Wednesday, October 31, 2007

HockeyNight in Nashville?

TALK IS CHEAP…
NO WHERE IS IT CHEAPER THAN RIGHT NOW IN NASHVILLE…
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT IS THE WITCHING HOUR FOR HOCKEY IN THAT CITY…
OWNER CRAIG LEIPOLD HAS GIVEN EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO A LOCAL GROUP TO BUY THE TEAM…
THAT DEAL DIES WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 12…
RIGHT NOW…BOTH SIDES…AS WELL AS THE LOCAL POLITICIANS…ARE SAYING ALL THE “RIGHT THINGS”…
DON’T BELIEVE ANY OF IT…
THE TRUTH IS…THE PARTY IN THAT CITY IS OVER…
THE PREDATORS ARE LEAVING NASHVILLE AT THE END OF THIS SEASON…
THEIR FATE WAS SEALED THE DAY LEIPOLD PUT THEM UP FOR SALE…
THE KEY TO THE MOVE IS THE TEAM GETTING OUT OF THEIR ARENA LEASE…
TO DO THAT THE PREDATOR HAD TO AVERAGE LESS THAN 14 THOUSAND PAID ATTENDANCE THIS SEASON…
SO…IN THE SUMMER THE TEAM GUTTED ITS ROSTER…
GONE ARE PLAYERS SUCH AS…PAUL KARIYA…KIMMO TIMONEN…AND THOMAS VOKOUN…
THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT TO DIVE INTO THE FREE AGENT POOL…
AND NO ATTEMPT TO RE-SIGN HEAD COACH BARRY TROTZ…EVEN THOUGH TROTZ IS IN THE FINAL YEAR OF HIS CONTRACT…
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH…THE ORGANIZATION IS NOT COMMITTED TO WINNING…
IT’S WORKING…THE PREDS HAVE NOW LOST 6 OF THEIR LAST 8…
THE RESULT IS THAT ATTENDANCE THIS SEASON IS AROUND 12 THOUSAND A GAME…
THE REASON THE LEAGUE WANTS THE TEAM MOVED TO KANSAS CITY IS SIMPLE…
THE NEW ARENA IN THAT CITY IS RUN BY THE OWNER OF THE LOS ANGELES KINGS PHILIP ANSCHUTZ…PERHAPS THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN HOCKEY…
THE NASHVILLE BID TO KEEP THE TEAM IS NOTHING MORE THAN A CHARADE FOR THE NHL…LEIPOLD AND THE LOCAL POLITICIANS TO SAVE FACE…
THE FACTS DON’T LIE…
THE MONEY MAN BEHIND THE NASHVILLE BID IS WILLIAM “BOOTS” DEL BIAGGIO FROM CALIFORNIA…WHO IS CONNECTED TO ANSCHUTZ AND OWNS THE NHL RIGHTS TO THE NEW ARENA IN KANSAS CITY…
TODAY WE LEARNED…DEL BIAGGIO HAS ADDED A NEW PARTNER IS DOUG BERGERON…WHO IS A CANADIAN BILLIONAIRE…ALSO LIVING IN CALIFORNIA…
AS A RESULT…THE PREDS WILL MOVE TO KANSAS CITY AT THE END OF THE SEASON…
SO TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT…THE STAKE WILL BE OFFICIALLY DRIVEN THROUGH THE HEART OF EVERY HOCKEY FAN IN NASHVILLE…

