Posts
Welcome back listeners. In this week's show, Ethan and I open with discussion on the merits (or lack there of in my opinion) of Hockey Day in Canada. The annual festivities went off in Ethan's hometown of Stratford, ON and naturally the Rabbi is on board. Me, not so much. In period two we get into the trades of the past few days involving the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames. You all know by know that Dion Phaneuf and J.S. Giguere are now in Blue and White while Chris Higgins, Ales Kotalik, Ian White and a few others (read: Leafs) now play for the Calgary Flames. We discuss both the impact of these trades from both a hockey and emotional angle. One thing is certain: Dion is no Dougie. Finally, we close with a quick dismissal of the NDP's idea to initiate a Royal Commission on violence in sports.
Enjoy the show. We'll be back in two weeks with a full Olympic and mid-season show.
Showing posts with label Calgary Flames. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calgary Flames. Show all posts
Friday, February 5, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Captain Blye and the Rabbi: Episode 13
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!
Check it out!
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.
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!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
My favourite Northwest rival
Tonight the Avalanche take their league best 9-1-2 record into Calgary. I'm fairly certain it will be a great game and if you want a preview, just click the link to Mile High Hockey on the side of this page as this post isn't about tonight's game. It's about a dynamic shared between me and good friend Adam Smith, one of the biggest Flames fans I know.
Flames-Avalanche games don't quite have the same level of hatred that is owned by many of the other rivalries in the Northwest division. The Oilers and Flames destroy each other during Battle of Alberta. The Flames and Canucks have the showdown over the Rocky Mountains. The Avalanche have the Steve Moore grudge match with Vancouver. And the Canucks-Oilers game dates back to the days of Wayne Gretzky and the Smythe division. Games against Minnesota are tough but don't elicit the same level of passion as the real rivalries.
How does this relate to Adam and I? During my last year at McGill, Adam and I worked at the McGill Tribune together and watched a lot of hockey (usually Flames games though he would sometimes stay for an Avalanche game if the timing was right). The Flames were in the midst of the dreadful Jim Playfair year. The Avalanche were still saddled with Jose Theodore's awful contract/goaltending. Both teams were completely mediocre (to the point that two teams finished 8th and 9th in the West, with Calgary taking the final playoff spot by a point). Playfair's coaching was so bad that Adam penned this column in the Trib, which begun the "Fire Jim Playfair" bandwagon (Playfair was demoted back to assistant coach after the season). This was compounded by the Flames' dismal performance in the final two games of the season and into the playoffs. During Calgary's 81st game it was announced that Avalanche had lost to the Nashville Predators, clinching the Flames a spot in the post-season. The Flames went on to lose that game (against the terrible Oilers) and again a night later, this time against the Avalanche in Denver. They were quickly eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round. But I digress.
We knew that our teams weren't going anywhere but neither one of us cared. We had a mutual hatred of the Oilers and Canucks. We both wanted to see our teams beat the Wild. And neither one of us had any time for the Maple Leafs. It became routine. A usual night consisted of Adam heading by just before the game started with a case of beer and bag of Doritos/Lays. We drank, watched, analyzed and usually complained. We'd go nuts if the Canuck/Oilers were the victims and were pissed off when those teams beat ours.
Avalanche-Flames games were different. With puck drop around 9:00, we made the trek (usually in the middle of a Montreal Winter) up St Laurent to Schwartz's for smoked meat. In ground zero for Habs fans, we dared to walk in the door wearing Calgary Red and Colorado Burgundy. When we finally rolled our-smoked meat filled-selves back down the hill to watch the game, we had already dissected everything that we thought our teams could give us that night and we didn't think much of either team's chances (Colorado took the season series 5-3-0). When the game finally began, we both took turns lauding and ripping our respective team. While we both wanted our boys to win, there wasn't a sense of hatred in the room even though every game mattered in the ultra-competitive Northwest.
It's this relationship that has led me to consider the Calgary Flames as an opponent, and not an enemy. I certainly want Colorado to beat Calgary tonight just as I'm sure that Adam would like his Flames to steamroll my Avs. But we only want this for hockey reasons. There isn't a hatred or envy. Just a mutual respect between two consistent and somewhat storied franchises.
