Gotta have faith?
Last night the Toronto Maple Leafs, yes THOSE Toronto Maple Leafs, earned their first home win of the season over the Detroit Red Wings, coached by team Twentyten coach, Mike Babcock. The Leafs shellacked the Wings, 5 - 1. It would be premature of me to blame the loss on Babcock, but 5 - 1?? TO THE DAMNED LEAFS?!?
It would seem inappropriate to talk about losing faith in someone on a Sunday, but I can assure you that Jesus would NEVER have allowed a team he coached to lose to the Leafs 5 - 1.
Instead, I will blame this loss on the players of the Red Wings, a bunch of Europeans who, come February, will be going back to their NHL teams without a delicious* looking gold medal around their necks. Also to be blamed for the loss, of course, is Chris Osgood, who is just plain terrible.
The positive notes from the game is that Danny Cleary scored an absolutely beauty goal on "the monster", who appears to be the greatest goalie in the history of hockey now if you are watching any of the syndicated Canadian sports highlight shows as I am this morning. This won't put him on the team, but it was a great goal.
Also, how good did Stevie Y look for the Hall of Fame game? You can't help but love the guy. A great distinguished career, and hopefully this will be the start of a great career on the other side of the game.
* "delicious" because it looks like it's a chocolate medallion wrapped in gold, like that candy money that used to bring children so much joy
Emergency Ward
Cam Ward is currently backstopping the worst team in the NHL, which pretty much eliminates his chances as a backstop for the Olympic team, even as a third option. Even still though, you never want to see a guy get hurt. Unfortunately, Ward was cut by the skate of sure Twentytener, Rick Nash in what looked like a pretty severe injury. We wish Ward a speedy recovery, and hopefully a return to the win column when he does come back!
Jaws theme swimming
Dany Heatley scored again last night, and Joe Thornton had an assist on it. This one-two punch continues to be one of the best in the league right now, and they're looking like a sure fire bet to be two thirds of the second scoring line in Vancouver. Not sure who it is that might play with them, but I'm not sure it's actually going to matter.
WHAMMO!!
Showing posts with label Cam Ward. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cam Ward. Show all posts
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Missing the Marc?
So earlier today Hockey Canada released the names of the guys who will be attending the olympic orientation camp this August. As great as the names are that are on that list, we, as a blog, have to focus on the negative, so let the second guessing begin:
Marc Savard - In a word: Really? Savard was left off the list and was the biggest shock to me. I was listening to Prime Time Sports tonight and heard Johnny Misley, Executive Vice President of Operations for Hockey Canada, talking about how the biggest problem they had in the room was that there were so many good centers to choose from (listen to the full interview here). However, he also mentioned that they had looked at the players last three years, as well as their resume playing internationally. Savard's last three years are 96, 78 (in 74 games), and 88 just last season, his international resume may not look like much, but that of course is because his team has been playing in the playoffs, making it a bit hard to make it to the worlds. There's not much more he could have done, if that doesn't merit a trip to camp, he won't be on the team. They (the brass) must not have believed that he could move to a wing, as some other players will have to do, or maybe they just didn't have enough S' to put on the jerseys, thanks to inviting so many Staal brothers, which might help explain the next two omissions as well.
Jason Spezza - In a word: Statement. One of the first things from Matty upon learning of Spezza not being on the team was that despite being a superstar, also being a "sometimer just don't jive". No doubt this omission probably came as a bit of a shock to him as well, having answered the call for Canada in the past and playing in the worlds the last few years. Spezza certainly has fallen far from the accolades (the next Gretzky) he recieved at 16. We'll see how this plays out for Spezza, whether it will inspire him to come out and play like he's capable of, or whether he'll just bury his head in the sand... or whatever it is they have like sand in Ottawa.
Steven Stamkos - In a word: Disappointing. Stamkos had a rough start to his NHL career. After being selected first overall, his rookie season started with normal rookie struggles, along with a coach who didn't believe he was ready for the show. He struggled in the first half and some started to wonder if Tocchet had a point. However, he really seemed to figure it out in the second half, finishing the season with 23 goals and 46 points. He followed that up by going to the worlds and being an offensive force for the Canadian team. You almost hope that performance would have got him to Calgary for camp, but apparently his spot had to be given to Andy MacDonald.
Brian Campbell - In a word: Who the soup guy? Brian Campbell signed a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason after having been dealt to the Sharks at the NHL trade deadline from the Sabres. He then proceeded to take the money he got from signing that contract and entered the witness protection program. I'd imagine that Stevie and the rest of the gang probably just forgot his name. Of course I'm joking, but it's not surprising that Campbell was left off the roster, as two of his teammates outplayed and over shadowed him this season past.
Braydan Coburn - In a word: Puzzling. They took 16 defenseman and he wasn't one of them. A young kid like him fits the mold like Seabrook, Keith and Hamhuis, but didn't make it. The only reason I guess that he would have overlooked would be that I guess you can have too many good, young, strong defenseman. (But don't tell that to Pierre McGuire, WHAMMO!)
