Stating the obvious

When you plan to retire a player's jersey, do not do it on the same day as the trading deadline.

Beyond that relevating piece of awe, however, the Ryan Smyth trade had plenty of flaws beyond the players directly involved in the deal. It may be that Ryan O'Marra and Robert Nilsson might pan out to be solid NHLers, and that the team grabs a gem in their acquired 1st-round pick, or all three assets may turn out to be a collective dud. It doesn't matter; Oilers GM Kevin Lowe couldn't risk losing Smyth at the trade deadline and had to move in the end. I disagree with Matt; this deal did take cojones and kudos to Lowe for doing so.

The kudos end there, however; The reason they had to trade Smytty is because (as Matt also suggested) Lowe had been such a chickenshit GM in the past year and now his hand was forced. Take Fernando Pisani, please. Here's a guy who had a hell of a post-season run, exceeding all expectations, and was rewarded for his efforts with a big contract to stay in his hometown. How's that deal paying out now?

People may have already forgotten, but a similar situation happened a few hundred klicks south and a couple years earlier. A fleet-of-foot winger with hands of stone surprised everyone by scoring the second-highest amount of goals in the season and by playing a key role in a hard-fought bid for the Stanley Cup. Yet, the GM let him go, despite the the player's popularity with fans and teammates alike. Why was he let go? Because Shean Donovan was on a rare hot streak which would be unlikely to occur again, even if he did nab a big raise.

That's the difference between the Flames and the Oilers: Darryl Sutter has never been afraid to upset the home crowd; Lowe trusts in his fans' instincts until he has no choice than to make a tough deal.

Obviously, things will be different next year, with the amount of high-calibre Flames up for free agency. There may very well be a fire-sale, and fans will be pissed off no matter what Sutter does. However, the man trusts his own instincts and, though every deal will not be a great one, there should be no doubt that Darryl will do what Darryl thinks is best for Darryl's team.

If I were a managing partner in the Oilers organization, I might give Kevin Lowe exactly one more opportunity, that being getting Ryan Smyth back. If he can do that, he essentially grabbed three decent prospects in exchange for missing the playoffs one season, which isn't such a bad deal.

Then again, considering how much time Kevin Lowe has had to put his mark on the team, and considering the almost complete lack of team identity left on the roster, I'd fire that guy in a heartbeat and bring in an experienced soul tout de suite.

Maybe Bobby Clarke misses the northern lights.

A doorknob, a giant donkey and a skull missing half its brain matter ... "What are three apt descriptions for Eric Francis?"

Remember my prediction last week that if the Flames lost to the Coyotes, fair-weather commentators would be calling for Jim Playfair's head? I present Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun:

But while speculation swirls the Flames first year coach could pay the price for a dismal road record, Sutter refused yesterday to clarify his stance on the debate.

"I don't even want to publicly comment," said Sutter yesterday, between phone calls from GMs around the league.

"It's about winning now and we think on paper we have the personnel.

Some will suggest Sutter just isn't the type to hand out public votes of confidence and simply believes he has no duty to keep the public abreast of his thoughts.

Yeah, that or maybe Sutter thinks the question is a stupid one as the Flames are currently sitting in a playoff spot with a legitimate opportunity to win the division.

Speaking of predictions, Eric Francis, it should be noted, declared after 9 games into the season that the Flames were not going to make the post-season and should think about selling off some of their top talent.

What a useless tit.

Predictions are like arseholes

Sports predictions, when made by anyone other than myself, are about as useful as a butthole on the elbow (though, in retrospect, having that sort of medical condition could be incredibly useful in certain circumstances, especially if one finds herself in a terrible hurry during a crazed attempt to track down a the alleged lover of a space shuttle pilot). Still, nothing this side of David Suzuki drives me up the wall with more intensity and passion than sports prognosticators who treat every single match-up as the definitive moment to divine the eventual success of a particular team in any given season.

For instance, Flames lose 7-5 to the Avs on Thursday night, and the team can't hold on to a lead; The Flames take the Avs 7-3 on Saturday night, and you got yourself a credible contender.

Thus, as tonight is the third of the Flames-Avs miniseries, Bumf will make a bold prediction: If the Flames win, they have accumulated the most talented roster in a decade and are the team to beat; if they lose, a fire-sale is in order and Jim Playfair is lucky if he can get away with being run out of town whilst his head firmly attached to his neck.