Hope it's a classic tonight.
Flames-Avalanche games don't quite have the same level of hatred that is owned by many of the other rivalries in the Northwest division. The Oilers and Flames destroy each other during Battle of Alberta. The Flames and Canucks have the showdown over the Rocky Mountains. The Avalanche have the Steve Moore grudge match with Vancouver. And the Canucks-Oilers game dates back to the days of Wayne Gretzky and the Smythe division. Games against Minnesota are tough but don't elicit the same level of passion as the real rivalries.
How does this relate to Adam and I? During my last year at McGill, Adam and I worked at the McGill Tribune together and watched a lot of hockey (usually Flames games though he would sometimes stay for an Avalanche game if the timing was right). The Flames were in the midst of the dreadful Jim Playfair year. The Avalanche were still saddled with Jose Theodore's awful contract/goaltending. Both teams were completely mediocre (to the point that two teams finished 8th and 9th in the West, with Calgary taking the final playoff spot by a point). Playfair's coaching was so bad that Adam penned this column in the Trib, which begun the "Fire Jim Playfair" bandwagon (Playfair was demoted back to assistant coach after the season). This was compounded by the Flames' dismal performance in the final two games of the season and into the playoffs. During Calgary's 81st game it was announced that Avalanche had lost to the Nashville Predators, clinching the Flames a spot in the post-season. The Flames went on to lose that game (against the terrible Oilers) and again a night later, this time against the Avalanche in Denver. They were quickly eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round. But I digress.
We knew that our teams weren't going anywhere but neither one of us cared. We had a mutual hatred of the Oilers and Canucks. We both wanted to see our teams beat the Wild. And neither one of us had any time for the Maple Leafs. It became routine. A usual night consisted of Adam heading by just before the game started with a case of beer and bag of Doritos/Lays. We drank, watched, analyzed and usually complained. We'd go nuts if the Canuck/Oilers were the victims and were pissed off when those teams beat ours.
Avalanche-Flames games were different. With puck drop around 9:00, we made the trek (usually in the middle of a Montreal Winter) up St Laurent to Schwartz's for smoked meat. In ground zero for Habs fans, we dared to walk in the door wearing Calgary Red and Colorado Burgundy. When we finally rolled our-smoked meat filled-selves back down the hill to watch the game, we had already dissected everything that we thought our teams could give us that night and we didn't think much of either team's chances (Colorado took the season series 5-3-0). When the game finally began, we both took turns lauding and ripping our respective team. While we both wanted our boys to win, there wasn't a sense of hatred in the room even though every game mattered in the ultra-competitive Northwest.
It's this relationship that has led me to consider the Calgary Flames as an opponent, and not an enemy. I certainly want Colorado to beat Calgary tonight just as I'm sure that Adam would like his Flames to steamroll my Avs. But we only want this for hockey reasons. There isn't a hatred or envy. Just a mutual respect between two consistent and somewhat storied franchises.
Hope it's a classic tonight.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Western Conference Preview, Part Two
Here we go with the best in the West (god, that's an awful cliche). Also, this preview and my essays on the East will be simplified. I'm getting a bit lazy.
8. Nashville Predators
What I like: Pekka Riine was solid in goal last year; Weber, Suter and Hamhuis are nice young defensive base; Barry Trotz is one of the best coaches in the NHL who consistently gets more out of his players than their abilities indicate; Steve Sullivan, Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont is a decent first line; The penalty kill was top ten last year; The Predators didn't lose any quality players in the off-season.
What I don't like: Scoring lags after the front line; Power-play was bottom five in the league last year; Didn't add any particularly great players either; It's too bad this team isn't playing in Southern Ontario. They would be an interesting team to watch in Toronto/Hamilton.
7. St. Louis Blues
What I like: Full of ex-Leaf first round draft picks (Boyes, Colaiacovo); Top ten PP and PK last season (8th and 3rd); Good goaltending provided by Chris Mason; Solid coach in Andy Murray; A good scoring balance with a lot of potential on the first line. T.J. Oshie and David Backes could break out this year.
