This All-Star soap opera is terrible... change the channel!

I have to say I'm a little surprised by the swirling mess surrounding Sidney Crosby's appearance at next weekend's All Star game in Carolina.

Crosby has been out since taking a sequence of hits to the head dating back to the January 1 Winter Classic. In that game he took a hit to the head from Dave Steckel near the end of the second period.

I was watching in real time and I absolutely thought Crosby was concussed. He looked confused and disoriented. However, he came back for the third period and then was in the lineup for the Penguins' next game against the Tampa Bay Lightening where he took another head shot -- this time a hit from behind by Victor Hedman.

The Penguins came out and said Crosby would be out for a week -- which was optimistic in my view. I would put good money on the fact that Crosby was injured in that first hit and the second hit ended up compounding the problem...one week was a BIG underestimation and I kind of doubt the Penguins ever believed he'd be back that soon.

So I had quite a laugh when I read David Shoalts' commentary on Crosby's situation in the Globe and Mail last night. Especially when I read the first paragraph:

"Even though Sidney Crosby is a shoo-in to be chosen Tuesday as one of the captains who will pick the teams for the NHL all-star game, do not be surprised if he declines to participate, even if he recovers from his concussion," Shoalts writes.

Shoo-in? I'm sorry Mr. Shoalts, but if the captains were picked in December -- certainly Crosby would be a shoo-in. However the NHL wasn't about to pick a captain who potentially might not play in the All-Star game. Let's not forget he has yet to be cleared to even practice. It's laughable to have thought on Monday that Crosby would be named captain.

This morning, Eric Staal and Niklas Lidstrom were named captains.

Shoalts then goes on to say that Crosby is 'angry' that the dishers of the head shots never faced any reparations from the league -- and because of that Crosby was going to refuse to play whether he was better or not.

Hogwash.

I have a feeling that Mr. Shoalts has never had a concussion. Head injuries are tricky things. They can linger. You can feel fine one minute and the next minute you're not. One minute everything is clear as water -- the next you're putting milk in the oven. And stepping back into physical activity too fast can turn you into ... well... Eric Lindros.

I also have a feeling the concussion is a little more than a 'mild' one as Shoalts described it in his article. I have a feeling the Penguins haven't been fully forthright with the severity of the injury.

I fully agree there should've been a suspension for both of the hits. The Steckel hit was deemed an accident by the NHL -- But WHY were his elbows up? To me it doesn't matter if you MEANT to hit someone in the head. You still did. Treat it like a high-sticking penalty. Even though you may not have meant to hit someone in the face with your stick, you're still expected to have control of it. It should be the same for elbows.

But do you seriously believe Crosby will forgo the All-Star game in protest?
If Crosby plays against the Islanders on January 25, which is the last game before the All-Star game, then he'll play the All-Star game. If he is ready for that Islanders game he isn't about to sit out. He's too competitive (remember, he still leads the scoring race after being out for two weeks), and the Penguins' play hasn't exactly been stellar since Crosby's injury.
Enough with this foolishness, okay?

Jennifer Casey was born and raised in Halifax. She loves all sports but tries to stick to writing about hockey for sanity purposes. You can follow her on twitter @jenncaseyhfx or find her on her blog National Passtime

Crosby vs. Ovechkin

Oh what a poor season for the NHL to make a big deal about Crosby vs. Ovechkin. 

HBO just spent a month following around the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, focusing on Crosby versus Ovechkin. It's the latest installment of HBO's "24/7" and it's titled Hard Knocks and the four-part series kicks off tonight. 


Then there's the appearance in the latest issue of Vanity Fair where the two are interviewed about the Winter Classic and the 'rivalry' between the two. There's also a video from the photo shoot where the two awkwardly shake hands and read a book, which can be found on nhl.com


 


The NHL has sent the two "rivals" (and for whatever reason, Jeremy Roenick as well) to The Price is Right where they'll help showcase a trip to the Winter Classic. Throughout all the stories I'm seeing, they call Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby's 'nemisis'. 


And yet.... I'm not so sure Ovechkin is really a worthy nemesis to be honest. I would call Steven Stamkos a nemesis. Steven Stamkos tied Crosby for the Rocket Richard trophy and is at 44 points this season. Can I mention Steven Stamkos was born in 1990... 1990!!!!


I mean lets take a look at the comparison between Crosby and Ovechkin, not that 36 points on the season is chump change -- but he's not exactly on the furied pace that Crosby is. (Let's not mention the Olympic appearance - or lackthereof - of Ovechkin.)



