NHL: 20ish games in

Well what an exciting season it's been so far. Suspensions galore, Cherry offends, again, the Leafs off to a hot start only to see them falter, again, and the brand new old Winnipeg Jets are back. I've heard a great deal of negative feedback about the new Jets' logo, but I'm rather partial to it, not that I'm going to buy one or anything.

I like that the NHL is trying to cut down on headshots, but I'm not entirely sure they're going about it the right way, especially when it comes to goaltenders. I wouldn't say that Brian Gionta deserved a suspension for giving James Reimer 'concussion like symptoms', but Milan Lucic probably deserved one, he probably deserved a big one. The point of these suspensions is to prevent injuries. When Lucic is allowed to throw a bodycheck like the one he threw on Miller, who is still supposed to be protected while outside of the crease, it sends a message that the NHL is only looking to appear to care about head injuries. Had three NHL players not died in the off-season after new science was revealed about concussions leading to depression, would the NHL have instigated this 'crack-down'? The NHL puts on a fine show, but as fans we either have to get used to guys like Sidney Crosby playing limited years or hope the NHL gets much better in their attempts to stop players from rattling their co-workers' brains in the skulls like a six year with a Christmas present.

On a similar note, Don Cherry, whom I have come to dislike (mainly because of his asshole-like support of Rob Ford, Mayor of Toronto), had it all wrong when he called guys like Chris Nilan a puke. Personally I could do without fighting in the NHL, granted I'm not a fan of boxing or the UFC either. If I want to watch violence, I'll watch a Texas Chainsaw Massacre flick, where it's far more violent and nobody actually gets hurt. However, I understand arguments about how without fighting we'd see even fewer players of Crosby's talent on the ice, but then again where is Crosby, and Marc Savard, and Ryan Miller, and James Reimer, and well you get my point. Did you see Lucic's smile after concussing Miller? There's a puke for you Cherry. If fighting was just about two guys battling all night long, or even over a couple games in a playoff series, that get fed up with one another and drop the gloves I would prefer that it stay in the NHL, but that's not what it is. There are players in this league that stage fights with other 'fighters' and when they're not doing that they're looking to hurt people. Get those guys out of the game, and if you want to keep fighting, restrict it to emotional events that inspire teammates and fans, not this bullshit we see in today's game. Need help finding a solution? Here's my suggestion. Suspend every play that fights. I'm not talking ten games, just one or maybe two. Make it like a red card in soccer. Problem solved. Think Arron Asham would be making those gestures if he was about to be docked two games pay? Think they would have fought in the first place?

What's there to say about the Leafs? I love them, but man do they piss me off. They played Phoenix the other night and the announcer made a comment along the lines of the Coyotes being one of the hardest working teams in the league. Why the hell can't the Leafs be that team? I still have high hopes for them this season, specifically that a long overdue return to the playoffs will happen, but after losing five of their last six games, my concern and blood pressure are both rising like the mercury on Mercury.

The Anti-fan

In the wake of the Toronto Maple Leafs missing out on center Brad Richards when he signed with the New York Rangers on July 2nd, a friend of my girlfriend posted on Facebook that he was ending his 20 year fanship of the Maple Leafs. It's not the first time I've heard such a claim, although in fairness, I've not noticed a fan coming back to the flock after ditching the team. If and when the Leafs win the Stanley Cup, we'll all have a better picture of these fair weather friends.

There are two things I want to question about those who abandon their teams. I question whether they really are sour fans, or anti-fans as I like to put it, or if they have a legit reason, and the other thing I ponder is what will they do when the their former team returns to glory. Of course former Leaf fans have yet to actually face the latter.

In this particular instance, the anti-fan was upset about the lack of the team signing Richards, but from what I gather there was never really much of a chance for the Leafs to sign Richards. He wanted to play in New York, he likes John Tortorella (the head coach of the Rangers whom Richards played for in Tampa Bay), and his second option was his former team, Tampa Bay. It seems clear to me that the Leafs were never in the running. So is it Burke's fault they didn't sign him? Does it qualify as a straw that broke a proverbial camel's back? Of course I must also mention that Burke's trip to Afghanistan was probably a factor, but considering the moves they made after Richards was signed, trading for Cody Franson specifically, is that really a significant point of concern? The team does have three former, top-tier GMs working under Burke.

Personally, I think the Leafs are one big trade away from being a legitimate playoff team. What will this anti-fan do if Burke goes back on his philosophy of not trying to steal an RFA, and they do manage to acquire Steve Stamkos? Will he rejoin the flock?