What I don't like: Full of ex-Leaf first round draft picks (Steen, Jackman); Not a lot of defence beyond the first pairing of Jackman and Erik Johnson (and Johnson cannot be allowed anywhere near a golf cart); St. Louis is relying on Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya for the scoring on the second line with Boyes. Both have had their best days behind them.
6. Columbus Blue Jackets
What I like: Rick Nash opted to stay with the team and sign an eight-year extension. I might not like this for the future but I love it for 09-10; Nash's linemate Derrick Brassard was poised for a breakout year in '09 (10 goals and 15 assists in 31 games) before going dislocating his shoulder in a fight. All the more reason I like this guy to explode in 2010. Ken Hitchcock a is proven winner and routinely makes the most of what little defence he's got; Steve Mason is coming off a great rookie year in goal.
What I don't like: The Jackets had worst power-play in the league last year; Hitchcock might be able to improve the play of mediocre defencemen in their own end but can't do much about the fact that this team is completely lacking a PP quarterback; Goaltenders coming off great rookie years have a slight tendency to drop off in their second season - reread the last sentence of What I Like.
5. Anaheim Ducks
What I like: Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan are arguably the best first line in the NHL; Saku and Teemu are pleased to be playing with each other; Scott Niedermayer remains one of the best leaders in the game and is still a pretty good defencemen; Artyukhin, Lupul and Marchant are one of the better third lines in the league; Randy Caryle is a quality coach who usually gets this team motivated to play; Jonas Hiller was great for the Ducks in last year's playoffs.
What I don't like: With Pronger and Beauchemin both gone, the defence is a thin beyond the first pairing (even though Beauchemin hasn't preformed yet in Toronto); The overall makeup seems to be a departure from the Brian Burke way. The tough guys aren't quite on the same level as in the years past. Savu Koivu and Ryan Whitney, though both talented, would not have played on a BB team; Ducks have to hope that Hiller can carry the load over a full season.
4. Chicago Blackhawks
What I like: The first line is awesome; The defence is great combination of stoppers and puck-movers; The third line has John Madden, one of the best defensive forwards in the league; I've always liked Joel Quinnville as a coach (possible Avs bias); Stan Bowman might be the titular GM but has never run a team before. But Bowman, that name sounds familiar no? That's right, Stan is Scotty's son. And wouldn't you know Dad is the Senior Adviser. I think Stan will be alright.
What I don't like: Havlat's gone and Hossa's out until November; Patrick Kane had an incident with a Buffalo cabbie; Huet has never been counted on to do the job on his own for an entire year; Everyone is taking the Hawks to win the Central and it seems too easy to join that bandwagon.
3. Detroit Red Wings
What I like: The Red Wings have been the model franchise in hockey for almost 15 years. They have one of the best owners, GMs, Coaches and Scouting teams in the NHL; Their line up is among the best in the league; Datysuk, Zetterberg, Fippula and Draper could be the league's best centre combination; Franzen is emerging as a top-six winger; Hossa was useless in the playoffs and he's gone; Lidstrom leads what's still one of the best defensive units in the league.
What I don't like: The Red Wings employ a certain cretin who wears the number 44; All Avs' bias aside, Osgood is a year older and he couldn't go for a full season last year. Backup Jimmy Howard has played exactly 10 games in four seasons; Hossa's gone (meaning that they lose his 40 regular season goals. Playoffs are another issue); Everyone is a year older and even the "Youngsters" such as Fippula and Abdelkader aren't that young (25 and 22). Lidstrom is 39, Draper is 38, Osgood, Holmstrom and Matlby are 37. At some point age will catch up to the Red Wings.
2. San Jose Sharks
What I like: The Sharks fleeced the Sens for Dany Heatley (not that it's too difficult). Cheecoo is a one-season wonder, Michalek will be always a year away and they didn't give up any defencemen or Patrick Marleau. Heatley, Thornton and whoever is the third winger will be one the best combinations in the league this year; Dan Boyle and Rob Blake provide a very solid base on defence; Evgeni Nabokov has been remarkably consistent in the post-lockout era. He's one of two goaltenders to have posted three straight seasons with a GAA under 2.50, a save percentage of .910 or better and at least 6 shutouts. The only other player to manage this feat: Martin Brodeur; Top five in both power-play and PK in '09.
