6 Canadian soilders have died in Iraq recently. One of them, being my girlfriends aunts nephew.

I prey for their familes in their time of pain, and hope that there is light for them down the road.

If you were watching coaches corner tonight, he was the younger newfoundlander.

6 Canadians died fighting a war that wasn't theirs.....

 

( I posted this on my blog because I know that the good people of this community will prey for their familes in their time of need)

I have been staying at my moms house this week, and tonight I found it hard to find something to write or read, so I thought I'd see what movies were on digital cable.

I noticed that "gridiron gang" was playing, I was always a fan on Dwayne 'The Rock" Johnson, and I wanted to see the movie for a while so I sat down and watched it.

It was by far the best sports movie I ever watched, and I have seen all the greats (Miracle, Remember The Titans, Friday Night Lights, Coach Carter, etc,). But this one beats them all.

What makes it so great was that it didn't base itself on people who were bound to have sucessful lives, it focused on kids who were lead the wrong way, and made some mistakes in their lives.

It is about Sean Porter(Johnson), a social worker at Kilpatrick, a detention center for juvenile delinquents, and how he shows the kids there that they are worth something.

I don't want to ruin the whole movie, but it really is a heart warming must see, and it will appeal to everyone.

Enjoy!

DG Hockey

This weekend was very exciting for hockey. Some of the best games of the year were played this weekend. The final spot in the eastern conference went right down to the shootout. It was real time hockey.

The first game that left me on the edge of my seat for the entire 60 minutes was the Toronto/Montreal game. Toronto needed to win in regulation to have a chance at making it to the post season. It was looking good at the beginning of the second when they were up 3-1 on Montreal.

Then, out of no where, my fellow Newfoundlander, Michael Ryder gets a natural hat trick to put his team up 4-3. I couldn't believe what just happened. Montreal then got one more from Chris Higgins to go up 5-3. I thought it was all over, but all of a sudden, Carl Colaiacovo, Brian McCabe, and Kyle Wellwood scored to put the Leafs up 6-5 through the third. Sheldon Souray left the game and that would be the end for Montreal.

I was happy that the Leafs won, but I didn't like watching Montreal walk off that ice, especially after great efforts by Ryder(3g, 1a) and Koivu(3a)

---

On Saturday night, the western conference was also getting closer to see who would represent them in the playoffs.

Calgary had Edmonton, and Colorado had Nashville. I wanted Colorado to make the playoffs, and I thought they could beat Nashville with the way they have played the past month, but I didn't think Edmonton would do much with Calgary.

For Colorado to get in, they had to win, and Calgary had to loose. Colorado was beating the Predators 2-1 for most of the game. Meanwhile I was watching the Edmonton/Calgary game, and when the Flames went up 2-0, i just put my television on mute and decided to read while I was waiting for the final score.

I was caught up in my book and never bothered to look at the TV for a while. When I finally decided to look, to my ashonishment, Edmonton was up 3-2. I was absolutely amazed.

After that game, I checked the scores and noticed that Colorado had succumbed to the Predators with a 4-2 loss.

It was a great effort by Sakic and company, and I will always be proud of how close they came.

---

When Sunday came, a lot of Leaf fans were pretty happy that the Islanders had to beat the Devils to knock the Leafs out of the playoffs. I would think that when the found out that backup goalie Scott Clemenson would be in the net, they weren't as sure.

The game was slow for the most part, and with 5 minutes left in the third the Islanders were up 2-0 and I was thinking that the leafs were finished.

The Devils managed to score a goal, and with only a few minutes left I thought it was over. Some how, some way, John Madden managed to get the puck in the net with .8 seconds left in the game. I could just picture Mats Sundin drenched in a sweat at this point.

No one could score in overtime, so it was off to the shootout. The last seed of the eastern conference was going to be decided by what team was lucky enough to come down one on one with a goalie and get the puck in the net. I was down on the floor at this point wondering what would happen.

I wanted the Leafs to get in, but when I saw the Islanders after Maddens goal I got that feeling that I got with Montreal, so I sort of wanted them to get in. Dubby stood his ground, and the Islanders are off to meet Buffalo in the first round.

---

Also on Sunday, previous the Devils/Islanders game, my Philadelphia Flyers had a game gainst the Buffalo Sabres. They had not beaten the Sabres all year, but I could tell when they started playing, this would be a very good game.

The Flyers were destroyed by the Sabres this year and in last years playoffs. This time how ever there was a difference....Martin Biron.

He made some key saves and the Flyers played a good hard working game to keep the Sabres from beating their team record for most points in a season. Good job Philadelphia, I am proud of you.

---

This weekend was very exciting, and I think the playoffs will be just as if not more intense.

 

Good luck to the Flames and Islanders, who managed to dodge the other teams chasing them, and the Avalanche, Leafs, and Canadians get my thumbs up for their great efforts.