Every team has ups and downs, and the Maple Leafs have reached four conference finals since 1993. Many good teams don't win the Cup. It doesn't mean they're not trying, and I believe the Leafs are trying pretty damn hard. Maybe they weren't trying very hard in the 80s, but it's hard to argue they aren't trying these days. And what more can you really expect from a sports team?

Even if the Leafs don't make the playoffs this year, or next, or until 2015. They're sure to make the playoffs again, and they may very well win the Cup at some point in the next ten years. What about the anti-fans that gave up on the Boston Red Sox in the 70s? Were they cheering for the team when they won the World Series in 2004, in 2007?

It's hard to win championships, and being a sports fan means living with the team you love through ups and downs.

I'm not a Leaf fan because they win, obviously, I'm a fan because I grew up in Toronto. Management, players, and even owners will come and go. It's only the fans that stay constant, usually.

Bruins win the Cup, Vancouver don't like it none.

It was 3-0 late in game 7 when my girlfriend Kate turned to me and said, "What's a Bruin anyway?" We were in a bar in Montreal full of patrons which were obviously cheering for Vancouver, but not enough to be upset with the pending Bruin Cup win. Laughter filled the air as those with Canuck t-shirts began shifting their attention to things other than hockey. I figured it was safe to answer Kate.

"It's a bear," I told her. Then I looked it up on dictionary.com. "A bear from a child's fable, a European Brown Bear to be exact." Funny, I thought, the Bruins are represented by something decidedly European, yet they have more Canadians on the team than the Canadian Vancouver team. In fact, every team the Canucks played this year had more Canadians on the roster than they did. Why are Canadians cheering for them?

Of course they were cheering for the city as much as the team, and that made the Canucks more Canadian than any American team no matter how many Canadians are on the roster. But then they ruined it all. Of course not all Vancouver residents are to blame for the disgusting riot that happened after the Canucks lost, not all Canuck fans either. But I don't buy for one minute that it was a bunch of criminals pretending to be Canuck fans. I'm sure there were a few, but the pictures and video's I saw were of people causing damage with no gain to themselves. Real criminals don't do that, drunk fans and ignorant children do.

Videos of people smashing cars with skateboards, burning jerseys, smashing windows, and robbing stores were all over YouTube and the Internet in general. I saw a city disgracing itself.

I know similar things happen in Montreal, although not to this degree, and there are people that argue that Toronto would do the same thing, although I don't believe that. I can't believe that every Canadian city is the same, I refuse to. I'm also going to choose to believe that Vancouver learned a lesson this time around, one they failed to learn in 1994. Losing isn't the end of the world.

Of course it may actually be the end of the world for Vancouver in some sense. Roberto Luongo was exposed in Boston in three separate games as a comme ci, comme ça goaltender, and they have the 32 year old signed until the 2021-22 season. That's not a typo, neither the age nor the contract length. FYI, the cap hit per year is north of 5 million.

The Sedin's and Ryan Kesler add up to 17.2 million per year, which isn't too bad, except for the lingering doubt that must remain in the minds of Canuck fans, where were they in Game 7?

They're also got Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard at 4.5 and 4.2 million respectively.

Their UFA/RFA list is longer than Santa's naughty list. Maxim Lapierre, Chris Higgins, Raffi Torres, Jeff Tambellini, and Kevin Bieksa top the list, but one good thing to note for Canuck fans is that they've got Cory Schneider under contract for next year at 900k. Too bad he won't play very much behind Luongo, who will be desperate to prove himself all over again.

The Bruins have a tough question to answer themselves. Should they resign Tomas Kaberle? He wasn't the force they wanted him to be after acquiring him from Toronto, but he was a +8 in the playoffs, and was no slouch in the finals. Will it be enough? If not, I wouldn't be surprised if he returned to Toronto. After a top line centre, a puck moving defencemen is tops on the Maple Leafs list of needs.

The NHL Playoffs continue

Well, I went 5 for 8 in my first round selections, but then 0-4 in my second round predictions since I didn't actually make any. That doesn't mean I haven't been watching though.

I wasn't surprised to see Vancouver beat Nashville after such a building series against Chiacgo in round one. The Canucks got a monkey off their back by beating the team that had knocked them out the two years previous when they beat the Blackhawks in sever games. I thought for sure the Blackhawks would win that game seven after coming back from a 3-0 deficit, but the Canucks held fast for the series win.

I was suprised to see Washington bow out in four games to Tampa Bay, I expected the Capitals to make it all the way to the final and maybe even win it all.

Rather than linger on the conference finals, I'm just going to come right out and call a Boston Bruins Stanley Cup victory. I know my Montreal friends won't be excited to hear me say that, but the team has made it all the way to the third round (currently tied at two games apiece with the Lightning) without much from the all-star defenseman they added at the deadline, Tomas Kaberle.