Sidney Crosby 

Alexander Ovechkin








Crosby is on a point streak that spans 18 games, meanwhile by Ovechkin standards -- he's struggling.

How much more exciting would this "rivalry" be if it happened in a season where both players were playing at the top of their game? Don't get me wrong, I'm going to watch on New Year's Day. In just a few years the Winter Classic has become a tradition. However, it kinda seems like the NHL is forcing it just a bit.

Jennifer Casey was born and raised in Halifax. She loves all sports but tries to stick to writing about hockey for sanity purposes. You can follow her on twitter @jenncaseyhfx or find her on her blog National Passtime

Cole Harbour team to kick of HNIC tonight

Tonight's matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens will feature some Nova Scotians besides Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

The Cole Harbour Atom AAA Wings will be introducing the first Saturday night game. Coach Brad MacLeod says it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks.

"Yah it's probably one of the most exciting things a lot of them have been through," he says. "It all happened at once, first they found out they made the team."

And then they taped their national television debut a few weeks back, which features them introducing the HNIC pre-game show as well as tee-ing up the big game.

"They're completely over the moon about it," says MacLeod, adding that the parents and himself are equally excited.

The team, made up of nine and 10-year-olds will be getting together tonight at Gamebreakers to watch themselves and the match on a big screen.

MacLeod says it's extra special because the team will be introducing a hometown hero.

"Everyone is pretty close to Sidney Crosby, he still has a lot of roots in the Cole Harbour area," he says. "I would say there's lots of kids on the teams who still have connections with him."

Hockey Night in Canada gets underway at 7:30 p.m. on CBC.



Jennifer Casey was born and raised in Halifax. She loves all sports but tries to stick to writing about hockey for sanity purposes. You can follow her on twitter @jenncaseyhfx or find her on her blog National Passtime

World Championships schmampionships.

Did anyone else not give two flying who-haws about the IIHF World Hockey Championships this year?

I mean, really, It's not something I make an effort to make sure I'm in front of the television for in any year. It was fun when it was in Halifax, but when Canada lost, well, I wasn't heartbroken. The tournament is just not something I can get into. I can't be alone here. It's sort of this odd collection of semi-good players whose teams didn't make the playoffs. Also, I'd rather watch the playoffs. The World Championships is kind of like the Spengler Cup at World Junior time. It's sorta just there in the background.


I'm especially blah about the tournament in an Olympic year. It's too soon. The women don't play a world championship in Olympic years. Why do the men? It just seems bizarre.


Who was Canada's goaltender this year anyway? (No seriously, I'm asking.) Google tells me: Chris Mason. Good lord. 


So you see where I'm going with this. This isn't the collection of the best players in the world. There are definitely some of the best players. But it just can't compare to the Olympics or the World Juniors, where it's the best players facing the best players - and there's no doubt over who the true champions are.


This is why I was truly baffled by the IIHF scolding players who don't answer the call to play at the World Championships. 

"Why is a 22-year-old Sidney Crosby tired when a 34-year-old Ryan Smyth is answering the bell for his country despite having represented Canada at the Worlds already on eight occasions?" wrote Szymon Szemberg, the IIHF's director of communications in an article titled 'Saying no to your country'.

Okay I don't even know where to start. 

First of all, 22-year-old Sidney Crosby has played the most hockey probably out of anyone in the NHL in the past years. He's been to the Stanley Cup Finals two years in a row, he played in the Olympics and then he went two rounds this year. 

Secondly, what a spectacularly bad example to use. Ryan Smyth? Ryan Smyth broke his foot playing in the tournament. Ryan Smyth consistently plays for a team that doesn't go very far in the NHL playoffs. Great. Let's spend the off-season nursing a broken foot. Injuries happen. Steven Stamkos suffered a head injury. And for what? If Canada won, we'd all be like, meh? We wouldn't be partying in the streets. Partying in the streets happens after Olympic wins. Because the tournament means something. You know the winner is truly the champion because it's the best against the best.

Okay. Let's keep going. 

"Players who say no to representing their country at the World Championship without a legitimate reason turn their backs not only on the team and its fans but also to the system which developed them and made them rich and famous," wrote Szemberg. "They should pay back, but they don't."

Pay back eh. And they owe the IIHF what? These players thrilled the world at the Olympics just months ago. Boo hoo your tournament isn't very good. Don't take it out on your players.

