Three Point Games: The Fix is in

With a seven point lead on my beloved Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres are all but guaranteed a spot in the NHL playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. All they need to do is drag tied games past regulation time to guarantee one point towards the NHL standings in their next five games, move past the 90 point threshold, and they are in. According to Twitter, the NHL boasts shootouts are down 22%, but I am willing to bet more and more games are heading to overtime because when in the overtime period teams earn that point is irrelevant. Teams in the playoff picture don't want to lose their spots, so they will play for ties to stay up in the standings.

All credit to James Reimer keeping the team in front of him accountable, and keeping the interests of the fans. Until the NHL adopts a three points for a regulation win system, Pro-Line and other betting industries will continue to lose money when gamblers put money towards the tie (Pro-Line declares ties for games ending in regulation with tied scores).

James seems like a nice guy; I hope the goaltending class in the Marlies system keep the Leafs goaltending accountable. A good controversy, such as Roy-Racicot and Vernon-Osgood-Hasek, will keep the focus on good goaltending and good teamplay up front. ^_^

Mad About the Northeast Division

1. In NHL action, the Montreal Canadiens play the Boston Bruins for the first time since Zdeno Chara's controversial bodycheck of Max Pacioretty almost a fortnight ago. I don't expect any retribution on the part of the Habs, but the play did launch a nationwide debate about the state of the glorious game, and equally biased flag waving among high ranking airline executives. Speaking of airlines, check out AIR CANADA for all their post-March Break, spring getaway deals ^_^
2. I'm playing MINECRAFT now, and after watching some James Reimer highlights on the television I may need to build a statue to "Optimus Reim" on an offshore island. He will be standing tall, made of brick, and no rebounds...I mean, on a redoubt.
3. I wonder what the standings would look like if teams received THREE points for a win in regulation time? I will do some research and post the results soon. If anything that would kill the playoff legitimacy of all teams starting with "T" and ending with "oronto Maple Leafs".
4. Ottawa: AH HA HA HA!
5. Goaltender Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres is playing at his usual best; I can't say the same about their new, modernized jersey. I like the classic dudes and the giant shield of the dancing bull over the swords, but why the number on the top of the shirt? I know my age, but you don't see ME with a giant number on my shoulderblade? TWENTYSOMETHING, see? I remember...what?

X-MEN EXIST o_O

Real footage that mutants and/or superheroes from the comic book world exist in our time! By day, they are accountants and professional athletes, but by night they are...professional athletes? Anyway, check out footage of telekinesis endowed, NHL goaltender Jonathan Quick in action for his Los Angeles Kings against the Calgary Flames.

Apparently, embed is down on this computer -_- Click here for the dramatic footage!

All That Remains is Blood and Ice...

If you remember the final scene from the classic silent film starring Rudolph Valentino, Blood and Sand, then you know the fate of the protagonists and antagonists in the story. Ultimately, they are forgotten, a new hero emerges, and the show continues. Two nights ago, in the city of Montreal, one such contest between the hometown protagonists called the Canadiens squared off against their rivals the Bruins, who are antagonists from Boston, Massachusetts. With the score 4-0 heading toward the end of the second period, a loose puck by the boards played a crucial role in the drama called hockey.



The colours, scoreline, fans, coaches, and players are forgotten for an instant. The motionless body of a human being lies flat on his chest, as if the definition of "Pacioretty" is exactly what you see. That is false: He has parents, family, friends, hopes and dreams of one day being a successful hockey player, but he also has a fractured 4th vertebrae, and a sever concussion. For that instant Mr. Pacioretty, a man who most of us might pass on the street without blinking an eye, was all that mattered to everyone who watched him lying on the ice. However, like most moments, it passed and we demanded justice, or at the very least, a penalty.

The focus turned to the garish 6'9" captain of the Bruins Zdeno Chara, who bodied a man half his size into a dangerous partition of the rink. Five minutes would never be enough, and neither would a game misconduct: We wanted justice, retribution, a shove, a fight for a fallen comrade that was one of "us". We wanted to take sides on the issue: Those who claim its legitimacy in keeping with the dangerous and thrilling tradition of the game, and those who claim its intent represents the depraved state of our current society. Does it remind you of anything?



(I do apologize for the state of the previous video. There isn't one clean video of the incident, and the author has a clear agenda I have mixed opinions about.) Almost to the anniversary of this incident no one in authority made a substantial change to the game of hockey to root out this element. After all, it sells tickets, whips beat writers into a frenzy, get fans in their seats, notches hits on YouTube, and keeps franchises afloat. Names such as Todd Bertuzzi, Matt Cooke, and almost every player on the New York Islanders are at the forefront of fans' minds; which unlucky matador will cross paths with these raging bulls? Who will be the next Rudolph Valentino: Marc Savard, Scott Moore, or Max Pacioretty? Who will be the next Eric Lindros?

If the game was less about 'Blood and Ice', what kind of game would we see? If the game was more about Savard, Moore, Pacioretty, and Lindros, would hockey be a different sport altogether?

One year ago today...

Who could forget?