We'll see how accurate my prediction turns out tonight.

Goin' for it

The Calgary Flames' chances of getting to the Stanley Cup final got a wee bit smaller:

The Nashville Predators have added a big weapon for the stretch run.

The Predators traded winger Scottie Upshall, defenceman Ryan Parent, a first round pick and a third round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Peter Forsberg.

[...]

The 33-year-old centre adds some much needed playoff experience to the Predators. In fact Forsberg has more career playoff points (162) than the rest of the Predators lineup (155).

Forsberg joins an already potent line-up which includes Paul Kariya and instantly becomes the favorite to win the Cup this spring.

Then again, this isn't the first time Forsberg was hooked up with Kariya on a stacked team, and we all know how well that went.

Ironic and not in going down in a theatre way

SI.com Columist Steve Hofstetter writes that the NHL shouldn't be using sex to the sell tickets on the same day that his employer releases the SI Swimsuit Issue.










The headline for SI.com columnist latest piece is, "Desperate Kings Using Sex To Sell Tickets." Hofstetter writes that the Kings have put up billboards around L.A. "that simply say ‘Kings Hockey’ with a picture of an attractive blonde in a Kings uniform." Hofstetter claims that hot blondes are not bad , they just shouldn’t embody Kings hockey."











Hofstetter's commentary comes the same day that Sports Illustrated rolls out its famous swimsuit issue (and the accompanying tens of thousands of subscription cancellations).














And one week after internet "model" Jenn Sterger started her second official SI.com journalistic stint, which features her as a video reporter for Time, Inc., website.

It's a theory

Matt has his Peplinksi Underwear Theory on the Andrew Ference trade; I have my own. Brad Stuart, the well sought-after defenseman who came over with Wayne Primeau in exchange for Ference and Chuck Kobasew, played a team-leading 23 minutes, 12 seconds in the Flames commanding 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. Stuart was physical, smart and an overwhelming presence. It is a no-brainer that he will be paired with Robyn Regehr, who has been underperforming this season without the sleek-footed Jordan Leopold carrying the puck out of the zone. Stuart also seemed comfortable on the second PP unit with Mike Giordano.

Speaking of physicality, one could not imagine Andrew Ference laying out the likes of Jim Slater the way Stuart was able to do early in the first period. Forget the issue with leadership; Simply put, he adds height, weight, talent and confidence to an already deep blueline.

As for Wayne Primeau, there is no comparison between him and Chuck Kobasew. He's just as fast, just as skilled with the stick, he adds three inches and 40 pounds, and can take faceoffs.

Sitting behind the Thrashers' bench last night for the first -- and last -- time in my spectating career, it became truly obvious. The Flames are a much, much better team after the trade.

Joe Sports, RIP

Collin Smith, a.k.a. "Joe Sports", the ubiquitous sports guy here in Calgary, has succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was well-known in the community for his charity and affable humour, and he knew his stuff on the playing fields.

My favorite Joe Sports story happened during a Rider game at McMahon several years back (when the Green are in town, it's a Rider game, not a Stamps one). My university buddies were all painted up and liquored to the max and generally making complete asses of (themselves (er, ourselves). Sitting a few rows ahead of us, it was eventually discovered, was Joe Sports himself. And his pre-teen son.

My good friend, Paddington, one of the best guys I know and one of the most sour drunks you can come across, was pissed about the score and proceeded to take it out on Joe Sports. He began to chant: "Jo-o-o-oe Sports! Jo-o-o-oe Sports! JO-O-O-OE SPORTS!".

He did this for the entire 4th quarter.

Being the kind of guy he is, Joe Sports took it until the game was almost over. He walked up with his son, smiled, shook our hands, and told us to have a great time. Then they left.

Paddy didn't say anything; he just sat there with a crooked frown, staring off at nothing. He brought his near-empty beer can to his lips, sipped his last, and muttered under his breath: "What an asshole."

I was a fan ever since.

Rest in peace, Joe. May you drink from Stanley's heavenly mug, and may all your Sunday picks come true.