**ring ring**


"Oh hey, IIHF President Rene Fasel? Yah. Gary Bettman here. Whatsup. Listen. Bud. I just wanted to point out that our players' contracts don't end until June 30. Yup that's right they're still under NHL contract until June 30. We could tell them they can't play in the tournament. Just saying."


I'm a fan. I don't feel unpaid because Sidney Crosby wants some time off. As a fan I would rather him rest up, and stay healthy so I can see him for 82 games next NHL season with a long playoffs.

Besides, the kid scored the golden goal.

Championships schmampionships.

Jennifer Casey was born and raised in Halifax. She loves all sports but tries to stick to writing about hockey for sanity purposes. You can follow her on twitter @jenncaseyhfx or find her on her blog National Passtime

Storybook ending.

Could you have written a better ending?

After 17 days of fantastic competition, the most anticipated event of the Vancouver Olympics ended in a overtime goal by Cole Harbour's own, Sidney Crosby.

And the men's hockey gold medal, lifted Canada to the sole owner of the Winter Olympic record for most golds. 14.

Perfect.

It prompted a spontaneous celebration coast-to-coast. Spring Garden Road, the busiest street in downtown Halifax was closed down after people ran into the streets in celebration.

The cops were there, but they were handing out high-fives and enjoying the atmosphere.  Nobody got out of hand, everyone loved everyone. What a night.

The ratings were released Monday afternoon and there was an average audience of 16.6 million viewers, while 26.5 million tuned into at least some of the game -- Yes, that is 80 per cent of the country.

Only in Canada.

Jennifer Casey was born and raised in Halifax. She loves all sports but tries to stick to writing about hockey for sanity purposes. You can follow her on twitter @jenncaseyhfx or find her on her blog National Passtime

Olympic Torch Relay

It was nice to see SO many people out in Halifax last night to see the Olympic torch run by.

However, it could've used some better planning.

We showed up to Brunswick Street where Sidney Crosby was picking up the torch at Sackville Street. He would then run 300 metres to Carmichael street and pass it off to snowboarder Sarah Conrad.

There were thousands of people. People we're sitting on the wall surrounding the base of citadel hill, on walls and stairs on buildings lining the street. All up Citadel Hill. Thousands. They were everywhere you could think of. It was insanity.

No barricades along the route.

Someone tell me how that makes sense.

Anyway so Crosby jogs by and he's surrounded by this circle of security detail about 25 strong.

All you could see was an arm with a torch, and a little white toque. Then when he passed off the torch everyone tried to get closer to follow it down the hill. As soon as he passed a spot, people started walking in behind on the street.

Thumbs down.

The city's holiday parade is Saturday, I know there must be barricades that have been pulled out of storage. Did nobody think, "hey! let's use them for the part of the torch relay that days in advance we were predicting huge crowds to show up for."

Halifax Fail.

Sidney Crosby got his Order of Nova Scotia today.

Sidney at Province House sporting his new medal

Sidney with Premier Darrell Dexter

Sidney getting his medal from Lt.-Gov. Mayann Francis

Sidney Crosby Day in Halifax

Sidney Crosby celebrated his day with the Stanley Cup here in Halifax on his 22nd birthday! This morning he was at the Halifax Dockyard visiting with the military... he flew in on a sea king helicopter and spent some time on the HMCS Preserver before visiting with the crowd:

It's time for your annual....

....someone stole some sidney crosby shit, story.


STRATHMORE, Alta. - An autographed limited-edition photo print ofNHL star Sidney Crosby was just too difficult to resist for a brazenthief in a small town east of Calgary.

RCMP Sgt. Kevin Reilly says a man in his 20s walked into the TimHortons in Strathmore, waited until staff weren't looking and tookoff with the picture of the Pittsburgh Penguins captain from thewall.

Reilly says it was obvious that the suspect had planned the heistcarefully. The photo is emblazoned with the Tim Hortons logo, shows Crosbyin his Penguins uniform and includes a 1993 Timbits hockey card withCrosby as a youth.

Reilly won't reveal how much the print is worth except to say itwas over $1,000 and was valuable. Police are hoping the public can help identify the thief.

Very cute.

Sore losers

The Detroit Red Wings just look like poor losers if you ask me.

After losing the Stanley Cup in game 7 to Crosby, Malkin and gang the Detroit Red Wings players complained that Sidney Crosby did not shake hands with the whole team... specifically Wings captain Niklas Lidstrom.