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Canuck finger Pointing

WHEN IT COMES TO THE CANUCKS…
RIGHT NOW THERE’S A LOT OF FINGER POINTING GOING ON…
HEAD COACH ALAIN VIGNEAULT IS NOT HAPPY WITH THE WAY HIS TOP TWO LINES ARE PLAYING…
IN HIS WORDS…“THERE’S NOT MUCH GOING ON THERE”…”THERE HASN’T BEEN MUCH GOING ON THERE FOR A WHILE”…
COMBINED THE CANUCKS TOP 6 FORWARDS ARE A MISERABLE MINUS 17 ON THE SEASON…
UNFORTUNATELY THE DEEPER YOU LOOK…THE WORSE IT GETS…
LASTNIGHT IN DETROIT THE CANUCKS WERE OUTSHOT 40 TO 15…
AND IN THE FIRST 3 GAMES OF THIS ROAD TRIP THEY’VE BEEN OUT SHOT A STAGGERING…106 TO 54…
MARKUS NASLUND HAD TAKEN 48 SHIFTS IN HIS LAST 2 GAMES…HE HAS PRODUCED 1 SHOT ON GOAL AND NO POINTS…
THAT’S NOT MUCH FOR $6 MILLION DOLLARS…
WHEN IT COMES TO SHOTS ON NET…THE CANUCKS ARE NOW DEAD LAST IN THE ENTIRE NHL…
THE ONLY THING THAT HAS BEEN KEEPING THE CANUCKS IN MOST GAMES IS THEIR GOALTENDING…
ROBERTO LUONGO IS NOT NAMING NAMES…BUT HE DOES NOT HIDE THE FACT THAT HE’S FRUSTRATED WITH THE DIRECTION THIS SEASON IS GOING…
THE NATURAL RE-ACTION FROM FANS IS TO HOPE THE CANUCKS WILL FIND THEIR GAME…MUCH LIKE THEY DID LAST SEASON…
THE DIE HARDS WILL POINT OUT…
IN LATE OCTOBER AND EARLY NOVEMBER OF 06…THESE SAME CANUCKS LOST 6 OF 7…INCLUDING A 3-2 DEFEAT IN DETROIT…
THAT TEAM TURNED IT AROUND AND WENT ONTO WIN ITS DIVISION…
UNFORTUNATELY YOU COULD ONLY MAKE THAT ARGUMENT IF YOU HAD NOT WATCHED THE FIRST 10 GAMES OF THE SEASON…
THROW THE STATS OUT…TRUST YOUR EYES…LOOK IN THE MIRROR…AND TELL YOURSELF THE TRUTH…
THIS TEAM IS JUST NOT THAT GOOD…
LAST YEAR LUONGO WAS ABLE TO HIDE A LOT OF PROBLEMS…
24 TIMES THIS TEAM WAS ALLOWED TO PUSH GAMES INTO OVERTIME AND SHOOTOUTS…WHICH RESULTED IN 17 WINS AND 41 POINTS…
THAT’S NOT HAPPENING THIS SEASON…
AS IT SITS NOW…THE CANUCKS ARE NOT A PLAYOFF TEAM…
AND THERE’S NOT A WHOLE LOT GENERAL MANAGER DAVE NONIS CAN DO ABOUT IT…
IN THE MEANTIME THE LOSSES ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PILE UP…AND THE FINGER POINTING IS ONLY GET WORSE…

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Canucks

ON MOST DAYS…JESSE BOULERICE OF THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS WOULD BE THE ONLY TOPIC OF DISCUSSION IN THIS CITY…
LASTNIGHT BOULERICE CROSS CHECKED KYAN KESLER IN THE HEAD…
IT WAS CHEAP…AND GUTLESS…AND ANOTHER EXAMPLE HOW THE NHL IS INCAPABLE OF POLICING IT’S PLAYERS…
KESLER SUFFERED A SWOLLEN LIP AND JAW…BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE…
IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS THE LEAGUE WILL HAND OUT A SUSPENSION…
HOWEVER THE NUMBER OF GAMES WILL NOT HELP THE CANUCKS WITH THEIR MUCH BIGGER NEED…
A HEART TRANSPLANT…
LASTNIGHT THE WHOLE TEAM SIMPLY DID NOT SHOW UP…
THE FINAL WAS AN 8-2 LOSS…BUT THE SCORE ACTUALLY FLATTERED THE CANUCKS…
IN TRUTH THEIR PERFORMANCE WAS MUCH WORSE…
THE DEFINING MOMENT CAME IN THE THIRD PERIOD WHEN MIKE RICHARDS SCORED AN UNASSISTED GOAL WHILE THE CANUCKS WERE ON A 5 ON 3 POWERPLAY…
AFTER THE GAME…MARKUS NASLUND CALLED IT…”EMBARRASSING”…
AARON MILLER LABLED IT…”AWFUL”…
PERHAPS WILLIE MITCHELL PUT BEST WHEN HE SAID…”WE LET EACH OTHER DOWN…IT WASN’T JUST ONE GUY IT WAS EVERYONE”…
HEAD ALAIN VIGNEAULT DID NOT WASTE TIME SENDING A MESSAGE…
THIS MORNING RYAN SHANNON WAS SENT DOWN TO THE MINORS…
SHANNON WAS MINUS 4 LAST NIGHT AND IS MINUS 7 ON THE SEASON…
MOST FANS ARE IN A STATE OF SHOCK AND IF YOU BOUGHT A TICKET OR SHELLED OUT GOOD MONEY FOR THE PAY PER VIEW BROADCAST YOU HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE UPSET…
NO TEAM CAN GUARENTEE A WIN EVERY NIGHT…BUT THEY CAN AND SHOULD GUARENTEE AN EFFORT EVERY NIGHT…
THAT’S WHAT WAS MISSING…AND THAT’S WHAT HEAD COACH ALAIN VIGNEAULT IS NOW FORCED TO ADDRESS…
STARTING FRIDAY NIGHT IN EDMONTON THE CANUCKS WILL PLAY 3 GAMES IN 4 NIGHTS…
HOW THEY RESPOND IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS…WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT THIS TEAM IS REALLY MADE OF…
LIKE THE MAN SAID…”ADVERSITY DOES NOT BUILD CHARACTER…IT SIMPLY REVEALS IT”…