It's now or never

When Calgary Flames GM Darryl Sutter traded away the popular Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ference to the Boston Bruins for soon-to-be unrestricted free agents Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau, the sweatiest palms in the NHL might possibly belong to Edmonton Oilers' GM Kevin Lowe. The Oil has been almost pathetic on the blueline this year, one season removed from when d-men Chris Pronger and Jaroslav Spacek backed their team to a credible run at the Stanley Cup. Marc-Andre Bergeron, he of "let's run the opponent into the crease and take out our number one goalie in the Stanley Cup finals" fame, is the team's leading scorer on the point with 7 goals and 24 points. Not much to be proud of.

Meanwhile, the Flames, having an abundance of depth in front of goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, merely added a proven presence while clearing room for up-and-comers Mike Giordano and Ritchie Regehr. The same goes for Wayne Primeau, who adds a confident and disciplined 6'4" demeanor on either the wing or as pivot. Primeau is also a noted face-off specialist, an aesthetic clearly coveted by Sutter.

Yesterday's humiliating loss to the Detroit Red Wing, while understandably a let-down after Saturday's difficult loss to the Sabres, was not indicative of the near future of the team. There is no doubt that the team has added to, rather than lost from, the current roster. Whether or not they can gel before season end is another story.

What is certain, however, is that the Flames are gearing up for what could possibly be their last major chance at Lord Stanley for the next three years or so.

We'll see in June whether this was a good deal or no.

Havlat has at Cowtown

Aside from cringing at the complete lack of elocution from the team's governor, the Calgary Flames organization did a wonderful job in raising Mike Vernon's number 30 to the Saddledome rafters. It was a classy display and I especially enjoyed Vernon's acceptance speech, finding that it was delivered remarkably well. It's too bad the rest of the team didn't put on quite as exciting a show afterward, losing 3-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks in a shootout which shouldn't have happened.

After sitting on the bench for an hour before, I can give the boys a bit of slack for missing that bit of jump in the first period. Even Dion Phaneuf'smauling of Chicago's Brent Seabrook, they of epic WHL battles past, was not effective in waking the team from their ceremony-induced slumber. However, throughout the entire game, there was very little to get the Saddle rockin'. It's not like the fans didn't want to cheer; hell, even little dump-outs into the neutral zone were eliciting hoots and hollers from the crowd. Nothing could get the team get its collective head out of its collective ass.

To the Blackhawks' benefit, they played an excellent road game. They were tight, didn't lose control in their own zone, and relied on their goaltender. Martin Havlat, in particular, was the best skater on the ice. He didn't piss around with the puck and cost his team defensively, and showed tremendous leadership on the ice. He impressed me so well that, in fact, it wouldn't surprise me that if in a year the man will be the odds-on favorite for the Hart Trophy. He took advantage of a pair of boneheaded penalties late in the third to tie the Flames and gave his team a chance to win. Martin Havlat is an excellent, excellent hockey player.

As for the Flames, I didn't notice anything remarkable about anything they did, although Matthew Lombardi impressed me a few times. The young centre is beginning to use his speed more strategically. By that, I mean he is becoming more comfortable in recognizing the proper time and place to explode with the puck, catching the opposition on a line change and while the defense pairing is a touch askew. When he turns on the afterburners, the entire play shifts down-ice and the Flames gather momentum. It is almost as if he's developed an entire year in these past two months, and Playfair might want to consider putting some more speed on his line. It's too bad Chuck Kobasew is on the IR, but there is no excuse for keeping Alex Tanguay off the Lombardi wing for very long.

But that was just a recurring thought during an otherwise unengaging affair. That's not to say the Flames were awful and that now is time to jump off the bandwagon, a la Calgary sports commentators after a late-game collapse. Remember, the boys still were able to snag a point to stay ahead of the Canucks in the race for first. For the moment, I'll give them a pass; hopefully they learned a little something about themselves, mainly that there is no such thing as a sure win, and that it takes more than a run of a few games to get your jersey number raised to the roof.

Give me two shots of CC on ice

He didn't disappoint. Craig Conroy made a memorable return to Calgary last night as he scored twice in the Flames' 4-1 victory over his old Los Angeles Kings.

While Conroy won't be scoring twice a game from here until the end of the playoffs -- he only has 7 goals on the season in total -- he clearly showed why he was brought back to Calgary in the first place. For one, he adds depth to the organization, as witnessed by an appreciable amount of ice time while the top two leading scorers on the team were out of the game (Daymond Langkow left the game early due to an apparent shoulder injury). He also provides leadership on the ice, having been Calgary's most prolific forward throughout the game.

