Dont get it.
Could be because I dont pay much attention to hockey.
Is there another meating of hack outside of journalism and politics?
Die Moritat von Hockey Messier
Wed, 2010-03-24 10:30
#52
Wed, 2010-03-24 11:04
#53
I think the usage refers to "talentless hack" and No I wouldn't put Luongo in that category. I'm biased as a Canucks fan but we've seen a lot of shaky goaltending over the years here and Luongo has been a pretty steady influence in the net for the nucks. That said, there are issues and Vancouver has set themselves up for trouble. I've never liked that he was given the C-there is enough pressure on the goalie already. They also don't rest him enough, allegedly because he insists on playing as many games as possible. Hopefully next year with Schneider as our backup we'll see Lunongo's schedule get a little less intense. There will be a lot of pressure and scutiny on him during the playoffs and we'll see how he responds, looking at the goalies playing for the other contenders, I think Luongo matches up well.
Wed, 2010-03-24 12:03
#54
The Canucks went deep with King Richard and who would have thought.
Wed, 2010-03-24 21:02
#55
The theory that goaltending is the key ingredient to winning the cup was pretty seriously tested last year when only one of the final four teams could claim that this was their strength. Like we saw in the Olympics, at the elite level the ability to shovel pucks in the net is probably more valuable than a hot goalie. Washington is clearly the best at this but at the next tier you've got Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Jose, Vancouver, a healthy Detroit and (maybe with the addition of Kovalchek) New Jersey. In this group, Vancouver's goaltending looks very competitive. If it comes down purely to hot goaltending, then you'd be wise to put your money on Buffalo, Phoneix or maybe Montreal but I wouldn't.
Thu, 2010-03-25 14:03
#56
The NHL's modified rule on blindside hits to the head has finally received approval.
The NHL Players' Association released a statement Thursday saying that its executive board supported the endorsement of the five player representatives on the competition committee.
The temporary rule, which goes into effect for Thursday's games, will give league disciplinarian Colin Campbell the power to hand out supplementary discipline for head hits on unsuspecting players for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2010/03/25/sp-nhlpa-headshots.html#ixzz0jDFBIhwe
Thu, 2010-03-25 21:56
#57
Florida Panthers forward David Booth was helped off the ice after a shoulder hit to the head by Montreal Canadiens defenceman Jaroslav "Sissy" Spacek on Thursday night.
Booth, who missed 45 games this season with a concussion, was crossing the Montreal blue-line with his head down when Spacek stepped into him with a shoulder. The Panthers forward lay on the ice for several minutes and looked wobbly as he was escorted off the ice by trainers.
Fri, 2010-03-26 07:30
#58
And the Habs avoid blowing a 2-0 game in the last five minutes.
Fri, 2010-04-09 22:34
#59
Well this is something:
P.E.I. Finance Minister Wes Sheridan apologized Friday for comments he made to female players during a charity hockey game in February.
The game, a fundraiser held in O'Leary, was between a group of local minor hockey coaches and a team of Liberal MLAs called the Liberal Red Tide.
Two female coaches in their 20s said Sheridan swore at them and one said he was too rough during the game.
Sheridan sent an email to CBC News late Friday saying he was sorry if anyone was offended by his actions.
"If I offended anyone, I deeply apologize," he wrote. "It was a great game for charity. In the end, we all shook hands, and I thought if there were any hard feelings, they were left on the ice."
Maureen Sweet, 24, who coaches a Peewee team, said Friday that she had a couple of disturbing encounters on the ice with Sheridan.
"He was obviously trying to score, and I was playing defence, and he's quite tall, so he had his elbows going, and he elbowed me in the face," Sweet said.
A 50-year old guy whining that female players were too rough, so he elbows them? In a charity game?
I don't know where to start.
Sat, 2010-04-10 13:33
#60
Catchfire
Is it just me, or are the Habs trying to break my heart again? A few days ago, there was a very complicated combination of game results that could kick the Habs out of eighth. It included them losing their final games in regulation and NYR beating Philidelphia twice. Now all that needs to happen is for the Leafs and NYR to win tonight. Not out of the realm of possibility.
