Even after getting a 6 goal freebie win (they played the Coyotes), the Flames season is eight games old and Jerome Iginla leads the team with a paltry 3 goals. I harped on these guys in my last post but come on. Even the win over Phoenix had its soft spots, not the least of which was watching George Larouque make a mockery of Darren McCarty by pummelling him back to the 90's. I have a bit of a soft spot for ol’ George, having watched him tap on more than a few #### while on the Bulldogs. That guy can sure throw ‘em.
And since I brought up mockeries, leave it to effective pest/imbecile Darcy Tucker to lead the Maple Leafs in an exercise in regression last night. To date the 2006 Leafs looked slightly more competitive under up-tempo coach Paul Maurice, and Tucker especially has picked up his game immensely. The ghost of Pat Quinn must have been in the building Tuesday, however, because the Leaf’s looked like their ‘05 selves, more intent on taking cheap shots than staying in position and scoring goals. Tucker’s gutless mugging of non-fighter Eaves wasn't just a blatant (yet somehow uncalled) instigator penalty, it gave Ottawa an excuse to goon one of the new bud’s later in the season. Maurice won’t be only one upset if a smaller player like Wellwood or Stajan finds themselves taking a Chris Neil mitt in the grill, and everyone will know where the blame squarely lies if that happens. On top of all this came news that Tucker’s agent was in town, looking for a long-term no-trade contract for his hyper-active client. I said in my preseason predictions that you can’t rebuild a team with a strong veteran presence, and Tucker proved his ’06 makeover is far from complete.
Ice Chips on TSN.ca notes that Mike Babcock will be handing increased ice time to Hudler, Kopecky and Filppula this evening as the Wings tangle with the Sharks. The Wings took it in the teeth in San Jose last week, and I for one am impressed with Babcock’s decision. Fact is Datsyuk and Zetterberg aren’t getting it done, and neither one of them have earned the right to hog ice time hoping to find their groove. Until those two prove they can get it done on a non-loaded roster, they should be subject to icetime rollbacks. As for the game, I still think that Flippula especially is a few years away, but doesn’t mean that the Wings won’t play the Sharks very tough tonight, a game I’ll be watching courtesy of a TSN doubleheader. A big game from Hudler would go a long way in jump starting this squad.
The late game of that TSN doubleheader is Anaheim and Edmonton, with more than enough talent and sub-plots to keep me up past my bed time. Pronger and Lupul visit their old teams for the first time. Also, I've been waving the Chris Kunitz flag for a few years now, and he's starting to prove me right, leading the Duck's in points. While no goalie on either team has a save percentage under .930, I’m calling for lots of red lights tonight by way of the power play. Look for Anaheim to win big here, as emotions get the best of the Oilers.
The Pittsburgh Penguins keep rolling, winning with confidence despite a consistently porous defence. Must be that much-improved play of Marc-Andre Fleury, something yours truly was calling for. Their recent wins make me wonder, if Pittsburgh wins the cup, could they just save a lot of money and schedule the Stanley Cup parade and moving day at the same time? You know, throw some confetti, pose with the cup, march down the street… and just keep on going.
I'm still in awe over the bad luck of the Chicago Blackhawks. There's half an all-star starting line-up on their injury list right now. I heard the Havlat injury live on my satellite radio on Saturday night, it sounded bad. Here's hoping he can return somewhere around the 3 week estimate. It's not all bad news for the Hawks though, as there's a good chance Ruutu will be on the ice before next week, and Khabibulin may not be out that long either.
- The new Buffalo uniforms aren’t nearly as bad as they could have been. Kudos to Rebok for doing their best with that hilarious looking golden-slug of an emblem. I love the numbers on the front, and the solid colours are a nice change from the noisy red, black and silver.
- Sabres blanked the Leafs 4-0 in their first pre-season tilt, with all four goals on the powerplay. I figured that the young guys would really shine in this game, I just didn’t think it would be on the Sabres’ side. Its only one pre-season game, but that said it doesn’t bode well for Paul Maurice when his young guys, the only players for whom the pre-season means anything, wind up laying an egg like that. What Pohl and Ondres did last year made me take notice, but even with the potential those two are another game like last night away from peddling their wears in Ricoh come October.