I was alone in my house cleaning my room. I only saw overtime because I was too nervous to watch. When Crosby scored, I screamed "CROSBLARG! ARGH!" so loud the neighbours in their houses could hear me.

My friends were gathering for a postgame party, so I jumped in the car and listened to everyone in the stadium singing the national anthem on the radio. The most beautiful rendition of our National Anthem I've ever heard before, or since.

Deadline Day Recap

-_- Zzz
o_O What? Oh...

Well, that was eventful. This season saw as little activity between hockey clubs since the NHL Trading Deadline festivities of the 99-2000 season, which is fortunate for me because I can tell you which moves proved to be the most significant, idiotic, and surprising of all. Of course, I will be going by team; if you didn't see your team on this list, then they probably didn't do much, so they received a pass.

Special thanks to TSN and its Tradecentre for their concise, packaged information. If you are looking for the link to basketball stats, it's somewhere on that website...somewhere.

1. FLORIDA PANTHERS (PASS?)

Your team plays in a market with little hockey history, and almost as much interest in the sport since the glory year of 1996, Doug Maclean, a young rookie defenseman named Ed Jovanovski, and a few million plastic rats. Eight years removed from the playoffs playing in front of half-empty crowds in the Floridian city of Sunrise, you trade what little talent you have to your division rivals and a Western Conference powerhouse in Vancouver. I scratched my head when I considered what the Panthers received, and asked "What for?". It's bad enough they play in ridiculous uniforms with piping going in every direction, as if donning fake "heritage" jerseys will inspire greatness in your team. Now, with these trades finalized, I'm supposed to believe the Florida Panthers will be BETTER?

Yes, I am supposed to believe in the Panthers! General manager Dale Tallon is the answer. He forged a winner in Chicago, against all odds, with great drafting (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien!), key trades, and a management and public relations team that made the Blackhawks relevant in the Second City. However, to the surprise of the hockey establishment, the Hawks relieved Dale Tallon before he could see his dream fulfilled. FAN590's Bob McCown is right: The Florida Panthers are Dale Tallon's opportunity to show he can do it again, but against the backdrop of financial collapse of Sun-Belt sports franchises? Hmm...

2. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (PASS...for now)

Four points out of the playoff picture is a good position to be in. The teams in the top eight of the Eastern conference have the gun to their heads: Win and you are in. The Maple Leafs are the team no one takes seriously; only the Maple Leafs couldn't get out of their way to win since 1967. Do you build through the draft, or do you compete with the players you have? Leafs President and General Manager Brian Burke says "Yes". Nowadays, he can afford to boggle the minds of Toronto's beatwriters: Phil Kessel's recent string of good play earned Player of the Week honours from the League, the emergence of AHL backup James Reimer, and the defensive unit post-Kaberle coming together to rally the Leafs are all difference makers for Burke to make minor adjustments during deadline day. Making acquisitions in advance of the media melee of Trading Deadline Day also helps, too.

All will be forgotten if there is ticker tape and confetti falling from the windows overlooking Yonge Street this June. Yes, even the Kessel trade ^_^

3. OTTAWA SENATORS (EPIC FAIL)

FAIL. PLEASE FAIL. FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL! No, they don't get a logo here because they are a loco team! Nevertheless, the direction Bryan Murray wants to take this team is nowhere near where the Senators wanted to be after the 2007 Stanley Cup Final against the Anaheim Ducks. The impatient, former Leaf fans in the Ottawa region expect results so much that they want them yesterday o_O Keep in mind, when they jumped ship for the Senators bandwagon they didn't expect to look up at the Toronto Maple Leafs in the standings either.

How can a manager run down one team, sell its top notch players like Dany Heatley and Mike Fisher for close to nothing, play Russian Roulette with the league's goaltenders every year, and then get a do over with the hypothetical first pick in the 2011 NHL Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota? Well, I don't like this one bit >_< I hate the Senators, but now I'm concerned, and that is saying a lot.

4. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (FAIL?)

Canada's last best chance at a Stanley Cup is doing so fine-tuning, but I feel the knuckle sandwich of the West is coming over the hill. For the previous two NHL seasons, the sandwich came in the form of Dustin Byfuglien and the Chicago Blackhawks. Vancouver had NO answer for the defenseman turned powerplay center/specialist, and the Sedin twins played scared. Thanks to free agency and a trade with Atlanta the Byfuglien-less Chicago Blackhawks, like most of the Western Conference, are no longer a problem. If this is true, why acquire Maxim Lapierre and MacGregor Sharp from Anaheim, and Chris Higgins from Florida? If GM Mike Gillis knows his history, then this will be the year the Canucks exchange the knuckle sandwich for a sip from Lord Stanley's Cup.

No lousy 2-3-2 playoff format will save them now (Yes, I'm still upset about that one)!

Great News!

Joel Quenneville, who is the head coach of the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, had a series of tests at the hospital and they came back negative! He is also feeling much better! Thanks to Nick Kypreos' on the Twitter for the update.

Look what I dug up looking for a picture of Joel Quenneville!