Of course, it's not much of a heartbreak, because the bottom three teams are just vying for the chance to get eliminated by Washington, Buffalo or New Jersey.
Sat, 2010-04-10 13:41
#61
For your coronary well-being you should come over to the blue side. Leaf fans are impervious to pain, and the scar tissue we have built over our hearts prevents heartbreak.
Just look at the Phil Kessel deal. Tank Nation finally got its wish, we're in the basement, with no hope of climbing in the standings any time soon, but we lost the first-round draft pick for the next two years. It's so bad it's funny.
Sat, 2010-04-10 20:35
#62
I think Kessel is only four or five points off his all-time seasonal best. Better trade him soon for another Phanoof or Orr.
Sat, 2010-04-10 21:03
#63
Catchfire
The Toronto Maple Leafs: Committed to Making Boston Better since 2009
It's 3-2 for the good guys after two and I've got to go out! Oh no!
Sat, 2010-04-10 21:03
#64
We're losing, but heck, at least we're making a few good moves tonight. Now that it doesn't matter anymore.
Sat, 2010-04-10 21:14
#65
This is a slightly different Leafs team than the one that started the season. They could prevent the Habs from making it into the playoffs tonight with a Leafs win in regulation time.
If the Habs lose in regulation tonight, and the Flyers lose in OT or shootouts to the Rangers on Sunday, then I'm pretty sure the Habs would be out of the playoffs. Habs need to win at least one point tonight at the Bell to guarantee themselves at least eighth place.
Sat, 2010-04-10 21:41
#66
No kidding, hey Fidel? We were just saying that if the Leafs had played like this all year, we wouldn't be in last place!
Sat, 2010-04-10 21:49
#67
I wonder if Hanson put on the foil before setting up Phaneuf for the winner.
Oh well, see ya in October.
Sat, 2010-04-10 22:32
#68
scott
We were just saying that if the Leafs had played like this all year, we wouldn't be in last place!
Aren't the Oilers in last place? The ever "see the bright side" Edmonton media were all about "we clinched first draft pick!" as if this was the plan all along.
Sat, 2010-04-10 22:46
#69
I think Giguere was the diff. Cammalleri and Gionta had 16 shots on net between them, and we come out on the losing end. I hate those Leafs . Of course, Habs will need to get it together for the first round for sure.
Sat, 2010-04-10 22:52
#70
The ever "see the bright side" Edmonton media were all about "we clinched first draft pick!" as if this was the plan all along.
I'm not convinced it wasn't. New owner, bring in Quinn, finish last, get rid of some dead wood that's cluttering up the cap space, tread water with some marginal goaltending, and baddabing= good draught picks and rebuild.
Or, the more horrific possibility: bring the Toronto formula for success west! Consistently lose for decades, yet still make the owners' rich by exploiting a loyal fan base deluded by past success.
Sat, 2010-04-10 22:55
#71
Apologies, I meant in the Eastern Conference. Actually, I was wondering tonight whether we were last overall, or if the Oilers beat us for last place. :D
Sat, 2010-04-10 23:14
#72
How about Steve Stamkos? Last year there was chatter that he was out of his depth in the NHL, today he hit 50 goals. So fans in Toronto (he's from Markham, that's close enough) have something to be happy about today.
Sun, 2010-04-11 00:58
#73
N.Beltov
Henrik "Hank" Sedin got 4 assists in a game in which his brother Daniel netted a hat trick on the way to a 7-3 rout over the hapless Calgary Flames. Alexander Ovechkin, with his final regular season game against Boston tomorrow, is 3 points back of Henrik in the race for the Art Ross Trophy.
If Henrik Sedin wins the scoring race then he will be the first Canuck to do so. It would be a good omen for the upcoming playoffs.
Sun, 2010-04-11 01:50
#74
Boston apparently scored three short-handed goals on one penalty tonight. Now that's something.