There seems to be a lot of comparisons of Crosby's extended post-game celebrations with that of basketball's LeBron James... who the eff cares?

He won. It went seven games. Emotions were high. They lost to that exact team last year in the finals. Crosby deserved to celebrate... not to mention he got swarmed by every media outlet and their dog after the final buzzer.

So it would've been nice for the Red Wings to cut the kid a little slack.

In Lidstrom's defense, he took it in stride and said that, "Sidney was probably caught up in the emotions and everything."

And in Hossa's defense, "After the game, when I start shaking their hands, I did not think, 'Who is there and who is not there?'" Hossa said. "After, I think about it and I thought that I did not remember shaking hands with Sid. I'm sure he was caught in the emotion and did not know where he was. I know him. He wouldn't do it deliberately. He is a great guy. I think he was just excited and caught up in the emotion."

But Zetterberg called it "disrespectful" and Kris Draper said, "Nick was waiting and waiting, and Crosby didn't come over to shake his hand that's ridiculous, especially as their captain, and make sure you write that I said that!"

Seriously guys, you would never know that you're part of the team that is supposed to be full of veterans. You lose and this is your response? I would expect this from a young team like Pittsburgh. I'm sure there are players that didn't shake hands after last year's final, but there was no uproar from the Penguins.

As for Crosby, "My intentions were to shake hands," Crosby told the Post-Gazette. "That we didn't wasn't me trying to avoid it."

And I believe that to be the truth. Crosby is not the type of player to not shake hands on purpose. More to that point, usually if someone doesn't want to shake hands, it's the losing side.

The best and worst day of the year.

game 7.

how friggin giddy are you?

Because I am so freakin stoked I could.... do something really awesome. But i'm also a little sad as well...

Because no matter what happens tonight, hockey is over.

waaaah.

Along with most of the city of Halifax, i'll be cheering for Pittsburgh tonight. It's selfish really... I want Captain Sid to bring the cup here!

But here's what worries me about Pittsburgh's chances. First of all there's the disastrous outcome of Game 5 in Detroit (I missed that game because I was at a Tragically Hip concert in Art Park, NY... but i'll tell you I was happy I missed it after receiving the score update from a friendly dude with an iPhone in the bathroom line.)

Pittsburgh just seems unable to pull it together in the motor city. Although in Game 1 and 2 they were right in it, and save for a few bad bounces off those crazy boards behind the net at Joe Louis, they could've taken at least one game and it might have been a different series.

I mean, geez Detroit is 11-and-1 at home through the playoffs. And Sidney Crosby can't seem to score in Detroit... probably because he can't take a pee without Zetterberg lurking in the shadows behind him, which is all the easier when Detroit has the last change at home.

But that was game 1, 2 and 5. And this is game 7. It's a different animal. The Cup is in the building and it's getting awarded no matter what. And I would expect that Crosby and gang will turn it up a notch. And hopefully Fleury will be able to shut the door this game.

I would also like to see the look on Marion Hossa's face when he realized that he picked the wrong team. Oh the kharma in that... I think i'd cry with happiness. I would then call him up and laugh uncontrollably on his voicemail.

But it'll be a good game, regardless of the outcome.... the only thing is... i don't want it to end. Fingers crossed for some exciting Game 7 overtime action? Perhaps a few hundred overtime periods? Have the players signing their July 1 free agent contracts during intermissions?


Coaches, coaches, coaches.

Win: Sutters take over Calgary?

Brent Sutter stepped down as the coach of the New Jersey Devils with a year remaining on his contract. Rumours are swirling that Brent Sutter will land the job vacated by Mike Keenan in Calgary and join brother and Flames GM. The Sutters are awesome... Calgary should try to collect the whole clan.

Indifference: Marc Crawford

meh.

Fail: Jacques Martin

Not a good choice. The one upside is that Martin is considered an off-ice "drill sargeant" and may be able to curb the partying, oreo-eating ways of the young Canadiens players... doesn't really help with the under-acheiving parts though.


Jim-Balls

I really don't understand this at all. The NHL has owners like William (Boots) del Biaggio and they're concerned about Jim Ballsillie?