Mostly, however, Conroy brings excitement to the game; he's a fan favorite and it is impossible for his teammates to not love him. While he was never the #1 centre Jarome Iginla needed in order to succeed on the ice, he will be an invaluable tool in the dressing room when Iginla needs the support to get the team riled up and ready to win.

Like almost everyone in Cowtown who does not feel nauseous at the sight of blue and bronze, I'm pretty pumped to have Conroy back.

Gentleman George

This fight between (6'3", 243-pound) Georges Laraque of Phoenix and (6'4", 263-pound) Raitis Ivanans of LA is not the best except for the fact that Laraque is miked up.

Here's what he has to say (calmly, mind you) to Ivanans as the two enforcers await the drop of the puck:

"You want to? Okay. We're up? Okay. Good luck then."

Classic.

All-Star Deceptions

Yesterday was the CBC's Hockey Day in Canada and, from all accounts, it was a success.

For Canadian hockey fans, they got the chance to watch all six Canadian-based teams go head-to-head in three back-to-back games (what's the record for hyphenated words in one sentence?). For half of those fans, the day was a dissappointment. What can you do? Since ties have benn eliminated, it means three teams have to lose. In the case of the Habs and Leafs, their fans were sent home with their tails between their legs.

Now, I don't know if this was planned, but the NHL chose the same day to announce the full lineups for the 2007 NHL All-Star game. As is the case every year, hockey pundits will over-analyse the selections and point out the major oversights. Given the talent in the NHL, the league could put together four teams and some great players would still be left out.

Here in Montreal, there is always something brewing about the selections. Since the announcment, the fans and journalist were excited that Huet was selected to attend the game. Turst me, they were really pissed that he was nowhere to be found on the All-Star ballot and now, all is fine. They have, however, pointed out one oversight: Guillaume Latendresse was (apparently) left off the Young Stars roster (I write apparently because I can't semm to find an official copy of the roster).

I have to say, without being too much of a "homer", I can't quite understand why he won't be there. As of today, Gui is tied for 9th in rookie scoring. He's three points ahead of Jordan Staal, who will be playing in the game.

Sure, some might say that Latendresse plays on a better team, but Staal gets quite a bit more ice time in Pittsburgh.

Either way, Staal does deserve to be there, but, IMHO, so does Latendresse.

I hope the Montreal media is wrong on this one and that he's actually been selected.

All Star Weekend

The hockey gods have spoken and there will be no Rory Fitzpatrick in the game. The email, internet and website campaign to elect the warm body to the National Hockey League All Star Game in Dallas later this month has failed. It was a nice gimmick and one felt sorry for Fitzpatrick over the course of the event.

He has been a healthy scratch in Vancouver several times already this year and barely clings to a NHL paycheque. He will get some time away from the rink over the break unless Fox News hires him to file reports from the game.

Two quick things. It is time to drop the one player per team rule. It is a slap in the face to the real all-stars. Two, it is time to move the game to after the season and put in a non-NHL location.

The real line-ups are in and it is time to compare choices - MP in parenthesis.

WEST

Roberto Luongo (x)
Miikka Kiprusoff (x)
Marty Turco (Chris Mason)

Scott Niedermayer (x)

Nicklas Lidstrom (x)

Philippe Boucher (x)
Dion Phaneuf (x)
Kimmo Timonen (x)
Lubomir Visnovsky (x)

Joe Thornton (x)

Jonathon Cheechoo (Daymond Langkow)

Joe Sakic (x)
Bill Guerin (Henrik Sedin)
Martin Havlat (x)
Patrick Marleau (x)
Rick Nash (Daniel Sedin)
Yanic Perreault (x)
Brian Rolston (x)
Teemu Selanne (x)
Ryan Smyth (Paul Kariya)
Henrik Zetterberg (x)

EAST

Ryan Miller (x)
Martin Brodeur (x)
Cristobal Huet (x)

Brian Campbell (x)

Sheldon Souray (x)

Jay Bouwmeester (x)
Zdeno Chara (x)
Tomas Kaberle (Andrei Markov)
Brian Rafalski (Dan Boyle)

Sidney Crosby (x)
Alexander Oveckin (x)

Daniel Briere (x)

Jason Blake (Jaromir Jagr)
Simon Gagne (Marc Savard)
Dany Heatley (x)
Marian Hossa (x)
Vincent Lecavalier (x)
Martin St. Louis (x)
Brendan Shanahan (x)
Eric Staal (Thomas Vanek)
Justin Williams (Rod Brind'Amour)

Jarome who?