Sun, 2010-04-11 02:32
#75
No kidding, hey Fidel? We were just saying that if the Leafs had played like this all year, we wouldn't be in last place!
There are a few teams that have played like playoff teams. The Canes had a lousy start to the season over the their first 15 games or so, and they couldn't make it up at the end even though they were something like 21-4-5 over their last 30 games. They've given trouble to a number of teams that are now in the playoffs. The Habs had a dry spell before the end of the first-half and had to play better than .500 hockey in the last third of the season just to slip into playoff contention.
Sun, 2010-04-11 13:33
#76
Catchfire
Well, we limped in, in the end. Clinhing with an overtime loss. That's how they do it with style in Mo-town. But in the East at least, there's not much hope of any of the bottom four teams making it through to the second round (especially with Kovalev out for the season in Ottawa).
Mon, 2010-04-12 07:32
#77
Time to burn the White House again or at least paint it bleu, rouge et blanc.
Tue, 2010-04-13 21:09
#78
I don't care who wins, so I guess I'll cheer mildly for Mike Green's team.
Tue, 2010-04-13 21:13
#79
Catchfire
Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, al-Q.
Tue, 2010-04-13 21:56
#80
Geez, man; go easy on Caissa.
Um, you were referring to his "White House" comment, right?
Fri, 2010-05-07 17:38
#81
Winnipeg hasn't given up hope:
The NHL's possible return to Winnipeg was revived Friday, but Mayor Sam Katz is taking a cautious approach to the latest news.
"Do I believe the opportunity is there? Yes, " Katz said. "Do I want to see Winnipeggers get excited and then feel disappointed? No."
"And that's why I'm saying I personally believe there's an opportunity. I'm just saying, you know, the next two to three years."
Sat, 2010-05-08 13:53
#82
Of course this will never happen, but wouldn't it be cool if the Jets came back to Winnipeg, then Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith decided they wanted to play in their home town?
Sat, 2010-05-08 14:02
#83
Actually, that would "never happen"
Sat, 2010-05-08 14:15
#84
You did see where I wrote, "Of course this will never happen," didn't you?
Sat, 2010-05-08 14:27
#85
The Jet's "returning" is what "would never happen" according to your post.
My feeling was there is a much better chance of that happening than these local kids wanting to come home to play proffesional hockey.
I guess we agree that "would never happen"
Sun, 2010-05-23 14:29
#86
The Brandon Wheat Kings will play for the Memorial Cup title in their own building after getting sweet revenge on the Calgary Hitmen in a 5-4 comeback victory on Friday night.
Jay Fehr scored 3:16 into overtime at Keystone Centre to lift Brandon, which twice fought back from two-goal deficits.
It's nice to see that the Wheat Kings still play in the Keystone Centre (I haven't seen a game there since 1980), but I heard that good ol' CKX bit the dust recently. That used to be the only channel we could pick up back in the 70s.
Sun, 2010-05-23 14:30
#87
Speaking of broadcasting from Brandon, is the Memorial Cup final going to be televised anywhere?
Wed, 2010-06-02 21:06
#88
Catchfire
Companies such as Tim Hortons use hockey’s Canadian mythology to sell their products. Broadcasters such as ctv (during the Olympics) and cbc (the rest of the time) use it for exactly the same reason. Politicians such as Stephen Harper find it an easy emotive note to hit — an especially useful prop for a public figure whose emotional range, to borrow from Dorothy Parker, runs the gamut from A to B. The military sees Canada’s hockey mythology as a symbol of patriotism (recruitment ads for the Canadian Forces appear next to the schedule on the nhl’s website), and Canadian arenas, aping their American counterparts, regularly celebrate the attendance at a game of a uniformed “hero” — a word used indiscriminately and further diminished by being regularly attached to hockey players in the fictions created to sell double-doubles, beer, and cordless drills. If there were a Canadian equivalent of “America the Beautiful” — an oversight of Bobby Gimby’s for which I can only be grateful — hockey rinks would be where it would be sung.But these are all only fantasies. Hockey, by almost any measurement (other than the method by which one might calculate the commercial value of Canadian sentimentality), has been transformed during its forty years in the digestive tract of American consumerism. It hasn’t come out as an American sport — not yet. But it is a sport that has become an American entertainment.