If Kaberle can show fans in Boston what he showed fans in Toronto, the Bruins are going to be a very tough team to beat. If he doesn't rise to the challenge, the team still has a very strong group that can rival any team. Only time will tell for sure.

I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend, Victoria Day for most in Canada, but National Patriot's Day here in Quebec. I'm looking forward to watching young pitcher Kyle Drabek try to improve his record to 4-2 against the Houston Astros before settling in for game four of the Western Conference Finals. One can't ask for much more than that on a Sunday afternoon.

PuckLife Magazine: Emerson Etem

I forgot to post my last PuckLife Magazine article. I have to admit that getting a chance to talk to these players is pretty exciting. I get nervous before each phone call, although now that I have a couple under my belt, I'm more confident, which makes for a much more relaxed interview.

California Dreaming

In California, kids look up to basketball players, football players, even volleyball players before they look to the rinks to find a role model. Anaheim Ducks' prospect, Emerson Etem, is looking to change that. Not only is Etem on a short list of players from southern California, he’s also one of only a handful of African-Americans to be drafted to the NHL.

He’s currently in his second season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. He made an immediate contribution in his first season with the team, scoring 37 goals and adding 28 assists in 72 games. His numbers this season are even better; in 54 games he has 35 goals and 26 assists.

Etem knows that as a minority in the NHL he will be looked up to by many across the country, not just Californians. Since scoring is something that he seems to have little trouble with, he focuses on improving his physical game and displaying winning attitude.

“Lead by example, first of all go out there every night and focus on the team winning,” he said. “I think if I lead by example, game in and game out, that would draw a lot of diversity into the game.”

Leading by example and inspiring others is something that Etem has already proven himself capable of. After watching Sidney Crosby lead the Shattuck-Saint Mary's Sabres to a Tier I 17&under National Championship in 2003, Etem moved to Minnesota to play for the Sabers himself, at the tender age of 14. Following in Crosby's footsteps, Etem won the 2007-2008 Tier I 17&under National Championship. He was the only sophomore on that team.

“It was tough leaving friends and family... but it was all hockey, all the time, I had two great coaches, Tom Ward and Murray Eaves,” said Etem about his time with the Sabres. “They were able to shape my game as far as a physical game, wanting me to get stronger, and I still put that in my game today.”

One characteristic that's going to set him apart as a role model, at least off the ice, is his brutal honesty. Not only did he admit to PuckLife that despite being drafted by his home town Ducks, he's been a life-long Los Angeles Kings fan; but in his interview, he also dispelled a rumor that his friend and fellow NHL prospect, Matthew Nieto (also born in Long Beach and a visible minority himself), once lived across the street from rapper Snoop Doggy Dog.

“One of my best friends, Matt Nieto, he's from Long Beach, he's Mexican and he's coming up the ranks,” says Etem. “He's eligible for next year's draft and we were able to push each other every practice.”

A friendly rivalry between a couple of talented players from California is exactly what hockey needs to gain interest in a market that pays more attention to basketball, football, baseball, and even volleyball than hockey.

Before the 2010 NHL entry draft, Etem was ranked eighth by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, but he was only drafted 29^th overall. Etem chooses to look at the unexpected fall in the draft order as a blessing.

“I'm glad I dropped that low to [be drafted by] such a great organization like the Ducks,” he said.

Playing in his home town, a place void of natural occurrences of ice, is an ideal location for him to make a lasting impression on the younger generation. Canadian and European hockey fans have more role models than California has beaches. In a year or two, California will have their own home grown hero to look up to.

Baseball doping

It's disturbing how what is released in the media an what actually is happening behind the scenes are often two vastly different things. I of course remember the two Blue Jays World Series victories, but I also remember the very next World Series was cancelled because of a strike/lock-out. The stoppage turned me off baseball for a few years, like many other baseball fans, and also like many other baseball fans, I eventually returned to the sport.

Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in the 1961 season, a mark that lasted until 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both broke that record with 70 and 66 home runs respectively. Since then that mark of 61 home runs has been broken four more times, most recently in 2001 when Barry Bonds hit 73 (the current record). The drive the point home a bit further, before 1961 the record was 60 home runs. Babe Ruth achieved that mark in 1927. Only once in 70 years with a player hit over 60 home runs, since the World Series was cancelled in 1994 it's happened six times.

It wasn't the home runs that brought me back to the game. For one it's the pitching that interests me most. I just eventually missed the game, but how many of us consider the increase in home runs to be a calculated move by the owners and MLB to bring fans back to the game?

We all know there is doping in baseball, Bonds and Roger Clemens head the list of scapegoats, but what people don't know is that there are many more people to blame, people that somehow skirt responsibility. When people began to take note of steroid use in baseball, Bud Selig claimed that he knew nothing about it and then proceeded to try and stop it. This of course cam after fans had returned to the game. In 2005 he said "I never heard about it."