Enjoy the playoffs everyone!

DG Hockey

I was looking around the internet for hockey articles and I came across one that I found very interesting.

At AOL's NHL Fan House there is a post that says Don Cherry has shown that hockey belongs in hockey. It has recently been voted that a player needs to get five instigator penalties to be suspended.

I was very happy to read this. Regardless of the injures that have occurred, fighting just belongs in the game. To North America, fighting is just as much a part of hockey as a car is to NASCAR.

Don Cherry, although sometimes has his head in the wrong place, was dead on with his opinion in my mind. A lot of players need fighting just to stay in the league. There would be a lot of players left unsigned if fighting was taken out of our game. It also adds excitement and hart to the game.

When I was in Pittsburgh, the first game I went to was against Montreal. Colby Armstrong made a check on Saku Koivu where he actually jumped off the ice and hit Koivu' head. It was a very dirty hit. What Armstrong didn't know was that Sheldon Souray was coming down the ice hard, and before Armstrong could do anything, Souray pounced on him like a cheetah on it's prey. It is the moment that makes that game stand out to me, and even though Souray was thrown out for the remainder of the game, I'm glad that it wasn't for more because he probably wouldn't pick up for his captain again.

Hockey needs fighting. I think that if it was taken out of hockey that attendance would drop as would viewers on television. Fighting is a part of hockey heritage, and should always be in the game.

green-danny@hotmail.com
DG Hockey

The Maple Leafs are a likely choice for the final spot in the eastern conference to a lot of fans. Even when they are back in the 10th and 11th seeds, they manage to work their way up to the 9th seed, but they just can't get to 8th.

It seems to me that the Leafs are having a tough time playing games this season that are must-win scenarios. They manage to work their way back up to the 9th seed, but can never manage to squeeze into the final spot. Last night against the Rangers was a prime example of this when they lost 7-2 in a game that could put them in a tie with the Rangers for the final two seeds.

The Leafs and Habs have basically the same schedule for their final 3 games. Montreal = Boston, Long Island, and Toronto - Toronto = Philadelphia, New York, and Montreal.

They each have a gimme game against teams they can beat, but I would not bet against Philadelphia or Boston to be spoilers. The games against the New York teams will be tougher.

My guess it that they both will go 1-1 in their next two games and it will come down to the final game against each other.

---

For the Leafs to have a chance, they need to get some guys to step it up like Sundin does around this time every year. You can expect him to be playing his best hockey.

I also assume Tomas Kaberle and Darcy Tucker will be at their best.

Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky will need to get their huge frames down low to keep the puck in the opposite end to setup scoring chances.

The one player who will need to shine the most is Andrew Raycroft. If he plays bad, they loose, if he plays good, they win. Its that simple.

If you are in an area where you can watch Saturday's game between the long time rivals I suggest you sit down and enjoy the ride, because the eastern conference battle for the final seed truly will not be over until its over.

green-danny@hotmail.com
DG Hockey

It is not looking good for Joe Sakic and his Colorado Avalanche. They are at least 5 points behind the Calgary Flames regardless what happens in Calgary's game tonight.

The Avalanche however, refuse to go down without a fight. They play every game like its their last, and if they do not make the playoffs, they could potentially set the record for highest points and not make the playoffs.

Considering the players Colorado has lost over the years, they are doing fine. Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake, Adam Deadmarsh, Adam Foote, Chris Drury, Alex Tanguay, Mats Sundin, Owen Nolan, lets face it, the list goes on and on.

They are also making a push with a south par defensive lineup, two mediocre goaltenders, and a couple of kids. They do however have one distinct advantage over every team in the league, a captain with the heart of a Lion.

If there is anyone in the league that can squeeze a team into the playoffs, its Joe Sakic. He plays to the last second, and is showing no sign of slowing down with 91 points at the age of 37.

Paul Stastny has been putting up more points as of late, and has established him self as one of the elite rookies of the 2008-2007 season.

---

Realistically, for Colorado to make the playoffs, they need to win the rest of their games and hope Calgary loose the rest of theirs. They do have two games left against the Flames which could really help them make it in.

Key Players

The players that really need to perform are

• Joe Sakic - the backbone of this franchise and they will only do as good as he does.
  
• Paul Stastny - needs to keep on the score board for Colorado to win games.
• Peter Budaj - their #1 guy since Theodore hasn't been too hot this season, really needs to shine for Colorado to have a chance.
  

If this were any other team making a push for the post season, I would say they wouldn't make it, but you can never count out Burnaby Joe and his Colorado Avalanche.

green-danny@hotmail.com

I was reading "The Human Side of Sports" and I noticed that Steeler had a very nice post up about a NASCAR blogger named SouthernCindi.