[...]
I begin to suspect that I have missed the point of the twenty-first century. I begin to consider the possibility that because of the peculiarity of my nationality — my Canadianness — I do not understand the world in which I live. To begin with, I’ve never seen two more obese people than the couple I saw in a tgi Friday’s somewhere due west of Orlando. And it wasn’t their size so much as the fact that nobody else in the restaurant seemed to find it remarkable that makes me think that my apprehension of reality may not be as keen as I’d imagined. I have underestimated the great, swirling maw of American appetite. I have actually imagined that what Canadians care or believe or remember about hockey will be enough to prevent the game from being sucked down its gullet.
Thu, 2010-06-03 09:07
#89
nice piece above by David MacFarlane, whom I recall from Saturday Night magazine in the 1980s when he was house writer there;
(small-magazine plug: this appears in The Walrus, which everyone should support, although I am pretty much in the camp of Maisonneuve, www.maisonneuve.org, its Montreal-based little-magazine peer).
Article a bit too heavy on what hockey means for Canadian soul, patriotism and vice versa; I watch hockey because it is entertaining, and even defected to baseball for most of a decade in the late 1980s and 1990s;
the writer also opines that a Canadian blowhard such as Don Cherry can never be an exact parallel to Rush Limbaugh, true, but I imagine that a conflation of the entertaining style of Cherry and the verbose politico/economic editorializing of Conrad Black could achieve that; any candidates?
He also focuses exclusively on Sunbelt hockey, never dignifying northern U.S. hockey -- viz. Boston college traditions, Michigan and Minnesota high schools, even singing the anthem at Flyers games -- as the deep-rooted American phenomenon that it is; still, some very nice touches about Sunbelt hockey, including this:
The NHL's southern expansion was not so much into a specific latitude as it was into a stratum of consumption. The thick, wide, lucrative target for success in America is the temperate middle: the deep, unquenchable marketplace of family restaurants, family shopping, family entertainment, family values. The NHL's American hockey arenas reach out to embrace exactly this midriff.
Thu, 2010-06-03 10:49
#90
But these are all only fantasies. Hockey, by almost any measurement (other than the method by which one might calculate the commercial value of Canadian sentimentality), has been transformed during its forty years in the digestive tract of American consumerism. It hasn’t come out as an American sport — not yet. But it is a sport that has become an American entertainment.
Bruce Kidd made the same point in 1972 with The Death of Hockey.
[ed.] This was the book I was reading when Salvador Allende's government was overthrown in Pinochet's CIA-assisted coup.
Thu, 2010-06-17 19:14
#91
Catchfire
So Long, Halak, and thanks for all the fish...
The Montreal Canadiens let go of the goaltender who led them through their incredible postseason run and anointed Carey Price as their undisputed No. 1, as the club has traded Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues.In return, the Habs received forwards Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.
Halak, 25, spent the last four seasons with the Canadiens and shared the goaltending duties with Price after being called up from the American Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs in February of 2008. He made his NHL debut in place of injured goaltender Cristobal Huet during the 2006-07 season with a 10-6 record, 2.89 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
This past season, Halak's incredible play between the pipes led the Canadiens on deep run into the playoffs before they were eliminated by the Flyers in the Eastern Conference final.
Can Carey Price play himself out of the number one spot for a fourth time? I can't wait to find out!
Thu, 2010-06-17 20:04
#92
That does seem like a dumb move but I'd heard Halak wasn't happy in Montreal despite his amazing playoff run. The Western Conference just got even more competitive.