How does a hockey team which ranks 27th league's penalty-killing standings stand up to another team whose power play ranks 6th overall? You do your best to almost match them goal-for-goal and then use your dominating five-on-five presence to walk away with a 7-3 road victory. That's how.

While all of Colorado's 3 goals were scored on the man-advantage, two of the Flames' markers were also put away during the same situation. The Stampede City Firey, Flarin' Horse Nostrils, tired of opponents taking advantage of their woeful PK, have come up with a much more fun solution -- score while short-handed. They've now scored 11 goals while 4-on-5, the most in the NHL, which is probably the most demoralizing turn of events which could ever occur in the game. Leading the charge in the short-handed stats is the swift-footed Matthew Lambardi, who ranks second in the league with 4 goals and first with 5 points, and Kristian Huselius, who has 2 goals and 4 points of his own.

Last night's victory was more important, yet almost without mention, due to Jarome Iginla's absence. Including the game against Florida against whom Iginla was injured, the Flames have now won 4 games in a row, and have outscored their opponents 19-9, and nabbed one shutout. Granted, these games weren't against Anaheim or San Jose, but neither were they against Philly or St Louis. The tough Dallas Stars and two divisional rivals were all taken to the cleaners by the Iggy-less Flames.

How could the injury of a potential Hart Trophy candidate work out for the better? I put it down to good coaching on the Flames' part, difficulty in putting together an adjusted game plan due to Iginla's absence on the opponents' part, and the Flames players finally stepping up and contributing something on their own behalf. Most obvious have been the timely scoring by Byron Ritchie and omaha call-up David Moss. It has been fortunate that both Lombardi and Huselius are finally playing up to their potential, and that Daymond Langkow has shown that he wasn't riding any man's coattails this season so far. Also, as was noted in last night's telecast, Dion Phaneuf has been given more responsibility in shutting down the top lines of the opposition and has done an admirable job in that department (to note, Milan Hedjuk was a -5 last night and registered but a single assist).

But mostly, I believe, the Flames are starting to get sick of being stuck in the Northwest quagmire and understand the need to gain a few points on their divisional rivals. They are the most talented and best-coached team of their peers and should be making a push ahead of the pack before the All Star Game. If they can come away with a +.600 record by the time Iginla returns to the lineup, the division is their's.

Obviously, that's speculation. What isn't speculation is that the Flames are a more confident team and they know they can dominate when they stick to the game plan. It's easy to say, but then again, I'm not an NHLer.

Go Flames.

Mid-Year Review

NHL Standings as of January 10 (with my original picks in brackets):

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Buffalo Sabres (1)
2. Atlanta Thrashers (8)
3. New Jersey Devils (5)
4. Monteal Canadiens (6)
5. Ottawa Senators (4)
6. Carolina Hurricanes (2)
7. NY Rangers (7)
8. Washington Capitals (14)
9. Tampa Bay Lightning (10)
10. Toronto Maple Leafs (13)
11. Boston Bruins (9)
12. Pittsburgh Penguins (12)
13. NY Islanders (11)
14. Florida Panthers (15)
15. Philadelphia Flyers (3)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Anaheim Ducks (5)
2. Nashville Predators (1)
3. Vancouver Canucks (13)
4. Detroit Red Wings (4)
5. San Jose Sharks (2)
6. Dallas Stars (9)
7. Calgary Flames (3)
8. Colorado Avalanche (10)
9. Minnesota Wild (7)
10. Edmonton Oilers (11)
11. Phoenix Coytoes (15)
12. Chicago Blackhawks (12)
13. Los Angeles Kings (6)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (8)
15. St Louis Blues (14)

Excuses:

First of all, keep in mind that not all teams have played the same amount of games, thus total points and standings isn't a precise measuring tool. Also, you might want to consider the time-tested principle that you shouldn't judge a whole season based on the first quarter success or failure -- the second quarter is much more indicative of a team's final result than anything.

I called the East not too bad. The big surprises were Atlanta finally coming into their own and, of course, the massive Philly collapse. Washington too has performed much better than expected, and I'm glad to see it.