I do not know her, and I have never talked to her on FOX Sports, but I see she is a woman with a great heart and can see how blogging has helped us all become friends.

Cindi has cancer and people have been posting extraordinary comments to help her get through this difficult time.

I am only 16, and might not have not been on FOX Sports as long as the rest of you, but I see that this place is a family of its own.

Blogging is a way for us to have fun with people we would probably never meet or care about, but it has done that and I am grateful to see strangers care about each other the way they do here.

Cindi, I don't know you, but i assure you that I do believe that their is a "being" who watches over us and keeps us safe, and I am sure he is watching over you and your family right now. I will pray for you and your family, and god bless you.

(mar.29) 

The Carolina Hurricanes looked like they were going to be one of the final seeds to make it into the playoffs a few weeks ago. Now, however they look like they might come up short.

The past two games, they have been out scored 11-2 and with the shots 32-27 Toronto and 25-24 Philadelphia. This shows a better effort is needed for Carolina to catch playoff berth once again.

Although they have not received top net minding this season, I don't think their goalies can be blamed entirely for their place in the standings.

A better effort is needed from such players as:

• Eric Stall, who is only 29-37-66 .
• Defencemen Bret Hedican( 0-10-10 in 50 games)
• Dennis Seidenberg, who is a -14( a team worst, the closest being -7)
• Cory Stillman(5-18-23 in 38 games)
  

I think that Eric Stall should be a lot more competitive in the point standings than he is. Last year he went 45-55-100 in 82 games, which is a nice drop from his production this year.

Bret Hedican is getting older but I think he still has better skating and passing ability than a lot of defencemen in the league. In last years playoffs he went 2-9-11 in 25 games, which is half the games and one less point than this year.

Dennis Seidenberg will probably never be a big point producer, but he can do better than a -14. In the 2002-2003 season, he was a +8 with Philadelphia. That would be a much more helpful +/- to Carolina than a -14.

He has only played 38 games, put I think that Cory Stillman should have been able to put up a least 40-45 points in those games. Last year he put up 21-55-76 in 72 games, which shows he can put up more points than games played.

---

The entire team needs to step it up if they want a chance to defend their Stanley Cup. The players I pointed out are those who I think are playing a good distance below their skill level, but the whole team needs to work harder to get past such teams as Toronto and Long Island in the standing.

Only time will tell, this years playoff race will go right down to the last game.

(mar.29)

I was reading Eric Duhatschek's blog "The Hat On Hockey" and his latest post is very interesting.

He says that the western conference will go right down to the wire, the same as the east. Even though there are only two teams involved in the race, I agree with him.

In the east, we have New York, Long Island, Carolina, Toronto, Montreal, and now Tampa Bay fighting for the last two seeds while separated by five points.

In the west, we have Colorado and Calgary, also separated by 5 points while fighting for the last seed.

In all fairness to the east, which seems way more exciting to most hockey fans, I can't help but love seeing my old team make a run to squeeze into the post season once again. The one time power house is not all what it use to be but it has the heat back from the Forsberg, Deadmarsh, Dury days.

Calgary is a very exciting team to watch and I would like to see them in the post season, but then theres Joe, good ole Joe Sakic taking a group of kids and making another run for the post season. Thats what I call hockey.

The east race will be very exciting, but I cant wait to see if Sakic and company can find there way into another run for the cup.

(mar.27) 

Before the Toronto/Buffalo games, I ironically stated that Toronto would win one game, and Buffalo would also win a game.

Believe me or not, the reason I thought this was because the Leafs got their top d-man back and are already playing playoff hockey, and I gave buffalo a win because of who they are.

But I have to think, based on how Toronto's rival playoff hunters are playing, are they too late?

Toronto gave up a big 4-1 lead on the Sabres Friday night, one that they should have easily one because they were out playing Buffalo for most of the game. They just played better hockey for the first two periods, but threw it away in the third. The game total was 5-4 Buffalo. I think that was a severe blow to both the Leafs confidence and chances.

Toronto did however beat Buffalo ironically by a score of 4-1 the following night in Toronto, a must win game for the Leafs. They played much like they did in the first game, but with an added bonus that was Andrew Raycroft playing at his potential.

If the Leafs managed to win these games they would have 84 points now, and have a game in hand of both the Rangers and Islanders who played this evening.

I have to admit, I would like to see Toronto make it to the post season, because I think Mats Sundin is a good player, and respect him a lot, I don't know how people hate this guy. He is an all around good hockey player, and I would like to see him win a cup with the Leafs before he retires.

For Toronto to have a chance to make it to the post season, Their big line of Ponikarovsky,Sundin,and Antropov will need to keep playing like they are, and Raycroft will need to play "Calder Trophy Winner" hockey.  

(mar.25)