Also I've found a few columnists a little alarming recently... Particularly a Globe and Mail column by Jim Blair... "Just cut the cheque, Jim.
Try to carve out $5-million here or there if you want, fudge some numbers, spread it out, give the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres television money in perpetuity – whatever. Just cut the cheque. Join the club, and let’s get on with it. "

These people are talking like it's their money. Would you appreciate it if we told you how to spend your paycheque? Why should Ballsillie get screwed by the league? Was there a relocation fee when the team moved from Winnipeg to Phoenix? Is it really fair for the NHL to treat this entire fiasco as if it's going to be a detriment to the league...

Hmm, rich guy who was unanimously approved by the League's Board of Governors back in 2006 when he attempted to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins... moving a team that has not actually MADE money since it moved there from Winnipeg... to a place where there's ample hockey-mad population. Gee, this is going to bankrupt the entire goddamn league, Bettman. (see: intense sarcasm)


The Return of the Emery

For some reason (maybe i'm delusional from the imminent end of hockey season) i'm actually okay with emery returning to the NHL. I think it's time for another chance. Besides... it'll give something for Michael Landsberg to talk about besides Sean Avery....

Ready, set, grow!

The season officially ended yesterday and we have our matchups for round 1. So let's talk about the most epic battle of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The young guns. The captains.

Toews versus Crosby.

Beard edition.

Last season we had the privilege(?) of seeing what Crosby can bring. It wasn't pretty.

So will the NHL's newest young captain be able to do a better job at growing a playoff beard then our buddy Sid. Or will Sid step up his game this year?


bring it on.

Don Cherry is ready for the playoffs...

because tonight he busted out a white suit with big colourful flowers all over it. That's playoff wear, baby.

And Good lord Cherry was on fire today.

He really does hate Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson. I think he might actually hate Wilson more than Sean Avery and french people put together.

He spent a good 5 minutes ripping up Ron Wilson, his record, his tactics, and sarcastically called him "the genius" several times.

Although... Don doesn't hate Sidney Crosby now. Which is strange, and new, and breaks the mold of his normal Coach's Corners. Well, partially... he did have a photo from Afghanistan...

Anyway, definitely worth the watch if you missed it.

Seriously Jian, back away slowly and don't make eye contact.

Also worth a watch (but not hockey related...) is Billy Bob Thorton's appearance this week on CBC Radio's Q with Jian Ghomeshi. I'm not really sure who's side i'm on with this. Thornton is truly a moron, but apparently the producers of the show promised Thornton that his acting experience wouldn't be discussed. Regardless... it's pretty damn funny. Taking bets on how many shots of whiskey Thornton is metabolizing at the point this interview was taking place.




Why Montreal should really beat the Penguins.

Currently watching the Pens and the Habs. I would prefer if the Habs could win (and the Rangers lose tomorrow) that would reverse the two teams in the standings and the Habs would end up with the Washington Capitals instead of the Bruins.

Why? Because I don't think Montreal can handle the Bruins. I have no idea why they can handle Ovechkin and their former Montreal Mafia goldenboy Jose Theodore...and not the Bruins, but I just do. In fact I think they may have a better chance at inventing time travel so they could re-do this mess of a season than they do at beating the Bruins in the playoffs.

Sure, everyone says the Canadiens always manage to beat the Bruins in the playoffs. But I think it's going to be different this year. The Canadiens room is in turmoil. Scary Price has clearly had some sort of emotional breakdown since this time last year and is trying to solve it with eating oreos every night. Kovalev is... well who really knows, he's like a teenaged girl. And team captain Saku Koivu has been playing on the fourth line?

You kinda have to wonder when the team will just spontaneously combust.

Actually spontaneous combustion is probably a better way to go, than to have the city of Montreal go on some sort of post-season looting rampage and tear the players apart like a soccer player who just scored an own-goal.

The only thing the Habs have going for them is they're the underdogs. Major big time.

Hockey Day in Canada.

Oh Hockey Day in Canada... so heartwarming.

Every year the CBC spends the day broadcasting from a small town somewhere in Canada. They also manage to get three games in there, featuring all six Canadian teams and as well as hockey stories and minor league games from across the country. It is extremely cute and gives Ron MacLean ample opportunity to make puns.

It went well, I spent the day plunked on my chesterfield being completely lazy (although i did play a bit of pond on the the terribly soft ice we've got right now) and now I've got some thoughts on the games.


Game 1 — Kovalev's revenge.

Alexei Kovalev was forced by GM Bob Gainey to sit out the last two-game road trip. With that trade rumours swirled and fans wondered.

