome missing two games with a concussion. Two more dirty plays that the league didn’t feel were worthy of suspensions.

It’s gotten to the point where it has become impossible to figure out how the NHL will rule on suspensions. Isn’t it supposed to be as clear as penalties on the ice? When we have multiple angles on every play, it should be clear to everyone with sufficient examination time for everyone to figure out how many games a guy should or shouldn’t get. There has never been a time that calls for a committee of people to oversee suspensions than right now, so that it doesn’t fall onto one person. Not surprisingly the league has given the job to one man in Brendan Shanahan, a player who has played with or against the majority of the players in the league. So there won’t be any chance of any more bias, right?

Originally posted at Betfair.net