What people don't know is that when Selig owned the the Milwaukee Brewers, he did know about it. Brent Starr, a former Cleveland Indians trainer, said that he was at a meeting in 1988 between the owner's group and the Players' Association in which team physicians told the owners that there was a doping problem that needed to be addresses. Selig was there too, but 17 years later he claimed to be hearing about the problem for the first time.

So what happened? The only thing that makes sense to me is that the owners always knew about doping, and once they saw attendance fall, they encouraged it, or turned an even blinder eye, although I don't see how that could be possible. Once fans were back in the seats, they condemned doping. If it wasn't already public knowledge that doping existed, they probably wouldn't ever have done anything about it.

I'm not saying the players aren't at fault, but if you ask an average fan who the culprits are, they would probably respond with Clemons, Bonds, or maybe they'll say some trainers were at fault. All of those people are at fault, but so are the owners who are capatalizing on the players using steroids, but few fans point any of the blame at them.

The "Mitchell Report" is a farce, aimed at putting all the blame on players that aren't able to make them money anymore.

George Mitchell wrote the report when he was  on the board of the Boston Red Sox. It makes sense that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were both not included in the Mitchell Report. The Red Sox needed them to win the 2004 World Series, so of course Mitchell excluded them.

I would also note that while the Mitchell Report ruined the careers of many players, it was all based on hearsay, and none of that hearsay affected Bud Selig or any of the league's owners.

Owners need to be brought into the spotlight. They need to be questioned by grand juries about how much they knew about doping, but I doubt that will ever happen, and that is a crying shame.

Leafs out of playoffs again

The one thing I noticed about Toronto sports writers is that other than the odd word against the coach and the team in general, most of them only say negative things about the fans. As if we have anything to do with the team's futility. These "journalists" seem to have a hate on for fans. I would like to remind them that for the most part the people booing former players at the ACC are not fans, they are corporate slugs that need the Leafs to win to look good in front of clients. Let's remember that the average Leaf fan can't afford to go to the games. Why don't they talk about the huge ticket prices for a team that hasn't made the playoffs in six years? Why don't they talk about the huge profit the team makes? Instead they blame the fans for giving the team all that money. Again, it's not the fans giving them money, it's the corporate slugs. The only guy I know with season tickets has admitted to hating the Leafs since he was a kid, but it's a good way to show potential investors a good time.

Anyway, enough of all that. I live in Montreal anyway so I don't even have the option of going to the ACC, and really the prices in Montreal, while cheaper, are also quite expensive. I did manage to see Halak's 55 save performance against the Washington Capitals in last year's first round, and how did I get those tickets? Through Kate's work of course.

The Maple Leafs again finished the season strongly after a terrible start, but it wasn't enough to squeeze into the playoffs. In other years, these strong finishes have done much to encourage the fan base for the following year, and this year is no different.

High Hopes

Next year may end up being another wasted year, but there are more positives than usual, and one glaring question that must be answered before the Leafs can do anything close to winning a playoff game.

The Leafs' strong finish was longer than usual, giving the impression that it might carry over till next season.

The team had four 20 goal scorers, two 30 goal scores (Kessel and Kulemin) and Graboski just missed 30, finishing with 29. Macarthur had 21.That's not bad if these four can reproduce those numbers, and the Leafs can add another scorer with their 20+ million in cap space.

The biggest question, actually there are two, is goaltending. Will Reimer be able to reproduce his season? If so I think the Leafs will be a good bet to make the playoffs, if not they'll be hoping to win the lottery (at least they have the first round pick in 2012.

Goaltending is going to make or break next year unless the Leafs can drastically improve on special teams, especially the penalty kill. If you trust your penalty killers, players can play more aggressively without worrying that a penalty will result in a goal against. Since Burke wants to build a rough-and-tumble team, the penalty kill must be among the best in the league if the team has any hope of success.

I'm looking forward to the off-season  moves Burke make. I wouldn't expect Richards to be a Leaf, but Burke may be able to pull off a blockbuster nonetheless.

As far as the teams that are in the playoffs, here are my predictions. Yes, I know five games have already been played, but one game does not a series make.

Eastern Conference
(1) Washington over (8) New York in four
(2) Philadelphia over (7) Buffalo in seven
(3) Boston over (4) Montreal in six
(4) Pittsburgh over (5) Tampa Bay in six

Western Conference
(8) Chicago over (1) Vancouver in seven
(2) San Jose over (7) Los Angeles in six
(3) Detroit over (6) Phoenix in five
(4) Anaheim over (5) Nashville in six