Apparently there was more than met the eye (and the media).

Kovalev told reporters that he has felt tired this season, has inexplicatly lost weight (which blood tests have been unable to explain), and he felt the break given by Gainey was good for him.

"I have no idea why this has been happening for the last few months,
but I feel better now," he said. "The last few days are going to help
me."

Well it seems like it did help.

Kovalev was on fire the entire game. He made a lot of beautiful passes and scored a classic Kovalev goal where he stripped the puck from a Senators defensemen and put one away with his super-quick release.

Also it seems the fans were pulling for him too. A friend of mine was at the Bell Centre for the game (jealousy) and he sent a text to say that Kovalev recieved the biggest pre-game cheer from the crowd.

Perhaps sentiments helped along by the fact that "party-gate" came out while Kovalev was on his break.

Another thing I noticed was the powerplay of the Canadiens. And for once it wasn't because it was deplorable.

I've joked about the news that the Canadiens have traded for Mathieu Schneider — but it almost seems to be working. They had a deplorable roadtrip in Washington and Pittsburgh (although when Ovechkin does this sometimes it can't be helped.)



But the powerplay looked fabulous last night. They were passing like the Canadiens of last year and Schneider seems to have fit in nicely as the new PP quarterback.

On the other side — Ottawa had Mike Comrie in the lineup. No this isn't 2007, the Senators traded for him.

The Senators general manager reacquired Comrie and defenseman Chris Campoli from the New York Islanders for centre Dean McAmmond and a first-round draft pick.

To help understand what draft pick the Senators traded away I am using an excerpt from CBC.ca: "The 2009 first-rounder heading to the Islanders originally belonged to San Jose, which included the pick in the Andrej Meszaros-Filip Kuba trade with the Senators on Aug. 29, 2008."

Got it? No? Oh well.

What I think this is trying to say is that the Senators will still have their own first round pick should they tank their season (which is very possible). So don't worry, Sens fans, your dreams of Victor Hedman are still very much alive.

Comrie is an unrestricted free agent on July 1. I'm betting this will be one of those one-night stands. However Campoli, a puck-moving defenseman is making less than a million and he's under contract until the end of next season.

Oh yah... the final score: Montreal 5, Ottawa 3

Game 2 — The Return of the Sundin.

It's the kind of stuff that makes you think hockey might be fake... you know, like wrestling. Someone is scripting this stuff, right?

Stuff doesn't work out this perfectly.

Sundin makes his return to the team he played for for 13 years (on Hockey Day in Canada, no less) and scores the final goal in the shootout to win it for the Leafs Canucks.

I am pleased to see that the Leafs fans didn't act like a bunch of fools and boo him. During a television timeout he received a huge standing ovation that lasted until it was time for puck drop, for which he was on the ice. The refs stood back and let him gather himself.

Good job Toronto fans.

Score: Canucks 3 Leafs 2 (Shootout)


Game 3 — Squeezing the stick a little too hard.

Edmonton... to win a shootout you need to hit the net. All three shooters for the Oilers couldn't even get a shot on Kiprusoff.

Sam Gagner actually lost the puck on the way into the net. The look on Craig MacTavish's face was absolutely priceless.

Score: Calgary 3, Edmonton 2 (shootout)

Overtime — Final thoughts on the day.

- I am actually really sick of "Hockeyville". It was cool the first year, but it's beginning to get repetitive and kind of seems like filler.

- I was a bit skeptical about the CBC picking up PJ Stock as their sort of... well.. what does he do? Anyway, he has really grown on me. He cracks me up, his self-deprecating humour is refreshing. You could tell it took some time for him to work out the kinks of broadcasting but I think he's got it now... he's definitely brought some spice to the CBC set which can sometimes seem a little bit too serious. His blog posts also crack me up, I can just picture him saying this stuff.

- Alexander Ovechkin is absolutely dismantling the NHL this year (see video above) — he got his 43rd goal today (8 more goals than the nearest challenger... although Crosby and Malkin both have more points) and he had a slow start. Unreal. Crosby and Ovechkin had a little battle through the media today. Ovechkin said Crosby talks too much and Crosby said he doesn't like Ovechkin's showboating on the ice. Not exactly Avery versus Phaneuf but still fun.

And that's it for my epic Sunday afternoon post. Somebody get me a beer.

Sometimes I worry about people...

...and what goes through their heads when they sit down to write an article...