What I don't like: Not a lot of depth beyond beyond first two lines; Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley have their respective reputations (poor playoff performer and prima donna). The Sharks will need both of these reps to be overcome; This team is dangerously close to the salary cap and will have to unload players next year.
1. Calgary Flames
What I like: Calgary has the single best defensive unit in the league. Dion, Bouwmeester and Regehr are downright scaring on the blue line. Expect Pierre Maguire to have a heart attack for all the monster plays these three will make; In goal, ole Kipper has looked decent so far, though three games do not a season make. Up front, Jerome Iginla continues to lead by example and finally has a centre of similar talent in Olli Jokenin. Craig Conroy and Damon Langkow can finally play on the second and third lines (likely interchangeably) while wingers Rene Bourque and David Moss are both coming off 20 goal seasons and have the potential to make the leap this year.
What I don't like: Losing Mike Cammalleri and his 39 goals will naturally be noticed as there was a large drop-off in goalscoring after the Italian/Jewish speedster; Kipper might be good so far but hasn't been great in the past couple seasons. While his defence is strong, there will likely be night that he needs to save the team while the offence meshes together; Gone with Cammalleri are 19 of the Flames' 61 power-play goals from last year. Not only will the Flames need to step up with the man advantage but Big Dion has to rediscover his booming slap shot from the point.
8. Nashville Predators
What I like: Pekka Riine was solid in goal last year; Weber, Suter and Hamhuis are nice young defensive base; Barry Trotz is one of the best coaches in the NHL who consistently gets more out of his players than their abilities indicate; Steve Sullivan, Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont is a decent first line; The penalty kill was top ten last year; The Predators didn't lose any quality players in the off-season.
What I don't like: Scoring lags after the front line; Power-play was bottom five in the league last year; Didn't add any particularly great players either; It's too bad this team isn't playing in Southern Ontario. They would be an interesting team to watch in Toronto/Hamilton.
7. St. Louis Blues
What I like: Full of ex-Leaf first round draft picks (Boyes, Colaiacovo); Top ten PP and PK last season (8th and 3rd); Good goaltending provided by Chris Mason; Solid coach in Andy Murray; A good scoring balance with a lot of potential on the first line. T.J. Oshie and David Backes could break out this year.
What I don't like: Full of ex-Leaf first round draft picks (Steen, Jackman); Not a lot of defence beyond the first pairing of Jackman and Erik Johnson (and Johnson cannot be allowed anywhere near a golf cart); St. Louis is relying on Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya for the scoring on the second line with Boyes. Both have had their best days behind them.
6. Columbus Blue Jackets
What I like: Rick Nash opted to stay with the team and sign an eight-year extension. I might not like this for the future but I love it for 09-10; Nash's linemate Derrick Brassard was poised for a breakout year in '09 (10 goals and 15 assists in 31 games) before going dislocating his shoulder in a fight. All the more reason I like this guy to explode in 2010. Ken Hitchcock a is proven winner and routinely makes the most of what little defence he's got; Steve Mason is coming off a great rookie year in goal.
What I don't like: The Jackets had worst power-play in the league last year; Hitchcock might be able to improve the play of mediocre defencemen in their own end but can't do much about the fact that this team is completely lacking a PP quarterback; Goaltenders coming off great rookie years have a slight tendency to drop off in their second season - reread the last sentence of What I Like.
5. Anaheim Ducks
What I like: Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan are arguably the best first line in the NHL; Saku and Teemu are pleased to be playing with each other; Scott Niedermayer remains one of the best leaders in the game and is still a pretty good defencemen; Artyukhin, Lupul and Marchant are one of the better third lines in the league; Randy Caryle is a quality coach who usually gets this team motivated to play; Jonas Hiller was great for the Ducks in last year's playoffs.