- Sabres swing into the hammer to play a neutral site game against the Pens on Saturday night, and needless to say I’m there. You know, If I’m Lindy Ruff that night, in some ways I’d be hoping my team takes its fair share of penalties. Without McKee this team needs to be in top shape penalty-killing wise, and Pittsburgh’s guns are a great way to test it out. Wonder what the odds are both Crosby and Malkin see icetime that night.
- Speaking of the Pens, I checked it out this weekend and can report with certainty that the Mellon Arena is still a dump. PNC Park is still pretty boss though, especially when the game ends with 30,000 Mets fans going home disappointed.
- Tie Domi officially retired to become an analyst with TSN. I guess they needed someone to make Glenn Healy sound smart. What insights could a career goon and notorious cheap shot artist provide viewers, especially in the new breed NHL? Maybe he can regail us with tales of suspensions and suckerpunches. How about that time his gutless elbow on Niedermayer rallied the devils and cost his team any chance of winning in the ’01 playoffs. Good times, good times.
- More often than not, my girlfriend is the official voice of reason. Last night she thankfully spared me from watching Monday Night Football by insisting that I catch “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” with her. Now admittedly I’m not a TV buff by any stretch, but was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, absolutely brilliant start to finish. Like a bigger, better West Wing, without the preachy politics. As for the football game, the only question I was left with was whether Big Ben is more grossly over-rated, or woefully unentertaining. NFL, the new soccer.
- You may have noticed I ditched the picture of me completely plastered and skateboarding down a road in the outer banks, replacing it with a shot of my dog on the bow of our boat. The salty spaniel lords over his cottage kingdom. My dog is all about the style.
...to pick an underdog, and I'm likely to do it. When it comes to the NHL, what fun is it to tuck your cahones away and pick Ottawa and Detroit every year? With that said, let's talk some hockey with guts!
WHY YOU SHOULDN'T BET AGAINST:
The Chicago Blackhawks - They upgraded an already decent team that just underachieved last season. Khabibulin will not struggle two years in a row. They signed two very legit players in Martin Havlat and Michal Handzus, and Bryan Smolinski is no joke either. A heathly Tuomo Ruutu could easily mean a 30 goal swing. The Norfolk Admirals were 7 games over .500 last season.
The St. Louis Blues - John Davidson is credible, and Mike Kitchen gets two upgrades in assistants Rick Wamsley and Brad Shaw. Doug Weight and Bill Guerin aren't done just yet. Dan Hinote is a pain in the ####. Manny Legace can win some games, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The Peoria Riverman were a very respectable 12 games over .500 last season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins - Evgeni Malkin. Even though he's 18, Jordan Staal might just be ready enough to contribute this year. The power play will be devestating. Nils Eckman is a contributor. Marc-Andre Fleury has more than enough talent to get it together in the NHL the way he dominates the AHL. Wilkes-Burre Scranton was a rediculous 22 games over .500.
The Boston Bruins - They lost the Thorton trade, but that doesn't mean the depth they received won't help them. Phil Kessel is an A+ player, was the steal of the draft at 6, and should see big club game time this year. Brad Boyes may be the last of a litany of first line youngsters the old Leaf's regime donated to the rest of the league . A healthy Alex Zhamnov is an enormous upgrade at center. The Providence Bruins were 7 games over .500 a season ago, and Eastern Conference finalists.
The Washington Capitals - Olaf Kolzig is not done just yet. Richard Zednik can be a big time upgrade. Chris Bourque can contribute at the NHL level. Oh yeah, and that Russian kid with the shot, the one who'll win MVP this year? He'll be everything expected of him and more. The Hershey Bears were 4 games over .500 in 2005/2006.
I am a Sabres fan, a Cubs fan, a Boilermakers fan, a Ti-cat fan and a Hamilton Bulldogs fan. I'm an obvious sucker for punishment. I believe that while playing them can be a tolerable way to kill 5 hours, there is nothing more painful than talking golf or watching poker. There's no excuse for fantasy football, no matter how bored or lonely you are. I don't consider you an athelete unless you can beat me in a race to the corner and back. I'm landlocked and terrible, but I carry on an irrational love affair with surfing. We are in the midst of one of the greatest horseracing years in decades.