Fri, 2010-06-18 05:23
#93
I have often thought about how wrong some gloomy projections were that Kidd made in that book:
in 1972, everybody still referred to "expansion" teams ('68 vintage) like the plague of talent dilution, but since then more than 10 have won the Stanley Cup (Flyers, Islanders, Oilers, Flames, Penguins, Devils, Nordique/Avalanche, Stars, Lightning, Hurricane, Ducks) and another 6 or 7 have got to the Cup finals, so there is no permanent competitive underclass, witness 2010 Flyers....
and Kidd bemoaned the fact that, although Vancouver had finally been awarded an NHL team, worthy Canadian cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Hamilton, Quebec and Halifax were never going to get a chance; well, most of those cities either have now, or had a try with an NHL franchise, or were too small to ever succeed with one
Kidd did not see coming at all the huge explosion in NHL-Soviet hockey throughout the 1970s that eventually reinvigorated world hockey after expansion
overall, pro hockey and esp. world hockey is way better than in 1972 when Kidd was writing, despite its Sunbelt goofs...
the contrary view:
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2010.06--editors-note/
Fri, 2010-06-18 05:26
#94
playoff heroes are often worth more now than in the future, and while everyone remembers the great Habs run of 2010, Gauthier is looking at 2011 and '12...
for example , Tampa Bay could have reeled in draft picks galore for some of their stars when they won in 2004 and then avoided the slump of recent years; you have to pull the trigger on players at the peak of their value these days ...
Fri, 2010-06-18 07:20
#95
Un-fucking believable trading Halak to the Blues. Price should have been moved. Habs magement continues to be incompetent.
Thu, 2010-06-24 13:21
#96
Everyone knew that the Blackhawks were going to have to dump a lot of players to make it under the salary cap, but this is still something of a surprise:
Blackhawks trade Byfuglien to Thrashers
The Thrashers also acquired forwards Ben Eager and Akim Aliu, along with defenceman Brent Sopel for forwards Marty Reasoner, Joey Crabb and Jeremy Morin, as well as a first-round choice (24th overall) and a second-round choice (54th overall) in this week's NHL Draft.
Byfuglien tied for the team lead in goals for the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks with 11.
Thu, 2010-06-24 13:43
#97
The salary cap has so improved the NHL---NOT!!!!
Thu, 2010-06-24 21:31
#98
I strongly disagree. The cap rocks. Chicago would have been fine if they hadn't signed a couple of extremely dumb contracts(Huet and Cambell). As it is they're still an extremely strong team and they got some nice prospects for Byfuglien while his value is high. It was a savvy move trading him to a relatively weak team in the Eastern conference too. It's going to be interesting to see which GMs are smart enough to thrive in the new Cap era.
Thu, 2010-07-01 23:20
#99
The Leafs just benefitted from Chicago's cap woes:
Leafs land Versteeg from Blackhawks
"I've been trying to warn our fans that this team we've fallen in love with isn't going to stay the same," said Chicago general manager Stan Bowman said after the deal. "No championship team does. It's kind of the nature of the world that we're in."
The Leafs also picked up another Saskatoon kid:
The Maple Leafs, looking to get a little tougher, have picked up a player know for his sandpaper approach to the game.
The wikipaedia article on Armstrong is interesting:
Armstrong grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in the city's northeastern neighborhood of Erindale, where he continues to live in the off-season. He played youth hockey with the Saskatoon Red Wings and the Saskatoon Blazers.
A guy on my team told me that Luke Schenn is from the Red Wing (the kids call them the "Chicken Wings") zone, so he and Armstrong were almost neighbours. The Red Wings have good teams in every age division I've seen.
Fri, 2010-07-02 00:11
#100
Yeah, good for the Leafs. Nice to see Bowman not whining about it, I like how the NHL has built-in levelling mechanisms, just as the Blackhawks were rewarded with high draft picks for losing, now that they're champions, they have to make some tough choices about who they keep. I'm not a neutral observer though, after they handily eliminated the Canucks in round 2 the last two years, it's nice to see Chicago get a little weaker while Van gets a little stronger. Next year should be interesting. The Eastern conference has certainly become stronger this summer thanks to the salary cap, hopefully the conferences are more even this year.
Sat, 2010-07-03 11:35
#101
Colby Armstrong was on The Bill Watters Show yesterday. He said he used to play road hockey with the Schenn boys, so really was their neighbour.