From NHL.com:

Anyone wondering what Sidney Crosby would do for a midwinter encore 12 months "after scoring the winning shootout goal in the inaugural Winter Classic now has their answer. At noon ET today, Crosby eclipsed Jaromir Jagr’s record for the most votes ever received by one player in one season in the history of NHL All-Star Game fan balloting.

Apparently Sidney Crosby has done nothing since scoring that single goal in that one game back in January 2008.

He didn't lead his team to the Stanley Cup finals at age 20. He didn't get inducted into the Order of Nova Scotia. And he absolutely doesn't have 46 points, second only to teammate Evgeni Malkin.

So yes. Obviously surpassing Jagr in allstar fan voting is the obvious encore to that goal he scored outside. Obviously.

Not to mention that it is obviously extremely fair to compare Jagr's time with Crosby's. Online balloting has been around for years and the NHL hasn't had a ballot stuffing problem.

Question, what will Crosby do next?

Answer, if he keeps this up, he might even crack the olympic lineup.

Note: may contain peanuts... er, sarcasm.

Saga #1 and Saga #2 collide.

I was just watching That's Hockey on TSN. And both sagas were mentioned in one Perfect Saga Storm.

#1:

It appears Mats Sundin is thinking about a mid-December return.

"Mats is currently training daily with the intention to return," Sundin's agent, J.P. Barry said. "He may still decide not to play, however, if his training regimen doesn't produce the results he expects."

So he might think about making a mid-December return.

#2

The Toronto Maple Leafs' ownership group is expected to officially initiate contract negotiations with Brian Burke very soon.

I think this is a bad call for Toronto. I just don't know why yet.


Sometimes even if you think it's a good idea, you shouldn't do it.

Did this just happen? Is it real? Can I touch it?

My god. Someone lost their mind when they thought this would be a good idea. And my theory that every idea goes through at least seven people before it makes it to the general public is definitely in play here. What seven people were like, Slapshot 3? Great idea.

I mean, slapshot 2 was sacrilegious enough. But to make a third one.... I can't even talk about it. Next Question.


Democracy.

pfft. who needs it when you have electronic ballot stuffers...

"Forwards Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay, defencemen Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek and goalie Carey Price are not merely leading every other player in their Eastern Conference categories. They are ahead by ridiculous margins, their monstrous numbers fuelled by computer-vote programs written to carpet-bomb, around the clock, for all six at once.

As of Sunday early afternoon, four days into balloting, Kovalev, Koivu and Tanguay had vote totals in the 190,000 range. The next closest forward, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, was approaching 84,000"

That does explain it. I was extremely surprised to see the margins. I wouldn't say many of the Canadiens have had allstar-worthy performances thus far. But then again... Sidney Crosby has six goals in 18 games and he's behind the Montreal forwards...

Magic Mittens.

Kyle Wellwood just scored the nicest goal i've seen in a while. I believe that Gord Miller just said he had "magic mittens". Remember when Toronto put him on waivers? good call guys. as usual.

Also, when checking Wellwood's wikipedia entry, i found this gem: "As of November 2008, Wellwood is currently on a 121 game streak without taking a penalty, which is by far the longest active clean-streak. His last penalty was taken on April 10, 2006."



"How do you spell intimidation? L - U - O - N - G - O." - Pierre McGuire.

Obama.

Excuse me while I don't blog about hockey for yet another day.

But last night was history.

It's the polar opposite feeling to the one four years ago.

I spent my night twisting through Halifax's downtown, checking out different election parties for a story.

This is one of those things that people will remember where they were when Barack Obama became the President.

I was standing in the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. Sidney Crosby's dryer was covered in empty drink glasses. There was a giant projection screen showing the results.

And I was amongst the black community in Halifax.

It was amazing.

Truly amazing.

They were so happy, joyful, tearful, jubilant.... relieved.

I had people telling me, that they never thought they'd see it happen in their lifetime.

People were in tears, and hugging, and just plain screaming. I had goosebumps.

So I leave you today with the story that came from that:

No lead is safe.

Last night I was chatting online with a friend about the upcoming Canadiens game. The main concern was about Alexei Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec... and they're lack of doing anything this year. I personally blame the fact that Kovalev cut off his magical mullet.

We'll get back to that. First onto the game.

Quickly after my conversation about how I was worried about Kovalev, he scored 2 minutes into the game.

