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Welcome back to the show! In this week's edition, Ethan and I weigh into the Patrice Cormier elbow on Mikael Tam and get into the necessary punishment that has to be laid out. It this just for the Q to settle, who have given him a season-long ban? Should the cops get involved? And what about the federal/provincial governments? In the second period, we move to the Northwest division to talk about the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche. Two weeks ago we discussed the Flames and Canucks and specifically how consistent the Flames had been. Wow, what a couple weeks has been. Now it's the Canucks and Avs leading the way while the Flames risk missing the playoffs. I even do some speculation, saying that Dion Phaneuf's days in Cow-Town were number. I swear we recorded this on Thursday. Finally, we create our own fictional All-Star starting line ups as there isn't a game this year and debate some the selections. Listen to Ethan get completely taken to task for his picks. He has to remember that the All-Star starters are based on performance this year and not as life-time achievement awards.
Check it out!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Good, the Bad and the ugly of the Leafs trades
The Good: The Leafs acquire a player who has the potential of being top-five at his position; Vesa Toskala is no longer a Maple Leaf; Jason Blake is no longer a Maple Leaf; Jamal Mayers got his wish and is no longer a Maple Leaf; The Ducks solidify their goaltending situation. Hiller is a solid #1 and Toskala once upon a time was a servicable backup; The Ducks still have both their own and Philly's first round pick; The Flames can rebuild their second line around Stajan and Hagman and can build their second defensive pairing around Ian White.
The Bad: The Leafs lose approx. 38 per cent of their offence and now don't have a true second line. Hagman, Stajan, Blake and White combined for 55 of the team's 149 goals and none of that offence has been replaced. And they still don't have a first round pick; J.S. Giguere has been genuinely bad this year as a backup in Anaheim. There's no guarantee that he regains the level of play that made him a Conn Smythe Trophy winner; The Ducks have to deal with Jason Blake's $4-million contract for the next two years. More specifically, Saku likely has to deal with him.
The Ugly: The Flames have given up on a 24 year old who still has Norris Trophy potential. Not only that, they needed to get more than Stajan, Hagman and White for Dion. The players that they acquired are all solid contributors (except Mayers) but none of them are first line players; Regardless of what Brian Burke said today, there is no chance that Tomas Kaberle will end this season with the Maple Leafs. He will be traded for at the very least secondary scoring and a first round pick or a first line forward.
The Bad: The Leafs lose approx. 38 per cent of their offence and now don't have a true second line. Hagman, Stajan, Blake and White combined for 55 of the team's 149 goals and none of that offence has been replaced. And they still don't have a first round pick; J.S. Giguere has been genuinely bad this year as a backup in Anaheim. There's no guarantee that he regains the level of play that made him a Conn Smythe Trophy winner; The Ducks have to deal with Jason Blake's $4-million contract for the next two years. More specifically, Saku likely has to deal with him.
The Ugly: The Flames have given up on a 24 year old who still has Norris Trophy potential. Not only that, they needed to get more than Stajan, Hagman and White for Dion. The players that they acquired are all solid contributors (except Mayers) but none of them are first line players; Regardless of what Brian Burke said today, there is no chance that Tomas Kaberle will end this season with the Maple Leafs. He will be traded for at the very least secondary scoring and a first round pick or a first line forward.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
This is wonderful news
I couldn't be more overjoyed than to read Dave Stubbs' piece in the Gazette this morning. Jean Beliveau represents all that's right about hockey and I think I can speak for a great many hockey fans who delighted by his release from the hospital and to still have him as a part of the hockey and Canadiens community. Here's to a full recovery for le Gros Bill.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Couldn't have said it any better
I'll be posting material from In The Bullpen from time to time. It's Ethan's other, more sports based blog. This beaut comes from his fellow blogger Steven Bull about the Cormier hit and the need for action.
Cormier was suspended for the remainder of the season and playoffs this morning. Like Steven (and many others), I'm all for tough clean hockey hits. But not deliberate cheap shots that serve one purpose: injuring your fellow players. Players like Cormier need to be punished to the greatest degree provided by their respective leagues. I'm very supportive of the QMJHL's decision as hit's like Cormier's have no place in the game.