As for the West, well, I didn't do quite as well. I'll disregard the Northwest Division for now, considering how tight they all are. I thought San Jose would be slightly better than the Ducks and I didn't think Dallas would continue their winning ways, Phoenix has been making a surge and perhaps they aren't the worst team in the conference, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope for them. As for Los Angeles and Columbus, I didn't take into account how powerful the rest of the Pacific Division was going to be, and I thought Columbus was set to make a move. Instead, the Kings are going to miss the playoffs and Atlanta is the big mover of its expansion cohort. C'est la vie.

The future:

In the East, I don't see Montreal keeping u their winning ways; I'm thinking borderline playoffs right now. I wouldn't be surprised if Boston overtakes them, but I'll probably be wrong. Toronto will continue their slow climb to the bottom, though they won't be as bad as Philly, a team which has all but given up for the season. Look to Pittsburgh to challenge for a playoff spot.

Out West, Calgary is going to pick up some more and take the lead of the division for good. Minnesota might do a bit better than they are now (they currently have the fewest wins in regulation in the conference and their road game is abysmal) with the return of Gaborik. San Jose will do a late-season charge and will do their best to capitalize on Pronger's injury in OC. Edmonton will falter and likely miss the post-season and Nashville will win the top seed.

In the post-season, the Canucks will play the giant-killers but they won't get by the Flames in the Conference final.

Ray Emery will turn it on and hand Buffalo another close-but-no-dice playoff ouster. But Emery has nothing next to Kiprusoff and the Flames, and Iginla, after receiving the Conn Smyth, will hoist Lord Stanley's mug.

Or not.

Potty Pencil

Many of the Habs players have been suffering of late. Not necessarily because they've lost 6 of their last 8 games, but also because an intestinal flu has been making the rounds of the dressing room.

Of course, this is major news here in Montreal. Tonight, RDS is reporting that the Canadiens' dressing room has been disinfected.

Never missing a beat, my favourite editorial cartoonist captured the mood of the city brilliantly in the image above. This guy is top notch and some of his best work revolves around hockey. For those who may have missed it, check out this earlier post when he tackled the Théodore - Hilton affair.

Too funny!

Mid-term Review

I really should blog more about hockey. This wasn’t one of my New Year’s resolutions, but it should have been. The entire World Juniors went flying by and I didn’t say a word. In any case, what more can be said about another perfect performance by Canada’s junior phenoms.They were just fantastic.

Meanwhile, in the big leagues, we have reached mid-season in the NHL. That means it’s (unfortunately) time to see how my pre-season predictions look at this point in the year. Somehow, I have a feeling this isn’t going to be pretty.

EASTERN CONFERENCE (My predictions in brackets)

1. Buffalo (1)
2. Atlanta (9)
3. New Jersey (5)
4. Montreal (10)
5. NY Rangers (2)
6. Carolina (4)
7. Ottawa (3)
8. Toronto (11)
9. Boston (8)
10. Washington (15)
11. Pittsburgh (12)
12. NY Islanders (14)
13. Tampa Bay (7)
14. Florida (13)
15. Philadelphia (6)

OK, so while not many people predicted Montreal’s strong start, I really don’t know why I had Atlanta in 9th. In retrospect, that was pretty stupid. The other two major errors on my part seem are Ottawa and Philly. Although I think Ottawa will right the ship ( i twill have absolutely nothing to do with the acquisition of Mike Comerie), I’m fairly certain that Philly will remain at the bottom. This makes me happy to no end.

I had predicted that the Rangers would finish in second and I still think they’ll end up higher than where they are now. From what I’ve seen, they are playing better than their record indicates.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Anaheim (3)
2. Nashville (1)
3. Vancouver (11)
4. San Jose (4)
5. Detroit (5)
6. Dallas (7)
7. Calgary (2)
8. Minnesota (6)
9. Colorado (13)
10. Edmonton (8)
11. Chicago (15)
12. Phoenix (12)
13. Los Angeles (10)
14. Columbus (9)
15. St. Louis (14)

So the big shock in this end of the continent is, obviously, the Canucks. They’re playing really well and it seems like they’re for real. Although I don’t think they’ll fall down as low as 11th, they could drop down the list significantly as the parity in their division is unrivaled. A few losses and they could be fighting for a playoff spot. Their current position is quite misleading.

The same applies to the Flames. A slight surge by Calgary could easily hoist them up the standings lickity-split.