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Stanley Cup Hangover

IS THERE REALLY SUCH A THING AS A STANLEY CUP HANGOVER?
DEPENDS ON WHO YOU TALK TO…
4 OF THE LAST 8 CUP FINALISTS MISSED THE PLAYOFFS THE FOLLOWING SEASON…
AND NO CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM HAS BEEN ABLE TO REPEAT SINCE THE WINGS DID IT IN 97-98…
KEEP IN MIND…THAT WAS BEFORE THE SALARY CAP…
NEVERTHELESS…YESTERDAY AFTERNOON THE OTTAWA SENATORS DROPPED NEW JERSEY 4-2 TO OPEN THE SEASON WITH A PERFECT RECORD OF 4 AND O…
HOURS BEFORE THE START OF THE SEASON THE SENATORS WERE ABLE TO GET DAN HEATLEY SIGNED TO A 6 YEAR CONTRACT…
SO FAR…HEATLEY HAS REPAID THE SENATORS WITH 4 GOALS IN 4 GAMES…
IN FACT THE BIG LINE OF…HEATLEY…SPEZZA AND ALFREDSON OWN 3 OF THE TOP 4 SPOTS IN NHL SCORING…
THAT INCLUDES ALFREDSON’S LEAGUE LEADING 8 POINTS…
THE DUCKS ARE A DIFFERENT STORY…
THEIR TWO WEEK ROAD TRIP FROM LONDON TO ANAHEIM CERTAINLY HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL…
ANAHEIM HAS JUST ONE VICTORY IN ITS FIRST 5 GAMES…
TOMORROW NIGHT THE DUCKS WILL PLAY THEIR FIRST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON…BOSTON IS IN TOWN…
IT WILL BE THEIR FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE THE BANNER THEY EARNED LAST SPRING…
HOWEVER THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE SAME TEAM…
MISSING ARE: …SCOTT NEIDERMAYER…TEEMU SELANNE…AND DUSTIN PENNER…
THE INJURY LIST INCLUDES MATHIEU SCHNEIDER…SAMUEL PAHLSSON AND J.S. GIGUERE…
THIS SEASON COREY PERRY AND RYAN GETZLAF ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME FIRST LINE PLAYERS AND ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE SHOWN FLASHES OF IT…
THAT’S ALL THEY’VE SHOWN…
THE DUCKS WERE ALSO COUNTING ON BOBBY RYAN TO MAKE THE TEAM…
RYAN WAS THE SECOND PLAYER TAKEN OVER ALL IN 2005 ENTRY…RIGHT BEHIND SIDNEY CROSBY…
AFTER 4 GAMES RYAN HAD JUST ONE POINT AND HAS BEEN SENT TO THE MINORS…
PRINTED ON THE DUCKS DRESSING ROOM WALL IS THE TEAM MOTTO…WHICH READS…
“NO COMPLAINTS…NO EXCUSES”…
LAST SEASON IT MADE A LOT OF SENSE…
HOWEVER BEFORE THIS SEASON IS OVER THE DUCKS MAY BE FORCED TO RETHINK