Carey Price - In a word: Expected. How far has Price fallen in the last year? A year ago, if you had asked who would be in nets for team TwentyTen, everyone's answer would have been the same, "Brodeur, Luongo, Price". After his amazing playoff run with the Habs in '08, that version of Price seems like a distant memory. He posted a winning record this past season, at 23-16-10, but had a save percentage of only .905, and had a goals against of nearly 3. Between guys like Ward, Fleury and Mason really stepping up this year, and Price's regression, his being left off this list was surely an easy choice. (Matty's quick summation: "The Price is wrong, bitch!")
Chris Osgood - In a word: Talbot. In the same interview I mentioned earlier, Misley did say something that made the Savard omission a little easier to swallow. He said there was no agenda for anyone in the room making the choices. This makes the Cleary choice a bit puzzling to me, but it keeps Osgood out of nets for Canada in twentyten, and that makes me happy.
Potent Notables (that we're also leaving off our list) - Daniel Briere (who we actually had going to camp in our original list), Brad Richards, Mike Cammalleri, Patrice Bergeron
The list will be trimmed from 46 to 23 before we go to Vancouver next year, and while we are disappointed in these omissions, we can't help but think that it will make predicting who's on the team just that much easier... I'm looking at you Robidas!
Marc Savard - In a word: Really? Savard was left off the list and was the biggest shock to me. I was listening to Prime Time Sports tonight and heard Johnny Misley, Executive Vice President of Operations for Hockey Canada, talking about how the biggest problem they had in the room was that there were so many good centers to choose from (listen to the full interview here). However, he also mentioned that they had looked at the players last three years, as well as their resume playing internationally. Savard's last three years are 96, 78 (in 74 games), and 88 just last season, his international resume may not look like much, but that of course is because his team has been playing in the playoffs, making it a bit hard to make it to the worlds. There's not much more he could have done, if that doesn't merit a trip to camp, he won't be on the team. They (the brass) must not have believed that he could move to a wing, as some other players will have to do, or maybe they just didn't have enough S' to put on the jerseys, thanks to inviting so many Staal brothers, which might help explain the next two omissions as well.
Jason Spezza - In a word: Statement. One of the first things from Matty upon learning of Spezza not being on the team was that despite being a superstar, also being a "sometimer just don't jive". No doubt this omission probably came as a bit of a shock to him as well, having answered the call for Canada in the past and playing in the worlds the last few years. Spezza certainly has fallen far from the accolades (the next Gretzky) he recieved at 16. We'll see how this plays out for Spezza, whether it will inspire him to come out and play like he's capable of, or whether he'll just bury his head in the sand... or whatever it is they have like sand in Ottawa.
Steven Stamkos - In a word: Disappointing. Stamkos had a rough start to his NHL career. After being selected first overall, his rookie season started with normal rookie struggles, along with a coach who didn't believe he was ready for the show. He struggled in the first half and some started to wonder if Tocchet had a point. However, he really seemed to figure it out in the second half, finishing the season with 23 goals and 46 points. He followed that up by going to the worlds and being an offensive force for the Canadian team. You almost hope that performance would have got him to Calgary for camp, but apparently his spot had to be given to Andy MacDonald.
Brian Campbell - In a word: Who the soup guy? Brian Campbell signed a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason after having been dealt to the Sharks at the NHL trade deadline from the Sabres. He then proceeded to take the money he got from signing that contract and entered the witness protection program. I'd imagine that Stevie and the rest of the gang probably just forgot his name. Of course I'm joking, but it's not surprising that Campbell was left off the roster, as two of his teammates outplayed and over shadowed him this season past.
Braydan Coburn - In a word: Puzzling. They took 16 defenseman and he wasn't one of them. A young kid like him fits the mold like Seabrook, Keith and Hamhuis, but didn't make it. The only reason I guess that he would have overlooked would be that I guess you can have too many good, young, strong defenseman. (But don't tell that to Pierre McGuire, WHAMMO!)
Carey Price - In a word: Expected. How far has Price fallen in the last year? A year ago, if you had asked who would be in nets for team TwentyTen, everyone's answer would have been the same, "Brodeur, Luongo, Price". After his amazing playoff run with the Habs in '08, that version of Price seems like a distant memory. He posted a winning record this past season, at 23-16-10, but had a save percentage of only .905, and had a goals against of nearly 3. Between guys like Ward, Fleury and Mason really stepping up this year, and Price's regression, his being left off this list was surely an easy choice. (Matty's quick summation: "The Price is wrong, bitch!")
Chris Osgood - In a word: Talbot. In the same interview I mentioned earlier, Misley did say something that made the Savard omission a little easier to swallow. He said there was no agenda for anyone in the room making the choices. This makes the Cleary choice a bit puzzling to me, but it keeps Osgood out of nets for Canada in twentyten, and that makes me happy.