Apart from that, I think my predictions will be better in the West than in the East.

That’s all for now. As you were.

Four minutes for looking so ugly

Last night's debacle at the 'dome did little to diminish my love of the "new" NHL, considering that the awful refereeing did not get in the way of what proved to be an exciting divisional match-up. At the same time, while I am an adamant believer that officiating does not win or lose games for teams, they can certainly make a fan leave the rink with a bad aftertaste in the mouth. Case in point: I have never heard a louder chorus of boos than the ones which resounded the rink during the defeat of the Flames at the hands of the Canucks in their first tilt of the new year. It wasn't anything to start a fundraiser over but it was definitely worth commentary.

The referees in question, Brad Watson and (of course) Mick McGeough, are probably the two worst in the league and should never be paired together again. An example of their artful display would be an incident in the first period, where Canucks' d-man Wille Mitchell looks as if he'd like to spread butter over the entire body of Flames' winger Kristian Huselius with his stick. Mitchell is rightfully called for the hook. Strangely, however, Huselius, who was already off-balance when Mitchell illegally checked him, was also called for the dive where no such dive occurred.

What made matters worse (though not for Flames' fans) was during the second period when Huselius was sweeping in on a forecheck and, as he approached the Vancouver crease, he incidentally caught the foot of goaltender Roberto Luongo and performs perhaps the sweetest impersonation of Greg Louganis I've ever seen. Watson hesitates, hears the thunderous booing from above and calls the penalty -- on Luongo. It was embarrassing to see a man crack so easily.

But it got even worse: missed holds, arbitrarily picking out the wrong man in a scrum, completely missing obvious infractions in front of the net -- McGeough and Watson made a mockery of the game.

As George Johnson put it: "McGeough and Watson couldn’t have been more conspicuous if they’d skated out onto the ice in the buff."

There is one instance where I will give them credit, and that occurred following Matthew Lombardi's first goal of the evening, when Canuck's d-man Kevin Bieksa gave a pitchfork to a Flames player. Calgary d-man Andrew Ference came into the fray and started a fight with the larger Bieksa (call it a draw) and was assessed a four-minute penalty for as the instigator (Bieksa, who was burned bad on the play, got the slashing call). Fans were livid; After getting the shaft all game and after a big goal which could have swung the momentum in their favour, why was Ference receiving the extra two minutes? How the hell does a player get four minutes for instigating?

The answer: a recent rule change has it now that, "If a player penalized as an instigator of an altercation is wearing a face shield, he shall be assessed an additional Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty." Ference, who wears a visor, fell under this ruling, as seen in the game sheet. So, even though I don't like the instigator rule in general, in this case, McGeough and Watson got it right, and I take back all the nasty things I said about them at the time of the call, and I should also apologize to those kids sitting in front and to the right of me. (The little gaffers probably don't know what a douche-slurper is anyways).

Like I said, the officiating wasn't anything to start a fundraiser over, but the NHL has got to begin to demand more consistency in their on-ice officials. The linesmen are generally wonderful, and the refs are generally good, but once you get a pair of substandard refs out on the ice, it diminishes the experience of all the fans (save for the dipshit wearing the Bertuzzi jersey sitting behind us; that guy was in asshole heaven).

I get to go to about one game a month, and this is at considerable expense, and I don't need to be leaving the game pissed off at the refs. Let the other team do it for me instead.

Live from Leksand!

I'm going to start by warning everyone that it is tough to blog from Leksand, Sweden when the only internet spot in town is in the library and they enforce a ten minute rule.

Last night's quarterfinal between Sweden and the Czechs wasn't much of a game, but the atmosphere was great despite the building being only half full. The swedes brought out drums and cheerleaders for the match and by the time it was 4-1 the mood was pretty light.

Met some good Canadians up from a military base in Germany. Lots of Canadian jerseys, hats, shirts, etc. Canada-US semi-final is at 4. I'll try to write again after that.

BTW, Ejendals Arena is a great facility, if that doesn't come across on the broadcasts.

Peace from Sweden (where I really am this time).

Yuletide magic

Happy holidays to all!

I'm pumped about the World Juniors and really hope that Ballzov can post from the WJC in Sweden. He's one lucky bastard.

In the meantime, check out 13-year-old Kevin Roy from Québec City. This young man is unbelievable.