Cormier was suspended for the remainder of the season and playoffs this morning. Like Steven (and many others), I'm all for tough clean hockey hits. But not deliberate cheap shots that serve one purpose: injuring your fellow players. Players like Cormier need to be punished to the greatest degree provided by their respective leagues. I'm very supportive of the QMJHL's decision as hit's like Cormier's have no place in the game.
Now both the Bruins and the Avalanche owe Brian Burke a game puck
One of the biggest motivators for athletes is being told that they aren't good enough. It has a tendency to give the "slighted" player an F' You mentality and increase their level of play. In the case of Craig Anderson, the slight has led to huge increase in performance.
Brian Burke announced the Olympic roster for Team USA on New Year's Day; a roster that did not include Anderson. Since that announcement Anderson has a 7-1-0 record, a 1.69 GAA, a .956 save percentage and his first two shutouts of the season. The Avalanche are in the midst of a six-game winning streak and have moved back into first place in the Northwest Division.
So thanks, Burkie. It's too bad for Craig Anderson that he doesn't get to represent his country in the Olympics but the snub seems to have revitalized him and the Avalanche out of a mid-season malaise. And the Canadian snipers won't have to worry about putting pucks past him next month. We still have to deal will Ryan Miller, but you can't win them all.
And finally, a big thank you Burke from the Red and White Army fantasy hockey team. Craig Anderson stellar play has allowed the team to increase its lead to over 600 points. Gold stars all around.
Brian Burke announced the Olympic roster for Team USA on New Year's Day; a roster that did not include Anderson. Since that announcement Anderson has a 7-1-0 record, a 1.69 GAA, a .956 save percentage and his first two shutouts of the season. The Avalanche are in the midst of a six-game winning streak and have moved back into first place in the Northwest Division.
So thanks, Burkie. It's too bad for Craig Anderson that he doesn't get to represent his country in the Olympics but the snub seems to have revitalized him and the Avalanche out of a mid-season malaise. And the Canadian snipers won't have to worry about putting pucks past him next month. We still have to deal will Ryan Miller, but you can't win them all.
And finally, a big thank you Burke from the Red and White Army fantasy hockey team. Craig Anderson stellar play has allowed the team to increase its lead to over 600 points. Gold stars all around.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Captain Blye and the Rabbi: Episode 12
We're back! This week, we complete the two-week state of the game in Canada with a review of the three Eastern teams. Moving West to East we review the recent play of the Leafs and Senators as well as the season of the Montreal Canadiens. We've talked a lot about the Habs this year, but not at all about their 2009-10 season.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Captain Blye and the Rabbi: Episode 11
Welcome back dear listeners to another episode of the best thing to hit hockey since referee conspiracy theories. In this week's show, Ethan and I begin a two week trek across Canada to discuss the fates and fortunes of the six teams from our side of the 49th. Episode 11 is all about the West. We discuss the troubles facing the Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks' turnaround and the consistency of the Calgary Flames. Finally we go into Sudden Death on the recently retired Curtis Joseph and whether or not he belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Captain Blye and The Rabbi: Episode 10
We made it to double digits!
In this week's edition, Ethan and I open with a post-mortem on Tuesday night's World Junior Final between Canada and the the US of A. We both agree that the Americans were the better team on Tuesday night, in spite of the fact that the Canadians were the more talented squad.
It's then on to the NHL for periods two and three where we took Monday's LA-San Jose game as well as Tuesday's clash between Atlanta and Pittsburgh as starting point to dissect what going on with those four clubs these day. It's been very good for the two Western Conference team, but quite crappy for both the Thrashers and the defending Stanley Cup champs. We look at why these teams have been performing in these ways.
Finally, we go into sudden death to wish a very sudden death to the "Eh! O'Canada Go!" Chant that TSN And Pepsi were trying to sell throughout the tournament.
Check it out!
In this week's edition, Ethan and I open with a post-mortem on Tuesday night's World Junior Final between Canada and the the US of A. We both agree that the Americans were the better team on Tuesday night, in spite of the fact that the Canadians were the more talented squad.