Potent Notables (that we're also leaving off our list) - Daniel Briere (who we actually had going to camp in our original list), Brad Richards, Mike Cammalleri, Patrice Bergeron
The list will be trimmed from 46 to 23 before we go to Vancouver next year, and while we are disappointed in these omissions, we can't help but think that it will make predicting who's on the team just that much easier... I'm looking at you Robidas!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
My rebuttal
Easy there partner…I’m pretty sure I didn’t go as far as to say that I’d be cheering for the Americans if Marty St. Louis was on the team (although I do love that Parise, and wish he were one of ours). I mean honestly, he’s not in the immediate mix for me either, but let’s not discount the guy completely. Remember now, “heart” seems to be something in high value at the upper reaches of Canadian leadership lately (as Michaelle Jean has shown us), and the guy does have a ring.
I guess though, that I take bigger issue with your boy Dion Phaneuf being left off the roster. Did I miss something here? Is the guy actually a question mark with the 2010 team? Would Stevie Y actually do that to Pierre McGuire?
As far as the three goalies go, I would hope that all three of them could keep their egos in-check. Ward may not be the #3, but then again…he may well be.
I guess though, that I take bigger issue with your boy Dion Phaneuf being left off the roster. Did I miss something here? Is the guy actually a question mark with the 2010 team? Would Stevie Y actually do that to Pierre McGuire?
As far as the three goalies go, I would hope that all three of them could keep their egos in-check. Ward may not be the #3, but then again…he may well be.
Friday, May 15, 2009
What About Bob?
Bob here, of course, meaning "Robert", and Robert, of course, meaning the hopes and man-crush of every Canucks fan in Roberto Luongo.
Luongo played in arguably the biggest game of his career on Monday night with the Canucks, laying a giant egg in a 4 goal, 9 shot third period.
Now I'm just sayin' here that Luongo has never been part of a team that has really wowed anyone. Partly because he played most of his years in Florida with a team that was, well, awful. However, he's now had his shot in the playoffs.
When he was traded to the Canucks he was supposed to be the missing link that would get them over that hump, also affectionately known as "Dan Cloutier", that would bring them to the promised land. Of course, this hasn't happened yet, and really, I don't think much more of the current Vancouver team than I do the Florida team he played with. I figured it was the same situation, he's a good goalie on a terrible team.
Now what I'm just sayin' is that he was supposed to be the star of this team. I'm not saying he's not a great goalie, because his stats are impressive, but he doesn't seem to have the mental makeup of a big game goalie. Of course there will be no bigger games than those coming in February 2010 in the city in which he currently plays.
If you'd asked me before this season who the goalies for 2010 would be, I would have said, without even having to think about it: Luongo, Brodeur, Price. But as it stands now, Marty spent a big chunk of the season injured, and at 37 he's no spring chicken anymore, there's no guarantee that he can stand up to the toll of as many games as he plays over the course of a season. He didn't seem himself in the first round although losing to a firey Carolina team who last night disposed of the number one seeded Bruins of Boston is nothing to be to concerned about. Roberto, as I say, doesn't seem to have that big game mentality, and apparently Price forgot how to play goalie in the NHL (we'll get to him another time) so right now this goaltending situation is way up in the air.
Who starts? Just sayin' Cam Ward has been more than impressive in these first two rounds, and he's won a cup, a cup he won in a game 7, so you know he can play in big games. Has he usurped Luongo's spot on the team? Does it make sense?
So if you were, today, to ask me "What about Bob?", I would simply have no answer.
Luongo played in arguably the biggest game of his career on Monday night with the Canucks, laying a giant egg in a 4 goal, 9 shot third period.
Now I'm just sayin' here that Luongo has never been part of a team that has really wowed anyone. Partly because he played most of his years in Florida with a team that was, well, awful. However, he's now had his shot in the playoffs.
When he was traded to the Canucks he was supposed to be the missing link that would get them over that hump, also affectionately known as "Dan Cloutier", that would bring them to the promised land. Of course, this hasn't happened yet, and really, I don't think much more of the current Vancouver team than I do the Florida team he played with. I figured it was the same situation, he's a good goalie on a terrible team.
Now what I'm just sayin' is that he was supposed to be the star of this team. I'm not saying he's not a great goalie, because his stats are impressive, but he doesn't seem to have the mental makeup of a big game goalie. Of course there will be no bigger games than those coming in February 2010 in the city in which he currently plays.
If you'd asked me before this season who the goalies for 2010 would be, I would have said, without even having to think about it: Luongo, Brodeur, Price. But as it stands now, Marty spent a big chunk of the season injured, and at 37 he's no spring chicken anymore, there's no guarantee that he can stand up to the toll of as many games as he plays over the course of a season. He didn't seem himself in the first round although losing to a firey Carolina team who last night disposed of the number one seeded Bruins of Boston is nothing to be to concerned about. Roberto, as I say, doesn't seem to have that big game mentality, and apparently Price forgot how to play goalie in the NHL (we'll get to him another time) so right now this goaltending situation is way up in the air.
Who starts? Just sayin' Cam Ward has been more than impressive in these first two rounds, and he's won a cup, a cup he won in a game 7, so you know he can play in big games. Has he usurped Luongo's spot on the team? Does it make sense?
So if you were, today, to ask me "What about Bob?", I would simply have no answer.
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