What I don't like: With Pronger and Beauchemin both gone, the defence is a thin beyond the first pairing (even though Beauchemin hasn't preformed yet in Toronto); The overall makeup seems to be a departure from the Brian Burke way. The tough guys aren't quite on the same level as in the years past. Savu Koivu and Ryan Whitney, though both talented, would not have played on a BB team; Ducks have to hope that Hiller can carry the load over a full season.
4. Chicago Blackhawks
What I like: The first line is awesome; The defence is great combination of stoppers and puck-movers; The third line has John Madden, one of the best defensive forwards in the league; I've always liked Joel Quinnville as a coach (possible Avs bias); Stan Bowman might be the titular GM but has never run a team before. But Bowman, that name sounds familiar no? That's right, Stan is Scotty's son. And wouldn't you know Dad is the Senior Adviser. I think Stan will be alright.
What I don't like: Havlat's gone and Hossa's out until November; Patrick Kane had an incident with a Buffalo cabbie; Huet has never been counted on to do the job on his own for an entire year; Everyone is taking the Hawks to win the Central and it seems too easy to join that bandwagon.
3. Detroit Red Wings
What I like: The Red Wings have been the model franchise in hockey for almost 15 years. They have one of the best owners, GMs, Coaches and Scouting teams in the NHL; Their line up is among the best in the league; Datysuk, Zetterberg, Fippula and Draper could be the league's best centre combination; Franzen is emerging as a top-six winger; Hossa was useless in the playoffs and he's gone; Lidstrom leads what's still one of the best defensive units in the league.
What I don't like: The Red Wings employ a certain cretin who wears the number 44; All Avs' bias aside, Osgood is a year older and he couldn't go for a full season last year. Backup Jimmy Howard has played exactly 10 games in four seasons; Hossa's gone (meaning that they lose his 40 regular season goals. Playoffs are another issue); Everyone is a year older and even the "Youngsters" such as Fippula and Abdelkader aren't that young (25 and 22). Lidstrom is 39, Draper is 38, Osgood, Holmstrom and Matlby are 37. At some point age will catch up to the Red Wings.
2. San Jose Sharks
What I like: The Sharks fleeced the Sens for Dany Heatley (not that it's too difficult). Cheecoo is a one-season wonder, Michalek will be always a year away and they didn't give up any defencemen or Patrick Marleau. Heatley, Thornton and whoever is the third winger will be one the best combinations in the league this year; Dan Boyle and Rob Blake provide a very solid base on defence; Evgeni Nabokov has been remarkably consistent in the post-lockout era. He's one of two goaltenders to have posted three straight seasons with a GAA under 2.50, a save percentage of .910 or better and at least 6 shutouts. The only other player to manage this feat: Martin Brodeur; Top five in both power-play and PK in '09.
What I don't like: Not a lot of depth beyond beyond first two lines; Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley have their respective reputations (poor playoff performer and prima donna). The Sharks will need both of these reps to be overcome; This team is dangerously close to the salary cap and will have to unload players next year.
1. Calgary Flames
What I like: Calgary has the single best defensive unit in the league. Dion, Bouwmeester and Regehr are downright scaring on the blue line. Expect Pierre Maguire to have a heart attack for all the monster plays these three will make; In goal, ole Kipper has looked decent so far, though three games do not a season make. Up front, Jerome Iginla continues to lead by example and finally has a centre of similar talent in Olli Jokenin. Craig Conroy and Damon Langkow can finally play on the second and third lines (likely interchangeably) while wingers Rene Bourque and David Moss are both coming off 20 goal seasons and have the potential to make the leap this year.
What I don't like: Losing Mike Cammalleri and his 39 goals will naturally be noticed as there was a large drop-off in goalscoring after the Italian/Jewish speedster; Kipper might be good so far but hasn't been great in the past couple seasons. While his defence is strong, there will likely be night that he needs to save the team while the offence meshes together; Gone with Cammalleri are 19 of the Flames' 61 power-play goals from last year. Not only will the Flames need to step up with the man advantage but Big Dion has to rediscover his booming slap shot from the point.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