Annnnd then Mark Streit came back to haunt the Canadiens with a bullet from the point that deflected off of a Canadiens player and into the top corner. Oh Mark, we used to be friends... but something's changed. (Oh... it's the jersey. Right.)

Suddenly nearing the end of the second period and it's 4-1 Islanders. What the shhh... *click*

that was the sound of me changing the channel to the Pittsburgh game.

So the Penguins were playing the lowly Blues. The Penguins appeared to have quite a lot of jump in their step. But, whatever happened to Sidney Crosby did not look so good. He was expected to possibly miss last nights game due to an "undisclosed injury" but he took to the ice anyways. It looks like he has back spasms or something like that. Several times I saw him skate to the bench and I figured he wasn't going to come back on. Yet somehow he managed to get 2 assists.

This game started an hour later than the Montreal game so I was actually watching the first period of the game. Satan scored late in the first to make it 1-0 Penguins.

Ok. Ok. I feel bad... back to the Canadiens sinking ship, er, game.

*click*

Start of the Third period and the Canadiens are down 4-1. Oh boy. Smelling a comeback? It's the Islanders... it could be done.

The Canadiens actually do look very good in the third period. They're dominating the play, and buzzing around the Islanders net.

And then our dead man skating emerges. Tomas Plekanec scores two goals in two minutes. At this point, i've spilled chips all over the floor and i'm standing in front of the television clutching my last Propeller Pumpkin beer. The Islanders have already called their timeout after Plekanec scored his first goal, so that obviously worked really well.


Another four minutes and another goal. Chris Higgins puts one behind Yann Danis at 14:06 of the third period to tie the game 4-4.

You've got to be kidding me.

A little more than a minute later at 15:19, Kovelev returns from the dead. I mean sure he scored back in the first period. But midway through the game he took a high stick from noone other than former teammate Mark Streit. So he's got this bleeding gash on his cheek. This is just plain hilarious.

I kinda feel bad for Bill Guerin. He looks really depressed. I suppose I would be too, if I played on the Islanders.


The moral of this story. The Canadiens only have to play one period.



The other stuff.

The goalies are dropping like flies. Rick DiPietro is out 4-6 weeks because of knee surgery. And Martin Brodeur left the game last night with an elbow injury. Broduer was probably cursed since Hockey Night in Canada did a feature peice on him and how he's destined to break Patrick Roy's record.

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored five, COUNTEM, five third period goals to win 5-2 over the New York Rangers.

And Ottawa cannot seem to find it. They are sitting 12th in the standings after a shootout loss last night to the Tampa Bay Lightening. Good God, Tampa Bay??

And lastly i'd like to point out this craziness that is called weather in Halifax. Snow one day, 14 degrees the next:

I wonder...

...if anyone told Alexander Semin that he's just having a streak?

Suddenly because Semin is tied with Malkin atop the scoring race, he thinks he's hot shit.

"What's so special about (Crosby)? I don't see anything special there," Semin said in an interview with Yahoo.com. "Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, good pass. But there's nothing else. Even if you compare him to Patrick Kane from Chicago . . . (Kane) is a much more interesting player. The way he moves, his deking abilities, his thinking on the ice and his anticipation of the play is so superb."

Well, all I can say is... Kane, buddy, all star game... don't drop the soap if Semin is there. I think he's in love with you.

Here's the rest of the crazy talk.

"I think that if you take any player, even if he is dead wood, and start promoting him, you'll get a star," Semin told the website. "Especially if he scores 100 points. No one is going to care about anyone else. No one is going to care whether he possesses great skill.

As opposed to the good players that score 100 points?

"Let's say you put someone in front of the net and let him deflect pucks in, and he scored 50 goals, everyone will say 'Wow!' and then hand him a $10 million-per-year contract. That's what they like here."

Hmmm, can't actually think of anyone who fits that description. Except Semin.

"In Russia people like beautiful hockey, and not dump and chase," Semin told Yahoo!.

Yes they also like players that whine about money (see: Yashin).

"I just don't get it, why when a player is skating up the ice and no one is attacking him, he dumps the puck into the offensive zone and then chases it? Why would you do this if there is no one forechecking you?

you mean backchecking, right?

"I understand that if there is someone coming at you and you don't know whether you can get past that player, then you can dump the puck, pass it or shoot. But if not, then hold on to the puck, skate forward, create a chance. Why would you want to dump the puck and then chase after it and crash into the boards? I don't know. But that's just my opinion."

create a chance at a concussion (see: Lindross).