It's then on to the NHL for periods two and three where we took Monday's LA-San Jose game as well as Tuesday's clash between Atlanta and Pittsburgh as starting point to dissect what going on with those four clubs these day. It's been very good for the two Western Conference team, but quite crappy for both the Thrashers and the defending Stanley Cup champs. We look at why these teams have been performing in these ways.
Finally, we go into sudden death to wish a very sudden death to the "Eh! O'Canada Go!" Chant that TSN And Pepsi were trying to sell throughout the tournament.
Check it out!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
USA 6, Canada 5
If you followed my tweets of last night's game, you noticed that there was something about this team that I didn't like. I couldn't quite put my thumb on it beforehand, but the way that the Canadian Junior Team conducted itself turned me off. As the game progressed, I understood what annoyed me: There was an arrogance to this group and they played like a team that felt it could win on talent alone.
Understand that this was a very talented team. It wouldn't surprise me if it produced multiple NHL All-Stars. But it wasn't nearly as talented as the team in 2005. With the NHL lockout in effect, every available junior prospect played. The result was a team featuring Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, Ryan Getzlaf, Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Cam Barker and Corey Perry that rolled through the tournament winning every game by at least two goals, culminating with a 6-1 win over Russia - the Russian team featured Ovechkin and Malkin and neither scored in the final. This team had just one plan: Attack, attack, attack. They didn't a Plan B because they didn't need one.
Conversely, this team didn't face the adversity of the '07 or '08 editions. The boys in '07 survived the agonizing shootout with the Americans in the semi-final which featured the famously weird shootout rules (any shooter was able to reshoot after the first three had shot and could reshoot again provided there was a one player gap) only finishing after Jonathan Toews' third goal. That team went on from the brink of disaster to a 4-2 win over Russia, storming in front 4-0 before packing it in.
The '08 team actually lost a preliminary game, the first Canada regained the gold in '05. In a back and forth contest against Sweden, the Swedes scored with just seven seconds to play to upset the three-time defending champions. Rather than fall to pieces, Canada went on to win every game remaining including an overtime rematch with Sweden in final.
Even last year's team had to come from behind the in semi-final, with Eberle scoring late to force overtime against the Russians. They ultimately won in a shootout and followed it up with a dominant 5-1 win over Sweden in the final.
In comparison, this year's team only faced adversity in the group stage game against the Americans. The New Year's Eve clash saw Canada completely outplayed for most of the game, surrender two shorthanded goals (though it was effective three) and only wake up with minutes to play in the third period when they were down two. In no other game were the Canadians even close to being challenged, with all the the hockey powers on the other side of the draw.
Having not been challenged, Canada was never forced to make in-game changes. This was reinforced last night after Alex Pietrangelo was assessed a ten minute hitting from behind major and Jordan Caron was later sent to the box for slashing. Neither play was particularly flagrant from an NHL/CHL standard but the referees last night weren't calling a game by our standards; it was called based on IIHF rules. Rather than adjust their style of play, the Canadians continued as they always had. Rather then changing goaltenders after the third goal (like the Americans) or even the fourth, Head Coach Willie Desjardins waited until his team was down 5-3 with less than 15 minutes to play to remove the shell-shocked Jake Allen. And most egregious, rather than remembering that the Americans had scored numerous times on the odd-man rush Canada continued to put themselves into situations that would result in one, which in the end cost them the game.
What annoyed most me was the arrogance that Canada brought to the rink last night and practically every night of this tournament. Not once did this supremely talented team bring its A-Game. Not once did they truly play 60 minutes as a team. And not once did they respect their opponents (specifically the Americans) enough into game-planning for them. Rather they played the same, individual based game every night. It seemed to me that these players and this coaching staff was so assured in victory that they forgot to have a Plan B. Only in the two outings against the United States when Canada was already down two goals did they play as a team. On New Year's they were able to score a miraculous short-handed goal late and then hold Team USA to just one shot in overtime. Last night, Jordan Eberle put the team on his back in the third period only to beat by the counter-attacking that had done them in both games.
As a Canadian, I wanted Canada to win last night. But as a hockey fan I would have been disappointed had they won with the effort that they gave. The Duke of Wellington once said of his famous victory at Waterloo, "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton." To extend this analogy, the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championship was lost at the Team Canada Training Camp. The whole team, from the top down, was so assured in their triumph that they failed to make any adjustments even when absolutely necessary.
Understand that this was a very talented team. It wouldn't surprise me if it produced multiple NHL All-Stars. But it wasn't nearly as talented as the team in 2005. With the NHL lockout in effect, every available junior prospect played. The result was a team featuring Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, Ryan Getzlaf, Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Cam Barker and Corey Perry that rolled through the tournament winning every game by at least two goals, culminating with a 6-1 win over Russia - the Russian team featured Ovechkin and Malkin and neither scored in the final. This team had just one plan: Attack, attack, attack. They didn't a Plan B because they didn't need one.
Conversely, this team didn't face the adversity of the '07 or '08 editions. The boys in '07 survived the agonizing shootout with the Americans in the semi-final which featured the famously weird shootout rules (any shooter was able to reshoot after the first three had shot and could reshoot again provided there was a one player gap) only finishing after Jonathan Toews' third goal. That team went on from the brink of disaster to a 4-2 win over Russia, storming in front 4-0 before packing it in.
The '08 team actually lost a preliminary game, the first Canada regained the gold in '05. In a back and forth contest against Sweden, the Swedes scored with just seven seconds to play to upset the three-time defending champions. Rather than fall to pieces, Canada went on to win every game remaining including an overtime rematch with Sweden in final.
Even last year's team had to come from behind the in semi-final, with Eberle scoring late to force overtime against the Russians. They ultimately won in a shootout and followed it up with a dominant 5-1 win over Sweden in the final.
In comparison, this year's team only faced adversity in the group stage game against the Americans. The New Year's Eve clash saw Canada completely outplayed for most of the game, surrender two shorthanded goals (though it was effective three) and only wake up with minutes to play in the third period when they were down two. In no other game were the Canadians even close to being challenged, with all the the hockey powers on the other side of the draw.
Having not been challenged, Canada was never forced to make in-game changes. This was reinforced last night after Alex Pietrangelo was assessed a ten minute hitting from behind major and Jordan Caron was later sent to the box for slashing. Neither play was particularly flagrant from an NHL/CHL standard but the referees last night weren't calling a game by our standards; it was called based on IIHF rules. Rather than adjust their style of play, the Canadians continued as they always had. Rather then changing goaltenders after the third goal (like the Americans) or even the fourth, Head Coach Willie Desjardins waited until his team was down 5-3 with less than 15 minutes to play to remove the shell-shocked Jake Allen. And most egregious, rather than remembering that the Americans had scored numerous times on the odd-man rush Canada continued to put themselves into situations that would result in one, which in the end cost them the game.
What annoyed most me was the arrogance that Canada brought to the rink last night and practically every night of this tournament. Not once did this supremely talented team bring its A-Game. Not once did they truly play 60 minutes as a team. And not once did they respect their opponents (specifically the Americans) enough into game-planning for them. Rather they played the same, individual based game every night. It seemed to me that these players and this coaching staff was so assured in victory that they forgot to have a Plan B. Only in the two outings against the United States when Canada was already down two goals did they play as a team. On New Year's they were able to score a miraculous short-handed goal late and then hold Team USA to just one shot in overtime. Last night, Jordan Eberle put the team on his back in the third period only to beat by the counter-attacking that had done them in both games.
As a Canadian, I wanted Canada to win last night. But as a hockey fan I would have been disappointed had they won with the effort that they gave. The Duke of Wellington once said of his famous victory at Waterloo, "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton." To extend this analogy, the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championship was lost at the Team Canada Training Camp. The whole team, from the top down, was so assured in their triumph that they failed to make any adjustments even when absolutely necessary.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Some apologies
I'm very sorry readers for my lack of post in the last month. Thing have been incredibly busy. However tomorrow, I promise you all both the usual new episode of Captain Blye and The Rabbi plus a big post on tonight's WJC final between Canada and the USA.
Enjoy Overtime of this great game tonight.
Enjoy Overtime of this great game tonight.
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